God Is with Us Today December 20, 2015

Read Psalm 139:5-18

Psalm 139:5-6      You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.…

Job 9:33     If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together,

Psalm 34:7     The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Psalm 125:2     As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

The daily devotion in The Upper Room that day was about a woman who, like me, loves maps. I have a map of the world on my wall, and I keep an atlas and a street directory on my bookshelf. I don’t travel a lot; but I love to know where the people I read about are living.

My maps help me feel connected to others, but God doesn’t need a map to know us. Psalm 139 assures us that God is familiar with all our ways — that before a word leaves our tongues God knows it completely (v. 4). What a comfort in times of distress is this reminder in verse 12: “Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you”!

Our granddaughter is about to travel on her own to the other side of the world. I am fearful for her safety, but I am confident that God will accompany her wherever she goes. I hold on to Psalm 139:9-10: “If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.”

When We Have No Words December 19, 2015

Read Romans 8:18-27

Romans 8:26      In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Matthew 20:22     "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered.

John 14:16     And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--

Romans 8:15     The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

2 Corinthians 12:8     Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

Ephesians 6:18     And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

Ordinarily, my wife gets out of bed in the morning to attend to our four young children. Recently, I happened to get out of bed before she did. After helping the older children, I made every attempt to get our 18-month-old son what he wanted for breakfast. He pointed at the cabinet and pronounced, “Muhh!” I had no idea what he was asking for. I opened the refrigerator. He pointed and cried “Chehhh!” I offered him pudding, eggs, waffles, but he only became more frustrated. Finally, I woke his mother and explained the situation. She promptly replied, “He wants milk and a slice of cheese.” She understands him even when he doesn’t have the words.

I couldn’t understand my son’s mutterings, but God understands even the groanings of our hearts. God knows our needs, hurts, and longings. Even when we have no words to speak, we can turn to God and know that God will understand.

An Offer You Can’t Refuse December 18, 2015

Read John 4:28-42

John 9:27      He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?"

John 5:25     Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

John 9:15     Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."

I am a gadget man. When I discover a new electronic device or software, I get excited. Recently I found a free scheduling app for my tablet that would send reminders about project due dates and help me plan my work and hold myself accountable. I told my wife, Bonnie, about it and downloaded it to her tablet. Then I sent emails to my three children, urging them to download it quickly, since it would go back to full price the next day.

This zeal to share good news is a smaller version of the fervor that wells up in us when we receive Christ. What a treasure we’ve found! We feel buoyant, free from guilt. Immediately we wonder, Are others like me — feeling the pain of guilt? I have discovered just what they need, something they can’t live without. Christ offers freedom from guilt, the power to overcome, and daily fellowship with God. What’s more, we now have a new understanding of scripture and ultimately a home in heaven. This is priceless! I want to share this good news.

Never Alone December 17, 2015

Read John 14:15-21

Hebrews 13:5      Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

1 Kings 8:57     May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us.

1 Chronicles 28:20     David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.

Psalm 37:25     I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

Psalm 119:36     Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

Proverbs 23:4     Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.

“Mommy?” a tiny voice called out from the restroom stall.

“I’m right here, honey,” her mother responded.

Although the child could not see her mother, she immediately calmed down because she heard her mother’s voice and trusted her mother’s word. Then suddenly, the outer door slammed shut. The unexpected bang shook the child’s confidence.

“Mommy? Are you still there?” Her little voice quivered.

“I’m right here, honey. I promise I won’t leave you.”

Like the little girl, we sometimes find ourselves in frightening situations. Because we cannot see God and may not sense God’s presence, we panic, fearing that God has left us alone in unfamiliar territory. But when we cry out, “Abba?” God’s word assures us, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Through faith in God’s word, we can push through our fear, step straight into God’s loving arms, and find the strength to face life’s most difficult challenges, knowing that God will never abandon us.

Never Old or Damaged December 16, 2015

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

2 Corinthians 4:16      Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Jeremiah 45:3     You said, 'Woe to me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.'

Romans 7:22     For in my inner being I delight in God's law;

2 Corinthians 4:1    Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

Colossians 3:10     and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

1 Peter 4:14      If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

I recall a lovely flowering red Flamboyant tree standing beside a bridge near the highway in my town. What a sight to behold! One morning a construction crew cut down the tree in order to widen the road. Only the stump remained. How sad! The beautiful flowering tree was gone.

More than 40 years have passed, and the tree has refused to die. The stump has grown into a tree even more lush than before. Its branches are strong, and now we gaze again upon the beautiful tree with red flowers.

We too experience tribulations and illnesses. Our outer nature may change because of damaging life experiences. But through our faith in God, we are renewed day by day.

Well Done December 15, 2015

Read Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:16      "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Matthew 19:30     But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Mark 10:31     But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Luke 13:30     Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."

My father was diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly before I left home to attend college. When the time came for me to leave I felt scared and burdened. I prayed many prayers for him to accept Christ as his Savior and to be healed. Two years later, my father lost his battle with kidney cancer.

After my father’s death, I learned that an elderly preacher who lived in a town near where my father was frequently hospitalized had been visiting him. My father found him to be a likable, caring friend — gentle and soft-spoken. When my father was released to come home from the hospital, the preacher traveled almost an hour each way to visit him on Sunday afternoons. On several occasions the preacher talked with my father about Christ and heaven. Shortly before my father passed away, he accepted Christ as his Savior.

Recently, while reading Matthew 20, I recognized my father’s story in it. The meaning of this parable was suddenly deeper and more profound. My father was like the last workers hired. His acceptance of Christ came late in his life, but I know that the Savior joyfully received him.

A Prayer of Repentance December 14, 2015

Read Psalm 103:1-12

1 John 1:9      If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 Kings 8:30     Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

Psalm 32:5     Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD." And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Psalm 51:2     Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Proverbs 28:13     Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Jeremiah 3:13     Only acknowledge your guilt-- you have rebelled against the LORD your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,'" declares the LORD.

I was a minister to the inmates at the county jail near my home. One day, an inmate told me that he had a difficult time forgiving himself for past sins. I inquired if he had asked for God’s forgiveness and if he believed that God had forgiven him. He answered affirmatively.

“Then you must forgive yourself,” I concluded.

Memories — both good and bad — are stored in our brain and resurface from time to time. We find pleasure in reminiscing about good events, but we are uncomfortable when we recall bad ones. However, they lose their power when we remember the words of the psalmist, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath [the LORD] removed our transgressions from us.” When memories bring us guilt, we can revel in God’s forgiveness and unconditional love. God’s love is our refuge in all times, and God has promised us peace