God Believes in You

"David!"

He whirled around at the sound of his name, and squinted against the brilliant sun. A servant from his father's house was standing at the top of a small incline. He waved, indicating that David should come closer. David glanced back at the herd of sheep. Satisfied that there were no immediate dangers, David walked to greet the servant.

The servant spoke before David could say anything. "Your father requires your presence immediately. I've been instructed to watch the flock in your stead."

"Why? Is everything alright?" Worry for his family squeezed his heart.

The servant glance over his shoulder like he was worried someone could hear him. "Samuel the prophet is at your father's house." He lowered his voice. "All your brothers have passed before him, but he rejected them all. It was like he was searching for someone. He asked your father, Jesse, if there was anyone else because the Lord had not chosen any of your brothers. When your father said you were out here, Samuel insisted that someone be sent to get you. They won't even sit down to eat."

David felt like someone had punched him in the gut. Here he had been worrying about his family, and the servant tells him that they couldn't be bothered to send for him until Samuel insisted? They would have just sat down with the most famous prophet in the land without him? Clearly Samuel was looking for someone under the Lord's direction....and no one, not even the father he worked so hard to please, thought he could ever be worthy.

As David walked the dusty trail back to his father's house, his shoulders sagged and his shepherd's staff dragged haphazardly alongside him. Despite the fact that Samuel had called for him, he still felt like someone had broken every single one of his bones.

His family didn't believe in him.

Based on 1 Samuel 16:11-13

"Then Samuel said to Jesse, 'Are all your sons here?' And he said, 'There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.' And Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.' And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, 'Arise, anoint him, for this is he.' Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah." 1 Samuel 16:11-13

I racked my brain for forever trying to think of a "Bible story" that shows just how much God believes in us. I thought about Peter and how we talked about him dragging a net of 153 fish because God's words gave him the power to do so. I thought about Moses and how God believed in his ability even when he insisted that he couldn't. I thought about Gideon who doubted that God called him to be a mighty man of valor. I thought about David and how even when his whole family didn't believe in him, God did. What about the Apostle Saul/Paul when the believers didn't believe in or trust him? They even plotted to kill him!

How do I pick just one?

Have you ever felt like Moses? Have you ever felt like Gideon? Have you ever felt like David? Have you ever felt like Saul/Paul? My family doesn't believe in me. I can't speak. I'm too young. I'm too old. I'm uneducated. No one believes in me! Send someone else!

So often we don't believe in ourselves. So often we believe the words that everyone has spoken over us. So often those lies take root in our hearts without us even realizing it. David's own family didn't believe in him, but God believed in him. God believed in every person in the Bible. He believed in their ability to do what He'd called them to do, even when they didn't.

No matter how you feel, no matter who is against you, no matter who has crushed your spirit, God is for you. He believes in you!

V. Joy Palmer

"The Punch Line"

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25

Wise man or foolish? Which will we choose to be? Will we be someone who builds on the rock or the shifting sand? The choice is ours to make and the key to making it is in understanding that the wise and foolish builders were the punch line! You know how the preacher is coming to the end of his sermon and he says that he has one last point ...intended to drive his message home. That's what Jesus was doing when He said, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them ..." He was delivering His punch line, His final illustration to drive His message home.

I say that because of the word, therefore. Therefore is a word you use to indicate what you just said matters to what you are about to say. "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them ..."  What sayings? The stuff He had been laying out before them in the preceding verses. Stuff that made His point. You choose! You choose to enter by the narrow gate. Vs.13 You choose to be known by the fruit you bear. You choose to be a good tree with good fruit or a bad tree bearing bad fruit. Vs. 16-19 You choose to enter the kingdom of heaven by doing the will of the Father. Vs. 21 You choose to call Him Lord or to actually make Him Lord. He had just told them that calling Him, "Lord, Lord" wasn't enough.  Vs. 21-23

Therefore ... the punch line! Wise or foolish?

We choose to make Him Lord when we not only say it with our lips but with our actions as well. We choose to make Him Lord when we hear His sayings and do them! That is when we truly build our lives on the rock. That is when we choose the path that takes us through the narrow gate. That is how we become a good tree with amazingly good fruit. That is how we enter the kingdom of heaven. It's when we choose to to say, "Lord, what would you like me to do?" Then, because He is Lord ... we listen and obey!

"Into The Stillness"

God is our refuge and strength, 

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, 

Though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though it's waters roar and be troubled, 

Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

The nation's raged, the kingdom's were moved;

He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah

Come, behold the works of the Lord,

Who has made desolation in the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;

He burns the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nation's,
I will be exalted in the earth!

The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah

Lord, help us to understand that it is only in knowing You as our refuge, strength, and everpresent help that we will come to the place of stillness in Your presence. Lord, it's in the stillness, despite mountains moving and shaking, the roaring waters, and the nations raging that we will truly KNOW You as God! Lord, lead us into the stillness of Your presence because that is where we can truly 'Fear not' and KNOW that You as the Lord our God who is with us wherever we go.

God Bless!!!

Staff of Snack Time Devotions

Preparing the Way

Beginning the Good News about Jesus Christ, God's Son. It is written in the prophet Isaiah: Look! I will send my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way for You. A voice will be calling in the wilderness: "Prepare the way for the Lord; make the paths straight for Him." Mark 1:1-3

This is the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. These are the verses that describe the calling that John the Baptist had on his life. His mission. His entire purpose. His reason for being, and he would live up to that calling.

"So John the Baptizer came into the wilderness, preaching that people repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. All Judea and all the people of Jerusalem were coming out to him. As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River." Mark 1:4-5

John lived up to the calling that was on his life. He prepared the way for Jesus and I would suggest that, at least to some degree, that is our calling. See, we think that it is our job to get people saved. Think about that. We can't save anyone. We aren't perfect, or flawless. We didn't die for the world, and no matter how hard our life has been, we didn't go through Hell.

Our job is not to get people saved, it is to lead people to Jesus, and, along the way to prepare the way for the Lord. There is a such a huge difference there - it is not just a point of view thing. Think about it like this: you walk up to a friend, and offer them a drink. They just had a drink, they are satisfied, they don't want any. But you go on a hike with that same person, over life's hills and rough paths, over the obstacles. Then you offer the drink. They trust you, they have seen who you are. They are much more likely to accept that drink.

People are thirsty for the water of life, they often just don't know it. We need to show our friends, our family, everyone, that when that drink is offered that it is something that they want. That is our job, to prepare the way so that when they see Jesus, they want Him. That is preparing the way of the Lord in this day and age.

Sam

"The Great Quake"

As I was reading Psalm 146 today, the Lord brought  this account in Acts to mind. It is such a perfect example of someone putting into actions all that the words this psalm proclaims. We see them praising Him, trusting Him, serving Him and making Him the One to whom salvation belongs. Check out psalm 146 and see if you don't see the words echoing in the words and actions of Paul and Silas as they:   Praise the Lord!

        Praise the Lord, O my soul!
        While I live I will praise the Lord;
        I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

        Do not put your trust in prince's,
        Nor in a son of man,
        In whom there is no help.
   
        His spirit departs, he returns to his e a Roth;
        In that very day his plans perish.

        Happy is He who has the God of Jacob for his help,
        Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
        Who made heaven and earth,
         The sea, and all that is in them;
        Who keeps truth forever,
        Who executes justice for the oppressed,
        Who gives food to the hungry.
        The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.

        The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
        The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
        The Lord loves the righteous.
        The Lord watches over the strangers;
         He relieves the fatherless and widow;
        But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

        The Lord shall reign forever ---
        Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

        Praise the Lord!

So we know that they praised Him in the prison and the Lord sent the earthquake. We also know that they didn't leave. Why? Because they where looking to Him and they knew. They knew that the jailer and His family's salvation was at stake! Did the earthquake come to free them or was it the means sent to open the eyes the jailer and bring freedom to His whole family? The Lord knew they were being released in the morning. So who was the earthquake for? Paul said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." He knew. He knew that it wasn't just the jailer who was about to get saved but his whole family. He knew because his hope was in the Lord his God and he knew that God had a plan. He knew because his trust was is in His God who He praised with all his being. He knew because in this case the 'quake' came not to set Paul and Silas free but instead to 'rock' the jailer's whole world.

  And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
   Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
   But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
   Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.
   And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.
   But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."
   Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
   And he brought g by them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
   So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
   Then they spoke the word of the Lord to Him and to all who were in his house.
   And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
   Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
   And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, "Let those men go."
   So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, "The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace."
   But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us in prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out."
   And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.
   Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. Acts 16:23-39

Honey, Not Hair-Pulling

Another man cast him a sidelong glance filled with fear, and a little bit of hate. Saul wanted to hang his head in defeat, and shuffle shamefully from the large group of disciples. No one came near him in the corner. They didn't trust him. The people whispered and stared, but you didn't have to be God to know what they were saying.

They hated him.

And rightfully so.

He had killed, imprisoned, and tortured many men and women in God's name. And now he was here, expecting to be among them, and treated like one of them.

He shifted uncomfortable in his seat. Was it warm in here? Saul resisted from fanning himself in front of their scrutinizing gazes that seared him like the hot sun.

He closed his eyes against the memories of women screaming, men who were bloodied and dying, families who were destroyed. If only he had known then what he knew now. He laughed ruefully to himself. If only he had known he would be sitting in the same room with the same people he had persecuted months before.

Now all he could do was do what he should have done then. Be kind and gentle despite how they treated him. Act in love.

Based on Acts 8:1-3 and 9:26

"And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison." Acts 8:1-3

And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple." Acts 9:26

Did your grandmother ever say, "You can catch more flies with honey then you can with vinegar?"

Personally, I think honey is just as gross as vinegar, but you catch the drift of the saying. It's important to be nice, kind, and gentle. Nobody learns by being slapped upside the head.

"What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?"
1 Corinthians 4:21 (The Bible version of grandma's saying.)

I had a lot of trouble coming up with a "story" to illustrate this truth. Finally, I went back to Acts and looked at Saul/Paul again. Do you think he had a moment like this, when everyone was afraid to be around him and hated him? I don't see how he couldn't. I bet it was a real, humbling moment for him.

If we are going to act like God, then there is no dragging someone away by the hair. There is no slapping someone upside the head. There is not a rod used to beat sense into someone. There is just love and gentleness. That is the way someone learns, and that is the way someone has to teach. That is the way we need to handle others. Honey, not hair-pulling. That's what we want, so that's what we should give. Regardless of who they are, or what they have done in the past.

V. Joy Palmer

"When He Speaks"

When God speaks it might be:

   Through...

       ... the appearance of a hand and a message on a wall.
       ... the voice of angels.
       ... dreams and visions.
       ... a cloud and/or pillars of fire
       ... or even through a talking donkey!
   
 
When God speaks His voice might be:
   
   Found ...

       ... in a mighty wind,
       ... an earthquake,
       ... a fire
       ... or even a still small voice!
     
When God speaks it could be:

   With ...

       ... signs
       ... wonders
       ... miracles
       ... or even with a loud audible voice that can be heard by all!

The truth is that it doesn't matter who or how God speaks as long as you understand that when He does we need to listen! Why? Because when God speaks ... He always, always, always does what He says He will!

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11