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A Week's
Devotions Standard Publishing Company, Cincinnati, OH Used by permission. Confessions of An Only Son SCRIPTURE: John 13:1-11 VERSE FOR TODAY: The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. (Mark 14:16 NIV) HYMN FOR TODAY: "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord" Today begins my fourth year of being an only child. On April 21, 1993 my brother died very unexpectedly at the age of 41. He left behind 14 month old twins, a frightened wife, heart-broken parents, and a brother who had never considered being an only son. I was not prepared for the job. It has haunted me that I cannot remember the last thing my brother and I talked about. I cannot even remember the last time we were together, although we were very close. I have often wondered what that last conversation would have been like if either of us had had any warning of what was about to happen. Would I have told him how important he was to me? Would he have asked me to help get his material things in order? Would we have talked about spiritual matters? Would I have urged him to come back to the teachings of our youth and once again embrace Christ as his savior? All I know is, I didn't. The apostles prepared for Christ's death without knowing it; they simply carried out His instructions. Should I have been more prepared with the instructions we have received? PRAYER THOUGHTS: Dear Father, it is easy for me to follow Your leading when I know the dangers and the glories ahead. Help me to walk with You and prepare for the uncertainties of tomorrow in the knowledge of what You have told us. [top]Real Men Don't
Need Instructions SCRIPTURE: John 13:12-30 VERSE FOR TODAY: Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37 NIV) HYMN FOR TODAY: "I Surrender All" The Material Man is self-contained, self-aware, and self-fulfilling. He doesn't use the manufacturer's instructions to assemble that gift; he doesn't ask for anyone's help or comfort; and he doesn't ever stop to ask for directions -- no matter how lost he is. While comedians make jokes about these conditions, they actually are at the heart of our rebellion against God. What?! Just because I don't look at the manual unless I have "parts left over", that means I hate God? Of course not. But it is that same need for independence that drives us away from God. The Americanized proverb says, "God helps those who help themselves." But Jesus says, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5 NIV) God's charge to Adam and Eve wasn't to do, it was to be. It wasn't until they were no longer content to be with God, until they started trying to rely on their own abilities, that the Garden was no longer big enough for all of them. We tend to get caught up in the DO instructions of Christ, and forget that the one He said was the most important is a BE instruction: love God. PRAYER THOUGHTS: Dear Father, I know You have deeds that need doing and tasks that need taken care of, and I am willing to go where You send and do what You ask. But today, Lord, help me to be closer to You and to love You more completely. [top] Satan's Favorite
Playground SCRIPTURE: John 13:31-38 VERSE FOR TODAY: If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Galations 5:15 NIV) HYMN FOR TODAY: "They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love" Several years ago I was hired as a Producer in a television production facility in East Tennessee. The TV industry, the most influential of mediums, is not known for its spiritual environment, to say the least, so you can imagine my delight as I got to know the dozen or so employees and learned that each of them had a very individually deep faith in God. These weren't just casual Christians. There was an Elder, a Sunday School Superintendent, three Deacons, and one who spent weekends preaching and singing in a gospel quartet. I was thrilled that God led me to work with such a group of brothers and sisters. Six months later my pleasure turned to pain amid the most hurtful acts of distrust and backbiting I have ever experienced. Disillusioned and sharing the guilt I turned to the engineer, a man of demonstrated wisdom and encouragement, for an explanation. Acknowledging my observations, he simply asked, "Where else would the devil rather play?" He suggested that Satan already has possession of offices where only 2 or 3 Christians labor in relative obscurity, "... but think of what a group of faithful followers could accomplish if left alone to exercise their beliefs." PRAYER THOUGHTS: Dear Father, sometimes it seems like it is easier for me to get along with my non-Christian friends than with my brothers. Lord, please help me follow your spirit, and help me fend off the divisive devil, so that our fellowship with you is more complete in each other. [top] All or Nothing at All SCRIPTURE: John 14:1-7 VERSE FOR TODAY: This is what the Lord says -- He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters... Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. (Isaiah 43:16 & 18 NIV) HYMN FOR TODAY: "He Leadeth Me" Imagine a beautiful island several miles off the coast. Because of the rough waters which separate the island from the mainland, the only access is over a very long bridge. However, many people trying to get to the island don't believe the bridge actually goes where they want to go, or they view the bridge as a trick or a trap or just not very exciting, so they try their boats or they try to swim the distance. In each case they eventually drown in their efforts to reach the object of their desire. Some of those not willing to use the bridge do try to stay very close to it because they feel safer. Others, trying to prove their own abilities, intentionally stay far away. Some perish under the water shortly after beginning their trek, while others are nearly within reach of their goal before slipping into their watery graves. But each one remains separated from the island. Each one who tries on their own fails. Each one is completely dead; there is no measurement or degree of success other than crossing the water completely.
PRAYER THOUGHTS: Dear Father God, as we seek our way to You, remind us that You have provided us passage through Christ, and that there is no other way. [top]Like Father, Like Son SCRIPTURE: John 14:8-14 VERSE FOR TODAY: Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; he can do only what He sees His Father doing. (John 5:19 NIV) HYMN FOR TODAY: "More Like Jesus" My son should be a junior in college as you read this. I say should because, frankly, I'm not sure what he'll be doing, if anything. He's a great kid and I love him very much, but if he would just be more like me, his life -- and mine -- would be a lot easier. I mean, I have the experience and the wisdom to handle these situations which give him problems. If he would just use his head a little, he could figure most of it out on his own, because heaven knows I did when I was his age... It's at this point in my frustration that my wife generally points out that he is handling things about the same way I did when I was his age. I hate it when she does that. I often wonder if God ever had any of these feelings of frustration when Christ was growing up. I doubt it because the Father-Son relationship in my life is distorted by sin -- mine and my son's. But, even through that distortion the similarities are still evident between us, whether either of us like it or not. PRAYER THOUGHTS: Dear Father, I am Your son and I thank you. It is my desire to have you to let others see you through me, but I seem to get in the way a lot. Forgive me. Strengthen me. Draw me to you for your glory. [top] The Counselor is IN SCRIPTURE: John 14:15-20 VERSE FOR TODAY: Woe to him who says to wood, "Come to life!" Or to lifeless stone, "Wake up!" Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. (Habakkuk 2:19 NIV) HYMN FOR TODAY: "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" 1-900-PSYCHIC. Tarot cards. Palm readers. Where do you seek guidance? Friends. Co-workers. Relatives. Whose values do you apply in your life? Credit. Cash. Barter. What worth do you place on advice? King Saul, the man picked by God to stand head and shoulders over Israel as her king, had a problem knowing who to listen to. In fact, this weakness apparently was directly related to God ending Saul's life and turning his kingdom over to someone else. (I Chronicles 10:13-14 NIV) God takes very seriously this issue of where we seek our counsel. This should not be hard for us to understand. When someone asks your opinion, then takes someone else's advice, don't you feel a little disappointed. Or when your son or daughter asks their friend's parents about something that, without a doubt, you are more qualified to handle, doesn't that strike at the heart of the relationship, especially when the advice that results is poor. How much more must God be offended when he has offered His counsel, through the scriptures and through the Holy Spirit, and we instead seek the ways of the world? PRAYER THOUGHTS: Dear Lord, Your wisdom is great and Your timing is perfect. I know that and yet in my weakness I turn to earthly leaders and values for direction. Forgive me. I want to walk with you closer today than I did yesterday. Counsel me in your ways. [top] To
Know Know Know Him is to Love Love Love Him SCRIPTURE: John 14:21-31 VERSE FOR TODAY: I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you. (Psalms 119:167,168 NIV) HYMN FOR TODAY: "My God is an Awesome God " Do you speed? Do you fudge a little on your income taxes? Do you use God's name in vulgar or angry ways? Are you involved in adultery? Our desire -- and maybe even our ability -- to obey laws or rules is deeply rooted in our view of those who make the rules. Remember the playground bully? Most kids played his games and followed his rules because they were afraid of getting pounded. But when you first started dating that really special someone, can you recall the initial rules of that relationship that developed between you? We obeyed those "rules" because we were in love and didn't want to do anything which would displease this most wonderful person in the world. As you seek to follow God's leading, how do you view Him? Is He the bully in your life ready to punish you, or is He simply more important to you than all others? Or is it somewhere in between? Which view do you think God would want us to have? PRAYER THOUGHTS: Dear Father, my love for you is strong, but it is imperfect because of my sin. I sometimes get confused because I forget how great your power is to forgive and I fear your punishment. Help me to stay focused on your greatness so that I can abide in you. [top]
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