On Wings of Faith

by Anne Graham Lotz

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A turkey and an eagle react differently to the threat of a storm. Which are you?
Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, . . . and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2–4, NKJV).

I understand that a turkey and an eagle react differently to the threat of a storm. A turkey reacts by running under the barn, hoping the storm won’t come near. On the other hand, an eagle leaves the security of its nest and spreads its wings to ride the air currents of the approaching storm, knowing they will carry it higher in the sky than it could soar on its own. Based on your reaction to the storms of life, which are you? A turkey or an eagle?

It’s natural for me to be a turkey in my emotions, but I have chosen to be an eagle in my spirit. And as I have spread my wings of faith to embrace the “Wind,” placing my trust in Jesus and Jesus alone, I have experienced quiet, “everyday” miracles:

            His joy has balanced my pain.

                        His power has lifted my burden.

                                    His peace has calmed my worries.

So . . . would you spread your wings of faith and soar?!

Peace in Me

Peace in Me

by Guideposts

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It’s easy to find peace when everything is going smoothly, but where can we find it in the midst of pain?
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33, NLT

I've had an extremely close relationship with my grandparents my whole life. My mom was a single mom, and we lived with my grandparents my first four years. After that, I spent time with my grandparents many times a week. I looked forward to dinners around their table, watching old movies on the TV, and going on walks around the neighborhood. As my grandparents grew older, I feared losing one of them. I knew it was inevitable, but I didn’t think my heart could handle it.

When my grandpa was diagnosed with cancer, I turned to the only place I knew to go—to Jesus. I asked Him to be with me each day as I helped my grandmother care for my grandfather. I asked Jesus to give my heart peace, and the amazing thing was, He did.

On the last day of my grandfather’s life, I walked into the room and I saw him lifting his arms and praising Jesus. Later, through tears, Grandpa told me he saw Jesus with His arms outstretched. Jesus was welcoming Grandpa home. Not too long later, my grandfather passed away.

All those years I had worried about what I was losing, but I had forgotten what my grandfather was gaining. Because Jesus had overcome the world, my grandfather was now with Him in eternity.

It’s easy to find peace when everything in life is going smooth. But peace—Jesus our peace—can also be found in painful times.

FAITH STEP: Think about a friend who is facing the death of a loved one. Send him or her a note sharing your care. Also remind your friend that true peace can be found in Jesus.

Real Patience

Real Patience
by THIRD DAY

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Rest assured, God is active and moving in our lives – even in the waiting!
Key Verse: James 5:8
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

We live in a world where patience is an almost forgotten virtue - we want everything and we want it now! James cautions that in times of trouble and difficulty, we need to exhibit genuine faith which will be patient. Impatience is a sign of spiritual immaturity. Waiting is an opportunity for God to refine us, to mold us and to reveal His good plans for us – in HIS perfect timing.

We have the option to want a quick-fix answer, or to moan and groan about our circumstances, but James says we should adopt an eternal perspective and look toward the return of the Lord Jesus.

The prophet Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 64:4:

Since ancient times no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Rest assured, God is active and moving in our lives – even in the waiting. The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly when the return of the Lord will be, but we are constantly told to watch out for it. Amongst all the uncertainty of life in this world, one thing is certain - Jesus is coming back!

Pray and Respond:

What is it that you are waiting for? Do you find yourself in a state of constant longing? Confess the times when you wanted things to happen on YOUR timeline, and thank Him that His timing is perfect.

Ask God to give you patience and contentment in Him – even when the waiting period seems futile and hard.

Thank Him that he is so worth waiting for, and that one day all of our longings will cease at the coming of Jesus. 

God Is Our Shaper

God Is Our Shaper

by Dr. Ed Young

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God is shaping you “down here” so you will fit “up there.”
"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.” Luke 6:35

An architect dreams of designing skyscrapers, but is assigned to draw mud huts. A composer yearns to write symphonies, but is hired only to pen beer commercial music. Heaven is a world of limitless self-fulfillment. All we do, every gift and talent will be elevated to a capacity beyond our comprehension. Billy Graham had a friend passing through difficulty. One day he passed a church construction site. “What are you doing?” he asked a stone cutter. “See that little opening up near the steeple? I’m shaping this down here so it will fit up there.” God is shaping you “down here” so you will fit “up there.”

Hold on to the God Who Holds It All Together

Hold on to the God Who Holds It All Together

by Jud Wilhite

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The one who holds it all together is holding me and my problems. He can hold onto us no matter what we face.
This week I’ve been thinking about how the size of our God often determines the size of our trust. The Bible describes Jesus as bigger than anything I can grasp: “Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together” (Col. 1:17, NLT).

This is remarkable stuff. Peter O’Brien says, “Paul’s teaching about Christ as the goal of all creation. . .finds no parallel in the Jewish wisdom literature or in the rest of the extant Jewish materials for that matter.” Some translate the word “for” as “toward”, which makes the sense even more dramatic: “All things were created by him and toward him.” Everything began with him and will end with him.

Jesus holds it all together. I went nerdy and did some digging on this idea. It seems that there is a force holding all things together. Some scientists call it “strong nuclear force”.

Take an atom as an example. Ok, most of us don’t remember much from science class but stay with me, it will be worth it. Some people say opposites attract in relationships, right? It’s the same in science. If something has a positive charge it is attracted to something with a negative charge. But the crazy thing is that the middle of an atom (its nucleus) is made up of a bunch of protons along with some neutrons. This is a recipe for disaster because the protons all have a positive charge and should repel one another, kind of like putting a bunch of lawyers together in one room. But instead of repelling they stay together because of a “mysterious” energy being supplied from outside the atom.

Crazy huh? If this energy to help the protons stay together was not supplied from outside most atoms would become one explosion after another. This “mysterious” force that holds an atom together is very strong and not something to be messed with. If something disrupts this, like nuclear fission, an atomic bomb is created. When an atomic nucleus losses this mysterious force for just a second and splits it emits several hundred million volts of energy. So when the Bible says Jesus holds all things together this is like. . .big stuff and serious power!

What I’m reminded of today is that the one who holds it all together is holding me and my problems. He can hold onto us no matter what we face.

If he holds the stars in place, he can hold you in your depression. If he holds the moon in orbit, he can hold you in your financial struggle. If he holds the atom together, he can hold you in your family. If he holds the water in the oceans, he can hold you in your marriage troubles. If he holds the snow on the mountains, he can hold you in your sickness. If he holds the sun in the sky, he can hold you in your job loss. If he holds the leaves on the trees, he can hold you in your bankruptcy. If he holds the continents together, he can hold you in the stock market crash. If he holds the lightning in his hands, he can hold you in your home foreclosure. If he holds the sun, he can hold you in the death of a family member.

Hold on to the God who holds it all together!

TRIUMPH OVER EVIL - Day 7 - When Good Men Do Nothing

excerpt:

They Are No Longer Good

When good men do nothing, they are no longer good. Many have the mistaken notion that good is merely the absence of doing that which is wrong. Not so! One is good not merely because he does no evil, but because he is actively working for what is good. "Let him eschew evil, and do good" (1 Pet. 3:11). James explained, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).

The eldest of Israel, Reuben, knew his brothers' murderous plot against their younger brother Joseph was wrong. He started an attempt to deliver Joseph, but as he hesitated and vacillated, the other brothers sold Joseph into slavery. When Reuben heard what they had done, he realized his failure to act had helped to bring about this evil result.

Instead of correcting his error, Reuben sought to cover his guilt by agreeing with his brothers to lie to their father about Joseph's disappearance (Gen. 37:18-35). Reuben had "good intentions" and he was not even present when Joseph was sold into slavery, but he knew his inaction and absence made him just as guilty as the rest of his wicked brothers. This guilt continued to haunt him through the years (Gen. 42:21-22).

The prophet Obadiah severely condemned the Edomites for doing nothing when evil was befalling their brethren, the Jews. When Jerusalem was invaded by her enemies, the Edomites "stood on the other side" doing nothing but watching the slaughter as spectators. God said by their failure to act and to help their brethren "even thou wast as one of them" (Obad. 11).

Today, there are preachers and Christians who fail and refuse to meet the real foe, refute error and fight the enemy. Instead, they have turned to viciously savaging their own brethren. They are filled with bitterness and hatred and they maliciously attack, slander and misrepresent other Christians and gospel preachers.

Paul warned about such men and behavior among those professing to be Christians, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another" (Gal. 5:15). Those who engage in such behavior are spiritual cannibals.

While the conduct of these so-called Christians is shameful, what about those supposedly "good" men who do nothing? Those stand on the other side and do nothing but watch as their brothers are being slandered, slaughtered and devoured, they cease being innocent bystanders and idle spectators. Their failure to act not only allows evil to triumph, but makes them just as guilty as the spiritual cannibals they refuse to reprove and rebuke. In God's words, "even thou wast as one of them" (Obad. 11).

Conclusion

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7). Those who fail or refuse to do good in the face of evil are sowing some dangerous seeds. They are doing nothing good as Jesus commanded them to do; they are helping evil to win and have ceased being good and have become partakers of the evil they did nothing to stop.

Do not allow evil to triumph. Do not sit by and do nothing. Stand up and be counted, speak up against evil and speak out against evil men and their sinful deeds.

by Wayne Greeson

TRIUMPH OVER EVIL - Day 6 - Meaning of Purim

What is the meaning of Purim and how is it observed?
On Purim, the Jewish people recall their miraculous deliverance from their enemies 2,400 years ago. The Purim story, from the book of Esther, is one of the most memorable in the entire Bible.

The King of Persia, Xerxes, chose a beautiful young woman named Esther to be his queen, unaware that she was Jewish. Esther hears from Mordecai, her uncle, that the King has entrusted the fate of Persian Jews to Haman, one of his advisers. Haman hates the Jews, and issues an order that they be killed.

At great risk to her own life, Esther reveals that she is Jewish and pleads with the King to save her people. He agrees to do so, and gives the evil Haman the death sentence Haman himself had hoped to give the Jews.

Purim's many themes
While it is a festive holiday, Purim has a serious side as well. It reminds us that we must always grapple with the problem of evil, and with people who, like Haman, hate us simply for being Jews. But we are reassured that God and the forces of good will ultimately triumph over evil. Esther’s bravery and willingness to stand up for her people reminds us that we must not be silent in the presence of evil, but must confront and eliminate it, combining our human initiative with trust in God's.

Purim also reminds us of our human frailty and vulnerability. We see how close all the Jews in the Persian Empire came to being wiped out overnight at the whim of a foolish, capricious leader. Jews are particularly reminded of the precariousness of their condition. Yet, Purim also affirms that while oppressors come and go, God's promise and covenant with his people, Israel, is everlasting. The Jews of the Persian Empire, after all, were saved, reminding us that God never deserts His people.

One of the underlying themes of Purim is the mysterious way that God acts in the world. The rescue of the Persian Jews appears to have taken place entirely because of Esther's initiative, without any divine guidance. The name of God, in fact, does not even appear in the entire book of Esther! But, although hidden, God was present in every action and in every event that led to the Jews’ being rescued. He worked through people like Esther (the name, by the way, means "hidden" or "concealed" appropriate when you consider how Esther had to hide her Jewish identity). She and Mordecai were the human instruments of God’s power and salvation.

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