WHAT NEXT?

Have you ever eaten a Twinkie? Those moist cakes filled with creamy vanilla? Do you know how they got to the grocer’s shelf?

Jimmy Dewar is the creator of the delicious little treats. He never planned on baking Twinkies. The idea for them came to him out of frustration.

He began by making strawberry shortcakes but ran into a problem. At the end of the season, he had pans but no strawberries. He then decided to create a banana filling which was well received in the stores. But he ran into another problem.

One year there was a shortage of bananas, and he was forced to try something else. He thought and worked and experimented and came up with the idea of a vanilla filling. It was and still is a delicious treat and enjoyed by many every day. Besides, the creamy vanilla filling has no season.

That’s the way God works in our lives. When he closes one door He willingly opens another if we are faithful, work diligently and look to Him for guidance. Unfortunately, many Christians look upon difficult days as a reason to become despondent - not dependent upon God.

God’s Word declares, “I have opened a door for you that no one can shut.” Trust Him. He wants you to succeed.

Prayer:  Open our eyes, Lord, to see the opportunities that You set before us. May we look to You each day with excitement for the challenges You will bring us! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. Revelation 3:8

WHAT COUNTS

In the game of baseball victory is determined by runs. It is not determined by strikes or strike outs, hits, double plays, triple plays or the number of innings a game may go. It is only determined by runs.

The player who hits the ball into left field for a single, even stretching it into a double and sliding safely into second is not rewarded with “half-a-run.” It is not part of the final score.

How true of life. How true of everything we do. It is not how well we start, how well we continue for awhile, but whether or not we finish what we started.

Paul had a co-worker named Demas. How long he was involved with Paul or whether or not he had any particular skills in church planting is not known. What is known is that he deserted Paul because he loved the things of “this life.” He allowed his desire for worldly things and pleasures to surpass his desire for the things of the Lord.

There are two ways we might view the world. One is the way God intended it to be and the way it will be when He returns in His glory. The other way we might look at the world is as Demas did - as it is now with its evil attractions and sinful pleasures.

All of us have the same choices as Demas and Paul: to live for the things of this world or the world to come.

Prayer:  Create within us, Lord, the desire to seek first the Kingdom of God and a life of righteousness. May we honor You in all we do and forsake the world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. 2 Timothy 4:10

TRYING TO FIND ME

A telephone salesman called a home, and a small child answered the phone just above a whisper. “Hello,” he said.

“Is your mother in?” asked the salesman.

“Yes,” he said in a hushed voice. “But she’s busy.”

“Well,” the salesman continued, “is your father home?”

“Yes,” came the quiet reply. “But he’s busy too.”

Wondering what was going on the salesman asked, “Well, what are they doing?”

“Looking for me,” whispered the child. “I broke my mom’s favorite vase and I’m hiding.”

Hiding is the natural thing to do when we’ve done something we think is wrong. It has a long heritage going back to the Garden of Eden when Adam said, to God, “I heard you, so I hid.” Facing the Lord is not pleasant even though we know that He loves us and will willingly forgive us if we ask.

Often when we are guilty of being disobedient or knowingly commit a sin, we fear approaching Him. But that is the time we need Him the most. We need to remember that He does not want to hurt us but to heal us. He is anxious to forgive us, restore our relationship with Him and grant us His pardon and peace. “If we confess, He is faithful and just to forgive.”

Prayer:  We know, Heavenly Father, that we do what is unacceptable to You when we sin. May we be swift to confess and repent and forsake what we know is wrong. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9

TODAY IS NOT TOMORROW

Abraham Lincoln spent years as a circuit riding lawyer. On one of his trips he and a friend were faced with crossing the dangerous Fox River. While traveling through a small village he decided to ask a minister about the best place to cross it.

“Well,” said the minister, “it’s always pretty bad. I am familiar with all its dangers. But I have one fixed rule that I never change: I never cross it until I reach it.”

Planning for tomorrow is time well spent. But worrying about what might happen tomorrow is a foolish use of our time. When we worry we close our eyes and ears and cannot see or hear our Heavenly Father at work in our lives. So what do we do?

First, we must release the problem to the Lord in prayer. We must hand the problem to Him as a quarterback hands off the football to a running back. The football can get to its final destination when it is let go.

Second, we must fix our thoughts on the power of God to solve the problem. We must allow His Spirit to guide us and give us insight to solve the problem.

Third, we must activate our faith and believe that God will lead us to the solution that He has for us - not necessarily the solution we want. To combat worry and anxiety we must take God’s promises at face value.

Prayer:  Help us, Father, to believe that You will solve our problems and take away our anxieties when we look to You in faith and accept Your will in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:33-34

THROUGH IS NOT THE END

A patient, waiting for his appointment, began leafing through a copy of Who’s Who in America. After several moments he closed the book. A patient seated next to him asked if he was looking for his name or someone he knew.

 “No,” he replied, sadly. “I’m listed in Who’s Through.”

Obviously he did not know the Lord. For anyone who turns to Him at any time will be met with open arms and given an opportunity to embark on a new beginning.

David made this abundantly clear when he wrote, “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire,…set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”

People who do not know God often think that they have to pull themselves up by their “bootstraps.” But what God did for David He can and will do for everyone!

This powerful Psalm describes what God can do for anyone at any time. God will not only rescue us from the depths of our despair, but place us on solid ground, steady us with His strength, as we begin a new walk with Him and give us a new song to sing along the path that He has prepared for us.

Prayer:  How grateful we are, Father, that no one is ever beyond Your love or grace, salvation or mercy. May we recognize Your power to redeem and rescue us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. Psalm 40