Seeds Of Hope Daily Devotionals

Relationships

Relationships come in all sizes and shapes. Some last longer than others and some are more important than others. Some are temporary while others are permanent. Some are by chance and others by choice. So, whenever a person, place or thing “invades” our life and “consumes” our time, it becomes obvious that we have a “relationship” with that “thing.” Well, so what?

When we say we “have” or are “in” a relationship with some object, it means that we are connected to “it.” And perhaps the most significant fact about the “connection” is the amount of time we stay connected to “it.” Time always tells the story about how much we value anything or anyone. If we spend much time with “it,” we know that “it” has much value to us. If we spend little time with “it,” we know that “it” has little value to us. Time tells the truth about the value of any of our relationships. The amount of time with “it” exposes our value of “it.”

Our Psalmist makes a very revealing statement about his relationship with God’s Word. He boldly states, “Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long!” In other words, he stays “connected” to God by “meditating” or being “connected” to His Word all day long.

Notice the results of his “connection” to God's Word: “Your commands are with me, and...make me wise...and give me more insight...and more understanding...for I obey them.”

If we expect our relationship with God to have value, we must invest time with Him. Staying “connected” to Him by meditating on and reading His Word works!

Prayer: Lord, help us to stay “connected” to You. As we hide Your Word in our hearts and think on It, draw us closer to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long. Psalm 119:97

Who's Right?

If we want to be blessed by God, we must strive with all our hearts to live lives that are blameless and walk according to His laws. Those of us who keep His statutes, as well as those who seek God with all their heart, will also be blessed. The first two verses of Psalm 119 are very clear about whom God will bless.

The question then becomes: Where do we find God’s laws and statutes? And how do we know if we are truly seeking God with all our heart? If we can know His laws and statutes, that is a beginning. But the questions that follow are, “Will they ever change? Is God one way today and another way tomorrow? Where’s our assurance? What do we need to know and do to please Him?”

With all the power God has at His disposal, He can change anything and everything any time He chooses to. It’s His universe. He created it. It serves His purpose.

But near the middle of Psalm 119, the author gives us all the assurance we need: “God’s Word is established in heaven, and His faithfulness can be seen in the way He treats every generation.” To further explain God’s dependability, the author encourages us to consider the “earth.” God created it and established the laws that govern it. Furthermore, the laws that God put into place have been constant since creation. Everything we know anything about depends on this fact. The seasons and stars, the oceans and tides validate this law consistently.

In verse 96 we find an amazing statement: When we look at the laws that men write, there is a limit to their longevity. God’s laws, however, are “boundless!”

Prayer: We thank You, Lord, that we can depend on Your Word. And if we accept it and live it, we will be blessed! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. Psalm 119:90

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The Lasting Legacy Of The Lord

Voltaire, a famous French philosopher, was also a brilliant atheist. He wrote many articles deriding the Bible. On one occasion he declared, “One hundred years from today the Bible will be a forgotten book!”

Most people have never heard that quote, yet most people have heard of the Bible. After Voltaire died, for nearly 100 years, his home was used as the depository for the French Bible Society. How ironic that Bibles were sold from what once was the place where he lived and wrote his materials proclaiming that God’s Word would not last. Yet, it is he who is nearly forgotten while the Bible has become a “bestseller” year after year. That home, by the way, is now a museum.

Others have also attempted to destroy the meaning and the message of the Bible. No one has been successful. It has survived every assault and weathered every storm. It has been banned from continents and burned in public bonfires. It has been ridiculed and rejected, but it is still honored and held in esteem by those who seek the way, the truth, and the life. It has been despised and disputed, debated and denied having relevance in today’s world, yet sought for when eternal questions need truthful answers.

The Bible is still the most read, the most published and the most translated book ever written. It continues to change lives and provide directions for those who seek a lamp for their feet and a light for their paths.

“Your Word, Lord, is eternal, it stands firm in the heavens,” wrote the Psalmist. His truth will last forever!

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the promises that Your love, mercy, grace, and salvation will last forever. Your promises guide and encourage us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Your Word, Lord, is eternal, it stands firm in the heavens. Psalm 119:89

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A Question With No Answer

A radio talk show host in California once asked his listeners a troubling question. “What,” he asked, “would you do with the rest of today if you knew it was the last day you had to live?”

Immediately they responded. “I would go to an organ donor bank as soon as possible and donate all of my organs to help others who were dying,” said the first caller.

The second one said, “I’d cram as many daring and exciting things as possible in my remaining few hours. I would take every risk since it wouldn’t matter if I lived or died. I’d have fun.”

“I’d call my wife and children and tell them that I loved them very much and ask them if they needed anything from me before I died,” said the third caller.

The fourth caller said, “I’d begin reading my Bible and make sure my heart was right with God before I meet Him. I want everything to be O.K. before we meet.”

Each of us has a date with death. We do not know the day or the hour of that final day when our heart will stop beating. The Psalmist reminded us of this fact when he wrote, “How long must your servant wait?” However, no date or hour was revealed. He received no answer.

Whether we have one day or many days is known only to God. He alone has that number in His Book of Life, and He is responsible for the number of days we will live.

But each of us is responsible for making certain that our hearts are right with God before that date arrives. In between “now and then” we are to live each day for Him.

Prayer: Help us, Father, to recognize the uncertainties of life and the certainty of death and make all things right. Your grace and Your judgment are always on time. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: How long must your servant wait? Psalm 119:84a

Contaminated Christians

My Dad’s lack of faith was always a problem for me. He was hardworking and honest, thoughtful and compassionate, and would do anything for his family. But church? That was an entirely different matter. He refused to go to church or have anything to do with anyone who did. That puzzled me.

Our home was always open to those who served the Lord. Missionaries and evangelists and musicians were frequent guests at our evening meal. And although “Pa” would not talk with them as we ate together, he did not interfere with our guests. He did not oppose them nor treat them unkindly. He was simply indifferent to them.

Once, during a revival, my heart was burdened for his salvation. I wanted to know if he was born again. I came home and found him sitting in his favorite chair listening to the news. Fearful of angering him I asked as politely as I could, “Pa, why don’t you come to church with Ma and me?”

He turned the radio off and looked at me and said, “I work with those people you go to church with. They do things I would never do. They lie, they cheat, and they steal. No one trusts them. Why would I want to be with them if I do not have to be with them?” He would have nothing to do with “contaminated Christians” unless work dictated it.

The Psalmist wrote, “May I wholeheartedly follow Your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.” We face that same problem today. Christians do not “walk their talk” and as a result shame themselves and their Savior.

Prayer: What a tragedy, God, that many who represent You do not do so “wholeheartedly.” We don’t want to share their shame. Please, revive us now! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: May I wholeheartedly follow Your decrees, that I may not be put to shame. Psalm 119:80

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