Beautiful Savior

It was his first day in art class. Mark was determined to draw a portrait of Jesus. He began one drawing and then another. After trying time and time again, he decided to place his pallet and brushes on his stool and in defeat walked away from his canvas.

Noticing his despair, his teacher walked to him and asked, “Mark, what is your difficulty?”

“It’s no use,” he said. “I was determined to draw a picture of Jesus. But it’s useless!”

“Why?” asked his teacher.

“Because I cannot make Him beautiful enough,” he said.

Mark echoed the words of the Psalmist: “You are the most excellent of men!”

Years ago someone wrote, “All other men who were recognized as great have been made to look insignificant by what Jesus did in His brief lifetime. All others who were considered wise appear inadequate in their expression of truth when compared to Him. All others who labor to bring healing to the sick cannot match His miracles. All others who attempt to do good for mankind cannot match His deeds of compassion and expressions of concern for the weak and lonely. Those who appear to be perfect eventually show their flaws. There is only One who has ever walked on this planet who deserves the title: ‘You are the most excellent of men.’”

And this “most excellent example of men,” God’s Only Son, lived a sinless and perfect life so that He could become our Redeemer and Savior. There are many ways we can look at Him, but only one way that truly matters: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save.” How do you see Him?

Prayer: We stand in awe, Father, for the beauty we see in Your Son, our Savior. May His beauty be seen in our lives as we surrender our lives to Him. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever. Psalm 45:2 

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Recognizing Reality

“People do not learn from mistakes,” said the professor. The class was confused. Most of them had been taught all of their lives that the best way to learn was from one’s mistakes.

As he looked into their puzzled faces, he continued his lecture by asking a question, “How many of you have made the same mistake twice?” Hands went up all over the classroom. “That is precisely my point. If we learned from our mistakes, we would never make the same mistake twice. We seem to learn best when someone provides us feedback. We are not honest enough with ourselves to point out our own mistakes or failures. We do not want to admit them – especially to ourselves even if we recognize them.”

The author of this Psalm recalled two important facts: When the Israelites acknowledged God as their leader and followed Him, they were victorious. “Our fathers advised us,” they said, “that it was not our swords or plans that brought victory.” God spoke to them and they realized what brought about their defeat: they trusted in their own strength! It was their defeat that caused them to be open to God’s “feedback.”

When “we pushed back our enemies in Your name,” he continued, “we trampled on our foes!” What a testimony to the power and victory that is available to us through our God!

Like Israel, we must come to the same conclusion and make the same confession with the same amount of conviction: “In Your name, Heavenly Father, we can trample on our foes.” When we read God’s Word and use it as the standard for our lives, He will give us His “feedback” and provide a path for us to renew our relationship with Him. If we allow His Word to do its work, we will discover our failings and can call on Him for His grace and forgiveness, courage and restoration.

Prayer: We pray, Almighty Lord, for a willingness to realize that apart from You there is no victory over our foes. Lead us in Your strength! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. Psalm 44:5 

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Facts From Our Fathers

A family was seated together watching a science program on television that described the marvels of the rain forest. Shortly after the beginning of the program, a biologist began a lecture on evolution. Mark, a bright freshman in high school, turned to his father and asked, “What do you think of that, Dad?”

“It’s not what I think, Mark,” he replied. “It’s what I know. It’s quite simple. Something cannot come from nothing. So there had to be Someone somewhere who somehow brought life into existence. It had to be Someone with wisdom and a plan. It had to be Someone with the power to create and control everything. It had to be a God who designed what we see and know.”

Without any doubt, the home was chosen by God to be the greatest center on the planet for teaching and learning. The most formative years of a child’s life are those early years of dependency when they expect and deserve unconditional love and look to a parent for the essentials of life. In the wisdom of God, He planned for the child to be open and filled with trust as their needs for the basics of life unfold and must be met.

One of those needs is to come to know the goodness, greatness, and grace of God. Children are blessed when parents know the book of Books, its message and meaning, its plan and purpose, and are willing and able to share it with their gift from God.

The writer of Psalm 44 in verse one makes this clear: “We have heard with our ears, O God, and our fathers have told us what you did...” How blest children are when they can say with the children of the writer of this Psalm those wonderful words: God is the Lord.

Today most children are left to discover the important lessons of life from teachers who do not believe in our God, the Creator God, the Forgiving, Saving, and Redeeming God. Unfortunately, if children are not taught the truth, they cannot learn the truth. What then?

Prayer: Father, we pray for children who have no one to love them or teach them Your truth. May someone, somewhere, somehow, reach them today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: O God, we have heard it with our own ears - our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in days long ago. Psalm 44:1 

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Looking For Guidance?

Chris came home from school with a note describing his involvement in a fight with his best friend, Will. They had a major disagreement over whose turn it was at bat and ended up in the principal’s office.

Embarrassed, his mother decided to lecture him about the importance of settling disagreements without fighting. “I want you to be good!” she demanded.

Looking her in the eye, he said defiantly, “But I don’t want to be good if I can’t have my way! That’s being a sissy!”

Many have an attitude like Chris’. It’s my way or no way. But there was one man who chose to be different. “Send forth Your light and Your truth, and let them guide me...to the place where you dwell.”

The Psalmist who wrote these words was in a difficult situation. He had strayed from God and was well aware of his need for restoration. He had lost his close and personal relationship with God who had been his stronghold. He was struggling in a life filled with darkness. He was well aware that the “light” that guided him was gone from his life, and he was wandering aimlessly, desperately seeking forgiveness and direction. No matter what he possessed or who he knew, there was only One who could help him.

In his heart of hearts, he knew that he needed God’s light to be his guiding light and His truth to be the truth that would lead him to his Redeemer. Without His light to lead him and His truth to transform and restore him, he had no hope. Finally, in desperation, He asked God to give him His light and His truth, knowing and believing that it would lead him into His presence and that he would once again enjoy His salvation.

This Psalm begins with “O God” – a God who seems far and distant. It ends with “My God” – one who personal, powerful, and present in his heart!

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for being the light of our life and for the gift of Your truth that leads us in times of doubt and despair. May we learn to trust. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. Psalm 43:3

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Storms And Struggles

As James was preparing to leave for the weekend, the vice-president called him into his office and asked him to sit down across the desk from him. In a somber voice, he said, “I’m sorry, James, but we are reducing the sales staff and this was your last day with this company. Here’s a severance check that will help you make the transition.”

Now he was not only out of work but facing a difficult job market. He was overwhelmed with the prospect of going home and telling his wife the news. She was a stay at home mom with a child that was paralyzed from an automobile accident. He could not help but ask, “Where’s God in all of this? Is He for me or against me?” Those certainly are fair questions that any rational person would ask.

Life is often one storm after another. None of us can escape the fierce winds, raging waters, or crashing waves. Sometimes they come swiftly. Other times they seem to swell slowly and powerfully. Often a problem that started as a whispering breeze turns out to be a tornado.

The Psalmist said, “Deep calls to deep...all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” It appears as though he is accusing God of a conspiracy. But that is not true. That is not how God works. He wants us to realize that our God is a God who is in the middle, the very center – if you will - of life’s storms, and will never forsake us.

Think of it this way: In the depth of life’s storms and the middle of life’s sorrows, God wants us to call on Him for the promise of His sympathy and support. He is ever-present and all-powerful, and His grace is more than sufficient.

Never forget that whatever we experience in our lives Jesus experienced it before us. Wherever we are He has been and whatever we have to endure he endured. We know that He understands our greatest sorrows and deepest needs and will rescue us. 

Prayer: We are comforted, Lord, to know that You have gone before us, know us and care for us. Assure us of Your presence and power to survive. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. Psalm 42:7 

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