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

Confidence For The Christian

The school of suffering has many graduates. It seems that most of them provide insight into the grace and mercy of God for those willing to hear Him speak.

King David was a graduate of this school. What he learned about suffering is revealed in the sixth Psalm. He begins by describing his pain and the fear he has of his enemies. He shares with us a list of symptoms that most of us have experienced at one time or another: emotional stress, crying, sleepless nights, being attacked by others. However, when he cried out to God for help, God heard him and healed him.

Whatever brought about the distress of David was relieved when he called on God for His mercy. Here we find a pattern for us to follow when we need God to rescue us from our sin and suffering. First, he asked God not to abandon or punish him. Then he asked for God’s compassion and care, admitting that he was weak, “sick at heart” and could not handle the situation by himself. He described his weeping as so intense that “my bed is wet with tears.” He was remorseful for what he had done and what God might do to punish him. So, he cried out for God’s “unfailing love” and knew that God heard him and he was able to declare with confidence: “The Lord has heard my crying and my plea (and) the Lord will answer my prayer.”

God always hears and answers the prayers of anyone at any time who asks for His forgiveness and mercy. There are no limits to His love nor conditions for His grace.

Prayer: We thank You, Lord, for Your willingness to accept us as we are and grant us Your healing and hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 6:9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.

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 that 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 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: 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Boomerang Buddies

Two friends in Australia enjoyed throwing boomerangs together. Over the years they devised various contests to see who was the best. One day, in an act of kindness, one of them gave the other a new boomerang.

When they got back together a short time later, the friend showed up with his old boomerang.

“What happened with the new boomerang I gave you?” he asked. “How does it perform?”

“I don’t know,” came the answer. “I’m still trying to throw this old one away but it keeps coming back!”

The Apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from every wrong.”

True repentance not only involves confession of our sins but a commitment to Christ not to continue in sin. If we are genuinely sincere when we confess our sins, we will also become conscious of how we live and what we can do to avoid repeating the sins we have committed in the past. The desire to sin can be very much like a boomerang – the temptation to go back to our sins of the past again and again.

It may be that when we confess our sins, we lack a certain sense of sincerity or genuineness. Perhaps there is such an attractiveness or appeal to some sins that our desire to truly repent and give them up is only half-hearted and insincere.

God knows our minds and the desires of our hearts. If we truly want victory over sin and are anxious to flee every temptation that lead to sin, we must commit ourselves completely to Christ and pray for His strength to guide, guard, protect and empower us.

Prayer: Give us Your strength, Lord, to live close to You and draw upon Your power to defeat temptation the next time, and every time, we face it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Baptize The Whole Plant!

A machinist who worked for the Ford Motor Company in Detroit for years had stolen many tools. One Sunday morning during a revival meeting, he became a Christian and was baptized that evening.

The next morning he reported to his foreman at the plant with boxes of the tools he had stolen over the years. He confessed his sin to his boss and asked to be forgiven.

This was such a surprise and shock to his foreman that he could not decide what to do. So, he contacted Henry Ford and asked for advice.

Upon hearing the story, Ford said, “Dam up the Detroit River and baptize the whole plant!”

Paul wrote that “He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised from the dead.”

Paul and his co-workers set great examples for us. Whatever they did, they did to honor God. It was their love for Christ that controlled their minds, hearts and lives. They believed that those who received new life through Him should live for Him and that their lives would reflect a change to prove that point: they were to live a life that pleased Christ and honored Him in all that they did.

Christians are to live as Paul and his co-workers lived. Because they were brand new people on the inside, the change made its way to the outside. The born-again are not reformed, rehabilitated or reeducated: they are re-created – new creations. We do not turn over a new leaf; we begin a new life through Christ.

Prayer: Help us, Heavenly Father, to be grateful for our new life and to live a different, Christ-like and God-honoring life through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 2 Corinthians 5:15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

The Church of the Penitents

There is a church in South America that is built on a plateau 10,000 feet above sea level. It is called The Church of the Penitents. From its perch above the city it can be seen for miles. One of the most interesting facts about the church is how is came to be built.

For years, each member of the church would carry two bricks to the church site for each sin they committed during the day. It continued until they had enough bricks to build the church.

One day a visitor, fascinated with the story, decided to count every brick. When he completed counting the bricks he sat down and said, “I cannot believe the number of sins this church represents.”

Is that not one of the reasons for the church? A place where individuals can bring their sins and ask God for forgiveness? The church exists to evangelize sinners not entertain saints. It is to gather for prayer not meet for parties.

Jesus said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

If you have never responded to His call, won’t you do so today?

Prayer: Father, we thank You for the church that You established as a place for sinners to come and find Your salvation. Come into our hearts: in Your Name. Amen.

Scripture for Today: Matthew 9:13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

"I Wish I Were Dead"

Recently a young wife, mother and highly recognized and effective school teacher sat across from me and said, “I wish I were dead. I would like to go to sleep and never awaken again – just die. I have disgraced myself, my husband, my children, my family, my friends, my students. Everyone! Life as I knew it is over and I no longer want to be part of it. I’m going to prison and I am afraid.”

What a tragedy. Life as she once knew it is gone forever. In the eyes of many the wrong cannot be righted nor the damage repaired. It is a scar that is permanent and will remain throughout life. But is that a reason to want to die? Not for one who understands the grace of God.

The Bible says, “If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness!” If we want to maintain our relationship with God we must ask for His cleansing and forgiveness whenever we falter and fail. Whenever we ask for His forgiveness, we receive it as well as His guarantee that He will remove every sin. He is a faithful God who honors His Word and will never forsake us. Never!

When God forgives us of our sins, He also removes the guilt and the penalty which are justly ours. But in His grace, we are justified, forgiven and made complete and His penalty removed.

Prayer: We thank You, Father, for Your salvation, knowing that Your love exceeds our guilt and Your mercy allows forgiveness. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Scripture for Today: 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.