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. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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

Contaminated Christians

My Dad’s lack faith was always a problem for me. He was hardworking and honest, thoughtful and compassionate, 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 me and Ma?”

Turning the radio off he 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.” Please, revive us now! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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

Unfailing Love

In today’s world “unfailing” and “love” are two words that, for most individuals, are left to one’s imagination or personal interpretation. “Unfailing” for some would be interpreted as meaning “until I get bored,” or “find something more interesting,” or “I’ve taken my turn, now it’s up to someone else,” or “let’s try something more exciting!”

And the meaning of “love” for many is interpreted by the personal attractiveness of another and only lasts until someone more glamorous or interesting or challenging comes along. More often than not there is no personal cost involved in loving another or a willingness to be bothered or inconvenienced by another’s needs. It does not have an enduring or eternal quality attached to it. It’s for “this moment only” and “not to be counted on for the long haul.”

With God it’s different. The Psalmist wrote, “May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant.” The little prefix “un” means “never giving out” or “inexhaustible” and makes a very powerful statement about the nature of His love.

We have no difficulty in believing that God loves us when everything in our world is “perfect” - every problem solved, every bill paid, everyone in the family is smiling at one another. Life’s good!

But then, tragedy strikes. Is life still good and is His love still unfailing and will He now provide His comfort?

The answer is locked-up in the word “promise.” We can search every verse until our eyes grow dim and hearts stop beating: if God said it, He did it and we can believe it.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the promise of Your unfailing love. Though others may fail us, You will not! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 119:76 May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.

When What Is - Is Not Enough

Many doubt that our God is the creator of all that is and is in control of what we see as well as what we cannot see. The Psalmist is not one who has any doubt about this fact. Yet, he goes far beyond the majestic statement that we hold dear: “In the beginning God created...” In simple words he acknowledged that “Your hands,” (God) “have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding that I may learn Your commands.” In other words, he realized that he was more than a creature that began in the mud. He was the most important part of God’s creation and needed God to give him His understanding of things.

“God,” he declared, “You not only took time to make me, but You actually fashioned me for a specific purpose in this, Your universe. I need You, God, to tell me what that purpose is!”

The word “fashioned” is a term that refers to the work of a potter making an object out of clay. Although the same clay may be used for different vessels or objects, each one has been “fashioned” for a specific purpose. The size, shape and purpose of each vessel the potter makes are always determined in the mind of the potter before he begins to form it on his wheel.

So it is with God. His Word tells us that “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I knew you...I set you apart...I appointed you...” Although God has a plan for us, the Psalmist says we must look to Him and His Word to understand it. He has made us in His image, but we must allow Him to fashion us for the purpose He has for us.

Prayer: Father, give us an understanding of Your will and a willingness to follow it all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 119:74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.

Better Than Silver And Gold

A pastor who served people in a ghetto was visiting a family that was going through a difficult time of making ends meet. As he got up to leave, he noticed an old well-worn Bible on a shelf. As he neared the door, he said, “I saw something in this room that has more value than any amount of money. I wonder if you will ever find it.”

A few days later while dusting the shelves, one of the children discovered the Bible. Taking it to her Dad she asked, “Could this have been what the preacher-man was talking about? Wonder if this is what he meant.”

Holding it very carefully he placed it on the table and took great care to open it. Then he looked down and noticed a verse that was underlined with a red pencil: “The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.”

He began to weep quietly as his wife and children sat silently around him. Finally, he was able to speak and said, “This is my mother’s Bible. Before she died, she gave it to me and asked me to read it every day and I promised her that I would. But, I let her down and I’ve let you - my family - down. Maybe God led us to this difficult place just so we would find this verse she underlined to help us.”

God works in many strange and subtle ways. He even brings times of difficulty and desperation into our lives to get our attention. He has never promised that our days would always be filled with sunshine and blue skies. But, He has promised that when we look to Him and His Word we will find salvation, hope and encouragement.

Prayer: Help us, Heavenly Father, to realize the wealth we will find in Your Word when we have nothing else left. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 119:72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.