Seeing the Light

 An astronomy professor asked his class, “When can you see the farthest - at night or in the daytime?”

Unanimously, the class answered, “In the daytime.”

“Wrong,” corrected the teacher. “In the daytime you see the sun. But at night you can see the stars, and the stars are millions of times farther away than the sun.”

What do you see when you look beyond the moment? It’s something that many of us do. Sometimes it is to escape the present moment. Other times it is to dream dreams of how things might change within our families - whether better or worse. Perhaps we may want to get away from the moment and simply escape.

When King Uzziah died, Isaiah “saw the Lord sitting on a lofty throne.” What he saw was his commission to be God’s messenger to His people. For some that might have been a dream come true. Others may have seen it as a responsibility more than they could handle. Being God’s messenger has always had its difficult moments.

But Isaiah’s mission looked difficult from the beginning. He had to tell people who believed they were blessed by God that they were going to be destroyed by God because they were disobedient to Him. And his response? “I’ll go. Send me! I’ll do whatever You ask!”

Now, more than ever, we need Isaiah’s view of God. He has called us to serve Him. We dare not fail!

Prayer:  Grant us, Lord, a vision of Your greatness that matches Isaiah’s and empower us to serve You at all costs. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” Isaiah 6

Prayer and Providence

An ocean liner was in the midst of a terrible storm while making its way from England to America. The ship was swaying violently from side to side and heaving up and down as the waves washed over the bow.

The captain was trying his best to calm the people and encourage them not to be frightened. Suddenly a lady shouted, “Do something!”

“We’re doing our best,” said the captain calmly, “and we are trusting in the providence of God.”

“Oh my word,” she cried. “Is it that bad?”

The word providence comes from two Latin words. One means “before” and the other means “to see.” When the Christian speaks of “providence” it conveys the message that God knows the outcome of the events in our lives before they happen. Not only that, He knows and understands how those things which we sometimes resent are working to shape us into the person He wants us to be!

Paul said that whatever happens in the life of the Christian happens for the Christian’s best interests. In fact he said that “everything works together for their good who are called according to His purpose.” Not that everything that happens to the Christian is good in and of itself. It means that everything that happens is to shape us into the likeness of Christ. As we become more and more like Him, He can use us more and more to do the work He has for us.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, may we not only accept the fact that You are at work in our lives, but really believe it is because You love us and want us to be like Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:   And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

Make Your Plans Large!

One of my most prized possessions is my mother’s Bible. Its cover is well worn - the brown leather comes through the black dye. The pages are turned up at the corners and show wrinkles from tear stains. Verses are underlined and endless notes in the margins show her thoughts and insights about different passages. There are dates next to many promises of God where she claimed them for her husband and children, missionaries and friends.

But there is one verse that sums up her undying faith in God: Ephesians 3:20. In the column next to it she wrote: “If God’s your partner, make your plans large!”

Why?

Ephesians 3:20 says, “God is able to do.” Well, people can “do” too. But the verse continues...

“God is able to do abundantly.” Many times, however, people are limited and unable to do what needs to be done. And then Paul added something else...

“God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask.” What more, if anything, is there, Paul?

“God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think!”

Is there anything beyond exceedingly abundantly?

Only asking and thinking. No wonder she wrote, “If God’s your partner, make your plans large.”

Prayer:  How unfortunate, Father, that we limit You when we limit what we believe You can do for us and through us. Increase our faith to match Your power. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:   Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20

Looking For God?

A French astronomer speaking to a group of intellects proudly declared, “I’ve swept the universe with my telescope, and I find no God. I’ve searched the skies for years but can find Him nowhere. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that there is no God.”

Following him a humble, but world-renowned violinist came to the stage and said, “Your statement, dear sir, is just as foolish as for me to say, ‘I have searched inside my violin with a microscope to find a musician and I could not find one.’ Because there is music, Sir, there must be a musician.”

 And because there is a creation, he concluded, there must be a Creator!

David declares that God has revealed Himself in and through nature. In nature we learn about His power and greatness and our insignificance and finiteness. As God reveals Himself through Scripture, we learn about His holiness and our sinfulness. As God reveals Himself through our daily experiences, we learn about His grace and graciousness that frees us of our sin and guilt.

We are surrounded by God’s greatness that we see in His many magnificent displays in nature. But the greatest display that we see of God is in His work of love, grace, mercy, salvation and hope. What more evidence do we need to have than our salvation or the healing of a loved one?

Prayer:  Thank you, Father, for not only making Yourself known to us, but for providing our salvation, the answers to our prayers and the hope of being with You. In the Name of Jesus’ Amen.

Scripture For Today:   The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Psalms 19:1

How Strong Is Your Belief?

Watching a person walking across a deep crevice on a wire is nerve-racking for most of us. As they carefully make their way from one side to the other with their long pole becomes frightening at times.

There was a “walker” who decided that he was going to walk from one side of Niagara Falls to the other using a wheelbarrow that contained 200 pounds of rocks. When he accomplished his goal flawlessly, the reporters in the crowd thronged him. After answering a few of their questions, he looked one of them in the eye and asked, “Do you think I can take my wheelbarrow back to the other side?”

Quickly he responded, “Yes, I certainly do!”

“Good,” he said. “Then you believe that I can do it.”

“Of course, I believe you can,” said the reporter.

Dumping the bricks on the ground in front of him, he said, “If you really believe it - get in the wheelbarrow and let’s go to the other side.”

Accepting Christ as Savior for our salvation is the beginning of our walk of faith. It begins with “believe and be saved!” However, when we recognize Jesus as Lord it means that we will trust Him to get us safely from where we are at that moment until we will be with Him in glory.

Our journey will be difficult, but we must always trust Him.

Prayer:  Give us courage, Father, to trust You for safe passage through those times in our lives when we are faced with disaster and doubt, knowing we are safe in Your arms. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” Acts 16:31