Nov devotions

[Colleen Davis]

11/1/06 Embracing Troubles

“Don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.” Psalm 4:4

Life hurts, people make us mad and anger ensue as we struggle to avoid pain. But the path around a dilemma is frequently not avoidance or pain reduction. God delivers the gift of a trial to us and the correct response could be—are you read for this?—to embrace it. To tough it out joyfully, sharing the pain with no one but Him as you wait for His deliverance, even if it never comes on your terms.

Mining the depths of hurt and anger with tools given through the Holy Spirit can yield the most precious jewels. These are the gems of experience, maturity, and wisdom with which He adorns our lives an He quietly heals the hurts.

When they come, if all we do is struggle against troubles, we may miss the opportunity to grow and be strengthened in grace and mercy. In fact, we just may miss Him.

God walks with you through troubles and joys.

By Stephen R. Clark from “A Cup of Comfort” by James S. Bell & Stephen R. Clark

[Colleen Davis]

11/2/06 Angels Are People, Too

“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” Hebrews 13:2

I was in a new state and working a new job, knew practically no one locally, and I didn’t have a car. My transportation was an old ten-speed bike. Going shopping was an adventure, and juggling bags on the way home a challenge.

One cold, windy fall day, a tire blew. Though still several blocks away, the store was closer than my apartment, so I started walking the bike there. A man on a bike appeared beside me. He was Hispanic and didn’t speak English.

From his gestures, I realized he wanted to fix my tire. He motioned me to stand back and then went to work applying a patch and using a hand pump to fill the tire.

When he finished I said, “Gracias!” and offered him money. He refused, hopped on his bike, and was gone.

Was he an angel? On that cold, windy fall day, he was mine!

Look for opportunities to be someone’s angel today.
By Stephen R. Clark from “A Cup of Comfort” by James S. Bell & Stephen R. Clark

[Colleen Davis]

11/3/06 Excuses

”But Moses again pleaded, Lord, please! Send someone else.” Exodus 4:13

Moses tried every excuse he could think of to avoid going to Egypt when God told him to. He said he wasn’t famous enough, that the people wouldn’t believe him, and that he couldn’t speak well enough. But God addressed his excuses and gave him detailed instruction, the ability to perform miracles, and the company of his brother on his mission. That mission succeeded.

What excuses do you use when God asks you to do something, like tell a friend about your faith or pray in public? Do you claim that you’re not smart enough to explain it well or think that people will laugh at you?

Next time, counter those excuses by remembering that God helped Moses to do what He asked of him. He will give you the help you need, too.

No matter what your excuses, God will assist you in doing what He asks.

By Kim Sheard from “A Cup of Comfort” by James S. Bell & Stephen R. Clark

[Colleen Davis]

11/4/06 Leave Room For God

”But when it pleased God...” Galatians 1:15

As workers for God we have to learn to make room for God - to give God "elbow room." We calculate and estimate, and say that this and that will happen, and we forget to make room for God to come in as He
chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never
looked for Him to come?

Do not look for God to come in any particular way, but look for Him. That is the way to make room for Him. Expect Him to come, but do not expect Him only in a certain way. However much we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that at any minute He may break in. We are apt to over look this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. All of a sudden God meets the life - "When it was the good pleasure of God. . ."

Keep your life so constant in its contact with God that His surprising power may break out on the right hand and on the left. Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that you leave room for God to come in as He likes.

from “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers

[Colleen Davis]

He Remembers Them No More

Psalm 25:1-26:12

Poor memories are a part of the human condition. And so when God tells us that He will remember our sins no more, I’m puzzles. How could God possible forget? That’s our job!.....

Then why do we feel so bad about our past sins? Because we confuse sin with its impression. Got a notepad nearby? Let me show you how this can be so. Write the word “sin” on the page. Press hand. Now tear off that sheet of paper, crumple it up, and throw it across the room. That’s how God forgets your sin.

Now take your pencil and rub it on the new page at an angle, back and forth, over the same location where you wrote. And guess what. The ghost of the word “sin” appears.

That’s what our flawed memories do. We go back over the deep impression left by the transgressions in our life, and we feel just as guilty. It’s as if the sin never left. But be encouraged, the impression of sin is not the same thing as sin. And with David you can cry out, “II can’t forget my scars, it seems, Lord. But you have forgotten their cause. Look upon me with loving, kind eyes.”

It’s your choice. Will you continue to work over forgiven sin as with a pencil? Or will you let the Holy Spirit work His lovingkindness?

from “Diamonds in the Dust” by Joni Eareckson Tada

[Colleen Davis]

11/6/06 Surrender

In our “bootstrap” society, where you tough it up and do it on your own and take pride in being a rugged individualist, the one thing that seems to escape us is being before God on our knees—being before God, aware that we are helpless and allowing Him to assist us.

Can you say to Jesus, “This burden’s too heavy for me. I want you to be my co-worker. I want you to carry this burden with me. I cannot do it any longer.” He says if you will come to him, if you’ll allow him to carry that burden with you, His promise is that you will receive rest.

Surrendering our life to Christ means going to him and saying, “I’m yours; use me however you want to.” Once you’ve done this, you can begin to seek his will for your life.

Once we’re hones with ourselves about who we are, then God can begin to remold our hearts. . .in total surrender.

Father, we invite your assistance and guidance and powerful indwelling, because we do not have the strength to be transformed into your likeness and not be conformed to this world. May we understand more of what it means to say, “It is well with my soul.”

from “The Inspirational Bible” Max Lucado, General Editor

[Colleen Davis]

11/7/06 Leave Room For God

”But when it pleased God...” Galatians 1:15

As workers for God we have to learn to make room for God - to give God "elbow room." We calculate and estimate, and say that this and that will happen, and we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never looked for Him to come?

Do not look for God to come in any particular way, but look for Him. That is the way to make room for Him. Expect Him to come, but do not expect Him only in a certain way. However much we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that at any minute He may break in. We are apt to over look this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. All of a sudden God meets the life - "When it was the good pleasure of God. . ."

Keep your life so constant in its contact with God that His surprising power may break out on the right hand and on the left. Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that you leave room for God to come in as He likes.

from “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers

[Colleen Davis]

11/8/06 Do You See Your Calling?

”Separated unto the Gospel.” Romans 1:1

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the Gospel of God. The one thing that is all important is that the Gospel of God should be realized as the abiding Reality. Reality is not human goodness, nor holiness, nor heaven, nor hell; but Redemption; and the need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker to-day. As workers we have to get used to the revelation that Redemption is the only Reality. Personal holiness is an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness, in the effect of Redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.

Paul did not say he separated himself, but - "when it pleased God who separated me. . ." Paul had not a hypersensitive interest in his own character. As long as our eyes are upon our own personal whiteness we shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down because their desire is for their own whiteness, and not for God. "Don't ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of Redemption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the Gospel of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to God. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly abandoned, separated by God for one purpose - to proclaim the Gospel of God (cf. Rom. 9:3.)

from “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers

[Colleen Davis]

11/9/06 Partakers Of His Sufferings

”Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings.” 1 Peter 4:13

If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all, they are meant to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what transpires in other souls so that you will never be surprised at what you come across. Oh, I can't deal with that person. Why not? God gave you ample opportunity to soak before Him on that line, and you barged off because it seemed stupid to spend time in that way.

The sufferings of Christ are not those of ordinary men. He suffered "according to the will of God," not from the point of view we suffer from as individuals. It is only when we are related to Jesus Christ that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us. It is part of Christian culture to know what God's aim is. In the history of the Christian Church the tendency has been to evade being identified with the sufferings of Jesus Christ; men have sought to procure the carrying out of God's order by a short cut of their own.
God's way is always the way of suffering, the way of the "long, long trail."

Are we partakers of Christ's sufferings? Are we prepared for God to stamp our personal ambitions right out? Are we prepared for God to destroy by transfiguration our individual determinations? It will not mean that we know exactly why God is taking us that way, that would make us spiritual prigs. We never realize at the time what God is putting us through; we go through it more or less misunderstandingly; then we come to a luminous place, and say – “Why, God has girded me, though I did not know it!"

from “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers

[Colleen Davis]

11/10/06 But It Is Hardly Credible That One Could Be So Positively Ignorant!

”Who art Thou, Lord?” Acts 26:15

"The Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand." There is no escape when Our Lord speaks, He always comes with an arrestment of the understanding. Has the voice of God come to you directly? If it has, you cannot mistake the intimate insistence with which it has spoken to you in the language you know best, not through your ears, but through your circumstances.

God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. "I know this is what I should do" - and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the depths of our ignorance. We have shown our ignorance of Him in the very way we determined to serve Him. We serve Jesus in a spirit that is not His, we hurt Him by our advocacy for Him, we push His claims in the spirit of the devil. Our words sound all right, but our spirit is that of an enemy. "He rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of." The spirit of our Lord in an advocate of His is described in 1 Corinthians 13.

Have I been persecuting Jesus by a zealous determination to serve Him in my own way? If I feel I have done my duty and yet have hurt Him in doing it, I may be sure it was not my duty, because it has not fostered the meek and quiet spirit, but the spirit of self-satisfaction. We imagine that whatever is unpleasant is our duty! Is that anything like the spirit of our Lord - "I delight to do Thy will, O My God."

from “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers

[Colleen Davis]

11/11/06 Love’s Offering

I am your Lord, gracious and loving. Rest in My love, walk in My ways. Each week is a week of progress, steady progress upward. You may not see it, but I do.

I judge not by outward appearances, I judge the heart, and I see in both your hearts one single desire, to do My Will. The simplest offering by a child brought or done with the one desire to give you pleasure, or to show you love, is it not more loved by you than the offerings of those who love you not?

So, though you may not feel that your work has been spoiled and tarnished, I see it only as Love’s offering. Courage, My children.

When climbing a steep hill, a man is often more conscious of the weakness of his stumbling feet than of the view, the grandeur, or even of his upward progress.

Persevere, persevere. Love and laugh. Rejoice.

from “God Calling” edited by A. J. Russell

[Colleen Davis]

When God Says No

There are times when the one thing you want is the one thing you never get…..

All you want is an open door or an extra day or an answered prayer, for which you will be thankful.

And so you pray and wait.

No answer.

You pray and wait.

No answer.

You pray and wait.

May I ask a very important question? What if God says no?

What if the request is delayed or even denied? When God says no to you, how will you respond? If God says, “I’ve given you my grace, and that is enough,” will you be content?

Content. That’s the word. A state of heart in which you would be at peace. If God gave you nothing more than He already has. Test yourself with this questions: What if God’s only gift to you were His grace to save you. Would you be content?.....

What if His answer is, “My grace is enough.” Would you be content?

You see, from heaven’s perspective, grace is enough.

God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut. And if it takes a thorn for Him to make His point, He loves us enough not to pluck it out.

from “In the Grip of Grace” by Max Lucado

[Colleen Davis]

11/13/06 Sacrificial Offering

“O Lord, in the morning, thou dost hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for thee, and watch.” Psalm 5:3 RSV

A sacrifice is the material means of assembling a life before God in order to let God work with it. Sacrifice isn’t something we do for God, but simply setting out the stuff of life for him to do something with.

On the altar the sacrificial offering is changed into what is pleasing and acceptable to God. In the act of offering we give up ownership and control, and watch to see what God will do with it. With a deep awareness that the God who speaks life into us also listens when we speak, we put into words the difficulties and delights that we foresee in the hours ahead. We assemble fears and hopes, apprehensions and anticipations, and place them on the altar as an offering: “I prepare a sacrifice and watch.”

From “Answering God” by Eugene H. Peterson

[Colleen Davis]

11/14/06 The God of This Place

“Live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ.” Philippians 1:27 The Message

Being where we don’t want to be with people we don’t want to be with forces a decision: Will I focus my attention on what is wrong with the world and feel sorry for myself? Or will I focus my energies on how I can live at my best in this place I find myself?

We can say: “I don’t like it; I want to be where I was ten years ago.”…Or we can say: “I will do my best with what is here. Far more important than the climate of this place, the economics of this place, the neighbors in this place, is the God of this place. God is here with me…It is just as possible to live out the will of God here as any place else.”

From “Run With The Horses” by 1983 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of the USA

[Colleen Davis]

11/15/06 My Refuge

“O Lord my God, in thee do I take refuge.” Psalm 7:1 RSV

In David’s prayers refuge refers to a good experience, but what got him to refuge was a bad experience. He started out running for his life; and at some point he found the life he was running for, and the name for that life was God. “God is my refuge.”

This happens all the time. It’s one of the fundamental surprises in spirituality. Whatever we start out feeling or doing or thinking can lead us to God, whether directly or meanderingly…We rarely start with God. We start with the immediate data of our lives—a messy house, a balky car, a cranky spouse, a recalcitrant child…We start out being desperate in the wilderness of En-gedi, and before we know it we’re ecstatic in the wilderness of God.

From “Where Your Treasure Is” by Eugene H. Peterson

[Colleen Davis]

11/16/06 All Is God’s

“Every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” Romans 8:28 The Message

God has had plans for us from before our birth. He has never been apart from us. That which took place in the years before our acceptance of Christ’s love is not rejected but used. Nothing is wasted in the free life of faith. Now all is God’s…..

The change penetrates every part of our selves and our history, not just the “spiritual” parts, not just the good parts. The inferiorities we feel, the inadequacies we sense, the sins we regret, the differences that make us feel like outsiders—these are all…transformed into Christ-affirmed features that express the power and glory of God.

From “Traveling Light” by Eugene H. Peterson

[Colleen Davis]

11/17/06 Overflowing Joy

“Those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessings.” Psalm 126:5 The Message

Christian joy is not an escape from sorrow. Pain and hardship still come, but they are unable to drive out the happiness of the redeemed.

Joy is what God gives, not what we work up. Laughter is the delight that things are working together for good to them that love God, not the giggles that betray the nervousness of a precarious defense system. The joy that develops in the Christian way of discipleship is an overflow of spirits that comes from feeling good not about yourself but about God. We find that His ways are dependable, His promises sure.

From “A Long Obedience” 1980 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of the USA

[Colleen Davis]

11/18/06 Seeking Your Highest Joy

Psalm 99:1-101:8

At some point in life, each one of us must decide what is his highest joy, for the thing that delights us direct us. Generally speaking, a child finds his delight in what he has, a youth in what he does, and an adult in what he is. The first lives for possessions, the second for the experiences, and the third for character. We do not condemn the child or the youth for so living, because neither has reached maturity; but we would certainly wonder what at an adult who lived on those lower levels……

So, every person has an outlook on life; he is seeking his highest joy. Outlook determines outcome. Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the stars and became the friend of God by faith. Lot lifted up his eyes and saw Sodom and became the friend of the world. Abraham inherited the city prepared for him by God, the city he had been seeking (Hebrews 11:13-16); but Lot lost everything when Sodom went up in smoke.

If life is to be rich and meaningful, then our joys must be the highest possible; and Jesus tells us that the highest joy possible is to see God.

from “Live Like A King” by Warren Wiersbe

[Colleen Davis]

11/19/06 God’s In Charge

“God’s Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

Satan has no power except that which God gives him.

To the first-century church in Smyrna, Christ said “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer for ten days. But be faithful, even if you have to die, and I will give up the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).

Analyze Jesus’ words for a minute. Christ informs the church of the persecution, the duration of the persecution (ten days), the reason for the persecution (to test you), and the outcome of the persecution (a crown of life). In other words, Jesus uses Satan to fortify his church….

Even when [Satan] appears to win, he loses.

from “The Great House of God” by Max Lucado

[Colleen Davis]

11/20/06 A Few More Scenes

“In [this] world you will have tribulation” Jesus promises, “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NKJV

God has kept no secrets. He has told us that, while on this yellow brick road [of life], we will experience trouble. Disease will afflict bodies. Divorce will break hearts. Death will make widows and devastation will destroy countries. We should not expect any less. But just because the devil shows up and cackles, we needn’t panic.

Our Master speaks of an accomplished deed…”It is finished” (John 19:30). The battle is over. Be alert. But don’t be alarmed…The manuscript has been published. The book has been bound. Satan is loosed for a season, but the season is oh-so-brief…Just a few more scenes, just a few more turns in the road, and his end will come.

from “When Christ comes” by Max Lucado

[Colleen Davis]

11/21/06 Submerged in Mercy

“[God] has not punished us as our sins should be punished.” Psalm 103:10

Do you really think you haven’t done things that hurt Christ?

Have you ever been dishonest with his money? That’s cheating.

Ever gone to church to be seen rather than to see Him? Hypocrite.

Ever broken a promise you’ve made to God?

Don’t you deserve to be punished? And yet, here you are. Reading this devotion. Breathing. Still witnessing sunsets and hearing babies gurgle. Still watching the seasons change. There are no lashes on your back or hooks in your nose or shackles on your feet. Apparently God hasn’t kept a list of your wrongs.

Listen. You have not been sprinkles with forgiveness. You have not been spattered with grace. You have not been dusted with kindness. You have been immersed in it. You are submerged in mercy. You are a minnow in the ocean of his mercy let it change you!

From “A Love With Giving” by Max Lucado

[Colleen Davis]

11/22/06 Timely Help

“We will find grace to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 NLT

God’s help is timely. He helps us the same way a father gives plane tickets to his family. When I travel with my kids, I carry all our tickets in my satchel. When the moment comes to board the plane, I stand between the attendant and the child. As each daughter passes, I place a ticket in her hand. She, in turn, gives the ticket to the attendant. Each one receives the ticket in the nick of time.

What I do for my daughters God does for you. He places himself between you and the need. And at the right time, he gives you the ticket. Wasn’t this the promise he gave his disciples? “When you are arrested and judged, don’t worry ahead of time about what you should say. Say whatever is give you to say at that time, because it will not really be you speaking; it will be the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11)

God leads us he will do the right thing at the right time.

From “Traveling Light” by Max Lucado

[Colleen Davis]

Check out this website for the devotion today.

http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/Arrington_Thanksgiving.aspx

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
GIVE THANKS TO THE HOLY ONE
GIVE THANKS FOR HE'S GIVEN
JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Colleen Davis]

At Home with His Love

“Abide in My love.” John 15:9 NASB

When you abide somewhere, you live there. You grow familiar with your surroundings. You don’t pull in the driveway and ask, “Where is the garage?” (I do since I don’t have one!) You don’t consult the blueprint to find the kitchen. To abide is to be at home.

To abide in Christ’s love is to make his love your home. Not a roadside park or hotel room you occasionally visit, but your preferred dwelling. You rest in him. Eat in him. When thunder claps, you step beneath his roof. His walls secure you from the winds. His fireplace warms you from the winters of life. As John urged, “We take up permanent residence in a life of love” (1 John 4:16 The Message)

You abandon the old house of false love and move into his home of real love.

From “Come Thirsty” by Max Lucado

[Colleen Davis]

A Pasture for the Soul

“He lets me rest in green pastures.” Psalm 23:2

For a field to bear fruit, it must occasionally lie fallow. And for you to be healthy, you must rest. Slow down and God will heal you. He will bring rest to your mind, to your body, and most of all to you soul. He will lead you to green pastures.

Green pastures were not the natural terrain of Judea. The hills around Bethlehem where David kept his flock were not lush and green. Even today they are white and parched. Any green pasture in Judea is the work of some shepherd. He has cleared the rough, rocky land. Stumps have been torn out, and brush has been burned…

With his own pierced hand, Jesus created a pasture for the soul. He tore out the thorny underbrush of condemnation. He pried loose the huge boulders of sin. In their place he planted sees of grace and dug ponds of mercy.

And he invites us to rest there.

From “Traveling Light” by Max Lucado

[Colleen Davis]

Around the Father’s Table

“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the lamb!” Revelation 19:9

For the past several years, my husband and I, along with our family, have celebrated Thanksgiving at my father’s house…The meal is always abundant and delicious—turkey with dressing and gravy ham, green beans. But the highlight of Thanksgiving is not the food or the televised football games, or the fun. The highlight is always the fellowship around the dining room table. As we sip our coffee and gorge on one last piece of pie, my father presides at the head of the table as each person shares what he or she is most thankful for.

One day in My Father’s House, the table will be set and supper will be ready. One day all of the Father’s children will be seated around that table. One day My Father’s House will be filled with His family and it won’t get any better than that.

From “ Heaven: My Father’s House” by “Anne Graham Lotz”

[Colleen Davis]

Created for Commitment

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15

Apart from understanding the work of God in our creation, there is no real meaning to human existence. If there was no Creator, then you are some cosmic accident, having come from nowhere and on your way to nowhere. You are just a nobody with no ultimate accountability or eternal value. Now that’s depressing! Praise God, it’s not true!

Where are you seeking lasting satisfaction? You may find temporary satisfaction in things and people, but permanent, deep, full satisfaction of your very being is only found in a right relationship with God for Whom you were created.

Not only is your being created for God, but your doing is created for God also. You and I were created for commitment to serve God. The Garden of Eden was not only a place for man to live, but it was a place for man to serve.

From “God’s Story” by “Anne Graham Lotz”

[Colleen Davis]

You Are on God’s Mind

“I am the Alpha and the Omega”, says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

This title described the eternal omniscience of Jesus Christ. The alpha is the first letter and the omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet. Through the alphabet all of our words, all of our wisdom, and all of our knowledge are expressed. Jesus is the beginning and the end of the alphabet, the summation of all wisdom and knowledge.

What does the omniscience of Christ mean to me personally? It means I have always been on His mind. Think of it: The most important Man in the universe has always been thinking of you! Wonder of wonders! You have never been out of His thoughts! Even as He hung on the cross, He was thinking of you by name! dying for you by name! And when He was raised from the dead on that first Easter Sunday, He was raised with you on His mind!

From “The Vision of His Glory” by “Anne Graham Lotz”

[Colleen Davis]

Time Alone with Jesus

“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Often when I am under stress and pressure, I feel one of my greatest needs is to get a good night’s sleep. But I’ve found that physical rest alone is not enough to revive my flagging spirit. I need the spiritual revival that comes from spending quiet time alone with Jesus in prayer and in thoughtful meditation on His Word.

A careful study of the life of Jesus reveals that as pressed as He was, He “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” If Jesus felt He needed time alone in prayer with His Father, why do you and I think we can get by without it? How is your prayer life? Could some of the exhaustion you are feeling be the result of simple prayerlessness? How motivating it has been for me to view my early morning devotions as times of retreat alone with Jesus, Who desires that I “come with Him by myself to a quiet place” in order to pray, read His Word, listen for His voice, and be renewed in my spirit

From “ Just Give Me Jesus” by “Anne Graham Lotz”

[Colleen Davis]

God Is Active in Big Ways

“He counts the number of the stars; He calls them by name.” Psalm 147:4

Astronomers estimate there are more than 100 billion galaxies. And each galaxy has more than 100 billion stars! And each of those hundreds of billions of start was personally hung in space by the Creator Who has not only numbered them all but knows each of them by name! The very first words of Genesis tells us, “In the beginning, God created the heavens…” I can’t
conceive of any activity much bigger than that!

What big things are you facing? A big decision about a career change or a child’s schooling or a marriage proposal? A big commitment like buying a new house or beginning a new job or becoming a new parent? A big responsibility such as caring for elderly parents or supervising an office staff or being the sole provider for your family?

God is active in big ways! Nothing is to big for Him.

From “ God’s Story” by “Anne Graham Lotz”