Faithful God and Provider

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
       let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
       that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
       you surround them with your favor as with a shield. – Psalm 5:11-12

Does the story of Noah encourage you?Whatever Noah needed, God provided.  Whatever God commanded, Noah obeyed.
Noah was given a daunting task…to build one of the largest sea-worthy vessels with limited tools and assistance.  God provided the design, the materials, the time and strength to complete it.

I wonder:     

How did he cut the large quantity of wood needed?

Did he chisel tongue and groove to hold the boards together?

Where did he find the volume of pitch to cover inside and out?

Did his wife, his sons and their wives assist or encourage him?

His sons may have been mere babies when he began to build.  

He gathered provisions for his family and the menagerie aboard the ark, BUT how did he know the length of days they would be in the ark?

Thoughts of Noah continue to perplex my mind, yet bolster my spirit. The bittersweet story of Noah and the flood contains many lessons for the generations that follow him.
God has a task for each of His children.
He will provide all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
He will not ask more of us than we are able.
He is a God of absolute faithfulness, to man and to His every Word-eight survived, all others perished.

Imagine how closely Noah walked with the LORD God.
Is the joy of the LORD where Noah found his strength (Neh. 8:10, Psalm 5:11-12)?
I can almost hear Noah singing joyful praises to his LORD as he built and prepared day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.
Yet his heart heavy with sorrow for souls that rejected God over and over.  They ignored his preaching about the coming wrath.  Then came the day.  It was too late. The ark was closed up and the rain began to fall. 

Noah was obedient.Twice Genesis records that Noah did all that the LORD commanded.
    Noah did everything just as God commanded him. (Gen. 6:22)

Noah was a man of faith.  He believed, so he obeyed completely. (Gen. 7:5)

And again, after the flood stopped and the water dried up, he did not leave the ark until the LORD God commanded-Gen. 8:15.  He, his family and the animals had been aboard the ark for 1 year and 10 days!  Noah didn’t trust his own judgment but he wholly trusted God. 

Noah was faithful.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Heb. 11:7)

Noah was compassionate.  He preached righteousness to deaf ears beyond the seven that would embark with him.  If (God) did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;(2 Peter 2:5)

Let us learn the lessons God provides in the story of Noah, may they strengthen our resolve to teach the lost, and build our faith to obey Him completely. 

Wise, Patient and Loving Father ,
How majestic You are. Your love floods over us.  May it also flow through us to a world who knows You not.  Increase our faith and compassion, that we may obey you wholeheartedly and   teach the gospel.  As You patiently wait not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.  One sorrowful day it will be too late just as in the days of Noah.   Thank you for the way of salvation You gave to us.
In the precious name of Jesus, Amen 

Mischelle Oliver

Stephenville, Texas

A Delightful Land

"Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land, says the Lord Almighty.  Malachi 3:12

 

I used to teach a class called The ABC’s of Behavior Modification.  “A” is for antecedents (what happens before) “B” (the behavior), and “C” is consequences.  The secret to a better life is found in your A’s, B’s and C’s.  

Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, reads like a behavior modification textbook.  It contains 4 short chapters.  (Its historical context can be studied on your own if you wish).      Through Malachi (“my messenger”), God urges his children to stop their sinful behavior and return to him before it’s too late.  As rebellious children often do, they deflected God’s warnings with a series of disrespectful questions:

• How have you loved us?
• How have we shown contempt for your name?
• How have we defiled you?
• How have we wearied you?
• How are we to return [to you]?
• How do we rob you?
• What have we said against you?

God doesn’t mince words.  His response left no doubt about the consequences awaiting them.  I hope I would be among those who respected God enough to take him at his word.  Malachi 3:16 says, “Then, those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.”  

What happens when people fear (respect) the Lord?

• They are God’s treasured possession.
• They are spared compassionately as a father spares his son.
• The sun of righteousness rises for them with healing in its wings.
• They are so different from the wicked that the whole world knows it.
• God throws open the flood gates of heaven and deluges them with blessings.
• They leap like calves released from the stall, and trample their enemies.
• The world calls them blessed, “for yours will be a delightful land.”

Almighty God, because you are Love, you’ve never done anything but love us.  You’ve showered us with unending mercy time and time again.  May our faithful obedience reflect our gratitude.  Amen.       

Sandra Milholland

Abilene, Texas 

The War

“For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”  - 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

When Paul describes our battle, the picture is right out of Revelation. The war is against supernatural forces, yet this battle that is out of this world is fought in our very minds. A battle for who we really are and what we think. Our very thoughts.  

I have always thought of this passage as a discription of evangelism. The truth overcomes arguments, changes hearts and converts people. Darkness is pushed back. All this is true but notice the personal references. “When your obedience is complete”.

When I look at this scripture as a mirror pointed at me instead of a search light pointed at others, I am stunned. Look at it. I am carrying on this war in my mind as well. I have built proud obstacles to the knowledge of God. Proud might not only mean the size of the obstacle but it could also mean the reason for the obstacle. My pride, many times, is the obstacle. It stands between me and the truth. This pride is afraid I will cease to exist; that I will become unimportant. So there is some truth of God I might not want.

This obstacle must be destroyed and this thought must be taken captive. I must die to self. I must realize I am and always have been insignificant. That Christ is EVERYTHING. “For me to live is Christ”.

Dear God, How hard it is for me to be humble or rather to admit how small I have always been. I don’t know why you care about me but I am grateful you do. In this battle in my mind, please destroy the strongholds of sin. Please take down those proud obstacles. Please take every thought captive. Help me, please, to finish my race. Help me, please, complete my obedience. In the name of Your Son, I pray.

Paul Shero

San Angelo, Texas

A Heart Like Jesus

One of my favorite songs is “Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord”.  Many Christian artists have sung it in the Christian music arena and a few years ago it was popularized on the much bigger country music scene whenever country music artist Randy Travis added it to his repertoire.

The first part of the song and that which is most intriguing to me is as follows:
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

My interest lies in the “eyes of my heart” and “I want to see You” part of the song. How do we see with our hearts?  How do we see the Lord here on earth?

The scriptures speak plenty about the heart.   In fact, we are warned that our hearts can become deceitful, hardened, and evil.  Furthermore, the scriptures encourage us to guard, protect, and keep our hearts soft, humble, gentle, and pure.  

So how does the molding and shaping of our hearts come about??  Well…life experiences to be sure, but more specifically life experiences with other people.  I don’t think life can really occur without other people.  Whether it is family, friends, neighbors, enemies, doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks, auto mechanics, telemarketers, politicians, aggressive drivers, or fast food employees, we will encounter people at some point in time during our journey here on earth.  For most folks, that is a daily encounter…good and bad.  The good people encounters are easy.  It is the bad encounters that I struggle with.  Some encounters have hardened my heart to the point that I wonder if there is any good in some folk.  These experiences that have made it difficult for me to see past the sin and brokenness in a person and remember they have a soul.  I guess you could say that for some folks, the eyes of my heart are blurry, maybe even closed.

But from the beginning, God’s plan included people.  In fact, his greatest creation was people.  We learn from Genesis 1:22, that “God created man in his own image….”  We are formed in his “likeness”, meaning somewhere in our being we possess his characteristics or “good nature”.   That’s hard to believe after observing how some folks treat others but its true.

Jesus had a heart for all people.  A heart for people, who loved him, served him, followed him, and even for those who hated him, persecuted him, and killed him.   Some of his last words while he hung on the cross was “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23: 34).  The eyes of his heart could see past the hurt, anger, shame, evil, deceit, sin and see the good in people that God had originally created.  

As hard as it may be, I think for us to open the eyes of our hearts is to find Christ in people.     
“Rich and poor have this in common:  The Lord is the Maker of them all.”  Proverbs 22:2
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”  Matthew 5:8

Father, Forgive me whenever I’ve failed to see past the sin and see the person.  Help me to be humble and mindful of the mercy that you’ve give me so that I can share your hope with others.

In Christ, Amen.

Todd Adams

Dublin, Texas

“Do Not Fear”

Song-writing has been my love in later years of my life, and I am so blessed to have a family willing to sing the hymns that the Lord has helped me to compose!  This is indeed one of the best blessings of my life, and I praise Him for it as this new year begins!

I am convicted of the need for all of us to have the Word written on our hearts.  I love the current songs that our young people sing that have much scripture in them, because I believe singing scripture is one of the best tools we could use to commit scripture to memory, as well as touch our hearts!  I imagine the early church sang the Psalms frequently and wouldn’t it be inspiring to be able to hear them singing them?! One of the greatest joys we can look forward to in eternity is to sing and to hear the music of the Lord and His heavenly host!

It’s been my blessing to write a number of praise songs that contain scripture, but none so beautiful yet as some I referred to that the youth are singing in camps and devos all around the country.  And to illustrate how strongly I believe this is impacting our young people’s lives I want to share an amazing story from a camper a few years ago at Camp Blue Haven.  I would love to give more details of this inspiring story, but space won’t allow that. But this incredible true event in the life  of a young man from the area of Nairobi, who came to Blue Haven a few summers ago from the Houston area, tremendously shows the value of scripture being sung!

Our son, Michael, is the director of Camp Blue Haven, and he and his family make that their home for the summer months.  In one session this particular year Michaels attention was drawn to a tall, rather silent and intense youth who came with a church group from Houston. Toward the end of the session Michael sought time with him and this amazing story emerged.  The young man said he lived in the Nairobi area, and he was a troubled and troublesome kid in a desperate poor environment.  His dad (I believe) gave up on him and arranged through a church to send him to Texas, where he hoped something good would come to him.  But when the young man got to Houston, in a home there, even though he was in a Christian environment, he got into too much trouble and was sent back to Kenya.

 This was during a period  radical Islamist terrorists were on a siege in the Nairobi area, and were actually going through the country and killing students and anyone who would not renounce their Christian faith.  When this young man got back to his home and this terrorizing was happening, he told Michael he fled to the country to try to find safety with his aging grandparents. Of course, he said he was definitely looking back at the golden opportunity he had been given, but flaunted, wishing he could undo that and be back in Texas!  He and his grandparents kept getting word that the terrorists were getting nearer to their area, and finally he heard that the school he had attended there only a few days had been invaded and most of the students and teachers had been killed.  He told of his grandparents taking him into the safest place in their little abode and all of them hovering together in terrible fear, for the marauders were getting closer to them.  He said, “my grandfather looked at me and said, “If you know any scriptures, or prayers, now would be a good time to share them with us.”  The young man said he couldn’t think of a scripture but he thought a song he’d learned in Houston with the youth contained scripture, and he began to sing the song “Do Not Fear.”  Those words are taken from Isaiah 43:1f-3, and the beautiful melody brings God words to life in these words:

“When you pass through the water, I will be with you,
 And the waves, they will not overtake you.
 Do not fear, for I will be with you.
 For I am the Lord, your God!”

Incredibly, the terrorists did not find him and his grandparents.  But, even more incredibly, God took a great hand in rescuing this young man and giving him another chance!  In a very short time following this, somehow his father arranged for someone to fly in and pick his son up, and return him to Houston!  When arriving there, he made a serious commitment to the Lord, and that is how he was blessed to experience a Christian camp in the beautiful New Mexico mountains.  Michael said his demeanor was one of gratitude for what the Lord had done in his life, and he lived out a tremendous daily  change of heart in all he did.

God’s word is so powerful!  Our young people must, must be led to get it into their hearts!  Their songs of scripture praise is for sure one way to accomplish this, for them and for all of us at any age!

Prayer:
O Lord, God in Heaven!  You are awesome, faithful, and true!  You love us and our children more than we know how to love them!  Your Word is active and alive and so able to convict hearts!  Thank you, Lord!  Bless those who put your scripture into beautiful songs that capture the hearts of our youth and all of us!
Save us, O Lord, from the wrath that may come on this earth, by your compassionate mercy and grace you gave us in Jesus Christ!  Bless all those in your kingdom here who labor to help turn hearts toward You and be saved!
In Jesus Name!

Jan McCoy

Merkel, Texas

Turning the Page....With Hope

My family had the dubious privilege of knowing going into 2011 that it would hold some challenges for us. We started the year with me living in a house that we were trying to sell while my husband worked during the week 200 miles away, joining us on weekends (for the record -- not much happens in the housing market in the winter). We were grateful for the job, as 2010 had blindsided us with unemployment and uncertainty.

There was the selling of the house, the buying of a house -- and if you’ve transacted real estate lately, you know that is not a stress-free endeavor -- relocating all of our belongings, and getting our teen children moved and enrolled in new schools. Besides the general emotional upheaval such a move takes, there has been financial drama as the economy continues the Tilt-A-Whirl ride. To sum it up, 2011 has left our family a little worse for the wear.

As 2012 launches, I am eager to turn the page. A fresh start is waiting. I frequently turn to Jeremiah 29:11 to be reminded that God holds my future, but I just realized that it says He wants to give me hope, too: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (emphasis mine)

God understands how powerful hope is. Sometimes it’s all this world has to offer us -- hope of a better world later.

I can’t know what 2012 will bring. But I know Who will be walking beside me. May I be fully surrendered to His will that I may bring glory out of each circumstance -- whether it look like opportunity or obstacle.

“But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” Psalm 71:14

I pray that your 2012 is a rich time of growing deeper in our Lord, filled with hope, and joy and peace:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Sarah Stirman

McKinney, Texas

Purpose

"For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5: 14-15 

As a sophomore in college, at Abilene Christian University, playing baseball was the primary way I found value in my life. Growing up, I found my value related to sports, as I grew up in a “sports” family – It was our lifestyle.  My father had been an athletic director and a head coach in several sports.  Naturally, when I received the opportunity to play college baseball, I jumped at it.  I started out in Wharton, Texas, at Wharton County J.C. and I struggled for two long years. After that, I was looking to bounce back in a major way.  I was lucky and got an opportunity to play at Abilene Christian University.  It was what I had hoped for – a new beginning.  Again, baseball was the way that I found purpose in my life.

It didn’t turn out like I had imagined it would.  The longer I played the less my heart seemed to be in it.  I remember having several long discussions with my roommate – about life, sports, God, etc.  He was an awesome man of character – I learned a ton from him (more than he’ll ever know).  We often talked about “we reap what we sow” during our talks about how Jesus Christ could impact our lives and even our baseball careers.  Personally, my motivation had always been self-centered and about me – I wanted to be the best.  But I was now facing the end of something I had depended on since childhood to get the affirmation I craved.  Little did I know that through it all the Holy Spirit was calling me.

Through Christ, I found a greater purpose for life.  As God turned my heart toward pleasing Him, I found something greater to motivate me – not only in life but in athletics. With my life and game transformed, I ended my baseball career on a high note at ACU.  It was there that I made Christian friends and began to again grow spiritually and learn about the love of God. Before, I had been motivated by my selfish desires for attention and the favor of others. Now I knew the love of God and began to be “compelled” by His awesome and indescribable love.

I’ve known many people both in and out of sports whose driving forces in life are greed, fame and empty pride. Those, unfortunately all lead to an empty life. We don’t always win in life, and the world seems to only love us when we are on top of our game. Then they are ready to either forget us or condemn us when we stumble. But God’s love is different…He loves us “even while we are sinners” (Romans 5:8) and He loves us “with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 3:31).

What compels you in your life? Are the cheers of the crowd the only compelling reasons you play the game? Or, is the pure, everlasting and incredible love of God going to be the wind that fills your sails? My prayer for my children and all who read this is that we would come to know how great God’s love is for us and that He desires only good things for us regardless of our performance. The freedom we have in Him allows us to move forward in spite of our failures when we are compelled by the love of our Father in heaven.  

Father, we love you.  Thank you for Jesus and for the sacrifice that was made for us.  Thank you for your love and mercy.  It’s through Jesus we pray…Amen.

Casey Dacus 

Graham, Texas