Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

Followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Heb. 6:12).

They (heroes of faith) are calling to us from the heights that they have won, and telling us that what man once did man can do again. Not only do they remind us of the necessity of faith, but also of that patience by which faith has its perfect work. Let us fear to take ourselves out of the hands of our heavenly Guide or to miss a single lesson of His loving discipline by discouragement or doubt.

"There is only one thing," said a village blacksmith, "that I fear, and that is to be thrown on the scrap heap. "When I am tempering a piece of steel, I first beat it, hammer it, and then suddenly plunge it into this bucket of cold water. I very soon find whether it will take temper or go to pieces in the process. When I discover after one or two tests that it is not going to allow itself to be tempered, I throw it on the scrap heap and sell it for a cent a pound when the junk man comes around.

"So I find the Lord tests me, too, by fire and water and heavy blows of His heavy hammer, and if I am not willing to stand the test, or am not going to prove a fit subject for His tempering process, I am afraid He may throw me on the scrap heap."

When the fire is hottest, hold still, for there will be a blessed "afterward"; and with Job we may be able to say, "When he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold."
--Selected

Sainthood springs out of suffering. It takes eleven tons of pressure on a piano to tune it. God will tune you to harmonize with Heaven's key-note if you can stand the strain.

Things that hurt and things that mar
Shape the man for perfect praise;
Shock and strain and ruin are
Friendlier than the smiling days.

In Step With God......Dr. Charles Stanley

In Step With God

Dr. Charles Stanley

Ephesians 4

People are saved when they trust Jesus Christ as Savior and choose to follow Him. Right then, most Christians realize that they will dwell with Him forever in heaven. But many don’t understand what they can expect for the remainder of their lives on earth.

One benefit that’s available immediately is a growing relationship with the Lord. The Father’s oneness with Jesus (John 10:30) illustrates the intimacy God wants to have with His children. He had this type of closeness in mind at creation—a relationship with man is an avenue for Him to express His love and for us to worship and understand our Maker.

Another advantage is that Christ-followers are promised clear guidance through God’s Holy Spirit. Decision making is a part of everyday life. It is impossible for a mere human to know every variable and nuance before choosing which path to take. But the Lord knows all things—past, present, and future. With godly wisdom available, it’s hard to understand why anyone would prefer to trust his own hunches.

Provision is yet another blessing guaranteed for believers. There will be hard times, but God gives Christians everything necessary for following Him (Phil. 4:19). And His grace will always prove more than sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9).

How abundantly God gives to His children! One word of caution, though: these gifts are effective only when believers walk obediently with Him. Sin can stifle them.

The heavenly Father desires that all of His sons and daughters have these blessings; if you’re living in obedience before Him, they are available to you. Is anything getting in the way of your total submission to Him?

A Love Beyond Comparison

A Love Beyond Comparison
CARRIE STEPHENS 

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” 1 John 5:2-4 (ESV)

A few years ago, I visited a friend's house for the first time. From the moment I entered, I was bombarded with exquisite beauty. Everywhere I looked, I saw things I longed to have. My eyes moved from the flooring she had chosen to the art on the walls to the lights hanging from the ceiling and finally to God, who had decided to allow me to walk naively into this den of jealous temptation.

Despite being caught in this death-trap of comparison, when she offered me some tea and pulled out the chips and salsa, I was all like, “I’m-fine-no-big-deal-what’s-up-with-you?”

Then I excused myself to the most perfect powder room ever so I could scrape myself off the immaculate parquet floors and ask Jesus to help me survive the rest of the visit.

On my way to the bathroom, I texted my husband and told him I might not make it out of this perfect house alive. My jealousy could cause my heart to explode at some point during this visit, so I asked him to please take care of the children and our IKEA furniture sitting on our 1990s cream tile floors.

He texted back: “So sorry. Must be hard.”

I pretended to believe he meant that in a supportive way.

The Holy Spirit met me there in my dream bathroom. He offered me a new version of the 10th commandment:

“Let her have her things.”

The words stopped me dead in my tracks. Obeying this command suddenly seemed so simple and liberating. Let her have her things. There was really no reason not to. I knew she had a stack of troubles as high as anyone else’s. I cognitively recognized her life was far from perfect. And for goodness’ sake, this was a person I loved — like, really and truly loved — and yet I’d forgotten that when I was blinded by her material blessings.

I needed the love of God to overcome my jealousy. I wasn’t left out or forgotten by God just because her vintage chandelier made mine look more shabby than chic. In fact, the more I obediently let her have her things, the deeper my awareness grew of God’s love for both of us.

John confirmed this connection between obedience and love when he wrote, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith” (1 John 5:2-4).

We glimpse God’s heart in the original commandments He gave Moses in Exodus. God knew if His people could honor the Sabbath, worship only Him, and live lives that showed love and respect for others, then they would avoid many painful consequences. The commandments are God’s way of saying, “I love you.”

Obeying God’s commandments is our “I love you” back to God. Loving one another with generous hearts proves we understand that Jesus obediently sacrificed Himself so He could look at God and say, “Let them have my things.”

And Jesus’ things, such as His righteousness, holiness and victory over death, are far greater gifts than any pretty thing on earth. His love is leading us all home to God, where we will enter God’s joy forever on floors that are a smidge nicer than any we’ve seen in this life.

What can compare with that?

Lord, thank You for all the ways You provide all I need. Remind me of Your love for me. Set my heart free from comparison. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

1 John 4:16, 19, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. … We love because he first loved us.” (ESV)

A Prayer for When it Feels Like Winter Will Never End

A Prayer for When it Feels Like Winter Will Never End
By Gregory Coles
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) 

Dear God, Why is it so hard for me to believe that spring is coming?

It’s silly to doubt it, I know. In all my years watching the seasons pass, spring has never once failed me, no matter how tardy it may seem. The sun always comes home from a long vacation to melt the forlorn snow. The grass emerges, a little brown at first, then verdant and full of life. The birds return, making nests, whistling solos into a warm blue sky. No matter how long it takes, winter always comes to an end.

But even though I know it’s true—even though I’ve witnessed it year after year—I’m struggling to believe in spring right now.

The world has been grey for so long that I barely remember what it looks like in color. My memories of brighter days have frozen over in the cold, dangling like icicles just out of reach. Hope is hard to hold onto with frostbitten fingers.

Why is it so hard for me to trust that You’ll keep Your promises?

My wintertime despair is about far more than winter itself. It’s the same doubt that overtakes me in every season of difficulty, every setback and sorrow. No matter how many times I’ve seen Your faithfulness in the past, each new dark day pushes me back to the edge of my seat. I hold my breath, poised in suspense, wondering if grace could possibly come through this time.

My memory is so short.

Today, God, I’m not asking for spring to come before its time. I’m just asking that You teach me to cling to a hope that feels far away.

Give me the grace of memory. Remind me of the countless ways, both big and small, that You have already proven Yourself to me. Remind me that, although hopeless times have come and gone like passing seasons, they have never been the end of my story. Remind me of breakthrough and laughter and light. Remind me what spring feels like.

When the cold has sunk so deep into my bones that it threatens to define me, give me warmth enough to endure. Give me crackling fireplaces and hot apple cider and blankets shared with friends. Give me encouraging words and embraces at just the right moment. Give me fresh reminders of Your love and grace, small mercies to sustain me until the bigger mercies arrive.

And then, when the time comes, please give me spring again. 

Give me a heart that rejoices in the delights and sorrows of each passing year, a heart that grows warmer with every winter it endures. Teach me to believe in spring.

2 Simple Ways God Reveals Himself

2 Simple Ways God Reveals Himself
By: Mandy Smith

God is everywhere. Take a step outside and you will be surrounded by the intricacies and fascinating systematic creation that was created by our God. He is in the mountains, the beaches, jungles, ocean depths, prairies, farmland, desserts, and valleys. To see His creation is to see a piece of Him. As it says in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Not only can we feel His presence in His creation but there is more knowledge that He wants to share with us through it all.

1. He Delights in Beauty

Look around as the seasons change and you will see beauty upon beauty emerging from its cocoon. An orange fiery sunset, crystal clear waters, snowcapped mountain peaks, miles of sunflower fields…the list goes on and on. Sometimes something is so beautiful we can only stand in awe of its presence.

God shines from His creation. It is just a glimpse of the beauty we will fully behold in Heaven. Eden was perfect. The trees, food, river watering all the vegetation, and the first two people created in perfection, Adam and Eve. Though sin entered the world shortly after, the beauty of the remains is all we see of a glimpse of the New Eden that will be restored in Heaven.

To see God’s creation is to see God. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7-10

2. His Timing Is Perfect

God not only times our lives into a patchwork quilt of His will but also the cyclical timing of a 24-hour day, 365-day year, and constant motion of planets spinning on their axis at just the right angle is a testament to His control. To see the change of seasons in nature is to see God’s perfect timing, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…”

Your dream may not be visible, or your heart may be aching from a loss. Remember that the same God that ordains the sun to rise and set is the same God that has your heart in the palm of His hands. In His timing, all is made right whether here on earth or in glory, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

What Sorts of Folks Got Crucified?

[Jesus said]: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
--John 5:24

Early in Julius Caesar's political career, the people of Rome hated him so badly that he thought it best to leave his country. He sailed for the Aegean island of Rhodes, but on the way pirates attacked his ship and Caesar was captured.

The pirates demanded a ransom of 12,000 gold pieces, and Caesar's staff was sent to make the arrangements for payment. For almost 40 days, the pirates held Caesar captive.

He would jokingly tell them that he would someday capture and crucify them. The amused kidnappers dismissed his threats. But when the ransom was paid and Caesar was released, the first thing he did was gather his army together to pursue the pirates.

The pirates indeed were captured and crucified!

This was the Romans' attitude toward crucifixion. This cruel death was reserved only for the worst criminals. It was meant to show extreme contempt for the condemned. And the pain and humiliation experienced by someone crucified by the Romans was unmatched by any other.

They condemned and humiliated the person and name of Jesus thousands of years ago just as many people do today. And even though He died a lowly death, we as believers can rejoice in knowing that "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (Romans 4:25).

Jesus died for the sins of all--including those who beat Him and nailed Him to the cross. You may know of someone today who doesn't know Jesus. Will you be the one to tell them about the forgiveness He gives? Will you be the one who points them toward eternal life through Jesus?

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask the Lord to bring someone into your life this Easter who you can share the story of His death, burial, and resurrection, and the price He paid for their sins.