Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

And he went out carrying his own cross (John 19:17).

There is a poem called "The Changed Cross." It represents a weary one who thought that her cross was surely heavier than those of others whom she saw about her, and she wished that she might choose an other instead of her own. She slept, and in her dream she was led to a place where many crosses lay, crosses of different shapes and sizes. There was a little one most beauteous to behold, set in jewels and gold. "Ah, this I can wear with comfort," she said. So she took it up, but her weak form shook beneath it. The jewels and the gold were beautiful, but they were far too heavy for her.

Next she saw a lovely cross with fair flowers entwined around its sculptured form. Surely that was the one for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were piercing thorns which tore her flesh.

At last, as she went on, she came to a plain cross, without jewels, without carvings, with only a few words of love inscribed upon it. This she took up and it proved the best of all, the easiest to be borne. And as she looked upon it, bathed in the radiance that fell from Heaven, she recognized her own old cross. She had found it again, and it was the best of all and lightest for her.

God knows best what cross we need to bear. We do not know how heavy other people's crosses are. We envy someone who is rich; his is a golden cross set with jewels, but we do not know how heavy it is. Here is another whose life seems very lovely. She bears a cross twined with flowers. If we could try all the other crosses that we think lighter than our own, we would at last find that not one of them suited us so well as our own.
--Glimpses through Life's Windows

If thou, impatient, dost let slip thy cross,
Thou wilt not find it in this world again;
Nor in another: here and here alone
Is given thee to suffer for God's sake.
In other worlds we may more perfectly
Love Him and serve Him, praise Him,
Grow nearer and nearer to Him with delight.
But then we shall not any more
Be called to suffer, which is our appointment here.
Canst thou not suffer, then, one hour or two?
If He should call thee from thy cross today,
Saying: "It is finished-that hard cross of thine
From which thou prayest for deliverance,
"Thinkest thou not some passion of regret
Would overcome thee? Thou would'st say,
"So soon? Let me go back and suffer yet awhile
More patiently. I have not yet praised God."
Whensoe'er it comes, that summons that we look for,
It will seem soon, too soon. Let us take heed in time
That God may now be glorified in us.
--Ugo Bassi's Sermon in a Hospital

James 5:16..... Dr. Charles Stanley

James 5:16

Dr. Charles Stanley

Hanging above the door in our house, my mother's favorite plaque constantly reminded us, "Prayer changes things." From an early age, I witnessed this powerful truth through her example. She'd tell me about some difficulties she was facing and then have me pray about them with her. And later, she'd always be sure to give God the glory when sharing the awesome news that He had answered those prayers.

Indeed, this is our confidence: Anything we pray for that aligns with the Father's plan will be granted. And the more time we spend with Him, the more we'll come to understand His will and how to pray for it.

Remember, prayer doesn't change God's mind, but it does transform the believer's heart. Some requests are granted immediately, simply because we asked with the realization that our Father loves to give us good gifts. Other requests may require time or certain divine preparations before they can be given. We, meanwhile, must simply be diligent to persevere in prayer.

Whatever the Lord's response or timing, we trust that He has only the very best in store for His children. That means we might not receive exactly what we're asking for, but something even better. Such is God's great pleasure, for He alone perfectly knows each heart's desire and wishes to fulfill it.

Our most powerful tool for shaping the world and lives around us is always available. Prayer lets us witness God's hand in any situation. And as we give attention, time, and perseverance to conversation with Him, we find no limit to what He can achieve in people's hearts and circumstances.

Sweet Perfume..... by Ryan Duncan

Sweet Perfume
by Ryan Duncan

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4

Some time ago a stranger visited my church's Sunday service. He arrived early, while the worship team was still setting up, and the minute I saw him I became nervous. It was clear from his appearance that he’d made a lot of bad decisions in life. His cloths were worn and dirty, while his body had been grossly contorted by years of unhealthy living. I remember doing my best to avoid him as I went about my work, hoping that if I ignored him long enough he’d just go away.

Not exactly my finest moment. In fact, I’d say my attitude was no different than Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7:

“Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner.’" - Luke 7:36-40

This is one of the biggest dangers we face as Christians: becoming exclusive with the grace of Jesus Christ. The Church is not a showcase for saints, but a place where people of all backgrounds can come and say “I need Jesus”. Neither is God’s love ours to withhold, nor are we more deserving of His mercy than the stranger off the street. In fact, the Bible is pretty clear that Jesus made a habit of knocking “Holy” individuals down to size:

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace" - Luke 7:44-50

As for the man at the service, my friend reacted much more graciously. He struck up a conversation with the man and welcomed him to the service. He even agreed to help him go grocery shopping later on in the week. I learned a valuable lesson that Sunday; you cannot love someone by omission, you can only love them through action.

Intersecting Faith and Life: “The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.” – G.K. Chesterton

Further Reading
Matthew 15:21-28

The Lord Is with Us..... By Greg Laurie

The Lord Is with Us
By Greg Laurie

Sometimes when we end up in a certain situation, we’ll say, “Why did God allow this to happen to me?” Then later on, after a few years pass by and we have the hindsight of 20/20, we are able to look back on certain circumstances and see why the Lord did what He did—or why He did not do what we thought He should do.

To be honest, I’m glad that I don’t always know what is going on around me. We may not know the things that are happening in the supernatural as well as the natural realm, about the plots that might be out there against us, or about those who want to destroy us. But we know this: the Lord is with us wherever we are.

David, who knew something about potentially fearing for his life, wrote these words in Psalm 27:5: “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock” (NKJV).

Then we’re told in Isaiah 54:17, “‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,’ says the Lord” (NKJV).

People may be able to lie and fool everyone for a time, but eventually it all will come to light. It all will be declared for what it is. The good thing is that even if people are plotting against you as a child of God, you don’t have to be afraid. The Lord is with you. He was there with Paul in his prison cell, and He is there with you wherever you are.

Heavenly Lord, in times of fear and anger, we ask you to give us peace, wisdom, and hope. Let your truth be our comfort in difficult times. Amen.

A Prayer for the Overburdened .....By Pastor David McGee

A Prayer for the Overburdened
By Pastor David McGee

On the third day, we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands.
 (Acts 27:19)

Did you know that ships have a line drawn along the hull to indicate their burden? If the line goes too far beneath the water, the sailors know there is too much cargo on board. This allows the sailor to take the necessary steps to avoid disaster. Wouldn't it be great if we had indicators on us? In Acts 27, Paul, now a prisoner, was taken by ship to Rome where he and the ship's crew encounter a mighty storm. In danger of shipwreck, the ship's crew threw overboard the cargo they once had considered necessities. Timing and events can really change the way we look at things. We fill our lives with 'tackle' and 'rigging' that is not important to the eternal plan. Often, we get distracted by those things and cling to them rather than to God. We think... "Oh, I need this" or "I just can't live without that," but soon, overburdened, we hit a storm and sink.

Hebrews 12:1: says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.
”

What's in your cargo hold? Are you carrying bitterness? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is your ship laden with shame? Are you hauling around guilt or sin? In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Friend, why carry burdens around when you don't have to? Won't you lay your burdens at the foot of the cross?

Let’s Pray

Dear God,
 Thank You for loving me. Please forgive me for my sins and show me the burdens I carry that You want to remove. There may be things I'm not aware of that are distracting me from the best that You have for me. Please show me these things so that I can give them over to You. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.