Carry Your Cross..... Streams in the Desert

Carry Your Cross 

Streams in the Desert

"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Mark 8:34).

The cross which my Lord bids me take up and carry may assume different shapes. I may have to content myself with a lowly and narrow sphere, when I feel that I have capacities for much higher work. I may have to go on cultivating year after year, a field which seems to yield me no harvests whatsoever. I may be bidden to cherish kind and loving thoughts about someone who has wronged me--be bidden speak to him tenderly, and take his part against all who oppose him, and crown him with sympathy and succor. I may have to confess my Master amongst those who do not wish to be reminded of Him and His claims. I may be called to "move among my race, and show a glorious morning face," when my heart is breaking.

There are many crosses, and every one of them is sore and heavy. None of them is likely to be sought out by me of my own accord. But never is Jesus so near me as when I lift my cross, and lay it submissively on my shoulder, and give it the welcome of a patient and unmurmuring spirit.

He draws close, to ripen my wisdom, to deepen my peace, to increase my courage, to augment my power to be of use to others, through the very experience which is so grievous and distressing, and then--as I read on the seal of one of those Scottish Covenanters whom Claverhouse imprisoned on the lonely Bass, with the sea surging and sobbing round--I grow under the load.
--Alexander Smellie

"Use your cross as a crutch to help you on, and not as a stumblingblock to cast you down."

"You may others from sadness to gladness beguile,
If you carry your cross with a smile."

The Riches of God's Grace..... Dr. Charles Stanley

The Riches of God's Grace

Dr. Charles Stanley

Ephesians 1:1-14

Do you think of yourself as rich? No matter how much money you have, if you're a believer in Jesus, you're extremely wealthy because God has lavished the riches of His grace upon you. At the moment of salvation, He deposited into your account "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (v. 3). Why, then, do so many believers live in spiritual poverty?

1. Ignorance. Some Christians don't know about this unlimited spiritual "bank account," and, therefore, they never draw upon it.

2. Confusion. Too many believers just don't know how to access the treasures of God's grace. As a result, they worry and complain about their needs and problems or in desperation come to the Lord begging and pleading for help, never realizing His abundant supply has already been deposited into their account.

3. Competing Interests. Distraction by things of this world may be the most common reason. Christians in this category focus on possessions, pressing responsibilities, and advancement but lack interest in God's spiritual blessings.

The riches of God's grace supersede any earthly wealth. They give the peace and contentment that money can never buy, and their benefits reach all the way into eternity.

The only way to access God's spiritual riches is by faith. We don't have to beg or persuade the Lord to give what He has already made available to us. Instead, we simply choose to believe that we are who He says we are and can do what He has called us to accomplish.

Help for the Faithful Finish..... SHALA W. GRAHAM

Help for the Faithful Finish
SHALA W. GRAHAM

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” 2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT)

Every night, I seem to dream nonstop.

Some dreams are in the first person, and in others, I’m observing. Some dreams repeat, and some dreams pick up where a previous one left off — those might be my favorite. Some dreams I easily remember, and others I quickly forget. My dreams are often vivid and detailed, complete with the senses of touch and smell.

The other night, I dreamed that crowds of people of all different shapes and sizes ran up a road to get to the top. But the black paved road seemed like a 90-degree wall. If you didn’t hit it running with full momentum, you would get stuck. As I began to tackle this obstacle, people ahead of me slowed down or stopped, leaving me holding on to this road for dear life.

People began passing me. I tried to climb, but I couldn’t. So, I did the only thing I knew to do. I cried out, “I need help!”

Like an angel, a young man appeared and reached over the edge for my hand. He pulled me up and through a large cutout in a white brick wall. He continued to lay on his stomach through that cutout to help more people up.

Full of gratitude, I grabbed hold of his feet to give him extra stability as he served. Then he relaxed and sat up. The people after me didn’t need his help like I needed his help. They effortlessly climbed this steep wall of a road and through the white brick hole without assistance.

That’s when I felt it. Shame. Insecurity. Worthlessness. Was it just me? Was I the only one who wasn’t strong enough? Was I the only one who needed help accomplishing what everyone else could do on their own?

At that moment, God reminded me to run my own race. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing or how you stack up to others. It’s OK to need help. All that matters is you made it!

We need to hold on to the goal of 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” That’s it! It doesn’t matter what place we finish. It doesn’t matter if someone has to hold us up as we limp across the finish line. We just need to finish and remain faithful.

Isn’t it awesome God designed the members of the body of Christ to help one another? As we fight the good fight in a world filled with comparisons and roadblocks, stalled momentum and dangerous cliffs, we can’t be afraid to ask for help when we need it and offer support to others who are struggling.

Ultimately, God wants all of His children to be with Him in eternity. He sent Jesus to do the work we could never do. And God gave believers the Holy Spirit, our great Helper, to guide us and strengthen us along the way. God has provided everything we need to finish our faith race well.

Father, thank You for working all things together for my good, including those moments when I need to ask for help. Empower me to be humble, to accept my weaknesses and to give to those in need around me. I want to finish the race and remain faithful. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Hebrews 12:1 “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 trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (NLT)

That Verse before 'All Things'..... by John UpChurch

That Verse before 'All Things'
by John UpChurch

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12

I’d rather live a Philippians 4:13 type life. But that verse before it always gets me. I’d rather jump right into the “doing all things through him who gives me strength” without slogging through the “content in any and every situation” part. The second verse makes for such great posters, but now, when I read it, all I can think is “whether living in plenty or in want.”

Talk about a buzzkill.

But God’s plans come in a larger size than my earthly satisfaction. He wants my sanctification, my being-made-more-like-Jesus-ness. He wants me to see that His riches don’t come with dour-looking presidents or expiration dates or limited warranties. They aren’t earned by the sweat of my brow. Instead, His riches come pouring down in my contentment.

Paul told Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6), and he’s driving at the same thing here in Philippians. “Strength,” according to the world, boils down to laying claim to the most stuff—power, model spouses (emphasis on the plural), houses, and influence. But those who think that way can never be content no matter the situation. When their “strength” disappears, they wilt. Some do whatever it takes to get back to where they were; some end up in rehab; and some see no reason to live. Some strength, huh?

Jesus doesn’t play by our rules, though. His Beatitude bunker busters make that pretty clear (see Matthew 5). The weak, the poor, the hungry—those are the ones who receive the treasures. You see, Jesus does want us to get to Philippians 4:13, but to do that, He has to demolish our strongholds by taking us through Philippians 4:12. We’re strong through Him only when we’ve learned to clear the detritus of what we think we need in this world and see Him for the all-sufficient treasure that He really is (Colossians 2:3).

We can do all things through Him who strengthens us. But to get to that point, we have to learn satisfaction in His “all things,” the plans He has for us. That’s because it’s His strength, not ours.

Intersecting Faith & Life: God’s plans for us don’t always send us down the paths we might choose. Okay, they rarely do. That’s why true contentment becomes so vital for the Christ follower. And the only way we can get there is to die and die and die. Every day we die to the things that supposedly make us strong in this world. Every day we kill the need to have more, to be more. Every day we die for Him.

You are strong—right where your contentment in Christ begins.

For Further Reading
Matthew 5

When You Stand in the Flames..... By Jennifer Ikner Lowry

When You Stand in the Flames
By Jennifer Ikner Lowry

The testimonies of brothers and sisters in Christ are woven with mistakes, forgiveness, anxieties, and grace. When we take the time to listen to others as they share their trials, perseverance, or conversion, we get a special invitation to glimpse into the Holy Spirit’s workings. The sharing of our stories allows our hearts to be filled with an overwhelming desire to praise Him by saying, “Only God.”

Only God can bring hope to the hopeless, and fearlessness to those who fear. Sometimes, in the middle of our challenges, there might seem to be no end in sight of the mess. It could be one event after the other that piles upon us, making us so heavy-laden with trepidation that we lose sight of where to turn. Instead of declaring, “Only God,” we ask, “Why God?”

Even though it might seem like an impossible task to hold on to verses when we are in the middle of problems that seem to have no solution, be assured that Jesus promised to be with us even until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Let us be mindful — when we are facing financial burdens, family problems, or sickness — that our mess could just be the makings of something else: a future message for another brother or sister experiencing a similar hardship. They might need our story to give them hope and keep the holding steadfast to the Lord.

Let us model our steps after those three rebellious young men of the Old Testament. Their names were some of my favorites that I loved to repeat as a child: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Faced with conditions forcing them to come face to face with their faith, they bonded together and took a stand against King Nebuchadnezzar’s commands. Even though they were thrown into the fire, they did not feel the flames.

You might be standing in the middle of a blazing fire, but trust in the Lord to deliver you from your circumstance. You may see the flames or hear the crackling, but you will feel no heat because you serve a mighty Father that will bring you through this trial. And when you have broken free from your mess you will have a testimony to say, “Only God.”

The story did not end with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being rescued from flames unsinged. It could have, and it still would have, been the glorious testimony of the faith of a few and the power of God. But, reading further, we see that King Nebuchadnezzar’s hardened heart was softened. He even promoted them within the kingdom for their display of integrity and commitment.

Your time is coming. Hold on to that unwavering faith that can move mountains:

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20)

In the flames, repeat that nothing is impossible with God. When you walk away, praise His name and say, “Only God!”

Further reading: Daniel 3

A Prayer to Answer Compassionate Calls..... By Meg Bucher

A Prayer to Answer Compassionate Calls
By Meg Bucher

“The heart is free where the Spirit of the Lord is.” - 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLV)

My daughter and I curled up on the couch, both of us leveled with Influenza A. As we sat and colored pictures and fought aches and coughs, we watched a movie about a little girl in another country that found herself in an unfair state of affairs.

“I don’t want to watch this movie, Mommy,” she said, “it’s making me uncomfortable.”

The movie was “Queen of Katwe,” about a young girl who made history as a chess player in Uganda. Her life was anything but glamorous, and the reality of her reality made my daughter uncomfortable.

“It’s important to be aware,” I explained to her. When the unfair circumstances of others make us uncomfortable, I believe that’s the seed of Christ’s compassionate heart nudging us to do something about it.

There was one scene in particular that completely confused my church-going child. She knows about hunger, donates to help those in need, and raised her hand to sponsor a child. But until that moment it was still so very far away for her.

“Why is she licking the side of that cup?” she asked.

“She’s starving,” I answered. The following night’s dinner protest at our kitchen table carried a completely different tone.

God pushes us out of our comfort zone to do some major work on our hearts. He can meet us with Influenza A on the couch in our comfortable family room, to teach us a lesson in compassion, gratefulness, and our duty to take care of each other on this earth.

He does this not to make us feel guilty for our blessings or lazy for our lack of action. He pushes us our of our comfort zones with people’s stories to set us free. Having a heart of compassion that drives us to action sets us free. The Holy Spirit will reveal the compassion and purposed actions of our hearts when we seek Him, and keep asking for more of Him, through prayer and study of God’s Word. There is no commandment greater than to love each other, and we are living truly free when we are extensions of His love.

Our afternoon conversations led us both the think about, communicate with, and pray for the child we sponsor more than we do now. It changed out perspective from complaining about being sick to feeling grateful for the popsicles in the freezer. May we all be more motivated to pray for God’s definitive action plan for each of our lives, to care for those who need Christ’s love the most.

Father,

We praise You for the stories that You place in front of us. The ones that make us unconformable and call us to action. Thank You for all those who answer calls to physically go to those far corners of the world to feed the hungry. Keep them physically safe as they travel the globe on Your behalf. For those of us who feel the stir to help around the world and in our own communities, grant us the resolve to remain obedient to Your leading. Bless all those who go hungry in this world, and show us what our part is to aid in filling their stomachs with food and their hearts with Christ’s love.

Thank You for the blessings that we count in our lives, and show us how to extend our hands and hearts to those who need Your love.There are so many souls that starve and lack for clean water and a place to call home. We lift them up to You in a special way today, and pray that those who feel the compassionate call to help answer.

Whether through prayer, finances, or physical presence, show us where our place to extend Your love is. Soften our hearts to those who suffer, and embolden us to share the Gospel where hurt and suffering are prevalent. There are so many big things, little things, daily things, that we can do. Help us to operate in Your love daily, so we don’t miss an opportunity for one.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.