Streams in the Desert.....

 Streams in the Desert

Reckon it nothing but joy... whenever you find yourself hedged in by the various trials, be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance (James 1:2-3) Weymouth

God hedges in His own that He may preserve them, but oftentimes they only see the wrong side of the hedge, and so misunderstand His dealings. It was so with Job (Job 3:23). Ah, but Satan knew the value of that hedge! See his testimony in Job 1:10.

Through the leaves of every trial there are chinks of  light to shine through. Thorns do not prick you unless you lean against them, and not one touches without His knowledge. The words that hurt you, the letter which gave you pain, the cruel wound of your dearest friend, shortness of money -- are all known to Him, who sympathizes as none else can and watches to see, if, through all, you will dare to trust Him wholly.

The hawthorn hedge that keeps us from intruding,
Looks very fierce and bare
When stripped by winter, every branch protruding
Its thorns that would wound and tear.
But spring-time comes; and like the rod that budded,
Each twig breaks out in green;
And cushions soft of tender leaves are studded,
Where spines alone were seen,
The sorrows, that to us seem so perplexing,
Are mercies kindly sent
To guard our wayward souls from sadder vexing,
And greater ills prevent.
To save us from the pit, no screen of roses
Would serve for our defense,
The hindrance that completely interposes
Stings back like thorny fence.
At first when smarting from the shock, complaining
Of wounds that freely bleed,
God's hedges of severity us paining,
May seem severe indeed.
But afterwards, God's blessed spring-time cometh,
And bitter murmurs cease;
The sharp severity that pierced us bloometh,
And yields the fruits of peace.
Then let us sing, our guarded way thus wending
Life's hidden snares among,
Of mercy and of judgment sweetly blending;
Earth's sad, but lovely song.

The Hope of Peace..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Hope of Peace

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 15:4-13

Despite man's best efforts, the world's longing for peace remains unfulfilled. Each new generation has high hopes for reconciliation among people and nations but in the end faces disappointment.

One day Christ will return and make everything right. Until then, believers are called to be His ambassadors of peace. However, becoming a Christian does not automatically change us into people who pursue kindness and unity.

At times we're quick-tempered and impatient and find it hard to live in harmony with others. We may have trouble letting go of attitudes or habits that hurt those around us—and occasionally we don't even want to. God knows our true character and has provided the Holy Spirit to transform us into Jesus' likeness. The Spirit opens our minds to understand and apply Scripture. He gives us the power to say no to ungodliness and to replace me-centered thinking with a Christ-centered viewpoint. He patiently produces His fruit in us, which includes love, joy, and peace (Gal. 5:22-23). With His help, we can become peacemakers who work to bring about reconciliation between God and others (Matt. 5:9).

While our world keeps hoping for peace through man's solutions, we know the only source of lasting unity is Jesus Christ.

The Lord wants our hearts to be ruled by His peace (Col. 3:15) and our relationships to be marked by a spirit of oneness. How encouraged other people will be when they realize it's the transforming power of God in our lives that brings about reconciliation in our marriages, families, and churches.

Jesus is More..... ALICIA BRUXVOORT

 Jesus is More

ALICIA BRUXVOORT

Lee en español

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

When our youngest daughter was a precocious preschooler, she didn’t want to be limited to the name printed on her birth certificate. Though we’d named her Magdalene Hope (Maggie for short), she preferred to be known by many names.

When I tucked Maggie into bed each night, I had no idea who might wake beneath those soft covers in the morning.

Most days it was Emma Rose who skipped down the hallway at sunrise with Maggie’s familiar pink blankie in hand. Emma Rose looked like my last born with a bedhead, and she fit seamlessly into our morning routine.

She entertained my school-agers with silly songs and kept diligent watch at the window for the big yellow bus that would chug up the hill and stop at the end of our driveway.

But when the bus disappeared, Emma Rose usually vanished, too. Soon, Annelise would arrive adorned in sparkling red slippers and a strand of poppy bead pearls. Annelise called me Darling instead of Mommy and invited me to join her for tea parties on the living room floor.

Rosie regularly dropped by for lunch. Dressed in a purple tutu and a shimmering smile, she loved to dance in the kitchen as I prepared our noontime meal.

Some afternoons, I was visited by Bluebell or Daffodil, Princess or Maryanne, but Maggie always showed up in time for bedtime stories and goodnight kisses.

On most days, I chose to embrace Maggie’s quirky theatrics and relish the way my little girl’s animated aliases gave me an endearing glimpse into her vibrant personality.

However, when Maggie began attending school for a few mornings a week, her vivacious spirit dissolved into a quiet gloom. Eventually, a simple declaration shed light on my preschooler’s frustration. “I hate my name tag,” Maggie announced with a churlish stomp.

“What’s wrong with your name tag?” I probed.

“It always says Maggie,” my daughter complained.

“Because that’s your name,” I replied with a giggle.

“I know, Mommy,” my daughter said. “But I wish my teacher knew all of my names.” She exhaled an exasperated sigh and murmured, “I’m more than just Maggie.”

Suddenly I understood my daughter’s quiet grievance.

Magdalene Hope may be bursting with hope like her given name suggests, but she’s also spunky like Emma Rose and kind like Annelise. She’s joyful like Rosie and bold like Bluebell. Maggie’s wish to be known by many names was an appeal to be fully known.

I often think of my preschooler when I read Jesus’ divine birth announcement in the book of Isaiah. The prophet’s familiar words read like a collection of curious name tags:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Our Savior’s many names aren’t an indicator He’s fickle and prone to change. They are a vivid reminder He is matchless and can’t be contained.

Just as my daughter’s aliases gave us a glimpse into her vivacious personality, so our Savior’s names provide a peephole into His unchanging character. Each name of Jesus reveals a feature of His divine disposition and an aspect of His limitless love. But best of all, each of Jesus’ names issues a personal invitation for us to know Him more intimately and trust Him more intentionally.

Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, summons us to know Him as a compassionate advocate, while Jesus, our Mighty God, bids us to rest secure in His potent power and unparalleled authority.

Jesus, our Everlasting Father, reminds us we are His cherished children, while Jesus, our Prince of Peace, beckons us to rest in His presence.

So, let’s get to know our Savior by name this year, dear friends.

And as we do, let’s remember that no matter who we find Him to be, Jesus is always more.

Dear Jesus, thank You for inviting me to know You personally and powerfully. Help me to discover more of You this year. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Philippians 2:9-10, “So God raised him to the highest place. God made his name greater than every other name so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus — everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.” (NCV)

Cultivating A Honeycomb of Gracious Words By Lynette Kittle

 Cultivating A Honeycomb of Gracious Words

By Lynette Kittle

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” -- Proverbs 16:24

What words are you putting out into the world? Are you choosing your words thoughtfully, taking every opportunity to encourage and uplift others? Are your words sweetening the lives of those who hear or read them?

Or, are you following the Social Media trend to speak your mind, set someone straight, or put another in his or her rightful place?

Maybe you try to be encouraging but others just push your buttons to the point where you feel like you have to say something or you’ll burst!

It’s so easy in heated moments of conflict to get caught up in the latest political, social, fashion, or celebrity debate and say things you’ll wish later you hadn’t said

So if you slipped up in your words a few times, you’re not alone.

James 3:2 describes how, “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.”

Still, Scripture reminds that, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless” (James 1:26).

Maybe you’ve been surprised by things you’ve heard or read by other Christians? Perhaps your own words at times have caught you off guard?

Proverbs 13:3 gives incentive for choosing to be careful with your words, describing the difference it can make in your life to do so, stating, “Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.”

If you struggle with speaking careless words, ask God to, “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

As well, Psalm 34:13 urges to “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.”

When you do, Proverbs 12:14 encourages that from the fruit of your lips you will be filled with good things.

Likewise, Proverbs 16:23 describes how, “The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction.”

Ask God to direct your speech so that your words are helping to build up the faith of those around you. As Colossians 3:16 urges, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Is Suffering Inevitable?..... by Shawn McEvoy

 Is Suffering Inevitable?

by Shawn McEvoy

For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
1 Peter 3:17, NAS

Suffering. It's not standard daily devotional fare, because let's face it, usually we want to begin or end our day being uplifted, or even better, lifting up God, rather than focusing on our pains and problems.

But there's the rub... we all have pains and problems. Christian and non-Christian. Lifelong disciple and baby believer. Red and yellow, black and white. Everyone, from the moment he or she was born, has struggled, tried, failed, hurt, sinned, misunderstood, and reacted. Humanity shares a true brotherhood over suffering, one that we might understand a lot better if suffering weren't also so relative. By which I mean, one person's issues may sound simple, easy-to-solve, even petty to another. "That's nothing compared to what I've had to endure!"

But the fact is, your sorrows and difficulties are real to you. It's one reason why I'm no fan of when people say a certain place or time in their lives isn't "the real world," as if the spot they are currently tucked away at is immune from any degree of difficulty.

Suffering is very real, and there's certainly no reason any Christian would expect life to be otherwise. We purport to follow a "Suffering Savior." His stripes have healed us, and wow do we seem to feel them sometimes, which is as it should be, as we deserved them instead of Him. If we agree that no person but One - no matter where they lived or how easy or hard they had it - has escaped sin's corruption, then how much more must we agree that truly NO person has escaped suffering?

Look at what Peter suggests in today's verse: you can suffer for doing good, or you can suffer for doing bad. By extension, some of the problems in your life may be a result of your own rebellious choices, while other hurts may naturally result from walking so closely with Christ that you ache at the injustice and hardship around you, with the world despising and persecuting you.

In the classic allegory Hinds' Feet on High Places, Much-Afraid journeys with companions named Sorrow and Suffering, and these two assist her in her climb up the Injury Precipice, which is a part of her transformation into "Grace and Glory."

The same is true for you. Your sufferings have informed you, educated you, helped you along in your journey. You may despise them, but they are yours. And they will be with you whether you are doing right, or not. Of course, the nature of them will be quite different.

There may yet be one way, though, to avoid suffering. There's a third option, left out here by Peter, but not left out by John in the Revelation. It's the middling, lukewarm response to life, the do-nothing approach. This is the approach that cocoons itself off from life and all of its pain (but also all of its involvement). And make no mistake, "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something," says that famous theologian the Man in Black in The Princess Bride.

You may not feel anything from inside a cocoon; in fact, it may be an abundance of pain and suffering that forced you in there. But remember, no creature that cocoons itself is intended to stay locked up forever. The point is to be rested, healed, matured, transformed. To become more beautiful, useful. Even the emerging process itself carries a degree of struggle, but one that, if the insect did not go through unhindered, would leave it too weak to fly.

So be lifted up in your suffering today.

It is a companion.

It is designed to transform you.

It gives you a share in the inheritance of Christ and the brotherhood of humanity.

And it gives you empathy, which gives you every excuse for ministry.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Make it your goal to partake, as much as possible, only of the brand of suffering that comes from doing what is right according to God's Word.

A Prayer Against Spiritual Complacency..... By: Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer Against Spiritual Complacency

By: Chelsey DeMatteis

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. - James 1:22

Complacency and hesitancy typically go hand in hand. We see often this happen as Christians become complacent in their faith. They don’t desire to grow in their faith, they don’t walk in their convictions, and they entertain a progressive biblical view, they become hesitant in their belief of what God’s Word says, and stop sharing the good news of Jesus.

Complacency has not only plagued many believers, but has been a plague in the church for a while now. Churches fear calling out this sin because they don’t want to make us sinners upset, even though it’s the Church who is called to instruct its body in the Word and teach what it says. Because of this and because many people are not spending time in the Word for themselves, we see a culture of people claiming Jesus is Lord but living a life that doesn’t reflect any of His truth.

So how can you and I not get caught up in this? How can we pray against this sin of complacency? “We must be doers of the Word and not just hearers of it.” James 1:22 tells us. Everything changes when we begin living out what God’s Word says. It even tells us in James 1:21 “that we are to receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” How powerful is that! We are told exactly how to steer clear of a complacent faith: do what God's Word says. Hold fast to the truth. Stand firm in your convictions. Know that you're accountable to God and Him alone.

He also not only gives us instruction through His Word, but it is through His Word we receive the message that saves. His Word gives us the blueprint of how we must live, love, and pursue a bold faith. As you and I follow these commands we will not only see a shift in those around us, and in the boldness in our faith, but we will see firsthand the chains of complacency break.

It is complacency that robs us of the work God desires to do in our hearts. It's complacency that desires to thwart the good things God calls us to do in our everyday living. But, thankfully by His grace and the power we have living in us through Him, we are able to break free from this area of bondage and boldly live for Him. I pray that as we live for Him, we are now able to point others away from a complacent, hesitant way of living and the entanglement it can cause in Christians’ lives.

Pray with me…

Lord,

Thank you for continuing to pursue my heart. As long as there is breath in my lungs, I know that you are completing the good work in me you began.

Lord, reveal to me the places I’ve fallen complacent and help me follow your lead as I surrender them to you.

I pray I live a life that leads others to you and your truth. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

How to Maximize Your Kingdom Impact This Year..... Dr. Jack Graham

 How to Maximize Your Kingdom Impact This Year

Dr. Jack Graham

But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.          

1 Corinthians 12:18-20

Several years ago, I got suckered into buying one of those pocket knives that has everything on it you could imagine. It has a can opener, about five different sized blades, tweezers, a toothpick, a nail file, and screwdriver heads. If there was something you could use a pocket knife for, this one claimed it could do the job.

But here was the problem: none of the tools on the knife worked very well. The blades were dull, the tweezers and toothpick fell out and got lost, and the screwdriver heads were so small that I couldn’t use them to turn a screw.

The tool was so versatile, but didn’t do anything well. And as I look at a lot of Christians today, they’re a lot like that knife. So many are multi-talented and well-rounded, but they rarely commit to doing one thing really well. They’re spread so thin that their impact is minimized.

As you step into a new year, put your focus on one thing you want to do well in the coming year. Resolve to make a deep impact in one place. Do what you do well, and you’ll make a tremendous difference for the Kingdom in the coming year!