Saturday, September 30, 2023
Chicken Noodle Soup
Friday, September 29, 2023
The Do-Gooder - Karen Huffaker
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:9–10 NKJV
Were you ever considered the do-gooder in school?
Or was there another kid that students made fun of for trying to be the teacher’s pet by volunteering to clean blackboards, straighten chairs, pass out papers, and do other good works?
I was not a teacher’s pet. I just tried to stay out of trouble, follow the rules, and do what was expected. My basic decorum as a student was to study, do homework, get to class on time, get along with others, and respect authority. Sounds simple, but sometimes, it was boring.
Paul tells us not to grow weary while doing good and to do good to all—not just the teacher or a limited few. That includes family, friends, neighbors, community, co-workers, and humanity.
We have many opportunities and means at our disposal. They don’t have to be costly financially. We can make a difference without ever leaving our homes by calling to check on others, sending encouraging notes and cards, and emailing prayers and scriptures. Neighbors and shut-ins always have needs, and many are alone with no family to help. We can change a light bulb, take out the garbage, take them a dinner plate, or mow their grass. If we sincerely pray about it, God will open doors for us to help and encourage others.
Jesus lived out His ministry by doing good and serving others. He admonished the disciples not to seek to be served but to serve one another. He said whatever we do for the least of others, we do for Him. We are to be good stewards by serving one another in love.
God says that we will reap at just the right time if we do not give up or lose heart.
What can you do to bless or impact someone?
Tweetable: Are you a do-gooder?
Karen Huffaker is a freelance Christian writer. She has taught children’s Sunday school and single mom’s Bible studies and written poetry. She is from the Deep South and loves reading Christian books, devotionals, genealogy adventures, fishing, and all things family. She is also passionate about her grandchildren’s sporting events.
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Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Bottled Up - Martin Wiles
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. Psalm 56:8 NLT
They are bottled up on the cabinet, snuggled on
the shelf, and frolicking on the floor, but none are doing what they were initially
designed to do.
Old bottles are one of my passions. I don’t go
out of my way to find or collect them, but when I come across one at a decent
price, I snatch it up. Many in my collection were given to me by people who saw
no purpose in having them, and others I’ve bought at discount prices from store
owners who didn’t know their true worth. They range from soda bottles to
medicine bottles to milk bottles and everything in between, but they all have
one thing in common: they’re empty.
None of my bottles are filled with their original
contents, nor are they presently being used for their initial purpose. The
beauty is now in their historical significance and the unique designs and
raised markings they display. I could bottle them up with something—water if
nothing more—but they still wouldn’t fulfill their earlier purpose. They serve merely
as reminders.
The psalmist was discouraged. Enemy troops tracked
him, slanderers stalked him, spies spied on him, and his emotions raged.
Appealing to God helped calm his nerves. He reminded himself that God took
notice of his situation and could bottle up his fears, disappointments, and
sorrows.
Whatever was stored initially in my bottles could
be uncorked or uncapped and poured down the recipient’s throat. Pleasure or relief
from pain resulted. God can take sorrow, discouragement, and disappointment and
bottle them up. But He seals them so tightly no one can release them again.
Life can be overwhelming. Sin taints the world so
thoroughly that the results are bound to touch our lives repeatedly until we
die. A range of emotions result when they do. Feelings that can lead us in
unhealthy directions unless we remember God hasn’t abandoned us.
When I feel overcome with peace-destroying
emotions and thoughts, I look at my empty bottles and ask God to do what the
psalmist did—bottle them up. Seal them tightly. Cork them completely. And then
I ask Him to help me to see clearly what I can glean from the confined
contents.
What are some things that are overwhelming you?
Ask God to bottle up the things that baffle you.
Father, I thank You that I can come to You with my
petitions and pains and count on You to bottle them up so I can live with peace
and purpose.
Tweetable: What are you bottling up?
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Monday, September 25, 2023
God and Strays - Martin Wiles
Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. Luke 15:20 NLT
“If you can’t come up with $600,
he’s going to jail.”
My typical day at work melted into something not normal when the phone call came. My teenage son had been arrested for
public drunkenness. Fortunately, he hadn’t gotten his driver’s license yet, or
he might have been arrested for DUI.
I didn’t have $600 and wouldn’t have
paid it anyway. Not that I was being hard-hearted, but my son had strayed for
the last several years—into bad relationships, unhealthy habits, and other
areas that took him far away from God. Perhaps
jail would teach him a lesson, I thought.
His jail stint was short-lived. A
friend bailed him out. Jail time didn’t bring the wanderer home.
Years later, he’s still a stray—of
sorts. He has married, settled down, works hard, and has given us three
grandchildren. My hopes were lifted once when he asked, “Dad, do you think that
once a person is saved, they are always saved?” Evidently, his straying had him
wondering also.
“Yes, son, if they truly meant it
when they accepted Christ,” I responded. But my hopes that he’d wander back to
God didn’t materialize.
Jesus’ story of the two sons mirrors
numerous families. Whether we call them strays, prodigals, wanderers, or black
sheep matters not. Either way, they are gone from the faith. But the story also
gives hope of their return and assures us God will accept them when they do.
Many find hope in the verse, “Train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). I’m sure
my parents did when I was doing my wandering.
No path we wander on is too far for
God to welcome us home if we come to our senses and repent. But we must decide
to do so, be sincere, turn around, and head in the right direction. Home doesn’t
move; we do.
Like the father, God still waits
with open arms to welcome my son and any other strays home. If you’ve wandered
away, He’s also still waiting for you.
What keeps you from turning to God?
Father, I thank You that Your arms
are always open to those who decide to come home.
Tweetable: Have you strayed?
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Saturday, September 23, 2023
Chicken Fried Pork Chops
Friday, September 22, 2023
Do What You Gotta Do - Martin Wiles
If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. Luke 16:10 NLT
Some mornings, I awoke confused . . . not sure I had done what I should have done.
At fourteen, I went to work at the local Piggly Wiggly, bagging groceries. But at sixteen, I had some bills and needed more income. A friend who delivered papers for our state newspaper told me the paper needed delivery persons. I thought, Sounds like a simple enough job. So, I paid a visit to the person who could hire me.
We sat in his living room, and he explained my responsibilities. I would deliver seven days a week, collect money from subscribers, send in my fees, and attempt to get new customers. Sounded like an enormous responsibility for a sixteen-year-old, but I am a firstborn, and responsibility has always come naturally. I wasn’t worried.
What I didn’t know at the time was that my customers were scattered over a ten-mile radius, a radius not near my house. After all, this was the state paper, not our local paper. I also didn’t know that I would have to get up at 2:30 in the morning to pick up the papers, fold them, insert any advertisers, and then deliver them by a specific time. That involved a little much.
I couldn’t depend on my parents to wake me. At 2:30, Mom would not have been in the bed long—she was a night owl. Dad would have been dead to the world. I was on my own.
I set my trusty alarm. After picking up and delivering the papers and returning home, I had only an hour to sleep before getting up for school. Needless to say, I slept through most of my classes. And some mornings . . . quite a few mornings . . . I asked Mom, “Did I run my paper route.” Although she wasn’t up, she somehow knew whether I had been. I needed the money, so I did what I had to do.
Jesus also had something to say about doing what we must do. If people show faithfulness in small things, they will demonstrate trustworthiness with more extensive responsibilities. And isn’t life that way? We must typically prove ourselves at our jobs or careers before being given promotions.
Unless we’re trust fund kids—or the recipients of large inheritances—we must work for a living. Bills must be paid. We need necessities to exist—food, water, clothing. This work we’re paid to accomplish. As God’s representative, we should demonstrate dependability in our responsibilities.
But God’s work—unless we’re in full-time ministry—is voluntary, but nonetheless equally . . . even more . . . important. God needs faithful servants so His Kingdom work can advance in the way and at the pace He wants. And when we’re dependable with the small things He assigns, He’ll give us larger tasks to complete.
How can you do a better job of doing faithfully what He gives you to do?
Father, I depend on You for the courage to do those tasks You assign me.
Tweetable: What do you need to do but haven't?
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Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Change Is Good - Martin Wiles
Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God. Ephesians 4:17–18 NLT
Change was the norm; I merely had to
adjust. So I kept telling myself, “Change is good.”
Some preachers remain at churches
for lengthy periods of time. Dad never did. At least not until he reached midlife
and decided to stay put for twenty years. By that time, I had long ago left
home and established my own family. His moving didn’t affect me anymore.
While I was growing up, five years
was the longest he had ever remained at one church—and that was to let me
finish high school in the same place. Before, it was three years at one church,
four at the next, and one at the following. I never established many
friendships, and I was tired of saying goodbye to the ones I had. Change
became the norm I accepted but didn’t like.
Believers at the church in Ephesus
had undergone a change. They had discarded their immoral lifestyles and no
longer worshipped a multiplicity of pagan gods. Yet the temptation to return to
the lifestyles they had put aside was always prevalent.
Change is peppered with negative
connotations. “We’ve never done it that way before” and “I’m not sure the
people will like it” are two common objections heard when change is suggested.
Some rebel against change and leave the organization or relationship. Others
accept it grudgingly, sticking around to cause friction. A few embrace it and
enjoy the new opportunities change can bring.
Salvation ushers in the most radical
change possible. God removes our old natures and replaces them with new ones.
This is change for the good. While Satan still works through our old human
tendencies, we now have God’s power, allowing us to live pure and holy lifestyles.
And we should. What God has changed us from lies in the past; what he has transformed
us into dwells in the present and future.
This change allows us to live with
the peace of knowing our Savior and we are okay. He’s wiped the sin slate
clean, accepted us into His family, and established a friendship that change
can never disrupt.
Enjoy the change God can bring into
your life. Any change he brings is for your good.
Father, give me the courage to live
by the standards of the changed nature you’ve given me at salvation.
Tweetable: How do you view change?
Don't forget to add your comments below.
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