A Christian Devotional

[Shammu]

One day at a time!

Psalms 25:4-5 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

A father asked his son to carry a letter from their camp to the village. He pointed out a trail over which the lad had never gone before. “All right Dad, but I don’t see how that path will ever reach the town,” said the boy. “Well son, I'll tell you how. Do you see that big tree down the path?” asked the father. “Oh, yes, I see that far.” “Well, when you get there by the tree, you’ll see the trail a little farther ahead -- and farther down you'll see another big tree -- and when you reach that one you'll be closer and so on until you get within sight of the houses of the village.”

In the same way, I believe God want's to reveal the way for each one of us on our trail toward Him, one tree at a time. Sometimes we're convinced we need to see the end of our path, so that we can be reassured that there's something good down there, or that we're going in the right direction, or that we'll be able to see if it gets dark.

We know first hand how it feels to walk in the darkness here in the Land and not know where the end will be -- and often how we'll have the strength and sustinance to get there. It's not easy to move forward and trust that God will light the path ahead and point us in the way we should go. But the fact is that it is a crucial step toward our growth and maturity in the Lord and we all need to get to there.

Let's give our hesitation and fear to the Lord. He will not fail us. He will be faithful to light our path and lead us in the way everlasting -- one day at a time.

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Where's faith when you need it?!

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

I could tell you about countless difficult and drawn out circumstances over which we have tried to stand firmly in faith until they finally came to pass. Sometimes we made it and sometimes we were weak and began to doubt. But God mercifully came through for us on most of these things, despite our lack of strength to stay faith-ful.

There are some things in our lives that take alot of prayer and a lot of faith to overcome. But why is it so hard sometimes to stand in faith for those things?

D.L. Moody spent many hours praying for faith.  He once said, "If all the time I have spent praying for faith was put together, it would be months.  I thought that someday faith was going to come down and strike me like lightening.  But faith did not come.  Then one day I read in the 10th chapter of Romans, "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."  I now opened my Bible and began to read God's Word and faith has been growing ever since."

Much of what we believers describe as 'faith' has nothing to do with Biblical faith. Our faith must not be based on emotion, or want, and not on the latest exciting conference. But it must be centered on God's Word, on Messiah, His death and resurrection, His salvation.  The Living Word is the eternal, everlasting love of God which has been poured out upon our lives.

Let's read, hear, apply and live the Word today, and we will grow strong in faith! There's so much work to be done!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Be quick to obey!

Genesis 26:1-2 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

In the days of Isaac, there was famine in the land of Israel. It appeared then, that the right thing to do was to go to Egypt where there was plenty. But the Lord instructed Issac not to go, and instead cling to the promise that He made with His father, Abraham.

When we moved to Israel two years ago, there were quite a few people saying, “Aren’t you concerned about all the terrorist attacks? What if there’s war? What about your children (Rivka was seven months pregnant with our first at the time)?” The only thing we could reply was that “It’s far more dangerous to live out of the will of God than to live to Israel!”

It was probably hard for Issac to trust that God was truly speaking to him, but he did it. He obeyed the Word of God and stayed put where God told him. And what happened because of his obedience in the midst of a famine? He was blessed a hundredfold! (Genesis 26:10)

Let's prepare ourselves to obey the Lord, even if it's difficult! There are blessings to be received -- but it all begins with obedience!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Lord, you have our vote!

Psalm 4: 6-8 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

We found an interesting story in an old copy of "Our Daily Bread": In 1883 in Allentown, New Jersey, a wooden Indian -- the kind that was seen in front of cigar stores -- was placed on the ballot for Justice of the Peace. The candidate was registered under the fictitious name of Abner Robbins. When the ballots were counted, Abner won over incumbent Sam Davis by 7 votes. A similar thing happened in 1938. The name Boston Curtis appeared on the ballot for Republican Committeeman from Wilton, Washington. Actually, Boston Curtis was a mule. The town's mayor sponsored the animal to demonstrate that people know very little about the candidates. He proved his point. The mule won!

Today, people all over Israel are voting for the party whom they hope will best choose a prime minister for our country. The politics here are very complicated and just crazy. We're used to having only two options. Here, there are more than 20 choices! And many Israelis are undecided.

On a more serious note though, Israel is crying out today. "Who can show us any good?" "Who will help us to sleep in peace and to dwell in safety from all our enemies?" And really, there is only One who can -- and unfortunately, His Name does not appear on today's ballot.

The modern-day Hebrew word for Christian is "Notzree". Notzree means watchman. God has called all of us who know Him to be watchmen and apparently, so have the Israelis.

We must be praying for Israel -- that God would open her eyes to see the truth of His goodness and mercy, and most of all, His salvation. Please stand with us as we pray.

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Do you feel led?

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

After Mt. St. Helens blew up in 1980, one church needed a great deal of cleaning up. Ash was in the parking lot and all over the inside because of open windows. A woman met the pastor in the hallway on Friday and asked "Why don't we get the High School and College kids to come in and help poor Fred clean this place up? Let's get them involved." "Great idea," he said, "Would you be willing to get some women together to cook lunch for us?" "Well actually, we had plans tomorrow and I don't know when we'll be back..."

Hmmm. We always want to volunteer someone else for a job needing done, don't we? My wife tells a story about a different pastor who once said "What? You don't feel led to help clean the church? I'll tell you what, here's a pencil -- come up here and feel lead!"

It's so easy to get into the mindset that serving God is a chore, it's our job, our duty -- we give "valuable consideration" to our giving, as Webster describes it. The fact of the matter is that God loves a cheerful giver. He loves a volunteer. When I think of that verse, the first thing that comes to my mind is monetary giving, but God wants us to cheerfully volunteer every good thing He has so mercifully allowed us to have -- things we often take for granted -- our time, our energy, our abilities, our talents, our homes, our cars, our families -- all that we have - all that He has cheerfully given to us!

Let's make a point to volunteer some of these things to the Lord this week. Let's begin to bless the Lord and those around us!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Have you been praying?

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Two men were talking about religion. The first challenged the other, "Ok, then if you are so religious, let's hear you quote the Lord's Prayer. I'll bet you ten bucks you can't do it." The second thought for a moment and then responded, "Now I lay my down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." The other reluctantly pulled out his wallet and said "Gee, I didn't think you could really do it."

Prayer needs to be a big part of our lives. We need to recognize that our spirit needs prayer like our body needs food! Many a time, we have heard it said "But I don't really know how to pray." While there is no one "right way" to pray, a good guideline for prayer comes straight from "The Lord's Prayer." Let's piece it apart, shall we??

Our Father which are in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. (First and foremost, we need to address our Lord and Savior with honor and worship. We can sing to Him, praise Him, give Him the glory He deserves).

Thy Kingdom come.
(His Kingdom come -- may our loved ones who don't yet know Him come into His Kingdom, who ever they may be. May the lost around the world and especially in Israel come into His Kingdom too).

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
(We ask His will to be done in our lives, in our friends and families lives, and in all the earth).

Give us this day our daily bread.
(Lord please provide what we need to make it through just today, whatever that may be).

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
(Of course, we ask the Lord to forgive us of our sin and we relinquish the sins of those against us, whatever they may be).

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
(Lord, help us to steer away from all the temptations that entice us -- and grant us deliverance from those things, whatever they may be).

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, Forever. Amen.
(And lastly, we proclaim our faith in the Most High, Most Powerful, All Encompassing King of Kings. And say Amen, "so be it!" in Hebrew).

Let's make a habit of spending time in prayer each day. Our spirit is longing for the transformation a life of prayer will bring!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Do you want to be made well?

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

Jesus asked this man "Do you want to be made well?" Of course he did! Wouldn't you? Why did Jesus ask a question like this when its answer was so clearly obvious? It seems the Lord wanted to hear him verbalize his need.

In the biography of George Mueller, a strong man of God who established orphanages throughout England in the 1800's and raised the kids up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, this amazing Saint relied upon God for every single need that he faced without making any financial appeals. He laid before the Lord every aspect of these orphanages. He prayed for the locations, the buildings, the furniture to fill them, the workers to run them, and everything else he could think of. When the first orphanage was ready, Mueller realized one major thing was lacking -- orphans!! He forgot to ask the Lord to provide the orphans!

Sometimes the obvious things just smack us in the face, don't they? On several occassions, I've found myself in this very position! Silly me -- I forgot to ask!

The Lord is asking us today, "Do you want to be made well?" Whether it be physical healing, spiritual, emotional or financial healing, no thing is too great or too small for our Lord! Perhaps we've just forgotten to ask Him!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Time for inspection!

Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Today, I had the pleasure of getting our vehicle inspected in Israel. According to Israeli law, you need to get your car fully, and I mean fully inspected every year in order to complete your registration process. And they don't let anything by, either. This time they informed me that I needed to replace my rear brakes before I could register the car.

Interestingly, our inspection was due roughly the same time as Pesach (Passover). As Pesach quickly approaches, the Jewish people too, undergo an inspection process. They will move all their appliances and furniture, searching, inspecting and cleaning out every nook and cranny as to rid the house of any and all leaven in time for pesach, the feast of unleavened bread.

We pray that their eyes, along with all the worlds, will be opened to the true inspection all of us need. God's inspection is is not outward but inward. He inspects our hearts, our minds and motives -- it's much harder to pass that kind of inspection, wouldn't you say? Thankfully, we have a merciful God!

I think we're all due for inspection today. Let's open our hearts to God and allow him to shed some light on what needs fixing.

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Have faith!

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

One of the greatest stories of the Bible is David and Goliath. It’s such a good story, in fact, that the world has come to make common use of it! A prime example of this is when the underdog faces an invincible champion in just about any sport on national television, commentators always seem to make mention of David and Goliath.

Imagine the scene at the time of David. The children of Israel were small compared to the Philistines (incidently, they are still small today -- there are very few tall people in Israel!). And here they are faced with this enormously frightening giant, Goliath, champion of the Philistines.

All the Israelites shook in their sandals, saying Goliath's too big for us to hit! All but one -- young little David. Instead of fearing Goliath's enormity, David saw his size to be an advantage! He said, on the contrary -- Goliath is too big to miss! That day, David became a hero for the Israelites and his name would be remembered well --even to this day.

It all depends on our point of view -- the way we see our circumstances. We can either walk in doubt, asking “Can God do this thing?” or walk in faith, proclaiming “God surely will!”

We all have some scary Goliaths to face in our lives. You may be facing one right now. Have faith, my friend! In our greatest distresses God wants to show Himself powerful! Let's walk in faith for His victory!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

I need a drink!

Hebrews 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

We are in the midst of the latter rain season here in Israel, and boy is it ever coming down! Praise God -- we need it! However, there have been several flash flood warnings near where we live in the Negev Desert this last couple of days and even right now as I write, outside our window there is a downpour like we have not seen for a long time. Even some visiting friends of ours had to leave the Dead Sea area last night because of the flood warnings. So... is it me or does that sound a bit contradictory? Floods.... in the desert!

Floods in the desert are known to occur due to the dry ground and the swiftness of the rains. The rain comes so quickly and the ground, too dry from the summer heat, can not absorb it in time. So it accumulates quickly and causes serious and sometimes life threatening, sunami-like flooding in certain areas. Wild, isn't it?
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Likewise, I think our hearts are prone to becoming dry and hardened, especially because we live amongst this world of parched people! But God is bringing an outpouring of spiritual rain upon us, to nourish us and grow us. We don't want to be like that parched ground that can't soak it in. We want be soft and ready to receive His downpour, that we may be nourished and our the ground of our hearts may not miss out on the blessing!

Let's ask the Lord to touch us, to soak our hardened hearts and prepare us for the coming rain. There's so much work to be done!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Where is your house?

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

We've been talking about rain and flooding in the desert. There are two rainy seasons that occur in Israel, "Yoreh" the early rain and "Malkosh", the latter rain. Right now, we are in the midst of the Malkosh.

In this passage, Jesus is talking to Israelis, of course. They were familiar with the rain and how vigorously it comes down these seasons. They knew not to build their houses on sand -- or else they would quickly collapse when the rains came!

The Lord is warning us about building our houses on weak ground. He knew that stormy seasons would come and He wants us to be prepared! We don't want to be one of the many whose houses will collapse because they were built on fame, fortune and other things of this world. We must be careful to build our house only upon Him. Even building our houses upon seemingly innocent things like family, tradition and good works is dangerous. We want to be of those who've established our foundation upon the ROCK of the truth of His Word and who will be able to weather the coming storms because of it!

Are there storms raging about you today? Let's hurry and examine whether our lives are completely built upon the Rock.

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Invest in eternity!

1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

The great pyramids of Egypt have become objects of fascination for many involved in the New Age teching. Some think they were built by aliens from outer space. Others say they are containers of cosmic power.  All of them are trying to find the great "secret" of the pyramids.  What they are, really, are structures of death, exaggerated tombstones, coffins.  The pyramids were made for death. They were built to house a dead body, along with the useless riches of it's rotting corpse.

The pyramid holds an important lesson for our lives, however.  All the works of our flesh and self-glorification end in waste, destruction, futility and death. Our accomplishments in the flesh might be grand, exalted, and elaborate -- but they're really just a monument to ourselves that have no life within them.  If we want death, let's look to the flesh and all the glories of man -- look to the pyramids.  But if we want life, we'll only find it by abandoning the flesh, walking in purity and putting our faith in Jesus, the one who gives us abundant life!

Investments in eternity neither rust nor rot, so let's become wise investors -- investing in the Kingdom! There's so much work to be done!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Invest in eternity!

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Nearing the ripe old age of two and half, our sweet Elianna, has quite a mind of her own lately. The glory days, when she used to be happy with wherever we were going and whatever we were doing.hmmmm.those days seem to be over. Now she has her own agenda. She wants to do what she wants to do when she wants to do it and boy, don't even think about getting in her way! Why is she suddenly behaving this way? We think it is maybe because she is maturing. And as she grows in ability, she grows in desire to act upon that ability. She wants the right to do the things she has become able to do. But she needs accountability. She needs direction. She needs guidance. She needs boundaries. Her will and her life need to be shaped by her loving parents. She may not appreciate the boundaries and discipline but deep down, I believe she knows it is because we love her that we do it.

In the same way, we are growing in gifting and calling as we walk with the Lord. We were created to be mature, responsible, accountable people who operate freely and powerfully in the gifts and abilities our loving Father has given us. But we too need guidance, boundaries, discipline. We must strive to know God deeply and to understand His direction for our lives. We must love His discipline and accept it humbly. Because He knows what's best for us.

Are you feeling discouraged or frustrated about you gifts and your calling today? How and when will I be used, Lord?! Let's lay it all out before the Lord today...our gifts, our abilities, our desires. And let's ask the Lord to tame us and to shape us for use in His Kingdom. He wants to use us but we must be made ready for His use! There's so much work to be done!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Pass over that thing!

Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Tomorrow evening begins the holiday of Pesach (Passover), the day we remember God's merciful redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt. When the final plague struck Pharoh and the Egyptians in Exodus, those who were spared were were the ones who applied blood to their doorposts as God warned. Interestingly, the blood that God required them to apply then was the blood of a spotless, unblemished lamb.

As believers in Messiah, we are blessed to have the blood of Jesus, our Passover Lamb, applied upon the doorposts of our hearts. The judgment we deserve has passed over us! And thankfully we can celebrate His redemption in our lives as well this season.

While this is a special time to celebrate God's passing over our sins, there is one thing we sometimes overlook. Not only should we remember the Lord's passing over our sins, but equally important is our obedience in passing over others' sins. Forgive our tresspasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us. This is the way Jesus taught us to pray, is it not? Today we have the opportunity to make this prayer a reality in our lives.

Has someone offended you? Committed a sin against you? It happens, and unfortunately, it will probably happen again, as we live in a world full of sin. But we need to pass over those offenses just as God has passed over ours.

Passover is the season to give our hurts to the Lord. Let's allow Him to heal and free us, and those we've hurt and who've hurt us. We have been forgiven many offenses by the innocent blood of our Messiah. How much more should we forgive?

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.

[Shammu]

Choose this day whom you will serve.

Exodus 12:2-3 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

Tonight begins Pesach (Passover). Every 10th of Nisan, four days before Pesach, the children of Israel would choose a lamb for Passover. Each man would take a lamb for his household; It would take four days to inspect it to make sure it was perfect and without blemish for the sacrifice.

Can you imagine having a lamb at home for four days -- the children feeding it, petting it, perhaps even naming it -- only to know that it would have to die soon?

We also have a Lamb to choose today. Jesus, our perfect Passover lamb who is without blemish. Some of us reading this today may already have chosen Him. Some of us may have forgotten of our choice, and yet some may be undecided. But regardless of where you stand, now is the time to make a choice for Him.

Today is the day of salvation and to remember the great work of atonement which brought us out of bondage from Egypt (both physical and spiritual). Let's make today a special day in our hearts to allow the Lamb of God come and do a new work of holiness in us. There's so much work to be done!

This e-mail Devotional is supplied by Worthy Devotionals.