A Christian Devotional

[Shammu]

What a privilege!

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Robert A.Cook, president of The King's College in New York, was speaking at the Moody Bible Institute some years ago. He said that the day before, he had been at a gathering in Washington and talked with Vice President George Bush. He went on to say that he later spoke briefly with President Ronald Reagan.

Then smiling broadly, Cook said, "But that's nothing! Today, I talked with God!"

What an amazing privilege it is that the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, Ruler of all, perfect in holiness and righteousness, the One and Only completely and totally just, loving, merciful, omnipotent and omnipresent God -- calls us His children and cares for our every little need! Let's give Him the honor He deserves!

[Shammu]

What's your worth?

Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

A good friend sent us this story.

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of two hundred, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands immediately started going up.

"I am going to give this $20 bill to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground, spit on it and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Still want it now?" Surprisingly, hands still didn't go down.

"My friends, I think we've all learned a valuable lesson here. No matter what I did to this money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was worth twenty whole dollars no matter what I did to it."

"Often in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, spit upon and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.

But here's the kicker. No matter what has happened, we will never lose value in God's eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, we are still priceless. The worth of our lives does not come in who we are but by whose we are! Let's give our lives back to the Lord today, our disappointments, our suffering, our feelings of worthlessness. He is the God of healing. He has made us clean and worthy of our calling in Him!

[Shammu]

Happy Thanksgiving!

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this." Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."

You see, there is always a way to thank God, even in the worst of circumstances. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Let's experience a true happy thanks giving today -- let's will to thank God, and do it happily! As we draw near to Him with our thanks, He will draw near to us and bring victory!

[Shammu]

Don't lose sight of the source!

Luke 17:15,16 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

In ancient times, lepers were social outcasts because of their highly contagious disease. In this passage, ten lepers came to Jesus begging for mercy and He graciously healed them.

Can you imagine? These lepers had an awful disease. Their bodies were slowly deteriorating -- and worse, they were shunned from their friends and family and forced to live in a community of only those who were too withering away. Suddenly merciful Jesus comes along and "poof!" the sickness leaves them! How life changing! These people must have been overjoyed! Now they could go back to their families, their homes, their communities and live normal lives!

But as I reread this story today something struck me. Only one of them returned to thank the Lord! But how often do we do the same? We get so focused on our blessing and forget about the One who gave it!

Just as the Samaritan returned to Jesus to thank and worship Him who had redeemed his life, we too must thank God -- for every good and perfect gift comes from Him and He deserves all the honor and the glory! And as a matter of fact, one of the cornerstones of effective prayer is entering His gates with thanksgiving and praise. Let's start thanking God for all His goodness toward us!

It's easy to get caught up in the blessing -- God has given us so much! But let's be sure that we make daily habit of thanking God first!

[Shammu]

Recount your blessings!

Joshua 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

As Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land, it seemed that God had given them an impossible assignment -- to conquer a foreign and hostile land with fortified cities and armies way greater than their own. They had to go forth only on the basis of God's promise. They had to walk by faith and not by sight! And how did Joshua lead them to do that? He simply reminded them that God has never failed them in the past and encouraged them to them focus on His promises!

We too can rely on God's faithfulness today! Are you in the midst of a crisis? Are high mountains facing you today? If so, we want to remind you of all the miraculous ways God has worked in your life! You will be victorious!

Let's spend the day recounting God's past victories for us and determine to exercise our faith for the trials we face today! We often forget our promises to Him but He will never forget His promises to us!

[Shammu]

What are you doing today?

Psalm 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their "flying machine" off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas." Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, "How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas."

He totally missed the BIG news – this was the first any human had flown!!

How often do we miss the big picture of what God is doing? We’re so busy running around with the daily grind, sometimes even within our ministries, that we forget the amazing plan that we’re a part of! There is so much work to be done. We must make sure that we are daily getting focused on what God would have us do! Otherwise we labor in vain!

Let’s take a break for a moment, rejoice in the fact that God has an awesome plan in which He has called us to participate, and ask Him for wisdom concerning what He would have us do today.

[Shammu]

Where are you?

Romans 8:15-17 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Last night, we went to the grocery store (now, a major family affair, lol). Riv was shopping with Obi in one hand and the cart in the other, while I had care of Elianna and a little friend of hers. And these two energetic little girls kept me on my toes, I tell you. They were running ahead of me the entire time -- I could barely keep up! Finally, at one point, I couldn't see them anymore. A minute or two went by and I nervously, I called out, "Elianna! You'd better not run ahead of Daddy -- you'll get lost! And there thankfully, she appeared. "Now, come hold Daddy's hand, I said, and we'll walk together!"

As soon as those words left my mouth, my heart dropped to my stomach as I heard in my Spirit, the Lord say, "Ahem!" Here, I was giving instruction to my little one, and realized my Abba has been calling me this way for quite some time.

How many times have we run ahead of God and gotten ourselves lost? Is the Lord calling you today? We need to be close to our Abba, not running ahead but walking with Him, hand and hand. Let's run to Him and determine to stay real close! There's so much work to be done!

[Shammu]

Scatter your enemies!

Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

A young reporter approached an old man on his 100th birthday. "Happy birthday, kind Sir! Can I bother you to answer one question? In all your years, of what are you most proud?" he asked.

"Well," said the man, "I don't have a single enemy in the world."

"Really?!" shouted the reporter, "That's just incredible -- how inspiring to us all!"

"Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every darn one of 'em."

Sadly, each of us has acquired an enemy or two in our lives. While it's our human nature to find fault in others and make an occasional unnecessary enemy, sometimes it has nothing to do with us! I mean, you wouldn't believe the kind of hate mail we get from people we've never met! What can we do to make peace with enemies like those?

"He" is the operating word in the verse above. Did you catch that? He, that is, the Lord, makes even [a man's] enemies be at peace with him. All we have to worry about is making sure that our ways are pleasing to the Lord and He will do the rest!

The word "deh-rech" in Hebrew, is 'way' in the verse above. Derech can also mean journey or path. When our path is straight, and God is the focus of our journey, then our ways will please Him and He will make even our enemies be at peace with us.

Let's rededicate our lives to the Lord again today and see Him bring the victory.

[Shammu]

Don't run!

Jeremiah 42:10-18 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: ...(13) But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, (14) Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell ... (16) Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.

Perhaps this scripture just hit me harder when I read it, living here in Israel under the circumstances but I believe there is a word for all of us here.

God has called each of us to something specific and He wants to plant us in a way that our roots can grow deep in Him and in that particular calling. He wants us to become solely dependent on His nourishment there, that we might grow to be strong, solid leaders with the capacity to serve and guide those around us who are in need where He's called us.

The Lord warns us about being double-minded. We're double-minded when become too busy to seek God's will for lives and the empowerment to fulfill it. We're double-minded when we allow our fear and anxiety to get in the way of us getting to and staying in that place to which He's called us.

Let's not run from the Lord. He has so many blessings for those who seek Him and follow after Him whole-heartedly. Let's give our all to Him today and strive to be single minded in His calling upon our lives!

[Shammu]

Do it with a smile!

Psalms 70:4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.

I heard a story once, of a chaplain who was speaking to a loyal soldier in the hospital. "Bless you son, you saved a fellow soldier’s life -- and lost an arm in the great cause doing it," the chaplain said. "No," said the soldier with a smile. "I didn't lose it … I gave it.

We have so much. The Lord has blessed many of us with good health, the use of our eyes, ears, mouths, hands, feet and minds. He’s given us various talents of sorts. He’s blessed many of us with homes, cars and good paying jobs. Most importantly, He’s bestowed upon us the wonderful knowledge of His Son, Jesus.

We are all soldiers in God’s great army. In the same way this young soldier gave his arm to save a life, we should be offering our gifts toward God’s great cause of salvation for the world.

Let's make it a point to start giving consistently of the gifts God has given us, whatever they may be. After all, Jesus did not lose His life -- He gave it purposefully for us, no strings attached.

[Shammu]

Get on up!

Psalms 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

My wife has taught Israeli dance workshops all over the world. And over the years, she has acquired a few interesting and rather funny stories of people, including herself, tripping and stumbling over each other during a class.

Stumbling is not one of my most favorite things in the world. It's embarrassing and often hurts. The fact is, however, that stumbling is something we all must experience. The question is -- what do we do when it happens?

Imagine this. You're walking home and you trip and fall over a random object on the sidewalk. You scraped your knee and it hurt a little. And the kids walking home from school behind you saw you trip and and giggled amongst themselves -- that was kind of embarassing. But will you go all the way back from where you came and and start again from the beginning? Or will you just sit and sulk on the curb, refusing to take another step at the thought of it happening again? No! Of course not! That would just be silly, wouldn't it?

So is it on our walk through life with the Lord. Satan would love nothing more than for us to go sulk in a corner somewhere and dwell on our humiliation and fear that it might happen again. But the Lord wants us to rise up, dust the dirt off our clothes, maybe give a little chuckle ourselves and move forward for His Kingdom!

Yes, we may stumble on this long and sometime treacherous journey but we will not be cast down! The Lord has upheld us and He will always! Let's get up and move on today!

[Shammu]

Be a LIGHT!

John 10:22-23 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication (Chanukah), and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.

Chanukah, a time of celebration and rededication, is quickly approaching here in the Land and for Jewish people all over the globe. Those of us who are grafted in through the atoning work of Messiah, we who know God, have an opportunity to see the deeper significance in the Jewish holidays and are not only welcome but encouraged to celebrate as well!

Over 150 years before Jesus' birth, a group of Jewish warriors led by Judah Maccabee, defeated Anticochus IV. Though terribly outnumbered by their foes, the Maccabees triumphed over the Grecian Syrian Empire. This led to the establishment of Chanukah -- the feast of dedication.

Judah entered into Jerusalem only to find the Temple desecrated by a sacrificed pig and an idol of Zeus. Upon seeing this, he immediately began to cleanse the Temple. Judah also found that there was only one cruse of undefiled oil which could burn in the Temple Menorah (holy candleabra which had to continually burn). This oil was only enough for one day but it miraclously lasted for eight days, just enough time to get more of this special oil made. So in memory of this miracle and the rededication of the Temple, Chanukah or the Festival of Lights has been celebrated by the Jewish people for over 2000 years and was even celebrated by Jesus Himself!

Every Chanukah, chanukkiahs (the candleabra of nine candle holders) are lit. Each chanukkia has a special candle, known as the Shamash which is raised above the other eight. The word 'shamash' means 'servant, helper, or minister -- so the Shamash candle is the servant candle, or the ministering candle, and is used to light all the other candles. It is the servant who is raised up and lights all the others, symbolizing Messiah, for us who believe.

Jesus came and proclaimed that 'He is the Light of the World and whoever follows Him shall have the light of life!' The one who serves the Lord will be a light! The one who does the will of God will shine! The more we serve the Lord, and earnestly do His will , with all our heart, soul and mind-- the more we will shine with the light of God and so ultimately will we be raised up!

Let's strive to serve the Lord with gladness this season and light up the world around us! We may be small but a small light will go a long way in a dark place!

[Shammu]

Shine your light!

Matthew 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Today is the third of Chanukah. As we light the candles, we remember that God has called us to be lights.

D. L. Moody told the story of a man who was crossing the Atlantic by ship. He was terribly sick and confined to his cabin. One night he heard the cry "Man overboard!" He felt that there was nothing he could do to help, but at second thought, he said to himself, "I guess I can at least put my lantern in the porthole." He struggled to his feet and hung the light so it shined out into the darkness.

The next day he learned that the person who was rescued said, "I was going down in the dark night for the last time, when someone put a light in a porthole. As it shone on my hand, a sailor in a lifeboat grabbed it and pulled me in."

All of us have weaknesses -- and times of weakness. The fact of the matter is, though, that weak or not, we need to muster up the strength to put our lights in our portholes for the sake of the dying and the lost among us. It's so tempting to sulk in our weaknesses, and stay in our beds -- but God expects more of us. He has given us the strength to do all things -- even move mountains! There are so many people around us sinking in despair. But God has chosen us to reach out and light up their lives!

Let's do something extraordinary for the Lord today. Be bold, speak up! Let's get beyond our weaknesses and light up the darkness around us!

[Shammu]

How dedicated are you?

1 Corithians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

As we mentioned a couple of days ago, Chanukah commemorates of the desecration of the holy temple of old, (just another attempt of the enemy to wipe out the Jewish people and the things of God), God's great grace and the rededication of the temple to Him.

While there is no longer a physical temple today, the Bible declares that we, as believers in Jesus, are living temples of God. But we need to recognize that our enemy is constantly at work, trying to erect idols and desecrate our temple in various ways so that we cannot be used to glorify God. How long has it been since we cleansed and rededicated our temple to the Lord? We should really be be doing it daily!

We want to be more holy -- more pure -- more righteous so that we can be found a peculiar people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, as the scripture says. Let's strive to be a people who shine forth the glory of God today! Let's pull down the strongholds and destroy the idols that pollute us!

[Shammu]

It's not about us.

Psalms 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Many of you know that we've been in Israel a little over four years now. I am still trying to adjust to the spiritual atmosphere, culture and language. Those few things, in and of themselves, are enough to become overwhelmed. But if that's not enough, we are pioneering a new ministry here, trusting totally in God for His provision, trying to raise two young children in a way that is pleasing to Him and all the while, going through our own personal trials.

When we face difficult trials, often we get to feeling sorry for ourselves -- we wallow in our self pity, thinking things like "I'm not worthy enough, not strong enough, not able enough, not adequate enough to get through these things -- I just can't do it!"

But hear the truth of God's word today! HE will perfect that which concerns us! It is not us -- it is HE who perfects us! It is HIS great strength and mercy that works through us, that allows us to be worthy, strong, able and adequate!

Let's start giving to the Lord all those things which concern us. God will have the victory! There's so much work to be done!!