What Have You Done With Your Bitterness?

Billy Graham tells of meeting a young man at one of his crusades who was confined to a wheelchair. The young man was suffering in the last stages of terminal cancer, and he had met too many well-meaning Christians who had promised him a miraculous healing.

At the crusade the speaker was Joni Eareckson Tada. At the age of 17 Joni was paralyzed in a diving accident. She too had prayed for healing. Yet she remained confined to a wheelchair. Joni spoke from her heart, confessing her early anger at remaining crippled after praying. But a miracle did take place in her life, though not the one she had been praying for. Instead God met her in her pain and gave her life new meaning and a new direction in spite of her disappointment.

Joni's honesty set that dying young man free. He was able to let go of his bitterness and anger. Instead he came to see Christ in a new way. He simply gave his life back to his loving Father by giving himself completely to Jesus Christ.

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

- Hebrews 12:15 (New Living Translation)

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, we pray you will take away our bitterness and help us give ourselvess completely to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Are You Sharing God's Love?

Nell Mohney in her book, DON'T PUT A PERIOD WHERE GOD PUT A COMMA, tells about a young lady named Kathy. There was an aliveness about Kathy that was evident as soon as you met her. She exuded energy and interest, joy in being alive, and openness to those she met. Kathy was not always like this. She had grown up in a dysfunctional family where she was a victim of verbal abuse by her mother and physical abuse by her alcoholic father. As she described it, she "felt like a big zero."

Then something happened that changed her life forever--even though it didn't seem like a big deal at the time. Kathy was in the sixth grade when the girl seated behind her invited her to attend Sunday School. The girl explained that her Sunday School teacher had challenged them to each invite a friend. "Do you go to Sunday School and church?" the girl asked Kathy. "No, I don't," was the reply. "Do you want to meet me at the front of my church at 9:30 this Sunday?" asked the girl. And Kathy attended her first Sunday School class.

Mrs. Parsons, the sixth grade Sunday School teacher became, in Kathy's opinion, her guardian angel. She took special interest in Kathy, often inviting her into her home where the two of them had long talks. She told Kathy that God loved her. She said that Jesus' death on the cross shows how much God cares. Mrs. Parsons made a world of difference to Kathy.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

- Proverbs 18:24 (New International Version)

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, help us to make a world of difference to someone in need of your love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Change?

After waking old Eli up for the third time, Samuel goes back to his bed. Samuel would be called one more time that night. This time when God calls: "Samuel! Samuel!" young Samuel pops up saying exactly what Eli instructed him to say, "Speak, for your servant is listening." And God spoke to Samuel.

One reason we might be reluctant to hear God's call is the changes He might require out of us. That night in the Temple God spoke to young Samuel and gave him some disturbing news. Samuel would become a prophet. Eli was on his way out. God told Samuel, "I am about to punish his house forever." God had seen enough of Eli's sons. Samuel would take Eli's place. Samuel probably didn't want to hear this, but God assured him he would not be alone.

We need to understand that if God calls us and we respond, "Here I am," there might be changes in store for us, too. This is a lesson that I need to continually learn, I need to be willing for the changes that come.

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

- Romans 10:9 (New International Version)

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, as we see the changes in our life help our minds and hearts be open to your leading. May we be open to the changes you have in store for us. In Jesus’ Name Amen.

God Gives Grace

I once read about something hilarious that happened when television was "live." STUDIO ONE was one of the most popular shows in the golden days of live television. During one memorable broadcast, the scene was the interior of an airplane cabin. The scene called for the plane to be at an altitude of 30,000 feet, flying over the mountains of Tibet. Three men were in the cabin talking, when suddenly there was silence. One of the actors had forgotten his lines. Being a live production, of course, there were no retakes, no stopping of the action. That was it. Millions of eager viewers were glued to their black-and-white screens, waiting to see what would happen next. What did the actor do? He got to his feet, in an airplane cabin supposedly 30,000 feet over the mountains of Tibet, and voiced this immortal line: "Well, here's where I get off." He left the set and walked into history.

Sometimes we all get ourselves into situations like that--situations in which the most we can hope for is a graceful exit. And Jesus can give us all the grace we need.

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

- John 1:16 (New International Version)

Our Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, show us the way to heed your voice and share the grace you have given to us to those we come into contact with. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Has Jesus' Light Touched You?

Do you like to eat potato chips? I sure do. Have you ever been going through a bag of potato chips and come across a chip with green spots on it? Did you eat it? You might have thrown it away. Well, green potato chips won't hurt you. There's a simple explanation why they're green. Potatoes grow under ground, in the dark. But sometimes, a potato accidentally pokes up through the ground while it's growing. The light of the sun touches the potato and changes its color. It's kind of like a potato sunburn. It doesn't hurt anything. The sunlight just leaves a spot of green on the potato, that's all.

Just like sunlight touching a potato changes it, our lives change when they're touched by Jesus. In the Bible, Jesus is called the light of the world. And when we have Jesus in our hearts, His love touches everything we do and changes it. We have more peace, more joy, more hope, more love when we ask Jesus into our hearts.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life

- John 8:12 (New International Version)

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, We thank you for touching our life through Jesus our Savior. We pray that those around us will see that you have touched our life and changed us. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Are You Ready to Forgive?

There is a story about the elderly lady who was driving a big, new expensive car and was preparing to back into a parallel parking space when suddenly a young man in a small sports car zoomed into the space--beating her out of it. The lady charged out of her car and angrily demanded to know why he had done that when he could easily tell she was trying to park there and had been there first. His response was simply, "Because I'm young and I'm quick." When he came back out a few minutes later, he found the elderly lady using her big new car as a battering ram, backing up and then ramming it into his parked car. Now he was very angry and asked her why she was wrecking his car. Her response was simply, "Because I'm old and I'm rich."

Anger is easy. Forgiveness requires the grace of God. We are able to forgive because we have experienced forgiveness ourselves.

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.

- Luke 11:4 (New International Version)

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father fill our heart with your peace in Jesus Christ and empty us of our anger. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Loving Parent

There was a man who recalled a special memory from his childhood. When he was five years old he spent a day with his grandmother, who lived nearby. Toward evening, a fierce storm struck. "Oh, Jim," his grandmother said, "how in the world are we going to get you home in this weather?" And the answer came moments later, as his father walked in the front door. "He had come to get me," he recalls. The wind was blowing; rain was pelting down; lightning was flashing; thunder was rumbling behind the clouds. The storm showed no signs of letting up. It was dark and scary that night. "Our house wasn't far away," he recounts, "but the storm was nasty and getting worse."

His father was wearing a big blue weather coat, and as they prepared to leave, he said, "Son, come under here." He covered his young son with his coat, and out into the storm they went. "Even though it was raining hard, the wind was howling and I couldn't see a thing under that coat, I was not at all afraid," he remembers. "Because I knew my father could see where we were going, so I just held on tightly and trusted him. And soon the coat opened and we were home."

That's what being a loving parent and friend is all about.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

-John 14:27 (New International Version)

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, thank you for the peace you give to our life. Thanks for holding us in Your arms when things are to hard for us to handle. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.