Hurt.

Grief.

Heartbreak.

I think we all have “been there” at one point or at many points in our lives. It would take pages to list the plethora of situations that cause the tribulations we will inevitably face. We know that tough times come, but no matter how hard we try to prepare, still we easily can feel blindsided and then alone.

One thing I know for sure is that, when it is our turn to suffer, we believe no one can quite understand how we feel when we are in the middle of it—and we would be right. The level of pain or brokenheartedness we experience cannot be explained or understood. My dad once said, “Different people create different kinds of relationships.” With that thought, I would say that different heartbreaks create different kinds of hurts in different people. Heartbreak can bring this feeling of utter loneliness that cannot be described. Inevitably, we each must travel our own unique road through trials, and it can be a lonely journey.

My mind goes to the story in Genesis that follows the life of Joseph. His early, formative years were spent as the apple of his father’s eye. He was the favored son who knew no hurt but only love. Then, his entire life was ripped away in less than a day. He lost his family, future, and way of life. He experienced the betrayal of his brothers, separation from his parents, undoing of his future, and loss of his freedom. I imagine that he wondered each morning that he woke up in slavery if it would be his last day on earth. Would his captors throw him in another pit, or worse?

We know from God’s Word that his captivity was only the beginning of his tough times. He was falsely accused, then thrown into prison. He languished in prison long after he should have been released because the cupbearer forgot him. Joseph unjustly suffered for years. He did nothing to deserve the hand of life he had been dealt.

How did Joseph make it? How did he not give up over years and years of unjust persecution? After all, there were no encouraging pats on the back, no friends’ shoulders to cry on, no understanding church family to tell him to “keep going,” and no resources to teach him how to carry his heartbreak. There were no classes, no counseling sessions, and no support groups. He was the poster child for unfair treatment. He was hated, betrayed, persecuted, enslaved, falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. He had every excuse to quit.

However, Joseph never did. Why? Joseph used the ONLY thing he had that could not be taken from him. It was the one thing that only he could give away or set aside. He held on to his faith in God.

Through the tears, hurt, and fear, his faith remained. It may have been small at times. Perhaps, he wondered if it was enough. The key was that he did not forsake it. He never gave up on believing God was faithful. He did not understand all the “whys” of what life had dealt him, but in the end, he told his brothers that God meant it unto good.

He never stopped believing that God would come through for him, even while enduring years of unjust treatment and unfortunate circumstances. He never got bitter or pointed fingers. He never tried to get others to advocate for him and never went on a personal crusade for justice. Instead, he stayed focused on the only One Who could deliver him. We know Joseph was not perfect, but his life story stands as a testimony of a man who never forsook his faith.

Friend, perhaps this past year has been a rough one for you. You feel the loneliness of heart that comes from being hurt beyond understanding. Yes, you are allowed to hurt, and you are allowed to mourn and cry. Whatever you do, though, do not lose your faith. Remember that God is faithful. He will always come through for you in His perfect time. Understand that, although you may never understand all the “whys,” God promises to preserve His children.

When I am battling the tough times, I always go read two of my favorite verses, found in Isaiah 43. Verses 1-2 say, But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Even in the darkest of times, we have never been alone. He is always with us, preserving us and allowing us to continue serving Him. Let us keep our faith in the One Who has always been there and will continue to be there with us. One day, may we have held to our faith through it all as Joseph did so that we also can say, …but God meant it unto good,…

by Tracie S. Burns

Happy Monday. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:… – Genesis 1:26

A friend of mine from church was recently a victim of identity theft. She has had a difficult time trying to get her life back in order.

How many of us are sighing in relief because this has not happened to us? Now stop and think, “But has it?”

So often we are bombarded by images and advertisements that tell us how we should look, how we should dress, what we should weigh, etc. We easily can forget that we are “original” and have been made by God for His pleasure and to fellowship with Him. We can fail to remember that we are …fearfully and wonderfully made:…

Our enemy Satan—the father of lies whose purpose is to steal, to kill, and to destroy—reinforces the images by suggesting, “You’re not as good as…,” “You are one big failure,” and “You have no talent.” Far too often, we buy into his deceit and lose our true identity when we try to fit this worldly mold imposed on us.

However, the One Who is the Truth wants us to hear His voice reminding us, “I have loved you with an everlasting love! You are My workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. You are engraved on the palm of My hand.”

The choice is ours. Which voice will we believe?

The late Ethel Waters was quoted often as saying, “God don’t make no junk.” Because of the fact that we will love our neighbors as ourselves, it is imperative that we hold fast to our God-given identity. How? We must renew our minds daily as Romans 12:2 says: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. We need to think God’s thoughts about us, which are precious thoughts. Psalm 139:14 says, I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

We must realize that no one else in the world can be us. Remember, you are you-nique!

“I’m special to Jesus. There’s no one else like me.

I wouldn’t trade places with anyone else.

I’m special, you see.

God has prepared a task He wants me to do

I’m special. I’m special to my Lord,

I’m special. I’m special to my Lord.”

– Ron Hamilton

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

Editor’s Note: This excerpt was taken from the book, “A Cluster of Camphire: Words of Cheer & Comfort to Sick & Sorrowful Souls,” originally published in 1898. The language and grammar, which captures the eloquence of the time, has not been altered or edited for this online blog in order to retain the true meaning of Mrs. Spurgeon’s original words. 

Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”

An unchangeable God! Oh heart of mine, in constant and wavering, is not the fact that thou hast an immutable God one of the choicest comforts; is it not the blessed sanctuary where alone thy weary wings can fold themselves to perfect rest? When friends fail and forsake, when earthly joys vanish, when a sense of the instability of the world’s firmest things shakes thy whole being with a great dread, and thine own fickleness is the saddest part of it all; then, thy Lord’s immutability is a tower of refuge, into which thou canst enter, and cling fearlessly to His assurance, “I am the Lord, I change not.”

If the Spirit of God will open to us the door of our text, we shall at once have entrance into the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. At the very threshold, His name is as sweet – dropping myrrh; and on the doorposts and lintel, we see the dark and sacred stains which tell the wondrous story of salvation through His sacrifice, and life by His death. If we do but begin to speak of Jesus Christ, – of “His great love where with he loved us,” and his atoning death for us, we are quickly ushered into “the secret place of the Most High,” where we may “abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Blessed name! It is the master key to all of Heaven’s portals, the “open sesame“ of the gates of Paradise.

“Jesus Christ, the same…”

Think of the never-varying purpose of our Saviour’s existence, both human and Divine. As He was in eternity, covenanting with His Father to bear our sins, and to impute to us His righteousness; as He was on earth, loving, blessing, healing, pitying, saving; as He was in life, in death, and resurrection, and in ascension, “this same Jesus” is now, and ever will be! He has never changed. His tenderness has never varied. His compassions have never failed. May He enable us to realize the eternal repose and fixedness of His designs of love and mercy, that we may trust Him as unreservedly as such a God deserves to be trusted!

“Yesterday…”

The Lord of all Creation knows not the boundaries of time. The Scripture says, “A thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” Then, to Him it is but as yesterday since He gave his life to ransom our souls! How He must have loved us; was it not “even until death…?” His heart was filled with such tender pity for us, as poor loss sinners, that He endured the cross, He bore the awful weight of God’s wrath, that pardon and acceptance might be possible for us; and He loves us now with just that very same love which yesterday caused Him to die! Does not this thought move our hearts to peace and joy in believing? Can we not rest or burden souls on such a steadfast Savior?

“To day…”

He is on His throne today, reigning and ruling, with all power in Heaven, and earth, and hell; but He is still “this same Jesus.” He wears his priesthood still, and is pleading for His people, calling them to follow Him, cleansing them, opening their blind eyes, and delivering them from death. We sometimes think that, if we could but see the Lord Jesus, and fall at His feet, and touch the hem of His garment, and sob out all of our griefs in His lovely presense, we should then have the full assurance of faith, and never, never doubt Him again. Ah! but that would be sight, not faith; and this could not glorify Him as our perfect trust can do. “In whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

“And for ever…”

Dear reader, what has Jesus Christ been to you in the past years? Have you any fault to find with Him? Has He not loved, and pardoned, and blessed, and borne with you as only such a gracious Lord could do? What is He to you today? Does not your helpless soul still hang on Him? Have you any other plea than His most precious blood; any hope but in His merit? Has He ever cast you from Him, and refused the mercy you have asked?

“Ah, no!“ you say, “He is all my salvation, and all my desire; and though I have treated no other friend so ill, I have proved that, ‘As the Heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.’” Then, let the past assure you for the future. All He has been to you, all He now is, He will still be, not only tomorrow, but “for ever.”

“Unchangeable His will,
Whatever be my frame;
His loving heart is still
Eternally the same:
My soul through many changes goes,
His love no variation knows.”

by Susannah Spurgeon

The other day, my daughter dropped her violin, and it broke. She was not playing with it, but she was not being as careful as she should have been. She had delayed confessing this to us because she thought she would have to pay for it to be fixed or replaced. Finally, she walked into the living room, crying and telling us about the fate of her violin. She showed us the crack down the front of it. We, of course, told her that we would pay to have the violin repaired.

Many times, even as Christians, we treat our sin in the same way. We consider it our problem to fix alone. We cannot forgive our own sins or restore our relationship with God any more than we could save ourselves from Hell, but it is up to us to take the same first step that my daughter took after breaking her violin—to go to the One Who can help.

Hebrews 4:16 says, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines “grace” as “the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him,” “the application of Christ’s righteousness to the sinner,” “and a state of reconciliation to God.”

If we are coming to the throne of grace, we are not just coming before God; we are coming to God in need of reconciliation. We come to the throne of grace because we require grace—God’s unmerited love and favor—in the face of our failure.

We also come to obtain mercy, which Webster defines as “that benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant.”

Just like my daughter was worried about coming to her parents, fearing punishment for breaking her violin, we sometimes waste time beating ourselves up for our wrongdoings and fearing God’s response. We neglect to remember that God says, “Come boldly.” When we fall and skin our spiritual knees, we should not hide our wounds but run to Him for healing.

Mercy and grace go hand in hand. Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve—punishment—and grace is receiving what we do not deserve—restored fellowship. Neither of these are necessary without failure.

In light of that failure, God beckons us not to come fearfully, wondering if we will be forgiven yet again, but to come boldly. When sin creeps in, run to the throne of grace. Do not hide it, for He already knows. When we need grace and mercy, which is quite frequently if we are honest with ourselves, He already has an endless supply of both grace and mercy, ready to distribute if we will come boldly.

 by Vicki Voorhis

My mom gave me a mug for my birthday that says, “Enjoy the Journey.” This saying is a textbook cliché phrase, so I treated this mug like any other mug. I grab it out of the cabinet, not giving the saying printed on it much thought. I pour my morning tea in it, as if the saying is not even there. Then, I go about my day as usual.

However, that all changed on one particular morning. That day, my oldest child was spending her last day of summer break with us, packing and preparing to go back to college. The next morning, she would leave bright and early. Because of this, my mama heart was breaking. When I opened the cabinet that morning to grab a mug for my morning tea, the last thing I expected was for a mug to speak to me. 

Right there, front and center, was that mug, the gift from my mom. My eyes fixed immediately on the words, and it was as if the Holy Spirit whispered, “Here’s a friendly reminder: don’t forget to enjoy the journey.” 

Oh, how I needed that reminder. Life truly is a journey, and it is meant to be enjoyed. Not just part of it should be enjoyed, but all of it: the highs and the lows, the pretty and the messy, the good and the bad, and everything in between.  Every part of the journey is important and has value. If nothing else, the bad makes us appreciate the good even more.

We waste far too much time and miss so much of the journey when we worry about tomorrow. Today will have enough worries. There is no need to add tomorrow’s problems to today. The Bible says in Matthew 6:34, Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

I realized that, if I focused on the “tomorrow,” I would miss so much of the “today.” I stood there holding that mug and decided, “For today, I will enjoy today’s part of the journey. I will enjoy her smile, the sound of her voice, her footsteps through the house, and the fact that she is here.”

Today must be enjoyed because tomorrow is not guaranteed.

I had prayed earlier that morning to ask the Lord to help me make it through this day and to give peace to my hurting heart, and I am so thankful that He not only heard me but also answered me. He used a mug with a cheesy saying to nudge me with the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit.

In that quiet moment, He taught me a valuable lesson: enjoy the journey.

by Crystal Collingsworth

Some may be wondering what revival and Bible memorization have in common. The Lord taught me something on Sunday that I thought might be a blessing to someone. As I write this, we are having a revival week at our church. Our pastor preached a message on Sunday evening that was meant to encourage us to prepare ourselves for revival as we attend the services this week. He gave some points which were very encouraging to my heart, not only as I prepare myself to have revival but also as I strive to be more diligent in memorizing God’s Word on a weekly basis.

Let me share what he taught our church about preparing ourselves for revival and tell how God spoke to me about applying these points to my Bible memorization time! I promise that it all ties together.

First, we must be in the right place. Genesis 24:27 says, And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren. When we are where we are supposed to be, God will reveal His will to us. Many Christians today are forgetting how essential being in a church service is. Livestreaming has its place, but there is nothing that compares to assembling with other Christians in the house of God. We must put God first. When we put God first during a revival week at church and make sure that we are in our places every night, we will have a better chance of God working in our hearts and revealing to us what He wants from us for us to have our own personal revival. I mean, after all, who wants to miss that?

This same principle applies to Bible memorization. If we set aside a specific time and place to memorize God’s Word, we are more likely to memorize it. If we just say in our minds that we are going to memorize Bible verses on a certain day but never make a plan and set aside a specific time to do it, we probably will not do it. Sadly, I can testify to this fact. If I do not purposely set aside 10-15 minutes to memorize God’s Word, I just do not do it.

Second, we must be in an attitude of prayer. Our church has at least two revivals or special meetings each year. We have an annual fall revival and a spring missions conference. We get so excited when our fall revival comes along. If we are honest, however, we do very little praying about it. We do not prepare our hearts for revival. Our pastor encouraged us in his sermon to be in constant and fervent prayer for our revival this week. As Christians, we all should want God to speak to us, not only during a revival meeting but throughout every single day of our lives. If we do not pray and ask Him to do a work in our hearts, we cannot expect Him to do it.

Sometimes we set aside the time to memorize Bible verses, but we do not really stop to pray and ask God to let the verses truly penetrate our hearts. Bible memorization is not something we do just because we should do it. It is something we should do because we love the Word of God and want it to make a difference in our lives. Therefore, before we begin memorizing verses, we should stop to pray and ask God to speak to us through the verses we are memorizing.

Third, we must be fully confessed. I John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This point greatly convicted my heart. Of course, we all know that we should pray and ask God to forgive us for our sins on a daily basis; but when it comes to having revival, it is immensely important. We need to learn to ask God to take away all barriers in our lives that will keep us from listening to His Spirit when He speaks to us. If we have unconfessed sin in our lives, God cannot work in our hearts.

When we memorize God’s Word, we need to make sure we do not have anything in our hearts and minds that would hinder us from memorizing His Word. It could be unconfessed sin in our hearts that hinders our desire to memorize the Bible, or it could be something that upset us during the day, the distraction of the radio or television, or even children screaming for our attention from outside the bedroom door. Just as we must break down any barriers that keep God from speaking to our hearts during a revival service by fully confessing, we also must not allow any barriers or distractions to keep us from memorizing God’s Word.

Last of all, we must be totally submitted. James 4:6-7 says, But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Our preacher said something interesting while sharing this point. If not read carefully, the meaning will be missed completely. He said, “If God can’t change you, He won’t change you.” Basically, if we truly want God to work in our lives, then we must let Him do it. After all, we all have a will, and God will not force Himself on anybody. If we are going to be revived in our hearts and in our souls, we need to be submitted totally to let God change what needs to be changed in our lives. We should not come to a revival meeting with an attitude which says, “Oh, it’s just revival…again!” Show up to the meeting with the attitude of submission. When we do this, we will do whatever God tells us to do and let Him change us in any area He brings to our attention.

So many times, we set aside time to memorize the Bible, but we do it because we need to do it or because we should do it. We do not often do it because we know it can change us. We must try to approach our Bible memorization time submitted to this thought: “These verses are important enough to be in the Bible, so they can change my life.”

We have a tendency to think God only speaks to us during a regularly scheduled church service. God can speak to us through His Word and move us during our daily devotions and Bible memorization time if we will be in our places, have a prayerful attitude, eliminate barriers or distractions that hinder us, and be fully submitted to letting the verses truly speak to our hearts and change us.

by April Hernandez

Happy Monday. “May all who come behind us find us faithful.”

These are the words written by Jon Mohr. This song became very special to me at the time of my husband’s homegoing. This week marks the anniversary of the day when he finished his race. I feel a great void which seems to grow bigger with the passing of time.

I miss many things about him. One of those is his sense of humor. I heard his jokes many times in the more than fifty years that we were married, however he never ceased to make me laugh.

I also miss his close walk with God throughout his life. Perhaps because his own father left the home while he was young, his Heavenly Father became so real to him at such a young age.

I miss his care of people which was like no other. He remembered names and made everyone feel important.

Another thing I miss about him was his simple, yet profound preaching that touched hearts around the globe. He “put the jelly on the bottom shelf” so that anyone could understand.

I loved this poem that he often quoted. It challenges me even now. How about you?

The Bridge Builder

An old man, going a lone highway,

Came at the evening, cold and gray,

To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,

Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;

The sullen stream had no fears for him;

But he turned when safe on the other side

And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,

“You are wasting strength with building here;

Your journey will end with the ending day;

You never again must pass this way;

You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide—

Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head:

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,

“There followeth after me today

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm that has been naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”

– W.A. Dromgoole

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

While my mom was sick with cancer, I had several opportunities to drive her to many of her doctor’s appointments. One particular time she had just found out the cancer had come back after only a few months of remission. We as a family felt sad but were still confident since Mom had “beaten” cancer previously.

Mom always enjoyed taking the scenic route to her doctor’s appointments. While we were driving through a nice neighborhood of gigantic, beautiful homes on the river’s edge, we started talking about Heaven. She said, “Those homes are very nice and big, but my mansion in Heaven is going to be even bigger.” I was then bold enough to ask, “How do you feel about your cancer coming back?” She kindly replied, “I believe God wants me to pass out more Gospel tracts to others who are also getting treatments. If my cancer had never come back, how could I pass out tracts to those people?” While all I could think about was the “what ifs” that waited ahead for Mom, she was still thinking of others.

One Sunday morning while heading out the door to church, my youngest son held two Bibles. I did not think anything of it as we all got into the car. After arriving at church, he was still holding two Bibles as we exited our car to head inside. I considered telling him to leave one of the Bibles in the car. Then, he spoke up and told me that one of the little children in his class at church did not have a Bible, and he wanted him to use his extra Bible. I could not say no to that! I felt the tears of a proud mama welling up in my eyes. My little four-year-old boy was bringing an extra Bible to church, and no one told him to do so! He had a servant’s heart already at four years of age. He saw a need and wanted to meet that need. He was thinking of others.

A couple of Sundays ago, a special offering was collected for some needs at the church, and the children also were participating by having their own offering in their class. I did not know until afterward, but my youngest son had just received $5.00 for his birthday and decided to put it ALL into the special offering. Later on, I asked him what he wanted to buy with his birthday money. He said, “I put it in the offering at church.” He had tucked it into his Bible and had put it in the offering plate. Once again, he was not asked to do this. It was his birthday money, but he was thinking of others.

Philippians 2:3-5 says, …but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Matthew 16:24 says, Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

As we go through our Christian lives, may we live for others because it is only then that we are really living for Jesus!

OTHERS

LORD, help me live from day to day

In such a self-forgetful way

That even when I kneel to pray,

My prayer shall be for—OTHERS.

Help me in all the work I do

To ever be sincere and true

And know that all I’d do for you,

Must needs be done for—OTHERS.

Let “Self” be crucified and slain,

And buried deep; and all in vain

May efforts be to rise again,

Unless to live for—OTHERS.

And when my work on earth is done,

And my new work in Heaven’s begun,

May I forget the crown I’ve won,

While thinking still of—OTHERS.

Others, Lord, yes, others.

Let this my motto be,

Help me to live for others,

That I may live like Thee.

– Charles D. Meigs

by Mandy Harper

During a recent drive with my family, one of my daughters stated, “Mama, when I turn four, I am going to be much bigger.”

“No,” I replied. “You’re probably going to be about the same size—maybe just a little bigger.”

“Why?” she asked. “Why am I not going to be very big?”

“Because, Honey, you only grow just a tiny bit at a time. You know how you’ve been saying that your legs are hurting? Well, that happens because you are growing. Growing can hurt sometimes. You don’t want to grow too fast. God lets you grow just a little bit every day.”

That answer seemed to satisfy my curious daughter. As we continued our drive, that thought began to sink into my own heart as God connected it to a spiritual truth in my mind. We grow in our Christian lives in much the same way.

I Peter 2:2 says, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: We all have a spiritual “infancy” period. Hebrews 5:12-14 contrasts the babes in Christ who still need the milk with those who have grown (or should have grown) to a full age and need strong meat in their Christian lives. II Peter 3:18 begins, But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ… These verses show us that there should be a constant progression in grace.

As I explained to my daughter, growing is good, but it is often a slow process. I want my children to grow and meet all the milestones they should; however, I do not want them to be grown-ups tomorrow! They could not handle growing that quickly—physically or mentally. Growing too fast could result in physical deficits or setbacks and immense pain. It would cause my children not to have the time they need to learn all the character and life lessons necessary before reaching adulthood.

God will not stretch us beyond where we should be. Yes, He expects us to grow. However, growing can take time, and we all grow at different rates. God often puts trials into our lives to prod along our growing process. Sometimes, there are “growing pains” and discomforts that we must experience to reach that next level in our Christian lives. Little by little, our love for God and service to Him should increase, growing us as we move through the “infancy” stage and into our “full age.”

Ladies, do not be discouraged if you feel as though you are behind in your Christian growth or in your service for God. God will help you to move forward at the perfect pace, allowing the time necessary to soak up the lessons He has for you along the way. Do not resist the “growing pains!” When you allow God to do a work in your life at the pace He has set for you, you will indeed grow—even if it is just a little bigger.

by Alyssa King

Where I teach in a Christian high school, it is not uncommon to hear the phrase “no offense” in the context of someone critiquing something about someone else. I often tell my students that people only use that phrase when what they are saying actually is offensive. There have been instances when I have called out a student who said something offensive, only to be told either that the person he spoke to was not offended (at least outwardly) or that the person should not be offended. Sometimes, the offending student will even quote Psalm 119:165, Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. Even I can admit to having used that verse as a child and teenager when I did something that offended someone else.

While it is true that we should not be offended by what others do, say, or think, we all can become offended at times. The children’s saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is not true. Words have the ability to injure just as much as or even more than actions, but the effect is unseen. When my daughter falls and scrapes her knee, the wound is easy to identify and treat with some peroxide and a Band-Aid. However, when I speak too harshly to her, there are no Band-Aids for that wound.

As I considered the statement …nothing shall offend them, I also thought of similar verses in the Bible that talk about offending others. In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of those who have offended …these little ones…; Proverbs mentions the …brother offended…; and in I Corinthians 8:13, Paul states, Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. In this same chapter, Paul discusses the controversies of eating meat that was sacrificed to idols and celebrating different holidays. He tells the people that if they do not have a problem with it personally, they should not criticize those who do take issue with these things. Romans 14:19 says, Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. The Word of God teaches us that our words should be ones of peace and edification, giving no offense to another.

I often try to consider this: if someone heard the way I spoke to others, could I still be an effective witness to that person? Would my conversation and actions deter someone from coming to Christ, or through the witness of my words, would I be able to point them to the Saviour? As we speak today, let us be careful to give no offense.

by Vicki Voorhis

In the back of the Bible that I have used for devotions for more than thirty years, I found a note I had once written to myself. It says, “It takes more than saying you love someone; you have to show them!” Next to it is the reference John 21:15-19, which says, So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

I love the messages in this passage of Scripture because it can apply to so many aspects of our lives. Jesus reinforced the point that anyone can say “I love you” but that we should also SHOW it. In this passage, Jesus started out with instructions to …Feed my lambs. Lambs are baby sheep that are less than a year old. Here, we are being reminded that Jesus loves the young ones and wants us to care for their needs. We should pay attention to the cues of the young Christians around us in the same way.

When the baby cries in hunger, we feed him. When the baby Christian is crying out in hunger, do we recognize it? Are we there to help feed him? When toddlers are learning to dress themselves, we guide them. We do not deliver judgment and reproach but a demonstration of how to do it correctly. When the new Christian does not show up dressed in a way that meets our personal standards, how will we respond? Will we judge or guide?

Jesus does not want us to stop with the lambs, though. After Peter’s profession of love, He next instructed Peter to …Feed my sheep. He wants us to show our love to the older Christians as well. We never outgrow the need to be loved and to love.

Jesus continued to press Peter about his love. Upon Peter’s third profession, Jesus told Peter, …Follow me. Again, this shows that there is distinct action needed to show our love. We are to follow Him. To me, Jesus was emphasizing the point that, instead of following the crowd, we are to follow His example by looking to Him as our measure of doing good. Proverbs 27:17 says, Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.  We should encourage our fellow Christians. We should show them our love in such a way that their faces reflect the love they feel from us as we follow Him. We must show our love and not just declare it.

With the example of God’s unending and unwavering love for us and clear instructions from His Word on how to love, let us all ask ourselves one question: How have I shown my love for God today?

by Melissa Caperton

Happy Monday. “Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.” – Elisabeth Elliot

I had the opportunity last Sunday to sing in one of our adult Sunday school departments. When I was invited, I began to ponder, “What is the message needed?”

As I was thinking, I took a little mental walk down memory lane. I realized that a person cannot live many years until she finds that “life happens.” Many times when it does, that infamous question arises in life: “Why?”

None of us can escape the pain, the rejections, and the hurts. Previously, I had always thought, “But it must get easier as we mature.” Then, we add more family and friends to our circle. We help to bear the burdens of their illnesses, heartbreaks, and losses while bearing our own. Again, and with more perplexity, comes the question, “Why?”

As my own years began to add up, I thought, “It’s smooth sailing from here on.” Only then, I found that diagnoses became more serious and that even deaths came knocking. I finally concluded that we live in a broken, suffering world. The same question invaded my being: “Why?”

In all this pondering, the perfect song came to my mind, the chorus of which says:

“We’ll talk it over in the bye and bye.

We’ll talk it over, my Lord and I.

I’ll ask the reason—He’ll tell me why,

When we talk it over in the bye and bye.”

Also, I added this chorus to the song I sang that day:

“But until then, my heart will go on singing

Until then, with joy I’ll carry on—

Until the day my eyes behold my Saviour,

Until the day God calls me home.”

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:… – Matthew 5:12

“It is God to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the end of our journey, He is also at every stopping place.” – Elisabeth Elliot

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.