Does anyone else have children who love flashlights or those glow sticks? My sons love them! They go to sleep each night with their flashlights. One night I was trying to explain to them how light guides our steps. I quoted Psalm 119:105: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. We turned off all the lights. In the darkness, I showed my boys how, by using their flashlights, we could see each step if we followed where the light was. We could not see throughout the entire room but could see only where the light was.

The light guides our way. Sometimes we have things come into our lives, good or bad, and we are not sure which way to go next. As we read God’s Word daily, He guides us through each unsure moment. He sheds His light so we can take that next step. Moses led the children of Israel in the wilderness with God’s help. God provided a cloud by day to lead them and a fire by night for light so they could see in the dark as well. Exodus 13:21-22 says, And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

What a comfort to know that God is before us, in His infinite knowledge and wisdom, guiding our way! Like we would use a flashlight in the dark, may we all use God’s Word daily to see our next steps in life!

by April Pineda

I recently read the back of a person’s T-shirt that said, “He gets me.” Because we were at a church function, I assumed it was some kind of Christian slogan. I considered that phrase and what it meant. Basically, what that T-shirt was saying was the more modern vernacular of “He understands me.” What an amazing thought that is! Especially as a woman who does not always understand herself, it is wonderful to know that God understands me. He understands why a pile of laundry can literally bring me to tears one day; and He understands why a pint of ice cream or a bag of popcorn sometimes seem like great dinner ideas. He even knows my thoughts before I think them.

As I pondered that statement a little more—overthinkers anonymous, feel free to raise your hands now—I thought about how broad sweeping that statement is for me. At my salvation, He gets me. Song of Solomon 2:16 says, My beloved is mine, and I am his… I love the songs “Now I Belong to Jesus” and “I Belong to the King,” which each carry an amazing thought. While I relish the idea that God is my Father, it is convicting to think about what God got in the deal upon my salvation. I got a perfect, heavenly Father; He got a flawed sinner. I got a Friend Who is always faithful and true; He got someone who is not always as committed to Him as she should be. I could continue with the examples, but I think most of us could fill in those blanks. I know God did not provide salvation for what He would get out it any more than a mother has a child for what she will get out of it; however, I want His investment in me to be worth it. I believe this is why Romans 12:1 tells us, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. It is not unreasonable to give our lives as living sacrifices in return for God’s investment in us.

God loves us; He understands us; and He gets us. We get all of Him when we get saved. Would it not be fitting for Him to get all of us, too?

by Vicki Voorhis

Happy Monday. “You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are.” – Brian Tracy

I wonder how many thoughts go through our heads in a day. We are so affected by our thought lives, much of which is so negative.

Just today, I did a dumb thing. I said (to no one in particular), “I’m so dumb.” Immediately, I confessed it to God and said, “I have a good, creative mind that makes mistakes.” Then I laughed at myself.

The Bible says that God thinks precious thoughts about us as His children. Negative self-talk or thinking is not pleasing to our Father.

We are experts at thinking limiting thoughts such as these:

“I’m not as good as…”

“I was behind the door when talents were passed out.”

“I can’t…”

“I wish I could…”

Proverbs 23:7 says, For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Do we have control over what comes into our heads? Of course, we do! Mrs. Marlene Evans used to call it “flip-side” thinking. It is turning the ugly, negative thoughts into true, beautiful ones like those listed in Philippians 4:8. This verse says, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

A good prayer for us as we try to have a better, more successful thought life could be as Psalm 139:23 says, Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: We can be confident that out of the good treasure of the heart (thoughts) come good things, and vice versa.

I am amazed at what Paul said in II Corinthians 10:5. He said, Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; A weapon in our spiritual warfare is our thought lives, and bringing our thoughts into the obedience of Christ is so important.

We can see how we could do a much better job as God’s ambassadors when we begin to think as He thinks. We cannot forget how precious we are, especially to our Heavenly Father!

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! – Psalm 139:17

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. – Daniel 3:17-18

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. How many times have we heard this phrase said or perhaps quoted it ourselves? Christians love to talk about the goodness of God. We write and sing about it; and we even hang our Christianity on it. However, do we actually believe God is good? When our prayers go unanswered; when the storms overtake us; when life is far from “sunshine and roses,” do we still believe that God is good?

Some seem to have this strange notion that serving God means everything will always go right and there will only be smooth sailing. However, God never promised this to His children. The Bible talks over and over again about trials, tribulations, sufferings, persecutions, and afflictions. We are told to endure hardness (II Timothy 2:3), endure afflictions (II Timothy 4:5), endure grief (I Peter 2:19), and endure chastening (Hebrews 12:7). There will be persecutions and tribulations for us to endure, according to II Thessalonians 1:4. The Christian life is far from easy.

The Bible is filled with countless stories of God’s people enduring a variety of life’s circumstances. They lost loved ones. They were enslaved, threatened to be killed, thrown into prisons or lions’ dens, cast into fiery furnaces, beaten, and the list continues. In light of this, what makes us think that if we serve God, nothing will ever go wrong? Then, when things do go wrong, why are we surprised?

James 1:3 says, Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. Romans 5:3 says, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; We need to experience difficulties in order to exercise our patience, but to what end? Hebrews 6:12 says, That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. James 1:4 says, But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. We cannot inherit the promises of God, be complete, and want nothing without patience. We cannot have patience without tribulations.

According to the Word of God, the hardships we encounter are actually for our good. When they come, though, will we still believe that God is good? When the troubles come, will we be like those brave Hebrew children who believed that God could spare them from the fiery furnace but knew that it may not have been His will? Instead, will we question why a loving God would allow such a horrible thing to happen? God can do anything, but that does not mean He will. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We must realize that, regardless of the circumstances or the outcome, God is good. However, let us not just say that God is good, but let us truly believe it. God’s goodness does not mean that everything will go our way. It means He knows best; He has a purpose and a plan for everything He allows in our lives. When troubles come—and they will—let us boldly proclaim, “Our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us, but if not, God is still good!”

by Crystal Collingsworth

In college, we had dormitory room inspections. We were expected to keep our beds made, our areas relatively free of clutter and trash, and the room looking generally nice. However, every so often, we would have the dreaded “white glove” inspection. A dormitory supervisor would take a literal white glove and run it over all the surfaces in our room to closely inspect how clean it was.

David had a similar approach in Psalm 139. He began the chapter by stating, O LORD, thou hast searched me,… He then acknowledged that God knew everywhere he was and everything he did. He declared that God was …acquainted with all my ways. I find it interesting that the chapter ends with David pleading with God to do what God had already been doing: 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.

Only recently, while rereading this chapter as part of a journal assignment for our church’s month of restoration, I noticed a slight difference in the verse at the start of the chapter and the one at the end. At the beginning, David stated that he knew God had seen all his outward ways. He acknowledged that God understood his thoughts …afar off. At the end of the Psalm, David was asking God for a deeper inspection of his thoughts and heart.

And see if there be any wicked way in me,… David was not worrying as much about the outside here; he was asking God to inspect any wicked way. Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines “way” as “course; direction of motion or travel; tendency to any meaning or act; manner of doing any thing.” He was looking at not only the specific actions but also the method used to complete them.

I also noticed a comparison here—wicked way or the way everlasting. Only when we remove the wicked way can we be led in the way everlasting. Let us be willing to allow God to do a “white glove” inspection in our lives and hearts to reveal any wicked way. Only then can we do the necessary cleaning to replace our wicked ways with the way everlasting.

by Vicki Voorhis

Christian women wear many hats. These could include that of wife, mother, caretaker, cook, housekeeper, employee, Sunday school teacher, and too many more to list. It takes prayer and guidance from the Holy Spirit to balance our responsibilities, and it can often be challenging; however, there is one expectation the Lord clearly gives in Proverbs 31, which is His pattern for Christian womanhood. Verse 13 says, She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. Each woman’s individual responsibilities vary, but this is an expectation we all have in common.

The Lord wants each of us to work hard with a willing heart.

Remember the story of Abraham’s servant searching for a bride for Isaac. His servant said in Genesis 24:12, …O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. He was praying that the Lord would clearly show him who was supposed to be Isaac’s bride. The Lord then sent a young damsel. Verses 18-20 say, …and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. This may seem to be a simple task, but a typical camel can drink up to fifty-three gallons of water in three minutes, and according to the Bible, the servant had multiple camels. Rebekah could have easily gotten over one hundred gallons of water for these camels. The Bible says, …she hasted,… She did not know this man, but she did not hesitate to get the job done. This did not go unnoticed by the Lord or by Abraham’s servant. Hard work with a willing attitude was so important to the Lord that He rewarded Rebekah with a wealthy husband who loved her and took care of her for the rest of her life.

Proverbs 31:27 says, She looketh well to the ways of her household,… The ways of each household are different. My husband and I live in a nine-hundred-square-foot apartment that takes about an hour and fifteen minutes every week to clean. I have a very easy-going husband who loves my thirty-minute meals. Tending to the needs of my home is not as time consuming as fulfilling the responsibilities of a young mother taking care of infant children, of a mother dealing with children who require extra attention and help with schoolwork, of a wife taking care of a sick husband, of a mother working outside of the home, or of a mother tending to a large family. It is important for me and others in a similar situation to be proactive and to make sure our time is spent on profitable tasks.

The rest of verse 27 says, …and eateth not the bread of idleness. Years ago, my schoolteacher Mrs. Collingsworth told us almost every day before we started our work, “Plan your work; work your plan; and don’t get sidetracked!” This is simple, practical, and life-changing advice. At the beginning of every day, we should make a plan for what we need to accomplish in that day. Then, we should start working on it right away with a willing heart. We should not get caught up in the world’s philosophy of “I’m out of bed! What more do you want?” We all have days when we do not feel that we are working at one-hundred-percent capacity, and we might drag a little bit; but we should not have an attitude of dreading work every day. This is not Christ-like and does not fall in line with the pattern for a Christian woman who …worketh willingly with her hands.

We must avoid time wasters. Ephesians 5:16 says, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Our time is precious and valuable. Even one hour of time wasted each day is a gift that is being thrown away. A few common time wasters include the following: social media, television, idle texting. Matthew 12:36 says, But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. One day, we will give an account for every idle word that we have spoken. We will be judged for every pointless text, social media post, and conversation.

At the end of every day, we should look at our accomplishments and examine how we spent each hour of our time; then, we should ask the Lord if there is anything we can do better. We should pray for discipline in defeating time wasters and wisdom to know what new tasks and responsibilities we should take. We should always be looking for ways to accomplish more for His work, and we should be performing these tasks with a willing heart.

Let us all consider the words in Proverbs 31 and commit to willingly do whatever work God presents to us. We should focus on being great examples so that the younger ladies behind us can benefit from our testimony of being a willing and diligent worker for the Lord. Ultimately, we must remember that God put us here to bring glory and honor to Him and to lead others to Him. Our willing work is a great way to fulfill the will of God for our lives.

 by Elizabeth Myers

I Kings 17:8-24

This passage of Scripture was the one that inspired me to begin writing a book about my journey through widowhood. I am not sure when I will finish it, but I will—Lord willing. It is almost there but is not quite there yet.

Our pastor was teaching through the Bible during Sunday school one morning, and he was in the book of I Kings. That morning, I was a little distracted. As he was teaching through this book, he stopped in this passage. I do not remember whether he was actually teaching about the widow of Zarephath in particular, but MY attention was drawn to her that morning.

I do not usually do this during Sunday school, but I began to make my own notes about this particular passage in the margins of my Bible. I was making my own Bible study right there in Sunday school! I tuned out the pastor and let God talk to me. As I re-read this passage, I was reminded of the points about which God had spoken to me that day.

God already had a plan for this widow.

In verse 9, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath where he would be well taken care of because God had already …commanded a widow woman there to sustain… him. Further into the passage, we see that she did not know at that point that God was going to use her.

So many times, we who are widows think that God is done with us and that He will never use us again. However, that is not true. God has a plan for everything He does in our lives. When He closes one chapter in our lives, He has already written the next one. We just do not see it yet. Although we may feel as though our worlds have ended because of the passing of our husbands, God still has a plan for us.

This widow was going about her every-day routine when Elijah arrived.

In verse 10, we see that she was gathering sticks. She was oblivious to what the Lord had in store for her! She had no idea that God was going to use her to help and to bring encouragement to the man of God. She was just thinking about preparing the next meal for herself and her son. She was doing what she had always done.

As widows, we cannot afford the luxury of feeling sorry for ourselves for too long or of throwing in the towel. It is so important to stay faithful, to be in our places every Sunday, and to stay close to church and to God’s people. We may not realize it, but being in our places and staying in church not only helps us but also encourages those around us, including the pastor. God seems to enjoying using us when we least expect it. If we do not remain faithful, we will miss out.

This woman felt as though she had nothing left to give.

She could not see past her present circumstances. In verses 10-11, Elijah asked her for some water and some food. As she was going to get the water, she was honest with Elijah and told him that she had very little to offer him and that, in fact, she was just getting ready to prepare a little food for herself and her son. She did not really know what she was going to do after that. She was in such despair that she thought it was going to be their last meal.

So many times, a widow feels that she will never make ends meet! She feels inadequate to care for her family and thinks she is unable to continue to give to or to participate in the church as she did when her husband was alive. She feels that what she has is just never enough. I know I felt this way in my own life, especially during that first year. I struggled at every turn. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, something else went wrong. However, it is in these times when God shows Himself to us.

Elijah encouraged her to tend to the things of God first.

Elijah was very compassionate with her as he listened to her plight and allowed her to voice what was inside her heart. Then, he said in verses 13-14, …Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail,… Elijah was not being selfish here. He was encouraging her to continue to serve the Lord and to use what she had to put God first. He knew if she served him first, God would bless her. He was looking out for her best interests.

I have found in my own life that everything else just falls into place when I put God and others first and focus on keeping my spiritual life right. God knows what is best for me, and He will never let me down. He is constant and true, no matter what is going on around me.

God was faithful and supplied her needs.

In verse 15, we see that what Elijah told her in verse 14 came true! God did not let her down. The Bible says, And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

As widows, we need to make sure that we, in our grief and sorrow, do not put God on the shelf while we try to figure things out on our own. If we put Him first, He will bless us. When God speaks to us in our sorrow, we should listen to Him. We may not see how things are going to work out, but they always do.

As we continue to read about this widow and the time that Elijah spent in Zarephath, we see that she still experienced great trials and times of doubt in her life. In time, we can learn to get up and to continue serving the Lord, despite our circumstances; however, that does not mean we will not encounter other trials and difficulties after our grief has passed.

In the verses that follow, we see that her son became ill and also died. Because of this, she began to doubt the Lord again. She spoke out to Elijah and asked him why God was allowing these things to happen. She did not want to have anything to do with Elijah. In her grief, she began to doubt the choices she had made to stay faithful to God. Once again, God showed Himself faithful and, through Elijah, gave her another reason to praise Him.

Dear lady, there will always be times throughout your journey when you will feel as though God and others have forgotten about you. You will feel as though things are crashing in all around you; and yes, you will doubt whether God is really there. During these times, remember this dear widow in I Kings who, having lost all hope, found the strength she needed to keep her eyes on God and to keep moving!

by April Hernandez

Happy Monday. “Success is not based on where you start, it’s where you finish—and I finished,” said Bob Ireland at the conclusion of the New York City Marathon on November 6, 1986. He finished last—the 19,413^th person to finish in that year’s famous race.

Bob was the first to run a marathon with his arms instead of his legs. Many years before, this forty-year-old veteran had lost both of his legs while fighting in Vietnam. When asked why he ran the race, he gave three reasons: to tell the world he was a born-again Christian, to test his own endurance, and to promote physical activity. By the way, can you guess his marathon time? He finished the race in four days, two hours, forty-eight minutes, and seventeen seconds.

Perhaps you feel weary in your “race” today and are contemplating giving up. The race of life can get toilsome and tiring. Pain sets in, discouragement comes, aging occurs, and so many other obstacles can arise. Once in a while, we just need to stop, get a second wind, and focus again on our goal. Is that goal to finish strong?

I have been interested in the story of Diana Nyad who swam from Cuba to the Florida coast, setting a world record on September 2, 2013. However, her dream began decades before that day in 1978. Throughout the years, she tried four times and failed. Finally, at age of sixty-four, she tried again. Everything seemed to slow or stop her. As she swam, she began to chant, “Find a way, find a way.” She grew tired, but she told herself, “Focus on the six inches ahead.” It took fifty-three hours to swim the 111 miles from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, but Diana finished!

Similarly, we must refocus often on that great crowd in the grandstands of Heaven who is cheering for us and calling, “Focus on the next six inches!” We can do that!

“It doesn’t hurt one bit more to limp forward than to limp backward.” – Dr. Jack Hyles

See you at the finish line!

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

According to the World Book Dictionary, happy means “having a feeling of or showing pleasure and joy; glad; pleased; contented.” To me, the word contented sums up the definition.

Psalm 127:3-5 says, Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Psalm 144:15 says, Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord. If the Lord is our God, we should be happy!

Proverbs 3:13 says, Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. We need to ask God for wisdom. As wives and mothers, we need as much of God’s wisdom as we can get. We only get one chance with our children. Proverbs 3:18 says of wisdom, She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her. God says we will be happy if we keep wisdom.

Psalm 146:5 says, Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: We will be happy because we have God to help us.

James 5:11 says, Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

We must endure being up all hours of the night, especially when our children are babies, because they are little for such a short time!

We must endure when the children are sick. One day they will be able to care for themselves and will not need us.

We must endure all the laundry, even when we know it is not dirty because they have not worn it. They only tried it on and put it in the discard pile, which is usually the floor where it is walked over for a week, then finally put into the hamper. We even must continue enduring when we know that the hamper was empty last night but now is almost overflowing. The Bible says we are counted happy if we endure!

We have God to help us. We can have God’s wisdom just by asking. Mostly, we can endure the difficult times that come into our lives. We can be happy and contented with the life God has given us. We just need to be anchored in Jesus so we can endure!

by Carmel Bailey

In Luke 12, there is a familiar story of a rich man who, in the midst of a bountiful harvest, determined to make some plans and preparations for the future. He decided to tear down his existing barns, build bigger barns, and then enjoy the hard-earned fruit of his labor. Of course, most people know what God said about this man—that he was a fool. While we are quick to agree with God, as we always should be, perhaps a point of this lesson is missed. If we were to observe this man apart from God’s perspective and opinion, would we actually classify him as a fool? Some of his characteristics and decisions conversely would be lauded by the average Christian. What we should glean from this story is not the fact that he was a fool but rather why he was a fool.

On the surface, it is evident he was a hard worker. All his fruits were earned by his persistence. God says much throughout His Word comparing and contrasting slothfulness and diligence—how one is obviously to be rejected and avoided and the latter is to be embraced and applied as a daily habit. We certainly would not consider this the reason for his God-given title.

He was being a good steward. He was not carelessly allowing his harvest to rot in the field or to go to waste by not properly preserving and tending to it; nor was he squandering it or being gluttonous. The Bible says that he was laying up “for many years.” He was meticulously arranging for a place for each ounce of increase and preparing for the future, all things that we strive for in our lives. Certainly, being a good steward—something God expects of every Christian (I Peter 4:10)—was not the reason for his being called a fool.

The thing that made him a fool was that he was doing all these things for himself. He was not considering God or God’s design for his life in the process. He was concerned only about what he had determined to be a good thing. He wanted that “good thing.” He worked hard for it, obtained it, and now he was determined to enjoy it. Unfortunately, that “good thing” was not what God wanted for this man’s life. God said of the fool, So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:21)

There are many Christians who dedicate themselves to being faithful and adherent to the things of God by going to church, living a separated life, and obtaining the “good things” of life—a place of service, a spouse, children, and more. However, why is it that we do those things? Is it to have peace? To be remembered? To feel fulfilled? While those certainly can be byproducts of living such a life, we must be careful not to focus on them and end up forgetting the One Who has our lives planned. Doing so can result in our inadvertently “laying up for ourselves.”

While in Bible college, I wanted, as most young ladies do, to find a husband. I did not think too seriously about it in the earlier years, but as I neared the end of my stint in college, I began to become concerned. “Who could God have for me?” “Does He have someone for me?” The Bible says, Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing… I took that to mean that wanting a husband is also a good thing. Nevertheless, my timing and where, when, and how I thought a husband should be found did not match God’s plans. There were even people, whom I considered to be good young men serious about serving the Lord, with whom I crossed paths; and I could not understand why the Lord was not allowing a relationship to flourish. I planned, hoped, prayed, and presented myself as best as I could, but my efforts were in vain. One day, I distinctly remember that I told God I was no longer going to try to find the person I should marry. I would surrender and allow Him to lead in that area of my life. About a year later, I was married to my husband.

Luke 12 tells the Christian to consider three things: the ravens, the lilies, and the grass. In my mind, these represent three areas to which we most often devote our concerns and attentions.

The ravens represent our physical needs—food, shelter, and health. We devote time to making sure we have food, trying to make it healthy (sometimes), tending to our homes, and trying to care for our bodies. God tells us that if He will care for the ravens, whose lives are fleeting and fickle, He will certainly care for the needs of His dearest creation, mankind.

The lilies represent our emotional and spiritual makeup: our appearances, our personalities, and our talents. Often, we strive to be accepted by man, to achieve a position of recognition, remembrance, or notoriety, or to be like someone we admire. God made each of us precisely how we are and with the exact physical appearance, personality, and abilities He wanted us to have. To fret and strive to change those things is futile.

The grass of the field represents our usefulness. One day the grass was growing in the field, and the next it was cut down and put into the oven as either fuel or food, both undeniable essentials. We all want to be useful and appreciated. Often, despondency and depression result from feeling unneeded. However, if God has created grass for a purpose, He certainly has created each person for a more worthwhile purpose than that.

For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. – Luke 12:30-34

It is good to want a good thing. It is better to serve God for the sake of serving God and to let Him give you that which is good and that which is good for you.

I asked God for a good thing.

He said that I should wait.

“But, oh, if I could have it now,

Wouldn’t it be great!”

“I do not desire to have the world

Or live amongst its styes.

What I’m asking is in Your Word

And denoted as a prize.”

He assures me with great firmness

He knows my body, soul, and spirit.

He knows just what to say to me

And when I need to hear it.

He’s keen in breaking stubborn wills,

Especially mine, it seems.

It’s obvious that His perfect will

Does not always match my dreams.

So I waited here, and I waited there,

And every single time,

He gave me what I needed

Without it being my design.

For the things I’m still awaiting,

He will give them when it’s best;

And if He never gives them,

I’ll put my mind at rest—

Knowing He knows what’s coming

And every step I’ll trod.

If I let Him, He will lead me

(Through the valley; o’re the summit;

In the tempest, if I plummet;

He will lift me, through my leaders;

Give me peace as I surrender)

Till, one day, I’m with my precious God.

And I will see Him, Who always saw me;

My feeble faith no longer blind.

My mind will cease its weary wander,

Now knowing He was only ever kind.

by Bethany French

And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. – Matthew 8:23-26

I have always enjoyed reading this Bible story and listening to it being taught in Sunday school. The disciples went on the boat with Jesus, and all of a sudden, a storm started brewing. The Bible says, …there arose a great tempest… The dictionary defines tempest as “a violent windy storm.”

We know that some of the disciples had previous experience working as fishermen. Surely, they had seen and witnessed intense storms before this experience. This particular storm had caused them to panic to the point that they were fearful for their lives. As the storm continued to strengthen, the disciples’ concern began to grow. Just imagine the storm around them: Waves were crashing, and water was sloshing into the boat. The disciples had good reason to wonder what was going to happen next.

The Bible then talks about Jesus. Verse 24 says, …but he was asleep. While waves were crashing, lightning was filling the sky, and thunder was pounding, Jesus was asleep. Now, I for one enjoy a good nap in the midst of a downpour. However, this was not just rain; it was a violent storm. The disciples went to Jesus and woke Him from His sleep. They cried, …Lord, save us: we perish. He responded, …Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. The disciples experienced the power of Jesus that day as Jesus calmed the storm.

I have a vague memory from my childhood of running to my sister’s room in the middle of the night in fear. Earlier that night, as our parents were putting us to bed, I had heard the news playing on the television and had heard the weatherman say that we were in a tornado watch. I woke up later that night to a loud bang and the sound of great wind outside. I ran to my sister’s room in fear. My mom had always told us if we ever were to hear what might be a tornado, we were to run to the hallway and get down. My sister got out of her bed, and we knelt in the hallway—just two little girls in our nightgowns, holding each other tightly. She was not afraid and probably was not very happy that I was keeping her awake. After about five minutes of kneeling in the hallway and listening to the storm, things got quieter outside and became much calmer. We both went back to bed, and I was comforted that things were going to be all right.

In our lives, storms will come. With Jesus in our hearts, the storm does not need to be a scary event. Trials, heartaches, financial difficulties, grief, and life events that change our routines will happen. We do not need to be afraid because Jesus is there to bring peace and to calm our storms. Jesus is already in our “boat” of life. The disciples could not control the storm that day, but they could control their reactions to the storm. We just need to let Jesus calm our fears, our panic, and our worry.

There are lost people who do not have Jesus in their boats. They continue to go through storms without Him. They panic and fear for their lives. The reason for their fear is simply that Jesus is not in their hearts. If we as Christians live in panic or live with a complaining and fearful spirit, the unsaved will never see our peace or the One Who brings the calm. Let us show the lost that we as Christians can have peace in the storm. With Jesus in our boats, the storm is all in His hands. He can bring us peace, and He can calm the storm!

by Mandy Harper

Have you ever desired to be accepted by the “cool crowd”? I am sure that this is a feeling with which many can relate. Growing up as the sixth of 10 children, my most ardent desire was to be considered one of the “older ones.” Unfortunately for me, there was a three-year gap between me and my next oldest sibling, creating natural groupings: the “older five” and the “younger five.”

I just could not persuade my parents, or my older siblings for that matter, to accept me as part of that premier group, even though I desperately tried. I heard my older brother say that War and Peace was a good classic, so I soldiered through all 1,225 pages during Christmas break. I heard my older sister say that navy beans and rice was one of her favorite meals, so I dutifully piled my plate with mounds of beans and rice. I heard my older brothers say that the hunter in Bambi was the real hero of the story, so I choked back my tears and cheered when Bambi’s poor mother died. My efforts were for naught. Nothing I could do would change my place in line. I was, and would always be, the sixth. 

Sadly, it was many years before I realized that, in my fervent quest to be accepted by my older siblings, I had been ignoring an important fact. Yes, I was only the sixth. But I was also the sixth…of 10. I was the first of the “younger five.” There were four little siblings behind me, and my decisions affected them. 

Allow me to use my childhood foolishness to make a spiritual point. In Psalm 106, we find the story of Phinehas, a minor Bible character who was one of Aaron’s grandsons. Verses 29-31 tell us, Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: And the plague brake in upon them. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: And so the plague was stayed. And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore. Numbers 25 provides more context to Phinehas’s actions. The children of Israel had begun to join themselves to the daughters of Moab and worship their false gods. God sent a plague in punishment, and 24,000 Israelites died. When an Israelite man then had the audacity to bring his Midianite wife to the door of the tabernacle, Phinehas had had enough. He took a javelin and killed both of them, staying the just judgment of God. 

Think of how different that story would have been if Phinehas had been worrying about being accepted by the rest of the Israelites. He would have just been the 24,001^st of the countless of Israelites to perish from God’s punishment. The Israelites could well have perished completely from world history in that moment! Instead, he was the first to change the status quo, and as the Bible so eloquently says, all generations for evermore can be thankful for his courage. 

Thankfully, I do not think that God will require us to thrust anyone through with a javelin to stay a horrible plague! Our courage is often required in much smaller ways. For example, in my family, I was just the sixth; it is true. However, I was the first to work on a church bus route, and four younger siblings followed after me.

You could be the sixth in your Sunday school class to continue talking to your preferred friend group, or you could be the first to stand to welcome a new visitor. After, four other ladies could follow your example.

You could be the sixth student in your Bible college to give the bare minimum, or you could be the first to truly sell out for God. Then, four other students could follow you.

You could be the sixth young Christian mother to say she is simply too busy to make time for church ministries, or you could be the first to sign up for Saturday visitation, with four other mothers following you.

You could be the sixth bored choir member in your section to sing halfheartedly, or you could be the first to sing with all of your heart. Four other choir members hear your dedication and follow. 

Perhaps you, like me, have spent a lot of time trying to fit in with a certain group. Maybe you find yourself following instead of leading. I encourage you to look around you. Are there four younger or less mature Christians coming behind you? You do not always have to be the sixth, then. Your example could change the course of others’ lives by being the deciding factor in them choosing a different course. Today, be the first of five!

by Abigail Medford