Social media is not a sin; it is a communication tool. However, as he has with many other things, the devil has vigilantly used this tool for his purpose. He seeks to destroy reputations of God’s people, cause strife in churches, spread worry and doubt, and just simply distract Christians from God’s work with time-wasting activities online. We are not obligated to use social media but, if we do participate in it, it is our responsibility as Christians to be vigilant in using it to honor Christ and not to further the devil’s agenda.

God has always given us a pattern for living in this world through His Word. We can look to the virtuous woman in the Bible for an example of living a life of Christian womanhood. We can also apply her traits to our online activity.

She keeps her family safe on social media. Proverbs 31:11 says, The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,… Hands down, this point is top priority! Without this point as a priority, it would be better for us to never use social media at all. We should pray for the Lord to give us wisdom, then make a plan for how, when, where, and what we post. I have included some standards to set. Some may find these rules excessive and not adopt each one exactly, but it is extremely important to take posting seriously when it comes to family and/or personal information.

• Never post personal financial information, even if your settings are private. Beware of internet scams online that seem harmless by asking simple questions such as, “What’s your favorite food?” or “What was your childhood best friend’s name?” Many times, there are common bank security questions mixed in with these harmless questions. Scammers use these answers to hack bank accounts.
• Avoid posting when on vacation. Nefarious people use social media to discover when people are not home so they may commit crimes.
• Be careful of posting family and children’s pictures on a public feed. There are features and security settings that will help us to control what others see on our accounts. There are several ways to post pictures for only a select group of people to see on each platform, and we should utilize these setting to control who we are allowing to see our content. Protecting our families cannot be stressed enough!
• Unsupervised internet access should never be given to children and teenagers. Protecting the minds and hearts of our youth is our responsibility until they have the common sense and spiritual maturity to protect themselves. The internet is filled with wickedness that is a mere click away and can be viewed innocently and unsuspectingly. The devastating effects of early exposure to pornography have been well documented. When we consider how easily we can be exposed to this while online, it solidifies the fact that it is important that we protect our children from free internet access.

She takes special care to do her husband and children good on social media. Proverbs 31:12 says, She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. We must take special care to protect our reputations! We should look carefully before sharing each post to make sure it is appropriate and does not contain profanity or innuendoes. We should not assume that people will know if we shared a post by accident. No virtuous woman would want her name associated with a post containing sin.

She does not let social media consume her time. Proverbs 31:13 says, She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. Verse 27 says, She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. A virtuous woman is a hard worker. She spends her time wisely and avoids “time wasters.” Social media can be a pit of time wasters! How many times have we fallen into the bottomless Pinterest pit? Maybe we started off with good intentions, searching for recipes for our families, then three hours later we find that we have gone on a road trip from recipes to low carb recipes, to weight loss tips, to beauty tips, to fashion tips, to making our own clothes at home! By two o’ clock in the morning, we may have decided to take up crochet! These platforms were designed to keep people on them and never to click out of them. People get paid when someone views the content on social media platforms, therefore content that is purposely entertaining is constantly posted. As long as the content is appropriate, there is nothing wrong with consuming it; however, management of our time is paramount to making sure that other responsibilities are not being ignored. We must remember to control our time instead of letting it control us.

She puts her family first! Proverbs 31:27 says, She looketh well to the ways of her household,… I HIGHLY recommend shutting off all electronics for family meal time and family devotions. Having a purposeful time that is “unplugged” is necessary in this day and age!

She helps those in need. Proverbs 31:20 says, She stretcheth out her hands to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. The virtuous woman not only gives to the poor but also helps the needy. Our world is full of needy people: emotionally needy, spiritually needy, physically needy, etc. Since social media is a communication tool, it can be used as an opportunity to encourage. We have the opportunity to be a help and an encouragement through social media. Here are a few simple suggestions:

–     People often post prayer requests, and we can reach out to let them know we are praying for them and their requests.

–     We can post verses and sermon notes that have been helpful to us personally.

–     We can post dates and details for church events and invite others.

–     We should comment positively and genuinely on friends’ posts. When others share little pieces of their lives on social media, it is a great opportunity for us to offer uplifting words to our fellow Christians.

–     We must avoid sharing “doom and gloom” posts all of the time. Sharing current events is okay on occasion, but avoid sharing everything negative that is going on in the world. Let us be a light for Christ and let Him shine through us!

She keeps her conversation and comments filled with kindness. Proverbs 31:26 says, She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. This verse is not only important to apply to our day-to-day conversations but also to social media. Words posted in jest can be much more hurtful when posted in a public setting for others to read. Every negative thing we say is SO much more damaging on social media with the potential to embarrass others. This can be a catalyst for contention, and if we make this mistake, it is better for us to delete the post and make it right before it can continue. I believe many churches have been hindered by petty arguments growing out of control on social media. It is just as important, if not more so, for us to keep kindness in our “typing” as it is to keep kindness in our speaking.

She does not use her social media to make her feel better about herself. Proverbs 31:30 says, Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. We must use social media to uplift Christ and let Him shine through us. Seeking approval and adoration from others through social media is an empty road; it provides no satisfaction. If our purpose for using social media is to project a perfect image of ourselves and our families, we will only be disappointed when someone else’s fake life seems better than ours. I am not saying that we are to put all of our faults on display for everyone to see, but if our goal and intention for using social media is to make everyone jealous of our perfect lives, we will be left exhausted and empty.

I Corinthians 10:31 says, Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. We do not have a free pass to sin just because we are behind a screen. If we enjoy social media and choose to use it, it must be used to the glory of God!

by Elizabeth Myers

Over the past few years, I have found myself becoming more and more adventurous when it comes to preparing meals in different cuisines. While growing up, if food was not American or Italian, I did not eat it. However, when we started to see the effects that Covid-19 had on our nation’s food supply, I was forced to start trying new recipes to use the ingredients that were available at the time. Some recipes were acceptable, while others were the one-time-only or the never-again kinds of recipes. One recipe to which I was introduced during that time, and that has become a staple condiment in our home, is a sriracha crema. We use this at least once a week, mostly in rice bowls.

After making small portions for individual meals several times in a month, I decided to buy a set of larger bottles and make it in a large batch to store in the refrigerator. Now, this recipe calls to add water to make it a drizzling consistency, but my husband and I prefer a slightly thicker consistency. It is made with crème fraiche or sour cream, mayonnaise, honey, and of course, sriracha. As you can imagine, this would make for quite a thick sauce without the water to thin it out.

The first time I made this larger batch, I mixed it in the bowl. I then began pouring and scooping it into my funnel which was sitting on top of the bottle. The funnel filled quickly, but the bottle did not. Thinking I had used too small of a funnel, I switched to the medium-sized funnel, in which I dumped the contents, and I then waited for the bottle to fill. Again, only a few plops of the mixture dropped into the bottle. Frustrated, I switched to the largest kitchen funnel I had. (My husband has an oil funnel that I am sure would hold a gallon or more, but I thought using that one would be a bit dramatic and overkill.) Now, with the largest funnel precariously placed over the narrow squeeze bottle, I emptied the medium funnel into the large.

What is that old adage? “Insanity is doing the same thing the same way over and over, yet expecting different results.” Again, only a couple more splats of mixture entered the bottle, but the majority remained in the funnel. I began to brainstorm. As someone who loves logic puzzles and science, I figured that, if I were to add all of the mixture to this very large funnel, the weight of the mixture would surely cause the sauce to drain into the bottle. Therefore, as this comedically large funnel wobbled atop the narrow squeeze bottle, I filled even more mixture to the brim of the funnel.

Plop…

Plop…

Again, only a few drips hit the bottom of the bottle, but now, I was faced with a new dilemma. I had an egregiously full funnel with no other funnels to which I could upsize. I still had some mixture left in the bowl, but it would not fit in the funnel. The problem, of course, was not that the funnel was unable to hold everything I had poured into it, but that it would not let the contents out. How could I get the mixture into the bottle sitting on my counter so that I could fill the funnel again and continue filling all of the bottles? Holding the overfilled funnel atop the wobbly bottle and staring at my conundrum, the Holy Spirit brought a verse to my mind: Luke 6:38.

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

I carefully transferred holding the funnel and the bottle to one hand so that I could rummage in my silverware drawer for a spoon with the other. I began pressing the back of the spoon down on the mixture toward the spout of the funnel. The crema began to flow through into the bottle. It was not long before the funnel was almost empty.  I began to lift the funnel and tap it up and down against the bottle, hoping the last little bit would sift down into the container. Once I was done with one bottle, I moved onto the next. Pouring more mixture from the large mixing bowl into the funnel, I began pressing it down and shaking the mixture into the bottle. Soon, this seemingly easy task that had quickly turned into a perplexing challenge was finished. As I loaded the bottles into the refrigerator, I was thinking of what the Holy Spirit had given me during this process.

As Christians, we are constantly being filled by the Lord. He fills our funnels with rest, intelligence, ability, talent, money, and so much more. However, it is not just so that we can say our funnels are full. “Oh, look at my overfilled, wobbly funnel! Oh, aren’t I so special? I have a completely full, messy, wobbly funnel that is precariously balanced and ready for disaster!”

On the contrary, He instead fills us with these things because we are a conduit. He wants us to use these things to be a blessing to others. He quickened our hearts with the gospel because He wants us to share the gospel with someone else. He gives us money so that we can help meet the needs of others. He gives us the ability to learn so that we can teach others. He gives us talents so that we can bless others.

What good is an overfilled funnel if it is not being used to fill a bottle? Had the funnel not worked to fill the bottle, all of that delicious sriracha crema would have gone to waste. Our lives are nothing more than an overfilled, wasteful funnel if we are not using our lives to serve the Lord and others.

The most amazing part is that when the funnel is empty, the Lord fills it again. For with the same twelve ounces of sriracha crema that I dispensed out in the first bottle, it was measured to that funnel again. The first funnel only held a few ounces, but had it emptied into the bottle, it would have been filled with a few ounces again. However, since it did not prove itself useful, it was set aside in the sink, to be cleaned and prepared for the next task that it could perform. Once the large funnel, unsteadily overfilled to the brim and almost spilling over, was emptied, it was filled again, full enough to satisfy yet another bottle.

It may take some tapping, pressing, and shaking to fill that bottle. However, if God has given us a full funnel, there is no greater joy in the world than to fill an empty bottle and to let God fill the funnel again. At the end of the process, the great satisfaction came through the empty funnel to a refrigerator door stocked of full bottles of delicious sriracha crema. Let God fill you as full as possible so that you can empty all of his blessings and gifts into someone else, and then watch Him fill you again and again!

by Krystal Salm

Recently, my husband and I took our church teens to camp. He drove one van with all of the boys, and I drove another van with all of the girls. I decided to follow his van, not even bother putting the destination in my GPS. Along the way, I observed some things that were so similar to the journeys in our Christian lives that I felt were worth sharing.

As I traveled behind my husband, I found myself getting impatient and often questioning what he was doing. I wondered why he was slowing down or speeding up. I wondered why he would take certain roads. I knew the final destination but really had no idea how we were going to get there. I had to trust that my husband knew how to get there and to allow him to lead the way, even when I did not understand his decisions.

How similar this is to our Christian lives! We must trust that our Heavenly Father knows the path that we need to take, and we must allow Him to lead us. We will not always understand the way that He takes us. We may not know why He slows us down, speeds us up, or chooses to stop; however, we need to follow Him because He will take us to our final destination in perfect timing and safety.

At one point during our trip, I got really impatient and ended up ahead of my husband. I could not understand why he was not passing the slow vehicle in front of him. I made the decision to get in the other lane, thinking that he would get over in front of me. Then, we could both pass the slower vehicle. To my surprise, he did not move to the other lane, and I ended up passing him. This was a problem since I had no idea where I was going. I had to move back over and slow down so that my husband could get back in front and lead the way once again. How the Holy Spirit spoke to me in that moment. He reminded me that, when I get impatient in my Christian life and get “ahead” of God, it always ends up being a problem. I become confused and frustrated, and ultimately, I have to submit myself once again to God’s leading and directing. 

The Lord continued to speak to me throughout our trip. When several other vehicles got between me and my husband, I grew concerned. I could not see my husband and did not know where to go. What a great spiritual reminder that, when we let things come between us and the Lord, it is hard to see Him, possibly causing us to go the wrong direction. We must make sure not to let anything or anyone take our focus off of the Lord, never allowing anything get between us. The more distance between us and the Lord makes it more likely for us to lose our way. We must keep the path clear and stay close to Him.

I am so thankful for the lessons learned on this trip, both natural and spiritual. God has given husbands to lead the homes, pastors to lead the churches, and Himself to lead our lives. It is up to us to submit to that leadership and to follow. On our trip, my husband made the decisions he did because he could see things that I could not. He could see the traffic, stop signs, speed limits, and obstacles ahead, just like God can see what is ahead in our lives. We may not understand, or we may think we know better; however, those thoughts will only leave us frustrated, take us off of the path, and cause us harm. Let us remember what God said in Isaiah 55:8-9, 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. God truly knows best, so let us allow Him to lead our way.   

by Crystal Collingsworth

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. – Psalm 1:1-2

As I read this passage, I was drawn to that word delight. I have often heard the warning to watch my walk. I have been instructed many times to meditate on God’s Word, but I have not heard much about delighting in it.

Delight means “to give someone great pleasure or satisfaction.” God promises blessings to the one who does not just read and meditate on the Bible but also delights in His Law. Reading the Bible is not just about checking off a Christian chore list or getting daily instruction; it should be our delight.

Another familiar verse dealing with delight is Psalm 37:4, Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. We are told in other verses to serve the Lord, and we should. We are also told to honor the Lord, which is necessary. However, if we delight in Him, we will be fulfilling both of these commands––to serve and honor Him.

Psalm 37:11 tells us that the meek …shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. While many people may delight in the turmoil and chaos of gossip, the meek delight in the peace that comes from the Lord.

While the Bible gives many examples of those who delight in lies, scorning, cursing, war, and selfish living, let us model our way after Psalm 40:8, I delight to do that will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Like David, let us find great pleasure doing God’s will. We should carry God’s Word within our hearts so His instructions guide in everything we do.

The Bible also mentions several times that God delighted in His servant. Imagine bringing God so much satisfaction and pleasure in how you live for Him! Think of a father whose child scores a point for their team, and the whole crowd can hear him declare, “That’s my boy!”

What do you delight in? Do you delight in God’s Word, eagerly waiting for the next opportunity to read and pour over what He says? Do you get excited about doing God’s will, or has it just become another item to check off the to-do list? Do you delight in peace, or do you seek out drama or create problems to keep things “interesting?” Does your life bring delight to your Saviour?

Let us all determine to delight ourselves in the things of God so that He will delight in us also!

by Vicki Voorhis

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. – Proverbs 1:33

I cannot pinpoint exactly how many times I have read the first chapter of Proverbs in my Christian life, but every time I read it, I come away with something new. It is not exactly new, but I always find something that comforts my heart and is applicable for whatever is occurring in the world at that time.

Today, verse 33 jumped off of the page at me. God gives us two promises in this verse, but we need to do something before we can have access to these promises. It says, But whoso hearkeneth unto me… The concordance states that the word hearkeneth means “to hear intelligently, to listen, to hear with obedience.” Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines it as follows: “to give respectful attention, to listen without much mental comment, to give heed to.” Both of these sources give a clear and similar definition of the word.

That being clarified, the Bible is telling us in this verse that IF we listen intelligently, IF we listen and hear with obedience, IF we give respectful attention to, and IF we do not waste too much time thinking about what we are hearing from the Lord and we instead just HEED what He says, we will receive TWO promises. When God promises something, He follows through with it!

DWELL SAFELY

When I read these two words, a sudden peace comes over me. This means, literally, that we can abide in peace without a care in the world! The word safely in the concordance literally means “without a care in the world.” God is telling me, “I promise! If you will just listen and obey what I am telling you to do, you will have rest.”

So many of the insecurities we feel as Christians are due to the fact that we do not really listen or obey when God tells us to do something. We worry about everything nowadays. Worry is a sin for a Christian. God promises all throughout Scripture that He will watch out for and care for us, but we need to learn to HEARKEN unto His commands in order to have the peace that allows us to live and to dwell without a care in the world! When we learn to really listen, obey, and live the way God wants us to do so, then we will show the world and others a peace that maybe, someday, they will want to have as well.

QUIET FROM FEAR OF EVIL

There is so much evil taking place in the world today. It is very hard to go a day without seeing or hearing about it at some point. God promises us that we CAN be quiet and have rest, even amongst all of the craziness happening around us. If we stay in the Word and follow closely to God’s plan for our lives, we can find peace!

It is so easy to let ourselves get caught up in all of the evil things happening today and to let them weigh us down and dampen our spirits. To be honest, I do not like to watch or listen to much of the news today. I laugh sometimes because I feel as though I am literally the one who is the last to know about events that are taking place! I do not do it to be ignorant or oblivious to what is occurring. I do it because I want to be quiet from all of the calamity, hurt, and distress out there.

Instead, I choose to start each day with the Lord, in the quietness of my living room, reading my Bible and listening to God. When I do that, I start my day safely, quieted from the fear of evil. My days are never completely free from the stress of life, but listening to God’s voice early each day brings me the promise of safety, refuge, and peace!

by April Hernandez

Matthew 4:18-22 – And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

Jesus started off with the command, …Follow me,… He saw Peter and Andrew first. They responded with an action: …straightway left their nets, and followed him. Then we see later on that Jesus saw two other brethren, James and John. They also responded with an action: …they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. What has always caught my attention while reading these verses was how quickly the disciples were to listen and follow Jesus. They went to work as they did every other day, but this time it was a day that would change their lives forever because Jesus walked by them!

They were merely normal people doing a normal job. They may have even gotten up that day and said something such as, “Back to the grind!” They knew they had a job to do, and they were probably good at it and comfortable in their work. As soon as Jesus walked by and said, …Follow me,… those men …straightway left their nets,… The other men …immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. The dictionary defines straightway as “immediately.”

I often think of how many times we as ladies go about our days saying, “Back to grind.” Whether going to work at a job or working in the home, we all can be guilty of this. We may find ourselves caught up to our necks and trying to come up for air between doing laundry and dishes, making countless appointments on the phone, or just going through the busyness of the day-to-day. Instead of spending time in prayer and in our Bibles, we spend it catching up on all of these things. I understand how tempting this is when my children are asleep finally! However, we need to just take the time to spend those quiet moments with God, even if we must lock ourselves in the bathroom for five minutes, (yes, I have done this) just to talk to Him.

The disciples dropped everything they ever knew, and immediately followed Him. We should not put off the Lord for one more pile of laundry to fold, one more dish to wash, or one more call to make. I can say from experience, the laundry will always be there; the dishes are never-ending, and the phone calls are nonstop.

In our family, we sometimes will go for a random car ride just to get out of the house, and I tell my children, “Let’s get in the car.” They usually respond with, “Where are we going?” or “Can we get lunch?” or “When are we coming back home?” The Bible never says anything about the disciples asking Jesus any questions in these verses. They showed immediate trust and obedience in their reactions. Jesus said, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. He gave the disciples a promise of making them fishers of men if they would just follow Him.

Just as Jesus spoke to those disciples that day during their normal workday, He also wants us to follow Him and spend time with Him. He has a promise for us: He will make us fishers of men as well. Getting caught up on laundry and having an empty sink has never saved a soul from Hell. However, following Jesus and spending time with Him and in His Word will teach us to have a stronger testimony, to grow to have a better walk with Him, and even to prepare us to be fishers of men.

With simple obedience and no questions asked, let us just follow Jesus!

by Mandy Harper

It was not the best of days. My son had come home with yet another discipline notice from school. He had not finished his work (or even attempted to). He was in a bad mood all evening. I was upset with him and honestly felt that I was a failure as a mother because my child was in trouble, and I thought he should have known better. Because we had church that evening, we ate dinner as quickly as humanly possible and piled into the car. Our pastor was preaching about faith once again. That night, he had us turn to Philippians 1. He preached about many different things, but I was captivated by verse 6, which says, Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

I was reminded that God had begun a good work in my son. See, just last year, he asked me to show him how to get saved. Actually, he asked me, and asked me, and asked me (about five times in the space of an hour and a half) and just would not let it go! I sat at our kitchen table after lunch and showed him verses from the Bible about how he was a sinner. When asked if he was, he replied, “Of course!” Then I showed him the verses about Jesus dying on the cross for him, and he prayed and asked Jesus to come into his heart.

At that time, God really began to work in his heart, and it was evident. My son was by no means perfect (see story above), but he was a different child. He wanted to witness to everyone he met and handed out tracts all of the time; however, God isn’t finished with him. He is continuing to shape him and mold him into the image of Jesus Christ.

He is not finished with me (or you) either. He continues to shape us and mold us. Romans 8:29 tells us, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. God has predetermined that we will be in the image of Jesus Christ, but we are a work in progress. He will continue to perform this reshaping and remolding until the day He returns or calls us home. He is not finished with us, and He is not finished with those around us either. Maybe we would have a little more compassion toward others if we would realize that they, like us, are a work in progress!

by Vicki Voorhis

Genesis 8

I am reading through my Bible again and am currently in the book of Genesis. There are so many good lessons to learn from this wonderful book, but as I read chapter 8 this morning, I was reminded of a few things that have helped me during the deep valleys of my life.

God will not forget me.

Genesis 8:1 – And God remembered Noah…

In chapter 8, we find Noah and his family coming to the end of their 40 days and 40 nights in the ark. The rain has stopped, and the storm has passed. The first verse of this chapter teaches us a beautiful lesson in just the first four words. Great comfort is found in this verse. As I read it, I was impressed with the fact that God will not forget me, even when I am walking through the darkest valley of my life. Even when I do not understand all that He is doing; even when I do not know how to take the next step; even when I cannot see the way out, God will bring me through it all. He sees me and remembers me.

Every day will get better.

Genesis 8:5 – And the waters decreased continually…

One never knows what to expect after going through a storm or a deep valley in life. Things can be so uncertain and scary. I cannot imagine how Noah and his family must have felt as they waited for the exact moment to open the window of the ark and then to see that the rain had finally stopped! What a relief they must have felt!

If the truth be told, though, we rarely can tell how things will turn out in the aftermath of a storm while we are in it. However, of one thing we can be certain: every day will get better. One day at a time, putting one foot in front of the other and doing one thing at a time, things will get back to normal again.

Losing a spouse due to illness or a tragic event or coming out on the other side of an unexpected diagnosis is never easy. No one just bounces back up to do what she has always done without feeling the loss or pain. Grief is inevitable, but God promises us that life will get better.

Recovery takes time.

Genesis 8:11 – And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

In the verses prior to this, Noah waited yet another 40 days before sending out a raven to scan the earth, but all it did was go …to and fro… Then Noah sent out a dove, but she also found no place to rest and returned to the ark. After seven days, he sent out the dove again. This time, she came back with an olive leaf in her beak! Noah now knew that the waters had abated, or dried up. After waiting yet another seven days, he knew it was time to open the door of the ark.

Each person, after going through a trial, eventually will find their way to a new normal. For some people, it may take days; for others, it may take weeks, months, or years. It may seem like an eternity to get to a place of recovery, but when the storm is over and the flood waters recede, we will know that it is okay to live again.

Stop and thank the Lord.

In Genesis 8:20-21 – And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour…

This truth may be the most important thing God taught me from this chapter. When God brings us through a trial, it is imperative to take the time to stop and thank Him for His deliverance. Only God can bring us out of a deep valley. When He does, we need to acknowledge Him and thank Him for His divine protection and guidance. Grief is normal and necessary; do not be afraid or ashamed to shed tears. However, spend some time with family or alone just praising the Lord for His goodness, even in the midst of the storm.

One day, the flood will be over, and you will walk out on dry ground, knowing God’s grace has brought you there to stand in the sunshine once again!

by April Hernandez

Three days and three nights had come and gone. Her world had just been rocked off of its axis, and her life’s focus was gone. She followed Jesus since the day He had cast out the seven devils from her (Luke 8) and had changed her life forever. She watched people who should have been on the side of Jesus mock Him, saw the Romans beat Him, and then witnessed them crucify Him. She had been there to see the devastation take place (Matthew 27), and she watched as His body was buried in Joseph of Arimathaea’s own tomb. She observed as the stone was rolled into place, blocking the door. Jesus was dead and buried in a cold tomb. Where would she go from here? Life as she knew it since the day He had transformed her was once again changed forever, and she was devastated.

Mentioned nineteen times in the Gospels, Mary Magdalene was a follower of Jesus! The Bible says that she and her women friends …followed him, and ministered unto him;)… (Mark 15:41). She did not need a t-shirt or even a social media bio to tell the world that she was His greatest fan. She had always been there when He was there. She had served alongside of others who served in His name. In fact, fourteen of the nineteen times she is mentioned, she was found serving Jesus with other women. Jesus had given her a new life, and she had given that life to serve her Saviour.

That early morning, she could no longer stand by with nothing to do. How much she was like us ladies! In the midst of a crisis, many of us find comfort in helping others in need! Mary got her lady friends together and coordinated an effort to go to the tomb and anoint His body with spices. I can imagine they knew the promises of Jesus; they all knew He would live again, but perhaps the details were unclear. Perhaps the devastation they had witnessed—Jesus being crucified, the sky going black at midday, the earth quaking, the graves opening, the soldiers rolling a giant stone in front of the tomb—had made them waver on the belief that He would live again.

Imagine the surprise and the wonder they experienced upon seeing the stone rolled away and a shining angel telling them that Jesus lives! Imagine the breathless wonder of running down the path out of the garden with hearts pounding, and reaching the disciples with the words bursting forth, “HE IS RISEN!” Oh, to have been in that place on that unbelievable morning must have been incredible! How amazing it would have been to be the first to share the finale of the greatest story ever told and to go from a devastated ending to a glorious beginning in one monumental morning!

However, for Mary Magdalene, the story hardly ends there. After Peter and John ran to the garden and saw for themselves the empty tomb (John 20), they left Mary alone there in her confusion. I imagine her grief once again overwhelmed her as she stood there, now with not even His body to anoint. She bent and looked into the empty tomb with tears wet on her cheeks. There sat not Jesus but two angels who asked why she was crying. She explained that someone had taken His body; her mind was still not wrapped around the idea that He had risen.

How much like us she was! She knew the promises. The angels had explained where He had gone; but she remained unsure of whether or not the goodness of God could really be true. Even moments later when Jesus asked her why she was crying, she was so consumed in a cacophony of emotions, as we women so easily are, that she thought He was someone else. She did not even realize that He was the Person to Whom she had dedicated this new life of hers.

However, it was then that He said her name! He said just one word—just four small letters. Perhaps, the love in His words or the supernatural tone of the voice of the Son of God snapped her heart and mind back. He said her name, and it was then that she really SAW JESUS!

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. – John 20:16

Mary’s devastation transformed into delight! Her grief turned into gratefulness! Her worry changed to worship! Her sorrow was wiped away by her Saviour! Once again, her life was changed by her Saviour, Jesus Christ!

I do not know the reason why Jesus in His risen body chose to appear first to Mary Magdalene. I would like to think that Jesus rewarded her because of her undying loyalty, her servitude in the shadows, and her life of dedication by showing Himself to her before He appeared to any of His other disciples or followers. She was a lady who once had been possessed by devils; she had no wealth and no earthly goods that we know of; and we do not read of her having any talents. She had just one simple life to give to Jesus Christ, and it was a once-broken, now-repaired life.

Oh, what a Saviour we get to serve! He takes our broken pieces, lovingly puts them together, and sees them as new! He takes our lack of talent, wealth, or pedigree, and makes us a new creature in Him! Regardless of where we are in life, I hope that each of us takes time often to reflect on how inadequate we are and then praise God for sending His Son to make us perfect in Him! Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

by Tracie S. Burns

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. – Daniel 6:3

If anyone’s bitterness and complaining could be justified, it could be Daniel’s. As a child, he was taken from his home, country, and family, never to see them again. He lived in a heathen land and was subjected to heathen practices, personal persecution, and unjust judgment; yet …neither was there any error or fault found in him. (Daniel 6:4)

To understand how Daniel could have an excellent spirit in these circumstances, it is necessary to look in the book of Proverbs to determine what contributes to an excellent spirit and what happens when we have the opposite of an excellent spirit, a broken spirit. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 17:20-23 what makes a broken spirit, He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.

From these verses, we can observe the elements of broken spirit:

• A froward (disobedient, rebellious, discontented) heart (vs 20)
• A perverse (complaining, gossiping, backbiting) tongue (vs 20)
• Foolishness (one who rejects the wisdom of God–vs 21)
• Perverting the ways of judgment (this means one who manipulates his authorities or those around him–vs 23)

These elements of a broken spirit are also the things alluded to in verse 22, which …drieth the bones. Therefore, how do we, instead of a broken spirit, develop an excellent spirit?

The first prerequisite for having an excellent spirit is obeying.

Numbers 14:24 says, But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. Caleb was spared judgment because of his obedience. His children were preserved because of his obedience. Time and again throughout Scripture, God commands obedience, and He gives us copious examples of those who were destroyed because of disobedience.

Our intentions or sincerity matter little if we are unwilling to obey the commands we know God has given us. With today’s prevalent philosophy of “the end justifies the means,” it is crucial to never violate a known, explicit command of God found in scripture in order to achieve something we have decided is “good.” The other ten spies tried to justify why they wanted to disobey God’s command to possess the Promised Land, but Caleb and his lineage were blessed because Caleb chose to obey. God honors a spirit of obedience. If we will be faithful to obey, we will be much closer to having an excellent spirit, instead of a broken one.

The second requirement for having an excellent spirit is rejoicing.

Philippians 4:4 says, Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. In whatever our rejoicing lies, therein is our joy. When we base our happiness or joy on anything other than God, that happiness is fleeting. Our circumstances, attachments, relationships, and responsibilities will change drastically throughout the course of our lifetimes. Sometimes, it happens gradually, and sometimes, it happens abruptly and unexpectedly. One thing that never changes is God. We can always be joyful when our rejoicing is in Him.

Joel 2:13 reminds us that God …is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness,… How can the human mind even attempt to describe or comprehend the goodness of God? He has given us the gift of life. He has purchased redemption for all mankind through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Every good thing comes from Him, and this verse is just another reminder to us that God is gracious, meaning: “favorable; kind; benevolent; merciful; disposed to forgive offenses and impart unmerited blessings.” He is merciful, meaning: “compassionate; tender; unwilling to give pain; not cruel.”

He also is slow to anger. With children of my own and having been a teacher, I am humbled when I consider how often I must exasperate God, much like small children often have tested my patience. However, unlike me, God does not lose His temper. He is long-suffering. He wants to provide every possible opportunity for man to be restored to Him before judgment is passed.

Another characteristic of God is kindness, which means,“good will; benevolence; that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; benignity of nature.” Just look at that definition! He delights in our happiness. He cheerfully gratifies our wishes. He wants to supply our wants. He desires to alleviate our distresses. Even more, the Bible says He is …of great kindness,…

God is often painted as a dictator or a cruel tyrant who lords over the pathetic race of humanity, gleefully or maliciously pouring out suffering and pain on His creation. However, the Bible paints the portrait of God in stark contrast to how Satan would have man to perceive Him. Any person who is honest cannot deny God’s goodness; but the beautiful and wonderful thing about God is that He is good, whether we recognize Him to be or not. If we will be faithful to rejoice in Him, we can have joy. This will require taking time to meditate on scripture and on God’s attributes, as well as developing our relationship and closeness with Him through prayer. This is imperative, because rejoicing in Him will help us avoid a broken spirit and will cause us to be that much closer to having an excellent spirit.

The third component to having an excellent spirit is trusting.

Proverbs 3:5-7 says, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. This passage is probably rather familiar to most Christians; however, the older I get the harder it is to live these verses. When we do not understand, we should trust God. When living our lives and making decisions, we should trust God. When tempted to trust our own wisdom, we should trust God. When enticed to disobey and think God will overlook it this time, we should trust God. When tempted to associate with or participate in evil, we should trust God. Having an excellent spirit requires us to trust God. We must trust that He means what He says, that He keeps His promises, and that He is in control, working …all things together for good… It is impossible to have an excellent spirit, to obey, or to rejoice without trusting God.

The final step to having an excellent spirit is submitting.

Joel 2:12-13says, Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: Is it possible to obey without submitting? Yes! In fact, in Bible times, the act of rending one’s garments was a public display of remorse, humility, or sorrow. God was telling the Israelites in Joel, and us too, that public displays mean very little when our hearts are still prideful and hard.

We can do what we are supposed to do, wear what we are supposed to wear, go where we are supposed to go, and say what we are supposed to say; but we can do so without having a submissive heart. God reprimanded the Pharisees for portraying the ultimate example of “spirituality” on the outside, while being unclean, prideful, and rotting on the inside. Obeying, rejoicing, and trusting are really important to having an excellent spirit; but submitting is the glue that holds it all together.

Submission is the reason that, when the pressure was applied, Daniel stood firmly and unwavering in the face of terrifying consequences. Because he submitted to God, He was able to submit to the other authorities in his life as God commanded, yet he still stood firmly in the face of opposition when those same authorities required that he disobey God. We will be much more capable of obeying, rejoicing, trusting, and ultimately possessing an excellent spirit when we yield our hearts in submission to the commands God has given, knowing that …the LORD looketh on the heart.

by Bethany French

II Corinthians 1:4 – Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Growing up, I lived where I was only a seven-minute drive from my grandparents’ house. My sister and I went there every day after school and many times during summers. My grandma would always make us snacks after school, and sometimes we would help her bake sugar cookies. In that huge back yard, we played baseball and flew homemade kites. At eight years of age, I even learned how to drive my grandpa’s pickup truck. (I may have even hit a few things while “driving!”) Since her house was our first stop after school, grandma also helped us do our homework. As she helped us through each assignment, I remember thinking, “Wow! How do you know all of these things?!” Many times, I walked into the house from playing outside, and there, in the living room, she would be reading her Bible. Over the years I went to her with many a problem or question, and she would always approach life so positively in her advice.

In the fall of 2010, my grandma was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. It was untreatable and inoperable. The doctors recommended radiation only to keep her comfortable for what life remained for her, giving her an estimate of four to six months to live. In the spring of 2011, my grandma went home to be with the Lord.

In the fall of 2014, I got a call from my mom and, after hearing something in her voice, I knew something was wrong. As she continued to talk, that word cancer came ringing back into my ear. As I hung up the phone, I fell to the floor and just started to cry. I had no words, only devastating sorrow. “My mom has cancer, but she can’t! She’s only fifty-two!” I said to myself. I prayed and asked God, “Why? We just went through my grandma’s cancer and are still trying to get over her death.” This was a massive blow to the heart. My mom, the strongest lady I knew, had cancer. In the spring of 2016, after a long battle, my mom went home to be with Lord.

The Bible tells us, …that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. At the time of going through these heartaches, I did not see the good in it. Now I see that going through heartache with my grandma helped to prepare me to go through the heartache with my mom. Going through the heartache with my mom helped me to lean on the Lord, and I know it helped me to grow as a Christian. When we go through a loss, a trial, or a tribulation, we can actually learn from it and be a comfort to those around us. Our heartaches may just be what helps others. If they see us go through whatever it is, that can be what gives them hope. That can be what pushes them to keep going. It is a comfort to them to see that we made it. We made it because God gave us comfort in our personal tribulations, troubles, and trials.

We must let God comfort us through the trials so we can be a comfort to others in their trials.

by Mandy Harper

I was looking at a list of geography trivia questions recently and was embarrassed to realize just how few answers I knew. The capital of Somalia, the main river of Australia, the sea between the Scandinavian Peninsula and the British Isles—all of these once well-known facts had slipped right out of my mind! I am sure there were many things on which I could have blamed my poor memory, but I knew the real reason. It had been many years since I had taught Geography; thus, many years since I had studied it. Without the constant repetition that teaching a subject requires, I had forgotten material that had once seemed ingrained in my brain.

Sadly, the same thing can happen with the Scriptures. Hebrews 5:12-14 tells us, For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. This passage reminds us that if we are to be mature Christians, we must be teaching others. Teaching requires the studying of God’s Word; therefore, without both of these, it is easy to revert to spiritual infanthood.

I ask you today: Who are you teaching right now? Are you teaching your own children, a new convert, a Sunday school class, or a younger Christian?

While there are many benefits of teaching, including keeping Scripture fresh in our minds, here are a few to remind us why it is so important to keep teaching:

Teaching applies pressure.

It is much harder to skip church when we know a new convert is depending on us to save them a seat. It is much harder to skip our Bible memorization if we know our children are waiting on us to review with them. It is much harder to backslide if we know our entire Sunday school class will see it. We all need pressure in our spiritual lives to force us to grow.

Teaching enables others to learn.

Think of the Ethiopian eunuch stating, …How can I, except some man should guide me?… God has placed people in our lives who will not reach their spiritual potential unless we fulfill our responsibility to guide them.

Teaching keeps us humble.

During my time as a teacher, I cannot count the number of typos that I caught while in the middle of giving notes, the times I mispronounced a common word, or the instances in which I made some other public, humiliating mistake. One cannot be a teacher for long without learning humility. The same is true for spiritual teaching: the Holy Spirit shows all our own flaws, mistakes, and shortcomings.

Teaching makes us appreciate the Bible more.

It amazes me how much more I pay attention to the Scripture when I am reading to find something to share with someone else. The promises and principles come alive, and I am awash with thankfulness at how God has worked them out in my life. The story of David and Goliath never seems so real as when I see the widened eyes of my young son as he hears the story for the first time.

Does your Bible reading seem stale to you? Is your Bible memorization rusty? Have you become stagnant in your Christian life? If it is, then you, my friend, may need to start teaching again.

by Abigail Medford