HE’s ALWAYS WATCHING

Psalm 34

The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy. Psalm 33:18

Marcie (not her real name) had broken up with her boyfriend, and now he was harassing her. He followed her, stared at her, and intimidated her in subtle ways. She avoided him as much as she could.

One place she could not escape his gaze was at football games, because she was a cheerleader. During one game, he stood at field level right in front of the cheerleading squad and stared at her as she did her routines. Her mom and stepdad, sitting in the stands, saw him there and realized that she was getting more and more afraid.

At  a break, she ran into the stands, her eyes filled with panic. “Do you see him over there?” she blurted out. “Yes, I do,” her stepdad said. “I’m watching, and I will not take my eyes off you.” Relieved that he saw what was going on and understood how she was feeling, Marcie calmed down and went back to her station.

One of the wonderful joys of being a believer in Jesus is knowning that our Father in heaven is always watching over us. The promise expressed by David in today’s psalm applies to us wherever we go. Whatever confronts us, the “eyes of the Lord” are on us and His ears “are open to [our] cry” (Psalm 34:15).

We are never out of God’s sight. —dave egner

How wonderful to know that He who watches from above will always keep us sheltered in His ever-present love. —king

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. —martin

MORE JOY IN HEAVEN

Luke 15:4-7

There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:7

I dreaded the idea of attending a memorial service for an old friend. Fred had rejected the need for Jesus in his life, and because of that I sure he was lost forever.

Yet Fred’s many friendships had included followers of Jesus. At the service, as one of those friends spoke of a conversation he had in Fred’s last months, my eyes filled with tears.

Fred had asked him, “Do you think I’ll go to heaven?” The friend had honestly replied, “No, Fred, I don’t think so.” As they talked, Fred’s wall of resistance began to fall, and he said, “Phillip, I believe that what the Bible says is true.” After a lifetime of rejecting the free gift of salvation, Fred finally accepted Jesus as his Savior.

With happy tears, I thought about the verse: “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over nintey-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). Jesus and the angels were rejoicing with me.

As Fred had requested, we stood and sang, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!” To my friend, those familiar words had become a personal reality.

Let’s bring more joy to heaven by spreading the good news: Jesus loves us — this we know! —cindy hess kasper

The great God who made the heavens, keeps the stars within their bound, still rejoices with His angels when a poor lost soul is found! —bosch

All heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents.

WHAT’s IN YOUR MOUTH?

Psalm 126

They said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” Psalm 126:2

Communications experts tell us that the average person speaks enough to fill 20 single-spaced, type-written pages every day. This means our mouths crank out enough words to fill 2 books of 300 pages each month, 24 books each year, and 1,200 books in 50 years of speaking. Thanks to phones, voicemail, and face-to-face conversations, words comprise a large of part of our lives. So the kinds of words we use are important.

The psalmist’s mouth was filled with praise when he wrote Psalm 126. The Lord had done great things for him and his people. Even the nations around them noticed. Remembering God’s blessings, he said, “Our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing” (verse 2).

What words would you have used in verse 3 had you been writing this psalm? So often, our attitude may seem to be: “The Lord has done great things for me, and I —

. . .can’t recall any of them right now.”

. . .am wondering what He’ll do for me next.”

. . .need much more.”

Or can you finish it by saying, “And I am praising and thanking Him for His goodnenss”? As you recall God’s blessings today, express your words of praise to Him. —anne cetas

When my thoughts and the Word are in one accord, then the words of my mouth honor Christ my Lord. —hess

Let no thought linger in your mind that you would be ashamed to let out of your mouth.

FROM AWE TO ADORATION

Revelation 1:9-18

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. Psalm 9:1

What’s the greatest activity we can spend time doing? Worshiping God! Worship is not repeating hasty, routine petitions or listening to mood-inducing music. Worship is the experience of being “lost in wonder, love, and praise,” as Charles Wesley wrote. It’s awe that inspires adoration.

My first sight of the Grand Canyon left me speechless. The friend who had driven me there appreciated my reaction and stood silent beside me. I gazed in awe at this magnificent spectacle and thought, This is a glimpse of God’s majesty. But my awe, by itself, was not worship.

My reaction is different when I come face to face with Jesus in the Scriptures. Awe changes into adoration as I behold Him in all His beauty. What grips my soul? His unsullied purity: “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46). His unrivaled wisdom: “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46). His unbounded pity: “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion” (Matthew 9:36). And His overwhelming majesty: “He was transfigured before them” (Matthew 17:2).

As I see Jesus in the Gospels, my awe changes to adoration. I bow in worship and exclaim with Thomas: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). —vernon grounds

Behold Him there! The risen Lamb! My perfect, spotless righteousness; the great, unchangeable I AM, the King of glory and of grace. —bancroft

True worship of Christ changes admiration into adoration.

GOOD OUT OF EVIL

Romans 8:18-28

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

The events of life can challenge our trust in the Scriptures. Romans 8:28 teaches that God can bring good out of “all things.” But in August 2004 “all things” seemed hard to fathom. Some longtime friends of mine contacted me and others asking prayer for their son and his fiancee who were missing. It was so out of character for Jason and Lindsay that we feared the worst. Several days later, their murdered bodies were found, just 2 weeks before their wedding.

In those troubling days, “all things” seemed incapable of including such a senseless act. Yet the victims’ families were amazing in their resolve to trust Jesus Christ, reaffirming their confidence that God would graciously bring good out of great evil.

In the following months, incredible stories began to roll in. Through letters, email, and phone calls, we heard of people who had seen the families’ example in the media coverage and had come to Christ. Eternal destinies had been changed and lives had been won through the testimonies of Jason and Lindsay and their families.

Nothing could ever justify these murders or replace precious lives cut short. But we are drawn again to hope, for we see God’s ability to bring good out of evil. —bill crowder

We comprehend Him not, yet earth and heaven tell God sits as sovereign on the throne and ruleth all things well. —gerhardt

God can turn tragedy into triumph.

WHAT NOW?

2 Chronicles 20:1-17

We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You. 2 Chronicles 20:12

During the years that I taught junior high students in an over-crowded school, I used to say (only slightly in jest) that my morning prayer was in 2 Chronicles 20:12 — “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

When Judah’s King Jehoshaphat spoke those words, it was a matter of life and death. As a coalition of armies marched against Jerusalem, the people of Judah gathered to seek God’s guidance and help (verse 13).

During threatening times of disruption and change, we need to ask, “Lord, what do You want to do with this moment?” And like King Jehoshaphat, we should begin our prayer with praise to our sovereign and powerful Father in heaven (verses 5-9).

God told the king and his people: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed . . . , for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. . . . The Lord is with you” (verses 15-17).

In stressful, confusing situations, we might ask a worried “What now?” But if we look to the Lord and trust in His care, our fear will be replaced with peace. —david mccasland

O Lord, whenever we’re afraid, we’ll put our trust in You to lead, protect, and guide our way, and help us make it through. —sper

Faith ends where worry begins, and worry ends where faith begins.

LOSING TO GAIN

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6

On my father’s farm were certain fields he sowed by hand. He would strap on a canvas contraption that looked somewhat like a kangaroo pouch, fill it with seed, and go out to sow. He would cast seed everywhere.

When a farmer sows seed in his field, it looks like he’s throwing it away. It seems to be lost, but it isn’t really gone. In due time he gets it back — with much more besides.

When we give ourselves to Christ, it may seem to people as if we’re throwing our life away. But He said that it is only as we lose our lives in Him that we find true life (Matthew 10:39).

Jesus teaches us to measure our lives by losses rather than gains, by sacrifices rather than self-preservation, by time spent for others rather than time lavished upon ourselves, by love poured out rather than loved poured in.

It’s a rule of life: God blesses those who give of  their lives and resources (2 Corinthians 9:6). Give out the truth you know, and He’ll give you more to give away. Give your time, and you’ll have more time to give. Set no limit on your love, and you’ll have more love for others than before.

Israel’s wise man said, “There is one who scatters, yet increases more” (Proverbs 11:24). It’s one of the oldest paradoxes in the world, but it works. —david roper

We lose what on ourselves we spend; we have as treasure without end whatever, Lord, to You we lend, who givest all. —wordsworth

When you grasp, you lose; when you give to God, you gain.

HURRY SICKNESS

Philippians 3:7-16

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on. Philippians 3:12

“Hurry up!” “We’re late!” “You’re too slow!” How often do impatient words crop up in our speech, revealing our fast-paced life? If we’re not careful, we become people living in the fast lane, demanding quick arrivals and instant results. Stress experts call this “hurry sickness.”

In Philippians 3,  the apostle Paul’s testimony of lifelong growth reminds us that Christian maturity can be encouraged but not hurried. In his book Overcomers Through the Cross, Paul Billheimer says that just as God takes time to make an oak tree, He takes time to make a saint. Christian growth is a life-long process.

Billheimer writes, “An unripe apple is not fit to eat, but we should not therefore condemn it. It is not yet ready for eating because God is not done making it. It is a phase of its career and good in its place.”

Are you feeling impatient over your spiritual growth? Remember, God is not finished with you — nor does He expect to be until He calls you home. Make sure that your goal is to know Christ and to become more like Him. Then slowly but surely, under blue skies and stormy, He will bring you to maturity. It’s His sure cure for “hurry sickness.” —joanie yoder

O God, make me one of those rarest souls who willingly wait for Thy time; my impatient will must be lost in Thine own, and Thy will forever be mine. —bowser

There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity.

BE AN EXAMPLE

1 Timothy 4:12-16

Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

A high school senior honored as one of the “Best & Brightest” in our community has provided a forceful demonstration of integrity. When his school team was given the word auditorium in a regional spelling bee, Brady Davis glanced down to ponder his response and noticed that the word was printed on the microphone stand. He called this to the attention of the judges who responded with a more difficult word. Brady did what he knew was right whether others noticed or not.

We don’t know when our actions might become an example to others. But if we live each day to honor Jesus, our behavior will model His righteousness, no matter who is watching.

Idealism and enthusiasm are often best expressed by the young. But uprightness and  honor should be goals for Christians of every age. Paul told his young protege Timothy: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

Brady Davis says his goal in life is to change the world around him while never compromising himself. We would do well to join him in that pursuit of life, integrity, and exemplary behavior. —david mccasland

I would be true, for there are those who trust me; I would  be pure, for there are those who care. I would be strong, for there is much to suffer; I would be brave, for there is much to dare. —walter

A good example always makes a good sermon.

TEMPORARY . . .

1 Peter 1:3-9

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials. 1 Peter 1:6

Some things we accomplish in life require intense commitment for a short time — and the result has lifelong value.

Think, for instance, of people who earn a doctorate in their chosen field. Those diligent people set aside other goals and dedicate their time, money, skills, and hard work for a period of time so they can achieve something that in 50 years will still be attached to their names. Temporary intense effort results in a lifetime of honor.

In 1 Peter, the apostle described an exchange of tough times for good results. In this case, Peter was not talking about formal education, though we could call it the school of hard knocks. He was writing about the temporary tough times that come into our lives even though we haven’t chosen them, and he indicated that they can have lasting benefit. We rejoice during our trials, not for the trial itself but for the coming glory and honor, which is permanent.

Tough times can bring pain and sadness — and they don’t seem to promise any good news at all. But Peter told us to “greatly rejoice” in them (1 Peter 1:6-7). He wanted us to look ahead to the forever joy that is promised — a joy that will help us understand the temporary tough times. —dave branon

Be this the purpose of my soul, my solemn, my determined choice: to yield to God’s supreme control, and in my every trial rejoice. —anon

We can endure this life’s trials because of the next life’s joys.