A HOLE IN THE HEAD

Hebrews 12:1-6

Consider Him who endured. Hebrews 12:3

Private Raymond Cote was in Germany with the 12th Infantry after World War II. During maneuvers, he was put on sentry duty to guard some pontoons on the banks of the Rhine. Because of an oversight, he was not relieved for 6 days. He knew the general order that states: “To quit my post only when properly relieved.” So he stayed on duty day and night even when it rained heavily. Sympathetic farmers gave him food and milk. When he finally was relieved and got back to his outfit, his commanding officer praised his “strong sense of duty.” But some of his buddies wise-cracked that Cote had “a hole in his head.”

Followers of the Savior also need a strong determination to carry out faithfully whatever duty the Commanding Officer may assign. It may involve much discomfort, perhaps causing people to regard us as having a hole in the head. But our faithful Commander, whose head was lacerated by a crown of thorns, also  had holes in His hands, feet, and side because He did His Father’s will.

What will strengthen us to remain faithful when tempted to quit some God-assigned post before our Lord properly relieves us? It is the thought of “Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3). —vcg

I would be true, for there are those who trust me; I would be purse, 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

To remain faithful where God has placed you, give God first place in your heart.

SOMEONE TO HOLD ON TO

Psalm 91

He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in Him I will trust. Psalm 91:2

In his book The Fisherman and His Friends, Louis Albert banks tells of two men who were assigned to stand watch on a ship out of sea. During the night the waves from a raging storm washed one of them overboard. The sailor who drowned had been in the most sheltered place, while the one who survived was more exposed to the elements. What made the difference? The man who was lost had nothing to hold on to.

What a picture of the way some people are affected by the trials of life! When life is peaceful, they seem very self-sufficient, but when the going gets rough they are swept off their feet. Because they have refused God’s help and have nothing to hold on to, they are easily overwhelmed.

Christians who cling to the Lord, however, can weather the fiercest storms of adversity. They are often heard to say, “I don’t know what I would do without the Lord.” They know that the heavenly Father is always with them to strengthen, guard, and protect them.

Yes, Christians do have Someone they can rely on in every circumstance of life. Every Christian can say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” —rwd

He cannot fail, your faithful God, He’ll guard you with His mighty power; then fear no ill, though troubles rise, His help is sure from hour to hour. —hgb

God has not promised to keep us from life’s storms, but to keep us through them.

HE DID IT

2 Timothy 2:1-10

The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2

At the memorial service for LeRoy Eims, longtime staff member with The Navigators, I pondered why hundreds of colleagues and friends had come from across the US to pay tribute. Why did so many people love him so deeply?

As a young Christ, LeRoy had been challenged to disciple others one on one. He took seriously Paul’s charge to Timothy: “The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). LeRoy embraced that clear, simple command of Scripture and practiced it faithfully for more than 50 years.

Scores of people who packed the church that afternoon had lived in LeRoy and Virigina Eims’ home. They had been embraced, encouraged, and instructed by him. As his spiritual children, they had multiplied his ministry by investing themselves in others, just as he had in them.

One sentence in a written tribute captured the essence of the man: “His life was characterized by singleness of purpose, great creativity and a wonderful sense of humor.”

LeRoy’s example spurs us on to a lifetime of faithfully following the Lord. He did it! And by God’s grace, so can we. —david mccasland

It is in loving — not in being loved — the heart is blessed; it is in giving — not in seeking gifts — we find our quest. —anon

You can teach more with your life than with your lips.

DOING WHAT WE CAN

1 Corinthians 3:5-15

He who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward. 1 Corinthians 3:8

Sometimes we may get discouraged because what we’re doing for the Lord seems unsuccessful. The children in the Sunday school class we teach are restless and inattentive. The neighbors we’re trying to reach with the gospel are politely indifferent. The members of our own family are far from the Lord. The world we lift up to God in fervent intercession grows increasingly violent and anti-Christian. All of this can add up to deep soul-discouragement.

Listen to the words of a Salvadoran clergyman who was murdered for his fearless denunciation of violence and injustice. He wrote: “We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. . . . We cannot do everything, and there’s a sense of liberation in realizing that.” This attitude helps us to do small things and to leave “an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.”

That agrees with the apostle Paul’s encouragement to be faithful in our tasks and to wait on God who “gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

Don’t allow discouragement to cause you to quit. In God’s own time our work will bear fruit. —vernon grounds

Go, labor on, spend, and be spent, Thy joy to do Thy Father’s will; it is the way the Master went; should not the servant tread it still? —bonar

You are a success in God’s kingdom if you are faithful where He has placed you.

STAYING IN TUNE

1 John 1:1-2, 1 John 2

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us. 1 John 1:9

Years ago, a radio station received a letter from a shepherd who lived on an isolated ranch in the western part of the United States. Never before had the station received such an unusual request. It read, “Will you please strike ‘A’ on the piano in your studio? I am far from a piano, and the only comfort I have is my fiddle. Just now it is out of tune. Will you strike ‘A’ so that I can get it in tune again?”

That is a picture of us when our lives get out of tune with the Savior. The strings of moral conviction, once finely attuned to God’s Word, become loose through compromise or neglect. Only the memory of joyous fellowship with God and others remains. It happens to all of us. And it usually starts with the discord of selfish attitudes and negative respectability, but sooner or later an off-key word or deed betrays that something is wrong inside.

Daily we need to make sure we are in harmony with God. The Spirit through the Word gives us the sure note to which we can tune our lives. When we are off key, confession retunes us. When there is something we must do, obedience keeps us in tune. And when we feel discouraged and alone, praise helps lift our spirits. —djd

You cannot hide your sins from God, He knows what’s in your heart; confession is the quickest way to make a brand new start. —sper

When the heart is in tune with Christ, the discords of life become harmonious.

EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE

Luke 23:1-25

[Pilate said,] “I have found no fault in this Man …. But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Luke 23:14, 21

Some of the Jews who gathered to witness Jesus’ trial had only a few days earlier been so favorably impressed by His words and deeds that they hailed Him as their Messiah (Luke 19:28-40). Then, as the tide of public opinion shifted, they heard their religious leaders claim that He was an imposter and a blasphemer. Although they also heard the Roman governor say he could find no fault in Him, they rejected Pilate’s declaration of Jesus’ innocence and joined in the call to crucify Him.

If only they had reflected on the facts. They had heard Jesus speak, had seen Him perform miracles, and had observed His goodness. A Roman governor, an expert in civil law, could find no fault in Him. Furthermore, their religious leaders could not present a single shred of evidence to support their charges.

Today, we have the New Testament witness of the disciples of Jesus. They were men of great credibility who died for their faith. Equally convincing is the change for good that Christ is making in our own lives. Those who reject Jesus can present no legitimate case against Him, yet they still live as slaves to their sins.

Examine the evidence! Whom will you believe? —hvl

Jesus is standing on trial still—You can be false to Him if you will, you can faithful through good or ill: what will you do with Jesus? —simpson

To know Christ is to know the truth.

GOD’s DIVERSE WAYS

Hebrews 11:30-40

O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. Jeremiah 10:23

A woman testified, “I was diagnosed as having inoperable cancer, but I trusted God to heal me and He did.” Yet man others in the same situation and with just as much faith have fervently prayed, but they died.

I’m in my middle seventies, feel strong, and am as active as ever. But I know of Christian men my age who are coping with severe physical problems. Does God heal only those with a strong faith? Is good health a sign that God loves one person more than another who isn’t well?

Hebrews 11 answers these questions with a resounding “NO!” It tells of devout believers who were persecuted. Some were miraculously delivered, while others were imprisoned, tortured, and slain. But all of them are cited equally for their fiath. The issue then and now is not God’s love or the strength of one’s faith but God’s soveregnty and wisdom.

My friend Archie walks with difficulty and can’t use his arms very well, but he believes he knows God better than if he had been healed. He testifies of having grace for each day, and he anticipates the day when he will be given his resurrection body.

Yes, God’s ways are diverse. Accepting this is the first step to a stronger faith in Him. —hvl

God has a purpose in our heartaches; the Savior always kows what’s best; we learn so many precious lessons in each sorrow, trial, and test. —jarvis

God tries our faith so that we may try his faithfulness.

REAP THE LORD’s RESULTS

John 21:10-14

Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. John 21:11

Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) was a successful Christian evangelist. He became a believer at age 17 when he was required to go to a Boston Sunday School and church. This faithful follower of Jesus founded the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and learned early how to reap the Lord’s results. He started a Sunday School class for 18 boys. Faithful teaching soon increased the group to the largest Sunday School of his time – 1500 members! A lesson from his life is that God can multiply our talents when we offer them to Him.

Fishermen are predictible! Notice that the number of fish was recorded. Jesus had given them direction for catching fish, and the men obeyed Him. Acting on their own experiences had not brought successful results. They came to the realization that it was Jesus who brought the results.

Father, I want to reap the results of being obedient to Your instructions.

STAND FAST

1 Thessalonians 3:5-8

For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 3:8

Our son, Steve, was four years old when our family experienced a hurricane in Louisiana. My husband was away on business. We were invited to wait out the storm with friends, an offer we gladly accepted. The friends came to take our children home with them while I finished preparing the house for high winds.

Steve refused to leave. He thought I needed him. So he stood in the strengthening wind on the sidewalk, watching the sky and waiting for me. He was standing fast.

Paul was encouraged by the report of the church in Thessalonica. Timothy told him the church was standing fast in the Lord. His heart lifted when he heard the news of their faithfulness. He experienced joy in knowing his work with them was bearing fruit.

God calls us to stand fast in a wicked world. He watches to see if we will remain faithful. How great His joy when He sees us firmly rooted in Him!

Father, I desire to be strong in my faithfulness to You. Keep my feet on the solid Rock, Jesus, my Lord.

SEEK THE LORD

Judges 6:1-10

And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.  Judges 6:6

The Book of Judges is the record of a chaotic time in Israel when there was no king, and every man did what was right in his own eyes. There were repeated cycles of sin, servitude, repentance, and deliverance.

One of those periods involved Israel’s dealings with their distant relatives, the Midianites. These nomadic people were camel warriors, a new experience for Israel’s foot soldiers. The marauding Midianites attacked sporadically for seven years, harvesting Israel’s crops for their own use. When Israel was in dire straits and in desperation, the nation sought the Lord for help. Their long-suffering, covenant-keeping God intervened.

Serving the Lord begins with seeking the Lord. Sometimes we, too, must come to wits’ end before we are willing to seek Him. But serving the Lord well requires more than seeking His help. Faithful obedience to His will is required if we are to serve well to the end.

Lord, I recognize my need to seek Your will and Your help continuously. I seek Your will and Your help today.