SUDDENLY HE WAS STANDING THERE

Scripture:

The disciples were meeting behind locked
doors because they were afraid of the Jewish
leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing
there among them! John 20:19

Reflection:

On that day, when Jesus Christ, the
Savior of the world, was executed on
the cross, it seemed like the world
suddenly stopped. His followers were
depressed, angry, afraid, and without
hope. But God the Father had a plan
that was, even then, being perfectly
carried out. Guess what? God's
plan is in your life today! Jesus
Christ is standing there right beside
you all the way. Take advantage
of the closeness of Christ, and be
an active participant in God's plan.
JESUS IS KNOCKING OPEN THE
DOOR!!!!!!

Prayer:

Oh Lord there are time when I'm
angry and depressed. I know You
are there standing beside me. I
know You're there for me. Give
me the wisdom to accept Your
help and the strength to use it.
In Your Holy Name, Jesus Christ
my Lord AMEN.

LISTEN TO HIS VOICE

Scripture:

John 10:3-4 (New International Version)

3The watchman opens the gate for him,
and the sheep listen to his voice. He
calls his own sheep by name and leads
them out. 4When he has brought out all
his own, he goes on ahead of them, and
his sheep follow him because they know
his voice.

Reflection:

You know what drives me absolutely
crazy? When someone walks up
behind me and covers my eyes, and
says; Guess who? Then I have to
go through the agony of having to
guess. Now if it is someone I haven't
talked to in awhile, I may not
recognize the voice. But I quickly
recognize the voices of those
people I talk to regularly. Usually
all they have to do is say, Guess
who, and I know them instantly.

The same is true when God speaks
to us. If we are in touch with Him
frequently, if we often feel Him
speaking to our hearts, we know
instantly that it is God's voice that
we hear. But if we don't listen for it,
if it's been a long time since we
were quiet enough to hear Him
speaking to us, we may not
recognize what's happening.
The only way we can recognize
God's voice is to hear it often. If
we keep in communication with
our God, we learn the sound of
His voice, the warmth of His love,
the encouragement of His grace.
OPEN YOUR HEART AND LISTEN!

Prayer:

Lord teach me to recognize Your
voice quickly! Whether I am alone,
or in crowds of people. I want to
hear and identify Your voice. Be my
shepherd Lord, and I will be one of
Your sheep, who knows and responds
to what you say. In Jesus Name Amen.

PEACE

PEACE will come when people live
In friendship, side by side,
And cherish understanding
More than hatred, greed and pride.

PEACE will come when people see
All people as the same,
And no one has to live in fear,
In ignorance, or shame.

PEACE will come when people
Who are needy can reach out
For shelter, food, or love,
And no has to do without.

PEACE will come when people
Learn to listen and to care
About the rights and dignity
Of people everywhere.

PEACE will come when love and trust
And kindness know rebirth,
And on that day all people
Will rejoice in peace on earth.

~By Amanda Bradley~

SAYING GOODBYE TO MOM

Scripture:

John 11:25 (New International Version)

25Jesus said to her, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He
who believes in me will live, even
though he dies;

I wanted to let all my friends know
that my lovely and beautiful mother
passed away last evening at 9:15.
My mothers deepest desire was to
go home to the Lord. She was a
woman of dignity and a woman of faith.
Because of her I grew up in the Church
and became a minister. Through my
mothers love and prayers, I came to
know a strong and loving faith.
My mother was a gifted and talented
pianist and organist. She was the
church organist for 63 years. At the
age of 19, she was accepted at one
of the greatest schools of music in
the United States, but turned it down
to marry my father.
She was a good and loving person,
and all who new her respected and
loved her. She was known as
"One Classy Woman" who was
always dignified and compassionate.
Upon my ordination, I had never seen
such pride in her face. She told me
that night that her prayers had been
answered. She had prayed, since I
was born, that one day I would become
an ordained minister. And now her
dreams and prayers for me had come true.
She was my mother, my mentor, my
best friend, and my best girl. I am sad
that I will not see or talk to her again on
this earth, but I am so very happy that my
mother has gone home.

GOODBYE MOM UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

LOVE YOU
YOUR SON KIM

IT IS A FIGHT TO THE FINISH

Scripture:

14They will make war against the Lamb,
but the Lamb will overcome them because
he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and
with him will be his called, chosen and
faithful followers."
Revelation 17:14 (New International Version)

Reflection:

I'm not much for war, I have a tendency to
believe the many references that Christ
used when He talked of Peace and Love.
It is very difficult to love your enemy and
try to kill him at the same time.
War has been fought for, so called noble
causes, and some for selfish gain. Many
have gone to war believing their destiny
was to rule the world, others fought to make,
what they believe, the world a safe, saner
place. One of the big problems with war
is that it is so very difficult to know the
difference between the heroes and the
villains.
There is a war that will take place, as a
matter of fact, the battles are going on now.
In this war there is no mistaking the good
guys from the bad guys. It is the war
between Satan and God. It is a fight to the
finish, but God will emerge triumphant!
By the way who side are you on?

Prayer:

Father when it comes right down to it, I
would often rather quit than fight. But I
remember that Your Son endured death
on the cross, so that I might enjoy His
triumph. In my own battles, Father, keep
me mindful of the Savior Who stands with
me. In His name I pray AMEN

THE LIVING TRUTH

Jesus said…"I came to bring truth
to the world. All who love the truth
recognize that what I say is true."
John 18:37 NLT

A wife prays for her husband's salvation
(from "God's Daily Promises")

After a rather gentle talk [one evening]
about Christianity, [my wife Davy] went
to bed, leaving me lying upon the sofa
in front of the fire reading.…A half hour
passed. I let the book fall and switched
off the lamp. Gazing upon the glowing
coals, I wondered with a strange mixture
of hope and fear whether Christ might be
in very truth my God. Suddenly I became
aware that Davy was praying beside me—
she had stolen into the room in her
nightgown and knelt down by the sofa.
I looked at the quiet figure for a few
moments. I have never seen her pray.
Then she spoke.
"When I was in bed," she said very softly,
"it seemed to me that God was telling me
to come to you. I have prayed to God to
fulfill your soul."

She paused a moment, and then she
whispered: "Oh, my dearest—please
believe!"

Moved almost to tears, I whispered
back—a broken whisper, she wrote
in the Journal [the book we both kept
of our searching for God and truth]—
I whispered, "Oh, I do believe."
I was shaken by the affirmation that
swept over me.
"Hold to this moment," she murmured.
"Hold to it when doubts come. This is
the truth—I know it it."
Sheldon Vanauken in A Severe Mercy

Adapted from The Prayer Bible
Jean E. Syswerda, general editor,
Tyndale House Publishers (2003),
p 1657.

SOMETIMES YOU JUST WANT TO THANK HIM

Thank You Jesus

For living for me
For dying for me
For rising for me
For coming for me
For loving me
For being there for me!

Thank You Jesus

AMEN

GIVING UP POWER

Scripture:

You will show me the way
of life, granting me the joy
of your presence and the
pleasures of living with
you forever.
Psalm 16:11 NLT

Quote:

It takes a radical break to
turn a man from earth's
trash to heaven's treasure.
Vance Havner

Reflection:

One of the most difficult things for me, is
too give and trust my life to God. For some
reason this is a very difficult for me to do.
Giving up any power or any control is not
easy. I struggled with this for a
long time. When I did finally entrust
my life to God, I discovered something
very important. When I said, "God I
put it into your hands you take care of it"
nothing seemed to happen. But when I
said, "You call the shots Lord, give me
the strength to do thy well." I became
a good and faithful servant. Things
would begin to happen, my problem
was solved, sometimes it took a long
time, but God was there with me. You
see I was serving God and He was
working through me. He is still there
and is still working through me, and He
will forever!

The empty basket (True Story)

When Palestine was partitioned,
Maltar and his family were stranded
in Jerusalem. Daily his family read
the Lord's promises, such as those
of Psalm 34. One day Maltar said,
"Children, we finished the last of our
food for breakfast. We have no money.
We'll tell this only to the Lord, and I'll
go out with this basket." SO THEY
PRAYED AROUND THE EMPTY
BASKET.

Maltar went to the bank, but there
was still no money coming through.
As he turned to go, he saw a friend
from his hometown in the line. He'd
left before the worst troubles and
banked his money in Jerusalem.
"Maltar!" his friend cried. "What
are you doing here?"

"We were on holiday in our small
house in Jerusalem and weren't
able to get back home," Maltar said.

"Then you must be having money
problems. How are you managing?"

"Fine," Maltar told him and left the
bank.

His friend overtook him: "You can't
be fine, Maltar, with nine kids to feed."
He dropped a handful of bank notes
into the basket.
The children, waiting at the gate,
stared in wonder as Maltar returned
with an overflowing basket.
Patricia St. John
in Finding God Between a Rock and
Hard Place

David said, "Those who honor [God]
will have all they need" (Psalm 34:9).
Why not claim that promise today?

Adapted from Men of Integrity
Devotional Bible with devotions from
the editors of Men of Integrity, a
publication of Christianity Today I
International (Tyndale, 2002), entry
for May 13.

BEING HONEST WITH GOD

Scripture:

I am disgusted with my life. Let me complain freely.
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. Job 10:1

Reflection:

The story of Job shows, what we would call a good
man Christlike by all account. This good man loses
everything, suffers unbelievable pain, and then is
“resurrected” to a better life.
Through out the book of Job, we see, a certain
reverence that Job showed to God. But that
reverence and respect for God didn't stop him
from being honest about his struggles. In this
verse we observe how Job tells God that he is
disgusted with his life. He complains freely, and
he speaks of the bitterness of his soul.
Like Job we need to be worshipful and respectful
to God, but we can also be straight with God.
WE NEED TO BE HONEST WITH GOD.
God is there for you, His ear is tuned to you.
Be honest with God let Him know your struggles,
your problems. GOD IS THERE FOR YOU.

Prayer:

Thank you God for being there for me. I need
to learn to be honest with You, to let you know
my struggles and problems, and then give them
to You. I really believe that with Your help, I
can work out all my problems. THANK YOU
GOD FOR BEING MY GOD. In Jesus Name
Amen.

A MOTHER'S DAY PRAYER

Every Mother's Prayer
I pray you'll be my eyes
And watch her where she goes
And help her to be wise
Help me to let go

Every mother's prayer
Every child knows
Lead her to a place
Guide her with your grace
To a place where she'll be safe

I pray she finds your light
And holds it in her heart
As darkness falls each night
Remind her where you are

Every mother's prayer
Every child knows
Need to find a place
Guide her with your grace
Give her faith so she'll be safe

Lead her to a place
Guide her with your grace
To a place where she'll be safe

FORGIVE THEM ALL

Though our hearts are filled with sins, you
forgive them all.
Psalm 65:3 NLT

Romans 8:32 (New International Version)

32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave
him up for us all—how will he not also, along
with him, graciously give us all things?

Isaiah 43:25 (New International Version)

25 "I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.

Reflection:

As I read Romans 8:32, I am reminded that
God gave up His only Son for you and me.
If God can love me and forgive me this much,
I can't picture Him ever holding back His
forgiveness from me. It seems to me, since
God did not spare even His own Son but gave
Him for all of us, won't God also give us
everything else?
God's forgiveness is different than our (human)
forgiveness. He not only forgives sin, but
according to Isaiah 43:25, He forgets our sin
forever. This is certainly different than human
forgiveness with all it's hidden strings. We say
we forgive, but later, at a crucial time, we yank
the string and pull the offense back into view.
You see it's one thing to say you forgive
somebody, but truly forgiving and forgetting
is much, much more difficult. It seems like we
always hold on to past offenses and we always
seem to hold grudges. For some we assume that
God does the same.
This is not true God forgives us, He never thinks of that
sin again. MAYBE WE SHOULD TRY A LITTLE BIT
OF THAT KIND OF FORGIVENESS.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen

DO NOT BE AFRAID

(From God's Daily Promises)

Scripture:

The Lord who created you says:
"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed
you. I have called you by name; you
are mine. When you go through deep
waters and great trouble, I will be with
you." Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT

Think about this when things get
tough for you. God Bless You

Two Margarets

Margaret MacLachlan and
Margaret Wilson, Covenanters
in Wigtown, Scotland, were
tried for their faith on April 13,
1865, for refusing to take the
Oath of Abjuration, which
stated that the Church of God
is a department of the State.
Found guilty of rebellion,
attending field meetings, and
worshiping in places other than
a church, they were ordered to
receive their sentences on their
knees. When they refused to bow
before anyone but God, they were
forced down to their knees and then
were sentenced to death by drowning.

On May 11, 1685, the two faithful
Margarets were tied to posts and
staked in the sea as the tide was
rising. The older Margaret (MacLachlan)
was farther out. They were given many
chances to recant their beliefs, but they
stood firm and resolute.

Margaret MacLachlan remained silent,
her eyes closed throughout the ordeal,
communing with Christ until death. As
the tide rose eighteen-year-old Margaret
Wilson began to sing a Covenanter
rendition of Psalm 25:7. Then, she recited
from Romans 8: "We are more than
conquerors through him that loves us.…"

After the waves washed over her head,
the soldiers pulled her out, pleading with
her one last time to "pray for the king!"
She prayed, but her pray was, "Lord, give
him repentance, forgiveness, and salvation,
if it be Thy holy will." The angry soldiers
threw her back into the water, and she joined
Margaret MacLachlan before the throne.

We may never face the rising tide of the sea,
but the deep waters of trouble and loss can
be just as overwhelming. How do you react
when you feel you are about to drown in the
rising tide of your own troubles?

Adapted from The One Year® Book of
Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon
Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for May 11.