You don't have to be brilliant to remember that a child is not an adult. Or a child psychologist to know that kids are "under construction." Or possess the wisdom of Solomon to realize that they didn't ask to be here in the first place. And that spilled milk can be wiped up and broken plates can be replaced.
I'm not a prophet, nor the son of one, but something tells me that in the whole scheme of things the tender moments with a child are infinitely more valuable than anything I do in front of a computer or a congregation. Something tells me that the moments of comfort I've given my children are a small price to pay for the joy of seeing my daughter do for her daughter what her dad did for her! Moments of comfort from a parent. They are the sweetest moments in a parent's day! Make sure your child knows of your love and concern.
From The Applause of Heaven
Psalm 39
For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
when the ungodly are around me.”
2 But as I stood there in silence—
not even speaking of good things—
the turmoil within me grew worse.
3 The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude
6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
8 Rescue me from my rebellion.
Do not let fools mock me.
9 I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,
for my punishment is from you.
10 But please stop striking me!
I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
11 When you discipline us for our sins,
you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
Each of us is but a breath. Interlude
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cries for help!
Don’t ignore my tears.
For I am your guest—
a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.
13 Leave me alone so I can smile again
before I am gone and exist no more.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, August 24, 2015
Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11
God Offers Comfort to All
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.
8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters,[a] about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.
Footnotes:
1:8 Greek brothers.
INSIGHT:
This passage demonstrates how our personal pain can help others who suffer. Paul uses the word comfort both vertically and horizontally. God extends comfort to us. We experience His comfort. Then we can offer comfort to others. In this way, our pain can become a conduit of care for those in distress and lead to gratitude in the midst of pain. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (v. 3). Dennis Fisher
Coming Alongside
By Bill Crowder
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, . . . who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When my sister Carole was diagnosed with breast cancer, our family worried. That diagnosis, with its surgeries and treatments, caused us to fear for her well-being, which drove our family to prayer on her behalf. Over the ensuing months, Carole’s updates were honest about the challenges. But we all celebrated when the report came back that the surgery and treatments had been successful. Carole was on the road to recovery!
Then, less than a year later, my sister Linda faced the same battle. Immediately, Carole came alongside Linda, helping her understand what to expect and how to prepare for what she would face. Carole’s experience had equipped her to walk with Linda through her own trial.
This is what Paul calls for in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, where we read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Thankfully, the Lord doesn’t waste anything. Our struggles not only give us an opportunity to experience His comfort, but they also open the door for us to share that comfort with others in their struggles.
Today, how can I be an encouragement to others whose hearts are weighed down by the cares of life?
God’s presence brings us comfort; our presence brings others comfort.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, August 24, 2015
The Spiritual Search.
What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? —Matthew 7:9
The illustration of prayer that our Lord used here is one of a good child who is asking for something good. We talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him (see Matthew 5:45). Never say that it is not God’s will to give you what you ask. Don’t faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. Is your relationship right with your spouse, your children, and your fellow students? Are you a “good child” in those relationships? Do you have to say to the Lord, “I have been irritable and cross, but I still want spiritual blessings”? You cannot receive and will have to do without them until you have the attitude of a “good child.”
We mistake defiance for devotion, arguing with God instead of surrendering. We refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay someone what I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God’s child among my relatives and friends? (see Matthew 7:12).
I am a child of God only by being born again, and as His child I am good only as I “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). For most of us, prayer simply becomes some trivial religious expression, a matter of mystical and emotional fellowship with God. We are all good at producing spiritual fog that blinds our sight. But if we will search out and examine the evidence, we will see very clearly what is wrong— a friendship, an unpaid debt, or an improper attitude. There is no use praying unless we are living as children of God. Then Jesus says, regarding His children, “Everyone who asks receives…” (Matthew 7:8).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
It is not what a man does that is of final importance, but what he is in what he does. The atmosphere produced by a man, much more than his activities, has the lasting influence. Baffled to Fight Better, 51 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, August 24, 2015
The Most Dangerous Time of All - #7466
We had lived in that same town for almost twenty years. So I could drive around town blindfolded. And, sometimes, I would act like it. Well, there was the day when I suddenly realized how casual I was cruising the streets close to home - too casual. You know, when you're in an unfamiliar situation you put both hands on the wheel, all eyes and ears, you're intent, you're focused. But, "Hey, these streets, I've driven here a thousand times!" So you just sort of go on auto pilot. Frankly, you know, there were times I didn't pay much attention. Well, for some reason, one of those National Safety Council factoids popped on the TV screen in my brain one day. It said, "The vast majority of accidents take place within a few miles of home." Well that's interesting! It's when you feel the safest that you're really in the greatest danger of all.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Most Dangerous Time of All."
That's a lesson learned by King David with his lifelong tragic consequences. It's in our word for today from the Word of God, 2 Samuel 11:1-4. "In the spring at a time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. David sent someone to find out about her." Well, it turns out this was Bathsheba, the wife of one of his most trusted military leaders.
It says, "David sent messengers to get her. She came to him and he slept with her. We might as well just add, "and David's life was never the same." This awful sin led to his conspiring to have Bathsheba's husband die in battle. And then through a series of events in his family that included the incestuous rape of his daughter, the death of his children, the temporary overthrow of his rule by his own son. It was one disaster after another that began with the sin of one ugly night close to home.
We're talking here about the man that God called, "A man after God's own heart." If it could happen to him, it could happen to you or me. Notice David didn't fall in battle. He was spiritually alert then. Like me driving in unfamiliar territory where I know I have to drive carefully. David's deadly moral accident happened close to home in a setting where his guard was down, where he became spiritually casual.
Man, there have been many Davids over the years; godly men and women who have sinned or compromised in a way they never could have imagined. And it didn't happen on the battlefield. Many people go down spiritually during their down times; those times and places when they're relaxing, when their guard is down and they become spiritually careless. David's experience would suggest that the time when you feel safe and relaxed may be the most dangerous time of all.
It could be when you're just laying back to watch or listen to a little entertainment; entertainment that contains sinful ideas, sinful acts that you just can't afford to get into your heart. They are the seed of tomorrow's temptations and tomorrow's fall. Time off can be a vulnerable time, because we mistakenly take time off from our spiritual discipline too. Travel times are dangerous times because you feel the seeming anonymity and the seductive freedom of being away from the people who know you. And often times after periods of intense spiritual battle are dangerous too, because we let down and inadvertently we let the roaring lion in to devour us.
Don't make the mistake of becoming spiritually lazy when you're in a cruising time. Remember, most accidents happen in a place where you feel the safest. Keep both hands on the wheel. Keep your eyes and ears open. Keep your eyes on the road. Give the safe part of the trip to Jesus as much as you do the risky part - the battles. You don't need the wreckage that can come from letting your guard down during what turns out to be the most dangerous time of all.