Harbored

By Cynthia Ruchti –

I snapped a picture while on a mother-daughter getaway in Wisconsin’s Door County two springs ago—a lone boat tethered in a quiet harbor. I’ve turned to the photo many times, wondering why I’m drawn to it. What is it about it that speaks something deep to my heart? If I can’t define it, is it worth pondering?

I took it out again one day in the throes of an early snowstorm, the kind that spreads a layer of ice first in order to give the snow something to slide on. Was I drawn to the serene photograph because it’s just natural that I would find blue skies and non-frozen water appealing? It was more than that. Green leaves on the trees? Lush, but more than that. The reminder that spring in Wisconsin offers air that won’t freeze your lung lining when inhaled?

No. It was the sailboat. The lone sailboat at rest.

Tethered in its slip, the boat wasn’t currently performing the task for which it was designed. The boat in the photograph is at rest. Harbored. Waiting.

I wonder if it is restless. Does it strain against the moorings because it is eager to get on with it, to serve, to move, to go places, to offer its owner the benefit of its gifts?

Looking at it, I’d have to say it looks content, satisfied to wait for the day the owner walks down the length of the concrete pier, hops aboard, releases her from her moorings, unfurls her sails, and with a gentle push away from the immovable pier says, “Okay, girl. Let’s see where the wind takes us today.”

When the Lord comes down the pier to release me from the ropes that keep me in the harbor, will He find me resting but ready? Or restless?

PRAYER: Lord, Your Word tells me that I find my rest in You. It reminds me that Your ways are not my ways, nor Your thoughts my thoughts. It even tells me that Your timing is perfect when mine is so often rushed. Create in me a new heart, Lord, one that’s willing to rest and wait for You to set me sailing.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8, KJV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer/producer of THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME radio ministry and president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Cynthia’s debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—released with Abingdon Press May 1 and a Christmas novella—A Door County Christmas—released in September. Cynthia writes stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark (www.cynthiaruchti.com).

Sweet to the Soul: Health to My Bones

By Nina Medrano –

As a mentor, I rely on the counsel of the Holy Spirit and on the Word of God to bring freedom and healing to the hearer. It is always such a sweet benefit to me when the Holy Spirit inspires and anoints a prayer modeled after the precious Word of God. Recently, the Spirit of the Lord inspired such a prayer modeled after Psalm 133.

Abba, Father, as we stand before Your presence, in one accord, in agreement with your Word, in the spirit of unity, I ask that you would release your precious anointing oil and pour it upon the heads of our leadership: government, churches and households. I ask that you would align our thoughts, our wills and our emotions to the will and the Word of God. May we learn to take every thought captive and bring it to the obedience of Christ in everything we do.

Let the precious ointment run down our eyes. Give us eyes to see your works in our lives; open our spiritual eyes of understanding. Let your oil continue to run down to our ears, and give us ears to hear the voice of Your Spirit and remove all blocks and hindrances and all other voices that hinder us from hearing your voice. Let your oil continue to run down over our mouths. Your Word says that the tongue is unruly and undisciplined. We yield our tongues to Your Lordship and we ask you to cleanse and purify our tongues from wicked words and anoint us to speak pleasant words that heal, cleanse and restore the hearers. Place Your hand upon our mouths and fill us with Your Word. We will speak Your word and we will not be afraid!

Let your precious oil run down our necks and shoulders. Remove the stress of this world and if there be any yoke of stiff-neck stubbornness and rebellion, we ask for forgiveness. Release your anointing that breaks off the yokes of bondage off our necks and replace it with the yoke of Jesus which is easy and light. Let your oil run down upon our arms and hands. Forgive us for trusting in the arms of our own flesh and defiling the works of our hands. We place our trust in the arm of God and God alone! Cleanse our hands and make them worthy of ministry and able to deliver many from the yokes of bondage.

Let your precious oil run down our garments down to our feet. Anoint our feet and our lives to walk and live out the gospel of Your kingdom in our private lives as well as in our public lives.

Let the anointing of Your Holy Spirit so settle upon our lives like the dew of Mt. Hermon and just like the frightful, thick fog that descends upon the mountain of Zion; so let Your Spirit descend upon us!

And, there, oh Lord, command your blessing, even life forevermore. We humbly ask for this type of anointing from Your Spirit in Jesus name, amen and amen.

Nina Medrano, a West Texas country girl, enjoys writing, ministry to women and playing with her two Jack Russell Terriers, Daisy and PepperJack.

Homecomings

By Hally Franz –

Adoptive parents sometimes commemorate two dates each year in the life of their child. My Guatemalan-born daughter recently celebrated her ninth birthday, and, as we do each year, we recalled the details of that other special date. Her “gotcha” date is January 14, 2002. She loves to hear about the bumpy and thrilling ride we had from the Guatemala City airport to the adoption agency, the loving nanny who passed our daughter over to us, the first silly words that her older brother spoke to her, the doctor who flopped her around on the examining table like a little chicken, assuring us of her health, and the beauty of her birthplace.

Three days later we left Guatemala, arriving first in Houston, Texas. As we landed, a flight attendant spoke over the intercom and sweetly welcomed home the dozen or so children who were now new United States citizens. It was totally unexpected and very moving.

When we made it back home, family and friends were waiting to see Rosaline. After a bit, we placed Roz in her brother’s handed-down swing. She sat contentedly there, and my father said she looked like she “had the world by the tail on the down-hill pull.” She seemed to know she was where she belonged and that she’d always be taken care of and loved.

Bringing Rosaline home was a wonderful experience, a little like when someone becomes a Christian. Often, we look back on the baptisms of others in our congregation and recall those special hug-filled times. New Christians seem to gain a sense of belonging, and they recognize there is a whole family of believers who will love them and care for them as they continue their walk with Christ.

I wonder sometimes about the final homecomings Christians have had and will have. I wonder what kind of exciting journey we will make from our earthly bodies to our heavenly home, what greetings we’ll receive, and what Jesus’ first words will be to each of us. When loving families turn us over to our Father, what will His inspection of us be like? Will He declare us fit for continued service? While we don’t know the answers to all the questions, one thing is for sure. That welcome home will be the sweetest and most beautiful of all!

PRAYER: Father, I pray I’ll be a welcoming Christian to others who come to You in faith, and I thank You for the promise of a Heavenly Home.

“And, I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former teacher and high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. She enjoys volunteering at her children’s school, teaching Bible classes at her church, leading projects in 4-H, writing, reading, scrapbooking, and rousing (though, sometimes, not pretty) zumba classes.

God on the Spot – Part 10: Providing the Sacrifice

By Dianne E.  Butts –

Have you ever thought about what it would take for God to prove to us that He exists? It seems like there should be an infinite number of answers. But I swear to you, I can only think of two:
1.)    Come down here and show Yourself.
2.)    Do something only God can do.

(If you can think of others these two don’t cover, I’d be interested in hearing from you.)

Even these two are inter-dependent because even if God did #1, how would we know it was Him? He would still need to do #2 to prove it was Him.

Jesus claimed to be the Christ: the one God promised to send and God Himself coming down here in the flesh. Question: But how can we know it was Him? Answer: Over and over again He did things only God can do. You know, change water into wine, calm the storm, make the blind see, make the lame walk, walk on water, raise the dead…that sort of thing.

But then something happened that seemed really unbelievable: He died. And at the hands of humans, no less. If Jesus was God, then how could this happen?

Again it was prophesied hundreds of years before it happened and then God was on the spot to bring all of His predictions to pass. Below are just ten prophecies God was on the spot to fulfill.

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus were recorded by all four men who recounted the biography of Jesus in the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Below we’ll compare these accounts with two Psalms written by King David, who lived 1040 – 970 BC, Isaiah (740 – 681 BC), and accounts by Moses (1526 – 1406 BC) showing all ten of these things were predicted hundreds of years before they happened:

He remained silent. Predicted: Isaiah 53:7. Fulfilled: Matthew 27:12-14.

Sacrifice of the Son and the lamb is provided on Mount Moriah. Predicted: Genesis 22:1-18. (Compare Genesis 22:2, Genesis 22:14, and 2 Chronicles 3:1.) Fulfilled: Mark 10:32-34. (Mount Moriah is the hill on which the Temple stood within Jerusalem.)

Pierced His hands and feet. Predicted: Psalm 22:16. Fulfilled: John 19:18, 20:25.

They put gall in His food and gave Him vinegar for His thirst. Predicted: Psalm 69:21. Fulfilled: Matthew 27:34, John 19:28-30.

Mocked and insulted Him; challenged God to deliver Him. Predicted: Psalm 22:7-8. Fulfilled: Matthew 27:39-44.

Divided and cast lots for His garments. Predicted: Psalm 22:18 Fulfilled: John 19:23-24.

Our Passover Lamb; not a bone would be broken. Predicted: Exodus 12:43, 46. Fulfilled: John 19:31-37.

He was pierced for our transgressions and by his wounds we are healed. Predicted: Isaiah 53:5. Fulfilled: Hebrews 9:27-28, Romans 4:25.

Assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich. Predicted: Isaiah 53:9. Fulfilled: Matthew 27:57-60.

“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and …the LORD makes his life a guilt offering.” Predicted: Isaiah 53:10-12. Fulfilled: Acts 2:22-39.

When Satan connived through humans to have Messiah killed, it was God on the spot to preserve His life even though He died. God requires death for sin, and so God provided the death He required to pay for the sins of anyone who will accept it. But because Jesus never sinned, death could not keep hold of Him.

We cannot atone for our sins and live. So if God wanted to save us, He was on the spot to do it all.

November: “God on the Spot – Part 11: The Remaining Prophecies.” God is still on the spot to bring about all His remaining promises, which are prophecies in our future.

© 2010 Dianne E. Butts

Dianne has written for over 50 Christian print magazines and seventeen books. Her work has been published in Great Britain, Bulgaria, Poland, Canada, and Korea. You can follow the progress of her current book of true stories of unplanned pregnancy here: www.DeliverMeBook.blogspot.com When she’s not writing, she enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband, Hal, and gardening with her cat, P.C. in Colorado. www.DianneEButts.com

10 Common Mistakes in Relationships

By Julie Morris –

Are you having problems in a relationship but can’t put your finger on what’s wrong? See which of these mistakes you’re making:

1. It’s His Fault—Joe is so busy playing the blame game with his boss that he doesn’t pay attention to things he’s doing to contribute to the problem. Do you ever play the blame game?

2. I’m Out Of Here—Mark doesn’t like his wife’s nagging so he works late every night, and tunes her out when he’s home. Do you withdraw either physically or emotionally from people rather than address the problem directly?

3. I’m An Exploding Volcano—Judy thinks it’s not very Christian to be angry so she stuffs her feelings toward her husband until she has more than she can hold. Then she explodes like a volcano and tells him all the horrible things she’s been thinking…and then some. Do you ever stuff your feelings until you explode?

4. I’m Her Holy Spirit—Dick feels that it’s his job to judge his wife, tell her when she’s wrong, and direct her every step. Do you try to take the Holy Spirit’s place?

5. If Only He’d Change—Brenda believes that she can never be happily married to her workaholic husband. She spends hours every day watching soap operas and reading romance novels to escape her emptiness. She is so stuck in her “if onlys” that she does nothing positive to deal with her problems. Do you live in the “if onlys”?

6. I’m Good Because I’m Submissive—Joann has a terrible fear of confrontation. She’ll do anything to keep from having an argument. She rationalizes her wimpiness to confront her husband’s ungodly behavior by calling it “submission.” Do you make excuses not to confront wrong behaviors?

7. He Deserves It—Mary’s boss is making her miserable. He piles more on her than she can do, complains constantly and never gives her a compliment. She gossips about him to anyone who will listen and does sloppy work to get even. Do you do unbecoming things and excuse them because of what others do to you?

8. If You Don’t Hear Me, I’ll Talk Louder—George has a real temper. If his 10-year-old son can’t understand when George explains his homework, he screams the instructions at him. Do you scream at someone, rather than trying to explain in a clearer way what you’re trying to say?

9. Here, Let Me Fix You—William only means to help his grown daughter with his constant stream of unasked-for advice, but he is alienating her instead. Do you feel compelled to give advice?

10. I’m Busy Doing God’s Work—Maryann teaches two Bible studies and is president of the women’s ministry at her Church. Her husband and children feel like they’re not as important to her as the things she’s doing. Do you treat your loved ones like your work is #1?

Look back over these mistakes and identify the ones you’re making. What are some things you can do to change? You’ll be amazed to see the blessings that come when you invest just a few minutes a day thinking about these things and praying for God to give you the willingness and ability to relate in a better way.

Adapted from Guided By Him…to a Thinner, Not So Stressed-Out You, by Julie Morris.

Julie Morris (julie@guidedbyhim.com) is the author of 12 books, a dynamic motivational speaker and founder of two Christian weight-loss programs: Step Forward (www.stepforwarddiet.com) and a lighter and easier version of Step Forward, Guided By Him (www.guidedbyhim.com).

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