By His Wounds

By Susan Dollyhigh –

 

I prayed, “Lord, please take away my fear…” and the dam broke. My body quaked with sobs, and the river of tears which sprang from a deep, painful place in my body, washed down my face in a torrent. And then I saw myself, wearing the same red sweater and blue jeans that I had on that day, climbing on my hands and knees up a steep and rocky hill. My hand reached up to grab a ledge of rocks as my high heeled boot slipped, threatening to send me sliding down the hill on my belly. I steadied myself, and continued climbing, all the while wailing from the depths of my soul.

I stopped to rest, swiped my face across the sleeve of my sweater, and looked up …and saw Christ on the cross. I had to get to Him. I frantically grabbed onto rocks to keep from falling, and when I reached the top, I ran to the foot of the cross and collapsed. My emotions were released from the prison where they’d resided for so long, and I cried the river of tears that brought healing to my soul.

As a six-year-old little girl, I’d heard, “Now, don’t you cry,” as I stood before my sixteen-year-old cousin’s casket. I remember feeling like I would choke from the emotion that was stuck in my throat. But I didn’t cry, and the Enemy turned that into a stronghold.

Forty years later, I shared with a counselor several tragic events that had taken place in my life – and I didn’t cry. I discovered that I was emotionally paralyzed. As my counselor and I prayed for that stronghold to be broken, I never dreamed I would end up climbing Calvary’s Hill. But when I rose from the foot of Jesus’s cross, my heart had been resurrected and made whole.

Do you need healing in your life? Take your problems to the Lord, for it is by His wounds we are healed.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 NIV).

PRAYER: Father, thank You for Jesus. Thank You for revealing and breaking strongholds in my life. Thank you for the freedom and joy to experience being set free from bondage.

In Jesus’s Name, Amen

The Perfect Bargain

By Carin LeRoy –

Five years ago while planning my daughter’s wedding, we were on a tight budget. I needed to watch every penny to help her plan the big day. She chose burgundy as her color theme. As I planned the decorations, I wondered how I could use the color theme on the tables without over-spending. On a drive back home across town one Saturday, I had the thought to stop in Wal-Mart and check out their bargain material table. Being tired from running errands all day, I dismissed it.

However, the thought persisted. Stop at Wal-Mart and look at their material.

I stopped, walked to the back of the store, and rummaged through their discounted material. In the piles I found a shiny delicate material that would be beautiful for runners on the tables. It was a match for the color my daughter had chosen.  I was thrilled when I walked away with all they had—fifteen yards of material for $15.00!

The Lord’s prompting can be just a still voice that urges us to do something. Is it possible that God would care about such things in my life—like staying on budget? If He can offer us forgiveness, salvation, and an eternal home, can He also not help us with the details of our lives? I believe so.  When I obeyed His promptings that day and walked away with the perfect material to accent the tables, I am sure He smiled.

The majority of our lives is consumed with details and the process of day to day living. The Lord desires to sharpen our sensitivity to His Spirit as we move through each new day.  Learning daily awareness of His promptings allows Him to prepare and lead us through more challenging situations that may come. Responding to Him offers many blessings as we seek to listen to His voice. Remember, God cares about the small things. Let’s watch for His hand and enjoy His presence in our lives.

PRAYER: Thank You that You are a God that cares about the details of my life. Help me to listen for Your promptings and see Your hand in my life.  Give me a heart that watches for and experiences Your presence daily.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17 NIV).

Truth Be Told

By Cindy Martin –

On a recent trip to church my two teenagers were having a rather innocuous verbal squabble.  I had a mountain of difficult issues that were racing through my mind so I rationalized that they were old enough to work this out on their own.  Besides, I needed time to think my own thoughts. I had all but tuned out their conversation until I heard my daughter’s witty response to what was undoubtedly one of her brother’s taunts.

“Jesus loves you, but I’m struggling.”

What? I thought I missed something so I asked her to repeat herself and she did, “Jesus loves you, but I’m struggling.”   Her response came so calmly and in such a matter-of-fact tone of voice that when her words penetrated my otherwise overloaded thought processes, I began to laugh out loud. By the time I arrived at church, there was a lightness in my heart that hadn’t been there when we left home.

I’ve chuckled to myself several times since then, and it’s caused me to reflect on the importance of humor, especially when life overwhelms with hard things. Scripture shows the value of humor and its impact on our physical, emotional and spiritual health. Proverbs 15:13 tells us, “A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day” (MSG). Two verses later in Proverbs 15:15 we read, “A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song” (MSG).

It’s easy to get overly focused especially when we feel like we’re drowning in the demands of our lives.  Still, I believe God would instruct us to not always take this life so seriously, particularly during seasons of intense stress and strain. The old adage, “Laughter is the best medicine” finds its roots in scripture and sometimes I believe that is exactly what the Great Physician would prescribe.

Scripture: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT).

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, help me to rest in Your ability to take care for the happenings of my life so I can take time to stop and enjoy the life You gave me.”

Have Faith in God

By Judy Davis –

 

While reading the Bible through each year I love to read about the women whose faith in God made a difference in their lives.  One of my favorite stories is about Ruth. The book of Ruth is more than a beautiful love story. It’s about an attractive but lonely widow who steps out in faith and, through perseverance and endurance, achieves the seemingly impossible. Her life is changed dramatically from poverty to abundance. How can this happen? Ruth chose to leave her home, the country of Moab, and follow her mother-in-law, Naomi, to the land of the Israelites, God’s chosen people.

As Naomi was leaving, both daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, followed her; however, Orpah decided to return to Moab. Ruth couldn’t wait to arrive in Israel. She had seen the love of God’s people and faith had risen in her heart to turn from everything unlike God.  Even though Naomi tried to change Ruth’s mind about going, Ruth told her, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16 NIV).

When they arrived in Bethlehem, Ruth immediately went to work as a gleaner, gathering crops that were left by the reapers. Not long after she started working in the fields she noticed Boaz, the owner of the fields. Each day he would speak to the field workers, always leaving with a smile. His way of saying thank you was, “May the Lord be with you.”

After Ruth told Naomi about Boaz, she was surprised to hear he was a relative.  According to Jewish custom, a relative was expected to marry the widow of the deceased.

Boaz began to notice what a hard worker Ruth was. He also saw her sincerity and integrity.  Love began to work a miracle in Ruth’s life. Because of her kindness and willingness to give of herself, God blessed her. It was not long before Boaz, a mighty man of God, fell in love with Ruth.

Ruth proved love could lift one out of a life of misery. Love can shed its light, like a sunbeam, on all that it touches. When she stepped out in faith, leaving her home, family and friends behind, her life could never be the same. It is faith that moves the hand of God.

Materially, Ruth had nothing; yet, she had so much to give. She gave up everything when she followed Naomi to Israel. She gave a labor of love when she went into the fields to glean what the reapers had left behind.

And, because Ruth gave of herself, God multiplied it back to her in a way she could never have dreamed. God made her name honorable throughout the end of the ages. For after her marriage to Boaz, she had a son, Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of  David, the ancestor of Jesus Christ. What greater honor could one receive?

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, we come boldly before the King of Kings seeking you with all of our hearts. Help us today to move forward having faith to believe that with you all things are possible.

The Blessing Bunch

By Cheri Cowell –

 

Henry Ward Beecher is quoted as saying, “A proud man is seldom a grateful man because he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.” Those of us with a personality prone to the weakness of pride can also agree with the Apostle Paul. He said that although he knew what he wanted to do, he couldn’t seem to do it—at least not all of the time.

Pride tends to slip up when we feel unappreciated, unnoticed, overwhelmed, and taken advantage of—all signs of a self-focused person. God has given us a remedy for this sin. He tells us we should get our eyes off of ourselves and onto our blessings, especially those we receive through others. When we realize it is not “all about us,” it is easier to think of how we might be a blessing to others. When we put others first, we become a member of God’s Blessing Bunch, and soon discover that the blessings go both ways.

“When you think about them, let it be with great love in your heart because of all the work they have done. Let peace live and reign among you” (1 Thessalonians 5:13 VOICE).

Prayer: I want to be a part of Your blessing bunch, whose members take their eyes from themselves and who place others first.

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