Dancing Despite Our Defects

By Peter Lundell –

I recently watched two unusual ballet dancers. The pair dances passionately, with meaning and effect. Their achievement is different from most others, though. They each had the vision and will to overcome what few of us could imagine. The woman doesn’t have an arm and the man doesn’t have a leg. Yet they have mastered ballet. I’d never before seen a crutch used so artistically.

What is your handicap? Is it a beaten-down heart? Years of being abused? Lack of ability? Failure in the past? Fear of the future? If so, you’ve got lots of company. But ask yourself: Is there anything that God has created you for that you have yet to fulfill? Something you feel called to but have held back? An obstacle you’re trying to overcome?

Too many times I’ve shrunk back from being and doing what I could because of some setback or painful experience. I didn’t fulfill the role—or dance of life if you will—that God had given me. I only wish I had. The man without a leg and woman without an arm faced their handicaps and got creative. The result has blessed millions. What could happen with you and me as we do likewise in the coming months and years?

My point is not to motivate us toward success but rather to fulfill what God has made us to be. We’ll always have obstacles. We can see them either as barriers that stop us or as hurdles to overcome—and with each one we will grow.

Who are you? Who will you be?

In this new year, what steps might you take in the dance of your own life?

PRAYER: Lord, we both know my hurts, handicaps, and obstacles. Here and now I give them to You. Do with me what You will. Show me how to turn my negatives into positives. Make my hardships the foundation of blessings.

“I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD” (Psalm 40:1–3, NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Peter Lundell, author of the award-winning book Prayer Power. A rising new voice on connecting with God, Lundell is a pastor, Bible college teacher, and conference speaker. Visit him at www.PeterLundell.com for his inspirational “Connections” and free downloads of articles, parables, short stories, and book chapters. [Go to youtube to view this beautiful dance.]

Trying and Trying Some More

By Carin LeRoy –

Jason was the cutest little guy you ever saw, but he had a real problem in my kindergarten class. He just couldn’t sit still. I’d tell him to get to work, but before long, he’d be squirming out of his seat or disrupting a classmate. I remember his adorable smile as he came in the room each day and said, “Mrs. LeRoy, I love you!” His wiggly nature was not only a problem, but his learning was also hindered by an inability to focus. Nevertheless, he stole my heart that year.

On some days his behavior would become so challenging that I sent him to the principal’s office so the rest of the class could finish their work. As he walked down the hall, I’d hear him plead, “Mrs. LeRoy, I’ll be good. I’ll be good.” But the problem was that Jason couldn’t sit still, as hard as he tried. As much as he wanted to be good, his squirmy make up just wouldn’t let him.

That reminds me of my relationship with God. As hard as I try, I still sin. I’m always messing up. I try to obey God and do the right thing, but my old habits always seem to rear their ugly head. I am reminded of what Paul says: “… I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing,” (Romans 7: 18, 19 NIV). The struggle of sin is ever-present in our lives. We are just like little Jason, trying hard but failing.

Thank goodness for a God who sent His son to earth so that His power can set us free from the law of sin. Just as Jason stole my heart, we captured God’s. He loved us enough to send His son and free us from our bondage to sin. By putting our faith in Him, we now have His power and spirit to help us—giving us power to change and to break free from the habits of sin. I’m glad I serve a great God! Aren’t you?

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the Son You sent who gives me the power to break free me from habits of sin.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering” (Romans 8: 1-3 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Carin LeRoy, wife to Dale and mother of three grown children and one almost-grown teenager. She has been a missionary with Pioneers since 1982. Her passions are family, missions, piano, and writing to challenge others to live faithful lives for God.

The Power to Heal

By Carin LeRoy –

She went to Jesus out of desperation. Her last bit of energy was spent as she walked through the village and pushed her way through the crowds. This was the last ounce of hope she had left for healing her sick body. She knew Jesus could help. She pressed on through the throngs of people getting a glimpse of Jesus. Reaching forward, she touched the hem of His garment. Immediately, she was healed.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

Knowing she would not go unnoticed, she fell trembling at Jesus’ feet. In Luke 8, we read this story of the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years. I’m sure she was physically exhausted, discouraged and financially strained from visits to doctors who could not heal her. Yet with one touch, Jesus could.

I know she must have questioned the reason for her suffering for twelve long years. Yet it was her faith in Jesus and His power that ended her suffering. Instantly, God had the power to change her life.

Let’s worship Him today as we remember these words, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power” (Psalm 66: 3 NIV). We believe in a great God whose power can change our lives, just as He did those many years ago.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to remember that You are a God with the power to heal and change lives. Thank You for Your wonderful and awesome deeds.

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and I will meditate on Your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of Your awesome works, and I will proclaim Your great deeds” (Psalm 145: 3-6 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Carin LeRoy, wife to Dale, mother of three grown children and one high school teenager. She has served as a missionary with PIONEERS since 1982. Her passions are family, playing and teaching piano, missions, and writing stories that show glimpses of God.

Seeing Past Paradise

By Peter Lundell –

My wife earned an all-expenses-paid trip to a gargantuan, opulent resort for a working vacation, and I got to go along. I was awestruck at the gardens, aquariums, water-park, ocean, and at the grandiosity of the architecture—the billions of dollars that must have gone into making this heaven on earth. I thanked God I didn’t have to pay.

Being so enthralled with the immensity of the place, I found myself not praying or reading my Bible as much as I normally do. Oh, my.

So I asked myself where God fit into this picture of extravagance. Since God is everywhere all the time, isn’t it up to us to determine where He fits into our lives—or more accurately, where we fit into His universe? As I surveyed this Garden of Eden, this palace of kings, I started looking beyond it. And I saw two things.

First, though it would take four days to see everything in this resort, it’s still just a dot on the planet. It would take many lifetimes to see even a fraction of everything on God’s earth—and it’s still a tiny ball in a vast cosmos.

Second, if humans could build such impressive places, what must heaven be like? Being at this resort gave me a new anticipation for how God’s eternal resort must be infinitely beyond this earthly one. Absolutely beyond imagination.

From that point I continuously found myself praying and reaching for my Bible. The change was a matter of getting a new perspective. Whether your life feels good or bad right now, here’s a promise from 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has see, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

PRAYER: Father, keep my eyes always open to see beyond the amazing man-made wonders of this world to the infinitely greater wonders You have in store for those who believe.

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things,    and so they came into being?’ declares the LORD. ‘This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word’” (Isaiah 66:1–2 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Peter Lundell, author of the award-winning book Prayer Power. A rising new voice on connecting with God, Lundell is a pastor, Bible college teacher, and conference speaker. Visit him at www.PeterLundell.com for his inspirational “Connections” and free downloads of articles, parables, short stories, and book chapters.

Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions

By James H. Pence –

New Year’s resolutions. Most of us make them. Or at least we think about making them. Maybe we need to lose weight, exercise more, get out of debt, or read the Bible through. The New Year often gets us in evaluation mode. We examine our lives with a view to being better people.

Unfortunately, more often than not we break our resolutions before January ends. We sink back into long-established habit patterns, and in the end our resolutions are forgotten until the next year. Then we begin the process all over again. This has led some people to think about abandoning the idea of New Year’s resolutions altogether. It’s not that resolutions are bad, but if we repeatedly make them only to break them, they become discouraging and self-defeating.

I’d like to suggest a different approach to resolutions. It was exemplified over 200 years ago by the great pastor-theologian Jonathan Edwards. Early in his life and ministry Edwards made seventy lifelong resolutions. His resolutions are inspiring and challenging, even if some of them are a bit daunting.

Here are a few:

• Resolution #5: Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
• Resolution #7: Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
• Resolution #69: Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it.

What is it about Edwards’ resolutions that make them significant? Most New Year’s resolutions tend to be “me-centered.” Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions were God-centered. Personal commitments—made one time—with God’s glory in view. How did he manage to keep them and especially to keep from forgetting them? The answer is found just before the first resolution:

“Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.” (Emphasis added.)

Whether or not you make New Year’s resolutions, take Edwards’ example to heart. We should all regularly resolve to live to the glory of God; however that plays out in our daily life. May all the resolutions in our lives be God-centered.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, grant that I might not make meaningless resolutions this year. By the power of Your Holy Spirit please enable me to resolve daily to live for Your glory.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by James H. Pence. James is an author, speaker, singer, and gospel chalk artist, but prefers to be known as a storyteller. To learn more about James and how he draws the stories of your heart, visit his Web site at: www.jamespence.com.

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