Time Out! Devotions

¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

³ For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.

⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.

⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

Isaiah 43:1-5

Last summer, a Canadian family celebrated their son’s third birthday with a camping trip to a popular park in British Columbia. One day during their stay, the boy’s parents thought he was playing with other children.  When they realized he was missing, a frantic search ensued.  According to the subsequent report of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the boy had ridden his toy truck into a swiftly-flowing river.  The river swept the boy, still on the truck, downstream for nearly eight miles.  It was a two-hour trip; and the boy, when he was discovered, seemed to have enjoyed himself.  He rode his truck down the river like a raft.  “He was very excited,” said an officer. ¹

Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.”  The Lord watches over us, even when we don’t fully understand the perilous nature of our condition.  Thank goodness for His daily protection!

1 “Canadian Boy Floats Unharmed Down River on Toy Truck” by Reuters, July 14, 2009, at http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090714/od_nm/us_boy.

(by Dr. David Jeremiah from the November 2009 issue of Turning Points devotional magazine)

“Though come what may from day to day, my Heavenly Father watches over me.”
Clyde Heathcock

Psalm 37:23-24 (NIV)

²³ If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm;

²⁴ though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

Psalm 40:2-3 (NIV)

² 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.

³ 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.

The literal definition of the word “failure” is: a lack of success in or at something. In reality though, you cannot achieve success in anything without failures along the way. No one is born with the ability to do anything successfully on the first attempt. Babies fall when learning to walk; pianists hit sour notes when trying to master a composition; athletes come in second and third while building up what it takes to place first. But there is a common thread among them all: they never let fear of failure stop them from striving for success.

A lot of us have a fear of failure; but if we desire to be used by God to further His kingdom and bring glory to His name, we must ask Him to help us overcome this. Imagine the amazing things we could do in God’s name if we never let fear hold us back! We might stumble along the way; but in the end, God’s name would be glorified, and we would set an example for those around us that it’s okay to try big things for God, even if we fail along the way to success.

(by Dr. David Jeremiah from the September 2009 issue of Turning Points magazine)

“Success comes in cans; failure comes in can’ts.”
Unknown

Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)

Jesus Calms the Storm

³⁵That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

A woman was once asked what one of her favorite childhood memories was, and without hesitation she responded by saying,   “Being woken up out of a sound sleep by my dad to sit at our bay window and watch the lightning crawl across the sky during a big thunderstorm.” Watching storms was fascinating for her because she was in a safe, familiar place.

When storms arise in our life, it is comforting to have those around us who are familiar and safe—a spouse, children, or close friends. But when we are alone and facing uncertainty, we must remind ourselves that God controls not only the wind and the waves created by nature, but those created by life as well. We are never truly alone and facing the elements by ourselves; God will always walk through the storm with us.

During the uncertain and frightening storms of life, let us do as the Psalmist “…in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by” (Psalm 57:1).

(by Dr. David Jeremiah from the August 2009 issue of Turning Points magazine)

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me. George Muller

Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

In one of Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman’s meetings, a man stood up and gave his testimony: “For one year I begged the streets as a tramp and one day I tapped a man on the shoulder and said ‘Mister, could you please give me a dime?’ As soon as I saw his face, I realized it was my father. He threw his arms around me and said ‘I have found you. All I have is yours!’ I had stood there begging my father for ten cents while he had been looking for me to give me all he had.”

So often, Christians approach God like a stranger on the street, begging Him just to help them get by. But when we have accepted Christ as our Savior, He is no stranger to us; He is our Father, waiting with open arms, ready to embrace us in love and offer us everything He has.

Do we approach God from a beggar’s perspective or as His cherished child? If we have any difficulty seeing Him as our loving Father, we need to ask Him to help us develop a healthy Father/child relationship.

Luke 15:21-32 (New International Version)

²¹“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²²“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ “

God is still on His throne and man is still on His footstool.

There’s only a knee’s distance in between.

Jim Elliot

(http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/magazine.aspx?id=3602)

By its very definition, standing firm – standing with confidence – means not moving when the winds, rains, and fires of life come against us. We can stand still (immovable) because God is still standing (has never moved and never will).

The New Testament talks about standing firm in a number of different ways, all of which are important. Like the points on a diamond, each reflects a different aspect of what it means to stand:

STAND SINGLE-MINDEDLY: A house divided cannot stand. One foot in God with the other in the world will result in a fall (Matthew 12:25-26).

STAND UNAFRAID: Paul stood with confidence before kings who were against him because he knew God and God’s truth were his foundation (Acts 26:22).

STAND IN GRACE: Standing against the troubles of this life on our own merits is a recipe for failure. We can stand in God only because He accepts us by grace (Romans 5:2; 1 Peter 5:12).

STAND IN FAITH: What would be the point of saying we hope in God if we do not have faith in God? We must stand believing that He is our protection (Romans 11:20; 1 Corinthians 16:13).

STAND IN THE GOSPEL: Trying to stand with confidence in God without being related to God through Christ is unreasonable. We must stand as partakers of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1).

STAND IN LIBERTY: We will never stand if we fall under the condemnation of the guilt of our sins. We must stand in freedom (Galatians 5:1).

STAND AGAINST THE DEVIL: We must know how to discern the strategies and attacks of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).

STAND IN TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS: We must be free from sin and free from misunderstandings about God and His ways in our life (Ephesians 6:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:15).

STAND IN UNITY: Harmony with others in the church of Jesus Christ is a prerequisite for standing confidently with God’s strength (Philippians 4:1).

STAND IN ALL THE WILL OF GOD: Obedience to God is foundational to standing confidently in God (Colossians 4:12).

STANDING FREE FROM THE FEAR OF JUDGMENT: The Christian stands in God as the friend of God, not the enemy of God (Revelation 6:17).

(from the April, 2009 issue of Turning Points magazine – by Dr. David Jeremiah)

Have a great day!