Time Out! Devotions

“Then he said to them, ‘Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’”
Nehemiah 8:10

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.”
Psalms 30:5

“The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”
Psalms 34:17

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Psalms 147:3

“Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”
Isaiah 40:31

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.”
Isaiah 43:2

“So the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Isaiah 51:11

“To grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:3

“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.”
Luke 18:1

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39

“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 affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Philippians 4:8

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”
1 Peter 4:12-13

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7

Romans 5:15-17 (NIV)

¹⁵But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote extensively about grace, God’s favor given to the undeserving. And wherever the apostle traveled, he spoke about the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24). He knew firsthand the power of sin to control and the freedom that comes through faith in Christ. He described himself as the worst of sinners because he persecuted and imprisoned many believers prior to his conversion experience (1 Timothy 1:15).

Once we accept Christ’s death on our behalf, the penalty for our sin is considered paid in full, and the power of sin over us is broken. We become spiritually alive as we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. What’s more, we then are given a new family and purpose for living. Scripture compares our conversion experience to receiving a heart transplant (Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17), changing citizenship (Philippians 3:20), and moving to a new country (Colossians 1:13).

Paul exhorts everyone who has been saved to continue in the grace of God (Acts 13:43; Ephesians 2:8)—our heavenly Father’s desire and will is that we relate to Him on this basis alone. Just as we needed to rely upon Christ’s substitutionary death for salvation, we are to live a life of dependence upon Him. It’s our faith, expressed through obedience, that pleases Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Grace is the most powerful, life-changing force in the world. God freely offers His unconditional love to whoever receives His Son. At salvation, our life is placed upon the immovable Rock who is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4), and His favor is extended over us. What’s your response to this miracle of grace?

(by Dr. Charles Stanley from the October 2009 issue of In Touch devotional magazine)

(from – http://joanwanderson.com/2009/07/story-of-the-week-july-3-2009-give-it-to-god/)

One of the situations that causes tension for all of us is our attempt to control our lives.  We seem to feel that the tighter we hold on, direct and attempt to fix, the better things will be.  However, God would obviously like us to lean a bit more on Him, to surrender and follow his lead.  It’s not always easy to determine just where He’s leading us, but when we humbly ask for help, it’s amazing what can happen. Helen Scheid of Rochester, Minnesota, knows this very well.

Helen has her PhD in Psychological Measurement and Evaluation (wow!) and has been a consultant and a director of her own company, one that provides examinations and licensing for schools and state boards.  A corporation wanted Helen’s professional advice to help their board of directors choose among three bidders for a project. But the board members didn’t know what questions to ask, nor how to evaluate the answers when they got them.

It was a rather routine situation, and Helen felt she could help.  She was familiar with the corporation, and with the three organizations whose bids they were considering.  “I knew the strengths and the weaknesses of each, and I felt certain I could help them make their own good decision,”  Helen says. “That’s what an effective consultant should do.”

So far, so good.  But as the evaluations and discussions proceeded through the first day, Helen sensed that one of the three organizations was already being favored.  By the second day it became clear that the directors were divided into two camps—those with a preconceived plan in favor of that bidders, and those who wanted to weigh the evidence before making any decision. “I tried to steer a neutral course between the two, directing their attention to facts and data and the implications of alternatives,” Helen says, “but by lunch time, there was a stalemate. The directors were no longer treating one another with ordinary courtesy and respect; the velvet gloves were coming off. What was I to do?”

Lunch was brought in to the conference room to expedite the agenda. Tension had taken away any appetite Helen had, so she excused herself to go for a walk.  And on the path, she prayed. “Dear God,” she said, “I’m in an impossible situation. I really don’t know what I can do about it. There is a lot of friction and hostility in this group, and some of it has a long history that I really can’t deal with. I know they have to make a decision, and they have to make it now. But no one wants to compromise, and everyone wants it their own way. I have to go back to the meeting now, God, but I’m leaving it in your hands to show me what I can do to help them resolve this.”

Instead of hanging on even tighter to an imaginary sense of control, Helen had asked God to take over.”I was still a little anxious about what I should do,” she says, “but I also felt that I didn’t have to worry.”  She went back to the meeting, and the discussion resumed.

Surprisingly,as the afternoon progressed, the tone of the meeting changed.  Somehow, the directors found ways to accommodate the differences that had overwhelmed them in the morning. By the end of the day, there was complete consensus on the decision to be made, and the morning of the third day could be spent in working out the details of its implementation.

“I know that nothing I said or did in the meeting contributed to the outcome, but I’m equally certain that what I did outside the meeting had a direct effect,” Helen says. The company chairmen drove Helen to the airport, and she decided to share what had happened.

“I was wondering what had changed everyone at that meeting from the morning to the afternoon of the second day—and now I know!” the chairman said.

It’s not always easy to relinquish control.  But when we invite God to direct us, amazing things happen.