Time Out! Devotions

(devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley from the August 2010 issue of In Touch magazine)

Genesis 50:15-21 (NIV)

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ¹⁷ ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

When life gets hard, we tend to get upset and wonder how soon the difficulty will end. But God wants us to focus on Him in times of trouble. As we do, we will discover He is doing important spiritual work during these “storms.”

Beliefs. The Bible contains what we need to know about our life in Christ and following Him. When circumstances are beyond our control, what we really believe will surface. The depth of our faith in God’s character and promises will become evident, as will any doubts or uncertainties we may have. For example, Joseph revealed strong belief when he acknowledged that God intended his hardships for his good (v. 20). There are bound to be times when we don’t succeed—like Peter, whose fear led to denying Christ—but we should think of trials as opportunities to grow and deepen our faith.

Transformation. As God’s children, we are to live our lives in a way that displays Christ’s character. But we are more like jewels in the rough, aren’t we? The heavenly Father can use the storms of life to transform us into His Son’s image.

Comfort. This blessing is not only for us but also for others. Our Father comforts us in our sufferings and asks that we share what we have received with other people (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Difficult times can come from our own mistakes, the schemes of the Enemy, or the hurtful actions of others. They can even be ordained by God. Regardless of the source, our Father works in them to benefit us and to bless others. What testimony about Him can you give to a hurting world?

(devotional by Adrian Rogers from Christianity.com)

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The devil is the sinister minister of fear. When he clamps his icy fingers of fear on your heart, do you become afraid of what he’ll do to you if you take a stand for God?

Don’t be afraid. Fear is an insult to God who said, “I will be with thee.”

Fear will destroy you. Are you a worrywart? One lady said, “Don’t tell me it does no good to worry. Most of the things I worry about never come to pass.”

Be not dismayed. God will take care of you.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what your fears are, then confess them as sin. Repent, then reach up and take hold of His right hand that is outstretched to sustain you and give you the victory!

When I was about six years old I was outside playing on a beautiful sunny day. An older neighbor decided to trick me into entering an old wooden storage shed at the far end of our yard. I went in according to his plan, then he shut the door, padlocked it securely, and went home laughing.

The darkness that enveloped me was immediate, as was my fear and helplessness at being trapped inside. Obviously, I pounded on the door repeatedly as hard as I could and yelled loudly to anyone who might hear. But after many minutes of silence went by I realized I had to calm down and wait until I was rescued.

It is unsettling how quickly and unexpectedly shadows of darkness can invade our lives. They can be black clouds of temptation that roll in just when we are determined not to react out of our weakness in that time. It may be the cold, penetrating blackness of discouragement that is so hard to ignore.  It may be a dark specter of doubt and uncertainty as we are bombarded by threatening or unyielding circumstances. Recently, for me, it was the onslaught of chronic health problems rendering me inactive and seemingly useless for ministry. But for others it may be something far worse and foreboding during which God seems to be, not only silent, but disinterested.

Now back to the boy in the shed. My fear and preoccupation with the darkness and the unknowns in that shed continued to dominate my thoughts until I noticed a small beam of light coming in through the wood slats of the door. There in the distinct ray of light I saw thousands of tiny dust particles drifting, circulating – yes, almost dancing within the light! For what seemed like a long time I sat observing their joyous display as if the dust was oblivious to the darkness.

There is a wonderful application of truth here. The Bible says that the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground. (What a good thought to meditate on when we are tempted to applaud our own significance outside of Christ!) So whether God shines His light rays in a darkened shed, across a hospital bed, or in a lonely, forsaken room – or even down the halls of the church itself, we can be like the dust and dance in the light.

Regardless of the dark circumstances or testing we face, no matter how dark the night or grim the news, we can reflect God’s light in that particular situation. We can express praise and joy, and dance as we are carried in the warm current of His love and truth! We can be assured that regardless of the trial or how bleak the future seems, He is always present, always involved, and fully committed to completing His marvelous work in us!

Oh, yes, about the boy in the shed. My grandparents came home, heard my cries, and found one tremendously relieved boy as they unlocked the door and let me out. Okay, so I cried again, but that was a long time ago and I am just a dusty old grandpa myself now. Yet, I am still determined to find God’s purpose and grace in all things – regardless how dense the darkness! I want to focus on His illuminating presence and always be in the light. Oh, that I would continue to follow the Great Shepherd of my soul and fulfill His plan by bringing honor and glorify to Him in all things!

Romans 8:31-33 (NIV)

³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 9:1-2 (NIV)

¹ I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. ² I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

(devotional by Greg Laurie from Christianity.com)

(please visit Harvest Ministries)

Luke 19:17 (NIV)

‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’

Jesus told a story about a king who was going to leave and then return later, so he instructed his servants to invest a sum of money he had entrusted to them while he was away. These servants fit into one of three categories: the super faithful, the less faithful, and the unfaithful.

The super faithful, the less faithful, and the unfaithful all received the equivalent of 100 days of wages for a laborer. We are not told how the super faithful servant was able to make ten times as much as the others, but he seemed to have no limitations whatsoever. He just went for it, and he achieved. The less faithful servant went for it as well, but was more conservative. Yet he is still to be commended. However, the unfaithful servant not only was unproductive, but also had the audacity to blame his master for his shortcomings.

Today there are people in the church like these servants. Some take risks for the kingdom of God and accomplish great things for Him. Others are more conservative and more cautious in their service. Still others have a faulty concept of who God is. They think He is unfair and demanding, and they are motivated more by fear than by love. They don’t understand God as He is presented in Scripture. Yet our primary motive for serving God should be love. As the apostle Paul said, “Christ’s love controls us” (see 2 Corinthians 5:14).

The fact is that some Christians are setting the world on fire while others are still looking for a match. If you don’t have a purpose in life, then you will throw it away. So what is your purpose? What are you focused on? What are you doing with your life? What are you doing for heaven’s sake?

2 Timothy 4:6-18 (NCV)

⁶ My life is being given as an offering to God, and the time has come for me to leave this life.⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now, a crown is being held for me—a crown for being right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give the crown to me on that day—not only to me but to all those who have waited with love for him to come again.

⁹ Do your best to come to me as soon as you can,¹⁰ because Demas, who loved this world, left me and went to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia, and Titus went to Dalmatia.¹¹ Luke is the only one still with me. Get Mark and bring him with you when you come, because he can help me in my work here.¹² I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³ When I was in Troas, I left my coat there with Carpus. So when you come, bring it to me, along with my books, particularly the ones written on parchment.

¹⁴ Alexander the metalworker did many harmful things against me. The Lord will punish him for what he did. ¹⁵ You also should be careful that he does not hurt you, because he fought strongly against our teaching.

¹⁶ The first time I defended myself, no one helped me; everyone left me. May they be forgiven.¹⁷ But the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength so I could fully tell the Good News to all those who are not Jews. So I was saved from the lion’s mouth.¹⁸ The Lord will save me when anyone tries to hurt me, and he will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory forever and ever be the Lord’s. Amen.

Today’s passage captures a painful time in the life of Paul the apostle. As he sat in a prison cell, he knew that death was imminent. He had devoted the last years to teaching, training, and winning souls for Christ, but he now stood alone, unsupported during his trial and time in jail. Loneliness must have felt overwhelming.

Paul felt abandoned, yet he didn’t blame anyone or pity himself. Instead, he met the suffering with courage. What motivated him to stand with strength during this trying time?

For the apostle, an awareness of Christ’s presence gave comfort and motivated him to persevere. Having a copy of Scripture in his cell no doubt encouraged him in this way (2 Timothy 4:13). And he not only knew God was right there with him in the current moment; he also recalled earlier times when the Lord had intervened. For instance, years before, Paul had had a vision telling him not to fear during a storm on the sea. And though the ship ran aground, all of the men survived (Acts 27:22-24).

For those of us who know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, strength is readily available in His intimate presence. Our heavenly Father promises that He will never abandon His children—even when everyone else has left.

Have your circumstances left you feeling lonely? Remember times when God was evident to you—when He clearly revealed His hand in your life. And read His Word so that the truth of His presence can comfort and encourage you. As a believer, you are truly never alone.

(devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley from the June 2010

issue of In Touch magazine)