Rejected by Men

He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Isaiah 53:3 (NJKV)

Thought for today: Scott so wanted to be like the other kids, to be able to play games outside during recess, to be able to run through the hallways of his school.  He tried in every possible way to be like them, yet at every turn he faced the sting of rejection as he was not included in activities, even though he could only be a spectator. You see, Scott's legs stopped working when he was very young due to SMA, a degenerative neurological disorder.  He would likely be confined to a wheelchair all of his days.

Have you ever felt the sting of rejection and tried everything in your power to avoid it?  Do you think that Jesus felt rejected when He became man?  It is unimaginable to think about what Jesus gave up to become one of us.  The baby in the manger, so adored, would soon become the man rejected by many.  I can only imagine that His pain when rejected was even more magnified than ours. Not only were people rejecting Him but also His message of salvation.  Jesus knew that by not believing in Him, they were doomed to eternal punishment.


Things changed for Scott when he met Jenny.  She wanted to spend time with him and told him that even though he couldn't run like the other kids, he had an amazing mind and a kind heart. Things started looking up for Scott as he suddenly began to see a new purpose in his life and was able to look beyond the rejection.

During this Christmas season, as you reflect upon God's wonderful gift to us of His Son,  examine your own heart.  Is fear of rejection holding you back from God's higher calling on your life?  Are there hurts from your past causing you to not want to risk relationships and reaching out to others? My prayer is that we all can look to Jesus as our role model.  Although rejected and despised, He continued to risk, continued to reach out to those around Him.  Will you ask Jesus today to help you to become more like Him?

December 16 Set Free

All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV)

Thought for today: During my teenage years, one of my cousins smashed his father's car into a tree.  When I asked him what happened, he told me that the tree just suddenly jumped out in front of him. Well, trees generally don't ambulate, so perhaps he was not paying attention when he steered into the tree.

We are all, by nature, inclined to be headed for a crash, it is called sin.  At a macro level, we cannot be looked upon by a holy God because of our inherent sin nature.  Without our Savior and His great sacrifice for us, that crash would be a long dive into hell and an awful eternal life.  At the micro level, we all have a propensity to sin and the consequences of sin can leave our lives like the front end of my uncle's car: mashed, mangled and in need of a major repair.

Have you thought about what is inside of your mind today?  When I think about my thoughts some days I could just cry.  Christ knows even the deepest, darkest thought that rattles around in your brain. You know, the one that you could never tell another living soul about.  He knows about the secret sins that have left their mark on your thought life.  Yet, Jesus still loves you so much and was willing to make such a sacrifice so that you could be set free from the bondage of sin.

So, you feel the urge to sin deep down in your spirit, to go your own way, regardless of whether it is God's way or not.  How do you stop the wreck from happening?  2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to bring every thought into captivity of Christ.  Like my cousin, if we are not paying attention, filtering our thoughts against God's Word, we can easily head for a wreck.  Ask the One upon whom our iniquities were laid to help you to live in obedience to Him and the Word.  If you have never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, then receiving God's free gift of forgiveness and salvation is a first step.  If you have received Him as your Savior but let Him take a back seat in your mind, my prayer is that you would bring Him to His rightful place.  For if you truly believe that Jesus is your Lord, then He must be the Lord of all of you: body, mind and soul.

December 13 - We are the Reason for the Season

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:4-5

Thought for today: I've been listening to the song "Above all Power" and I'm struck by these lyrics: 

Crucified

Laid behind a stone

You lived to die

Rejected and alone

Like a rose

Trampled on the ground 

You took the fall

And thought of me

Above all.

Have you ever thought about how Jesus had you on His mind when He chose to come to earth as a man?  We so often consider that Jesus thought of us when He made the supreme sacrifice on Calvary. Yet, He thought of you more than His own desires when Father God asked Him to become one of us.  Being fully God, Jesus foreknew what He would suffer on this earth.  Yet, He chose to go anyway.  Imagine yourself in a battle situation where you know there is no way out alive yet you could save your comrades by accepting the assignment.   How many of us would do such a selfless act?

How then should we respond to such great love as this?   Worship.  As you go about your business this holiday season, take some time to reflect upon what Jesus did for you.  Draw close to Him, in reverence and thankfulness, for He so desires a relationship with you. You probably have heard the saying "He is the reason for the season."  While this is true, it is also true that you are the reason for the season.  Without having you and I in mind, putting us first, God would never have became man.  Let's praise Him for this wonderful love.

November 26 - You are an Inheritance

Save Your people,
And bless Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
And bear them up forever.

Psalm 28:9 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: Up high on the closet shelf sits a box. Not an ordinary cardboard box, but a rather ornate box made of the finest mahogany. Positioned in a way for easy access, the box almost looks like it is waiting for its owner to come and admire it.  Theresa dutifully takes the box down daily and views the jewels contained within.  As she carefully polishes the box, she thinks about her grandmother, who had left it to her along with the jewelry.  Handling grandma's jewels and her jewelry box almost bring her back to life. Theresa thinks about how it will be someday when she can pass this precious box on to her children or grandchildren.

Do you have a precious item that you inherited?  Perhaps it is something that you admire often and, like Theresa, think about the conferrer and how much he or she meant to you.  Did you ever consider that we are God's inheritance, ones that He holds close to His heart?  How is it that I, roguish man that I am, can be admired by God and viewed as someone precious in His sight?  I can only attribute this to His grace, for I don't deserve to be considered an inheritance.

Are you feeling caught up in yourself today, in the weight of your own sinfulness?  All of us struggle with our sinful nature.  Yet, regardless of how low you feel today, know that you are so precious to God.  Precious enough that He sent His own son, Jesus, to die for that very sin that burdens you today.  My prayer is that you can accept His total forgiveness, knowing that Jesus had you on His mind when He so freely gave of Himself on the cross of Calvary.  

November 25 - Getting to the Place of Refuge

The Lord is their strength,[a]
And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

Psalm 28:8 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: At six years old, Nina Admoni first encountered the horrors of World War II.  Being a Polish Jew, she and her family had to flee from the Nazis.   Along the way to Shanghai, China, she saw many bombs fall as well as starving people banging on the windows of the Trans-Siberian Railroad train, begging for just a morsel to eat.  When Nina finally arrived in Shanghai, life was very different from home.  She was able to enjoy a life full of studies and fun with friends.  Some twenty-thousand Jews lived in Shanghai during World War II, seeking refuge from the horrors of the holocaust.   None had an easy trip there; the actual trip was tough but getting permission from the government was harder.

When we read a verse like Psalm 28:8, it seems easy to imagine that the Lord will be our refuge all of the time, allowing us to relax under the shadow of His wings.  Yet, perhaps the secret to finding refuge is to realize that getting to that place of peace may require that we go through a difficult spell.  We so often just expect the Lord to make our lives easy, pain free.  Realize that, just like an athlete needs to train in order to stay in shape, we too need trials and rough times in order to become more like Jesus.  

Are you going through a rough time today?  Know that you will get through this, with the Lord's help.  He will bring you to a place of refuge according to His will.  Trust in Him and know peace, accepting this time as something divinely ordained.

November 18 - The Best Shield

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.

Psalm 28:7 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: If you have ever read any Greek mythology, you might recall the story of the shield of Achilles from Homer's Iliad.   Achilles had lost all of his armor since he had loaned it to a companion who was killed in battle during the Trojan War.  His mother, Thetis, asked the god Hephaestus to make replacement armor for her son. There is quite a description in this part of the poem of the shield that was made, with five layers and many interesting images which have a lot of symbolism.  Even though Achilles was a strong, mighty warrior, he likely would have died in battle without the shield.  Of course, later Greek and Roman works mention that Achilles eventually was killed by a poison arrow to the heel, the one spot of weakness in his armor.

Regardless of how strong we think we are, we still need a shield about us.  What is your shield?  Is it position or power? A shield of our own making surely will not last as we go through this journey of life. Have you fully trusted in the Lord to be your shield and your strength?  If you have, then surely your heart can praise Him, you can sing out in joyful song, knowing that you have the strongest shield about you.  If you have not, will you lay down your own shield and self-sufficiency to our Lord this day? 

November 15 - Thankfulness

Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

Psalm 28:6 (NKJV)

Thought for Today:  Each morning at exactly 8:45 Nathaniel ordered coffee and a bagel at Jessie's Coffee Shop on his way to the office.  When he first started stopping by Jessie's he, being not very talkative on the way to his world of stock trading, would simply bark out what he wanted.  Being a good business person, Jessie got to know her customers and, after about a week or so, would have Nathaniel's order ready for him when he arrived.  They very rarely exchanged words, he would pay her four dollars and 38 cents in exact change and be on his way.  Jessie longed once just to have a conversation with Nathaniel.  Yet, their exchanges were all business, at times ungracious.

It is interesting that the word voice is attached to supplications in this verse.  The Hebrew word, ק֤וֹל, is used 165 times in the Old Testament,  mostly referring to voice. There are a couple of occasions where the word is used to imply noise, proclamation and even the bleating of sheep.   How would you describe the voice of your prayers?  Perhaps, like Nathaniel, you just walk over to God and expect Him to know what you want, really not even needing a laundry list.  Maybe you ask for things quietly, not wanting to bother the Lord.  Perhaps you do bring Him a laundry list of things for Him to fix in your life. One thing is certain: we need to bless the Lord for hearing our prayers.  How do you bless Him?  By being thankful.  The Hausa people of Nigeria have a saying: "Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot."   

One day at exactly 8:45 Nathaniel walked into Jessie's Coffee Shop and was handed a burnt English muffin and a cup of tea.  Taken aback, Nathaniel asked Jessie why she had given him this instead of his usual order.  Jessie replied, "I just wanted to see whether you would even bother to notice.  For years now I've given you your choice for breakfast, never once being thanked."  Nathaniel walked away with his head down, for even he, hardened by the business world, knew that he was wrong.

Today we have a choice.  Do we continue to ask the Lord to bless without blessing back with thanksgiving or do we come to the Lord in thanksgiving, not expecting more, but simply basking in His presence and all that He has done for us?   

November 14 - Truce

Do not take me away with the wicked
And with the workers of iniquity,
Who speak peace to their neighbors,
But evil is in their hearts.
 Give them according to their deeds,
And according to the wickedness of their endeavors;
Give them according to the work of their hands;
Render to them what they deserve.

Psalm 28:3-4

Thought for Today: This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Truce of 1914.  The British and German troops had been fighting for over four months when there was a stalemate, particularly on the western front.  As such, both sides developed fortified systems of trenches, many times only 30 to 40 yards apart.  Due to the close proximity, the British and German soldiers would often talk to each other from the trenches.  On occasion, the British soldiers would bring cigarettes over to the Germans, who would give them cheese in exchange.  All of this led up to a most amazing thing on Christmas Eve and Christmas day 1914: troops came out of their trenches and celebrated with their enemies. They exchanged stories of their families, exchanged gifts and even played soccer, Brits against Germans.  At the stroke of midnight December 26th, those who were acting like old friends went back into their trenches, enemies again.

I particularly like the story of the Christmas truce because it shows the human side of war.  Regardless of which side of the war you were on, you could come together with the other side and relate as human beings.  How sad, though, that all of this had to end after the holiday.  How difficult it must have been for the soldiers to fire into the enemy trenches after that magical truce.

Sometimes, we so want our "enemies" to get what they deserve.  These "enemies" could be difficult people in our lives or enemies of the Lord  Yet, we need to remember that they are human, have needs, wants, dreams and desires just like anyone.   Like us, they too have a God-shaped hole in their hearts.

Is there someone that you have written off and don't want to deal with?  Do you prefer to sit in the foxhole rather than venture out and call a truce?  Will you today step outside of yourself and pray that the Lord would give you understanding and compassion for that person, that you might see the pain that is driving the behavior and know how to respond in love?  Just maybe we can bring Jesus into the most unlikely place of all, the hardened heart that so needs His love.

November 13 - Meltdowns

Hear the voice of my supplications
When I cry to You,
When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

Psalm 28:2 (NKJV)

Thought for today: I sometimes get hyper-focused on tasks.  One day I was working on fixing some things around our house.  My oldest daughter was a toddler at the time.  As I went whizzing by her to find some tools, she, being non-verbal at that time, put her arms up to be picked up.  Being focused on the task at hand, I did not notice her attempts for some attention.  This resulted in a meltdown which took some time for all of us (Mom, Dad and child) to recover from.  Ironically, the same daughter now shows me silly YouTube videos about adults acting like toddlers and having meltdowns.

Do you ever feel that God does not hear your prayers, that they are going only as far as the ceiling?  Do you want to scream at Him, throw a fit, get foot-stomping mad?  Go ahead, He has broad shoulders and would rather that you tell Him how you feel than to hold it in.  The Lord knows how you feel anyway, its just that it does you a lot of good to acknowledge those feelings. 

God does hear your prayers, trust that.  His answers come in His time and in His way.  Telling God how you feel about His answers or apparent lack thereof likely won't change Him or His will.  But you know what, it just might change you.

November 12 - Silence

To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock:
Do not be silent to me,
Lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.

 

Psalm 28: 1 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: What is the biggest fear of mankind?  No, it is not war, famine or disease.  It is simply silence.  We do so much to fill our lives with noise that we don't take time to be silent.  We crave peace and tranquility but then, when we have a moment to be silent we realize how painful silence can be.

Do you think that God is silent?  Perhaps you have been waiting for a prayer to be answered or for some direction in your life.  Do you feel as David writes that you will go down to the pit if you don't receive an answer? Maybe the answer is in the silence.  Perhaps God is waiting for you to abandon your own will and trust solely in His perfect plan for you.   Will you trust Him today?

November 11 - Waiting

Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Psalm 27:14

Thought for today: I hate waiting, especially when driving to work in the morning.  I have a 45 mile commute that can take anywhere from a little over 1 hour to 2+ hours, depending upon traffic.  Have I mentioned how much I really hate waiting in traffic?  It is even more annoying when you are going along at a nice speed and someone pulls out in front of you and decides to drive slowly.  I found myself in this situation the other morning.   As I was listening to a song with the lyrics: "I've got joy, unspeakable joy" suddenly my joy turned to screaming when a driver cut me off, slowing my progress.  Of course, I shamefully thought of the irony of the lyrics and my subsequent behavior because my plans (getting to work fairly early) were slightly skewed by one driver.

Waiting does not seem to be something that we are good at today.  We tell ourselves that it was easier to wait when there was less technology, when life was slower.  If waiting on the Lord was not so important, David would not have mentioned it twice in this verse.  We need to wait in order to have our hearts strengthened.  We need to wait in order to learn to trust in the Lord.

What can you not wait for today?  Do you need an answer to prayer, deliverance from your circumstances, an instant solution to your problems?  Are you sitting in the midst of some difficult circumstances?  Can you wait on the Lord, focusing on the Master rather than the disaster?  Strangely, once we earnestly seek His face, we are strengthened because our only desire is Him.  The trials and troubles all pale in contrast to the glory of being in His presence.  Will you wait on Him today, seeking His face, choosing to fully trust in the Lord alone? 

November 10 - Goodness in the Land of the Living

Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

Psalm 27:12,13

Thought for Today:  We all face many enemies in this life, whether it be the forces that wage inside of our own spirits that go against God's best intent for us or another person's intent to do us harm in some way.  How would you define your enemy: internal or external?

Dean Inge wrote: “Let us remember, when we are inclined to be disheartened, that the private soldier is a poor judge of the fortunes of a great battle."  Do you feel that you are about to lose heart, to give up on a situation in your life that seems impossible?  Trust that even though you may not yet see the end result,  the Lord does have your good in mind.  He who made the stars walks with you even through the darkest days. Can you trust Him to deliver you and show you His goodness in this life?

November 3 Give Me Tomorrow

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.

Psalm 27:11 (NKJV)

It was November 1950.  Eight thousand US Marines struggled to survive the coldest North Korean winter in 100 years, surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops.  Temperatures at times got as cold as minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Their only lifeline was the Main Supply Route, a 15 foot wide steep mountain road.   A dangerous 78 mile journey led to the Sea of Japan.  The US troops endured thirteen days of hardship, losing many, in order to make it to safety.   During this difficult time, one soldier was asked by a war correspondent what he wanted for Christmas.  His reply: "Give me tomorrow."

We all want everything to go smoothly in life.  David seems to imply in this verse that we must allow the Lord to teach us His ways in order to be led along a smooth path because, without the Lord's direction, we would be lost to our enemies.  Does smooth mean a life without bumps and hiccups along the way?  Most likely not.  Yet, we can be assured that regardless of the difficulty we may face, we do serve One who has given us tomorrow, an assurance of eternal life if we receive Him as our Lord and Savior.  How about you?  Are you resting on the assurance that you have been given tomorrow by the One who created time?  Or are you worried about tomorrow and the uncertainties that it could hold?  I pray that it is the former, that you may trust fully in Him, knowing that He will lead you all the days of your life.

November 2 - He will never Forsake You

Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
 When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.

Psalm 27: 9-10

Thought for Today: Lewis Smedes writes in “A Chorus of Witnesses”: "Yes, somewhere people still make and keep promises. They choose not to quit when the going gets rough because they promised once to see it through. They stick to lost causes. They hold on to a love grown cold. They stay with people who have become pains in the neck. They still dare to make promises and care enough to keep the promises they make. I want to say to you that if you have a ship you will not desert, if you have people you will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon, then you are like God. What a marvelous thing a promise is! When a person makes a promise, she reaches out into an unpredictable future and makes one thing predictable: she will be there even when being there costs her more than she wants to pay. When a person makes a promise, he stretches himself out into circumstances that no one can control and controls at least one thing: he will be there no matter what the circumstances turn out to be. With one simple word of promise, a person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty. "

Are you feeling forsaken today?  Perhaps you feel the sting of rejection or the pain of a lost relationship.   We have a great promise from our God: "I will never leave you or forsake you." (Joshua 1:5)  People make promises and often do not follow through.  We can be assured that all of God's promises to us are true, we can bank on that.  Can you rest in the assurance that, if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are His precious child, never to be left on your own or abandoned?  We don't serve a God who abandons,  but one who desires our complete abandon.  

November 1 - The Engineer

For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

Psalm 27: 5

Thought for Today: “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” Corrie ten Boom, a great servant of the Lord, made this statement when asked about trusting the Lord in all circumstances.

What tunnel are you going through in your life?  Perhaps it is a tunnel of fear, doubt, addiction, physical or emotional suffering. Whatever it is, the Lord will indeed hide you, shelter you and help you through this time. Will you trust the engineer of your life journey to lead you always?

October 31 - Dwelling with the Lord

One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.

Psalm 27:4

An unlikely pair, Jimmy from the more affluent side of town and Johnny from the poorer neighborhood, yet they became best friends in first grade.  Pals to the end, they liked to spend lots of time together during recess. Jimmy did go to Johnny’s house to play once.   Rundown, in need of some maintenance and very tight on space, it was different from Jimmy’s well-kept, sprawling house.  Jimmy’s house was a fun place with a loving mom and dad.  Johnny only had his mom and she often seemed so overwhelmed by taking care of Johnny and his siblings that there was not a lot of joy.

On one of his visits to Jimmy’s house, Johnny told Jimmy’s mom that he wanted to live with them.  She asked him if it was because of the nice house, the large yard, the pool and the seemingly endless supply of toys. Johnny shook his head, saying, “no, I just like to be with your family and enjoy watching you all be together.”
 

When you think about dwelling in the house of the Lord, do you consider only your comfort, what can be gained from being in His house all the days of your life?  We get caught up in thinking only of what God can do for us, of the comfort that can be gained by living daily in His presence.  Yet, all He desires is for us to enjoy His presence, take in His beauty and seek His face.  Is your motivation for seeking the Lord tied to your desire for comfort or are you willing to give up all that you know to dwell with the Lord in order to enjoy His presence?  My prayer is that it is the latter, that you may enjoy the beauty of the One who created you as you daily seek Him.

October 30 - Confidence

When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

Psalm 27: 2-3

Thought for Today: There is a story about a business executive who was about to lose his business due to debt.  One day, he met an old man who asked him what was troubling him.  He told the old man his woes and the old man offered to help by writing him a check, telling him to meet him back there in one year to repay him. After the old man left, the executive looked at the check for $500,000 signed by John D. Rockefeller.  Rather than use the money to pay his bills, the executive placed the uncashed check in a safe.  Over the course of the year, he was able to make many business deals knowing that he had the check sitting in the safe to back him up.  Consequently, he turned his business around.  The day came to meet the old man.  As he was about to tell him about how he had turned his business around, a nurse came up to the old man saying, "oh, there you are. I'm glad I found you."  Turning to the executive, she said, "he likes to go around telling people that he is John D. Rockefeller."  The executive was stunned.  A worthless, uncashed check from a madman had changed his entire life.

We have an uncashed check sitting in a safe, not worthless and not from a madman but from our God Himself.  By accepting our Lord's free gift of salvation, we have no need to fear, no need to doubt. We can rest peacefully in His truth and His promises to us. As David wrote in the snippet of Psalm 27 above, we can be confident in the truth that the Lord is our light and salvation.  As you go about your day today, will you be confident in yourself, your friends and family, your wealth?  Or, will your confidence be in the unseen God who will sustain and provide, regardless of the circumstances?

October 28 - Fear

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: For 28 years, Shohoiya Yokowai lived in a prison, not one of bars, locks and guards.  His was a prison of fear, for he was a Japanese soldier on the island of Guam during World War II, afraid of being captured by the American forces who had invaded the island.  When he had learned of the invasion, he fled to the jungle, living in a cave and only coming out at night to forage for food.  He finally was convinced that the war was over by some natives and came out of hiding.

How sad, to waste 28 years of a life hiding in fear from an enemy who had long departed.  Yet, so many of us live in fear, whether it be fear of failure, fear of rejection or a multitude of other fears.  Many of these fears are caused by things that happened so long ago and have departed from us.  My question to you today is what frightens you?  Can you take the Lord at face value today, trusting that what He says in His word is true?  If so, then will you trust Him today to be the strength of your life and cast all of your fears upon Him?  Trust Him today, for He is the only strength that you ever need.

October 27 - Doing the Right Thing

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.

Psalm 25: 21 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: A chief executive was soon to retire.  He wanted to pick a successor, so he gave each of his junior executives a seed, telling them to plant it and bring back the plant in one year. He would then pick his successor.  Everyone talked over the ensuing weeks about the plants that they were growing; all but one man, who watered his plant dutifully but did not see anything grow.  The day arrived when the new chief executive would be picked.  Everyone brought in beautiful plants, except for this one man.  The chief executive looked around the room and marveled at the plants.  Then, his eyes fell upon the pot of soil with no plant and the nervous man next to it.  The chief executive announced to everyone that he would be the next CEO.  He then told the group that he had given all of them boiled seeds that could not possibly grow into a plant.  All, seeing that nothing was growing, had substituted another seed for the original one, except for the one who persevered in spite of not seeing results.

So often we are tempted to not do the right thing, to take shortcuts, to cheat.  We think that no one will notice, it really does not matter, everyone else does it.  Our seemingly innocuous indiscretions do impact us, even if we don't get caught and face earthly consequences.  Think of all the young executives in the story above who staked everything in something that was a lie.  Conversely, think of the one young executive who did the right thing. His integrity won out. 

When I meet Jesus face to face someday, I want Him to know me by my integrity, that He would have preserved me, that I would have held on to His truth and been upright in a deceitful age.  What about you?  Are you living a life in hopeful wait for our Savior, with integrity as your hallmark?   Or, are you placing all of your hope on the things of this world, regardless of what it takes to attain them?  I pray that it is the former, that you may know the joy of choosing to be His servant.

October 26 - Unashamed

Keep my soul, and deliver me;
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.

Psalm 25:20 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: Nathaniel Hawthorne weaves a tale in The Scarlet Letter of Hester Prynne and all that unfolds as the result of her adulterous relationship. At one point in the story, Hester is forced to wear a scarlet 'A' and is marched through town, to be shamed in front of the entire community.

We all wear a scarlet letter of some kind, whether we care to admit it or not.  All of us have sinned and fall short of God's glory.  Yet, by trusting wholly in Jesus, we can be delivered, unashamedly living free.   What things in your life cause you shame?   He who is willing to deliver you will keep your soul if you are willing to just trust Him.  Will you give your guilt and shame over to the Lord today in complete surrender?

October 25 - Victory

Look on my affliction and my pain,
And forgive all my sins.
 Consider my enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with cruel hatred.

Psalm 25:18-19 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: The  Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 was nearly lost due to the late arrival of one ship.  Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry was able to turn the battle around once the second ship arrived.  Upon winning the battle, he sent word ashore to General William Henry Harrison reporting, "We have met the enemy and they are ours."

We face many enemies on this journey of life.  Sometimes, these enemies are external.  The more devastating are the internal ones: doubt, fear, addiction and pain.  Yet, we have assurance that through Jesus all of our enemies can be ours, we can have the victory.  What enemies do you face today?  Don't wait until it is almost too late for help to arrive, for He is only one prayer away.

October 24 - Mercy to Pull You from the Pit

Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am desolate and afflicted.
 The troubles of my heart have enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses!

Psalm 25: 16,17 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: One of the roots of the word distress is the Latin word districtus, which is the past participle of distringere, to draw apart, hinder.   When we are distressed, we are often divided, drawn apart.  Have you ever been in a situation where things just seem to be getting worse in spite of your best efforts?  This happens to me with plumbing projects, although I have now given these up under the advice of my wife, after causing a minor flood in our kitchen.

In this portion of Psalm 25, we see David crying out to God in affliction, feeling desolate.  Perhaps today you feel drawn apart, not knowing which way to go, feeling like you are falling down a deeper and deeper pit.  This hole could be of your own volition or through no fault of your own.  Remember, it is not the depth of the pit that you are in that matters.  Rather, it is the length of the arms of mercy that can pull you out, if you just ask Him.  Won't you cry out to the Lord today?   He will hear and reach down into the depth of your despair to bring you out into the light of His love.   

October 23 - God, our rescuer

My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Psalm 25:15 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: One night, my youngest daughter, who was about one at the time, was crying quite a bit in her crib.  When I went to check what was wrong, I quickly noticed that her leg was caught underneath a railing in the crib.  The look on her face was one of fear and of trust; fear of what was happening and the pain, utter trust in me that I would be able to free her.  Yet, until I could calm her and stop her from trying to free herself, I could not free her leg.

In the same way, we often are fearfully thrashing about trying to solve our own problems, seeking relief from our pain, perhaps trying to reverse mistakes that we have made. If we can just stop thrashing and look toward the Lord, He will indeed deliver.  What do you need deliverance from today?  Look to Him today and always, for our God is our provider and deliverer.