A few mornings back I was jogging through my neighborhood, and even I could not miss the significance of that day. It was the first day of school.

It was no surprise to me, then, to see a pretty little girl step out of her house wearing new clothes and a backpack. “Have a great first day of school,” I greeted as I jogged past.

She stopped and looked at me as if I’d pulled a rabbit out of a hat. “How did you know?!”

She was stunned. Somehow I had miraculously discerned why she was up so early and where she was going. And she was impressed.

“Oh, I just know those kind of things,” I shouted back to her. (No need to burst her bubble.)

You, on the other hand, are not so easily impressed. You understand the difference between a child and a grownup. Take the difference between the girl and me, amplify it a million times over, and we begin to see the contrast between us and our Father.

We ask for grace, only to find forgiveness already offered. (How did you know I would sin?)

We ask for food, only to find provision already made. (How did you know I would be hungry?)

We ask for guidance, only to find answers in God’s ancient story. (How did you know what I would ask?)

God dwells in a different realm. “The foolishness of God is higher than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor. 1:25). He occupies another dimension. “My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8–9).

From The Great House of God
© (W Publishing Group, 1997) Max Lucado
Used by permission

Questions: What do you need God’s guidance in today? Will you pray to Him now to guide you?

“And now, dear children, continue in [Jesus], so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.” (1 John 2:28)

Continuing in Jesus supplies us with what we need to turn from sin, to love our brother and to walk in the light. Confidence does not come from never making a mistake or never sinning; it comes from Jesus. Only Jesus provides a way for us to stand unashamed in the presence of God. That means that our assurance springs from continuing to look to Jesus as our atoning sacrifice, the One who speaks to the Father on our behalf.

The temptation to sin hounds us; we can’t reach perfection.

Patient, humble, long-suffering love doesn’t flow from our hearts naturally. Lies of the world trap us in darkness, block our way to the light. All that seems impossible by human effort becomes possible through Jesus.

To continue in Jesus means to seek His face daily, look to Him for guidance, trust He is good and in control, surrender my will to Him, to repent when He convicts me and obey what He commands. Then, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, as we seek Jesus, we sin less. Moment by moment, the power of the resurrected Christ enables us to love. As we stay in close communication with Him, we walk in the light.

God, this is what I want. I desire to continue to walk with Jesus every day of my life; to continue to learn from Your Holy Spirit and be taught by Him; to continue to humble myself before You – the one true God; to continue to submit to You and be transformed by Your power.  Amen.

Questions: What does continuing in Jesus mean to you? How do you put continuing in Jesus into practice?

“…he came to a cave and lodged in it; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings 18:9, Amplified version)

Elijah had seen God do miraculous things- things that validated his ministry – but he was now exhausted.  After hearing of threats on his life, Elijah ran over 100 miles into the desert where he sat under a tree asking God to take his life. He had had enough. But God was not finished living in and through Elijah and so he was revived with rest and food from the hand of an angel. Then, “Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb.”

Surely now after this very personal ministration by an angel, Elijah would be ready for a new ministry beginning. Instead we find him in a cave where God asks the haunting question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Wasn’t the presence of an angel enough to assure Elijah that God had been—and would continue to be—faithful?

Elijah was human just like we are. He was too tired, too afraid, too spent to go on. Perhaps he wondered if that angel was just a dream. Perhaps he wondered if his ministry was over. Perhaps he had forgotten the promises of God. And so he finds a cave.

God reveals Himself to Elijah in the gentlest of whispers, but then He begins His new message with these simple words: “Go back the way you came…” Get out of the cave, retrace your steps, do the job I have called you to do.

While caves can be dark and forbidding, they can also seem safe – away from the elements, far from the people who threaten (or merely disturb) us, distant from the unending call of responsibilities. But eventually we will hear God’s question: “What are you doing here?” And often the answer is the same as the one spoken to Elijah: “Go back the way you came.”

Question: Is God calling you to leave a cave in your life? Have you been running into safe caves and not into the arms of our loving Father?

No special computer skills are required – if you can send an email you can be a mentor. Mentors choose the topics they feel comfortable talking about and work at their own pace.  All of the training happens online so you can mentor anywhere you have an internet connection.

In 2010, over 50,000 emails passed through The Mentor Center. That’s about one email received every 10 minutes. You can help by becoming an online mentor. Check out the video above to learn how it works, and then apply and get started today!

See God up close with our life lesson on the character of God

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green  pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me  along the right paths for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23: 1-3)

Recently, I received a call from a man enquiring about setting up a guardianship for his father, who could no longer mentally or physically care for  himself. Suddenly, I had a mental picture of a blind man being led by a man who could see.  And then I had a spiritual picture of a shepherd leading his sheep protecting them, guiding them and protecting them from all danger.

Sheep are somewhat less than intelligent. Have you ever seen one in a circus act? But sheep are smart in one respect. They faithfully follow their leader and they trust their leader. When their long wool gets saturated with water, they are unable to swim, so the shepherd finds them still waters from which to drink. Their mouth is tender and briars and other sharp vegetation will cut them, so the shepherd goes ahead and prepares a place (table) for them to eat which is free from the vegetation that would harm them.

The wilderness is a dangerous place for defenseless sheep. They can be at the peril of wild flesh eating beasts, but the sheep remain calm as long as they see the shepherd with his rod to fend away wild animals. Sometimes the path is steep and the cliffs fall off suddenly, but the sheep know that the shepherd has crooked staff to pull them back on the trail if they fall.

They know they can face any enemy as long as the shepherd is there to defend them. They know he is with them. It is easy to get lost in the Judean Wilderness, but the sheep can trust the shepherd to keep them on the right path. Sheep don’t see very well, but they have the eyes of the shepherd. Though they traverse some dark shadowy places they fear not because they are following their shepherd in whom they have complete trust.

By day, the shepherd tends his flock as a group, but each evening as they go into the fold, he treats them individually, one by one. He examines each and where necessary bathes their wounds of the day with soothing and healing oil. Sheep are dumb and defenseless and really have nothing, but yet their cup overflows with goodness and they lack for nothing.

Come to think about it sheep aren’t as dumb as most people think.

They have figured out that all they need to do is to trust and follow the shepherd. It is sad that most of us seemingly intelligent humans haven’t figured out to do the same.

Questions: Are you wandering in the wilderness today? Ask God to show you his guidance and provision.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” John 14:16-18

One of the greatest hindrances to our prayer life is a lack of perseverance. Oftentimes people quit praying too soon. We feel that since we have asked, our answer should immediately be forthcoming or our need should quickly be met. God is not a bellhop, waiting to give us just what we want the moment we ask. We often have to exercise patience and continue praying.

All Christians are given the Holy Spirit to seal their relationship to God and it is He who counsels believers how to pray. (Romans 8:26) We have the idea that we need to come to God only when we have a need. However, prayer is about intimacy. If God gave us whatever we wanted as soon as we asked, we would not be able to understand the dynamic of our relationship – we might never learn important skills like patience or dependence.

Think of Paul, who tells us that he implored three times for his “thorn in the flesh” to be removed before God gave a firm answer of “no.” (2 Corinthians 12:8) This probably refers to three protracted periods of time that Paul begged for relief. When we have been praying for a long time about something and don’t feel as if our words are going anywhere, that is not the time to quit. We have to pray through those situations. God is listening attentively to our cries and His Spirit is our constant companion – even when we cannot “feel” His presence or involvement. Instead of ceasing to pray, will you call on the Holy Spirit to aid you in persevering?

Question: In what ways does the Holy Spirit help us in prayer? Have you experienced God through prayer recently?

“Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.” (Matthew 28:29, The Message)

“I am the way.” (John 14:6)

When farmers harvest corn, they often leave stalks of the plants as mulch for future crops or to catch snow over winter months to provide additional moisture for the crops. Sometimes farmers will cut stalks to ground level in a special design to form a maze. People, especially during harvest festivals, enjoy walking through the maze to find their way out. The perplexing problem in a maze is that there are many “dead ends” and participants must start all over again.

A labyrinth—which at first glance appears similar to a maze—is quite different. A labyrinth has one pathway that leads from the entrance to the goal, albeit by a complex and winding route.

Just as people can easily confuse a maze with a labyrinth, they can identify the Christian life more with one than another. Some believe that walking with Christ is just one dead end after another. They find the crushing loss events of life—failure, death, divorce, etc.—to be evidence of a God they believe holds them at arm’s length, uninvolved or perhaps even manipulative.

But those who view their relationship with God as one where they walk together along labyrinth paths will identify God as a loving friend who knows the beginning as well as the end. While the route will be “complex and winding,” the One walking with us has an unobstructed view of the final destination.

His invitation is clear: Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)

Questions: What analogy best describes your own current walk with God? How would it differ from a year ago, five years ago, or ten years ago?

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Have you experienced a prod from God while reading the Bible?

“God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Tap, tap.

“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18).

Poke.

“But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15)

Nudge, nudge.

The Bible isn’t merely a classic ancient text that has stood the test of time; it is more than a masterpiece of literature and wisdom. God’s word is alive.

When I read the Bible in a spirit of readiness to hear God speak, He does. Words leap off the page as if they were written for me alone. Conviction burns through the fog of my denial and goes straight to my heart. God’s word is living and actively engages the one who reads it.

It comforts: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted.” (Psalm 34:18)

It instructs: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)

It motivates: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25)

And it encourages: “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:23-24)

The God of the Universe is waiting to speak to you. Open the Bible today and listen to what He has to say.

Thank you Almighty God that You have given us the Bible – Your word – and that it is living and active. Help me to daily read and listen to what you say.  Amen.

Questions: When has God’s word come alive for you? How can we use the Bible to test the attitudes of our hearts?

Related
Do you have a destiny? Where are you headed in life?

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:15)

“Seize the day.”

“There’s no time like the present.”

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

You’ve heard it before, from ancient philosophers to modern day motivational speakers, the call to make the most of the present is all around us. So also is the urge within us to procrastinate. The weakness of our will, the laziness of our flesh, the fickleness of our hearts all say, tomorrow.

Do you realize that every time we say, “tomorrow” when we hear God whisper to our hearts, we are actually hardening our hearts against Him?

·    Every time we fail to respond to God’s urging it gets harder to hear Him.

·    Every time we put off doing what He asks, our hearts get more resistant to doing His will.

·    Every time we choose to listen to the lie that there will always be time to follow God tomorrow, the fact that we’ll ever seek God becomes a little less likely.

When the writer of Hebrews uses the word “Today” repeatedly (3:7; 3:13; 3:15; 4:7) – capitalizing it where ever it appears –he is pointing out the urgency of responding to God when He speaks.

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:12, 13)

Paul too, writes, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Let us heed God’s voice. Today.

Heavenly Father, thank you that You have called me to be Your child. Help me to listen for Your voice, to believe what You say and to follow Your commands, today and every day. Amen.

Questions: Why is it so important to follow God today? If resisting God hardens our hearts, how does responding to God affect our hearts? How have you experienced this?