What Do You Need?

 

When Things Go Wrong and An Undeserved Gift

My last two devotional videos.

 

A Mirage?

This world is like a desert. Everybody is thirsty! What the world offers to us is like a mirage. Do you know what a mirage is? A mirage is when you are in the desert and it looks like there is a lake in the distance. But when you get there, there's nothing but sand. It's just an optical illusion. It looks so good and promising from a distance, but it can't satisfy you.
We are all thirsty people. We want this or that. But Jesus is the only One who can satisfy us. New clothes, money, a job, a big trip, a car, a pretty face, a slim body, health, a husband, a baby, your own house--these are all nice things. But they can't permanently satisfy us. We just want more and more!
I love being a wife, having my own home and children. I am very thankful for these things and I love them. But they can't satisfy me and meet all my needs. They could also be taken away from me at any time.
It is Jesus who is always there 24/7, no matter what.
It is Jesus who can understand me. 
It is Jesus who gives me strength, help and wisdom. 
It is Jesus who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and can't lose it all. 
It is Jesus who can never die and be gone.
It is Jesus who cannot possibly leave or forsake me.
It is Jesus who satisfies me.
What are you seeking? Is it something that could be taken away from you in an instant? Is it something that can't satisfy you?
Or are you seeking to know God more? The One who can truly satisfy your soul no matter what happens in life.

Life Jackets

If you were going out on a boat, and there was a good chance you could drown, would you put on a life jacket? Or would you just have one on the boat in case you needed it? The wisest thing to do would be to put it on straight away. If you start to drown, it might be too late. You may not be able to reach it, let alone put it on.
  Jesus is like a life jacket. When it comes to death, we need Him for eternal safety. Without Him, we can't go to Heaven. But how many people think, I'll wait until I die? How many teens think, I want to live my life first and I'll get saved later? Oh, what a dangerous thing to do! You may not have a death bed. You could be killed instantly at any time. And if you do have a death bed, you could be unconscious or unable to think straight. You could be old and not in your right mind. Death can come before we know what's happening. Today may be your last chance.
Are you ready? If you died right NOW, would you go to Heaven? If not, there is nothing more important than being saved. Repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus. You will never regret it, you will wish you had done it sooner.

More Value

The view out my window this morning as I was washing my dishes reminded me of these verses about God's care for us.
Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 11:6-7
I remember a song I used to sing as a child.
There are hundreds of sparrows, thousands and millions.
There's one a penny, far too many, there must be.
There are hundreds of sparrows, thousands and millions.
But God knows everyone and God knows me.
In spite of how big God is and how many people there in the world, God cares about YOU. God doesn't forget a single sparrow, and we are worth far more than them.
Sometimes it seems our problems and circumstances must be so insignificant to God. And yet He commands us to to be anxious about nothing, but pray to Him about everything. We have a God who cares about us as individuals, not just as a group of humans.
Do you have a personal relationship with this God? 

What a Promise!

Scars of Love

(Repost)

A little girl grew up with a mum and dad who loved her very much. Of course, she loved her parents too. As she got older and went to school, the other children noticed that her mother's hands were terribly scarred and disfigured, and not nice to look at. They teased her about this and the little girl began to feel ashamed of her Mum's hands. She wished that they were smooth and beautiful like other girl's mums.

As time went on, the mother began to notice a change in her daughter's behavior whenever they neared the school gate; she seemed to not want to be seen with her. Saddened and hurt, she asked what was the matter. Embarrassed, the little girl looked down at her feet and then blurted out, “It's your hands, Mum! The other girls always laugh at your ugly hands and tease me about them. Why have you got such ugly hands?”

Sitting the little girl down on a bench-seat nearby, the mother gently asked her, “Would you like me to tell you why?”

“Oh yes!” replied the little girl. Quietly her mother began.

“A few years ago when you were just a baby, I woke up in the middle of the night. I could smell something burning. I rushed into your room and found that the heater I put in there to warm the room had set fire to your little cot. I didn't have time to think of anything, but you, lying so near those terrible flames! I beat them out with my hands and rushed out of the room with you to safety. It was then I realised I had burnt my hands terribly, and that is why they are so scarred and ugly today.”

The little girl listened very quietly until her mother had finished her story. Then, with tears in her eyes, she flung her arms around her mother's neck and said, “Mummy, I love you all over—but I love your hands best of all.” From that day on she was never ashamed of them again. In fact, whenever the girls would foolishly taunt her about her Mother's scars, she would always reply, “They are scars of love!” and tell them the story.

Did you realise that Jesus too, has scarred hands?

He was nailed to a Roman cross and died there, so that we might have our sins forgiven and receive eternal life. Remember that first Easter, He appeared to all the disciples to show them He was alive. Thomas wasn't there, and he refused to believe it until he saw the scars in Jesus' hands and side where the nails and cruel spear had pierced him on the cross. Shortly afterwards, Jesus did appear to Thomas; “Look at my hands and side” He said to him. Thomas saw the scars and immediately believed. “My Lord and my God!” he said. We too, will one day see those same scars when we stand before Him. Will you be able to say, “My Lord and my God. I love you and those are scars received in my place when You died for my sin. They are 'Scars of Love' for me!”

For God so loved the world, that he gave...

If Jesus had never died on the cross, there would be no hope for us! Because of the sacrifice Jesus made, we are able to have peace with God. He lived a perfect life and died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin for all those who will believe in Him. He rose again to give us new life.
Do you believe in Him as your personal Saviour?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Only One Life...

(Notes from my teen journal)

My Hiding Place

When we were in Holland we visited the house where Corrie ten Boom used to live. We saw the 'Hiding Place' in the wall where her family would hide Jews. A safe place for people to hide who were being hunted down by Hitler.
Jesus is our safe place--our hiding place. For our soul to be safe for eternity, we need to be trusting in Jesus. 
We also have an enemy, the Devil. He is out to destroy us. We need to stay close to God--our hiding place.
When you are afraid, pray to God. Trust in Him to help you. He will help you and will give you joy in spite of your circumstances.

Opposite Directions

It was 7:30 am on the last day of our holiday. We packed up the car and left our motel. We had a ferry to catch.
Driving down the highway my husband exclaimed, "Wait a minute! I think we're going in the wrong direction."
"No, I don't think so." I disagreed.
"Yes, I think so." he insisted. "I think Picton is the opposite direction."
We were driving out of Nelson the same way we had driven in. I somehow had it in my head that we had come into Nelson from the right, which would have meant we were now going in the right direction.
"Well, I think we should check to make sure before you turn around. We don't want to drive in the opposite direction." I cautioned. I rummaged around and found a small map. Looking at it I realized I had completely lost my sense of direction. We were driving in the opposite direction to where I thought we were going.
'You're right, this is the wrong way" I admitted.
We turned around, drove in the opposite direction and arrived in Picton a few hours later.

There are two different lessons I learned from this.
1)Sometimes you're convinced you are going in the right direction when are going in the wrong direction.
The Bible says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end therof are the ways of death."
It's possible to be convinced that you are going to heaven, when you might not be. It's so important to read God's Map which tells us how to get to Heaven. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the father but by me.
If you are trusting in anything other than Jesus, you are going in the opposite direction to Heaven.
Make sure you read God's Map, the Bible, for yourself. Don't trust in your good works, your church, your baptism, your prayers or anything else other than Jesus and His good works. A real relationship with Him is the only way to Heaven.

2) Sometimes the right road is not at all what you expected.
When I was a teen I was convinced that God wanted me to be a missionary overseas all my life. I was sure this was the direction my life was supposed to go. But instead I found that God wanted me to marry someone who had immigrated to my country, and be a wife and mother. This was not at all the direction I had planned to go in. It made no sense to me. And yet, this is exactly what God wanted for me. I know this because I prayed and sought His will in every step and decision.
In the last year, my life has taken a new road again. Our last child has Down Syndrome and heart conditions. I never imagined that I would ever have a 'handicapped' child or a child with heart problems. This is not a road I thought I would be travelling. But this is the right road for me.
Can you relate to this? Are there things in your life that have not worked out as you had planned? Maybe you hoped you would be on your way to being married by now, maybe you have lost a loved one, maybe you have a health problem thats ruined your plans, a broken relationship that's ruined your dreams, or family problems that's ruined your happy home. Is life just not going in the right direction?
Don't worry and don't spend your life being bitter or sad. If you are walking with God, then this is the right road for you even if it's not what you expected. God's thoughts are far higher than ours. He knows what we need and He sees the big picture. Make sure you are seeking His will by prayer and reading the Bible. Then you will know that you are on the right road even when it seems the opposite!

The most important thing...

Do you have a personal relationship with God? Knowing about Him is not enough!

 

Don't Hide from God!

(Lessons from Eve #6)

And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8b

Are you trying to hide from God?
Is there something you have done that you are trying to hide and keep a secret?
I have just been reading a story about a girl who did something very wrong. But instead of owning up and confessing what she'd done, for years she did her very best to hide her sin. Guess what? She was very miserable, she was always fearful of people finding out and her secret eventually leaked out. It wasn't a true story, but I'm sure it happens often in real life.
Hiding is not the answer.
Hiding our sin is like digging a hole  in the dirt and burying a seed or a bulb! It won't stay hidden. It will grow and eventually come out in the open.

What's the point of hiding anyway? There was no point for Adam and Eve to hide! God knew exactly where they were and what they had done.
God knows exactly what you have done too. He sees in the dark and He sees what no one else sees.

Sin separates us from God.

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
When Adam and Eve had sinned, they had no reason to believe that God would forgive them. They had no promises like we have now.
But we know that Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross and rose again, to make it possible for us to come back to God.
Because of what Jesus Christ has done, we know that God can and will forgive us if we confess and forsake our sin.
We have promises like...
Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Instead of hiding what you have done, confess it to God and ask for forgiveness.
And if you aren't sorry for your sin, confess that to God and ask Him to make you sorry and to show you how wrong it really is!

You can be close to God and enjoy His presence and forgiveness!

The Choices You Make TODAY...

A Great God

(Lessons from Eve #5)

What does this story teach us about God?

1) God cares about our needs.
God cared about the fact that Adam was lonely and He provided a wife for him. God provided for all Adam and Eve's needs. He created a beautiful garden for them to live in with tons of different fruits and veges to eat. He made food look and taste good. He designed so many different kinds. He cared enough to warn them not to eat the forbidden fruit. And even after they had both sinned, He came looking for them.

2) God wants what's best for us because He loves us.

He tried to make them obey, so all would be well. The Devil tried to make them disobey and get hurt, because he didn't care about them.

God is so good!

3) God sees everything.

Adam and Eve tried to hide and cover up what they had done. But it was a waste of time. We can't hide anything from God. Even if no one else sees or knows, God does. We can't fool God.

4) God has rules and consequences for breaking rules.

God's rules are like a fence to keep us safe and happy.
Our section is fully fenced because we are afraid of our little children wandering away and getting hurt. The fence is not to keep them from having fun! The fence is there to help them have fun safely.

God doesn't look the other way when we disobey. There are consequences!
 

5) God follows through on His punishments.

God keeps His Word, so we need to take warnings in the Bible seriously.

6) God is righteous and must punish sin.

A judge who let criminals go free wouldn't be a good judge. And so God wouldn't be a good God if He ignored sin.

7) God is merciful.
I am so thankful for this one!

After Adam and Eve had sinned, God gave the first promise of a Saviour. (Genesis 3:15) Because of all Jesus Christ has done, there is hope for us if we will turn to God, confess our sin to Him and put our trust in Jesus! Without Jesus and the sacrifice He made on the cross, there would be no hope.

These are only some of the characteristics of God. But is this how you think of God?

Knowing God...

Are you on Track?

I once read a story in my local newspaper of a mother and teen daughter who got themselves into a very awkward situation. They were hiking at a place called the Pinnacles and decided to go off track to explore. They made it about 60 metres before they got trapped on a rocky ledge above a sheer cliff. The Rescue helicopter had to come and rescue them.

The newspaper article was called “Detour off track sheer stupidity.”

Somebody who saw what happened told the newspaper, “It's beyond me that anyone could be so stupid and get themselves in that position.”

Somebody else said, “I think it was one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Getting off track got them into a lot of trouble, and they could have gotten really hurt.

Walking tracks are built for a reason. But you have to choose to stick to them.

I was listening to a preacher preach a sermon on how people are like sheep. Sheep also like to wander off track. A few times during the sermon he asked, “What are sheep?” The audience answered, “Sheep are dumb.” Then the preacher asked again, “What are we?” The audience answered, “Sheep!” “What are sheep??!!” “Sheep are dumb!”

The Bible says

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6

God is not talking about going off track on a walking path here, but about going our own way in life--doing what we think is right. Doing things our own way. Wanting to live “our own life.”

I was having a discussion with a guy from Israel once. His name was Judas!:) He said he believed in God, but he wanted to do it his own way. At breakfast time the next morning (This guy was having breakfast with us), Dad was reading the Bible and he must have read Isaiah 53 because I pricked up my ears when I heard, we have turned every one to his own way. I really hoped Judas was listening! Because his own way will not get him to Heaven.

When we live life in touch with God, asking him for direction and obeying His Word, we are on track. When we start to neglect our Bibles, forget to pray or deliberately do what we know is wrong we are like the woman and her daughter who went off the walking track. We are 'exploring' on dangerous ground and we'll end up in trouble sooner or later. Thankfully there is a “Rescue.” Psalms 50:15 says “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

Although going our own way is 'sheer stupidity' and we get ourselves into unnecessary trouble, God is amazingly kind to help us when we call to Him. That is, if we do it before death. Once our time is up, it is... too late.

Where are you right now?

Are you on track?

Have you come to God His way, through Jesus Christ?

Are you listening to God and living life His way?

Or are you off track?

Exploring sin?

Doing something that seems like a good idea right now but will bring trouble later?

Are you detouring off God's track? That's sheer stupidity!

“Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:27

Are You On the Road to Heaven?

Dad knocked on his friend's door, expecting his friend to answer the door. Instead his friend's father answered. He shook my dad by the hand and said, "Are you on the road to Heaven?" My dad nearly fell over! "More or less," he answered. "No, you're either on the road to Heaven or the road to Hell," the kindly old man explained.
I have heard my dad tell that story many times. That old man and his wife were the ones who pointed my parents in the direction of heaven.
Now I am asking the same question to you. Are YOU on the road to Heaven?
This is the most important question. The most important thing in life is for you to know God.
When you are dead and gone, what does it matter how popular you were? What does it matter what boy liked you? What does it matter whether you wore the latest fashions? What does it matter what your friends thought of you? What will it matter how much fun you had? The only thing that will matter then is that you are prepared to meet God.
Are you prepared?
You have no idea when your life will end, so how can you risk not getting to know God now?
Don't put something so important off. When you get to know God, you will find out that the best days of your life are ahead of you, NOT behind you! I am so glad that I got to know God when I was young. Of course, living for God is not easy. But I wouldn't swap it for anything else in the world. What can be greater than knowing your sins are forgiven, you are going to Heaven, you are at peace with God and your life is in His hands?
You can get to know God by facing up to the fact that you are a sinner who deserves hell. By believing and trusting in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as the only way to pay for your sins. By turning away from the things you know are wrong in your life (God will give you the power to do that). By searching the Bible and asking God to show Himself to you through His Word. By putting into practice what you read in the Bible.

When You Have Everything, but...

(Big lessons from a Little Maid)
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2Kings 5:1

Naaman had everything going for him. He was a very important man. But... he had a BIG problem. In spite of all that he was, he wasn't happy. He was a leper! He had the dreaded disease—leprosy.

Why was leprosy so bad?

Leprosy makes you unclean.

Leprosy makes you look horrible.

Leprosy begins small but always spreads.

Leprosy defiles everything that it touches.

Leprosy isolates you.

Leprosy eventually kills you.

No wonder Naaman wasn't happy! What good does it do you to have everything in the world if you're a leper?
 

Did you know that you have a problem similar to Naaman? You may have everything, you may be popular, you may be pretty, you may be talented, but you're still not happy. You're not happy because you're a sinner. You have the dreaded disease—sin! Not a skin disease but a soul disease.

Sin does the same damage that leprosy does.

Sin makes you unclean in God's sight.

Sin makes you into a horrible person.

Sin has never made a person more attractive. Sin is ugly and it makes you ugly.

Sin starts off small, but always spreads. 

There is no sin that will satisfy you. Sin will take you farther than you want to go. Sin spreads.

Sin ruins everything that it touches.

It ruins relationships, marriages, families, purity, reputations, dreams, careers etc.

Sin isolates.

Sin separates us from God. But it can also bring us loneliness. Remember the story of the prodigal son? When he had lots of money, he had lots of friends, but when his money ran out, his friends disappeared.

Sin kills.

It's because of sin that we have to die physically. Its sin that takes us to hell.

No wonder we're not happy! No matter what we have or who we are, we can never be truly happy while we have this dreadful disease.

There was only one hope for Naaman and there is only one hope for us—God.

Though only God could heal him, he still had to do something. He had to go find the prophet and he had to obey the prophet's command. He had to seek and obey. It didn't happen while he was sitting at home moaning and groaning about his leprosy. And even though only God can save us, there is something we need to do. The Bible teaches us to “Seek the Lord.” We need to look for the answers and then we need to believe and obey the answers that God gives us.

What Naaman had to do was very simple—wash in the river 7 times. What we have to do is simple—repent and believe the gospel.

What Naaman had to do was humilating! That's why he refused to do it at first. And salvation for us is humbling, too! We have to face the fact that we are sinners and that our ways are wrong and God's ways are right. We have to face the fact that we cannot save ourself.

Naaman became a changed man.

His ugly skin became like the skin of a little child—brand new. He also started to worship God instead of idols. And so, when we are saved, we are made clean! We don't become perfect but we begin to love God and follow Him. The Bible says,
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 

Naaman became a thankful man.

He went back to the prophet's house to thank Him. The prophet told him to thank God, since it was God who healed him. When we are saved, we should never stop thanking God! Never forget that it was Him who saved you! Without Him you had no hope.

Live when you're young...