Don’t You Understand?

by Missy Milbourn

**This is a re-run of a wonderful reminder to celebrate our Heavenly Father. It was originally posted in December of 2008.

This Week’s Verse: Mark 8:33, … “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (NLT)

Sometimes I think we forget just who it is that we serve. I think we forget how magnificent, and powerful, and faithful, our God is. The following scripture is a historical account that depicts the greatness and faithfulness of our Jesus…let’s take a journey through the Word. “Father, as others read this, may your Word be alive and active in them.”

In Mark chapter 6:30-44, we see an account of how Jesus took two fish, and fives loaves of bread and miraculously fed 5,000 people.

Two chapters later we see the same thing happen AGAIN. Mark 8:1-3 says this: "About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 'I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.'"

Now, just having seen Jesus feed 5,000, you would think the disciples would respond with great faith and expectation, eagerly anticipating how Jesus is going to handle this current situation! Instead, their response is this, “His disciples replied, ‘How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?’” (verse 4).

As I read this, I thought, you have got to be kidding me! Did the disciples just totally forget how Jesus had previously fed 5,000?!

Jesus, very graciously, took the seven loaves, and a couple of fish, and miraculously fed this large group as well. “They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were about 4,000 people in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten. Immediately after this, he got into a boat with his disciples and crossed over to the region of Dalmanutha” (Mark 8:8-10).

Now hang with me here, I’ve got one more Biblical account that I want to share….so, Jesus and the disciples get in this boat and they head off for the other side of the lake. Mark 8 continues, “But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food.” (Oh my, not again!) They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.” At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread (verses 14-16).

This time Jesus responded with “you’ve got to be kidding me!” Read on…

“Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear? Don’t you remember anything at all? When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?”

“Twelve,” they said.

“And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”

“Seven,” they said.

“Don’t you understand yet?” he asked them (verses 17-21).

As I read all of this, it’s easy for me to say, “you crazy disciples…how could you not see?” However, I would never say that, because I’ve seen a similar pattern in my own life. I too forget what God has done for me. For instance, every time He calls me to step out in a new way for Him, I panic. I too have a crisis of belief, even though every time previously He has been faithful to me. I don’t want to forget! I want to remember His faithful ways. I want to remember how He proved himself faithful in Bible days as we see in the above account, and I want to remember how He daily proves himself faithful in my life. I want to approach every situation with faith, not fear, knowing that He’s brought me through before, and He’ll do it again!

Later in Mark 8, Jesus tells Peter, “You are seeing things from merely a human point of view, not from God’s”.

I think that we often get caught in that trap. We see things from our perspective, and not God’s. “You have eyes, can’t you see?”

Dear Lord, as we enter into a new year, let us not forget how great and faithful You are. Help us remember WhoYou are and How You’ve met our needs. Let us learn the lessons that You have for us today, so that we can grow on to full maturity in Christ. Let us know the truth that nothing is impossible with You, our great and faithful God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application
Identify times in your life when you’ve experienced your own crisis of belief. Re-read the above story in Mark from various translations and allow Jesus’ words to the disciples to sink into your heart. Ask for His help in gaining understanding and acceptance of His work in your life.

Power Verses
Lamentations 3:23, “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (NLT)
Proverbs 2:6, “For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (NLT)
Ephesians 1:8, “He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.” (NLT)

Distress: Do Prayers Matter?

By Melissa Milbourn

This Week’s Verse: 1 Kings 8:49, “then hear their prayers and their petition from heaven where you live, and uphold their cause.” (NLT)

Devotion: Recently, while going through a season of distress, a friend reached out to me. This friend is not in my day-to-day life, so she really had no way of knowing what I was dealing with, or going through each day...but God did.

She reached out saying that God had put me on her heart and that she was praying for me, and is praying for me. This happened about a month or two ago, and God has not changed my circumstances. But what has changed is ME. Through her prayers, God has changed me, and because of that, I am able to handle the situation I'm in much better. I can see and feel the difference, because of her prayers.

In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul is talking about a season of distress and what helped him through, and here is what he says:

"8-11We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. YOU AND YOUR PRAYERS ARE PART OF THE RESCUE OPERATION—I don't want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part."

Maybe you've been praying for yourself, or someone else, and you feel as if your prayers don't matter. Be reminded today, that God hears your prayers, and your prayers make difference. Your prayers are part of the rescue operation. Keep praying!

Dear Father, if a woman reading this needs prayer, I lift her up to you now. Just as you placed my friend in my life to pray for me, I lift these women up to you. Lord, please help us to remain women of faith as You continue being our light, our love, and our encourager. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application: Is God placing someone on your heart? Maybe it is because you are to pray for her. In some circumstances, the Lord will want you to tell her you are praying for her. In others, he might want you to remain silent. Whatever the case, pray for your Christian girlfriends! We all could use some encouragement from time to time!

Power Verses:

Daniel 2:21, “He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. 
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” (NIV)

James 5:16-18, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.” (MSG)

Genesis 35:3, “Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” (NKJV)

Distress: Painful but Good?

By Melissa Milbourn

This Week’s Verse: Psalm 120:1, “I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.” (NIV)

Here are some definitions of distress:

1. Great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble
2. That which causes pain, suffering, trouble, danger
3. A state of extreme necessity or misfortune

Who likes being in distress? Yuk. It is uncomfortable, unpleasant, and generally never a fun place to be. But as ugly as distress feels, can it be a good thing? Yeah, it can. It is good when it turns our hearts back to God.

In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul says this: "I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don't feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I'm glad...not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss".

Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.

"And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart. And that is what I was hoping for in the first place when I wrote the letter." (2 Corinthians 7:8-13 MSG)

Are you in a tough place? Do you feel that distressed feeling? Allow that to drive you to God, not away. I'm remembering this for myself today, and also encouraging you. Sometimes it takes seasons of distress for us to really stop and sink deep with God. And out of that distress a deeper relationship with God is created, and in addition to that deeper relationship, we are changed from the inside out. As the scripture states we become more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible, and have more purity of heart. This is good.

Dear Father, thank you for the good times, as well as for the times we are in distress. We know that you will work all things to your glory and in your honor. Thank you for drawing us close to you. Only you know us inside and out. As Thanksgiving approaches, help us to be thankful for all the times in our lives, not just the good. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application: In your distress, draw near to the Lord Jesus, and even if He doesn't change our circumstances, He changes us, and this is good! When we turn to Him it is all gain, no loss.

Power Verses:

2 Corinthians 12:10, “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NLT)

Ephesians 3:13, “So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.” (NLT)

2 Timothy 2:10, “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (NIV)

Upside Down Kingdom: Trials

by Missy Milbourn

This Week's Verse: James 1:2, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy." (NIV)

Devotion:
So many times as I read the Bible, which explains and describes and teaches the things of the Kingdom of God, I think what an upside down kingdom. God looks at things so differently than the way the world teaches us to view things.

The longer I’m a Christian, the more I realize how important it is that we go through the process of the “renewing of the mind”. We need to let go of how the world looks at things, and grab hold of how the Lord looks at things. Take this week’s scripture for example:

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

WHAT!?! Are you out of your mind?!?!

I don’t know about you, but when troubles come my way, I am anything but joyful about it. Seriously.

Depending on what trouble comes my way, my response to it--instead of being joyful--typically falls under one of these categories:

Fearful

Angered

or

Offended

Let’s pick one of those and examine it a bit. Let’s say that I get angry easily, and I find that various situations keep happening that cause me to become angry. As a result, I think, why does trouble continually come into my life causing me to be upset?!

A wise Christian friend once told me that God, in his mercy, often brings us to the same mountain because He wants us to learn how to get over that mountain.

I believe that’s a huge part of what James 1 is teaching. Let’s looks at it in The Message: "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way" (James 1:2-4).

If anger is our issue, I can assure you that God wants to help us deal with that, because we’ll be a lot happier if we’re not honked off all the time.

If being offended is our issue, I can assure you that God wants to help us with that, because we’ll be a lot happier if our feelings aren’t hurt all the time.

If fear is our issue, I can assure you that God wants to help us with that because we’ll have a happier life if we learn to trust God instead of living in a state of worry all the time.

Oftentimes when we find ourselves mad or offended or fearful, our first inclination is to flee the situation. But God is saying “don’t”. Don’t leave prematurely, but let this trial do its work in you so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

John Bevere, in his book The Bait of Satan, speaks of how Christians often leave their church over an offense. And often, when they do that, they run into the same problem at their next church. Because, guess what, God wants to work something out in that person, and as long as we’re in relationship with Him, He’s going to keep bringing the issue up. He wants to help us through it, because we belong to Him, and He’s molding us into His image for our benefit, and for the benefit of His Kingdom. He is guiding us into full maturity.

Let’s not run from what He has for us. But instead, let’s ask Him what it is He wants us to learn from the trial. Knowing that we can trust Him to make us mature, not deficient in any way…and that, my friend, is reason for joy.

Father, it is so hard when trouble comes our way. Typically our reaction is a “not so good” emotional one. But Lord, help us to trust you when trouble comes our way. Help us to know You more. To lean on You more. To learn from You, allowing the trial to grow us up in whatever manner you see fit.

Application:
Think about how you respond when troubles come your way. Or maybe you are in the midst of a trial right now. Take a moment to think about what God may want to teach you through that particular trial.

Power Verses:
2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (NIV)
2 Corinthians 12:10, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (NIV)

Exchanging Dreams

by Missy Milbourn

This Week’s Verse: Galations 6:14, “…Because of the cross, my interest in this world died long ago…”

Devotion:
I can relate to the above scripture. The closer I’ve gotten to Christ, the less interested I’ve become in the things of this world, primarily speaking of my former passions regarding this world. I used to have a direction that I felt I wanted to go, a visual picture of what I thought success would look like for me. However the struggle and striving to get there often left me exhausted, discouraged, and not knowing what to do.

I still remember the moment when I surrendered my dreams to Christ. The moment when I said, “this is not going well, Lord. Help.” In the next days and months after that, He began to show me His vision for my life, His direction—which, interesting enough, still lined up with the desires of my heart. There now is a direction for my life which has been established by Him, and revealed to me by Him, through prayer and the reading of His Word.

One of the benefits of obeying His direction is that we no longer have to strive and struggle trying to “get” there. Whenever we begin to strive and struggle, we have to recognize that and immediately surrender the “strive and struggle” to “trust and obey”, walking step by step with God, trusting that “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

Father God, I will cry to out to You, for You are God Most High! You perform on my behalf and reward me. You bring to pass Your purposes for me and surely complete them! (Prayed from Psalm 57:2, Amp.)

Application:
Are you currently striving and struggling to obtain something, or to “arrive” somewhere? Surrender to the One who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than all you ask or imagine!

Power Verses:
Philippians 1:6, “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (NIV)
Psalm 37:4, “ Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NIV)
Psalm 37:23-24, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. (NLT)

Increase My Faith

by Missy Milbourn

This Week's Verse: Habakkuk 2:4, “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith.”

Devotion:
Increase my faith, Father. I want the faith of Habakkuk who even in having the knowledge of the impending destruction that his people were going to face, he was able to say, “You know what Lord? Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The sovereign Lord is my strength! He will make me as sure footed as a deer, and bring me safely over the mountains.”

That kind of faith doesn’t come from just knowing about God. That kind of faith comes from knowing God, knowing His character, knowing His nature, knowing that God is love. Having a relationship with Him where you speak one on one. I believe the reason why Habakkuk could have that kind of faith was because he knew and trusted his heavenly Father. He knew that in all of the “destruction” that ultimately what God was doing was calling his people back, turning their hearts back to Him, saving them.

I believe that’s what we see Habakkuk recalling in chapter 3:8 when he says “Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers and parted the sea? Were you displeased with them? NO, you were sending your chariots of salvation.”

I don’t know what kind of “destruction” you’re currently living through, but I know that there’s a God who loves you. I know that there’s a God who is calling you into a deeper relationship with Himself. And I believe with all my heart, that as you trust in Him, as you surrender to Him, that He, as Habakkuk said, “will make you a sure footed as a deer, and bring you safely over the mountains.”

Father, help me to believe in you and to trust in you even when times get tough. Even when the “real life” picture isn’t how I might want it, help me to trust you to bring me safely over the mountain.

Application:
As we start a new year, now is a perfect time to commit to meeting with God daily, to get to know Him better, so that you too can know his character, know his nature, and know his love. One simple way to do that is by signing up for Tim Wood’s Daily Bible Reading. He will lead you on a guided journey through God’s word by sending you, via e-mail, daily Bible readings with commentaries. You can sign up for that by sending Tim an e-mail at twood@marshallfcc.org

Power Verses:
Romans 1:17, “This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “it is through faith that a righteous person has life.”(NLT)
Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”(NIV)
John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (NLT)

So Grateful

by Missy Milbourn

This Week’s Verse: Romans 5:6-8, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”(NLT)

Devotion:
A couple of weeks ago we had a guest speaker at our church, and something that he said has stayed with me. He asked if our church was a “safe place”. He posed these questions…

“If a homosexual couple came to your church, would you welcome them?”

“If a woman who had just gotten a divorce from her husband because she was having an affair with another man (and you knew it because she was the talk of the town) came to church, would you welcome her?”

He went on to say that studies indicate that these people aren’t coming to church because the church is too judgmental. (I think I already knew that.) But it’s what he said next that really got me, and has stayed with me. He said that we (the church) expect people to act like Jesus before they even know Jesus.

He’s right. I’m sorry.

How opposite that is to how Jesus loved people. How opposite that is to the very nature of God. For God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)

While we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. (Romans 5:6)

I’m so grateful that He didn’t wait for me to get my act together before he reached out to me, or quite frankly…He’d still be waiting.

Father, I’m so thankful that you reach out to us while we are still sinners. I’m thankful that in the middle of the messed up lives that we lead that you love us, and you reach out to save us. Help us to love like you love. Help us to reach out like you reach out. Help us to be a safe place where anyone can come and learn about you, fall in love with you, and experience a new life with you.

Application:
Make a mental assessment of how you would receive (welcome) the above described people coming to church, or someone else experiencing other possibly controversial issues. Let’s make a conscious choice to meet people where they’re at and do our best to love them into the Kingdom of God.

Power Verses:
Luke 5:31-32, “Jesus heard about it and spoke up, ‘Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.’”(MSG)
Mark 2:17, “When Jesus heard this, he told them, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.’” (NLT)

Change BY Love, Transformed TO Love

by Missy Milbourn

This Week's Verse: 1 John 16, 17, “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.” (NLT)

Devotion:
As I’ve walked with Christ He has changed me in many ways, but there’s one change that stands out above the rest, and that’s the ability to love. The old Melissa Milbourn was compassionate, but not necessarily loving. I loved my friends and family, but didn’t really care that much about anyone outside of my immediate circle, until Jesus.

There are times now when I meet someone and immediately have love for them. There are times when I don’t even know someone personally, but only know OF them, and yet God puts them on my heart, and causes me to love them.

The Apostle John is often referred to as the “Apostle of Love”. In 1 John, he teaches us much about loving God and loving others. However, you might find it interesting that the “Apostle of Love”, wasn’t always so loving either.

In Luke 9:51-56, Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, when they ran into some people who did not welcome Him. When James and John saw this, they asked, “"Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (NASB)

But Jesus turned and rebuked James and John saying, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." (Luke 9:55:56, NASB)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus had given James and John the nickname “Sons of Thunder”. Many think that it was due to their hot temper, and quickness to judge others (Mark 3:17 and 9:38).
However, because of walking with Jesus, and listening to Jesus, and being obedient to Jesus, John was transformed into the “Apostle of Love” reflecting the very character of Jesus.

As we surrender ourselves to Christ, as we spend time in His presence, we too begin to reflect His character, and the Word tells us that God is love. I know that I have not yet been made perfect in this “love” arena, but I notice a definite change in my heart, due to the manifestation of God’s love in my life.

Father, help me to surrender myself wholly to you, so that I more accurately reflect Your loving character. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Application:
Where are you in the “love” process? Do a quick analysis of your own heart. Consider this question, am I quick to judge others, or quick to love others? In the past when you have been judged, did that draw you closer to that person, or drive you away from that person. In the past, when you have been loved, did that draw you closer to that person, or away from that person.

Power Verses:
1 Peter 1:22, “Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it.” (MSG)
1 John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.” (NIV)
1 John 4:7, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (NIV)

The Private World of Cell Phones

by Missy Milbourn

This Week's Verse: John 17:15, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one.” (NIV)

Devotion:
I wanted to take him out of the world. Not kill him, but home school him. That’s how I felt when I awoke in the middle of the night to my son’s cell phone buzzing, only to open it and find an extremely vulgar text message from one of his buddies.

I was immediately angry. Not at him, and not at his friend, but at the evil one. This Mother’s heart sank, and was ridden with anguish as I prayed to our Heavenly Father, first thanking Him that He had alerted me to the situation, and then conversing with Jesus about what had just transpired.

“Dear Jesus”, I said, “is this what you felt when you prayed, ‘my prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one?’ How do I do that Jesus? How do I turn him loose into the messiness of the world, and yet teach him not to dwell in, or involve himself in the messiness/sinfulness?”

In that quiet time, the Lord impressed upon me, once again, that we have a responsibility, as parents, to do our best to teach our children about God. About God’s love, about God’s truth, about God’s way to approach life. But the sweetest thing that God did for me during that quiet time was He reminded me that though I have a serious responsibility, I don’t have to carry the weight of it all, for He’s there too. And that by His grace, He will teach my son, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:12,13)

So, how do I respond? I accept my responsibility to teach God’s Word to my children, and I claim the above truth (Titus 2:12,13) and pray it over the lives of my children.

Oh yeah, and we now have random checks of his text messages. He knows that he is being held accountable for the text messages that he sends and receives.

Father, our prayer is not that you take our children out of this world, but that you protect them from the evil one. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Application:
Does your child have a cell phone? Do you know who they’re calling and who’s calling them? Do you do random checks? Maybe it’s time to enter this part of your child’s life.

Power Verses:
1 John 5:5, “and who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” (NLT)
1 John 5:18, “we know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. (NLT)
Titus 2:12-13, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." (NIV)

Watching Over Me

by Missy Milbourn

This Week's Verse: Psalm 139:1-3, "O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." (NIV)

I love to read devotions. They encourage me. They often teach me, and they help my mind to focus during my quiet time. However, the reason that I love them the most is that God often speaks to me through them. I’m amazed at how often that happens, when the devotion matches up with the current circumstances in my life. This week, I saw that same thing happen in the life of our six year old.

Tuesday night at bedtime, Josh started asking a lot of questions about God. The last question he asked before he settled in for a good night’s rest was this, “What is God doing right now? Is He sleeping?”

I don’t remember the exact answer I gave Him, but it was something to the effect of, “God doesn’t sleep, He watches over you while you sleep.”

He then asked, “Can He see me in my underwear?”

“Yep”, I replied with a chuckle, “He can see you in your underwear.”

“Can He see everyone?” Josh asked.

“Yep, He can see everyone.” We talked a little bit more about God and Jesus, and about how Jesus comes to live in your heart, and then we all went to bed.

The next morning, I woke up at 5:30 for my quiet time. I nestled into my quiet time chair, and not long after, here came Josh. It was WAY too early for him to be awake, so I made him lie down on the couch to go back to sleep, all the while thinking to myself “great, there goes that quiet time.”

How wrong I was. Evidently, God wanted Josh included in my quiet time. As soon as Joshua’s head hit the pillow on the couch, he started back in with the questions. “Mom, how can God see me, and at the same time see someone in another part of the world?” I explained how God is all knowing, and that He is “God” that He created us, that He created the whole world. Then I read to Him from Genesis chapter one, “In the beginning…” As I read, Josh kept interacting with questions and comments. I got to about day four of the creation process, and he raised his head up from the pillow and said, “Mom, I might go back to sleep now.”

“Okay Josh,” I said. And he did.

We have a book of devotions that was written for young children, and nearly every night I’ll read Josh his devotion. So Wednesday night, we opened the book to the proper day of the month, and the title of the devotion was “Hide and Seek”. Here’s what it said…

Parker is playing hide-and-seek with his friends. Do you think he can find Zoe and Jack? Have you ever played hide and seek? When you hide behind a tree or a big bush, your friends can’t see you, especially if it’s dark! But God can always sees you no matter where you are. Whether it’s late at night or the middle of the day. God knows exactly where you are. You can never hide from God. He will always love you and take care of you.

Josh and I both marveled at God’s timing with that devotion. How God took special care of answering Joshua’s question in a way that he could understand.

God wants to answer your questions too. He knows the things that your inquiring mind wants to know. He knows what you’re struggling with. And I believe that whether it’s a big struggle, or a little struggle, God wants to meet you there to help guide you through it. Will you meet with Him? Joshua’s devotion took three minutes to read, but God spoke volumes through it. I encourage you to allow God the opportunity to answer your questions.

Father, so many times we wonder and wander through our questions mulling over what the answer might be and all the while I imagine you waiting patiently on us in hopes that we’ll bring it to you. You are a God who watches over us, who created us, who knows us better than we know ourselves. Help us to remember that it’s not all about us. It’s not just that we need to spend time with you to gain knowledge, but that it’s about You wanting to be a part of our everyday lives. You are such a loving God. Help us to continually walk with you and talk with you. In Jesus Name…Amen.

Application:
Invest in a daily devotional book, or subscribe to one on-line by going to http://www.proverbs31.org/
Normally, a devotion is accompanied by a verse or two from the Bible. I encourage you to not just read the verse, but to read the chapter that it came from. God almost always provides me with insight as I read His Word.

Power Verses:
Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know.” (NIV)
Psalm, 139:1,2, “Even in darkness I cannot hide from you.” (NLT)
Matthew 19:14, “Let the children come to me, don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those that are like these children." (NLT)
Isaiah 40:11, “He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” (NIV)

Joshua’s devotional book is called Devotions for Preschoolers written by Crystal Bowman.

Don’t You Understand?

by Missy Milbourn

This Week’s Verse
Mark 8:33, … “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (NLT)

Sometimes I think we forget just who it is that we serve. I think we forget how magnificent, and powerful, and faithful, our God is. The following scripture is a historical account that depicts the greatness and faithfulness of our Jesus…let’s take a journey through the Word. “Father, as others read this, may your Word be alive and active in them.”

In Mark chapter 6:30-44, we see an account of how Jesus took two fish, and fives loaves of bread and miraculously fed 5,000 people.

Two chapters later we see the same thing happen AGAIN. Mark 8:1-3 says this: "About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 'I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.'"

Now, just having seen Jesus feed 5,000, you would think the disciples would respond with great faith and expectation, eagerly anticipating how Jesus is going to handle this current situation! Instead, their response is this, “His disciples replied, ‘How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?’” (verse 4).

As I read this, I thought, you have got to be kidding me! Did the disciples just totally forget how Jesus had previously fed 5,000?!

Jesus, very graciously, took the seven loaves, and a couple of fish, and miraculously fed this large group as well. “They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were about 4,000 people in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten. Immediately after this, he got into a boat with his disciples and crossed over to the region of Dalmanutha” (Mark 8:8-10).

Now hang with me here, I’ve got one more Biblical account that I want to share….so, Jesus and the disciples get in this boat and they head off for the other side of the lake. Mark 8 continues, “But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food.” (Oh my, not again!) They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.” At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread (verses 14-16).

This time Jesus responded with “you’ve got to be kidding me!” Read on…

“Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear? Don’t you remember anything at all? When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?”

“Twelve,” they said.

“And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”

“Seven,” they said.

“Don’t you understand yet?” he asked them (verses 17-21).

As I read all of this, it’s easy for me to say, “you crazy disciples…how could you not see?” However, I would never say that, because I’ve seen a similar pattern in my own life. I too forget what God has done for me. For instance, every time He calls me to step out in a new way for Him, I panic. I too have a crisis of belief, even though every time previously He has been faithful to me. I don’t want to forget! I want to remember His faithful ways. I want to remember how He proved himself faithful in Bible days as we see in the above account, and I want to remember how He daily proves himself faithful in my life. I want to approach every situation with faith, not fear, knowing that He’s brought me through before, and He’ll do it again!

Later in Mark 8, Jesus tells Peter, “You are seeing things from merely a human point of view, not from God’s”.

I think that we often get caught in that trap. We see things from our perspective, and not God’s. “You have eyes, can’t you see?”

Dear Lord, as we enter into a new year, let us not forget how great and faithful You are. Help us remember WhoYou are and How You’ve met our needs. Let us learn the lessons that You have for us today, so that we can grow on to full maturity in Christ. Let us know the truth that nothing is impossible with You, our great and faithful God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application
Identify times in your life when you’ve experienced your own crisis of belief. Re-read the above story in Mark from various translations and allow Jesus’ words to the disciples to sink into your heart. Ask for His help in gaining understanding and acceptance of His work in your life.

Power Verses
--Lamentations 3:23, “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (NLT)
--Proverbs 2:6, “For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (NLT)
--Ephesians 1:8, “He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.” (NLT)