Encouraging Words Devotional

In life, we all like mountaintop experiences better than valleys. But the truth is that valleys are inevitable. Jesus didn’t want us to be surprised by these difficult times, so just before He died on the cross, He warned us, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when.

In a little book called “Diamond Dust,” I found an anonymous quote that caught my attention.  Here it is: “If, in spite of all your tears and prayers, God has left you in a dark place, perhaps it's because He knows there are still treasures to be found there.”

Missionary Hubert Mitchell set off into the thick jungles of Sumatra to reach an animist tribe deep in the heart of that country. On the way he stopped to buy fish and some cans of mandarin oranges, and then continued on the trail. Eventually he came to a group of people who at first were afraid, but Hubert’s assistant persuaded the Chief that Hubert had come from a great distance with a wonderful message called "Good News."

The day was my birthday, and no one could have had a nicer celebration as I enjoyed a beautiful tea with friends and family--truly a red-letter day.

The Bible says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). Women, do you hate that verse? Well, maybe “hate” is too strong a word.  But do you wish God had not put that verse in the Bible about submission?

Ruth Graham, beloved wife of Evangelist Billy Graham, told of being jolted awake suddenly in the night by the name of someone she loved dearly who was trying hard to run away from God. In the darkness her fears ran rampant.

Jesus once told the crowds listening to Him: “Learn from me.”  

            Because some of us know a lot of facts about the Bible, and we know a library-full of Bible stories, and the basic doctrines of the faith, we think there’s probably not much more for us to learn. It’s easy to fall into that trap.

Back in 2008, because of the global financial crisis, the Baikalsk Pulp & Paper Mill shut down. Now, for most towns, this would create a serious problem for those who worked at the mill.  For this little town, located in the wasteland of Siberia, it was a full-blown crisis, for the mill was the primary source of jobs for the 17,000 people who lived there.  When the mill shut down, other businesses folded. People went into survival mode, unscrewing all but one light bulb in their homes to save money on electricity.  They stayed in bed in the mornings because there was nothing to get up for. Alcohol consumption rose.

Okay, okay, I admit it.  I’m a senior.  And I don’t always wake up in the morning bounding in energy these days.  My responsibilities have certainly changed from the days of parenting young children.  And while Harold and I travel a good deal in ministry, I do have more hours at home than I used to.

You probably know it as the story of the Prodigal Son found in the Bible in Luke 15--the familiar account of the son who asks his father for his share of the inheritance, goes off and wastes it all and ends up penniless and hungry. Eventually he decides to go home to his father hoping that he can get a job as a hired servant.