Encouraging Words Devotional

Let’s say you own a beautiful piece of art--a painting, a gorgeous crystal vase, or perhaps an antique sculpture. How much is it worth? You’re probably not sure. There’s a way to find out, though. Experts tell us that when it comes to placing value on a beautiful piece of art, that value depends on three things:

Did you ever think of God as wanting to live in your home in every day? Yet, that’s what He offers us. Here’s what Jesus said in John, chapter 14: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (verse 23). What an amazing thought that the creator of the universe, who owns everything, wants to be at home with me!

Do you have trouble saying “No” when you’re asking to do something? If so, you probably find yourself too busy for your own good--or anyone else’s. Mary Byers gives us an idea that will help. The technique is called, “Five Times Why,” and it’s attributed to Taiichi Ohno, father of the Toyota Production System. Here’s how it works. When someone asks you to do something and you’re feeling overwhelmed, first ask yourself--

A wife prayed,

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom to understand my husband,

Love to forgive him,

And patience for his moods.

Because, Lord, if I pray for strength,

I'll beat him to death.

 

We laugh, but I’m afraid that’s how many a wife would like to deal with her marriage problems.

            Let me share a few thoughts about men that I think are important.

The apostle Peter urged us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Knowing that’s what God wants, my friend brought up very practical issue: “If I have 1,001 things to do every day, how can I grow in my relationship with the Lord when sometimes a quick prayer is all I have time for?”

Though my dad was in ministry for more than 70 years, my mom rarely spoke to groups in public. That’s why after she passed away, I was so happy to find some speaking notes of hers. She brought a message based on Romans 12:1, where the apostle Paul writes, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice”--reasonable in light of all that God has done for us.

Asaph was discouraged--so discouraged, in fact, that he had about given up on God. In Psalm 77, Asaph asks five questions that convey the despair he was feeling: “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7-9). Asaph tells us he cried aloud and couldn’t sleep. He was in a bad way!

Asaph was discouraged--so discouraged, in fact, that he had about given up on God. In Psalm 77, Asaph asks five questions that convey the despair he was feeling: “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7-9). Asaph tells us he cried aloud and couldn’t sleep. He was in a bad way!

When I crawl in bed at night, sometimes my mind doesn’t want to turn off--like a computer that has too many files open at the same time. The houseguests who are coming this weekend, the latest terrible shooting on the news, packing for an upcoming trip, the phone call from a friend whose son is at the point of death, a list for shopping that needs to be done first thing tomorrow morning. My mind flits from one to another. Oh, no, they’re not all bad thoughts. It’s just that there are so many of them.

My friend Dr. Richard Smith tells of counseling a woman who had been gang raped as a teen. Although she was a believer and said she had forgiven the men, years later the trauma still haunted her.

            “Oh what grounds did you forgive the men who raped you,” Richard asked her.

            “On the same grounds that Christ did,” she replied: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’”