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Reflections from a Miracle

AuthorHouse

Chapter One

Joshua 3:3

You have never been where you are going now.

In this instance, Israel was poised on the banks of the Jordan River, getting ready to go into the Promised Land. This was something they had been working toward for years. They were physically going somewhere they had never been before.

Something even more exciting than going somewhere physically you have never been before, is going somewhere spiritually we have never been before. If we are walking in faith and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, God will continue to take us to spiritual depths we have never before plumbed.

January 2

Luke 8:18

Be careful how you listen.

When we encounter the word of God, either through daily Bible study or from hearing the minister lay it out before us from the pulpit. How do we respond? Are we halfway listening while we are planning the rest of our day?

The word of God is the most important thing in the world. It is the most important thing in our life and God expects us to respond in the way that He has planned for our life. Once we receive a truth from the Holy Spirit, we are accountable for what that truth means to our life. We are given truths to further God's plan for our life and if we expect to get further truths from God, we need to use the one He just gave us first.

January 3

Joshua 24:15

Decide today whom you will serve.

The Israelites had just taken possession of the Promised Land with the help of the mighty hand of God. Joshua is now giving them both a warning and a calling. His warning was twofold. First, they were in a land where the people did not serve the one true God, so his warning was to make sure they remembered who had brought them here. Secondly, it was a warning to not be satisfied with what they had done. Asking them not to stop where they were but to continue on becoming what God had in mind for them.

The calling was to a new commitment to God. We would do well to read this everyday and remember who brought us to where we are.

January 4

Joshua 24:13

I gave you land you had not worked for and cities you did not build. I gave you vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.

Are you impressed with what you have? Are you proud of what you have accomplished?

Initiative is important and hard work is to be commended but God is our provider and protector. Look back at your life and count the times that God has made special provision for your life. Based on what we see that God has done in our past, why are we afraid of the future?

God cautions us about looking back and I think the reason is, is because when we look back, we have a tendency to bring pride into the picture. We want to think that we got all that we have by our own hand. We must be careful to give God the glory for all that we have because it is only on loan.

January 5

II Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the earth looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward Him, so that He can show His great power in helping them.

In our quest to be near God and to be actively involved in doing His will, we think that the quest is solely ours. We think that it is up to us to find God's will and it does require our supreme effort. We are not, however, the only one looking. God is also searching; He is looking for those with a perfect heart. So if we are to be found by Him, let's work at letting Him make our heart perfect and then we will have access to His great power.

January 6

Matthew 2:14

That same night he left for Egypt with Mary and the baby.

Jesus was here on earth barely two years before people were trying to take His life. God knew their plans and sent an angel to warn Joseph. Why did He send the angel to Joseph?

Mary was the one that had received the divine visit and exclaimed those beautiful words, "Be it unto me". So why not send the warning to her? Perhaps it was because Joseph was the head of the family, so protection and guidance for his family was to come from him. Thank God for not only his obedience but also his immediate obedience. He did not stew or fret or wonder if he had heard the right words. Instead, he got that beautiful mother and child ready and left the same night he heard from God. Do you respond that way?

January 7

Matthew 28:20

Be sure of this, that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples, whose count was now eleven, and made this promise to them. I am with you always. He even emphasized it by saying, be sure of this. We can be sure of it, because God cannot lie and Jesus is Himself God. He even told how far He would go with us, to the end of the world. He didn't say I'll be with you until you're 65 and then Medicare will have to take over. He didn't say I'll stay with you until you're married and then your spouse will take over. He didn't say I'll be with you until you have children and then I'll have to go. He is with us for the long haul. Good times, bad times, times we don't even know he's there. He will always be there.

What about us though? Do we "leave" Jesus at certain times? Do we say it's O.K. for Him to go to church with us but not other places? Do we "leave" Him when we go to work, or other places that we think He might not fit in? Maybe we can turn that verse around and say "We will be with You always Lord no matter what".

January 8

Philippians 4:11

For I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little.

There are many things to admire about Paul but this is one of the harder to imitate. Being content in any situation demands the help of Christ and the allowing of our mind to depend on Him.

My Dad came as close to this art as anyone I know. Just one example is when he and I had gone to my father in-law's farm to cut some firewood. The truck we were driving was not a four-wheel drive and we drove into a soft spot before we knew it. We were some distance from any help and from where we were going to cut wood. We finally decided to cut up the closest down tree and carry it to the truck to get some weight on the rear of the truck so we could move on. As we were carrying the wood to the truck, every time I would pass Dad, he was whistling. While at the same time I was frustrated and grumpy because we had to carry the wood so far. It almost made me mad at him because he was happy and I wasn't. It wasn't the distance I had to carry the wood that was the problem. The problem was that I had not found that deep down strength and peace that Christ brings to all situations.

January 9

I Samuel 25:14

The life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God.

What a beautiful statement about the strength and faithfulness of our God. What a wonderful place to be - in the bundle of the living - protected by...