Vol 2 No 21 THEO'S DEVOS
Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with fools will suffer harm.
In a way, living the Christian life is very simple. Our verse today sums it up succinctly. The life you live will, to a great extent, be determined by the company you keep. Think about the kind of people you hang with. Are they growing Christians or are they something else. Look at them carefully because, given time, you will be just like them.
You do have another option but it is extremely rare and I wouldn't count on it. A dear friend of mine is a man named Jeff Supp. Some of you may know Jeff. He went to Syracuse University on a full scholarship to play middle linebacker for their football team. Jeff was an outstanding athlete and one that many looked up to. When he went to college the word came back to me that he had joined a fraternity. Now I am very familiar with fraternities and so was concerned about his spiritual growth. When he came home for Christmas one year I approached him and stated my concern. He said that all was well and yet I was skeptical.
“What about the peer pressure?” I asked.
“I am the peer pressure,” he responded.
That was all I needed to hear. I wonder though, how many of us could say that. How many of us see ourselves as the one calling the shots and inspiring others to live the Christian life because they see us. I know that was true of Jeff but I also see him as a one in a million kind of guy. Someone that is a cut above the rest of us.
So having said that there may be an exception here or there, the statement remains that we are greatly influenced by those around us. So when you think about the kind of life you would like to lead, just think about those you choose to hang around with. If your inner core are good Christians that you can count on to help you grow then the other friends you have will be less likely to turn you away from the path you want to walk.
Please give thought to this because it is so true. Do you have kids? Then help them pick the right friends because this is true in spades for teenagers. Teens are the best people in the whole world as far as I am concerned but they are easily led in the wrong direction. Pray for our children. They are growing up in a world that is getting more corrupt every day.
May God bless you in your walk and may you prosper.
Theo
I have begun to place Theo's Devos on Blogspot. If you wish to revisit them please go to http://theosdevos.blogspot.com/ ,. As time goes on there will be several listed. Thanks
Thank You for subscribing to THEO'S DEVOs. This subscription is free and no email address will ever be given to anyone. To un-subsribe just reply and put un-subscribe in the subject line.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
The Importance of Hope
Vol 2 No 20 THEO'S DEVOS 052108
Job 11:18 You will have courage because you will have hope. You will be protected and will rest in safety.
They say you can go weeks without food and days without water but not a minute without hope. I believe that and fully understand why so many people get depressed in this world. It is very easy to think of your life as being hopeless but there is no valid reason for those feelings. As I have mentioned before, feelings are very misleading. I am not always sure where they come from but they can lead you around as though you had a nose ring. They can wash over you like a wave at the seashore and engulf you with dread. I believe that this is a way that Satan has to confuse and misguide us. He, apparently, can send these feeling along to us and God allows them to affect us in order to test us.
One thing seems clear and that is that Satan will always try to confuse us by placing doubt in our minds. Often the feeling of dread has no center of attention. We can't always put our finger on exactly what is causing these feelings but they have a way of stopping our spiritual progress. They keep us from growing and can paralyze us spiritually.
God, on the other hand, guides us in clear ways. We take a step and He confirms it. We know what He wants us to do and, in faith, we do it. God usually does not confirm our steps until we take them and that is where the devil can win. He will try to keep us from taking any step of faith, any step of growth. He will dish up all kinds of reasons that seem plausible but have the same result: nothing happens. You see Satan doesn't necessarily want you to do bad things. That would be fine with him but he will settle with you just doing nothing at all. Just don't trust God for anything. Stay the way you are and never get any stronger. Satan is happy with that but you won't be.
Christians can find themselves years into their faith and no closer to God than when they first became Christians because they just sat there. They never read the Bible, never got close to any other growing Christians, hardly ever spoke to God in prayer and then wonder why they don't feel as though He was close by. Faith needs to be cultivated. It just doesn't get stronger on it own. And when our faith does not grow, our hope diminishes. Hope is tied to faith. Without faith there is nothing much to hope for. Hope in the future demands faith in the One who holds that future. God loves you, He will guide you and care for you but you simply cannot appropriate any of that without faith and, if you don't have those things in your heart and mind, you can easily lose hope.
On the other hand if, by faith, you understand how much God loves you; if you believe that He is guiding you and will take you into a bright and wonderful future, you have much to hope for. Your hope level can stay high in spite of any feeling of dread that Satan may throw at you and he certainly will. I have been a Christian for many years and most of them in the professional ministry and I can tell you that Satan has, and still, throws feelings of dread at me. Satan has done his best to knock me down and nullify anything good that God has done through me. If it weren't for faith in God and His strength, I would have never been able to do anything for Him. Right now I am trusting Him for guidance and after all these years never expected to need Him as much as I do right now. But He has been good to me even when others have not, even when the church let me down, so it is easy to trust Him although I may not trust many others. I have come to understand what Job meant when he said: “Though He slay me I will trust Him.” I fully understand that without faith my hope would dissipate so I must hold to that faith at all costs. It is all we have.
I pray that you can exercise whatever faith you have and by that see it grow so your hope will be strong and that will bring joy or confidence in the future. I will continue to pray for you and trust that my faith in Him and you will help your faith. If we all pray for each other there is no telling what might happen. I can't wait to see what that is. Please let me know if there is anything specifically I can pray for. I promise you that I will gladly add your requests to my list. Please do not minimize the importance of prayer. At times it is all we have but it is a mighty force and can accomplish great things because the One we pray to is the Almighty God who cares for us.
May He bless you this week. Thank you for reading Theo's Devos. I hope they encourage you.
Theo
I have begun to place Theo's Devos on Blogspot. If you wish to revisit them please go to http://theosdevos.blogspot.com/ ,. As time goes on there will be several listed. Thanks
Thank You for subscribing to THEO'S DEVOs. This subscription is free and no email address will ever be given to anyone. To un-subsribe just reply and put un-subscribe in the subject line. Thank You
Job 11:18 You will have courage because you will have hope. You will be protected and will rest in safety.
They say you can go weeks without food and days without water but not a minute without hope. I believe that and fully understand why so many people get depressed in this world. It is very easy to think of your life as being hopeless but there is no valid reason for those feelings. As I have mentioned before, feelings are very misleading. I am not always sure where they come from but they can lead you around as though you had a nose ring. They can wash over you like a wave at the seashore and engulf you with dread. I believe that this is a way that Satan has to confuse and misguide us. He, apparently, can send these feeling along to us and God allows them to affect us in order to test us.
One thing seems clear and that is that Satan will always try to confuse us by placing doubt in our minds. Often the feeling of dread has no center of attention. We can't always put our finger on exactly what is causing these feelings but they have a way of stopping our spiritual progress. They keep us from growing and can paralyze us spiritually.
God, on the other hand, guides us in clear ways. We take a step and He confirms it. We know what He wants us to do and, in faith, we do it. God usually does not confirm our steps until we take them and that is where the devil can win. He will try to keep us from taking any step of faith, any step of growth. He will dish up all kinds of reasons that seem plausible but have the same result: nothing happens. You see Satan doesn't necessarily want you to do bad things. That would be fine with him but he will settle with you just doing nothing at all. Just don't trust God for anything. Stay the way you are and never get any stronger. Satan is happy with that but you won't be.
Christians can find themselves years into their faith and no closer to God than when they first became Christians because they just sat there. They never read the Bible, never got close to any other growing Christians, hardly ever spoke to God in prayer and then wonder why they don't feel as though He was close by. Faith needs to be cultivated. It just doesn't get stronger on it own. And when our faith does not grow, our hope diminishes. Hope is tied to faith. Without faith there is nothing much to hope for. Hope in the future demands faith in the One who holds that future. God loves you, He will guide you and care for you but you simply cannot appropriate any of that without faith and, if you don't have those things in your heart and mind, you can easily lose hope.
On the other hand if, by faith, you understand how much God loves you; if you believe that He is guiding you and will take you into a bright and wonderful future, you have much to hope for. Your hope level can stay high in spite of any feeling of dread that Satan may throw at you and he certainly will. I have been a Christian for many years and most of them in the professional ministry and I can tell you that Satan has, and still, throws feelings of dread at me. Satan has done his best to knock me down and nullify anything good that God has done through me. If it weren't for faith in God and His strength, I would have never been able to do anything for Him. Right now I am trusting Him for guidance and after all these years never expected to need Him as much as I do right now. But He has been good to me even when others have not, even when the church let me down, so it is easy to trust Him although I may not trust many others. I have come to understand what Job meant when he said: “Though He slay me I will trust Him.” I fully understand that without faith my hope would dissipate so I must hold to that faith at all costs. It is all we have.
I pray that you can exercise whatever faith you have and by that see it grow so your hope will be strong and that will bring joy or confidence in the future. I will continue to pray for you and trust that my faith in Him and you will help your faith. If we all pray for each other there is no telling what might happen. I can't wait to see what that is. Please let me know if there is anything specifically I can pray for. I promise you that I will gladly add your requests to my list. Please do not minimize the importance of prayer. At times it is all we have but it is a mighty force and can accomplish great things because the One we pray to is the Almighty God who cares for us.
May He bless you this week. Thank you for reading Theo's Devos. I hope they encourage you.
Theo
I have begun to place Theo's Devos on Blogspot. If you wish to revisit them please go to http://theosdevos.blogspot.com/ ,. As time goes on there will be several listed. Thanks
Thank You for subscribing to THEO'S DEVOs. This subscription is free and no email address will ever be given to anyone. To un-subsribe just reply and put un-subscribe in the subject line. Thank You
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A Viruous Mother
Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies. 11Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. 12She will not hinder him but help him all her life.
We have just celebrated Mother's Day and whenever I think of that day I think of Proverbs 31, Now I realize that no one is perfect but I honestly believe that our Mothers have all, perhaps without knowing it, tried to be a Proverbs 31 woman. That may explain why we are all so drawn to our Moms. Do you know that in prisons across the country the prison store will run out of Mother's Day cards because so many inmates will write to their Mothers. Now it is sad but when Father's Day comes I am told that hardly any inmate will bother to purchase a card. We Dad's must come to grips with the fact that, by and large, we take a serious back seat to the Moms when it comes to the hearts of our children.
In any event I felt that it was a good thing to remember our mothers in these Devos because we owe so much to them. They paid a price to bring us into the world in more ways than most of us will ever know. The way a woman looks is very important to her but motherhood can tremendously alter a woman's body. She knows it and will try to compensate for it but even if she is virtually disfigured for life it will not deter her from loving and raising that son or daughter with all the love she has. Her daily life will be changed forever. She will not be able to sleep through the night caring for the child. As the child grows she will feel like her heart is walking around outside her body. She will gladly give her life for that boy or girl even if they give her nothing but grief.
To love and honor our mother is a command from God. He desires that she receive great respect from her children and she deserves all of it. You never get to old to be cared for by that wonderful woman and I hope and pray that you let her know how much you love her; not just on Mother's Day but all through the year.
When our mothers get older they often need our care. This can be very difficult and painful but I believe that it reveals the kind of people we are by how we care for our mothers. I have often counseled young ladies when they are being courted by a young man to watch how he treats his mother because that is the way he will treat her after several years of marriage. God loves mothers whether they have born their own children or are raising adopted ones. The years spent investing in a young life is worth all the effort. That the Bible would devote an entire chapter to a virtuous woman tells us just how important that is to God.
So to all those Mom's out there I send my humble appreciation. Thank you for investing in the next generation. I hope that you feel love from those children you raised and please remember that God loves you in a very special way. He will care for you and you can count on Him even if those children do not show that appreciation you deserve.
Theo
We have just celebrated Mother's Day and whenever I think of that day I think of Proverbs 31, Now I realize that no one is perfect but I honestly believe that our Mothers have all, perhaps without knowing it, tried to be a Proverbs 31 woman. That may explain why we are all so drawn to our Moms. Do you know that in prisons across the country the prison store will run out of Mother's Day cards because so many inmates will write to their Mothers. Now it is sad but when Father's Day comes I am told that hardly any inmate will bother to purchase a card. We Dad's must come to grips with the fact that, by and large, we take a serious back seat to the Moms when it comes to the hearts of our children.
In any event I felt that it was a good thing to remember our mothers in these Devos because we owe so much to them. They paid a price to bring us into the world in more ways than most of us will ever know. The way a woman looks is very important to her but motherhood can tremendously alter a woman's body. She knows it and will try to compensate for it but even if she is virtually disfigured for life it will not deter her from loving and raising that son or daughter with all the love she has. Her daily life will be changed forever. She will not be able to sleep through the night caring for the child. As the child grows she will feel like her heart is walking around outside her body. She will gladly give her life for that boy or girl even if they give her nothing but grief.
To love and honor our mother is a command from God. He desires that she receive great respect from her children and she deserves all of it. You never get to old to be cared for by that wonderful woman and I hope and pray that you let her know how much you love her; not just on Mother's Day but all through the year.
When our mothers get older they often need our care. This can be very difficult and painful but I believe that it reveals the kind of people we are by how we care for our mothers. I have often counseled young ladies when they are being courted by a young man to watch how he treats his mother because that is the way he will treat her after several years of marriage. God loves mothers whether they have born their own children or are raising adopted ones. The years spent investing in a young life is worth all the effort. That the Bible would devote an entire chapter to a virtuous woman tells us just how important that is to God.
So to all those Mom's out there I send my humble appreciation. Thank you for investing in the next generation. I hope that you feel love from those children you raised and please remember that God loves you in a very special way. He will care for you and you can count on Him even if those children do not show that appreciation you deserve.
Theo
Friday, May 9, 2008
Vol 2 No 18 THEO'S DEVOS 050808
How long?
Psalm 13 1 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!
Restore the light to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don't let my enemies gloat, saying, "We have defeated him!"
Don't let them rejoice at my downfall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the LORD
because he has been so good to me.
If I were a betting man, and I am not simply because if it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all, I would bet that someone reading these devotionals is wondering if God is even listening or paying any attention to what is happening in their life. If you feel that way, or have ever felt that way you are in very good company. King David felt like that and wasn't afraid to admit it. In fact our verses today lay out his cry forever in print. It has been my experience that some, if not most, Christians are afraid to admit that they wrestle with God. Life doesn't always come packaged in a nice little box with fancy paper and bows. It sometimes flies at you like a freight train and you can feel as though you have just got run over. Battered and beaten it can seem as though there were no God or, if there is one, He must be sitting on His hands somewhere.
David has some harsh words here. He does not seem to happy with God in the first 4 verses. He is laying out his raw feelings and is not afraid to speak of them to his God. And these are not spoken because of something that happened in a moment. Whatever is heavy on his heart has been going on for many days, perhaps months. We are not told the duration but the verses indicate a sizable length of time. During those days it was not obvious that God cared much about what David was suffering.
Have you ever felt that way? Are you in that frame of mind right now? If so, you are not alone. Most Christians encounter times when the testing that they are put through goes on for quite some time. It not only can be scary it most certainly is. I mean seriously scary as though there will be no help. Where is God at a time like this? Right where He always is. As close to you as He can possibly be. Oh, you can't see Him, or feel Him necessarily, but He is there. He has promised to never leave you or forsake you and He will never go back on His word.
Verses 4 and 5 are tremendous statements of faith. They exhibit the kind of faith that God is looking for in us. Faith that exercises itself not just when things are going well but when it is the darkest part of your life. When nothing is going right. When it appears as though there were no God and that you are totally alone in the world. It is at that time when faith is the most important thing you will ever demonstrate. God has blessed us so much and there are those times when it is obvious that He is there and that He does love us. Those times are designed to give us the memories we need in order to place our faith in God when it is not so obvious that He is there and cares.
By exercising faith in the most bleak of time something supernatural can occur. We can find the strength to endure any hardship. God, who is faithful, will sustain us and take us through any trial even if it were to end in our death which it will someday. I trust that you will take heart from the words of King David and reach out in faith to the God who is there. Don't let your doubts kill the one thing that has the power to lift you up under any circumstance. In due course you will discover that God was there all the time. He never went away and never left your side. He just allowed you to experience life and to have the opportunity to allow Him to work on your behalf.
May He reveal Himself to you in some way today. Look for him in a flower or a star. Feel Him in a laugh or a memory. Know that there are many of us who pray for you and wish you the best.
If you think of it would you be kind enough to pray for a good friend of mine and a Theo's Devos subscriber, Dwight Wildermuth as he wrestles with cancer. He and his wife Joanne can use all the prayer that they can get right not. Ask God to reveal Himself to Dwight and Joanne and say Yes to their prayers. Thanks
Theo
Psalm 13 1 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!
Restore the light to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don't let my enemies gloat, saying, "We have defeated him!"
Don't let them rejoice at my downfall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the LORD
because he has been so good to me.
If I were a betting man, and I am not simply because if it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all, I would bet that someone reading these devotionals is wondering if God is even listening or paying any attention to what is happening in their life. If you feel that way, or have ever felt that way you are in very good company. King David felt like that and wasn't afraid to admit it. In fact our verses today lay out his cry forever in print. It has been my experience that some, if not most, Christians are afraid to admit that they wrestle with God. Life doesn't always come packaged in a nice little box with fancy paper and bows. It sometimes flies at you like a freight train and you can feel as though you have just got run over. Battered and beaten it can seem as though there were no God or, if there is one, He must be sitting on His hands somewhere.
David has some harsh words here. He does not seem to happy with God in the first 4 verses. He is laying out his raw feelings and is not afraid to speak of them to his God. And these are not spoken because of something that happened in a moment. Whatever is heavy on his heart has been going on for many days, perhaps months. We are not told the duration but the verses indicate a sizable length of time. During those days it was not obvious that God cared much about what David was suffering.
Have you ever felt that way? Are you in that frame of mind right now? If so, you are not alone. Most Christians encounter times when the testing that they are put through goes on for quite some time. It not only can be scary it most certainly is. I mean seriously scary as though there will be no help. Where is God at a time like this? Right where He always is. As close to you as He can possibly be. Oh, you can't see Him, or feel Him necessarily, but He is there. He has promised to never leave you or forsake you and He will never go back on His word.
Verses 4 and 5 are tremendous statements of faith. They exhibit the kind of faith that God is looking for in us. Faith that exercises itself not just when things are going well but when it is the darkest part of your life. When nothing is going right. When it appears as though there were no God and that you are totally alone in the world. It is at that time when faith is the most important thing you will ever demonstrate. God has blessed us so much and there are those times when it is obvious that He is there and that He does love us. Those times are designed to give us the memories we need in order to place our faith in God when it is not so obvious that He is there and cares.
By exercising faith in the most bleak of time something supernatural can occur. We can find the strength to endure any hardship. God, who is faithful, will sustain us and take us through any trial even if it were to end in our death which it will someday. I trust that you will take heart from the words of King David and reach out in faith to the God who is there. Don't let your doubts kill the one thing that has the power to lift you up under any circumstance. In due course you will discover that God was there all the time. He never went away and never left your side. He just allowed you to experience life and to have the opportunity to allow Him to work on your behalf.
May He reveal Himself to you in some way today. Look for him in a flower or a star. Feel Him in a laugh or a memory. Know that there are many of us who pray for you and wish you the best.
If you think of it would you be kind enough to pray for a good friend of mine and a Theo's Devos subscriber, Dwight Wildermuth as he wrestles with cancer. He and his wife Joanne can use all the prayer that they can get right not. Ask God to reveal Himself to Dwight and Joanne and say Yes to their prayers. Thanks
Theo
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