The Most Important Voice Of All

NOISE. It's everywhere!

Have you ever noticed how noise fills our lives? We wake to music or alarms. We get in the car and what's the first thing we do? We slip in a CD, plug in an iPod, or turn on the radio. When we walk into the house or even our offices, the first thing we do is turn on the TV. It seems that, with noise, we just don't feel so alone. Sometimes, we use the noise as a buffer to keep from thinking about our problems or doing things we know we should do.

In the midst of all of this noise, are you missing the most important voice of all?

God still speaks in a still, small voice. In the busyness and noisiness of our lives, it's easy to miss Him. The only way to hear Him is to make an intentional effort to quiet the noise of our lives and spend some time listening, through prayer and reading His Word. You will never get a more important phone call or crucial message.

Find some time each day to be alone and quiet, and listen to the most important voice of all. It will enrich your life tremendously.

Still Hungry?  Isaiah 32:9

To Get or to Give

During Jesus' ministry the crowds around Him were even greater than football fans around Peyton Manning...and that's a lot of people!

Jesus was coming to his town and there was a short man named Zaccheus who was determined to see Him; so he climbed a tree to get a better look. (Not every day does the richest and most despised man in town climb a tree to do anything, much less to see someone like Jesus!) Of course, Jesus saw him and knew he was searching - looking for meaning - something that money and power just can't bring. So, Jesus walked over to the tree, looked up and asked ole' Zach if He could come to his house for lunch. Can you imagine how surprised he was?

The crowds were appalled, because Zach was such a well-known and hated man. They considered him to be evil and rich from the money they worked hard to earn. Yet, Jesus had other plans and meeting Jesus changed Zach's life forever. He not only recognized that Jesus was the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, but he knew he needed to make restitution and paid back all those he had defrauded and even gave money to the poor. What a change! He went from a desire to get, to a desire to give.

Jesus told the crowd that He had come to seek and save those who were spiritually lost. Zaccheus was definitely spiritually lost. That's mighty good news for those of you who feel far from God, for whom money or power has left you feeling empty and alone. Jesus came for people like Zach. And He came for people like you and like me. Invite Him in and you, too, will discover the true meaning of life.

Still hungry?  Ezekiel 34:12, John 3:17

The Power of Forgivness

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." - Matthew 6:14

Have you ever noticed the presence of that little two-letter word in the Lord's prayer? It says "And forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." Did you catch that? The word "as" implies that we cannot be forgiven until we offer that same forgiveness to others. In case we miss the "as," Jesus makes it very clear in the next verse: "But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:15)

Forgiving someone who has treated you poorly, said evil things about you, even broken up your family, is a very difficult thing to do. It takes Godly intervention to truly offer forgiveness to people who have deeply wounded you. But God commands us to do so, and God would never command us to do anything that He wouldn't provide the ability to do.

Right now, pray for God to give you the strength to forgive those who have hurt you. Not only will God give you the power to do so, but He will also empower you supernaturally to love them, even though you hate what they did. Remember, bitterness is the poison we swallow, hoping the other person dies. Enjoy the release of this terrible burden by experiencing the cleansing power of forgiveness.

Still Hungry? Matthew 18:35, Mark 11:25, Ephesians 4:32

Encourage Others

Something that simply cannot be emphasized enough is that one of Satan's great tools is discouragement. For if the devil can get us discouraged, we will often turn on God. We can see this happening in the book of Job; the devil is attacking Job with catastrophe after catastrophe, and there seems to be no hope of any relief. So what advice did he get from those who loved him the most? Look at his wife's response, "Do you still hold fast [to] your integrity? Curse God and die!"

"His wife said to him, 'Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!' He replied, 'You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?' In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." - Job 2:9-10

Now before you judge Job's wife too harshly, understand this: the toughest temptations we face in life will sometimes come through people who love us the most. That's because these people have genuine concern for us and don't want us to hurt. So, oftentimes, they urge us to take the easy way out - man's way. The devil knows this and enjoys using those who love us to lead us into temptation and out of the will of God. Jesus certainly experienced this when Peter urged Him not to talk about going to the cross. Jesus knew the source of Peter's thinking and responded angrily, "Get out of here, Satan!"

That's why Christian spouses and friends have an incredibly important responsibility. When we see a brother or sister in Christ facing a crisis or temptation, we must avoid inadvertently becoming a pawn of the evil one. We must realize that we must help the loved one fight the temptation to take the easy way out, or to give up, or to give in. Become your loved one's partner in his or her difficult struggle and patiently encourage them to do things the Lord's way - even when it's the hard way - because His way is always the best.

Still Hungry? Ecclesiastes 2:24, Exodus 20:7, 2 Kings 6:33

If This Was Your Last Day?

It's the end of another year. You may already be thinking about those New Year resolutions. But what if you received an official notice today that this will be your last day to live? What would you do? Would you try to make more money, or stay late at the office working hard? Would you spend time with your family, or express thanks to those who've helped you along the way? Would you seek to get right with God?

"...godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." - 1 Timothy 4:8

 We tend to focus on the material and the temporal and neglect the eternal and relational. But none of us knows the number of days God has planned for us. 

Don't put off until tomorrow the really important things you can do today--like getting right with God. God became a man in the person of Jesus to show us how. Start there. Then show your family how much you love them. Surprise them by occasionally coming home early. Tell them you love them. Plan fun things to do with them. Help someone you care about - someone who needs you at the office, in the neighborhood, or maybe someone who needs a friend.

It may not be the last day you live here on earth, but it may become a great day for you and those you care about.

Still Hungry? Matthew 6:33, Mark 10:29, Proverbs 22:4