I Am Rahab - March 31 Readings: Joshua 5-6, Luke 4:16–44, Psalms 40:7–13, Proverbs 10:3-4

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There is so much in Joshua 5 and 6 that it worth our reflection. There is Joshua's meeting with the Commander of the Lord's Army. Joshua sees this man with a drawn sword and hopes he is a friend not an enemy. "Whose side are you on, ours our theirs?" he asks. The Commander says, essentially, "I'm not here to pick sides but to take charge." Joshua followed the Lord and won the battle.

Of course, there is the story of faith in the conquering of Jericho. God's plan of attack made no sense - marching around the city once a day for six days, then seven times on the seventh day. But Joshua learned that the key was not the greatness of his plan but simple obedience to God. When Israel followed God's plan, he brought the walls down and gave them the victory.

But I want to focus on the story, told in Joshua 6:22-25, of one woman from Jericho. For 3500 years of history, she has been known for what she was when she encountered the spies Joshua had sent into the city. She was "Rahab the Prostitute." Not an nice way to be remembered. A harlot.

We know very little about Rahab, except for her profession, but there is much we know of her because of that tidbit. She made her living by means of immorality. She was used by men for her sexual favors - and in spite of all of Hollywood's pollyanna lies about prostitution, it is a degrading and demeaning way to make a living. She was used, abused, and objectified. It is a horrible life now, it was a horrible life then. And in those cultures, the stigma of such a thing would stay with her. She was never going to be anything but what she was. A harlot. A prostitute.

But then she met these spies and was rescued from death, brought of of Jericho to a new life with the people of Israel. And there she got a new start, a second chance. She married a man named Salmon of whom nothing is known. But we do know the name of his son, Boaz. Yes, that Boaz - the one who married Ruth. Boaz and Ruth had a son, named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse. And Jesse had a son who worked as a shepherd until one day the prophet Samuel appeared and anointed him as king. That is right. Rahab the Harlot was the great, great grandmother of the Great King David. And, of course, that means she was also one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Rahab's life was rescued, redeemed and reformed. The prostitute became a key ancestor of the Royal and Messianic lines of Israel. Is that not good news? In the world you are often defined by your own mistakes and plagued by your past. But in God's economy, the past never controls the future. The blood of Christ cleanses and the power of the Spirit renews. You can be what you never were.

And that is good news because I am Rahab. Well, sort of. I am a wicked sinner who was trapped in sin's power and degraded. But God did not leave me in my sin. He rescued me from the Jericho of sin, brought me out to be adopted into the heavenly family and gave me a new life free of guilt and the slavery of sin.

As God freed Rahab and made something beautiful and significant of her life, he frees us and makes us new creations. Praise God! Your life is not defined by your past or your present. It is defined by the future God has destined for you.

Father, you rescued me from sin and death and have given me a new life. Thank you that though I was destined for death, you changed all of that with your grace. 

How Soon We Forget - March 30 Readings: Joshua 3-4, Luke 4:1–15, Psalm 40:1–6, Proverbs 10:1-2

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This is Passion Week; a holy time for believers in which we remember the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is the same story this year as it was last year. Jesus died on the Cross to pay for our sins and rose again on the third day as Lord of all. He was exalted to God's right hand where he offers eternal life to those who repent of their sin and trust him.

But it is important to tell the same story year after year. God commanded Israel to annually celebrate a meal to commemorate the first Passover as an act of remembrance. We celebrate the Lord's Supper together as a church repeatedly as an act of remembrance of the body and blood of Christ.

It is good to remember. In fact, God instituted many acts of remembrance for us because we are so prone to forget what he has done for us.

In Joshua 3, God brought Israel through the Jordan River, at flood stage, on dry ground - one of his great miracles. As the men carrying the ark stepped into the river, God stopped the flow and they all went through in safety.

Then, in Joshua 4, God instructed Joshua to set up a remembrance. He sent 12 men, one from each tribe, back into the middle of the river. Each picked up a large rock (imagine the biggest boulder he could carry) and hauled it out to the west side of the river. There, they piled them up as a marker. Why? That is explained in verses 6-7.

When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

These stones were piled up so that future generations would remember the wonderful works of God.

There will be few "new" things in the celebration of the work of Christ this week. It's the same story its always been. Sacrifice and victory. But just because we've heard it all before, just because we know the story, doesn't mean we do not need to remember it once again. We can so easily forget that our entire existence is rooted in the work of Christ and the grace he gives. We can forget the meaning, purpose and importance of the Cross and the Empty Tomb.

So we remember. We tell the same story we've always told. We sing the same songs. We take the same bread and cup. And we do it joyously, because there is no more important story to tell, no more important truths to remember.

Let us each erect a monument in our own hearts to remember daily what Jesus did. May we never forget!

Father, tell me the old, old story of Jesus. Write on my heart every word. Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard. May I never forget. 

Success! March 29 Readings: Joshua 1-2, Luke 3:23–38, Psalm 39:7–13, Proverbs 9:17-18

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As much as we talk about success in America today, and in American religion, it is not a word that appears often in the Scriptures. Many have tried to twist the Bible to make it into a manual for earthly success - helping me get all I want and all I need in this world. The Bible is about the outworking of God's glorious purposes in this world, not about how we can accomplish our purposes.

But there is one instruction, given to Joshua as he assumed leadership of Israel, that spelled out exactly how he could be successful in the job God assigned to him.

And, wow, did he ever need that help! Joshua was given a huge assignment from God. He had to follow Moses, a man who rivals King David, Elijah and the Apostle Paul as among the great heroes of the Bible (not counting Jesus - he's the real hero of every page). Following a man like Moses was going to be tough. We all know that Israel was not exactly a compliant people, either. They were rebellious, whiny, wayward - difficult in every way. And, of course, the task was daunting. Joshua had to lead Israel into a hostile land, make that land their own and destroy all the pagan nations currently residing there.

No easy task.

But God gave Joshua a path to success, a plan so that he could do well the work God had given to him. Strangely, that plan for success had nothing to do with self-esteem, long range planning, aggression and self-assertion, motivational phrases or any of those issues our leadership gurus say are crucial.

In fact, there was only one simple thing that God said Joshua needed to do to achieve success in his eyes. God's motivational speech is recorded in Joshua 1:8.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

All Joshua had to do was to carefully read, learn and obey what God had said. The word of God was the key to his success. If he would carefully observe everything written in the Law, he would prosper and have success in all that he would do. 

Not too complicated, is it? 

Obey God. Do what the Word commands. Success does not come from aggression, self-esteem, strategy or organizational skill. Success comes from doing what God says - doing all of what God says all the time. 

Verse 9 explains the foundation of this promise of success. 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Though his job was daunting and the people he led difficult, Joshua need not be afraid or discouraged, because God would be with him throughout the process. But that promise of God's presence does not stand out there on its own. 

Joshua was promised the presence and power of God with him as he walked in obedience to God. If he disobeyed, he would not experience the glory of God's presence. 

We can only expect to experience the presence and power of God in our lives as we walk in obedience to God and his Word. We cannot flaunt God's Word and walk our own ways and still expect to succeed in life. 

It's about obedience and submission to the Word of God. 

Father, your Word is truth and is my key to success in serving you. May I walk in your ways every day. 

Folly Beckons - March 28 Readings: Deuteronomy 33-34, Luke 3:1–22, Psalm 39:1-6, Proverbs 9:13-16

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Proverbs 9 reiterates the distinction between the invitations of Wisdom and Folly, pictured as two women beckoning to Solomon's sons and inviting them to walk with them on the path of life. In verses 13-17 (borrowing one verse from tomorrow's reading) we see the invitation of the woman Folly, brazen and seductive, and see the key difference between her and Lady Wisdom.

Wisdom always looks to the future. As we saw a few days ago, she warns us to choose carefully the seed we sow knowing that we will reap a harvest from that seed, when the time is right. Look at your choices carefully and ask yourself what harvest will come from such a seed if you sow it.

Folly could not care less about the future. She cares only for the present moment, for fun and frolic. Her only concern is what feels good now without regard to the consequences at all. The future? Bah! Seek pleasure now and let whatever comes come.  This is the key difference between wisdom and folly. Wisdom always looks to the future, to the consequences of choices. It looks carefully at the seed and asks, what crop will grow from this seed? Folly could not care less about the future. All she cares about is what feels good now, what gives pleasure.

Read the description of her appeal in Proverbs 9:13-17. Verse 17 is key.

The woman Folly is loud;
    she is seductive and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house;
    she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
calling to those who pass by,
    who are going straight on their way,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    And to him who lacks sense she says,
“Stolen water is sweet,
    and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

Verse 13 describes Folly as loud, undisciplined and without knowledge. She is boisterous and rebellious, refusing to submit to God’s will and ways. Undisciplined, she lacks the inner guidance and judgment to see right from wrong and operates by her feelings and for pleasure, instead of by will and principle. Lacking knowledge, she gives no thought to the ways of God, and has no knowledge of him. She wanders her own way in disregard of the ways of God and reaps that bitter fruit. 

Look at the appeal of Folly in verses 14 through 17. She calls, as wisdom does, from the highest point in the city. Her call, though, is very different. She does not invite us to a public feast; she invites us to drink “stolen water" and to do so in secret. It's about the thrill. Sin always gives that jolt of pleasure, that immediate thrill. And the consequences are usually far off - days, usually months, sometimes years in the future. So, Folly, says, who cares? Enjoy the stolen water and its sweetness. Enjoy the present pleasures of sin.

When you have a decision to make, do you take a piece of paper and write down the pros and cons on columns on a sheet of paper? If you did so with a decision between Wisdom and Folly, it would tend to be pretty simple. The points in favor of Folly would be "right now" things - fun, pleasure, thrills, instant gratification. The points in favor of Wisdom would be "future" and would often require sacrifice, even suffering in the present. Wisdom puts the focus on the day of harvest that is to come. 

The fool chooses the easy road today and the wise man chooses the blessed road in the future, even if that road may be a little harder today.  

Father, even if it is harder today, may I choose wisdom over folly, your way over sin, the future blessing of righteousness over the instant gratification of wickedness. 

Words that Wound - March 27 Readings: Deuteronomy 31-32, Luke 2:22–52, Psalm 38:16–22, Proverbs 9:11-12

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Words are like knives; the cut deep and leave gaping wounds in our hearts. Maybe it was a parent who poured out their anger and frustration on their children with cruel words. Perhaps a friend you thought would stand with you whose words slice deep instead. Maybe someone finds a flaw, a weakness, a struggle and uses it to cut you up; or perhaps they make up their dagger-words with no regard to truth. But what all of us have in common is that we have been wounded by words from friends, family, fellow-believers and others.

Whoever made up the statement "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me," had lost touch with all reality.

From the moment that David came to the palace, from the time he stood toe to toe with Goliath, David was the subject of lies, insults, betrayal and evil plots. Men whom he had never wronged determined to destroy him, using every shameful tactic in the book. I'm sure it hurt David as much as it hurts you and me when someone skewers us with unkindness.

But David had learned the secret of dealing with the savage words, the wounds of betrayal. He took them to God, pouring out his heart asking for God's strength and protection.

In Psalm 38, David was repenting of his sin; doing so in a beautiful and powerful way. Of course, whenever we walk in sin we give our enemies weapons to use against us; ammunition for their attacks. But David was not afraid, once he had repented, to call to God for help from these attacks. Our faults and our sins are serious, and must be dealt with, but they do not give permission to others to verbally abuse us nor do they negate God's protection on us when we are attacked.

For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,

    who boast against me when my foot slips!”

For I am ready to fall,

    and my pain is ever before me.

I confess my iniquity;

    I am sorry for my sin.

But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,

    and many are those who hate me wrongfully.  Psalm 38:16-19

Take your burdens to the Lord. Sometimes people will unfairly attack you and hurt you, but you can take that to the Lord. Sometimes they will use your faults and failings as ammunition for those attacks, but still you can go to the Lord. He is our help, our strength, our comfort. Yes, he will confront us with our sin when necessary, but he will never condemn us. Nor will he stand by idly while others condemn us unjustly. 

Do not forsake me, O Lord!

    O my God, be not far from me!

Make haste to help me,

    O Lord, my salvation! Psalm 38:21-22

God will never abandon his children - not even when we have messed up royally as David did. He was on his face repenting here, but he still knew that he could call to God for protection and help. 

Our Father in heaven is an excellent father!

Father, I have given my enemies so much ammunition through the years. But I thank you that you are faithful, that there is no condemnation in you! You bring me to repentance to restore me, to lift me up. Help me to always walk in humility, but also in the confidence that you are my rock and my salvation!

Roots of Sin - March 26 Readings: Deuteronomy 29-30, Luke 2:1–21, Psalm 38:9–15, Proverbs 9:10

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I have these weeds in my back yard - no idea what they are called. They produce wide prickly leaves and if I let them grow up they will sprout these purple flowers shaped in a ball. If it sounds pretty, it's not. They are a pain. They are hard to kill and no matter how many I kill these evil things just come right back.

To kill weeds, you have to kill the roots. If you just mow them or pull the tops off, they will come right back. Unless you get the roots deep out of the ground, they are just going to come back again and again. And you need to prevent the seeds from getting established and spreading.

God gave a warning to Israel that built upon this concept, in Deuteronomy 29:18.

Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.

He was warning them of the danger of leaving behind their loyalty to God, turning their hearts to idols and rebelling from God's law. That sin would bear a poisonous and bitter fruit in the life of God's Chosen People. 

But God's warning was that they would deal not just with the bitter fruit, but with the root from which that fruit grows. 

What is the root of sin, the root of rebellion, the root that brings the bitter fruit? It is the belief that God's will and his ways are somehow oppressive and that life would be better by following the ways of the world. When this seed of sin is planted in our hearts it grows into rebellion, idolatry and wickedness. 

The Serpent came to Adam and Eve  and he lied to them to make them believe that their lives would be better if they would only eat the fruit contrary to God's command. He's been telling the same lies ever since. God's laws are unreasonable. You can only enjoy life to the fullest when you go your own way and do what you please. Obeying God will ruin everything. 

Israel consistently bought into that lie. The Canaanites, with their wild pagan festivals, their immorality, their debauchery - the Israelites were drawn to that. One sovereign God gave way to a pantheon of gods that could be manipulated through magical rituals. All of God's "You shall not" commands paled compared to the "do what you want" of the Canaanites. 

Israel believed the lie. The life God commands is inferior to the life sin provides. The seeds of sin were planted among them and just as God commanded brought a bitter, poisonous fruit. 

Spending time in the Word of God and in prayer is God's weed-killer. When we immerse ourselves in God's Word, we see clearly to distinguish God's truth from Satan's lies. We realize that the bitter fruit of sin is not worth whatever joy or pleasure the sin may bring. 

Father, may I always listen to your truth rather than Satan's lies, that your blessings might flourish in my life and that I might never again experience the bitter fruit of sin. 

Life is Choices - March 25 Readings: Deuteronomy 27-28, Luke 1:57–80, Psalm 38:1–8, Proverbs 9:7-9

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Life is a journey in the valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. In Deuteronomy 27, Moses gave instructions to Israel for a ceremony that would take place after they had conquered the land of Canaan. They were to go the valley between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. Half of the people would stand on Mt. Gerizim and half on Mt. Ebal. The Levites would stand between them and call out the blessings that would come from obedience to God’s Law and the curses that would come from disobedience. Gerizim represented the blessing of God and Ebal represented the discipline of God against disobedience.

It was a moment of choice, of decision. Would Israel walk in the ways of God and experience all the blessings that he would give them because of that; the positive consequences of their choices? Or would Israel wander from God’s Word and go their own way? Would they ignore what God commanded, live as they pleased, and experience the consequences of their own sin?

Unfortunately, for most of the Old Testament era, Israel chose disobedience and brought one curse (the awful consequences of disobeying God) after another upon themselves, culminating in the utter destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. On rare occasions, they chose the way of God and experienced those blessings that attended that choice.

Walking in obedience to God is not a guarantee that all of life will go well. Those who love Jesus and serve him still have accidents, tragedies, illnesses, struggles and heartaches. But those who walk in obedience never have to suffer the awful consequences of their own sin. They do not have to reap the terrible harvest they have sowed because they refused to sow the seeds of sin. Those who live in obedience are blessed by that. Again, they do not have a guarantee to live free of life’s storms, but they walk under the presence and power of God and in his blessings.

We must daily choose those things that lead to blessing and to the glory of God. We are constantly being confronted with moral choices in which we must decide whether we will walk in the ways of God or choose our own rebellious path. 

What will we do? Which way will we choose? Blessing? Discipline? 

Father, I thank you that Jesus Christ died for my sin and failure. I thank you that he rose and lives in me by the Holy Spirit. I thank you that he will give me power when I choose Gerizim and will strengthen me to avoid Ebal. You are so good!

Sowing Seeds of Blessing - March 24 Readings: Deuteronomy 25-26, Luke 1:39–56, Psalms 37:36–40, Proverbs 9:4-6

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Proverbs defines the life of blessing which comes when we obey God and walk in his ways. Salvation is a gift of God's grace given to those who cannot pay for it or earn it. But blessings come when, by the power of the Spirit dwelling within, we walk in obedience to God. Those who obey God learn that fundamental principle of wisdom, "You reap what you sow." Those who would reap the blessings of God must sow the seeds of obedience and faith. Only when you sow the right seeds do you reap the harvest of blessing God has for you. There are two seeds that I would identify in this passage, two seeds that must be sown to reap the blessings of God. In Proverbs 9, verses 4 through 9 (we are borrowing from tomorrow's reading today) we see two very important seeds that we must sow if we want to reap the harvest of blessing in our lives. 

The Seed of Repentance (Proverbs 9:4-6)

            

You cannot stay where you are and go with God. Think through the scriptures. Every encounter with God required that the person encountering God give up the life they had and receive a new life. Moses was no longer a shepherd after the burning bush. David encountered God on the hillside with his harp and his psalms, and God tapped him on the shoulder to be king. Isaiah “saw the Lord”, then after being cleansed from his sin was saying to God, “Here I am, send me.” Since we are sinful people, going God’s way always requires us to repent of our own.

Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”     To him who lacks sense she says,“Come, eat of my bread     and drink of the wine I have mixed.Leave your simple ways, and live,     and walk in the way of insight.”

Wisdom, here, invites people to eat the food at drink the wine at her feast. But, to come to the feast of wisdom, they must leave their simple ways to walk in a new way, the way of understanding. To walk in wisdom we must submit our wills to God’s, and our ways to his. That means that things will change. You will begin to distinguish right and wrong. You will choose what is right and reject the wrong. You cannot walk in the way of wisdom without letting God make major changes in your life. Sow the seed of repentance.

The Seed of Humility (Proverbs 9:7-9)

Verses 7 through 9 contrast how the wise man and the mocker respond to advice and correction. The mocker insults and abuses anyone who tries to correct him. The wise man receives the rebuke and loves the person for caring enough to try to help him live in even more wisdom. He takes the criticism and becomes even wiser than he was.

Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
    and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
    reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
    teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

This is a key to wisdom. The wise man realizes that he is not naturally wise, that wisdom is a work of God. He opens himself to the correction of God, and to the correction of the wise. No one should be a slave to other's opinions or be overly sensitive to other's words, but we must be humble and receive advice and correction. We must be humble enough to hear God's Word and receive the correction of the wise. That is a marker of a man or woman of wisdom. 

Those who sow the seeds of repentance and humility will reap the blessings of God.

Father, may I sow those seeds of humility and repentance that I might walk in wisdom and experience your blessing!

The Secret of Her Success - March 23 Readings: Deuteronomy 23-24, Luke 1:26–38, Psalm 37:29–35, Proverbs 9:1-3

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Imagine this young girl in Nazareth going about her day, as she had every other day, with no expectation that her life would be anything but normal and dull. Her greatest hope was that she might raise a family and experience a little joy along the way. Then, one day, it all changed dramatically. The archangel Gabriel appeared to her and gave her some important news. She was going to give birth to the Son of God, the Messiah, long-anticipated by Israel. 

Gabriel described this baby in glowing terms, in Luke 1:32-33. 

"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Mary was boggled by all of this. That is not hard to imagine, is it? She asked a simple but important question. How was this going to happen to a girl who was a virgin, who had never been with a man? The angel explained how it was going to happen (verse 35). 

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God." 

God was going to take care of it all, by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

That is when Mary learned two principles that are the secret to success in God's kingdom. You do not have to be good looking or thin (hallelujah) to be significant in the Lord's work. You do not have to be able to sing or have any other talent. You do not have to be able to preach, you need not be famous. But there are two principles Mary learned here that make all the difference. 

1) She learned that there are no limits with God. 

It's impossible, she said. I'm a virgin. This cannot happen. But then Gabriel shared the first lesson with her (verse 37). 

"For nothing will be impossible with God." 

God is not limited by what limits us. We often think and plan based on the possible, but God works in the realm of the impossible. In our church are several "impossible" health situations, "impossible" financial situations, "impossible" family situations - a lot of hurting people. There's nothing we can do and so we assume that nothing can be done. But the God of heaven has no limits. He fulfills his purposes and accomplishes his will, regardless of the obstacles that stand in the way. 

We need to learn to live on the basis of what God can do not simply think about what we cannot do Whatever he purposes he does. We must remember daily the awesome power of the God we serve. 

I have been in far too many church meetings (thankfully, not at SHBC) in which the tacit assumption was that God was going to do absolutely nothing about whatever we discussed. Too many believers live their lives with the stunning assumption that God is distant, disconnected and disabled - that he will do nothing. 

The successful believer realizes that the God of heaven has no limits, nothing is impossible for him - not the Virgin Birth, not the problems and obstacles you face. 

2) She learned who was boss.

Gabriel dropped this bomb on her, totally changing the course of her life. What was Mary's request to this?

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

She realized who the rightful Lord, the boss of her life, was. She was a servant of the Living God and his will for her life was her desire for her life.

The will of God is often difficult. He calls us to the front lines of spiritual warfare, to sacrifice, even to suffer. The idea that God's will is easy and fun is not something one can discern from reading the Bible. But regardless of the hardships involved, serving God is the secret to spiritual success.

Whatever you will, Lord. Wherever you send me. Whenever you call. "I am the servant of the Lord."

Combining these two concepts, what is the secret to spiritual success?

Obedient service to an all-powerful God. 

That is what Mary learned. That is what we must learn.

Nothing is impossible for you, Lord. I give my life to you, to serve your will, not mine, to serve your purposes, not my own ambitions, to live for your glory and not my own. 

Never Forsaken - March 22 Readings: Deuteronomy 21-22, Luke 1:1–25, Psalm 37:22–28, Proverbs 8:35-36

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I first heard the phrase in a song by Dallas Holm and Praise so many years ago. "I've never seen the righteous forsaken, or their seed begging for bread." I did not realize at the time that it was a Scripture verse, Psalm 37:25.

I have been young, and now am old,
  yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
  or his children begging for bread. 

Two thousand years ago, God sent his Son to the cross to pay the debt for my sins, so that I could be forgiven, redeemed, justified, and given eternal life. That ought to be enough, don't you think? After doing that for me, God ought never have to do another thing for me as long as I live to demonstrate his love or to earn my gratitude.

And yet, throughout the years, he has been amazingly faithful. Though I have been so shaky, so unfaithful, so half-hearted in my devotion and service to him, he has never wavered in his amazing faithfulness to me.

In our young days, Jenni and I saw his faithfulness almost every month. During our seminary years, we had monthly bills of about $900 and a combined income of around $700, yet never once did we have to beg bread. One time we cooked up our last pot of chili, and ate chili for 3 days until it was gone. We ate Cream of Wheat for breakfast. Tuesday night, we had a meal at our church (which, in God's humor, turned out to be a Chili cook-off!). Wednesday morning I ate the last of the Cream of Wheat and went to school. I checked my mail box and there was a card with a $10 bill and a note that said "My God shall supply all your need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

When we were young, he did not forsake his children.

We drove a Plymouth Gold Duster throughout those years - held together by bailing wire and duct tape - the stories I could tell about the Duster! But it got us through all four years in Texas, until I was hired for my first job in Florida. A friend from college helped me move from Ft. Worth to Jupiter and I drove him to the airport. On the way home, the engine of that ol' Duster blew up.

God kept that Duster going until the day I could afford something else!

He has been faithful to my kids. Josh called us one day in St. Louis on the way back to Liberty in Lynchburg, VA. The transmission on the old truck was acting up badly. We started praying and he kept driving - across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and through the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia. He drove the truck into the parking lot of the dorm where he was an RA and parked it. That was the last time he ever drove that truck.

But our kids have never had to beg bread or hitchhike on the highway!

I was young, and now I'm growing old, but God has continued to be faithful - in spite of mistake after mistake after mistake I have made. On our refrigerator is a note with a bunch of prayer requests my wife was praying a couple of years ago, prayers God answered. She wrote across the top of the note, ANSWERED PRAYER.

This family has never been forsaken by our Heavenly Father.

NO, God hasn't promised us a life of ease and comfort, or a life free of hardship. Absolutely not. Sometimes, bad things happen int he lives of God's people. But this I know. I was young, and now I'm growing old. But in all that time my God has never abandoned me or been anything but a faithful God. Good God. Gracious and kind.

I've never been forsaken and my children have never begged for bread!

Thank you Father, for your faithful provision. First, you provided through Christ for my righteousness, the greatest gift a sinner like me could receive. Then, having given me that gift, you've given me every good and perfect gift along with it.