3. Devotional: Seek More of God for Himself Alone

Devotional: Seek More of God for Himself Alone

Author: A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

Or despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance 

and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God 

leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)

    Why should a man write and distribute a tract instructing us on "How to Pray So God Will Send You the Money You Need"?

    Any of us who have experienced a life and ministry of faith can tell how the Lord met our needs. Surely we believe that God can send money to His believing children—but it becomes a pretty cheap thing to get excited about the money and fail to give the glory to Him who is the Giver!

    So, many are busy "using" God. Use God to get a job! Use God to give us safety! Use God to give us peace of mind! Use God to obtain success in business! Use God to provide heaven at last!

    Brethren, we ought to learn—and learn it very soon—that it is much better to have God first and have God Himself even if we have only a thin dime than to have all the riches and all the influence in the world and not have God with it!

    John Wesley (1703-1791) believed that men ought to seek God alone because He is love. I think in our day we are in need of such an admonition as: "Seek more of God, and seek Him for Himself alone!"

    If we become serious-minded about this, we would soon discover that all of the gifts of God come along with the knowledge and the presence of God Himself.

2. A Quote from T. Austin-Sparks (5)

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1. Hymn: This Is My Father‵s World

Hymn: This Is My Father‵s World

Author: Maltbie D. Babcock (1858-1901)

(Vocal)

(Music)

(Sheet Music)

1. This is my Father‵s world,
    And to my listening ears,
    All nature sings, and round me rings
    The music of the spheres.

2. This is my Father‵s world,
    The birds their carols raise,
    The morning light, the lily white,
    Declare their Maker‵s praise.

3. This is my Father‵s world:
    I rest me in the thought
    Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
    His hand the wonders wrought.

4. This is my Father‵s world.
    O let me ne‵er forget
    That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
    God is the ruler yet.

5. This is my Father‵s world:
    Why should my heart be sad?
    The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
    God reigns; let the earth be glad!

6. This is my Father‵s world:
    He shines in all that‵s fair;
    In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
    He speaks to me everywhere.

4. Family Devotional: Peter in His Home

Family Devotional: Peter in His Home

Author: Harry Foster

Reading: Mark 1:29-34.

    It is quite clear that Peter was a family man. It must have been difficult for him, finding serious sickness at home just when he wanted to show hospitality to his newly found Lord; so, instead of helping Jesus, Peter had to ask Jesus to help him and his family.

    This the Lord promptly did, by healing his mother-in-law so completely that she was able to prepare a meal for the party and serve it herself.

    By the time the meal was eaten most of Capernaum‵s citizens were gathered around Peter‵s front door, and many found healing from Christ‵s own hands.

    So we see that before Peter went out to work for Christ in the world, he had a testimony to the Lord‵s sufficiency there in his own home. This is where we should all start.

3. Devotional: This Experience Must Come

Devotional: This Experience Must Come

Author: Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

And he saw him no more. (2 Kings 2:12)

    It is not wrong to depend upon Elijah as long as God gives him to you, but remember the time will come when he will have to go; when he stands no more to you as your guide and leader, because God does not intend he should. You say—‘I cannot go on without Elijah.’ God says you must.

    Alone at your Jordan. v. 14. Jordan is the type of separation where there is no fellowship with anyone else, and where no one can take the responsibility for you. You have to put to the test now what you learned when you were with your Elijah. You have been to Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are up against it alone. It is no use saying you cannot go; this experience has come, and you must go. If you want to know whether God is the God you have faith to believe Him to be, then go through your Jordan alone.

    Alone at your Jericho. v. 15. Jericho is the place where you have seen your Elijah do great things. When you come to your Jericho you have a strong disinclination to take the initiative and trust in God, you want someone else to take it for you. If you remain true to what you learned with Elijah, you will get the sign that God is with you.

    Alone at your Bethel. v. 23. At your Bethel you will find yourself at your wits’ end and at the beginning of God’s wisdom. When you get to your wits’ end and feel inclined to succumb to panic, don’t; stand true to God and He will bring His truth out in a way that will make your life a sacrament. Put into practice what you learned with your Elijah, use his cloak and pray. Determine to trust in God and do not look for Elijah any more.

2. Parenting Devotional: Good Parenting

Parenting Devotional: Good Parenting

Author: H. Norman Wright

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent] and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6, AMP).

    There are so many books about parenting. We hear about permissive, restrictive, neglectful, and authoritarian styles. Which is best? What are parents to do? Here are some answers from Jack and Judith Balswick:

    While some parenting styles encourage growth and are empowering, others hinder or block growth either by fostering dependency or by expecting self-reliance prematurely.

    Early attempts to understand parenting styles made a distinction between permissive versus restrictive parenting. Proponents of the permissive style, while not rejecting the need for discipline, stressed that a child‵s greatest need is for warmth and security. Those holding to the restrictive style, while not rejecting parental affection, emphasized that a child‵s greatest need is for discipline, responsibility and self-control.

    In hundreds of studies done on parenting styles over the last thirty years, two factors—parental control and parental support—have emerged as the most important elements in good parenting. The term parental control means that you, as a parent, actively provide guidelines, set limits, direct and redirect your child‵s behavior in some desired direction. The term parental support refers to the affirmation, encouragement, and general support that you give to assure your children that they are accepted and cared for.

    Some parents are great at teaching right behavior but not so good at following through in their own lives. In effect they tell their children, "Do as I say not as I do." Children will understandably feel resentful when parents fail to live by the standards they preach. Children recognize the incongruence and may be disrespectful or rebellious when parents make demands.

    On the other hand, parents who model right behavior but never provide explanations and good reasons for the values and beliefs they hold are also lacking appropriate skills. It is important that parents guide, equip, and empower their children by taking time to give the whys of the behavior they expect from them. It’s balance we‵re looking for, perhaps best described as a disciplining role.

    What type of parent are you?

1. Hymn: I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

Hymn: I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

Author: Ira F. Stanphill (1914–1993)

(Vocal)

(Music)

(Sheet Music)

1. I don't know about tomorrow,
    I just live from day to day.
    I don't borrow from its sunshine,
    For its skies may turn to gray.
    I don't worry o'er the future,
    For I know what Jesus said,
    And today I'll walk beside Him,
    For He knows what is ahead.

Refrain:

Many things about tomorrow,

I don't seem to understand;

But I know who holds tomorrow,

And I know who holds my hand.

2. Every step is getting brighter,
    As the golden stairs I climb;
    Every burden's getting lighter;
    Every cloud is silver lined.
    There the sun is always shining,
    There no tear will dim the eye,
    At the ending of the rainbow,
    Where the mountains touch the sky.

3. I don't know about tomorrow,
    It may bring me poverty;
    But the one who feeds the sparrow,
    Is the one who stands by me.
    And the path that be my portion,
    May be through the flame or flood,
    But His presence goes before me,
    And I'm covered with His blood.

4. Marriage Devotional: Giving Love

Marriage Devotional: Giving Love

Author: Gary Chapman

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in 

honoring each other. (Romans 12:10)

    The desire for romantic love is deeply rooted in our psychological makeup. Almost every popular magazine has at least one article on keeping love alive. So why is it that so few couples seem to have found the secret to a lasting love after the wedding? I‵m convinced it‵s because we concentrate on "getting love" rather than "giving love."

    As long as you focus on what your spouse should be doing for you, you‵ll come across as condemning and critical. How about a different approaching that says, "What can I do to help you? How can I make your life easier? How can I be a better spouse?" In Romans 12, Paul writes that when we love each other, we should "take delight in honoring each other." Giving to the one we love does not have to be a chore; if our affection is genuine, giving and serving can be a joy. Giving love will keep your relationship alive.

    Father, help me to concentrate on giving love today. May I focus less on what my spouse can give me, and more on what I can give to him or her. Thanks for being the ultimate example of selfless, giving love.

3. A Quote from A. W. Tozer (5)

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2. Devotional: Wait on the Lord

Wait on the Lord

Author: C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

(Audio Link)

Wait on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

    It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God’s warriors than standing still.

    There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption?

    No, but simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God, and spread the case before him; tell him your difficulty, and plead his promise of aid. But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in him. Believe that if he keep you tarrying even till midnight, yet he will come at the right time.

    Wait in quiet patience, and accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, “Now, Lord, not my will, but thine be done. I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait until thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for thee in the full conviction that thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower.”