JANUARY 1

We're in the best of hands.

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied: 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.'" [1]

We don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. The things we need to know, the Lord tells us, and sometimes the things we want to know, He tells us, but most of the time He throws a veil over the future so it is known only to Him—and that really keeps us close to the Lord.

He's promised to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20 KJV). He's also given us the torch of His Word to show us where our path is going. "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105).

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 lies ahead.
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand,
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand!
—Ira Stanphill (1914-1994)

1 Minnie Louise Haskins (1875-1957)

JANUARY 2

The best is yet to come!

Jesus promised His followers that they would go beyond what even He had done. "He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do" (John 14:12). And they did! Those He was speaking to at the time carried the Gospel much further than Jesus had been able to during His brief public ministry, and those they reached carried it even further—and it hasn't stopped yet!

Why shouldn't we also do "greater things"? The world population is greater, the need is greater, the opportunities are greater, and the means are far greater with the printed word, radio, television, air travel, the postal system, the Internet, and much, much more. We've got the greatest opportunities in history and all the means at our disposal. If we will stay close to Jesus, He will help us surmount whatever obstacles we may encounter, win victories, and accomplish His purposes in the coming year and always.

Of course, we should give all the credit and praise to Jesus because He will have done those great things through us. "May the God of peace … make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever" (Hebrews 13:20-21).

JANUARY 3

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but God's words will by no means pass away" (Matthew 24:35).

In especially trying times, we need to live more in the Word. We must put our faith in the Word. Then it wouldn't matter if everybody in the whole world lost faith, or the whole world went haywire, or the heavens and earth passed away. We will keep going for God as long as our faith is in the Word. No matter what happens, we will still stand if our feet are planted on the firm foundation of God's Word. I can fail, you can fail, the whole world can fail, but God's Word will never fail!

Often if it weren't for that tiny spark of faith, we would just flicker out. But when we tank up on God's Word, we get re-inspired. God blows on our little ember of faith and brings it back to life again. It comes so much through taking in the Word. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). His Word is always an encouragement, even when everything seems to be going wrong.

The Bible stands though the hills may tumble,
It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation,
For the Bible stands.
—Haldor Lillenas (1885-1959)

JANUARY 4

God is the only One who can give real meaning to living.

So many people today don't know what to believe. They don't know where they came from, who they are, or where they're going. They're in absolute confusion because they've lost touch with the only concrete frame of reference, and that's God and His plan for their life as explained in the Bible. They've either never had or lost faith in God, so therefore they lose faith in love and life and people—in everything!

But we who have found God's love in Jesus have found a God that cannot fail and a love that lasts forever. We know Him, whom to know is life eternal (John 17:3). We've been born again and now have an entirely new outlook on life. His coming into our lives not only purifies and regenerates our spirits, but also renews our minds, breaking old connections and reflexes and gradually rebuilding and rewiring it into a whole new computer system with new reactions to nearly everything around us.

Besides the wonderful happiness, life, and love that Jesus gives us, we've also found a real purpose in living and Someone to live for. We now find a thrill in our newfound faith, the greatest of satisfaction in our work for Jesus, and pleasure in the fellowship of our spiritual family.

JANUARY 5

The Word of God is like a map to help you find your way through life.

While traveling along a road, you can only see what's ahead of you moment by moment. But if you'll look at the map and have faith in it, you can also see where the road came from, regardless of where you started out yourself. And even if you've never been to your final destination or traveled that road before, you can also know where the road ends. But if you don't take time to study the map, you could waste an awful lot of time or ruin your chances of getting to your destination at all.

You should no more try to find your own way through life than you should take a trip without a map. God can see it all. He not only knows where you are right now and where you came from, your present and your past, but He also knows the safest, surest, and most pleasant route to get you where you're going. Consult and follow the "Map Book," the Bible, and you will know too. Just as you must look at the map, believe that it's true, and follow it to get where you're going, if you will read God's Word, believe it, and follow it, you'll come out at Heaven. Absolutely! Without fail!

JANUARY 6

If you sometimes feel like nothing, cheer up! God can use you.

Little is much if God is in it. In fact, God doesn't have to have anything to begin with. He made the world out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3). Pretty good old world, isn't it? He hung it on nothing (Job 26:7). Hangs pretty good, doesn't it? And He can make something out of nothing—even you—if you will let Him.

God doesn't go very much for bigness after the manner of this world. In fact, He specializes in using people who seem most likely not to succeed; yet by the miraculous power and grace of God they become shining lights to others. God only makes great people out of little people, to show His greatness (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Dare to trust Him in spite of yourself, and give Him all the credit when He does the miracle—what you couldn't do. If you can believe in God, everything is possible, because He makes everything out of nothing. We're all nothing and can do nothing good of ourselves (Galatians 6:3; John 15:5). God is like the circle around the nothing that makes it something. With God all around you, even your nothing can be something. In fact, you can be almost anything!

JANUARY 7

You don't have to understand God in order to love Him.

No one can ever fully understand God. It's impossible because, as He says, His ways are far above our own. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). Forget trying to figure out God! Just accept His love by faith.

Jesus tried to make it simple. He said, "Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3). What baby or little child understands all about his mother or father, or how he was born, or all about life? Yet he is instinctively attuned to the most profound thing in the world—love. He feels his parents' love and receives it and responds with love.

The Bible tells us that "God is Spirit" (John 4:24) and "God is love" (1 John 4:8). He's the very Spirit of love in your heart. It's impossible to fully understand God and His love, but it is possible to receive His love and to love Him in return. Making a personal connection with the God of love is so simple that many people can't believe it. It's just a matter of asking in faith and receiving.

JANUARY 8

Put God to the test. Prove He exists!

A lot of people who say they don't believe in God aren't really atheists. Maybe they simply haven't made a final decision because they haven't had a chance to know the truth. But even if they have doubts or questions that need answering before they will be convinced, if they're sincere and really want the answers, if they really want to know, God will show them.

So even if you don't believe in God or the Bible or anything else, you can put God in a test tube and prove He exists—and you are the test tube! You just need to put God inside of you and see what happens. If you will sincerely pray, "God, if there is a God out there somewhere, show me. Reveal Yourself," He will! Once you admit the possibility by doing that, then you're giving God a chance. There's a tiny spark of faith, and God will honor that faith by letting you see and feel and know the proof. He may not do it immediately or in the way you expect, but sooner or later in some way He will.

God loves faith. He loves us because we believe Him. Once you begin to believe, then God will prove Himself in many ways—by answers to prayers and miracles, and by changes in your life

JANUARY 9

Faith and obedience come first, then God answers prayer.

Throughout His Word, God commanded people to do something first before He answered their prayers. God told Moses to strike the rock, and then He would bring forth water (Exodus 17:6). Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He told the mourners to first take away the stone that covered the entrance of Lazarus' tomb; then He brought Lazarus back to life (John 11:39-44). Jesus told the blind man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam (John 9:1-7) and the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priests (Luke 17:12-14). They manifested their faith by obedience, and then God did the miracle.

"We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). God likes to test our faith. He likes to see how much we really believe, and He often will not answer our prayers or let us see where He's leading us until we obey what He's already told us or showed us. Many times we just have to step out by faith, even if we can't see the ground we're going to put our foot on. We have to take that first step by faith in order to receive His blessings. But if we take that step of faith and it's God's will, He will do the humanly impossible! Step by step, as we follow Him, He will lead and guide and reward our faith with more and more answers to our prayers.

JANUARY 10

Have you found the greatest doctor in the universe?

Healing has always been one of our most desperate physical needs. Jesus healed all that came to Him—anybody and everybody—as long as they had faith that He could heal them. Their most immediate need was healing of their bodies, even before they could understand salvation, and He often healed them before He ministered to their spiritual needs.

The day of miracles is not past! God is still in the business of transforming bodies that need it. He's still the Great Physician. He still says, "I am the Lord who heals you" (Exodus 15:26). He "forgives all your iniquities … heals all your diseases" (Psalm 103:3).—Not just some or a few or many or most, but all of them. God can heal anything!

He's your heavenly Father. He loves you and He answers prayer. God not only can do it, He wants to do it. Healing is there! He will heal if you will believe. All He asks is that you honor Him with faith by believing the promises in His Word. It's just that simple!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.
—Adelaide Addison Pollard (1862-1934)

JANUARY 11

The best way to find God's will is to say, "I will" to God.

God may give you your choice, but He alone knows what is best, so you'd better ask Him what that is. How do you find God's best? The first requirement is having no will of your own. According to the Scripture, you need to surrender your life, your mind, and your will, and not be conformed to this world:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1-2).

Ask God to lead and guide you. Ask Him to open your heart and mind to His truth. Ask Him to help you to understand it and follow it. Be willing to yield to His will, whatever it may be, and then you'll find out—you'll know—because then you're in a position for God to show you. If you're His child and you're letting Him do the choosing, what's He going to choose for you? He's going to choose that which is the best for you.

He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives His very best to those
Who leave the choice with Him.
—Author unknown

JANUARY 12

Our salvation is only by grace, never by works.

We cannot save ourselves by our own goodness or attempts to keep God's laws. We cannot be good enough to earn, merit, or deserve the heavenly perfection of His salvation. It is impossible for anyone to be saved without the miracle-working power of God. It only comes by His grace, His love, and His mercy.

Salvation is free; it is the gift of God. You can't work for it. You can't earn a gift or else it wouldn't be a gift. God's Word says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God's idea of righteousness is a self-confessed sinner who knows he needs God and depends on Him for salvation. God's idea of saintliness is not self-righteousness and sinless perfection; it's a sinner saved by grace, a sinner who has no perfection, no righteousness of his own, but is totally dependent on the grace and the love and the mercy of God. Those are the only saints there are; there are no others. You haven't got anybody's righteousness except Christ's, and He's the only One that can give it to you (Philippians 3:9).

JANUARY 13

You can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.

The Devil is always on the job, tempting us to disobey God. And though nobody can keep temptation from coming, we don't have to yield to temptation. God gives us enough sense by His Spirit to know the difference between what's right and what's wrong, what's good and what's bad, then He lets us choose. The Devil cannot prevent us from choosing. That's the one thing we can do no matter what the Devil does. We each have a will, and we can choose to ignore the Devil and resist his temptations. "Therefore submit to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

It is impossible for the Devil to win over you unless you give in to him, for "He who is in you [Jesus] is greater than he who is in the world [Satan]" (1 John 4:4). The only way the Devil can win is if you quit, give up, give in, surrender, or stop fighting. As long as you keep fighting, you keep winning! So when the Devil tempts you to get down and discouraged—fight back! Put on the armor of God, that you may be able to withstand the Devil's attacks (Ephesians 6:10-17). Don't even listen to him, much less surrender!

JANUARY 14

"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1).

Just by looking at creation, you know that there is a Creator. Just logically and reasonably, it's obvious that there's a God. Only a fool could really believe that it all happened by accident. Just look at the trees and the birds and you know that it wasn't an accident; too much planning went into it all. God's entire glorious creation is a constant testimony to the existence of a divine designer. "Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" (Romans 1:20).

Although the whole creation testifies of the existence of the invisible God, many people today refuse to receive the testimony because they choose to be ignorant. They don't want to confess that He exists. They would like to get rid of Him, but in order to do that they need some other explanation for how all this got here, so the Devil helped them cook up the idiotic scheme of evolution. "As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind" (Romans 1:28).

But we who believe marvel at the work of God's hands. We see Him in His handiwork. We come to understand Him better through the things that He made, and we glorify Him and are thankful.

JANUARY 15

God's delays are not denials.

God answers prayer, but not always the way we want or expect Him to. He is rarely in a hurry, as is evident in His creation. It takes Him time to make a baby, a flower, a tree, a sunset, or even a blade of grass. We can't rush God. We've got to wait till it's His time.

Perhaps He is waiting for the circumstances to be right to ensure the result He wants to bring. Take, for example, the man in the Bible who was blind from birth. He had had to be blind all his life so that everybody would know it and so that when Jesus came along one day and marvelously healed him, God would be glorified (John chapter 9). It may sometimes take years before you know why God didn't answer prayer as you thought He should, or right when you asked Him to, but the time will come and you'll know God was right.

The greatest darkness is just before dawn; the greatest desperation is just before salvation; the greatest hopelessness attacks just before rescue. So never doubt for a moment that God is going to answer. He will! Trust Him and thank Him for the answer, even if you don't see it immediately. You'll be glad you trusted Him tomorrow!

JANUARY 16

God's creation is His love manifested toward you.

Does God love you? You can see it and feel it in the beautiful world He's given you to live in. Just look around you at God's beautiful creation and you'll know that God loves you. His love is obvious from all that He's made for you to enjoy (Romans 1:20).

Look at the patience and mercy of God. To every man ever born He has at some time sent His light to enlighten his darkened heart with the love of God, to show him His love (John 1:9). He showers all this beauty and blessing not only on the just, but even upon the unjust who really don't deserve His love and mercy. He still sends them sunshine almost every day, rain to make the flowers grow, the beautiful trees, the grass, the sky, the clouds, the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the rest of God's wonderful creation (Matthew 5:45).

If you don't believe God loves you, just look around at His blessings. What more can He say? He didn't have to make life so wonderful or the world so beautiful, but He did—and He did it just for you!

JANUARY 17

Let others see Jesus in you.

So many people today are lost, lonely, downtrodden, weak and weary, poor and persecuted, victims of war and crime and exploitation. They are the ones nobody wants, the ones who have so little and seem to count so little in man's scheme of things.

Then there are those who are well off materially and appear to "have it together," but are lost and lonely prisoners of their own selfish desires and misplaced priorities. They are weary and heavy laden with problems, stress, fears, and phobias. They wear smiles but ache inside. They fear the future. They are engulfed in emptiness, pain, guilt, bitterness, condemnation, and remorse.

There are so many lost and desperate folks in the world today! It's like the question in that old Beatles song, "All the lonely people, where do they all come from?" Well, I'll tell you where they come from. They come from a world that has selfishly turned from the light of God's love and is being swallowed up by the darkness.

There is a great need for His love to shine through. Hold it up for all to see. Shine the light of God's love on people, and He will do the rest. He'll cause it to accomplish His purpose in their lives (John 12:32). Let others see Jesus in you!

JANUARY 18

All you have to do is follow Jesus!

Jesus always knows best, even when we don't know what we're doing. As long as we're obeying and following Him, He'll lead the way and we'll soon see where we're going, just like sheep with their shepherd. Jesus said when a good shepherd takes his sheep to pasture, he goes before them and the sheep follow him (John 10:4). Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows what's ahead. He knows where the green pastures and the mountain passes are. He knows where the cool waters flow. He knows where the sheepfolds are, where you'll be safe and secure. He also knows the danger spots, so you'd better stay close to Him.

You should always follow the guidance of the hand of God. You cannot go by your own understanding of the situation. You dare not rely on your own experience or wisdom. You must look for the Lord's supernatural, miraculous, powerful leading. You must be guided by the hand of God. If you follow Jesus, you'll never go wrong! He's right out there with you, and He knows exactly what to do. Don't try to rush ahead of Him or show Him the way you think you should go. He's the One who has got to lead, because only He can.

May your prayer always be: "Lord, I will follow. Show me the way."

JANUARY 19

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a baptism of love.

What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? It's a baptism of love most of all—love for God and love for others. Everybody who is saved has a measure of the Holy Spirit, like having a little bit of water in the bottom of a glass, but being baptized with the Holy Spirit is like filling the glass to running over. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit: "He who believes in Me … out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). God pours in His Holy Spirit and fills us from bottom to top until we have a mighty tide of love and happiness that not only satisfies our own souls, but also overflows on others so they can find and be filled with God's love too.

We're not just filled with the Holy Spirit once, but we're refilled every day as we read the Word and ask Him for more love. The more of His love we receive from Him, the more our hearts are filled to running over, till we aren't able to contain it. Then as we overflow on others, they also are filled with His love and grow and blossom spiritually.

JANUARY 20

Faith is doing what God tells you to do today, and trusting Him to take care of tomorrow.

It's today that you have to have faith for. It's today that God has provided the strength for. "As your days, so shall your strength be" (Deuteronomy 33:25). God gives you power for the hour, grace for the trial, at the hour and when it comes, not before. You don't have to have faith for tomorrow today. Trust God! Your heavenly Father loves you and is going to take care of you tomorrow, just like He's taking care of you today.

Jesus said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). Quit worrying about tomorrow! That's a commandment! It's not optional. It's not something that's just good advice. It's an order! When tomorrow comes, God will take care of it.

I have nothing to do with tomorrow.
My Savior has made that His care.
Its grace and its strength I can't borrow,
So why should I borrow its care?
—Author Unknown

JANUARY 21

The Word of God is the most powerful truth on earth!

The pen is mightier than the sword. Men and women of God have seldom ruled empires, but they have won worlds of men and women with their words, faith, and ideals. The words of God's prophets and messengers have crossed the ages, swept around the earth, and changed the course of nations. Their words have captured hearts and minds, and set multitudes forever free. Their message of life and love through Jesus has won countless millions to God's eternal kingdom—a kingdom far greater, longer lasting, and happier than man's mere worldly empires of the sword. Their words have saved millions from hopeless, Christless tombs, and given the love of God to a world dying for His love.

The Word of God is far greater than anything man can muster. It can change hearts; no atom bomb can do that. It can change minds; no number of bullets has ever done that. It can fill people's lives with love and genuine purpose; no conquering army has ever managed to do that. God's words are spirit and life (John 6:63); who else can claim that? That's how powerful God's Word is!

JANUARY 22

You can know your future!

Do you, like so many people today, sense that we're living on borrowed time? Are you worried about the future of the world and what is going to happen to us all? Well, you can know what's going to happen!

How can this be? By what means can mortal man transcend the bounds of time and peer into the future?—By tuning into God and His wonderful Word! In the spirit, where God dwells, the past, present, and future are all one. It all looks the same to Him, and He can easily reveal to His prophets and seers the mysteries of the future.

You'll be amazed at how specific and clear God's Word is about many soon coming events. It may not tell you every detail, but through it you can know what major events to expect. In some cases it even describes the characters in these events, and tells us where and when these events are going to take place.

Why does God tell us these things in advance?—Because He doesn't want us to worry about or fear the future. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. To understand what's going to occur is to be prepared to face it and take it as it comes, trusting in Him and His unfailing love and concern.

JANUARY 23

"Neither shall they learn war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4).

One of these days very soon, the King of kings is going to come back to claim His kingdom. "He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks" (Isaiah 2:4). There will be the world's first complete and lasting disarmament—turning their weapons of destruction into instruments of peace!

At last there will be peace on earth, under the reign of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Prince of Peace Himself. Today's wicked and vengeful men of war will be stopped. There'll be no more big powers and oppressed poor. He's going to put an end to all this war business. "He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire" (Psalm 46:9). All those warplanes and tanks and missiles are going to be burned up, thank God!

Then and only then, under the supreme and powerful rule and reign of the Prince of Peace and His men and women of peace, will all wars finally cease. Then and only then will the world at last be governed fairly and well with true justice, liberty, peace, plenty, and happiness for all. Hallelujah! What a day that will be!

JANUARY 24

"First apostles" (1 Corinthians 12:28).

We all want to be humble, but we don't like to be humbled—and talking with others about our faith can be a humbling experience, especially at first. It's like the story of the woman who said, "Oh, this just kills me!" when she was asked to go witnessing. It kills our pride, and that's exactly what it should do. The more God can get us and our egos out of the way, the more He and His love are able to shine through.

When you're out witnessing and begin to feel self-conscious or like people are looking down at you, it helps to remember that God is proud of you and you have every reason to be proud of Him and proud to be His messenger. The Greek word that is translated "apostle" in the New Testament is apostolos, literally "somebody sent out," and in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, where Paul lists the jobs and offices of the Church, God puts His apostles at the top of His list. "First apostles." You may be on the bottom of some people's list, but you're on the top of God's list! We're not to be proud of ourselves, as though we are something great ourselves, but we can be proud to be servants of the Almighty God, the Most High, His faithful messengers bearing His words to the people.

JANUARY 25

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous" (Psalm 34:19).

Many are the afflictions of whom?—Even the righteous suffer afflictions, "but the Lord delivers them out of them all." The Lord allows such things as sickness, troubles, and problems to test and strengthen our faith, and to help us get even greater victories out of seeming defeat. Sometimes "bad" things happen just to keep us close to the Lord. Sometimes they happen to draw us closer to each other. Sometimes they happen to keep us humble. Sometimes they happen to make us pray. So even troubles and tribulations are good for us if we let them accomplish God's purpose.

It's important to remember that whatever God does, He does it in love. "All things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28). God is not going to let anything happen to you, His child who loves Him, except what is for your ultimate good. So even though "many are the afflictions of the righteous," the Lord is going to deliver you out of them all, no matter how many or what. A-L-L, all! Not just some or a few or most or many, but all of them! So the next time you're afflicted with sickness or other troubles, expect God to deliver you, just as He has promised to in His Word

JANUARY 26

One of the greatest healing factors is faith.

Your physical state of health is definitely dependent on your emotional state of health, and your emotional health is largely dependent on your spiritual condition. In fact, some doctors estimate that emotional causes contribute to as much as 90 percent of all illnesses.

Fear, tension, and hatred all produce various psychological and nervous diseases. Many physiological diseases like heart trouble, arthritis, and stomach ulcers can also be caused by worry, fear, bitterness, hatred, or a negative attitude toward life. Science has proved that all of these negative attitudes and feelings can cause an actual buildup of poisons in the body that in turn cause illnesses. In other words, the wrong state of mind can actually poison your body!

That is why faith is such a marvelous cure. Knowing that your heavenly Father loves you and is going to take care of you and yours—your health, your family, your future, your job, everything—eliminates fear and gives you peace of mind, contentment of heart, and a feeling of spiritual well-being that brings rest to your vital organs, and that in turn actually causes the elimination of poisons from your body. Simple faith in God's love is the best medicine there is!

JANUARY 27

Winners never quit, but quitters never win.

When things get tough, you've got to fight all the harder in the spirit. If you'll do that and not give up, you'll win greater victories.

Take a lesson from the 18th-century, Scottish-born U.S. naval commander John Paul Jones (1747-1792). In one battle his ship had been hit and was sinking. Half his men had been killed, and many others had been wounded, including Jones himself. When the enemy captain asked Jones if he was ready to surrender, Jones screamed back, "Surrender? Hell no! We haven't even begun to fight!" Jones kept on fighting, and eventually won the battle!

Maybe you haven't even begun to fight the ol' Devil yet. Maybe "you have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin" (Hebrews 12:4), like Jesus did. Even though it killed Him, only three days later He rose in triumph from the tomb!

So don't be weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap if you don't give up (Galatians 6:9). "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ ... that you may please Him who enlisted you as a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:3-4). Fight the good fight, keep the faith, finish the course, and Jesus will give you a crown of life (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7-8; Revelation 2:10).

JANUARY 28

Days filled with sharing, years filled with caring, there's just no comparing a life filled with love.

Old age should be the greatest time of life. If you've filled your days with love, lived a good life, and done your best to please God, it's a time when you can see the good fruit of your labors. That should give you a feeling of genuine permanent accomplishment, and you can look forward to eternal rewards.

It's really sad that so many people view old age as a terrible time of life, when really things should be getting better and better. Old age only becomes a disappointment if we find ourselves growing older in years without growing closer to God. That's like walking in a circle; it's motion without progress. But God didn't give us the gift of life intending the first half to be the best. What God begins, He completes and brings to perfection (Psalm 138:8; Philippians 1:6). So neither fear old age nor fight it, but take hold of this stage of life and make something beautiful out of it.

Age is opportunity no less,
Than youth itself, though in another dress;
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

JANUARY 29

The secret of success: Choose and yield to God's will.

God has given us a free will, but to be successful for Him or even as happy as He would like to make us, we have to continually yield that will to Him. We have to find out from Him what His will for us is—what He knows is best for others and us—and then choose that.

Once you have found and chosen God's will, He will reach down and take ahold of you and move you where He wants you to go. Everybody has their place and job for the Lord, like the pieces on a chessboard. Chesspieces have no will of their own. When a player picks up a chesspiece and moves it to another square, the chesspiece doesn't protest; it yields and goes where it's sent, right? Well, you're in the hands of the Master Player and He's going to put you wherever He wants you, so trust the Lord.

You don't have to make all the decisions; you only have to be yielded to His moves and let Him do the thinking and the choosing. You've got very limited vision, but He can see the whole game, the whole chessboard and all the pieces. It's wonderful to let God decide, because He always has our best interests at heart and He knows what's best.

JANUARY 30

Deliver us, Jesus, from the spirit of "busyness"—too busy for You and too busy for Your Word.

To learn from Jesus, you have to stop and look and listen. If you don't, instead of running over with His truth, His love, and His joy, you'll get run over by all the cares of this life. If you drive yourself too hard and too fast, you may never get there! You'll get out of touch with Jesus and our heavenly headquarters. Like the little girl said about her new kitten, "Oh Mama, the kitty's gone to sleep and left its engine running," you may be running around but still be asleep spiritually. You may be busy but not be getting anywhere, "as one who beats the air" (1 Corinthians 9:26).

You cannot do the Master's work without the Master's power, and to get it, you must spend time with the Master. Jesus said that only one thing is needful: to sit at His feet and learn of Him. Those who have chosen this good part, it shall never be taken away from them (Luke 10:39-42). If you're too busy to get alone with Jesus and pray, you're too busy!

So take time to be holy—wholly His. He says, "Be still, and know that I am God. In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 30:15).

JANUARY 31

Christ stands at the heart's door and asks to come in.

Jesus is the very picture of patience, calmness, love, gentleness, and longsuffering. He's the picture of tenderness, gently wooing like a dove. He goes where there are open, receptive, hungry hearts. He seeks out the humble and contrite hearts, but resists the proud. He waits lovingly and meekly at your heart's door, not forcing Himself on you, not pushing the door open, but waiting for you to simply open your heart and invite Him to come in.

Jesus promised, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20). When you open your heart's door to Jesus, He always comes in. He likes to fill every place that's made for Him. If you will just open your heart, His Spirit of love will flow in.

If you haven't yet received Jesus as your Savior, you can right this minute by asking Him to come into your heart with His love, life, liberty, truth, peace, plenty, and happiness here, now, and forever. Simply pray: "Jesus, come into my heart. I believe You are the Son of God. Please forgive me for my sins. Help me to love You and others, and help me to tell them about You. Amen."

FEBRUARY 1

We don't need to fear the Devil or his demons. Jesus is with us!

Just as the fear of God leads to life (Proverbs 19:23), fear of Satan leads to death. Fearing God is a form of worshiping God. It's giving Him the reverence He deserves. But to fear the Enemy, to fear Satan, is giving him just the kind of worship he wants. It's really worshiping the Devil, so don't do it—not for a fraction of a second!

Satan's powers are not to be feared, much less worshiped. They are to be resisted and rebuked and gotten rid of! You have to fight fear like you have to fight the Devil. Resist it with faith and the Word of God. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). Give God due respect by putting your faith in Him, and all fear will disappear.

Although this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed,
His truth to triumph through us!
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him!
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure!
One little word [Jesus] shall fell him!
—Martin Luther (1483-1546)

FEBRUARY 2

Don't trade the best for something merely good.

A lot of people try to get away with what they call "God's second best." They desert God's highest calling because they aren't willing to pay the price.

But we shouldn't even consider second best because as far as God is concerned, there's only one best—the "high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14 KJV). If we take second best, it's not really His second best; it's our best.

What is sin? It's missing the mark, missing the target, missing the bull's eye. It's not really doing the most important thing that God wants us to do. So "let us lay aside the weights and the sins" (Hebrews 12:1)—anything that keeps us from doing God's highest and His best, anything that keeps us from being where He knows we'll be of most use to Him and the biggest blessing to others.

(Prayer:) Lord, bless and keep us all in the center of Your will. Keep us single-minded, single in purpose. We have no idea how great Your purpose is, but we've answered Your call. Do help us to do Your best—the best we can, and nothing less.

FEBRUARY 3

Living by faith means putting faith into action.

Some people seem to have the idea that living by faith means living by nothing or living for nothing or with nothing. Well, they're mistaken. Living by faith means putting feet to your prayers. It means doing everything you can possibly do. It means praying as though everything depended on prayer, and doing as though everything depended on doing. Real faith is not a passive thing. It puts into action what it believes.

It's been said that God helps those who help themselves, and that's true. He also helps those who can't help themselves, but He seldom helps those who can help themselves but won't. He works on the principle of "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7). Nothing succeeds like success, and God blesses those who are fruitful, diligent, hard working, truly trusting, and genuinely obeying. He will always reward hard work, diligence, and faithfulness. If we do our best, God will do His best to help us.

So whatever you do, don't have a do-nothing religion. Have a do-something religion—whatever the Lord tells you to do. Have a do-it-together religion. Do what you can do, and God will do the rest.

FEBRUARY 4

Be a faithful operator—pray.

When God puts a thought in your mind about a certain person, that's a message from Him. He's putting in a phone call to them, and He wants you to act like one of those old-time telephone operators and connect the call.

God initiates the call, and you are like the telephone operator who transfers the call. If you do your part, which is to pray for that person, you can put God through to whomever He's trying to reach. Your faith is the hand that flips the switch that makes the connection so they can receive God's message. You are the link between God and them, so if you fail to pass the call on, they will never get the message.

Of course, the person on the other end of the line has to pick up the phone when it rings, and they have to listen and receive the call. You can't make them answer the phone. That's their responsibility. There are a number of reasons why you, the operator, sometimes can't get through, but you have to keep trying.

You're the operator, and it's your responsibility to pass on the message. So be faithful to pray for the person that comes into your thoughts. Please don't fail, or someone will miss God's important call.

FEBRUARY 5

To truly give is to give cheerfully.

God likes cheerful givers—those who give voluntarily because they know it pleases Him and they're helping others, expecting nothing in return. That kind of giving can be the greatest of all pleasures, because as the purse is emptied, the heart is filled. "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself" (Proverbs 11:25). "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

But when we don't give cheerfully, we're not really giving. It's like the story of the rich man who thought he was throwing a copper penny into the church offering, but noticed as it left his fingers that it was a gold sovereign. When he saw what he was losing, he tried to snatch it back, but the usher put his hand over the bag and said, "Sorry! Once in, forever in."

So the rich man said, "Well, at least I'll get credit for the sovereign in Heaven."

"No you won't," said the usher. "You'll only get credit for the penny."

"God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). We must give willingly and in love if we want our giving to do any good and if we expect any credit for it from the Lord.

FEBRUARY 6

Do you feed your body but starve your soul?

You could feed your body and lose your soul, like the man in the Bible who stuffed his barns full of grain, only to have God say to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" (Luke 12:16-21 NIV).

Having a full stomach and a full purse and a full head cannot give you a full heart. If you put the desires of the flesh above the needs of your spirit, then you will find that nothing ever satisfies. You will become as the world-famed British poet Lord Byron (1788-1824) when he said at the height of his fame, "I've drunk of every fount of pleasure and quaffed every cup of fame, yet, alas. I die of thirst!"

Just like you have to eat in order to have physical strength, you have to feed from God's Word to have spiritual strength. You've got to feed your soul or you will never fully develop or mature spiritually. If you really want to grow in spirit, you will feed from the Word every day.

"Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day" with the life-giving nourishment of His Words (2 Corinthians 4:16).

FEBRUARY 7

We are citizens of the world by birth, but citizens of Heaven by rebirth.

When we received Jesus, the King of kings, into our hearts, we automatically and instantly became citizens of God's great heavenly kingdom.

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36), and the Bible tells us, "His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom" (Daniel 4:3). "Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end … to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever" (Isaiah 9:7).

We are no longer citizens of this temporal world only, but citizens of a new and everlasting world of love and life and truth and justice and happiness in Jesus. Ours is the only country that never did a wrong thing or fought a wrong war or persecuted the poor or oppressed the weak or polluted the earth. Our country's trying to save the world, stop the wars, relieve the poor, feed the hungry, heal the sick, and liberate the captives who are bound. We're citizens of the only truly righteous nation in the universe, the kingdom of Jesus Christ. That's our country, and Heaven is our home.

Are you a citizen of Heaven? Have you received your passport? Are you claiming your citizenship papers? Your passport is Jesus, and your citizenship papers are the promises of God for your salvation.

FEBRUARY 8

"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against … the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12 NIV).

We are fighting in a war, not against carnal man, but against spiritual forces. That war is going on all the time in the unseen realm of the spirit that is all around us and even in us. It is a war between God and the Devil, between the forces of good and the forces of evil, between the angels of Heaven and the demons of Hell, between the people of God and the Devil's agents on earth.

"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4). We need a lot more than mere physical weapons to fight and win this war. To tear down the spiritual strongholds of the evil forces that oppose God and His people and His purposes, we need to wield the powerful spiritual weapons of God's love and Word.

It's serious business fighting the Devil, but it's a fight that we're destined to win. As long as we stay on guard spiritually, as long as we stay close to Jesus and His Word, we can't be beaten. How can we be so sure?—Because He who is in us—Jesus—is greater than he who is in the world—the Devil (1 John 4:4).

FEBRUARY 9

Nothing happens without God's will, especially to His child whom He loves.

Nothing "bad" happens to a Christian without some good reason. "All things come of God" (2 Corinthians 5:18), and "all things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28). Don't worry about the times of testing and weakness, thinking that you must have done something terribly wrong, so God must be finished with you. What you feel is God's tender hand upon you, making you into the person He knows you can be. As hard as it is, these breakings and remakings are inevitable. He must make you weak in yourself so you will depend on His strength. He must make you humble. He must make you desperate for Him and His help.

You're in His hands and He will perfect that which concerns you (Psalm 138:8). So don't be angry or bitter at God for these testings. They are only for a time. You will rejoice and be grateful when you look back and see how this was necessary for Him to accomplish His good purpose.

Things don't just happen to children of God,
They're part of a wonderful plan.
The troubles, reverses, the sorrows, the rod
Are strokes of the Great Sculptor's hand.
—Alice Reynolds Flower (1890-1991), "It Didn't Just Happen"

FEBRUARY 10

John 3:36 ends all our worries: "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life."

You don't need to worry about whether or not you are going to lose your salvation or how you are going to manage to stay saved, because eternal salvation by grace means once saved, always saved. Once you've received Jesus Christ as your Savior, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it—you are a saved child of God! "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life" (John 3:36). That one verse should be enough to end all your worries. You haveeternal life right now, and you can't lose it.

Besides, you can't keep yourself saved any more than you could save yourself in the first place. Even though you're not perfect and you're bound to make mistakes, God is going to save you anyway. Once you've received Jesus, you are completely purified and redeemed in the eyes of God by the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. You're saved right now because God has promised it and His Word is true. He cannot go back on His Word!

Salvation is forever. He's already given it to you, and He's not going to take it back. It's yours!

FEBRUARY 11

It's wise to be simple!

Many people strive to gain more and more knowledge, but they'd be wiser if they just stayed simple. Jesus has to get by people's head knowledge to get to their hearts. The Bible warns us to beware of being corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3), and Jesus Himself said, "Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3). If we'll recognize that in the Lord's eyes we're just like little children that don't know anything and that He is the only One who knows what He's doing, that's being really smart!

The newborn babe doesn't try to analyze his mother and father and brothers and sisters and the new world and life around him. He just accepts and enjoys them and starts learning how to live and enjoy life. You don't have to personally know all the answers or be able to explain everything; just know Him. He brings you love, He makes your life, and He gives you happiness and all you ever wanted and more. What else matters?

Jesus loves me, this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
We are weak, but He is strong!
—Anna Bartlett Warner (1827-1915)

FEBRUARY 12

Don't worry, God will supply.

God is very good to us when we love Him and try our best to serve and please Him. In fact, He tries to be as good to us as possible. He will give us "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). "No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

He will solve every problem, He will meet every need, He will even give us our heart's desires if we please Him. He's promised it. He'll give us what we ask for and have the faith for. Our God is a God of miracles, and He can supply from some of the most unexpected sources. When we please Him, He not only gives us everything we need, but even many of the things we want.

If you will be faithful to God and stay in the center of His will, He will be faithful to take care of you.

FEBRUARY 13

"Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather." [1]

Many people won't read the Bible, but they will "read" a Christian. The only love of God that many people can see is the love they see in us, and if we don't show them a love they can see and feel, they're going to have a hard time believing that there is Someone up there whom they don't know, and that He really loves them.

In winning people, you often have to inspire their faith in you before they can believe God. They may not understand or believe what you have to say about God unless you show them His love by some visible, tangible work that puts your words into action and your faith into effect and makes it fact and not fiction, a sample, not just a sermon. Show them His real love, and manifest it by genuine proving action.

The only way that others will ever find God's joy and peace and love and happiness and Heaven is through you. So in every-thing you do, remember that God wants you to show this world how wonderful it is to belong to Him (Matthew 5:16).

1. Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899)

FEBRUARY 14

Love is…

Love is believing, trusting, helping, encouraging, confiding, sharing, understanding, feeling, touching, caring, praying, giving. Love is communication. Love is an emotion. Love is passionate, alive, vibrant, and warm. Love is something that gets better all the time!

Love is the greatest need of mankind, so love is the greatest service to mankind. Love is spiritual, but is manifested in the physical. Love is seen as it is put into action. Love is thoughtfulness. Love is always. Love knows no hours or days. Love is always finding a way. Love is giving all. Love is rare—the unselfish kind. Love is priceless. Love is its own reward.

Love is sacrificial. Love is preferring the happiness of others to our own. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is merciful. Love can overcome any obstacle, heal any wound. Love is quick to forgive. Love is humble.

Love is never lost.—It always has its effect sooner or later. Love is forever.

Love is the name of God. Love is the power of God. Love is God, for God is love! God's ultimate love is Jesus (1 John 4:8-9).

FEBRUARY 15

If you want to drive away the Devil and his doubts, start praising the Lord no matter what's happening.

The Devil can tell you a lot of truth about yourself that's horrible, not to speak of the lies he tells you. One of his favorite tactics is to try to persuade you to quit by hitting you with a barrage of doubt, discouragement, and self-pity. If you don't keep your eyes on the Lord and your mind on His Word when that happens, you're doomed to defeat, doubt, discouragement, and final failure.

When you're discouraged, the Devil tries to make you mad at the truth because he's afraid of being defeated by it. If you listen to the Devil's lies, you'll forget the words of God. If you spend your time listening to the Devil's doubts and singing his dirges, you'll forget God's praises.

So rebuke the Enemy in Jesus' name when he tempts you with negative thoughts. Start praising the Lord and you'll often praise your way right out of the pit into which the Devil is trying to cast you. When he comes around with his doubts, lies, and fears, don't just stand there—do something! Sing, shout, praise the Lord, quote Scriptures! Sock it to him with the Word! The Devil can't take the Word. He'll turn tail and run every time!

FEBRUARY 16

For God's sake, don't praise man, praise God! Give Him all the glory.

At the Tower of Babel, the people said, "Now we're going to make a name for ourselves. Look how big and powerful we are! Look how great we are!" Instead of giving God the credit, they tried to take it for themselves, so God came down and scattered them and laid waste to their tower (Genesis 11:1-9).

One of the biggest dangers you have is to begin thinking too highly of yourself. The minute you start patting yourself on the back, God will see to it that you're humbled (Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 10:12; James 4:6). He's a jealous God, and He wants and deserves all the glory (Exodus 20:5; Isaiah 42:8).

Whatever you do in word or in deed, you are to do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17). So make that your prayer—that you will please the Lord by doing all things to His glory. "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14). To Him be the glory forever and ever!

FEBRUARY 17

The perfect synchronization of this great universe is proof of its divine architect.

The marvelous wonders of our universe, the bodies of our solar system such as the Sun, Earth, Moon, and the other planets and their moons, as well as the stars of every galaxy, all work in perfect unison. Each stays where it belongs and only orbits where it's supposed to, in the path it's supposed to follow and at the speed it's supposed to travel, so that they don't collide and their courses can be calculated with astounding accuracy.

How could anybody say it all happened by accident? If you have a reasoning mind at all, all you have to do is just look at the creation to know somebody had to design and put it together. Someone had to design the pattern and make it work like that.

In what has since become a widely used metaphor, British theologian and philosopher William Paley (1743-1805) likened the origin of the universe to that of a watch: "When we come to inspect the watch, we perceive that its several parts are framed and put together for a purpose. The inference we think is inevitable, that the watch must have had a maker. The universe must have had a designer. That designer must have been a person. That person is God." [1]

1. Natural Theology (1802)

FEBRUARY 18

"Lovest thou Me? … Feed My sheep."

One of Jesus' last messages to His disciples was "Feed My sheep" (John 21:16 KJV). What He meant by that, of course, is that He wants us to have real love for the lost, to tell others about His love, and to feed them spiritually with His Word.

The most wonderful experience you can ever have is to find the love of God in Jesus, and then pass it on to your children, your mate, your loved ones, your friends, and even strangers. Jesus alone can save you, but He can't save you alone. If you're really saved and you really love Jesus, you're going to share His love; you're going to tell others.

What can you do for Jesus?—You can reach the lost, you can feed His sheep, you can share His love with others. That's what He wants you to do. This is the greatest work in the world: to feed His sheep, to witness the Word of God, to preach the Gospel, to tell others about God's great love, to show them the love of Jesus. So keep on loving Jesus and continue to search out His dear little sheep and love them into His fold till the Great Shepherd returns for His own (Isaiah 40:10-11; 1 Peter 5:2-4).

FEBRUARY 19

Live in the Word.

The Bible is a very deep book. Read it and you will find a continual revelation of more and greater truth. In fact, you'll find that the Bible is such an enormous study and so fascinating and so deep and so broad that it is, as the prophet Ezekiel said, "waters to swim in" (Ezekiel 47:5 KJV). So, dive in and swim! Revel in the depths of His Word—the refreshing water of the Word that will feed your soul, strengthen your body, renew your mind, lift your spirit, encourage your heart, and purify your whole being.

You should hunger for the pure milk of the Word, just like a newborn baby hungers for his mother's milk (1 Peter 2:2). There is a saying about health: "You are what you eat." That's just as true of your spirit: You are spiritually what you read or take in by other means. So be sure you're getting the right spiritual food—the good, wholesome, nourishing, uplifting, encouraging, inspiring, feeding truth of the Word of God. God will bless you as you take in His Word.

(Prayer:) Help us, Jesus, to remember what King David said about Your Word: The secret to being blessed in all we do is living in Your Word night and day (Psalm 1:2-3). Help us to do that. Amen.

FEBRUARY 20

If you don't get the credit here, you'll get it in Heaven.

What a surprise we're going to get when Jesus hands out the rewards, as to who was really greatest. Some people serve unselfishly, sacrificially, utterly giving themselves to the utmost, yet they never seem to get any credit for it and are virtually unknown. But God has a great big book, and it's known to Him. He's writing it all down and will reward everyone accordingly. "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister" (Hebrews 6:10). "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Salvation is free, but rewards are earned. At the judgment seat of Christ during the marriage supper of the Lamb, Jesus will greatly reward all those who had the faith and perseverance to stay in His school till class was dismissed (Revelation 19:6-9; 20:4; 2:26-28). Be faithful to the end so when that time comes you will know you have done your job the best you can. Then you will "rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven" (Matthew 5:12).—Not always here, but always there!

FEBRUARY 21

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake" (Matthew 5:10).

All who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12 KJV). Persecution shows we're hitting the Devil where it hurts. Jesus was terribly persecuted and finally crucified for telling the truth and showing God's love to the world, and He warns us to expect the same: "A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). But He also tells us: "Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets which were before you" (Matthew 5:12). "If we suffer for Jesus' sake and the Gospel's, we shall also reign with Him" (2 Timothy 2:12).

We owe the message of God's love to all, but especially to those who will believe and receive it. We're not to fear persecution, but neither are we to cause ourselves unnecessary trouble by giving the message to people who we know won't receive it and will possibly even persecute us for it. The whole purpose of witnessing is to win others with God's love, not antagonize or offend. The Lord expects us to exercise wisdom. "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves," Jesus says. "Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).

FEBRUARY 22

The most important job you have is listening to the King.

It's not up to the king to go chasing after his subjects, screaming and hollering at them to try to get them to follow his instructions. Rather, his subjects should come to the king with quietness and respect, present their petitions, and then wait silently for the king's answer. You need to treat Jesus like the King He is.

If you're in a room full of people and the TV is on, if they keep raising their voices and drowning out the TV, no matter how loud the volume is, you won't get what it has to say. Jesus, unlike the TV, will just shut up if you don't listen. When Israel stopped listening and ceased to believe and obey what God had to say, He just stopped talking to them for nearly four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments. The Lord does not like to talk to deaf, unbelieving, or unheeding ears, so He just shuts up.

But if you seek the Lord and want to hear from Him, He will speak to you and lead you step by step. He says, "Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).

FEBRUARY 23

God's idea of perfection is love.

God's idea of perfection is often quite different from ours. God took a man who persecuted many of the first Christians and made him the apostle Paul. Jesus took a woman who was one of the most notorious harlots in town and made her one of His favorite followers, Mary Magdalene. King David had one of his soldiers killed so he could take the man's wife for himself, but David also became one of the Bible's greatest heroes because he had a great repentance.

God's idea of saintliness is not sinless perfection; it's a sinner who has no perfection, no righteousness of his own at all, but is totally dependent on the love and mercy of God. These are the only saints there are; there are no others.

When we feel so righteous and good, it's really because we are self-righteous. We're not closer to God, but closer to ourselves. So let's forget about trying to be perfect, because we never will be. Let's just follow God and do the best we can for Him and others.

The only standard of righteousness or perfection is this: Do you depend totally on God and trust only in Him and His love and His mercy? True righteousness is being full of the Lord and His love, for only He is always right about all things.

FEBRUARY 24

"I will not doubt though all my ships at sea come drifting home with broken masts and sails."[1]

When everything goes wrong and seems contrary to the Word of God and the usual, only those with great faith can say with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15). Even though God let the Devil nearly destroy him, Job still didn't say "uncle" to the Devil. He kept on believing and obeying, and he came out doubly blessed.

But a lot of people give up on the way to victory. They get weak and tired and quit. They suffer so many things in vain (Galatians 3:4). They go through so much, and then miss the victory. Like Esau, they give up too easily. Esau despised his birthright and settled for something he could see and easily believe in, rather than something he couldn't see and had to have great faith for (Genesis 25:33-34).

So when things look darkest, don't look down, look up! Be not fearful, but believing. Keep believing and obeying no matter what happens. Don't get down in the mouth, but praise God and thank Him for the glorious victories of the future, even if you can't see them now and have to take them by faith. You'll be glad you trusted Him tomorrow!

1. Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919), "Faith"

FEBRUARY 25

"It is no longer I who burn, but Christ burns in me."

When a candle burns, it's mostly the wax, not the wick, that's burning. An oil lamp is the same; it must be the oil that burns, and not the wick. If the wick burns without oil, it will be consumed quickly. Most of the wick must be deeply immersed in the oil, so only a small part of the wick is exposed to the air and flame. That way, it's mostly the oil that burns and very little of the wick—almost none. The oil flows freely through a wick that is deeply soaked in the oil, and as the oil burns, it gives a bright, clear light.

Sometimes we work too hard, trying to do everything ourselves when we need to let Jesus do it through us. When we do the burning, we give off smoke and soot and burn out fast, but when we let the Lord's oil, the Holy Spirit, flow through us and do the burning, we last a long time.

"It is no longer I who burn, but Christ burns in me" (Galatians 2:20, paraphrased). "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

FEBRUARY 26

The secret of calm and peace and rest and patience and love is resting in the Lord.

Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus promises that His yoke will be easy and His burden light, but there's one condition: "Come to Me." When you are wearied with the strain of it all, you can fly to Jesus on the wings of prayer and faith and get the relief that He alone can give you. He knows what you need most of all: rest and peace and fellowship with Him, and feeding on His Word.

"And you will find rest for your souls." Not many people understand that a soul is both body and spirit. If you don't rest in the Spirit, you are going to wear out your body.

Take His yoke on you—not the yoke of this world or your own yoke, but the yoke of Jesus' own love and His burden of love for others.

FEBRUARY 27

Let the Lord do the worrying!

The two greatest sources of fear and worry are the past and the future—remorse over the past, and fear of the future—and God's Word forbids us to worry about either. If you know the Lord, then you're His child, and you don't have anything to worry about.

Worry is a sign of fear, and fear is not faith. Lack of faith can be a terrible, frightening thing because fear has torment (1 John 4:18). But faith in God, trust in God, gives you a feeling of rest of body, peace of mind, contentment of heart, and spiritual well-being. It's faith that keeps you from worry. It's faith that keeps out fear. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1). The beginning of faith is the end of worry. When you trust the Lord, you know He's going to take care of you and you don't have to worry about anything.

"God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). So commit your way, your life, your mind, your thoughts, your time, your everything to the Lord. "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain you" (Psalm 55:22). His shoulders are broad enough to carry any load!

FEBRUARY 28

God wants you to be happy!

God is not a sad God; He's a happy God who wants you to be happy too! The Bible says, "Happy are the people whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 144:15). This is the whole point of salvation, to relieve us of the suffering, pain, death, and tears brought into the world by the Devil and the sins of man. God is not a monster who's trying to deny you everything and make you miserable. He loves life and created it for you to enjoy. He made this beautiful world as a home for you to live in and enjoy, and He gave you a wonderful body, mind, and heart with which to enjoy it. He even promises you the desires of your heart when you delight yourself in Him (Psalm 37:4).

But God's pretty smart and He knows that the happier you are, the more you'll love Him, the more obedient you'll be out of pure love, and the better job you'll do for Him in sharing Him and His love with others. He wants to make you happy with His love, and He wants to help you make others happy, too, with both His love and your love. Our main purpose in life, as Martin Luther (1483-1546) said, is to love God and enjoy Him forever—and I might add, to try to help others to do the same.

FEBRUARY 29

For our witness to go as far as it can, we must teach others to teach others to teach others.

As active Christians and witnesses for Jesus, our object is to preach the Gospel to everyone, everywhere (Mark 16:15). But if we're going to accomplish that task, we can't try to do it all ourselves. We must teach others to teach others. That's the way to multiply our efforts and results.

The apostle Paul wrote, "The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). To be productive and self-propagating, we must not only witness and win souls, but we must make disciples of those souls—disciples who can teach others to teach others to teach others in an endless chain reaction of preaching the Gospel. That's how Jesus meant for it to spread.

Jesus didn't reach millions Himself. He spent most of His time teaching and training His disciples to carry on. He preached most of His sermons to them and a few others, until by the time He was ready to leave them behind, they were well able to carry on with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—and they did a terrific job!

So each one teach one—the name of the game being multiplication of citizens for the kingdom of God.

www.spiritualibrary.com