Tag Archives: Devotionals

Christian Growth, Devotionals

Follow That Dream

Pam Ford Davis

Elvis had many box office hits in his movie career. One of his films, Follow That Dream did not have a dramatic plot; it just gave fans the chance to enjoy his music and see him on the big screen. We all need a dream; the challenge to follow that dream motivates us.          

We should seek out goals, those repressed dreams and line them up against God’s plan for our lives. “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14 NAS).”

In many ways, a dream and a vision are alike. Search several Bible translations for wording in Proverbs 29:18. The word vision is also shared as a revelation. The tragic results of a lack of vision includes: perishing, running wild, and being unrestrained. It seems that individually, families, churches and nations need a dream, a vision renewed and refreshed in us. I desire that within my mind and spirit.      

I do not want my life to be running wild…  It brings to mind a car on a busy interstate, with loss of control, leading to chain reaction accidents. Take my challenge; follow that dream. Jesus is waiting at the finish line!

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Devotionals, Family, Friends

Come To Me

Pam Ford Davis

Growing up, I lived in a small country neighborhood in upstate New York. In nice weather, most children would be outside playing.  Many families then were larger than now, and it did not take long to get a crowd together for games or exploring.  There were five children in our family, six across the road, twelve in the house on the corner, and a number more in our close-knit community.

We did not have the luxury of cell phones, beepers or even walkie-talkies.  When we wanted someone, we just yelled out his or her name. A McIntosh apple orchard behind our house gave children fun opportunities to climb trees, pick apples, and explore.  I remember our secret call to others, Kee-aw-kee, come to me!  

Friends or siblings would come running when that message filled the air. A few years ago, while watching an old Lassie show rerun, I heard Timmy and his neighborhood friend use the same phrase while playing together.  I guess that may be where we picked it up.  I did some quick internet searching to see if it is an Indian translation for come to me, but I did not locate my answer.  I guess I’ll settle for an unsolved mystery with my childhood memories.  When the Lord calls us, we don’t need a secret message from Him.  “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27 NAS).”  Here I come!

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Christian Growth, Devotionals, Family, Friends, GUEST AUTHOR, Marriage, Women

God Has A Secret

GUEST WRITER: EMILY SWANSON

Romans 5:10

It was said of Abraham that he was a friend of God. What a marvelous statement about any person Think about what all friendship involves.

My best friend is my husband of 55 years. He knows more about me than any other living soul. Yet he still loves me, warts and all. He knows where I keep the coffee cups and the spoons. He knows where to put the dirty laundry. He knows that I snore. That is because we abide together. He knows my joys and my sorrows. He knows simple things; like I like to eat sandwiches of anything. These are probably things about me that others do not know…or care. We can spend hours together never uttering a word and then suddenly both say the same thing simultaneously.

There are other friends in my life who know secrets from my heart. We have laughed and cried together over events for many years. They, too, know my joys and sorrows. I may call on them at anytime for a cup of coffee, a visit, a prayer. We have even prayed over the telephone together as I cry and they pray. There are those who have given me little gifts (for no reason other than love) at no eventful time. They leave a small package on the seat of my car, or on my doorknob at home. What a friend!

Beloved, we all have such a friend. (Not one with skin on as the little boy is noted for saying). But we have a friend who loves to abide with us. What a privilege to abide with the Living God! He would like to walk with us in our garden as He did with Adam. He would love to call us friend as He did Abraham. Perhaps He would like to know us as a “child after His Own Heart” as He did King David. He already knows your our intimate secrets; but He would like to reveal some of His secrets to us.

Our Father wants to hear from us about the secret things of our hearts…our joys, our sorrows, our desires. He wants to know the simple things like our concerns over our children’s grades in schools, what can I do to stretch my time as a wife and mother or grandmother? He listens to our frustrations and our victories (say, Father, did You know my husband got a raise today; my child made an A in math. WOW) He can know these things from us because we choose to abide with Him. Abiding indicates quality time spent together.

He already leaves little gifts for us all over the place. What was that special hug from my child or that smile from my baby if it wasn’t a Gift from God? Who do we think arranges for those A’s in life and those raises that come unexpectedly? What was that beautiful day of sunshine shedding its light over the ountryside? What was that refreshing rain cooling off the parched land? What is that “Peace that passes all understanding” in a time of trial? Where’d that come from anyway?

We can spend much time together…never saying a word, just listening; and all of a sudden the Heavenly Father, the Creator of the Universe, speaks to my heart revealing His Heart and His plans for me. He reassures me of His love. He gives me glimpses of His secrets.

Dear Heart, Friends love to be together and to share. The mark of a true friend is their availability to us when we need, and their undying friendship regardless of our faults. We have such a Friend…and What a Friend He is. Enjoy Him

“Dearest Father, What a Friend we have in You all ‘because of what Christ has done in dying for our sins…making us friends of God’. (Psalm 5:11 Living Bible) Help us to take every advantage of that friendship by abiding in You and Your Word. ‘I come to the Garden alone; while the dew is still on the roses.’ Amen”
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Christian Growth, Devotionals

Revolving Door

Do you feel like you are living your life going around and around in a revolving door?

Pam Ford Davis

We all have days when we don’t believe we are accomplishing anything; we may even feel a little light headed. If those days turn into weeks and months, we need to purposely step out, free ourselves from the revolving door.   Often we realize we are not in the revolving door alone; though separated by barriers we sense another’s presence. We hope their stay is only temporary, that they will also step out to the freedom of fresh air.

As we exit a building through a revolving door, it often takes a few minutes to get our bearings. We need to get our balance and adjust to the surroundings of busy traffic, crowded sidewalks and weather conditions. If the sun is bright we may feel blinded temporarily. When weather conditions are extremely hot, cold, or stormy our body will need to adapt to that as well. 

Change is coming. Our life style and busy schedule suddenly stops. We adjust to changes after exiting the revolving door in order to enjoy our slower paced life. It will be worth it all! “The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth forever (Psalm 121:8 NAS).” Jesus is our Doorman!

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Christian Growth, Devotionals, GUEST AUTHOR

Psalm 32 Forgiveness

GUEST AUTHOR: JEANNE WEBSTER

 

Psalm 32 Forgiveness
© 2010 Jeanne E. Webster

Forgiveness for our sins brings us exuberant joy and overwhelming peace,
For God knows the spirit of an honest person and inters our sins forever.
When we keep sins hidden within us, they roar and groan to get out in the open.
The breath of God weighs mightily upon us and our spirits whither.
I confessed to Him my hidden sins and He forgave me.
Pray as quickly as possible after you have sinned, as the longer sin hides, the harder and more heinous it becomes.
You are my shelter and preservation from trouble. I hear your songs of sweet deliverance.
You will teach me how I should live and search the best path for my spirit.
Don’t be dumb as the horse and mule. They need to be led by bridle and bit to keep from stepping on you.
The wicked will reap sorrows but those who trust in the Lord shall be wrapped in His blanket of mercy.
Rejoice and be happy, you lover of God. Shout for joy all you who have an honorable heart.
 
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Corner
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Christian Growth, Devotionals, Marriage

Mail Order Bride

Pam Ford Davis

Do you know anyone who uses on line dating services? We prefer to think matches are made in heaven, but some in loneliness turn to .com. Earlier outlets for finding a mate included Lonely Hearts Clubs or newspaper personal columns.  

Match making goes back farther than we can prove; but the father of Leah, Jacob’s first wife, used deception to find her a man. (Genesis 29:16-28).  Today she would likely be referred to as a plain Jane, with slim chances to land a man. The wedding night for Jacob and Leah goes beyond the worst blind date surprises. Seeing her in the camouflage of a bridal veil Jacob suffered from night blindness; he had an eye opener the following morning.

I find the old stories of mail order brides interesting. People corresponding by mail learned little about their prospective mate; they took the risk and arranged their marriage. Many things brought them together, including a deep desire for companionship. I’m sure the U.S. postal system offered no guarantees. The mail order arrangement brought perfect strangers together to form the binding covenant of marriage.       

The Bible gives another vivid example of such blind trust. “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls (1Peter 1:8-9 NAS).”

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Devotionals

Portrait of My Love

 

Pam Ford Davis

What does Jesus look like? We each form a mental picture shaped by our culture and personal experiences. Likely pictures or paintings of Christ we viewed at an early age contribute to our character sketch. Some are drawn to pictures that portray Christ as a rugged man of the outdoors. My favorites are Jesus with children on his lap or crowed around his feet. Others that I find very moving are Jesus carrying a lamb on his shoulders and one where he knocks at a door with no outside latch. It represents our hearts which we alone must open to His saving grace.

The truth is we have no pictures or paintings that give us an accurate portrait of our loving Lord. I’m quite sure He would not resemble those in circulation. “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not (Isaiah 53:1-3 NIV).” The portrait of my love reveals a suffering Savior!

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Devotionals

Soft Touch

How would you describe your personality and witness for Christ? Do you use high pressure and hard sell tactics comparable to a used car salesman? Do you twist the arm of a contact and demand a response? Have you decided you will not take no for an answer, and pressure those who cross your path?   

If this description fits you to a T, some may give you an A for effort, but likely few will respond to your appeals. Even our military runs more smoothly with an all volunteer recruitment than a draft system. Our freedom of choice brings resistance to any efforts to rope and brand us. We prefer to see all sides of an issue and decide for ourselves.         

Maybe you seem to fall in line with a soft approach when sharing your faith. With compassion you see the needs of others, feel their concerns and want to share how the Lord helped you in difficult times, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NAS).” Our deepest desire is that they would come to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation (Romans 10:1 NAS).” We may plead and share the sense or urgency; but a person can not be forced to follow. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20 NAS).”        

Love is a powerful force and is difficult to resist. If we love others as Jesus loves them, we will be soft, pliable and an instrument of service. When others are drawn to love in us, they are ready to receive the source of all love, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:17-18 NAS).” 

There is a choice for each we touch with the gospel; they must each personally decide what they believe. God holds His children accountable, for the use of all blessings He has lavished upon us. We have a story to tell; will we cram it down the throats of resisting rebels, or will we spoon feed it to those hungry for the bread of life? “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1 NAS).” Lord, make me a soft touch. When I open my mouth, teach me to first open my heart and draw from your living waters of salvation.

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Christian Growth, Devotionals

Easter Egg Happening”

Easter egg decorating is fun for toddlers and a challenge for moms.  Easter egg dye can be pretty messy and getting it on the eggs instead of the children, is a balancing act. Easter eggs are not only for children. Artists create masterpieces on fragile empty shells after carefully blowing out the contents of the egg through a pin point hole. Beautiful pastel colors and intricate designs are breath taking. An Easter tree makes a beautiful center-piece and brings sunshine to a dreary home, following a long winter.  

Do you want to be a designer Easter egg? You can, you know. Pretend you are an egg, grouped with eleven other eggs in a box, all in neat little rows. The box represents your closest relationships, including both family and friends. Easter time comes and every egg desires to change from a sunny side up breakfast to an Easter egg. You are chosen for boiling by the cook. Wow, this water will scald me! I don’t know how much more I can take! You are relieved when that is over. Wait a minute, now I am in cold running water! Talk about extremes, this is ridiculous!  What is that terrible smell? Oh, I see; that is the coloring dye I have heard about.  I am getting sea sick, twirling around and around in this solution! Stop the world; I want to get off! I wish I could find a mirror; I wonder what I look like…Good, I see my reflection in that toaster on the counter. I am beautiful! I have been transformed!

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please? If you trust Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord you can be His very special Easter egg, every day of the year. The boiling process involves the trials you are faced to endure. They are painful; but they are temporary, resulting in a surface with great strength. Your life even has more weight- God’s glory. Why the cold water? Life is filled with extremes; one moment you have mountain top faith and the next you are hurled into the valley of despair. Don’t try to escape; there are others who need your strength and comfort. God will lift you out soon; “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (1 Peter 5:10 NAS).”           

The dye may be compared to the circumstances we individually go through, each unique and varied, to suit us best. These are not crisis times, just daily routines and relationships that at times keep us stressed, feeling tossed around like a ship at sea. They help to shape our lives, giving us the personality we are gifted with. The final result is a transformed life, a beautiful creation made by the Masters hands. He will not use you as a centerpiece; He will put you back in the box, to influence the eggs around you. You can prepare them for the time God will reach in, take them out, and create another very special Easter egg.

 

 

 

 

               

 

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Christian Growth, Devotionals, Family

Grandpa’s Magnifying Glass

I never grew out of my childhood name of Pammy Sue to Grandpa Ford.  I remember happily bouncing on his knee as  He sang, Home Again, Home Again, Jiggidy, Jig! Grandpa delighted in checker games with all of his grandchildren.  He used his talents as a craftsman, weaving cain seats in chairs, and constructing wood crafts, such as a rooster weather vane. Honey, fresh from the honeycomb gave him great pleasure.

I saw devotion to Grandma, his bride of sixty five years, at the time of her death. Grandpa enjoyed the peaceful times of rocking in a favorite chair on the back porch.  A cherished memory I now recall is of Grandpa sitting in his favorite living room chair, reading his Bible. He could no longer read the small print. So, he read the scriptures with a large magnifying glass. In my family photos I have a snapshot of him with Bible and magnifying glass.  It is also in safe deposit, hidden in my mind with other cherished memories. My desire is to always be as dedicated to Gods’ word. Open my eyes, Lord. (Psalms 119:18)

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