How can your past, positive experiences strengthen your faith for today?

"I used to ask G.o.d to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up asking Him to do His work through me."-HUDSON TAYLOR

APRIL 19.

COMMIT TO CONNECT.

She said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."

MATTHEW 9:21.

MAYBE SHE HAD HEARD all the stories of the itinerant Preacher who had the power to heal people, and for the first time in a while, her hope was rekindled. She had been sick for twelve long years, and she had spent all her money on doctors. Nothing had helped. She still felt miserable, and worse, sickness was considered a sign of moral failure in her culture, so she was also an outcast.

We can imagine the conflicting emotions of hope and shame that must have fought in her soul that day as she made her way through the crowd. This, she was convinced, was her last hope. She saw a crowd-someone said Jesus was there! She stepped forward to get as close as she could. There He was! But it looked as if He was leaving. Suddenly, she fell to the ground and reached out between dusty legs and feet to touch the hem of His cloak.

It was an imperfect, impulsive act to connect with Jesus, but it was enough. Suddenly, the power of G.o.d surged into her body and healed her, but something even more amazing also happened: Jesus stopped, turned, and singled her out. She had tried to remain incognito. Now she was the center of attention. Only one pair of eyes, though, mattered to her. She had reached out to connect with Jesus, and He reached back to establish a real relationship with her.

What's the difference between really connecting with Jesus and going through the motions of church and other religious activities?

What are some ways you can reach out to connect with Jesus today?

"Hope is the foundational quality for all of life."-ALFRED ADLER

APRIL 20.

THE POWER OF THE LORD.

Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.

PSALM 21:13.

WE MAKE A HUGE MISTAKE when we think that G.o.d is only a little bigger than we are. He is far greater and more powerful than our wildest imaginations. Creation gives us a glimpse of His awesome power. The Bible tells us that G.o.d merely spoke a word and all the stars were flung into s.p.a.ce.

How immense is the universe? The first astronomer, Ptolemy, counted 1,056 stars. With the magnification of a one-inch telescope, we can see 225,000 stars. A 100-inch telescope enables us to see 1.5 billion stars, and with a 200-inch telescope, we can see a billion galaxies, each with about 100 billion stars. The Hubble telescope has enabled astronomers to see 100 billion galaxies. Here's some help to put these numbers in perspective: 100 billion stars in each of 100 billion galaxies is roughly equal to the number of grains of sand on every sh.o.r.e on every beach throughout the entire world!

What difference does this make to us? Our trust in G.o.d is a reflection of our grasp of His greatness and grace. If we think He's just a little stronger or nicer than we are, our trust in Him will be meager. But if we marvel at His greatness, we'll trust Him more with every decision, every relationship, and every purpose in our lives.

How does it affect our capacity to trust G.o.d when we see Him only as a kind of superman instead of infinitely great and good?

What aspects of your life could benefit from a refreshed trust in the G.o.d of infinite power and grace?

"G.o.d is an infinite circle whose center is every where and whose circ.u.mference is no where."-SAINT AUGUSTINE

APRIL 21.

WALK WITH INTEGRITY.

He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.

PROVERBS 10:9.

INTEGRITY HAS BEEN DESCRIBED as "doing the right thing even when n.o.body is looking." When we try to hide our sinful behavior behind a mask of lies, we live with the constant fear of somebody finding out. All of us know this experience to some degree. Some of us stay on track most of the time and only occasionally have to fear being found out, but others have lied so much to cover their tracks that they don't remember what's true anymore.

A clear conscience is a treasure, but it doesn't just happen. We can experience the peace of a clean heart and an uncluttered mind only if we make a rigorous commitment to live our lives in the presence of G.o.d and, when we fail, make things right quickly. There's nothing quite as chilling as knowing that you're being watched. When we live with the confidence that everything we do pa.s.ses under the eyes of G.o.d, we will make sure we don't stray off track. But we're human, and our sinful nature gets the best of us from time to time. When that happens, the Holy Spirit taps us on the shoulder and says, "Hey, I saw what you did, and it was wrong." We have a choice of saying, in effect, "Go away!" or "Yes, Lord, You're right. That was sin, and I thank You for forgiving me."

Everything we do is already known to G.o.d, and someday, everything will be revealed to those we have tried to fool. It's a much wiser course to walk with integrity now.

What happens to you and your relationships when you try to wear a mask to hide your sin?

What would it (or does it) take for you to live with a clear conscience?

"Every choice has a consequence; we can determine our choices, but we do not determine the consequence."-IKE REIGHARD

APRIL 22.

ANSWERED PRAYER.

Jabez called on the G.o.d of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So G.o.d granted him what he requested.

1 CHRONICLES 4:10.

WE COULD SAY JABEZ PRACTICED the spiritual principle "You don't have because you don't ask" (see James 4:2) when he asked G.o.d for a lot. Boldness in prayer delights G.o.d's heart. He is thrilled when His children barge into the throne room and trust Him to be generous with them.

Some would wisely warn us to watch out for wrong motives. Certainly, our selfishness can distort any prayer or longing, but too much caution can cripple our spiritual lives. If we are bold enough to enter the throne room and ask for great things, we open ourselves to G.o.d so He can correct impure motives. Interaction with G.o.d is the open door for both blessing and correction, and to be honest, most of us need both!

Notice the content of Jabez's prayer. He asked G.o.d to enlarge his territory. In that day, land and livestock were signs of wealth, and Jabez unapologetically asked G.o.d to bless him. But he didn't just want to be rich; he wanted to experience G.o.d's presence and pleasure. He prayed that he would sense the hand of G.o.d on his life, and he also asked that G.o.d's hand would direct him and protect him from evil. The part of Jabez's request that tells us the most about his heart is the last part: "that I may not cause pain." He was a humble man who recognized his sinful nature's penchant for selfish gain at others' expense, so he asked G.o.d to guide him away from anything that might harm anyone else.

The writer tells us that G.o.d answered Jabez's prayer. It doesn't say when or how, but we learn that G.o.d, like any loving father, delights in giving good gifts to grateful children. Boldness and humility-those are the ingredients of prayers that delight our Father.

How does Jabez's prayer express your desires?

How can you develop more of that blend of boldness and humility?

"Prayers are heard in heaven very much in proportion to our faith. Little faith will get very great mercies, but great faith still greater."-CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON "You don't pay the price for success; you enjoy the benefits of success."-ZIG ZIGLAR

APRIL 23.

REVERSING THE LEARNING CURVE.

Jesus . . . said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes."

MATTHEW 11:25.

IN G.o.d'S KINGDOM, many things are the opposite of what you'd expect. To be great, be a humble servant. To be strong, recognize your weakness. To be close to G.o.d, admit the darkness and depravity in your heart. In this pa.s.sage, Jesus gives another startling fact of the Kingdom: G.o.d reveals Himself and His truth to "babes" and hides from those who think they know it all. To learn spiritual truth, He explains, you need to go back to the basics.

As we look at how Jesus related to people in the Gospels, we see this reversed learning curve again and again. The highly educated religious leaders argued with Jesus, hardened their hearts, and eventually plotted to have Him executed. Only a couple of them opened their hearts to Him. But the unlearned, the outcasts, and the simple flocked to Him. They listened with wide-open hearts, and many trusted in Him. Virtually all His miracles were reserved for these people.

In our world, people pride themselves on what they know because "knowledge is power." But in the spiritual world, degrees and vast learning don't matter. They don't necessarily prevent insight, but they can easily get in the way. G.o.d values a humble heart, and He delights to teach those who will say to Him, "Lord, I don't get it. Will You help me?"

What are some ways pride can prevent us from learning spiritual truth from G.o.d?

Where are you on the reverse learning curve? Explain your answer.

"When you know the author of the Book, the Book will have meaning to you."-ZIG ZIGLAR

APRIL 24.

WHEN YOU ARE SO TIRED.

[Jesus said,] "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

MATTHEW 11:28.

IN A RECENT POLL, a large segment of Americans were asked the simple question, "How are you doing?" The number one answer given by thousands of respondents was simply, "Tired."

We've been had. Years ago, technology promised to make us more efficient so we could have more leisure time and more time with our families, but it hasn't worked out that way. Amazing advances in technology have made us far more efficient and productive, but our thirst for more has caused us to cram our schedules full of additional activities. Many families are so busy that they don't even have one dinner together each week! No wonder we're so tired.

The solution, we've tried to tell ourselves, is better time management or the latest technology, but that hasn't worked either. No, we need something radically different-a new focus with new priorities. Jesus invites us to come to Him. He doesn't promise to give us twenty-five-hour days or magically enable us to get everything checked off our lists each day. Instead, He invites us to trust Him and rest, to enjoy His love and let Him lead us so that we distinguish the genuinely important from the seemingly urgent. Trusting in Him makes a difference, a big difference.

What (if any) are some evidences in your life of chronic tiredness?

What would it look like for you to respond to Jesus' invitation?

"What worries you, masters you."-HADDON W. ROBINSON