If you aren't listening enough to the Spirit, what are you missing?

What can you do today to carve out time to listen?

"Never try to explain G.o.d until you have obeyed Him. The only bit of G.o.d we understand is the bit we have obeyed."-OSWALD CHAMBERS

JUNE 25.

BEING A NORTH STAR.

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

DANIEL 12:3.

FOR CENTURIES, mariners used the North Star to determine their course on the seas. Whenever they got lost, they could make course corrections based on that fixed point in the sky, and in clear weather conditions, it kept them on the right track night after night.

Wise people serve as signposts in the same way. Rigorous faith in a good, powerful, and all-knowing G.o.d makes them excellent examples to others in their families, at work, at church, and in their neighborhoods. Like a well-lit path or the unmistakable sentinel in the night sky, those whose lives are characterized by steadfast faith show others the way to live.

We don't become signposts and stars in a flash. We gain wisdom from the powerful combination of studying G.o.d's Word, being sensitive to G.o.d's Spirit, and spending time with people who are truly wise. These efforts require an investment of time, energy, and emotion. Is it worth it? For a while, it may not seem so. The early stages of spiritual discovery often bring more questions than answers, but if we are persistent, the pieces begin to come together.

Are you willing to pay the price to become a signpost and a star to guide others around you?

Do you want to be the kind of wise person who has a profound influence on others? Why or why not?

Are you willing to pay the price? Explain your answer.

"To see His star is good, but to see His face is better."-D. L. MOODY

JUNE 26.

IN G.o.d'S RIGHT HAND

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your G.o.d. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

ISAIAH 41:10.

AT PARTICULAR MOMENTS in our lives, all of us face bewildering circ.u.mstances. Counselors tell us that the most common problems in marriages are money, s.e.x, in-laws, and children. To that list, we can add an array of work-related stresses and personal difficulties. From time to time, we say, to no one in particular, "I just don't know what to do!"

We often turn to family and friends for help, but G.o.d invites us to "go to the top" to get His a.s.sistance. In this verse, G.o.d explains that we don't have to wade through a phone tree to make a connection with Him. He doesn't e-mail us a link we can go to for the answer to our problems or send out a technician to fix them. He has promised His support-in person!

What an amazing promise! The G.o.d of the universe reminds us of the contract He made, first with Moses-"I will be your G.o.d, and you will be my people" (Jeremiah 7:23, NLT)-and it applies to us, too. We belong to Him, and He has committed Himself to strengthen, lead, support, and uphold us. To make His point completely clear, G.o.d finishes with a flourish. He doesn't keep us at arm's length as He helps us; He holds us close and secure in His right hand. It doesn't get any more personal than that.

Since G.o.d is invisible, what does this promise really mean?

What are some recent or current situations in your life in which you need G.o.d's personal help? Ask Him for it now.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."-FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT

JUNE 27.

CHANGING YOUR PARADIGM.

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

ISAIAH 55:8-9.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TRUTHS we can learn in our journey of faith is that G.o.d is a lot smarter than we are! We spend much of each day figuring out difficult situations and solving problems, and we're pretty good at it too. We get paid for our ability to a.n.a.lyze things accurately, and we receive praise at home and at work for being "the answer man" or "the answer woman."

Sooner or later, though, G.o.d leads us into some dark alleys where we feel utterly, completely lost. A compliant child becomes rebellious, and everything we do makes him or her only more defiant. We feel that we're losing a son or daughter. Cancer rears its ugly head in our own bodies or in the bodies of those we love. We go through cycles of treatment and a roller coaster ride of emotions. We face problems we can't seem to solve with our in-laws, in our marriages, with money, with our bosses, or with unemployment. We may enter the pit of depression for seemingly no reason at all.

At those moments, we instinctively shake our fists at G.o.d and ask why. But few answers come. Sooner or later, we realize that, after all, we aren't G.o.d. We can't figure out what He's doing because we don't have His infinite wisdom and complete knowledge. At that moment, all we can do is bow and say, "Lord, You know far more than I do, and Your ways are far higher than mine." And then, we can rest in Him again.

What are some of the dangers of thinking we know more than G.o.d?

What are some situations right now in which you need to trust that G.o.d's insights and paths are far higher than yours?

"The last human freedom you and I possess is the ability to choose our att.i.tude in any given set of circ.u.mstances."-VIKTOR FRANKL

JUNE 28.

NEVER LOSE HEART.

[Jesus] spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.

LUKE 18:1.

PEOPLE WHO READ the Bible fairly regularly notice some statements that are regularly repeated: "Fear not," "Wait on the Lord," and "Don't lose heart." Why does G.o.d give us these messages so often? Because it's so easy to give in to fear, to become impatient with G.o.d's timing, and to give up and quit because following G.o.d seems too hard.

Jesus told a story to address the problem of unanswered prayer-or at least, confusing delays in G.o.d's answers to our prayers. A widow went to a judge to get an answer to a legal dispute, but he ignored her. She wouldn't quit. She kept going back again and again. Finally, the exhausted and exasperated judge gave her an answer. Jesus must have had a smile on His face when He compared our loving, compa.s.sionate Father with the stubborn, neglectful judge in the story. "Surely," Jesus explained, "we can trust the Father to answer us if we plead with Him night and day" (see Luke 18:7).

How long have you prayed for a particular person or about a specific situation? Delays may occur for many reasons. G.o.d may be preparing the situation or the person, or He may be preparing us to receive what we've asked for. Or He may be working in our hearts to show us that we can trust Him even when He says no to our persistent request. In any case, we can be sure that eventually, we'll receive an answer from G.o.d, and with that a.s.surance, we won't lose heart.

In the past, when have you been tempted to lose heart because G.o.d's answer was delayed?

What is a situation right now in which you are waiting for G.o.d's answer?

"Life is a grindstone. But whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us."-THOMAS L. HOLDCROFT

JUNE 29.

REJOICE!.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

PHILIPPIANS 4:4.

REJOICING is both a response and a choice. In response to the goodness and greatness of G.o.d, we praise G.o.d and thank Him for His gifts to us. But whether or not we feel like it, and whether or not we see any reason for it, Paul tells us to rejoice always. Praise and thanks during difficult times rivet our minds on G.o.d's truth and stimulate trust in Him, even when we don't know what He's doing.

Paul certainly had opportunities to practice rejoicing always. In Acts, Luke records the phenomenal ways G.o.d used Paul to take the message of Christ to the known world. In every city, people responded to the gospel and trusted Christ. But also in every city, opposition rose up to try to stop Paul. In his letter to the Philippians, he describes how others were taking advantage of his being in prison to "steal his thunder" and take his platform (see Philippians 1:15-18). That didn't matter to Paul. He rejoiced because the message was getting out, even if the messengers had selfish motives. And Paul describes how G.o.d had been faithful when he enjoyed plenty and when he barely had enough to eat (see Philippians 4:11-13). Either way, G.o.d had proven Himself to be good, kind, and gracious to him.

Can we, like Paul, focus our attention on G.o.d's character and trust Him in every situation? Sometimes, we rejoice and our hearts almost burst with grat.i.tude, but at other times, we make gut-level choices to thank Him during painful seasons of life. In every situation and every relationship, through good times and bad, when we have plenty and when we have barely enough, we choose to rejoice. It's a choice that pleases G.o.d and reinforces our faith.

How would it help you to make the choice to rejoice even when you don't feel like it?

What are some situations right now that require that choice?

"If there is hope in the future, then there is power in the present."-JOHN MAXWELL "Encouragement is the fuel on which hope runs."-ZIG ZIGLAR

JUNE 30.

BEFORE WE LOVED HIM.

G.o.d demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

ROMANS 5:8.

MOST OF OUR HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS are based on mutual attraction and benefits. We enjoy our friends because they make us feel good, we were attracted to our spouses because we felt more alive with them, and we work at our jobs because we receive satisfaction and a salary. When times get tough, we hang in there for a while, but if things don't improve, we're tempted to bail out.

Because family relationships involve more commitment, we stick it out through thick and thin, but even then, strains and disagreements erode our affections. G.o.d's love for us, however, is different-radically different. He doesn't demand compliance to rules or certain behaviors to win His love. He gives it liberally, freely, and without conditions. Paul says that G.o.d lavishes His love on us (see Ephesians 1:7-8, NIV)! We don't deserve such good treatment from G.o.d. That's why it's called grace.

G.o.d doesn't love us because we're worthy of His affection; He loves us in spite of our rebellion, apathy, and selfishness. We have nothing to offer to win His approval, but He loves us anyway. And He didn't wait for us to respond to shower us with love. Paul tells us that G.o.d loved us "while we were still sinners." G.o.d's love, though, isn't syrupy sentimentality. It's bold, active affection that moves toward us to win our hearts. The depth of this love is demonstrated by how much and how selflessly it gives, and Christ's death on the cross is the ultimate gift.

Do we ever wonder if G.o.d really cares? When we doubt, we can look at the Cross.

Describe the most selfless love you've ever seen.

Thank G.o.d for His unconditional, radical love for you.