No Room for Shirkers
Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Judges 5:23.
Shall not this be the time when all who are in connection with God shall come to the front and show their colors? Shall it be seen that men and women step back and show no interest, no zeal, no earnest effort when help is needed? When the car drags heavily, then is the time for everyone to push, put shoulders to the wheels, and not stand back giving orders, or accusing the ones who are trying to push the load, or criticizing everything they do, because it is not done in their way and after their ideas. . . . Let everyone do his level best to move the load with might and strength. . . .
If the Lord should treat us as some who claim to be Christians treat one another, we should have a sore, hard time. If He should look upon the selfish, or crooked ones as they look upon one another and deal with one another, what would become of us? But I am glad the Lord is not man. He bears with our crooked ways, our selfishness, our separation from Him, our defects of character, and seeks to inform us, sending message after message of mercy, encouragement, warning, reproof, and correction, to bring us into a right position before Him, that we may have His love, His care, His blessing, abiding upon us. . . .
We have each a work to do for the Master. Will we do this work, will we labor with unselfish, self-sacrificing interest to build up His cause, to advance His work? I am determined to do the will of God, to make straight paths for my feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way. There are halting, lame ones enough. . . . God forbid that any of those who have had a knowledge of, and an experience in, the workings of God should themselves be halting, and need to be carried. Let them come up to help; let them become spiritually strong by doing the will of our heavenly Father, and then they can help the halting, lame ones. . . .
May we work intelligently, heartily, with decision and positiveness, that we may be blessed and may bless others.
That I May Know Him p. 332
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Prayer Requests
—–Please continue to pray for my friend Sheryl. Her daughter writes: “Mom’s temperature was 100 last night. Please pray that the infection clears up enough that her temp stays down soon, so she can come home. On a more positive note, she managed a short walk yesterday, which completely tired her out.”
—–Please keep Colby in your prayers. He is getting his tonsils taken out this morning. He is pretty nervous….and so am I. Wendy
—–I will be on vacation until January 13, so there might not be a devotional or it may be a shortened one during that time. Please pray for safe travels for me. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Until I was nineteen, my mother and I had no car. We walked or rode the bus wherever we needed to go. This wasted many hours as it seemed that the bus was always late. We really longed to have a car, but there just was no money for it. There were so many times when we felt trapped because of our lack of good transportation.
It was such a treat when Floyd and Mary, my mother’s ex-in-laws, would let us use their car for the weekend as payment for watching their son. Tommy was a good boy and enjoyed being with us. He was a few years younger than I, and didn’t tease and torment me about my size; so we got along well together. What fun we would have going places that were not accessible by public transportation and doing things that we wished we could do.
Having that car gave my careworn and overworked mother a sense of freedom and relaxation. and changed her into a smiling, relaxed, energetic girl once more. All of the built up tensions and worries she daily experienced disappeared as we drove around southeastern Michigan and did things that she had been longing to do. All of the frustrations of the day to day survival evaporated.
Those happy feelings did not last long, however. As soon as the weekend was over and Tommy and the car went back home, my mother picked up the cares she had left behind and life went back to a normal routine. All the tensions and frustrations returned and it seemed to me that her weekend of freedom only made her more resentful of her lot in life.
Just as my mother had no lasting peace and happiness from having a car for a short time, so the pleasures of this world last but a moment. They are fleeting at best, and leave us careworn and exhausted and all empty inside when they are over. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” I John 2:16-18
Our Dear Saviour desires to give us “the peace of God, [a lasting peace] which passeth all understanding.” Phil 4:7 Just as He “arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still,” so He will bring peace and calmness to our troubled mind if we will ask Him. He assures us, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
David exclaimed, “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.””Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Ps 16:11; 119:165 Praise God! These joys, these pleasures never fade away! No matter what trials and troubles surround us, we can have peace in our heart!
May we turn from the vanities of this world unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.” Acts 14:15 May we experience freedom from the worries and cares of this old world by looking forward to spending eternity with our Blessed Redeemer. May we daily receive the peace that passes all understanding that He offers us is my prayer.
Rose