Devotionals

Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”

Winston Churchill once proclaimed, “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.” While Churchill had no control over the events that came his way, he did have a choice about how responded to them. He had a choice about what story he would live and what script he would accept. What about your life? Who will write your story?

There is a major difference between genuine faith and helpless fatalism. Genuine faith acts on the script that God provides and trusts Him for the power to do it. In the story of Daniel, he was given two competing scripts: the world’s (Babylon’s) script and God’s script. Babylon wanted to teach Daniel their pagan ways, feed Daniel their pagan food, and give Daniel one of their pagan names. In contrast, God gave Daniel favor with others, supernatural knowledge, success, and longevity. Which was the better script?

Every day, you are handed two competing scripts. You will either be pressed into the mold the world demands, or you will live the life that God made you to live. Daniel’s choice was purposeful. “But Daniel purposed in his heart. . . .” Daniel’s mission statement was clear. “. . . that he would not defile himself . . . .” Daniel’s purpose was tested. “Prove thy servants. . . .”

Like Daniel, you have a choice as to which script you will accept. Is your choice purposeful? Is your purpose clear? You can be sure that your choice to live for God will be tested by the world, but don’t let that stop you from obeying what God has given you to do!

The difference between a victim and a victor is merely accepting the world’s script rather than acting on God’s. When it comes to your storyline, what script will you follow? Who will write your story?

Ezekiel 38:16 “And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.”

Which is more likely, someone being proud about their past or their future? You have to be pretty optimistic to be proud of your future! I think you would agree that the world is full of people who love to tell what they have done and what they accomplished years ago. On the other hand, is someone more likely to be afraid of their past or their future? You can be afraid of your past (although you can’t change it), but more than likely the things that concern and worry you are in the future. You are more likely to be proud of your past and fearful of your future!

While living in your past is not healthy, it is good to remember that your future is already God’s history. The God of the Universe is not bound by time or deadlines; He is never worried or hurried. God may send clouds your way for your good and His glory. He sent an army against Israel so that “the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee.” The army God used was just a pawn in His hand. His purpose was to “magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

I don’t know what your future holds, but I know Who holds your future. Your future is already God’s history. While you may experience difficulties, troubles, and the storms of life, you can rest assured that God is in control. Whatever He allows is for your good and for His glory, so that He is revealed to be who He is in your life and in the lives of others. You can be confident in your future, no matter what it holds, because God is already there.

“Christ First.”

That is our theme for camp this summer, taken from Colossians 1:18b, “That in all things he might have the preeminence.” We will again be privileged to work with churches literally from coast to coast, as well as groups from the Bahamas and the Republic of Korea who have coasts of their own! Also on our schedule is our Day Camp outreach to local boys and girls in Middle Tennessee. It is our prayer that “Christ First” will be true in each junior boy and girl, each teenager, and each deaf young person who comes to camp this summer.

As we prepare for staff training and the first weeks of camp in June, we will take a brief break from First Light the week of May 28-June 1. We will resume our regular schedule of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday email devotionals, with an added bonus of content from the summer, on Monday, June 4.

I hope you will join us in praying for each camp week this summer. May “Christ First” be the theme of your life this summer as well!

Ezekiel 35:10 “Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there:”

What is the most “disrespected” you have felt in the past five weeks? Generally, being disrespected happens with a whisper, not a yell. For example, have you ever been excluded from a group conversation? You try to inject your ideas, but you are quietly dismissed or ignored. You haven’t been yelled down; you have been whispered out. So it often is with us and God.

In Ezekiel 35, the nation of Edom dismissed God. “These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas [although] the LORD was there.” They just dismissed God entirely out of the equation! The Lord responds swiftly and heavily to this “disrespect.”

You may not boastfully sweep God out of the conversation like the Edomites, but you can just as surely dismiss Him by being worried and hurried. Either option is bad news, but I find myself too often falling in the second category. Even though you want to serve God and do right, you can dismiss God out of the equation because of problems, stress, expectations, and difficulties. Don’t count God out!

It’s easier said than done, but don’t worry. When you worry, you count God out. Any day is a secure day if you will look for God in it. When you look back at today, how much of God will you see in it? Our tendency is to dismiss God out of the day and to count Him out. Whatever you do, never count God out!

Prayer Requests:
1. Service tonight in North Salem, IN and this weekend in Woodbridge, VA and Nashville, TN
2. Bill Rice Ranch Father-Son Adventure this weekend