Discerning God’s Voice
Just as God loves us and knows us better than we know ourselves, He desires for us to know Him intimately too. The Holy Spirit serves as our modern-day guide (John 15:26). As we saw with God’s presence in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, God is highly relational. He wants us to spend time with him. He pursues us. He wants us to WANT to spend time with Him. He wants to bless us and give counsel and peace, which is what we find when we seek His presence in our lives. This is where prayer comes in. Throughout the Bible we see God’s instruction for His people to seek Him, to approach Him in prayer, and to rest in Him. Heb 4:14-16 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Phil 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,
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Understanding God’s Goodness
One of the characteristics of God is that He is good. When the rich young man approaches Jesus in Matthew chapter 19, He asks what good deeds he must do to have eternal life. And Jesus responds in part by saying there is only “one who is good” (v17). This is God. God’s goodness can be seen in two aspects. God’s Moral Perfection: First, God is morally perfect. We can think of goodness in a moral sense of what is right being good, and wrong being bad. In Psalms 92:15, the psalmist declares there is no unrighteousness in God. Thus, God is perfectly good and righteous. God’s Unfailing Love: Second, God’s goodness is deeply intertwined with his love. In Psalm 106, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Meditation: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 Also Read: Men in the Bible: A Man of Considerable Goodwill The Myth of Omnipresence (1): The 5 Places God Always Is Overwhelmed Great Truths Adults Learned I Passed a Professional Exam and Got a Job After 10 Years You can now partner with the Daily Dew Ministry by clicking here.
A Penny
A husband and wife were invited to spend the weekend at the husband’s employer’s home. The wife was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and she was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband’s employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. The wife knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely. As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of her and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. The wife wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to
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The Pencil Story
A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked: “Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?” His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: “I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.” Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special. “But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!” ‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.” “First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.” “Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.” ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes.
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The Gift Beyond Imagination (2)
Finally, about a week into summer, the tiny plant poked its head above the soil and drank in the rays of sunlight. Every day, it grew taller and stronger as Mary Em cared for it. The small plant quickly grew and soon bloomed into a beautiful red poppy, just like the ones Gram had grown in her garden! Mary Em loved to wake up to the little flower every morning. It was like hearing Gram say “I love you” every day. But then one morning, the poppy began to droop and hang its head. Mary Em watered it more and moved it to a sunnier spot. Despite all her efforts, though, the little poppy shrivelled and died. Mary Em couldn’t bear to throw it away. She just left it there on her windowsill. Now it brought sad thoughts–thoughts of Gram’s sickness and death. Many weeks later, the air began to chill, and the leaves started to fall from the trees. Winter was on its way. Mary Em decided it was time to throw out the remains of the little poppy. As she did, though, tiny black specks began to fall. They were seeds! That is when Mary Em remembered what Gram had said – “Winter may come, but that just means Spring is on its way.” With this thought, Mary
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The Gift Beyond Imagination (1)
The gift was simple…the gift was small… But the promise it held was larger than life! What made it so special was that it was a gift from Mary Em’s grandmother. Gram had wrapped it in a beautiful scrap of red silk scarf. Mary Em rushed to open it, but when the gift fell out, she just looked at it. It was just a seed – a tiny black seed. Why did Gram leave her a seed before she died? Mary Em was eight, and her Gram had said she would be leaving soon on a trip to Heaven. Gram assured her that before she left, she would leave her a special gift…a gift beyond imagination. The little girl clung to the promise of the gift as she saw her grandmother begin to fade away. The cancer had made her so thin and frail, but Gram still smiled and said Jesus would be traveling with her on this trip. Even now, two weeks after Gram had left on her “new journey”, as she had called it, Mary Em clung to the promise. But a seed…? What had Gram been thinking? Tears of disappointment began to drip down Mary Em’s face. She had hoped for more. But what was there left to do now, except to plant the tiny seed. An
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God & the Spider
During World War II, a US Marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire, he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly, he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realised that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed. As he waited, he prayed, “Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will, though, I love you and trust you. Amen.” After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, “Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one.” Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. “Ha, he thought. “What I need is a brick wall, and what the Lord has sent me is
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The Legend of the Sand Dollar
There’s a pretty little legend that I would like to tell of the birth and death of Jesus, found in this lowly shell. If you examine closely, you’ll see that you find here four nail holes and a fifth one made by a Roman’s Spear. On one side, the Easter Lily, its centre is the star that appeared unto the wisemen and led them from afar. The Christmas poinsettia etched on the other side reminds us of His birthday, our Happy Christmastide. Now break the centre open and here you will release the five white doves awaiting to spread Good Will and Peace. This simple little symbol, Christ left for you and me to help us spread, and here you will release the five white doves, awaiting to spread Goodwill his Gospel through all eternity. Meditation: “But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.” – Romans 8:10 Also Read: Men in the Bible: A Man of Considerable Goodwill The Myth of Omnipresence (1): The 5 Places God Always Is Overwhelmed Great Truths Adults Learned I Passed a Professional Exam and Got a Job After 10 Years You can now partner with the Daily Dew Ministry by clicking here.
Declaring God’s Unconditional Love
I am already loved—even when I mess up, God still loves me. God’s love is unchanging. I cannot earn more of God’s love, and I can’t be disqualified from receiving His love. God’s love doesn’t lesson, or increase based on what I do or don’t do. God’s love is unconditional—it’s not based upon conditions of performance, gifting, ability, beauty or spiritual goodness. I am already loved—fiercely, immeasurably and without exception. He is always wooing me to a deeper intimacy. He loves me; He hears me when I pray; He sees me—the good and ugly. He knows me—every intricate detail, the very core of who I am (even better than I do), and He still loves me. Nothing in all creation can separate me from His love. Meditation: “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” – Jeremiah 31:3 Also Read: Men in the Bible: A Man of Considerable Goodwill The Myth of Omnipresence (1): The 5 Places God Always Is Overwhelmed Great Truths Adults Learned I Passed a Professional Exam and Got a Job After 10 Years You can now partner with the Daily Dew Ministry by clicking here.
Who I Am In God
I am an overcomer—because You have overcome. I am victorious—because of Your resurrection victory. I am Your child—because You have adopted me. I am free from sin—because Your blood has redeemed me. I am forgiven—because You have washed me clean. I am healed—because of Your wounds. I am justified—through faith in You. I am revived—through the water of Your Word. I am wonderfully made—because Your works are wonderful. I am Your workmanship—designed with a purpose and destiny. I am at peace—because I look to You, not my circumstances. I am contented—because my satisfaction is in You. I am a new creation—because You make all things new. I am FREE—because Your truth sets me FREE! Meditation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” – 2 Cor. 5:17 Also Read: Men in the Bible: A Man of Considerable Goodwill The Myth of Omnipresence (1): The 5 Places God Always Is Overwhelmed Great Truths Adults Learned I Passed a Professional Exam and Got a Job After 10 Years You can now partner with the Daily Dew Ministry by clicking here.