Words from Proverbs

Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 

Words from Romans

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. Romans 12:6 

The Only Hands God Has

Whatever task lies to your hand, do it with all your might. . .  Ecclesiastes 9:10

For the past several weeks I have been going to therapy. The clinic I go to is less than a 10-minute drive away from my home, but I listen to my car radio anyway.  It’s tuned to the Bott radio network which is a Christian station that broadcasts sermons preached by pastors representing different denominations. I am always attracted to the speakers with accents. 

Last week during one of my 10-minute drives, I caught just the tail end of a sermon preached by a pastor with a rather thick Scottish brogue. He was telling a story about the restoration of a beautiful statue of Jesus that had been severely damaged by a storm. At the end of his story, he said the workmen doing the repair work had explained that Jesus’ hands were too badly damaged to reattach them. So, they left the hands off but changed the inscription at the feet of the statue to read: “Your hands are the only hands God has.”

That story, short as it was, has kind of haunted me since then. It keeps coming back at strange times making me feel I need to get busy. As an octogenarian, I can no longer take on big projects, but I try to do “the little things” Sister Theresa wrote about. She always preached that doing the little things really matters. 

As I stepped inside Eastridge Church this morning, it made me so happy to be a member here. Many hands were already at work helping to prepare our worship service. Soon many more hands would be passing out boxes of food from the church pantry to those in need and this is just the start of the week where many more hands will become “His hands” as the days of this month of August progress. 

How can your hands become God’s hands?

Prayer: Father, we praise and thank you for the spiritual leaders who remind us that You expect us to use the talents You gave us and to put our hands to work. Help us to find those tasks that need our hands. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen 

Judy Welch

Lord Over Creation

Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. Colossians 1:15-16

Charles Morris in Days of Praise states:

Darwin’s theory of evolution challenged the biblical account that our Lord Jesus Christ created all things, speaking everything into existence (Hebrews 11:1-3). Many Christians responded by trying to fit evolution into the Bible. This is done despite the fact that theistic selectionionism—which believes God used natural selection as the driving force behind creatures’ amazing complexity—isn’t found anywhere in Scripture or science, for that matter. As Christians, we shouldn’t compromise or be silent about the doctrine of creation. We can stand with certainty on the authority and authenticity of God’s Word and duly honor Jesus as the Creator and Lord of all.

Some churches today justify not teaching Jesus’ creation because it is controversial. Taking away the creation story from Jesus weakens our faith. When I look at the clouds, see the weather consistently change throughout the seasons, and see plants and flowers grow out of little seeds, the variety of animals, birds and insects, see the variety in human beings and watch babies grow, I know God is our creator. He created each human with a purpose and answers my prayers.

Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, please give us understanding of your words in Colossians. Thank you for answering my prayers, creating us, and protecting all my family and friends. Amen

Sandra Hilsabeck

Words from Psalm 96

Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad...let the field be joyful, and all that is therein. Psalm 96: 11-12 KJV 

The Journey of a Prayer Shawl

If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Deuteronomy 15:7-8 

Ashley Hooker, a renowned devotion writer, says that in churches prayer shawls are given as a gift to a person who is facing difficult circumstances. It reminds the person to use the shawl as they read scripture and spend time in prayer and meditation. The use of the prayer shawl can be comforting, help the person feel closer to God and have a more personal relationship with the Father. This is why my daughter and I make quilted prayer shawls.  

Recently I talked with my cousin who received one of our prayer shawls after the loss of her spouse. She is a nurse and took her prayer shawl to show her friends at the facility where she works. One nurse took the shawl from her and teased, "this is mine" and threatened to keep it. My cousin laughed and got the shawl back. Not long after, the other nurse suffered a stroke. My cousin visited her in the hospital and gave her the prayer shawl to help with her healing. The other nurse died recently, and my cousin attended her funeral. After the service, her family told my cousin how much the prayer shawl had meant to her. She always carried it with her, especially as the time grew closer to her death. She loved it so much, the family put it in her coffin to be buried with her. When we made this particular prayer shawl, we had no idea how God and the Holy Spirit would use it to provide comfort and support to someone we had never met.  

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the ministry of prayer shawls and the comfort they bring to others. Thank you for getting the shawls where they are needed and blessing their recipients with an increased relationship with you. Thank you for those who use the gift of their talents to prepare the shawls and the churches who sponsor this ministry. Amen

Nancy Hall

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him;   for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7

I went to my collection of “Children’s Moments” books for an inspiration for a devotion and found one to adapt for today.  Visualize two books in a bookstore, one book has a colorful cover and is blank inside.  The other book has a plain cover and is colorful inside. If you saw these two books, which one would you choose to bring home and read? People are just like the two books. Our outside appearance does not always show what is inside. Sometimes people that are beautiful on the outside are not so nice on the inside and sometimes people who are not so beautiful on the outside might be very nice. You cannot judge a book by the cover and you can’t tell what someone is like on the inside by looking at their outside. God cares about the way we are on the inside—character, if we are mirthful and full of love. God does not care what kind of clothes we wear or how we fix our hair. What matters is how beautiful we are on the inside. We should not be worried about how people look, but getting to know how they really are on the inside.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to not judge others by appearance, but look at their heart and character. Amen.

Susan Taylor (reprinted from the Eastridge Daily Devotional Book, 2008)