Scenario

Be still and listen to the stillness within - Darlene Larson Jenks.

No answer eludes us if we turn to the source of all answers-the stillness within.  Prayer accompanied by meditation will always provide the answers we need for the situations facing us.  The answers we want are not guaranteed, however.  We must trust that we will be directed to take the right steps.  Our well-being is assured if we let go of being the one in control and turn our wills over to the care of God, our messenger within.

How comforting to know that all answers are as close as our quiet moments.  God never chooses to keep the answers from us.  We simply fail to quiet our thoughts long enough to heed them.  Our minds race, obsessively, all too often.  We jump from one scenario to another, one fear to another, one emotion to another.  And each time our thoughts capture a new focus, we push the answer we seek further into the background.

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The process is simple, if I want to follow it.  The answers await me if I truly want them.  I need only sit quietly and ask God to offer the guidance I need.  And then I will sit quietly some more.

K. Casey

*** THORNS ? ! ***

I take pleasure in infirmities, . . . in distresses, for Christ's sake. - 2 Corinthians 12:10

TO give thanks in every situation is sometimes very difficult. When your body is wracked with pain, or you have just learned that you have a physical problem for which there is no cure, or you have lost your job, or a cherished relationship has been broken, it's hard to feel grateful. But we can learn to thank God because He gives us strength when we feel weak.

That's why Paul could say, "I take pleasure in infirmities, . . . in distresses, for Christ's sake" (2 Corinthians 12:10). And as believers, we can be grateful that through such experiences God is accomplishing what is best for us. EVEN through our suffering. He is working for our good (Romans 8:28).

Scottish author and preacher George Matheson (1842-1906), who was blind, expressed this prayer: "I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my 'thorn' . . . . Teach me the glory of my cross; teach me the value of my 'thorn.' Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow."

As we surrender ourselves to the Lord and remember that He is working in everything to accomplish our ultimate good, we can thank Him even when we are pierced by "thorns." - Richard De Haan.

We can give thanks in everything
And say, "Your will be done,"
For God's at work in everything
To make us like His Son. - D. De Haan

It's easier to bear the burden of suffering when we carry it with gratitude.

** FORGET the failure .. learn to DRIVE !!! **

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal (Philippians 3:13).

The teenage girl was learning to drive. While backing out of a grocery store parking lot, it happened. She scratched another car. Compounding the shock of having an accident in her first month of driving was her father's insistence that she help him find the car's owner. Would you believe it belonged to one of her teachers? After the situation was explained, apologies given and addresses exchanged, the girl vowed she would never drive again.

BOTH teacher and father disagreed and marched her outside, put her in the driver's seat and told her to drive home. That moment of getting back into the car and continuing her driving practice was the point of victory. She had to forget the failure and go on if she ever expected to learn to drive. That girl loves to drive now, but the story might have been quite different.

We all fail, and some of us fail more dramatically than others. We can become so defeated and discouraged that we waste precious time kicking ourselves and grumbling about our mistakes.

The enemy delights in defeating us. Imprisoned by our self-reproach, we become non-productive. Victory comes in forgetting failure and pressing forward. Failure is meant not to bind but to teach. Let us let go of our errors and reach out for His enablement.
J. THOMPSON

DIG DEEPER

"Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding" (PROVERBS 2:5-6).

"ALL that Scripture has to say about God's commandments, truth and statutes stresses the importance of using His Word as a guideline for living. It emphasizes how vital it is for each of us to search for truths that directly benefit us in our daily needs.

MUCH of our "spiritual food" is prepared by others through television, radio and books - a veritable banquet from which to choose. It is good to get others' ideas on a situation, but how refreshing it is to let the Lord speak to us and to reveal our need as He sees it. LET us be challenged to dig out for ourselves the special truths God has for us.

WHAT then is the formula for understanding "the fear of the Lord"? How can we be of more use to Him in our everyday contacts with people?

PROVERBS 2:1-5 contains several verbs which present the outline for understanding "the fear of the Lord." THEY are the fundamental elements of Christianity, the basic requirements for living the Christian life.

1. ACCEPT my words - read and study.
2. STORE up my commands - memorize.
3. TURN your ear - meditate and pray.
4. APPLY your heart - apply truths to your life.
5. CRY aloud for understanding - have a desire to know more of Him.

LET us follow our Lord more closely by "digging deeper" and discovering what He wants us to learn each day!" BARBARA A. BARKER