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Refreshing

Dailyin Gods Word

Emphasis on

God

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy

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THERE ALWAYS WILL BE GOD

They cannot shell His Temple

Nor dynamite His Throne;

They cannot bomb His City,

Nor rob Him of His own.

They cannot take Him captive,

Nor strike Him dead and blind,

Nor starve Him to surrender,

Nor make Him change His mind.

They cannot cause Him panic,

Nor cut off His supplies;

They cannot take His kingdom,

Nor hurt Him with their lies.

Though we face war and struggle,

And feel their goad and rod,

e know above confusion,

There always will be !od"

# H. C. $de

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Proving God%anuary &

'ible (eading) %eremiah *+)&&-

ey /erse) /erse &+ - And I have seen folly in theprophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, andcaused my people Israel to err.

ey ords)And I have seen folly in the prophetsof Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and causedmy people Israel to err.

The 'ible teaches us that the e0istence of !od can beproven in three ways.

1irst, !od can be proven through His creation) we read in(omans &)*2, For the invisible thins of him from thecreation of the !orld are clearly seen, bein understood bythe thins that are made, even his eternal po!er and"odhead; so that they are !ithout e#cuse.

3econdly, !od can be proven through our conscience.

(omans *)&-&4, For !hen the "entiles, !hich have not thela!, do by nature the thins contained in the la!, these,havin not the la!, are a la! unto themselves$ %hich she!the !or& of the la! !ritten in their hearts, their consciencealso bearin !itness, and their thouhts the mean!hileaccusin or else e#cusin one another.

Thirdly, !od can be proven through revelation. Hebrews&2)5, 'hen said I, (o, I come )in the volume of the boo& it is

!ritten of me,* to do thy !ill, + "od.'ut 6 have found that !od does an e0cellent 7ob of provingHimself when someone is willing to search for Him with alltheir heart.

6 remember when 6 was in college, we had a pastor from6ndia who came to chapel and gave the testimony of hissalvation e0perience. He said, 86 desired to know the true andliving !od 9 so 6 prayed and asked the !od ho created the

heavens above, and the birds that fly through the air, the !odho made the trees and plants, the !od ho made the dirtand grass 9 6 want to know that !od.: ater a missionarycame by and said, 8The !od ho created the heavens aboveand the birds that fly through the air, the !od ho created

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made this e0uisite thing?:

ithout looking up and without hesitation, Newtonreplied, 8Nobody.:

8Nobody?: his friend asked.

8That=s right,: said Newton. 8All of these balls, cogs,belts, and gears 7ust happened to come together, andwonder of wonders, by chance they began revolving in theirorbits with perfect timing.:

His friend replied, 8That=s not possible.:Newton said, 86 know.:Then his friend, with a look of embarrassment, said, 86

got it, 6saac.:@h, that others would get it as well"

hat to do)Bray for those who fail to see.Bray for our educational system which is blinding the

minds of our youth.Bray for our country to turn back to !odBray for the righteous to stand and do right.

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forget the date 9 >ay 5. The heavy suitcase made (oger tired.He was an0ious to take off his army uniform once and for all.1lashing the hitchhiking sign to the oncoming car, he losthope when he saw it was a black, sleek, new Cadillac. To hissurprise the car stopped. The passenger door opened. He rantoward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back, and thankedthe handsome, welldressed man as he slid into the front seat.

8!oing home for keeps?:83ure am,: (oger responded.8ell, you=re in luck if you=re going to Chicago.:8Not uite that far. Do you live in Chicago?:86 have a business there. >y name is Hanover.:

After talking about many things, (oger, a Christian, felt acompulsion to witness to this fiftyish, apparently successfulbusinessman about Christ. 'ut he kept putting it off, till herealiEed he was 7ust thirty minutes from his home. 6t was nowor never, so, (oger cleared his throat, 8>r. Hanover, 6 wouldlike to talk to you about something very important.: He thenproceeded to e0plain the way of salvation, ultimately asking>r. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his 3avior.

To (oger=s astonishment the Cadillac pulled over to the side ofthe road. (oger thought he was going to be e7ected from thecar.

'ut the businessman bowed his head and received Christ,then thanked (oger. 8This is the greatest thing that has everhappened to me.:

1ive years went by, (oger married, had a twoyearoldboy, and a business of his own. Backing his suitcase for a

business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white businesscard Hanover had given him five years before. 6n Chicago helooked up Hanover $nterprises. A receptionist told him it wasimpossible to see >r. Hanover, but he could see >rs.Hanover. A little confused as to what was going on, he wasushered into a lovely office and found himself facing a keeneyed woman in her fifties.

3he e0tended her hand. 8Fou knew my husband?:

(oger told how her husband had given him a ride whenhitchhiking home after the war.

8Can you tell me when that was?:86t was >ay 5, five years ago, the day 6 was discharged

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from the army.:8Anything special about that day?:(oger hesitated. 3hould he mention giving his witness?

3ince he had come so far, he might as well take the plunge.8>rs. Hanover, 6 e0plained the gospel. He pulled over to theside of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gavehis life to Christ that day.:

$0plosive sobs shook her body. !etting a grip on herself,she sobbed, 86 had prayed for my husband=s salvation foryears. 6 believed !od would save him.:

8And,: said (oger, 8where is your husband, >rs.Hanover?:

8He=s dead,: she wept, struggling with words. 8He was ina car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home.Fou see 9 6 thought !od had not kept His promise.: 3obbinguncontrollably, she added, 86 stopped living for !od five yearsago because 6 thought He had not kept His word":

hat to do)Never doubt !od.(emember !od is faithful even when you might notthink so.ist some way !od has been faithful to you

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change must be in one of three directions) &G from better toworse, *G from worse to better, and +G from one order ofbeing to another. !od=s perfection rules out all three ofthese possibilities. !od changes not""

8The law of mutation,: writes ToEer, 8belongs to a fallenworld, but !od is immutable, and in Him men of faith findat last eternal permanence.:

6n coming to !od we need not wonder whether we willfind Him in a receptive mood. He is always receptive tomisery and need, as well as love and faith. He does notkeep office hours, nor does He set aside periods when He

will see no one. Neither does He change His mind about

anything. Today, this moment, He feels toward each of us,toward babies, the sick, the fallen, and the sinful e0actly asHe did when He sent His only begotten 3on into the worldto die for all mankind.

ToEer also says, 8!od never changes moods or cools offin His affections or loses enthusiasm.: For I am the

(+, I chane not.

hat to do)ist ways !od never changes.ist some personal ways in your life where youhave e0perienced !od=s changelessness.

"# Father$! Hou!e%anuary 4

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'ible (eading) %ohn &-)&&+ey /erse) /erse * 9In my Father/s house are manymansions$ if it !ere not so, I !ould have told you. I

o to prepare a place for you. And if I o and preparea place for you, I !ill come aain, and receive youunto myself; that !here I am, there ye may be also.ey ords) In my Father/s house are manymansions

Have you ever given much thought, 6 mean really deepthought, about heaven? 6f you have ever had an immediate

family member go on to glory, you have, no doubt thought ofheaven often. The following article brought such 7oy andcomfort to my soul that 6 thought 6 would share it with you)

8Among America=s greatest orators was %ohn %asper, aformer slave, who once began a funeral sermon, saying, etme say a word about this illiam $llyson. 6 say it the firstand get it off my mind. $llyson was no good manIdidn=t sayhe was; didn=t try to be good, and they tell me he died as he

lived, without !od and without hope in the world. 6t=s a badtale to tell on him, but he fi0ed the story hisself.=

%asper then shifted gears and took his audience on abreathtaking tour of heaven. 6 loves to go down to the oldmuddy %ames, mighty red and muddy, but it goes along sogrand and uiet like it was tending to business. 'ut that ain=tnothing to the river which flows by the throne. 6 longs for itscrystal waves, and the trees on the banks, and all manners of

fruits. This old head of mine often gets hot with fever androlls on the pillow, and 6 has many times desired to cool it inthat blessed stream as it kisses the banks of that upperCanaan. The thought of seeing that river, drinking its waterand resting under those treesJ@h, to be there"

After that, 6=d stroll up them avenues where the children of!od dwell, and view their mansions. 1ather Abraham, 6=msure he got a great palace. And David. And Baul, the mighty

scholar who got struck down in the Damascus (oad, 6 want tosee his mansion. Then 6 cut round to the back streets andlooks for the little home where my 3avior set my mother up tohousekeeping. 6 e0pect to know the house by the roses in the

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yard and the vine on the porch.=At that point, %asper dramatically sprang back, clapped

his hands, and shouted, ook there" 3ee that one"Hallelu7ah, it=s %ohn %asper=s. 3aid He was going to prepare aplace for me. There it is" Too good for a poor sinner like me,but He built it for me, turnkey 7ob, and mine forever"=

%asper wa0ed on like this for an hour and a half, but to thelisteners it seemed like only a moment. That day, theyglimpsed glory.:

hat to do)

Braise !od for His glorious plan of heaven.itness to your unsaved loved ones.now that your loved ones who have gone beforeyou are in glory.

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dragon to eat the sun, and they were beheaded.The pinpoint accuracy in which the planets rotate is no

accident. 6t is the divine omniscient plan of an omnipotent!od.

e speak freely of the love of !od, the glory of !od, thepower of !od, and the 7ustice of !od. 'ut do we magnify Hisomniscience and His omnipotence as well?

e say that the more one shows love, the more he reveals!od through his life; but, is that not true as well of spiritualknowledge? The more we know about !od, the better we canshare Him with others.

6 once heard someone pray, 8ord, 6 thank you that 6=m

ignorant, and 6 pray that you=ll make me more ignorant.: Notme""" >y prayer is, 8ord, give me wisdom. !ive me thewisdom to know more of you each day that 6 may share youwith others and know more of your mighty handiwork. Then 6can surely cry out, 8@ @(D, our ord, how e0cellent is thyname in all the earth": Bsalm K)M

hat to do)Braise !od for His being, His omniscience, Hisomnipresence and His omnipotence.Braise !od that He knows you and is mindful of you.8(et your liht so shine before men that they maysee your ood !or&s, and lorify your Father !hichis in heaven.: >atthew 4)&G

God$! 'ni%ited Po(er%anuary 5

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'ible (eading) Bsalm &Mey /erse) /erse &0 'he heavens declare the lory of"od; and the firmament she!eth his handy!or&.

ey ords) 'he heavens declare the lory of "od

The heavens have many ways of declaring the glory of!od. @ne e0ample would be measuring the radiation energygiven off by the sun. 6f we bought the solar energy given off bythe sun in 7ust one *-hour period, at the rate of O cents perkilowatt, and paid for it in silver dollars, there would beenough silver dollars to cover the whole earth 9 ocean andland, one mile deep. 'ut it wouldn=t stop there. That=s 7ust

one day=s supply of kilowatt power. The sun, it is believed,gives off enough energy in one year to generate enough powerto power the world for the ne0t billion years. Astounding""

6f this sounds impressive, remember that the sun is onlyone of some &22 billion stars in our >ilky ay gala0y. 3omeof these stars are &2,222 times brighter than our sun. Tograsp the power of !od, multiply the sun=s energy by &22billion and then multiply that by several trillion gala0ies, and

you have a sampling of the power of !od.Beter 3toner, who teaches astronomy at severaluniversities on the $ast Coast, says, 8There is a largerpercentage of Christians among astronomers than any otherprofession. An astronomer who is an atheist is mighty hard tofind. Fou can=t study the heavens and see the tremendousorder of it without believing in an omnipotent Creator.:

The heavens do declare the glory of !od, that=s the reason

we are told in (omans &)*2 that we are without e0cuse.

hat to do)Braise the ord, oh my soul, and all that iswithin me, praise His holy name.Note) The information in this devotion came primarily from Beter

3toner and his articles from 83cience %ournals.:)ot B# A&&ident

%anuary K

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'ible (eading) Bsalm &-Key /erse) /erse 40 (et them praise the name of the(+$ for he commanded, and they !ere created.

ey ords)for he commanded, and they !ere

created

3ome say that creation was the result of chance. @therssay it was !od.

Those who rely on chance have some big e0plaining to do.Here is one simple illustration of the improbability of man7ust 8happening.:

Take ten pennies and mark them & to &2. But them in your

pocket and give them a good shake. Now try to draw them outof your pocket in order, from & to &2, returning each coin toyour pocket after each try.

Four chance of drawing number & on the first try is & in &2.Four chance of drawing & and * in succession would be & in&22. @n drawing &, *, and + in succession would be & in &,222.Four chance of drawing &, *, +, and - in succession would be &in &2,222, and so on.

Now listen to this. Four chance of drawing the pennies inperfect succession, & to &2, would be one chance in ten billion"

And yet there are some who say that all the comple0 andessential conditions for life on our earth as we know it couldhave occurred in the proper seuence 7ust by 8chance.:

eslie eatherhead said, 86t demands more of credulity toimagine that the universe was all a huge accident than tobelieve in the operation of a mind. How very strange that a

ball of matter accidentally happening, and accidentallymoving round the sun, should accidentally and purposelesslyproduce a man who purposefully seeks truth and purposefullyasks how such an accident could happen, thus e0hibiting amore profound degree of intelligence than that whichaccidentally produced this amaEing universe.:

6 choose to believe for he commanded, and they !erecreated.

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hat to do)6f the !od of the universe created the heavens, is He

not worthy of our worship and our service? 3odedicate yourself to worshiping and serving Himfaithfully.

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film on the windows and doors that only allows you to seethrough one way. The effect of this reflective covering wasthat 6 was able to look outside and see everything, but peopleoutside the building were unable to look in. 6n much the sameway, we don=t always realiEe that !od is watching us. As 6walked up the walk to the library, the librarian saw mewalking towards the building, but 6 couldn=t see her. hen3cripture tells us !od=s eyes are upon us, we know that !odsees us even though we cannot see Him. Fet we often act as ifwe are behind reflective windows and !od is unable to noticeus. e should know, however, that !od is always observingus and that nothing escapes His attention. He sees and hears

us. He is patiently waiting for us to come to him with ourprayers and petitions. As David says, 'he eyes of the (+are upon the rihteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.PBsalm +-)&4Q $ven though we cannot see !od, we know Hesees us. And even though we do not hear an angelic voicefrom heaven, we know that !od answers our prayers.:

6t is only comforting to know you are being watched by!od when you are doing right.

hat to do)Do right. The eyes of the ord are watching.rite down a list of things you would like toaccomplish today for the ord.Treat others today the way you want to be treated.

Ta,e A(a# the Dro!!%anuary &&

'ible (eading) Broverbs *4)&&2

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ey /erse) /erse -0 'a&e a!ay the dross from thesilver, and there shall come forth a vessel for thefiner.

ey ords) 'a&e a!ay the dross

Donald !rey 'arnhouse tells the following in his book on!od=s goodness)

86n the great baEaars of 6stanbul, Damascus, or Cairo, youwill see men sitting at their places in the section of thesilversmiths. 'eside them you will generally find piles ofLnited 3tates twentyfive, fifty, and tencent pieces.Thousands of travelers give American coins as tips, and all of

those monies are melted back into silver and poured into littlesilver charms that are sold back to the tourists. This is donein the most oldfashioned way. 6 have watched a silversmithdrop a coin into the molten silver; in a little while the coin ismelted down under the hot fire. $very once in a while theman gets up, lifts himself over the little bowl of silver, andgoes back to sawing on some little pin that he is making, asilver clasp or ornament. Again he will get up and look in the

bowl; he will take a sieve and scrape off the scoria that is onthe top. He takes away the dross, and if you should ask him,hat are you waiting to see,= he would say, 6 keep it on thefire until there is no more scum; when 6 lean over it, 6 can seemyself reflected there as in the best mirror.=:

That is what it means in >alachi when it says that !odshall sit as a refiner of silver. !od says, 86 am going to keepyou in the fire until 6 see >y face in you; this is what 6=m

working for. 6 want to purge away the dross. 6 want to makeyou like the ord %esus Christ. 6 want you to understand theparticularity of love that 6=ve bestowed upon you, that 6 havecalled you my sons; and whom 6 love, 6 chasten and scourge

every son 6 receive.:

hat to do)

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Always understand !od desires to make you morevaluable by removing the dross.Always ask, 8Can others see %esus through my life=sactions and attitudes?:

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here. 6 am about to ask Him a uestion.=:Brofessor Henry was a !odfearing man and recogniEed

the Almighty=s presence in creation. He, therefore enteredinto his e0periments depending upon the ord for the rightsolutions. He believed that the voice of !od could be heard inthe universe, for the 'ible says, ay unto day utterethspeech, and niht unto niht sho!eth &no!lede Bsalm&M)*G. Fes, we can hear Him speak, as it were through thelight and laws of nature. 'ut the Almighty has also spokenthrough the prophets of old; through His written ord, the'ible; and through the iving ord, the ord %esus Christ.

6n nature we can learn about !od=s greatness, power, and

intelligence. 'ut His ord and His 3on reveal most clearlyHis love, mercy, grace, will, and plan of redemption.(emember, !@D 63 3B$A6N!" He tells us all we

need to know. 6t=s up to us to listen"

hat to do)'e good listeners %ames &)&MG.

'e good doers %ames &)**G.

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and cannot be e0cused. Fet in !od=s overruling providence itbecame the means of saving the lives of those brothers alongwith their families. iterally thousands of stories could betold by Christians who have seen triumphs come out of theirtragedies.

A modern illustration of the truth of the above te0t isfound in the life of 3amuel . 'rengle. At one time in hisministry, a wicked man attempted to kill him by throwing apaving brick at his head. 'rengle survived the dastardlyattack, but he had a long convalescent period. During thosemonths, he wrote many blessed and inspiring articles on 8thesanctified life.: ater, because of their value, they were put

into a book entitled Helps to Holiness. 6t was his best andmost useful work. (eferring to that earlier incident, 'rengle=swife would say, 8Had there been no brick, there would havebeen no book": 3he was convinced that the ord had allowedthe 8tragedy: so that her husband would have time to write.'ecause of this, she preserved the brick and painted on it thewords of our te0t) But as for you, ye thouht evil aainstme$ but "od meant it unto ood...

How blessed to know that our Heavenly 1ather overrulessin and error for His glory and our good.

hat to do)Take advantage of every opportunity to dosomething for !od.

Trou/ed B# Your Trou/e!0%anuary &4

'ible (eading) Bsalm +-ey /erse) /erse &M- 6any are the afflictions of the

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rihteous; but the (ord delivereth him out of themall.

ey ords) the (ord delivereth him out of themall

Troubles come in all shapes and siEes, at all times of theday or night, and at every stage in life. They respect no one,neither e0cluding the young nor bypassing the old. They cropup in all areas, touching our families, our finances, our 7obs,our physical health, and our emotional wellbeing. e maygo for long periods without them, but at other times they pileup with such freuency and buffet us with such intensity that

we wonder if we will ever survive.6n thinking about this, 6 checked out the biblical reference

to the word 8trouble.: Here=s a brief summary of the results)

Trouble seems to be woven into the fabric of living

%ob &-)&G.>any of our distresses are caused by our own sin

and foolishness )7rov. 42$48, 7salm 9:$84-88*.3ome difficulties are created by other people )7salm

$28*.!od allows trouble but is always in control )II

*.

He invites us to call upon Him in our distresses

)7salm =?$2=*.

e can e0pect deliverance in keeping with His will)7salm 2?9$>, 2@8$22*.

Berhaps we need to be reminded of what a wise old mansaid to a boy who asked, 8hat is life=s heaviest burden?:The man replied, 8To have no burdens to carry.: His answerhas special meaning for you, dear friend. Through afflictionyou can come to know the great 'urdenbearer in a way that

might not otherwise be possible. ithout distress you wouldnever know deliverance. As long as !od is your refuge, youneed not be troubled by your troubles.

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hat to do)(emember !od knows what you=re going throughand will never forsake you.(emember where there are no trials, there can be notriumphs.eep your testimony during your troubles. Alwaysremember anyone can have a good testimony duringthe good times; the test of your testimony is during thetimes of trouble.

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supplies as could be needed; there are twice as many airplanesas are possessed by the enemy. e are prepared for victory.:

The 3ecretary of ar spoke of a military victory. 6nour te0t, the victory given by !od is a spiritual victory thatdoes not come through man=s effort, but through accepting%esus as our 3avior. 6t is the greatest of all victories"" Are youa part of the winning team? Have you accepted %esus as your3avior? 6f not, why not bow your knee and your heart to %esusright now, and ask %esus to forgive you of your sins, andaccept Him as your ord and 3avior?

hat to do)%oin the winning side 9 accept %esus as your 3avior.6f you are saved, live victoriously because you are onthe winning side.

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goldfish swimming. He decorated the wall on both sides ofthe corner with paintings for his granddaughter=s delight. 6fshe had to stand in the corner again, at least she would havesomething to look at.

hen a Christian commits sin and is put into a corner,!od does not send him to hell. hen a child of !od sins, hedoes not fall from grace. onderful it is that instead he fallsinto grace. 6f your particular sin has been confessed, !od hasrestored you; when !od put you into the corner, He went toyou there and painted a picture of His forgiveness and love.

hat to do)>any people can forgive everyone but themselves.6f !od forgives you, why can=t you forgive yourself? !oand sin no more 9 but you are forgiven"6f !od can forgive others, why can=t you? Try it" Abitter, unforgiving spirit destroys the one not willing toforgive.

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since he never would have married such a homely woman ifhe had his sight.:

He rose to his feet and walked toward the voices saying, 86overheard what you said, and 6 thank !od from the depths ofmy heart for blindness of eyes that might have kept me fromseeing the marvelous worth of the soul of the woman who ismy wife. 3he is the most noble character 6 have ever known.6f the conformation of her features is such that it might havemasked her inward beauty to my soul, then 6 am the greatgainer by having lost my sight.:

The 'ible teaches us that man looks on the outwardappearance, but !od looks at the heart 6 3amuel &)5G. 6f a

man or woman possesses physical beauty, they should bethankful to !od for it, but they should realiEe it=s really inwardbeauty that matters to !od.

hat to do)R e have little control over our outward beauty, butwe do have control over our inward beauty 9 work on

it""R @utward beauty with no inward beauty still euals8ugly.:

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Bolice court records tell the story of a young man whoregistered at one of the leading hotels in New Fork shortlyafter the turn of the century. He wrote down one of the mostfamous names in the Lnited 3tates, and the hotel clerk wasvery deferential to him. He had an air of arrogance. henpackages began to arrive from several large furnishing housesand a 7ewelry store, the hotel received them and paid theaccounts. After a few days the time for settling came; theyoung man brushed them off with e0cuses, which aroused thesuspicion of the hotel management. They notified the policeand a uiet investigation revealed the startling fact that thefamous man whose name the young man had written on the

register with 8%unior: after it, did not have a son. The youngman, confronted by the authorities, put on an air of bravado;he blustered that there was some mistake. 1inally, it becamenecessary to take him down to all 3treet, to the office of thewellknown millionaire. The latter walked into the room andlooked at the culprit. He said simply, 86 never laid eyes on thisyoung man before in all my life.: That sealed the doom of theimpostor.

>ultitudes of people who claim that !od is their 1atherare 7ust as guilty as was this young man. 6 trust today that youare not an impostor, because !od knows the difference""

hat to do)Are you real or are you pretending? 'e real.

>any impostors claim to be born again. >ake sureyour salvation is genuine.

The 3ingdo% of God

%anuary *2

'ible (eading) >ark &2)&++&ey /erse) /erse &-,&4,*+*4 But !hen esus sa!it, he !as much displeased, and said unto them,

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Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbidthem not$ for of such is the &indom of "od. 2= Derily Isay unto you, %hosoever shall not receive the&indom of "od as a little child, he shall not entertherein. And esus loo&ed round about, andsaith unto his disciples, 5o! hardly shall they thathave riches enter into the &indom of "odE And thedisciples !ere astonished at his !ords. But esusans!ereth aain, and saith unto them,

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ive by !od=s standard, not the world=s.Fou will be labeled by whose standards you choose.Always ask, 8Can others tell by my dress, attitude,behavior, and places 6 go that 6 belong to !od=singdom?:

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et=s not forget about water, shall we? 6f they only hadenough to drink and wash a few dishes no bathing?"G, it took&&,222 gallons $ACH DAF 9 enough to fill a train of tankercars &,K22 miles long.

And another thing" They had to get across the (ed 3ea inone night. Now if they went on a narrow path, double file, theline would be K22 miles long and reuire +4 days and nightsto complete the crossing. 3o to get it over in one night, therehad to be a space in the (ed 3ea three miles wide so that theycould walk 4,222 abreast. Think about this; every time theycamped at the end of the day, a camp ground the siEe of(hode 6sland was reuired, or 542 suare miles.

Do you think that >oses sat down and figured out thelogistics of what !od told him to do before he set out from$gypt? 6 doubt it. He had faith that !od would take care ofeverything.

et us have courage; we share the very same !od.

hat to do) (emember we have a '6! !od. Can you name one need in your life !od can=tsupply? Tell others about !od.

Co%.an# Rue!%anuary **

'ible (eading) Broverbs *M)&&K

ey /erse) /erse &K %here there is no vision, thepeople perish$ but he that &eepeth the la!, happy ishe.ey ords) but he that &eepeth the la!, happy is

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he

6n today=s world many see laws, rules, and regulations asrestrictions to one=s rights. 'ut in reality laws, rules, and

regulations are for our safety. 3o rather than begrudge rules,we should re7oice in them. et me e0plain.Timothy >unyon says, 8hile living in 1lorida, 6 have

friends who worked cleaning rooms at a nationally known innlocated directly on the white sands of the !ulf of >e0ico.They would spend their work breaks running barefoot in thesand. The problem was that the inn reuired all employees towear shoes at all times while working. 6 noticed the

employees responded in two ways. The ma7ority thought therule restricted freedom. The rooms had shag carpeting,delightful to bare toes, and 7ust a few steps away lay the beach.To them the rule reuiring them to wear shoes was nothingmore than employee harassment and intrusion into theirpersonal rights.

'ut a minority of the employees looked at the ruledifferently. 3ometimes latenight parties would produce

small pieces of broken glass. @ccasionally a stickpin would befound hidden in the deep piles of the shag carpet; and stillothers knew the pain of skinning bare toes on the steel bedframes while making beds. The minority saw the rule asprotection, not restriction.:

3o were !od=s rules written to make life miserable, or werethey written by a loving Heavenly 1ather ho cares about Hischildren?

hat to do)R (ather than complain about rules, re7oice in thesafety they produce.Ask !od to give you understanding in regard torules and laws.

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'ible (eading) 6saiah 4+ey /erse) /erse All !e li&e sheep have oneastray; !e have turned every one to his o!n !ay;and the (+ hath laid on him the iniuity of us all.ey ords)All !e li&e sheep have one astray

As you study the ord of !od, it becomes very clear thatthe problem in regard to !od=s will is not in knowing it, but indoing it.

Adam and $ve, Cain, and %onah all knew !od=s will butfailed to obey it. Time doesn=t permit us to tell about

Abraham, 6saac, %acob, and many others who at one pointknew !od=s will, but failed to obey it.Donald !rey 'arnhouse tells the following in regard to

!od=s will)8@ne day, one of my children came out of the dining room

with me and walked along to my study. There was a uestionabout what was to be done in a certain matter. As 6 sat downat my desk 6 gave a clear and detailed answer. >y child

hesitated, then broke in with a uestion. 6 kept on at my workwithout looking up.:'ut, DaddyJ= the child insisted, and phrased the matter

in another way.>other came along to find out what the delay was in

fulfilling the command.The child answered, 6 am trying to find out what Daddy

wants me to do.=

At this point 6 broke in) No. Fou are not trying to findout what 6 want you to do. Fou are trying to find out if youcan make me relent on the conditions so that you will be ableto do what you want to do instead of doing what you know wewant you to do. Now go and do it immediately.=:

How many times the Heavenly 1ather has to deal with usin this way" @ur old nature is incurably addicted to having itsown way. This is inherent in the statement that tells of the

distance which separates the soul from !od. 8All we likesheep have gone astray; and we have turned every one to hisown wayJ: 6saiah 4+)G.

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hat to do)R 6t is not 7ust knowing !od=s will that produces 7oy, itis doing !od=s will.R The key to happiness is not getting your way butletting !od have His. Are you doing that today andeveryday?R ist a halfdoEen things that are !od=s will for yourlife today.

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As his body lay in state in a golden coffin, orders weregiven that the church should be dimly lit with only a specialcandle set above the coffin to dramatiEe his 8goodness.: Atthe memorial, thousands waited in silence. Then 'ishop>assilon began to speak slowly, reaching down, he snuffedout the candle and said, 8@nly !od is good"":

hat to do)Acknowledge that only !od can give eternal life and

choose to do so through His 3on, %esus Christ.Acknowledge the goodness of !od in daily life.None of us deserve the blessings we have.GTeach your children to appreciate the blessings of!od. 3how them how they are blessed by studyingchildren in other countries, studying past history ofour country, and showing them that !od loves them.

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it now,= said the cleaner, it is absolutely worthless.= Theowner of the handkerchief made no reply but carried it awaywith him. After a time he sent it back, to the great surprise ofthe cleaner who could scarcely believe his eyes" 6n a mostskillful and artistic way, the owner of the handkerchief hadmade a design in 6ndia ink using the ugly blot as the center forhis design.:

The principle is clear) a blotted life is not a useless life.!od can take that blotted life and make it beautiful and usefulfor His service, if one would only yield to Him.

hat to do)6f your life is blotted with sin, why not yield your lifeto !od today? Fou can contact us at >ountain /iewfor help, if you so desire.G6f you know of someone whose life is in need of theBotter=s Hand, why not help them by telling them what!od can do for them?>ake a list out of love, not a gossip columnG ofthose who have messed up their life and pray for themdaily.

The S.arro(%anuary *

'ible (eading) uke &*)&&*

ey /erse) /erse 5 But even the very hairs of yourhead are all numbered. Fear not therefore$ ye are ofmore value than many sparro!s.

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ey ords) He are of more value than manysparro!s

%ames >cConky tells the following in regard to !od=s care

for us.86t was a beautiful winter day. 6 was sitting on the verandaof a southern hotel en7oying the sunshine and sky. 3uddenly 6became conscious of the swift flight of some small ob7ectbefore my eyes. Then came a dull thud as of somethingfalling. There before my eyes, not ten feet away, lay thecrumpled body of a sparrow. He turned upon his back. Hislittle claws stretched appealing toward the sky. There was a

convulsive shiver as though in pain. Then the tiny eyelidsclosed over the deathdimmed eyes. A uick, short gasp andall was over. A telltale spot of crimson on the little breastgave the story of the tragedy. His swift flight through the airhad evidently brought him into a death collision with a pole orbuttress and his sparrow=s life had been the price. 6t was onlya passing incident, this death of a tiny sparrow.:

>cConky goes on to say, 8'ut his death somehow gripped

my heart. 6 found myself almost in tears over concern for atiny sparrow. 'ut like a flash, it came to my mind thewonderful truth of !od that 6 am more valuable than manysparrows. !od really cares about me, %ames >cConky"":

And !od cares about you as well.

hat to do)Thank !od for His loving care for you.ive your life for !od in appreciation of His care.Tell others that !od cares about them as well.

Safet# i! of the Lord%anuary *5

'ible (eading) Broverbs *&)*&+&ey /erse) /erse +& 'he horse is prepared aainstthe day of battle$ but safety is of the (+.ey ords) safety is of the (+

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'ible (eading) 6 %ohn -)&&2ey /erse) /erse &2 5erein is love, not that !eloved "od, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to bethe propitiation for our sins.

Key Words: not that !e loved "od, but that heloved us

(emember when you first fell in love and everyone said,8@h, they=ll get over it.:

6 am afraid that=s the way our love for !od is, so manybelievers have gotten over it.

The following is taken from 8The !ospel Herald.:

A gentleman who was a professed Christian was takenseriously ill. He became troubled about the little love he feltin his heart for !od, and spoke of his e0perience to a friend.This is how the friend answered him) 8hen 6 go home fromhere, 6 e0pect to take my baby on my knee, look into her sweeteyes, listen to her charming prattle, and, tired as 6 am, herpresence will rest me; for 6 love that child with unutterabletenderness. 'ut she loves me little. 6f my heart were breaking

it would not disturb her sleep. 6f my body were racked withpain, it would not interrupt her play. 6f 6 were dead, shewould forget me in a few days. 'esides this, she has neverbrought me a penny, but was a constant e0pense to me. 6 amnot rich, but there is not money enough in the world to buymy baby. How is it? Does she love me, or do 6 love her? Do 6withhold my love until 6 know she loves me? Am 6 waiting forher to do something worthy of my love before e0tending it?:

This practical illustration of the love of !od for Hischildren caused the tears to roll down the sick man=s face.8@h, 6 see,: he e0claimed, 8it is not my love to !od, but !od=slove for me, that 6 should be thinking of. And 6 do love Himnow as 6 never loved Him before.: 5erein is love, not that!e loved "od, but that he loved us... 6 %ohn -)&2G

hat to do)Always remember that !od wants you to love Him,but He loves you, no matter what"

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The more one matures spiritually, the more theyunderstand !od=s love for them.

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if it were the very first day of its outplays, one might gatherup this boundless, endless, infinite treasure, to measure it,than might he tell the height and depth, and unending glory,of the pity of !od" The ight and the 3un its source are !od=sown figures of the immensity and copiousness of His mercyand compassion.: Author Lnknown

hat to do)Do not argue with !od, simply accept His way andHis words; for His ways are higher than our ways andHis thoughts higher than our thoughts.

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was horrified to find his hut in flames 9 all he had had goneup in smoke" 6t appeared that the worst had happened, but inreality it was the best thing that could have happened. A littlewhile later while the man was sitting depressed anddiscouraged on the lonely island, he heard a voice, 8Ahoy,mate" e saw your smoke signal and have come to rescueyou.: 6ndeed, all things do work together for good.

hat to do)R Do not fret and worry. Bray and understand allthings do work together for good.R Thank !od for even the hard things of life.Always remember !od is not doing something toyou, but for you

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3ure enough he hit that goose right on the head and hekilled it and he knew he was in trouble. 3o he said to himself,86=d better dig a hole and bury it before anyone finds out.:

3o he dug a hole and put the goose into it and he wascovering the goose over when he heard his sister say, 86 caughtyou, 6 caught you, 6 caught you" 6 saw what you did. 6 saw youkill grandmother=s goose and 6=m going to tell on you":

3he really had him. 6 mean she really had that poor fellowand she made life miserable for him. hen it was her turn toget the water, he had to go get it because he was beingblackmailed. hen it was her time to bring in some wood forthe stove, he had to do it because he feared she would tell on

him.3he 7ust made life miserable for him. He was guilty and heknew he was guilty. He was under condemnation and theguilt of what he had done. 6t began to eat away at him andfinally he 7ust couldn=t stand it anymore. 6t was 7ust eatinghim alive and tearing his little heart up.

1inally, one day he went running into grandma=s room.He threw himself into her arms and said, 8@h, grandmother.

6 killed your goose. 6 did it. 6 didn=t think the rock would killit. 6 buried the goose and 6 have been so afraid that sister wasgoing to tell you that 6 7ust can=t stand it" ould you pleaseforgive me for killing your goose?:

His grandmother said, 8hy son, 6 was looking out thewindow and 6 saw you kill that goose. 6 have known you did itall this time. 6 7ust wanted you to come and ask me to forgiveyou for it.:

6t is true 9 !od is watching""

hat to do)ive your life every moment of every day as if !od iswatching 9 because He is"

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I deeply appreciate thehelp of

Mary Parsons

Glenda Myrick

And my lovely wife, Linda

Without God using thesepeople to help, thisdevotional would nothave been possible.

Dr. Mike Rouse

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is a ministry of

4456 Cha,vie "ountain RoadBir%ingha%7 AL8 94:94

;:+:?>@(((8%ountainvie(/a.ti!t8org