Morning Devotions

Bible Reading: Psalms 120:5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!

I just finished reading "In the Presence of Mine Enemies" by Gracia Burnham, the American Missionary to the Philippines who was taken hostage for a year in 2001-02 and lost her husband in the rescue effort. If ever there was a person Christian who might say "woe is me" for my journeys, she had cause. Yet, like the psalmist, she proved by her experience that God is more powerful than the enemies we live around. Whatever the difficulty, God is greater. He may not remove us from the hardships, but He reveals His presence and His grace during the journey. We must watch for His hands in the little stuff.

The Psalmist speaks of dwelling in the midst of an ungodly world, in the middle of our enemies. Whether we are taken captive by terrorists as Gracia was or not, we must concede to the truth that there are enemies all around us. Believers are targeted, watched, and judged by the rest of the world. We need the Lord's strength to stand to such scrutiny. We must be yielding to Him if we are to endure such difficulty. Our conduct must be holy; our hearts must be pure. We must not lay blame, nor give them reason to blame us. Spurgeon tells us that we should let our only fault be our goodness. Consistency and usefulness are the marks of faith.

The enemies who surround us need us. They need our gentle touch, our kind words, and our loving hearts. They need to see that God loves them, and we are God's love-pitchers that He wants to use to pour that love upon our enemies. After all, they are only our enemies because we are Christians - and that means it is Christ they fight and strive against, not us. They are the sick ones, and Christ is the physician. We are His hands, His mouth, his arms and his body. Let us minister to their needs. We cannot wait for a more favorable time - for the sick among us is the most favorable time of all. Show them the straight paths, and then tell them the good news of how to get on it by faith in Christ Jesus. When they believe and are converted, then you will see the mighty power of God. May we stand fast as a good soldier of Jesus Christ! May we be the ambassador to the hardest of countries - the world - from the greatest - Heaven! May our lives give the Lord great glory, and great opportunity to reveal Himself to others.

Bro. Greg