Keep My Running Shoes On By Nichole Huggins

 Keep My Running Shoes On

By Nichole Huggins

I love to walk around my house barefoot. I like the feeling of soft carpet on my toes and feel more “at home” without the restriction of wearing shoes. But more and more it seems that I forgo this comfort for the functionality of keeping my running shoes on.

You see, our home is different than many people’s homes. Because our son has autism, our home is louder; he is always singing, making noises, or quoting movies(in the world of autism it’s called “scripting”). Our house is in interesting order; you will find trains lined up on the kitchen table and strategically placed books open to strategically chosen pages. Currently our back door is always open. Our son loves to run outside and play, but it is also his current belief that the back door should remain open at all times—even if he is playing in a different part of the house. Living in this world of autism has caused our home to be a sometimes chaotic, but always beautiful haven for our family. And for now, living in the world of autism has caused me to keep my running shoes on.

For many, running and autism go hand in hand. People who are “on the spectrum” are often runners. Our kiddo is no exception to this pattern.Although he frequently overcomes his urge to run, our son’s current impulsivity requires me to jump up and move quickly at any moment. I have to be ready, so I keep my running shoes on.

I love how the Lord uses my son’s autism to gently sharpen me in my personal relationship with Him. The Lord has recently reminded me that just as I have to keep my running shoes on, the same applies in my walk with the Lord. I need to keep my spiritual running shoes on.

In 1 Peter 3:15, the Bible reminds us to sanctify our hearts and “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…” We need to keep our spiritual running shoes on! It is easy for us to slip our shoes off and run our toes through the carpet of comfortability in life, but that is not the calling of Christians. Life was never meant to be about our comfort, but rather exalting our Creator.

It’s my prayer that people around me will be able to see that my hope is in Christ. May I be quick to help and show love to others. May I be a reflection of Christ in all that I say and do. I pray that I am sharp and “ready to run” this great race called life. Sometimes it’s easy to let our spiritual shoelaces come untied. We become comfortable Christians, and it’s easy for us to get tripped up. I am thankful the Lord can use my precious son to remind me that I need to lace up my spiritual running shoes and be prepared for this sometimes chaotic, but always beautiful life. So, what condition are your running shoes in?

1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV)— “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…”

Intersecting Faith & Life: As you think of needing to be ready to respond at any moment, whether to a crisis or an opportunity to share your faith, that means being prepared spiritually, spending time with God so that reflecting His love comes naturally. Whether it’s explaining to the guy in the grocery line behind you why you helped cover the cost of the single mom’s bill in front of you, or showing patience and love to that same single mom when you are in a hurry yourself, these things don’t come naturally. Share with God the areas where you find it hard be ready and ask Him to equip you. Then rest in His constant presence, knowing that His Spirit living in you is always at the ready.

Further reading:

2 Timothy 4:2
1 Peter 5:8
1 Corinthians 9:24
Hebrews 12:1
Ezekiel 38:7

His Presence / Billy Graham

 

His Presence

W.C. Burns of India wrote, “Oh to have a martyr’s heart, if not a martyr’s crown.” Popularity and adulation are far more dangerous for the Christian than persecution. It is easy, when all goes smoothly, to lose our sense of balance and our perspective. The important thing is to walk with Christ, to live for Christ, and to have one consuming passion—to please Him. Then, whatever happens, we know that He has permitted it in order to teach us some priceless lesson and to perfect us for His service. He will enrich our circumstances, be they pleasant or disagreeable, by the fact of His presence with us.

Daily Prayer

Lord, my soul wants to love and know You far more deeply. Forgive the times I have set my eyes on things that keep me from You.

“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:10‬ 

Disabilities - Friends with Special Needs / NKJV 365

 

Disabilities

Friends with Special Needs

More than anything else disabled people need friends — acquaintances, casual, close, or especially intimate. No matter what form of impairment the disabled person has, she needs friends who give unconditional love.

The faith, creativity, and commitment of friends helped a paralyzed man experience the healing power of Jesus. Four concerned friends took their paralyzed friend to see Jesus (Mark 2:1–12). After overcoming a seemingly insurmountable hurdle, the friends laid the paralytic at the feet of Jesus. When Jesus healed the man, He took special note of the faith exhibited by the four friends.

The disabled person needs friends who give more comfort than advice. Friends should continue giving of self despite barriers—architectural or attitudinal—involving persons with disabilities in activities and ministry. Integrate people with impairments with the able-bodied in worship. Evangelize disabled friends. Look past the gizmos, gadgets, and electrical wizardry to get to know the individual as a person. Have the attitude, “If I don’t reach out to this individual with the gospel and God’s love, who will?”

Tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering are essential to friendship with a disabled person. However, able-bodied Christians are also challenged to rise above all these obstacles and “put on love” (Col. 3:12–14). Unconditional love overlooks physical or mental handicaps and focuses on the true person, a special object of God’s care and concern. An intimate relationship with a disabled friend or family member can be a special way to discover what real love is all about.

Taken from The Woman’s Study Bible

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:12-14

Suffering but Not Silent / Chuck Swindoll

 Suffering but Not Silent

by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: Proverbs 25:23–24

Of all the grinds that erode our peace, none is more nagging, more draining, more painful than disharmony at home. Sarcastic infighting. Stinging put-downs. Withering stares. Deafening silence. Volatile explosions of anger. Occasionally, emotional brutality and physical abuse. A television blaring in the living room. A stack of dirty dishes sitting in the sink. Doors slammed shut. Desperate feelings of loneliness. Perhaps even dark clouds of fear and dread. Sadly, some of those phrases may describe where you live. If so, you are not alone. In fact, Solomon and other wise men of Israel knew the sorrow and heartache of domestic discord. They wrote from personal experience:

A foolish son is destruction to his father,
And the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping. (19:13)

It is better to live in a desert land
Than with a contentious and vexing woman.
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man swallows it up. (21:19–20)

The north wind brings forth rain,
And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.
It is better to live in a corner of the roof
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. (25:23–24)

These writers were men, so they naturally wrote from the husband’s perspective. Even so, the principles work both ways, for both men and women who are trying to maintain a peaceful, productive household. As any soul-weary wife can attest, “It is better to live in a corner of the roof than in a house shared with a contentious man.”

It is possible that you have gotten to the point where you look for excuses to be away from home, or you try to keep yourself occupied in some other part of the house as much as possible. Perhaps you wonder what can be done to restore harmony, to make things different. You may think that change is impossible, but I have good news: it is not. The remedies for domestic disharmony are neither easy nor automatic. But you do not have to merely endure in silence.

December 1 / Daily Blessings

 Daily Blessings

“According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love—having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” - Eph 1:4-5

It is a very solemn but a very true assertion, that no man can quicken his own soul; and it is an equally solemn, we might almost say, a tremendous truth, that the gospel only comes in power to those whom God has chosen unto eternal life. Indeed the one flows from the other; for if no man can quicken his own soul, it necessarily follows it must be of sovereign grace that it is quickened at all. Once allow the fall, and acknowledge that a man is by nature so thoroughly dead in trespasses and sins that he cannot raise himself up out of this state to newness of life, and the doctrine of election necessarily follows.

A living soul may reason thus—“Am I quickened? Yes. Did I quicken myself? No. I could not; for I was dead in sin. Did God then quicken me? Who but he could have given life to my dead soul? But why did he quicken me, when dead in sins? Because he loved me, and chose me in Christ to be an heir of his eternal glory.” Whether, however, you can speak thus or not, there is no doubt that the Lord has a people who are dear to him, and to whom he makes himself dear. These, though despised of, or unnoticed by men, are the elect of God; and if you are a vessel of mercy whom he has thus chosen to eternal life, the gospel either has already come, or, in his own time and way, will be made to come with power to your heart and conscience.

Staircase or Stumbling Block? / Greg Laurie

 Staircase or Stumbling Block?

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NKJV).

C. S. Lewis said, “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most about the next.”

So what does it really mean to be heavenly-minded? Does it mean that we’re out of touch and don’t care about other people? I think it’s the very opposite. 

When you live for Christ, you will think of others. As the apostle Paul said, “To me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21 NKJV). We might hear a statement like that and think, “You have your head in the clouds. You’re out of touch with reality.”

But when you’re really living for Christ, it’s a practical spirituality. Historically, for example, Christians have been the ones who led the way in every area of life. They’ve opened some of our greatest hospitals and universities because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Over the years, I’ve met a lot of really impressive people, including some very godly people. But the godliest people I’ve ever met were Billy and Ruth Graham. They were impressive publicly, of course. But what was so amazing to me is that privately, they were so down to earth. They were just real people.

I think that when you’re truly godly, you will be an accessible person, not a self-righteous person. Some people try to make everything so spiritual that they won’t even laugh at or enjoy anything. I would describe them as Bobby Buzzkill and Debbie Downer.

Don’t be that person. A godly person, someone who is living for Christ, is caring and loving. They possess a practical spirituality.

What kind of representative are you as a follower of Jesus? Are you a staircase or a stumbling block? Are you a bridge or a barrier to people coming to Christ?

Devil's Burden / Streams

 Devil's Burden

There remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of God - Heb 4:9

The rest includes victory, ‘And the Lord gave them rest round about; ... the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand’ - Josh 21:44

He will beautify the meek with victory - Ps 149:4

An eminent Christian worker tells of his mother who was a very anxious and troubled Christian. He would talk with her by the hour trying to convince her of the sinfulness of fretting, but to no avail. She was like the old lady who once said she had suffered so much, especially from the troubles that never came.

But one morning the mother came down to breakfast wreathed in smiles. He asked her what had happened, and she told him that in the night she had a dream.

She was walking along a highway with a great crowd of people who seemed so tired and burdened. They were nearly all carrying little black bundles, and she noticed that there were numerous repulsive looking beings which she thought were demons dropping these black bundles for the people to pick up and carry.

Like the rest, she too had her needless load, and was weighed down with the devil’s bundles. Looking up, after a while, she saw a Man with a bright and loving face, passing hither and thither through the crowd, and comforting the people.

At last He came near her, and she saw that it was her Saviour. She looked up and told Him how tired she was, and He smiled sadly and said:

“My dear child, I did not give you these loads; you have no need of them. They are the devil’s burdens and they are wearing out your life. Just drop them; refuse to touch them with one of your fingers and you will find the path easy and you will be as if borne on eagle’s wings.”

He touched her hand, and lo, peace and joy thrilled her frame and, flinging down her burden, she was about to throw herself at His feet in joyful thanksgiving, when suddenly she awoke and found that all her cares were gone. From that day to the close of her life she was the most cheerful and happy member of the household.

And the night shall be filled with music,  

And the cares that infest the day,  

Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,  

And as silently steal away.  

—Longfellow

A Call to Remember / Max Lucado

 

A Call to Remember

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A CALL TO REMEMBER - November 30, 2021

Toward the end of the book of Esther we read, “[Mordecai]…sent letters to all the Jews…to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar…as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration…” (Esther 9:20-21).

The book of Esther does not end with victory in battle. It ends with a call to remember. One tradition is the baking of a three-cornered, jelly-filled pastry. The hidden jelly recalls the hiddenness of God. I like the idea that God’s presence, scrumptious and unseen, is baked into the story of redemption. And I appreciate the value of a two-day celebration in which people of faith revisit the way their God prevailed. We tend to forget. We forget that God is for us, not against us. That God can make beauty out of ashes. We need memorials that jog our memory.

“By the Grace of God I Am What I Am” / Oswald Chambers

 

“By the Grace of God I Am What I Am” By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain… 1 CORINTHIANS 15:10 The way we continually talk about our own inabilities is an insult to our Creator. To complain over our incompetence is to accuse God falsely of having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining from God’s perspective those things that sound so humble to men. You will be amazed at how unbelievably inappropriate and disrespectful they are to Him. We say things such as, “Oh, I shouldn’t claim to be sanctified; I’m not a saint.” But to say that before God means, “No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are opportunities I have not had and so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn’t possible.” That may sound wonderfully humble to others, but before God it is an attitude of defiance. Conversely, the things that sound humble before God may sound exactly the opposite to people. To say, “Thank God, I know I am saved and sanctified,” is in God’s eyes the purest expression of humility. It means you have so completely surrendered yourself to God that you know He is true. Never worry about whether what you say sounds humble before others or not. But always be humble before God, and allow Him to be your all in all. There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. If you maintain that at all costs, letting everything else go, God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.

An Introduction to Christ / Charles Stanley

 An Introduction to Christ

Revelation 1:4-8

The first chapter of Revelation gives a compact description of the Lord. In verses 4 to 8, John condenses the wonder of Jesus Christ to the bare but beautiful essentials of who He is:

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. Jesus came to earth to more fully reveal the character and ways of the Father (John 14:9). The miracles He performed validated His claim to be the Son of God.

Jesus Christ is the first-born from the dead. The Savior bore our sins and died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day. His resurrection proved that eternal life is possible for us, too, as Jesus taught in John 11:25: “He who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”

Jesus Christ is the ruler of the kings of the earth. It is the Lord who raises men to power, just as it is He who removes them (John 19:11; Rom. 13:1). Meanwhile, believers have access to a higher authority. In God’s throne room, we can beseech Him on behalf of our nations and lay claim to His promises.

Jesus Christ loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. Note the change of tense in John’s writing. The Lord’s love is ever-present, but He has freed believers from their past. Both the penalty and power of sin have been broken.

When people ask you about Jesus, introduce Him by guiding them through this mini-biography. In just a few sentences, John describes Christ’s character, divinity, and authority. The disciple was not timid about proclaiming the Lord. We shouldn’t be shy, either, when we serve so great a Savior.

When Tragedy Strikes, What Do You Do? / Adrian Rogers

 When Tragedy Strikes, What Do You Do?

And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:17

How do you enlist suffering to make it your servant?

First, you receive it as a gift from God. Job said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b).

Second, rely on God’s grace, because with the gift comes His grace. 2 Corinthians 9:8 promises, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” God is going to be near you in a special way.

Finally, reflect on the glory of God. No greater Christian ever lived than the Apostle Paul. His greatest motive in all he endured was the glory of God. His pain became a platform from which he declared the glory of God.

Receive it as a gift. Rely upon God’s grace. Reflect upon God’s glory. Choose to glorify Him through it.

A Great Light / ODB

 

A Great Light The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. Isaiah 9:2 READ Isaiah 9:1–3 In 2018, twelve Thai boys and their soccer coach descended into a mazelike cave, intending to enjoy an afternoon adventure. Due to unexpected rising water that forced them deeper and deeper into the cavern, it was two-and-a-half weeks before rescuers led them out. Dive teams, thwarted by rising water, attempted the rescue as the boys sat on a small rock shelf with only six flickering flashlights. They spent hours in darkness, hoping that somehow light—and help—would break through. The prophet Isaiah described a world of brooding darkness, one overrun by violence and greed, shattered by rebellion and anguish (Isaiah 8:22). Nothing but ruin; hope’s candle flickering and fading, sputtering before succumbing to dark nothingness. And yet, Isaiah insisted, this dim despair was not the end. Because of God’s mercy, soon “there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress” (9:1). God would never abandon His people in shadowy ruin. The prophet announced hope for his people then and pointed to the time when Jesus would come to dispel the darkness sin has caused. Jesus has come. And now we hear Isaiah’s words with renewed meaning: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light,” Isaiah says. “On those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (v. 2). No matter how dark the night, no matter how despairing our circumstances, we’re never forsaken in the dark. Jesus is here. A great Light shines. By Winn Collier How are you prone to experience darkness and despair? Consider this image of Jesus as the great light—how does this light renew you with hope? God, there’s so much darkness. I fear sometimes that the darkness will overwhelm me. Be my great light. Shine on me with radiant love.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT King Ahaz of Judah, threatened by the armies of Israel and Syria (Isaiah 7:1–6), turned to Assyria for help instead of trusting in God (2 Kings 16:7–9). Because Ahaz didn’t turn to God, Isaiah warned that He’d instead use Assyria to punish Judah (Isaiah 7:17–25; 10:5–19). Of their unrepentant unfaithfulness, Isaiah warned that the people of Judah would “have no light of dawn” and be “thrust into utter darkness” (8:20, 22). But God loved them too much to leave them there. He’d bring them “a great light,” starting from Zebulun and Naphtali, lands in Israel’s far north ravaged by the Assyrians (9:1–3). Isaiah prophesied of a future time when “Galilee of the nations” (v. 1) (or “of the Gentiles”) would be honored. Seven hundred years later, Matthew tells us that this was fulfilled when Jesus, the light of the world, came into Galilee and did much of His public ministry there (Matthew 4:12–17).

Much More Than This / Alistair Begg

 

Much More Than This 

And Amaziah said to the man of God, ‘But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?’ The man of God answered, ‘The Lord is able to give you much more than this.’ 

2 Chronicles 25:9

This seemed to be a very important question for the king of Judah, and possibly it is of even more significance for the tried and tested Christian. To lose money is never pleasant, and when it involves principle, we are not always ready to make the sacrifice. “Why lose what could be put to good use? Is it not possible to pay too much for truth? Remember the children and our small income!”

All these things and a thousand more would tempt the Christian to participate in dishonest gain or prevent him from carrying out his conscientious convictions when they involve serious loss. Not everyone views these matters in the light of faith; and even with the followers of Jesus, the idea that “we all have to live” carries quite a bit of weight.

“The LORD is able to give you much more than this” is a very satisfactory answer to the anxious question. Our Father holds the funds, and what we lose for His sake He can repay a thousandfold.

Our part is to obey His will, and we may rest assured that He will provide for us. The Lord will be no man’s debtor in the end.

Christians know that an ounce of contentment is more valuable than a ton of gold. The person wearing a threadbare coat over a good conscience has found a spiritual treasure far more desirable than any he may have lost.

God’s smile and a dungeon are enough for a true heart; His frown and a palace would be hell to the trusting soul.

Let the worst become worse still, let all the talents go, we have not lost our treasure, for that is above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. In the meantime, even now the Lord makes the meek to inherit the earth, and He keeps back nothing that is good from those whose walk is blameless.

November 30 / C.S. Lewis

 Where the children’s story is simply the right form for what the author has to say, then of course readers who want to hear that will read the story or re-read it, at an age. I never met The Wind in the Willows or the Bastable books till I was in my late twenties, and I do not think I have enjoyed them any the less on that account. I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story. The good ones last. A waltz which you can like only when you are waltzing is a bad waltz.

From On Stories

On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature. Copyright © 1982, 1966 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.