Encouraging Words Devotional

When You Don’t Know Which Way To God

You’re confronted with a crucial decision and you don’t know which way to go. You search your Bible—you pray—you look for God’s direction but you can’t seem to find an answer. You cry out, “God, I was following You. Where did You go? Where do I go now?” The crisis you face is like a vast ocean in front of you—and you know there are no paths to follow in oceans! You feel like a blind person groping your way.

Here’s How God Cares

You’ve probably heard the saying, “People don’t care how much you know--until they know how much you care.” It’s true, isn’t it.

The Best Way To Work

In his painting “The Helping Hand,” French artist Emile Renouf portrays an old fisherman seated in his rowboat with a little girl next to him. Both the old man and small child have their hands on the large oar as they make their way across the water.  From the look on the little girl’s face, you can see that she is intense in her efforts to help him row the boat, although, of course, it is really his strong arms that are doing the work.

The Committee That Lives In Your Head

Jan Johnson says for a long period of time she was plagued by what she calls “the committee that lives in my head.” She said there were four people on the committee, and in her thoughts they were continually harassing her.

Thanks For Our Daily Bread

Before we began eating our meal together, my Dad bowed his head.  I can still hear his deep voice as he prayed,

For things we like to eat,

Thy loving gift of food,

We thank Thee, Lord, today,

For Thou art kind and good.

Amen.[i]

 

[i] Mary Alice Jones, Editor, Prayers for Little Children (Chicago, IL: Rand McNally Company, 1937), 59.

When You Face A Move

Some of us cope well with change, and some of us don’t. For some people a move is an exciting challenge; they can hardly wait to see what is around the next corner. For others, moving to a new location is a frightening experience tearing them loose from all that is familiar and secure.

The Best Way To Help Your Teen

When my husband does a seminar called “Ten Commandments for Parents of Teens,” I have often heard him say that what your teens want and what you, their parents, want for them is not the same thing. What your teens want more than anything else is independence—that is, the right to make their own decisions.  On the other hand, what you want for your teens is maturity—the ability to make the right decisions.

My Will— Or God’s?

Our oldest grandson was just a toddler when that evening our daughter called him to come to the table for dinner. She was taken aback when she heard him say, “No, Mommy, I’m not going to come. I’m going to play now.”  As you can well imagine, that day he learned the meaning of the scripture verse that says, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord” (Colossians 3:20).

On Being Stuck In Pain

Is your life right now a “bed of roses” free of all problems?  “Are you kidding?” I can hear you say. “Right now I can’t even remember what a rose smells like!”

You’ve Got Talent!

I used to wonder how much I should compliment my kids as they were growing up. After all, I didn’t want them to get the big-head and think they’re better than they are.  On the other hand, how are our kids they going to know they’re good at something unless we tell them? They need to know we believe in them and believe they’re going to survive the struggles they go through as they pursue their dreams.