The Daily Scroll - Sadness

 Are you sad today? Has life taken its toll on you? Do you feel like you can’t go on? We’ll if so, then read the words written by the psalmist in the Bible. Possibly King David.

“Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.” (Psalm31:9-10)

Your spirit within you, joined to God through salvation in Christ Jesus, shares that sadness with God. He sees and understands. And if you take it to God, and turn everything over to Him, eventually your sadness will turn to gladness. Impossible situations come under a new light when we give it to God and completely submit our lives to Him. 

I to have found myself buried in the weight of sadness before, and I can tell you first hand that without God I could not have survived it. But with God all things are possible. With Him we don’t have to prove ourselves, our worth, or anything. All we have to do is submit our life, our will, and abandon ourselves to Him. Just like a toddler who falls down and gets up, reaching its arms up to its parent and cries for help. And when we reach up…He always reaches down and embraces us with love. He will turn your sadness into joy.

The Daily Scroll - Father

 I’ve held many positions with various titles. Some have been professional, some spiritual, and some just for fun. But of all the positions I’ve held, none compares with Father. When you are young, you assume you will become a father one day, because most every man does. It's the way of nature. And when you marry, you assume it is just around the corner because now you can become fruitful and multiply as the Lord commanded.

Yet, you still haven't a clue how your life will change, how you will change. For me, it was a long wait. Nineteen years we waited, then one day our prayers were answered and the miracle of life happened for us.

Seeing the precious face of our baby girl was as close to a divine experience as one could have on this earth. We fell totally and completely in love with this little stranger, whom we felt we had always known. We held our dream in our hands for the first time.

Yes, we were crazy about our blessing. We bought her everything we dreamed of, took her every place we dreamed of, and took great care to plan her future. That was to be expected. But the love I felt for my child, was something I never expected. I had experienced nothing with which to compare.

I remember my godly grandmother, when she visited, upon seeing dozens of pictures of my baby daughter on the walls warned, "Now son, be careful not to worship that child, we are only supposed to worship the Lord."

I explained to her, "Grandmother, my love for her is so great, I can't help it. God understands."

I know she meant well, but as far as I was concerned, my love was God given and I didn't consider it worship, just the highest, most pure love one could have. That love has never wavered or waned. It continues to grow with time. It is unabashed. And as far as I am concerned, it is the closest a man can understand the love that God, our heavenly Father, has for us, His children.

The Bible says, “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, 'Abba, Father

Our Heavenly Father has a love for us, His children, that is unmatched. All the heavens and earth were created with us in mind. He wanted a beautiful place for His family of mankind. He provides everything we need and much of what we want. He cares about every aspect of our lives: our health, our family, our life’s work, hobbies, dreams, and even our desires.

Father God not only loves us in church, He loves us wherever we are. He loves what we do and what we become. He watches over us while we sleep and wakes us up every morning to start a new day in His love!

He scrutinizes our every move, and every thought. The Bible says that we are so valuable to God,

“even the hairs on your head are all counted.” Luke 12:7
  

His love is so deep that we can never fully comprehend its depth. When our granddaddy Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, Father set about to place a plan in motion to win us back. It took a miracle. It took love. It took a Savior. Our Father’s love for us compelled Him to sacrifice His most precious possession.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16
 

With our heavenly Father as our role model, we earthly fathers can glean inspiration from Him, even if our experience as sons was with a bad father or no father at all. Though we may fail in one area or another, the love of a good father never fails, as our heavenly Father helps us to share His love.

The title of Father comes to some men through biology, marriage, or adoption. The love of a Father solidifies and confirms the right to that title. It is the highest title a man may hold. It is a title most solemn, conferred and blessed of God. My child is and will always be my cherished blessing, and I will always be her Father.

The Daily Scroll - Read the Instructions

The Bible tells the story of how when the disciples fished all night and caught nothing, coming back to shore, Jesus told them to cast their nets. When they followed His instruction they caught more fish than they could handle. Throughout the life of Christ we see time and again a miracle then instructions. Or instructions then the miracle. No obedience then no miracle.

Many years ago while driving a country road in North Carolina, I was instructed by the Lord to make the next right. So I went out of my way, I guess to see what was over there. This instruction came in the form of a strong feeling that I should to it. Later I learned that this was the urging it the Holy Spirit and to listen and obey. It wasn’t just a random idea. It was strong direction. 

So I turned right, then left at the next road, then left at the next road to bring me back to the highway. I saw nothing but farmland and wondered why did I need to go there. There was nothing. Then as I began to turn right to continue my trip when I saw to my left that there had been a bad accident. The Lord had guided me around that accident. Had I gone straight that would have been me. I could have died.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11)

So my friends, follow these instructions if you want the God of love and peace to be with you.

The Daily Scroll - Powerful Weakness

Do you ever feel powerless spiritually? Ever feel like other Brothers and Sisters in church are better prayer warriors, teachers, helpers and so forth? But you feel like you’re the least of these? You love God with all your heart but are insignificant in the eyes of your peers? Maybe you pastor a small church and as you sit in a conference with the “stars” of your group, you wonder if you and your work even matters at all. We’ll friend I’m here to tell you that you and your work does matter. Jesus poured everything He had, everything He knew, into 12 men and they in turn changed the world. You never know if that little child in your kids class might grow up to be a mighty evangelist. 

The Bible Jesus says, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” The Apostle Paul continued, “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (1st Corinthians 12:9-10)

So rejoice in your weakness, for there you will find your power in Christ. Powerful weakness.

The Daily Scroll - Remembering Pat

 Remembering the years I spent working at the 700 club prayer center for Pat Robertson. Also remembering my Mother and how she was Pat’s secretary at the beginning when they broadcast from the little studio on Spratly Street in Portsmouth Virginia. No telling how many thousands of people served with Pat winning souls for the Lord. If you were there then you remember. May he Rest In Peace.

The Daily Scroll - Let Loose!

You heard the saying “get a grip? We’ll so many people do just that. One of the tightest things on earth is the grip some people have around their money. Ha! And the funny thing that I have noticed through the years is that usually the ones with the tightest grip have the least money to grip. I understand that times are tough for many people but those are the exact times when generosity is most needed. 

Trust God and let loose!

“For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” For  God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.” 2nd Corinthians 9:7-9

The Daily Scroll- Forgiveness Unlimited

 As we all are living in a world of death, destruction, greed, and sin, even the kindest person can fall prey to the wiles of the devil. Disappointment, failure, stress, and pressure from all sides are corral Shute guiding us into spiritual failure, like cows herded to auction. And who is it that wants to buy our sour? The devil himself. 

We are not unaware of the enemy tactics. We’ve seen it from the Bible days to current times and yet, as the Bible predicts, even the very elect will fall if possible. So, what do we do? What can we do? 

The Bible tells us “ casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. (1st Peter 5:7 amplified Bible.)

No sin that besets you will He not forgive if asked. For in this world we struggle with sin and all the heartache it brings. Some will say, “What about the unpardonable sin? Blaspheme against the Holy Ghost? Friend the enemy tactic wants to trick you into believing that you have done that but the reality is this. Someone who blasphemes the Holy Ghost will not want or ask for forgiveness. Their mind separates themselves from God. Period. If you desire God, desire forgiveness, then you have not gone too far and He will forgive you.

The love of God offers you a way out. A way to Him and His grace.

The Daily Scroll - The Tiny Marble

 I was viewing a television program about the earth’s place in the universe. The graphics portrayed the earth as a tiny marble as compared to the huge universe. If one ponders this fact, how small we are, then total amazement is achieved, and the greatness of God is proclaimed by his creation. 

Just as an atom or DNA is barely comprehensible to the average person, our place in the universe is also barely comprehensible. Our tiny existence glorifies the greatness and enormity of our God.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)