AVOIDING A BREAKDOWN!

 

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

 

AVOIDING A BREAKDOWN!

 

1 Kings 19:4

4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

 

If we study Elijah the movie instead of Elijah the snapshot, we see a pattern of physical, emotional, and spiritual danger.

 

          The winding road from Cherith, where he was fed by ravens, to Zarephath, where a widow shared her last meal, ended under a Juniper tree where he was fed by angels. The Bible says that meal lasted him for forty days!

 

          Most of us don’t have the constitution or character of Elijah. Even Elisha, his successor, noticed it and wanted a double portion. But even superheroes have chinks in their armor.

 

          It is either a break or a breakdown for most of us! Improper nutrition, insufficient rest, and the pressure of constant challenges can break us down. We see ourselves small and the problems large. We are wounded so we snap at our friends and helpers. We need a break – or we are headed for a breakdown.

 

          Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is to rest. If stress can challenge one like Elijah or the Apostle Paul, it surely can wear us down. Run to Jesus and let him give you rest.

 

2 Cor 1:8

8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

 

Dear Lord, help us to pay attention to ourselves and to be aware of the signs of fatigue. Let us run to you for rest and refreshment. AMEN

 

HE COMFORTS THE BROKENHEARTED

 

Monday, September 21, 2026

 

HE COMFORTS THE BROKENHEARTED

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

 

Psalm 147:3  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

 

Matthew 5:4 – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”

 

          We never know just when a broken heart will capture us. It may come suddenly and violently by a horrific tragedy. If so, it will bring along with it panic and confusion. Sometimes a broken heart will come softly but always unwelcome. It may be a memory or a when we observe the suffering of a loved one. I have personally encountered both.

 

          The Bible assures us that we never suffer alone. He comforts our mourning and comes alongside us in companionship. He promised He would never leave us nor forsake us. He is near.

 

Lord, many heartaches come quietly like an unwelcome teardrop. Please comfort all those who are suffering heartbreak today. AMEN

 

THE SINNER’S TEARS!

 

Sunday, September 20, 2026

 

THE SINNER’S TEARS!

 

Luke 7:37-38

37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

 

            The woman is only described by Luke as “a sinner.” Her sins are not named but we get the impression that she was what we might call a “street walker” with quite a reputation. Her tears, her humble attitude, and her expensive gift all spoke of a changed heart. We are not told when or how this woman came to repentance. Perhaps it was when Jesus gave the invitation to the weary to “come unto me … and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

 

          When our sins become so heavy that we can no longer carry them, we must find a place to lay them down. When our rebellion is found to be more painful than returning to divine authority, we will return. When the grief for what we have done far outweighs the pleasure we had sought, we will cry.

 

          During times of revival, I have seen many at the altar of prayer weeping and sobbing. As their pastor, I am both glad and sad to see these tears. I am glad because I know that God welcomes the humble and resists the stubborn. (1 Peter 5:5) I am sad because I know the pain these are going through. I have been there many times myself.

 

          Michael Trimble, a British professor at the Institute of Neurology in London, tells us, humans are the only creatures who cry for emotional reasons. I have no reason to challenge his research. Humans cry while other animals don’t. It makes one wonder just what it is that God placed inside of man that makes him different. I think it is our capacity for knowing and responding to God.

 

O Hope Of Every Contrite Heart

 

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

 

Dear Lord, how I remember, in my struggles against your will, the day I could not sustain my rebellion. I surrendered and you took me in. O the tears that fell in that precious hour – that hour when you smiled upon me in forgiveness. Thank you, Lord. AMEN

 

LIKE SHEEP

 

Saturday, September 19, 2026

 

LIKE SHEEP

Isa 53:6

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 

Matt 9:36

36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

 

          The phrase “like sheep” is found five times in the Old Testament. Matthew records the musings of Jesus after the woman at the well returns with her people. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd, and that sight broke Christ’s heart.

 

          We are so far removed from a culture that is agriculturally based that we now have a Bible that is often misunderstood. Not because the Bible has become irrelevant, but because as readers we are not diligent.

 

          Sheep need herders to thrive. They wander from blade of grass to blade of grass until they are lost. They do not set out to become lost. They simply set out to satisfy desires. Vagabond humans are no less susceptible to becoming lost for the same reasons.

 

          Jesus saw the Samaritans having two problems of the lost. First, he said they “fainted.” The Greek ekluo simply means to relax, but you and I understand fainting to mean something else as well. To faint means to sit down in weariness. Next, Jesus sees them as “scattered abroad.” The Greek rhipto means to suddenly be dispersed. The idea is that some predator or some tormentor has caused the herd to lose its cohesiveness. They no longer are a group. They are single units. They are prey. This touched the Good Shepherd’s heart and squeezed from it compassion.

 

Jer 50:6

6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.

 

Lord, as a shepherd, I well understand the grief that comes from seeing a scattered and fainting flock. As a sheep, I also understand the unrest that exists until you gather us into your fold. Thank you for seeking and finding me. AMEN

 

DON’T LIVE IN CAREFUL SUSPENSE!

 

Friday, September 18, 2026

 

DON’T LIVE IN CAREFUL SUSPENSE!

 

Luke 12:27-31

27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

          The phrase in verse 29, “neither be ye of doubtful mind” roughly means “do not live in careful suspense.” We all can relate to that, can’t we? Despite our best efforts at emotional stability and spiritual maturity we are often loaded down with care and suspense.

 

          We look to the lilies as models of calm confidence in their Creator. They do not anxiously work to make changes in their circumstance. They do not spin yarn and weave fabric to make clothing and yet they are clothed gloriously as they stand in total surrender to their Master. We protest that we are not lilies! We don’t simply stand mindlessly planted in the dirt while the sun beats down upon us or we are drenched with rain. But are we not, when we think about it, capable of orchestrating the events of our lives? Are we not equally dependent upon the Lord for His mercies?

 

          The thought upon which to focus is that God cares more for us than he does for lilies and grasses. Nature provides her need in faithful cycles. Wringing our hands murmuring “what shall we eat, or what shall we drink and wherewithal shall we be clothed” has no impact upon the hunger or thirst or nakedness. God looks down, sees our need and out of the riches of His character and nature provides exactly what we need in a timely manner. Your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

 

          The activity that should fill our time of waiting is prayer and reaching for the kingdom. Labor therefore to know your God intimately and to do His will and His work diligently. While you are at work at these pursuits God will, because He is God, provide all these things that cause you to live in careful suspense.

 

God, it is hard to set aside careful suspense and to replace it with calm trust – but I shall try. AMEN

 

SEEDTIME AND HARVEST!

 

Thursday, September 17, 2026

 

SEEDTIME AND HARVEST!

 

Gen 8:21-22

I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. [by sending a flood]

22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

 

          I woke up this morning thinking about Fall. I love the browns and oranges of the season. I like the crispness of the season before it yields to the bitterness of winter. The call of the crow and the playful giggle of the school yards can be heard for miles because it is carried by the morning mists. The tunnels of overhanging trees are beautiful as they present first an explosion of color and later a sugar-coated wonderland. Of all the seasons, Fall is one of my four favorites.

 

          Texas, where I have lived now for most of my life, has eight unique climatic zones across an area of 268,581 square miles! Her winters are short, cold, dry, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year-round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 36°F to 96°F and is rarely below 24°F or above 102°F, but this is the time of year when we Texans are more than ready for some cooler weather. In February we will change our minds about that.

 

          Climate change is a big deal these days, but God’s promise is not a political football. “While the earth remains” is an encouraging promise of moderation and peace. “Seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat” is how God describes four very distinct and purposeful seasons. While we may focus on the extremes, God presents us with the gift of seasonable climate. "The Lord said in his heart." It is the inward resolve of his will.” Climate does change! That is both its nature and purpose.

 

James 5:7-9

7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.  You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. NIV

 

Thank you, Lord, for your inward resolve to grant us a refreshing throughout the year. AMEN

 

STUBBORN FAITH

 

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

 

STUBBORN FAITH

 

Job 1:21-22

21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

 

Job 13:15

15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:

 

          Have you hit a rough patch? Have you left the smooth and well-lit highway to travel the dark and potholed trail? If so, then you may have a difficult time praising God this Sunday morning.

 

          There are times when our faith simply needs to be stubborn faith. Paul described his shipwreck explaining that they lashed themselves to the ship to keep from being washed overboard. Yes! That kind of stubborn.

 

          Faith is challenged when your economy hits rock bottom, your health is failing, and troubles come one after the other. That is when Jesus becomes very real. That is when we need to hear Him say “I will never leave you.”

 

I need Thee every hour

Most gracious Lord

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford

 

I need Thee, O I need Thee

Every hour I need Thee

O bless me now, my Savior

I come to Thee

 

Dear Lord, reveal yourself to those who are suffering today. AMEN

 

NOT PERFECT

 

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

NOT PERFECT

 

Heb 13:5

5 Let your conversation [Greek tropos = manner of living] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 

          Everything in my life is not perfect.. But I am still learning that my contentment is about relationships and especially my relationship with Christ.

 

          Dr. Charles Stanley defines contentment as: “Accepting God's sovereign control over all of life's circumstances.” Ah, there it is! And it is nice to know that Jesus agrees with Stanley!

 

John 16:33

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

 

Now Thank We All Our God

 

Words: Martin Rinkart

Music: "Nun Danket" by Johann Crüger; harmony by Felix Mendelssohn

 

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things have done, in Whom this world rejoices;

Who from our mothers' arms has blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

 

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,

With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;

And keep still in grace, and guide us when perplexed;

And free us from all ills, in this world and the next.

 

Lord, things in my life are not perfect. Let me rest in your perfection and be content. AMEN

 

REST IN HIS PURPOSES!

 

Monday, September 14, 2026

 

REST IN HIS PURPOSES!

 

Job 23:10

10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

 

Jeremy Taylor, 1613 – 1667, was an English Bishop and devotional writer. He wrote: “Nothing is intolerable that is necessary. Now God has bound thy trouble upon thee, with a design to try thee, and with purposes to reward and crown thee. These cords thou canst not break; and therefore, lie thou down gently, and suffer the hand of God to do what He pleases.”

 

          Why would God cast aside your experience to allow you to languish in what seems to be a dead-end pattern of unproductive life? We might ask Elijah how he felt camping out on the banks of the brook Cherith waiting for the ravens to air drop his next meal. Elijah was precisely where God wanted him to be and was doing exactly what God told him to do. (See First Kings 17:3-6)

 

          We might also ask Paul what it felt like to retreat from church planting to join himself with a fellow tent maker. While he was involved in the construction and sale of portable buildings, was he still an apostle? Yes, he was! He learned valuable insight from Aquila and Priscilla (see Acts 18:1-4).

 

Most preachers, especially at their first call, sparkle with ambition. To do something is their great desire. They long to stand before the great cathedrals and address large crowds but as often as not they kneel by the water’s edge and engage in conversation with ones like Lydia, the seller of purple, as she washes her fabric (see Acts 16:12-15). Why would God disallow such an honorable ambition? Paul explains it himself in the following verses.

 

Could Paul have suspected his global and timeless impact while sitting in the dungeon with quill in hand? Could he know that he was writing most of the Holy Scripture when he penned his letters to the churches? Could he even imagine that he was writing a minister’s manual when he wrote twice to Timothy and again to Titus? I think his wildest ambitions might have fallen far short of God’s purposes.

 

When God seems to mismanage our life and we sit frustrated in the dust of despair we can only rely upon the truth that He does all things well.

 

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

 

Dear Lord, I will lie me down gently and allow you to do what you please because I believe your purposes are best. AMEN

 

BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST

 

Saturday, September 12, 2026

 

BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST

 

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. — “so as no longer to affect our relations to Him.”

 

          The forbearance of the eternal God is wonderfully condensed in this one verse, but it is surrounded by …

 

His tender mercy

 

Psa 103:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Psa 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

 

And the care of a father’s love.

 

Psa 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

 

Luke 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

Luke 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

Luke 23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

Luke 23:42  And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

 

Father, I am grateful that between the East and the West I found JESUS. AMEN

 

 

Friday, September 11, 2026

 

REMEMBERING 9-11-01

2 Sam 22:1-4

22 And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: 2 And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 4 I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

 

          I remember it like it was yesterday. September 11, 2001, was just another Tuesday. I was attending a fellowship meeting of pastors. A busman’s holiday. Preachers preaching to preachers. We were gathered in the church kitchen and dining hall when many of the preachers began receiving phone calls. Their faces were ashen with worry. Some left without saying a word. Others told of an unbelievable horror. One poor fellow was trying to preach as if nothing had happened, but his audience was distracted. The world had changed!

 

          I finally received a call from my secretary who was watching the unspeakable on television in our missionary apartment. I remember exactly what she said. “Oh, preacher it is awful!”  Awful did not begin to describe it. Hijackers had boarded commercial planes and had flown them into the Twin Towers in New York City – a symbol of our financial strength. Another hit the Pentagon – the symbol of our military might. Yet another seemed to be headed toward the capital – seat of our government. The heroism of a few on board prevented that. It crashed in a field in Pennsylvania -- across the road from a church which was pastored by a friend of mine.

 

          I sped home although I was only 23 miles away. I could have been stopped by police at any time because at no time did I heed the speed limit signs! My wife was a substitute teacher, and I wanted to reunite with her and be safe. I found my secretary inconsolable and joined her to watch the news.

 

          Our Wednesday night Bible Study was crowded with worshippers who had long ago abandoned the Prayer Meeting. Now the altar was flooded with those who were once complacent. Alas, we have returned to that former state but – for a moment – we were reminded that “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved (Psalm 62:2).”

 

Sweet Jesus, be diligent and vigilant for us today. You only are our rock and our strong defense. AMEN