Daily Bread

Hiding Place

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You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word   Psalm 119:114

Today I came across a group of deer crossing the dirt road. At my first approach they have the amazing instinct to stay till, stay together and wait.

The deer seem to know how to respond to danger better than we do. They know they are where they belong, so when trouble comes they quickly find places to hide. hiding-deer-cropWhen we walk near to the Lord He becomes that place for us to be hidden in Him. His presence surrounds us and provides a shield so the enemy cannot know where to find us. That is not to say we won’t sometimes pass through difficulty, but that when suffering passes close our hearts can be safely sheltered in Him

Psalm 27:5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock

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A rose at rush hour

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Coming back from the mall yesterday I had to stop at the light. There in the middle of the busy entrance was blooming this beautiful rose. She was not at all concerned about keeping up with the traffic. There were no indications that she longed to be planted elsewhere. She wasn’t picky about who stopped by to see her. She was God’s little lesson for a man always hurrying but never feeling like he had arrived. She was simply at peace and showed it through every sweet blossom. 

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Do not let your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

To Truly Live

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For me to live is Christ and to die is gain Philippians 1:21

Am I completely satisfied with Christ alone?  When we are young we need to please someone. There is always one person’s opinion of our life that we value most. For some of us that is our Mom or Dad. Some idolize an older brother or a friend. But as a Christian really only God’s opinion matters. He is our true life but has that been our reality today? 

Am I willing to surrender anything He asks? Once I was singing “I surrender all” during my nursing home ministry. At the end of the song one lady asked me, “what have you surrendered?” Her question cut right to my heart. What is Christ asking for me to give 100 percent to Him right now? 
Am I ready to go anywhere He asks? Many times we pray for God to open a door. But what we truly have in mind is something that we have wanted on the other side. But if God opens a door and doesn’t tell us much about where it leads are we willing to push it wide open? Will we eagerly press forward just because we trust He knows best? 

One terrible evening our Lord Jesus faced exactly these same three decisions. Did the Father’s opinion matter more than his own? Was he willing to surrender all he had? Would he go anywhere God asked? The open door before our Lord was a stone door ready to be rolled shut once he had entered. Christ prayed till  sweat fell like drops of blood then he decided that for him to truly live was to do the Father’s will and for him to die was truly gain!