TODAY'S PASSAGE

[CoUrTnEy]

Girl Meets God
Week of February 29 - March 6, 2004

The Glorious Plunge




"As your days, so shall your strength be." Deuteronomy 33:25

"It is a wretched taste to be gratified with mediocrity when the excellent lies before us." Issac D'Israeli, 1834


Last summer when my sister's in-laws came to California for a visit, the Perrigos and Mathews went on a hike. It wasn't just any hike. It was a 4 ½ mile round-trip trek with six adults (one of which needed knee replacement surgery, and 9 kids; ages 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5, 3, and 6-months.

It was all joy when we first started. The trail was beautiful, the kids were excited, and the goal sounded thrilling. We were hiking to a natural water slide. Only my brother-in-law Brant had been there before, but he assured us that we were headed for the time of our lives.

The hike started out pleasantly, but that was short lived. Two and a quarter miles is a long way to drag 9 kids. After what seemed like a grueling lifetime of prodding and nagging the kids along, we finally made it to the falls. The granite slides were a pretty unbelievable sight-- very much worth the trip. A creek came out from the mountains between two fairly steep banks and then it flowed over these four smooth, steep granite slopes. The stream was about 6 feet wide and just deep and slow enough to allow algae to grow on the granite. The pitch of each slope was sharp enough that the water formed a small fall at the bottom of each slope and splashed into a deep pool—the slider's destination between each slope. It went like this: creep out to the edge of the huge rock, slide blindly into a pool, swim to the pool's edge, awkwardly pull yourself out of the water, creep forward to the edge of slope number two, slide blindly into a pool, swim the pool's edge, awkwardly pull yourself out of the water, creep out to the edge of the next ledge, slide blindly into a pool of water, swim to its edge, awkwardly pull yourself out of the water, climb the hundred yards back to the top.

Only two of the kids were smart enough to see the danger of this crazy activity. So the two dads and 6 kids (the six-month old wasn't quite ready) made their way to the first slope. Us smarter females, the baby, the two wise little ones, and cane-bearing Grandpa Perrigo spread blankets and sat on the stream bank to watch.

[CoUrTnEy]

Of course, we didn't get to watch for long before all the brave ones starting begging. "Please come do it! You have to," they pleaded. "It's so much fun!"

How could fearing for your life be fun, let alone the 50 degree climb up a slick granite face back to the top of the slides? I don't know if it was the begging, the thought of being bested by a 5 year old, or the fear of turning into an old woman before my time that got me off the blanket. But something did. Michelle and I both decided we were up for the challenge. So we each crept out to the middle of the stream, sat on our bottoms, and inched forward to the edge of the drop-off. Could I really do this? Could I fly off of a ledge into a pool that I couldn't even see?

Now it was too late, I could never walk off this precipice without killing myself, so I had to slide. I moved out just an inch further and "AGHH" fell with a big breath-stealing splash to the pool below. I had done it! I wasn't an old lady or a big chicken! I had done it.

We did the first three falls a couple of times. And then Brant and Scott wanted to do the last slope. Slide Number Four. We had been warned by a 20-something kid at the grocery store the week before not to do it. "It's way dangerous. You have to use a rope to crawl out of the pool of water and back to the top of the hill."

But of course, Brant had already been insane enough to do it on his last trip to this spot, so he was all for it. Scott has read "Wild at Heart" so he wasn't going to miss it either. They both did it, and both survived. Then they started begging me to do it too. "Come on Melissa. Surely you're tough enough." They really know how to get me. Being perceived as weak is one of my pet peeves.

So I went for it. I crept out on to ledge number 4. It made the other slopes seem flat. I only thought I couldn't see the pools under the other slides. This rock jutted out so far you couldn't see anything but more rocks. What if I missed the pool? How much life insurance did I have?

I finally held my breath and slipped off the edge. My heart caught in my throat as I fell into the narrow pool below. "That wasn't so bad," I thought. But it turns out, that wasn't the scary part of this slide. I made my way to the edge of this tiny pool, and looked at its vertical rim. How could I ever get out of this? The water was so cold and turbulent that I was having trouble breathing and feeling my arms. The lip that separated this pool from another straight drop was only inches wide. I was really beginning to think that I might not be able to get out, or I would get out only to fall on the rocks below.

I reached my hand out of the pool and groped for the rope. I found it, but my hands were so cold that I didn't know if I could hold on tight enough to crawl out. Then I started praying. Then I started kicking myself for being stupid enough to try this. I finally pulled myself out of the water and onto the steep slope. Then step by step, I inched my way to where Scott and Brant were standing. I didn't know whether to hug them or hit them.

My heart finally quit racing about a half mile into the hike home. Wow, why had I done that? But I also thought "Whew, I'm so glad I did." I hadn't been too afraid to go for it. I wasn't going home wondering what I had missed out on.

I think life poses lots of situations like that granite water slide. A co-worker brings up a theological question and our heart races. "Do I have what it takes to answer that question?" We get this great idea for a business and think "Could I really do that?" We hear of a huge ministry need at church and think "I'm not sure about that." And invariably, we back away. We chicken out. We say "I can't do it." We let someone else have all the fun.

And the truth is sometimes we can't do it. We don't have what it takes to forge through some of the challenging opportunities that stare us in the face. In Genesis 41:16, Joseph is brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. Joseph didn't say "It will be so easy to interpret your dreams." Instead, he said "I cannot do it." Joseph knew he couldn't do it alone. He went on to say, "but God will give Pharoah the answer he desires."

There are lots of things we can't do, but God can still do those things through us. God can help us creep out to the edge of no return. He can help us open our mouths to answer a question that seems unanswerable. He can help us slide down that steep slope into a ministry that we never thought we could accomplish. He can help us plunge into the cold world of a new business and make it out with our swimsuit on.

With God, we can take a frightening fall into the unknown and feel the exhilaration of doing something we thought was impossible—maybe something everyone thought was impossible. We can take a glorious plunge and watch God get all the glory.




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[CoUrTnEy]

March 4, 2004

Happy Adversity?
Read: James 1:1-12

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials. —James 1:2

Bible In One Year: Numbers 31-33; Mark 9:1-29




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On the back of a wedding anniversary card were some wiggly lines drawn by our 3-year-old grandson. Alongside was a note from our daughter explaining that Trevor told her what he had written: "I'm writing a letter for your love and happy adversity."

Trevor's "mistake" has become our watchword, because "happy adversity" embodies the biblical principle of facing difficulties with joy: "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience" (James 1:2-3).

From our perspective, adversity is anything but happy. We have the idea that the Christian life is supposed to be trouble-free, and we see little value in hardship. But God sees it differently.

J. B. Phillips' translation of James 1:2-3 reads: "When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance."

Affliction does not come as a thief to steal our happiness, but as a friend bringing the gift of staying power. Through it all, God promises us His wisdom and strength.

So don't be offended if I wish you "Happy Adversity" today. —David McCasland


Be assured beyond all doubting,
In the trial you're passing through,
That the Lord's great love and mercy
Is at work for good in you. —Anon.
Life's burdens are designed not to break us but to bend us toward God.

[CoUrTnEy]

March 5, 2004

Pressuring God
Read: Matthew 26:36-46

O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done. —Matthew 26:42

Bible In One Year: Numbers 34-36; Mark 9:30-50




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Under General George Patton's command in World War II, the Third Army had been driving back the Nazis until fog and rain forced the troops to stop. Patton telephoned a chaplain to ask, "Do you have a good prayer for weather?" Immediately the chaplain complied with the general's request. He wrote a prayer, which Patton ordered to be printed and distributed to the 250,000 soldiers under his command, directing them to pray for clear weather.

The Scriptures teach us that God wants us to bring our requests to Him, and we can be confident that He cares and will answer (Philippians 4:6;

1 John 5:14-15). But He is never obligated to answer in the way we want or just because many people are praying.

When the Son of God was agonizing in Gethsemane, He made His request in humble submission to His Father by saying, "Your will be done" (Matthew 26:42). That Gethsemane principle ought to govern all our praying.

The Father's will is always infused with infinite love and wisdom. So instead of trying to pressure God because we think He's obligated to us, we as trustful children gladly commit to Him our desires. Whatever He grants will prove in the end to be the best of blessings. —Vernon Grounds


So lift up your heart to the heavens;
There's a loving and kind Father there
Who offers release and comfort and peace
In the silent communion of prayer. —Anon.

Instead of trying to twist God's arm, put yourself in His hands.

[CoUrTnEy]

March 10, 2004

The Hiding Place
Read: Psalm 34:4-8

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! —Psalm 34:8

Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 11-13; Mark 12:1-27




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In this world's misery there is only one sure refuge: God Himself. "He is a shield to all who trust in Him" (Psalm 18:30).

To "trust in" comes from a Hebrew word that means "to take refuge in" or "to hide in" or "to hide with." It suggests a secret place of concealment, a "hidey hole," as we used to say in Texas.

When we're exhausted by our efforts, when we're bewildered by our problems, when we're wounded by our friends, when we're surrounded by our foes, we can hide ourselves in God. There is no safety in this world. If we were to find safety here, we would never know the joy of God's love and protection. We would miss the happiness for which we were made.

The only safe place is God Himself. When storm clouds gather and calamities loom, we must run into His presence in prayer and remain there (Psalm 57:1).

George MacDonald said, "That man is perfect in faith who can come to God in the utter dearth of his feelings and desires, without a glow or an aspiration, with the weight of low thoughts, failures, neglects, and wandering forgetfulness, and say to Him, 'Thou art my refuge.'"

How safe and blessed we are! —David Roper


O the sweet unfailing refuge
Of the everlasting arms;
In their loving clasp enfolded,
Nothing worries or alarms. —Hennessay

Safety is not found in the absence of danger but in the presence of God.

[CoUrTnEy]

March 18, 2004

Friends Listen
Read: Job 13:1-9

Oh, that you would be silent, and it would be your wisdom! —Job 13:5

Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 32-34; Mark 15:26-47




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It is about 9 in the evening. My wife Ginny and I are sitting in our living room. I'm reading a book. Suddenly she says, "Honey, I want to talk with you for a few minutes." She begins to talk—then she abruptly asks, "Are you listening?"

I'm tempted to reply, "Of course I am. I'm only 2 feet away from you." But actually my mind is still on what I'm reading. I need to close the book and give my full attention to what Ginny is saying. She deserves that from me.

Job too was frustrated because his friends weren't paying attention to what he was saying to them. He sensed that while he was talking they were planning their next response. They were bent on trying to convince him that his suffering was punishment for sin in his life. They were not listening to the deep cry of Job's heart.

Many of us are poor listeners too. Teenagers can be frustrated because their parents always have a quick answer, when actually they just want someone to listen to their struggles and accept them. One teen said, "Sometimes I would just like to talk until I know what I want to say."

Deep relationships are built on acceptance, understanding, and being a good listener. —Herb Vander Lugt


When our friends encounter suffering,
We can help them if we're near;
Some may need a word of comfort,
Others just a listening ear. —Sper

Listening may be the most loving thing you do today.

[CoUrTnEy]

March 23, 2004

Facing My Fears
Read: Psalm 138

In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul. —Psalm 138:3

Bible In One Year: Joshua 13-15; Luke 1:57-80




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After Bill and I married, I became overly dependent on him, rather than depending on God for my security and strength. Feeling very inadequate and fearful, secretly I worried, "What if one day I don't have Bill anymore?"

When our missionary work took Bill from home for weeks at a time, I began to depend on myself instead of Bill. Feeling even more inadequate, I reduced the risks of life whenever possible and lived within a cocoon of anxiety, even being afraid to go out in public.

Finally, at rock bottom, I followed David's example in Psalm 138:3. He said, "In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul." I too cried out and God answered me. His answer gave me the understanding and strength to crack open the cocoon of fear and begin spreading my wings in dependence on God. Slowly but surely He made me a bold servant at Bill's side.

Years later, when Bill died, I recognized how compassionately God had dealt with my earlier fear: "What if one day I don't have Bill anymore?" Instead of removing my fear, God gave me the strength and ability to face it. And He will enable you as you depend on Him. —Joanie Yoder


I know not, but God knows;
Oh, blessed rest from fear!
All my unfolding days
To Him are plain and clear. —Flint

To conquer your fears, surrender them to the Lord.




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[CoUrTnEy]

March 29, 2004

Where Will It All End?
Read: 1 Peter 2:18-25

When [Jesus] suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. —1 Peter 2:23

Bible In One Year: Judges 7-8; Luke 5:1-16




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Four-year-old Angelo wakes up and discovers that his new beagle puppy has chewed up his plastic guitar. The little fellow has a fit of grief. Mom's nerves tighten. She snaps at husband Tony as he leaves for the office.

Still feeling the unhappy send-off, Tony greets his secretary with some cold and unreasonable instructions. She picks up the mood, and at coffeebreak tells off a fellow secretary. At closing time the second secretary tells her boss she's ready to quit.

An hour-and-a-half later, after fighting heavy traffic, the boss walks into his house and blurts out an angry word to little Nelson, who had left his bike in the driveway. Nelson runs to his room, slams the door, and kicks his Scottish terrier.

Where does it all end? Each person may think he or she had reason to be upset. But what was needed in this imaginary situation was one person who would absorb unjust treatment without lashing out.

This is when Christians have a unique opportunity. By knowing the Father's will, by heeding the Son's example, and by relying on the Spirit's help, we can endure bad treatment in order to show others a better way. In chain reactions of frustration and anger, we can be where it all ends. —Mart De Haan


It was a hasty, thoughtless word,
Sarcastic and unkind,
That chilled the day and dimmed its light
And left a sting behind. —Anon.

When you're wronged, don't do what comes naturally; do what comes supernaturally.

[CoUrTnEy]

March 31, 2004

How Long?


Read: Luke 19:41-44

As [Jesus] drew near, He saw the city and wept over it. —Luke 19:41

Bible In One Year: Judges 11-12; Luke 6:1-26




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It took years before she finally said yes. A Welshman had fallen in love with one of his neighbors and wanted to marry her. But they had quarreled, and she refused to forgive. Shy and reluctant to face the offended woman, the persistent suitor slipped a love letter under her door every week.

At last, after 42 years, he summoned up courage, knocked on her door, and asked her to become his wife. To his delight, she consented. So they were married at the age of 74!

God is also a persistent lover. Century after century He sent prophets, seeking the stubborn people of Israel. Then God sent His Son. In Luke 19, we read that Jesus looked out over the city of Jerusalem and wept because of their hardness of heart (vv.41-44).

Yet Jesus persisted in His loving pursuit. He opened the way for reconciliation by His redeeming sacrifice at Calvary. Today He is still asking sinners to come to Him, personally accept Him as Savior, and enjoy close fellowship with Him (Matthew 11:28).

If you have come to Him, rejoice that you are His. If you have not, however, you must realize that time may run out. Don't remain forever alienated from the Lover of your soul. Trust Him today. —Vernon Grounds


Why trade the hope of heaven's light
For things that please the prince of night?
Eternal glories wait for all
Who turn and trust God's loving call. —Branon

God always knocks loud enough for the seeking soul to hear.

[CoUrTnEy]

April 8, 2004

Bearing His Cross


Read: Mark 15:16-21

They compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross. —Mark 15:21

Bible In One Year: 1 Samuel 10-12; Luke 9:37-62




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In the eyes of most people in the crowd, Jesus was a common criminal going to the place of execution. So to help Him bear His cross was both degrading and humiliating.

Simon of Cyrene was pressed into this service (Mark 15:21). Yet this was perhaps the most glorious day in his life. It is possible that he believed in the Savior, and that his wife and children did also. Some Bible teachers come to that conclusion because many years later, when the apostle Paul sent his greetings to the Christians in Rome, he referred to a man named Rufus and his mother (Romans 16:13). I believe that he was the son of Simon mentioned by Mark in his gospel (15:21), which probably was written in Rome. This is likely the reason Mark said that Simon was the father of Rufus and Alexander.

When we walk with Jesus and "take up the cross" (Luke 9:23), we too will experience the ridicule of the world for identifying ourselves with the Savior. Yet through it all, like Simon of Cyrene, our lives will be transformed, and our testimony will have an influence on the lives of family and friends around us.

Simon was "compelled" to bear the cross (Mark 15:21), but Jesus invites us to take up our cross. Have you? —Henry Bosch


"Take up thy cross and follow Me,"
I hear the blessed Savior call;
How can I make a lesser sacrifice
When Jesus gave His all? —Ackley

Following Jesus costs more than anything—except not following Him.