One of my favorite preachers and writers of generations past was Vance Havner. He just had a way of bringing Scripture into everyday experiences. He was also a true wordsmith. Here is a quote about brokenness:

“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”
― Vance Havner

We all know of individuals who have suffered setbacks in life that seem to have improved their dispositions. Many are the examples of people in the New Testament that had their lives transformed because they came into contact with Christ.

Mark 5:15

Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

I’m sure glad I came into contact with Him. How about you?

Think about it.

Gary

I was a paramedic wading through the snow to this dilapidated apartment. Upon gaining entrance, we noticed the mother on the floor having just delivered a baby. The apartment was cold, being heated by the oven of a propane range. The cord was cut and the baby was wrapped in blankets. Both mother and child were transported by our ambulance to the nearest medical center. Thankfully, we were two paramedics on this call.

I can’t say if they all lived happily ever after because I never saw them again. It just amazes me the life-experiences that God has in store for us. I never want to experience that again, but the memory is a blessing to me personally.

For one thing, I was not alone facing that dilemma. I was thankful for the other paramedic and God’s wisdom:

Ecclesiastics 4:12

And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Don’t go into an unknown situation alone.

Think about it.

Gary

There are so many things we don’t remember from those early years in school. The thing that bothers me is the useless information we did retain.

He was a first-grader trying to read aloud to the class under the tutelage of the teacher. Sometimes he would come to a word and lock up so the teacher would say the word and he would repeat it. As this was in progress, a fly landed on his nose and the teacher said, “There is a fly on your nose.” He quickly repeated, “There is a fly on your nose.” Those of us following along as he read laughed and the others wondered what had happened.

That memory is meaningless unless I can use it in this devotional. Repeating what someone else says can lead to embarrassment:

1 John 4:1

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Listen closely, and don’t repeat words unless you are convinced they are appropriate. Embarrassment might be a minor outcome when you consider the whole picture.

Think about it.

Gary

The Beach Boys were able to make a lot of money out of a distorted historical record. The song in focus here is: “The Sloop John B.” Probably most guys between sixty and eighty still have an eight-track somewhere with that song on it. Those in that age-bracket reading this are singing it in their heads.

The song is about a grandfather and the trouble he can get his grandson into:

We come on the Sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well I feel so broke up
I want to go home

There was a man of faith and action in the Scriptures by the name of Boaz, and, I believe, King David as a lad came under his influence. It may not have been during Boaz’s lifetime, but it could have happened because of the written record of his grandfather.

Grandfathers can influence their grandchildren for good or for evil.

It’s not too late to start, Pups (Pépère).

Think about it.

Gary

I had made a commitment to God in the twenty-second year of my life that alcohol would no longer play a part in my existence.  A vow is one thing and keeping it is another.

Loaded with logs for Canada and pulling up a long grade, with the heat of the exhaust against the cab and no air-conditioning, I decided to stop at the spring.  Many workers and fishermen would refresh themselves there with the cold water that sprang right out of the earth. Bending down to get a drink, I spotted the six-pack of beer resting on the bottom of that spring. Fishermen must have left it, intending to end their day with a cold brew.

No, I just looked at it, smiled, and hurried back to the rig to escape that temptation. I lived to fight another day and that was forty-seven years ago.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Next time you see something you shouldn’t, hurry away.

Think about it.

Gary

Some old song had this comment in it, “have squandered my resistance.” This started me thinking about the human experience that holds the truth of this statement. How many look back to events where lack of resistance led to disastrous consequences?

Joseph, a captive man in a strange land, was tempted by one of the most prominent women of that culture. The Scripture is very forthcoming with his reactions:

Gen 39:11-12

But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 

This action resulted in a prison sentence for Joseph; however, a careful examination of his life-story reveals the fact that he believed God had an ordained purpose in every event of his existence. What seemed to be a mountain was only a pimple on the pathway to progress.

Don’t squander your resistance. Run.

Think about it.

Gary

I was a third-grader waiting for the day to come to a conclusion and feeling like I was in purgatory. Suddenly, I discovered I had a special talent; I could wiggle my ears. Having a hard time to believe I was a recipient of such a gift, I ran home to look in the mirror and make sure it wasn’t a figment of my imagination. Then I started sharing that phenomenon with friends and family. They soon got tired of my boasting. I had to learn that such demonstrations were not appreciated. Was it because of jealousy?

Just researching this topic, I discovered approximately 22% of people on the planet are capable of wiggling one ear, while no more than 18% can do it with both ears. Makes me special but doesn’t open the doors to much of anything lucrative, including the circus.

However, I discovered I had the gift of teaching the Word of God and the wiggling of my ears paled in comparison. That was apparent by opportunity given to me and appreciation by my listeners.  God’s Word speaks of such a thing:

Ephesians 4:11

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

There are multiple gifts from God given to believers recorded in the New Testament. Have you made an attempt to find out what yours are?

Think about it.

Gary