Lord, how do I say, “I love YOU?”
Do I say it in word only?
Do I express it in other ways?
Do I say I love YOU through obedience?
Do I say I love YOU by exercising faith?
Do I say I love YOU by telling others about YOU?
Do I say I love YOU by delighting in YOU?
Do I say I love YOU through gospel living?
Do I say I love YOU by sharing the gospel with others?
Do I say I love YOU by delighting in YOUR Word?
Do I say I love YOU by sitting at YOUR feet?
Do I say I love YOU by being anxious for time with YOU?
Do I say I love YOU by meditating on YOUR Word?
Do I say I love YOU by memorizing YOUR Word?
Do I say I love YOU by believing in YOU?
Do I say I love YOU in word, attitude, action and deed?

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

Lord, may my love for You go beyond thinking it and saying it, may it overflow in my attitude and actions. 

Blessings,
Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the ministry team at America’s Keswick.  She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study.  Diane has been married to her husband John over 27 years.  She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all.  She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.

“Don’t ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry; for anger doesn’t make us good, as God demands that we must be” (James 1:19,20 TLB).

One night after Glen and I had been married about three months, I was all ready for bed, but he was still getting undressed. I threw back the bedspread and burrowed down into the blankets. Just then, he turned from the closet with a hanger in his hand and in a very disgusted voice said, “Well, you did it again!”

I puzzled, What’ve I done? What’s wrong with him?

After a little prompting, he told me why he was so upset with me.
It seemed each evening he went through a very precise ritual which I hadn’t even noticed. He took his pants off and laid them across the bed to smooth them out. Then he went to the closet to get a hanger. Apparently my pattern was quite consistent, too. Just about the time he went for the hanger, I threw back the bedspread and crawled into bed. When Glen got back to the bed, the pants he had so neatly spread out were all crumpled up under the bedspread.

The crumpled pants were not the main problem. Glen thought he was being a good husband by not voicing his complaint. His intent was very noble, but it didn’t work. Three months’ worth of crumpled pants was all he could take. By that time he had built up a strong case against me, and I wasn’t even aware of it.

Once we got the “pants” problem out in the open, we were able to work on it. I wish I could say I’ve never thrown the bedspread over his pants again, but I can’t. However, I don’t do it very often, and when I do, I’m able to apologize and help him straighten up the pants. Then we can laugh about it together.

Whether you’re dealing with your mom or dad, a fellow worker, a child, or your spouse, it’s important to understand that communication involves more than just talking to each other. One way Webster defines communication is, “A system for sending and receiving messages.” By not being observant and noticing Glen’s evening ritual, I was “sending a message” that it didn’t matter to me if his pants got all crumpled up. He was “receiving a message” that what he did was not important to me. We communicate through every action we take and every word we speak. As a profound common sense thinker I’ve had to work at making my actions communicate my true feelings.

I’ve also had to learn that a negative comment must be communicated in a positive way. If another person does something that bothers us, it is important that we present our complaint or observation in a non-judgmental manner (gently of course, but we should do it!). Every time Glen and I are open with each other, we knock down the bricks that could develop into a wall between us.

Marilyn Willett Heavilin

This devotional is an excerpt from Profound Common Sense.
 Marilyn Heavilin
author of Roses In December,
December’s Song
Becoming A Woman of Honor,
Profound Common Sense
When Your Dreams Die,
Grief Is A Family Affair,
I’m Listening, Lord
www.marilynheavilin.com
Live so that others may safely follow

Marilyn is a wife and mother, author, and international conference and retreat speaker.  She and her husband Glen serve as Counselors-in-Residence at America’s KESWICK during the summer months.

When I was in 9th grade I remember my teachers were not impressed with my writing skills so I was placed in a remedial writing class.  I wasn’t a fan of being in the remedial writing class because it pointed out to everyone that I was behind the curve. 

The dictionary defines remedial: intended as a remedy, concerned with the correction of faulty study habits and the raising of a pupil’s general competence (1)

The whole purpose for the class was to catch me up, to make up for the gap between where I was with my skills and where I should have been.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am thankful that I took the class because had not someone taken notice that my writing skills were lacking I may have fumbled my way through school and probably never would have been able to do an adequate job writing a Master’s Thesis. I probably would not be where I am now as I would not be able to do an adequate job writing proposals, articles and VICTORY CALLS!!  That class helped me close the gap so I could progress and succeed. 

You may wonder where I’m going with this.

Pastor Steve made this statement during a recent teaching in Revelation:

HELL IS NOT REMEDIAL.

Did the truth of that statement sink in?  Think about it.  Really think about it.  We know it is true but I think we often act as if hell is remedial.  How else can we explain our lackluster efforts to share the gospel with those that do not know Christ and face an eternity in hell? 

May this truth shake us from our slumber and give us an unquenchable passion for the lost. 

Romans 10:15 As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the ministry team at America’s Keswick.  She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study.  Diane has been married to her husband John over 27 years.  She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all.  She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.  

1 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remedial accessed 6.22.12

To just read the Bible, attend church, and avoid “big” sins – is this passionate, wholehearted love for God? – François Fénelon, The Seeking Heart

In the fall of last year our entire church was reading the book titled, Crazy Love-Overwhelmed By a Relentless God written by Francis Chan. Weekly, we got together, split into small groups and chapter-by-chapter, shared the contents of the book. Through these discussions we gained insight from the author and his perspective on loving God “with all our heart, soul, mind and strength”.  In addition, we gained insight from one another as to how we could/would aptly understand and apply the contents to our lives.

My personal challenge and take-away from this was the startling revelation (yet again) along with a deeper acknowledgement that God deserves to be the center of every detail of my life-period!

The basic synopsis of the book is this:  “Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn’t working harder at a list of do’s and don’ts – it’s falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same.  Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.”

Does that little blurb whet your appetite? I hope so! And I hope that there is at least one of you who will fall down before a holy God and repent of any complacency in your life, any way that you’ve grown comfortable with your place in life and have allowed duty over relationship to be the main thing.

I leave you with a few quotes from the book to ponder:
* “We have an inaccurate view of God…. He knows that He’s great and deserves to be the center of our lives…. He commands everything from His followers.”

* “On the average day, we don’t consider God very much…. We forget that our life truly is a vapor.”

* “Both worry and stress reek of arrogance.”

* “God longs for us to respond to His extravagant, unending love…not with a cursory ‘quiet time’ plagued by guilt, but with true love expressed through our lives.”

* “Are we in love with God or just His stuff?”

* “A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it.”

* “Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” (Tim Kizziar)

* “Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants? Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in your life? Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?”

* “I concur with Annie Dillard, who once said, ‘How we live our days is…how we live our lives.'”

Stephanie Paul

Stephanie Paul, wife and mother of two grown children. An “instrument of change” in the Redeemer’s Hand, in the lives of wounded and hurting women. Currently serving as a part of the Addiction Recovery Team at America’s Keswick as Woman of Character Program Director.

Summer time is a time I finally have some “extra” time.  Oh how sweet it is to sit outside in the morning with my coffee, Bible and notebook.   This summer I believe Holy Spirit has led me to read the book of Revelation.  YIKES!!  That is no mild, easy-going book, but I guess He knows me only too well.  I will need some real time to chew on this book once again.   Of course I am always encouraged to read the very first chapter, verse three.  Here we are told that those who read the book of Revelation, hear the words of prophecy and heed the things written in it will be blessed. 

I have to warn you that at first I was looking for a study guide, but then I had a VERY strong sense that the Lord wanted this to be a journey for He, Holy Spirit and I.  Under that direction I grabbed my Bible, notebook, pen and cup of coffee and took my place in a comfortable spot where I could also behold His beautiful creation.  What a blessing for sure!!

Today I want to submit for your consideration a few verses that I have, in a sense, been chewing on.  Again, in the first chapter we are presented with “He” who appears to be: Christ in the middle of the lampstands wearing armor.   I sense a need to get to know what my Jesus is wearing for such a time as Revelation.  Surely I need to be aware and ready to put on the same armor in these end times we are living in.

He is clothed in a robe reaching to His feet and is girded across His breast with a golden girdle (Rev. 1:13).  I believe that robe is a robe of righteousness and the girdle is really more like a huge belt.  It is a belt of truth covering all vital human organs. It almost sounds like one of those total body girdles.  Uncomfortable yes but at times definitely needed. 🙂   

Getting back on track…….from this belt, the sword and the shield can hang.  I found myself praying, “Lord my righteousness is as filthy rags and my belt of truth in no way covers me as your girdle covers you.  Jesus, thank you that by your blood I can share your robe of righteousness.  Jesus, thank you that I can share Your belt of Truth, which is the Word of God.  I am protected and can stay in readiness, dressed and equipped with Your sword and shield.  Thank you Lord.” 

Next His head and His hair are white like white wool or snow and His eyes are like a flame of fire (Rev. 1:14).  Daniel gives reference to the “Ancient of Days” having hair like pure wool (Dan.7:9).  It would seem that the whiteness of His hair points to the purity of the mind of Christ.  His eyes can pierce through the darkness for they are as fire.  “Lord release unto me the mind of Christ that I might function in this world but not as from this world.  I long to have the gift of discernment and have Christlike wisdom.  I long to be holy.  Lord, release unto me eyes to see so that my eyes can penetrate the darkness in this world, see the light and bring forth the light of Jesus into this place where you have planted me.”

The next verse tells us that His feet are like burnished bronze, glowing as from a furnace and His voice is like the sound of many waters (Rev. 1:15).  “Lord, may my feet be firmly planted on Your Truth.  May I be firmly planted, not shifting to the right or the left of Your Truth.  May my voice be like the sound of living water offering love, joy, truth and encouragement wherever I go, giving glory to no one but You my Lord.”

Lastly, He was holding seven stars and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword and His face was like the sun shining in strength (Rev. 1:16).  I am told the seven stars may be the seven angels in the Book of Revelation.  It would seem that the seven stars may not be part of His armor, but if it is I can only think the stars are shields of faith.  I was told once that there is a legend that David’s shield was in the shape of the Jewish star and that is where the “Star of David” came from.  Seven is also the number indicating completion.  (For example God created the world in seven days, seven days complete a week, etc.)  Honestly, I can only share my thoughts on this.  However, I believe you and I will need a full and complete faith in the days ahead.  We will need all seven levels of faith.  Yes, I do know………in these end times we will need shields of faith.  “Sweet Jesus, I thank you for releasing your 7 shields of faith.  I am afraid my own has some holes in it.  Thank you, Lord, for filling my mouth with the sharp two-edged sword of Your Word.  It can pierce through the toughest of battles.  Thank you, Lord, for releasing to me in these end times a face shining in strength from the throne of grace.  It is You, the rock upon which I stand, who is my strength and allows me to shine in the darkest of times and places. It is You who are my righteousness, my sword, my shield.   Blessed be the rock of my salvation.  I praise Your Holy, Holy name!!

Dear one, in hard times, when the darkness seems to surround us: remember the fullness of His TRUTH:

“Blessed be the LORD my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle-
My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge” (Ps. 144:1-2 NKJ)

Put on Christ and rest in Him!!

Patricia L. Wenzel
WOC Graduate

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Sitting on my patio one morning, I was reading from the 1950 edition of the Daily Light – July 13th. 

Truth be told, I have been wrestling in my spirit for months now. I have been asking God to reveal the deep things of my heart and it has not been pretty. I know there are areas of my heart and mind that have not yet been evangelized.  They need the healing touch of the gospel. I believe that is likely true of all of us, we just may be more or less aware of it.

Anyway, July 13th in the Daily Light quotes 1 Corinthians 6:20, “Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit which are God’s.”

It reminded me of the sentence which begins in 1Corinthians 6:19 with “you are not your own…”

I think God is answering my prayer. He IS showing me those motivations and those darker recesses of my heart. 

I know that the very areas I struggle are because I am living as if I AM my own, as if I am the boss of me. 

Perhaps you too are wrestling in your spirit with something – anger, fear, unforgiveness, pride, self-centeredness, a critical spirit, gluttony, over-spending, or something else that is ruling you and robbing you of abundant life.

I want to encourage you to ask yourself – are you living life as if you are your own, NOT bought with the price of the infinite worth of the blood of Jesus Christ? 

Life can get ugly fast when we live life on our own terms rather that God’s.

Lord, forgive us when we wander – which we are so prone to do.

Blessings,
Diane Hunt

Diane Hunt is part of the ministry team at America’s Keswick.  She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study.  Diane has been married to her husband John over 27 years.  She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all.  She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.  

 

Recently, we had a visit from my in-laws. Their plan was to treat our family – all 6 of us – to a day at an area amusement park. The weather on the day we chose to go was supposed to be just right for a day outdoors. We were all excitedly looking forward to having some family fun. Unfortunately, when the day came a bad weather front had stalled and it ended up raining!  Our children were bummed!!

At some point in the day, my mother-in-law asked if I had my grocery shopping done. Even though I knew there were a couple of things we needed I didn’t want to put her out so I told her we were fine.
After a little bit I heard a knock at the door; when I answered it, there stood a young man who had seen our Marine flag waving in the wind from our front porch. He introduced himself as a former Marine and explained he was in the area with a company that sold meats. He then proceeded to tell me he could get us a great deal. We let him come in and give us the “spiel” and it sounded great!

So along with his supervisor we discussed the details about how we could pay for it. It would mean meat in our freezer for an entire year!! Not having to purchase meat could really help us with our grocery bill!!

So, we got up and started walking out to our freezer to get things moved around to make room for the all that meat! Much to my surprise, my mother in law says, “we’re going to cover the cost of this for you.”……….!!!!!!……..I was speechless! Their generosity blew my mind!

When I could speak, I said, “No! You don’t have to do that!! We’ll work it out.”

She replied, “No! We’re going to get this for you!”  My thought was, “If the weather had been better we would’ve been at Dorney Park today and missed this knock at the door.”

Rewind to the day before:
I had just been notified my place of employment would be closing its doors in less than two weeks and I’d no longer have a job.

Today:
Our freezer is FILLED with meat! What a tremendous BLESSING!!
Later on I got real honest with my family and my mother-in-law.  I told them what I’d really been thinking when asked earlier if I’d done my grocery shopping. I had told her yes, but in my mind, I knew that we could use JUST A LITTLE MORE MEAT!  “Oh taste and see that the LORD is good!!!”

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:19
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”  ~ Ephesians 3:20-21

Sue Mercer
WOC Graduate

” Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps. 139:16, ESV).

Have you ever considered the possibility, “I could have been born in another country…to another family…differently”?

In light of the Aurora, CO awful event, I couldn’t help but consider, I could have been there.  And then invading my thoughts comes the even bigger and boggling thought, why wasn’t I there?

Then God allowed me to remember the verse that is ALWAYS a comfort to me, when seeming tragedy comes into my life and when in God’s plan I have managed to escape it.

” Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps. 139:16, ESV).

God has a plan for me, and He knew what it was even before I was formed in my mother’s womb! And His word says He has good plans for me. Even when the events of my life appear to be disastrous to me, I try to meditate on this verse.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope ‘” (Jer. 29:11, KJV).

Charles Stanley comments: “Sometimes God allows opposition to His will to succeed for a time. We may not know why, and unexpected developments may dishearten us. But adversity is merely a setback from which we take our greatest leaps forward.”1

So God has good plans for me.  Why? Because He LOVES me! I am reminded that God says nothing can separate me from His love.

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39, NLT),

Marilyn Willett Heavilin

Marilyn is a wife and mother, author, and international conference and retreat speaker.  She and her husband Glen serve as Counselors-in-Residence at America’s KESWICK during the summer months. 

1 Charles F. Stanley, The Life Principles Daily Bible, (c) 2007, page 889.

If you are a woman who receives these daily devotionals, you are a woman who likely desires to grow in Christlikeness.  You long to know God more.  You pray often: for family, friends, and people you may not even know apart from the fact that you were asked to pray for a person with a need.

It is to you I want to share an answer to what, for me, was an important prayer request, but on a scale of important needs it surely didn’t rank very high.  However, to God it mattered and that very much blessed me.

My husband and I took our children and their families on a short trip to Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.  Getting three family schedules to line up was no small challenge.  Neither was getting accommodations that would meet the needs of young families an easy assignment.  The cost in time and money was high, but by God’s grace we did it!!  We were together for one afternoon and evening in the park.  We had a great time.  We had a barbecue with Big Bird, watched the nighttime parade and rode a few rides.  We were looking forward to day two!!

At 6:30 am I woke to the sound of extreme pouring rain.  I woke Glenn and asked him to join me in prayer.  We had a date with Elmo and friends for breakfast at 8:45 am.  We prayed.  I remember praying something like: “Father, Ps. 37:4 says ‘Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart’ (NAS). Lord, you know I most certainly love You and delight myself in our relationship. The desire of my heart is to have a fun day at Sesame with my family today.  You know all that went in to putting this together.  And yes, I know we need the rain.  But Father I would really appreciate it if we could at least go to the breakfast.  I submit this day to Your Lordship and declare I will praise You no matter what happens.  The day belongs to You.  In Jesus name, Amen.” 

As soon as I said “Amen” the rain began to slow down.  Neither of us said a word.  The rain slowly but very definitely stopped.  We began to praise and give thanks to the Lord most high.  We got up and we all got ready to go.

The breakfast was fun and we had a great time.  As soon as it ended the rains came pouring down again.  Our day at Sesame was completed.  But we did get the breakfast in and I was thankful. 
Isaiah 49:16a says, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (NAS).  Dear ones, the Word of God is true.  If we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart.  He knows us full well, so He knows the desires of our heart better than we even do.  He has our name written right on His hand.  I don’t know why some of my serious prayers have not been met with a healing or deliverance miracle.  I do not know why the rained stopped to bless this Nannie and Pop, or why the rain didn’t hold off until later in the day for that matter.  But this I do know, be assured, we serve a God who hears, who loves and is able.  Blessed be His holy name.

Patricia L. Wenzel
WOC Graduate

If you are like me, whenever I have read this verse (Phil. 4:19), I have always kind of assumed that it meant my PHYSICAL needs — whatever they might be.  However, something happened in the life of a friend of mine this week that got me to thinking differently about it.

My long-time friend lost her brother quite unexpectedly.  In fact, he had just seen his doctor the day before he died and was told he had some sort of viral infection.  It was not, and he succumbed to a fatal heart attack.  My friend, who has had several major upsets in her life in recent years, was totally devastated by the news.  BUT GOD (aren’t those amazing words), already knew what was going to come into her life and He arranged for members of her family to make a “surprise” visit so they were there with her and able to give her the sad news, and be with her through the seemingly endless planning of his funeral, etc.

My friend had just, a few days before, had a long, lovely talk with her brother.  Once again, that was no “accident.”  God was preparing her with precious memories of that last earthly conversation until she sees her brother again in glory and they can pick up where they left off.

Upon returning home from her brother’s services, my friend received a lovely sympathy card and note from someone whom she had no reason to expect to hear from at all, much less in such a loving manner.

Call them “accidents,” or “surprises” or even “random acts of kindness,” they are all expressions of God meeting her needs.  Not her physical needs this time, but her spiritual and emotional needs.  He carefully planned every detail surrounding this tragedy in her life and surrounded her with people to meet her emotional needs.  Arms to hug her, shoulders to cry on, words of comfort to bring her peace – all orchestrated by her loving Father who knew what she would need and when she would need it.

My God, thank you for meeting every need we have ever had, or will ever have in the future, according to your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 

Lynn Randall

Lynn Randall is the Director of Human Resources at America’s KESWICK. She is active in her church and is a gifted planner and organizer.  She has a real heart for people as evidenced by her care, concern and practical encouragement.