“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 (NIV)

God called Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites. Gideon started with 32,000 men, but that was too many for God’s purpose, so He reduced them down to 300 men. The victory would come through God’s power—not their own. God wanted His people to trust Him and shine. Gideon divided the men into three groups; each carried a trumpet and a hidden torch inside a clay pot. Upon command, they blew their trumpets and broke their jars and let the light pour out. The enemy believed that each trumpet and light had thousands of troops behind it, so they panicked and turned on each other.

My pot’s artistic decoration wore off years ago. It carries a few chips now, and a crack runs part way down one side. I pray that God’s light will shine through the brokenness. I thought of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NIV) A potter’s hands work the clay, shaping and forming it to fi t his purpose.

Dear Father, thank You for working out the lumps of my transgressions so that You can form me into the image of Christ according to Your purpose. Please give me insight and understanding from Your Word and Your Holy Spirit so that I can take advantage of diffi cult times and use them as an opportunity to share Your light with others.

– Sue Carlisle

“Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colors. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.” Genesis 37:3-4 (KJV, clarification added)

We see that Jacob practiced favoritism. This show of affection for one boy from a large family did not help the brothers in their attitude toward the favored one.

There is no excuse for sin at any time, but there are also actions that can be offensive, and could hinder a person from coming to the Lord. Joseph’s testimony was not received by most of his brothers, who treated him rudely and sold him into slavery.

This problem of favoritism showed up again when the brothers came with the coat of many colors, which had been dipped in blood. Note Genesis 37:32: “Your son’s coat”—not our brother’s coat—as it might have been said.

Ask God to give you love for all the children in your house, and be sure you teach them God’s way, even if it is not the practice in your community. Being fair to all members of the family is God’s way, and you will see that God’s way is always best.

“Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘in truth I perceive that God shows no partiality’” Acts 10:34 (NKJV).

– Bill Jackson

“But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” Jonah 1:3 (NKJV)

A few years ago at our Kikino Family Bible Camp, one of our dogs was sniffing in a small white garbage bag, and his head got caught in the handle. He took off running for his life, as the bag was following him wherever he went! He was scared and running in all directions. Finally, after calling our dog multiple times, he came so I could rescue him.

This incident has always stuck in my memory for various reasons. Many people run from many things in their lives, and they can run from those things for many years. They can run from painful hurts of the past that are diffi cult to work through. However, God can heal all pains, and the running can stop.

Then there are those people who are running from God because they are unwilling to surrender an area of their lives or unwilling to obey a calling from God for their lives. The psalmist David wondered about where he could run from God—since God was everywhere at the same time.

The prophet Jonah had a specifi c calling to his enemies, and his unwillingness to obey that call set off a sequence of events that finally brought him to a place of humility and obedience. Truly we can never run away from God. Instead of running from Him, let us run to Him like the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-31) running back to his father. What are you running from? When will you stop running? Will you run to the Lord?

Lord, enable me to run to You in all of life’s struggles and problems. Amen.

– Frank Ward

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of diffi culty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fi re of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

I was watching a news report this morning about an earthquake in Asia. It wasn’t as bad as some earthquakes, but it got me thinking about the “storms” we all face in life. Everybody has their share of storms—storms of health, relationships, finances, employment (or lack thereof) . . . storms of scenarios we didn’t choose, and then the “reap what you sow” quagmires we find ourselves in.

God’s Word gives us answers to the storms we face in this life. Everything from attitude struggles to marriage breakdown, from noisy neighbors to out-of-control credit cards—you get the picture . . . everything!

You or I might not be too thrilled sometimes about the answers we find in God’s Word, but that’s not the point. God’s Word is the truth, and the truth doesn’t change.

Storms come whether we deserve them or not—that’s just how life goes. God’s Word has the answer to each tempest. It’s up to us to apply those principles and parameters to the life scenarios we find ourselves or put ourselves in. Our response to the storm is in our hands.

– Kene Jackson