Enjoy these selections from the last 90 days of Walter Mouse's weekly "Field Mouse Evangelism" devotions. The devotions are listed in descending order by date with the most recent devotion at the top. Click here if you would like to read the Wending Our Way devotions.
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Bill bought a whole gallon bag of spinach the other day. It was just beautiful...lovely bright green, crisp leaves. He decided to cook the entire bag, since a whole lot of spinach cooks down into not much at all. Sure enough, a heaping pan of leaves cooked down to only several servings. Wonderful taste, though.
The Bible's kind of like that--full of words and stories and interesting stuff. But it, too, boils down to a short, wonderful message: "I love you and I'll get you Home"--God.
Revelation 1:5b ...to him who loves us and has freed us....
Bill and I drove through the most beautiful, wooded area today. As the road meandered through a densely forested area, the sun sprinkled through in spots, creating softly moving dappled shade. It was wonderfully peaceful. At one point the leaves blocked enough sunlight that it was hard to see where we were going, and we had to slow down. That was OK. We were the only ones on the road, and it gave us time to enjoy the serenity. We sped up once the sun peeked through more brightly.
As we pulled out of the wooded area and headed down the highway, I got to thinking of the "shaded areas" of my life. They come along periodically and I usually try to get through them as quickly as possible. Maybe I shouldn't do that! Maybe I'm supposed to go slower when I can't see too well. That kind of does make sense. I think I'll try it.
Acts 27:7 ...We made slow headway for many days....
One of us accidentally left a bag of chocolate chips in the car the other day. (Actually, it was Bill. No self-respecting mouse would leave chocolate anywhere!!) Since it was over 80 degrees in the shade and the car was out in the sun all day, the chocolate was completely melted by the time Bill found it. He set it on the counter overnight and it sort of recovered, but it never went back to its original shape. It turned into a blobby mass. It tasted OK, but it looked awfully weird. Some things just don't do well in high heat.
That's like us. It's God's will that we all be saved and that we should spend eternity in heaven,but not everyone hears His message. God is concerned because He loves us and knows that people don't do too well in high heat, either!
Luke 16:24 ...I am in agony in this fire.
One of Bill's friends, Fritz, has a horse--a big, honey-colored Palomino named Tucker. We visited them one day at feeding time. Fritz boards Tucker at a barn with twenty or so other horses, and at feeding time, all horse heads are looking expectantly out over their stall doors, waiting for the chuck wagon to arrive.
Once Tucker was fed, I noticed that he didn't seem to be eating his grain. He was rooting through it and only occasionally chewing. Bill asked about that and Fritz told us that Tucker's food had molasses balls in it, which the horse just loves, so he hunts around for those goodies first.
Watching Tucker eat reminded me that there are always Hidden Treasures tucked away within the Bible, too. All it takes is a bit of searching!
Ezra 7:10 ...Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD....
Many years ago, while Bill and I were still working, when we drove off to work, we spotted several of the neighborhood preschoolers gaily blowing bubbles in a front yard. They were all leaping around with great abandon, having a swell time. As we got closer, though, I could see that while most of the kids were blowing bubbles, one little girl was spending most of her time bursting the bubbles others had blown. Her face had a determined, almost mean look and her hand movements (unlike the gentle, widespread movements of her companions) were sharp stabs, directed at destroying the colorful bubbles as they floated by.
The other kids slowly moved away from her and went on enjoying their game.
Some folks are like this little girl: making almost a ministry out of bursting other people's bubbles. Sometimes the only thing we can do when assaulted by a continually negative, critical person, is to quietly move away from them and go on with our own lives.
1 Corinthians 7:15 ...God has called us to live in peace.
Many years ago, at a former house, we had a bit of water leak into the cellar. There wasn't a whole lot of water, but it did need fixing. A French drain was suggested. That's basically a slotted pipe that's laid in a trench. It catches the rainwater and channels it away from the house.
I was watching the workers dig the trench for the pipe and wondered how deep they'd have to dig. I thought maybe four or five feet, but one fellow said, "Oh no. We only dig down a foot or so. You want to catch the water before it goes too deep." That makes sense.
We should operate the same way when we find ourselves drawn into bad habits or undesirable behaviors: " catch it before it goes too deep." Then it, too, can be channeled safely away and doesn't get a foothold.
Proverbs 2:12a ... Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men....
Many years ago, I lived in a neighborhood with lots of school-age children. One morning, I looked out and some of the kids were playing tag in a nearby yard as they waited for the school bus. They were racing madly around the yard, shrieking with delight and enthusiasm. They'd designated a sturdy tree as a time-out spot for those who needed a rest or found themselves pursued too closely.
At one point, a little boy (five or so) launched himself merrily at the tree, crashed into it, and joyously yelled, "I'm safe!" as the girl chasing him darted past. His face just radiated his pleasure! He stood there a moment, puffing, and then ran off grinning.
We each have a chance to celebrate that sort of pleasure and security. As we catch hold of Jesus, we're safe as well- held in the arms of Eternity forever.
1 John 5:18 ...the one who was born of God keeps [you] safe....
Bill and I were talking to a scuba diver yesterday. He told us about diving in a quarry several years ago, a venture that required a good bit of equipment: wetsuit, flippers, gloves, mask, air tank and weighted belt. It was the weighted belt that fascinated me. Without it, divers just float on the surface of the water, but wearing it, they can descend to any depth they choose. But--the belt also KEEPS them at the bottom. In order to get back to the surface, each diver must release their belt; that is, remove it and let it go. Naturally, it sinks to the bottom, but they're then free to float back to the top.
Is there something you're carrying around, which, like a weighted belt, is holding you down? Is it something that's no longer useful and might actually drown you if you keep it? Is it time to release it so that you can float free?
If there is something heavy that's keeping you in a holding pattern, pray for strength, discernment, grace, truth and love. Strength will provide the energy and stamina to face changing circumstances. Discernment will guide you toward what needs release and how to manage that. Grace will bring kindness to you and others as you navigate this new pathway. Truth will keep you on the right path. And love, as ever, sustains the Life Within as the journey continues.
Malachi 4:2b ... you will...leap like calves released from the stall.
One time we had a birdfeeder that had a vertical tube in the middle to hold the seed and then heavy wire forming a roomy cage around the tube. This arrangement let the smaller songbirds in to the seed, but it kept the bigger birds (like grackles and starlings) out. It also protected feeding birds from marauding hawks.
It was fun to watch the little birds maneuver around within the cage so they could get to the seed. They looked like they were trapped in there, but they weren't. The cage was actually part of their provision: it protected them and their food source.
Sometimes life seems to hem me in, too. I feel surrounded and trapped by circumstances beyond my control. But sometimes, what looks like a trap to me may be used for my ultimate benefit. I'm not saying that the LORD creates discord and hardship, but He does use everything for good (Rom. 8:28), and sometimes what doesn't look like provision to me may actually be provisioning in some way.
Exodus 14:3 ...hemmed in by the desert.
Bill and I were driving along a rural road this week and passed by a neatly printed sign--maybe three feet wide and two feet high. All it said was "Betty"--with a large arrow pointing to the right. Several pink and white balloons were bobbing above the sign, and the arrow clearly pointed to a smaller road nearby. We had no idea what the occasion was, but obviously Betty was expected somewhere.
Someday, each of us is going to see a "sign" like that--with just our name, an arrow and several balloons; but this arrow will point either up or down. I'm figuring that if we know Jesus, the balloons will be a riot of color and movement, and the arrow will point upwards. For those who don't know Him, I picture a downward-pointing arrow and motionless black balloons.
We get to choose our own signs--and our own eternity.
John 5:24 ...he has crossed over from death to life.
Bill and I used to see a lot of yards in our walks around our old neighborhood. They certainly differed in what grew in them. Some were beautifully maintained, filled with think, rich, green grass. Others were weed-filled thatch with a lot of what Bill's mom calls "sticky-ups": wild garlic, pig ear and buckhorn. One day we passed an otherwise well-tended lawn with two patches of small bright yellow flowers sprouting up. I suspect they were weeds. No one would plant flowers where these appeared. They were pretty, though--an uplifting sight amongst all the green blades of grass.
As Christians, we're called to be like those flowers: to stand out (in a positive way) in a crowd. Nothing flashy needed. Just something obviously brighter than whatever's going on around us.
Proverbs 13:9 ...The light of the righteous shines brightly....
Bill was digging in the garden last night, preparing a spot for a new plant. Things started out OK but after a bit, he hit a lot of rock. He really worked hard at it and eventually freed a rock almost the size of a dinner plate! Nothing would ever grow beyond it. No plant could develop a deep enough root system with that rock in the way. Roots would keep hitting the rocky obstruction and get stalled.
Our growth can hit rocks, too, if we rely only on ourselves and forget to include God in the mix. I often think of people who don't know God at all and so rely solely on their own thoughts in order to sift through things. How do they DO it?! After a time, we reach the end of our human capacity--rock bottom. We need a Mind and Heart greater than ours to get us through.
Jeremiah 33:3 ...Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
I'm so anxious for raspberries I could just dash out back and grab a few off the bush--except that I tried that once and the berries were TERRIBLE! All hard and green and bitter. Not what I wanted at all. I'll have to wait for them, I guess. They're just not ready yet.
Sometimes there's other stuff in our lives that's just not ready yet: jobs, finances and relationships, for instance. If we're patient and wait for circumstances to "ripen" in our lives, they will.
The raspberries will arrive at exactly the right time and will be just what we need. So will every other blessing we have the patience to wait for. Just wait and see!!
Psalms 27:13 ...I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD...
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This page was last revised on February 23, 2020 at 7:41 PM.
