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 and I were at the dining room table this morning when I saw a hawk fly over our back yard. It slowed a bit, checked out the yard for available small birds, found none and flew off. It reminded me of Satan scanning the world for victims.
Satan - and hawks - look for victims who are available, out in the open, tired, distracted, unaware, weakened, alone, injured or unhealthy in some way. In other words, they look for someone who won't fight back. Both swoop in silently, descending rapidly when their prey is most vulnerable.
Birds and people need to be most alert when they're most fragile. Otherwise hawks - and Satan - will quickly take advantage.
Job 1:7 ...Satan [came from] roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.
Bill and I stopped at one of our local grocery stores today. Since it was a bit chilly, he was wearing light gloves, which he dropped into our shopping basket. Because he only had a few items, he headed for the self-check-out. He swiped his card and his first item, and then took a moment to retrieve his gloves from the basket and put them in his pocket.
The check-out machine, figuring erroneously that Bill had enough time to complete his transaction, closed down. Sheesh! An attendant got it going again, but this reminded me of Jesus because this isn't like Him at all. He gives us all the time need to do what we need to do. He doesn't time out or go to sleep just when we need Him. He's ALWAYS with us.
Psalms 73:23 ...Yet I am always with you....
Bill was in a public restroom today. It had all the latest hygienic fixtures: a touch-less soap dispenser, hands-free hot water, and motion-detector hand towels.
Naturally it made me think of Jesus - because He's so not "touch-less." He was always right in the trenches, shoulder-to-shoulder with His people. Contact and relationship were central to His ministry. Some of his favorite times were when He was touching His beloved people.
Have you let Him touch you lately?
Matthew 8:15 ...He touched her hand and the fever left her....
Bill enjoys doing crosswords. Some of the clues can be interesting. He ran into one today: a three-letter word for a "flexible fish." Ah - an eel!
Being flexible implies a willingness to be led. It's a pliable quality, involving an adaptable approach to life. It suggests a lack of rigidity in dealing with life.
These are just the qualities God wants His followers to display - the ability to put aside our goals so that His may be attained. As we navigate the daily rivers and streams of life, we're supposed to be "flexible fish," too.
Matthew 26:42 ...may your will be done.
Bill and I were somewhere or other recently when a very tired and harried checker totaled up our purchases, smiled wearily, handed Bill his receipt and said, "Have a today." She immediately grinned and said, "Oh my! I meant to say 'Have a good day.'"
Her comment - "Have a today" - stayed with me as we departed. That's really what Jesus wants for each of us - that we'd have a "today", untainted by anxiety about the past or worry about the future.
"Today" really means "on this day," which is where Christ wants us to live, peacefully amid His unchanging love and provision.
1 Timothy 2:2 ...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives....
Several years ago we saw a wonderful production at Sight and Sound in Lancaster, PA. At one point, a very impressive-looking Roman guard entered on a beautiful white horse, dismounted and read an announcement to an assembled group of people. As the centurion mingled with the crowd, assuring that the fearsome Roman presence was clearly visible, an underling appeared, took the reins and led the horse off-stage as the play continued.
As the horse exited, it occurred to me that he wasn't led off until it was time. So it is with God's leading on our lives. We often think something in our lives or in the lives of others should move in a different direction or operate with different timing; but things tend to move off in God's timing rather than in our own.
In stage plays and in life, God knows when all the cues are ready to signal movement. It's good to let Him lead the way in His own timing.
Exodus 15:13 ...In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.
My cat friend Queenie Buttertoes stopped in for a visit today. She's especially fascinated by words. Today we got to talking about airplanes (one flew over shortly after she arrived) and how they can be incoming or outgoing - or in flight.
We decided that an airplane is actually a good example of Christian calling. We're supposed to be "outgoing," of course: headed out into the world to love and to serve. And we're supposed to spend a good deal of time "in flight": actually doing the loving and serving stuff. And we're supposed to do the "incoming" part, too...settling in for repairs and refueling.
It's the "incoming" stuff that many of us don't get enough of: the "come away and get some rest" part. Unless we allow time for incoming refueling and maintenance, we won't be ready to handle our "in-flight" time effectively.
Mark 6:31 ...Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.
We stopped at our favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner a while ago. While we were enjoying our wine, I was watching two families. Each had a preschool child and each had both parents at the table. At the one table, all three were absorbed with technology. Dad was anxiously talking on his cell phone; Mom was glued to an incoming text message; and even the youngster was totally focused on an electronic game of some sort. At the other table, dad was glued to the child, engaging him in "conversation" and manipulating some small object around the table while Mom smilingly looked on, commenting occasionally.
At table number one, the only eye contact was with some mechanical thing. At table number two, the eye contact was with people - which is just what God intended. He wants us to focus on each other and on Him. Without eye contact, there's no true relationship...and someone can't be the apple of my eye if I'm looking elsewhere.
Psalms 17:8 ...Keep me as the apple of your eye....
When we finished dinner at a local restaurant tonight, our waitress brought the "book" containing our bill, laid it on the table and said, "No rush. I'll take it when you're ready." We never had this happen before, but when Bill opened it, there was nothing in it. No charge? (Actually, the waitress forgot to run the bill!)
It reminded me of Jesus over 2000 years ago. The same thing happened on Golgotha - only Jesus didn't forget to run the bill. He simply paid the price of salvation for each of us. No charge. Really!
Philippians 2:8 ... [Christ Jesus]...became obedient to death - even death on a cross!
We were visiting Bill's friend Harvey one day last summer, sitting on his front porch and enjoying the delightful weather. At one point Harvey got up, went into the house, and emerged with a large watering can. He was off to fill the birdbath, but he headed back into the house a moment later, a disgusted look on his face. "I forgot to fill the can," he said. "Can't accomplish much that way." How true.
People work that way, too. If we're empty spiritually, we can't accomplish much for God. We can't give what we haven't got within us. As we head out into the big wide world, we need to be filled with the Living Waters of His Presence so that we can pour out His Love to others.
Revelation 21:6 ...To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
Bill's burning a pillar candle while he does his daily devotions. It's about six inches high with wide lavender and white stripes. It's producing a gentle lavender fragrance and a cheery steady flame. The only problem is that the candle's burning slightly unevenly. The wick isn't centered, so the left side of the candle is still fairly thick, while the right side has almost completely melted through.
People (except Our Jesus) are a lot like this candle. We're not centered perfectly, either. We get pushed off-center by earthly cares and we can live our entire lives just slightly to the right or left of perfection. Thankfully this is OK with God. He knows all about us and loves us anyway.
And just as Bill uses his candle in spite of its imperfections, God does the same with us. Even if we're burning slightly crookedly, He still asks us to bring His Light and comfort to others.
Matthew 5:14 ...You are the light of the world.
We were out for dinner last night. As we started on our salads, a family came in with a very young and obviously very cranky toddler. The little one yelled and screeched as the family tried to order. Finally, she stopped, took a deep breath and screamed, "I WANT TO GO HOME!!!!"
Don't you feel that way sometimes, too? The world and its cares and concerns just feel like too much sometimes and we want out. Once, at a funeral, I overheard someone say that "God gives us broken bodies so we can go home." That's a comforting thought.
"I want to go home." Of course you do! It's where you belong, where Jesus is ultimately calling you...your permanent residence within the Household of God.
Philippians 3:14 ...I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Jesus Christ.
Click here to read the Wending Our Way devotions.
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This page was last revised on February 23, 2020 at 7:41 PM.
