We can probably all relate to the hurt and despair that comes when the one we love turns away from our value system or even away from us personally. Unfaithfulness in marriage, ungodly lifestyles, unhealthy practices, and dishonesty: these are only a few of the myriad of issues that cause deep hurt. From this deep hurt may come weeping. We may even question, “Why?”

In Luke 19:41 we find Jesus weeping. He wept over the city of Jerusalem, a city that was considered the religious center for God’s people. Why would Jesus weep over the religious capital of the Jewish people? Had He not just been welcomed by rejoicing throngs as He made His way into town on the colt of a donkey? Did those who thronged about Him not praise God for the mighty works Jesus had done? Did they not call Him King?

True, Jesus was welcomed by throngs as he made His way into the city. But Jesus knew that He was rejected by the city as a whole and by the religious leaders in particular. He was about to give His life for all of these people. And He was about to give His life at the hands of those who kept the law religiously but rejected Him, the Messiah for whom they were looking. No, the religious leaders would not actually kill Jesus, but they would request His death.

Jesus also knew that destruction would come to Jerusalem. He knew the turmoil that would be with the people for hundreds, and even thousands, of years. He knew that all the love He felt for them, even laying down His life, would change the city only if the people of the city chose to believe in and accept Him. Does Jesus not weep for all who reject Him? All who refuse to turn to Him with their problems? With their love and submission? His love for each of us is just as strong as His love for Jerusalem.

Devotional Prayer: Lord, help me to accept You and Your will, and may I never give You cause to weep over me as You wept over Jerusalem.

Reproduced with permission from Network 211.

Luke 20:37-38 inspires hope by implying death cannot separate even the patriarchs from God’s love or presence! This reminds me of Paul’s statement in Philippians 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” How can death be gain unless it is also life? The promise of life is not only a heavenly promise. Jesus also said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, NIV). Life, as Jesus uses the word, is only meaningful within the context of a right relationship with Him.

What about our lives? Are we living abundant, full lives as Christ intended? It starts with repentance, a heart set free from a guilty conscience, an acknowledgement of the lordship of Jesus Christ, and a growing faith. Today and everyday we serve a living God who asks us to pass along this great promise of eternal life to others. Sadly, there are also believers who have yet to realize the abundant joy of living victorious lives. They will require an example to show them how.

Devotional Prayer: Lord, help me to celebrate the value of life in a world that celebrates death. Help me to lead others to the waters of eternal life and to live my life in accordance to Your divine will and teachings. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reproduced with permission from Network 211.

The principle can be applied to our own day. The weakest and the poorest of our society are to have the opportunities that include financial resources, access to education, and legal assistance. These are the matters of rights in a caring society. As Christian members of society, we should seek to make this a reality. Two times the children of Israel were reminded of their slavery in Egypt and the mighty deliverance that brought them out of Egypt. It has been said that when Israel forgot its history, it forgot its poor.

The sojourner, the orphan, and the widow of Deuteronomy have much in common with the refugee, the homeless, the aged, and the immigrant of our time. The memory of what God has done in our lives causes us to care about others and to do something to help them. Otherwise, we are not worshiping the God of the exodus or the Christ who delivered us from bondage.

What lesson can we learn from this passage? Let us be reminded of the grace and mercy of God on our behalf and show the same to the unfortunate through generous giving and deeds.

Prayer: Lord, make me conscious of the privilege of helping the poor and the weak around me!

Reproduced with permission from Network 211.

Devotional Prayer: Oh, God, when the waiting gets long, help me to remember that you have never been late yet.

I already had in mind to give half to the church on Sunday and half to our friend who is studying to be a pastor. We have been helping quite a few people lately, and I really know God is watching us. He knew we wanted to help more people, and this was His way of showing us He exists. If Gustavo had not reminded me to read the Bible that night, I may not have found the money. That Sunday, Pastor John spoke about helping our sister church in the Philippines, so the money went even further than I could have ever imagined. I feel so blessed to be part of Covina Assembly as everyday there is a new blessing for my family. I have always known that God was walking with me, but sometimes I forget for that brief moment, and then He brings me back to where He wants me to be, praising and lifting His name to all we meet and come into contact with. I have told this story to Christians as well as non-believers, and they all leave with a sense of awe. The ones who are non-believers even start to think that maybe God does exist! Anyway you look at it, it leaves us knowing that God takes care of everything. We just need to believe His message and keep sharing His word with the world.

Nicole Arias

“It’s not really dirty, honey,” Mama comforted me. “It’s just messy.”

I looked around. Toys littered the floor. Dining room chairs sat askew. One curtain lay rucked up at the windowsill. Through the door to our bedroom I caught a glimpse of our still unmade bed. It looks a wreck! At least I can pick up the toys while Mama is enjoying the children.

Every young mother has had such a day, sometimes many days like that in succession. Just as you finish the breakfast dishes and are ready to start the day’s work, the baby needs a change. Then the toddler’s nose needs attention, the preschooler gets into something, and the phone rings. A whole morning can fritter away like that! When you put the kids down for a nap, you’re bone tired, with still a day’s work to do.

Here are a few suggestions to make your day go more smoothly.

Make your bed first. The morning seems to unwind more smoothly if one’s bed is made. Set the clock a few minutes earlier, if necessary, to get that in; it will be worth it. (Making my bed took less than three minutes this morning—a small price for feeling good about yourself!) The first line of an antique sampler reads: “The beauty of the home is order. . . .” Tidiness in one’s bedroom begets tidiness in the house.

Pick up clothes. Worn clothes should stay on the floor no longer than overnight. Investing in another hamper for the master bedroom is a good idea. Encourage your husband to “practice baskets” with his soiled laundry. Urging children to clean their rooms will lack authority if Mom and Dad don’t keep theirs neat. It takes only minutes when you do it every day. Besides, vacuuming isn’t such a chore when the floor is already clutter-free.

Teach the children to keep their toys in a certain play area, preferably out of sight from the living room in case a visitor drops in. An occasional toy will find its way to the living room anyway, but before goodnights are said, have pick-up time. A tidy living room and bedroom can be rewarded with a story or a glass of milk and a cookie in the kitchen before bed. Even toddlers are not too young to help—with extravagant praise from Mom and Dad!

Straighten out-of-place articles as soon as you see them. The smaller your home, the less “mess” is tolerable. Children’s papers on the table, a picture hanging crooked, a “blanky” strewn across the sofa and two throw pillows askew make a small room look disaster-struck. When you are too tired suggest that the oldest child help and tell him what to do. Kids always have energy.

Pray over your home. This is the most important suggestion. Healthy, exuberant children are a blessing. Even so, the appearance of security and control in your home and a peaceful atmosphere is important for all of your family. God will help you to bring an untidy house under control if you ask Him to “bless this mess!”

Reproduced with permission from Network 211.

What you rarely see are the stories 30 years later. Instead of being trim and beautiful, many of these people are paying an awful price for their self-indulgence. Early death, disease-ravaged bodies, broken relationships—these are just some of the many consequences that come out of living the “good life.”

Luke 12:32-34 gives us a much better picture of what a truly good life offers. Here we see that giving, rather than getting, leads to happiness, true contentment, and a share in the Kingdom God is preparing for His people. The key to this truth is understanding that the heart is where our treasures really lie.

Today would be a great time to evaluate the priorities in your life. Are they the values that are truly valuable? As you make loving God your top priority, your heart will be full of real treasure.

Devotional Prayer: Lord, thank You for giving me a life filled with Your treasures. Help me to never forget these true treasures.

Reproduced with permission from Network 211.

My son was released on August 6 from the hospital with the tracheal tube. We were trained on how to take care of him. The boy adjusted very quickly but when on Sunday August 9 we prepared to go to church Kelvin said he did not want to go to church because his friends would laugh at him. My wife explained to him that good friends don't laugh at friends when they are sick; she suggested to him that we attend another church until he felt comfortable, and he agreed. And since they had visited Covina Assembly with a family friend, he agreed to go there and everyone was happy. At kids’ church my son had a special connection with his teachers and the other kids. When my wife asked how church was, he said, “IT WAS AWESOME, MOM.” At that point we knew God was at work in Kelvin. We have since become members of the church, my kids also suggested that we begin coming to church every Wednesday.

The real miracle though happened on December 13 at 8 a.m. as we were preparing to go to church. We usually change Kelvin’s tracheal tube on Sundays. I removed the old tracheal tube and Kelvin cleaned the hole, but when I tried to put in the new one, the hole was closed completely. What we did not notice was that the boy was breathing well. We rushed him to the ER. We got there at 8:20 a.m. and the doctor at the ER tried but he could not put in the tracheal tube either, and he asked, "When did you remove it?" We told him, “about twenty minutes ago.” He could not believe it. He called Children’s Hospital, and he was advised not to force it back in, but to cover it with a gauze and wait until Monday when we could see Kelvin’s doctor.

When we were released from the ER, Kelvin said he wanted to go to church and sing. We told him that he could sing in the 11 o'clock service. We drove back home, and we were in church in time for the service but with a resuscitation bag in the car, as advised by the doctor. Both he and his sister Natalie sung in the children's choir. On Monday, December 14, just one day later, the doctor at Children’s Hospital thought we had removed the tracheal tube one week ago. They even called the school nurse to confirm that Kelvin had the tracheal tube on Friday.

The nurse at the school said it was a miracle and that is what it is. GOD is good and he is a miracle worker, and he has been active throughout the period and more now. Kelvin is doing well in school, still on medication, and the doctor has confirmed that he is breathing well. We thank GOD, for he has good plans for our son.

Speech is an inherent part of our lives. It provides us with a means of communication. It even supplies some of us with a means of ministry. But our speech can also damage and destroy.

Whether or not our speech benefits those who hear it depends on the nature of the one doing the talking. According to Proverbs 10:21, if our words spring from a righteous life, they will nourish the listener. The principle is easy to understand. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (ESV). When the heart is right, speech tends to be right as well. Good, righteous speech benefits the people being spoken to.

Every person who ministers by sharing God’s Word in preaching or teaching needs to keep in mind that effectiveness in spoken word is inseparably tied to righteous living. When the heart isn’t right, the spoken word will become a hollow echo of what the Lord intended it to be. And it won’t be long until those who listen will begin to see that something is missing in our teaching or preaching. What is the alternative to righteous talk? According to this verse, it is foolish talk. Those who speak out of folly cannot nourish themselves, much less anyone else. As a result, those who sit under their teaching or preaching will die for nourishment.

When Paul wrote to young Timothy about his responsibilities as a preacher, he worded his advice in an interesting order. “Keep a close watch on yourself,” he first said. Then he added, “and on the teaching” (1 Timothy 4:16, ESV). We who minister in the pulpit or classroom need to keep an eye on ourselves first. Only then will we be able to minister profitably to those in the congregation or classroom.

We all need to take a serious look at our messages and our lives. Righteous living needs to back up the words we share with others. If righteous living is absent, our words become foolish words, and those who receive them will starve.

Prayer: Help me, Lord, to use my words profitably and to back up my words with a righteous life.

Reproduced with permission from Network 211.