God is Not a Meanie!
Four year old Phoebe looked up from her hospital bed and told her parents, “It is alright because God is not a meanie!” At her memorial service these words made us all cry. It has been several years, but they still come to mind regularly.
Jesus asked His disciples two questions: “Who do men say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?” He still asks us the same question. What is your answer?
The pastor and author A.W. Tozer wrote these words: “What a person thinks about when they think about God is the most important thing about them.” What do you think about when you think when you think about God?
As a young girl I learned to sing “Be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear, be careful little mouth what you say. The Father up above is looking down in love.” “The Father up above” phrase put down deep roots in my little soul. I knew I could hide in my closet, under my bed – anywhere and God could see me. What didn’t go deep was the phrase “in love.” He watches because He cares, not because He is wanting to catch me doing something bad and mete out punishment. When as an adult I learned who He really is, it changed my life.
We know who we are because we know who He is. Our identity is established in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a forever hallelujah! The world sets the parameters for how we think of ourselves and regard others. Those are false measures. The true one is established from the foundation of the earth by the Lord God Almighty who sent Jesus to redeem us, and tell us we are now His.
Prayer Network
by Brenda A. Smith, BWFLI.com, BreakfastWithFred.com
“Many questions and many decisions… that is May.”
Sitting with a group of young women at Asbury University Charlotte McNally asked “What keeps you up at night? The response surprised us because it was almost in unison: “What’s Next?” The stories expressed a mixture of anxiety, uncertainty, excitement, and faith. That was 2019. We did not know the “What’s Next?” for them was the life altering COVID pandemic, As we pray for the 2025 graduates and those coming quickly behind, we know that question still arises. We, also, ask that question, don’t we?
This month we join together to support our Christian institutions committed to the building of men and women who will take steps to make their What’s Next? reflect their faith, educational preparation, and expansive vision.
These are turbulent times, but we know our great God holds the future of the students, staff, faculty, and administrations. Pray for wisdom, discernment, focus, and joy. Pray for strength, direction, and flourishing.
Most Likely to Succeed?
by Bob Deffinbaugh, Bible.org, BWFLI.com
For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, 29 that no man should boast before God (1 Corinthians 1:26-29, NAS).
When it comes to leadership, we are quick to think in secular terms such as “most likely to succeed.” We suppose, “Surely these are the folks who will most likely become spiritual leaders.” As I was reading Matthew’s account of our Lord’s calling of four disciples (Matthew 4:18-22) this text in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 came to mind. I’ve always believed what Paul said with regard to Christians in general, but I never thought of his words as referring to leaders.
But there it was: Peter and Andrew, James and John. Peter was a screw-up, who denied Jesus under pressure; James died first of the disciples, having no long-term ministry. And John, the “most likely to succeed,” among the bunch was not given the prominence our Lord gave Peter (Matthew 16:17-19; Luke 22:31-34).
As we pray for our students, let us be careful to include those whom men may disregard, but our Lord delights in using powerfully, to His glory.
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Divine Principles
Weekly Thought – May 6, 2025
Fred saw life through the filter of principles and illustrations. He observed that the principles never change – just the illustrations. His great friend Jack Modesett, Jr. commented: “Looking for principles is fun and rewarding. And with a little practice, it becomes a way of seeing God at work in His creation. Thanks, Fred, for launching me on that road.”
Divine Principles
While Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” it does not give us a clear and succinct definition of wisdom. Personally, I define it as the knowledge and us of divine principles. As Einstein says, “I want to think God’s thoughts after Him.” To me, that is wisdom. Too many people move from data to information to knowledge, but never get to wisdom.
The wisdom of divine principles is often conceptual, not just in explicit chapter and verse. For example, the love of God that so few people really understand was perfectly stated by Ray Stedman in these words: “My life changed when I realized God was for me.”
The gaining of knowledge is the first step toward wisdom. For example, my good friend Jack Modesett, Jr. said “My time at Princeton became enjoyable and profitable when I discovered that learning was fun.” He has carried this over into his Bible studies and teaching. Exploring divine mysteries is exciting.
Another helpful divine principle is “God will not do for you what you can do for yourself, but He will not let you do for yourself what only He can do.” Often we must take the first step, like the priests who had to step into the Red Sea before the waters parted.
A principle that has been sustaining to me during these years of disability is one that Oswald Chambers has helped me see: “God will not give you strength to overcome, but will give you strength as you overcome.”
What a treasury of wisdom we have in the saints who have gone before us, and when we accept Scripture as God’s word and the authority for life.
In it we learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
This week carefully consider: 1) What divine principles are part of my daily thinking? 2) How can I sharpen my ability to see and use these principles? 3) Who models this practice for me?
Words of Wisdom: “The wisdom of divine principles is often conceptual, not just in explicit chapter and verse.”
Wisdom from the Word: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:7a NET Bible)