Read John 14:26-31

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things,

and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (v. 26).

The birth of a baby giraffe holds some fascinating lessons for us. The mother goes to a spot where there are no bushes, just flat dirt. As the baby is born, it falls ten or twelve feet. When the baby hits the ground, it rolls over and just lies there with legs all curled up under it. The mother positions herself over the baby to protect it from predators, and seeing none, she kicks the baby. It flies across the dirt head over heels. If the baby does not stand up, the mother will go over and kick it again, sending it sprawling. This will happen over and over again until the baby finally stands up. The mother goes over and sends it flying again. She knows that the baby needs to learn and needs to remember how to stand so it can save itself later in a time of danger. She kicks it again, not because she is having a bad hair day, but because she wants her baby to remember.

Is it not better to learn that way than try to learn with a lion hot on your tail? How could a God who supposedly loves us let us go through terrible times? That is very simple. God loves us so much He teaches us lessons that will help us survive during the difficult times of life. (L Gayle Woods)

The Spirit guides and teaches in every part of life.

This week's featured devotional is from the Wednesday, March 18, 2015 entry of Opening the Word.

Photo credit: "giraffe" by Sadie Hart used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized, cropped.

Read Romans 1:3-7
“And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (v. 4).
Probably the greatest demonstration of the power of Jesus was in His resurrection. He conquered death, hell, and the grave! Jesus gave the unequivocal declaration to His disciples, after His resurrection: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt. 28:18). One of the great proofs of the deity of Jesus is that He possesses all the attributes of the Godhead. According to Scripture He is the Creator of the universe. “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). The attribute of omnipotence or being all powerful is emphasized in today’s lesson.
When we see what is happening in our nation and world, we may wonder why an omnipotent God does not intervene. We should remember that Jesus taught His disciples to pray: “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). God sees all things from beginning to end, and we can rest assured that His will will be accomplished, on time and in proper order. (Burl McClanahan)

All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all. — Edward Perronet

We have an omnipotent Christ who can do for us what is best.

This week's featured devotional is from the Wednesday, March 11, 2015 entry of Opening the Word.

Photo credit: "Jesus' Tomb" by upyernoz used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized, cropped.

Read Psalm 19:1-14
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (v. 7).
The United States government has written laws which are thousands of pages long. Even with such length, these laws do not cover a broad range of possibilities. We can have laws thousands of pages long yet still need hundreds of laws to cover every contingency.
This problem is not new. Israelite religious leaders had a tendency duriing Jesus’ time to create intricate laws about even the most minute details of everyday life. These laws were terribly burdensome.
Somehow humanity thinks more laws will make us better able to stay in line. God knows better. His law is perfect in its simplicity. This world’s wisdom does not compare to God’s. (Michelle Avery)

The law of God is good and wise,
And sets His will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress.
Its light of holiness imparts
The knowledge of our sinful hearts,
That we may see our lost estate
And seek deliverance ere too late. — Matthias Loy

God’s law shows His wisdom and His love.

This devotional is the Monday, February 23, 2015 entry from Opening the Word.
Photo credit: "Light reading" by Loozrboy used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / Resized, text added.

Read Proverbs 5:15-23
“Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running wa- ters out of thine own well” (v. 15).
We were created with very real needs for relationship, love, acceptance, a sense of self-worth, recognition, and purpose. Our Heavenly Father has lovingly made provisions for each of these needs. God never fails His child, but we fail each other. We experience rejection instead of recognition; abuse destroys our sense of self-worth. It is hard to love or receive love. We have a choice. Will an unmet need control life, or will we allow God to control when, where, and how our needs will be met? This choice has life-changing importance. Turning to the world to meet legitimate needs often starts a downward spiral. Decisions are made; attitudes develop. Motivation that originated as a desire for relief, escape, recognition, comfort, or acceptance turns destructive. The attempt to meet a need becomes bondage — a bondage unwanted and hard to break free from. No longer the master, the individual unwittingly becomes the victim of the choices made.
We have the opportunity and responsibility to choose whether to be the master of our desires and needs or to allow them to have mastery over us. Lord, help us to be careful in meeting the needs of others and allow you to meet our needs! (LAD)

Lord, I choose to trust you with this day.

This week's featured devotional is from the Monday, February 16, 2015 entry of Opening the Word.
Photo credit: "Israel - Nimrod - fortress cistern" by Matt Mickelson used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / Resized, text added.

Read Psalm 31:17-24
“Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous” (v. 18).
Several men were seated in a circle talking, and the subject turned to fishing. As it often happens in such circles, one story is told, and another tops it with his story of success. Glenn, who could have been described as having some cognitive limitations, was among the men. He had a story of his own. He said he had caught a very big fish. He was asked, “How big?”
“Well,” he said, “it was so big it took a half hour for the hole in the water to close up!”
Now that was a story!
As I remember it, about that time the group erupted with laughter and dispersed. They had been bested by someone they thought was incapable of such declarations, but remember that lying, shading the truth, and exaggerations come under the condemnation of God.
God is truth. God expects truth from the lips of His people. Truth is the very fabric of the gospel, and we discredit it if we fail to tell the truth. God tells us about how really sinful and helpless we are apart from God, and by God’s grace we will dwell in a realm where truth and truth alone is the order of the day. (Lonnie Witt)

They who practice lying are not a reflection of the Author of truth.

This week's featured devotional is from the Wednesday, February 11, 2015 entry of Opening the Word.

Photo credit: "38 Pounder from Eldean" by Tim Creque used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized, cropped.