DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE 17-24

© By Danna Shirley

#17 - THE ANCHOR HOLDS

“ . . . for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”  (2 Timothy 1:12)

The focus here is . . . what I have committed to Him! What are you holding back from Jesus? What won’t you entrust to Him? 

You won’t be disappointed if you turn your life, your all, over to Jesus. You won’t be tossed to and fro if you hold onto this Anchor. It is Weighty, it is Sure, it is Unmovable . . . it is Jesus Christ!

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast . . .”  (Hebrews 6:19)

Who is the solid, unmovable, anchor in your life?

JESUS CHRIST – THE ANCHOR HOLDS!

Prop: Use a real anchor to demonstrate its weight and substance.   If you have a fake anchor, use it as a comparison. (My friend, Barbara Fairley, sang and signed The Anchor Holds by Ray Boltz. The Holy Spirit touched and blessed the entire Open Assembly in such an awesome way through this mini-devotional.)

#18 - IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  (John 14:27)

A friend of mine came by the office to see how I was doing after my husband had died. She was the very first friend I made after moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1981. 

Libby has crippling arthritis. She has had several surgeries on her feet to keep them from drawing up and now must use a cane to walk. Her hands are gnarled so badly she can’t hold anything. It was a struggle for her to come to the office and get in and out of the car.

I was so touched by her labored effort to comfort me and I wished there was something I could do for her. I was sure many people had been praying. She said they were. Then she looked at me and just smiled and said, “It is well with my soul.” 

When there is nothing else to be done, we must just rest in Jesus. 

      When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
      When sorrows like sea billows roll;
      Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
      It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Words:  Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

Music:  Philip P. Bliss, 1876

 Props:  None.  You may want to just sing the entire song…IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

#19 - PASS IT ON

 “. . . For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  (2 Corinthians 4:18)

I’m sure we all have treasures that have been handed down in the family either from a grandmother or a great-grandfather. Something precious intended to be passed along to our children and hopefully, to be treasured by them just as much. 

My treasures are:

·         My mother’s Bible given to her by her parents when she left for college in 1937. 

·         My husband’s grandfather’s pocket watch that he bought during the Depression for one bale of hay. (He baled only two that year.)

·         A handcrafted miniature violin that my father made during WWII out of the windshield of a B-17 bomber. 

·         An oil painting done by my husband in one of his more creative moments.

My children already know that these are irreplaceable to me and my wish is that they remain in the family but . . . The Greatest Gift I can give my children is not temporal but eternal.

“Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

(Ephesians 6:4 KJV)

“Train up a child in the way he should go:

and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

(Proverbs 22:6 KJV)

PASS JESUS ON! 

  Props:  Use an antique or family heirloom.

#20 - MILK vs. MEAT

 “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.  (Hebrews 5:13-14)

When I accepted the Lord as my Savior at age 32, my “spiritual mother” was 18 years old. Melody babied me through the Word of God on a daily basis until I could stand on my own.  Age has nothing to do with years in the Kingdom of God. I was hungry, she was my nurturer. 

Some Christians may sit on the pew for years and years still feeding on the milk of the Word. Others may only be a few years old in the Lord and are already digesting its meaty substance. We grow according to our desire.

No matter where we are in our walk with the Lord,

      . . . from the cradle to the grave,

            . . . from milk to meat,

                  . . . from infancy to maturity, 

we are to continually grow in Christ, seeking after and drawing close to Him.

Props: Use two baby dolls and two “old folks” dolls to depict from the cradle to the grave . . . OR you may want to use a carton of milk and a package of meat.

#21 - LOST

 “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”  (Matthew 18:11)

Along with the invention of computers came new terminology, such as . . .

                        corrupted files             invalid path      

                        disk error                     improper shutdown

                        illegal operation           virus—don’t open

When these terms hit the screen, we may cringe with defeat and if horrific enough, scream and beat our fists on the keyboard. But for all of our wailing, if it’s lost, it’s lost!

God has his terminology as well . . .

                        defiled                         iniquity     

                        unrighteous                 wicked   

                        evil – sin                      unforgiving

                        LOST!

But in God there is hope because He can take the things that Satan meant for evil and turn them for good. All is NOT lost when Jesus saves, cleans up, and restores our lost files (life)!

Props:  Laptop computer and disks. Demonstrate putting a disk into a computer. We only get out of, what we put into. Are we putting in “corrupted” files or “virus free” files. Expound on the point you would like to make.

#22 - HOW BRIGHT IS YOUR LIGHT

 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (Matt 5:16)

·         Are you “plugged in” to The Source of Life . . . Jesus?

·         Does your light shine? 

·         Do you brighten up the dark places?

·         How much energy for Jesus do you transmit?

Or . . .

·         Is your light so dim that no one knows you even shine at all for Jesus?

·         Maybe you blink on and off . . . “on” in church and “off” in the world.

·         Do you hide your light under a bushel? 

Jesus tells us in Luke 9:26

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

Do not be ashamed . . . let your light shine bright for Jesus!

Props: Use various flashlights (sizes and brightness). Use one that is made to float on the water like fishermen use; indicate how we can float on top of our circumstances by moving the flashlight through the air as if it is floating on the water. Use some with new batteries and some dim. Expound on how much light each gives out, etc.

#23 - GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT

 “. . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”  (Matthew 12:34)

What we put into our thought life or through our mind’s eye, is what we will think and dwell on . . . garbage in. What comes out of our mouth and our ill thinking is the result of that input   . . . garbage out. 

“Garbage” can enter our lives through many avenues. . . books and magazines, radio and television, the internet, the movie industry, or words spoken inappropriately. Once “garbage” has entered through the door of our mind, it takes up residence there and our mind can recall it at any given time; even if we don’t want it to be recalled.

We are role models for those around us, whether at home or at church, for children as well as adults. We must make a stand and put a guard over our mind just as God tells us to put a guard over our mouth . . .

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

Keep watch over the door of my lips.”

(Psalm 141:3)

Is it time to clean house?

Props:  Books, video tapes, music CDs, magazines, etc.

#24 - WEIGHT LOSS

 “. . . lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us . . . ”  (Hebrews 12:1)

I exercise with two-pound weights . . . occasionally! They don’t seem very heavy to lift up and down a few times but stand there with outstretched arms and hold them for awhile and their weight becomes unbearable. 

Sometimes our sins are like carrying heavy weights; they may not seem so severe at first but the more we hold onto them with outstretched arms, the more unbearable they become.

It is better to keep our godly appearance at all times than to try to regain it after it has been weighted down with sin.

God wants us to follow His weight loss program of unburdening ourselves from those heavy weights (sins) that so easily ensnare us.  

Props:  Two two-pound weights. Demonstrate how light they are at first; easily thrown around. Then hold them with outstretched arms and see how quickly your arms fail you.  Expound on how our sins weigh heavily upon us just as the weights.