Strength – Western Loudoun Community Church

The one who is in [us] is greater than the one who is in the world. 1John 4:4

Several years ago, my sons and I spent a few days camping in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Northern Idaho. It’s grizzly bear habitat, but we carried bear spray, kept our campsites clean, and anticipated no major grizzly encounters.

One evening, in the middle of the night, I heard Randy scramble around trying to get out of his sleeping bag. I grabbed my flashlight and turned it on, expecting to see him in the clutches of an enraged grizzly.

There, sitting upright on its haunches and waving its paws in the air was a field mouse about 4 inches tall. It had Randy’s cap firmly clenched in its teeth. The little creature had tugged and tugged until he pulled Randy’s cap from his head. As I laughed, the mouse dropped the cap and scampered away. We crawled back into our sleeping bags. I, however, fully adrenalized, couldn’t get back to sleep and thought about another predator—the devil.

Consider Satan’s temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). He countered his enticements with the Scriptures. With each answer, Jesus reminded Himself that God had spoken on this issue and therefore He wouldn’t disobey. This caused the devil to flee.

Although Satan wants to devour us, it’s good to remember that he’s a created being like the little rodent. John said, “the one who is in [us] is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4)

By David H. Roper

Credit: Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread

He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed…..Psalm 107:29

“Chasing tornadoes,” says Warren Faidley, “is often like a giant game of 3D-chess played out over thousands of square miles.” The photojournalist and storm-chaser adds: “Being in the right place at the right time is a symphony of forecasting and navigation while dodging everything from softball-sized hailstones to dust storms and slow-moving farm equipment.”

Faidley’s words make my palms sweat and heart beat faster. While admiring the raw courage and scientific hunger storm chasers display, I balk at throwing myself into the middle of potentially fatal weather events.

In my experience, however, I don’t have to chase storms in life—they seem to be chasing me. That experience is mirrored by Psalm 107 as it describes sailors trapped in a storm. They were being chased by the consequences of their wrong choices but the psalmist says, “They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm” (Psalm 107:28-30).

Whether the storms of life are of our own making or the result of living in a broken world, our Father is greater. When we are being chased by storms, He alone is able to calm them—or to calm the storm within us.

By Bill Crowder

REFLECT & PRAY:

Thank You, Father, that You’re with me in my struggles and Your power is greater than any storm on my horizon.

Morning Habit

What if each day you thought of something positive you could do for your marriage? It’s something I try to think about every day. Why? I have seen how daily positive actions can do amazing things for my marriage. First, just thinking about doing something good for my marriage puts my relationship with Nancy in a positive light in my mind and makes me want to do something good for her. This type of attitude allows each day to be a new beginning, no matter what happened yesterday. Second, it lets Nancy know she is a priority for me. She knows I am thinking about her and about our marriage.

Don’t make this complicated. A positive thing can be something as simple as saying a few meaningful words: “I really missed you today while I was at work”; “You look really beautiful/handsome today”; “Let’s make sure we have alone time together this evening”; “What can I do to help you today?” It can be writing a text, a note, or a card, or doing a chore your spouse usually does. The whole idea of our “One Thing” emails is to give you ideas that will help you improve your marriage one day at a time. If you commit to doing something good for your marriage every day, I promise your marriage will be better.

Today’s One Thing:
Get in the habit of asking yourself every morning, “What can I do for my marriage today?”

DON’T JUST SURVIVE! – Your Marriage Was Meant To Thrive!

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