They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh."

Genesis 41:35 NIV

I Gather the riches of God's promises. Nobody can take away from you those texts from the Bible which you have learned by heart.

Corrie ten Boom

Today's Bible Question ?

What king of Assyria was murdered at worship by his two sons?

Previous question and Answer:

Who said: "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve ... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Answer: Joshua, in his farewell address to his people.

But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions
Spurgeon's Morning for December 7	Spurgeon's Evening for December 7
"Base things of the world hath God chosen." - 1 Corinthians 1:28	"I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." - 1 Corinthians 9:22
Go where you will, you need not ransack earth to find sinners, for they are common enough; you may find them in every lane and street of every city, and town, and village, and hamlet. It is for such that Jesus died.	Paul knew the ruin of man’s natural state, and did not try to educate him, but to save him; he saw men sinking to hell, and did not talk of refining them, but of saving from the wrath to come.

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December 7 1Th 1:1 - 5:28

Linked to Bible Gaitway TM

The Wild Night

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast,
His hair was like a star.
(Oh stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,
His hair was like fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood at Mary's knee,
His hair was like a crown.
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.

-- G.K. Chesterton in The Wild Knight.

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Merry Christmas

Christmas Quotation, Fact and Inspiration.

Advent 1	Advent 2	Advent 3	Advent 4
Advent 5	Advent 6	Advent 7

Today's Devotion

But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

Job 16:5 (NIV)

Hope

by Cathy Vinson

"But hope that is seen is not hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not have YET, we wait for it patiently."

(Rom 8:24-25)

An illustration of Biblical hope comes to mind. We may picture a long fishing pole protruding over a distance. There is something attached onto the other end, but it is not detectable to our eyes. All we can see is that its weight is causing the pole to bow. The BOWING is the only indicator that there IS something over there at the other end.

The bowing is an application of Biblical hope. It is hope in something...something that has not been revealed or apprehended. But the word "yet" in the above passage makes it clear there is a desired end. Without it hope would not be introduced. It would then be hope as the world gives, a hope unfounded. It would be like looking at a fishing pole that isn't bending. There is no assurance. Hope without a destiny is not
Biblical hope.

In Isaiah 32, the complacent, secure women of Jerusalen are told their state of ease is soon to be rattled. Then follows a description of what will happen in their lives. They will enter a time of mourning. All of a sudden in the list of griefs the phrase "till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high" pops up, and the whole picture changes. This "till..." and the above "yet" reveal a desired end. If it weren't for those phrases, there would be no grounds for hope, and therefore no hope. A good, yet undeserved, outcome is ensured. Hope enters into the picture.

This describes fertile ground for Biblical hope to reach its fullness. Invest your wait upon God well so the "hope that remains" (1 Cor 13:13) may have its work. We want so much to see and apprehend, yet when we see, the time of hope ceases. Let God have His full development of hope in the soil of your heart. For in your time of subjection, you are assured there is a "till" and a "yet" (Rom 8:18-25). The pole IS bowing, so therefore hope!

"The Hope that Remains"

(1 Cor 13:13)

An illustration of Biblical hope comes to mind. We may picture a long fishing pole protruding over a distance. There is something attached onto the other end, but it is not detectable to our eyes.

Send a note to Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion.

Other Whispers from the Wilderness Devotions are found HERE

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