Welcome To The Snack Shack!! God's Word is compared to food all throughout the Bible. The reason: as humans we need food to survive, and as Christians we need God's Word to survive. Not only do we need food, but it's something we desire. Right? Well, God's Word should be something we desire too. It is full of nutrients that we need and flavor that can be compared to the best of physical food that's out there! We're talking gourmet here! :) Now, along with the fried chicken and tri-tip...the ice cream and pie...and all those foods we put on our list of "favorites", are those vegetables like spinach and broccoli...or whatever it is that you eat only because you have to! It's the same way with our Spiritual food, God's Word. There are those verses and stories that we have no problem reading and applying them to our lives (you know, those ones that promise blessings...), and then there's those verses that don't taste quite as good, those ones that are hard to understand or make you feel convicted. Those "vegetables" are just as important to read and apply to your life. We need them to survive! So, take a few minutes and check out these "snacks" from God's Word. Remember, we don't live on bread alone...physical food is great, but we need God's Word, our spiritual food, too! Every word that comes from the mouth of God.... that's real food!

Snacks available in this issue... Devotionals Daily Bread Fruit Bowl

DEVOTIONALS Devotional 1 “He said to the disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’”—Mark 4:40 In the midst of a terrible storm, Jesus lay there sleeping as the disciples were literally scared to death. The storm was so mighty, so fierce; it would surely swallow them all in its thrashing waves and powerful winds. And Jesus was sleeping!! Have you ever been in the middle of an overpowering storm in life and felt that Jesus was sleeping right on through it? Feelings of neglect, doubt, hurt, and the underlying emotion of fear flood over you. Almost as overwhelming as the initial storm, these thoughts threaten your security and source of hope, so you cry out to God. “Hey, aren’t you there?? Don’t you care if I survive this??” When accused by His disciples, how did Jesus respond? First He rebuked the wind and waves; He quieted the storm and everything became calm. But then He asked, “why are you so afraid?” This must have brought mixed emotions and reactions to the disciples. I mean, Jesus had just calmed the storm by His very command. He had just performed a miracle right before them…they had just witnessed the power that their friend and teacher possessed. And yet the question sounds somewhat unrealistic. Who wouldn’t be afraid? The storm was threatening to swallow them up! Their lives had been in danger! We can learn a lot from this passage. The disciples had been following Jesus for quite some time. Surely they believed that He could and would save them, right? But then, is it any different than when we who have been following Christ start doubting His power? Fear is a human trait, natural, yet it is fleshly. When you find yourself in the middle of a terrible storm in your life, remember this lesson. Christ asked His followers, “Do you still have no faith?” God can’t do the impossible in your life if you don’t trust Him. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God…” When it seems like God is asleep while you face the terrible storm on your own, know that He can still calm the seas and control the wind. Do you believe? Have some faith and trust God. He has already proven His power in the past, will you have faith now? -HK Devotional 2 “My dear brothers, take notice of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man'’ anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”—James 1:19,20 Quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry… How many times do we find ourselves doing the exact opposite of what this scripture says? Often we skip right over the listening part and go straight to the speaking and getting angry part. But listening is a very important step, and it should always be done first. First; before speaking, and before getting angry. If you truly listen to the whole story and not just the parts that you want to hear, you will already have a better chance of keeping yourself from quickly getting angry or saying something that you will later regret. So, listen first. Then evaluate in your mind whether or not you have a real reason to be angry and also whether or not you would still get angry about it if God was in the room watching you. The rest of this passage of scripture tells us that our anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. It’s plain and simple. Getting angry does not help us grow spiritually, it does not bring us closer to God, and it is not God’s desire for us. On top of all that, getting angry doesn’t solve the problem or make the situation any better. In fact, anger does the opposite of everything I just listed. It keeps us from growing spiritually and being close to God. It often makes the problem worse and even creates new obstacles that weren’t there before. And we know from scripture that getting angry is definitely NOT God’s desire for us. So, the next time you find yourself in a predicament where you are starting to get angry, stop to listen and think. You might discover that the situation isn’t all that bad. Or maybe it is bad, but you’ll realize that there are better ways of taking care of it than blowing up and making the problem worse than it already is. It’s easy to get angry and lose your temper, but God will help you to keep your cool if you just ask Him to. It’s God’s plan and will for us to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. He doesn’t expect us to accomplish this on our own--He’ll be there to help us--but we have to make an effort to work at listening and waiting instead of being so quick to say and do things out of anger or thoughtlessness. -HK Devotional 3 “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”—Matthew 19:21 Wow, this seems like an awful lot to ask, doesn’t it? Maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t remember that being a requirement for salvation…” Well, it isn’t normally, but it was for this rich young man. You see, this rich young man had come up to Jesus and asked Him what good thing he must do to get eternal life. Uhhhh…already that’s not a very good start. Jesus told him that there is none that is good except God. Then He said, “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” Well, the young man claimed that he had obeyed those commands all his life and he wanted to know what he still lacked. He was probably thinking something along the lines of, “check…I’ve already got that covered. I’m so good already…is there anything else I need to do?” Jesus saw right through the prideful spirit that blinded the rich young man. He knew what the problem was. He knew what the rich man still lacked, and He knew that it was something that would keep him from entering eternal life. So, after telling Jesus that he was in pretty good shape already…that he had obeyed the commandments all his life, the rich young man received a shocking reply. The key-verse for this devotional was the answer that Jesus gave him. Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give all his money to the poor. And you know what, he couldn’t do it. The rich young man walked away sad and empty. The price was too high, he didn’t even want to try. His possessions were more important to him than eternal life. His possessions were more important to him than God. In fact, his possessions were his God. Let me ask you something….if God told you to sell all you had and give the money to the poor, would you do it? Or is your stuff more important to you than pleasing God? Maybe it’s not possessions that you care so much about. Maybe it’s your freedom of choice or your time or your attitude. Whatever it is that you hold on to and won’t give up, even for the promise of eternal life. Jesus tested the young man and found that his motives were wrong. He served himself only. He wanted to “buy” his way into heaven by doing “good things”. He didn’t want to yield to God. He didn’t want to let go of what he treasured above God. It wasn’t worth it to him. Where are your priorities? God wouldn’t ask you to do something and then not take care of you. He would be there for you. But first you have to decide if you’re willing to yield to His perfect will for you. Are you prepared to surrender everything you have…everything you are…to God? Only then will you find true fulfillment. -HK

Daily Bread An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but what about a Proverb a day? What's the importance of reading scripture daily, you might ask. Well, daily reading of God's Word is like eating daily. Do you like to eat daily? I sure do! When you starve yourself of God's Word and don't take the time to read and study it every day, it's kind of like starving your physical body: you become a little weaker...you get kind of irritated and angry easily...you lose out on nutrients that you need...it's just not very comfortable, and besides, it's not very much fun! Proverbs is a good book to read a chapter of every day. It has 31 chapters, and can be read in a month. The wisdom that is offered in these proverbs are written by Soloman, the wisest person (well, except for Jesus) who ever lived. But they are inspired by God. I guarantee that they will help you! But of course, you can't just read them, you have to actually use them for them to work. :) (Note: Proverbs are good...but they aren't the only thing you should read each day. Pick a verse or section of verses from another book of the Bible to read also for best results.) Day 1 Proverbs 1 Day 2 Proverbs 2 Day 3 Proverbs 3 Day 4 Proverbs 4 Day 5 Proverbs 5 Day 6 Proverbs 6 Day 7 Proverbs 7 Day 8 Proverbs 8 Day 9 Proverbs 9 Day 10 Proverbs 10 Day 11 Proverbs 11 Day 12 Proverbs 12 Day 13 Proverbs 13 Day 14 Proverbs 14 Day 15 Proverbs 15 Day 16 Proverbs 16 Day 17 Proverbs 17 Day 18 Proverbs 18 Day 19 Proverbs 19 Day 20 Proverbs 20 Day 21 Proverbs 21 Day 22 Proverbs 22 Day 23 Proverbs 23 Day 24 Proverbs 24 Day 25 Proverbs 25 Day 26 Proverbs 26 Day 27 Proverbs 27 Day 28 Proverbs 28 Day 29 Proverbs 29 Day 30 Proverbs 30 Day 31 Proverbs 31

The Fruit Bowl In Galations 5:22,23 we find a listing of the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. We're told in God's Word that people will know us by our fruit. That's how they will be able to tell if we are followers and servants of Christ. The Bible also tells us that God will cut off the branches that don't bear good fruit! Yikes! This fruit thing is pretty important, isn't it?! Well, here we will feature one of these "fruits" in each issue, starting with the first fruit mentioned: Love. Do you think that the "fruit" you bear is good? Do you think that people are able to tell that you are a Christian by the way that you act or respond in different situations? Let's take a look at this issue's featured fruit... (Sorry about the length of this one...I just got really into it this time!) :) KINDNESS Galatians 5:22 lists kindness as the fifth fruit of the Spirit. This is a term that we’re all familiar with, but what exactly does it mean? Most of us probably associate kindness with being nice and thoughtful, but its meaning really goes much deeper than that. Webster’s dictionary defines kindness as: the state or act of being affectionate and loving; of a sympathetic nature or forbearing nature; gentle and pleasant and agreeable. It says “kind, kindly, benign, benignant mean showing a gentle, considerate nature. Kind and kindly both imply sympathy and humaneness and interest in another’s welfare, kind stressing a disposition to be helpful and kindly stressing more the expression of a sympathetic nature or impulse…” As I studied the various scriptures throughout the Bible that speak of kindness, I gathered together my own description of the way that the Bible talks about kindness. It seems to me that Biblical kindness implied compassion, help, and generosity. Many times a person would show kindness to another person or group of people because someone else stood up for them and asked that they be shown kindness, like mercy. Kindness was also often looked upon as a favor or act of repaying a person’s descendants because of something “kind” that the ancestor had done before. It’s interesting that Proverbs talks a lot about being kind to the poor and needy. It appears that much of the time kindness was something that was extended to people who couldn’t help themselves. It was like charity. But kindness, like benevolence, comes from the heart and is not based on the recipient’s ability to repay the kindness. True kindness is free. Repeatedly throughout the Bible, the word kindness appears right next to the word faithful or faithfulness. The two are together more than they are apart. So what does that tell us? Kindness and faithfulness are a package deal. If you’re going to be kind, you need to be faithful as well. Over and over again, people are thanked by other people in the Bible for their kindness AND faithfulness. True kindness won’t leave someone stranded or in need because it doesn't feel like helping out. True kindness is faithful and thinks about the other person, not itself. Gain isn’t a question when a kind deed is being performed. Though kindness should not be done for your own gain, your kindness will be rewarded. The reward is an extra special blessing for those who are kind to others out of sincerity and generosity. Proverbs 11:17 tells us “that a kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.” Proverbs 14:21 says, “blessed is he who is kind to the needy.” Proverbs 14:31 says, “whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” And Proverbs 19:17 says, “he who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” Kindness IS a commandment, rather than a suggestion. 2 Timothy 2:24 says that the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 tells us to “always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else…” Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Hmmm…so forgiveness is part of this whole “being kind” thing too. Let’s review this. We must be kind to everyone if we are going to be the Lord’s servant, and we must be kind to one another (including being forgiving) because that’s the example that Christ set for us. Maybe we should explore some into this example of God’s kindness… The first thing that I noticed about God’s kindness when I was researching for this article was that it is described as unfailing. 1 Samuel 20:14 says, “But show me unfailing kindness like that of the Lord as long as I live, so that I may not be killed.” This is very interesting to me because sometimes it seems like we can grow tired of being kind to those around us. We feel like we’ve been so kind for so long already that we should get a break from it when someone frustrates us or at a time when being kind is a big sacrifice for us and is hard to do. But God’s kindness is unfailing, and He’s our example. The next thing we learn about God’s kindness is that it extends even to those who are against Him. Luke 6:35, 36 says, “But love your enemies, do good to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your father is merciful.” God is kind even to those who are ungrateful…those who really don’t deserve it (can any of us say that we deserve His kindness anyways??). Now, God doesn’t approve of the wickedness, and He doesn’t reward them for it, (there’s still consequences) but He is still kind…merciful…compassionate to the people behind the sin. Following Christ’s example, we’re supposed to love our enemies and be kind to them even if they don’t deserve it. That’s really what kindness is all about; it’s not based on merit. The book of Romans gives us two separate examples of how God’s kindness and sterness…His kindness and judgment co-exist and work together for His children. Romans 2:4 says, “…God’s kindness leads you towards repentance…” Then it goes on to speak about the day of God’s wrath, when God’s judgment will be revealed. We learn that this is “righteous judgment”. We find that in God’s kindness, tolerance and patience, He is leading us to repentance and thus eternal life with Him. Then we skip over to Romans chapter 11, verse 22. We’re told to “consider therefore the kindness and sterness of God: sterness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” I think it’s pretty simply put. God extends kindness to us all and it is welcome no matter what. His kindness leads us to repent and want to live for Him, but if we choose to turn away, there is a consequence. There is a judgment…a righteous judgment. Kindness is a very important fruit for Christians to bear today. Why? If for nothing else, we should be kind because that’s the way God is and He is our example. He wants us to “clothe” ourselves in kindness, along with several other character traits that He has and we should strive to have as well. We are His chosen people, holy and dearly loved (see Col. 3:12). If we are His children, we need to live holy and do our best to follow Christ’s example. 2 Peter 1:7 also lists several character traits that we as Christians should have, kindness being among them. Verse 8 goes on to say, “for if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” There you have it. Kindness is one of many “fruits” that when added together will keep you on the right track spiritually. Kindness can help you from being ineffective and unproductive. It keeps you serving the Lord in humility and being the awesome witness to the world that God wants you to be. Of course, there’s that part in there that says that you have to possess the qualities in increasing measure… In other words, you have to be growing and expanding in these character traits. You have to be actively portraying these qualities, not just possessing them. In conclusion, true kindness is not normal in the world we live in. So your kindness will be more evident to those around you, and they’ll be wondering…they’ll be watching you. Acts 28:2 says that the islanders showed unusual kindness. Why do you think it was so unusual? Perhaps it was because of its nature. Most people in the world are only “kind” in order to get themselves something. Real kindness…the type the Bible talks about shines like a beacon in a dark world. It’s out of the ordinary, so people spot it right off. There’s one last thing that I want to say. 1 Corinthians 4:13 says, “when we are slandered, we answer kindly.” Talk about unusual! Let me ask you something: When you are slandered (put down, belittled, mean things are said about you), do you answer kindly? That’s a hard place to get to. But I believe that it IS God’s will that we as His children and His servants do reach that point. This is where we differ from the world. In God’s plan kindness is not unusual, yet in the world it is. As God’s servants, we are to have kindness showing in our lives. Not just showing, but kindness is something that we should be actively producing. Now that you know a little more about kindness, put it into action. Knowledge isn’t everything. Without action, knowledge won’t help you a bit! God Bless, and have a good month! :) PREVIOUSLY FEATURED FRUITS LOVE JOY PEACE Patience Return To Main Page Return To Cover Page