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 “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”—Galatians 1:10 Sometimes I have to stop and ask myself this question…Am I trying to win the approval of men, or of God? What are my motives? Who am I seeking to please? Paul made a very bold statement in his letter to the Galatians. If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. You see, when it all comes down to it, we each have a very important choice to make. Do we serve Christ or serve the world? Do we try to win the approval of God or of man? We can’t have both…there is no in-between or gray area. If you’re going to serve Christ, He has to have your favor. There will be times in your life when you will be forced to decide between pleasing God and pleasing the world. You will have to cross the line either way. You’ll have to choose whom you serve…whom you worship…whose approval you want the most. If you want to please the world you will be forever working at reaching your goal. The world is not only fickle, but it is unrealistic in its expectations and couldn’t be further from God’s truth. The world will tell you that drinking and doing drugs is cool, that appearance is everything, that money can buy anything at all, that “fitting in” is most important no matter the cost…and the list goes on. All of these examples go against what the Bible teaches. It’s not possible to please God and still hold on to the world’s ways. To be a true servant of Christ, you must put Him number one in your life, and seek His approval rather than the world’s approval. You have to live by His commands and teachings and forsake the world’s view of things. You have to go against the flow and stand for Christ instead of following the crowd. Pleasing God isn’t something that you will reach over night either…it is a process that takes your whole life to complete. But let me guarantee you, the rewards for serving Christ far surpass any earthly reward for gaining the approval of the world. So let me ask you, who are you going to serve? -HK Devotional 2 “‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’”—Exodus 3:5 I think that sometimes we need to be reminded that God’s presence is holy. Oftentimes we come into His presence recklessly and carelessly, with no regard as to the “sacredness” of where we’re at and who we’re with. There are several things that we can learn from the above scripture. First, God told Moses to take his sandals off because he was standing on holy ground. I think that in a way the sandals represented monetary needs…and even more than that, the man-made solutions to monetary needs. Do you think that perhaps we should leave such “worldly concerns” behind when we enter into God’s presence? In fact, maybe we should just focus completely on God… And then there’s the whole reverence thing. Our of respect and honor, Moses was to take his sandals off as he neared the burning bush inhabited by God’s presence. This was an act of revered submission, much like bowing or kneeling. When you come into God’s presence, do you give Him respect and honor? Do you submit? What about reverence…is that ever part of your agenda? You don’t have to physically bow or kneel down…or take your shoes off, but your attitude and your spirit should definitely be reverent and full of respect. The main thing we have to understand is that God’s presence is holy, apart from sin. So be careful what you bring into His presence, and be sure that you come with a respectful and reverent attitude. This is what God expects from us... Through the blood of Jesus, our Advocate, we can come into God's presence anytime we want for any reason...but don't let that knowledge keep you from treating it with the sacred esteem that holy ground deserves! -HK Devotional 3 “Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”—James 5:13 When you are in trouble, what do you do? Do you pray and talk to God about it? Probably not always… God is often the last resort for many people when in need of help. For whatever reason, prayer doesn’t always seem like an option when you are in trouble. But this scripture is pretty simple and to the point. If you are in trouble, you should pray. Then there’s the second part of this scripture: “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” Do you praise God when you are happy and everything seems to be going well? Do you give Him the credit and thank Him for the joy you have? If you don’t, you definitely should be! Basically, this verse is telling us to turn to God under all circumstances…in the good times, and in the bad times. Turn to God in prayer when trouble arises, or when you are worried or concerned about something. Then praise God when He answers your prayers… A lot of times we are most faithful to God during the bad times or the good times, but not during both… But remember, God doesn’t change just because our situations change. He is always worthy of our praise and our attention. He wants to hear from us whether we’re happy or in trouble… And He certainly deserves that, don’t you think? :) -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...Gentleness! GENTLENESS When I think about gentleness I always picture a mother carefully rocking her newborn baby while softly and sweetly humming a lullaby. She holds her child close and tenderly kisses its tiny fingers. She doesn’t move abruptly or make a lot of noise. She wants her baby to feel safe and secure within her arms, and she keeps herself sensitive and aware to her child’s needs and feelings. This is gentleness in action, and it comes from pure love and devotion. God’s gentleness towards us (His children) is much like the kind I described in the example above. Even though we haven’t done anything to deserve such special care or treatment, we are God’s children and He loves us so very much and is completely devoted to us. But this is not necessarily the same type of gentleness that Paul was speaking of when he listed the fruit of the Spirit. We are not going to feel that strong love and devotion towards every one we meet, and yet we are still required to be “gentle” to all. So let’s define gentleness in the general sense and then discuss how we can apply it to our lives. Webster’s dictionary gives the following definitions to the word gentleness: the quality of being honorable or distinguished…kind, amiable…not harsh, stern or violent…soft and delicate. Webster’s thesaurus says that gentleness is, “being free from all harshness, roughness, or intensity, and having a pleasant easy-going nature.” Here are a few of the synonyms and related words for “gentle” supplied by the same thesaurus: tender, soothing, serene, tranquil, mild, compassionate, kindly, softhearted, and sympathetic. If we are to be gentle, we must handle things with great care and sensitivity towards those involved. We have to think about our words and actions before we speak and act, making sure that they will draw people towards Christ and not push them away. Proverbs tells us that a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1) It also says that a gentle tongue can break a bone. (Proverbs 25:15) So we see that gentleness truly has a lot of power. It can keep someone from getting angry, and it can break down even the firmest wall between two people or groups of people. 1 Kings 19:12 tells us that a gentle whisper held God’s voice rather than the wind, earthquake, or even fire. Job 29:22 says, “After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears…” It is true; a gentle word spoken or action done can hold more power and strength than the loudness, might, or greatness of any other type of word or action. It can silence people, bring them to tears, make them change their minds about something, and ultimately open the door for communication when it has been blocked by pain, hatred, anger, sorrow, sin, etc. It commands respect but does not come across as pushy or even “preachy”. The potential strength of gentleness is endless and untold. Gentleness is something that sets us (Christians) apart from the world. Over and over it is included in Paul’s exhortations to different groups of people. Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Colossians 3:12 tells us to clothe ourselves with gentleness (among other things) because we are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved. 1 Peter 3:4 says, “Instead, it [your beauty] should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” These verses make it clear that gentleness is part of being a true Christian and Godly witness to the world. It is of “great worth in God’s sight” to have a gentle spirit, and that is God’s plan for His chosen people. So how can we use this gentleness? Does the Bible give any specific examples concerning gentleness for us to follow? It sure does! Have you ever been ridiculed or “made fun of” because of your belief in God? Well, the Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:15-16 to, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscious, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander”. Speak with gentleness! When others say mean things about your faith in God, answer back gently instead of stooping down to their level and bad attitude. Here’s another example for you… Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently…” This is one of those situations that must be handled with a lot of care and, yes, gentleness. You don’t want to condone the sin, but you don’t want to condemn the sinner. I believe that this verse is referring to those who want to be restored. You have to be gentle and extra sensitive in such matters. And you must definitely keep in prayer and follow God’s leading. In closing, remember that it is of “great wealth in God’s sight” to have a gentle spirit. We don’t have to be devoted to everyone we meet, but if we are devoted to GOD we will be gentle to those He created. So be sensitive and caring, tranquil and softhearted. In these character traits there is much power, for gentleness can turn away anger and open the door for God’s voice…His quiet and gentle whisper…to be heard. -HK PREVIOUSLY FEATURED FRUITS LOVE JOY PEACE PATIENCE KINDNESS GOODNESS FAITHFULNESS Return To Main Page Return To Cover Page