Lord God, all my life I have cried, "I want to see." As a child my mother often chided, "You don't need to see." But my curiosity kept me poking my nose in all sorts of places.

And I still want to see, Lord. I want to see you face to face. I want to peer upon the gates of heaven, look through the transparent streets of gold, watch the angels come and go from your throne, behold the saints in joyful communion, witness the Lion-Lamb in all his glory, stand before the tree of life restored to man.

While I wait for that moment, I want to see results from my work, tomorrow's events, the rocks in the road ahead.

But you remind me we walk not by sight but faith. And tell me, "You don't need to see. Trust me."

Lord, help my unbelief! As I shut the eyes of doubt and fear, open my heart to trust your leading.

By your all-seeing Son and the Spirit of the seven eyes. Amen.

by Stan Mitchell

You know it's going to be a bad day when you call suicide prevention, and they put you on hold ... when you see a 60 Minutes News Team waiting in your office ... when your birthday cake collapses under the weight of the candles ... when you're following a group of Hell's Angels down the highway and suddenly your horn starts blowing, and remains stuck. Otherwise it's been a pretty good day!

You might remember the children's classic where the little boy was having a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day." Why do some people seem to have so many bad days? It helps to have a sense of humor. Some church members think that a sense of humor and a sense of holiness are incompatible. Gratitude helps, too. Do you think some Bangladeshis would think we were crazy to complain about our lot? Do you think there aren't some Afghans who would swap with us if we really don't like what life had handed out to us?

"This is the day the Lord has made," the Psalmist reminds us, "Let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

A good attitude is important, too. The Psalmist was grateful for any day that the Lord had given him. We're all living on borrowed time. Be loving, forgiving, and urgent in telling others about Christ. You don't have to wait until the stars are all in alignment before you are content with what God has given you.

Even if you're having, like, a totally bad day!

by Don Ruhl

Read Jeremiah 9--11

Stay Alert!

A difficult thing to accept is when one who is a friend starts to turn on you. Jeremiah writes of this,

Their tongue is an arrow shot out; It speaks deceit; One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, But in his heart he lies in wait. (Jer. 9:8, NKJV).

There is one with whom I began a friendship in 1979, but 20 years later, he was saying and doing things to me that did not make sense. It grew worse and worse, until finally I cut off the friendship. It took me a long time to see his evil, although others saw it way before me. He went from congregation to congregation and turned people off constantly. He moved to the mid-west of America and continued to call me; sounding like a friend, but it was obvious he was lying in wait to see if I would say anything that he could refute.

I say all this to warn you. What Jeremiah says is true. It does happen that one, who speaks peaceably, can have evil intentions. It hurts when you finally discover it, but if you prepare yourself now, you will better handle it when it does happen. This is not to say that we should be suspicious of every person, but that we should realize that some friends might turn out to be different from what we initially realized.

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100

by Don Ruhl

Read First Timothy Chapter 6

How We Should Treat Those in Authority

We like to be in control, with no one telling us what to do. Yet, the truth is, few of us are in a position in life where we have no one above us. Therefore, consider First Timothy 6:1,

1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed (1 Tim. 6:1, NKJV).

Someone says this refers to slavery. Okay, but the idea of honoring people who are over us is still there, because the idea of not giving the people of the world a reason to blaspheme God and His teaching is still there. When others observe my treatment of leaders, do I show a Christian or worldly spirit?

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100