AIR

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
1st Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. (18) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I noticed the sign by a gas station. Now you have to pay for air for your tires from these stations. There was a time when places that sold gas were called service stations and they lived up to the name. You could pull up to the gas pumps, and at least one person and sometimes several would come out to your car and pump your gas, clean your windshield and check the air pressure in your tires. If you needed air it was free.
It is still a little hard for me to accept the fact that people charge you for air. I know that air is precious. Without air we would suffocate and die.
This is not news to you. It is something that everyone knows. You have to breathe to stay alive. Did you ever think about what it takes to stay alive spiritually. Prayer to the spirit is like air to the body. When we fail to pray we fail begin to suffocate spiritually.
One of the worst memories I have is of having congestive heart failure and having to struggle to breath. Even though I was pretty well sedated I can remember the struggle and having to fight for every breath. It was a truly miserable feeling. I have also had times in my spiritual life where I had to struggle to pray. They were times when I had let my prayer life falter and was not as close to God as I should have been. I wanted to pray, I needed to pray, but I had to force myself to pray. It was even a more terrible experience than the congestive heart failure.
Prayer is something that comes much easier if we do it continuously. Sometimes we might not know how to pray or what to pray for but I think it is important for us to pray. We certainly want to breathe without ceasing, so we should want to pray without ceasing. And God doesn't charge us for either the air, or the prayer.

NOAH'S ARK

All I Really Need To Know I Learned From Noah's Ark!

1. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

2. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big.

3. Don't listen to critics -- do what has to be done.

4. Build on high ground.

5. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

6. Two heads are better than one.

7. Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board,but so were the snails.

8. If you can't fight or flee -- float!

9. Don't forget that we're all in the same boat.

10. Remember that amateurs built the ark and professionals built the Titanic.

11. Remember that the woodpeckers INSIDE are often a bigger threat than the storm outside.12. Don't miss the boat.

13. No matter how bleak it looks, if God is with you, there's always a rainbow on the other side.(COPIED)

I thought you would enjoy this. Remember that I am posting some of the older devotionals on weekends. I know that we are picking up new readers who might have missed them and others are like me and have to read something more than once to remember it. Please leave us a comment or send us an email to shilokosciusko@gmail.com. We do appreciate you and hope that this site is a blessing to you.

SPECIAL OCCASION

Psalms 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Several years ago I received one of those stories that are emailed around and forwarded to everyone because it makes such a good point. It was about a woman helping her brother-in-law pick out the clothing for his wife's (her sister) funeral. He came upon a special piece of clothing that she had bought several years earlier and was saving to wear for a special occasion. "I guess this is the last special occasion she will have the opportunity to wear it." he commented.
I go back every once in a while to read that email because it reminds me that special occasions and special days are the ones we make special. It takes some effort and it takes putting some thought into it but we can do little things everyday to make them special.
When my grandson was younger we used to plan something special for the breaks he got from kindergarten. He still talks about some of those days because we made an extra effort to make them special occasions.
This day is special, the Lord allowed me to be a part of it and that in itself is special. With such a special gift as brand new day I feel kind of obligated to make a special occasion out of each one. I certainly don't want my next special occasion to be my funeral.

TO REMAIN GREAT

Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain GOOD WORKS. These things are good and profitable unto men.

In the 1830's Alexis de Tocqueville toured America. When his tour had been completed, he made this observation (and I paraphrase): " I have toured America, and I have seen most of what you offer. I've seen the richness of the fields and the wealth of your mines. I've seen your industrial might, the beauties of the rivers, the streams, the lakes, and the grandeur of the mountains. I've noticed the abundance of the forests and the marvelous climate with which you are blessed. In none of these things did I see the cause for the greatness of America. It wasn't until I went into your churches that I saw the reason for America's greatness. America is great because America is good; and as long as America is good, America will be great. If it ever ceases to be good, it will cease to be great." (Copied)
How can an nation who has expelled God from the classrooms and other areas of public life call themselves good? How can a nation who will not even protect the unborn child call themselves good? Can we look at the controversy over marriage and family and say that we are good people?
Yet, there is a remnant. There are those who believe that God is the head of government. There are many who believe in the sanctity of life even for the unborn. Multitudes believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman and that some lifestyles are sinful and against God's word. If we are cowed into silence and say nothing even though we know a thing is wrong, is that a good work?
Can America remain great, or have we gone too far?

JUMP START

Isaiah 41:6 They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

I was driving down the street earlier today and I saw a car in a parking lot with it's hood up. There was another car there and they had the jumper cables connected. It brought back a lot of memories for me. I think I have had more cars that needed a jump start to get going than anyone I know. My jumper cables were one thing I didn't leave home without.
We can be like that in our personal and spiritual lives and we might not even notice it. There have been many days that I felt like canceling due to a lack of interest on my part. Sometimes when I get up I need a jump start.
I have found if I start my day in prayer and ask God to help me get started that I am much like those old clunkers I have driven. Once I get started I have more than enough power and energy to keep me going. As a matter of fact, I have found if I give someone else a boost that it doesn't take anything away from me.
Sometimes it might just be a good deed, a compliment or a smile that helps to give someone a boost. Jump start your own day by spending time with God and then carry your cables with you. You might meet someone else who needs a boost.

GOING NOWHERE DOING NOTHING

BY Jeremy BurkesPs 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God:...

We come up behind us riding our bumper like being a few feet closer to and tailgating the car in front of them will get them somewhere quicker. People can be scatter brained and be in such a hurry even they do not know whether they are coming or going. So many times the person riding your bumper doesn't really have anywhere important to be. (Have you ever noticed that the person who will risk your life to pass on a double yellow line will be sitting at the next traffic light when you stop?)
It seems like we are all too busy and in too big of a hurry doing nothing and accomplishing nothing. We can waste God's time by moving to fast.
Sometimes when we are in such a hurry we completely run off and leave God behind. We get so far ahead of where God wants us to be that we wind up lost.
If Satan can keep us running ahead of God he finds us vulnerable to attack. He comes at us in our weakest state.
The Bible says: 2Timothy 2:15 STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
To stay close to God we need to study His Word and talk to him daily in prayer. When you find yourself in such a hurry that life, and God's purpose for your life seem to be a blur, remember what David said, "Be still and know that I am God."
Remember, the world might be riding your bumper and going nowhere but you can be still and trust God.

TWO WAY TRAFFIC

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men SHOULD DO TO YOU, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
On this journey through life we are going to be constantly meeting people. A person who never has contact with anyone else is living a truly miserable existence. Our world and our lives are made what they are by our relationships.
We of course know that our most important relationship is with God, and that too is a two way relationship. You can be sure that God is doing His part in that relationship. The question is what is our part? Of course we should study the Bible, that is the way He speaks to us. We should pray, that is the way we speak to Him.
Jesus made it plain how we are to treat others. Sometimes it is hard to treat someone with kindness and understanding when they do not treat you right.
Early in my ministry I had to deal a with small group of people who for some reason did not like me. I did not really understand why and I was deeply hurt by the whole episode. I spent much time in prayer and God gave me a very clear answer. He did not call me into the ministry to be loved. He called me into the ministry to love others and to share His love with them. Since that time I have been better able to love those who did not show love to me. I realized that I am not responsible for how others act but I am responsible for how I treat them.
It is not always easy to love those who mistreat you but it can be done, with help from God and close relationship with our Lord Jesus. I have found that it really relieves me of a lot of stress, a lot of guilt, and a heavy burden. A grudge is a heavy burden to carry around.
We are not to treat others as they treat us. We are to treat them as we want them to treat us. That’s not all that hard when you think about it.