Sometimes the best thing you can do when you’re feeling down is to go fishing. Paul Quinnett wrote in his book, Pavlov’s Trout:

It is better to fish hopefully than to catch fish.

Fishing is hope experienced. To be optimistic in a slow bite is to thrive on hope alone. When asked, “How can you fish all day without a hit?” the true fisherman replies, “Hold it! I think I felt something.” If the line goes slack, he says, “He’ll be back!”

When it comes to the human spirit, hope is all. Without hope, there is no yearning, no desire for a better tomorrow, and no belief that the next cast will bring the big strike.

Real, honest-to-goodness fishermen may  get discouraged when nothing is biting, but they never quit. They’ve been fishing for so long that they know it’s only a matter of time before they catch something. Their hope and faith is based on experience.

As Christians, we should have the same attitude about life because of our experience with God. There will be times when our circumstances go from bad to worse. We may not be able to see a way out of our trials. We may feel like everyone has risen up against us. But in the middle of it all, we find that God is Faithful. We can hold on to Him, and He will lead us from our place of sorrow to a place of joy. This experience then becomes the grounds for hope and faith when we go through future hardships.

Are you discouraged because of your bad fortune? Maybe your emotional weaknesses have come to light under pressure, and the people who know you best now keep their distance. Perhaps you are suffering because of a misunderstanding which has blown out of proportion. You are waiting for your break to come, but the situation isn’t getting any better. Hang on to Christ through it all. Tell Him how you feel. Dig into His Word and base your hope on His promises. It’s only a matter of time before your change will come.

Devotional by Dr. James A. Scudder

You don’t need a pilot’s license to know that without forward motion, an airplane will soon crash to the ground. One girl who wasn’t very bright sat in the cockpit of a four-seat, propeller-driven plane when the aircraft suddenly crashed. Before investigators could determine the cause of the accident, they interviewed the girl, who had miraculously survived the incident without injury. She told them, “I was getting too cold, so I turned off the big fan in front.” That will do it every time.

Few people would turn off a plane’s engine in the middle of a flight; nevertheless, some Christians attempt to do this in their spiritual lives. They coast through life without the power of the Holy Spirit providing them with thrust and lift. Then they act surprised when they take a nosedive and have an accident. The Christian life doesn’t work this way. We need a daily dose of power and strength. This is found as we spend quality time in the Word of God and in prayer. As we speak to God and allow Him to speak to us, He gives us the means to soar through each day.

Have you been flying without the aid of an engine? Perhaps you have been thinking your church attendance is sufficient to see you through the challenges of a typical work week. Maybe you feel that spending a few moments in your Bible each day is all it takes to have victory over temptation in your life. It will take more than this to keep your engine running. Add prayer to your church attendance; and you will have a remarkable, soul-stirring worship experience. Meditate upon the Bible verses you read each day, and you will find specific answers to the dilemmas you face. Your engine will run at full power. Your plane will continue moving forward.

Devotional by Dr. James A. Scudder

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If God died, our lives would be drastically different. A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death. “But I don’t ask for justice,” the mother explained. “I plead for mercy.”

“But your son does not deserve mercy,” Napoleon replied.

“Sir, it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for.”

“Well, then, I will have mercy.” The emperor spared the woman’s son.

If God died, there would be no such thing as mercy. Every offense would be handled with justice. Every debt would have to be paid, with interest. Everyone would spend eternity in Hell. We would have no meaningful relationships because we wouldn’t give people a second chance after the first time they failed us. There would be no grace when we made mistakes. There would be no forgiveness. We would be consumed by guilt over our wrongdoing and filled with anger and resentment at the wrongs others committed against us. The world would be a very cruel, miserable place in which to live.

But God is alive. He forgives us when we sin. Instead of giving us what we deserve, He gives us what we need — day after day, time and again. He is merciful. Because God is merciful, we don’t have to live with regret over our past sins and shortcomings. We can be certain of His mercy, even when we suffer from the consequences of our sins. Then we can show His mercy to others.

The world is living as if God has died. It’s up to Christians like you and me to show them by our quiet confidence that He is alive and well.

Devotional by Dr. James A. Scudder

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