Few people are as clever as children when it comes to getting what they want. A small boy walked into a candy store with his mother to look at all the delectable sweets. The door had scarcely closed behind them when the tall storeowner with a wide-brimmed, blue-and-white-striped visor walked through the back door with a jar full of candy. Smiling broadly, he removed the lid and offered some to the boy.

The boy’s eyes lit up with excitement, and he reached inside the jar to grab some candy. Just then, he pulled his hand out and cupped his hands together with an expectant look on his face. The storeowner obliged and reached one of his large hands inside the jar and dropped a handful of the sweet treats into the boy’s hands. After thanking the storeowner, the boy walked out of the store.

When the boy’s mother saw this, she asked her son why he didn’t grab the candy himself. The reply was simple: “His hand is bigger.”

This child understood something that many adults fail to grasp as they wait on God: It isn’t necessary to try obtaining on our own what God wants to give us. His hand is bigger, and when He wants us to have something, He will provide it — and so much more. This reality should encourage our hearts to be at rest as we wait for Him to grant our desires.

My friend, God knows the desires of your heart. Let me add, He not only knows them, but is also able to grant them. So if you find it difficult to wait for Him today, learn to get some rest — that is, be still and quiet — and in God’s timing, He will provide by the handful. Remember, His hands are bigger than yours.

Patient waiting is often the highest way of doing God’s will! — Jeremy Collier

Devotional by Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr.

Whoever said you can’t teach patience? In The Wall Street Journal’s article, “Why French Parents Are Superior,” Pamela Druckerman contrasted American parenting methods with the methods employed by French parents to raise their children. She wondered why the French children she observed with their parents in restaurants, at the playground, and at their homes were so quiet and well-behaved, while her own children were rowdy and threw temper tantrums.

Pamela discovered that French parents teach their children how to delay gratification — the kids have to learn how to wait. When the children are babies, their parents will not rush to their bedsides when they start crying in the middle of the night. Instead, they cry themselves back to sleep. This method might sound cold and heartless, but it works — the babies are generally able to sleep through the night from the time they are between 2 and 3 months old. Think of all the sleepless nights you might have avoided had you tried this with your kids.

When God wants to teach His children patience, delayed gratification is one of His most effective means. Sometimes rather than granting us the desire of our hearts immediately, He sees fit to make us wait. Painful as this teaching method may seem, it teaches us to be still and quiet like well-mannered children, keeping our eyes on God. Thus we learn to find contentment and satisfaction in our relationship with Christ, and nothing else.

Waiting on God is never easy at the beginning. Perhaps you are waiting for an opening in the job market. You have searched for months, but have been unable to find employment. Remember Who you are waiting upon — the God Who knows and is in complete control of your situation — and then get some rest. He will reward your patience.

He who waits on God never waits too long. — Chuck Wagner

Devotional by Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr.

The world was shocked at the news of Whitney Houston’s death on February 11, 2012. Whitney was a popular recording artist, actress, producer, and model who became most famous for her music. She grew up in a Baptist church, and performed as a soloist in the church’s junior gospel choir at age 11. The first solo she performed at her church was the hymn, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.”

Whitney’s mother, Cissy Houston, who was also a very talented singer, saw her great musical potential and worked with her to develop her singing ability. But in Whitney’s teenage years, Cissy started taking her to nightclubs so she could watch her perform. Sometimes the teenager joined her mother as she sung on stage.

When Whitney started her recording career, much of her music was aimed at the crowd she saw at the nightclubs, rather than the church. For the next 30+ years, Whitney sold over 170 million music albums and became rich and famous. What great talent — and yet what wasted talent. Whitney Houston died at the age of 48 of a drug overdose, leaving her awards, her popularity and fame, and her wealth behind.

I don’t know if Whitney was a Christian, but I do know that each of us — even Whitney — will stand before God and find that we could have done more for Him with our lives. When Christians think the world is their friend and yield their God-given gifts to its service, they won’t make it. To whom much is given, much is required. If you don’t want to use your gifts for God, He’ll let you dedicate yourself to serving the world — but you will pay a great price. It isn’t worth it.

Christian, are you serving Christ with everything you have? Each of us could be a breath away from eternity. Our potential for Christ is only what we make of it — let’s give Him our very best today.

Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God. — Leo Buscaglia

Devotional by Dr. James A. Scudder

He had everything, yet he had nothing. He had riches, yet he was bankrupt. He had popularity, yet he was lonely. He had knowledge, yet he lacked godly wisdom. At the end of his life, Solomon came to this conclusion: as long as a man fears and obeys God, nothing else matters.

Solomon’s life was full of strange paradoxes. He wrote Proverbs, which boasts of the triumph of God’s wisdom; and then he wrote Ecclesiastes, which chronicles the failure of human wisdom. He warned against vanity in his proverbs, yet in Ecclesiastes he described how he lived in the very emptiness he detested. Solomon wrote about the dangers of strange women, yet he had hundreds of wives who stole his heart away from God. This “wise” man spent more than a fourth of his 40-year reign on a frivolous building project (13 years were spent in the construction of his multi-million-dollar house).

Does a person have to experience all of Solomon’s thrills before he reaches the same conclusion that life is empty apart from a relationship with God? No. Solomon’s experiences should teach us to steer clear of his pitfalls — and their consequences. Scripture records this man’s achievements and blunders for our benefit. Let’s be sure to learn this all-inclusive lesson from his life: Only a relationship with God can bring satisfaction and happiness. It is futile to seek these things anywhere else.

No person, occupation, possession, or achievement can take the place God wants to fill in your life. Are you trying to put something else in His place? Take these wise words from a wise guy, and your life will be blessed with the purpose and fulfillment God intended for you.

The strength and happiness of a man consists in finding out the way in which God is going, and going that way, too. — Henry Ward Beecher

Devotional by Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr.

The law has finally caught up to you. As you see a policeman’s flashing red and blue lights, you pull over to the side of the road. After driving 10 miles an hour over the speed limit, you are guilty. What do you think the policeman will say?

“You were driving 10 miles over the speed limit. That’s against the law, and I’m going to have to give you a ticket.”

Or do you think he might say this:

“So you think you’re good enough to disregard the laws around here? I’m going to give you a ticket because you obviously don’t like the policemen in this district.”

Either way you would be guilty, but the policeman could only legally ticket you for your actions. He couldn’t condemn your motives.

Let’s suppose you answered back to the police officer, “Who are you to judge me? My driving habits are my personal business. Quit trying to get involved in my private life.” I guarantee you would either get a ticket, or be taken to jail.

While you would probably never even think of responding to a policeman like that, some people take this attitude towards the church when it teaches Biblical standards for our conduct. If the pastor speaks out against drinking, dancing, attending theaters, or watching pornography on the Internet, they start to get uncomfortable because it’s personal. What they don’t realize is that the pastor is speaking on the part of God when he shows what the Bible says about these issues. If he only preaches what makes people happy, he is not preaching the whole counsel of God.

The next time you hear a truth from Scripture that convicts you, ask yourself if it applies to any area of your life. If you are “guilty,” allow the Word of God to cleanse you from your sin so you won’t have to be pulled over again.

Those who have never felt anxiety on account of their sins are in the most dangerous condition of all. — Johannes Tauler

Devotional by Dr. James A. Scudder

The greatest think tank in the world is worthless if its advice goes unheeded. A man I greatly respect chairs a large organization. He shared with me that he is troubled about the direction the organization is heading, but he can do very little to turn it around. While, as chairman, he has a say in the organization’s affairs, the board members have refused to heed his advice. If the organization continues to follow its course, it may drift so far away from its original focus that it cannot return.

There is much to be said for counsel. Good counsel offers a full-orbed and impartial perspective on a matter. By it, we may draw from the insight of others’ experiences and expertise. It enables us to make sound decisions in full confidence. Yet this invaluable asset is nothing more than a diamond buried in the dirt if it is not used. We can only profit from counsel when we hearken to it.

Proverbs 12:15 advises us, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” Every aspect of human endeavor requires counsel. The business executive and bank chairman both need the counsel of staff members if they wish to meet the needs of their clients. A pastor is dependent upon the counsel of his board of elders to effectively oversee the affairs of his church. The father and husband will often rely upon the input of his wife when making decisions affecting the family. Children need their parents’ advice when they choose their friends and select a mate.

Are you following the path of the wise or the fool? Life is full of decisions, so seek out godly counsel as you make them. The way of a fool may seem right in his eyes, but the “right” eyes of the wise will keep you on course.

Advice is the only commodity on the market where the supply always exceeds the demand. — Unknown Author

Devotional by Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr.