The Christian life can be compared to the four stages in a butterfly’s growth. The butterfly begins life as an egg. It emerges from the egg as a larva, which is known as a caterpillar. I have never seen a pretty caterpillar. As the caterpillar progresses through its growth stages known as instars, it sheds its skin several times — but its looks do not improve. When the caterpillar has fully matured, it anchors itself to a base and molts for the final time, transforming itself into a chrysalis or pupa. In this phase, the caterpillar is still not very attractive. But the creature which emerges from the cocoon is anything but ugly. A radical alteration has occurred so that the ugly caterpillar’s body has been transformed into a beautiful butterfly.

Christians experience different stages of growth as well, and they are not all pretty. Being saved is only the beginning of a lifetime of growth and transformation into the image of Christ. As we endure hardships and disappointments, spend time in Bible reading and prayer, listen attentively to the preaching of God’s Word, and earnestly attempt to apply the lessons God teaches us to our lives, He transforms us from ugly sinners into beautiful, dedicated saints. The process is slow and tedious, but the end result is a work of true beauty.

You may look in the mirror and see a life which is ugly and incomplete. You may see your flaws and shortcomings accented as you relate to others. You might feel as if you will never reach spiritual maturity and be the Christian God wants you to be. After making yet another mistake, you think you have finally crossed the line and God will never be able to use you. God is not finished with you yet. Just as He has planned the caterpillar’s transformation into a creature of beauty, so He has plans for your spiritual maturity. Keep the end in sight, and you’ll be alright.

Devotional by Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr.

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Patricia wanted to die. She was broken after a bitter divorce. Her Roman Catholic faith offered her no hope for her difficult circumstances. Then a 4-year-old Baptist girl told her, “Aunt Patty, Jesus loves you.” This was the first time Patricia realized Jesus loved her. She picked up a tract, read it through, and trusted Christ as her Savior. Today she is distributing Victory In Grace tracts to people in her senior living facility. She tells them, “Jesus loves me; and if He can love me, then I know He loves you.”

If God can use a little, 4-year-old girl to lead someone to Christ, then He can use you. God didn’t tell the little girl to wait until she had gone to church for a few years, finished school, and went to Bible college before she started sharing her faith. He didn’t tell her to wait until she was older. He didn’t say, “Don’t worry about it. Leave the job of soul-winning to your parents. They can do much better.” He didn’t save the task of sharing the gospel for the boys. He didn’t tell her to wait until just the right time or place. He just gave her a burden, and she acted on it. Because of the little girl’s faithfulness to tell Patty about Jesus, Patty is alive today and telling others how they can be saved.

Anyone can make a difference for Christ. All it takes is courage and obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading. What’s keeping you from sharing your faith? Are you afraid of how the other person will respond? Are you waiting for just the right moment to open your mouth and tell someone else about Jesus? Every day, God will put people in your path. Pray that He would give you the courage to tell them Jesus loves them.

Devotional by Dr. James A. Scudder

It’s always a good idea to give your best, because you never know who might be on the receiving end. Queen Mary enjoyed occasionally dressing like the common people and mingling with them. Once on a visit she made to a village in Ireland, she had to seek shelter from inclement weather. She knocked on the door of a woman’s house and asked if she could use her umbrella. Because the woman did not know her guest, she gave her an old, tattered umbrella with holes in it while keeping her best umbrella for herself. The next day, she heard a knock on her door. A man returned the worn umbrella and said, “The queen wishes to thank you for allowing her to use your umbrella last night.”

The woman felt so ashamed that she had not given the queen the best she had to offer, but now it was too late.

There is coming a day when Christians will likewise regret the decision they have made to withhold their best from others. Many of us try to justify half-hearted contributions to others’ needs on the basis of not wanting to see our gift damaged. We feel that if we give our resources to someone else, they will not be treated as well as we would care for them. Another excuse we make is that we don’t believe the other person will really appreciate our gift. When we do not give our best to others, we are really withholding from God.

When you are at the office, your boss deserves your best effort. When you are at home, your family deserves the best you have to offer them. When you are in school, your teachers deserve your full attention. When called upon to give of your time, talents, or resources, give as unto the Lord. Someday you will see that He was the One standing at the door.

Devotional by Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr.

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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