August 16

Trusting the Hand of God


There were only five barley loaves to start with, but twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of bread the people didn’t eat!

John 16:13 (NLT)


Did you know the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle of Jesus, besides the resurrection, repeated in all four Gospels? Why is that?

I think it is the stunning truth, little in the hands of Jesus becomes much. This includes me—little old me.

So many of us suffer from low-self esteem and lack of faith, but here, Jesus shows us how He multiplies. When we trust Him, when we obey, when we hand over everything to Him, He blesses it. He uses it. He uses His people, and we get to see what He’s doing—in our lives! Wow!

When we read John 6, we see Jesus testing Philip by asking how they might feed the people. And if you listen in, you just may hear the question come your way: "So, what do you think, believer? How might I use you to meet others’ needs? What can you place in My hands, and when might that be?”


Father, I want to see Your power in my life. Open my eyes to opportunities. Open Your hands, Lord, that I might fill them with gifts of obedience and thoughtful actions. Amen.

August 15

Finding a Friend


… Elijah went and found Elisha …

1 Kings 19:19 (NLT)


Elijah was lonely. He was stressed out. He needed help and God heard his prayer.

In a sense, I know what he was going through, but what impresses me is God’s provision. Certainly, God tests and stretches and uses His man but He also provides. He knows, “it is not good for man to be alone.”

Elijah needed a friend, and God gave him a great one: Elisha. Elisha was wholeheartedly committed to his friend Elijah. Because of this, Elisha would rise as a prophet himself and do God’s incredible work. He would bless his land, his people, his God. Wow. I could use a friend like this, couldn’t you?

I need to talk with God—kind of like Elijah did. I need to ask for a friend. I need to find a friend like Elisha.

God, I know, will provide.


Lord, give me wisdom in my friendships. Help me to find great friends. Help us to do great things for you. Amen.

August 14

Wayne Cordeiro: Dead Leader Running


All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every good thing God wants us to do.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)


The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.

Psalm 19:7 (The Message)


Under the leadership of Wayne Cordeiro, Oahu’s New Hope Christian Fellowship has grown to a whopping 11,000 weekly attendees with 8,500 of these being new converts. Wow! Unfortunately, after 20 years of go-go, driving ministry, Pastor Wayne hit a wall and he found himself sitting on a curb balling his eyes out not knowing why. A doctor soon diagnosed a biochemical imbalance and sent Cordeiro away for a rest.

A two-month sabbatical helped Wayne recover. In retrospect, Wayne delivered a talk titled Dead Leader Running in which, he covered five steps for avoiding burnout. They were all good, but his fifth one really connected. His fifth point? Be disciplined in your daily devotions. That’s it. From what Wayne Cordeiro related, I wonder if too many pastors let their sermons become their quiet time—taking God’s word and dishing it out without allowing God to speak to their hearts first. And then I wonder how many of us fail to spend any amount of time in quietly considering God’s message to us—choosing instead to charge off into our day with a full-head of steam and a head full of our best ideas.

With so little input from God, should people wonder why life unravels the way it does?

Wayne Cordeiro encourages all of us to have a disciplined time in God’s Holy Book—each day. His church website http://www.lifejournal.cc/ encourages us not only to read through the Bible but helps us by offering a daily journaling exercise. The acronym SOAP is a fitting notion—it helps us get "cleansed" in God's word every day. Scripture—Observations—Applications—Prayer help us to effectively “get” God’s direction.

At some point we need to understand and appreciate: God’s word “pulls our lives together.” And daily journaling with the Scriptures seems like a great place to start.


Father, help me to discipline my time, to spend more of it with You in order to hear Your heart and walk Your way. Amen.

August 13

Gifts to Share


… he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ.

Ephesians 4:7 (NLT)


And I’ll be the poet who sings your glory—and live what I sing every day.

Psalm 61:8 (the Message)


Lynette came up to me after our Family Camp Talent Show and said, “I loved your poem. You have such a gift with words.”

These were encouraging words indeed, especially from someone as gifted and talented as Lynette. She writes songs, she performs, she leads worship—in fact, she did all three at our camp making our time there extra special.

You know, the wonderful thing about each of us is this: God Almighty has gifted every one of us. That’s right. God has given you and me gifts—gifts to be used, gifts to be shared.

I enjoy poetry. I get excited about writing. I love words and communicating God’s truth. Somehow, someway, I will use these gifts for His glory. Today, tomorrow, this year and next, I’ll be the poet who sings His glory—and live what I sing every day.

And you? What is your gift?

We can hardly wait to hear your song!


Father, open our eyes to Your gifts and open our hearts to share these—each and every day! Amen.