Jesus Plus Nothing Equals Everything
God's Word: The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. - Matthew 7:25.
Today's devotional was written by Dr. Walker Moore who is president of AweStar Ministries in Tulsa, P. O. Box 470265, Tulsa 74147. You may contact Walker at walker@awestar.org or 800.293.7827. Visit their website at www.awestar.org.
Reflection: When I was in seventh grade I wanted a girlfriend more than anything else in the world. It was in those early years when you begin to take the opposite sex seriously. I remember praying, "Dear God, IF I just had a girlfriend I would be happy? . . . a little girlfriend that would hold me, love me, and keep my lips warm." God answered my prayer and gave me a little girlfriend: her name was Debbie Gardner. I remember the next night praying, "Dear God, IF I just had a different girlfriend I would be happy."
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When I was fifteen I wanted a car more than anything else. I prayed, "Dear God, if I just had a car I would be happy." I promised God that it would be the most evangelistic car that He had ever seen. I would drive all across American picking up people and take them to church. I would cover it with all kinds of witnessing bumper stickers: "Honk if you love Jesus"; "God is my Co-pilot"; "Turn or burn, Fly or fry"; "Real men love Jesus." I finally got a car.it was a 1954 Plymouth. It was the ugliest car ever made! My next prayer was "Dear Lord, if I just had a different car I would be happy." Over time it was if I had the right job, the right kind of money, the right wife, the right 2.5 children and lived in the right house then I could be happy. It never ended. I thought that if I just had this one more thing I would be happy. Then over an eighteen-month period God literally stripped me of everything. I was mad at God. I yelled at Him and told Him that I had lost everything! Then God spoke to me in that still quiet voice. "I thought I was everything? I am the Alpha and the Omega and everything else in between." For the first time in my life I realized that if I put my happiness on anything besides Jesus I could lose.
If the basis of your happiness is in your car, you can lose it. If the basis of your happiness is your children, you can lose it. If the basis of your happiness is your job, you can lose it. The only thing you can't lose is Jesus. "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." Hebrews 3:5.
One day my son, Caleb, came home and told me he knew a whole song in sign language. I was so impressed that I asked him to sing it for me. Making the sign for Jesus (pointing to the scar in each hand) he started to sing. Jesus, Jeeeesus, Jesus Jesus Jesus, JEEEESUS . . . (at this point he is swinging his hips and moving his hands above his head.) JESUS, JEEsus . . . this went on for about ten minutes. Being the loving, kind father that I am, I yelled. "Caleb, is that all there is to that song?" Caleb stopped in the middle of the song and said, "Dad, you are the one who taught me that Jesus
is all we need." Yes, I guess I did.
Insight: Jesus Christ is the only foundation that comes with a guarantee that can stand up against any storm
Prayer: Dear Jesus I know that my child can chose many things to build their life upon. They can build their life upon wealth, popularity, or even a career. But all those things are temporal material and cannot hold during the storms of life. I pray that my children will build their hope on nothing less than Jesus Christ. Amen.
Copyright © 2004. Ed Wrather. Used with Permission. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
