Today�s devotional was written by my son, Clark Wrather, who is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Clark may be contacted at fbcbb@pine-net.com.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. - John 3:16.

One of the most difficult things I�ve done was when I handed my son, Mason, off to a stranger for surgery when he was three months old. Just last Friday, his neurosurgeon told us that he would need another surgery. Most likely, it will not be as complicated as the first one, but the surgeon told us there is no way to know until he is there looking around.

My son is now two years old. I cannot imagine that it will be easier to hand him over to strangers this time around. If anything, it will probably be harder. He�ll be scared and upset �and Libby and I probably will be too.

The only comfort I have is that my God also has a Son. He knows exactly what I�m feeling, because He�s felt it before. He knows what it feels like to hand your precious child over to strangers. This is what happened when our Lord Jesus left heaven behind and entered our world in the flesh.

I don�t know how the surgery will turn out, but we have a high probability that things will be just fine. I cannot imagine how it would feel to be told your child was going to die or that his chances were not good at all.

Our Father in heaven knew exactly what was going to happen to his beloved son when he handed him over to strangers. He knew that his special boy would eventually suffer, be tortured and die a painful death on the cross. God knew those things and still sent His Son to save us. I cannot imagine that God loves His boy any less than I love mine. What must God have felt in the weeks, days, and hours that were leading up to his Son�s death on the cross?

Knowing that my God has experienced some of the same things I�m facing is a great comfort. It also helps to know that He is listening to and answering prayer. He answered most of mine the last time around and I�m hoping He will this time as well. When you enter into God�s presence in prayer, please remember my son, Mason.

I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, when they hear the words of Your mouth. Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD. Though the LORD is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; you will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands. - Psalm 138.

How do you know what to do with your life? I grew up on a farm and for hundreds of years my ancestors have all been farmers. There were a few exceptions in that one ancestor was a preacher but he was also a farmer. Another ancestor was a stonemason but he was also a farmer. My Dad has worked as a truck driver, and as a parts man at a tractor dealership but if you ask him what he is - he will tell you that he is a farmer. Being a farmer is all my father ever wanted to be.

How do you know which course, which path in life to take with your life�s work? Are you to be a farmer because all of your ancestors including your parents were farmers? Are you to be a doctor because your father or your mother is a doctor? The same question could be asked for every career path. The next question to be asked is whether that is the plan God has for your life? It may be, or it may not be - but don�t you want to know? So, how are you supposed to know these things? What does God expect of you? How do you know if you are on the right track with your life?

In times of uncertainty Psalm 138 can give you comfort and assurance especially verse eight. Verse eight in the New Living Translation says, �The Lord will work out his plans for my life.� This verse tells you that you do not bear the whole burden of making every single thing happen in order for God�s plan to be worked out in your life. God will work out His plan in your life but there are some conditions. Verse eight does not mean that you are to live without ambition or without any sense of direction or that you just wander aimlessly waiting for God to make a way for you. What it means is that if you do your best to live according to God�s will for your life and then you have the assurance/confidence that He is working to make His plan become a reality for you.

I thought when I was growing up on the farm that I would probably become a farmer when I grew up. However, God had another plan, and He was busy blocking that from happening, and redirecting me to other avenues until I finally arrived at the right one. God was busy working behind the scenes to make His plan a reality in my life.

God�s plan would have become a reality more quickly if I had been more yielded to Him. We know what a yield sign means when we approach an intersection. It means that we are to stop and yield the right of way to any vehicles approaching to your left or right. If we don�t yield, it most likely will result in an accident. The same with God, we are called upon to yield to Him and we will avoid many accidents in our life too.

David gives us three qualities that make up a yielded heart in Psalm 138. In verses one and two, we see David has the quality of thankfulness in his life. In verse six, we see David has the quality of humility in his life and in verse seven; there is the quality of trust. Those are qualities that we would do well to develop in our own lives.

If we do develop a yielded heart made up of thankfulness, humility and trust we will see God�s plan become a reality in our lives. When God�s plan and not our plan becomes a reality, we will have joy, meaning, and fulfillment beyond anything we could have brought about with our own plans. Allow God to work in your life and yield to Him by being a thankful, humble, and trusting person always seeking His will. The beginning point for God to work in your life is Jesus. If you have not done so receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior (John 1:12; John 3:16; Revelation 3:20) and being living the yielded life.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way. - Isaiah 53:6a.

Living in Oklahoma, we hear frequently of the state trial of Terry Nichols for the 1995 bombing of the Murrah building. Nichols recently made an attempt at a plea bargain in which he would plead no contest to the charges in return for escaping the death penalty. The plea bargain was rejected by prosecutors. However, Judge Steven Taylor in a pretrial hearing said that he will stress to the jury that Nichols is to be �presumed innocent.� The judge also indicated that he should especially be presumed innocent in view of his willingness to plead no contest to the charges.

Being used to our criminal justice system in the USA it would only seem fair for God to operate in the same way. If God is fair, we think then He will consider us innocent until proven guilty. However, the flaw in this way of thinking is that we have already been found guilty. I am guilty, you are guilty, we are all guilty of sin, guilty of going our own way. One word stands out and shouts at us all in Romans 3:23 and Isaiah 53:6. That word is �all.� All of us have sinned. Every one of us have sinned and chosen our way instead of God�s way at one point or another. Of course, we do not like this spiritual fact but that does not change the truth of the matter.

Once we arrive at the point of realizing our guilt, we must throw ourselves upon the mercies of our Judge. Is our Judge without mercy? Will our Judge condemn us all without mercy? No, because He is a Judge of mercy and He has made a way for us to escape the penalty that should be ours. Romans 6:23 says, �the wages of sin is death.� But the rest of the verse gives the wonderful news of mercy, �but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.� Isaiah 53:6 says we have all gone astray but then tells us that God �has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.�

The bad news is that we are �all� guilty before God but the Good News is that �God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).�

When before the judgment bar of the Almighty it is best to plead guilty and confess (1 John 1:9). The punishment has already been given almost 2000 years ago when the sins of us all were laid on Jesus. What are we to do? Believe (John 3:16) upon our Savior Jesus Christ and receive the free gift of eternal life. Because if we do we will receive a full pardon for our iniquities.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:31-38.

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? - John 8:44-46.

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.� - John 14:5-6.

Some UFO investigators are seeking the truth about a 1965 fireball incident at Kecksburg, Pennsylvania. There is no dispute about the fact that a fireball streaked across the sky on December 9, 1965. There is no dispute because there are photos available of the fireball. However, what is in dispute is whether the fireball landed in the forest near Kecksburg. Some claim that local men were held at gunpoint by men in military clothing while they cordoned the area off. They also claim that the men carried off something metallic about the size of a VW beetle. A group called the Coalition for Freedom of Information has brought a lawsuit against NASA seeking any reports concerning military intervention at Kecksburg. If necessary to find the truth the group plans to bring lawsuits against the Army, Air Force, and the Department of Defense. They just want to know the truth and they are determined to find it whatever it costs.

We human beings are inquisitive creatures but oddly when it comes to spiritual things some just choose to say no to finding out the truth. They stop up their ears and cover their eyes to avoid knowing any more about God. If Billy Graham happens to have a televised crusade on TV, they quickly switch the channel. If someone knocks on their door and asks if they can share their faith they will forcefully say they are not interested. They blindly walk toward the end of their lives unable to see the eternal danger that lurks ahead. Not knowing the truth they think is bliss - they think if they do not know the truth then the truth will not affect them. Sadly they will have a most difficult wake up call in eternity when the truth is forced upon them much to late for anything to be done to change their eternal destination.

The fact is that if someone truly wants to know the truth about spiritual things they will find that truth to be widely available. They will not have to bring suit against the local church to demand truth be revealed to them. Here is the primary spiritual truth that everyone needs to know - Here it is: There is only one way to Heaven. God in His wisdom has provided only one way to an eternity in that wonderful place in Heaven and there are no exceptions. What is that one way? JESUS! And He my friends is the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth so help me God. Pull the blinders off of someone before it is eternally too late and share the Truth with them.

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well. - James 2:8.

Michelle Molina may have been having a bad day when she became a little upset at the manager of a McDonalds in Pleasantville, New Jersey. Michelle had placed a somewhat extensive order but the order did not arrive fast enough for her. Being angry over the slow service and cold food she cursed the manager and then poured a milkshake over the manager�s head. Apparently, this resulted in Michelle being arrested and charged with assault and criminal mischief. It all happened in a place called �Pleasantville.�

I think we can agree that Michelle was not following the �royal law� in her little escapade. However, many of us may have been tempted to do something similar - so let this be a warning to us of the consequences of such a thing! The fact is that following the �royal law� is usually to our advantage and we avoid many problems by not giving in to our fleshly urges. In addition, when we follow the �royal law� we find �life and peace� (Romans 8:6). When we follow our fleshly urges we quench and grieve the Holy Spirit and the result of following those urges is �death� (Romans 8:6).

Who is the King of kings? Jesus. If you know Jesus as your Savior you are part of the royal family of God (John 1:12). As children of God, we are called to a higher standard of living than children of the world are. We are to be the �salt� of the earth, a preserving influence flavoring the world with which each of us interacts. What a refreshing thing it must have been for that McDonald�s manager when someone else encountered something similar to Michelle Molina but instead of flying into a rage said something like, �don�t worry about it,� or �it�s okay.� Or, they just picked up their order and left knowing that it may have just been that someone there at the McDonalds was having a bad day and there was no need to make it worse.

Are you living like the Prince or Princess that you really are? Are you the �salt of the earth� bringing the flavor of real life to all you encounter? Are you the �light of the world� bringing the light of life to every dark place you encounter? Isn�t it time to take seriously the �royal law� of God? If we who are part of the royal family of the King of kings would live by the �royal law� what a different and wonderful world it would be.

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the ROYAL LAW according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. - James 2:1-10.

When I was in the third grade to celebrate my birthday I invited all the boys in my class to come home with me after school and spend the night. Actually, I didn�t want to invite every one to my birthday party. I just wanted to invite every boy except for one to my party. The sad situation was that this one boy and his siblings were ostracized by all the other kids because they were poor. Ostracized is a polite way of saying that the other kids made their lives miserable. It wasn�t that any of the rest of us were rich but they did not have as much as our families did. When I told my mother I was going to invite all the boys but one she had other plans. Her plan was that I invite all the boys or not have a party at all. It was a difficult thing to do but I invited Carl (Not his real name.) to the party. I�ve been glad ever since that I did and proud of my mother for doing the right thing.

Not long ago Carl unexpectedly came by to visit us. He was working in the area and wanted to say hello. I had not seen him in over 20 years and we were able to catch up some on each other�s lives. Oh, and Carl mentioned again about the birthday party that he had been at in the third grade at my house. I consider Carl and his family my friends and since they know the Lord we will be for eternity. Thank God that my mother knew to do the right thing even if I didn�t!

James in just ten short verses says quite a bit about partiality and repeats himself trying to get the point across. In Scripture when something is repeated it is because it is of much importance and it may be that we have a problem with it. We are of equal value in the God�s eyes. If it had only been Carl - Jesus would still have died for him. Every person on this earth has immense, incomprehensible value to God. The next time that we are tempted to be partial to one person over another let us look at them through the eyes of Jesus.

But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. - Acts 24:14-16.

You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. - Leviticus 19:11.

Sofia Aguilar�s car, a Mitsubishi 3000 GT, was having some transmission problems and she did what most of us would do - she took her car to a mechanic. Rocky Castilleja, a San Antonio, Texas mechanic for weeks told Sofia that her car was not yet repaired. When she went by the mechanic�s shop to check on it in person she found the car had an extra 190 miles on the odometer. Castilleja explained that the extra miles was a result of diagnostic testing which seemed reasonable to Sofia. Several weeks later (Her car had not yet been returned.) Sofia and her family went to the races. She was shocked to see her mechanic on the track, and�he was driving her car!! Upon closer inspection they found that it was indeed her car and with an additional 340 miles on it. Sofia called the police and the mechanic claimed that Sofia, �knew I was going to test drive her car.� However, after a short investigation officers arrested Castilleja for unlawful use of a vehicle.

It is amazing the creative license some take with the truth! Too many times, I have been disappointed to learn that someone has looked me in the eyes and lied. Sadly, I have a relative that would rather tell a lie than tell the truth. It is hard for me to understand why a person would persistently tell one lie after another except that they do not know the Lord as their Savior. I will confess that I have lied before but it is not something that I can do habitually because it wounds my conscience and grieves the Holy Spirit. I, as did the apostle Paul, strive to keep my conscience clear before God and man because to do otherwise is much too painful.

Why did the apostle Paul strive to keep his conscience clear? As he explained before Felix, he had hope in God. In other words, he believed that God was real and that there would some day be an accounting for our actions. Paul had a fear, a reverence, and respect for God because he looked beyond to eternity. There is more to life than what just meets our eyes. There is something more important than any situation where we are tempted to tell an untruth to make things better for us or to make ourselves look better. God knows exactly what we are doing. Let us ponder very carefully our actions in view of the eternal fact that there is a God and some bright shining day we who know Jesus as our Savior will walk by sight in His presence.

(Please pray for my lost relative that God will intervene in their life.)

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. - John 3:14-17.

The history of Valentine�s Day is shrouded by the centuries of time. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints with the name of Valentine or Valentinus all of whom were martyred. One story tells of when Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men believing that they made better soldiers when they were not burdened with wives and families. According to the story, Valentine, see how unjust this was defied the Emperor and in secret continued to marry young lovers. When the Emperor found out, he had Valentine executed.

From these ancient legends which all involved great trauma and demonstrations of love Valentine�s Day has taken on a life of its own which centuries ago would never have been thought about. In the Philippines, the day was celebrated setting a new world�s record with 5,122 couples all kissing at the same time. Thousands viewed the event and cheered as they kissed at the stroke of midnight on Friday. The Philippines has many problems including a massive budget deficit, crime and corruption. The world record kissing event along a 1.2-mile highway by Manila Bay was a nice break according to Mayor Lito Atienza who said, �Let�s take a break from the troubles we have been having, from our work, from political bickering, after all, it�s Valentine�s Day.�

Love is still alive and well in the 21st Century although love probably had little to do with the record kiss in Manila. Love is still alive and celebrated most likely because real love is motivated by a love for God and by His great example of sacrificial love. Real, Christian love once experienced is unforgettable and has the power to change the course of lives. Perhaps the origin of Valentine�s Day really goes back to the sacrificial love of Jesus who died so that we would have a Savior.

What better way to celebrate Valentine�s Day then to in some way follow the sacrificial example of Jesus, give up something in our lives, to show that love, demonstrate that love to someone else. As Jesus says, �A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35)."

Happy Valentine�s Day!!

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. - Genesis 1:27-31.

"We gave the keys to the car to someone without ensuring that they knew how to drive a car safely, and it crashed." That was the statement by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue after the recent Super Bowl halftime debacle. To his credit, he accepts responsibility for allowing MTV free rein in the production of the show. There has been and it appears that there will continue to be some harsh fallout for the entertainment industry as a result of the halftime show. Perhaps this is a good time to call into question whether any and every obscene thing should be shown on cable and satellite television as well. Do our leaders have some responsibility to do the right thing in regard to all of the filth being constantly beamed out into homes across this country? Of course, they are responsible because they are the ones who can most easily do something about it. But the rest of us bear responsibility to the extent that we support the filth through our dollars. There would not be a drug problem if there were not so many people wanting to use illegal substances. The entertainment industry would not be continuing to produce this obscene material if there were not so many people wanting to see it.

Beginning with Adam and Eve mankind has been given great responsibility for all that God has created. Perhaps the most heavy responsibility of all is for the way that we live our individual lives and the impact that it has on those around us. Beginning with Adam and Eve, we have all failed to live up to the responsibility that God has placed upon us. We have all failed at some point just as the Bible says in Romans 3:23, �for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.� What is that we should do in light of our failures? We should accept responsibility that we have failed confessing (1 John 1:9) that to our Lord Jesus and asking His forgiveness. As the prophet Micah tells us, �He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 1:6)?�

Isn�t it time for us to accept responsibility, confess our failures and begin again through His forgiveness to live as He would have us to? What better time than right now to do exactly that?< /B>

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. - Genesis 6:5-8.

But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. - Matthew 24:37-39.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. - 2 Timothy 3:1-9.

Recently I watched movie called �Timechangers� which was thought provoking. In the movie a seminary professor from 1890 visits the 21st Century and the professor is horrified by the moral decay that he finds. He goes to a movie with a group from a church and is shocked to hear the Lord�s Name taken in vain by an actor. He is shocked by the immodest dress and complains about a window display. He is shocked that people are working on the Lord�s Day. At his motel, he briefly scans through some of the television channels available and is so shocked he spends the night kneeling by his bed in prayer. At a burger place, he overhears two teenage girls planning to sneak around and have a party, which includes drinking alcohol. When the professor confronts them, they think that he is some kind of crazy nut. Because of the decay, the professor believes that this must indeed be the last days and that Jesus is coming soon.

We do seem to have become desensitized to many forms of immorality, which would have been shocking beyond belief a century ago. Because we are living in the 21st Century and have space age technology does that make it okay to participate in the immorality that lurks around every corner of modern day life? Because everyone else thinks it is okay and acts like it is okay to behave in a manner the Bible clearly indicates is immoral does that make it okay? Because we have grown up hearing and seeing all kinds of disgusting things, does that mean that it is right? Because our society has evolved into a godless mess of immorality, does that mean that we have no choice but to be a part of it?

I once heard a sermon preached about how everyone knows �the way it is� in the church and the world but he then preached a sermon about how �it ought to be.� We know, at least I hope we know, that �the way it is� in this world of ours is not the way �it ought to be.� In 100 years, has the Bible changed so radically that we think that �the way it is� is good? The fact is that the Bible has not changed. God�s Word is unchangeable just as He is unchangeable and is the same yesterday, today, and for eternity.

The apostle Paul not only tells us the �way it is� in 2 Timothy 3 but he also tells us the way it ought to be, �But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:14-15).� Evil men, imposters, and deceivers will multiply (2 Timothy 3:13) but we must continue in the Truth. The Bible has not changed and will never change. We must not give in to the lies of the world. Let us continue in what we know to be true.

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.

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. - Psalm 119:9, 11.

A little boy walked into the living room and opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly something fell out of the book. He picked up the object and looked closely at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. He quickly ran into the bedroom to find his mother. �Mommy, Mommy! Look what I found in the Bible,� the little boy shouted. �What did you find?� his mother asked. With astonishment, the little boy answered, �Wow! I think it is Adam's underwear!�

What has happened to us? At one point in our lives, the Bible was an exciting, mysterious and holy book. It was something to be cherished. Do you remember the day you received your very own Bible? You took it with you to Sunday school, church training, everywhere. You read, studied and memorized it. It was as much a part of your life as wearing shoes. But sometimes the priority of God's Word gets lost along the way from childhood to adulthood. Today many have replaced their Bibles and instead wear a Christian T-shirt, a WWJD bracelet or a cross ring or necklace as a symbol for being a Christian. Yet, there is a direct relationship between God's Word and your children living a holy life as a Christian. How can a young man or young lady keep their way pure? According to the Bible, it is not just reading the Bible but allowing our lives to come under complete obedience to the Word of God. That information will not come from Christian merchandise. Only through the Bible.

Many years ago, I learned a song that I can still sing with enthusiasm. The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that �s the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God. The B-I-B-L-E! When I was a child, it was the book for me. When I became a young man, it still was the book for me, and now that I have my AARP card, it still is the book for me. Sitting on my desk is a Bible that I have used for 29 years. The pages are falling out and scotch tape holds the cover together. There are notes throughout and words underlined and highlighted. It has autographs of respectable preachers I have met on my journey. One of the first things I wrote in my Bible many years ago as a teenager was, �This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.�

Lead your children to open God's Word. You will never imagine the effect their discoveries will have. Even when it is just Adam�s underwear. You are your child primary discipler in the ways and the word of God.

Prayer: Dear Father, It takes so much to raise a child. I have to responsible for their food, shelter, clothing and well-being. Sometimes these things get in away of the most important thing and that is to be their spiritual leader. Today my priority is to make sure they have a daily intake of your word. Father today may I feed my children from the overflow you have give me. Amen.

There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it. - Proverbs 21:20.

The United States Congress in January passed legislation for �earmarked� projects with many of them appearing wasteful. Iowa is receiving $50 million for developing an indoor rain forest. Florida is receiving $50 million so that a beach resort bridge will continue to be toll-free. $ 450,000 goes to decipher the genetic structure of rainbow trout and there is a program at the University of Akron that seeks to analyze how Congress makes difficult budget decisions that will receive $500,000. Now we know where some of the �pork� is at.

All of the above appears somewhat wasteful to me but consider how it is viewed by those who lived through the Great Depression. I have heard many stories about how people used everything and conserved vigorously in order to survive during those difficult times. One story I�ve heard many times is about conserving gasoline. In order to conserve gas one man during the depression would turn off the key to the engine when he thought he was close enough to the gas pump for the vehicle to coast the rest of the way. Everything else in his life was lived just as conservatively and not surprisingly, his descendants have reaped large financial benefits from his frugality.

As children of God, everything we have belongs to God. Every material possession, everything we own including our own bodies belongs to God. We are allowed the use of what we have been blessed with but we are only stewards not owners of it. There will someday be an accounting of how we have used and taken care of all that God has placed in our care. The parable of the Talents gives us some perspective about this: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them (Matthew 25:14-19).�

Where�s the �pork� at in our lives? God not only desires that we waste not what He has placed into our care but that it increases in value and does not diminish. Of course, the value of what God has placed into our hands cannot be measured in monetary value but in eternal value. Are we investing in the Kingdom of God not only with the financial assets available to us but also with all that makes up our lives?

Today�s devotional was written by my son, Clark Wrather, who is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Clark may be contacted at fbcbb@pine-net.com.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2.

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. - 1 Thessalonians 3:12-14.

A couple of weeks ago, a group of ladies from our church took a shopping trip to McKinney, Texas. To prepare for the trip, I cleaned up the vans and gave them a good washing. I wanted the vans to be perfect for their trip. I gassed them up and checked the oil. Neither was low, but surprisingly one was too full.

On the morning of the trip, I arrived early and started up the vans. I wanted them to be warm and cozy for the ladies going to Texas. Everything was prepared. The vans were ready to go, but then something happened.

While I was waiting for people to arrive, I took the opportunity to finish up some work in the office. After several minutes, people started to arrive and then one lady burst in and asked how many keys we had to one of the vans. I thought it was a strange question and arched an eyebrow. She confessed that she had locked the keys inside one of the vans, which was running.

I did some quick thinking and knew one van only had one set of keys. Unfortunately, that was the set of keys locked up inside the van. We made an attempt at opening up the van with a hanger, but it was to no avail. It was past time to leave and everyone could squeeze into one van. They did and left me behind to unlock the van that was all cleaned up, gassed up, warmed up and ready to go.

Sometimes our relationship with Christ seems like its going nowhere. It seems like He is not listening to our prayers or that we are not growing any closer to Him. We may be coming to church, reading our Bible and even serving God in some way, but nothing is happening. We�re like that van - all geared up and ready to grow, but nothing happens.

When this is happening, even though you seem to be doing all of the right things, there are two possibilities. The first is that you have some kind of habitual sin and you will not let it go. If God speaks to you over and over again, convicting you of a certain sin and you hold on to it� don�t expect to grow. The second is that your heart may not be seeking God. You may just be going through the motions at church, when you pray, and when you read the Bible. Your heart and its devotion is the only key that opens the door for you to grow anywhere.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil. - Proverbs 4:23- 27.

At the Varner prison, which is located about 70 miles southeast of Little Rock, Arkansas the death row cell doors were accidentally left unlocked. It was the second time since December that the doors were left unlocked. Thankfully, as Dina Tyler a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system says, �They (the prisoners) sat there. They didn�t move.� However, in December when an electrical fault opened the doors there was a different result. The doors opened then were to a cellblock holding violent murderers and rapists. Many of the inmates left their cells and another inmate killed one of them. Of course, the inmate who murdered the other inmate will be charged with the murder but what are they going to do to him? Put him on death row? He is already on death row and he doesn�t care.

While I was in the first part of my training as a parole officer, we were housed inside of a minimum-security prison. In that low level of security, inmates were able to roam around very freely. We were warned to always lock our portion of the facility - to always be secure. We were warned to do this even if we were only leaving for a few moments. All of us took this very seriously and by doing so, we protected each other.

Another translation of Proverbs 4:23 puts it this way, �Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.� We do have an enemy who is constantly seeking a way to gain entry into our lives. 1 Peter 5:8 says, �Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.� The devil is constantly seeking a way into your life and you must constantly be on guard to prevent his entry. We must also be on guard against �worldly lusts (Titus 2:12),� and the lure of the �flesh (Romans 8:5).�

Whenever we give in to the �worldly lusts� or the �flesh� we provide an opening for the devil to attack us. It is just as if we have left the door unlocked to our heart and invited him in. A very dangerous thing to do because the heart is the �wellspring of life� and out of the heart come all the �issues of life.� If the door is left unlocked that old murderer, the devil will not set around until someone locks it up again. No, he will immediately take advantage of the opportunity at your expense and do as much damage as he can. The devil is not a gentleman or a civilized person - he is just like the murderers and rapists on death row. He does not care whether he is found out because he is already under a death sentence and he just enjoys causing as much pain as he can while he can.

Guard your heart well because there is reason to do so. Nothing is more important than your heart. Every time you make the right choice to live righteously and not sin, you have turned the key in the lock of your heart. Every time you resist the �worldly lusts� and the lures of the � flesh�, you have locked the door to your heart against the attacks of the devil. Guard your heart! Lock the door!

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." - Mark 10:42-45.

Ed Buchart retired from the marines after 20 years in 1978 and never dreamed of what God had in store for him then. �Santa� Butchart spends Christmas every year looking just like Santa Claus but this Santa tells the children what Christmas is really about. He tells them how that God loved the world so much that he sent His Son. He tells them how special they are and how much God loves them.

Ed has spent much of his time after retirement repairing wheelchairs through his non-profit corporation, Friends of Disabled Adults, Inc. The ministry grew from a little place in his garage to a 64,500 square-foot warehouse, which is filled with refurbished wheelchairs, and medical equipment. To begin with, Ed and his wife rebuilt the wheelchairs themselves but as people became aware of their ministry and demand increased they realized that they needed help. FODA now has a few employees many of whom are disabled. Ed Buchart through FODA has distributed more than $32 million dollars in refurbished wheelchairs. Buchart says that he never knew how much he was worth until he gave himself away.

Jesus, our Lord, Savior, and example gave Himself away as well. Jesus did not come to this earth to be served but to serve. We are not saved so that we can be served but so that we can serve as did our Lord. However, when we serve it should always point others to Jesus bringing glory to Him. And when we serve the ultimate purpose should be that others would come to know Jesus as their Savior.

How much are you worth? You are worth so much that God�s Son came down to this earth from the glories of Heaven suffering and dying so that you would have a Savior. Even though we are worth so very much it is not always comprehended/understood by us. However, when we begin to give ourselves away that is when our true worth is revealed not only to ourselves but to others as well. Give yourself away and break out of life, as you have known it. Give yourself away and you too can break out spiritually!

Today�s devotional was written by my son, Clark Wrather, who is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Clark may be contacted at fbcbb@pine-net.com.

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."' - Matthew 4:3-4.

Just a few weeks ago around Thanksgiving, my family traveled to Western Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. If you�ve never been there, imagine a place with very few trees and so flat that you can see for miles. It has a sort of rough beauty that is only spoiled by the constant blowing of the wind. It is always windy in Western Oklahoma.

On our way out there, we stopped to fill up with gas on the turnpike. It was the start of a holiday weekend and the place was full of people traveling and vehicles filling up. While the gas was flowing into my car, I went back and opened the driver�s side front door. This was a big mistake for some reason.

We�ve only had our mini-van a few months. When I opened the door, it set off the factory installed car alarm. I didn�t even know that it had factory installed car alarm, but I do now. The horn started honking with a shrill BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! It would BEEP every couple of seconds. In the interval between beeps, every light on the car would flash on and then off.

It was quite a spectacle. Imagine my surprise; I didn�t even know my van could do that. In just a few moments, my wonder turned into nervous alarm, when it hit me that not only did I not know about the car alarm, but I had no idea how to turn it off. Imagine lights flashing on and off and the shrill honking of a crazed mini-van. In the middle of it all, picture two frantic people desperately searching the pages of the owner�s manual to find out how in the world to shut it off. Libby eventually found what to do and we shut the awful thing off.

I had owned that van for a few months and hadn�t cared about reading the owner�s manual at all. Suddenly, I had a good reason to do so. I don�t know how many people have dusty Bibles at home that they never read. I do know that when your life gets turned upside down and you have a major crisis, that Bible is usually taken down, opened up and desperately read and searched for answers. You might try reading it before the crisis, so you�ll be prepared and know what to do. I wish I had read the owner�s manual for my van, before it went berserk.

Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. - Matthew 18:19-20.

On July 1, 1857, Jeremiah Lanphier received an appointment as a city missionary in New York City from the Dutch Reformed Church. Lanphier was described as being a �quiet and zealous businessman .� How would he be able to make any kind of difference? He decided to begin by holding a prayer meeting at noon on Wednesdays and he randomly passed out a few invitations for others to join him. The prayer meeting was held on Fulton Street a few blocks from where the World Trade Center would eventually be located. Lanphier relates what happened, �Going my rounds in the performance of my duty one day, as I was walking along the streets, the idea was suggested to my mind that an hour of prayer, from twelve to one o'clock, would be beneficial to businessmen, who usually in great numbers take that hour for rest and refreshment. The idea was to have singing, prayer, exhortation, relation of religious experience, as the case might be; that none should be required to stay the whole hour; that all should come and go as their engagements should allow or require, or their inclinations dictate. Arrangements were made, and at twelve o'clock noon, on the 23rd day of September, 1857, the door of the third story lecture room was thrown open.�

Jeremiah had to pray by himself for the first thirty minutes but then a few men began arriving until eventually five had come making a total of six people. The next meeting was held on September 30th with 20 people attending. On October 7th, the meeting had grown to over 30 and it was decided to have the meetings daily. Within only a matter of months prayer meetings multiplied until there were over 10,000 people praying together in the city in these meetings. The movement spread across the country and to England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The result was that over one million people came to know Christ as their Savior. Major social changes also were brought about because of these new believers.

God used one person to start one prayer meeting that changed the world! What would happen in your world if you asked a few friends to join you in prayer? Invite them to your home, or ask your pastor if you can meet at church and allow everyone to come that would like to be a part of it. What would happen if you were to do that? Most likely God would use you to change the world too! What a wonderful spiritual break out that would be!

(If you do start a prayer meeting please send me an email and let me know about it. I think it would be a great encouragement to us all.)

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the �stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:8-12.

Manufacturers these days go to extreme lengths to provide adequate warning labels in order to avoid lawsuits. For example, the manufacturer of a 5-inch fishing lure with three very sharp steel hooks has put a label on the lure that states, �Harmful if swallowed.� If fish could read it would be a very helpful piece of information for them! The manufacturer of a drain cleaner has placed this warning label on the bottle, �If you do not understand, or cannot read, all directions, cautions and warnings, do not use this product.� A warning label on a snow sled states, �Beware: sled may develop high speed under certain snow conditions.� No doubt, you have seen other warning labels that seem just as absurd.

Whatever label there may be on products there will probably be someone who will do exactly what they are warned not to do. It may simply be human nature to want to rebel against what they know is right and do what is wrong. It apparently is an inherited trait, which we all have gotten from our ancestors Adam and Eve.

God is also in the warning business and has been busy for thousands of years doing exactly that. In the days of the Old Testament God sent men called prophets to warn the people of their sins and of what God would have them to do differently. Today we have the Bible - it is a love letter from God to us but sometimes it is a tough love. God loves us so much that He warns us about what will happen if we do not heed His words of love.

The world�s idea is that all religions lead to Heaven and if you are sincere about what you believe then that will be enough. The Bible warns very clearly that the world�s idea is not true. There is only one Name under Heaven by which we may be saved and that Name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The Bible states, �Nor is there salvation in any other (name).� Jesus also warns very plainly in John 14:6 about this very thing saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.�

We would think that someone was a fool if they swallowed a three-pronged fishing lure or if they drank some drain cleaner ignoring the warning labels (and common sense!). But there are people who continually laugh at and thumb their noses at the Word of God by their words and their actions. Those are the people who are really the fools and someday when it is eternally too late they will find out the truth.

Before it is too late warn your friends, warn everyone you can that there is only one way to Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. �To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, WARNING EVERY MAN and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:27-28).�