A favourite lament of a high school teacher of mine was, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. I can teach you all knowledge, but I can't make you think."

As a daydreamer, I understand exactly what she was attempting to tell us. I knew how to "turn her off" in algebra class. There were many things I'd rather be thinking about than the dull figures that she was discussing. It was only when test time came that I understood what I'd missed by not listening to her.

Teachers today compete with more than daydreamers. There are the cell phone, iPod®, television, and Wii®, among other things that distract from what is being taught.

Matthew 13:13 – This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand." (NIV)

In other words, Jesus was saying, "Focus on the teacher. Listen, then absorb it into your hearts."

Hearing and listening are two important concepts in learning. Hearing is the first phase of learning. We can hear the sound that is being made, but until we focus on what the sound means, we have not absorbed it into our mind. Listening, on the other hand, is paying thoughtful attention. Thinking comes about when the human brain is receptive to what it is hearing. The last phase is learning, which takes place when, through hearing, listening, and absorbing what we hear, we apply what we have heard.

Prayer: Lord, teach us how to listen and absorb Your Word into our hearts, and apply it in our lives. Teach us to truly love our neighbour. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Time is a commodity that we never seem to have enough of. Regardless of what stage of life we are in — even in the retirement stage — we manage to get involved in many activities that fill up our time. Seldom do we hear anyone complain about having nothing to do.

My friend, who lives in an assisted living home, was telling me recently that she must drop some of her activities. She doesn't have enough private time for her daily meditations. This friend has found many ways of sharing her time and talents with the friends she has made in her new home.

Regardless of our circumstances, we can share with others, even though it's just speaking to people at the dinner table, at the store, or on the street, picking up the phone, or stopping at a friend's door to inquire about a situation in their life. "Good morning!" with a smile is a gift to be shared with others. A cheerful greeting can erase the loneliness and decorate someone's face with a smile.

God designed us to be social creatures. We find that although we only share a smile with others, it is still more blessed to give than to be on the receiving end.

Wherever we may be, whatever our circumstances, God puts us where we are for a purpose! He knows our address, and He even knows the number of hairs on our heads. He knows what we are capable of giving to others, and He also knows what we need. It might be that a smile on the grumpy face turned toward us is all that is needed to make our day feel like a success. God extends us in all directions.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the ability to speak and smile to other people. May our efforts to communicate be what is needed to brighten our own day and to cast a ray of light into the life of someone else. Amen.

A bad experience in early childhood taught me that I didn't want to arrive at any gathering too early. This desire to arrive later has also gotten me into embarrassing experiences. Somewhere between being first and last, awake and asleep, there is a happy medium toward which we need to strive.

The term "virgin" as used in the Bible refers to something or someone young, wise, pure, clean, righteous, punctual, obedient — any term that would be used to describe a young woman engaged in right living. The wise virgins were on time for the wedding feast, but the foolish ones were unprepared. They missed the bridegroom's arrival. The fuel had burned out in their lamps, and, not being prepared with refills, they missed the important event.

This parable told by Jesus was His admonition for us to be prepared for His imminent return — which could happen at any moment.

Revelation 19:9b – Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. (NLT)

In Scripture, Jesus is referred to as the Lamb and the Bridegroom, and the Church is referred to as the Bride. In that last day, those who are ready will gain entrance to the wedding feast of the Lamb.

All of us want to attend the wedding party, but many of us are not prepared. Either we will be too late in arriving, or we arrived too early and have used up all our fuel, and our lights, our enthusiasm and zeal, will have gone out. Some will not be prepared to refuel the lamps which will allow us to see the Bridegroom.

Being prepared means always being in a state of readiness in body, mind, and spirit to do the right thing at the right moment. It means knowing how to do the right thing and having the faith to put what we know into action.

Prayer: Father, we desire to meet the Bridegroom at the wedding feast, but we are afraid that all bases have not been covered. What have we forgotten, neglected, used up, or spilled in our hearts? Help us to realize that to be prepared, we have to be tuned in to your Holy Spirit constantly. Help us to get all things right so that we can meet the Master when He comes. Amen.

In the area where I spent my childhood, there was an old iron bridge. It spanned the river on a dirt road, marking the one road the residents of Ellabelle community had for getting to the next town. Over the years, a modern highway has come through the area and crosses the river with its large concrete pillars firmly planted deep into the ground. One can still stand on the highway and see the iron bridge sitting where it has been for so many years.

This bridge has been saved as a landmark of our county's history and as one which testifies to the durability of the iron. This bridge connects the present generation with ancestors who lived in another day and time, but still had knowledge of how to solve their problem of crossing a river.

Blessed are those who have benefited from the wisdom and hard work of ancestors. Blessed too are those of us today who have been rewarded by having the truths of the Bible and the teachings and love of Jesus Christ passed on to us.

The old iron bridge is outdated, but the principle for which it was built remains the same: the need to cross the river and get to the other side. The present generation has the same need: to cross the river. They do it with strong cement foundations, but the need is the same.

Similarly, today there are many changes in the way people worship. We have inherited a style of worship that is filled with rituals, ceremonies, and set patterns of worship, with robed choirs and instruments such as organs and pianos. Instead, many people today want a relaxed kind of contemporary music. A new generation prefers informal dress, with pants and loose pullover shirts. Worship involves praise teams, using video projection technology and electronic musical instruments.

But the need is the same today as yesterday. We human beings owe our deepest praise, thanksgiving, and worship to the one we call the Lord God Almighty, the One who created us in the beginning and later gave His life on the cross that we might be saved and have eternal life.

Laws change, techniques change, images and ways of doing things change, but God holds true forever.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, Creator, Spirit, and supreme power above us all. Show us Your steadfast truths that remain the same. We know that You, our Creator and Sustainer, are always present, ready when we call. You will remain steadfast forever. Amen.

There have been times in my life when I've had responsibilities which I've thought were greater than I could handle placed on my shoulders. Then I've thought of Joshua, who inherited a tremendous responsibility when Moses died, and the task of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land fell on his shoulders. Remembering from today's Scripture God's words to Joshua, I've realized that He did not expect me to handle the situation alone. God is always there to help, and if we examine our resources, we find that there are others who are also willing to help us.

Joshua had reached the place where he could see the Promised Land. He had shared Moses' dream and had gone with a team of people to explore the land forty years before. Now the job of leading the children of Israel into the land had become his responsibility. The future was up to Joshua now.

How many times have we stood on the threshold of a new world, trembling in fear of what lay ahead? Joshua remembered one thing: God always keeps His promises. The message God gave to Joshua is still relevant today:

Joshua 1:7-8 – Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV)

Joshua realized that everything did not depend on him alone. He needed to think clearly, to make use of the skills of others, and to remember that he was God's servant and that God had made him a promise that He would be with him. This promise applies also to us, and calls for similar obedience:

Joshua 24:15b,23-24 – "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel." And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God and obey him." (NIV)

Prayer: Lord, just as Joshua called on Your promise, may we remember Your promise that You will not fail or forsake us. May we commit our lives to the tasks You have called us to do. Amen.

Why would Jesus want us to take His yoke upon us? Is not a yoke intended to enable animals to pull a burden? It sounds like He really wants to make our lives harder.

In an antique shop, I viewed a double yoke. It had been used many years before, when farmers ploughed their fields with mules or horses. This double yoke was used to hitch two animals together, doubling the pulling power on the plough the animals were pulling. I was reminded of today's Scripture.

As Christians we should imagine that the yoke that Christ gives us is a double yoke. He is there beside us helping us to pull the load, not walking behind as a cruel taskmaster with a whip and driving us to pull the load.

The yoke that Jesus offers is not an additional burden. He asks His disciples to learn from His gentle, humble heart, promising that we will find rest. Jesus' yoke offers us a new attitude toward life. Rather than putting on us a yoke of burden, as the yoke did for the animals, His is a yoke which frees people from slavery and spiritual confusion, and gives us a desire to learn and serve.

His yoke is easy because He teaches us how to wear the yoke, and then walks beside us, helping us as we pull the load.

Prayer: Lord, we thank You that Your yoke is easy, that You teach us how to wear it, and that if we are gentle and humble as we wear Your yoke, You will help us find rest for our souls. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Late one night following my husband's surgery, I made the decision to go home, which is just a few city blocks from the hospital, rather than spending the night by his bedside. Leaving the bright lights of the parking lot, driving into the blackness of the night, I suddenly felt so alone. The further I drove into the darkness, the more intense the feeling became. On my street, all the houses were dark. Mine was the darkest of all.

Fumbling with my key without the aid of a light, I thought of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. There were people in the houses all around me, but they were sound asleep. If I were to awaken them, would they be like His disciples, eager to go to sleep again? But my situation was so unlike that of Jesus. I had not been arrested to be crucified the next day. I was just an arm's reach away from the light switch that would illuminate my world. Jesus' friends could not stay awake to keep Him from feeling alone that night. It was not that they were indifferent to His needs. They just did not comprehend the depth of His problems. They had no idea what the following day would bring.

Jesus was the light switch that would light up our world and illuminate our darkness, and yet, He prayed in the darkness alone. He went to the cross and the darkness of the grave for us.

There are people we will come in contact with today who have great problems, like loneliness. Will we comprehend their needs or will we be so wrapped up in our own that we are unaware of others?

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who turned on the light of life for us. Make us aware of the needs of others. Amen.