It was a crisp, luminous winter's day when we ventured out of the city for a drive. Hawks were perched prominently in the treetops. Just outside a barn door stood a huddle of cattle absorbing the sun's warmth. It was a glorious morning, and my spirits were buoyed by the sunshine. Finding ourselves bordering my brother's hometown, I eagerly texted an impromptu coffee invite. His reply surprised me: the previous night, a heavy snow had fallen, and now menacing clouds darkened the sky, so he wouldn't chance the drive. From his vantage point, the weather was unstable, and the fear of a storm held him captive. As we looped along the country roads heading for home, I was saddened to think that threatening skies had foiled an opportunity to enjoy a visit in the sunshine. In reality, the enemy had planted a seed of fear in my brother's heart, causing him to miss out on the blessings that God had prepared for him.

Psalm 42:11 – Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. (CSB)

There are times when others lead us out of the mire, just as the farmer had led the cattle outside and into the sunshine. The Bible tells us that we are responsible for stirring up our own faith, shaking the dust off our feet, and persevering until we reach the prize. It's hard work being our own cheerleader. When life is a struggle and times are tough, how do we keep ourselves encouraged and retain the stamina and hope to carry us through? God's Word and praise, when used together, help us to maintain a heavenly perspective on our circumstances. Let us begin by remembering that He is the vine and we are the branches. The vine has everything that the branches require to flourish. Our part (what we do) is to stay connected to the vine — our source of life — by reading, hearing, watching, and speaking God's Word. We are instructed to cast all of our cares on Jesus and to trust Him to provide for all our needs. We need to read the Bible and feed our inner self with His Word. We search for Scriptures that address the problems, and then praise God for the answers. The more Word that gets down into our hearts, the better equipped that we become at handling all that comes against us. We are called to persevere, because breakthroughs and blessings could be waiting around the next corner.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we lift our hearts in praise and thanksgiving for sending Your Holy Spirit to dwell in us so that we are never alone in this world. Thank You for leaving us Your living Word, contained within the Bible, as a daily source of nourishment, guidance, strength, and encouragement. Thank You for allowing us to stay connected to You through prayer. Use our trials to teach us perseverance and reliance on You. We cast down every negative thought and shake off our discouragement by resting in Your love and rejoicing in You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Then it dawned on me that when we cease to pursue God intentionally through the reading of His Word, we, too, can lose our zeal. When we start skimping on or even skipping our daily dose of God's Word, the busyness of everyday life subtly creeps in, crushing our spiritual drive and devouring the time once allowed for fellowshipping with our heavenly Father. Meagre and irregular doses of His Word (our spiritual food) eventually cause us to become spiritually lazy. Our diligent efforts to pursue the things of God are soon replaced by a preference to be fed small bits of the Word prepared for us by others. It is rather like fasting all week and then eating only dessert on Sunday — an easy meal plan that won't satisfy or sustain us for long. Our minimal effort seems only to fuel our laziness while simultaneously diminishing all of the positive benefits and joy that once resulted from our discipline and diligence.

Today's Scripture clearly tells us what will be the rewards of a lazy soul or a diligent soul:

Proverbs 13:4 – The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition], But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied. (AMP)

I believe that the Holy Spirit brought Sparky's behaviour to my attention as a reminder that a disciplined and diligent searching of God's Word should be a joyful, exciting, and rewarding experience, and that sometimes the easy way isn't the best way. Time spent in the Word is time spent with God — we should overflow with joy! Not only does the Word keep our mind, body, and spirit strong, but it provides us with permanent benefits — because it is eternal. Glory to God!

God wants us to thrive and to be in good health so that we can do His work and enjoy our lives. Our weekly doses of the Word are better taken like a vitamin supplement, to enhance the wisdom gained through our own daily efforts spent exploring the depths of His Word. Like Sparky's toy, God has given us His Word, with hidden wisdom and benefits inside. It is up to each of us to search the Word with a holy hunger so that the treasures it contains will be revealed.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Word and all of the treasures hidden within it. You gave us Your Word for our benefit, so ignite within our hearts a powerful desire for You that moves us into action. As we read the Scriptures and listen to godly teaching, speak to our hearts and draw us closer to You. May we be filled with joy and shine brightly for You in the dark places of this world. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Isaiah 60:19 – The sun shall be no more Your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. (ESV)

Canada Day, July 1 last year, was a scorcher, and the temperature was still up, well into the evening. It wasn't quite dark yet, but the rhythmic booms signalled that backyard fireworks displays were already underway. I stood on the porch with my eyes to the sky hoping to catch a glimpse of a colourful shooting star. I was rewarded with the bright red sparks falling from the final burst of a Roman candle. As my eyes fell to the ground with the red embers, I caught sight of a tiny white light blinking from within the hedges. I fixed my gaze on the hedgerow and waited. Yes! Fireflies! A dozen tiny white lights floated among the bushes. These tiny specks of light drifted throughout the garden, silently blinking on and off as they travelled along. I found myself immersed in watching their journey and felt completely at peace. As I took my focus off the firefly light display, the sights and sounds of the Canada Day celebrations bombarded my senses once again.

John 8:12 – Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (ESV)

People are drawn to light. As Christians, we are like tiny fireflies moving about this big old world. We quietly go about our daily routines, unaware that others are watching our behaviour and activities, yet all the while, we're shining our little lights. As we live by God's statutes, God's light shines out from within us and draws the attention of those around us. Occasionally, each of our little blinking lights will generate enough curiosity to draw someone into a conversation about its source. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the light of this world. When our eyes are focused intently on Him, the hustle and bustle and cares of this world are completely blocked out, and we experience a peace that surpasses understanding.

Prayer: Loving Father, we thank You for giving us Jesus, the light of the world. Refresh our spirits and fill us with the light of Your love and the truth of Your Word. Help us to shine brightly for You today as we go about our daily routines. May our tiny blinking lights draw people to the real source of light: Your precious Son, Jesus. Use our efforts to Your glory. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Matthew 10:20 – For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (NIV)

Recently, I was caught up in a God wink experience. One Sunday morning in mid-April, the inspiration and subject matter for a new devotional swept over me, sending me to my keyboard. By nightfall, I had prepared a submission I called Sticks and Stones. The next morning, I opened my e-mail, and the bold text of the day's devotional read Sticks And Stones. What was going on? I hadn't sent mine anywhere last night, had I? Momentary confusion muddled my thoughts as I scrolled down to read the body of the text. "Sticks and stones will break my bones …" It was the same introduction. But selections aren't published that quickly; there is a refining process, editing, scheduling. As I read further, the words became unfamiliar to me, although the theme was similar: words can hurt, so show kindness through your actions.

Later that same day, I shared the Sticks and Stones God wink experience with my sister. What my sister said in response to this Sticks and Stones story was remarkable. The sermon given at her church that Sunday was titled Sticks and Stones, and the theme was kindness through words and deeds.

1 Corinthians 3:10 – These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (NIV)

God was using His people to spread His message of love, both corporately and personally. God's corporate message repeated throughout each of the Sticks and Stones versions, urges us all to walk in love. The God wink part of the Sticks and Stones stories speaks a loving and personal message directly to the hearts of those involved in penning and delivering the words: keep listening; God is using you.

Christians truly are God's ambassadors here on earth. Our actions and words do matter. The God of the Bible is actively using His followers to spread His message today. We are part of His ongoing story to humanity. Keep watching and listening, and may God wink at you, too!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us spiritual eyes and ears to help us as we go about Your work. Help us to grow confident and proficient in their use. Thank You for using each of us in unique ways to carry out Your work here on earth. Thank You for speaking to us directly and personally, in ways that we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they are messages from You. Thank You for using God winks as one method of communicating Your messages of affirmation, love, comfort, guidance, and unity to Your people. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

People use words to defend themselves. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me." Years ago, this old children's rhyme was often chanted back at the bullies who were using hurtful words as weapons. In essence, the victims were defending themselves with their words by saying, "Go ahead and say whatever you will. Those names won't hurt me!" Children had discovered and harnessed the power of words for both good and evil.

Proverbs 18:21 – The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (NIV)

Ephesians 6:17 – Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (NIV)

Whether we're hit by sticks and stones, weapons or words, the end result is injury, pain, and sometimes death. Words carry the power to hurt or heal, discourage or inspire, proclaim victory or defeat. God's Word tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. He instructs us to put on our spiritual armour, because the words that we speak are being used either for or against us, here and in the spiritual realm. For guidance and instruction on choosing words that will heal and inspire, we have access to God's Word on the pages of the Bible. The wise King Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 4:20-22 – My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one's whole body. (NIV 2011)

What are our words doing? Do they bring victory or defeat? We should be carefully choosing and using our words to encourage, inspire, comfort, and support all those who hear them.

1 John 2:5-6 – But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (NKJV)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and creating us in Your image. Thank You for demonstrating the creative power that our words wield. Thank You for leaving us the Bible, Your Spirit-filled Word of instruction, which is alive and active and sharper than a double-edged sword. As we come to recognize the power and effect of the words we speak, help us choose and use those words wisely. Help us walk as Jesus walked. In His precious name, we pray. Amen.

Colossians 1:15-17 – The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (NIV 2011)

This passage is amazing because it indicates that Jesus is the glue that holds everything in the universe together!

Living in this period of history, we have the advantage of having a broad perspective regarding the life of Jesus. From our vantage point, we know the beginning, middle, and ending to the story of salvation. We can learn about Jesus' life and message through historical documentation and through the written Word of God recorded in the Bible. We know that God came to earth in the form of a human baby. This divine child grew up and experienced every earthly temptation and trial, yet never sinned. Finally, in order to save mankind from the wrath of God, He was nailed to the cross as a sacrifice to cover sin forever. For those of us who receive for ourselves His incredible act of love on the cross, Jesus unites us with God. The blood of Jesus has covered our sins, making it possible for us to come into the presence of our loving heavenly Father. Therefore, we might think of Jesus on the cross as the heavenly glue that bonds us spiritually with God.

Interesting, but how do these glue illustrations connect? I'm glad you asked, because this answer is amazing. When viewed under the microscope, laminin, the glue that holds our physical bodies together, is shaped like the cross! God marked the glue in our bodies with the sign of a cross. We are glued both spiritually and physically to God by a cross. Glory to God!

Prayer: Gracious God, You are the Creator of all things. Your fingerprints are on all of creation. We thank You for all of Your hidden treasures yet to be discovered. We thank You for Jesus, our heavenly glue. As we reflect on Christ's life and His journey to the cross, may we be humbled and awed by Your incredible love for us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

The Internet is an amazing tool of communication. The World Wide Web was an unimaginable concept last century, yet today, the Internet's capabilities are almost taken for granted. At the push of a button and with the stroke of a key, we are instantly connected with people from around the globe. We now have the ability to connect with an individual or groups of people living anywhere on our planet. Our spoken or written words reach their destination in the time that it takes us to blink our eyes, and persist seemingly forever. In many cases, our words are permanent, and can be heard or viewed by anyone at any time.

Proverbs 18:21 – The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words. (GWT)

Back in the 1930s, my grandmother was a pen pal to people from all over the world. In those days, correspondence took place between specific individuals. Letters were hand-written and mailed, often taking weeks to travel back and forth between correspondents. Regardless of the time lag, expense, and the intentional effort that correspondence required, connections were made and friendships were forged. I am aware of my grandmother sending God's Word and encouragement to people in China, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Today, I learned that some of my own words of encouragement spoken months ago had reached Saudi Arabia. Immediately, the magnitude of responsibility, privilege, and accountability for those words came flooding back. Scripture tells us that we are accountable for every word that we speak, because our words are containers filled with the power to help or hurt those who receive them. Let's be careful how we use them, and think before we speak!

Proverbs 31:26 – She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction]. (AMP)

Prayer: Loving Father, thank You for Your Word. Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Your Word is powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword. The heavens and earth were created by Your Word. Father God, You made us in Your image, so help us to be mindful of the power that our words hold. Today, may we speak only those words that lift and encourage others. Use our words and actions to connect the lost, hurt, or seeking with You. We ask this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.