Author: Chuck Musselwhite

Finding God in Your Weakness

There is the story of a boy with cerebral palsy who went to his church’s summer camp. He struggled through most of the events and even had difficulty speaking where the other boys could understand. At the end of the camp, the pastor asked if any boys wanted to give a testimony. The boy got up from his seat and struggled to get to the front of the room. Some of the other boys were giggling and pointing. When he got there said in his slurred speech, “I love Jesus, and he loves me.” There wasn’t a sound in the room as he walked back to his seat. Finding God in your weakness is one of the most important lessons you can learn.

‭‭2 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭11:30‬

“If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.”

The Corinthians goaded Paul into boasting about his accomplishments. It pained Paul beyond imagination to do it, but he relented. He knew his resume was more impressive than anyone the Corinthians could put up, so it was fruitless to even talk about it. After he is done, he tells them that if he has to boast, it will be how God worked through his weaknesses. He was not too proud to admit his faults.

God Is My Portion

In Charles Dicken’s classic, “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge demands that his worker, Bob Cratchit, works on Christmas Eve. Scrooge barely pays Cratchit enough to feed his family and doesn’t give him anything for Christmas. Through it all, Cratchit, who has a young son who is not well, thanks the Lord for providing for them and chooses to remain with Scrooge even when everyone tells him to quit. Bob Cratchit knew that God is my portion forever, even when times got tough.

‭‭PSALMS‬ ‭73:26‬

“My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

All of us have days where it feels like our heart is going to fail. There are numerous causes for those feelings, but the feeling is the same. David had those days when Saul was chasing him and when Absalom was usurping his power. Anything that David tried to do in his flesh failed him. At those low moments, God showed David that He was everything David needed.

Are You Properly Armed

There is a lot of debate about firearms in the United States. With multiple mass shootings each year, many are crying out for the abolition of guns, while others say they have the right to defend themselves. As a Christian, you don’t fight with manufactured weapons because the war you are in is spiritual. Are you properly armed to fight this battle?

‭‭2 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭10:3-4

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”

We exist in the middle of a spiritual battle. Most Christians are unaware, and others deny its existence. Do so at your own expense. God is using you to reflect the light of Jesus into a dark world, and Satan is doing everything he can to stop it. If you walk out your front door each morning unaware or ill-prepared, you will be blindsided by the constant attacks of the enemy. You need to properly arm yourself with the right battle gear and weapons to fight this war.

He’s Got You Covered

It may just be me getting older, but the fashions coming out today seem to be getting more ridiculous each year. Most likely, it’s a combination of both. So much emphasis is made on fashion. What you are wearing, who made it, how much you paid for it. It produces anxiety in people over what they are going to wear. Jesus tells us not to worry. He’s got it covered.

‭‭LUKE‬ ‭12:28‬

“But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!”

What amount of worry has added an hour to your life? Has it accomplished anything positive? Jesus hits the topic of stress and worry on the head by saying, “If I take care of the birds and grass, how much will I take care of you?” We seem to discount this when we are engrossed in a stressful situation. It can even seem too easy, and we dismiss it. The fact remains that God has got it covered, and we need to step back and allow it.

God Knows Who is Naughty

Christmas time is upon us as I write this devotional, and seasonal songs are floating in and out of my head. A recent one is “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” I am not going to get into a debate whether Santa is good or not, but there is a line in the song which…

Sow Bountifully

I have a huge oak tree in my backyard. Every fall, it drops millions of acorns onto my lawn. They are everywhere, and they hurt when they fall on you. The acorn is the way the oak tree reproduces. I end up raking up most of them, but every spring, I have to pull up…

You Look Marvelous

Actor and comedian Billy Crystal did a character on Saturday Night Live named Fernando whose signature phrase was “You look marvelous!” By the end of each skit, he had told most everyone that they looked marvelous. It was pretty funny. There is a passage in Psalms where the author declares he has become a marvel…

Keep Knocking

In the show Big Bang Theory, Sheldon would always knock on Penny’s door three times. In between each knock, he would repeat “Penny.” Every time she would open the door, she would have some great response to his annoying habit that made everyone laugh. Sheldon’s knocking on her door is an excellent example of how we should approach God. Jesus tells His listeners to keep knocking on God’s door.

‭‭LUKE‬ ‭11:10

“For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.”

Before this verse, Jesus has taught the disciples how to pray. In the Lord’s prayer, He reminds the reader to praise God, submit to His will, confess their sins, thank Him for His provision, and bring their needs to Him. After He is finished with the Lord’s prayer, he spends time telling the importance of persistence in coming to God with your needs. He uses the example of a friend in need knocking on the door late at night asking for bread because they have unexpected guests.

Are You Still Waiting?

Patience is in short supply. There is a growing sense of discontent in most people’s lives. People are angry and lash out and the slightest infraction. They are forced to wait against their will, and their temper is starting to boil over. Did you know that waiting is part of God’s plan for your life? It produces character. Are you still waiting for God to do something? Be patient. He is at work.

‭‭GENESIS‬ ‭18:10

“He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.”

Abraham and Sarah waited a long time for their son Isaac. Twenty years to be exact. Many times God had promised to make a nation out of Abraham’s family that would number as many as the stars in the sky and sand on the seashore, yet he is closing in on 100 years old, and she is getting close to 90. Now, the Angel of the Lord visits to tell them that they will be parents in one year. You can’t blame them if they are a little skeptical. Sarah laughed after she heard this.

What Matters Most

It is said that you can tell a person’s priorities by looking at their bank account. That will tell you where they spend their time and energy. In essence, it shows you what matters most. Scripture tells us what matters most to Jesus. He wants you to be rich in His grace and mercy.

‭‭2 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭8:9

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

It is said that Jesus was the poorest man to walk the earth. He had no possessions or place to lay His head. Philippians 2:7 says, “He emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant.” He went from having it all to giving up everything and having nothing. This was so that you, in your poverty, could be made rich in Him. This is a picture of the grace that has been extended to you