Beside the Still Waters v. 1 Indexed Edition

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Description

This is a 366 day devotional book. The pieces found in this book were selected from the first three years of the bi-monthly devotionals distributed free throughout the United States by Still Waters Ministry of Clarkson Kentucky. These readings are as diverse as the men who wrote them. Few books will possess so many different challenges because few books have so many authors that hold your attention. There is a theme verse for each day and a short Bible reading at the end of each days reading. By following the Bible reading schedule at the bottom of each reading, you will read through the Bible in one year. At the back of the book are the contributor's index, a Scripture index, and a subject index. These serve to enlarge the usefulness of the book.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Vision Publishers LLC
• Date de parution: 30 novembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781932676662
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

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Vision Publishers, Inc. Harrisonburg, Virginia

Copyright © 2003 by Still Waters Ministries Copyright 2004 by Vision Publishers, Inc. First Edition 2003 Indexed Edition 2004

ISBN: 0-9717054-4-5

All Scripture references are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Published by Vision Publishers, Inc. Harrisonburg, Virginia

Cover Design: Lonnie D. Yoder

For additional copies or comments write to: Vision Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 190 Harrisonburg, VA 22803 Fax: [phone] e-mail: [e-mail] (see order form in back)

Still Waters Ministries is supported by tax-free donations. The bi-monthly devotional booklets are distributed free of charge.

For more information on Still Waters Ministries or to give a giĞof money, write to: Still Waters Ministries 270 Antioch Road Clarkson, KY 42726 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

A royalty payment from the sale of these books will go to Still Waters Ministries.

Introduction

Is it possible to develop close relationships without commu- nicating? Of course not! Communication is the very foundation of all relationships. There can be no fellowship without com- munication. Sincere Christians desire a close relationship with their Lord. It is impossible to live the Christian life without knowing God. Only as we draw near to Him can we begin to understand the real meaning of life. We must communicate with God if we are to have a good relationship with Him. We cannot expect to grow close to Him if we are unwilling to spend time with Him. But how can we communicate with God? We can’t meet him face to face and dis- cuss the issues of life. We might dial 1-800-CALL-GOD, but we will not connect with heaven. As amazing as the postal service is, they don’t oěer service to the Throne, and God doesn’t have an e-mail address. Yet there is a way to communicate with Him. We are accustomed to fast, worldwide communication, but we must use a diěerent method to speak with our Lord. God has made His side of the conversation available to us through His Word, the Bible, and through His indwelling Holy Spirit. However, before we can hear Him, we must listen. A daily time of listening to God by meditating on His Word is essential to the victorious Christian life. We complete our part of the con- versation by speaking to Him in prayer. We hope this book will help you to come daily into the pres- ence of God and to communicate with Him there. The writings in this book were selected from theęrst three years of Beside the Still Waters (1996-1998), a bi-monthly, dated devotional booklet published by Still Waters Ministries. Writers

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from a variety of Amish and Mennonite churches from the United States, Canada, and other countries submiĴed the material that is used in this book. We wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to all those who took time from their busy schedules to contribute to this project without receiving monetary beneęts. May you be blessed with abundant spiritual blessings. We also extend our thanks to the publisher for investing extensive time and eěort to prepare the book and to publish it. And we thank you, the reader, for selecting this book. We hope you will enjoy it. Henry Yoder, Editor Still Waters Ministries

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January 1 ____________________________________________

A God of Beginnings In the beginning God. . . . Genesis 1:1 Notice that the Bible begins with God, not with a philosophical argument for His existence. God always was, and God always will be. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. The Bible says it, that seĴles it, and I believe it. Although God had no beginning Himself, He is a God of begin- nings. The entire creation began with God. All life begins with a miracle that only He can perform. We can list many things that God has begun. God is present when one becomes a living soul and begins life on the earth. Consider the life of a Christian. Our Redeemer rejoices with the angels when a person commits his life to Him and begins his walk as a Christian. Those of us who are married probably began our wedded lives in a ceremony performed by the Lord’s ministers, in the Lord’s house, and with the Lord’s blessing. God has been with us through various beginnings; but best of all, He will be there to hold our hand as we cross the river and begin eternity with Him. Since God is so experienced in beginning things, perhaps we should allow Him to have more say when we begin something. Every day, week, month, or year; every project, plan, or ambition—all should begin with God. Begin this year with God. Lay all your plans at the feet of Jesus and allow the Master of beginnings to take care of them for you. Bible Reading:Genesis 1 Henry Yoder, Clarkson, KY One Year Bible Reading Plan:  Matthew 1  Genesis 1, 2 In the beginning God. . . . . . and, behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:1, 31

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January 2 ____________________________________________

Bread of Life I am that bread of life. John 6:48 We enjoy fresh whole wheat bread, right out of the oven. Ah-h-h, the aroma is so inviting, and the warm soĞbread is so satisfying! Bread is a widely eaten food. It provides a large share of many peo- ple’s energy and protein, and is oĞen called theȃstaěof life.ȄResearch shows that people who consume a reasonable amount ofȃdaily breadȄ have less trouble with colon aĝictions. Bread is a complete food. Consider the manna that God gave the children of Israel. Moses said to them,ȃThis is the bread which the Lќџё hath given you to eatȄ(Exodus 16:15). This manna was a complete food. It gave the people the nutrients they needed to face life in the desert. God was faithful to send the manna for forty years. We need a daily portion of the Bread that comes from heaven. We are not satisęed to have only breakfast, skipping lunch and supper. Neither should we be satisęed to hastily read a portion of the Word of God and quickly scan a devotional booklet, and think that we have gathered all we need. Do we have a good appetite for the Bread of Life?ȃAnd the Bible Reading:John 6:26-51 Word was madeĚesh, and dwelt One Year Bible Reading Plan: among usȄ(John 1:14). This is the  Matthew 2 Bread of God that will satisfy us  Genesis 3–5 and give us the spiritual strength we desperately need. Merl Beiler, Abbeville, SC

Your spiritual health depends on your daily diet.

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January 3 ____________________________________________

Who Is This? And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? Matthew 21:10 As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, a multitude ran before him. There was excitement in the air. The whole city was moved. The question,ȃWho is this man?Ȅcaused perplexity and discussion. To some, He was the son of a poor carpenter. To some, He was an interesting and charismatic teacher. To a few, He was an illegitimate son of a peasant girl. To others, He was a threat to their position and authority. Only a few loved Him and followed Him. Yet He was a person whom they could not ignore. Two thousand years have passed. Jesus is still a person whom we cannot ignore. The many prophecies concerning His birth, life, death, and resurrection have been fulęlled in minute detail. Prophecies of events leading to His second coming are being fulęlled. This man’s impact on the world has been unmatched by any other. No one has inĚuenced the course of history like thisȃcarpenter’s son.Ȅ He was born of an exclusive people, in a remote Jewish village. Yet this person’s life and inĚuence have crossed oceans, nationalities, and racial barriers, and changed the lives of those who let Him. Who is Jesus to you? The Son of God? The Savior and Lord? Make Him that today! Bible Reading:Matthew 21:1-11 One Year Bible Reading Plan: Jim Yoder, Leitchęeld, KY  Matthew 3  Genesis 6–8 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven giv- en among men whereby we must be saved. —Acts4:12

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January 4 ____________________________________________

Hearing the Word Take heed therefore how ye hear. Luke 8:18 Because of my job, children oĞen are thrilled to see me drive up. Their faces light up, and they smile big smiles as I unload and set up their swing set. This summer I delivered a swing set to a home where the mother and an eight or nine-year-old son came out to meet me. The mother told me where she wanted the swing set up, and told me the boy had been deaf from birth. Because it was a very warm aĞernoon, the mother soon went back into the house, where it was cooler. The boy stayed. He watched every move I made as I was assembling the set. As I was drilling holes and puĴing in bolts, I handed the boy some nuts and washers, and you should have seen his face. He raised his eyebrows, and a big smile came across his face. He got the message loud and clear, helping me whenever he could to set up the swing set. When I had almost completed the job, the boy took oě running toward the house. Because I could not communicate with him, I didn’t know what I had done to oěend him. (Maybe he had just grown weary of the sun’s heat.) A liĴle later he came out and handed me a large, cold drink, and I was very touched by his act of kindness. On my way home, I had to think,ȃThis liĴle boy could not hear, yet he got the message.ȄHow do we respond to the voice of the Lord? Are we hearing the Lord, or are we so preoccupied with worldly things that we don’t hear when He speaks to us? When we do hear the Lord, do we respond like the liĴle boy, full of energy and ready to do the Master’s will? Only then can we carry out Luke 8:15:ȃ. . . having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.Ȅ Bible Reading:Luke 8:1-18 Menno Yoder, Monticello, KY One Year Bible Reading Plan:  Matthew 4  Genesis 9–11 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

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January 5 ____________________________________________

The Christian’s Rest &RPH XQWR PH    DQG \H VKDOO ÀQG UHVW XQWR \RXU VRXOV Matthew 11:28-29 Hard work, sweat, fatigue, tired muscles, and aching bones. AĞer a strenuous day of exerting brain and brawn, how sweet are home, family, and rest. AĞer we have rested, we can return to work. We work with rest in view. Even Scripture tells us,ȃLet us labour therefore to enter into that rest.ȄHebrews 4:3 says that not everyone will be able to enter the rest that God oěers. Heaven will oěer rest only to those who have labored faithfully. We look forward with anticipation to those mansions that Jesus has gone to prepare for those who love and obey Him. Jesus said,ȃCome unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.ȄRest is the prerogative of all who come to Je- sus. It is given to us here and now, while we labor and toil, in mission work or in carpentry. Jesus is our rest. He invites sinners and saints Bible Reading:Hebrews 4 to come to Him and receive rest One Year Bible Reading Plan: for their souls.  Matthew 5:1-26 Eli Kauěman, Montezuma, GA  Genesis 12–14

The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest.

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