NORTHWESTERN PUBLISHING HOUSE Milwaukee, Wisconsin

NORTHWESTERN PUBLISHING HOUSE Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Fourth printing, 2015 Third printing, 2014 Second printing, 2009 Cover art: ShutterStock, Inc. Art Director: Karen Knutson Designer: Pamela Dunn Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTER NATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. TM All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise except for brief quotations in reviews, without prior permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Control Number: 2006924822 Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI 53226-3284 www.nph.net 2006 by Northwestern Publishing House Published 2006 Printed in the United States of America ISBN 978-0-8100-1947-8

Jesus, Our Family Guest is dedicated to my husband, John, and to our children: Rachel Reneé John and Amanda Matthew, Joni, and Christian Michael and Annie Andrea Elizabeth Joshua Ryan Brittany Rachelle And to our parents: Wayne and Esther Wiechmann Rev. John and June Moldstad

Contents Preface..................................... IX 1. A Heart Condition (Malachi 3:10).................. 1 2. There s This War Going On (Ephesians 6:12)........... 4 3. The Third Course (1 Peter 2:22)................... 7 4. My Real Work ( John 9:4)....................... 10 5. Too Hard (Genesis 15:1)......................... 13 6. The Sermons We Preach (Matthew 5:16)............. 16 7. Chosen (Titus 3:5)............................. 19 8. Changing Our Label (Luke 10:20)................. 22 9. The Good Shepherd ( John 10:12,14)............... 25 10. Remembered by God (Hebrews 4:13)............... 28 11. True Success (2 Corinthians 5:15).................. 31 12. Just a Few Seconds (Psalm 119:133)................ 34 13. For the Sake of Jesus (1 John 4:20)................. 37 14. Set Your Heart on Things Above (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)......................... 40 15. God Is in Control (Romans 8:28).................. 43 16. Taking Care of Our Real Business (1 Timothy 6:9)............................... 46 17. A Name That Is above Every Name (Philippians 2:9,10)............................ 49 18. The TV Idol (Psalm 73:25)...................... 52 19. The Lesson of the Tree House (Matthew 7:25)......... 55 20. The Best Day (Psalm 122:1)...................... 58 21. Locking the Door (Matthew 6:24).................. 61 22. Don t Be Late! (Matthew 24:36)................... 64 23. Educated by God (2 Timothy 3:15)................. 67 24. It Was Just a Little Fire (Acts 2:3).................. 70 25. Live Life to the Fullest (Philippians 1:23,24).......... 73

26. To God, Who Keeps Me from Falling ( Jude 24).................................... 76 27. For Such a Time as This (Esther 4:14)............... 79 28. Not to Further My Good but God s (1 Corinthians 10:12)........................... 82 29. God Does Not Change Like Shifting Shadows ( James 1:17)................................. 85 30. Thanks, but Aren t You Congratulating the Wrong Person? (Mark 1:7).................... 88 31. The Best People or the Best God? (Matthew 5:16)............................... 90 32. Brothers and Sisters in Christ (John 13:35)........... 93 33. An Innie or Outtie? (Galatians 3:26,27)............. 96 34. Watch Where You Put Your Heart! (1 Samuel 16:7)............................... 99 35. Obey the Rules (Romans 13:1).................. 102 36. God Does Not Lie (Numbers 23:19)............... 105 37. Might for Right (1 Corinthians 15:19)............. 108 38. True Comfort ( John 11:25,26)................... 111 39. Going through the Motions ( John 4:23)............ 113 40. Those Bailey Girls! (Romans 12:3)................. 116 41. How Do You Handle Funerals? (1 Thessalonians 4:13).......................... 118 42. Happy Father s Day (Hebrews 13:7)................ 121 43. God s Fun (Psalm 33:4)........................ 124 44. God s True Family (Matthew 12:50)................ 127 45. God s Way Works ( John 14:6).................... 130 46. Run Christ s Marathon (Matthew 26:41)............ 133 47. Fluffy, Pink, and Special (Luke 11:39).............. 136 48. Keep Focused (Luke 10:41,42)................... 139 49. R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Ephesians 5:25-27).............. 142 50. Get Smart (Luke 12:20)........................ 146 51. Proud to Serve (Matthew 20:28).................. 149

52. The Right Information (Acts 17:11)............... 152 53. God Sees All the Details (Matthew 28:20)........... 155 54. True Love (1 John 4:10)........................ 158 55. No Strings Attached (Romans 5:10)............... 160 56. For God s Glory and Our Good (1 Corinthians 10:31).......................... 163 57. Looking at the Big Picture (1 Corinthians 13:12).......................... 166 58. Trying to Buy a Little Happiness? (Matthew 6:25)............................... 169 59. Your Gospel Advantage (John 5:24)................ 172 60. Bad News or Good News? (Romans 6:4)............ 175 61. Our Jealous Nature (Romans 12:3)................ 177 62. How Do You Go about Your Business? ( James 4:15,16).............................. 180 63. A New Life at the Old Mansion (1 Peter 5:8,9)............................... 183 64. Hopeless (Psalm 42:11)........................ 186 65. Speak the Truth (Ephesians 4:25)................. 189 66. Making Things Right (Luke 19:10)................ 192 67. Your Dreams Are My Work (Luke 2:49)............ 195 68. Healed or Offended? (1 Peter 2:9)................ 198 69. Let Your Light Shine in Everything (Matthew 5:16).............................. 201 70. Pulling the Shade (Ephesians 5:25,26)............. 204 71. Prepare the Way ( John 1:23).................... 207 72. The Way He Came (Philippians 2:5-7)............. 210 73. First Things First (Romans 14:17)................. 213 74. If It Smells Like Garbage... ( James 4:7)............ 216 75. Adultery or Idolatry? (Psalm 73:25)............... 219 76. Hiding from God? (1 John 1:9).................. 222 77. I Feel Really Lousy (Psalm 103:2,3)............... 225 78. Outwitted by Satan? (2 Corinthians 2:10,11)......... 228

79. A Walking Letter (2 Corinthians 3:2,3).............. 231 80. A Living Hope (1 Peter 1:3,4)................... 234 81. Jesus, the Perfect Gift (Galatians 4:4)............... 237 82. The Domino Effect (Colossians 3:13).............. 240 83. Good Manners (Luke 11:52).................... 243 84. Life s Most Embarrassing Moment (Romans 14:12).............................. 246 85. When I m Weak, That s When I m Strong (Matthew 11:28,29)........................... 249 86. Undivided Attention ( John 1:14)................. 252 87. My First Degree (Galatians 3:26,27)............... 255 88. Someone Special (Hebrews 2:3).................. 258 89. Caught in the Act (Matthew 15:8)................ 260 90. A Matter of Life and Death (Romans 10:15)......... 263 91. Kind, Like a Stranger (Luke 4:24)................ 266 92. What Will It Take for You to Believe? ( John 20:29)................................ 269 93. Unpolluted by the World ( James 1:26)............. 272 94. Are You Talking to Me? (Ephesians 6:16)............ 275 95. How Do You Use God s Word? (Psalm 119:11).............................. 278 96. Expired (Numbers 23:19)....................... 281 97. I Really Won! (Luke 7:47)...................... 284 98. Capable/Incapable (Philippians 3:20)............... 287 99. Doing a Job Well! (Matthew 3:17)................ 290 100. A Real Home ( John 14:23)..................... 293

Preface Why do bad things only happen to my family? Even though we are well acquainted with the heartaches of this world, the problems of life continue to shock, confuse, and scare us. We often feel as though we are experiencing all of life s problems personally and that none of them are letting up. As mothers and fathers, we d like to mold a piece of armor around our families to protect them from all of life s hurts. Thanks be to God that he has already fashioned such a piece of armor in the form of his holy Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came into our world to live a perfect life and die a perfect death for the sins of all people. When Jesus rose from the dead, he conquered sin, death, and the devil. It was at that moment that he became our perfect armor of protection against all evil. To get the most benefit from our perfect armor, Jesus, we must use him. Family devotions are a wonderful way to do this. Jesus, Our Family Guest is a series of devotions that revolve around the Bailey family. Your children will be able to put themselves in the place of their children: Jack (16), Katelyn (13), Ally (12), Mark (11), and Rose (5). As your family listens to these real-life stories, they will learn to confess their sins and to trust in Jesus for forgiveness and for help out of every trouble. This world s troubles do not have to shock or scare any of us. With his life and death, Jesus has securely wrapped himself around all of us. Staying close to the Word of God every day, we can have the confidence that we will pass safely through this life into the eternal life that is to come. Joslyn Moldstad IX

1 AHeart Condition M a l a c h i 3 : 1 0 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Mark Bailey pulled a heavy bag of coins out from underneath the church pew and dropped it into the offering plate. Tottering under the weight of so much metal, the usher carried it toward Pastor Griffin s unsuspecting hands. As soon as the pastor accepted the plates, his hand dipped before adjusting to the weight. In the pew, Mrs. Bailey closed her eyes, envisioning the coins bouncing, jingling, and rolling merrily out of sight. The Bailey car was as quiet as a tomb as it headed home after church. Are you going to make Mark stay in his room for pulling that stunt in church this morning? 12-year-old Ally piped in. Mom paused and smiled at Dad. I think that the faith Mark displayed in putting his life savings into the offering plate outweighs any disaster that might have happened. We are very proud of you, Son, Dad added, catching Mark s eye in the rearview mirror. But the next time you feel so generous, how about exchanging your coins for paper money? Pastor was still rubbing his wrist when we left the church. Jack, Mark s older brother, listened as the others chuckled loudly. I don t want to question your faith or generosity, Mark, but didn t you give so much money because you wanted to be like that rich guy in the paper? 1

What rich guy is that? asked Dad. Some millionaire out East, Jack answered. He gave a million dollars to his church, thinking God would give him a double return on it. If that was the reason Mark gave so much, he must not have read this morning s paper, Katelyn answered. The rich man didn t receive the two million he was expecting, and now he is suing his church. Mark paled. But God says he will open the floodgates of heaven and pour blessings down on us if we give generously to him. God never says that these blessings will come in the form of money, Mom reminded him. By suing the church, this man is showing that he doesn t understand the lesson the prophet Malachi was trying to teach the Israelites. What lesson was Malachi trying to teach? asked Mark. He taught that all offerings should flow out of love for God. How did God know that the Israelite s offerings weren t given out of love? Many of the animals they brought for sacrifices were diseased, Dad explained. What would you think of someone who purposely gave you a broken toy for your birthday? I would wonder if that person really liked me. The Israelites gifts made God wonder the same thing, Dad answered. They cheated their employees out of pay, they were unkind to widows and orphans who owed them money, and they gave their offerings to God just so he would make their crops grow. The offering that God truly desires is a heart that s sad over sin and trusts in his forgiveness. But I heard this preacher on TV promise that if you give generously, God will make you rich. Well, Mark, that s not the way it works, Dad answered. Does God need our money? Are there items in the store he would like to buy? Of course not! God wants all of us to repent of our sins and believe that Jesus has forgiven our sin on the cross. Instead of 2

desiring wealth, God wants us to desire blessings worth far more a strong faith, faithful pastors, and the freedom to worship him. When we give God first place in our hearts, he promises to give us everything we need, Mom added. God s blessings may come in the form of money, but often they come in the form of good health, protection from accidents, and happy days. Well, Mark, are you disappointed that you put your life s savings into the collection plate this morning? A little, but I couldn t really be disappointed when I know that Jesus suffered on the cross for my sins, Mark answered. I am glad that I finally understand what Malachi was teaching. And the next time I give an offering, I won t give expecting to get. I ll give because I love God. I ll remember that when God forgave my sins, he already made me one of the richest people in the world. D e a r J e s u s, forgive me when I give my offerings for the wrong reason. Help me give generously out of thanks to you, who lived and died for me. Amen. 3