Sample Devotions
Would you like to read two chapters of The Devotional before you Purchase the book? I have included the 1st and 49th chapters below:
Tragedy Strikes
On April 19th, 1995 at 9:01 A.M. tragedy struck America when the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City collapsed. Around a thousand people were in the building on the day of the bombing. One such person was David Miller, who was a seven-year-old boy who attended the daycare facility held in the building. Upon hearing the news John Miller, David's father, frantically left his office in an Oklahoma City suburb and rushed to the scene. John ran up towards the debris where he was quickly stopped by several government officials who stated, "Sir, you cannot go in there."
John forcefully exclaimed, " It's my boy, he's in there."
"I'm sorry, sir, firefighters are doing the best they can in there."
Another official added, "There's electrical fires, asbestos, and a chance of more rubble collapsing, so you would only be endangering your own life." However, the officials saw the look in John's eyes and knew that there was no stopping this man. So, they lifted up the yellow tape and said, "Be careful." John searched tirelessly for his son. For hours he pulled back large chunks of concrete calling, "David, David - are you there?"
12 hours passed, 24 hours passed, and after 36 hours, the chief fireman went up to the father and said, "Sir, your courageous efforts have greatly inspired me and my men; I'm sorry you could not find your boy, but at least you can go home knowing that you tried your best, and you did everything you could."
But John jerked back and replied, "I am going to keep searching until I see my son one more time whether he is alive or dead."
38 hours passed and finally one of John's "David" calls was answered by a barely audible "Daddy." John knew that this was the voice of his son. John pushed back large pieces of rubble that, in any other circumstance, would have taken at least three men just to budge. Then when John reached his son, he saw 12 other children trapped in a triangular wedge. John led the other children to safety and embraced his thought-to-be gone son. A local newspaper reporter heard John and David's story. The reporter went up to the seven-year-old David to ask him a few questions.
The reporter asked, "How was it down there?"
David replied, "A lot of my friends were scared and started crying and stuff, but I didn't cry though."
"Why was that David?"
"I knew my daddy would come for me - he promised that he would always be there for me."
In our lives God is searching (just like David's father) for you. Our Father promises us each day that He loves us and that He will always be there for us. In our lives we too should trust God and abide in his love. This love will be the central message in the chapters ahead, and I want nothing greater than for this love to become more alive in you.
In most of our lives up to this point, we wanted to do everything ourselves; it's been all about one person, that being ourselves. However, we must find that God loves us, and that He "will always be there for us." He will be there with us, from times when the rubble comes crashing down in our lives, to times when no one seems to care for us, from times when we are lost in life, to times when we are burdened with stress - He will always be there, always showing us His love.
Having this love will fully make our lives joyous and complete. Because it is amazing - our Father in Heaven loves us even more than this father love his son. For it is only when you feel or comprehend this love - that you fully understand what it is to be a Christian.
Ask yourself right now, have you felt this amazing love of God?
What does that love mean to you? (I ask you write this answer down now, so that you may look back later.)
Has this love changed your life?
We can have nothing greater than the love of the Lord in our lives, and we can do nothing greater in our lives than to express this love.
1 John 4:16,17 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Psalm 33:5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.
Hebrews 13:5b Because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Dedicated to the Lord
Buddy Cameron was a long distance runner from Townsend, Connecticut. Buddy was described by everybody of the town as the definition of the word dedicated. Whether it has snowing, raining, lightning, or 100° outside, Buddy would be running every morning at 6:00 a.m. Buddy ran in marathon, 5/10K, and triathlon races all over the northeast. Running was what Buddy truly loved. Every morning, no matter whether Buddy was stressed, mad, or unhappy about something else in his life, everyone in the small town could still see the joy on the face of this 32-year-old man when he was simply doing what he loved doing. While others balked at the idea of running 26.2 miles, Buddy loved it. Some people would look at this man and question why would anyone do this each and every day. But Buddy quickly pointed out that it: relived all his stress, let him plan out his day, made him feel better, gave him the satisfaction that he was doing something good for his body, gave him a chance to see the beautiful town during the quiet time of the morning, and it was simply what he liked to do. To the residents of Townsend, CT, Buddy was part of the town. Going to work everybody would honk their horns and give shouts of praise while Buddy was doing what he loved.
So is the evidence of your love to God this apparent?
We live in a culture where there are many fads and many things that hold our attention for a short while. Like how we try that low-carb diet, how we try to help others, how we spend our time with a distant friend, and how we buy that new piece of exercise equipment. At first, we take on these tasks with such exuberance, thinking we are turning over a new leaf that will change our life for the better, but look where we end up. We stop the diet and using the treadmill, and our bodies turn back to what they were; we stop talking to that one friend and our relationship goes back to what is was; and we stop trying to help others and we turn back to thinking on selfish principles.
So how much is this like your spiritual life? I think we all can admit this - we hear a powerful sermon and we want to change our lives so much in a certain way, but by the end of the week this excitement has dwindled, and by a month's time, we are as if we were in the first place before the sermon. But for God's word and spirit to root in us we, must be dedicated - just like Buddy. Following God is what we should "just love doing." When we dedicate ourselves to God and really love him, everyone (just like they saw in Buddy) should see this love in us.
What makes a man's character is what he loves. And the time he puts into this love, will dictate how much of this character is noticeable. For example when we see a man with huge body-builder like muscles, we see that has shown much love into lifting weights and eating proper nutrition, and we can infer that he puts a large amount of time doing it. The same can be true of an architect by examining what kind, how many, and quality of the structures that he has built. The same is also true in our spiritual life. When we truly love God and spend much of our time with him, our "muscles" and "buildings" will be seen - we will be seen as dedicated by everyone else and by God.
But so many of us are unwilling to be dedicated. One claims that being dedicated to the Lord: "will make me standout in the workplace," "will not get me any friends," "will make me stop committing a certain sin(s) that I enjoy doing," or "be a hindrance to my job/personal goals." But having God in your life will not hinder anything; truly having God in your life will only multiply your blessings. And any group or person that is not willing to accept your closeness to God is not worth your time at all.
Being dedicated is not about wearing ugly Christian t-shirts, preventing you from hanging around certain friends (unless those friends constantly tempting you or causes you to sin), and being at Church front row every Sunday. Being dedicated is when you love God so much, that everyone can tell that you are a follower of Jesus. Being dedicated is doing what you know is right no matter how much you have to give up. Being dedicated is following what you are called to do no matter how much it hurts.
When you are dedicated, you do not see what you are giving up or feel the pain because the love of the object that you desire is greater than such things. You are so focused on that which you love that everything else is just a blur.
So how dedicated are you as a Christian?
Does the amount of time you donate to God, show you are dedicated?
Does your willingness to give up something for the sake of God, show that you are dedicated?
Does your actions and what everyone else sees in you, show that you are dedicated?
Does the love that you pour out to God each day, show that you are dedicated?
Does doing what you truly love, show you are dedicated?
It says in the Word that a Christian's body should be a temple for the Lord. So, is your temple been used for other things - or is it being dedicated to the Lord?
Don't let your Christian life be this ongoing fad, spend your time by loving God and everyone will see the definition of dedication.
1 Corinthians 7:35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 6:19,20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body
Leviticus 11:44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
2 Corinthians 8:3-5 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Get the Rest Now
If you enjoyed these devotions, you can read the other 48 devotions when you purchase The Devotional Tales book online. If you would like to read the rest right now, you can purchase the e-book and have access to the rest in front of you in matter of minutes.
Usage
You have the right to Use these two devotionals as you please. You can use any of the material out of these chapters in any way you want - purchase is not necessary. You can use the "tale" or the discussion in your speeches, sermons, papers, or as a devotional to a group of people. I would appreciate if you would mention The Devotional Tales name when you do use them for your purpose (I do not require that you do so, but I would be thankful if you said something like: "The previous devotion was from The Devotional Tales" or "This is what Nick Shelton writes in his book The Devotional Tales."
