Olive Tree Ministries

Morning Devotional

The Anchor Holds

By Jack Witte

September 3, 2010

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

My God is “the Father of mercies” and He is the “God of all comfort”. Think about what that means this morning. Last night in a Elder's meeting at church, we welcomed a new brother in Christ to join our church. Each of us had the opportunity to tell the group what God means to each of us and how He helps us to live our lives. Each man told of the roll God has in their lives. To me God is my place of comfort. He lives in a “calm inner-center” of my heart. When my life becomes over burdened and the pace becomes too hurried, I know that I can go to that place where He lives in me and always find Him there. It is His residence, the place in me that He chooses to live. I know that I can be assured of the comfort He will bring me, even when the problems and circumstances that I am going through seem impossible to overcome. His Word gives me strength to face anything that this life on earth might bring against me. Do You know Him? Can you say that you are experiencing the mercy of God and the comfort that knowing Him can bring? The world offers us nothing … God offers us everything. Through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit comes the joy of salvation and the peace of knowing that God is always there. He is waiting for you this morning, waiting for you to open the door of your heart and let Him in.

Our Lord and our God, what would life be like without You. It is a question I don't want to even think about and I pray for all of those who don't know You, those who are not experiencing the joy of salvation through the blood of Jesus. Life without You has no meaning. Life with You is what provides us with the courage and strength to face each new dawn. Thank You for loving each of us like You do. You are our Anchor and You will never fail.

jwanchorholds@gmail.com

Song for the week:

Gaither Vocal Band -- I'M FREE

Seeds of Thought . . .

Ministry of Family
By Janette Stone

A few months ago I spoke at the Olive Tree’s Whole Woman Conference. The theme of the talk was being a mother in-law, mother and grandmother. I wanted to teach how important it is to have family, those closest to us, be our main ministry. We look over our family to some distant goal thinking that, that should be our calling, our ministry. It is similar to having our hands full of gold coins and at the same time wishing and praying that God would supply us with some gold.

The opportunity to be used by God is an honor that must be celebrated. Many of us miss the celebration of God choosing to use us by not knowing He has already chosen us. We no longer need to wait for a call. The call has been given to each and every Christian who has a family.

Somehow there are many Christians, (the very ones who were instructed by Jesus to give unconditional love), who think that “if” their family was “better”, was “smarter”, was more “cleaned up, looking good” then they would use the energy it takes in fulfilling any call God gives us with our family.

And, we are missing the perfect ministry that God has orchestrated just for us. Right at our feet are the very ones God has purposely put into our lives that are to be the ministry we are called to do. If we were given the opportunity of going to Africa to serve God, we would gather encouragers around us to help send us on our way. We would spend untold number of hours learning the traditions and language of this tribe we feel honored to be called to.

Do we not know within our spirit that the tribe we were born into is a higher calling? I think there is a built in discontent when we ignore this leading. Let’s stop, listen to what God is saying in our heart and use the same purposeful energy toward the ministry of family. We do not have to waste time learning their language, their traditions. All we have to do is love them just the way they are, not waiting to love if they ever become what we want them to be.

Your tribe needs you. If missed opportunities are allowed to continue by us not answering the call God has given us, we will see the consequences of that disobedience in our family. And, many families are living with those consequences right now.

If you have a limited supply of “nice”, of gracefulness, - use it in your family. Be nicer to your family than you are to anyone else. You truly will have some extra to use with others outside of your family. Your pile of niceness, of gracefulness will grow higher and higher.

Right now the Stone family has been given a deeper call. Our precious daughter in-law, Wendy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The calls going back and forth between the brothers, encouraging their brother, the offer of all that we are or have, to make this as easy as we can for Wendy, our constant prayers taking Wendy right into the holy of holies, shows that we gladly accept this call in any possible way God may give us. I thank God for this.

Is there an opportunity right now in your family that God would have you jump right into? You saying, “Yes, Lord. Send me.”

Janette Stone

Janette Stone
Founder & Director

The keynote speaker for the Whole Woman Conference 2011 will be
Rhea Briscoe

Photo Gallery
Whole Woman Conference
January 2009

Photos taken by
Melissa Chamberlin
Circle of Life Photography
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Olive Tree Ministries