Me: Everyday a new beginning has taken place with the rising of the sun. Let’s rejoice in the Lord today.

Prodigal: There may be struggles, but others are here to encourage you.

This is from the book Overcoming Spiritual Blindness by James P. Gills, M.D.

The Scriptures liken our sight to the poor quality of reflection particular to the piece of polished metal used as a mirror in Paul’s day. As far to the right of our continuum as we can possibly go in this life–living our faith fully in obedience to the Spirit of God within-we are still only beginning our eternal relationship with God. Heaven alone offers perfection. Our paltry knowledge–our ability to understand and perceive spiritually–is imperfect and limited. We see through a glass only dimly, though our hope is that the heavenly fullness is yet to come. We cannot now see the beauty of heaven, but under the perfect reign of God’s love in eternity, we will finally see the blessed life that God has appointed for us with clarity.

It is fine if you do not understand all that is taken place around you. God has a clear vision of it all. He has not allowed it to be out of His control. Some of this will not make since until eternity so do not focus on asking more right now. Focus on obedience.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

PSALM 72 : 18

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Me: Just finished some tough blocks.

Prodigal: What comes easy won’t last. What lasts won’t come easy.

This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.

click here to watch the video

Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. (NKJV)

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Me: Doesn’t look like much is growing there.

Prodigal: I did the sewing, the Lord will do the growing!

Many times in my life in practical affairs I have had my “mourning turned into dancing,” because I have found that the trial I mourned was really a gateway into the good things I longed for. And I cannot help suspecting that this is far more often the case than we are inclined to think. I knew a man who had both his feet frozen off, and was thwarted in all his plans by the lameness that ensued. He thought his life was ruined and mourned with unspeakable anguish. But this very trial opened out for him another career which proved finally to be the thing of all others he would have chosen, and which brought him a success far beyond the wildest dreams of his early aspirations. His greatest trouble became his greatest triumph. Instances of this are innumerable. Every life has some.

by Hannah Whitall Smith

He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none.

Luke 3:11

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Me: He does not look to happy. He might have joined the club.

Prodigal: What club?

It finally happened. The Mommy honeymoon was over. And it was so close to Mother’s day. Our son declared us, “The Meanest Parents In The World.”

Yes. We have now joined the ranks of the battle-scared Meanest Parents In The World Club. For short, let’s call it the MPW Club.

With bent eyebrows, folded arms and stomping feet, our five-year-old awarded us this recognition when we wouldn’t allow him to watch a particular cartoon. (I might add, that it is not fit for children, adults, or monkeys to watch.) He also added that other parents let their kids watch it.

I almost swallowed my tongue as I tried to contain my laughter. His normal sparkling eyes only contained sparks of frustration and anger as he asked, “How can you be such mean parents?” Instantaneously, I flashed back to my younger days when I blurted out those same words to my parents. So, of course, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “It runs in the family. When I was a kid, I had the meanest parents in the world, too. But don’t worry, we’ll grow out of it.”

I think my parents were the founding members of the MPW Club.

We weren’t allowed to wear make-up or date until we were sixteen. Our curfew was 9:30 p.m.-until my sister and her boyfriend broke it and then they moved it to 9 p.m. (Why go out if you had to be in before dark?)

They wouldn’t let us watch the popular show “Laugh In” or anything with GoGo Dancing. They were afraid of the negative influence it might have.

If sports or other extra curricular activities conflicted with Youth Group or church, guess which one came first? You guessed it: church.

I just know I was cursed with the meanest parents in the world. Mom and Dad must have renewed and paid their memberships dues every year because they never changed. But thank goodness, I grew out of that mind-set and finally realized the curse was actually a blessing in disguise. I found out for myself that when kids call it mean–God calls it love and protection. When other parents call it overprotection–God commands parents to instruct their children in His ways, not the ways of the world. When teens want to do their own things–the Scripture lays out moral absolutes that parents are instructed to teach.

At the time, I wasn’t real enthused with my parents, but now I thank God I was blessed with the meanest parents in the world. I wear my new title with pride. I promise to pay my dues and renew my membership every year to the Meanest Parents In The World Club.

Join the club. Some day your children will recognize it’s an unexpected blessing.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Georgia Curtis Ling.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Prodigal: We were just talking.

Me: I was going to add to what you were saying. You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around.

Prodigal: Very true.

This is a video devotion on Proverbs.

Click here to watch the video

Proverbs 8:16

By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. (KJV).

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Me: Sometimes we need to show appreciation.

Prodigal: I agree!

You may talk of the work of the greatest man,

You may rave about statesmen and teachers;

You may tell all about their achievements, and then,

Let me tell you of the wives of the preachers.

No Martyr was more steadfast and true

No soldier was ever more brave;

She’s a genius at home, she’s a diplomat, too;

And the Best mother God ever gave.

She has met disappointments with courage so high;

She has battled grim poverty, too.

With a smile on her face and a light in her eye,

And a hope each morning that is new.

She is often alone, but she’ll never complain;

And she cheerfully stays by the stuff;

Knowing well that her loss is her dear Master’s gain,

And his smile of approval is enough.

She never gets all the credit that’s due,

For most of it goes to the preacher;

Few know of the faith and courage so true,

of this gentle and wonderful creature.

There is coming a day when the whole world shall hear

From the lips of the Crucified One,

Her story in full, told in words sweet and clear,

Hear Him say to her softly, “well done,”

And I think that when all their labors are o’er,

And we know all their unselfish lives,

We’ll honor more highly than ever before

The preachers’ most wonderful wives.

unknown author

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

JOHN 2 : 19

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Me: You look pretty as a peacock!

Prodigal: I tried to pick a good back ground.

Me: Wanted to share with you if you have a minute.

Prodigal: I do for you.

This is from the book The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis

It is good for us that we sometimes have some weariness and crosses; for they often call a man back to his own heart; that he may know that he is here in banishment, and may not set his trust in any worldly thing.

It is good that we sometimes endure contradictions; and that men think ill or meanly of us; and this, although we do and intend well. These things help often to humility, and defend us from vain glory: for then we the more seek God for our inward witness, when outwardly we are contemned by men, and when no good is believed of us.

And therefore a man should settle himself so fully in God, that he need not to seek many comforts of men.

This is hard to swallow but, we need humbling at times. That is what God is doing. This is not a plan of satan but a plan of God. We stray so easily away from God and develop pride. God is just making sure that pride does not increase but decrease. Take this with love and know that God wants what is best for you not just today but five years from now.

Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.

JOB 36 : 5

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Prodigal: The day is a bright jewel in our lives.

Me: Yes, because God gave it to us.

This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.

click here to watch the video

Proverbs 8:15 By me Kings reign, and princes decree justice. (KJV)

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Prodigal: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Me: I do like apples so you will not have to force me to eat one.

This is from the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

If Christianity is true why are not all Christians obviously nicer than all non-Christians? What lies behind that question is partly something very reasonable and partly something that is not reasonable at all. The reasonable part is this. If conversion to Christianity makes no improvement in a man’s outward actions–if he continues to be just as snobbish or spiteful or envious or ambitious as he was before–then I think we must suspect that his ‘conversion’ was largely imaginary; and after one’s original conversion, every time one thinks one has made an advance, that is the test to apply. Fine feelings, new insights, greater interest in ‘religion’ mean nothing unless they make our actual behavior better; just as in an illness ‘feeling better’ is not much good if the thermeter shows that your temperature is still going up. In that sense the outer world is quite right to judge Christianity by its results. Christ told us to judge by results. A tree is known by its fruit; or, as we say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

If it has been years and closer to a decade and there has been no change in your behavior, thoughts and attitudes. I suggest taking a closer look. The conversion may not have been of faith but only religion. Also there may be a idol or sin that is blocking you if there is a conversion. I think we get wrapped up in sin is murder, rape and stealing. We can have a idol of money or laziness. We can put that before obedience. So I pray that you go to God this minute and ask Him to expose what is going on with your spirit. The Lord will show you.

That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

MATTHEW 6 : 18

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Me: We never know how our love effects others.

Prodigal: Very true, and how God’s loves will shine to others as well.

This is from A.W. Tozer The Pursuit of God

I have hinted before in these chapters that the cause of all our human miseries is a radical moral dislocation, an upset in our relation to God and to each other. For whatever else the Fall may have been, it was most certainly a sharp change in man’s relation to his Creator. He adopted toward God an altered attitude, and by so doing destroyed the proper Creator-Creature relation in which, unknown to him, his true happiness lay. Essentially, salvation is the restoration of a right relation between man and his Creator, a bringing back to normal of the Creator-Creature relation.

Often my gaze is focused on the shiny objects of the world. They may be store items or people. They may even be an experience this weekend. What God calls is not to let this focus wonder to far with out turning back to Him. O Lord we need to see through your eyes and understand with your heart. Lord allow us to hear from you today and allow our spirits to feel the truth of your Word.

I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

MARK 1 : 8

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org