Prodigal: A clean conscience makes a soft pillow.
Me: Yes, it does.
This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.
Click here to watch the video.
Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. (NKJV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: People say that religion causes war.
Me: That is not always true.
This is from the book The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
This evidence seems to indicate that religion aggravates human differences until they boil over into war, violence, and the oppression of minorities.
There are problems with this view, however. The Communist Russian, Chinese, and Cambodian regimes of the twentieth century rejected all organized religion and belief in God. A forerunner of all these was the French Revolution, which rejected traditional religion for human reason. These societies were all rational and secular, yet each produced massive violence against its own people without the influence of religion.
Can we forget that the Nazis wanted to remove a whole race of people that had nothing to do with a religion. Society is so quick to point out mistakes in Christianity, but what about remembering the positives. There was a day when people told the truth, when people worked hard and people attempted to love their neighbor.
Even though this was not done perfect, it was still an idea to strive for. Now, white lies are the norm. Love means, only if I feel love first. Making quick money or lying about money really does not have any negative connotation to it. What if we just tried to be honest today. Just for today.
Daniel 6:12
Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: That is a cute little house.
Prodigal: It is not the size of the house that matters.
This is from Patricia Mora
I had been crying for days. Nothing made sense. We had obeyed God’s commands. I had quit my job and stayed home-through financial trials and frustration. After nearly five years of difficulties, my husband had a decent job. We could finally afford to buy this little house we had been renting–but the owner had just sold it out from under us. “Why, Lord?”
It wasn’t perfect. It was tiny, with a barely decent sized “master” bedroom and two other bedrooms best described as miniature. If I could have my “druthers”–which I knew I could not– I would buy a bigger house, adding a two car garage, a pantry in the kitchen and one more room for our small buisness.
Why another trial? What have we done? Is there some sin in our lives? We could think of none.
The owner of this tiny house had promised to wait for the paperwork to go through. We knew low income government programs took an inordinate amount of time, but this one had dragged on and on. As the months passed, I had updated the information we were receiving from the agency to reassure the owner that buying this house was just a few more weeks away. He had never indicated he was growing tired of waiting. The phone call had come out of nowhere, knocking the breath right out of me.
Even though this little house was far less than we needed, I really loved it. I liked the floor plan and the large closets. I loved the “big” kitchen-the only normal-sized room in the house. Most of all, I loved the neighborhood. It was surrounded by tall pines and Oregon grape undergrowth. Huge ferns grew wild and blooming rhododendrons blazed scarlet, purple, and white. Here the silence and majesty of God’s creation brought peace in the midst of distress.
Our little rental was hidden, tucked way in the forest, in a tract of homes aptly named “Wilderness Rim,” some 1200 feet above sea level. From my windows, I watched birds and butterflies play in the sun. Dusk and dawn brought deer to the edge of the cul-de-sac, as chipmunks chirped their high-pitched cries.
How can I leave this neighborhood where God has given us such peace? Oh, why Lord? Why did you let this tiny haven be sold out from under us?
We had to find a new place to live. The government program was useless now. We would simply have to rent–again. Brokenhearted, confused with God’s unfathomable pain, we drove down the mountain to seek a new rental house. Hoping to stay in the “Rim,” we entered the only real estate office in town.
Disappointed, we learned there were few rentals in the “Rim” at any time. None, now. There was, however, a single house for sale, just listed that morning. The out-of-town owner would sell VA. To our surprise, my veteran husband could qualify for this house, using a “no down/no closing” loan–if we were interested in buying. Did we want to see the house?
We did. Driving back up to the Rim, we pulled into the familiar subdivision to view the only house for sale. With pleasure, we discovered this house had exactly the same floor plan as our rental–with a few exceptions: it had a pantry in the kitchen, a two-car garage, and a bonus room large enough for our business. Everything I’d wanted added to our rental. Best of all, this house had nearly the same view as the little one I loved. That’s because it was right next door.
God was not angry with us. He only wanted to bless us with something better–an unexpected blessing.
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart
Psalm 37:4
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: Let’s count our blessings today.
Me: Yes, we can always do that.
This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.
Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. (ESV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: Shoot straight with me.
Prodigal: I wanted us to have some time before I did.
Me: Looks like there is no better time than now.
This is from the book All of Grace by C.H. Spurgeon
Sometimes faith is little more than a simple clinging to Christ-a sense of dependence and a willingness to depend. When you are down at the seashore, you will see limpets sticking to the rocks. You can walk softly up to a rock, strike a mollusk a quick blow with a stick, and off he comes. Yet try the next limpet in that way. You have given him warning; he heard the blow with which you struck his neighbor, and he clings with all his might. You will never get him off! Strike and strike again, but you might as well break the rock. The limpet does not know much, but he clings. He is not acquainted with the geological formation of the rock, but he clings. He can cling and has found something to cling to; this is all his stock of knowledge, and he uses it for his security and salvation. It is the limpet’s life to cling to the rock, and it is the sinner’s life to cling to Jesus. Thousands of God’s people have no more faith than this. They know enough to cling to Jesus with all their heart and soul, and this suffices for present peace and eternal safety. Jesus Christ is to them a strong and mighty Savior, a Rock immovable and immutable. They cling to Him for dear life, and this clinging saves them. Can you not cling? Do so at once.
Romans 13:1-2
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: I don’t know if you should get so close to that spider.
Prodigal: I am not afraid of no spider.
Me: There are two types of fear.
This comes from the book Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodges and Phyllis Hendry
The capacity to experience fear is a gift from God. When heeded, fear protects us. Yet what we actually do with fear when we experience it can prevent us from enjoying the good it can bring. So instead of enhancing life, fear has poisoned human relationships ever since man first stepped outside of God’s will. Consider the consequences of Adam and Eve’s eating the forbidden fruit: they immediately became self-conscious, covered their nakedness, and hid from God in fear. Human beings have been hiding ever since, because we fear that our weaknesses and bad behavior will be found out. The irony is, God already sees those weaknesses and knows all about our bad behavior.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: The right thing and the hard thing are usually the same thing.
Me: That is true!
This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.
Proverbs 10:10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin. (ESV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: How is it going?
Prodigal: Just with Petey the Pirate.
Me: He has some sword!
Prodigal: Yes, he does.
This is from the book Overcoming Spiritual Blindness by James P. Gills, M.D.
The one offensive weapon given to the Christian soldier for spiritual warfare is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17). We have discussed the importance of the Word of God for every aspect of our spiritual life. However, in this passage, rhema is the Greek for this “word” of God, brought forth in specific, direct application to the issue at hand. It carries a very personal encouragement by the Spirit for the individual receiving it. This is the powerful application of God’s Word that is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12). It is the Word of God, not just written on the page, but drawn smartly and thrust deeply into the enemy.
When the Lord Jesus was tempted by the devil, He met each approach with a specific and devastating counter: “It is written” (Matt. 4:4). Those three words are Satan’s worst nightmare; using God’s Word against him thwarts his attacks with God’s direction.
The sword of the Spirit can also cut through the hardest layers protecting a heart that opposes God. When told that “every knee shall bow” to Christ, some people may laugh and ridicule, but when the Spirit uses the Word in their hearts it becomes different.
We thank God that the sword of the Spirit continues to work in cutting away sin in our own lives. When God quickens His Word to our hearts, our occasionally prayerless and cold spirits are pierced. Then we return to our first love for Christ, and see through the vanity of temporal things; again we hunger for the satisfaction alone that comes from being in His presence. The sword of the Spirit is mighty and we need it desperately to fight against our own sins as well as in seeking to free others from the enemy who does not easily let his captives go free.
Mark 2:1
And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was reported that he was in the house.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: I think that is a fake tree Prodigal:
Prodigal: I think it might be, it is not as good as a real tree.
Me: I have to agree.
This is from the book Out Live Your Life by Max Lucado
It is not about YOU. It is about the Lord! It is to easy to think something is about you because you can take the credit but that will increase pride and before you know it, the ministry is about you. Stay true to what the Lord has done in your life!
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:3-4
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: God wants full custody, not just weekend visits.
Me: Love it!
This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.
Proverbs 10:9
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. (ESV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
