Daily Devotional for August 15, 2005

August 15

BIBLE MEDITATION: ?Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.? Habakkuk 3:17-18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: So many times we say, ?Oh, I love the Lord because He has given me a wonderful family.? Or, ?I love the Lord because of the beautiful day He has given.? I call this ?because? kind of love. And that kind of love can be threatening. How can that be? What if a woman told her husband, ?Honey, I love you because you?re so rich.? Then, he loses his health and ability to earn an income for the family. What if a husband told his wife, ?I love you because you?re such a great cook.? And she loses her ability to cook. These would be threats to the future of their love for one another. They could say, ?Well, since I can no longer do this, I have lost his (her) love.? There are a lot of people who love God this way. They love Him as long as He is blessing them.

ACTION POINT: Read Job 1:20-22, 40:3-5, 42:1-6. Would you still love God if He took your family, your home, and your health away? If you don?t think you would, what steps are you going to take to love Him no matter what?