Not in My Strength

Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for
themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answered by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. I Kings 18:22-24

Elijah saw that the people could not make up their minds in whom to serve, so he proposed a test to prove which "god" was more powerful. The God that answered by fire would be worshipped as the true God.

The prophets of Baal began their chanting and praying to their god. But nothing had happened.

Then Elijah cried out to his God, "And...Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel.." I kings 18:36. Those on the mountain heard his sincere prayer and saw the fire come down from Heaven. The reason that Elijah prevailed in this test was not because of his skill or effort, but because of the mighty hand of God.

None of us can make it on our own! The christian life lived in our own strength is destined to be a failure.
Only through the strength of our God is our victorious Christian life possible. In the book of Philippians this verse comes to my mind. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me".

Have you ever been frustrated trying to live your Christian life in your own strength? Don't go through another day in your own strength, but look to God for help.

I gave this devotion at our Ladies meeting.

One day I decided that I was going to quit...I wanted to quit my job, my relationships, my spirituality. I wanted to quit my life..So I went for a walk to have one last talk with God.

God, I said.."Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answere surprised me..."Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?

Yes, I replied.

When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave
them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. It's brilliant green covered the ground. Yet nothing came
from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful..And again, nothing came from the bamboo
seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

He said. 'In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth
year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not give up on it.

He said. 'Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly
small and insignificant.

But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the last five years growning roots.
Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a
challenge it could not handle.'

He said to me. Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually
been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. So don't compare yourself
to others.'

He said. 'The bamboo had a different purpose then the fern, yet, they both make the forest beautiful.'

Your time will come, God said to me. 'You will survive, too

I came back from my walk and brought back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God
will never give up on you..........

Never regret a day in your life.
Good days give you Happiness.
Bad days give you Experiences
Both are essential to life. Keep going...

Steanboat Arabia

This is a great cite. We had a missionary family at our church this weekend. She was talking about The Vicksburg battlefield and I told her that it was a great experience when we went. I enjoyed the history on the Battle between the North and South and the Steamboat Ciaro. How they recovered it and restored it artifacts in it. Then she shared with me about the steamboats that traveled on the Misouri River in the 1800's. One of them was called the Arabia. It was used to take supplies up and down the Misouri river to the trading posts. One night as it was on it's way down river, it hit a large tree under the water, it sank. All aboard survived.

But after many years of the river moving and changing it's route. They found the Arabia in the middle of a corn field. This family desired to dig for it to salvage it's history. Today it is a large Museum in Kansas city, Misouri. I hope that you all will enjoy viewing this cite. Go to www Steamboat Arabia.com or
1865.com.