Prodigal: Been busy in the kitchen today.
Me: Yeah, sit a spell and rest up.
Prodigal: Sure will.
This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.
Proverbs 12:7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more, But the house of the righteous will stand. (NKJV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: Wait to you see how I can drive this thing.
Me: Don’t let pride run ahead of you.
This is from the book Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan
We are driven by powerful egos always to be right. We are often slaves to a strong tendency to “have it our way.” All of these are manifestations of pride. The opposite of that is the servanthood and humble sacrifice commanded by Christ. Making a sacrifice for one of the unknown brethren–supporting his work to a strange people in a strange place, using methods that are a mystery to you—does take humility. But supporting the national brethren must begin with this kind of commitment to humility and must continue in the same spirit. Sadly, our pride all too often stands in the way of progress.
Isaiah 50:10
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: You are standing in the dark part of the path.
Prodigal: Yes, sometimes it seems dark.
This is from the book God Works the Night Shift by Ron Mehl
In the darkest of times the question isn’t, “Who knows me?” but “Who remembers me?” God knows when we’ve taken shots and missed. He knows when we’ve worked our hardest and failed. He knows when we’ve played our hearts out and are still behind. But He does have a strategy for our future. He’s a Coach who knows the outcome of the game before it’s played.
We are not alone even on the darkest path. We do not walk alone or hurt alone. The Lord griefs just as we do. He understands our pain.
Jeremiah 31:34
I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: I’m fit as a fiddle and ready to play!
Me: I can see that!
This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.
Proverbs 12:6
The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them. (KJV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: It is the beginning of a quilt.
Prodigal: The beginning of a year.
Me: Yes, and let the Lord be with us.
This is from the book A Man Called Peter by Catherine Marshall
Lord Jesus, we would find Thee in the privacy of our own hearts, in the quiet of this moment.
We would know, O God, our Father, that Thou art near us and beside us; that Thou dost love us and Thou art concerned about all our affairs, May we become aware of Thy companionship, of Him who walks beside us.
When we are bereaved and forsaken, may we know the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who will bind up our broken hearts…
O Lord Jesus, help us to know that when we reach up to Thee, Thou art reaching down to us. We ask in the name of Jesus, our Lord, Amen.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodialpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: I’m swingin’ my legs from a dime after that conversation.
Me: There is room for grace don’t worry.
This is from the book In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado
Had God removed temptation, Paul may never have embraced God’s grace. Only the hungry value a feast, and Paul was starving. The self-given title on his office door read, “Paul, Chief of Sinners.” No pen ever articulated grace like Paul’s. That may be because no person ever appreciated grace like Paul.
Had God stilled the whips, Paul may have never known love. “If I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be no value whatsoever” ( 1Cor. 13:3). Persecution distills motives. In the end Paul’s motives were distilled to one force, “the love of Christ controls us” (2 Cor. 5:14).
Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ. Ephesians 4:32
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: You’ve gotten cheeky.
Me: Yep, need to watch my mouth.
This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.
Proverbs 12:5 The thoughts of the righteous are right, But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. (NKJV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: That is an excellent sand castle!
Prodigal: Thank you!
This is from the book The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado
The push for power has come to shove. And most of us are either pushing or being pushed.
I might point out the difference between a passion for excellence and a passion for power. The desire for excellence is a gift of God, much needed in society. It is characterized by respect for quality and a yearning to use God’s gifts in a way that pleases him.
There are certain things you can do that no one else can. Perhaps it is parenting, or constructing houses, or encouraging the discouraged. There are things that only you can do, and you have an instrument and a song, and you owe it to God to play them both sublimely.
But there is a canyon of difference between doing your best to glorify God and doing whatever it takes to glorify yourself. The quest for excellence is a mark of maturity. The quest for power is childish.
God wants you to know that the person really is seeking power. There is a cleaver mask. The real selfish motive has not been discovered yet. Do not allow the charming mask to persuade you to invest to deeply in this person. We are to avoid entanglements with others who are pursing self and not God. Distant yourself and don’t start down this path with them.
Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodialpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: What a beautiful pose!
Me: Yes, and it reminds me of a story.
About 1490 two young friends, Albrecht Durer and Franz Knigstein, were struggling young artists. Since both were poor, they worked to support themselves while they studied art.
Work took so much of their time and advancement was slow. Finally, they reached an agreement: they would draw lots, and one of them would work to support both of them while the other would study art. Albrecht won and began to study, while Franz worked at hard labor to support them. They agreed that when Albrecht was successful he would support Franz who would then study art.
Albrecht went off to the cities of Europe to study. As the world now knows, he had not only talent but genius. When he had attained success, he went back to keep his bargain with Franz. But Albrecht soon discovered the enormous price his friend had paid. For as Franz worked at hard manual labor to support his friend, his fingers had become stiff and twisted. His slender, sensitive hands had been ruined for life. He could no longer execute the delicate brush strokes necessary for fine painting. Though his artistic dreams could never be realized, he was not embittered but rather rejoiced in his friend’s success.
One day Durer came upon his friend unexpectedly and found him kneeling with his gnarled hands intertwined in prayer, quietly praying for the success of his friend although he himself could no longer be an artist. Albrecht Durer, the great genius, hurriedly sketched the folded hands of his faithful friend and later completed a truly great masterpiece known as “The Praying Hands.”
Today art galleries everywhere feature Albrecht Durer’s works, and this particular masterpiece tells an eloquent story of love, sacrifice, labor and gratitude. It has reminded multitudes world around of how they may also find comfort, courage and strength.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: I am having fun!
Me: Sometimes we need to just let our hair down.
This is a short video devotion on Proverbs.
Proverbs 12:4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who causes shame is like rottenness to his bones.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
