Daily Devotional

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Loving Moments
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength. (NLT) ( Proverbs 17:22 )

Have you reminisced lately about someone who passed away? It can be a convoluted thought if that person had caused much pain in your life. Perhaps it was overwhelmingly difficult for them to combat the enemy, succumbing to them, and hurting you in the process. Remember, God is stronger. Invite Him by focusing on the loving moments you once shared instead of the painful ones.
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[Ronnie W. Stark]

Foolish I Am
O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. (NLT) ( Psalm 69:5 )

Oh Lord, you know first hand how foolish we can be! Most of our foolishness revolves around pride and selfishness. Perhaps we've criticized others for something we, ourselves, have done. Or maybe we took advantage of someone and didn't realize we were doing it. With time and maturity we can usually look back on our actions and see the errors of our ways. But we cannot hide our foolishness from you, nor would we want to. Lord, we pray you reveal to us the foolishness of our ways and show us if we can heal any wounds we've created.
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[Ronnie W. Stark]

Harmony With Each
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. (NLT) ( Romans 15:5 )

Sometime people don't always think the same way we do or treat us the way we want to be treated. God gives us patience and encouragement to love people where they are. Love that is based upon performance, good behavior, or "right" thinking does not teach the love of God. We are prepared by the Holy Spirit to love others where they are at and it is this same love that God loves us with. Are you trying your best to change someone by witholding your love rather than loving the person completely? Does God love you the same way?
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[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verses
Zechariah 7:9-10
"Thus says the Lord of hosts:
'Execute true justice,
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.' (NKJV0


Thoughts
The "Code of the West"--unwritten laws by which every cowboy and frontiersman lived. According to this code, there were just certain things you would not do; such as, spit in the presence of a lady or try on another man's hat. There were also matters of honor that when practiced revealed the depth of his character and integrity:
Be courageous.
Be hospitable.
Be loyal.
Be considerate.
Be honest. This rule governed all others. The cowboy spoke the truth and his word was his bond.
In action and in word, he lived by the Golden Rule, even though he may not have ever read the Bible. Thankfully, the Bible influenced the contents of the code.
(Don H)

Action Point
Of all the books that traveled west with the pioneers, the two most important were the Bible and a hymnal. The Bible is replete with words that are the basis for the Code of the West, a gentleman's code, or other such codes, creeds, and commandments. These words from Zechariah 7 could easily be included in the lists of guidelines and are requisites for any intentional Christian living.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verses
Joshua 14:10-12
"Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, theLord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said." (NIV)

Thoughts
In Arkansas, deer season is beginning to really wind down in late December. The rut is long since gone and the orange army has retreated. Rifle season is about over, deer are wary from the last two months of hunting, and it usually rains a lot. But sometimes, a die-hard hunter can come away with a great deer in December.

In 2006, my middle son (age and I braved frigid weather on a Saturday morning to sit in our tree, and we walked away with a nice non-typical nine-pointer. Man, talk about a fast-break slam-dunk right at the end of the quarter! I love to finish well!
(Brian H)

Action Point
You've got to love Caleb! He's wandered for forty years with the rest of the nation and now he's in his eighties ready for the rocking chair, right? Absolutely not! Caleb says to give him what God promised him all those years ago! Giants in the land? No problem! Caleb is still doing what he always has done, following God.

My challenge to you is this: regardless of your age, gender, or any other factor, determine right now to finish well. Take the time that you have left on this Earth and make the most of it for God. It may or may not be December in your life, but finish well regardless.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verses
Joshua 4:4-7
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." (NIV)

Thoughts
Trail markers are the key to backpacking success. My family has a game we play when we are out on a trail; and my guess is that if you've done some hiking, you've probably played it too. It's not a game that was officially declared or created, but just sort of evolved.

When we are hiking along, my kids often compete to be the first one to see the next marker. These markers, usually diamond-shaped, in a variety of colors, orange, green, blue, are most often hung about six feet off the ground on either side of a tree and can be easily seen from both directions. This allows you to move forward or go back the other direction if necessary. Many times the trail that we are looking for is overgrown, or there are animal trails that fork off the main trail so that one might appear to be the path we should follow. At times we've had to backtrack to the last marker so that we could get our bearings. Whatever the reason for the lack of direction, these markers help us to find our way.

Spiritually, I have many markers that I can look back on and know that God was working in me or my family. Because of these "landmark" times, I can rest assured that today, even if I don't always see the way clearly, I know that God has sustained me through this life's journey time-and-time again. All I have to do to be reassurred is to look back and see His grace and mercy in my life. I have confidence in Him because of these previous trail markers. These markers help me to press on.
(Dave M)

Action Point
The enemy has a way of putting doubt into the mind of a believer. In these moments when we lack faith, we simply turn back to the spiritual markers God has placed in our life and His Word, the Bible, and remember that He has been faithful to us. He desires the best for us. We must trust in Him.

If you are just getting started in your journey of faith, take it from someone who has been in some rough spots: God will sustain you through thick and thin!

[Ronnie W. Stark]

ible Study Verse
Acts 8:26
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road-the desert road-that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (NIV)

Thoughts
I remember hiking with my dad and coming upon a cave tucked into the wall of a cliff. It was rather tall, as caves go, standing about seven feet. I was scared, but decided to enter and find where it led.

As I climbed in, I carried a flashlight in one hand and a knife in the other. I am not sure what the knife would have done for me, but I felt better having it. As I moved farther into it, the cave began to shrink rapidly, so that within a dozen feet I was down on my hands and knees. Then I was on my belly crawling; and before too long, I was squeezing through a very narrow passage that forced me to wiggle while lying on my side with one hand in front of me, holding the flashlight, and the other down at my side.

Then I felt a sting, then another and another; something was attacking me--biting and stabbing every part of my body. The more I moved, the more it hurt. I dropped the flashlight and the knife and began trying to wiggle back out. My mind raced with images of every conceivable venomous, poisonous, or sharp-clawed creature whose home I had just invaded. Every move intensified the pain. I finally managed to get onto my knees and crawl backwards to the opening.

My Dad looked very concerned at the mouth of the cave; and based on my screams, was sure I had been attacked by the Sasquatch that inhabited it. When I emerged, I was covered head to toe in porcupine quills that littered the floor of this porcupine family's home.
(Brett M)

Action Point
Phillip had a ministry in Samaria that was going well when God told him to go travel an unknown desert road. God instructed Noah how to build a boat on dry land in a time in which rain had never fallen; told Moses to leave Egypt and take the Israelites with him to an unknown destination, and even directed Hosea to marry a prostitute. A prostitute! Talk about being outside your comfort zone!

Sometimes God tells us to go to places where we are not comfortable, ones that are contrary to the warmth and coziness of our lives, places that appear dark, scary and may or may not contain Sasquatches.

God does not need us to do these things for Him; He is perfectly capable of accomplishing what He needs without our help. He takes us into these seemingly fearful places for us to increase our trust in Him and for others whose lives He allows our experiences to impact. So, the next time God asks you to go where you are not comfortable, remember what Paul says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all this through him who gives me strength, (NIV).

[Ronnie W. Stark]

ble Study Verses
I Kings 19:4-5
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." (NKJV)

Thoughts
Last weekend I was blessed to take my children to one of our hunting leases in the hills of Arkansas. There is a fresh cold-water creek there that meanders through the property, and it is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. This time of year Arkansas is hot and typically dry. It was so refreshing to immerse ourselves in that cold, pure water. We left the dusty and dirty world behind and let the water pour over us and bring new life.
(Brian H)

Action Point
Have you ever reached a point when you just want to look up and cry out, "Lord, please refresh me!"? I can almost feel the anguish in Elijah's voice as he says, "I give up! Take me, I'm through!"

Isn't it gracious of God to not slap Elijah on the hand and remind him of his recent victories? God didn't tell Elijah to get up and get back to work; but rather He sent an angel to minister to him. How loving a God we serve! When we reach the end of ourselves and cry out to Him, it's then that He sends exactly what we need. Call to Him now. He will answer and He will provide what you need to be refreshed.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Romans 3:23
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. (NLT)

Thoughts
Boom!
Click, Click, Click, Click. Reload, Boom!
Click, Click. Reload, Boom!
Click, Click.
I have been sighting in my new muzzleloader this week. These actions have been repeated several times as I try to get things in line. Things don't fly perfectly. When I first started this process, I was at 50yd and couldn't hit the side of a 24in square box. My scope wasn't seated well. Then, I had to restart the process over again. Finally, I brought the gun to zero, with good groups; but it took some time. (DW)

Action Point
I also miss God's Mark. My life is one of being a sinner. "For everyone has sinned. . . "
I need Him to straighten up my sights and keep after me until I shoot straight. I still may mess up, but the next verse is really the most important:

Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins (Romans 3:24).

He can make me shoot straight--to cause me to hit His Mark, His Righteousness; because through His righteousness, he makes me righteous.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verses
Psalm 104:1-5
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.
You who laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,. (NKJV)

Thoughts
When you go on an outdoor adventure with a large group of people, most likely someone organizes the event or it never happens. At least one individual must be motivated to take ownership of the arrangements to ensure that the proper equipment and time schedules are all in order. Like it or not, someone must be in charge.
(Tom H)

Action Point
Looking at the big picture of our life, there are three questions we all need to have answered:
Who's in charge?
Who has complete control?
Who has our best interest in mind?
The answer, of course is the same for all three, God! Yes, God delegates many, many things to the human race; but He will always have the last word. Let your faith rest squarely on Him for the little and BIG things--even the economy, or who will be the next president (but don't forget to vote)!

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Philippians 2:3
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. (HCSB)

Thoughts
After an eight-hour charter, I had begun my 25 mile jaunt back to the dock when I saw a boat stopped along the edge of the intracoastal with its engine cowling off. I thought, "No, I don't have time to stop and tow these people 10 miles back to the harbor." I stopped anyway; and yes, they had engine problems that could not be fixed.
(Bink G)

Action Point
After tying a rope to both vessels, I loaded the two stranded men into my boat and headed east to the dock. One of the men asked, "You are a Christian aren't you? I can tell by the fish on your boat." (I have a Christian fish symbol, Ichthus, on both sides of my console.) "While we were stranded, we prayed that someone would come and help us."

God provided another example for me of how I should serve others first, no matter how much time it takes.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verses
Titus 1:7-9
For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort insound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. (NASB)

Thoughts
God's steward. How would you like to have that as your job title? Well, believe it or not, that is one of our job titles!

When the Lord inspired Paul to write to Titus, He laid out what He was looking for in men. He wanted them to help shepherd His people. These days, people seem to fall all over themselves trying to come up with the fanciest or most politically correct job titles.

Actually, I can't think of any higher calling than to be God's steward. The word steward seems to have fallen on hard times lately. As sportsmen, we have come to understand about stewardship of all of God's creation. This is of course extremely important. We just need to apply that same principal of stewardship to everything that we do.
(Dave H)

Action Point
Print up some business cards with your name and the title God's Steward on them. Then, think of yourself in that role in everything you do. That is your job, God's steward. You are a steward of:
The money He has provided; your family.
The land and wildlife He has given us.
The home He has provided for you.
You are already a steward of all these things, of everything that He has put under your supervision. Now be a good and faithful one! Titus 1:7-9 tells us what is expected of us. I suggest we memorize it!

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Mark 7:14-15
Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them." (NIV)

Thoughts
I come from a ranching and farming heritage. Growing up in a very rural area, I was tasked from my earliest childhood with taking care of horses, livestock and hunting, the only kind of life I knew until adulthood.

Butchering livestock and wild game was nothing out of the "norm". Along with that, harvesting various parts of animals for consumption, not considered edible by your average urban dweller, was also normal, the stomach of a cow or the liver of a deer to name a few. I have mentioned this to some friends throughout my life with less than positive responses "Ugh! Cow tongue?!" or "You eat rattlesnake? You can't eat that stuff!"
(Ruben C)

Action Point
"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like," James 1:23-24 (NIV).

Just as eating the less popular parts of an animal will not make you unclean, if your actions are not forthright, affiliation with a respected sportsmen group will not make you a true sportsman. Likewise, it does not matter what church you belong to, if your life and doctrine are not in agreement with it, membership will be of no advantage to you.

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it he will be blessed in what he does. "But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it-not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it-they will be blessed in what they do," James 1:25 (NIV).

Do not be tempted to cut ethical corners in the field, but be an ambassador for Christ wherever you are. You never know when the clean bright light that comes from you will shine on someone who will be influenced toward Christ!

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Psalm 56:13
For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. (NIV)

Proverbs 6:28
Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? (NIV)

Thoughts
Our feet are critically important to our enjoyment of the outdoors! During a typical day of upland bird hunting, one walks many miles. Hunting antelope or stalking big game may require miles of hiking up, down, around and over difficult and treacherous terrain.

An army first sergeant told me, "Take care of your feet, and they will take care of you!" Then he gave specific instructions on how to do that.
(Jack M)

Action Point
Take care of your feet. Choose carefully where you go. In the Bible, "feet" is often a word picture of what we do and where we go, a metaphor of our life style. Where we go and what we choose to do is important.

What we choose NOT TO DO may be more so! We cannot go to places, and involve ourselves in things that tarnish our reputation. Often these things endanger our character and even our bodies. More importantly, we cannot do what will shame our Lord Jesus. A child's song says, "Oh be careful little feet where you go!" So true.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Hebrews 12:14
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (NIV)

Thoughts
On our first morning of elk hunting last year we saw a dozen cows and a young bull on a small mountain meadow. We bugled and the dominant bull bugled back. He responded a couple times, but would not come out of the trees. Unfortunately, we never got to see that bull.

A guide friend told me that I should have tried to sneak around the cows and try to get closer to the bull. If I would have bugled closer to him, he might have felt that a bull was trying to get to his cows. There was a good chance that the bull would have pursued me and I might have had a shot at him.

Just as I wasn't supposed to wait forever for the bull elk to come out of the trees, but instead pursue him; the Lord doesn't want us to wait for holiness, we're to pursue it! Even though God will grant holiness when Jesus returns (Romans 8:29, I John 3:2), He wants us to continue growing in it until then.
(Tom L)

Action Point
In the book, Spiritual Discipline for the Christian Life, Whitney states: "In other words, the Lord expects us to permanently affix ourselves to those devotional practices that promote Godliness. Have we given one-hundred percent to our spiritual disciplines of Bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, service, stewardship, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, and learning? Does it even compare to the amount of time you spend reading the paper, emails, or your social venues???

GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT. JESUS DID!