A shaft of sunlight, slipping through the prison window, shone on the convict whose head was bowed over an open Bible.

'God, be merciful to me, a sinner.'  The man's prayer made no difference to the other convicts or prison guards.  They did not even hear it.  

But the Bible says there is joy in Heaven when a sinner turns to God.  Can you imagine?  Even the angels around God's throne rejoice when someone believes on Jesus.  

Have the angels rejoiced because of you?

Prayer: Lord, thank You that the angels rejoice when people turn to You for forgiveness.  Amen.

Little foxes are cute - but they can do a lot of damage. Just by biting at the vine's stems, little foxes can destroy huge vineyards.

I knew a boy who used to swim in competitions. Then he started to smoke cigarettes. It affected his breathing and his strength.

One day, this boy lost a swimming race by 3/100's of a second. If he wasn't a smoker, he would have won the race.

That little habit of smoking, although it seemed small, was big enough to destroy the swimmer's career.

Don't let small things destroy your life for God.

Prayer: Father, keep the little foxes out of my life. Amen.

One young athlete has enormous shoulders, the kind wrestlers would like to have.  His upper biceps are huge and his arms and wrists are very strong.  

But this athlete cannot walk.  His lower limbs are paralyzed.  You may have seen this young man on TV.  He is pushing himself around the world in his wheelchair, to help disabled people.  He is the kind of man who, when he finds something he CAN do, he does it with all of his might.  

Is that the way you serve God and live your Christian life?

Prayer: Lord, help me to live for You with all of my might.  Amen.

The swimming relay team had battled its way to the finals.  

Margaret, third swimmer in her team, watched team member number one get off to a bad start.  In a moment, it would be Margaret's turn.  

'If only that first swimmer had done better,' Margaret could have complained.  Instead, she thought, 'I'm going to give it my best now.'  Although her team was too far back to win, Margaret's lap brought them very close.  

God tells us to forget the things which are behind and do our best for Jesus today.

Prayer: Father, thank You that the past is forgotten for Jesus' sake.  Help me to live for You today.  Amen.

Have you ever seen a Marathon race?  

Hundreds, sometimes thousands of runners slug out the 26 mile course.  Many do not complete the race, but many do. However, only one wins.  

That's the way it is with human contests.  Only one winner!  

One wonderful thing about being a Christian is that God has a prize for everybody who runs.  It is worthwhile to faithfully follow Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that You reward all who follow You.  Amen.