Devo 6

Reaching Out and Taking "THE HAND"
 
Once upon a time, we were all little ones. We knew that nobody could protect us like our parents. Hugs were great! Kisses from Mom and Dad were sweet and comforting.
 
But when it was time for a bit of independence, when we needed reassurance not shelter, we were offered a hand. Sometimes we needed the hand to stabilize a fragile sense of balance, other times it was there to keep us from exploring more of the world (read that traffic) than we were ready for. Mom and Dad knew when to hold loosely (making us feel free) and when to clamp down (like they really knew where we wanted to roam).
 
In the Old Testament there are many examples of God letting his children let go of his hand and go adventuring. Seems he is always holding his hand out to be taken back (His Grace), but there seems, all too often, to be a lack of interest in holding fast to His guidance.
 
How do we hold God's hand? By realizing that all we have is a gift from our Heavenly Father. By believing in Him and accepting his son Jesus Christ as our Savior! To believe, really believe, that by living the Christian Life, is to hold God's hand! He is never more than arm's length away. Try praying sometimes with your arms outstretched above your head, like a little one waiting to be picked up, to make yourself realize how vulnerable we all are without Him.
 
During the wintertime Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, Jesus was asked by a group of Jews gathered around him "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
 
  In John 10:25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you did not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me,is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
 
" NO ONE CAN SNATCH THEM OUT OF MY HAND." "NO ONE CAN SNATCH THEM OUT OF MY FATHER'S HAND." WOW THAT IS POWER!!!
 
If you don't let go - God and Jesus won't either. If you do slip away - They will wait for you to return and take the hand that is always there.
 
How's your grip? Can you lend a hand to a friend? Can you lend a hand to a stranger?
 
Spend some time this week working on YOUR GRIP!!!
 
Bless you all, John