May 1, 2026 – Surprises
Surprises and fun await inside this Vicenza, Italy toy store!
Streams – From Days of Heaven upon Earth, Cowman writes, “Faith turns the promise into a prophesy. While it is merely a promise it is contingent upon our cooperation. But when faith claims it, it becomes a prophecy, and we go forth feeling that it is something that must be done because God cannot lie.” From Phillips Brooks, she shares, “Faith says not, ‘I see that it is good for me, so God must have sent it,’ but, ‘God sent it, and so it must be good for me.’ Faith, walking in the dark with God, only prays Him to clasp its hand more closely.”
Simpson – “The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness” (Gal. v. 22). Simpson shares more about God being with and in us, “Nature’s harshness has melted away and she is now beaming with the smile of spring, and everything around us whispers of the gentleness of God…. The man who is truly filled with Jesus will always be a gentleman. The woman who is baptized of the Holy Ghost, will have the instincts of a perfect lady, although low born and little bred in the schools of earthly refinement…. Lord, help us to-day, to so yield to the gentle Dove-Spirit, that our lives shall be as His life.”
Power – 2 Timothy 1:7 – “[He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.” Joyce explains why it’s so vital to have, and listen to, the Holy Spirit in us, “Many people struggle with indecision (the inability to make a decision) and double-mindedness (constantly changing their minds) because of fear or a lack of confidence. However, you can make a decision and stick with it because you have discipline and a calm, well-balanced mind…. Don’t ever say again, ‘I have a hard time making decisions,’ because when you think and speak like that you are setting yourself up for confusion. Instead, you can believe the next time you need to make a decision that you will hear from God, be led by the Holy Spirit, and know what to do.”
Utmost – 2 Corinthians 5:7 (MOFFATT) – “I have to lead my life in faith, without seeing Him.” Chambers’ “Insight Not Emotion” devotion is another way to look at decision-making and in trusting God with our future when we can’t even see our next steps. He writes, “For a time we are conscious of God’s attentions, then, when God begins to use us in His enterprises, we take on a pathetic look and talk of the trials and the difficulties, and all the time God is trying to make us do our duty as obscure people…. Some of us always want to be illuminated saints with golden haloes and the flush of inspiration, and to have the saints of God dealing with us all the time…. If we try to re-introduce the rare moments of inspiration, it is a sign that it is not God we want…. what God wants us to do is walk by faith…. Never live for the rare moments, they are surprises. God will give us touches of inspiration when He sees we are not in danger of being led away by them.”
