Council Fire

“Trust in the Lord . . . ” Proverbs 3:5a (NIV) As I sit here drinking my coffee, watching the spring snow falling lightly, and watching the Redpolls at the bird feeder, I’m reminded of the Scripture that my mom shared with me just before I left our community of Old Harbor, Alaska, and went away to boarding high school. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” is the part of Proverbs 3:5 that I remember, and that Scripture has come much more alive to me as I grow older. My late dad used to say to me, “No one is going to care for you but yourself.” That has helped carry me throughout my short 73 years. However, if I had learned earlier to trust my Heavenly Father, I would have known the joy that He has in caring for me, much as we take joy in watching the birds at the feeder. Trust has become a whole new concept for me. It puts me on a different plain—from the world of stress and self-reliance to putting trust in Someone who knows my life beginning to end, and finding there is peace and joy in that friendship! I’m learning to trust God better each day, and relaxing in the knowledge that He really knows what’s best for me. I’m putting my trust more each day in Jesus, who makes this all possible. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV). Lord, help us to trust You through the tough times, as well as the good—to know that You are the author of our lives, and care about every big or small thing that we come across. Thank You that we can put our trust in You. In Jesus’ name, let it be so. – Don Shugak Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:7 (NLT) I was renting a house and thrilled to see that, as spring arrived, I had beautiful flowers growing around my house. I don’t pretend to have gardening skills and a “green thumb,” but I have planted a few things that actually grew! In my yard that spring, I observed some beautiful plants that didn’t know enough to stay with the other plants, so I carefully dug them up one at a time and replanted them in the flower bed. I did this several times and, before I knew it, I had a pretty-looking flower garden. I went to bed one night feeling like an accomplished gardener. But when I checked on my plants the next day, the flowers I’d previously planted were starting to droop and wilt. I quickly had a neighbor come to inspect what I’d done wrong. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, you transplanted weeds, and they don’t need to grow!” It was a shock to me that weeds could look like real flowers. In our lives, this can happen: we can help the “weeds” to grow. They can look pretty for a while, but they will always bring death instead of life. Weeds choke out the good things, and eventually overtake the beauty of a vibrant healthy plant. So my thought is, “Don’t let the weeds grow!” Be rooted in Jesus. That is what will sustain you and help you grow the right way. We grow stronger when our “roots” are secure in reading the Bible, getting to know God more each day, and having encouraging friends who love Jesus, too. These things will help us stay rooted for all our days. – Corrie Hill Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.” Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT) As I look at photos of Niagara Falls, I can hardly imagine that people have actually walked across the Falls on a line! In 1901 a woman purposely plunged over the Falls inside a wooden barrel . . . and survived! It seems like these people were built differently, with a desire to do something extraordinary, and with no fear of death. A healthy fear of death is good for our own protection. God has given us a desire to live, and He has also put eternity in the hearts of people, that one day we will leave this world. I realize that death is a somber thought. When I was younger, even in my 30s, death wasn’t in my mind at all. As I have approached 50, it’s more in my thoughts. There is an aspect of fear in dying but, as a believer, why would I be afraid? Reading the above verses showed me that I don’t have to be afraid to die because of what Jesus has done for us at the cross. He broke the power of death so that we don’t have to be afraid of dying. We can live in the freedom that Christ Jesus has given to serve Him wholeheartedly. Christ has freed us from the fear of death to life. My “life” in Jesus is my main focus, not death. Thank you, Jesus, for what You have done on the cross—breaking the power of the devil who had the power of death. I can live in freedom to serve You. – Myrna Kopf Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26-28 (NIV) When it comes to devotionals, I like to read the recommended Scripture first, and then spend some time praying and thinking about what I sense God is saying to me. I do that before I read what the contributor has written. It’s interesting because, more often than not, what I hear the Holy Spirit speaking to me and what the devotional says are different. Sometimes what God has revealed to the writer is not what God is revealing to me at that moment—even though the same Scripture is being studied. That’s because God’s Word is alive and active. It is “sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, NIV). And because God’s Word is alive, we can read a portion of Scripture, and read it again days later, and have the Holy Spirit reveal something new—about how to love others, show forgiveness, or perhaps gently show us something else that needs to be addressed in our lives. There’s power in the Word, power in the blood of Jesus, and the same power lives in us when we know Him as our Lord and Savior. What is God showing you from His Word today? Dear God, please open my eyes to the reading of Your Word, “that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18b, NIV). In Jesus’ name. Amen. – E.H. Runquist Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV) We were on a bus, on our way home from visiting the Vancouver Zoo. A father and son boarded, and the dad had a big bag of popcorn. “Can I have some popcorn?” the son asked. “Hold out your hands,” the dad replied. The boy opened up both hands as wide as he could. “Open wider,” said the dad. The little boy strained to open his hands wide. Then the dad dropped one single popcorn kernel into the boy’s hands . . . and laughed! That reminded me of a story I read about a man selling cherries. Along came a little boy who really loved cherries but had no money. The kind seller told the boy he could have some anyways and told the boy to hold out his hands. But the boy wouldn’t do it. Eventually the man reached down, took the child’s hands and filled them with cherries. Later, the boy’s grandmother asked why he had refused to hold out his hands. The boy replied, “Because his hands are bigger than mine!” That story seems a little confusing, but we are often like the second boy, and should be more like the first. God’s hands are bigger than ours, and He is like the cherry seller, not like the father. We should have open hands to receive His gifts and blessings to the maximum. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:9-11). Through Christ, who demonstrated His great love for us on the cross, God’s hands are full for you. His hands are big enough to give you all you would ever need to live happily in His presence! – Terry Hall Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org