HSBC Coffeebreak Devotional

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him."
Ecclesiastes 4:9 & 10

Friendship. It is such a blessing. So why the struggles that seem to go with friendships? I recently had lunch with a friend I had years ago. I moved, and while we did keep in contact with each other, our communications were quite limited. I enjoyed catching up, hearing how her children had grown and changed and laughing at shared "menopause moments" we'd both experienced.

We live in such a lavish world, using things and tossing them at the first signs of inconvenience. That shouldn't be how we treat friendships, but I fear at times I can let friendships slide when they begin to take work. Scripture supports friendships and tells us not to forsake them (Proverbs 27:10). John 15:13 says, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" [emphasis mine]. I notice that it doesn't use the words, "family members" there, it says friends. Jonathan and David, Ruth and Naomi, and E lijah and Elisha were all biblical friends. Abraham was even called a friend of God! How cool is that?!?!?

The Bible also tells of troubles in friendships. Job's friends scorned him and made him cry. (Job 16:20 & Job 19:19) The apostles abandoned Jesus. (John 16:32, II Timothy 1:15.) True friendship takes work. No friend, aside from Christ, is perfect. It can be uncomfortable, even painful at times, but Proverbs 17:17 tells me, "A friend loves at all times." Is it worth the struggles? Absolutely!

As I drove home after having spent time with my friend, I thanked the Lord for friendship. There is so much to be learned from it. My friend and I are far from the same; we view many things differently. Still, I can be challenged by her, appreciate her unique views, and hope she does the same with me. Thank you Lord, for the gift of friendship. Help me be a good friend to the precious people you've brought into my life.

Written by
Melody Foster

HSBC Coffeebreak Devotional

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21

Priorities. Sometimes we have them right. A lot of times, especially for me, they are a bit out of whack.

I had one hour to finish the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) newsletter. My kids were napping. The project was almost done and ready to email to the church secretary for printing. As I set my glass of water down on the coffee table next to my laptop, it tipped. Water went rushing everywhere.

Panicked, I grabbed the laptop and lifted it off the table and onto the floor. I began mopping up the water, trying to stop it from getting to the printer. Once I took a second to breathe, I began to lift up some of the other items on the coffee table to make sure they were ok. It was then that I noticed my husband's Bible, the one I gave him in college, was soaked.

I realized instantly that had I been reading my Bible more, it may have been more of a priority for me to rescue my husband's Bible before I rescued the laptop. (My husband interjects here with an "It's ok she rescued the laptop!" comment. You might understand where he's coming from!) Even though the cost of replacing a laptop is greater than the cost of replacing a Bible, I had to face the fact that I didn't even give it a thought! I could have grabbed the Bible, tossed it on the couch, and then dove into saving the laptop, but the thought did not cross my mind.

God just gave me a little nudge - a little poke. He wants me to see where my treasure lies. I need to spend more time with Him. I need to make a habit of putting Him first. I am thankful He still let me save my husband's laptop, but I am even more thankful for the simple lesson taught.

Written by
Angie Howell

HSBC Coffeebreak Devotional

"Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Joanna, wife of Cuza....these women were helping to support them out of their own means."
Luke 8:1,3 NIV

I was scheduled to teach women's Sunday school the following week. I had spent several hours preparing my lesson on Joanna...a woman who served Jesus because she was grateful to Him for healing her. I intended to draw out many points from her life, but I was focusing on this main one: If we are aware of, and truly grateful for, the healing that Christ has done in our lives, we will then desire to serve the lost in whatever way we can so that they too can have the powerful healing of Christ in their lives.

This point lingered with me as I went about my day to day life. I wondered how I could apply it in my own life. In what way was Christ asking me to serve the lost? Enter Tony. He moved to Helena to work for my husband's company the Monday before I taught Sunday school. My husband offered to let him stay in our home until he found a place to live. Now, I usually love houseguests, but this particular week was a stressful one for me. I had a lot to do - and extra laundry and food and a man sleeping in our playroom wasn't on my agenda.

On Wednesday, during naptime, I was reviewing my lesson. I went to the refrigerator to get a glass of cold milk - and we were out. My first thought was, "Argh...Tony drank the last of the milk. When is he going to find a place?" I shut the door, grabbed a glass of water and returned to my lesson on Joanna. I read Luke 8:1-3. Again, I pondered what that looked like in my life. What little details could I take care of with a grateful heart so that God could work to heal the lost?

I'm guessing you can see the irony here. God placed a "lost" in my home - and while I was busy preparing a lesson on serving with a grateful heart, while I was busy brainstorming how I could help serve others, I got frustrated that our "lost" houseguest had drank the last of the milk. Instead of being grateful that he could stay in the home of believers, instead of being grateful that we had milk to offer him, instead of recognizing that I was running errands that evening anyway, I chose to focus on me...what I lacked because of what I was giving.

To me, that realization was much bigger than an empty milk carton. I think I often shy away from giving all I have - my time, my possessions, my energy - to bring the Good News to the lost. I focus instead on what I might lack as a result of it. I praise God that He used Joanna to show me how to serve with a grateful heart. I praise God that He brought Tony to our home to help me learn about how that should look in my daily life.

Written by
Holly Hauskins

HSBC Coffeebreak Devotional

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 28:19 NIV

After the birth of my first child, I began to view the world in a whole new way. Suddenly, I became even more concerned with the state of things - knowing that I would eventually be sending children into it. However, as I kept up with the news, I quickly became aware that there were many problems that needed to be tackled...too many for me to process!

I guess what I am getting at is my frustration with myself for lack of participation in social issues. Our world has many problems (AIDS, poverty, child sex trafficking etc.). Whenever I read about a new problem I want to do something to fix it - now. I find it encouraging that Jesus does care about people in the here and now, as opposed to just where they are going to spend eternity. I think as Christians we sometimes feel suffering is permissible as long as people have been baptized. Of course, I wouldn't say this directly, but I think my actions frequently imply this. And if you think about it, the notion that God does not care about the condition of people in the present does not seem to jive with Jesus' life on earth. Why would Jesus bother to heal all those people if suffering is only a temporary stop on the path to eternal glory? Why would he bother to feed the 5,000?

I think the tension that is chafing me is that life is to be lived somewhere between, "Go into all the world and make disciples" (Matt 28:19), "As you do unto the least of these so you do unto me," (Matt 18:5) and "make it your ambition to live a quiet life and work with your hands," (1 Thessalonians 4:11). What does it look like to do all three at once? How can I balance my world as a mother with my role as a Christian on this earth?

What does it mean to live a world changing life right where I am? Is being the difference for one person enough? How about 5 people? What about just making a difference to my own kid and my husband? How big an impact are we supposed to make? The problem is, there is no textbook answer. However, I think it is a question I will continue to ask myself - constantly. By wrestling with this idea regularly, I keep my spirit in tune with what God does want from me today.

Written by
Angela Haddick