Senior Survival - 4th devotional

 “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” - Mark 13:33 NIV

            “Attention Health 12 students!” As I heard the announcement through the speaker, my heart stopped. I pushed through the people standing by as I made my way towards the door. Every senior knows that an announcement like that could only mean one thing at this time of the school year: Senior Survival! From the beginning of the year the senior class receives training in how to survive in the wilderness as part of the Health 12 requirements. We learn how to start a fire with objects found in nature, how to make a shelter, and how to get pure water—along with a ton of other survival techniques.  At any time the teacher will announce the campout, and we have to be prepared to leave in less than 10 minutes.

            The point is that we needed to be ready with all our stuff packed up, and I wasn’t. I had procrastinated so much with getting my stuff ready, and now I was not going to make it in only 10 minutes! I saw some of my friends running towards the door too, but others seemed calm and without any worries. The speaker went again: “Enjoy your lunch!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My heart started beating normally again. It was only a false alarm; it wasn’t the real senior survival announcement! Now I could have another chance to get ready, and this time I was not going to wait until the last minute.

            The Senior Survival preparation made me think of training for my eternal survival. I don’t know when Jesus will come, so I want to be ready now and at every moment. I need to have packed up everything that I want to take with me: a good and Jesus-like character, souls won for Him, and talents He gave me multiplied. Sometimes I don’t talk in a nice way or I forget to have my devotions, but He gives me a new opportunity. Now I don’t want to waste it and wait until the last moment to get ready.

~ Mildred Rhys

First, Last and Best - 3rd devotional

Jesus does not release us from the necessity of effort, but He teaches that we are to make Him first and last and best in everything. We are to engage in no business, follow no pursuit, seek no pleasure, that would hinder the outworking of His righteousness in our character and life. Whatever we do is to be done heartily, as unto the Lord. -  Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pg.99

            Why am I assigned to work caf again? This is not fair! I worked farm all last year, and now I have to wash dishes the whole afternoon! I complained to myself as I dragged my feet all the way to the kitchen. For me, working in the cafeteria at Fountainview Academy is the worst job I could ever get. Not because I don’t like to cook, but because I don’t want to clean up after a hundred, million people have eaten there. As I reach the dishwashing area, I start spraying the sticky dishes, dirty forks, and big trays with bits of potatoes stuck to them.

            As I thought of how annoying the work was, I saw Elouise coming, and her face shined with a beautiful smile. She called to me, “Mildred! Are you sure you want to do the dishes? Cause if you don’t want to, I don’t mind doing them.” At that moment, I stopped. My mind went back to the morning when I did my devotions and asked God to give me a willing heart to do for Him any task without complaining and with a good attitude. I felt ashamed. I prayed to God, seeking His forgiveness for not doing my job as if it was for Him, and for not making Him first, last, and best in everything. Jesus came to my heart, and as I kept scrubbing dishes, I didn’t feel annoyed anymore. The hours seemed to fly now that I was working for Him.

            Sometimes I get assigned jobs that annoy me, and I wonder why. But Jesus wants to work His righteousness in my character and make it perfect. I want to do everything heartily, as unto the Lord, and make Him first, last and best in my life. What about you?

            ~ Mildred Rhys

He Knows What It's Like - 2nd devotional

Great is the reward in heaven of those who are witnesses for Christ through persecution and reproach. While the people are looking for earthly good, Jesus points them to a heavenly reward. But He does not place it all in the future life; it begins here.  - Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pg. 34

            “What do you mean you are not coming to the barbeque for my birthday because it’s on Saturday and you don’t eat meat? What kind of weirdo are you?” This happened over and over again from the time I was in the first grade until I was in the seventh. I was going to an Adventist school, but none of the kids in my class were Adventists, or if they were, they did not share the same values I had. They didn’t understand why I did things in a different way. As a little girl, I didn’t know how to explain to them everything about my faith; I tried, but it never seemed to work. They would just start laughing at me rudely and leave me out of the group; sometimes I would even go home crying.

            When Jesus came to live in this world, it wasn’t easy for Him either. People mocked Him, ridiculed Him, and didn’t want to accept Him as their Saviour. They didn’t understand why He was different, why He was meek and humble, and why He was always loving and caring toward others. It seemed that His work of redemption was pointless; nobody seemed to accept it. “Jesus walked in solitude in the midst of men. He was understood fully in heaven alone” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pg. 26).

 Although my reward will be seen in Heaven, I can have heaven in my heart right now. Although I am misunderstood, mocked and ridiculed for my faith, I can keep my eyes on Jesus because He knows what it’s like.

~ Mildred Rhys

My first devotional for English class

I'm going to start posting devotionals that I write for my English 11 class (I'm a senior now, but I'm taking English 11)

With Only a Flashlight

The words of God are the wellsprings of life. As you seek unto those living springs you will, through the Holy Spirit, be brought into communion with Christ. Familiar truths will present themselves to your mind in a new aspect, texts of Scripture will burst upon you with a new meaning as a flash of light; you will see the relation of other truths to the work of redemption. -  Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pg. 20

            As we were getting ready to roll into our sleeping bags, my tent mates and I realized that we were really thirsty. The water in the camping kitchen was gone; now what could we do? I didn't want to go to bed without brushing my teeth and quenching my thirst. One of the girls remembered that there was a stream down a trail in the forest, and we set off, determined to find it. There were six of us but only one flashlight—this would make our journey a bit more challenging.

We made our way toward the stream and everything was just fine until the bushes became thicker and the path less clear. Finally, we lost it. The night was dark and we could hear the creepy sound of wild creatures in the distance. At that point, most of the girls decided to go back, taking the flashlight with them. I made it all the way here; I don’t want to give up now! I thought. Also, it actually is kind of fun to get lost in the woods, and I’m brave enough to handle it. All but one of my friends went back; so we continued our trip, but this time without a single light to lead our way. It was harder and the branches were hitting our faces, but we found the trail, the stream of water, and finally made it safely back to our tents.

This life is dark; the hazards and trials seem to surround me. Sometimes problems smack me in the face at every step, and I think I’m left alone. But I know God will never leave me and with His  word lighting my way I know I’ll soon be Home. 

~ Mildred Rhys