trust

The One That is Lost

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He counted them once and then he counted them again. He knew he had one hundred sheep but he could only count ninety-nine. So he counted again and yes, one was lost. It was just one sheep, but these were his sheep. He knew each one by name and knew each one by sight. Now most of them are safe, but one was lost.

Ninety-nine sheep are safe. Only one is missing. Outside it is cold and dark. The wolves are howling. It is dangerous to go out. Some shepherds would say, “Ninety-nine are safe, so I won’t concern myself with the one that is lost.” But not the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep by name and His heart trembles for the one that is lost.

Carrying a staff and a rod for protection, he goes out into the cold darkness. He searches until he finds his lost sheep. Tangled in the briars and brambles, the frightened sheep is torn and bloodied. Using his staff, the shepherd draws the lost one to safety. Anointing him with oil and binding his wounds the Shepherd sings with joy because he has found the one that was lost.

Jesus, my Lord, is the Good Shepherd. Many of His children are safe in the fold. But some have wandered away. Maybe you have been cast into the briars and brambles of addiction. Or maybe you are just confused, stumbling around in the darkness, endangered by the worldly wolves. But Jesus, the Lover of your soul, is heartbroken because you are in danger. He longs for His lost ones to be safe.

Listen to my words all that are sick and lonely, afraid of the darkness that surrounds you. The Savior is calling out your name if you will just be still and listen. The Holy Spirit is the rod that will protect you and the staff that will rescue you. Jesus is the Seeker of the one that is lost. He will draw you close, bind your wounds, and anoint you with healing oil.

Trust in this promise from Ezekiel 34:15-16; “I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down.” says the Lord GOD. “I will seek what is lost and bring back what has been driven away, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick.”

Douglas & Deborah Huff

email- pavementendministry@gmail.com

Come and See

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Come and See

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”” (John 1:43–46)

“Come and see.” This is a challenge to see in Jesus the Answer to all questions, the Object of all desires, and the fulfilled Promise of all time. Indeed the invitation is to come and see in Jesus the Final Treasure that is worth any sacrifice we have to make.

When Philip said, “I have found Him” he was saying they had been looking for a Messiah who would change their lives and he recognized in Jesus the Messiah. The crisis of our time is that the ones who need Him the most are not looking for Him. Oh, they are looking for something but they don’t recognize that Jesus is the Final Treasure.

A question for you, Christian. Do you recognize Jesus as the Final Treasure? The answer to that question may be the answer to the question of why has the American church lost its ability to impact society.

Brothers, you say that you are a Christian, so I challenge you to make the Word who was in the beginning, the Word who was with God and this Word who is God to make Him the Final Treasure of your Heart. Then maybe you can impart to a dying and thirsty world a desire for this Living Water.

Then when you extend an invitation to “come and see,” they will see that Jesus is indeed The Final Treasure.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

High School Graduation

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Every spring high schools graduate into the world a new class of young adults. As these young people toss their hats into the air, very few realize just how much their lives are about to change. They will face new challenges and opportunities. From now on Mama, Daddy, and Grandparents will not be there for every decision they make.

They are adults now, and while Mama and Daddy will always be willing to give advice, these young people will not always listen. And that is as it should be. As I said, they are adults now and will be responsible for their own choices, the good ones, and the bad ones.

Here are some thoughts for those of you who will graduate this year:

Change happens and it does not seek your approval. The Bible teaches us that “To everything, there is a season”. It then gives a list of things there are times for. All the things that are listed are important. But these I will mention. There is “A time to keep silent and a time to speak”. Your life will be very blessed if you learn when it is time to speak and when it is time to be silent.

God has you on His mind. He tells us in His Word that He has plans for you, plans for your good and not for harm, and He plans to give you a future with hope. I promise you, His plans are better than yours so follow Him

You need a life anchor. Harness your heart to God’s kingdom. Put your trust in God and He will not forsake you. This promise I can make with certainty, “God will honor and take care of those who honor Him”.

Choose to stand out from the crowd. Blending in is always easy. But it will leave you ordinary and average. Stand up and stand out for God. This will be hard and maybe even dangerous. But it will make you an extraordinary person. And this world needs extraordinary people.

Douglas Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

More Faith

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In the movie Jaws, three men were hunting a huge man-eating shark. One of the men, Sheriff Brodie came face to face with this extremely large and hungry shark. When this happened, he said, “We are going to need a bigger boat”.

In the Bible, Jesus taught His disciples that they would face great trials and persecution. He also taught them that they would have to learn to forgive others without reservation. These teachings of Jesus must have seemed as overwhelming to the disciples as the huge, hungry shark did to Sheriff Brodie. So, the disciples said, “We are going to need a bigger faith.”

In Luke chapter 17, the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus then told them that if they had even a tiny bit of faith, they could do great things. Wow, that is a tremendous promise. That is what most of us want. We want to be known as someone who has done great things and we want to do these things with just a little faith.

As Jesus continued His teaching about faith, He explained the characteristics of a faithful person. He shows us in the Bible that those who are great in their faith are servants. He says that a faith-filled person is actively working for God’s glory. And we learn that there is no faith without works. A faith-filled person is not self-centered; they never seek gratitude but serve only for the glory of God.

A person of great faith knows that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ for good works. A faithful person’s mind is always on Christ and these words are always in their heart, “not unto me O Lord, not unto me, but unto You belongs all honor and glory and praise forever and ever, Amen

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

email-pvementendsministry@gmail.com

The Bird

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There was a bird in the shop the other day. It flew in and immediately flew up to the ceiling. Thinking that the white ceiling was the sky, it kept flying against it. Not wanting him in there, I tried to shoo him out the door. However, to go out the door, he had to fly low. But it was his instinct to fly high. Instead of going out, he kept bumping against an artificial sky which was the ceiling. All day he flew back and forth, trapped because he would not lower himself to go through the door.

The bird reminds me of human nature. So often we become trapped by our foolishness. Refusing to humble ourselves we keep bumping against an artificial sky of our own making. We rush back and forth trying to find freedom, but on our own, we can never be successful.

God wants to show you the way. But you must swallow your pride and humbly kneel in prayer. Freedom can be yours and problems can be overcome if you are willing to do things God’s way. But you have to stop doing life your way.

Do you know how I finally got the bird out? Well, I turned the lights off and shut the door. Birds will not fly in darkness. I then open the door a tiny bit. This caused a small sliver of light to shine on the ceiling. The bird then began to flutter in that small patch of light. He was afraid of the dark and was drawn to the light. Then I took the ladder climbed to where he was and caught him in my hand. Then I took him outside and released him to real freedom.

So often it seems that darkness is driving us into a corner. In the darkness are you not drawn to a ray of light? When the world is dark Jesus is the light. If we will fly to the light, He will take us into His hands and release us into true freedom. Do you believe this? Do you trust Him? He is our only hope.

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 NKJV

Douglas & Deborah Huff

Faithful People

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In the Bible, Jesus taught His disciples that they would face great trials and persecution. He also taught them that they would have to learn to forgive others without reservation. These teachings of Jesus must have seemed as overwhelming. So, the disciples said, “We are going to need a bigger faith.” This devotion is an audio podcast, click the link below to listen.

https://podpoint.com/pavement-ends-ministry/faithful-people?fbclid=IwAR3a0MT56wLUVWaYTPvmBzYmPIAcfZOZDnWIqNAWENQH5V1MBoCSxQlgfNM#

Close Enough to Perfect for Me

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““Many women are capable, but you surpass them all! ” Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.”

Proverbs 31:29-31 HCSB

I have often described the Proverbs 31 woman as the biblical Barbie Doll. Why? Because just as it is impossible for a young girl to attain the perfect form of a Barbie doll, it is also impossible for any woman to attain the perfection of the Proverbs 31 woman. No, perfection cannot be attained this side of Glory. However, in Proverb 31:30, King Lemuel’s mother is telling him that a Godly woman who fears the Lord is close enough to perfect for her.

My Mama, Roosa Lou Moon Huff will be the first to tell you that she is not perfect. But, homemade biscuits and pear preserves for breakfast, macaroni and tomato soup for dinner, and fresh vegetables from the garden for supper, were just about perfect meals. Never having much money, but raising nine children who always felt like they were rich, could only be done with love from an almost perfect heart. Because of my Mama’s love and prayer, all of her children grew up to love Jesus. She also taught Sunday School for years and years. Hundreds of children learned about Jesus because Mama always had a perfect love for Him and the little ones He loved.

So Mama, all of your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, your daughters-in-law and sons-in-law, your sisters and nieces and nephews, all of the children you taught in Sunday School and the G.A.s, that you hauled around in that green and white van, are going to rise up and call you blessed. Many women are capable, but you surpass them all. We love you, Mama. Thank you for always being a Godly woman who fears the Lord. You are close enough to perfect for us.

Douglas Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

pavementendsministry@gmail.com

Check The Gate

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The Bible teaches that as Christians we must guard our hearts. Because Satan is like a roaring lion prowling around looking to destroy whomever he can. If you let your guard down, he will attack you. This devotion is an audio podcast. Click the link below to listen and be encouraged to guard your heart.

https://podpoint.com/pavement-ends-ministry/keep-the-gate-locked?fbclid=IwAR2s6KdWh3jjRQeELrBOEhX1q3KSYDZlBj3GcZJcOFIhdmUfBeb5Pl5nZ40#

The Kiss

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Have you ever thought about how ridiculous it is that every movie has to have a kissing scene in it? Think about it. In an action movie, cars are crashing and buildings are being blown up but the dirty sweaty hero has to take time to kiss a dirty sweaty girl. Or in a war movie with bombs falling and bridges being blown up the wounded soldier finds time to kiss a local lady. It is not realistic at all.

A while back I witnessed one of the most romantic kisses I have ever seen. It was not like one of those fake kisses in the silly movies. It was the real deal.

Of course, we have all heard the fairy tales about Snow White, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. Little girls grow up dreaming about being the beautiful princess whose handsome prince finally gathers her in his arms and gently kisses her. Then lifting her onto his white horse they ride to the palace where they live happily ever after. But those fairy tale smooches can never match the kiss I saw that day.

I have officiated at many weddings and told many grooms that they can kiss their brides. Those kisses are always special, but they do not compare to the taste of sugar that I saw this groom get that day.

Let me describe what I saw that day. This bride, the beautiful princess was an elderly woman in a wheelchair. She suffered from dementia and was fading fast. Her groom, the handsome prince was frail with age and cancer would soon end his time on earth.

Their daughter had brought the hero to visit his fair maid in the nursing home. As the time came for them to go, she said “Daddy let me get things fixed so you can get some sugar before we go”. I watched as she worked to position her mother’s wheelchair just right, then she turned and helped her daddy stand up and grip his walker. It took a few seconds to get him in position because he was very unsteady on his feet and could not afford to fall.

Then it happened, with one hand firmly gripping the walker the groom placed his other hand on her shoulder and he bent down and firmly planted a beautiful kiss right on his bride’s mouth.

Let me tell you, this was no dry brushing of the lips. This was a real kiss; I heard the wet smack and I thought to myself “This man knows how to kiss!” Then I heard him say very softly to his wife, “I love you”.

In the late stage of dementia, this precious lady may not have known what was going on but her good man did. Even if she could not answer him, his love for her was everlasting.

As I watched all this happen, I was reminded that yes, fairytales do come true and the prince and princess will live happily ever after. After all the Bible tells us that we have these three things; Faith, hope, and love and the greatest of these is love. Love is patient, love is kind and love never fails.

Douglas Huff

Down Where the Pavement Ends

Red Necks Don’t

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OK, I live in the South. I ask the blessing over my food and I say y’all. When I see my friend I ask him,” How’s your Momanem” and when a strange dog comes in my yard I holler, “gitonoutahere”. I am not afraid of hard work and I have a perfect farmer’s tan. The culturally elite sneer at me and call me a redneck. But I am not offended, because I am proud of my Southern heritage.

Yea, call me a redneck if you want to. Let me tell you about Rednecks. Rednecks don’t follow little dogs around with plastic bags picking up dog poop. We don’t plug our cars into electrical outlets and we don’t get confused about which bathroom to use. We don’t disrespect our Mama, the police, or our preacher. And we never forget to thank God for all our blessings.

Yea, call me a redneck hick if you want to, but here are some things that Rednecks always do. Rednecks kneel at the cross and stand for the National Anthem. We open doors for strangers and say,” Please, thank you, and yes sir”. We watch out for our neighbors and go to church on Sunday. Rednecks are proud of Old Glory and despise anyone who hurts a child. We believe that gun control means hitting what you aim at. We love Jesus, our wife, and our country and we will defend them with our lives. And we hit what we aim at!

It seems to me that a lot of people are gullible, but rednecks ain’t. Some people will let others take care of them but rednecks won’t. Some people ask, “What can you do for me?” but rednecks ask, “What can I do for you?” Today a lot of people spend all their time being offended, but rednecks don’t. Because it was men with rednecks who built this nation and men with rednecks will do whatever it takes to keep her free.

I live down Where The Pavement Ends and I am proud to be a Jesus-loving redneck.

“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”

II Chronicles 15:7 NKJV

Douglas Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

email- pavementendsministry@gmail.com