by leaps and bounds

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye (Psalm 32:8). 

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (Matthew 6:26).

Years ago the song, “His Eye Is On The Sparrow”, was a very popular hymn. Occasionally, this song can still be heard. Note a few of the lyrics:

          I sing because I’m happy;

          I sing because I’m free; 

          His eye is on the sparrow;

          And I know He watches me.

To some people, the idea of the Lord’s eyes watching us has a negative connotation. We have all heard people say, “God is watching you. He is going to bring the hammer down if you mess up.” Thankfully, there is more to the Lord watching us than this. Let’s look at it from the perspective that He is watching out for us.

Jesus was so clear on this issue. Our Heavenly Father watches out for sparrows and sees that they are fed. We are worth much more than sparrows, so we know He is watching out for us. He constantly takes care of us. To what extent does He do this?

It is certain that we need the Lord’s help throughout life’s journey. He teaches us the way we should go. Through prayer and consistent study of Scripture we can know how we are to live. While He is teaching us, He guides us with His eyes. God sees ahead and always knows what we are going to encounter. Nothing is a surprise to Him. 

Finally, we understand that His vigilance is unmatched. Daytime or nighttime makes no difference. Psalm 121:4 says, “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” The God of Israel is our God as well. It is good to know we are secure in Him.

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37).

Have you ever tried to talk to someone – who was looking you in the eye – but obviously not listening to a word you said? We have probably done the same thing to others intentionally or unintentionally.

It is good to know there is One who always listens and never turns away. Jesus is that One we can depend on whatever the need may be.

We can come to the Lord to reason things out and to find forgiveness when we need it most. It is a fact that we can talk to Him about anything without fear that He will broadcast to the world everything that we say. 

I John 1:19 gives us assurance of His forgiveness in times of failure: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The old song – What a Friend We Have In Jesus – is so true. There is no better friend than our Lord.

All of us are guilty of trying to carry all of our burdens alone. Life gets really heavy sometimes – too heavy for any person to handle alone. The burdens of life crowd our minds, disturb our peace and take away any semblance of rest. Jesus says, “Come to me all of you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (John 11:28). Why carry it alone when we have the help of the Savior of the world available to us twenty-four hours per day?

Finally, because Jesus died on the cross and rose again, we have access to the very throne room of God. Hebrews 4:16 states: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Notice – we can come to Him boldly. We can approach Him unafraid and unashamed. So I ask you: why not come to the Lord?

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

For whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it (I Peter 3: 10-11).

God has given each of us the gift of life. In addition, He has given us the free will to decide what to do with it. It is up to us to make the right choices.

Consider this quote by D.L. Moody: “Give God your life; He can do more with it than you can.” As simple as that statement is – it is absolutely right. We need to give God our lives. Consider this as we ask, “What is life?”

Life is God-given. From the very beginning this is true. Genesis 2:7 is so clear regarding this: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Life is a very short span. The Bible describes life as the appearance and disappearance of a shadow. Another analogy is a vapor that is here – then gone. Psalm 90:9 says we spend our years as a tale that is told. Compared to eternity, our lives are less than drops in a bucket.

Life is priceless. God has the power to destroy lives. Instead, He sent Jesus to save lives. In Matthew 10, Jesus spoke of the fact that God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. Then He said, “Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows.” Isn’t it great to know that God values us so highly?

Life is to be valued above things. It is more than fine homes and expensive cars. It is more than even the necessities of food and clothing. It is to be lived in the spiritual abundance that God intends for us. Finally, it is to be lived wisely as Psalm 90:12 states: “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, lead these people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord replied “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” (Exodus 33:12-15)

The thought of being absolutely alone is terrible. Totally alone means no one to talk to, no one to lean on, no one to care.

As believers we have His guarantee that we will never be alone. He will be with us now and throughout all eternity. Think of what that means!

God is with the child who skins his/her knee or suffers from a family crisis. He is with the teen disappointed at not making the team or that is rejected by peers.  He is with the young adult desperately seeking employment or mending from a broken heart. He is with the middle aged parents watching the last child walk out the door to face the real world. He is with the elderly person that is alone now and feeling the effects of aging more and more each day.

Throughout life and eternity – He is always present. We need Him. Above all else, we need God’s presence.

Moses recognized the need for God’s presence. In our terminology he was saying, “You have called me to lead these people. I can’t do it alone. I have to know you and I have to know you are with me. In fact, if you do not go with us, we might as well stay in the spot we are in.”

Like Moses, we need to recognize our need for His presence. If we are to serve His purpose in this life, He has to be present to help us. If we are to continue walking in His favor, we have to know His ways in order to truly know Him. We can experience His presence in every aspect of our lives. This is one reason church services are so important.

When worship is real, God’s presence is evident. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” When we combine corporate worship with a thriving personal prayer life, we can experience the abiding presence of God in our everyday lives. This means everything to us.

This means He is with us when we need courage to fight life’s battles. This means He is there to help when no other help is available. This means we can rest in His presence and possess the joy of the Lord no matter what circumstances we face.

Psalm 16:11 states it this way: “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Aren’t you glad to know we never have to walk through life alone?

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.