J. A. Reid - His Call for the Seasons: Spring and Summer: A Devotional for Youth

His Call for the Seasons:
spring and summer
A Devotional for Youth

J. A. Reid

Copyright 2016 J. A. Reid.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The New International Version is used throughout manuscript.

Some additional verses were taken from:

The Message and The King James Version and are notated.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-3429-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3430-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3428-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016904910

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/06/2016

CONTENTS

This book is dedicated with love to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for creating in me the love of writing stories and parables; to my husband, Mike, who has supported me throughout this endeavor with his encouragement and sacrifice, to my children, Robyn, Harrison, and Amie, who have helped me in relating to the heart of youth, and Doris Bail Fear and Bob Wright for being my spiritual parents during the teen y ears.

Thank you to the editing work s of:

Jodie Jones, Marie Brockman, Becky Yocum, Kim Kuykendall, and Mary Cur eton

Cover Art by Amie N. Reid

This is to acknowledge that the characters and stories are fictitious and created simply for the purpose of sharing lifes lessons in biblical fashion for edification of the reader.

Introduction

This book was birthed from a youth group meeting in which the youth director asked us, the parents, to write a devotional for our teens youth group. With enthusiasm I took to the project and ended up writing four devotionals.

It was from that point on, that I discovered I didnt want to quit writing. I would awaken from sleep with a youth devotional idea; push the lawn mower and find myself mentally writing a story. Sometimes three or four ideas would come to mind while standing over the kitchen sink. I would write with pen on paper, a napkin, or in front of the computer screen. This writing, for me, took place over a ten-year period and it finally led me to Westbow Press.

It is my hope and prayer now, that the readers of these pages will grow in their walk with Jesus, that they will avoid some of the pitfalls I and some of the characters have encountered, and that the readers will find their hope and faith in Christ through the good times as well as the bad.

It is with joy that I share these stories with you. Also, as with a daily devotional, my prayer is that you will find time each day to read the scripture verse, spend some time with the Savior, and enjoy a parable as you begin and/or end your day.

Thank you.

With true Christian love,

J.A. Reid

I am the Lord, that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. Isaiah 42:8

As the movie ended, Katrina (Kat for short), sighed deeply, and settling into her chair, considered all she had seen. The movie had shown the activity of a young female missionary working with orphans in a poverty-stricken village in India. Oh, Lord! I want to do that. I want to make a difference like she did.

Then, quietly, suddenly, in her spirit, she heard, But who will get the glory, C hild?

Then, she knew. Yes, she thought about the words she had spoken. I want to do that. I want to make a difference. Maybe in some ways, it really was about her. Perhaps, secretly there was a desire for recognition, a certain self-seeking glory. Maybe it was simply for the pat on the back; maybe so people would smile and say, What a sweet girl.

But she heard the gentle voice say

I need hands that reach out with My t ouch.

I need eyes that see with My love.

I need words spoken that are My w ords

and feet that are willing to go where I tell them.

Can you do this, Child? Because if you are doing what I ask, you will get no glory. You will receive no praise. And to do so, will rob me of My work and My glory. I can only use children who are willing to take the I out of their vocabulary when they are doing My work,

Assessing these words, she tilted her head to one side, then inquired as Moses might have done. But, Lord, sometimes I need a good word of encouragement or a well done thy good and faithful servant. She was a little tearful as she pressed her point with the Father.

Darling, came that soft voice, a mere whisper on a breeze. A word of encouragement you will have; a word recognizing your efforts, I will give you. But remember: My life on earth was not one of praise and glory and appreciation. My friends turned away from me. I was mocked, ridiculed, and spit upon.

She nodded, her head bowed in consideration and acknowledgement. Finally, she looked up and asked very softly, Will that happen to me? Only a small breeze gently touched her cheek and caressed her skin. There came no response, but in her spirit, she felt that this question would remain unanswered. There were just some things one was meant to know and, some things one was not meant to know.

Thy will be done she quoted quietly.

Our Father does not share His glory nor should He. When we ask to serve Him it can be a good thing but even as Christians we must examine our motives. Are they true and honorable? Are they to make us feel better about ourselves? Are they to fill a need? Always seek to glorify the Lord in all you do. In that, you will find fulfillment and joy.

Honor your father and motherwhich is the first commandment with a promisethat it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Ephesians 6 :2-3

School was almost out for the day and Cole had finished his homework. Settling back in his chair more comfortably, he daydreamed about his plans for the evening. He wanted to try out that new Xbox game Braydon gave him; watch the sequel to Catch & Release the zombie thriller on TV tonight, and maybe just get up the nerve to call Rebecca. Cole was pretty sure she liked him!

So a few hours later walking into the house, he saw his mom packing some stuff into boxes and dragging the boxes to their Dodge Dakota. Hey! Cole! Here, help me get this up into the truck bed, will you? Beside the boxes was a big dresser. Apparently, she wanted help with that first, as she grabbed one end of it. The dresser weighed a ton. He put down his backpack reluctantly and helped her move the dresser. He didnt come home just so he could do this!

Whats all this? he asked as they got the dresser into the back of the truck.

We are having a garage sale this weekend at the Wilkins. Dont you remember? Cole frowned, not remembering at all.