Faith and Thought

By Edwin Croyle

The Christian life is lived in the midst of a non-Christian world. Without frequent communication with our Lord we cannot live it successfully, and certainly not as examples of what it means to be a Christian. Thankfully, God is always available and eager to talk with us. His frequent message is to share His love with others. This world needs the message of the love of Jesus Christ, and it is up to us to make this love available on a regular basis. God's love for Man is best shown when we allow it to flow through us to those we meet, but the written word allows us to speak into the lives of people we will never meet. I have taken this opportunity to speak into the lives of those I will not meet, and I hope that God's encouragement reaches all those who read this short collection of my experiences of His encouragement.

This collection of forty-two devotionals does not claim what Nathan claims in II Samuel 7:4-5a, "...the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, 'Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus saith the Lord....' ' " Even though I do not claim that statement, "Thus saith the Lord", for this book, I will say that each devotional has been inspired by Him, sometimes immediately after prayer and sometimes later after much thought. Topics stretch from the first Call of God on a life to the prospect of eternity lived walking beside Him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Edwin Croyle
• Release date: Mar 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370910373

Edwin Croyle

I was born to a loving family in a town of 200 in southwestern Pennsylvania in 1941, grew up there and graduated from Forbes High School in the same small town of Kantner. After graduating from Penn State, I began teaching math and science in Dallastown Public Schools in Dallastown, PA. The next year my sweetheart and I got married in a double wedding with her twin sister and her fiance, and then took an eight-week camping honeymoon across the USA with Norma's sister and new husband (separate tents of course). After a few years I became a counselor and moved to York Campus of Penn State. My brother-in-law and I became interested in the potato chip business, and we started Saguaro Potato Chip Co. in Tucson, AZ. Our customers didn't do as good a job as we did, so we exited the chip business and re-entered education, leading to my position of business manager of Vail School District just outside Tucson. Within a few years the principal of Grace Christian School asked me to join the staff, and I agreed. I was math/science teacher and business manager until I got the bright idea to go into the photography business full time. Once again, the customers didn't do their part. After Norma retired from teaching, God called us into a ministry to people in campgrounds, Creation Beckons, and we have been in pursuit of doing that full time since then. In the midst of all this, God blessed Norma and me with three great blessings, our three sons, Tim, Brian, and Jason. Their presence in our lives is a larger blessing than I could have ever imagined, and they have brought three beautiful ladies, Michelle, Adrienne, and Danielle into this family with no daughters. Our latest blessings are seven grandchildren, Josh, Megan, Emily, Jonathan, Benjamin, Haley, and Noah. I never really understood how each of us could be God's favorite until I had grandchildren, but now I understand because I experience the same feeling that each one of my grandchildren is my favorite. Throughout my life I have enjoyed putting thoughts to paper, and when I began receiving inspirations from God, I began writing devotionals on many different topics. I hope you will enjoy the ones included here. God bless you with His best!

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Introduction

God is very real to me, and we communicate every day (prayer). Often after praying I have the urge to write. I can't say that the words I write are directly from God, but I know that He inspires them. I am overcome by His love, His mercy, and His grace. The following devotionals are the result of knowing Him and speaking with Him. The range of topics is quite broad, but so is the range of the ideas we share during prayer. I pray that these writings may bring you the closeness to Him that I have come to know.

Ed Croyle

God's Story for Everyman

Please read this as a personal devotional. The pronouns I, me, my, and myself refer to you as well as to me if you have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord.

God has a plan. God always had a plan. I AM PART OF THAT PLAN. WHAT A JOY!! Since I have accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, God has me for an inheritance. I've never thought of myself as an inheritance – particularly not one worth enough that someone would sacrifice His Son to gain.

When Christ returns, all things will come under His rule and control. It will all work together as God intended it to from the beginning. What a joy it will be to see how all science, art, business, philosophy, psychology, medicine, education, and administration will work together under God's plan and Jesus' rule. I have a part in that. There is a particular job to do, a job chosen for me by God – one that He has prepared for me specifically. It is exciting to know that I am a vital cog in the work of the Lord.

Lord, give me wisdom and strength to learn those things I need to learn to be an important part of your plan. Help me to put aside those things that hinder my development toward the person you want and need me to be. My need to be the person of your plan and purpose is paramount, and without your guidance and help I will not (cannot) fulfill the promise given to me. Lord, at this point I don't know what you are preparing me for, but I yield to your wisdom and ask you to move my feet where I need to go, focus my mind on what I need to study, hold my heart to the journey, and give joy to my spirit as I walk with you. Thank you most of all for Jesus Christ who took my sins upon himself and paid my sin debt in full. He left my sins in a place I cannot go, so keep me from remembering them and returning to them. I have been cleansed and set free. Lord, I thank you for choosing me, for giving me purpose, and for preparing me for the work ahead. Praise, glory, and honor to the name of Jesus. Lord, speak to me whenever and wherever; interrupt me if need be; get my attention; and speak deeply into my heart so that I can understand your Word. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

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When He Calls

When He calls, when the Lord calls, His voice is not always the same. Sometimes He calls through a still small voice within the heart. Sometimes the voice is the booming voice of a TV Evangelist. My pastor’s voice is often the calling voice of the Lord, and my wife has often been used of the Lord to call me. The Word is an oft-used calling voice, and the words written by a Christian author can easily be the voice of the Lord.

He may use many different ways to call, but He has given us the heart and the spirit to discern which of the many voices seeking our attention are His. A calling can come from our own self-serving minds or from the mind of someone seeking to mislead us, so we need to become confident that we can and do hear from the Lord. Confirmation sometimes doesn’t come as quickly as we would wish, but it will come if what we have heard really is a calling of the Lord.

I believe God calls us often; in fact, He may call us each day to the seemingly small task of encouraging a friend. These small callings can be as life changing as the big calling to preach the Word. The encouraging of a friend may be just the thing needed to help the friend make a life-changing decision. It can be a word that helps someone rise from the depths of despair, or it may be the confirming word needed as assurance for a decision.

God’s calling can, indeed, be to a large life-change, and when this happens, excitement is in store. It may be hard to believe these life-changing calls, but if we are faithful and patient, God will confirm His calling. When we obey, He is with us.

Be assured; God is calling you today. Listen and hear what He has to say, what exciting job He has for you to do. Whatever it is, He will be there; He won’t let you on your own.

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