Be Ye Separate

May 15

Contagious Attitudes

I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.

Psalm 35:18

Have you ever noticed how yawns are contagious? One person yawns, then another, and soon, several people are yawning. In our Bible reading today, ten men spread a negative attitude to several million. This contagious bad attitude caused the children of Israel to wander in the wilderness forty years.

We need to be careful not to harbor wrong or negative attitudes in our hearts, because these attitudes will soon spread to our brethren if we are not careful!

The good news is that good, positive attitudes are also contagious. Instead of having negative attitudes, we can spread good will to others. If someone around us has a happy, positive attitude, we are likely to catch the enthusiasm too. Likewise, if we are joyful and positive, those around us will also rejoice.

Take cheer! Like David, let us purpose in our hearts to thank and praise God among many people, so they will catch the attitude and spread it on to those around them. We should take time to praise God. If we do, our joy will overflow, and others will also become joyful.

If you are plagued by a negative “virus,” keep up your cheer and you may be able to stop that “virus” and start a good attitude going around. Joshua and Caleb were far outnumbered, but they did not give up. They rent their clothes and prayed. When a negative attitude is going around, pray for help and guidance to keep on spreading your little bit of joy. It may catch hold and spread!

Douglas Kauffman, Falkville, AL

Brighten the corner where you are . . .

it may brighten the whole room!

Bible Reading: Numbers 13:25–33; 14:1–10

One Year Bible Reading Plan:

John 5:25–47

2 Kings 12–14

Used by Permission of Vision Publishers

PO Box 190, Harrisonburg, VA  22803

Phone:  877-488-0901

E-Mail:  [cs@vision-publishers.com]

May 14

Hidden Wives

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

The following story appeared in the editorial column of our local weekly newspaper.

“Some years ago, the most married man in the world was found in Yugoslavia. It happened this way: A young woman confided to her girl cousin that she was soon going to be married. She told her cousin that the bridegroom was so shy and timid he wanted to keep the marriage a secret. The cousin became curious. She got a glimpse of the bridegroom after the secret wedding and recognized him as her own husband! He had also married her secretly, claiming to be shy and timid.

That was only the beginning. A total of fifty women came forward and claimed that the same man had married each of them. In each case, he was the same bashful bridegroom. They called him Ivanhoe, the Terrible, breaker of women’s hearts. He was a traveling salesman and went from wife to wife by plane. He supported

all fifty of them, and told each that his duties as a traveling salesman kept him away much of the time.

They put him in jail, and he begged to stay there. He would rather be in prison than face those fifty wives.”

While we may not be hiding fifty wives, there may be other things we try to hide from others (and God)—things that we are ashamed of, or that we know to be wrong. If it were possible for this man to hide fifty wives from each other, at least for awhile, how easy is it for us to hide some sin in our lives?

Let us remember that though we may be able to hidesin from our brothers and sisters, we cannot hide it from God.

Matthew Hochstetler, Leo, IN

For some, conscience is the fear of being found out.

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 3

One Year Bible Reading Plan:

John 5:1–24

2 Kings 9—11

Used by Permission of Vision Publishers

PO Box 190, Harrisonburg, VA  22803

Phone:  877-488-0901

E-Mail:  [cs@vision-publishers.com]