Visit the Burning Bush websites: www.theburningbush.net www.theburningbush.org The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 150 countries. Celebrating 10 years online since January 31, 1998. Since 1998 the Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 11,000 subscribers across the world. The Burning Bush Devotional Welcome to the 353 new subscribers since January 1, 2008 03.04.08 Under His Hand Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:5-6. Jeanie and I had been married for three years and our oldest son was only a few weeks old in 1973 when we moved our mobile home from the Oklahoma City area to my parent's farm in western Oklahoma. I had graduated from college at midterm and had found a sales job with an automotive parts distributorship. All went well until the oil shortage. On October 16, 1973 OPEC cut production of oil and placed an embargo on shipments of oil to the west. Gas rationing began, gas prices went up - as cars were driven less, fewer parts wore out. I was laid off in December 1973 a week before Christmas. In a few weeks I went to work for another parts company but this lasted for only a couple of months. Jeanie went back to work and I was home taking care of our one-year-old son. It was a very frustrating time of being without work. I began to read through the New Testament and for the first time read completely through it. I decided I would go back to Oklahoma City. Go back to college. Live with my sister until I could afford to move my family back. The night before I was leaving my father-in-law called to offer me a job at the cotton gin where he was the manager. This would not be a white collar job. It would be a minimum wage hard work kind of job. I didn't want to do it. After all I had a college degree. But then I had been reading God's Word and God spoke to me about my pride. God spoke to me and I knew what He wanted me to do. So very often doing the right thing and the best thing is the hardest thing to do. I went to work for my father-in-law, Leon Pruet. It was one of the best decisions that I have made in my life. We tore out old machinery and installed new machinery through the summer. In the fall, I stayed on for the ginning season and worked on the press where the cotton is compressed into bails. I gained a different kind of education and gained a deep respect for the godly life my father-in-law led. Pride almost robbed me of one of the greatest experiences of my life. Through that step of humility I gained character, strength, determination, wisdom, and a life path that has led me to greater service for the Lord. Through what was one of the hardest decisions and most humbling decisions of my life I gained a life. Don't let pride rob you of life! Place yourself, place your life under His hand and He will lift you up when the time is right. Copyright © 2008. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Prayer Requests: Please pray for Malachi a young boy with cancer. Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me.). If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-subscribe@... Streaming Videos of some of my sermons are posted at: www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html. You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@... and then respond to the confirmation email. You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-subscribe@... and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@... and then respond to the confirmation email.