On the back of that sign was the warning: THOU SHALT NOT STEAL. Where do you suppose such a statement as that came from? If there is no God, why are they quoting Him? Either there is a God who establishes order out of chaos, or we should let nature take its natural course, which is always chaos. I choose to believe in God but wouldn’t trust the atheists with my sign!

At one point we scattered over the rustic campground, which was mostly wooded, for private devotional time. When we returned, one of the pastors was really excited that he had seen a sign from God. While praying about a problem he was dealing with, he observed a cardinal and blue jay sitting on a branch near each other. Now, blue jays are aggressive birds that will chase any other species away, and cardinals are non-aggressive and keep to themselves. But, here they sat together.

I don’t know what the pastor was dealing with, but this was received as God giving him a sign. It may have been relationship difficulties with his spouse, or perhaps a problem with his church or denomination. But, this was clearly a sign of unity for him.

What sign has God given you recently that delivered a message to your heart?

Film director Woody Allen once said, “If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.”

Even those who lived near Jesus and had witnessed His miracles asked for more proof. Comparing Jesus to Moses, they asked, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?…Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (John 6:30-31).

It was just one day earlier He had indeed given them bread. He had fed 5,000 of them with the bread from one boy’s lunch! But, rather than becoming defensive, He used the moment to teach them, “I am the bread of life” (v. 35).

Haven’t we seen enough signs already?

As a car sped past them, the driver yelled, “Leave us alone, you religious nuts!” From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash.

The priest turned to the pastor and asked, “Do you think the sign should just say, ‘Bridge Out’?”

Perhaps the end is near and the church just isn’t speaking clear enough. Perhaps there’s a better way to say it.

• On a frozen dinner: DEFROST BEFORE EATING.
• On an iron: CAUTION! DO NOT IRON CLOTHES ON BODY.
• On a peanut butter jar: MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS.
• On a milk bottlecap: AFTER OPENING, KEEP UPRIGHT.

If some people need these obvious guidelines on household items, think about how much more we need God’s direction. Psalm 119 tells of the importance of His instruction manual – the Bible. Consider:

• “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
• “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
• “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

What’s up with nature these days? Don’t those robins have an internal calendar telling them when to go north? Or have they been here all winter? Hadn’t they been notified by the ground hogs that there will be 6 more weeks of winter? Or perhaps those particular birds had eaten poison and were deranged or something.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees when he said, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times“ ( Matthew 16:2-3).

What are sign that let you know that the last days are upon us?

Back in 1999 wrestler-turned Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura took a beating for his comments in a Playboy magazine about religion being “a crutch for weak-minded people.” Local churches decided to respond by turning the other cheek. They paid for giant billboards around the Twin Cities that read “Strength training for the ‘weak-minded’.”

The ad was signed by Christian Churches of the Greater Twin Cities (CCGTC) as the latest in a series of high-profile media projects by the alliance of churches and advertising professionals.

“We are not mean-spirited,” said J.L. Glass, executive director, “and we were not trying to attack the governor, but we wanted to respond and show him that we had a sense of humor.”

Do you think that was a good way to repond, or what would be a better way?

Morgan was shocked by his father’s gruff but well-meaning comment. But he got the point. From that day forward, he made certain that in every room of his home there was some evidence of their faith in Christ.

What about your home? Is there any evidence that you are a believer? Referring to the promises He had just made to Israel, God said, “These words…shall be in your heart….You shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Deuteronomy 6:6 & 9).

Look around you in the room you are in. What evidence is there of your faith?