Isaiah 44:13-20
Idol worship. How many times did the children of Israel fall into this sin? It used to seem so foolish to me. These people had seen God part the Red Sea, He had literally led them through the wilderness, and they had seen the effect His glory had had on Moses face. Yet they still fell into the snare of idol worship.
If the children of Israel who had seen all these miraculous acts can fall into something like that, what does that mean for you and I? As I was preparing for this devotion, I realized that possibly God allowed them to make this mistake over and over as a reminder and a lesson for us. What we have to get our minds around is that anything that we put ahead of God is an idol.
The verse I want us to focus on today is verse 20. It says:
"He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him, he cannot save himself, or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie"
In Jewish culture, the right hand was the best hand. Whenever a father was blessing his sons, he always used his right hand (see Genesis 48:17-18). And Jesus is referred to as being "exalted to the right hand of God" (Acts 2:33).
When the Bible says in this verse "this thing in my right hand", it is referring to whatever is most important to you. For just a moment take your right hand and make a fist. Think about what is most important to you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see what is truly most important to you, what you are really trusting in. What are you really holding in your right hand? If it is not God, it is a lie. Husbands, families, children, church, money, and extracurricular activities are all wonderful things, but if they have taken the place of God in your life, they have become an idol.
After you have honestly searched your heart, if you find that sometimes you are holding anything other than God in your right hand, hold that clenched fist up to God and say out loud, "this thing in my right hand is a lie!". Then release it by opening your hand to God in repentance.
I think we struggle as much with idol worship as the Israelites did, it is just in a different way. Today, let's seek to worship God and God alone.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
"Is My Master Satisfied with Me?"
Isaiah 53
Isaiah 53:11
Isaiah 53:11
I am satisfied with Jesus
He has done so much for me
He has suffered to redeem me
He has died to set me free
I am satisfied, I am satisfied,
I am satisfied with Jesus,
But the question comes to me,
As I think of Calvary,
Is my Master satisfied with me?
B. B. McKinney
Copyright 1926 Broadman Press
He has done so much for me
He has suffered to redeem me
He has died to set me free
I am satisfied, I am satisfied,
I am satisfied with Jesus,
But the question comes to me,
As I think of Calvary,
Is my Master satisfied with me?
B. B. McKinney
Copyright 1926 Broadman Press
I grew up singing this hymn and it asks a great question: "Is my Master satisfied with me?" I have an extremely people pleasing personality. Some of the greatest moments in my life that I can remember are times that I pleased someone that I truly looked up to. Unfortunately, this became a stronghold in my life. The quest to be perfect dominated my thought life at times. But by God's grace, I have experienced consistent victory in this area for quite some time.
Given my personality, this was a question that I asked myself about my relationship with everyone, but especially in my relationship with God. I truly want my life to be pleasing to God and that is a godly desire, meaning I believe that He gave me that desire. The line is crossed however, when we desire for our worship of God, our good works, our service, our love, or our whatever to satisfy God.
Look at the scripture one more time...
"After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied." Isaiah 53:11
Jesus paid the price for all sin when He died on the cross. John the Baptist said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" When we accept what Jesus did on the cross as the atonement of our personal sins and place our trust in Him for salvation, our sin is taken away. Therefore, nothing else needs to be done in order for God to be satisfied with us. He is satisfied with His Son's work on the cross.
This revelation truly set me free to love God, worship God, and serve God without feeling like I had to be perfect. I will never be perfect, but He has chosen to have perfect love for me. Oh, how thankful I am that He loves me! Now, we can love Him in return. (see 1 John 4:10).
So, the answer to the hymn's age old question and the question that might have lingered in your soul is a resounding, "YES! My master is satisfied with me!" I pray you will let the truth of God's Word sink in to your very bone, marrow, and soul today. Let it change your very thought process about your relationship with God.
Given my personality, this was a question that I asked myself about my relationship with everyone, but especially in my relationship with God. I truly want my life to be pleasing to God and that is a godly desire, meaning I believe that He gave me that desire. The line is crossed however, when we desire for our worship of God, our good works, our service, our love, or our whatever to satisfy God.
Look at the scripture one more time...
"After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied." Isaiah 53:11
Jesus paid the price for all sin when He died on the cross. John the Baptist said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" When we accept what Jesus did on the cross as the atonement of our personal sins and place our trust in Him for salvation, our sin is taken away. Therefore, nothing else needs to be done in order for God to be satisfied with us. He is satisfied with His Son's work on the cross.
This revelation truly set me free to love God, worship God, and serve God without feeling like I had to be perfect. I will never be perfect, but He has chosen to have perfect love for me. Oh, how thankful I am that He loves me! Now, we can love Him in return. (see 1 John 4:10).
So, the answer to the hymn's age old question and the question that might have lingered in your soul is a resounding, "YES! My master is satisfied with me!" I pray you will let the truth of God's Word sink in to your very bone, marrow, and soul today. Let it change your very thought process about your relationship with God.
"Your service might please God. Your worship might exalt God. And, your study might reveal God. But, you need never aspire to satisfy God. He is satisfied, satisfied with the work of His Son."
Max Lucado
Max Lucado
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Pray without ceasing...
Ephesians 6:18
Philippians 4:6-7
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Prayer is such a wonderful blessing that God has given us. When we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we have direct access to God through prayer. This is an amazing fact that I really can't seem to get over and yet how many times do I let the opportunity to pray pass me by? Do I really "pray continually"?
We have heard it said a million times that there is power in prayer. This is true, true, true! With that being said, what is holding us back from unleashing this insurmountable power? In my life, I am certain that it is the work of the enemy. It seems like whenever I try to schedule out time to pray something always gets in the way. The phone rings, the boys wake up, the door bell rings, etc. Sometimes it is not only the busyness of life that keeps me from praying. Sometimes even in our relationship with God we will choose to do anything but pray thinking that these other "religious activities" are more important. I read a quote from Beth Moore that validates this point:
"Often, we do everything but pray. We tend to want something more "substantial." Even studying the Bible, going to church, talking to the pastor, or receiving counsel seems more tangible than prayer. What victory the enemy has in winning us over to prayerlessness! ...He knows that prayerless lives are powerless lives, while prayerful lives are powerful lives!
I don't know about you, but I want a powerful life! But, how do we change from being prayerless women to being prayer warriors? There have been many circumstances that God has used in my life to urge me to pray more. One of them was the situation with my mom, while another was when I struggled with postpartum depression. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a bad situation to cause us to do what we should have been doing all along.
A friend of mine recently told me that up until the last 6 months that she truly struggled with prayerlessness. However, when her sister was diagnosed with cancer everything changed. This experience has taught her total dependency on God. At the end of our conversation she made the most amazing statement, "I would never want to go back to life the way it was before". What an awesome transformation prayer has had on her life.
I don't want it to take another difficult situation for me. I want to continue seeking God daily in prayer. I would like to offer some practical ways to start to commune with God more and more each day:
Philippians 4:6-7
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Prayer is such a wonderful blessing that God has given us. When we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we have direct access to God through prayer. This is an amazing fact that I really can't seem to get over and yet how many times do I let the opportunity to pray pass me by? Do I really "pray continually"?
We have heard it said a million times that there is power in prayer. This is true, true, true! With that being said, what is holding us back from unleashing this insurmountable power? In my life, I am certain that it is the work of the enemy. It seems like whenever I try to schedule out time to pray something always gets in the way. The phone rings, the boys wake up, the door bell rings, etc. Sometimes it is not only the busyness of life that keeps me from praying. Sometimes even in our relationship with God we will choose to do anything but pray thinking that these other "religious activities" are more important. I read a quote from Beth Moore that validates this point:
"Often, we do everything but pray. We tend to want something more "substantial." Even studying the Bible, going to church, talking to the pastor, or receiving counsel seems more tangible than prayer. What victory the enemy has in winning us over to prayerlessness! ...He knows that prayerless lives are powerless lives, while prayerful lives are powerful lives!
I don't know about you, but I want a powerful life! But, how do we change from being prayerless women to being prayer warriors? There have been many circumstances that God has used in my life to urge me to pray more. One of them was the situation with my mom, while another was when I struggled with postpartum depression. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a bad situation to cause us to do what we should have been doing all along.
A friend of mine recently told me that up until the last 6 months that she truly struggled with prayerlessness. However, when her sister was diagnosed with cancer everything changed. This experience has taught her total dependency on God. At the end of our conversation she made the most amazing statement, "I would never want to go back to life the way it was before". What an awesome transformation prayer has had on her life.
I don't want it to take another difficult situation for me. I want to continue seeking God daily in prayer. I would like to offer some practical ways to start to commune with God more and more each day:
- Pray out loud.
- Write down your specific praises and/or requests.
- When someone asks you to pray for them or a situation, stop and pray with them right then.
- Talk with God while you are going about the normal activities of your day i.e. in the shower, while cooking supper, while vacuuming, sitting in car line, etc. He really is always with us so just talk to Him! I personally love to tell God about things that happen with my children or in Bible study. I know that He knows, but I just like to tell Him!
- Don't try to use eloquent speech, just talk to Him with your own thoughts.
- Pray scripture. This is a totally awesome experience and a wonderful way to pray His will because it is His Word!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
He Still Heals...
2 Kings 20:1-7
About 2 1/2 years ago, my mother was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of adrenal gland tumors. Her physician found them by accident and because she was essentially asymptomatic, it took about six months for her to be diagnosed with what is called pheochromocytoma. Don't worry! I couldn't say it either!
I will never forget the day we went to the first surgeon. It was late in the evening by the time we left his office. During the consultation he said that this was the type of thing that "scared" a surgeon. Obviously, we were extremely upset. I was pregnant with our second child, but we had not told anyone yet, including my mother.
I came home and spent the entire evening searching the Bible for every single time the word "heal", "healing", "heals", or "healed" was used. I prayed that God would give me the right passage that wound give me peace for that night. I came to the passage in 2 Kings and knew that I had my answer. I'm not sure if you caught it or not, but there is something in this passage that deserves our attention.
God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah he was going to die. Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. The Lord heard him, and before Isaiah even left the middle court, God sent him back to tell Hezekiah that he was going to live. Now here it is so don't miss it! "Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs" They did so and applied it to the boil and he recovered" (2 Kings 20:7).
As I read this story, I found that a little strange so I looked up some commentary on the verse. The commentary in the NIV study Bible reads:
"The Lord healed Hezekiah, but divine healing does not necessarily exclude the use of known remedies."
Wow! We knew that my mother was going to have to have surgery and, God used the surgery which was the "known remedy" to heal her. Could He have done it another way? Sure He could have, but He chose to use the surgery. God used so many people to minister to us during this trying time, and amazingly, used us to minister to others.
Every church, Bible study group, Sunday school class, and prayer group is overwhelmed with prayer requests for healing. Let's keep praying and look for God to do it however He sees fit. And when He does, give Him the praise. Never forget that although physical healing is wonderful, spiritual healing is truly a miracle.
"...and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
About 2 1/2 years ago, my mother was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of adrenal gland tumors. Her physician found them by accident and because she was essentially asymptomatic, it took about six months for her to be diagnosed with what is called pheochromocytoma. Don't worry! I couldn't say it either!
I will never forget the day we went to the first surgeon. It was late in the evening by the time we left his office. During the consultation he said that this was the type of thing that "scared" a surgeon. Obviously, we were extremely upset. I was pregnant with our second child, but we had not told anyone yet, including my mother.
I came home and spent the entire evening searching the Bible for every single time the word "heal", "healing", "heals", or "healed" was used. I prayed that God would give me the right passage that wound give me peace for that night. I came to the passage in 2 Kings and knew that I had my answer. I'm not sure if you caught it or not, but there is something in this passage that deserves our attention.
God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah he was going to die. Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. The Lord heard him, and before Isaiah even left the middle court, God sent him back to tell Hezekiah that he was going to live. Now here it is so don't miss it! "Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs" They did so and applied it to the boil and he recovered" (2 Kings 20:7).
As I read this story, I found that a little strange so I looked up some commentary on the verse. The commentary in the NIV study Bible reads:
"The Lord healed Hezekiah, but divine healing does not necessarily exclude the use of known remedies."
Wow! We knew that my mother was going to have to have surgery and, God used the surgery which was the "known remedy" to heal her. Could He have done it another way? Sure He could have, but He chose to use the surgery. God used so many people to minister to us during this trying time, and amazingly, used us to minister to others.
God is still in the business of physical healing, but most assuredly He is in the business of spiritual healing. A friend of mine is in Ecuador right now on a medical mission trip. Not only is she bringing physical healing to these people through "known remedies", she is also bringing spiritual healing to their very souls. Thank you, Leslie for your willingness to give of yourself.
Every church, Bible study group, Sunday school class, and prayer group is overwhelmed with prayer requests for healing. Let's keep praying and look for God to do it however He sees fit. And when He does, give Him the praise. Never forget that although physical healing is wonderful, spiritual healing is truly a miracle.
"...and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
Monday, May 26, 2008
Invisible
Luke 7:36-50
For today's devotion, I would like to offer an illustration of what might have been going on in the mind and heart of this precious woman that is described in our passage of scripture. I call her precious because that is what she is to Jesus even though to the rest of the world she was invisible.
There she was again, in the temple courts listening to the people talk about God, the law, religion. She kept coming here, but she wasn't sure quite why. No one spoke to her, no one even looked at her. To them she was invisible. The only time anyone paid her any attention was at night when no one would know. After all, she was a "sinful woman". She knew that better than anyone.
She kept coming to the temple hoping that someone might show her a way out of her pain. Could she truly be set free the way the prophets had spoke about? She was Abraham's child. Was there anyway out of this paralyzing guilt and sinful life?
Then one day she saw him, Jesus, the one she had heard about. He healed the sick and cured the blind. Could he truly be the one they had waited for? She listened and the words burned inside her. Her heart was truly repentant that day. She believed He was the Son of God, and she was determined to live a new life. But, as the crowd dispersed, she found herself all alone. She wanted to cry out, "I want to change! Someone help me and show me where to turn! Someone, please! See me!" But, to them, she was invisible.
She had to find him. She had to find this man that had given her hope. The man that had caused her heart to burn with repentance and who spoke the words that made her truly want to change. She overheard a Pharisee invite Jesus to dinner. She was determined to find Him and somehow express her love and gratitude to Him.
She set out with the finest material possession she had, her alabaster box filled with perfume. She approached the house of the Pharisee her heart pounding within her. She just had to see Him. She had to offer her praise. As she entered, no one looked at her. They just continued their meal as if she did not exist. But, there was Jesus. She knew her sin so well and deep down she knows He knows it to. She knelt behind Him so as not to disturb Him, but then she couldn't help herself. The pain of the life of sin she had led for years just came pouring out through her tears. She wiped them away with her hair, but more came. She kissed his feet over and over because no words could express what He meant to her. She poured out the perfume in her alabaster box on his feet as a sacrifice of praise. And then He spoke.
Jesus told the Pharisees of two men. One had a large debt while the other had a small debt. The moneylender canceled them both. Which one loved the moneylender the most? All she knew was that she had a large debt. Jesus finished his story and that's when it happened. He said, "Do you see this woman?" The world stopped turning for just a moment for her. He saw her! She was not invisible. Then He looked at her. His eyes were so beautiful and difficult for her to look into at first, but now she can't look away. He said, "Your sins are forgiven."
"All of them?", she wanted to ask. But, the freedom she felt in her heart answered her question.
From that day on, it didn't matter when people looked past her or through her or treated her as if she were invisible. He had seen her. And He is all that matters.
Have you ever felt invisible? I certainly have. Sometimes we really need a compassionate hand to reach out to us and there are none. Just cold eyes that don't even meet ours. Please know today or any day that these feelings might come into your heart that Jesus sees you. He really sees you, and He doesn't look away. Look into His eyes today and find the peace you have been searching for.
For today's devotion, I would like to offer an illustration of what might have been going on in the mind and heart of this precious woman that is described in our passage of scripture. I call her precious because that is what she is to Jesus even though to the rest of the world she was invisible.
There she was again, in the temple courts listening to the people talk about God, the law, religion. She kept coming here, but she wasn't sure quite why. No one spoke to her, no one even looked at her. To them she was invisible. The only time anyone paid her any attention was at night when no one would know. After all, she was a "sinful woman". She knew that better than anyone.
She kept coming to the temple hoping that someone might show her a way out of her pain. Could she truly be set free the way the prophets had spoke about? She was Abraham's child. Was there anyway out of this paralyzing guilt and sinful life?
Then one day she saw him, Jesus, the one she had heard about. He healed the sick and cured the blind. Could he truly be the one they had waited for? She listened and the words burned inside her. Her heart was truly repentant that day. She believed He was the Son of God, and she was determined to live a new life. But, as the crowd dispersed, she found herself all alone. She wanted to cry out, "I want to change! Someone help me and show me where to turn! Someone, please! See me!" But, to them, she was invisible.
She had to find him. She had to find this man that had given her hope. The man that had caused her heart to burn with repentance and who spoke the words that made her truly want to change. She overheard a Pharisee invite Jesus to dinner. She was determined to find Him and somehow express her love and gratitude to Him.
She set out with the finest material possession she had, her alabaster box filled with perfume. She approached the house of the Pharisee her heart pounding within her. She just had to see Him. She had to offer her praise. As she entered, no one looked at her. They just continued their meal as if she did not exist. But, there was Jesus. She knew her sin so well and deep down she knows He knows it to. She knelt behind Him so as not to disturb Him, but then she couldn't help herself. The pain of the life of sin she had led for years just came pouring out through her tears. She wiped them away with her hair, but more came. She kissed his feet over and over because no words could express what He meant to her. She poured out the perfume in her alabaster box on his feet as a sacrifice of praise. And then He spoke.
Jesus told the Pharisees of two men. One had a large debt while the other had a small debt. The moneylender canceled them both. Which one loved the moneylender the most? All she knew was that she had a large debt. Jesus finished his story and that's when it happened. He said, "Do you see this woman?" The world stopped turning for just a moment for her. He saw her! She was not invisible. Then He looked at her. His eyes were so beautiful and difficult for her to look into at first, but now she can't look away. He said, "Your sins are forgiven."
"All of them?", she wanted to ask. But, the freedom she felt in her heart answered her question.
From that day on, it didn't matter when people looked past her or through her or treated her as if she were invisible. He had seen her. And He is all that matters.
Have you ever felt invisible? I certainly have. Sometimes we really need a compassionate hand to reach out to us and there are none. Just cold eyes that don't even meet ours. Please know today or any day that these feelings might come into your heart that Jesus sees you. He really sees you, and He doesn't look away. Look into His eyes today and find the peace you have been searching for.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Extravagant Worship
John 12:1-3
For about six months I have been trying to wrap my hands around what intimacy with Christ really means. I have searched the scriptures, searched my heart, and sought God. I know there are several passages that support the fact that although we can never know Christ fully, we can know Him truly. What I do see in scripture is that women just like you and me did know Christ. My heart thrills at the thought! He came over and ate dinner at their house! Can you imagine? I mean, what would you cook if God was coming for dinner? I'm just not sure my Paula Deen's Baked Spaghetti would be good enough!
In today's scripture passage, we see Jesus in the home of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. If we will recall from another encounter, Mary was the one that was usually found sitting at Jesus' feet listening to him teach. However, today we find her in a much more personal encounter.
It appears from the text, that Mary approached Jesus without fear. This shows me that she really knew Him. She would not have approached Him to do what she did if she were the least bit afraid of rejection or humiliation. Mary then took her expensive perfume and began to pour it on Jesus' feet. Mary's act of devotion here was costly because what she was pouring out could have possibly been here most valuable material possession. She was also humbling herself by attending to Jesus' feet which was a servant's work. I guess the most powerful part of this story, however is the fact that Mary wiped Jesus' feet with her hair. In Jewish culture, respectable women did not unbind their hair in public. Mary was truly a respectable woman and she meant no disrespect in her act of worship. I believe she was truly showing Jesus that she was willing to be a little undignified for the sake of knowing Christ.
Christ has delivered us and set us free. Are we willing to pour out our most valuable possession for Him? Are we willing to humble ourselves to the place of a servant for the cause of Christ? And, are we willing to worship without regard to what others think even if it is a little undignified?
For about six months I have been trying to wrap my hands around what intimacy with Christ really means. I have searched the scriptures, searched my heart, and sought God. I know there are several passages that support the fact that although we can never know Christ fully, we can know Him truly. What I do see in scripture is that women just like you and me did know Christ. My heart thrills at the thought! He came over and ate dinner at their house! Can you imagine? I mean, what would you cook if God was coming for dinner? I'm just not sure my Paula Deen's Baked Spaghetti would be good enough!
In today's scripture passage, we see Jesus in the home of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. If we will recall from another encounter, Mary was the one that was usually found sitting at Jesus' feet listening to him teach. However, today we find her in a much more personal encounter.
It appears from the text, that Mary approached Jesus without fear. This shows me that she really knew Him. She would not have approached Him to do what she did if she were the least bit afraid of rejection or humiliation. Mary then took her expensive perfume and began to pour it on Jesus' feet. Mary's act of devotion here was costly because what she was pouring out could have possibly been here most valuable material possession. She was also humbling herself by attending to Jesus' feet which was a servant's work. I guess the most powerful part of this story, however is the fact that Mary wiped Jesus' feet with her hair. In Jewish culture, respectable women did not unbind their hair in public. Mary was truly a respectable woman and she meant no disrespect in her act of worship. I believe she was truly showing Jesus that she was willing to be a little undignified for the sake of knowing Christ.
Christ has delivered us and set us free. Are we willing to pour out our most valuable possession for Him? Are we willing to humble ourselves to the place of a servant for the cause of Christ? And, are we willing to worship without regard to what others think even if it is a little undignified?
"I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes."
2 Samuel 6:22
King David's answer when ridiculed about dancing before the Lord...
2 Samuel 6:22
King David's answer when ridiculed about dancing before the Lord...
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Peace like none other...
Isaiah 48:18
After two days of talking about obedience, disobedience, and consequences, I wanted to offer you some awesome encouragement today. Our verse today totally revolutionized my way of thinking after I really let it sink in to my soul. The verse is set in the past tense "If only you had..." which means that the Israelites didn't pay attention to God's commands, but what it means to me is that I can have peace in my life when I pay attention and follow God's commands.
A few years ago I heard a interview with Harrison Ford. The interviewer said something to the effect of "You have achieved so much. Is there anything else you want out of life?" Ford's answer was, "Peace." Wow! How amazing his answer was to me. Here is a man that has truly achieved all this world has to offer - money, fame, fortune, the applause of man and yet he still longs for peace in his soul. This confirms that peace cannot be found in the things of the world.
However, I have been following Christ for quite sometime and yet I still find there are times that I don't have peace. One time in particular that I recall was after the birth of my second son, Caleb. In April of 2006, I started sensing the Holy Spirit leading me to stay home with my children. Joel was three at the time and Caleb was due in July. I was only working 3 days a week and I really felt like I needed to work for my family. I pushed this leading away for months and went back to work as scheduled in October.
The only word that I can find to express how I felt for the next few months is misery. Not only was I miserable, but Caleb was sick continuously. Before the winter was over he had had bronchitis three times and was taking breathing treatments everyday. I would get in my car everyday and the conviction would fall. I would pray, but the conviction was almost unbearable. I started talking with God honestly about why I felt I needed to work and just asked Him that if this was truly his leading that He would work these issues out. He did and one day driving home from work with the conviction of the Holy Spirit throughout my car I said, "Okay, I'll do it!" The peace immediately flowed through me and I just wanted to shout! So I did! God brought this verse to my mind that day and in many days that followed.
"Peace would have been like a river..." may not sound all that peaceful to you, but if God is with me on the ride then count me in. Even in the rapids, if you know you are being obedient the peace will continue to flow.
After two days of talking about obedience, disobedience, and consequences, I wanted to offer you some awesome encouragement today. Our verse today totally revolutionized my way of thinking after I really let it sink in to my soul. The verse is set in the past tense "If only you had..." which means that the Israelites didn't pay attention to God's commands, but what it means to me is that I can have peace in my life when I pay attention and follow God's commands.
A few years ago I heard a interview with Harrison Ford. The interviewer said something to the effect of "You have achieved so much. Is there anything else you want out of life?" Ford's answer was, "Peace." Wow! How amazing his answer was to me. Here is a man that has truly achieved all this world has to offer - money, fame, fortune, the applause of man and yet he still longs for peace in his soul. This confirms that peace cannot be found in the things of the world.
However, I have been following Christ for quite sometime and yet I still find there are times that I don't have peace. One time in particular that I recall was after the birth of my second son, Caleb. In April of 2006, I started sensing the Holy Spirit leading me to stay home with my children. Joel was three at the time and Caleb was due in July. I was only working 3 days a week and I really felt like I needed to work for my family. I pushed this leading away for months and went back to work as scheduled in October.
The only word that I can find to express how I felt for the next few months is misery. Not only was I miserable, but Caleb was sick continuously. Before the winter was over he had had bronchitis three times and was taking breathing treatments everyday. I would get in my car everyday and the conviction would fall. I would pray, but the conviction was almost unbearable. I started talking with God honestly about why I felt I needed to work and just asked Him that if this was truly his leading that He would work these issues out. He did and one day driving home from work with the conviction of the Holy Spirit throughout my car I said, "Okay, I'll do it!" The peace immediately flowed through me and I just wanted to shout! So I did! God brought this verse to my mind that day and in many days that followed.
"Peace would have been like a river..." may not sound all that peaceful to you, but if God is with me on the ride then count me in. Even in the rapids, if you know you are being obedient the peace will continue to flow.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Another Lesson in Obedience
Judges 2: 1-3
Todays devotion could very quickly turn into a week long Bible study! The verses I suggested in Judges are the conclusion to a story about when the Israelites were taking control of the promised land. Let me summarize Judges chapter 1...
The Israelites had been commanded to take the land that God had promised them. They were supposed to "drive out" the Canaanites that lived in the land God was giving them. God commanded them to do this for their good. He knew that if any of the Canaanites remained with their pagan gods, the Israelites would eventually fall into idol worship. The Israelites had been commanded over and over not to worship other gods, so God was attempting to remove the temptation from them. However, they didn't obey. By the end of Judges chapter 1, all of the tribes have been named that failed to complete the job. Some of them did press the remaining Canaanites into slavery, but this was not what God had instructed them to do. Yet again we see that partial obedience is disobedience.
They didn't drive the Canaanites out therefore, God responded to their disobedience with a consequence. He would not drive them out. He left them there to be thorns in the children of Israel's sides and allowed their gods to be a snare for them. If you read on through chapter 2 of Judges, the consequences that they faced are almost unbearable for me to think about at as a mother. A generation later, they were still paying the consequences. The fathers had left the pagan altars, and their children and grandchildren were led astray. Verse 10 says that "another generation grew up who neither knew the Lord nor what he had done for Israel."
I am forced to ask myself today, what "pagan altars" am I not tearing down that will be a snare for my entire family tree? Where am I partially obeying God that might lead me down a path where my children would not even know the Lord or what He has done? What I see over and over throughout the Bible is not that God punishes children for their parents sin, but that our example of sin sets up a stronghold in their lives that will carry on for generation after generation until someone breaks it.
Up until about four years ago, I lived in a stronghold of doubt. It was a paralyzing place to live. It wasn't until I started searching the Word and made a conscious decision to believe God, that Christ (through me) began to break down those strong, thick bars. All through the process I started seeing that my mother, as well as her mother, had struggled with this same issue. Praise be to God that I have broken free from this stronghold and my mother has as well. I pray that this will not be an area that any of my children will ever struggle with. I pray that I will be an example of freedom in Christ to them.
May we take a serious look at our lives today and ask God to reveal any stronghold of sin that might pull our children away from Him. Our legacy depends on it and possibly the salvation of their souls.
Todays devotion could very quickly turn into a week long Bible study! The verses I suggested in Judges are the conclusion to a story about when the Israelites were taking control of the promised land. Let me summarize Judges chapter 1...
The Israelites had been commanded to take the land that God had promised them. They were supposed to "drive out" the Canaanites that lived in the land God was giving them. God commanded them to do this for their good. He knew that if any of the Canaanites remained with their pagan gods, the Israelites would eventually fall into idol worship. The Israelites had been commanded over and over not to worship other gods, so God was attempting to remove the temptation from them. However, they didn't obey. By the end of Judges chapter 1, all of the tribes have been named that failed to complete the job. Some of them did press the remaining Canaanites into slavery, but this was not what God had instructed them to do. Yet again we see that partial obedience is disobedience.
They didn't drive the Canaanites out therefore, God responded to their disobedience with a consequence. He would not drive them out. He left them there to be thorns in the children of Israel's sides and allowed their gods to be a snare for them. If you read on through chapter 2 of Judges, the consequences that they faced are almost unbearable for me to think about at as a mother. A generation later, they were still paying the consequences. The fathers had left the pagan altars, and their children and grandchildren were led astray. Verse 10 says that "another generation grew up who neither knew the Lord nor what he had done for Israel."
I am forced to ask myself today, what "pagan altars" am I not tearing down that will be a snare for my entire family tree? Where am I partially obeying God that might lead me down a path where my children would not even know the Lord or what He has done? What I see over and over throughout the Bible is not that God punishes children for their parents sin, but that our example of sin sets up a stronghold in their lives that will carry on for generation after generation until someone breaks it.
Up until about four years ago, I lived in a stronghold of doubt. It was a paralyzing place to live. It wasn't until I started searching the Word and made a conscious decision to believe God, that Christ (through me) began to break down those strong, thick bars. All through the process I started seeing that my mother, as well as her mother, had struggled with this same issue. Praise be to God that I have broken free from this stronghold and my mother has as well. I pray that this will not be an area that any of my children will ever struggle with. I pray that I will be an example of freedom in Christ to them.
May we take a serious look at our lives today and ask God to reveal any stronghold of sin that might pull our children away from Him. Our legacy depends on it and possibly the salvation of their souls.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Something to Consider
Joshua 7:1-26
This passage of scripture can be viewed as very troubling. Many times, we as New Testament believers, skip over stories like this thinking that we are living under grace and so we don't need to worry about the wrath of God that we see in the Old Testament. While for the believer it is true that we are living under grace and that God is satisfied with us (See Isaiah 53:11), we would be foolish to think that God is still not very serious about sin. Psalm 45:7 says "You love righteousness and hate wickedness". There are so many verses I could refer to today to drive the point home, but hopefully we will all just accept that God hates sin!
It is easy to look at the main character of our story today and see how great his sin was. Yes, Achan stole some of the devoted things and yes, he knew that was wrong. However, I don't think he ever realized that his one covetous thought that led to stealing could have caused the destruction of all Israel. Note in verse 1, the Bible doesn't say that the LORD's anger burned against Achan. It says His anger burned against Israel.
God is so serious about sin that He punished all of Israel over Achan's sin. Are we as the church serious about our own sin? I just don't think we are. How many times do we add just a little bit more to a story to make it more interesting or funnier? How many times do we joke about losing our temper as if that is not something that will send us to hell without the blood of Jesus. How many times do we allow our minds to consume us with ungodly thoughts. For me personally, God has truly broken my heart recently in an area where I was not acting with integrity. Partial obedience is disobedience. These are areas of our life that need serious attention as the body of Christ. I'm not just talking about blatant sin or living in total rebellion to God. Usually if we are reading a devotion then that is not something we are struggling with at the moment. I'm talking about sinful attitudes and thoughts of the heart that then lead to sinful actions.
We may consider some of these things as small, but God does not. He hates all sin. With that being said, will you join me on your face today asking God to reveal anything in your life that isn't pleasing to Him. Anything that could be leading you into a stronghold of sin. If nothing comes to your mind, start with pride and move on from there. As the body of Christ we must remove these obstacles from our lives so that we can complete the task that God has given us to do. Get it out today. The benefits will be eternal for you and possibly for the entire body for Christ.
This passage of scripture can be viewed as very troubling. Many times, we as New Testament believers, skip over stories like this thinking that we are living under grace and so we don't need to worry about the wrath of God that we see in the Old Testament. While for the believer it is true that we are living under grace and that God is satisfied with us (See Isaiah 53:11), we would be foolish to think that God is still not very serious about sin. Psalm 45:7 says "You love righteousness and hate wickedness". There are so many verses I could refer to today to drive the point home, but hopefully we will all just accept that God hates sin!
It is easy to look at the main character of our story today and see how great his sin was. Yes, Achan stole some of the devoted things and yes, he knew that was wrong. However, I don't think he ever realized that his one covetous thought that led to stealing could have caused the destruction of all Israel. Note in verse 1, the Bible doesn't say that the LORD's anger burned against Achan. It says His anger burned against Israel.
God is so serious about sin that He punished all of Israel over Achan's sin. Are we as the church serious about our own sin? I just don't think we are. How many times do we add just a little bit more to a story to make it more interesting or funnier? How many times do we joke about losing our temper as if that is not something that will send us to hell without the blood of Jesus. How many times do we allow our minds to consume us with ungodly thoughts. For me personally, God has truly broken my heart recently in an area where I was not acting with integrity. Partial obedience is disobedience. These are areas of our life that need serious attention as the body of Christ. I'm not just talking about blatant sin or living in total rebellion to God. Usually if we are reading a devotion then that is not something we are struggling with at the moment. I'm talking about sinful attitudes and thoughts of the heart that then lead to sinful actions.
We may consider some of these things as small, but God does not. He hates all sin. With that being said, will you join me on your face today asking God to reveal anything in your life that isn't pleasing to Him. Anything that could be leading you into a stronghold of sin. If nothing comes to your mind, start with pride and move on from there. As the body of Christ we must remove these obstacles from our lives so that we can complete the task that God has given us to do. Get it out today. The benefits will be eternal for you and possibly for the entire body for Christ.
Monday, May 19, 2008
My Deepest Longing...
Psalm 84:10
Philippians 1:21-24
Recently B.J. and I went to see the new movie Prince Caspian. It is the second installment of the Chronicles of Narnia movies based on the world famous books by C.S. Lewis. We have been Narnia fans for quite some time so of course we loved it! We love the books not only because they are wonderful works of fiction, but also because the spiritual truths in them run deep.
I was reminded in the movie of something God taught me last summer when we were reading through all of the books. In the book, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund and Lucy are about to be sent home from Narnia. They begin to question Aslan about when they will be returning to Narnia. Aslan tells them very gently that they will never return to the magical land of Narnia. Edmund and Lucy are terribly upset and then Lucy says:
I read those words and felt as if I were Lucy being pulled away from my beloved Savior. There have been times on Earth that I have experienced the presence of God in such a powerful way that I didn't ever want to leave. I just wanted to stay in His presence. As I read those words I finally saw the true picture of heaven. We sing songs about the wonderful things we will see in heaven. We talk about "when I get to heaven" this and "when I get to heaven" that. The Bible gives us as vivid of a description as it can, but yet we have so many unanswered questions about heaven. But, the bottom line is heaven will be heaven because Jesus is there. We will fall into His arms and just be with Him. We will finally be with someone who knows us, I mean truly knows us and loves us anyway. No rejection, no fear, no guilt, no shame. Just pure, intimate acceptance. Heaven.
Narnia is a magical place in the books, but Lucy saw past all that and into the truth. It wasn't the beauty or the magic that drew her there, it was Aslan. The same truth goes for us. It won't be heaven because of the beauty or the people we will see. It will be heaven because we will finally be with Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
I truly do long to be with Him. Of course, I want to see my children grow up and continue to walk with Christ daily, but I do not fear that day. No matter how old I get before He calls me home, in my heart, I will always be Lucy.
Philippians 1:21-24
Recently B.J. and I went to see the new movie Prince Caspian. It is the second installment of the Chronicles of Narnia movies based on the world famous books by C.S. Lewis. We have been Narnia fans for quite some time so of course we loved it! We love the books not only because they are wonderful works of fiction, but also because the spiritual truths in them run deep.
I was reminded in the movie of something God taught me last summer when we were reading through all of the books. In the book, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund and Lucy are about to be sent home from Narnia. They begin to question Aslan about when they will be returning to Narnia. Aslan tells them very gently that they will never return to the magical land of Narnia. Edmund and Lucy are terribly upset and then Lucy says:
"It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"
I read those words and felt as if I were Lucy being pulled away from my beloved Savior. There have been times on Earth that I have experienced the presence of God in such a powerful way that I didn't ever want to leave. I just wanted to stay in His presence. As I read those words I finally saw the true picture of heaven. We sing songs about the wonderful things we will see in heaven. We talk about "when I get to heaven" this and "when I get to heaven" that. The Bible gives us as vivid of a description as it can, but yet we have so many unanswered questions about heaven. But, the bottom line is heaven will be heaven because Jesus is there. We will fall into His arms and just be with Him. We will finally be with someone who knows us, I mean truly knows us and loves us anyway. No rejection, no fear, no guilt, no shame. Just pure, intimate acceptance. Heaven.
Narnia is a magical place in the books, but Lucy saw past all that and into the truth. It wasn't the beauty or the magic that drew her there, it was Aslan. The same truth goes for us. It won't be heaven because of the beauty or the people we will see. It will be heaven because we will finally be with Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
I truly do long to be with Him. Of course, I want to see my children grow up and continue to walk with Christ daily, but I do not fear that day. No matter how old I get before He calls me home, in my heart, I will always be Lucy.
"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)
Friday, May 16, 2008
What is Love?
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
The 'love' chapter... I think I have heard more messages, read more commentary, and done more Sunday school lessons on this passage of the Bible than any other! Although, you may be like me on this passage of scripture, surely there is still more we can 'dig' out so that we can live it out.
Several years ago, I took a Bible Study class by Beth Moore called Living Beyond Yourself. It is a study based on the fruit of the Spirit. Yet again, Galatians 5:22-23 is a very familiar passage so I wasn't sure how much I would learn from this study. (Those of you that have done Beth Moore studies are laughing out loud right now I'm sure!) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love..." Of all the fruit, love is listed first. Other than the word "Lord", love is used more in the Bible than any other word. We know that God is Love. But, how are we to love?
During that Bible study and for the next year and a half, God truly began to show me what love is. Agape is the Greek word used in 1 Corinthians 13. Agape love or God-love is divine, unconditional love that I am convinced within the natural man (meaning the flesh) we don't have any hope of possessing. This type of love is only a gift from the Holy Spirit. However, we can truly experience this type of love by yielding ourselves to the Spirit daily. Only agape can possess all of these qualities. God has helped me better understand these verses and put them into practice in my daily life by giving me this paraphrase:
When I first realized that without the grace of God I didn't have a chance of loving Him or my neighbors the way the Bible commands us to ("Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Matthew 22:37) it radically changed my prayer life. I began confessing to God daily that I did not have the love for Him or for others that He wanted me to have. I still continue to ask Him to give it to me daily. And you know what? My answer comes the same way everyday.
"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11
The 'love' chapter... I think I have heard more messages, read more commentary, and done more Sunday school lessons on this passage of the Bible than any other! Although, you may be like me on this passage of scripture, surely there is still more we can 'dig' out so that we can live it out.
Several years ago, I took a Bible Study class by Beth Moore called Living Beyond Yourself. It is a study based on the fruit of the Spirit. Yet again, Galatians 5:22-23 is a very familiar passage so I wasn't sure how much I would learn from this study. (Those of you that have done Beth Moore studies are laughing out loud right now I'm sure!) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love..." Of all the fruit, love is listed first. Other than the word "Lord", love is used more in the Bible than any other word. We know that God is Love. But, how are we to love?
During that Bible study and for the next year and a half, God truly began to show me what love is. Agape is the Greek word used in 1 Corinthians 13. Agape love or God-love is divine, unconditional love that I am convinced within the natural man (meaning the flesh) we don't have any hope of possessing. This type of love is only a gift from the Holy Spirit. However, we can truly experience this type of love by yielding ourselves to the Spirit daily. Only agape can possess all of these qualities. God has helped me better understand these verses and put them into practice in my daily life by giving me this paraphrase:
- Agape is patient meaning that even though I could avenge myself, I will choose not to.
- Agape is kind and useful to His kingdom.
- Agape does not want what others have. It is content.
- Agape does not boast or brag except about God and what He has done.
- Agape refuses to be prideful because pride is deceit of oneself.
- Agape is never rude, therefore I should never be hateful or act unbecoming of God or the body of Christ.
- Agape is not self-seeking and it does not seek to receive love in return. If God had sought His own interests, He wouldn't have given Jesus over to be crucified.
- Agape is slow to anger. It can be angered, but very slowly.
- Agape does not keep a list of other's wrongs. It does not revel in other's failures.
- Agape doesn't delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It isn't happy when evil is taking place in it's presence.
- Agape always protects others by not exposing their faults.
- Agape has faith in others.
- Agape expects the best in others.
- Agape never gives up.
- And most importantly, agape NEVER fails!! When you love God and people with this type of love, your actions will never be in vain and even if it is not received, it will never fall to the ground. Your Savior, Jesus Christ, THE King of Kings and Lord of Lords will pick it up. Can I just say Hallelujah?
When I first realized that without the grace of God I didn't have a chance of loving Him or my neighbors the way the Bible commands us to ("Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Matthew 22:37) it radically changed my prayer life. I began confessing to God daily that I did not have the love for Him or for others that He wanted me to have. I still continue to ask Him to give it to me daily. And you know what? My answer comes the same way everyday.
"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11
Thursday, May 15, 2008
This is the way...
Isaiah 30:21
About a year and a half ago, B.J and I started walking down a path that we really didn't want to walk down. When our youngest child Caleb was born, Joel started stuttering. At first, we thought it was just the changes at home or his huge increase in vocabulary at such a young age, so we ignored it thinking it would go away. And, at times it did. But, then he began to really struggle to get his words out. It was extremely difficult to watch our son try to speak to us and not be able to get his words to come out. He began to get frustrated to the point of crying and throwing tantrums just because he could not make his words come out. It got so bad that he refused to talk at all. At this point, we truly felt like we needed to get him some help. That is where we came to a fork in the road. When it comes to stuttering there are two schools of thought: 1. Ignore it and it will go away. If you say anything about it, the stuttering will get worse. 2. The earlier you seek therapy the better hope of full speech recovery you have.
Obviously, these are two very different schools of thought. We had a very tough decision to make and if we were wrong, it could have lasting consequences on our child. We had been seeking God in this situation for months, literally begging God to remove this obstacle from our child's life. God continued to say 'no' to that prayer. So, we began to seek His guidance in what we were to do. We prayed and read research and prayed some more. We finally made the decision to take him to be evaluated.
Joel was evaluated by a speech therapist who diagnosed him with a fluency disorder. This means that aside from miraculous intervention, he will need therapy to overcome this obstacle in his life. He started seeing the head of speech pathology at Children's Hospital. Amazingly, within the first 30 minute session he was already learning techniques that would help him get his words out. He left therapy so excited and with his head held just a little higher. On my way home that day I was praying. I was still unsure about our decision, but as I was praying the Holy Spirit brought today's scripture to my mind:
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21
I realized that He was on the road with us. He was behind us telling us the way and beside us to give us strength for the journey. He is also at the end of the road, meaning He knows how it all will play out in the story of our lives. It is such a comfort to me to know that nothing comes into our lives that hasn't passed through the sovereign hand of my merciful God.
Joel has improved, but still struggles. Recently, when he was seriously struggling B.J. and I entered into a period of fasting to seek the heart of God over what we needed to do. God never ceases to amaze me. The first day of our fast, I arose to spend time with Him. I opened my devotion for that day and there is was: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
Praise be to God! He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Whatever you are struggling with today, seek His face. He will not lead you astray.
About a year and a half ago, B.J and I started walking down a path that we really didn't want to walk down. When our youngest child Caleb was born, Joel started stuttering. At first, we thought it was just the changes at home or his huge increase in vocabulary at such a young age, so we ignored it thinking it would go away. And, at times it did. But, then he began to really struggle to get his words out. It was extremely difficult to watch our son try to speak to us and not be able to get his words to come out. He began to get frustrated to the point of crying and throwing tantrums just because he could not make his words come out. It got so bad that he refused to talk at all. At this point, we truly felt like we needed to get him some help. That is where we came to a fork in the road. When it comes to stuttering there are two schools of thought: 1. Ignore it and it will go away. If you say anything about it, the stuttering will get worse. 2. The earlier you seek therapy the better hope of full speech recovery you have.
Obviously, these are two very different schools of thought. We had a very tough decision to make and if we were wrong, it could have lasting consequences on our child. We had been seeking God in this situation for months, literally begging God to remove this obstacle from our child's life. God continued to say 'no' to that prayer. So, we began to seek His guidance in what we were to do. We prayed and read research and prayed some more. We finally made the decision to take him to be evaluated.
Joel was evaluated by a speech therapist who diagnosed him with a fluency disorder. This means that aside from miraculous intervention, he will need therapy to overcome this obstacle in his life. He started seeing the head of speech pathology at Children's Hospital. Amazingly, within the first 30 minute session he was already learning techniques that would help him get his words out. He left therapy so excited and with his head held just a little higher. On my way home that day I was praying. I was still unsure about our decision, but as I was praying the Holy Spirit brought today's scripture to my mind:
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21
I realized that He was on the road with us. He was behind us telling us the way and beside us to give us strength for the journey. He is also at the end of the road, meaning He knows how it all will play out in the story of our lives. It is such a comfort to me to know that nothing comes into our lives that hasn't passed through the sovereign hand of my merciful God.
Joel has improved, but still struggles. Recently, when he was seriously struggling B.J. and I entered into a period of fasting to seek the heart of God over what we needed to do. God never ceases to amaze me. The first day of our fast, I arose to spend time with Him. I opened my devotion for that day and there is was: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
Praise be to God! He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Whatever you are struggling with today, seek His face. He will not lead you astray.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Wonderful, Merciful Savior
Psalm 25:6
Psalm 28:6-9
A couple of weeks ago my youngest son, Caleb, had a minor surgery on his tongue. He was born tongue-tied, but had no problems feeding as a baby so we didn't worry about it. However, since he started talking, we noticed that he wasn't saying "L's". Our oldest son, Joel, has speech problems that are not related to his tongue, but it has truly been a difficult road to walk. Therefore, we wanted to do anything we could to prevent a future speech problem with Caleb.
So Caleb was seen by his ENT physician on Monday, and we scheduled the surgery for Tuesday. Since it happened so quickly, I didn't even have time to call everyone and ask them to pray for him! I even felt uneasy because I just didn't feel like we had had the time we needed to pray for our baby! But, Tuesday morning came and Caleb went back to surgery. His doctor came out about 15 minutes later to tell us everything went well and in just a few short minutes, my baby was back in my arms. I felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude to my Savior.
As I was thanking Him for taking care of my baby, He very quietly spoke to my heart and said, "Yes, but I take care of all these children and sometimes no one acknowledges Me." I sat there broken for a few moments realizing that as a nurse, I have taken care of hundreds of patients and almost all of them have had very good outcomes. However, I am certain that many of them were not Christ followers, nor were they even aware of God's unfailing kindness, love, and mercy to them.
God cares for those that don't serve Him, don't choose Him, have rejected Him, and He even cares for the ones that do not believe He exists. What a picture of mercy. Let us pray that God's kindness will lead them to repentance (Romans 2:4).
That day I truly realized we have a ...
Psalm 28:6-9
A couple of weeks ago my youngest son, Caleb, had a minor surgery on his tongue. He was born tongue-tied, but had no problems feeding as a baby so we didn't worry about it. However, since he started talking, we noticed that he wasn't saying "L's". Our oldest son, Joel, has speech problems that are not related to his tongue, but it has truly been a difficult road to walk. Therefore, we wanted to do anything we could to prevent a future speech problem with Caleb.
So Caleb was seen by his ENT physician on Monday, and we scheduled the surgery for Tuesday. Since it happened so quickly, I didn't even have time to call everyone and ask them to pray for him! I even felt uneasy because I just didn't feel like we had had the time we needed to pray for our baby! But, Tuesday morning came and Caleb went back to surgery. His doctor came out about 15 minutes later to tell us everything went well and in just a few short minutes, my baby was back in my arms. I felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude to my Savior.
As I was thanking Him for taking care of my baby, He very quietly spoke to my heart and said, "Yes, but I take care of all these children and sometimes no one acknowledges Me." I sat there broken for a few moments realizing that as a nurse, I have taken care of hundreds of patients and almost all of them have had very good outcomes. However, I am certain that many of them were not Christ followers, nor were they even aware of God's unfailing kindness, love, and mercy to them.
God cares for those that don't serve Him, don't choose Him, have rejected Him, and He even cares for the ones that do not believe He exists. What a picture of mercy. Let us pray that God's kindness will lead them to repentance (Romans 2:4).
That day I truly realized we have a ...
Wonderful, merciful Savior
Precious Redeemer and Friend
Who would have thought that a Lamb could
Rescue the souls of men
Oh you, rescue the souls of men
You are the One that we praise
You are the One we adore
You give the healing and grace our
Hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for...
- Dawn Rodgers & Eric Wyse
Precious Redeemer and Friend
Who would have thought that a Lamb could
Rescue the souls of men
Oh you, rescue the souls of men
You are the One that we praise
You are the One we adore
You give the healing and grace our
Hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for...
- Dawn Rodgers & Eric Wyse
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mustard Seed Faith
Hebrews 11:1
Matthew 17:14-21
Matthew 13:31-32
All my eggs are in one basket, so if placing my faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross is the wrong place to put my faith, I am out of luck. You too? Thankfully, it is not the wrong place to put our faith! But, if so much depends on faith I want to have as much as I can get. However, most days I still come up short. Can faith really grow? If faith is so important, why is it only defined one place in the Bible? And why is that definition somewhat vague?
Although we only see faith verbally defined once, we see it "personally" defined in all of the Bible. One of my favorite stories of faith is the story of Joseph. One day my son Joel was watching the movie Joseph: King of Dreams. I don't know if you have ever seen it, but it is an animated movie fictionally depicting the life of Joseph. It is as biblically accurate as it can be, but of course takes imaginative liberties. In short, it is a great movie. If you will recall from the biblical story, Joseph was not only his father's favorite, but he also had dreams that some might call delusions of granduer! These dreams only made his brothers despise him even more. Their jealousy led them to sell him into slavery and eventually, through a series of events, Joseph ended up in prison. In the movie, while Joseph is in prison someone trys to bring him some food, but unfortunately she dropped the food and the rats quickly devoured every bite. Joseph is so upset and he yells at God, "Any kindness You take away... what have I done to deserve this!" In his rage he falls down, but when he gets up he happens to see a single green leaf on a branch. That is where this song picks up. He starts to plant and nurture the branch. Here is the song...
As you saw, all during the song, Joseph is planting, watering, and nurturing that little branch with the one green leaf. Symbolically, that is all the faith he has left. That one leaf is his "mustard seed faith". At the end of the song, after he has remembered everything that brought him to where he is, the branch has turned into a beautiful tree. Joseph had helped grow that tree, but God had grown his faith. At that moment, in the movie, he looks at the tree and the prison door opens. Joseph is free and heading to Pharoah's palace. His true purpose was on the other side of the testing. How thankful I am that he persevered! I thought today about all Joseph had been through. The rejection of his own family! Oh, how that must have hurt him. Rejection is something I struggle with to this day, but how thankful I am that the Word shows me I am not alone. On the other side of our acceptance of God's Sovereign will, I sincerely believe we will find God's true purpose in our life.
Faith in itself is a gift, so it can't be about how much you have. It has to be about who your faith is in. Take whatever faith you have, even if it is only the size of a mustard seed, plant it deep into the fertile soil of God's Word. In time it will become a beautiful tree that "the birds of the air will come and perch on in its branches"(Matthew 13:32).
Matthew 17:14-21
Matthew 13:31-32
All my eggs are in one basket, so if placing my faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross is the wrong place to put my faith, I am out of luck. You too? Thankfully, it is not the wrong place to put our faith! But, if so much depends on faith I want to have as much as I can get. However, most days I still come up short. Can faith really grow? If faith is so important, why is it only defined one place in the Bible? And why is that definition somewhat vague?
Although we only see faith verbally defined once, we see it "personally" defined in all of the Bible. One of my favorite stories of faith is the story of Joseph. One day my son Joel was watching the movie Joseph: King of Dreams. I don't know if you have ever seen it, but it is an animated movie fictionally depicting the life of Joseph. It is as biblically accurate as it can be, but of course takes imaginative liberties. In short, it is a great movie. If you will recall from the biblical story, Joseph was not only his father's favorite, but he also had dreams that some might call delusions of granduer! These dreams only made his brothers despise him even more. Their jealousy led them to sell him into slavery and eventually, through a series of events, Joseph ended up in prison. In the movie, while Joseph is in prison someone trys to bring him some food, but unfortunately she dropped the food and the rats quickly devoured every bite. Joseph is so upset and he yells at God, "Any kindness You take away... what have I done to deserve this!" In his rage he falls down, but when he gets up he happens to see a single green leaf on a branch. That is where this song picks up. He starts to plant and nurture the branch. Here is the song...
As you saw, all during the song, Joseph is planting, watering, and nurturing that little branch with the one green leaf. Symbolically, that is all the faith he has left. That one leaf is his "mustard seed faith". At the end of the song, after he has remembered everything that brought him to where he is, the branch has turned into a beautiful tree. Joseph had helped grow that tree, but God had grown his faith. At that moment, in the movie, he looks at the tree and the prison door opens. Joseph is free and heading to Pharoah's palace. His true purpose was on the other side of the testing. How thankful I am that he persevered! I thought today about all Joseph had been through. The rejection of his own family! Oh, how that must have hurt him. Rejection is something I struggle with to this day, but how thankful I am that the Word shows me I am not alone. On the other side of our acceptance of God's Sovereign will, I sincerely believe we will find God's true purpose in our life.
Faith in itself is a gift, so it can't be about how much you have. It has to be about who your faith is in. Take whatever faith you have, even if it is only the size of a mustard seed, plant it deep into the fertile soil of God's Word. In time it will become a beautiful tree that "the birds of the air will come and perch on in its branches"(Matthew 13:32).
Monday, May 12, 2008
Knowing God...Being Desperate for the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 2:10-16
Do you ever wonder if you can really know God? Through all my study I still find it a mind blowing fact that God is knowable. Although we can never know Him fully or exhaustively, we can know him truly. The part that I missed for so many years is how to know God. I think in our scripture reference today it becomes clearer and clearer that we know God through His Spirit. I recently heard Dr. David Platt say it this way:
A few months ago, we witnessed this type of desperation and almost had revival at our house during the week of the "fall back" time change. Nothing reeks havoc on preschoolers like a time change, and since we have two boys ages 4 and 22 months, let"s just say we were experiencing a little havoc! Our oldest son, Joel, had been waking up at 5 a.m. since the time change, so this particular night I was determined to have him in bed on time. After our nightly prayers, I went straight to the tub for a little relaxation while my husband, B.J. sang his repertoire of songs for Joel. At some point, B.J. had gotten in the habit of having different toys "sing". Joel's favorite toy to sing was the "Spirit of God". Now before you think you can go out and buy a "Spirit of God" toy let me explain. We are very demonstrative people and therefore we act out a lot of Bible stories. When Joel was two, we used to act out the story of Moses and the Passover almost everyday. We had to have something characterize the Spirit, so we used a collapsible ball that came from the Discovery store. Ever since then, that ball has been the "Spirit of God". Anyway, that night Joel wanted the "Spirit" to sing. At first, B.J. said 'no' because he didn't know where it was, but then he saw it sitting on the shelf so he decided that the "Spirit" could sing. However, Joel had already changed his mind and wanted a different toy to sing. B.J. was also tired and so said, "No, the "Spirit of God" is going to sing." Well, at this point Joel began to pitch a fit so B.J. put the ball up. This really upset Joel. I heard him shouting "I want the Spirit of God! I want the Spirit of God!". Then he screamed at the top of lungs, "I want the Spirit of God!!!!!" I jumped out of the bathtub wondering what in the world was going on and just sure that the Spirit was falling in wind and fire on our house! Unfortunately, Joel was getting two pops for pitching a fit! However, this really made me think, if we as believers ever threw a fit for the Spirit to come upon us, what would happen in our lives, in our jobs, in our churches, communities, country, world? If every believer was that desperate for God to fill us with His Spirit daily what would happen? Maybe throwing a fit could change the course of history.
Do you ever wonder if you can really know God? Through all my study I still find it a mind blowing fact that God is knowable. Although we can never know Him fully or exhaustively, we can know him truly. The part that I missed for so many years is how to know God. I think in our scripture reference today it becomes clearer and clearer that we know God through His Spirit. I recently heard Dr. David Platt say it this way:
"Only the Spirit of God knows the fullness of the glory of God. If we want to know God, then we need the Spirit to reveal Him to us. Therefore, a people who are desperate to know God will be desperate for His Spirit. If we are not desperate for His Spirit, it is a sure indicator that we have grown content with knowing little about God. Do we want to know the glory of God? Then let us be a people desperate for the Spirit of God"
A few months ago, we witnessed this type of desperation and almost had revival at our house during the week of the "fall back" time change. Nothing reeks havoc on preschoolers like a time change, and since we have two boys ages 4 and 22 months, let"s just say we were experiencing a little havoc! Our oldest son, Joel, had been waking up at 5 a.m. since the time change, so this particular night I was determined to have him in bed on time. After our nightly prayers, I went straight to the tub for a little relaxation while my husband, B.J. sang his repertoire of songs for Joel. At some point, B.J. had gotten in the habit of having different toys "sing". Joel's favorite toy to sing was the "Spirit of God". Now before you think you can go out and buy a "Spirit of God" toy let me explain. We are very demonstrative people and therefore we act out a lot of Bible stories. When Joel was two, we used to act out the story of Moses and the Passover almost everyday. We had to have something characterize the Spirit, so we used a collapsible ball that came from the Discovery store. Ever since then, that ball has been the "Spirit of God". Anyway, that night Joel wanted the "Spirit" to sing. At first, B.J. said 'no' because he didn't know where it was, but then he saw it sitting on the shelf so he decided that the "Spirit" could sing. However, Joel had already changed his mind and wanted a different toy to sing. B.J. was also tired and so said, "No, the "Spirit of God" is going to sing." Well, at this point Joel began to pitch a fit so B.J. put the ball up. This really upset Joel. I heard him shouting "I want the Spirit of God! I want the Spirit of God!". Then he screamed at the top of lungs, "I want the Spirit of God!!!!!" I jumped out of the bathtub wondering what in the world was going on and just sure that the Spirit was falling in wind and fire on our house! Unfortunately, Joel was getting two pops for pitching a fit! However, this really made me think, if we as believers ever threw a fit for the Spirit to come upon us, what would happen in our lives, in our jobs, in our churches, communities, country, world? If every believer was that desperate for God to fill us with His Spirit daily what would happen? Maybe throwing a fit could change the course of history.
"We have but to want Him badly enough and He will come and manifest Himself to us"
A.W. Tozer
A.W. Tozer
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Which son are you? (Part 1)
The story of the prodigal son; so familiar, yet so much to learn in just this short passage. Being a woman who spent a significant amount of time as a “prodigal”, I can never read this passage or hear a message on it that the tears don’t sting in my eyes. God let me go, but then waited for me and when I turned and started walking back to Him, He ran back to me. Amazing.
Even if you haven’t ever gone through a season of sin, there are attributes to each of the sons that we can all identify with. Today we will look at the younger son. First of all, the root of the problem with the younger son was that he wasn’t content with what he had, nor was he thankful. So he set off to find satisfaction somewhere else. It is not said very often and most would find it sac religious, but have you ever been unsatisfied with Jesus? I have been. I thought that salvation equaled satisfaction and since I wasn’t satisfied, was I truly saved? This started a cycle that I went in and out of for years, until finally I realized through the grace of the Holy Spirit and His word that satisfaction comes from Christ, but salvation is only the beginning. It is a process of daily (sometimes even every five minutes!) coming before Christ and asking Him to satisfy all my needs. The younger son was walking around with an empty cup looking for anything that would fill it up so he set off to find satisfaction in the world. But, as we look closer into the story we see that he didn’t find it. “After he had spent everything…He longed to fill his stomach…” The younger son was still unsatisfied. However, this time “he came to his senses” and realized that he had everything he ever needed at home with his Father.
So, are you walking around today with an empty cup? Trying to figure out why you are so unsatisfied when you have Jesus? Are you trying to get your husband, wife, children, job, or friends to fill it? Understand this today and accept it as truth: They never will! They can’t and were never meant to! Your husband doesn’t “complete you” as
Which son are you? (Part 2)
The older son. Many sermons have been written about him and I am sure we have all looked at him and thought how terrible he acted. Surely, we would all rejoice in our brother coming home. But, before we are so quick to judge him, let’s take a look at ourselves. This morning as I was reading this, I saw the older brother in my mind and I truly believe the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “This is the church”. I’m sure the older brother can personify many things, but I think he can definitely personify the church today.
I remember as a child a lady that used to come to my small church. She was beautiful, but apparently lived a life riddled with sin. She would come to church for a while and sing in the choir. I remember her vividly because she was beautiful, but also because she would usually be in the altar crying during the invitation. She was not a spectacle, but definitely memorable because not many people in my church were that open with there emotions. I can remember even as a small child, people talking about her. Of course, not everyone talked about her, nor did everyone seem to judge her. I don’t recall the words, but the attitudes were clear to me even though I was probably only 6 or 7 years old. Basically, the attitude “She is a sinner and she has no place here” and “She is insincere in her confession because she has done this before and will do it again”. It seemed that people had no compassion for her much less forgiveness, as if she had sinned against them in the first place. In our pride sometimes we think that Christians who have walked away from Christ owe us an explanation when in reality the explanation has already been given to us in scripture:
“My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
If the Father accepts a sinner, even runs to one, why can’t we? I don’t know what happened to that beautiful young woman, but I know I became her for a while. Oh, how thankful I am that He didn’t turn me away and say I was insincere. Let’s allow God to be the judge of the heart and let’s open ours as well as the doors of the church. After all, “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matt 9:12)
Easy Ways to Subscribe
Subscribe:
If you would like to receive these devotions in your e-mail inbox all you need to do is send a blank email to devotionsforthejourney-subcribe@yahoogroups.com (and respond to the confirmation e-mail you will receive).
Unsubscribe:
If you would like to no longer receive these devotions in your e-mail inbox simply send a blank email to devotionsforthejourney-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Syndicate:
If you would like to receive or syndicate this content using the site feed please feel free to use these easy tools by clicking here.
If you would like to receive these devotions in your e-mail inbox all you need to do is send a blank email to devotionsforthejourney-subcribe@yahoogroups.com (and respond to the confirmation e-mail you will receive).
Unsubscribe:
If you would like to no longer receive these devotions in your e-mail inbox simply send a blank email to devotionsforthejourney-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Syndicate:
If you would like to receive or syndicate this content using the site feed please feel free to use these easy tools by clicking here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)