25
Jun '19
God Looms Larger
25
Jun '19
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. (1 Samuel 17:45)
Young, inexperienced David confronted the fierce Philistine Goliath. Towering above his young combatant, Goliath possessed brute strength and unrivaled weaponry—bronze armor and a lethal, razor-edged javelin (1 Samuel 17:5–6). David, a fledgling shepherd, carried only a slingshot when he arrived at the battlefield with bread and cheeses for his brothers (vv. 17–18).
Goliath challenged Israel to engage in battle, but no one was willing to fight. King Saul and “all the Israelites were . . . dismayed, and greatly afraid” (v. 11). Imagine the shock when David stepped into the fray. What gave him the courage none of Israel’s hardened warriors possessed? For most, Goliath dominated their vision. David, however, saw God. “The Lord will deliver [Goliath] into my hands,” he insisted (v. 46). While everyone else believed Goliath controlled the story, he believed God loomed larger. And, with a single stone to the giant’s forehead, David’s faith proved true.
We’re tempted to believe that “Goliath” (our troubles) directs the story. God is larger, however. He dominates the story of our lives.
What concerns threaten to overwhelm you these days? How does God’s reality, the fact that He’s larger, transform your perspective?
This devotion blessed me so much! I’ve read the story of David and Goliath many times in my walk with The Lord but today’s devotion brought to light a much different perspective. God is much larger than any Goliath we face, He dominates the story of our lives no matter the size of our troubles. Wow, I needed to be reminded of this today. God Looms Larger!!
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Samuel 2:2
24
Jun '19
Honest to God
24
Jun '19
I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. (Psalm 32:5)
My three-year-old grandson’s day was off to a rotten start. He couldn’t find his favorite shirt. The shoes he wanted to wear were too hot. He fussed and fumed at his grandmother and then sat down to cry.
“Why are you so upset?” I asked. We talked for a while and after he calmed down, I gently inquired, “Have you been good for Grandma?” He looked thoughtfully at his shoes and responded, “No, I was bad. I’m sorry.”
My heart went out to him. Instead of denying what he had done, he was honest. In the following moments we asked Jesus to forgive us when we do wrong and to help us do better.
In Isaiah 1, God confronts His people about wrongs they’d committed. Bribes and injustice were rampant in the courts, and orphans and widows were taken advantage of for material gain. Yet even then God responded mercifully, asking the people of Judah to confess what they’d done and turn from it: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
God longs for us to be open with Him about our sins. He meets honesty and repentance with loving forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Because our God is merciful, new beginnings await!
What sins have you not been honest with God about? What’s holding you back from confessing them to Him?
Abba, Father, help me to turn away from the sin in my life and make a new beginning with You today. Amen.
When I read this devotion it blessed me. My prayer is when we confess our sin as today’s devotion encourages that we also remember God erases the sin and the guilt. We need to forget it and get on with our life. God doesn’t remember any confessed sin so why should we. You have no need to ask for repeated forgiveness. It had been forgiven the first time you asked. Every time we cry anew for release from our guilt, we are denying the effectiveness of Christ’s death. How dare we demean forgiveness bought at so great a price. As today’s devotion says, turn from the sin and make a new beginning with Him.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalms 113:3
14
Jun '19
Continually Surrounded
14
Jun '19
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:10-11)
God controls and allows every detail of our lives. Nothing happens without His knowledge and approval.
Every day, little changes in schedule or small irritations occur. Everyday, we can choose to let these obstacles upset us, or we can rest in the knowledge that God lovingly ordained them as small irritants to help us look to and rely on Him. For example, we can grumble about the frustrating traffic jam that is keeping us from getting somewhere on time, or we can remember that God knows about our deadlines and view the time sitting in traffic as an opportunity to pray. We can complain, or we can rejoice.
May we allow the knowledge that we are continually surrounded by God’s unfailing love to permeate our lives and chase away our complaints and fears.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Corinthians 4:16
13
Jun '19
How To Deal With Anger
13
Jun '19
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. (Proverbs 29:11)
The question of how to deal with anger in a biblical way is an important one. But it’s certainly not the cookie-cutter answer many of us have heard.
Have you ever had a moment where you said something in red-hot anger? Only to ask yourself moments later: “How could I say that?”
Sadly, I’ve had far too many of these moments. And today’s devotional verse calls me out as acting like a “fool” who let anger control my words and actions.
However, I don’t think the heart of this passage is to simply suppress anger or other negative emotions. It’s not about pretending like anger isn’t there.
After all, psychologically speaking, shoving emotions asidedoesn’t make them go away. Instead, it creates a tangled pile that will surface and need dealt with later.
So, what does the Bible teach us?
He taught that everyone who is angry with his brother is liable to the same kind of judgment as a murderer (Matthew 5:20–21). And yet, he also chased predatory business people out of the synagogue with a whip (Matthew 21:12)!
HERE ARE THREE WAYS TO DEAL WITH ANGER BIBLICALLY:
- Ask for the Holy Spirit to increase the fruit of the Spirit in your life (Galatians 5:22–23). When we’re angry, it’s actually the quickest path to being pruned and prepared for incredible growth. And understand that we absolutely need the Holy Spirit’s power to mature us here!
- Address the anger head on by making peace with the person or situation you’re angry with. Jesus teaches us that conflict is actually the path to peace (Matthew 18:15–17; Matthew 5:23–24). Lashing out and attacking is not the way Christians do conflict. But avoiding it altogether and seething in anger is unbiblical as well.
- Ask if your anger is righteous and justified—which is sometimes the case. And if so, does it require action? Is there evil or injustice to confront? Someone who is weak to defend? If so, act! But don’t do so to give “vent to your spirit” just to make yourself feel better. Be angry, but do not sin (Psalm 4:4). Righteous anger is aligned with God. It’s being angry at what makes God angry.
How will you deal with anger in a God-honoring way? Is there unresolved conflict that you need to deal with?
Dear Jesus, Please help us to monitor ourselves better and to have more control over our reactions. Please help us to put aside any strong feelings of needing to justify ourselves with anger. Please help us to learn how to guard our tongues until we have had a chance to calm down, think things over and seek your face. Amen.
When I read this devotion today I felt it needed to be shared. We have all dealt with anger at one point or another in our lives and some of us continue to struggle with it. My prayer today is that this devotion gives you guidance and direction when dealing with anger.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Luke 11:13
12
Jun '19
Encouragement
12
Jun '19
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Loving others includes encouraging one another. In Romans 12:7-8, Paul lists encouragement among the gifts of grace. When people accomplish a common objective together, all are encouraged. Fellow believers encourage one another to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
The Thessalonian Christians faced struggles and an uncertain future. Paul wrote to encourage them, reminding them of their faith and love and hope in Christ, all of which prepared them to be ready for the Lord’s return. And with these assurances they could keep encouraging one another and building each other up.
The gift of encouragement is important in our lives. Encouragement is a gift in the home, the workplace, the church—wherever we find ourselves. We can come alongside others and be there for one another. We can listen, comfort, console, affirm. It’s a way of living out the command to love one another.
Take time to recall the people who’ve been encouragers in your life. They’re the ones who were there when you thought you’d never laugh again. They were the ones who listened to you; whereas others just talked. Then ask yourself, “When was the last time I encouraged someone?” It’s not difficult, and the people you encourage are so blessed by it.
Lord Jesus, help me to recognize the struggler or the lonely—anyone who needs your encouragement of love and hope today. In your name, Amen.
This devotion blessed me today. I pray it blesses and encourages you as well. Remember this, God uses broken people like you and me to rescue broken people like you and me. Take time today and build someone up, remind them they’re worthy, be a light in a too often dim world. Encourage one another and build each other up.
Today’s Reading is 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
11
Jun '19
When You Have a Choice to Make
11
Jun '19
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. (Isaiah 30:21)
According to recent statistics, I made 5,000 decisions today. Seriously?
Well, I made a decision to get out of bed. I made a choice to put on my tennis shoes and run at 6 a.m.
I chose peanut butter Cheerios over oatmeal. I decided which bills to pay. What to make for dinner. Whether to answer a phone call. Which clothes to wear. Whether the plants needed watering or if they could wait another day. I chose to fill up the small car instead of the gas-guzzler.
I may have made more than 5,000 decisions today!
Some of our everyday choices are random, others weighty, but many of our decisions are choice points. Choice points are seemingly insignificant decisions yet they lead us in one direction or another.
I choose whether to react in anger, or respond with understanding to my husband.
I choose whether or not to create drama with a friend who hurt my feelings.
I choose time with my Heavenly Father, or push that time to another day … again.
I choose whether or not to say those words that cause my child pain.
Recently I was on a mission trip and the team was exhausted after nearly six days of intense travel. We had missed a train and stood on the platform in the moonlight. It was nearing midnight and cold and wet. Our next ministry event was early in the morning.
The coordinator walked over. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean for it to work out this way.”
There I stood with a choice to make.
I could share my frustration. I could explain that my sleep tank was on empty. I could say nothing, while sighing with a martyred expression. Or I could choose to override my fatigued irritation and be gracious.
As she waited for my reply, a gentle voice softly spoke to my heart: “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
I knew it was definitely the leading of the Holy Spirit, just as Scripture promised. Yes, I was exhausted, but I reminded myself what a privilege it was to be there. Ease and comfort were not readily available to Jesus, and losing a little sleep was nothing in comparison to anything He went through. The Holy Spirit nudged me to recognize that everyone around me was just as tired as I was. He led me in the way to respond.
“I’m fine,” I said. “In fact it’s been an amazing day and I can’t wait to see what God does tomorrow.”
She grabbed me and pulled me in a huge hug. “Thank you, Suz.”
I wish I could say I handle every choice I have to make that way, but sometimes I fail and gripe, nit-pick, am critical and grouchy. It’s my prayer that I’ll remember how much my choices matter. You see, they don’t just affect me; they affect those within the vicinity of my decisions.
In the 5,000 decisions you make today, take a moment to pause before deciding. Ask the Holy Spirit for His guidance and counsel. And choose to follow as He leads the way.
Dear Lord, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by all my choices, and it makes me cranky. Today as I make my 5000 decisions, walk with me, remind me of how my choices affect others and help me follow Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When I woke this morning I was greeted with Psalm 46:10, today’s reading, then as I was praying and searching for a devotion to share today The Lord dropped this devotion in my path. What a beautiful devotion, full of truth. I pray it encourages you today, in the moments when you feel overwhelmed and maybe even a little cranky to be still and look to The the Holy Spirit for guidance and council and allow Him to lead the way. Remember, your choices affect others. What choices will you choose to make today? Wow! I needed this today.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 46:10
10
Jun '19
When You Don’t Feel Like It
10
Jun '19
For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
(Psalm 119:89)
We all struggle with spiritual discouragement and lethargy. Some days our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us, and we struggle just to pray. Many times we just don’t feel like doing the things we know we should. For one reason or another, God sometimes seems far off and unreachable.
David faced times like these in his life. The Psalms are filled with verses that express his despair and feeling of abandonment.
Yet the Psalms also give us the key to living victoriously during the dark periods of life. Let’s take a quick look at Psalm 119:89-95*.
“For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.They continue this day according to thine ordinances . . .”
My circumstances or feelings have not changed God. He is the same God today as He was when He hung the stars in the sky, led the Israelites through the Red Sea , and fed the five thousand.
“For all are thy servants…”
All things, even the things affecting me right now, are God’s servants. The circumstance, people, and events around me are all under God. They are His servants, designed to help and bless me spiritually.
“Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.I am thine, save me: for I have sought thy precepts.The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.”
Recalling God’s faithfulness and control over everything that touches us gives us strength to walk with God even when we feel like giving up in despair. After all, our feelings and circumstances have not changed God. He is perfectly capable of sustaining us if we will only let Him. We simply need to choose to delight in and diligently consider God’s precepts (His principles and character) despite how we feel. Choosing to delight in God might not be easy. It might even involve hard work. But only God can revive and save our soul from spiritual lethargy.
Next time you feel spiritually drained or inadequate, remember that you have a choice. You can wrap yourself up in excuses and self-pity, or you can choose to draw your strength from an unchanging God.
I needed this reminder today. I pray you are encouraged to draw your strength from an unchanging God. Faith isn’t a feeling. It’s a choice to trust God even when the road ahead seems uncertain. What will you choose?
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Colossians 3:13
07
Jun '19
Taking a You-Turn with Your Emotions
07
Jun '19
He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good. (Proverbs 19:8)
A decade ago, when I was single and working my way through graduate school, I found myself envying a woman I worked for.
I didn’t want to envy this lovely woman who’d been nothing but kind to me. I hated feeling that way. But beating myself up about this feeling got me nowhere.
I decided to get curious about my envy instead of trying to stifle it. What is it about her life that stirs up this unpleasant feeling inside of me? I shifted from envying her to recognizing she had much to teach me — and I began to take notice.
There were many things about her I admired: how she engaged her own work with passion but always took time to be present with her family … the light-heartedness evident in her relationships with others … the way her home was welcoming and lived-in. There was always an extra seat at her dinner table, an open invitation for connection.
As I took notice of her life I realized that my own life had become a little out-of-balance. My work had taken over at the expense of connecting with others. Envy became a cue that something in my own life needed to change.
I had discovered what it meant to take a “You-Turn.” In Matthew 7:3-4, Jesus challenged the crowd to work on their own issues, before pointing fingers at others. “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”
When you’re feeling envy, anger or resentment, it’s good to ask what else is going on inside. Is there another part of me that’s hurting and I’ve been exiling? If so, it needs to be drawn in closer so to give it the care it needs. Or, is there a part of you that’s become reckless and needs some gentle boundaries? Notice the cues. Listen to your pain.
When challenging emotions make their presence known, take the opportunity to evaluate what is going on inside of you. Which parts of your soul need your time, attention and redirection? Painful or troubling emotions present opportunities for growth and healing: Internal conflict is often growth trying to happen.
God’s Word reminds us that gaining wisdom and insight is worth it in the long run. As we see in today’s key verse, “He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good” (Proverbs 19:8).
Taking a You-Turn helps me gain clarity about my conflicted thoughts and feelings so I can respond intentionally instead of becoming reactive. It doesn’t mean I start to criticize myself for having the difficult or uncomfortable emotion. Instead, it means getting curious and treating myself with compassion. Taking a You-Turn starts with these three steps:
1.) Focus on the challenging or overwhelming emotion.
2.) Extend compassion toward this feeling you don’t like.
3.) Invite Jesus to draw near.
Just the other night, I stopped to take a break from my work to snuggle up with the dog on the couch and watch a silly TV show with my daughter. As we laughed out loud in our very lived-in family room, I remembered, with gratitude, that woman whose life I had once envied. With the help of God’s Spirit, I’d been able to focus on a feeling I didn’t like and allow Jesus to transform it. As a result, I gained access to some of my deepest desires and was able to take steps to change my own life.
When you spend time with God, don’t leave your unwanted thoughts and feelings at the door. Instead, get curious about them and invite Jesus to be near them, too.
Dear God, thank You for the gift of a multi-faceted soul. Today, I invite You to draw near and keep me close. Help me understand my emotions and wisely discern how You want me to grow. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
This devotion blessed me so very much. I pray it encourages you to make a “You Turn” in your life if you have any unwanted thoughts and feelings. He is greater than anything we face, He is able. Go to Him in prayer. I (He) will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I (He) will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron (Isaiah 45:2).
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 90:2
06
Jun '19
Abby’s Prayer
06
Jun '19
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. (1 Timothy 2:1)
When Abby was a sophomore in high school, she and her mom heard a news story about a young man who’d been critically injured in a plane accident—an accident that took the lives of his father and stepmother. Although they didn’t know this person, Abby’s mom said, “We just need to pray for him and his family.” And they did.
Fast forward a few years, and one day Abby walked into a class at her university. A student offered her the seat next to him. That student was Austin Hatch, the plane crash victim Abby had prayed for. Soon they were dating, and in 2018 they were married.
“It’s crazy to think that I was praying for my future husband,” Abby said in an interview shortly before they were married. It can be easy to limit our prayers to our own personal needs and for those closest to us, without taking the time to pray for others. However, Paul, writing to the Christians at Ephesus, told them to “pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). And 1 Timothy 2:1 tells us to pray “for all people,” including those in authority.
Let’s pray for others—even people we don’t know. It’s one of the ways we can “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).
Who are the people—some you may not even know personally—who need your prayers today? How will you carve out some time to talk with God about their needs?
Jesus, open my heart to the needs of people around me—even those I don’t know. Take my heartfelt concern and intervene for them as only You can. Amen.
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ephesians 3:19
05
Jun '19
Knocking Down Pins
05
Jun '19
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done . . . (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
The clever lyrics by Sara Groves “Setting Up the Pins” encourages listeners to find joy in the repetitive, routine tasks that sometimes feel as pointless as manually setting up bowling pins over and over again, only to have someone knock them down.
Laundry. Cooking. Mowing the lawn. Life seems full of tasks that, once completed, have to be done again—and again. This isn’t a new struggle but an old frustration, one wrestled with in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. The book opens with the writer complaining about the endless cycles of daily human life as futile (1:2–3), even meaningless, because “what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again” (v. 9).
The writer was able to regain a sense of joy and meaning by remembering our ultimate fulfillment comes as we “fear [reverence] God and keep his commandments” (12:13). There’s comfort in knowing that God values even the ordinary, seemingly mundane aspects of life and will reward our faithfulness (v. 14).
What are the “pins” you’re continually setting up? In those times when repetitive tasks begin to feel tiring, may we take a moment to offer each task to God as an offering of love.
How might you do a task differently today knowing God values it? How does knowing this bring meaning to the mundane?
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving value to the ordinary activities of life. Help us to find joy in the tasks before us today. Amen.
What blessed me about this devotion is so often we can find ourselves frustrated when the ordinary activities of life become mundane. I pray today’s devotion uplifts and encourages you to see it all in a different light knowing God values every task you put your hand to. May we find a new sense of joy in our every day repetitive tasks.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Thessalonians 5:11