Learning Humility
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? (Exodus 3:11)
Moses is named in Scripture as the most humble man ever (Numbers 12:3). Reading of his encounter with God at the beginning of Exodus, we can see this humility in his speech. But, if we turn back a few chapters, we learn that humility wasn’t something Moses possessed naturally. He grew up in the posh setting of Egyptian royalty. After growing up in the royal house, he decided to visit his oppressed brothers, the Israelites. He then witnessed some of them being beaten by an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11). We can assume, by his actions after seeing this, that he assumed it was his God given role to save the Israelites from the oppression of the Egyptians, and he killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2:12). This doesn’t appear to be the mark of a humble man. He eventually fled Egypt in fear and spent 40 years as a shepherd in the wilderness.
God had a plan for Moses from the beginning to save his people. But, Moses did it his way instead of God’s way and in turn, ran away. It was during this time that we can assume Moses learned the importance of humility and was molded into the man God wanted him to be. God often uses these times in the wilderness to refine us for his future works as he did with Moses. You might feel a great call from God for a mighty work, but yet need some refining. Embrace the the wilderness as a time to grow closer to God and become more like him.
Stay patient and learn what it is God is teaching you.
This blessed me when I read it, so many times we get so impatient and frustrated as to why God has us where we currently are in life but it’s in those times that we need to take a step back, humble ourselves and instead of complaining about the wilderness, embrace it, learn from it, grow closer to God and allow Him to mold us so in time we can accomplish what He has set for us to do. Trust Him, even in the wilderness.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 23
Think Of Future Nations
And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. (Genesis 25:23)
God is talking to Rebekah here. The two nations he is talking about are Esau and Jacob. Let’s focus on the word “nations” in this verse. Why would God use “nations” instead of children? It is because they grew up and had large families and basically started two different “nations” as he said.
Should we think of our children or those we are discipling as future nations? Sometimes we focus on the here and now, or maybe even 10-15 years down the line, but we should think bigger. Our children will have children, and they will have children, and will create little nations within a larger nation.
The way we raise our children or teach those we are discipling could have an impact on a future nation. What you pour into someone’s life now might not be seen in your lifetime, but future “nations” will be thankful for it. Don’t get discouraged if there isn’t much progress in the here and now, think about the future.
Have you been too nearsighted lately?
When I read this I couldn’t help but think of my own children and at times I have questioned if what I am teaching them is “sticking”, if the example I am setting is “good enough” but then as I sat in church on Sunday and looked over to my left I seen my seven year old daughter reading and underlining scripture, it blessed her dad and I beyond measure and it’s in those what may seem like little moments when God shows me, yes, they do get it and in time I believe they will be part of a bigger change that will change nations for His good. I can’t allow myself to be discouraged in the here and now, I must think about the future and do my part as a parent, a leader in my home and church and trust that His word will not return void. We must set the example before our children, grandchildren, friends and family by reading our word, praying, paying our tithes, making church a priority, showing mercy and grace, these are just a few examples. Be the change you wish to see in your children and in the world.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Isaiah 55:11-13
Failure Is Not Fatal
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 6:69)
Prime Minister Winston Churchill knew how to bolster the spirits of the British people during World War II. On June 18, 1940, he told a frightened populace, “Hitler knows that he will have to break us . . . or lose the war. . . . Let us therefore brace . . . and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire [lasts] for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour!’ ”
We would all like to be remembered for our “finest hour.” Perhaps the apostle Peter’s finest hour was when he proclaimed, “Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:69). Sometimes, however, we let our failures define us. After Peter repeatedly denied that he knew Jesus, he went out and wept bitterly (Matt. 26:75; John 18).
Like Peter, we all fall short—in our relationships, in our struggle with sin, in our faithfulness to God. But “failure is not fatal,” as Churchill also said. Thankfully, this is true in our spiritual life. Jesus forgave the repentant Peter for his failure (John 21) and used him to preach and lead many to the Savior.
Failure is not fatal. God lovingly restores those who turn back to Him.
Dear Father, thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You that Your mercy and grace are given freely through the shed blood of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
I recently read this and thought what an incredible God we serve. I wouldn’t want to live this life without knowing Him and having a relationship with Him! When God forgives, He removes the sin and restores the soul.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is John 18:15-27
“A Four-Letter Word”
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
More than once since I committed this verse to memory I have had to embrace it as truth and pray that I not give in to a “spirit of fear.” I have come to believe that the word “fear” really is a four-letter word and should be considered profanity. Wouldn’t it be great if we could somehow have it censored from all of our thoughts and feelings, like bleeping out a bad word? But instead, fear is very much a part of our reality, even more so than we realize or want to admit. I know there are times when being fearful can be a good thing, such as being afraid of doing something that might bring harm or danger.
The spirit of fear as mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7 is a different kind of fear. This fear hinders what God has given us: His power, love and sound mind. This fear grips us with doubts and insecurities, waging war with our thoughts and feelings. This kind of fear is not of God but of the enemy, the devil. Fear is one of the greatest weapons Satan uses against us, as it attacks our minds. He tells us that we are no good, not worthy, unloved and useless. These thoughts affect us all, he picks on everyone, no one is spared. How can we fight against such thoughts? By believing the truth of the second part of the verse. God through His Holy Spirit has given us power, love and a sound mind, not in our strength but in His.
Are you dealing with fears today that are gripping you so tightly that you feel helpless and hopeless? How can these fears be conquered? Start by praying for the Lord to open your mind and help you understand how to use the power given by His Holy Spirit. The power precedes love, so next pray for your heart to be filled with His love, knowing that His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). What a great pair…power and love! Then, ask the Lord to clear your mind and bring to your thoughts His words, taking captive those thoughts not of Him.
O, Lord, I pray that You teach us how to live victorious lives through the empowering love and strength of Your Holy Spirit. And in Jesus name we ask that You break those strongholds of fear that bind us up and keep us from experiencing the peace and joy that You desire for us. Amen.
I recently read this and I knew it had to be shared. Fear is a stronghold and it’s time we break the chains of fear that hold us captive. I pray this blesses someone right where you are today and I pray it inspires you to get up and keep moving forward.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Timothy 1:6-12
Nothing is Useless
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
In my third year battling discouragement and depression caused by limited mobility and chronic pain, I confided to a friend, “My body’s falling apart. I feel like I have nothing of value to offer God or anyone else.”
Her hand rested on mine. “Would you say it doesn’t make a difference when I greet you with a smile or listen to you? Would you tell me it’s worthless when I pray for you or offer a kind word?”
I settled into my recliner. “Of course not.”
She frowned. “Then why are you telling yourself those lies? You do all those things for me and for others.”
I thanked God for reminding me that nothing we do for Him is useless.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul assures us that our bodies may be weak now but they will be “raised in glory” (v. 43). Because God promises we’ll be resurrected through Christ, we can trust Him to use every offering, every small effort done for Him, to make a difference in His kingdom (v. 58).
Even when we’re physically limited, a smile, a word of encouragement, a prayer, or a display of faith during our trial can be used to minister to the diverse and interdependent body of Christ. When we serve the Lord, no job or act of love is too menial to matter.
Jesus, thank You for valuing us and using us to build up others. Amen.
This blessed me when I read it because so many people feel inadequate when it comes to what they have to offer others but God can and will use you right where you are with what you have. Today let’s encourage ourselves and remember, when we serve The Lord, no job or act of love is too menial to matter, nothing we do for him is useless, ever! Even if in the moment all you have to offer someone is a smile, you never know all the good that a simple smile can do.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading Is 1 Corinthians 15:42-58
Someone to Trust
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? (Proverbs 20:6)
“I just can’t trust anyone,” my friend said through tears. “Every time I do, they hurt me.” Her story angered me. Struggling to trust again after a pain-filled childhood, this betrayal seemed just one more confirmation that people could not be trusted.
I struggled to find words that would comfort. One thing I could not say was that she was wrong about how hard it is to find someone to fully trust, that most people are commpletely kind and trustworthy. Her story was painfully familiar, reminding me of moments of unexpected betrayal in my own life. In fact, Scripture is very candid about human nature. In Proverbs 20:6, the author voices the same lament as my friend, forever memorializing the pain of betrayal.
What I could say is that the cruelty of others is only part of the story. Although wounds from others are real and painful, Jesus has made genuine love possible. In John 13:35, Jesus told His disciples that the world would know they were His followers because of their love. Although some people may still hurt us, because of Jesus there will also always be those who, freely sharing His love, will unconditionally support and care for us. Resting in His unfailing love, may we find healing, community, and courage to love others as He did.
When I read this I felt it was important to share. Often times we use the excuse, well I can’t trust anyone but that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Take a moment today and without lashing out at the ones who have hurt you refocus your thoughts and take a moment to reflect on those who God has placed in your life who truly and unconditionally support and car for you, even if you can only think of one single person, Thank God for them. My prayer today is that despite the hurt from others in my life, may I be that person in someone’s life who they can stop and say, yes, I may have been hurt by this or that person but I know I have a true friend in her who will unconditional support and care for me. Let me be that person who God uses to uplift and encourage others and may I not solely reflect on those who have hurt me but reflect on those who truly love me because that’s what truly matters.
Thank You Jesus for placing those in my life who love me and support me unconditionally. Help me not to focus on those who have hurt me. Thank You for making true love possible. Amen!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is John 13:33-35
What Do We Want?
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)
“I went from the horse-and-buggy to a man walking on the moon,” said the elderly man to his granddaughter, who shared this story with me recently. But then he mused, “I never thought it would be so short.”
Life is short, and many of us turn to Jesus because we want to live forever. That’s not bad, but we don’t comprehend what eternal life really is. We tend to crave the wrong things. We long for something better, and we think it’s just ahead. If only I were out of school. If only I had that job. If only I were married. If only I could retire. If only . . . And then one day we catch an echo of our grandfather’s voice as we wonder where the time has flown.
The truth is, we possess eternal life now. The apostle Paul wrote, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). Then he said, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit” (v. 5). In other words, our desires change when we come to Christ. This naturally gives us what we most desire. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (v. 6).
It’s one of life’s great lies that we need to be somewhere else, doing something else, with someone else before we start truly living. When we find our life in Jesus, we exchange regret over life’s brevity for the full enjoyment of life with Him, both now and forever.
Lord, You said You came to give us life to the fullest, but so often we have our own agenda and the wrong goals in mind. Please forgive us, and help us desire what You want. Amen.
As I read this I thought about Travis Culver, he was a Christian Radio Host who had been battling cancer over the past year and he past away yesterday. As I was listening to and reading his testimony he said something that brought me to tears and I knew I had to share it today, he said, “I encourage you not to miss the little miracles along the way, they are like little pebbles in your path and so often we are busy looking everywhere else and not focused on the end result that we miss the little miracles that are right in our path that Jesus puts there every day to brighten our day”. As we go through our day today let’s stop and see the little miracles along the way, placed there by Jesus to brighten our day. We have so much to be grateful for! Please pray for the Culver family. He is survived by his wife and two children. He will be sorely missed.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Romans 8:1-11
Grace: Tomorrow and Today
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:4-5)
We often focus on the future grace we will enjoy with the return of Jesus. At the end of many church services we hear of our need to put our faith in Jesus so that we can some day get to heaven where we will receive that grace. Yes, this is correct. But, if we look closely at today’s text, we can clearly see that there was a lot more wrong than right in our lives before we came to faith in Christ.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV)
We followed Satan (a none too popular truth), lived in the passions of our flesh, and behaved as we desired. But, because of God’s love for us we are no longer slaves to self, sin, or Satan! No longer are we “dead in our trespasses”, we are made alive in Him. It is only by God’s grace that we can follow and obey His commandments. No more being carried here and there by the ways of the world, God’s grace has made a way for us while we live here on the earth. Now our deepest desires are to do God’s will and live worshipping Him instead of ourselves.
When I recently read this I thought of this scripture, 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). God’s grace is not only for the future, but to be experienced in the present. Today let’s experience a peace that passes all understanding by embracing God’s grace. He is faithful, He is the same yesterday, today and forever!!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ephesians 2:4-5
Table Rock
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46-49)
A large, illuminated cross stands erect on Table Rock, a rocky plateau overlooking my hometown. Several homes were built on neighboring land, but recently the owners have been forced to move out due to safety concerns. Despite their close proximity to the firm bedrock of Table Rock, these homes aren’t secure. They have been shifting atop their foundations—nearly three inches every day—causing risk of major water pipes breaking, which would accelerate the sliding.
Jesus compares those who hear and obey His words to those who build their homes on rock (Luke 6:47–48). These homes survive the storms. By contrast, He says homes built without a firm foundation—like people who don’t heed His instruction—cannot weather the torrents.
On many occasions, I’ve been tempted to ignore my conscience when I knew God asked more of me than I had given, thinking my response had been “close enough.” Yet the homes in the shifting foothills nearby have depicted for me that being “close” is nowhere near enough when it comes to obeying Him. To be like those who built their homes on a firm foundation and withstand the storms of life that so often assail us, we must heed the words of our Lord completely.
Help me, Lord, to obey You fully and with my whole heart. Thank You for being my firm foundation. Amen.
God’s Word is the only sure foundation for life.
When I read this I instantly knew of what the writer was speaking of and I have been keeping tabs on the current situation with the homes shifting atop their foundations near Table Rock, but never once had I looked at it from a spiritual perspective. Wow, this blessed me and it caused me to stop and think, how many things in our lives, if we would just slow down and take a moment to reflect could God use to speak to us. If God can use something like Table Rock and the homes shifting atop their foundation to teach us something spiritually, how much more can He teach us in our daily lives if we would just pause and allow Him to speak through any given situation. I would ask today that you take a moment and look around you and find the good in just one situation and I bet you will be able to find more than one good thing, even amidst a terrible situation. What the enemy uses to hurt you, God uses to prosper you.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Luke 6:46-49
A Reason to Sing
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. (Psalm 47:6)
Singing changes the brain! Some studies show that when we sing, our bodies release hormones that relieve anxiety and stress. Other research indicates that when a group of people sings together, their heartbeats actually synchronize with each other.
The apostle Paul’s writing encourages the church to speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). And the Bible repeats, “Sing praise” more than fifty times.
In 2 Chronicles 20, we read a story of God’s people demonstrating their trust in God by singing as they marched into battle. Enemies were heading toward the people of Judah. Alarmed, King Jehoshaphat called everyone together. He led the community in intense prayer. They didn’t eat or drink, but only prayed, “Neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (v. 12). The next day, they set out. They weren’t led by their fiercest warriors, but by their choir. They believed God’s promise that they would be delivered without having to fight at all (v. 17).
While they sang and walked toward the conflict, their enemies fought each other! By the time God’s people reached the battlefield, the fighting had ended. God saved His people as they marched by faith toward the unknown, singing His praises.
God encourages us to praise Him for good reasons. Whether or not we are marching into battle, praising God has power to change our thoughts, our hearts, and our lives.
God, we praise Your everlasting love and faithfulness! You protect and guide us, and we trust You with our lives. Amen.
What are you facing today? When I read this I couldn’t help but think, we must sing His praises, despite what it looks like in front of us. Sing, sing, sing!!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Chronicles 20:14-22