Your Daily Crossroad
In Order
I was reading a few weeks ago about Abraham preparing the altar for Isaac. Abraham had laid the wood in order on the altar before placing Isaac on it. The more I looked at the words “in order” the more I wondered why the wood had to be laid in a specific manner. How could wood be distinguished in such a way as to know if it was “in order” or not? The Lord brought to my mind the other ways that He established His order for things. In Exodus 28:10, the names of the tribes of Israel were placed on the breastplate of the ephod in order of their birth. In Exodus chapter 40, Moses places the articles of the tabernacle in the order as God had instructed him. Even the showbread was placed “in order” on the table “as the Lord had commanded Moses.” (Exodus 40:23) We see God’s purpose for order in many places in Scripture.
Our God is a God of order and He takes it very seriously. Isaiah, the prophet, told King Hezekiah “Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live” (2 Kings 20:1). Hezekiah was not going to die because his house was not in order, but because he had a sickness unto death. The Lord wanted his house in order before he died. This priority of order is also seen in the New Testament as Paul would tell the Corinthians to “let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40) He was referring to how the gifts were being used in the church as relating to the conduct of the people.
Is your house in order today? Did you know that is an important part of our walk with the Lord? When our houses are in order, we have more peace and contentment than when they are in disarray. As women, we set the tone for the home and are accountable before the Lord for how we honor and obey Him in our responsibilities. Are you struggling with disorder? Ask the Lord to reveal ways you can improve things that are out of order in your life. If God wants wood to be put in order, how much more does He want our homes and days in order? We just need to start asking Him to show us how. We need to be willing to give Him the first fruits of our days and let Him lead us in the rest of it.
What truth! This devotion blessed me, what a reminder. We must grasp the importance of keeping our homes and days in order and remember if we don’t choose to set the tone for our day the devil will set it for us. Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4).
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Matthew 24:1-28
Working Weary or Working With The Lord?
Have you felt overwhelmed by too much work? Many times, we are overloaded with overbooked calendars and too little time to do the things we have to do, not to mention the things we would like to do. Most of us are always busy trying to complete the tasks or jobs for the day. Our society is works-based in every way imaginable. The eighties were a decade that made longer workdays the in-thing. Forty-hour weeks were considered short in comparison to the more popular sixty to eighty-hour weeks. Stay-at-home moms had to get busier too. Today, with advances in technology and a “faster is better” mentality, doing more is a must. Even our kids are obliged to participate in extra-extracurricular activities, thinking they are necessary for higher education opportunities. As a result, many of us are worn out, stressed out, and burned out from so much work.
In studying the construction of the tabernacle and its articles, we do not read of any overwhelming or stressful problems. The Lord commanded Moses who commanded the people to do all that the Lord had spoken. Simply put, Moses did what the Lord commanded and finished the work. What are we to learn from this story? The work that Moses did was given to him by the Lord. Moses followed the instructions to the exact detail, nothing added, nothing omitted. The Lord gave the gifts that were needed to do all of the designs and the Lord had already provided the required materials. The building of the tabernacle is a beautiful example of a perfect union between God and man. And the results were nothing short of miraculous.
Think for a moment about the work you are doing today. Did the Lord instruct you to do these things? Has God given you the tools and talents to carry out the work? Are you working in unison with God, following His instructions and doing all that He says? The things we choose to do outside of the Lord’s plans for us will lead to fatigue, frustration and futility in our efforts. We get so busy just being busy that many of us do not stop to include the Lord in our activities.
Have you spent time with the Lord today? Is He part of your “work” day? Maybe there is a tabernacle project in your life and God wants to do something miraculous through you. Pray that today is the day you let God take over all of your work. Get together with Him and see what happens.
Wow, this couldn’t have been more perfect. I had an extremely busy day, a bit overwhelming and completely unexpected, which is why I’m just now getting the devotion posted this late in the evening. I had a moment of thought, I’ll just skip the devotion today, I’ve been so busy and I just want to do nothing but The Lord nudged me ever so gently and whispered, go, so I obeyed and I’m so glad I did. We can’t allow the things in life to overtake His place in our lives. He must be our number one priority above all else. Make time for Him, day or night, it’s never to late to spend time with The Lord! He sees and He knows your heart, just show up and He will meet you right where you are. You are as close to God as you choose to be.
Have a wonderful evening in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 3:6
Trust Me
After graduation from college, I had a low-paying job. Money was tight, and sometimes I didn’t even have enough for my next meal. I learned to trust God for my daily provision.
It reminded me of the prophet Elijah’s experience. During his prophetic ministry, he learned to trust God to meet his daily needs. Shortly after Elijah pronounced God’s judgment of a drought in Israel, God sent him to a deserted place, Kerith Ravine, where He used the ravens to bring Elijah his daily meals and refresh him with water from the brook (1 Kings 17:1–4).
But a drought occurred. The brook shrank to a tiny stream, and slowly became a mere trickle. It was only when the brook had dried up that God said: “Arise, get thee to Zarephath . . . and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” (v. 9). Zarephath was in Phoenicia, whose inhabitants were enemies of the Israelites. Would anyone offer Elijah shelter? And would a poor widow have food to share?
Most of us would rather God provided in abundance long before our resources were depleted rather than just enough for each day. But our loving Father whispers, Trust Me. Just as He used ravens and a widow to provide for Elijah, nothing is impossible for Him. We can count on His love and power to meet our daily needs.
Faithful Father, thank You for knowing exactly what we need before we even ask. Help us to trust You for our daily needs. Amen.
Two words stood out to me as I read this devotion today and it blessed me, sustain thee. The definition of sustain is, strengthen or support, comfort, assist, encourage, give strength to, carry, cheer up. I don’t know about you but He sustains me. He is my strength, He is my support, He is my comfort, He assist’s me every single day of my life, He is my encouragement, He gives me strength from day to day, He carries me and yes He knows just how to cheer me up. He is my all in all and I pray He too is all that to you. We are so quick to judge God because He didn’t supply the need in abundance but I can guarantee you if you stopped and looked at where you are He sustains you, it’s not always about the huge tangible things in life that matter. If you are breathing and you can look up then you can get up and if you can’t physically get up due to an ailment or sickness then get up mentally and spiritually and thank God for today, praise Him through your storm and watch how incredibly faithful He is, today. The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him (Nahum 1:7). He is so much bigger than anything you will face today, leave everything in His hands and embrace this day confidently knowing that He will take care of you.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Kings 17:7-16
How to Change a Life
Sometimes our lives can change in a moment through the powerful impact of others. Well-chosen words can give us hope, even change the course of our lives. I’m sure most of us could share stories of a conversation that forever impacted our lives—words from a teacher that changed the way we saw the world, words of encouragement that restored our confidence, gentle words from a friend that carried us through a difficult time.
Perhaps this is why the book of Proverbs spends so much time emphasizing our responsibility to treasure words and use them wisely. Scripture never treats speech as if it’s “just talk.” Instead, we are taught that our words can have life-or-death consequences (18:21). In just a few words we could crush someone’s spirit, or, through words of wisdom and hope, nourish and strengthen others (15:4).
We each can seek God’s wisdom to serve others through our speech (Psalm 141:3). With just a few well-chosen words, God can use us to change a life.
Lord, help us never to take for granted the powerful gift of language. May we use our words wisely to heal and strengthen others and point to the hope we have in You. Amen.
This devotion blessed me so so much because just this morning as I was spending time with The Lord I was listening to a powerful sermon and it was about this very thing. The minister said, The tongue could be the best thing in the world or the worst thing in the world because the power of life and death are in the tongue, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof, Proverbs 18:21. It can be the best thing in your life or the worst thing in your life and it depends on how you use it. What you speak, weather you show mercy and you show love your tongue will either become the most wonderful thing or the worst thing. Bridle your tongue and allow God to use you to change a life for the good. Show mercy and love, even to those you feel don’t deserve it and watch the impact you will make. God is watching and He will bless you for showing mercy, love and forgiveness. Be careful with your words.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 15:4; 16:24; 18:21