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Archive for the ‘Devotional’ Category

Beyond Taxing Times

Posted in Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on April 15, 2015| 1 Comment »

 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)

If you have taken time out to read this devotional today of all days, congratulations. Millions of people are only thinking of one thing today—getting their tax returns done before midnight.  They are too busy rendering unto Cesar at the moment to find time to turn to God, except perhaps in a desperate plea of panic when they see how much they owe. Tax time can definitely be a stressful time. So many rules, loopholes and hoops to jump through. Endless forms to fill in, if-that-then-this scenarios, trying to determine if you, as a square peg, can squeeze into the round hole of restrictions.

Praise God  that His way is not so convoluted. Perhaps that is why many people find salvation hard to believe. There are no hoops to jump through, no volumes of rules to follow to the letter or else, no restrictions, no loopholes. What’s the catch? It’s not that simple. No way. There has to be a plan.

Of course there is. What is God’s plan? To restore us to His presence. That’s it. His biggest desire for us is to return to Eden. But our sinful nature blocks the way. Evil lurks to trip us up and tempt us into turning our heads, and then our backs. All we need to do is to say we are sorry and we desire Christ to come into our lives and take it over. His plan brings peace into chaos, hope into despair, a future of faith where none once existed.

Today, who will you choose to serve? Jesus said we can’t have two masters. Yes, we must render unto ImageCesar, so to speak. But, the best way to do that is to realize that even the government is under God’s plan. In Romans, Paul encouraged the people to be respectful of their government because it, too, came from God. If God is truly sovereign then all is under His control, despite the human free will factor. Once we render all to Him, it makes having to render unto the government more purposeful, and all the more necessary. By paying our taxes, we are abiding by the law of the land, and in essence, obeying God’s desire for us.

Render all to God first—all your fears, misdoings, hurts, joys, blessings and money. Then trust in His plans for you. He died on a cross to ensure that plan. Whatever April 16th brings, you can have faith that it is under control. Render unto Cesar, yes. But first, surrender to God.

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Feathered Cacophony

Posted in Devotional, Nature, tagged , , , , , on April 1, 2015| 1 Comment »

As I pulled into work, a strange buzz hit my ears. No, not a buzz. Hundreds of squawks, in unison and yet sounding individually. An enormous flock of starlings darted in and out of the trees near Mary’s Creek. What struck me is that in the drumming noise I could pick out individual bird songs.  Listen and I bet you can as well.

A warmth spread over me as I thought- that is what God hears. All of our prayers lifted up all over the world, and yet He can decipher each individual one. I never have to worry if mine gets “lost” in the shuffle. Whether 15,000 people are praying with me or just one or two, it is heard. After all, He knows the whisperings of my heart before it even hits my brain and comes out of my mouth.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

God heard His Son’s  sob-laden pleas in the Garden of Gethsemane, and  his last words choked out on the cross. Be cause I believe His son died for me I am confident He hears my sorrowful pleas, the words that choke in my throat as well as my shouts of joys and questioning why?

Today, a feathered cacophony of birds flocking in spring reminded me that God hears. What will God’s message to you be today?

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Ready, Steady…WAIT!

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on February 17, 2015| 7 Comments »

courtesy duanealley.com Royalty- Free Image by Corbis

courtesy duanealley.com
Royalty- Free Image by Corbis

Do you find it hard to wait?  If you are like most of us, you dislike waiting in line to be served, waiting at traffic lights, waiting in front of the microwave as lunch twirls around inside bombarded by heating waves, waiting for the tax refund….Yet, Scripture tell us we should wait.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.  Psalm 27:14 NIV

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3 NIV

I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:6 NIV

Many of us think waiting is inaction, doing nothing. But that is not true. Helen Lescheid, a devotional writer I follow, said this: “Waiting on God is not the same as doing nothing. The truth is, waiting requires tremendous faith and focus ”

Waiting means letting go of our control and our timing. It is to acknowledge that we cannot accomplish it on our own. We need assistance, be it the clerk at the DMV to approve our forms, the snarled rush hour traffic all wanting to enter the same intersection, our food to heat in a few minutes, or God to move in our lives. Life is about waiting. We may as well embrace it.

But there are things we can “do” while we wait. The time passes better for the one who p-r-a-y-s.

1.Pray. As you physically wait in a line, pray for those folks God brings to mind. Pray for those who are waiting with you, such as the woman with the unruly kids tugging on her pant leg. Pray for the old man bent over with a smoker’s cough. Pray for the young man who is dressed like a gang member. And as you wait on God to move in your life, pray for patience, strength to endure the in-between time, and wisdom to see the reasons for the waiting.

2. Reflect. Think on the past blessings in your life and praise God for them. Think about the outcomes when you patiently waited before and how the outcome was better for the effort.

3.Ask. If you get a tightness in your gut or begin to tap your foot, ask for peace and patience to envelop you. Ask for the butterflies to settle and your pulse to slow. Ask God to give you a sign that waiting is the correct thing to do.

4. Yield. Let go and let God. Sounds trite, but it can be so hard to pry your fingers from the situation and lay your hand in your lap, or fold them in prayer. Repeat to yourself the words of the Lord’s prayer: Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. 

5.Smile. Be friendly, even if everyone else is grumpy. Talk with the person ahead or behind you and be a witness to the peace that passes  all understanding. Smiles are contagious. Brighten everyone else’s day and yours will brighten as well. And alone in your prayer corner, smile to God as you pray. Let Him fill you with joy.

..but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
    they shall run and not be weary,
    they shall walk and not faint..  Isaiah 40:31 RSV

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Seamed Wrong

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on January 17, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I walked from the closet through the bedroom and had to stop just beyond the hall. Somehow, IMAG0152 (1)the toe seam of my sock had skewed and rubbed against the ball of my foot. I pondered. Do I take the time to wander over to a chair in the living room, unzip my boots, rearrange the sock and…? I was running a bit late as it was.

However, logic predicted if I didn’t stop to correct the situation, by the end of the day I’d be hobbling with a giant blister on the underside of my foot. Okay (sigh).

I know there are times my Heavenly Father skews something in my life. It just doesn’t feel right.  Until I stop and deal with whatever it is He wants to bring to my attention it will niggle me. Maybe it is a nudging to go off and spend prayer time with Him, or to stop, close my eyes and listen for His whispers into my soul. It could be an attitude adjustment I need, or simply a different way of looking at a situation that keeps tapping on my subconscious.

The longer I wait, the more it will rub against my day…or week, maybe month. It will begin to grow uncomfortable, move to irritable, and edge into unbearable.

Is there something not “seaming” right in your life today? Better stop and take care of it through prayer. Things often don’t straighten out on their own.

I found God today in a skewed sock seam. Where will you find Him?

 

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Choose what I chose

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , , on December 15, 2014| 1 Comment »

samuel davidAs I read the story of Samuel’s anointing of David, God whispered something into my soul. “I led Samuel to choose what I chose.”

In 1st Samuel 16, the prophet knows he is to anoint the king who will replace Saul. God tells him to head for Jesse’s land and that He will show him to anoint. Samuel arrives and discovers Jesse’s eldest son. Ah, ha. Surely…but God says, “No. You see the outwards appearance but I see into a person’s heart.” On down the line, Jesse eyes each of the sons only to keep hearing the same answer.

Believing God called him to anoint someone on Jesse’s land, he asks the question. Who else is around? Lo and behold, the youngest who was away tending the sheep is the one God has chosen.

Samuel could have saved a lot of time by asking God right off the bat to show him the one God wanted. But he didn’t. So he went through the process of elimination. God, in His infinite patience sat back and played along.At least Samuel kept asking in faith instead of being a bit disappointed when He said, “Nope, not that either.”

It makes me wonder how many times I hear God say no, but instead of having the tenacious faith to keep asking, I hang my head and walk away. Perhaps,like Samuel, God is eliminating the plans He knows I have so I can then, out of options, focus on His better one.

gifts-page-001It’s like going to the Christmas White Elephant party and being the last to choose a prize. Do you go for the obvious choices, already revealed, or hold out for the one left over? It may be the best of them all, and the one you hoped to get–except you just didn’t know it.

Yet, how much better is it to ask God, “Which one?” before you act at all?

The next time you hear God say “no”, will you be bold enough to ask Him to show you the “yes” ? Or, like Samuel, will you waste time pointing to what you think God wants.

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Come

Posted in Devotional, tagged , , , , on December 3, 2014| 2 Comments »

Advent is here– the season where we prepare for Jesus’ coming. In fact, adventus means just that- come.   

 ID-10057677As a babe, God in human form. One analogy is the watchmaker became a watch.  HE came to show us a better way. HE came to guide us into Truth. And HE was born who HE could die- for each of us.

 

 

As the eternal jujudgedge at the end of the ages when HE returns for his own. Often referred to as the Second Coming, this is when HE will separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the shaft, the faithful from those who have yet to believe. But HE is also our advocate, who offers up our defense before the throne of Heaven. Since we know not when this age will pass away or when Our Savior will return, we must be prepared. Advent reminds us to both be the voice crying in the wilderness for others to repent, and also to prepare our own hearts and souls.

 

 

Woman MeditatingThirdly, His Spirit comes into our hearts, dwells in us and through us. Advent is the beginning of the Christian Year, and it is our time to make resolutions. Are we diligently praying? Do we carve out time for reading HIS word and reflecting upon it? Are we disciplining ourselves with good habits and sloughing off the old ones that lead to sin?  When others look at us and to us. does Christ shine through?

 

 

 ADVENT is more than preparing for Christmas – it is preparing for eternity.  This is something we should do each and every day – Advent is a reminder to look for God’s  shoulder-tapping in your life, and to ask Him to come into your heart, your day and your life.

                       MARANATHA – Come Lord Jesus 

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Sin Aroma

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , on November 18, 2014| 1 Comment »

While lecturing and book signing in San Antonio, I spent the night with my sister. When I blurry-eyed stepped into her shower, this is what greeted me.

IMAG0128

 

SIN AROMA. I had to laugh. It was 6:30 in the morning and I’d already found God today. San Antonio is a bilingual city, so labels are in English and Spanish. “Sin Aroma” means “unscented”, But it got me to thinking. What is the aroma of sin? Isn’t it often undetectable?  Unlike natural gas, which is also undetectable, nothing is added to temptations to let us know danger lurks. No nasty, scrunch up your nose odor to warn us to back away.

The father of lies’s temptations are often what we think we want, need or even believe is God’s will for us. So we dash ahead without taking it to God in prayer first for verification and blessing.

James wrote in his letter, “Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, give birth to death.” (1:15)

Then fact that sin can wash over our body and we still “feel clean” is evidence that we live in a fallen world. But when we become the Body of Christ and He lives in us, sin’s enticement is more detectable. The more we allow ourselves to be washed in His Blood, the more protected we will become.  As believers, we all need a “body wash” (jabon corporal) at least once a week (worshiping corporately) to slough off the sins that have begun to stick to us like sweat.  As individuals, just as we cleanse our skin each day, let us also remember to wash our souls.

Now everyone sing…”What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus…”

 

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Grace is Grits

Posted in Devotional, tagged , , , , on November 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Note: this was an article I received in an email from Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders – Julie

By Amanda Scott

Our priest years ago told a story about his time in seminary school in Virginia. He and a friend from up north decided to travel to Georgia, his home state.  Along the way they stopped at a Waffle House.  They placed their orders and continued chatting.  When the waitress brought their orders, the friend was surprised to find a mess of grits on his plate.  “Excuse me, I didn’t order these grits,” he said. “That’s okay,” the waitress replied. “Well, I’m not paying for them.” The waitress looked puzzled.

It turned out that every meal came with a free side of grits.  Finally, the mystery was solved and the seminarians realized that Grace is like grits.  You don’t have to ask for it and you get it for free!

A recent article by LifeWay Research revealed that 71% agree that people first seek God then He responds with grace, meaning a majority of people don’t know grace is like grits!

graceisgrits2If I ever forget that, I have Jasmine to remind me.  She shared her story with our most recent team. As a child, Jasmine was sexually abused by her father.  Eventually, she escaped the continued abuse, drugs, beatings, and prostitution that engulfed her life.  Today she is almost two years drug free, she is working for the LAMB Institute, and is volunteering for our Alonzo Movement.  “I always believed God loved me,” Jasmine says.  No one had ever told her that, so how could she know God loved her?  Pure grace.  This grace, a free and unasked for gift carried her through her worst times, and it lifts her up today.  Jasmine’s unconditional love shines through and impacts others around her.  She passes God’s grace to her son, Lester.

I urge you to be among the 29% who know that grace is like grits.  Give thanks to God that we don’t have to ask or pay for his grace in order to receive it.  God makes the first move.  He offers His grace first and always. And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  John 1:16-17

 

Amanda Scott is a SAMS missionary serving in Children’s Ministry at the LAMB Institute in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

 

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In a Word…thanks

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on October 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

ID-10031659I prayed, “I need to blog today. God, show me where to find You so I can lead others to now Your Truth.”  The Spirit nudged me to  open to Philippians – my all time favorite book in the Bible.  A warmed smile slid across my lips as I logged into the Bible app on my e tablet, selected 1:1 and began to read. Then, verse 12 jumped off the page into my heart.

                              Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.

Paul was imprisoned, in chains. Roman jails were not the best places in the world to be. Dank. Damp. Rats. Stink. But Paul’s attitude certainly did not match his surroundings.

Does mine? When something unfair, or wrong, or bad happens to me, is my attitude like Paul’s? Is it yours?

When life happens, do I point to my Lord in trust, believing He is to be glorified in every situation, instead of whining and turning the attention to poor little me?  Not to step on toes, but I’ve read a great deal of bellyaching on Facebook lately: aches, pains, pity me for my chronic syndromes, flat tires, flooded laundry rooms, bad politicians…. What if we all instead posted, “I wait with anticipation on how God will bless me and others through this.”

What if we truly, as Paul states, give thanks in all circumstances (I Thessalonians.5:18)  (Philippians 4:6) ?

Right now, things are great. I have signed a contract for a third novel in 18 months and am soaring on the blessings of my dreams being fulfilled. Requests for my lectures and workshops are increasing. But, this life is not perfect. Tragedy will hit. Heartaches will come, and so will the getting-older aches,pains and illnesses.

I have this prayer today. May I advance the Gospel in each and every incident, good or bad. Join me in that prayer, won’t you?

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Hazed

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on October 22, 2014| 2 Comments »

It seemed clean. I could see through it just fine…until I turned my car into the rising sunlight. IMAG0118

Oooh, the hazy smudges, minuscule dead bug guts, road dirt. It glared at me — literally.  The brilliance of the rays accented the dirtiness of my car glass, making it hard for me to see beyond the filminess. It clouded my view.

So, as I waited for the light to change to green, I pushed the button on the wand to the right of my steering wheel, and squirted window cleanser on the outside of the shield. Then I flipped my wipers on full speed. Back-forth, back-forth, back-forth.

Well, that worked a bit. But, I realized there was haze on the inside as well. It was a residual of my breathing, mixed with fumes from the plastic dashboard, dust that slipped through the AC filter, and lint off my clothes. (Yeah. I Googled it to find out.)  Okay, maybe a few fumes from the cheeseburger and fries I got  at the drive-thru last week as well. I confess.

I grabbed a sleeve of my sweater (I didn’t have a rag) and wiped over the inside of the windshield in a tight, circular motion. Aha. Clarity. No more glare. Both sides cleaned…not perfect, but definitely a vast improvement.

Is that not indicative of our lives? Some dirt gets slammed into us- the offensive language or scenes on our TV shows that slip into the script. That touch of gossip we overheard in the restroom at work. The local news that has to relay all the ugly details. The younger coworker who is dressing in too tight clothes that accent the fact they work out–a lot.

Other things dirty us from our inside. Anger, jealousy a revengeful thought, a slight pilfering of office supplies, forgetting to pray before we dash out the door to face the world. negative self-talk.

Both work to form a haze over our witness. People cannot see Christ as clearly in us. And as each little thing accumulates over time, it may be hard for us to notice the view has become obscure.

It works both ways. Our view of the world may not be as clear. We begin to think –  Is it really all that bad nowadays? Perhaps times have changed,and so should my opinion. People seem more tolerant, maybe I should as well. It’s okay if I sleep in on Sunday, again. Everyone else does.

Our judgement has become clouded. That is until the Light of His Truth blares into our lives.

It may be a sermon, a passage in Scripture, or wisdom from a well meaning friend. Perhaps that small inner voice you know is not from your brain waves. Something throws a glare onto the filthiness you have collected in your life.

Time to wipe it clean…

  • On the outside by being more diligent to keep away from temptations.
  • On the inside to make sure we wipe the slate clean before we retire and seek God’s forgiveness, and perhaps other people’s as well, for any wrong we have done.

Next time the Son shines, it will be clearer to others, and to ourselves, that we are truly His followers. No more haziness.

 

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