Pastor Mary Haley

We have all tasted the metaphorical “storms of life” in the past [e.g. hardships, challenges, financial trouble, severed relationships, etc.], we may be living in a stormy season in the present, and in the future there will likely be more storms. These challenges are inevitable in a fallen world, but we do not face them alone. God is with us and he will use them to build us stronger in faith and character.

Some times these storms are brought on by our own choices. If we desire to walk in obedience to God, we may face a storm. If we are disobedience to God, we may face a storm. Life storms nudge people to turn to God for salvation and become more dependent upon him for help. So, what the enemy meant for our harm, God uses for good.

In our passage today, David calls us to worship our sovereign Lord; we must recognize his supreme power over all creation. He is our Voice of Truth and our Refuge in the storm. Understanding God’s strength is what we need most and brings us peace even though the circumstances may be difficult. David reminds us God’s power is displayed gloriously through the storms of life.

Psalm 29 NLT A psalm of David.
1 
Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings[a];
    honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
2 
Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
    Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
3 
The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
    The God of glory thunders.
    The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
4 
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 
The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
    the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 
He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
    he makes Mount Hermon[b] leap like a young wild ox.
7 
The voice of the Lord strikes
    with bolts of lightning.
8 
The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 
The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks[c]
    and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
10 
The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
    The Lord reigns as king forever.
11 
The Lord gives his people strength.
    The Lord blesses them with peace.

Prayer: Lord, you rule and reign in this world and in our hearts. So whatever storms life may bring we never have to fear, because you are with us. Your power is made perfect in our weakness, so we simply have to humble ourselves and ask. You have promised to make us more like Jesus, so we know you will use every stormy challenge to grow us in your holy character. Thank you for being our Source of peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

For the past few days, we have read about God’s covenant promise [binding agreement to remain faithful] with several biblical characters. When David was getting ready to die, he gave a charge to his son, Solomon, by reminding him of the promise God had made, “If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel” (1 Kings 2:4).

Today, we will read a bit about King Solomon and how he has handled his part of the covenant. Solomon was young and spiritually immature when he took over David’s dynasty and rule. Having the right priorities before God is a big deal and certainly Solomon needed to grow in his honor of God. Unfortunately, in his youth Solomon connected to idol worship, because he married women who worshiped other gods. Any form of idolatry will cause spiritual erosion, because the heart then neglects what is most important.

In our passage today from Chapter 10, Solomon has a visit from the Queen of Sheba who is very impressed with the elegance and presentation she encounters in Solomon’s palace. Yet, we know external signs of success do not always indicate internal health. Many things have suffered—especially the hearts of God’s people—because Solomon has stepped away from honoring his part of the covenant. It is not apparent yet, but Chapter 11 is coming and presents increasing spiritual erosion and immorality.

Just like Solomon, we all must face the consequences of our poor decisions, so it is better to do what is righteous and stay in covenant with God. No matter how successful we may be on the outside, we cannot hide what is true on the inside for very long. Obeying God’s Word is the road to genuine success.

1 King 10:1-13 NLT Visit of the Queen of Sheba
1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. 3 Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, 5 she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the Lord.

6 She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements [words] and wisdom is true! 7 I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told. 8 How happy your people [c] must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! 9 Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”

Prayer: Lord, you made Solomon wise, but you left him with a free will. Just like Solomon, we are called to love you wholeheartedly and to use self control for our choices. When we fail to live as you instruct, we fail inwardly before outwardly. We long to honor the covenant you have made with us in Christ Jesus—the covenant of genuine agape. Holy Spirit, help us to live righteously and pursue justice. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A promise is precious when it is made sacrificially and wholeheartedly. The biblical definition of a promise from God is a divine guarantee of God’s commitment. Yesterday, we visited the promise God made to Joshua; a promise to be with him as he moved forward, by faith, from the Egyptian wilderness [a land of bondage to sin], and led Israel into the unknown land of Canaan [a land of God’s provision and blessing].

Today, in our message from the gospel of Matthew, we ponder the promise God made to Israel to send an eternal King through the lineage of David. It had been 150 years since a descendent of David sat on the throne of Israel—since the exile of Judah to Babylon—but many of God’s people pressed on by placing their hope in God’s promise to provide a delivering King for them in the future. Sometimes, friends, we just have to wait awhile for God’s promises to manifest.

Today is the celebration of Epiphany—the manifestation of Christ our supernatural King—who came to save both the Jews and the Gentiles. The Magi, who were Gentile scholars and perhaps astrologers, followed the star looking for God’s promised newborn King. Herod, the reigning king of the Jews, became deeply troubled when he heard about a new King for God’s people.

To preserve his position, Herod made plans to get rid of his competition—killing males under 2 years of age—the approximate age of Jesus at this time. Herod was not a good king, nor a faithful Jew. He was in the political pocket of Rome and he was morally depraved. Herod killed several of his own sons, so they would not take the throne from him. Obviously, a paranoid liar who did not want to worship Jesus the true King of the Jews.
The slaughter of the innocent lives of babies in our passage certainly connects Jesus with Moses in the OT who was another promised deliverer of God’s people. So, evil seems to always find a way to emerge when God is about to bring forward a promised breakthrough. Don’t give up, stay faithful, and keep following Jesus…you can trust his promise.

Matthew 2:1-12 NLT The Magi Visit the Messiah
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi [wise men] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’[quoting Micah 5:2,4]”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for our lesson, today. Clearly, you help those who seek to worship you and you frustrate those who seek to destroy you. Thank you for protecting your family, Lord, and for being faithful to every promise. Holy Spirit, help us to remain faithful as we wait for the fulfillment of your promises in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We all struggle when we lose loved ones and trusted leaders with whom we have shared life. It’s never easy to pick up the pieces of our emotions or seek to heal the empty places these important people have left in our hearts. But, our passage today reminds us God knew how to continue flowing his love into Israel when Moses died and God knows how to keep us going when we, too, must adjust to loss of any kind.

With Joshua at his side, Moses has been leading the Israelites in their relationship with God based on the Law. Suddenly, God chooses to take Moses home and Joshua is left to lead Israel. It is huge loss for God’s people and a great challenge before Joshua, but God is leading him forward and giving him direction. Joshua will lead God’s people across the Jordan River and into Canaan.

God is always ready to give each one of us new direction with a new commission. He is growing us deeper by grace and our faith must become active and moving forward to keep up. Many times, that new direction comes in the midst of some kind of loss.
God spoke to Joshua, “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses” (Joshua 1:5). That was enough to comfort Joshua. No other human being could have made that promise or convinced Joshua to take up his commission. Only God.

Sometimes, we wait for only God to do the impossible or to heal what we cannot fix. That is not a place of weakness; rather, it is a place of breakthrough and strength. So, whatever you need God to do as he leads your life, just trust him, because he makes the same promise to you and me. Immanuel—God with us!

Joshua 1:1-9 NLT The Lord’s Charge to Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea[a] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your promise to heal our broken hearts, mend our wounded emotions, heal our weakened faith, and continue to lead us into your spiritual blessings. Like Joshua, your Word to our hearts is what we need to hear and to trust. Help us to be strong and courageous in Christ, no matter what we face. Make us more than conquerors. We want to lay hold of all you have planned and purposed for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Faith is essential if we are going to desire a relationship with God; it is what pleases him. Scripture reminds us we must lean into God’s loving nature, trust his Word and believe he does what he says. Faith is focused wholeheartedly on God and his righteousness, always requires action on our part [never passive], and is demonstrated through our obedience.

In our passage today, we read about faith in action. This chapter of the letter to the Hebrews is referred to by theologians as the Hall of Faith. These men and women fought the good fight of faith—walked through the valley of uncertainty with God—to lay hold of victory because he or she trusted God when they could not see clearly in the natural.

If these men and women would have allowed their desires, personal interests, or situations to decide their direction, they would have failed to apprehend the blessings of God. Without God it would have all been impossible; and they recognized the truth. That was the point. These people did not make things happen; active faith in God and a desire to seek his will for them brought the blessings—moved mountains. Please note these were not religious people, they were ordinary folks learning to walk by faith.

We are learning to walk by active faith, as well. Our hope must be placed in God alone; the Lord is the Author of our faith—the beginning and the end. He is our Provider who leads us on the path of righteousness. By faith, God will help us trust in him and grow in his character. Life may bring challenges, but God is our Deliverer and he will make sure to bring his highest and best into our lives when we desire to please him.

Hebrews 11:1-12 NLT Great Examples of Faith

1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed[b] that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

Prayer: Lord, faith does not always make sense to our natural minds, but your Word reminds us it is always powerful to bring breakthroughs. Your greatest desire for us is to learn your ways and to experience your heart and love for us. This new year, we ask you to lead us, prosper us, multiply us, and grant us the blessing of furthering the manifestation of your Kingdom on earth. Thank you, Lord, for giving us the desire to walk with you along the righteous path you shared with our heroes of the faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Happy New Year! Can you believe today is the beginning of a new year? Really, it’s the perfect time to reflect and decide how we want to live each day. Time is a precious gift from God. It’s not money, but it is valuable. We are given time and we exchange it for the activities we choose. With time, we decide were we will invest ourselves in order to produce what we desire most, because God gives us the power to use time. Therefore, we must remember to choose wisely, because time cannot be recovered.

It is important for us to desire and pray to understand and use time from God’s perspective, because he knows what truly matters and what influences eternity. He has placed eternity in our hearts. God’s priorities can be very different than ours, so this year we should pray for the wisdom and will to stop procrastinating on the things that we know we should do and start living with godly meaning and joy.

In our passage today, Solomon begins by contrasting the time of birth and death, to remind us how to actually live in the in-between time. Birth and beyond is because of grace and God’s sovereign care of us. Death is already planned for each one of us; God alone knows that time. So, everything about us is in God’s hands. God is involved in every season of time. Verses 1-10 shares time from a human perspective and shifts to God’s perspective in verse 11.

This year, let’s pray and ask to gain glimpses from God’s holy perspective. From this time with the Lord, we can set new priorities, new goals, and plan how we are going to use our time. Blessings for your New Year with God as you enjoy the journey in Christ!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 NLT A Time for Everything
1
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Prayer: Lord, we trust you; you are our God. Our times are in your hands. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“A toast…to my big brother, George. The richest man in town!”
—Harry Bailey

This Christmas continues to bring back fond memories. I am from a very small town in Michigan and I lived there twenty years before moving to Florida. For the most part everyone knew their neighbors in Clio; most of them generational friends. It was a friendly town; a place where people helped one another. When my parents walked through town to shop, it took awhile because they briefly stopped to talk to others and catch up on life. Essentially, my whole family lived in Clio [relatives on my father’s and mother’s side]; therefore, all our holiday gatherings were filled with large numbers of family members and friends stopping in and spending time. Quite frankly, some of the streets and store fronts from the fictional town of Bedford Falls make me think of Clio as I was growing up.

Today, is our final lesson from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It is Christmas Eve and people have gathered to help George and celebrate the true power of friendship and how it helps us be victorious in life. Harry, George’s brother has flown through a snowstorm in order to arrive and help his brother. When he arrives, Harry raises a glass, looks at his brother and says, “a toast…to my big brother George. The richest man in town!” George Bailey is not a man with gobs of money. However, he is a rich man because he values people, treats them with love, and has, in return, learned to receive the fruit of eternal Love (Gal 5:22-23). Sharing God’s love and goodness is meant to be reciprocal—like a never ending circle of Spirit-filled Life! God has freely given his love, mercy, and grace to us and we should freely turn to pass it on to others (Mat 10:8).
Today is Christmas Day and I pray for you to enjoy more of God’s love found in the Gift of Jesus the Christ! If we receive more of Christ’s nature—make room in our hearts—we will be more like him in how he loves. Jesus values his creation and treats people with divine mercy, love, and kindness. Jesus tells his disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command (John 15:14). What does he command us to do? To remain in his love and to love one another (John 15:9).

The miracle of Christmas is the unfathomable, unending, unfailing, and immeasurable love of God for us. Jesus is God and he reveals his love for us as our Creator, Savior, Redeemer, Sustainer, Provider, Healer, Lord, Lover, Friend, and so much more. In God’s love [Gk. agape] we are no longer spiritually bankrupt…instead we are rich in Love! Run to life with God, because it really is a wonderful life!

OT Reading: Proverbs 17:17 CEV “A friend is there to help, in any situation, and relatives are born to share our troubles.”

NT Reading: John 15:13 “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Promise: Psalm 145:8 NIV “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.”

Prayer: Lord, today we celebrate the gift of your birth knowing this was your way to set abundant life before us. Thank you for the many ways you save us as you live in our hearts and work to transform our souls into your image. Teach us to walk in humility and love generously, because only then do we truly embody you. Out of the richness of your grace, you have offered us a rich and wonderful life. We welcome you Lord, Jesus, and bow in humble service to your love. In Jesus’ name.

NOTE: I have enjoyed sharing these advent devotionals with you. God used a tiny book called, “52 Little Lessons from It’s a Wonderful Life” written by Bob Welch to inspire me, help me think about the different characters, ponder quotes from the movie, take me on a journey to see the movie in a whole new Light in my own heart, and write about them based on Old and New Testament Scripture. I pray you enjoyed them. I will be taking a break from devotions until the beginning of January, but urge you to spend time in God’s Word. Let’s enjoy the blessing of God’s love as we seek to love others! Merry Christmas!

“Daddy, won’t you fix my flower?”

—Zuzu to her father, George

Small children just thrill my soul as I watch them learn about themselves and the world around them.  When my granddaughter, Amana, was born, it had been thirty-five years since I had consistently and frequently been around an infant.  She is now three years old and each week I watch her take in the world.  She has a simple faith in God and it touches my heart.  

When the inside of our house was severely damaged by hurricane Helene, Amana came with her parents to see it.  Amana looked around at the damage [everything including her toys and bed destroyed] and said, “Mimi, we need to pray!”  So, she stood outside the house, closed her eyes, and prayed, “Jesus please fix Mimi and Papa’s house, because it has a very big booboo!”  She opened her eyes and looked at me, “Mimi,” she said, “Jesus is going to fix your house!”  And, from that sweet childlike prayer, it wasn’t long and divine connections were made to begin repairs. 

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” it is Christmas Eve and we find a very distraught George Bailey. Nothing in his realm of experience is going right.  George is angry and frightened about Mr. Potter’s threats to arrest him [lacking $8000 and facing potential bankruptcy] and when he returns home, everyone in the family gets a taste of the distress inside him.  

He runs up the stairs and finds his small daughter, Zuzu, sick in bed.  When Zuzu sees her father, she sits up to show him the flower she won at school; a flower that is wilting quickly.  “Daddy, won’t you fix my flower?”  George’s whole life is falling apart, but what does he do?  He pretends to fix the flower by secretly taking off the wilted petals and tucking them in his pocket. The flower looks refreshed. Then, George returns the flower to a glass a water. For a brief moment, George forgets his problems and looks to love his daughter who places her hope in her father to make things better.

Life brings many experiences; some very pleasant and some very challenging.  Yet, we must be able to sort through it all to find what God says is most important…hearts, because the soul is eternal.  God is always concerned most about the hearts of his children. Life reveals what we truly believe, where we place our trust, and to whom we go to for help.  Our heavenly Father sacrificially loves us and cares about our well-being and ‘all’ of our needs. There is nothing touching our lives that is out of God’s control to redeem, repair, or resurrect.

On this Christmas Eve, please remember your greatest Gift is a Savior who wants to touch your life with his goodness and glory.  Only the Lord can fix our brokenness, as human beings, and guide us through the challenges as we place our trust in him. Jesus is the Waymaker into wholeness of the soul. He brings a brand new perspective within us and soon life begins to change.  May we all, like humble children, pray for his help, believe in his promises, and follow his lead forward into the Good News of great JOY ahead!

OT Reading: Jeremiah 32:27 NLT “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”

NT Reading:  Luke 1:37 AMP “For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.”

Promise:  “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).

Prayer:  Lord, we know your Word never fails and everything we face is just another opportunity to see you bring wholeness out of the brokenness of our hearts and this world. We believe nothing is impossible to you and humbly choose to bow before the Savior of the world to receive the mercy and grace you long to bestow upon us.  We give you our frustrations, our anger, our discontent, and our worries, today, because you have promised to bring your goodness into our lives! In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

NOTE:  We are gathering at Connect2Christ Church this evening at 6:30PM for a Communion and Candlelight service.  I would be blessed to have you join us as we celebrate our Savior—the Christ! 

“And did you put the envelop in your pocket?” —George
“Yeah…yeah…maybe…maybe.” —Uncle Billy

In general, busyness [having too much to do] tends to be a part of life that requires some boundaries. During the holidays, busyness can feel somewhat overwhelming and difficult to carve out time to be fully present for the people we love. We may be trying to stay focused on cleaning, decorating, organizing, purchasing, baking, sending cards, and invitations, etc. We can get so much going, we focus on what is pressing and ‘forget’ to be responsible for attending to those things that are really important.

The biblical definition for ‘forgetting’ aligns with the word “forsake’ or ‘cease to keep in mind.’ God never forgets, but as humans we do. I have told people before, “There’s just so much room in this brain of mine for information and when it is overloaded I can easily forget even something important to me.” Then, there is this thing about getting “older” for which I choose not to focus upon, so we shall keep moving! lol!

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” we reflect upon poor Uncle Billy and how he struggled trying to remember certain things. He would tie a string around his finger and then forget what the string represented. His heart was sweet, but distraction got the best of him. We saw it clearly when he forgot what happened to the eight thousand dollars he was going to deposit. I’ll refresh your memory!lol!

Billy was taking care of business—at the bank depositing money for Bailey Building and Loan Company—and when he saw Mr. Potter the busyness of boasting about Harry receiving the metal of honor distracted Billy from actually making the transaction. Billy forgot he put the money in a rolled up newspaper and left it on Potter’s lap as he went joyfully out the door. A humbling followed on the heels of that boast.

It is great when we can remember everything, but forgetting things from time to time is a universal human condition. There are many factors that contribute to forgetting: stress, multitasking, lack of sleep, aging, etc. When I was in seminary, I juggled way too many things and although I have a good memory, I was stressed thinking I would forget something important. Then, one day I read in Scripture where it is the work of the Spirit to help us remember what is most important—our time with God because he cares about every area of our lives.

So, I would like to remind you to spend time with the Lord, read a passage in Scripture or a devotion, and share with him through prayer the schedule and demands of your day. Then, ask God to help you keep your day in mind and manage it with a healthy balance and a victorious outcome.

OT Reading: Deuteronomy 4:31 NLT “For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.”

NT Reading: John 14:26 NLT “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping us remember the things that are most important and help us to set the proper boundaries that set us up for success. Sometimes, we just try to do too much and it gets us into trouble. Therefore, we are going to make time for the things that are most important beginning with you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“How much do you want?”
—Mary Bailey offers a roll of money to desperate Building and Loan customers.

I cannot even imagine how desperate we might feel if we had no hope for tomorrow and no Savior to walk with us into it. Today, may be filled with challenges, but we have grace and the riches of Christ to manage. For those who do not know Christ, desperation is a real thing and we see it repeatedly in the world through irrational mental decisions and reckless foolish behaviors. In these moments, grace-filled believers can be a voice of victory and a calming peace in the world. Let your trust in God be heard through your voice!

In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” there is a run on the bank and people are panicking. In the midst of the chaos, George seeks to be a calming influence; a voice of reason to hang onto hope and work together. The people don’t know where to turn to find security. Many of the people turn to Mr. Potter who is there to rob them of what is rightfully theirs. Mr. Potter is not panicking, because he has everything to gain from the desperate actions of others.

George seeks to open the eyes of his friends to the truth, but he is struggling to sway them from self-slaughtering. Desperation is screaming in their ears to run toward foolishness. That is when Mary comes forward with two thousand dollars of wedding money and a creative yet temporary solution to the problem.

Desperation can be like a double-edge sword. It can work to destroy hope, self-worth, and bring forward unrighteous thinking, or it can bring value to our sometimes complacent lives—provide a profound change in our spiritual connection with God. Spiritual breakthroughs happen many times when facing desperation with God’s help. Things like ego bow in humble surrender. When we seek God’s creative solutions to our desperate times, we can walk in the wisdom and grace of God. When it comes to grace, I believe God asks us, “How much do you want?”

OT Scripture: Psalm 34:6-7 NLT “In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.”

NT Scripture: Romans 15:13 NLT  “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Prayer: Lord, we are spiritually desperate without you. Thank you for the blessing of knowing the Truth and being able to humbly bow to receive divine help and grace because we always need it. In Jesus’ name.