Devotionals

July 26, 2018

Colossians 1:9-14 Living Bible (TLB)

I love getting to know people; every person is unique and divinely created by the imagination of God.  I love hearing life stories and I treasure learning about people’s encounters with God.  Those encounters are as unique as each person, because God is limitless in his creativity.  He has fit us with special personalities and gifts that partner perfectly with him in his mission to redeem the world.  That’s why it is so important that we all use our spiritual gifts.  As we pursue God, his heart, and use our gifts for his mission, we can know him better and better.  Press in for more of God, today.

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July 24, 2018

Acts 20:17-24 Living Bible (TLB)

Paul is getting ready to go to Jerusalem; the Spirit of God has placed the journey upon his heart and given him some information about what to expect.  Paul does not know specific reasons for the Lord sending him to Jerusalem, he does know the trip will involve jail time and suffering.  I wonder how many of us reading the passage today can honestly say we would have followed through to make the journey with the information the Spirit gave Paul.  Would you have gone? 

Like Paul, our place as followers and kingdom co-builders with the Master Builder is to go and do exactly what we are told.  It is a privilege to be led in such a fashion for kingdom purposes.  It requires faith to be led into work with Christ, because he gives us the first step and a bit of a vision, but does not play out the whole event for us.  That’s where faith comes in.  Should we choose to follow and participate in the building assignment, what we are given must be enough and the rest is about trust.

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July 23, 2018

Hebrews 13:17, 20-21 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

This week John and I are preparing our home to be tent fumigated; we have dry wood termites in the garage. Snakes, rats, fleas AND termites!  What a fun season this has been! (note sarcasm).   To prepare for the fumigation, we need to clear out all the food items, spices, medications, dog food/treats; we must empty our refrigerator, pantry, and medicine cabinets.  We will do everything they have asked us to do, so we can get the greatest benefit from the gas/chemical application.  I speak to every pest that has tried to make our home their home, “Bye bye! It is finished!”

As we have been watching over our home and have taken steps to clear away all unwanted pest guests, God has been watching over the souls of his children by taking steps to clear away every area hiding the evil pests of sin and selfishness. Psalms 91:2-3 says, “I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress my God in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the annoying pestilence.” As John and I have made our house ready for radical extermination, may the Holy Spirit make all souls ready for the extermination of every trace of evil and help us eagerly embrace his righteous way of living. As a spiritual guide and leader, in Christ, watching over God’s family, I speak to every unrighteous spiritual pest that has tried to make the people of God’s physical bodies their home, “Bye, bye! It is finished!”

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July 19, 2018

Psalm 23:5-6 New Living Translation

So many of my friends are wonderful at bringing people into their homes and making them feel welcomed, valued, and safe; it’s the life fragrance of Jesus.  I thank God all the time for them, because they bring joy to my life.  I want to be like them.   Are you a great host when people come to your home?  

In our final scene of Psalm 23 today (vv. 5-6), we gain a glimpse of The Perfect Host.  In ancient Near Eastern culture, it was customary for the host to anoint his/her guests with fragrant oil and protect them against enemies while in their home.  Clearly, David has knowledge of this custom and understands how a good host must treat guests.  So, David sings a psalm of praise to honor The Perfect Host; the Lord his Shepherd who pursues his heart with unfailing love in order to guide his life and bless him.

Every day we have the opportunity to be lovingly groomed by a Holy God; the One who pursues us and will never leave us.  If we have accepted the work of Christ, he is our Host.  For what purpose is God wanting to groom us?  The answer is to live in his household forever.  While we are making the journey in this temporal world, the Lord is getting us ready–as a perfect Host–by refining our characters, making us holy, and protecting our lives from evil.

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July 18, 2018

Psalm 23:1-4 New Living Translation

Early Tuesday morning, we received a call from our daughter-in-love, Whitney, that our son, Jimmy, was quite ill so she was taking him to the emergency room.  Prayers for Jimmy began and by the time John and I got to the hospital, he was being assessed by an amazing medical team. The Lord was with us; we were comforted by God’s love.  Jimmy needed fluids, medication, and rest; even though he still had symptoms he would be able to go home within hours.  Yet, there was another young man the same age as our son who was brought into the exam room next to us and he had a very different story.  Sadly, he overdosed on IV drug use and died alone.

The Lord promises to lead us along right paths for our lives; however, that promise must be connected to a seeking and surrendered heart.  The paths to which the Lord leads us are never self-destructive; living in a self-destructive way does not bring honor to the name of the Lord.  The Lord always seeks to lead his human children away from those kinds of temptations; the enemy tries to rob, kill, and destroy us, but the Lord protects.  I continue to pray for the loved ones of this deceased young man. May every person struggling with this type of battle open his or her eyes to see God reaching for them; reaching to lovingly guide them and walk this life with them.  He will lead every willing heart into a life of freedom.  Praise his Holy Name!

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July 17, 2018

Psalm 23:1-2 New Living Translation

Emotions are gifts from God; he has brought great things into our lives.  We jubilantly praise him for our blessings.  We love the emotions that manifest in positive energy and leave us feeling joy-filled, but what about the times when we suffer loss, disappointment, and struggle to find our way? Is the Lord our Shepherd then?  Can we seek to connect with him and allow him to lead us into the spiritual supply of peace we desperately need?  

If we are in a time when our emotions are all over the place, it is best to pause and remember the Lord’s faithfulness to us in the past.  Think back to times when you have experienced loss, disappointment, or doubt; did the Lord bring you through those times in the past?  Did he bring you rest and in time lead you into peace? I am confident he did, because He is the Good Shepherd and he really is all we need.  

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July 13, 2018

Colossians 4:2-4 The Message (MSG)

Paul teaches the spiritual family at the Church of Colosse, as well as believers everywhere, to pray with spiritual diligence.  Pray with gratitude.  Pray for open doors to share the gospel.  Pray for effectiveness.  Pray.  Why?  It is God’s will that we pray; it’s a responsibility and a privilege.  Because when we pray we are revealing our confidence and dependence upon God as the exalted Ruler of our lives.

Paul offers these instructions to help the spiritual family further understand their divine connection to God and to one another.  Prayers are words that open spiritual doors in order to receive wise guidance and answers; we offer up our desires to God. The enemy tempts us to become weary in praying especially when circumstances do not change.  Or, perhaps you have prayed in hope believing for a situation to go in a specific direction and it did not.  Even then our response should be to continue to thank God for the privilege of bringing our requests to him knowing he will answer them as He sees is best.  God sees things from a higher perspective and we are invited to connect with him in it through prayer.

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July 12, 2018

Colossians 2:1-5 Living Bible (TLB)

Whether or not we are aware of it, humanity is on a quest for the Truth; God has ordained it.  Like the struggles of our culture today, the Apostle Paul was praying for the early Church to learn the difference between the truth and the rising false doctrines (beliefs) of humanity.  Gnosticism was trying to deceive the Church by claiming: 1) God only imparted spiritual secrets or revelations to certain people; 2) the human body was evil; and 3) Christ was not really human and only seemed human.  

In Paul’s letter, he reassures the people of God every one of those things is made complete through a personal relationship with Christ; Yeshua (Jesus) is the Source.  Christ holds the great mysteries and secrets since the creation of time and he lives in the core of every seeking and surrendered human being.  Christ himself lived in a human body, so the body is not evil; obviously, the human soul (mind/will/emotions) needs transformation through the divine touch of God.  Lastly, Christ was fully divine and fully human. The love of Jesus Christ brought the divine and the human spirits together.  In Christ, we are invited to be made in his image.  The more we listen and follow Christ into every life situation, the more love and blessing we actually stand to inherit or invite into our lives.  Everything belongs to Christ; he offers us the assurance of his love and provision for every human lifetime.  Have you given everything in your life to him so you may know with real certainty and clear understanding the depths of God’s love for you?  That is the pure Christian journey; the Truth of life in Christ. 

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July 11, 2018

John 7:1-11 The Message (MSG)

Embarrassment is an awkward and sometimes uncomfortable feeling, isn’t it?  It can be associated with our personal actions or with the verbalizations and actions of those whom we care about; people with whom we have relationship.  Let’s be real; some people have a way of placing us in socially awkward situations.  How good are you at masking your feelings when you find yourself put in a situation that embarrasses you? Do you try to pretend that you are not bothered by skirting the issue or redirecting the attention? 

In our lesson today, Jesus’ brothers are embarrassed by him, so they try to push him into making more public displays in order to draw attention away from themselves (family) and onto “that man” Jesus.  Yet, Jesus does not allow himself to be pushed to do things in his own strength.  He speaks the truth about his ability and mission to expose evil pretending to be righteous; hypocrisy.

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July 10, 2018

James 5:7-12 New Living Translation (NLT)

God always seems to help me love and deal with all kinds of people.  I encounter so many different personalities each day; so many needs in human lives.  Some days my pray is, “Lord, how can I best love this person into your loving arms?  What do they really need and how can I reveal your presence in the answer?  Whatever I need to say, Lord, give me the words.  Whatever action I need to take, Lord, guide my thoughts, arms, and feet.”  Christ is returning for his Bride and we need to be ready by waiting and living in peace with God and others; this means we must live by the power of grace. 

Our passage the last two days has been focused on loving people; staying the course in the love of Jesus Christ in order to extend mercy and to grow our endurance for handling difficulties.  I still find myself frustrated at times when reaching out to love people who just want a quick fix and not a life change.  So, I have some growing to do and God is bringing me a greater measure of freedom.  I still feel God is wanting to bring a directional change to the lifestyle of the world, but I am only one daughter of millions and my biggest challenge is to face my own Judge with a right heart.  So, as you reach out today to live in the light of Truth with Christ’s Spirit as your Guide, be patient and know that God is helping you grow each time you encounter folks who frustrate you.  He may not be bringing the change in them; his plan for change may be in you.

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