Rom 5:3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance….
I doubt that anyone likes to suffer. I know I certainly don’t. But I will be quite honest and tell you that my faith is stronger because of the suffering that I’ve encountered. It doesn’t make me want to throw a party to celebrate those trials, but I certainly appreciate how my faith has grown and matured, how my trust in my Savior has deepened, through those trials.
Rom 5:4 …perseverance, character; and character, hope.
It seems that from the moment of birth, we are on this crash course to prove that we can handle life by ourselves, that we are self-sufficient and self-reliant. But that attitude produces hubris and pride, which are useless in God’s kingdom. Through trials, He takes me to the end of myself, to the limits of my self-reliance, and reminds me that I cannot, in fact, do this on my own, but that I don’t need to because He’s with me, He’s got me, He is in control.
Rom 5:5a And hope does not put us to shame….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are my strength and my refuge. This world wants me to feel weak if I can’t do it on my own. You use the suffering in my life to remind me that as Your deeply loved child, I can rest in You, knowing that You hold me securely, no matter the trial, that You are working all things for my good and Your glory, even when the world seems upside down. I love You, Lord. I need You. I trust You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Rom 5:5b …because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Have a blessed day.
Flashing neon signs from God…. (devo reflection)
Acts 9:6 … “Lord, what do You want me to do?”…
I’m a big fan of flashing neon signs from God: “Beth—THIS is what I want you to do.” As you can probably imagine, those don’t usually happen. More often, I pray and fret and wait, and agonize over whether I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, and pray and fret and wait.
Isaiah 30:21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it….”
And then there are the times when the only way to go is glaringly obvious—forward, through the pain, through the fear, through the chaos and confusion. Those are the times when I struggle—Why, Lord? Why this? Why us? Why now?—but they are also the times when I cling most closely to His promise in Matt 28:20: “…And I will be with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, Your guidance and direction. Thank You for understanding how difficult life can be and for giving us strength, wisdom, and discernment to understand Your will for us. Thank You for Your willingness and ability to use everything, even our missteps, for our good and Your glory. Draw us closer. Amen.
Proverbs 3:6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Have a blessed day.
On barriers and intimacy…. (devo reflection)
Matt 7:2 “Do not judge, lest you should be judged.”
This morning I had to get my oldest to his team bus before they left for a meet. At bedtime last night, after promising McD’s if he’d get on up and out, I realized his running shoes were in my classroom, which meant they had to be retrieved before we made it to the bus. And the drive-thru line was moving at a sloth-like pace. And the lady who ordered AFTER me in the other drive-thru lane did NOT let me into the queue first, as etiquette dictates. So when I saw her church magnet on the back of her car, I had some not-too-Christian thoughts about the state of her relationship with Jesus in light of her cutting me off in line. Jesus, Help me.
Heb 13:1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
I saw a 3D bar graph yesterday on social media: Sin as humans see it, reaching like skyscrapers into the city skyline, bigger sins being, obviously, taller, and sin as God sees it, from the top, exactly the same, all barriers to an intimate relationship to Him. This morning, as my son was disembarking, on time, to board the bus, it hit me how much of a barrier MY attitude had just been. I was stressed, worried about getting everything accomplished before time to be at the bus, and MY attitude, so far from loving and charitable, caused a huge barrier between me and my Savior. Jesus, Help me!
Heb 13:3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that I need to make sure MY heart, MY attitude are right, regardless of how others are acting. You want all of Your beloved children to share a close relationship with You. Help me to live and love in such a way, even in times of stress, that I don’t hinder that intimacy. Draw me closer. Amen.
Luke 6:37 …Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Have a blessed day.
Completely His…. (devo reflection)
Psalm 91:14a “Because he loves Me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him….”
I am deeply human, which means I am often ridiculously fallible. The struggle from yesterday’s devo reflection is a prime example. Thankfully, my Savior doesn’t hold perfection as a criteria for love, grace, and mercy. I love Him deeply, even through my mistakes and missteps, and He knows my heart. Thank You, Jesus.
Psalm 91:14b “I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name.”
In a world where the spoils usually go to the fastest, the strongest, the most cunning, I’m a huge fan of the underdog, the one who is so utterly under-matched for the competition but has such heart, such courage and determination. I think God is, too. He asks us to love and acknowledge Him. We don’t have to be the best, we just have to be completely His. Thank You, Jesus.
Psalm 91:15 “He will call on Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your grace and mercy. Thank You that You don’t reserve Your love for those who deserve it, that You can take a fallible yet devoted heart and use it for our good and Your glory. Thank You for listening to and understanding our hearts, Lord. Help us to praise You always. Draw us closer. Amen.
Psalm 91:16 “With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
Have a blessed day.
A way through my bitterness…. (devo reflection)
Isaiah 43:18 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.”
I’m a planner, which can be a wonderful thing. It takes time, dedication, planning—obviously. When things go according to plan, it’s beautiful. But when they don’t, especially if it is because of someone else—making decisions without asking me, dragging their feet, etc, I am left with bitterness. All my planning. All my effort. Wasted. It is frustrating and utterly futile, and I KNOW it doesn’t bring me closer to God, yet bitterness is something I’ve struggled with for years. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 43:19a “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
Bitterness, which is at the root of my disappointment when life doesn’t go as I’ve planned, places a huge barrier between me and my Savior. It’s hard to be grateful when I am bitter. It’s hard to be loving and kind. It’s hard to perceive the new ways in which God is working when I am so stuck on what *I* wanted to happen. My precious Savior, who loves me deeply, is waiting to pour out HIS blessings into my open hands, but I am so focused on MY way, MY anger that all I have to offer is clenched fists and a bitter, frustrated heart. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 43.19b “I am making a way in the wilderness….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the realization that I am dealing with bitterness and that I can choose to let it go or I can choose to let it separate me from You. That choice is a no-brainer, Lord, and yet I still make the wrong choice, embracing my bitterness and disappointment instead of my Savior. Help me, Jesus, to let go of all bitterness so that I can wrap myself in Your peace. Draw me closer. Amen.
Matt 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven….
Have a blessed day.
To know and rely on the love God has for us…. (devo reflection)
1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? I tend to focus on the negatives—the lines and wrinkles, the blemishes and gray hairs. There is good there, surely, but it doesn’t jump out at me. When God looks at me, however, it’s an entirely different story. He loves me deeply and fiercely. He sees my promise and potential. But more than that, He sees me exactly as I am, His child, and it’s utterly enough for Him. He created me, and, therefore, He loves me immeasurably. That kind if love is so far beyond the norm of this world that it is truly hard to wrap the mind around.
1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love….
The first part of 1 John 4:16 says that we both KNOW and RELY ON the love God has for us. I know that’s an area I personally need to work on, and I know I’m not alone. I tend to discount myself, see myself as less than, but that means I’m discounting His amazing love for me. Instead of relying on His love, to discount it means that I somehow see myself as an exception to His love. Even as I type it, I know that it’s a lie. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He loves me deeply. Jesus, Help me to know, trust, and rely on Your love. Always.
1 John 4:16 …Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this message. Thank You that I am not an exception to Your love. None of us are. Help me to fully accept Your great love for me. I am Your beloved, not because of who I am, but because of who You are. Help me to feel Your love in my bones, regardless of my circumstances, and to rely on Your love. Always. Help me to shine Your light for all to see. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
Have a blessed day.
The fickle nature of time…. (devo reflection)
2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
In just under a month, the hubs and I will celebrate 22 years of marriage. It feels at once like a long time and a blink of the eye. And daily I have kids chomping at the bit, waiting for the 3:05 bell. The day drags for them, but the afternoon and evening fairly fly until they are back in desks once again, waiting on the 3:05 bell. Time is certainly interesting.
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
I am bound by time. Perhaps it stems from decades of school bells, alerting me to the next block, but “What time is it?” is a crucial component in the way that I function. But God doesn’t work that way. Time for Him, with Him, in Him, doesn’t function as it does for me. That clock, which is an ingrained part of my day, doesn’t even exist for Him. It’s totally irrelevant. Jesus, Help me.
Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder of the fickle nature of time. Time feels like such a crucial part of my life, Lord, but I’m pretty sure it’s rather irrelevant in Yours. Help me to wait patiently in joyful hope for all that You have in store. Help me to use my time on this earth, no matter how much time that may be, to shine Your light and point others to You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Have a blessed day.
With us. Always…. (devo reflection)
John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.”
Lord, In a world that often leaves me feeling anxious and afraid, these verses strike a deep cord, and well they might, for in them, You are trying to prepare Your disciples for Your death, for the time when they would be without Your physical presence. Thank You that I can take comfort in those same words. Thank You that Your word is so transcendent that it still applies today.
John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever….”
Lord, Thank You for Your tremendous love for Your people, a love so great that You want Your disciples, then and now, to understand that even if You are not here physically, we are not alone. Your word is with us. Your commandments are with us. And Your Advocate, the Holy Spirit, is with us. Always. We are not alone. We do not have to be afraid. Thank You, Jesus.
John 14:23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for making Your home with me. Thank You for providing for me, for making a place for me, and for returning some day to bring me home. Thank You for Your loving care. I am so grateful. Draw me closer. Amen.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Have a blessed day.
Lost and found…. (devo reflection)
Luke 15:8 “…what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light the lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?”
This past Friday, during 4th block, I lost the key to the quiz my students were taking. I had it in my hands at the beginning of the period, and when I went to gather the completed quizzes and stick the key on top, I couldn’t find it. I retraced my steps. I looked into folders where I had placed other things. I looked on my podium and my desk to no avail. Eventually, after retracing my steps twice, I found it, without having to tear the room completely apart or make a new one. I was incredibly relieved.
Luke 15:9 “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’”
This hunt and the relief at finding the key illustrated so clearly for me the parables in Luke 15. I was missing a test key—nothing valuable or irreplaceable, and I was still incredibly relieved and thankful when it was found. I can just imagine Jesus’s joy when one of His deeply loved children—all of whom are both priceless AND irreplaceable to Him—returns to Him. He doesn’t care one bit if that life belongs to a king or a pauper. What’s important to Him is that life is HIS beloved child, and He rejoices mightily. Thank You, Jesus.
Luke 15:10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your fierce and unending love for Your children. Thank You that You see our value and worth because we are Yours. Help us not to define our value through the eyes of this world. Help us to see each other as You see us. Help us to understand our worth in You and to come home to You if we have wandered. Draw us all closer. Amen.
Luke 15:32 “We have to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!”
Have a blessed day.
My strength and my song…. (devo reflection)
Psalm 118:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!
It’s Saturday, and I had to set an alarm for 5 am to get one of my boys somewhere he really didn’t want to be. (Truthfully, we both just wanted to sleep in.) This could have started out as a very bad day, but as I was heading back home from the crazy-early drop off, the song “Overwhelmed” by Big Daddy Weave came on, and I realized it truly reflected my feelings—overwhelmed by God, His presence, His mercy, His grace, His goodness. Thank You, Jesus.
Psalm 118:14 The LORD is my strength and my song….
I have tried this semester to express gratitude before my feet even hit the floor in the mornings. Some days I forget, but most days, taking a moment to thank my Savior before I get up really gets my day off to the right start. As with any day and any life, there’s always stuff that makes me grumpy, sad, mad, scared, but the beauty is always there, too, the gifts, the blessings and joy. And when I constantly seek them, I begin to see them every where. Thank You, Jesus.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this attitude of thanksgiving that truly seems to be rooting me more firmly each day in Your steadfast love. Thank You for a smooth morning, even though it started earlier than I would have preferred. Thank You for this amazing family I am a part of. Thank You for an abundance of people, experiences, and blessings for which to be grateful. Help me to cultivate this grateful heart. Help me to shine Your light. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 118:28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to You; You are my God; I will extol You.
Have a blessed day.