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In all circumstances…. (devo reflection)

1 Thess 5:16 Rejoice always…

I remember the first time I truly paid attention to today’s verses. What struck me was how similar they were to a favorite of mine, Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” “Choose Joy” is a life motto of mine, and I love how both of these verses reflect that idea of choosing joy.

1 Thess 5:17 …pray continually…

And as I have grown, I have learned that even though giving thanks in all circumstances can be incredibly difficult, it is possible. Sometimes I give thanks for answered prayers, sometimes for the fact that I don’t face trials alone, that He is with me. It’s not always easy to give thanks in all circumstances, but it is a skill that can be intentionally cultivated just like rejoicing and praying.

1 Thess 5:18a …give thanks in all circumstances;

Lord, I love it when I can see You pulling the threads of my life together so clearly. Thank You for my love of these verses, for my desire to choose joy, for the realization that thankfulness in all circumstances is possible with You. Help me to center myself on You this day and to live in a way that brings You honor and joy. Amen.

1 Thess 5:18b …for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Have a blessed day.

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Here’s the rub…. (devo reflection)

1 Thess 5:14a And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive,  

With school starting this week, I am squarely in “school mindset,” and I chuckled at how closely these verses apply to both school and life. Try to get the idle and disruptive back on track, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. That can be a pretty tall order, especially that last one.

1 Thess 5:14b …encourage the disheartened, help the weak… 

Here’s the rub, though (or the irony or the kicker), it is often myself that I have the hardest time being patient with. I can patiently cajole and encourage and help others all day long (more or less….) but I expect instant perfection from myself. It’s an objectively ridiculous stance, and yet I guarantee that many of you are nodding in agreement as you read. Jesus, Help us.

1 Thess 5:14c …be patient with everyone.

Lord, Thank you for the wellspring of cajoling, encouragement, help, and patience that I often have for others. Help me to treat myself with the same love and care. I am Your deeply love creation. We all are. Help us to never forget that fact. Amen.

1 Thess 5:15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Have a blessed day.

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My “God gifts”…. (devo reflection)

1 Thess 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

A comment not even directed at me made me doubt my “God gifts” the other day. I am an encourager. Talking with people, praying for people, encouraging people is absolutely a gift that God has given me to use for Him. The doubt came when I realized that there aren’t tangible things associated with my encouragement. I’m not filling pantry shelves or building houses. It’s mostly a verbal gift (though there are lots of notes, emails, and texts as part of it).

1 Thess 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s not the opinion of others that I am worried about, actually. What I do wonder about is whether God is calling me to something more tangible, more physical when it comes to encouragement. I have no idea. But it is definitely something I am now being prayerful about. I want to make God proud with the way I use my gifts for Him.

1 Thess 5:10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

Precious Savior, Help us not compare ourselves to others–intentionally or not. You gave each of us gifts to use in Your service, gifts uniquely suited to who we are and how You created us. Thank You for making me an encourager. Help me to see if there is more I can do or give in Your service. Amen.

1 Thess 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Have a blessed day.

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A tall order…. (devo reflection)

John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 

In John 13:34, Jesus gives us a new commandment: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Easy peasy, right? Not so much. Jesus prayed for His persecutors as He was dying on the cross. That is the type of love He is asking of me. It is a tall order.

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 

There are a lot of people who spew hate in this world. There are also folks who do what they do from motives that they see as pure and true, even if their actions cause harm. And I have been known to react strongly in defense of someone of something being unfairly attacked. So I struggle at times with how Jesus’s command to love one another is to be fully lived out.

John 14:17a the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. 

Lord, I know that You don’t intend for us to love only when it is easy or convenient. I also know that You don’t intend for us to love and support evil or wrong. But You tell us, clearly, to love one another as You love us–past our sins, our faults, our shortcomings. Wholeheartedly. Help me to be a positive force for Your love in this world. Show me how. Amen.

John 14:17b …But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Have a blessed day.

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Do not let your hearts be troubled…. (devo reflection)

John 14:27a Peace I leave with you…. 

Today’s verse fills me with calm. As I’ve been pondering what to write, I have been repeating each line, breathing in and breathing out, focusing intentionally. And while the breathing and repetition may not be what Jesus had in mind, the peace that can only come from intentionally focusing on Him isn’t accidental.

John 14:27b …my peace I give you…. 

When I look at the larger context of John 14 and what Jesus is doing, I am humbled and astounded. He knows that He is going to die. He knows that His disciples are anxious and afraid. He reminds them that they can trust Him–He is who He says He is. He will do what He says He will do. He will not abandon them, despite the fact that He is going to die. He *will* be with them, even then.

John 14:27c …I do not give to you as the world gives…. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that Your people are so dear to You that even as You prepared for death, You reassured them because You saw their fear and anxiety. Thank You for the truth that You are with us always, that You cover us with Your peace, no matter what this world throws at us. Help us to rest serenely and securely in You. Always. Amen.

John 14:27d …Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Have a blessed day.

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A rich, full relationship…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 43:24a You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices….

I am guilty of the charge God levels against the Israelites in this passage: not praising as I should but never failing to burden Him with my problems and always, always so unutterably human in my failings. But God’s purpose here is not to shame. You cannot have a rich, full relationship if you don’t share both joys and sorrows.

Isaiah 43:24b …But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.

If all I ever do is come to God when I have problems or when I’ve screwed up, He’s become my therapist, and while therapist-patient can be an incredibly beneficial relationship, it is not close and intimate. God wants all of us. He created us and loves us deeply, warts and all. He wants a relationship with us.

Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the need for community, relationship. Help me to remember that You desire connection with me, too, not because of anything I can do for You but because my life will be richer, fuller when I allow You near. Amen.

Isaiah 43:26 Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.

Have a blessed day.

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Created to praise…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 43:20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen….

God sounds sad in this passage. Not sad because He has lost something, but sad because He knows His people have because they do not honor Him as they should. Even “[t]he wild animals honor” Him, but not His people, “the people [He] formed [Himself] that they may proclaim [His] praise.”

Isaiah 43:21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

But did you catch the part about purpose? God made us to praise Him. How easy does He make that job? In my life, there are myriad reasons every day to praise Him, though I’m not as diligent about it as I should be. I get grumpy. I get lazy. I get entitled. Help me, Jesus.

Isaiah 43:22 “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, Israel.

Precious Savior, Thank You that You desire relationship with us so deeply that it saddens You for our loss when we don’t seek You as we should. Thank You for creating  me to praise You. Help me to proclaim Your praise at every opportunity. Help me to be mindful and grateful always. Amen.

Isaiah 43:23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense.

Have a blessed day.

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Even if we can’t yet perceive it…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 43:16 This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,

Verse 19 is one that I not only cling to often but also share with others who are struggling. Don’t we all know what it feels like to be trapped in the wilderness with no way out? And God is already there, already making a way, even if we can’t yet perceive it.

Isaiah 43:17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

Not only that, He is excited about what he is doing. “See, I am doing a new thing!” is empathic, enthusiastic. It’s almost like, “Look! Look! See this new thing I’m doing?!?” I can see God’s exuberant joy at showing me this way that He’s making, even though I can’t yet perceive it.

Isaiah 43:18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

Lord, Sometimes we just feel alone and stuck. But the truth is that even in those moments, You are not only with us, You are working for us, making a way–a way that You are excited about, even if we can’t yet perceive it. Thank You. Help us to trust You, even when we can’t see, can’t yet perceive. Amen.

Isaiah 43:19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Have a blessed day.

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Witnessing to others…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 43:12a I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—

Verses 10 & 12 contain the words “You are my witnesses.” What are the Israelites witnessing to or for exactly? That God is with us always. That we do not need to be afraid. That He is the One True God. To whom are they witnessing? “…[T]hose who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf” (v8).

Isaiah 43:12b I, and not some foreign god among you.

God asks us to do the same today–witness to others of His presence, mercy, love by glorifying His name. That witness looks different for everyone, but it involves sharing Jesus with others in a way that is unique to us. God will use all our efforts if we allow.

Isaiah 43:12c You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.

Lord, Sometimes the task of sharing You with others feels so daunting. I want to stammer like Moses and give you excuse after excuse about why I am not suited for this task. But You uniquely created each of us to interact with You and perceive You in our own special way. Someone out there needs our story. It’s the only way they will ever see Your goodness. Help us to share Your love abundantly. Amen.

Isaiah 43:13 Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”

Have a blessed day.

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To perceive and understand…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 43:8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.

Scripture talks a lot about people who have eyes to see but don’t perceive, ears to hear but don’t understand. The feeling I always get from these verses (like Mark 4:12) is hopeless. They have the ability to perceive and understand but their hardened hearts won’t yield so that they can or will.

Isaiah 43:9 All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”

Verse 8 feels different to me. It seems to be talking about those who currently are closed off–blind and deaf to the truth of God–but who have potential, who can be made to understand. Verse 8 feels to me like a task: Lead them out, help them to see, to hear, to understand who I am.

Isaiah 43:10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.

Lord, Thank You that I understand who You are and who You are to me. Help me to be Your witness, to speak of Your love, mercy, and glory to all who will listen. Amen.

Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.

Have a blessed day.