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Joyful, patient, faithful…. (devo reflection)

Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  

My preacher likes to say, “It will all be ok in the end. If it’s not ok, it’s not the end.” That, to me, is similar to the idea of being joyful in hope–being joyful in the hope that the sun will shine again…eventually, being joyful in the hope that even if things royally stink, God’s still got you, He’ll never leave you, and He is already eternally victorious.

Romans 12:12a Be joyful in hope, 

The second part of this verse, patient in affliction, is harder for me. I want to understand things–Why did this happen? Why didn’t this other thing happen? Why did God act or not act or what in the world am I supposed to learn from this terrible experience? But God doesn’t promise answers, He promises His eternal presence, that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Never. So even when we are slogging through the muck of life and don’t understand any of it, He’s still with us. He’s still eternally victorious.

Romans 12:12b …patient in affliction, 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminders in Romans 12:12 to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Thank You that You are with us, even when everything feels wrong, even when we don’t understand, even when we are utterly broken. Thank You for Your promises and the reality that You are already eternally victorious. Help us to cling to You. Always. Amen.

Romans 12:12c …faithful in prayer.

Have a blessed day.

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Simple, basic directives…. (devo reflection)

Romans 12:9a Love must be sincere.    

These two verses, four sentences, are so simple yet so profound. Love sincerely, not focused on what’s in it for you. Hate evil, cling to good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor others before yourself. Simple, but not easy.

Romans 12:9b Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 

Vocabulary.com defines devoted as meaning, “being focused on that particular thing almost exclusively.” So not only are we to be focused on others almost exclusively, we are to be focused on them in love. How different would the world be if we all took that philosophy to heart?

Romans 12:10a Be devoted to one another in love. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for spelling things out so simply in Your word: Love You. Love others. Be sincere. Be devoted to one another in love. Hate evil. Cling to good. Honor others above ourselves. Forgive us, Lord, that we struggle with such simple, basic directives. Help us to be more like You. Amen.

Romans 12:10b Honor one another above yourselves.

Have a blessed day.

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We belong to each other…. (devo reflection)

Romans 12:3a For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,  

The analogy in these verses is an interesting one: “…so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” I totally understand liking some parts of my body (my eyes, for instance) better than others (my flabby arms). However, even the parts of my body that perform inelegant functions (I’m looking at you bladder and bowel) are crucial for a thriving life.

Romans 12:3b …but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

In life it is really easy (for me at least) to make snap judgments about people and situations. But just like the body with all its complexity–even the inelegant parts–we are all God’s children. We belong to each other. We need each other to function well, as God intended.

Romans 12:4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 

Precious Savior, Thank You for this reminder that we are parts of a whole in the body of Christ. Thank You for the reminder that we belong to each other. Help us to see as You see, to love as You love….even the inelegant parts. Amen.

Romans 12:5 …so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Have a blessed day.

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Sacrifice…. (devo reflection)

Romans 12:1a Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God— 

My morning began super early (4:45am to be exact) because my youngest needed, essentially, a favor that only I could provide. I didn’t love getting up so early, and I had to push back my prayer and devo time, but I gladly did it because he’s my child, I love him, and I knew it was something only I could do that would benefit him tremendously. It was a sacrifice, albeit a small one, but I did it gladly so that my child could benefit.

Romans 12:1b …this is your true and proper worship. 

I was most of the way through a five hour car trip today when it hit me that Jesus–Emmanuel, God with us–did the same thing on a much grander scale than I am capable of. He gladly did something only He could do for His children, because we are His, because only His sacrifice would accomplish the goal of eternal life with Him, because we would benefit tremendously from His sacrifice. He loves us. He did it willingly.

Romans 12:2a Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for understanding that I am not equating Your eternal sacrifice with my tiny, earthly one. Yet thank You for using my small, yet willing sacrifice for my child to remind me of Your life-changing sacrifice for me, Your beloved child. I am grateful beyond words for Your loving care. Amen.

Romans 12:2b Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Have a blessed day.

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Made to praise…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 103:20a Praise the Lord, you his angels,

We were made to praise. When I think about the amount of time that I spend being grumpy about so many inconsequential things, the simple fact that we were made to praise astounds and humbles me.

Psalm 103:20b you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.

I think I have gotten better at praising Him, but I’m definitely not there yet. But maybe that’s the point of this life? To draw closer to Him, to learn to praise Him?

Psalm 103:21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

Precious Savior, Help me to get better and better at praising You. Help me to take to heart Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” Thank You that there are so very many reasons to praise You. Always. Amen.

Psalm 103:22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.

Have a blessed day.

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From everlasting to everlasting…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 103:16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

If there is one thing I hold on to with both hands, it is the fact that God will never leave us nor forsake us. Never. In the words of verse 17, “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who [honor, revere, respect] him….”

Psalm 103:17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—

From everlasting to everlasting. From beginning to end. God is with us. Strengthening us. Encouraging us. Holding us. Collecting our tears. Whispering to our hearts. We are His beloved children. He knows our hearts. He would never leave us to face difficulties alone. And while He doesn’t wave a magic wand to make everything ok, He never leaves us. He stays. He holds us. Always.

Psalm 103:18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Precious Savior, Life can be so difficult. Thank You for the promise to never leave us, never forsake us. Thank You for keeping Your promises always. Help us to trust, even in the hard times, that You are there–holding us, loving us, whispering to our hearts. Amen.

Psalm 103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

Have a blessed day.

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God’s got me. Always…. (devo reflection)

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God is not a bully…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 103:9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;

Today’s verses, specifically the word fear in verse 11, sent me on a hunt. I do not worship a God of fear, a God who strives to make His followers afraid. So what does verse 11 mean, “so great is his love for those who fear him”?

Psalm 103:10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

A quick search reveals the synonyms honor, revere, respect. One source even said that to fear the Lord means to give Him your undivided attention. Those definitions I can get behind. Fear in the traditional sense I cannot. God is not a bully. He doesn’t wield power in order to make others afraid. That’s not who He is.

Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

Precious Savior, Thank You that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that You are not a God of fear. Thank You that it is easy to give You honor, glory, respect. Thank You that You love me so much that You do not treat me as my sins deserve but instead fling my sins as far away from me as the east is from the west. Help me to treat others with Your grace, compassion, and love. Amen.

Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Have a blessed day.

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Let love be my default…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 103:5 …who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Verse 8 really stands out to me in today’s scripture. “Compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love,” what a beautiful description of the Lord. What a beautiful description of anybody. I would like to be more like that. At my best, I hit many of those traits, but, unfortunately, I’m not always at my best.

Psalm 103:6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

If I had to pick one thing to focus on, to work on, to get better about, I think it would be being slow to anger. I shared not long ago a valuable lesson about my spouse I have learned over the years–If something seems out of character, then I’m probably misinterpreting what happened (or why). That realization helped ease my knee-jerk anger reaction with my spouse, but I still have the anger reaction in a lot of areas in my life. That’s definitely something I need to work on.

Psalm 103:7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:

Precious Savior, Thank You for a beautiful description of You to emulate. Help me to be more like You: “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Let love, not anger, be my default reaction. Help me to be more like You with each breath, so that when others look at me, they see You shining through. Amen.

Psalm 103:8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Have a blessed day.

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Even in my grumpiness…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 103:1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Since I mentioned Psalm 103 *and* I reached the end of Micah 7 in yesterday’s reflection, I thought I’d focus on the whole of Psalm 103 as my next chapter to reflect on in my daily devotionals. I’ve mentioned that I love the Psalms because they are so real, they can be so raw and honest. Psalm 103 is absolutely a Psalm of praise.

Psalm 103:2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—

There are times when I can get rather grumpy. In those times, especially, I would do well to remember Psalm 103. God is bigger than my feelings, than my grumpiness. And He has been so incredibly gracious to me. If I look–and I truly don’t have to look far, I see so many blessings to thank Him for, no matter my headspace.

Psalm 103:3 …who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases…

Precious Savior, Thank You for understanding when I am grumpy. Thank You for the abundant blessings in my life, regardless of my attitude. Help me, even in my grumpiness, to see Your abundant grace, to praise You for Your mercy and blessings, to take all those blessings to heart, especially when I want to grump. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 103:4 …who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion…

Have a blessed day.