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Together, we balance…. (devo reflection)

Romans 12:4-5 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 

Last night I had to pinch-hit writing a devo for my church about trust and mourning. I stink at both. But I’m pretty decent at writing, and I have a knack for organizing things so I can (mostly) remember to do them all. And I like to think I’m good at encouragement, but I can’t always identify what I’m good at….or what I’m not.

Romans 12:6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 

We all have different skills, different gifts, different things we are good at. We need each other–not only to help balance one’s differences with another’s strengths, but also to help each other see what those strengths are. We are not always adept at seeing our strengths. That is the message of today’s verses.

Romans 12:7 …if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;

Precious Savior, Thank You for this reminder that we need each other for so many reasons–to help each other, to balance each other, to remind each other of what we are good at–because we are all good in some areas, and we all struggle in some areas. But together, we balance. Help us to lift each other up and to shine Your light. Amen.

Romans 12:8 …if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Have a blessed day.

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More like Jesus…. (devo reflection)

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

How can I offer my body as a living sacrifice to God? I think that if I follow what Jesus tells me to do–love as He loves, forgive as He forgives–instead of following my natural tendencies to judge and hold grudges, that’s a step in the right direction.

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

I think if I can be a safe haven of acceptance, a place where folks can catch their breath, not feel the sting of judgment, a place where they can find their feet, that’s a step in the right direction. I strive to do these things…with varying degrees of success. But I’ll keep trying to be more like Jesus in my thoughts, words, and deeds. I think that pleases Him.

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

Precious Savior, the world calls us to judge others. The world says that we need to put ourselves first, tear others down, lift ourselves up. You have called me to another path, a difficult path, a loving path. Help me to love as You love. Help me to put aside the ways of this world and offer myself, my words, my actions as a living sacrifice to You. Amen.

Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 

Have a blessed day.

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To love as He loves…. (devo reflection)

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To love beyond my fear…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I have always struggled with verse 18 because fear, worry, anxiety are such huge, unwelcome factors of my life. I stress over what could happen. I try to plan contingencies for what might happen. As a teacher, a mother, a wife, all that planning is often incredibly useful. As a deeply loved child of God, the fear that leads to that planning can become a bulwark between me and my Savior.

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 

And as I ponder today’s scripture, I marvel at the abundant grace of my Savior. My family is currently in Georgia. The hubs and the oldest offspring set off tomorrow morning to hike north for 2200 miles (the entirety of the Appalachian Trail). I’m excited for them but also, naturally, apprehensive. Today’s verses remind me that God’s got us–ALL of us. We do not need to fear.

1 John 4:20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for knowing my heart, for knowing my fears, for sending me scripture to comfort me and remind me to trust You. Thank You for this day and for the journey that lies ahead. Be with me. Help me to love beyond my fear. Amen.

1 John 4:21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Have a blessed day.

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Gracious with my love…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  

Acknowledging Jesus isn’t a magic force field that keeps you from being human. Even with Jesus by our side, we still make mistakes. We still get it wrong–sometimes so very, very wrong. Having Jesus just means that each mistake, each misstep, isn’t a death sentence. We aren’t immediately kicked out of Jesus’s good graces for each slip.

1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love…

I admit that sometimes I get stuck with the mental image of the Old Testament God, who is not the epitome of love in my mind. OT God is all about vengeance and wrath. But the same God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins. THAT is the God of love. And if God believes that every person is redeemable, who am I to argue? That’s the love I am to model. God’s love. Christ’s love. For everyone.

1 John 4:16b …Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 

Precious Savior, I am so incredibly thankful for Your love, Your grace, Your mercy. Forgive me when I judge another of Your children who has messed up, whom You still love fiercely and unconditionally. Help me to be as gracious with my love as You are. Help me. Amen.

1 John 4:17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

Have a blessed day.

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A way to love others…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.   

Love one another. Simple, but not easy. Some people are easy to love–they are so much like us, they don’t challenge us, they don’t scare us or offend us. But some people–those who are so very different, so frustratingly, infuriatingly different, they are hard to love.

1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 

But Jesus was never one to take the easy way. Even as they crucified Him, Jesus prayed for the soldiers who knew not what they were doing. And isn’t prayer a form of love, a way to love others? Isn’t acceptance instead of judgment, a way to love others?

1 John 4:13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.

Precious Savior, You love me fiercely, unconditionally, eternally. Thank You. Help me to love others–all others, especially those who don’t seem very lovable. Help me to love as You love–fiercely and unconditionally. Help me. Amen.

1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 

Have a blessed day.

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Let us love one another…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  

As I read these verses from 1 John 4 this morning, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 came to mind. In it Shakespeare writes: “love is not love/Which alters when it alteration finds,” … “O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark/That looks on tempests and is never shaken….”

1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

The love John is speaking of in these verses is the same love as Shakespeare writes about–a love which accepts, a love which doesn’t seek to change, a love that is steadfast and is not shaken. This is the love God has for us and the love we are commanded to have for each other–deep and abiding, love that weathers the many, many storms of life.

1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 

Precious Savior, Help me to love others as You love me–fiercely, steadfastly, unconditionally. We are called to love one another. Sometimes that is so difficult. Sometimes it’s so much easier to judge. Sometimes it seems wiser to walk away. Give us Your wisdom and guidance as we seek to love as You love. Amen.

1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 

Have a blessed day.

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God is not only WITH us, He is not only FOR us, He is IN us as well…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.   

The part that says, “…the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” is a favorite of mine. It brings to mind songs and other scripture that underscores the same point–God is not only WITH us, He is not only FOR us, He is IN us as well.

1 John 4:5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

The preposition IN denotes a closeness, a connection, that this world cannot offer us. I’ve heard this verse used as a weapon (“How dare you fear?!? God is with you. Don’t you trust Him?!?), but for me, it is a loving reminder. “I know you’re afraid. Of course you are. But you don’t need to be because He is IN you. You are not alone.”

1 John 4:6a We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us….

Precious Savior, You know my doubts and fears. You know my struggles. Thank You for sending me to Joshua and 1 John, for showing me that You are WITH me, FOR me, IN me. Thank You that You are infinitely gentle and fiercely loving and not full of anger or wrath. Thank You for Your presence in my life. Amen.

1 John 4:6b …This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Have a blessed day.

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The confusion is real…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  

Commentary says that these verses mean that we need to be sure that every spiritual experience or spiritual encounter is from God. I’m not going to lie, that really doesn’t clear up my confusion about these verses.

1 John 4:2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 

Just like I wonder about prophecies and visitations from angels–were they really so prevalent two thousand years ago? Are they really so nonexistent today?–I wonder about the spirits mentioned in this verse who/what/where/when they were. Were there literal spirits in John’s time? The confusion is real.

1 John 4:3a …but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

Precious Savior, Thank You that I can admit when I am confused by Your word. Thank You that I can ask questions and wrestle with nuance. Thank You that I can love You and believe in You and shine Your light even when I do have questions about Your word. Amen.

1 John 4:3b …This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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When life goes sideways…. (devo reflection)

Joshua 1:16 Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 

Commentary says that all of this section–the Israelites’ reply to Joshua–is a confirmation of what the Lord told him. And while I can see that–the Israelites’ reply mirrors God’s words. I can see that as confirmation of what God just said–I can’t help but think about the beginning of this chapter where these same Israelites demanded Aaron make them an idol because Moses had been gone too long.

Joshua 1:17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses.

And I’m not exactly sure what to do with that. Perhaps what Joshua should keep in mind is that he’s got God’s word and that even if (even when?) the Israelites disobey and/or things go sideways, God will still be with him and he needs to cling to God–always–to be strong and courageous no matter what because God is with him.

Joshua 1:18a Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death… 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that even when life goes sideways–as it inevitably does–even then, You are with us. Thank You for the reminder that we can be strong and courageous not because of our strength or goodness or righteousness but because of Your loving presence. Thank You. Amen.

Joshua 1:18b …Only be strong and courageous!”

Have a blessed day.