Rev 3:10 “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently….”
I try diligently not to pull out partial scripture when I write my reflections, but as I was reading this morning, thinking about my anxiety and grumpiness in the last week, thinking about yesterday, which really was a good day, I was struck by this passage in Revelation. If I had to give myself a grade for patient endurance to God’s call for me this past week, I would definitely have failed. Thankfully, my precious Savior applies much more grace and mercy to my shortcomings than I show myself. Thank You, Jesus.
1 Cor 1:21 For God in His wisdom made it impossible for people to know Him by means of their own wisdom….
My Savior knows He created me to try to understand—why something happened, what something means, why I keep making mistakes and missteps when I want so much to please my Savior and bring Him glory. 1 Cor 1:21 helps me see the value in the seeking. I will never fully know my Creator through my own efforts, but every day, with every quest for understanding, I feel I get to know Him just a little bit better. Thank You, Jesus.
1 Cor 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for my inquisitive nature, for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for allowing me to seek You daily, understanding pieces of You and of myself just a smidge better with every attempt. Thank You that You cannot be fully known, fully understood, through my own efforts. Thank You that one glorious day, when we stand face to face, that I will see everything clearly. Draw me closer to You. Amen.
Matt 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Have a blessed day.
Complete faith…. (devo reflection)
James 2:17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a teacher who changed my life. She believed in me before I could believe in myself, and I knew from the age of 15 that I was created to be a teacher. I wanted to do for others what she did for me. And I love my job, but the re-entry from summer to a new school year keeps getting more difficult. This year I feel oppressed by a cloud of grumpiness I just can’t shake. James 2:17 really hit me this morning because, while I have complete faith God has me just where He needs me, I don’t feel that with this “cloud of grumpy,” that I am doing my part in the way that He has called me to do. Jesus, Help me!
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Lord, I don’t know why I’m struggling so at the beginning of this school year, but I am certain that 1. where You have me is exactly where You need me and 2. my attitude MUST change. Help me to set aside my grumpiness so that I can give these young people my best. Help me to encourage, support, and love them as they get their feet under them and move forward toward their dreams. Help me to push them outside of their comfort zones while helping them to see how much strength they have within them. Grant me Your strength and Your peace as I do Your work.
Heb 3:15 As has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the fact that You are not happy with my current attitude and neither am I. Thank You that we can change our attitudes and our perspectives, even if we can’t change our circumstances. Thank You for a job I enjoy, one that makes a difference. Thank You for Your love and support as I carry out Your will. Draw me closer. Help me shake my attitude so that I can live Your joy. Amen.
John 1:15 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Have a blessed day.
The hope and promise of new beginnings…. (devo reflection)
Matt 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life….”
Lord, Thank You for understanding where I am, how nerve-wracking “new” can be, how much I want to get everything “just right.” Thank You for calling me to this work, for calling me to love, support, and encourage young people. Thank You for the many, many amazing young people I have had the opportunity to work with over the years and the newest group that starts tomorrow.
Jer 1:9 Then the LORD put out His hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, “Now I have put My words in your mouth.”
Lord, Thank You for this particular mix of students. I know with certainty that You’ve placed this particular group in my care for a purpose, that I have wisdom to share with them and they have wisdom to share with me. Help us to be open to listening to and learning from each other. Help me never to forget that You walk with me, even when the going gets tough.
Matt 28:20 “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the hope and promise of new beginnings. Thank You for Your loving reassurance, for Your wisdom, and for Your direction. Help me to be the teacher that You designed me to be. Draw me closer. Amen.
Matt 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow….”
Have a blessed day.
Break these chains…. (devo reflection)
Jer 1:16 “I will pronounce my judgment on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking Me…in worshiping what their hands have made.”
I woke up around 3:30 last night and could not go back to sleep. Despite my intentions of giving gratitude (something I try to do when I’m awake in the middle of the night to keep from getting grumpy about my inability to sleep), my mind kept hopscotching from one thing to another—what still needs to be done to prepare my classroom, what still needs to be done to prepare my lessons—absolutely irrelevant things at 3:30 in the morning, and things that I know will fall into place, even though I always fret about them. When I read Jer 1:16, it felt very much like my worrying and lack of gratitude were both ways of forsaking my Creator in favor of fretting over what my hands have made. Jesus, Help me.
Psalm 121:1 I lift my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?
Ironically, I read Psalm 121 first this morning and immediately recognized the realignment needed. I was trying to look to the heavens in gratitude but was allowing myself to remain earthbound and waylaid by my mess—the things occupying my mind. Jesus, Help me.
Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that I MUST keep my eyes on You, always, instead of allowing myself to get sidetracked by the concerns of this world. Help me to praise You, to lift my eyes to You, to give You glory always. Break these chains that keep dragging me down with worrying and fear. Help me lay my burdens at Your feet, leave them there, and wrap myself in Your peace. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 121:3 He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber….
Have a blessed day.
Rest for my soul…. (devo reflection)
Jer 18:15 Yet My people have forgotten Me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which make them stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths….
When I read this scripture this morning, Heb 4:12 immediately came to mind: “For the word of God is alive and active.” While today’s generation was not the original intended audience, this verse still very much applies today. While the ancient audience set up physical idols, there are so many things, physical and otherwise, today that take our attention from our LORD, that cause us to stumble in our ways. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 28:12 God has told His people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.
As easy as it is to sadly shake my head and mutter, “Those fools,” I know that I, too, am guilty of refusing God’s rest. How many times have I lamented my exhaustion? How many times have I confessed my propensity to worry and fret? How long before I truly listen to my precious Savior so He can restore my soul in His place of quiet rest? Jesus, Help me.
Jer 6:16 …But you said, ‘No, that’s not what we want!’
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for loving me through my stubbornness and refusal to listen. Thank You for Your Son, who restored my right relationship with You. Thank You for not giving up on me, even when I am dripping with exhaustion and stress and STILL steadfastly refusing to do things Your way. Help me to listen and obey. Grant me to Your rest for my soul. Amen.
Jer 6:17 …But you replied, ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’
Have a blessed day.
A purpose for me here…. (devo reflection)
Matt 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Lord, I know that You have called me to this space, this place, that You have a purpose for me here. Help me, every moment of every day to seek Your will and Your purpose for my life. Help me to ask what You would have me to do, to seek Your presence, Your grace, Your heart, and to knock on Your door, inviting You into every moment of my life so that I can draw closer to You.
Matt 7:8 “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Lord, You want us to have deep, rich, fulfilling relationships with You. You want us to seek to know You better, to spend time in Your presence and in Your word. You want us to be Your hands and feet in this life. Help me, daily, to seek to draw closer and to know You more—at home, at work, in the car, at the store. Everywhere.
Matt 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the invitation to know You better and to walk with You more closely. Thank You for the care You used to create my being, for the plan You have for my life, for walking this road right beside me. Draw me closer to You. Always. Amen.
Phil 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.
Have a blessed day.
Focused on my Savior…. (devo reflection)
Col 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Currently, I have three devotions I read along with my morning bible study. This morning, two of the three dealt with staying focused on Christ, ironic since I found my mind constantly wandering to my laundry list of things to do today. To stay focused on my Savior this morning took way more effort than it should have, which is a clear sign I need to reorder my priorities. Jesus, Help me.
Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith….
My morning prayer and study time is crucial for so many reasons, focus chief among them. But the nature of the world is intrusion, insistence that this thing, no this one, no this, is so critical that it must be dealt with NOW. The frenetic pace of the world’s demands makes it dangerously easy to shift our focus away from our Savior and onto the “whack-a-mole” demands of life. Jesus, Help me.
Matt 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder of the need to stay focused—first and foremost—on You. This world is loud and insistent, and it wants my full attention, but I can never find true peace, Your peace, peace that passes all understanding, unless I keep my eyes, my mind, my heart focused on You. Help me, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 26:4 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You.
Have a blessed day.
Life abundantly…. (devo reflection)
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever….
My default these days seems to be grumpy, and that is not good. “Choose Joy” is more than a gimmick, it is a life philosophy, and my precious Savior has given me what I need to choose joy, no matter my circumstances. He has given me the Holy Spirit, who is always with me, to help me navigate life on earth. The Holy Spirit can and will help me tap into my Savior’s joy. I just have to make the first move. Jesus, Help me.
Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised….You always resist the Holy Spirit!”
With this grumpy disconnect between my head and my heart, I feel stiff-necked and resistant. My Savior came to give me life abundantly (John 10:10). He does not want me in this grumpy space. I cannot glorify Him if I don’t open my heart to His joy. Jesus, Help me.
Eph 3:16 I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this message. Thank You for the Advocate, the Helper, the Holy Spirit inside me that keeps me connected to You despite the best efforts of this world to draw me away. Help me to breakdown the interior barriers keeping me from embracing Your joy fully and completely. Adjust my attitude. Draw me closer to You, Lord. Help me to claim Your joy in my life and to glorify Your name. Amen.
Eph 3:17 …so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith….
Have a blessed day.
To serve, not to circumvent…. (devo reflection)
Isaiah 58:11a The LORD will guide you always….
I consider myself to be a very resourceful person, reasonably intelligent, capable, independent. In this world, these are good, useful traits. But I’ve confessed my propensity for worry and my “If only” leanings. I know these are obstacles in my relationship with Christ. A gem from one of my readings this morning has given me much to ponder: “As long as we rely on our own resources, we will never place our trust in Him.” Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 58:11b …He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame….
The deeply loved child of God that I am immediately bristles at the thought that I am still trying to rely on my own resources instead of my Savior. After all, don’t I spend every morning seeking a closer relationship with Him? But the realist in me recognizes the truth of the statement. It makes sense that the reason I struggle so with worry, with laying things at His feet and leaving them there, is because I think I can handle them. Clearly I can’t. I need my Savior. I want my Savior to be the center of my life. I want Him to use my resourcefulness, intelligence, and independent nature to SERVE Him, not to circumvent Him. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 58:11c …You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this insight. I love You so deeply. I need You so desperately. I don’t want anything to replace my dependence on You. You are my center. You are my life. Break down all my defenses, Lord, and draw me closer. Amen.
1 John 4:5 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.
Have a blessed day.
The present moment…. (devo reflection)
Matt 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.
I am an admitted worrier. I tend to stress and fret about all manner of things that 1. tend to work out fine anyway, 2. don’t amount to much, and 3. rob me of joy in the present moment. This morning my precious Savior is showing me another tendency that needs adjusting. It is my tendency to get stuck in “if only,” as in “If only I had another week of vacation instead of going back to work tomorrow.” or “If only this thing had happened (could happen) instead of this one.” Jesus, help me.
Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Just like with worrying, the trap of “If only” robs me of the joy of what is. And just like with worrying, the solution is to trust my Savior for His daily provision and to trust the truth of Romans 8:28, “…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Thank You, Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder to trust You daily, that You will provide what I need, give me strength for what I need to handle, that where You have me is exactly where I need to be right this moment. Thank You for showing me how living in the mindset of “If only” is robbing me of the joy and beauty You have for me today. Help me to place my burdens at Your feet, to live fully in this moment, and to love what is. Draw me closer. Amen.
Matt 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life….”
Have a blessed day.