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.
The message of Christ…. (devo reflection)
John 13:34 A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused widespread devastation to the southeastern US. My oldest was 4 months old, and I vividly remember holding him, sobbing, as I watched the destruction unfold on tv. Eventually, interspersed with the horror and destruction, were scenes of hope—people donating water, cleaning supplies, food, money, man-hours to help those suffering. There was no lengthy interview before helping, there was no assurance that the ones helped voted, loved, worshiped, believed in the same manner as the ones helping. People needed help, and people helped. End of story.
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he sees cannot love God whom he has not seen.
In many ways, that experience shaped my active expression of faith. Repeatedly, the Bible tells us to love one another. As God loved us, we should love one another. To me, that means recognizing the divinely authored life in each person (even if they don’t), treating them with love, respect, kindness (even if they don’t)—not because they deserve it but because my Savior does that for me even though I don’t deserve. I take to heart the internet meme “Love everybody. I’ll sort them out later. ~God” To me, that embodies the message of Christ.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this deep conviction that You call us to love and serve Your people. Help me to love others as You love me—deeply, fiercely, unconditionally. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Have a blessed day.
Our gracious Father always provides…. (devo reflection)
1 Kings 19:13 …Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Let’s recap 1 Kings 19 thus far: Elijah is exhausted, frustrated, and overwhelmed. To address the exhaustion, the LORD sends nourishment and rest. To address the frustration and overwhelm, the LORD asks “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9), listens to his reply (which is rooted in his frustration), and then shows up, personally, in the form of a gentle whisper to help Elijah’s refocus and realize that he is not alone. Part of the refocusing is the reminder of work yet to do, part is the reminder of the others working towards the same goal. God is so very good.
1 Kings 19:15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there….”
Heb 4:12 reminds us that “the word of God is alive and active,” which is exactly why I can spend four days wading through Elijah’s exhaustion, frustration, and overwhelm and see the parallels so closely mirroring my own story. This life can be so hard. And when we feel like we are isolated, the desire to curl up and give up is so strong. But just as Elijah wasn’t alone, we aren’t alone. Just as Elijah needed rest, release, refocusing, sometimes we do, too. And our gracious Father always provides.
1 Kings 19:18 “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the ability to see myself in Elijah’s struggles, for the ability to be strengthened by his story. Thank You for being a loving, active presence in our lives, for seeing where we are and knowing what we need. Thank You for rest, renewal, and strength, for refocusing us on You, Your purpose, Your people. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 Kings 19:21 So Elisha…set out to follow Elijah and become his servant.
Have a blessed day.