Beth Duncan

December 9, 2023

What you worship…. (devo reflection)

Deuteronomy 6:13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.

At first reading, it’s easy for me to say that I would never follow other gods. However, looking at the definition of “god,” seeing how varied, how multifaceted the definition is, knowing how insidious the world’s desires can be, I can absolutely see why this caution is necessary.

Deuteronomy 6:14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;

In a graduation speech, David Foster Wallace calls this “what you worship.” He cautions that if you aren’t careful, what you worship can eat you alive. And I think that idea is at the heart of today’s verses. God loves us so much. He knows that if we worship money, power, things, other gods, that it will cost us, it will affect our quality of life, and it will separate us even further from His love, grace, and compassion.

Deuteronomy 6:15a for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God…

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your fierce, merciful, compassionate love. Thank You that You want what is best for us, that You want us to be in easy communion with You because You know how rich that will make our lives. Help me to worship You alone. Draw me closer. Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:15b …and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.

Have a blessed day.

December 8, 2023

Needing others…. (devo reflection)

Deuteronomy 6:10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,

My daily devo this morning said that God didn’t make us to be self-sufficient. He made us to need Him, daily. I’m ashamed to admit how little I like the idea of not being self-sufficient, of needing anyone or anything. I’d like to say that doesn’t apply to God, but I can’t deny the bristle I felt reading those words this morning. Jesus, help me.

Deuteronomy 6:11a … houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig,

But life has taught me that I do need Jesus, so much, every day. And Covid isolation taught me that I do need people, my people, people who love and accept me, and I do need to use the gift of encouragement that God has given me. And all of these things are good. Thank You, Jesus.

Deuteronomy 6:11 …and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied,

Lord, the idea of self-sufficiency is so appealing. I don’t want to need anyone. That feels weak. But You have shown me in so many ways that my days are better with You, my days are better with people who love and care about me, with people who need uplifting and encouraging. Help me, always, to be grateful. Help me, always, to seek opportunities to shine Your light. Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Have a blessed day.

December 7, 2023

With all my strength…. (devo reflection)

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

What does it mean to love God with all my strength? I think it means loving God like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (We know God can save us, but even if He does not…Daniel 3:17-18), to love God even if our world is falling apart, even when our hearts are breaking.

Deuteronomy 6:6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

I think that’s why Moses encourages the Israelites to keep these commandments on their hearts, teach them to their children, talk about them at home and on the road, to surround themselves with these commandments.

Deuteronomy 6:7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Precious Savior, Thank You for loving me even though I rail in anger, bitterness, fear, confusion when life is falling apart, when my heart is breaking. Thank You for being big enough to handle all my emotions. Thank You for helping me to see, again and again, what it means to love You with all my strength. Thank You. Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:8-9 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Have a blessed day.

December 6, 2023

The ultimate goal…. (devo reflection)

Deuteronomy 6:1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,

Rules can be incredibly important. They give structure and boundaries. They give safety. But rules should not be the master, followed no matter the cost, no matter the circumstances. They should be more helpful guidelines than unbending bulwarks.

Deuteronomy 6:2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.

Moses states that the Lord directed him to teach the Israelites these rules so that they and their descendants could fear the Lord by keeping His decrees and commands, so that no matter how far they go, they will remember what’s important. The rules were never meant to be the end-all-be-all. Loving God is always the ultimate goal.

Deuteronomy 6:3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

Precious Savior, Sometimes I love rules. They make me feel safe; they give a sense of security and order. But sometimes rules feel incredibly restrictive and sometimes they feel like the ultimate point, following rules just to say we followed them. YOU are the point. Always. Help me to never forget that all Your rules, commandments, guidelines are to help me draw closer to You. Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Have a blessed day.

December 5, 2023

More like You…. (devo reflection)

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Lord, To be more than a conqueror, to be more than victorious, that in and of itself is amazing. Thank You that because of You the trials of life don’t define me, can’t contain me. Thank You that I am more than a conqueror in You.

Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

Savior, Nothing can separate me from You, nothing except my own pigheadedness, and even that can’t separate us–it just makes me feel isolated. Thank You that Your love for me is so fierce, so unconditional, so unequivocal that nothing can stop it. Help me never forget that powerful love for me.

Romans 8:39a neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,

Jesus, Life can be so tough, and it’s easy for me to feel defeated. Thank You that I am more than a conqueror with You in my corner. Thank You that no force, internal or external, can separate me from You. Thank You for Your fierce love and amazing grace. Help me to be more like You every day. Amen.

Romans 8:39b will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Have a blessed day.

December 4, 2023

Unconditional, unequivocal, unending love…. (devo reflection)

Romans 8:35a Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

I have come to realize that I am the person who can most effectively, most efficiently separate myself from Christ. My attitude, my anger, my bitterness, my sadness–these things can separate me more quickly than anything else on earth.

Romans 8:35b Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

But even when I throw up barrier after barrier, His love is still with me. He loves me fiercely, deeply, unconditionally. Whether I feel like I deserve it or not, whether I am angry at Him or not, He still loves me completely. No matter what. Nothing can separate me from the love of Christ.

Romans 8:36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your unconditional, unequivocal, unending love. Thank You that the barriers I place between us can’t stop Your love. Thank You for that surety and that peace. Amen.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Have a blessed day.

December 3, 2023

Securely in the palm of His hand…. (devo reflection)

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” That question fills me with such joy and hope. We are God’s fiercely loved children. He is absolutely for us. Therefore, no one and no thing of any significance can be against us because He’s got us securely in the palm of His hand.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

But there are still people and things against us, so does that mean those people and things who are against us are not of eternal significance? What about “graciously giving us all things”? There are desires of my heart that were not given. Were they not of eternal significance? Did His “no” save me or those I love from some heartache we cannot imagine?

Romans 8:33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Precious Savior, Just when I think I understand Your word, I realized that I am still struggling to make sense of it. I love that since You are for me, no one can be against me. I am confused by the promise that You will graciously give us all things. I know there are prayers that I have prayed, for myself and others, that You did not answer the way I wanted, the way I would have chosen. Help me to know what to do with that, so that I can continue to trust You always. Amen.

Romans 8:34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Have a blessed day.

December 2, 2023

Our compass, our center, our focus…. (devo reflection)

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I often paraphrase Romans 8:28 as “God can use all things for our good and His glory.” And while I doubt I’ll change that paraphrase (I’ve been using it a loooong time), as I look at the verse this morning, I notice a lot more nuance.

Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

For one, God is working “for the good of those who love Him.” He is WORKING in all things, no matter what. And He’s working for OUR good. But our hearts must belong to Him. “…for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:30a And those he predestined, he also called;

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that our focus must remain on You. That as long as You are at our core, You are our compass, our center, our focus, You will work for our good in all things. No matter what. Thank You. Amen.

Romans 8:30b …those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Have a blessed day.

December 1, 2023

The Spirit helps us in our weakness…. (devo reflection)

Romans 8:26a In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

I’ll admit that the Spirit is the part of the Trinity that I understand the least, which is ironic, I guess, because I also think the Spirit is Jesus IN me, that little voice that reminds me of His presence, His love, His peace.

Romans 8:26b …We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

The fact that the Spirit knows how to intercede on our behalf even when we don’t know how to pray, what to pray…that fact brings me great comfort. The fact that my prayers of “Jesus. Jesus. Jesus” or “Please. Please. Please” become an articulate plea to my Savior’s ears, that fact brings me great comfort.

Romans 8:27a And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit…

Precious Savior, Thank You that Your Spirit is IN me, always, that I am never without You because of Your Spirit. Thank You that You know my heart, even when I can’t be articulate with my words. Thank You that I don’t have to understand the mysteries of You to draw closer to You. Thank You. Amen.

Romans 8:27b …because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Have a blessed day.

November 30, 2023

Holding on to hope…. (devo reflection)

Romans 8:22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the gift of hope, which is so incredibly important. Help me, daily, find ways to hold on to hope, no matter my circumstances, my doubts, my fears.

Romans 8:23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

Lord, Thank You for the gift of Your blessings. You lavish me with blessings daily–sunshine, friendship, hope, joy. Help me to always be on the lookout for Your blessings as they are always around me.

Romans 8:24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?

Jesus, Thank You for the gift of renewal. I’m tired. So tired. But I know I don’t have to shoulder my burdens alone. I know that You are with me. I know that You love me. I know that I have hope through You, with You, in You. Thank You. Amen.

Romans 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Have a blessed day.