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Even as we stumble along…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 12:11a No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful…. 

Precious Savior, Help us to lean into Your word, to look and listen for You, to seek and see You on every page. Help us to strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees by carrying out Your word to the best of our ability every day.

Hebrews 12:11b …Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Loving Father, Help us remember that we are Your deeply, fiercely, completely loved children, that You love us so much that You lay down Your life for us. When we are stung by Your discipline, help us to remember that it is training us, leading us, guiding us so that we can live a more godly life for You.

Hebrews 12:12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 

Heavenly Father, Thank You that Your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Help us, even as we stumble along, even when the path is steep or rocky or seemingly insurmountable, to know that You are with us, guiding us, protecting us, loving us. Always. Amen.

Hebrews 12:13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Have a blessed day.

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Boundaries and semantics…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?   

I’m not going to lie–today’s verses make me profoundly uncomfortable. And I’m not even sure why since, as a parent, I know that discipline is necessary to help children know boundaries–what’s acceptable, what’s not, how to navigate the two–and knowing and keeping healthy boundaries is essential for a good life.

Hebrews 12:8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 

I think it is the word discipline–which, apparently, has a very negative connotation for me. It strikes me as harsh, belt or switch in hand, severe punishment. And my Savior is not harsh or severe. He is loving and merciful. He wants what is best for me. He wants me to live a good life, a godly life, and He will help me stay on track by guiding and instructing me, not by harsh punishment.

Hebrews 12:9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!

Precious Savior, Today’s scripture has brought up some interesting baggage for me. Thank You that I see You as a loving parent, guiding, instructing, showing mercy and grace and not as a harsh disciplinarian, punishing, hurting, negatively disciplining. Thank You that no matter how I view it semantically, You are with me to guide me on Your path. Thank You. Amen.

Hebrews 12:10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.

Have a blessed day.

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The daily grind…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 12:3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Lord, It is so easy to grow weary and lose heart. The daily grind wears us down until we feel raw and fragile and prickly. Help us, even when our edges are sharp, even when we are just over it all, to keep our eyes on You, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 

Father, When we are in the middle of the struggle, it is overwhelmingly easy to be consumed by the fight, to feel that it defines us, devours us. Help us to cling to You. Help us to gain perspective that can only come from being close to You. Help us to persevere.

Hebrews 12:5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

Precious Savior, Thank You that we can come to You when we are weary. Thank You that we can lay our burdens at Your feet and wrap ourselves in Your peace. Help us to be more like You. Help us to cling to You. Help Us, precious Savior. Amen.

Hebrews 12:6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

Have a blessed day.

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…fixing our eyes on Jesus…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 12:1a Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

When you are driving a car, the wheel unintentionally skews in the direction you are looking. Look left for more than a second, and you’ll notice the car beginning to drift toward the left. Look right, same deal. It’s a fascinating fact, and more than a bit scary, as looking too long can impact your trip in a very negative way.

Hebrews 12:1b And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…  

Our faith is like that as well. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, we’ll be fine. We’ll live a life that is aligned with Him. But if we get distracted, looking to the right or the left, we’ll start to drift off course, and the longer we look, the more certain we change our intended course.

Hebrews 12:2a …fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder to fix our eyes on You. The world won’t fall apart if we don’t, but we’ll keep drifting farther and farther away, leaving us somewhere we really don’t want to be. Help us to focus on You, to cling to You. Always. Amen.

Hebrews 12:2b …For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Have a blessed day.

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Few things are needed–or indeed only one…. (devo reflection)

Luke 10:41a “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered…   

I feel like I could benefit from tattooing “Beth, Beth, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed–or indeed only one” on my forearm or somewhere I would see it often. It is a reminder that I desperately need most days. (Who am I kidding? It’s a reminder that I desperately need every day.)

Luke 10:41b … “you are worried and upset about many things…

I can get myself worked up about any number of things and feel absolutely justified in my indignation. But verse 41 reminds me that when my righteous indignation takes precedence over my Jesus, there is a problem. The one thing that is needed is spending time with Him, staying connected to Him. Righteous indignation without Jesus in the middle of it is a recipe for disaster.

Luke 10:42a …but few things are needed—or indeed only one.

Precious Savior, Thank You for verse 41, for the reminder that You are what’s important–staying connected to You, being in Your presence, taking time to sit at Your feet and listen to You. Help me take verse 41 to heart, especially when my focus shifts away from You. Help me remember what’s truly important. Amen.

Luke 10:42b …Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Have a blessed day.

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Nearly frantic…. (devo reflection)

Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  

Oh, Martha. I so understand her rationale. Jesus and His disciples are here and there is so much to do. I bet she’s nearly frantic to get everything just right. But of course her sister is just sitting there listening to Jesus and His disciples instead of actually doing anything helpful to get the house ready. Seriously, what is up with that?!?

Luke 10:39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.

I lived a good chunk of my early married life in a Martha mentality. Folks are coming over? Everything needs to look good! I get so worked up cleaning and straightening and stowing stuff that there is zero anticipation of guests coming. Thankfully, I usually had the sense to stop when they got there so at least I could enjoy their company. But I know how Martha feels, and it hurts my heart for her.

Luke 10:40a But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the example of Mary and Martha. Thank You that I am not quite as strong a Martha as I once was. Help me to lean even more into my Mary side, especially when it comes to spending time with You. Amen.

Luke 10:40b …She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Have a blessed day.

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Go and do likewise…. (devo reflection)

Luke 10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 

What really jumps out to me in this section is that the Samaritan doesn’t just help and move on. He bandages the wounds, using oil and wine (not skimping because this is some stranger), he puts him on his own donkey, he takes him to an inn and continues to take care of him.

Luke 10:35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

Not only that, but when it’s time for him to go (to finish whatever he had been on his way to do when he found the guy), he gives the innkeeper money to look after him and promises to pay any extra expense that is incurred while he is gone, meaning he intends to come back and check. That is next-level compassion.

Luke 10:36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Precious Savior, Thank You for the example of the Good Samaritan. I know I don’t have that kind of heart, that level of compassion. Help me to be more like You, more like the Good Samaritan when it comes to compassion for all. Amen.

Luke 10:37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Have a blessed day.

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Beyond the borders of my circle…. (devo reflection)

Luke 10:30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  

We tend to judge those who are not within our circle, and we tend to defend those who are. The priest and the Levite in today’s scripture illustrate that principle: “You are not one of mine. I will not get involved.” But the Samaritan chooses to show compassion on a human who is suffering.

Luke 10:31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

That is what Jesus wants of us–to treat everyone as our neighbor, to treat everyone with compassion, regardless of any other factor–who they are, where they worship, who they love, how they vote, etc etc. The principle is so incredibly easy to grasp, but the reality can often prove quite challenging.

Luke 10:32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 

Precious Savior, Help me to live as You live, to love as You love, beyond the borders of my circle, beyond the boundaries of my understanding. Help me to show compassion to all others, regardless of anything that separates us. Help me to be more like You. Amen.

Luke 10:33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

Have a blessed day.

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Justification…. (devo reflection)

Luke 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

The important pieces of today’s verses, the ones that show the expert’s motivation, are verses 28-29. The expert asks and answers his own question. Jesus says, basically, “Yep. You are right! Do that.” But the expert isn’t looking for answers, he wants to justify himself.

Luke 10:26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

When you seek to justify yourself, you are, essentially, seeking to make excuses for your own behavior. You are seeking to explain why your actions were correct. That’s what the expert is doing–NOT trying to draw closer to Jesus, NOT trying to inherit eternal life, NOT trying to correct errant behavior. He is trying to justify his behavior, explain it away.

Luke 10:27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

Precious Savior, As much as I want to rail against the expert’s actions, I know I am guilty of justification as well. Help me to earnestly seek You in Your word. Help me to see my actions in light of Your commands and make changes where necessary. Amen.

Luke 10:28-29 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Have a blessed day.

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In my quest for Jesus…. (devo reflection)

Luke 10:23a Then he turned to his disciples and said privately… 

Today’s scripture brings to mind the Magic Eye pictures of the 90s. In order to see the picture emerge, you had to intentionally unfocus your eyes while still looking at the picture. It’s hard to describe but, for me, even harder to do. I eventually became semi-adept, but there was a lot of practice, a lot of frustration, especially as it seemed so easy for everyone else.

Luke 10:23b …“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 

I think what Jesus describes in verse 24 is similar. The prophets and kings want to see so badly, they strain to hear, but they come up frustratingly empty. Makes me wonder if the Pharisees and Sadducees should be lumped in here, too. Did they want to see but were unable to do so? Did they focus on following rules and laws to make up for their inability to actually see Jesus?

Luke 10:24a For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it…. 

Precious Savior, Thank you for teaching me to ask questions. Thank you for helping me look and listen. Thank you for giving me lots of practice with the frustration of not seeing, not hearing, so that I will not give up in my quest for You. Help me to keep searching, everywhere I go. You are with me. Thank You. Amen.

Luke 10:24b …and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Have a blessed day.