1 Chron 23:28 The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the LORD: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.
Two thoughts went through my head as I read this section. One was: I wonder if the Levites were upset to be playing a supporting role. Did they want to be in the spotlight? The other was verses from 1 Corinthians 12 about many parts, each with its own function and role, but one body. We need stars and supports, all the individual parts, to make life work.
1 Chron 23:29 They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the special flour for the grain offerings, the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all the measurements of quantity and size.
And of course that put me in mind if my own role. Do I see it as a lot I’m relegated to, bitter that I am not more prominent or do I relish the supporting, encouraging role I get to play for so many?
1 Chron 23:30a They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that every role is important and unique and that the whole only works because the individual parts do their job. You created me for a purpose. Help me to fulfill that purpose with a joyful heart. Always. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Chron 23:30b …They were to do the same in the evening….
Have a blessed day
Rule over us…. (devo reflection)
Judges 8:22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
Today’s reading and the Israelites behavior brought to mind 1 Cor 10:23 “You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’—but not everything is good for you. You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’—but not everything is beneficial.” It feels like the Israelites want someone to rule over them so that they don’t have to figure out for themselves what is good and beneficial for them. With someone to rule over then, that someone would make those decisions and all the Israelites would need to do is follow.
Judges 8:23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.”
That puts me in mind of behaviors I sometimes see in my job—people who desperately want to fit in, people trying to push boundaries in an attempt to establish what boundaries are arbitrary and can be crossed without consequence and what boundaries are there for their good or the good of society. It can be a tricky balance, but ultimately, we have to decide for ourselves using our own moral compass, developed through pushing and testing, developed through our relationship with Christ.
Judges 8:33a No sooner had Gideon died then the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that we need to push and test boundaries to develop our moral compass in You. Help us not to seek outside forces to rule over us. Help us to draw closer to You, to seek more of You, always. Amen.
Judges 8:33b-34 …They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.
Have a blessed day.
Little by little…. (devo reflection)
Deut 7:22 The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.
Patience is a virtue that I have a tremendously hard time with. I don’t mind being patient as long as it can happen right now. But that’s not how God works. He often works little by little, bringing us slowly to changes and understandings for our good and His glory.
Exodus 23:29 I will not drive them out before you in a single year….
Sometimes, like in Deut 7:22, He tells why His way, little by little, is the best way. More often, He just asks us to trust that He knows what He’s doing, even if we don’t understand.
Exodus 23:30 Little by little I will drive them out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You see the bigger picture, that You have a plan, that You know what You are doing, even if we don’t understand. Help us to keep walking in faith, Lord, even when we are uncertain or afraid. Help us to trust and obey, to know that You are making a way, little by little. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 Cor 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
Have a blessed day.
Each with a purpose…. (devo reflection)
Numbers 4:5 When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and put it over the covenant law.
Numbers 4 puts me in mind of both 1 Cor 12:12 and Romans 12:4-5. 1 Cor 12:12 says: For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Romans 12:4-5 reads: 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.
Numbers 4:31 As part of all their service at the tent, they are to carry the frames of the tabernacle, it’s crossbars, posts and bases….
Numbers 4 talks about the different tribes and their responsibilities when moving the camp. Everyone has a specific job. No job is more or less valuable than another. Everyone must do his or her part to keep the whole working. This is the way of life, too. No matter your place, your job, it’s important to the whole. Without you to do your part, the process would begin to break down. What you do, daily, is important. YOU are important.
Numbers 4:32b …Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this walk through Your word. Thank You for the knowledge and insight I am gaining. Thank You for the way You designed us—each with a purpose that only we can fulfill. Help us never to forget our role in Your plan. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 4:49 At the LORD’s command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry….
Have a blessed day.
Following Your lead…. (devo reflection)
Leviticus 25:23 “‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is Mine and you reside in My land as foreigners and strangers.’”
My church has been going through a visioning process for almost a year. A group of parishioners, made up of folks of varying ages in varying Sunday school classes and going to different worship services, are trying to ascertain where the LORD is leading us to be sure that we are serving as His hands and feet in our community.
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.
Today’s scripture reminds me why this visioning process is so important—it’s not our church. It’s His. They are not our missions and programs. They are His. And if we are truly trying to be His hands and feet in this world, it’s important to be sure we are going where He leads us, which involves prayer and reflection on what we are doing and what He is asking of us.
1 Corinthians 10:26 For “the earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that this world and everything in it are Yours. Thank You for allowing us to be Your stewards and for the reminder that as such, we need to be prayerful that we are following Your lead. Continue to guide us through this process. Help us to do Your will. Amen.
1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor for everything in heaven and earth is Yours.
Have a blessed day.
Personalized and focused…. (devo reflection)
1 Cor 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
I have several books about praying the scriptures for your children. They recommend inserting the name of your children into scripture to make it more personalized and focused. Then yesterday as I was driving home, listening to FM radio on a loaner car while my van was in the shop, the DJ recommended the same technique with my own name for these verses from 1 Cor 13. I found the results incredibly powerful.
1 Cor 13:5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Beth is patient, Beth is kind. Beth does not envy, Beth does not boast, Beth is not proud. Beth does not dishonor others, Beth is not self-seeking, Beth is not easily angered, Beth keeps no record of wrongs. Beth does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Beth always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Cor 13:6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this opportunity to make Your word so much more personal. Thank You for the goal of living into this version of love, this version of the person You designed me to be. I have made progress, Lord, but I still have a long way to go. Help me to embody Your love in my life. Help me to shine Your light. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Cor 13:7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Have a blessed day.
But God…. (devo reflection)
1 Cor 1:26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called….
When I was younger, I wanted to be a writer, but I struggled for a long time with whether or not I had anything of value to say. And then there was the vulnerability of putting my work out there for others to read. What if I found I did have something to say, but nobody wanted to hear it? Or what if they wanted to hear it, but they didn’t like what they heard? That kind of self-doubt eventually silenced my inner author.
1 Cor 1:26 …Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
But God…God had other plans for my dream of being a writer, a dream I fully believe He placed in my heart. At this point, I have been writing these daily reflections for probably five years, sharing with at least my sisters almost from the beginning the truths and insights my precious Savior shows me in His time and His way. I write daily. I publish, by blog and text, daily. God created me to be a writer, and in His time and His way He has helped me live into His purpose. Thank You, Jesus.
1 Cor 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this dream of becoming a writer. Thank You that You help me draw closer to You through my writing, that You bring others hope, peace, encouragement through my writing. Anything of value from my writing is about You, because of You, and for You. Thank You for fulfilling this dream in a way that helps to further Your kingdom and comfort Your people. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Cor 1:28-29 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before Him.
Have a blessed day.
With perfect clarity…. (devo reflection)
1 Cor 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the LORD comes. He will bring to light what is hidden….
Last month I wrote about the title of this blog and the fact that I am, we all are, a work in progress—each day striving to be a little better, a little more godly, than the day before. While I can usually apply that philosophy to my own life, I sometimes have difficulty remembering that all those I come into contact with are works in progress, too. God loves them as He loves me. Just as deeply. Just as fiercely.
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 that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Sometimes, especially on those days when I think I’m getting life right, it is easy for me to forget that I’m looking at the underside of God’s masterpiece. My knowledge is both imperfect and incomplete. I can’t judge others because 1. I am not the judge, and 2. I don’t have all the facts. And yet, so often I run ahead in judgement anyway, forgetting that we are all still in progress. God’s not done with us yet.
Rom 14:13 Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the fact that You are not finished with us yet. Help me concentrate on becoming the person You designed me to be. Help me to stop trying to judge others and to instead help them along their path. Draw us all closer to You. Amen.
Jer 16:17 For My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from My face….
Have a blessed day.
Delayed gratification…. (devo reflection)
Matt 6:2 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will receive no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Delayed gratification is a difficult concept to embrace. According to britannica.com, it is “the act of resisting an impulse to take an immediately available reward in the hope of obtaining a more-valued reward in the future.” Unfortunately, like Veruca Salt, we often stand, hands-on-hips, demanding gratification NOW! And this world is happy to oblige.
1 Cor 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the LORD comes…. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
But God doesn’t call us to work for the accolades of this world. He knows our hearts, He sees our efforts, our setbacks, our triumphs. He’s not here to stroke our egos. He’s here to build His kingdom, a task which transcends this world, a task more important than anything the world will ever ask of us or celebrate us for achieving. Building God’s kingdom is incompatible with instant gratification. I have every hope that He will one day say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” but that will not happen while I walk this earth.
Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though working for the LORD, not for human masters…
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that You see us, You know us, You are paying attention. The human side of me longs for recognition of my efforts, but I know that meaningful recognition can only come from You. Give me peace and hope as I continue working for You. Help me transcend the need for earthly accolades. Draw me closer. Amen.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind….
Have a blessed day
Lord, Thank You…. (devo reflection)
Heb 10:23 Let us continue to hold firmly to the hope that we confess without wavering, for the one who made the promise is faithful.
Lord, Thank You for a good week, especially after the incredible anxiety and grumpiness leading up to it. Thank You for Your presence and for unfounded fears. Thank You for this new group of students, Lord. I know that You put this combination together for a purpose and that we have much to learn and much to teach each other.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Lord, Thank You for this current mental space, a beautiful place of gratitude and thanksgiving. Thank You for the growth and maturity that has and is taking place, even under my own roof, for the new ways of being and relating. Thank You for deep roots that sink down into You, for the growth below the surface, unbeknownst to us, for the roots that nourish our souls.
2 Chron 15:2 …The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this life. Thank You for walking with me down every road, through every trial. Thank You that all of it draws me closer to You. And thank You that as great as this world can be, that it is not my home, that You have something even better planned and prepared. Draw me closer always. Amen.
1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful….
Have a blessed day.