The anchor of my faith…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 6:10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

Verse 19 is a favorite of mine. I actually was just given an ornament yesterday of an anchor with this verse on it. I love the analogy of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—anchoring me to the hope of heaven when I feel tossed about by life’s chaos.

Hebrews 6:11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.

I love the image of the anchor, sunk deep and holding fast, impervious to the wind and the waves. Life, the ocean, can be smooth as glass or as turbulent as a tempest. My boat, that’s me, can be smoothly sailing or be tossed about like a beach ball. I’m not impervious to life’s challenges, but my anchor, what keeps me grounded, absolutely is rock solid.

Hebrews 6:12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Lord, Thank You for the anchor of my faith in You. Thank You that no matter what is going on with the wind and waves of life, You are holding me firm and secure through my faith. Thank You. Amen.

Hebrews 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure….

Have a blessed day.

Willfully…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 5:11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.

How often in my life have I been guilty of willfully misunderstanding a situation? Usually, strong emotions are involved—fear, anger, hurt, grief. But where willful misunderstanding is present, communication cannot take place.

Hebrews 5:12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

If I choose to willfully misunderstand, I will never hear—I will never listen to—what you are trying to say. If I’m not willing to listen, no matter how important your message, it won’t get through.

Hebrews 5:13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.

Lord, Humans are an incredibly willful lot. Open the eyes of our hearts that we may see You better, hear You more clearly. Help us to be willfully loving, willfully compassionate, willfully communicative. Help us to mature in our faith and to shine Your light. Amen.

Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Have a blessed day.

Alive and active…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 4:12a For the word of God is alive and active….

Verse 12 always seemed a bit scary to me growing up, especially the part about the double-edged sword, but I find myself these days coming back to this verse again and again as scripture I’ve never paid much attention to resonates deeply with me in certain seasons of life. Static, lifeless words can’t do that.

Hebrews 4:12b …Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

This chapter, to me, is about reconciliation. God’s word is active and alive, reaching me when my heart is receptive. Nothing is hidden from God (v13). He knows me intimately, even the parts that I don’t like or can’t accept. Yet I can and should approach His throne of grace with confidence that I will receive mercy and grace (v16).

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.

Lord, I don’t deserve Your love, mercy, or grace, yet I am incredibly thankful that You lavish them on me regardless. Thank You that Your words are active and alive. Thank You that nothing is hidden from you. Thank You for Your fierce love. Help me to be more like You. Amen.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Have a blessed day.

Questioning and unbelief are not the same thing…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.

I grew up in a church that taught you do not question God. (At least that’s how I interpreted what I was taught at a young age.) However, questioning and unbelief are not the same thing at all. Unbelief says I don’t trust what you say as truth. Questioning, to me, says I’m trying to understand.

Hebrews 3:12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

In many ways, I’m still like the annoying toddler saying Why? Why? Why? But my intentions are pure. Especially with God, I’m often trying to reconcile unpleasant realities with the loving, merciful God whom I trust fully. “I know You love me, Lord, but I don’t understand this situation.”

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Lord, Thank You for the inquisitive mind You gave me. Thank You for the desire to understand. Use it to draw me closer to You, to shine Your light, to comfort Your people. Amen.

Hebrews 3:14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

Have a blessed day.

Abiding…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 2:1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

Many thoughts come to mind as I read today’s scripture, chief among them, the need to abide in the Lord. For me, this daily scripture reading and reflection is a way to abide, to root myself in my Savior before the morning madness begins.

Hebrews 2:6 But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?

Verses 6-8 remind me of one of the overarching themes in the play Our Town, this idea that we are at once insignificant in the whole of the universe and incredibly significant in our little sphere of humanity.

Hebrews 2:7-8 You made them a little a lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.”

Lord, It is so important to abide in You. Thank You that this morning devotional time is such an integral part of my day. Thank You for helping me understand the dynamics of my place in this world. Help me to shine Your light daily. Help me to abide in You always.

Hebrews 2:9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Have a blessed day.

Just love everybody…. (devo reflection)

Hebrews 1:3a The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word….

Reading today’s scripture brought to mind Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Jesus doesn’t change. His love doesn’t change. Neither does His mercy, grace, compassion, forgiveness. We can count on Him. Always.

Hebrews 1:3b …After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Something else that came to mind while reading this scripture is an old billboard that I used to see along the interstates: “Just love everybody. I’ll sort them out later. ~God” Jesus is God in human form. God is love. He calls us to love. When I don’t know what to do, He tells me to love—love Him, love others, love myself.

Hebrews 1:4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Lord, Thank You that You are dependable and sure, unchanging in all the best ways. Thank You that You call us to love You and love others, especially when we don’t know what else to do. Help us, Lord. Amen.

Hebrews 1:12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

Have a blessed day.

“Do not be afraid….” (devo reflection)

Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.”
In both verse 13 and verse 30, one of the first things the angel says is: “Do not be afraid.” Worry, fear, anxiety have been such a part of my life for so long that the angel’s words are a balm to my soul. “Do not be afraid.”
Luke 1:18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
The other thing that strikes me about verse 13 specifically is the fact that the angel tells Zechariah that the Lord has heard his UNSPOKEN prayer for a son, the prayer that he held in the quiet of his heart, the prayer he had probably given up on. Zechariah reacts with disbelief (“How can I be sure of this?”). I feel his disbelief on a gut level as it is something I struggle with as well.
Luke 1:30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.”
Precious Savior, Thank You for the repeated reminder not to be afraid. Thank You for hearing the prayers that we hold in the quiet of our hearts. Thank You for the promise to never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5), for the promise of a divine plan for us (Jer 29:11), for the promise to work all things to our good and Your glory (Rom 8:28). Help me never to lose sight of the fact that Your thoughts are not my thoughts and Your ways are beyond anything I can imagine (Isaiah 55:8). Thank You, Lord. Amen.
Luke 1:37 “For no word from God will ever fail.”
Have a blessed day.

What if this encounter is only the beginning? (devo reflection)

Matthew 19:16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

I know how God has worked on my heart over the course of my life. I know that rarely is any character flaw fixed the first time (as evidenced by the fact that I still struggle with worry and fear, even though God has been working on me in these areas for years. I’m better than I was but still not where He wants me). This rich man is pretty much dismissed in commentary, but what if this encounter is only the beginning?

Matthew 19:17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

Clearly, the man is seeking, asking, knocking (Matt 7:7). If he’s anything like me, he has to sit with things for a while, but if he continues to seek, ask, and knock, if he continues to bring these issues before God, examining them in light of new information, then it’s possible that “the word of God [that] is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword…” (Heb 4:12) will do its work, changing his heart and mind. I’ve seen this happen in my own life again and again as I meet with God each morning.

Matthew 19:18-19 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Lord, Thank You for today’s insights into Your word. Thank You for a perspective that I had not considered before. Thank You that You are willing to leave the 99 to go after the one. Help us all to keep seeking, asking, knocking, to keep searching Your word, to draw closer to You. Amen.

Matthew 19:20“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Have a blessed day.

The fruit of my lips…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 14:2 Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.

I love the expression “fruit of our lips.” Some translations say “sacrifices of our lips,” which brings to mind Hebrews 13:15, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”

Hosea 14:4 “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.

For me, these verses and thoughts raise the question: How can I use my words, the fruit of my lips, as a sacrifice of praise to my Savior? And in my current grumpy, exhausted mood, the answer seems to be to turn all my negative thoughts into praise to God for the abundant blessings that are all around me if I will only take the time to look.

Hosea 14:5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots….

Lord, I’m grumpy and tired, which makes me much more likely to look for and dwell on every single negative thing in my life. Forgive me. Help me to use the “fruit of my lips” to offer up a “sacrifice of praise” to You for the many, many (many, many) blessings that are all around me if I will only look. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Hosea 14:6 …his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.

Have a blessed day.

Sacrifices and offerings…. (devo reflection)

Ezekiel 46:12 “‘When the prince provides a freewill offering to the Lord—whether a burnt offering or fellowship offerings—the gate facing east is to be opened for him. He shall offer his burnt offering or his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut.

There is much mention in this chapter of sacrifices and offerings. I find the timing interesting as Lent started yesterday, a time where many give up something they enjoy as a sacrifice to God. But there are so many scriptures that reiterate the need to go beyond sacrifice.

Ezekiel 46:13 “‘Every day you are to provide a year-old lamb without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord; morning by morning you shall provide it.

Proverbs 21:3 “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” Hosea 6:6 “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hebrews 13:16 “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Ezekiel 46:14 You are also to provide with it morning by morning a grain offering, consisting of a sixth of an ephah with a third of a hin of oil to moisten the flour. The presenting of this grain offering to the Lord is a lasting ordinance.

Lord, In this season of Lent, where so many are actively tuned to sacrifice for You, help us to tune in to the sacrifices that really matter to You—sacrificing our pride to do for others (even those we deem unworthy of our time, especially those), sacrificing our comfort to seek justice, sacrificing our complacency to love others with Your love. Help us, Lord. Amen.

Ezekiel 46:15 So the lamb and the grain offering and the oil shall be provided morning by morning for a regular burnt offering.

Have a blessed day.