James 2:17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a teacher who changed my life. She believed in me before I could believe in myself, and I knew from the age of 15 that I was created to be a teacher. I wanted to do for others what she did for me. And I love my job, but the re-entry from summer to a new school year keeps getting more difficult. This year I feel oppressed by a cloud of grumpiness I just can’t shake. James 2:17 really hit me this morning because, while I have complete faith God has me just where He needs me, I don’t feel that with this “cloud of grumpy,” that I am doing my part in the way that He has called me to do. Jesus, Help me!
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Lord, I don’t know why I’m struggling so at the beginning of this school year, but I am certain that 1. where You have me is exactly where You need me and 2. my attitude MUST change. Help me to set aside my grumpiness so that I can give these young people my best. Help me to encourage, support, and love them as they get their feet under them and move forward toward their dreams. Help me to push them outside of their comfort zones while helping them to see how much strength they have within them. Grant me Your strength and Your peace as I do Your work.
Heb 3:15 As has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the fact that You are not happy with my current attitude and neither am I. Thank You that we can change our attitudes and our perspectives, even if we can’t change our circumstances. Thank You for a job I enjoy, one that makes a difference. Thank You for Your love and support as I carry out Your will. Draw me closer. Help me shake my attitude so that I can live Your joy. Amen.
John 1:15 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
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.
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.
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.
Rooted in Him…. (devo reflection)
Jer 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him, They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream….”
I am not a gardener. It’s not that I don’t like plants. It’s just that I have to work really hard at keeping them alive. But I have noticed that every time a piece falls off a plant, my instinct is to put the fallen piece in water to see if it will root. Many of the pieces do put out roots, and I’ll eventually plant them in dirt to see if I can keep them alive. And the cycle continues.
Col 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him….
God, the Master Gardener, is good at taking those fallen pieces and rooting them in Him. With time, patience, nurturing, He can take something that once appeared dead, useless, and turn it into something vibrant and thriving. He can do that with people, too. With time and love, grace and mercy, He can take someone considered too far gone to save and give them new life in Him. Thank You, Jesus.
Eph 3:17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder. Thank You for the hope that comes from tending plants and the hope that is firmly planted in You. Thank You for Your willingness to take what others have cast off and given up on, to root them in Your fierce love and grace, to give them new life. Draw us closer to You. Amen.
Heb 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure….
Have a blessed day.
Right this moment… (devo reflection)
Heb 13:5a “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have….”
You would think it might be easy to be satisfied with what we have, but our commercial culture thrives on discontentment. It is used shamelessly to help sell products. “If only I had this item, life would be perfect. I’d have everything I want. My family would behave as proper families should. All would be well.” The downsides of this mentality are 1. It’s never enough. There’s always something else we need for everything to be “just perfect.” and 2. That sense of “if I only had…life would be perfect” keeps us from seeing and appreciating what we do have, all the blessings in our lives.
Heb 13:5b “…because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Sometimes I grumble about the way things “should be,” but God wants me to live in what is, knowing that all my blessings are from Him and all my trials will be faced with Him, in Him, and through His strength. He has me at this exact place and time. He’s given me tools and gifts to use right now, for my good and His glory. This is true for all of us, no matter our current circumstances. He sees us. He knows us. He is with us. He has given us the tools and gifts we need to shine right this moment for Him. Thank You, Jesus.
Matt 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder to be content—in You, where You have us, with what You’ve given us, with what You ask of us. Our culture thrives on more, more, more, on comparison and discontent, but You ask us to bloom and grow where You plant us, using the gifts and strengths You’ve given us for Your glory. Help us, always, to focus on how we can use what we have where we are to glorify You. Help us to find contentment in You, regardless of our physical circumstances. Draw us closer. Amen.
Matt 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Have a blessed day.
Fierce love and deep mercy…. (devo reflection)
James 2:13 …Mercy triumphs over judgement.
My caustic inner critic is at it again. She’s dragging to the fore attitudes and insecurities I thought had long been dealt with. She’s calling into question my abilities as a wife, mother, teacher, person. She’s frantically whispering that I should NOT share these feelings and insecurities because I am the only one who deals with them. She thrives in silence and shame. Jesus, Help me.
Luke 6:36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Even with my rational, intelligent side, the temptation is great to believe that I am just too far gone, too messed up, have said too many insecure, irrational things to be salvaged. All she has to do is crack open the door of insecurities, and they all come tumbling out, readily acknowledged. Yep, I’ve screwed up over and over in all my roles. Maybe I am too far gone. Thankfully, my precious Savior doesn’t deem anyone too far gone. He doesn’t love us because of what we’ve done right. He loves us because we are His—fully, completely, entirely His beloved children. He doesn’t need any other reason.
Heb 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for Your fierce love and deep mercy, for the gift of knowing that my inner critic lies. We often pick up the noise of the world, “You aren’t good enough; you’ve screwed up too many times to be salvaged; you are no good to anyone.” Help us to tune out that rubbish and to hear instead Your still, soft voice, whispering, “You are loved; you are cherished; you are enough, simply because you are My deeply beloved.” Help us to show ourselves mercy for our faults and to trust Your deep love for us. Draw us closer. Amen.
Lam 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning….
Have a blessed day.