Isaiah 58:11a The LORD will guide you always….
I consider myself to be a very resourceful person, reasonably intelligent, capable, independent. In this world, these are good, useful traits. But I’ve confessed my propensity for worry and my “If only” leanings. I know these are obstacles in my relationship with Christ. A gem from one of my readings this morning has given me much to ponder: “As long as we rely on our own resources, we will never place our trust in Him.” Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 58:11b …He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame….
The deeply loved child of God that I am immediately bristles at the thought that I am still trying to rely on my own resources instead of my Savior. After all, don’t I spend every morning seeking a closer relationship with Him? But the realist in me recognizes the truth of the statement. It makes sense that the reason I struggle so with worry, with laying things at His feet and leaving them there, is because I think I can handle them. Clearly I can’t. I need my Savior. I want my Savior to be the center of my life. I want Him to use my resourcefulness, intelligence, and independent nature to SERVE Him, not to circumvent Him. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 58:11c …You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this insight. I love You so deeply. I need You so desperately. I don’t want anything to replace my dependence on You. You are my center. You are my life. Break down all my defenses, Lord, and draw me closer. Amen.
1 John 4:5 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Have a blessed day.
Putting away our fear…. (devo reflection)
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
This morning’s reading took me to Genesis, to Abram, his loyalty to God, his desire for offspring, his faith in God’s promise. I went in search of commentary on this section, convinced that Abram’s deep belief, counted to him as righteousness, was what my Savior wanted me to explore today. And then I read this little gem: “God doesn’t tell us ‘do not be afraid’ without giving us a reason to put away our fear.”
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
The truth of this statement resonates deeply with me, and scripture supports it readily—Fear not, for I am with you. Fear not, for I will strengthen you. Fear not, for I have redeemed you.—For someone who worries and frets over so many things, these promises are balm to my soul.
Isaiah 43:1 … “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this promise. Thank You for giving me reason to put away my fear—You are with me, strengthening me, upholding me. You have redeemed me and claimed me as Your own. When my thoughts become anxious and fearful, help me to remember and to cling to Your promises. Strengthen me in my weakness. Banish my fears with Your presence. Amen.
1 Cor 1:9 God will do this, for He is faithful to do what He says….
Have a blessed day.
A more intimate relationship…. (devo reflection)
Matt 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
The Blackaby and Blackaby daily devotional I read today contained this gem: “There are levels of intimacy with God.” The truth of this statement resonates deeply. My relationship with God is just that—a relationship. And just like any relationship, if I want it to deepen and grow, I have to be willing to invest time and effort.
Matt 7:7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be open to you.”
But God is not like people (how true that statement is on so many levels), so how do I develop a more intimate relationship with Him? I think that answer varies slightly based on each individual, but the overarching tenets are the same—Seek Him daily. Spend time in His word. Look for His presence, His blessings, His light, in your circumstances. Talk to others who are farther along their faith journey. Ask. Seek. Knock. Know that He will respond.
Jer 29:13 If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You want a close relationship with each of us, but You allow us to seek You instead of forcing Your way into our lives. Help us to feel the need to deepen our relationship with You, no matter where we currently are on our faith journey. Help us to ask, seek, knock daily, so that we may daily draw closer to You. Amen.
Isaiah 62:5 …as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
Have a blessed day.
Keep taking the next step…. (devo reflection)
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Max Lucado’s daily devotional, which is one I read during my morning study, today contained this gem about the disciples: “…they were an ounce more devoted than they were afraid….” That idea, an ounce more devotion than fear, resonates deeply with me. I can never be fearless. My penchant for worry, which often manifests itself as fear, is so strong, but I CAN be more devoted than afraid, even if just by an ounce.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
God can take what seems to me a paltry thing, one more ounce of devotion, of faith, than fear, and use it in great ways. I don’t have to muster enough faith to conquer the mountain in my path, just enough to take the next step and the next and the next. God will multiply that faith, He will fuse it with His strength, and He will use it to accomplish His will. I’ve just got to muster enough faith, enough devotion, to keep moving forward.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this crucial reminder. The perfectionist in me wants to do everything You call me to exactly right, which often leads to worries, doubts, fears, and inaction. Help me to remember that what You want is for me to choose faith in You over all my fears. Help me, in every situation—worry, fear, weariness—to be an ounce more devoted, to keep taking the next step in Your name and Your power. Give me strength, Lord, to keep moving forward in You and for You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Have a blessed day.
Strength to the weary…. (devo reflection)
Matt 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
This morning finds me weary, worn down, physically and emotionally exhausted. It is a frustrating place to be, one I find myself in far more often than I would prefer, but I know what I need to do—take it to the feet of my precious Savior. Lay down my burdens. Seek His renewal, His peace, His strength. Help me, Jesus.
Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
He has set a task before me, one that He uniquely created me to fulfill. I know He has called me, and I know that He will give me strength in my weakness IF I will allow, IF I will humble myself and allow Him to work through me. Help me, Jesus. I cannot do this by myself, and You aren’t asking me too. Infuse me with Your strength.
Isaiah 40:31 …those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this reminder that You don’t expect me to do it all in my own strength. Thank You for the reminder that when I am weary, weak, worn out, exhausted, You are my place of refuge, rest, renewal. Help me to find peace, strength, and renewal in You so that I can do what You have called me to do in this life. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.
Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Have a blessed day.
Spiritual maturity is a process…. (devo refletion)
Col 1:28 He is the One we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
I am not the same person I was in my youth. Physically, I have grown and matured. Mentally, I have as well. I learned, often through trial and error—mine and others—what I will accept, what I feel is the right thing to do. That’s how you mature—you end up in a situation, you figure out how to move forward, you evaluate the outcome, the positives and negatives, decide if you would do things the same way again. There is no exact formula. It is entirely an individual experience, often a process of trial and error.
Col 2:6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him….
Spiritual maturity is a process as well, uniquely individual, full of trial and error, lots of opportunities for growth. Those situations where I feel utterly powerless to act in my circumstances are usually the ones that lead to much growth because I learn, again and again through my weakness, that God is the source of my strength, that I can lean on Him, that I can trust Him completely. Thank You, Jesus.
Col 2:7 …rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the fact that I am not the same person—physically, mentally, spiritually—that I was. Help me continue to grow in my faith, no matter my circumstances. Help me to trust You and to lean into You always. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Have a blessed day.
Personalizing scripture…. (devo reflection)
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….
I have several books that talk about praying the scriptures for your children, books which recommend personalizing the scripture by putting in their names and the specific circumstances you are praying for into the scriptures you are praying. Those books came to mind when I read Romans 8:38-39 this morning, but more for me than for my children. I will tell anyone, unequivocally, that God loves them fiercely, that nothing they do—nothing—can ever change His mind about their worth and value to Him. And I mean it sincerely. But somehow, my caustic inner critic says the same does not apply to me. I know that that is a lie. Jesus, Help me.
Romans 8:39 …neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So, what if I claim and personalize these verses in Romans? It might look something like this: For I am convinced that neither my errant thoughts nor my awkward actions, neither my insecurities nor my worries, neither my missteps nor my failures, neither my good intentions nor my missed opportunities, nor anything else in all creation, will change my Savior’s deep, fierce, merciful love for me. Thank You, Jesus.
Isaiah 43:1b “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the truth of Your unwavering love. We all have our quirks, Lord, our insecurities, our worries. We all struggle with feelings that love is conditional and that one mistake on our part could cause You to turn away, but we are Your deeply loved children, Lord. You have claimed us. You are with us. We are Your beloved. Help us, always, to believe, to trust, to live that truth. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Have a blessed day.
Humbling and powerful…. (devo reflection)
John 10:10 …I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Last night I went to see the Christian band Big Daddy Weave in concert. It is the second time I’ve been able to see them, the second time in a smaller, church venue, and the second time I had the distinct impression that their music comes from a place of deep love for their Savior. It was a humbling, powerful experience.
Rom 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
I was reminded during the concert that God, the Creator of the universe, the Savior of the world, loves us so deeply, so completely, that He refuses to force us into relationship with Him. He will go to the ends of the earth to find us, to save us, He sent His Son in exchange for our sins, but He will not force us into relationship. He lets us choose Him, which is both humbling and powerful.
Rom 2:4 …Don’t you know that the reason God is good to you is because He wants you to turn to Him?
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, Your deep and abiding love for us. Thank You for the heartfelt music and message from last night’s concert. Thank You for loving us so deeply, so fiercely, so completely. Thank You for going to the ends of the earth to find us, for leaving the 99 to save us, for allowing us to choose You, for the inherent beauty of that choice. Draw us closer. Amen.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Have a blessed day.
Strength and encouragement…. (devo reflection)
Rev 3:8a …See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut….
I am a firm believer that if I seek God’s direction and pay attention, He WILL direct me in the way that I should go. I still haven’t gotten the unmistakably clear flashing neon signs that I would love to see, but I have seen Him close doors firmly and open doors wide that seem to indicate the way that He would have me to go. Thank You, Jesus.
Rev 3:8b …I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
That doesn’t mean the path is easy. And I am bad for allowing myself to get overwhelmed with the scope of the work that He’s calling me to do, but my precious, faithful Savior strengthens me for whatever task He’s called me to do. Sometimes He calls me to physical tasks like feeding, comforting, or educating His children. Sometimes He calls me to persevere in difficult situations. Regardless of what He’s called me to, He can use ALL things to encourage His people in ways I can’t even imagine. Thank You, Jesus!
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you….
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for guiding and directing me as I seek to do Your will. Thank You for giving me strength and encouragement for whatever task You call me to. Thank You for using my words, my thoughts, and my actions to uplift and encourage others in ways I cannot even fathom. Draw me closer. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.
Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Have a blessed day.