Posted on

Strengthening my faith…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 11:1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

I don’t remember having the freedom to question in the church I grew up in. However, John is Jesus’s cousin. He baptized Jesus back in Matthew 3. And yet, even he has questions. He sends his disciples to ask Jesus “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Matthew 11:2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 

I have come to believe that questions are a way for us to strengthen our faith. Jesus loves us fiercely. If we are confused or concerned or angry, He doesn’t want us to pretend everything is ok. We can’t grow that way. He wants us to bring everything to Him. Lay it at His feet. Ask the tough questions. He’s big enough to handle them. And while He won’t always give us answers, He’ll draw us closer to Him in the process.

Matthew 11:3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Precious Savior, Thank You to I can come to You honestly with my questions and concerns, my anger and fear. Thank You that You love me fiercely, that You are for me, that You want me to be at peace in You. Help me when I struggle. Amen.

Matthew 11:4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

On weariness and choices…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Weary is a good description today. I haven’t slept well in two days, I’m behind on my grading (no surprise), and I got up early (because I couldn’t sleep anyway) only to find that I can’t grade because the internet is down. And it’s only Wednesday.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
But I know I have a choice. I can devolve into a temper tantrum of 2-year-old proportions, or I can turn to Jesus. I can lament the things I can’t check off my list this morning, or I can draw closer to Him.
Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 
Jesus, I am weary. This morning isn’t going at all the way I planned. Help me to choose You instead of frustration. Help me to draw closer to You instead of falling apart. Help me to find rest in Your presence. Amen.
Jeremiah 31:25 For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” 
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

A time of worship, rest, and renewal… (devo reflection)

Matthew 12:9-10 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

The Pharisees in today’s scripture aren’t concerned with keeping the Sabbath. They want to trap Jesus, to arrest and kill Him. This scripture seems the ultimate example of getting so far away from the spirit of the law that you’ve totally missed the point.

Matthew 12:11-12 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Sabbath is about rest and reconnection. Mark 2:27 reminds us, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,” which tells me that we are the ones who need Sabbath, who need intentional rest and reconnection so that we can be our best, most authentic selves.

Matthew 12:13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 

Precious Savior, Forgive me when I try to use Your word to ensnare instead of edify. Forgive me when I get so caught up in how others are breaking Sabbath that I neglect my own rest and reconnection with You. Help me to make my Sabbath a time of worship, rest, and renewal…whatever helps my soul to rest in and reconnect with You. Amen.

Matthew 12:14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

This is the work…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 18:10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

I’m back to wrestling with this section of scripture again, particularly verses 12-14. I see parallels between this scripture and the parable of the Prodigal Son. In both, I see myself as the one doing the right thing. In both, I’m a little indignant about all that was done for the one who didn’t.

Matthew 18:12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

In truth, while I often do what’s expected of me, I am also prone to wandering off, taking my share and striking out on my own. I’ve talked (ad nauseam, it seems) about my proclivity to lay my worries at Jesus’s feet and snatch them right back up again. This seems like a similar issue.

Matthew 18:13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

Jesus, Thank You for helping me see that I am the one who wanders, not the 99 who stay. I am the prodigal, striking out on my own, doing my will, not the one who stays with the Father. Forgive me–for my arrogance that that was not me, for my judgment as I thought I was doing the work. This is the work, Lord. Examining myself and seeing where I need to surrender to You. Thank You. Help me. Amen.

Matthew 18:14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Your Father in Heaven…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 7:9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 

I find it interesting that in today’s scripture, I automatically zero in on verse 11 and the word evil. It gets my hackles up. Evil?!? I am *not* evil!!! How dare Jesus call me evil?!?!? And, yes, as you would imagine, that “How dare Jesus…?” stopped me in my tracks. I’m not evil. I’m not the devil incarnate, but I’m certainly not Jesus. And that’s His point.

Matthew 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 

I *am* a parent. I *do* love my children fiercely. I want to give them good things in life, a leg up, a firm foundation. All of these things are true. AND I’m a hot mess. So if *my* intentions and motives are this positive with all of *my* flaws, “how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” That is Jesus’s point.

Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your fierce love of Your children. Thank You for Your willingness to get my hackles up to get my attention and drive home Your point. Thank You for using an analogy that I understand on a gut level. We are Your children. You love us unconditionally. You want to give us good things. All we have to do is ask. Thank You. Amen.

Matthew 7:12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

My own tendency to wander…. (devo reflection)

Posted on

I don’t want to miss God’s Joy…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 

I’ve mentioned the Jesus Calling devotional before, a timely gift from a sweet friend. Today it brought me more much needed wisdom: “Do not miss the Joy of My Presence by carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.” As with many, I’ve got stuff that I am dealing with, stuff that brings sadness, masked by anger. Stuff that makes me feel backed into a corner, on the defensive.

Matthew 11:29a Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart…  

But this morning’s reflection brought into focus that when I allow myself to feel backed into a corner, I am absolutely missing God’s joy, and I’m not ok with that. I used to literally count my blessings when I got into this negative space: 1. A roof over my head. 2. Breath in my lungs. 3. People who love me…. Looks like I need to go back to those basics because I DO NOT want to miss God’s joy because I am too busy carrying burdens that I was never meant to carry.

Matthew 11:29b …and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus, Help me. Thank You for the realization that my actions and reactions are causing me to miss Your joy, that my actions and reactions are piling on burdens that You don’t intend for me to carry. Help me to find rest for my soul in You alone. Help me to choose Your joy. Amen.

Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Lord, Forgive me…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 32:1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

I struggle with laying my worries at Jesus’s feet and leaving them there. I put them down easily enough, but I usually only step away for a beat or two before I pick them back up. If I want to give myself the benefit of the doubt, I would probably say that I felt like I need to *do* as well as *be,* so I pick them up because I don’t want Jesus to perceive me as a slacker. I’m not sure the truth is that kind, though.

Exodus 32:2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 

I see myself in the Israelites’ behavior today. Laying  my troubles at Jesus’s feet is like the Israelites waiting while Moses goes up the mountain. Me taking those troubles up again is like the Israelites asking Aaron to make them an idol because, essentially, Moses is taking too long. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matt 26:41).

Exodus 32:3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 

Lord, Forgive me for my impatience and self-reliance. Forgive me for my fear and doubt. I do trust You, Lord. Help me to trust You more, to lay my worries at Your feet and leave them there. Period. “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Amen.

Exodus 32:4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

The beautiful breadcrumb trail of God’s love…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

The scripture for my church’s daily devotionals this week comes from Exodus and the grumbling Israelites. (See yesterday’s reflection.) And as I proofed tomorrow’s devo this morning, it struck to me what a gift it is that God didn’t just smite the Israelites in their grumbling. He could have. And yet, He responded with compassion.

Matthew 6:26a Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them….

God feeds the birds of the air. He fed the grumbling Israelites. What is up with me that I still struggle to trust when I am afraid, when I don’t understand? Thankfully, God responds to me with compassion as well. He will still guide me, guard me, even if I grumble, even if I fear. But if I can trust, He will not only guide and guard me, He will also grant me His peace.

Matthew 6:26b …Are you not much more valuable than they?

Lord, I long for Your peace. Forgive my misguided fear and grumbling. Thank you for the beautiful breadcrumb trail of Your love that You provide daily if I will but pay attention. I do trust You, Lord, but I am also afraid. Help me to lay my fear at Your feet so that I can be wrapped in Your peace. Amen.

Matthew 6:27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Just love everyone…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

We are commanded to love God and love others. Again I am reminded of the billboard from my memories that reads, “Just love everyone. I’ll sort them out later. ~God.” Simple, but not easy.

Matthew 22:37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 

But we tend to put up all kinds of barriers and conditions to God’s mandate to love others. (And make no mistake, when I say “we,” I include myself.) If someone looks, loves, votes, worships, lives differently, it’s easy to dismiss them as not worthy of love. Jesus, help us.

Matthew 22:38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 

Lord, You ask us to be Your hands and feet in this world, but sometimes we forget we aren’t the judge and jury. Help us to get past ourselves, past whatever barriers keep us from loving as you love. Help us to love you and love others. Period. Always. Amen.

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Have a blessed day.