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Grace upon grace (devo reflection)

Psalm 139:13a For you created my inmost being….

Lord, We are quirky, idiosyncratic people. Help us to give ourselves and each other grace upon grace, knowing that You created us, knit us together, that we are uniquely and wonderfully made by You.

Psalm 139:13b …you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Lord, Help us to be slow to judge, quick to love, quick to forgive. Help us to be patient, kind, and compassion towards ourselves and each other.

Psalm 139:14a I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made….

Lord, Your works are wonderful, we know that full well. And we *are* Your works, even when we forget, even when we lose patience, even when we are disgruntled and angry. Help us to love ourselves and each other the way You love us. Completely and always. Amen.

Psalm 139:14b …your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Have a blessed evening.

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Trust in the Lord (devo reflection)

Psalm 32:8a I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go….

I want to talk about verse 10 today. I do not consider myself to be wicked, but I know that my lack of trust has caused many woes in my life.

Psalm 32:8b …I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

The simple solution—simple but not easy, is imbedded in the verse itself: trust in the Lord, which brings Proverbs 3:5-6 to mind.

Psalm 32:10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that You want me to trust You, that my life will be smoother, less chaotic (not necessarily easier) when I do so. Help me. Amen.

Psalm 32:11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Have a blessed day.

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You are my hiding place…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 32:6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.

If you know me at all, you know that I’m a planner. I usually have a plan and a back up plan just in case. When things don’t go to plan, I can get myself into a state.

Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

But God taught me an important lesson yesterday in gratitude, in being grateful for what is instead of upset about what’s not. He reminded me that He is sovereign, trustworthy, in control. Always and everywhere.

Psalm 32:8a I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go…

Lord of all creation, Thank You for Your peace and Your presence, for reminding me what’s important, for gratitude in the simple things. Amen.

Psalm 32:8b …I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Have a blessed day.

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A reminder to love God and love others…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it….

A friend and I were talking the other day about what happens when you look at one verse of scripture and focus on a different word each time. The first time I read these verses last week, having recently returned from the beach, I focused on the fact that the Lord created the creatures on earth and in the sea.

Psalm 24:2 …for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

Today, however–probably in part because of yesterday’s sermon, different words hit me, specifically, “and all who live in it….” Those words strike me today as a message of inclusivity, a reminder to love God and love others. God created everyone and everything. We are all His handiwork, even those who don’t acknowledge Him, even those who don’t look or act, vote, love or worship like us.

Psalm 24:3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?

Lord, It is truly astounding how much difference our focus on Your Word can make. Thank You that I can read the same scripture multiple times and take away new truths each time. Thank You that I can share Your word with others. Thank You that we can ponder, question, and discuss Your word to draw us closer to You and each other. Amen.

Psalm 24:4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.

Have a blessed day.

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Focused on Christ…. (Devo reflection)

Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

This morning’s devo was about keeping our thoughts focused on Christ. These days—this time of year? This season of life?—I’m not doing so well with that. It’s definitely an area I need to surrender more fully to Him.

2 Corinthians 10:5 …take every thought captive to obey Christ….

When I allow my mind to drift toward the negative, when I don’t surrender those thoughts to Christ, when I allow myself to wallow in the negative….nothing true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, or commendable comes from that. Ever.

Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Lord, Thank You for reminding me of this issue. Help me to lay the negative, unproductive thoughts at Your feet so that I can be useful in Your service. Amen.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Have a blessed day.

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Resting in Jesus…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 62:5 (NLT) Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

I have mentioned the Jesus Calling devotional before. This morning I was met with these two lines: “Rest in Me, My child. Give your mind a break from planning and trying to anticipate what will happen.” These lines resonate deeply today. As a scholar, teacher, wife, mother, planning plays an integral part. It can be exhausting. Resting in Jesus sounds delightful. I don’t do it enough.

Psalm 62:5 (NIV) Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

And the reminder couldn’t have come on a better day. We celebrate our graduate today, now that he has diploma in hand, rough outline for his future. I need to remind him, in my words and in my actions, that resting in Jesus is a crucial part of a successful life, that planning is important, but resting in Jesus is more so.

Psalm 62:5 (BSB) Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.

Lord, My mornings with you, waiting quietly before You, listening to You whisper to my heart, these quiet morning moments are essential for my peace of mind. Help me to take that peace with me throughout each  day. Help me to teach my children to wait quietly before You each day. Before You is the only place hope can be found. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 62:5 (CEV) Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him.

Have a blessed day.

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The effects of this constant gathering….(devo reflection)

Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

I am the queen of squirreling things away in case I need them for later. I do it with food (a random bag of chips, a “sweet treat” that I don’t want now but might at some point, a bottle of water that I know I’ll drink…eventually). I do it with things–things that I don’t need, don’t want, but I might….someday.

Exodus 16:20a However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning…

I don’t know how much I’ve ever paid attention to the effects of this constant gathering, this constant fear of being without, this constant, self-reliant squirreling away. But it feels terrible, the emotional equivalent of manna being full of maggots and stinking.

Exodus 16:20b …but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Lord, You are my Shepherd. I lack nothing. I know this is true, and yet, I fear, I scrounge, I squirrel away manna that was never meant to be kept. Forgive me. Lead me beside quiet waters. Refresh my soul. Help me to fear no evil, Lord, because You are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me (Psalm 23:1-4). I don’t want to be a grumbling Israelite, hoarding manna that You freely provide because You love me. I want to be Your faithful, trusting servant. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Exodus 16:21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 

Have a blessed day.

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Cease striving and know…. (devo reflection)

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.” (NIV)

When life gets overwhelming, I often take the advice of Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God. Usually that involves sitting in my recliner, maybe listening to ocean waves or rain shower nature sounds. I breathe deeply, usually in to one part of the verse, out to the next, breathing and being until Christ’s peace begins to penetrate the shell of worry and stress.

Psalm 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (NASB 1995)

But the words “Cease striving” hit differently for me. Cease striving is less about getting still and breathing and more about stop trying to do everything just to fill the void in life. There’s only one way to fill that God-shaped hole. Cease striving and know….

1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder to be still, to cease striving, to see You, recognize You, know You. Help me to breathe in Your peace, mercy, and grace. Help me to immerse myself in Your love, Your presence, until there is no room for worry and stress. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

1 John 3:11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 

Have a blessed day.

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How God shows up…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 94:18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.

I am truly awed at how God shows up in my life when I am paying attention. (He’s always there, reminding me of His presence, His love. I just don’t always notice.) This spring, as my heart cries louder and louder in worry, fear, and anxiety, God continues to show up in so many ways, reminding me that I am His, that He sees me, knows me, loves me so very much. He does the same for you, too.

Psalm 94:19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

So I want to encourage you to pay attention to the little ways that God shows up today. This text you are reading from a hot mess on the struggle bus trying to shine His light? That’s God. The sunshine? The cool breeze? The kind word? God. And YOU can help Him shine today by passing along a kind word, a smile, an encouragement, by lifting someone up in the smallest of ways.

Psalm 94:22 But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that You are with us and in us, that we can shine Your light just by being kind to others. Thank You that when I am paying attention, I can see You, Your love, Your goodness, everywhere. Thank You that I can help lift others up in Your name. Help me to see Your love today. Help me to be Your love today. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Have a blessed day.

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Full of emotion…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 47:1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.

I love the Psalms because they are so full of emotion, just like I am. Some days, I am so overjoyed that every word out of my mouth, every thought in my head, is a shout of praise to God for all the good things in my life. Some days those good things are abundantly evident. Praise comes easy. God is evidently, abundantly good to me.

Psalm 47:2 For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.

But the Psalms are also gritty, angry, and real. Some speakers are struggling mightily, they are questioning earnestly, they are accusing and grappling and so very angry. I love that God is big enough for all those really hard emotions. Psalm 46:10 reminds us that even in the midst of chaos and destruction, He is still God. He is still in control. We can trust Him, even when we are angry and afraid.

Psalm 47:5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

Lord, Thank You that so often I look around and all I can see is Your beauty and goodness, Your presence and blessing. Thank You that on those days, Your praise is abundantly flowing from my lips. Thank You also that on the hard days, the days where I am angry, bitter, struggling, You don’t try to quiet and redirect me. You allow and invite me to work through my emotions, You show me that You are there, You are good, through all the chaos. You draw me closer through my struggle and doubt. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Psalm 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.

Have a blessed day.