Category: Uncategorized

Genesis 10:30 The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

Yesterday’s comment about “Our Town,” which talks about how we are at once both incredibly important (in our own minds/our own universe) and utterly insignificant (in the grand scheme of things), and this week’s scripture put me in mind of hiking at a local park. There is a granite rock face that you can hike up. It’s pretty strenuous, but the views are amazing.

Genesis 10:31 These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

The thing I love about that hike, that this scripture and “Our Town” put me in mind of, is the perspective I gain as I hike it. At the beginning of the trail, you are walking in tall trees. That’s all you can see–those trees. But as you hike, you climb out of the trees. Stop and look at various points along the way (which you have to do just to catch your breath) and you see those trees getting smaller and smaller and the expansive view opening up more and more.

Genesis 10:32a These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the perspective of Your word, of texts like “Our Town,” of hikes like Rocky Face. Thank You for reminding us that life is more than what’s right in front of us, that things that loom so large now are so very small from Your perspective. Help us to keep this life in proper perspective. Help us give You praise, always. Amen.

Genesis 10:32b From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  

I want my life to be a testament to God’s goodness. I want my giving to reflect the generosity of my Savior. I want my generosity to “result in thanksgiving to God” (v11b). This desire is one of the many reasons I need to get over myself when it comes to living generously.

2 Corinthians 9:11a You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion,

God loves a cheerful giver. He also supplies all my needs. So my tight hold on things I am being called to let go of is akin to my fear and worry over things. It feels like a way to keep myself safe, but it is really one more way that I try to maintain control over my life–a life that is and always will be in God’s control, not mine.

2 Corinthians 9:11b …and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Precious Savior, I see my hesitation in giving for what it is–me trying to exert control over my life. But having You as my center means that *I* do not need that control. You’ve got me. You’ve got my life. You CAN be trusted. Help me to live a generous life for You. Help me to trust even when I am afraid. Help me not to be afraid because I know YOU are in control. I trust You. Help me live that trust. Amen.

2 Corinthians 9:12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 61:3a For you have been my refuge,

Google defines refuge as a noun, meaning “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” If God is my refuge, that means that He is my safe place, my shelter, where I can go to not be pursued by danger or trouble. Even just reading that definition, I feel my soul take a breath of relief.

Psalm 61:3b …a strong tower against the foe.

If He is with me always, and I truly believe that He is, then that shelter, that refuge is always available to me. Always. So on those days where I feel beleaguered or overwhelmed or pursued by danger or trouble, that means I am not utilizing the most amazing resource I have in my daily defense arsonal–the refuge of my Savior.

Psalm 61:4a I long to dwell in your tent forever…

Precious Savior, Thank You for being with me always, for providing me with refuge always. Thank You that I can count on You, that I can trust You, no matter what I encounter in each day. Help me not to forget that You ARE my refuge. Help me to seek refuge in You when life overwhelms. Amen.

Psalm 61:4b …and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 61:1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

Lord, Thank You that You hear my cries of distress, that You listen to my prayers when I call. Thank You for knowing me by name, for knowing every hair on my head, every breath in my body. Thank You for loving me fiercely and completely.

Psalm 61:2a From the ends of the earth I call to you,

Father, Thank You that I can call to You any time, any where, in any situation. Thank You for prioritizing me, Your deeply loved child, no matter where my distress falls in the continuum of life’s hardships. Thank You for caring, for responding, for loving me always.

Psalm 61:2b …I call as my heart grows faint; 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You are the Rock that is higher, stronger, more solid than I. Thank You that I don’t have to do this life alone. Thank You that when I call on You, You hear, You respond, You comfort me. Always. No matter what. Thank You. Amen.

Psalm 61:2c …lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 117:1a Praise the Lord, all you nations;

With Easter Sunday tomorrow (and knowing I want to go to Luke 16 starting then) and needing to cover my Saturday devotional, I googled “What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?” Psalm 117 is it, and all of Psalm 117 is represented here.

Psalm 117:1b …extol him, all you peoples.

I’m not sure why I’m so flabbergasted by its brevity, but I am, though I think we can learn a valuable lesson from today’s verses: Praise doesn’t have to be long and involved. It just has to be sincere. Praise the Lord because His love is great and His faithfulness endures forever. That’s it. Praise Him. Praise Him for His great love and His enduring faithfulness. Praise Him. Period. Amen.

Psalm 117:2a For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Precious Savior, Sometimes we think that praising You has to be some grand, formal, long-winded, “rightly performed” event. Thank You for Psalm 117 and the reminder that short and sweet is ok, that what’s important is that we praise You, honestly, earnestly, fervently. Amen.

Psalm 117:2b …Praise the Lord. 

Have a blessed day.

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 

I can imagine Jesus was pretty drained after driving out impure spirits and healing many. His response to feeling drained is to go to a solitary place to pray. I can learn a lot from that. In fact, I have. I’ve modeled my devotional time for years on it. I get up an hour before my family so that I can read and pray and concentrate just on my Savior before the day begins.

Mark 1:36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 

When my boys were little, when they needed me from sunup to sundown, it was a necessity. I had to connect with my Savior before that incredible need for my time, my attention began. (I love my children deeply, but raising children is no joke. It’s a lot of work!) But even now I find that I am just a better, more compassionate person if I root my day in Jesus, if I have that time to pray and reflect before each day gets underway.

Mark 1:37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Precious Savior, Thank You for showing us how to begin each day–rooting ourselves in You–Your love, Your mercy, Your compassion, Your word. Help me to always begin each day deeply rooted in You. Amen.

Mark 1:38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 

Have a blessed day.

Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

The seventy-two returned, high on the fact that even the demons submitted to them in Jesus’s name. Who can blame them? They won. They were victorious. The DEMONS even listened. But Jesus has a crucial reminder in verse 20: “…do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Luke 10:18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Ultimately, He’s saying: Don’t lose sight of the end goal–Heaven. Don’t get distracted by the demons listening–they were listening because you were using my name. What I want is for You to rejoice that you will be with me in Heaven. That’s what’s important. 

Luke 10:19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Precious Savior, I am easily distracted by things that aren’t truly important. Help me to stay focused on You, on eternity with You. Thank You that I am Your beloved child. Help me to shine Your light for all. Amen.

Luke 10:20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Have a blessed day.

Joshua 1:5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 

In the span of four verses (v6-9), God tells Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. That seems a lot of encouragement in a very small space, though the worrier in me appreciates the repetition. It makes me wonder if Joshua was that afraid or if God was that intent on being reassuring or what exactly is going on here.

Joshua 1:6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 

Personally, though, I have found that repetitious reminders to be strong and courageous, especially when I am stressed or hurting (or angry or bitter or melancholic or….) are lifesavers, game changers. They make all the difference when I am struggling mightily in a given situation.

Joshua 1:7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the many, many reassurances that You are with us, that we are not alone, that we can proceed in life–strong and courageous–because You will never leave us nor forsake us. That promise is priceless, and I am so very grateful. Amen.

Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 

Have a blessed day.

Jeremiah 29:19 For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.   

We all want to be heard. And sometimes, just feeling like you are heard, truly heard, can be life-changing. And in the realm of not listening to God’s words, I expect we all at one time or another are guilty of not listening. I know I am. God has given us the ability to edify each other, to build each other up. Listening, truly listening is one of the ways we can do that.

Jeremiah 29:20 Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

David Joy, an Appalachian writer, once said, “Sometimes the greatest gift we can give someone is just to keep our mouths shut and let them empty themselves into our hands. When they’re finished, we don’t need to do anything with what they’ve given us. We just need to show them that we’re holding it for them till they can catch their breath.” This is the gift of listening.

Jeremiah 29:21 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the ability to listen–to You and to each other. Forgive me for the many times I’ve squandered that opportunity. Help me to read, to hear, to listen to Your words and Your wisdom. Help me to use my ability to listen as a healing gift for others. Always. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:22 Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’ 

Have a blessed day.

John 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.   

What strikes me about today’s verses is the short, choppy nature of each verse. Brief. Staccato. Sharp. Was Jesus emphasizing His point? Was He in a hurry to say all He needed and wanted to say?

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

His pattern here is truth, prayer, truth, truth. It’s not fancy. It’s not elaborate. But He said everything He needed to say, submitted His request before God. I can learn a lot from this prayer.

John 17:18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

Lord, Thank You for continuing to reveal Your truth to me. Thank You that I don’t have to be overly elaborate or fancy when I come to You in prayer. I need to be honest, open, humble, direct. Thank You. Amen.

John 17:19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Have a blessed day.