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Christ is my peace…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…

I worry about so many things–strained relationships, forgetting important dates, the health and well being of those I love and care for, attitudes that I may or may not encounter. I’ve been a worrier all my life but everything seems so much more imposing at present. It’s exhausting. Ironically, the only time I don’t feel drowned in worry is when I am encouraging others.

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

For some reason, even though I am too consumed with my own worries to make room for the peace of Jesus, when I am reminding someone who is struggling of His love, His mercy, His peace, I am able to feel it, at least for a minute. Jesus, Help me.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Lord, You don’t want me to be consumed with worry. I know this. You don’t want me to only feel Your peace when I am sharing it with others. I don’t want these things either, and yet, they loom so large at present. YOU are my peace, Lord. YOU have overcome this world. YOU can give me peace at all times in every way. Help me to keep my mind stayed on YOU, Lord. I do trust in You. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Have a blessed day.

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Transforming grace…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

This time of year, I don’t have a lot of patience. I’m not very generous or understanding or loving. I’m just tired. And then God puts this verse so squarely in my path that I can’t avoid it and says, “Beth, precious child, pay attention. This message is for you.”

Ephesians 2:6-7 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

We love because God first loved us. “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions”–transgressions such as frustration, impatience, lack of generosity, lack of understanding, lack of grace for others. Lord, I’m listening. Help me.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your transforming grace. Thank You for stopping me in my tracks, for whispering to my heart. Help me to forgive myself and others for shortcomings. Continue to transform me in Your image. Amen.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Have a blessed day.

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With Christ…. (devo reflection)

2 Corinthians 12:7b …Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 

Verse 9, where Paul declares that he boasts gladly of his weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon him, reminds me of James 1:2, where we are encouraged to “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds….” Boasting in weakness, celebrating in trails–both seem counter to the way things should be done.

2 Corinthians 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 

But Christ was often One to turn things upside down from the normal order. Paul, among others, points that out many times. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 3:19, he says, “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God….” So why does Christ remind us that His grace is sufficient, His  power is made perfect in weakness? I think it is to remind us that if we depend on ourselves, on this world, we will be overcome. Every. Single. Time.

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that if we root ourselves in You, if we recognize our weakness, that Your power will rest upon us, and we can, with You, overcome the troubles of the world. With You, the worst thing is never the last thing. With You, we can find both celebration in trials and joy in weakness. Thank You that You don’t play by the world’s rules. Amen.

2 Corinthians 12:10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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A work in progress…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 2:18 For through [Christ] we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

I want to talk about verse 22: “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” If you’ll permit me to get my grammar nerd on for a moment, “are being built” is in the continuous present (or present progressive) tense, meaning–according to Grammarly.com–that the action or condition “is happening right now, frequently, and may be ongoing.”

Ephesians 2:19-20 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

I don’t know about you, but I have a really hard time waiting for things that take time, but verse 22 being in the continuous present gives me hope. I am certainly not currently a completed dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. I fail every day in a million little ways in my walk with Christ. But I keep trying. And verse 22 implies that this process of becoming is just that–a process, not a done deal. It’s ok that I’m not there yet. I’m still a work in progress.

Ephesians 2:21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 

Lord, Thank You that You don’t expect perfection. Thank You for Your grace, compassion, and mercy. Thank You that I am Your work in progress, Your masterpiece in the making. Help me, always, to strive to become a little bit more like You every single day. Help me to show myself and others grace, compassion, and mercy when we mess up, as we inevitably will. Thank You that in You, I am “being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Amen.

Ephesians 2:22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Have a blessed day.

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“For he himself is our peace…” (devo reflection)

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 

God’s command is love. His ministry is peace. So simple, but not always easy. When I determine who deserves love and who doesn’t, I’m overstepping my bounds. When I can’t find peace, even in situations that no person on earth expects me to find it, I’ve lost my center–Jesus. He is love and peace. He wants me to have love and peace. He wants me to be love and peace to all those I encounter. Jesus, Help me.

Ephesians 2:14-15a For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations…. 

“For he himself is our peace…” My caustic inner critic wants to lambast me when I can’t find peace. That inner voice tells me I’m a failure if I can’t get past myself and cling to His peace. But my precious Savior is whispering to my heart, “I go before you. I am with you. Never will I leave you nor forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (based on Deut 31:8).

Ephesians 2:15b-16 …His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 

Lord, I struggle. So many people struggle. Thank You for loving us in all our messy, weak humanity. Thank You for being our peace, even when we can’t seem to get past the obstacles and claim Your peace. Thank You for never leaving us, never forsaking us. Help us not to be afraid. Help us not to be dismayed. Help us to trust You. Always. Amen.

Ephesians 2:17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 

Have a blessed day.

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“being” versus “doing”…. (devo reflection)

Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

I struggle with the idea of “being” versus “doing.” In my mind, my worth is often tied up in what I’m able to do. But Ephesians 2:4-5 reminds me that God’s great love, His mercy, His grace alone saved me. Nothing I did, nothing I could do, nothing I am (except a deeply, fiercely loved child of God), nothing saved me. Only God.

Ephesians 2:6-7 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

Verses 8-9 remind me again that I am incapable of saving myself. God’s grace alone saved me. Yet still I struggle, feeling like my worth is tied up in my *doing* and not solely in my *being.* To sit, to breathe, to think “I am enough simply because I am His” feels wrong.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. 

Lord, Thank You for Your fierce, merciful love. Thank You for my salvation, which can only come from You. Help me to understand that You have work prepared in advance for me to do–not so that I can earn Your love or my salvation, but because I love You. My *being* is enough for You. My *doing* is my gift to You. Help me never to forget the difference. Amen.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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In this world we are like Jesus…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 

When I think of my actions, words, behaviors of the past 24 hours, holding up “In this world we are like Jesus” as my litmus test, I must honestly admit that I’m not doing so well. While there were bright moments of love and kindness, there were lots of grumpy, frustrated, annoyed, petty moments, too. Jesus, Help me.

1 John 4:18a There is no fear in love…. 

It takes a lot of energy to love prickly people. Their defensive armor is thick and my energy is very low at present. And as I read 1 John 4:18a today, the thought struck me that perhaps my low energy and frustration lead me to fear–that I will keep trying to love anyway and will keep getting rebuffed, that in trying to love like Jesus, *I* will be rejected as He was. And at this time of the year, I crave kindness and acceptance from the world more than I’d like to admit. Jesus, Help me.

1 John 4:18b …But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment…. 

Lord, Some days my weak, earthly humanity keeps smacking me in the face. I want to be like You in this world. But I also want kindness and acceptance. Help me to love others confidently, without fear. Help me to cling to You always. You love me fiercely and completely. I am Yours. Help me to live that precious truth. Amen.

1 John 4:18c …The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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Love like Jesus…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 

The distance between verse 19 and verse 20 is jarring to me, though I suppose it shouldn’t be. We love because God loved us–warts and all–first. But we can’t claim to love God if we can’t even love the folks around us.

1 John 4:20a Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar…. 

So, ok, I can hand-select the folks I want to love, right? Nope. Jesus on the cross comes to mind, praying with His last breath, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” That prayer at that moment took so much love. Loving like Jesus isn’t about hand-selecting who is worthy of love.

1 John 4:20b …For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 

Lord, Your command to love is simple but not always easy. You call us to love like You do–fiercely, completely, wholeheartedly. Help me to love all those whom I encounter today, especially those whom I don’t really like. Help me to love like Jesus–past temporary feelings and with eternal purpose. Amen.

1 John 4:21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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Love is the answer…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 

Lord, Sometimes things feel so incredibly difficult–What’s the right thing to do? What’s the right thing to say? How do I love like Jesus in this fallen world? You tell us again and again that love is the answer–Love one another. Love as Jesus loved. Love God, love others. Forgive me that I’m so slow learning this lesson.

1 John 4:16a And so we know and rely on the love God has for us….

Lord, Once this lesson to love sinks in, then I start equivocating: You don’t really mean everybody, right? Not the person who hurt me, surely. Not the person who is mean or cruel or vindictive. Not the terribly unlovable person. Surely You don’t mean those folks, too. You call me to love. Help me to love like Jesus–fully, unconditionally, past faults and mistakes and missteps. Help me to love others the way You love me–fiercely and completely, even when I don’t deserve it.

1 John 4:16b …God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 

Lord, My worth, my value is in You alone. Even on my bad days, You see my worth. Help me to see others the way that You see me. Help me to love others the way that You love me. Help me to know and rely on the love You have for me and to share that love with all I encounter. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

1 John 4:17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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Loving like Jesus…. (devo reflection)

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 

What does it mean to love one another as Jesus loves us? Just thinking of His love for His disciples, that means guiding, instructing, forgiving, shielding, encouraging, not getting stuck in frustration, helping them see what they are capable of–even if they are hesitant or resistant. That’s a really high bar.

1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

Sometimes loving one another just means being present, reminding others that Jesus is with them, loves them, even when life doesn’t make any sense. Sometimes it means giving others space or time to process and breathe when what you really want is connection.

1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 

Lord, There are so many ways to show love for one another. Help me today to seek to show Your love to every person I meet. We all just want to feel loved, seen, accepted, Lord. Help me to be Your hands and feet and heart. Help me to love as You love. 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.