Tag: Devotions

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17 

This verse was a favorite of my 6^th grade teacher, Miss Riddle.  She often used it when writing letters and notes.  I think largely because of Miss Riddle, the verse ended up in my Scripture Memory box and has stuck with me for years.

Last night, after Bible Study, God spoke the Zephaniah 3:17 to me.  I felt His love and grace as I reflected on the last two hours.  We had a visitor and a regular and we had Church.  I was so encouraged by their testimony and journey in the faith.  We each shared, and before I knew it, we were leaving at 9:30.  I think I could have sat all night long.

I realized when this verse came to mind that God had been singing over me all week long: Through a wonderful message in Sunday Bible Study, through my dad surprising me by having my car detailed, through the gift of lunch with a dear friend who I do not get to see enough, through Bible Study and even later in the evening when I found a gift card that I thought I had lost.  God said “I love you.”

God, the Lord of Heaven, my Savior delights in me. Once again, I experienced God’s grace this week.  Though I found myself ill prepared for Christmas, God had not forgotten me.  His grace continues.
As you approach the New Year, be encouraged by this verse.  It is a new year, but you have already been made new in Christ.  He delights in each of us.  Though there are days, even years, when we feel far from Him, He is never far from us.

My prayer this New Year’s Eve is that you each experience His presence as He delights in you, quiets you with His wondrous love and rejoices over you.  I’m praying your ears are opened to hear his glorious singing over you.  What a song it is!

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

  Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

  Worship the LORD with gladness;
       come before him with joyful songs.

  Know that the LORD is God.
       It is he who made us, and we are his;
       we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
       and his courts with praise;
       give thanks to him and praise his name.

  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
       his faithfulness continues through all generations.

 Psalm 100 has been a favorite of mine since childhood.  I remember learning it in first or second grade.  I think there’s great appeal for a child in the fact that it starts with the word “shout.”  When was the last time you shouted for joy to the Lord? 

When I was in college, I would often spend late afternoons in a seclude spot at a lake.  It was a special time with God.  My best friend actually got me doing this.  We would drive to the lake together and then go off on our own.  I loved that time because I could be quiet, but I could also be loud.  Sometimes I would sing.  Sometimes I would shout out to the Lord.

I don’t know what things you are thankful for this thanksgiving.  Whatever they are, I encourage you to spend some time thanking God for who He is, for what He’s done, for what He is doing and will do.  Wherever you find yourself this Thanksgiving, I do know one thing: “The Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Amen and Amen!

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. – Romans 12:11-12

My senior year of High School, I chose Romans 12:11-12 as my quote for the yearbook.  My original plan had been to use my favorite-Jeremiah 29:11.  However, my brother used that two years earlier and it would just not do to have the same quote as my brother.  Well, God did have plans for me and while Jeremiah 29:11 remains a favorite of mine, Romans 12:11-12 was a passage that I came back to often in my college years and in recent years.

The language of the NIV translation of these verses has always inspired me.  It has a sense of rhythm and flourish.  The NLT is somewhat simpler and, in a way, more “in your face.”  It reads, never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Scripture abounds with passages regarding work and rest. Working hard is good.  This passage brings to mind I Corinthians 10:39 (So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God).  This is good practical instruction for living the Christian life.  I wish I could say I did so all the time.  If I did, reading these words might not bring such conviction with them.

Moving on to verse 12, the language of the NLT once again stops me.  How do you NOT serve enthusiastically when you are rejoicing “in our confident hope?” This is no ordinary hope.  It is confident hope.  You might read it as hope times two. Following hope is “be patient in trouble.”  This short phrase brings to mind two other favorite passages of mine-Hebrews 12:11 and James 1:2-4.  I don’t know about you, but when I’m in trouble, the last thing I have is patience.  I just want it to be over with.

Finally, “keep on praying.”  Whatever you do, keep on praying.  You don’t have to use big fancy words.  God, our Father wants to hear about what’s going on in your own words, whatever they may be.  Some days all that may be is “God, help me.”  Whatever words you use to talk to your best friend about the circumstances of your life, those are the words you should use.  They may be angry, sad and emotional.  Don’t believe me?  Check out the Psalms.  I’ve spent some hours praying the Psalms because I had no words of my own.  I’ve also spent time in the dark of night in my car with thunderstorms

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:9-10 (NLT)

Last night prior to small group, I was reading Romans 12. I was reading from the New Living Translation rather than my usual NIV. As such, it was difficult to skim over words because I “know” them. Each word stopped me in my tracks.

Sometimes, it’s just plain hard to love people. Most of the time, it is difficult to love with genuine affection. It’s easy to smile and say all the right things just like it’s easy to be friendly and more difficult to be a friend. Why is that? A note in my Bible puts it this way “God calls us to real and genuine love that goes far beyond being hypocritical and polite. Genuine love requires concentration and effort. It means helping others become better people. It demands our time, money & personally involvement.”

There lies the rub. Sometimes throwing money at something is easy, but certainly using our time and getting personally involved is more difficult. It’s easy to do so with people with whom we click. However, verse nine doesn’t make that distinction. It says not to pretend to love others. Take a look back at verses one and two and recall that we are to present ourselves as living sacrifices. Loving others is not easy, but maybe rather than mumbling under our breath “God, love them,” we should pray “God, help me to love them as you do.” He is able to help us do this.

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. – Luke 9:23

My Senior year of high school my Discipleship group spent one weekend in the bush helping a community of believers build a church. We spent the night Friday in tents near the church site and began work Saturday morning. The community had spent the previous week making the mud bricks that would form the walls of the church. Our job was helping to carry bricks from the river ¼ of a mile away to the site and then begin building the church. It was an unforgettable experience. I can still see the joy on their faces as it was being built—the prospect of being able to worship more comfortably when it was raining or hot (They had been meeting under a tree.) That mud brick building with a thatched roof was probably no bigger than my current office.

I’ve been thinking about that church this week as I have been writing and thinking about the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians this Sunday. My church has dedicated two beautiful places of worship this year. I am grateful for these. I don’t want to take them for granted, but I do sometimes. The contrast between what we have and that mud and brick church I helped build is great. Greater still is the contrast between the freedom that we have to worship and places all over the world where Christians are being persecuted. There are churches without pastors because theirs has been arrested. There are Christians in prisons in conditions most of us would cringe at just thinking about. There are brothers and sisters in Christ who have been completely cut off from the family they had because of their faith, and yes, there are Christians being martyred because they refuse to deny Christ.

In this month of Thanksgiving, let’s thank God for the blessings He has given us. This week, and month as we are thankful, let us remember our brothers and sisters all over the world who face extreme circumstances as they have chosen to take up their cross and follow Jesus.

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
       for his compassions never fail.

    They are new every morning;
       great is your faithfulness.

–  Lamentations 3:22-23

I have a strong dislike of roller coasters.  They make me physically ill-not enough to throw up, though I think that might help.  I still remember my very first real ride (as opposed to kiddie coasters). I don’t remember wanting to go.  I think my family talked me into it.  I think they later regretted it too.  I screamed all through the ride, but it didn’t help.  The experience left me shaken and crying.  I won’t admit how old I was.

I’ve ridden several since then each time hoping it would be different.  If wasn’t.  My body simply doesn’t handle being shaken around.  I don’t like the sudden twists and turns or the slow ride to the top of a hill knowing that once I hit the top, I’ll be helpless to stop the increasing speed that ensues.

I don’t much like these kinds of changes in life either.  I prefer to be right side up, but sometimes my life is not.  I have little to no control over the sudden twists and turns.  One minute, I’m headed in one direction only to find myself moving in a different direction the next.

 One thing is certain in all of it.   Whether I’m being jolted, looped upside down, or anticipating the arduous climb that will plummet me into more twists and turns, God is there.  He is my constant companion whether on the rolling hills or the loop to loops.  The journey of life might shake me to my core, but when the ride is over, I won’t be left shaken and rattled.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 15:5-6

This past Sunday evening, we dedicated the Chapel.  If you were there, you know what a wonderful service it was and what a jewel God has given us in it.  I continue to hear people talk about the sound and how great it is to finally have a place with good acoustics.  The musicians in our midst are bursting with excitement and I have to say that I’m bursting with them. 

 I’m no musician, but I can appreciate good music and enjoy musical imagery.  I’m a little giddy over the imagery I discovered when I did a little looking into the two verses above. If you don’t recognize the verses, I invite you to spend a little time with them.  These are the verses we chose more than a year ago as representative of what our desire for our single adult ministry is.

This afternoon, I was looking at them with http://net.bible.org (a great tool that Keith shared with us over the weekend).  The phrase “one heart” is translated in other translations as “one mind” and “one voice”.  The Greek word is “homothumadon.” Net Bible gives a definition and then the following:

 “Homothumadon is a compound of two words meaning to “rush along” and “in unison”. The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonise in pitch and tone. As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives of members of Christ’s church.”

Again, I’m no musician, but this imagery gets my heart beating.  Each one of us is different.  We bring different personalities, abilities, and life experiences to the table; but when we are unified with one purpose (ie. “to honor Christ by encouraging and serving others”- part of our mission statement) let’s just say the music is heavenly.

I have set the LORD always before me.
       Because he is at my right hand,
       I will not be shaken. 

 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
       my body also will rest secure,
                                                       -Psalm 16:8-9

This summer, I moved into a house with my dad.  After so many years of his being overseas, it’s been nice having him around.  One of the great things about living with Dad is the feeling of security of knowing someone I trust is there.  I don’t see a whole lot of Dad because of the schedule I keep, but I do rest a little better at night knowing someone else is there.

We all want to know that someone has our back, so to speak.  This idea is conveyed in Psalm 16. The phrase “at my right hand” is particularly interesting.  It conveys the idea of an advocate or defender.  The Interpreters Bible notes that “for a man to have God at his right hand means God’s shield hand is next to him [protecting him] leaving God’s sword hand free to fight the enemy.”  No wonder the Psalmist could say “I will not be shaken.” 

The Psalmist ends verse nine with “my body will rest secure.”  I don’t know about you, but I am all for my body being able to rest secure.  Put God before you, and He is also at your right hand fighting with and for you.  You too can rest secure.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Today, as I was driving in the rain, I remembered a quote from a friend in high school. I was pretty down about something one day. Right before a class, Kirsten tapped me on the shoulder and said “rain falls down too.” I didn’t get it. I spent most of class trying to understand what she was getting at. She let me mull that over for a couple of days before explaining. The idea is that rain falls down just like we do in our lives, but when it falls, it washes the old top soil away and brings renewal.

I admit the connection in the analogy is imperfect. However, it has stuck with me all these years and that says something. For some people, rain is wet and miserable and sometimes our lives are like that. We wish we could curl up under the covers and sleep till it passes. The thing about rain is that when it’s all rained out there is a newness that comes. New growth takes place. Even hard devastating rains are followed by rainbows-a reminder of God’s covenant with Noah.

Rain in life is inevitable. Whether you are a fan or not, know that you can trust God in the midst of it. Whether it is a sprinkle or downpour, God is with you. He will sustain you in the midst of every season.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33

Some weeks, I know what I’m going to write well before the writing begins.  Others, like today, I have no idea.  I like these times because they force me to step back from my busyness.  I take my Bible and pen to the library where it’s quiet and I am alone and I seek God.  I ask God for His word for the singles. Most of the time, His word for the singles, begins with a word for me.  Conviction takes place.  Then I spend several minutes trying to talk God out of sharing what He gives me.  I never win.

I’ve been thinking today about Ramadan.  It is a month of fasting for Muslims.  They do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset.  There is a particular focus on spiritual things during the month as they fast, ask for forgiveness of sins and seek God.  They believe this time of year, more than any other God will be found if they seek him.

This afternoon I began to wonder when was the last time I gave up anything of significance in order to seek God more fully.  We are to seek God each day.  How often do I let other things get in the way of seeking God?  I want to pray for Muslims to find what they seek in Jesus, but my own righteous leaves something to be desired.  Conviction: It’s what happens when we come before God with no agenda other than to seek Him.  I think of Isaiah, who, when confronted with the Glory of God said “Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

I invite you to join me in this month of Ramadan (August 22-September 20) in praying for Muslims. Before this, though, my prayer is that we would each go before God and seek Him with a heart willing to receive His Word.