applying God’s word to our daily living

Daily Devotional for June 18, 2024 – Building a reputation for wisdom…it’s time to humbly let go and let God have control!

James 3:13-16
Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.

As I read this scripture passage today, my first thought was, “We are so there!” Everywhere we turn, people are operating with mean-spirited ambition, boasting that they are wise, twisting the truth, and behaving with animal cunning and devilish plotting. And with the surge in AI, all bets are off. Everywhere we turn, people are playing fast and loose with facts to try to appear wise, important – or even superior. This is not just a political event…the same behaviors occur on a more “local” level in every situation from Little League to social circles – to church bodies. Yes, believe it or not, there are many who twist Bible verses and take them out of context to try to prove their point – or to justify their words and actions!

We should probably all print out this passage from James 3 and read it daily. We should practice living well, wisely, and humbly. We should spend time in prayer and ask God to show us where, when, and how to speak and act. And we should boldly stand up and say, “No! I will not participate in – or agree with – XYZ!” when we hear God telling us to do so.

Let me ask you this…do you trust God? Do you believe His promises to love you no matter what and to always have you in the palm of His hand? Then why are you afraid to speak and act in truth and wisdom? What is keeping you from humble service to God…and treating others as He has commanded with every word and deed? Why is it so hard to “let go and let God” have complete control? These are questions I am asking myself, and I am not sure I have answers to all them quite yet. But I am actively searching and seeking them, because I want to operate more freely in God’s will over my own. I want to be “wise” by God’s standards…I want to be His humble, faithful servant in all things. I am definitely a work in progress, but I am determined to keep at it…what about you? Alleluia!

Daily Devotional for June 3, 2019 – Are you a “New Testament” Christian – or “the total package”…how are YOU serving as Christ’s disciple?

Romans 5:20-21
The Ten Commandments were given so that all could see the extent of their failure to obey God’s laws. But the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God’s abounding grace forgiving us. Before, sin ruled over all men and brought them to death, but now God’s kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A friend told me the other day that he pretty well disregards the Old Testament, because the laws and punishments recorded there were all negated by Christ’s salvation and a new set of commands in the New Testament. Another friend shared a video sermon recently, in which the speaker suggested that we’ve gotten it all wrong telling people to “give your heart to Jesus”, as if this made everything okay forever and ever.

First, we must consider the Old Testament in order to fully appreciate the New Testament. We cannot fully understand God’s gift of Jesus…and Christ’s sacrifices for us…if we don’t know how life was for those who lived – and sinned – before Jesus came to earth. There are incredible examples of faith, hope and obedience in the Old Testament that help to build our own relationships with God. The Old Testament gives us context for our Christian faith…it explains how we got here…and why Salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ is so amazing. The Old Testament accounts give us a “big picture” of how God works…and how much He loves us.

As for giving our hearts to Jesus…I get where the video speaker was coming from, as too many people think that “surrender” and Salvation are enough. Far too often, we Christians play a “numbers game”. We are all concerned about “souls saved”…but we drop many of these believers like hot potatoes once they “give their hearts to Jesus”. We don’t nurture them. We don’t share the history of how we got here (aka study and contrast of the Old and New Testaments). We don’t demonstrate Christian service – and encourage new believers to find God’s will for their own missions and ministries. In short…we don’t help them figure out what to do after they become Christians.

In Romans 5:20-21, Paul explains why the “Ten Commandments” found in the Old Testament have relevance today…not only as excellent rules for living, but also as a reference point for understanding God’s grace and mercy. Paul explains that today, God’s kindness does indeed rule – and Jesus has given us new commandments that will ensure that we share this kindness with others. If we love God with our whole heart, love others as Christ loves us, and treat everyone as we wish to be treated, we will surely offer grace, mercy, kindness and compassion to others. We will certainly show others how to love like Jesus loves.

We must understand the Bible and Salvation in Jesus Christ as a “total package”. All of it has value to us as Christians. We cannot pick and choose which part to study or embrace…and we cannot “pray the sinner’s prayer” and then rest on our laurels. Yes, God has promised Eternal Life to all who surrender to Jesus. But we can’t just sit back and wait for Heaven! We are called to serve as Christ’s disciples and ambassadors. We are to be His hands and feet to others – every day that we have left on this earth.

I have suggested before that you find a good Bible study that outlines scripture from the Old and New Testament each day, along with a passage from the Psalms or Proverbs. There are several that will guide you in reading the entire Bible in a single year. Discover for yourself how God orchestrated things before Jesus came to earth in a manner that directly impacted everything that has happened since His birth. Learn how others have discipled and nurtured people in their midst…and figure out where and how God wants YOU to serve and represent Him.

We cannot be “New Testament Christians” who claim to know and love Jesus…then sit back and wait for Him to call us to our eternal home. We have to make an effort to fully understand how and why God did what He did…why He loves us so much…and what we are supposed to do to pay it forward. Are you with me?

Daily Devotional for September 21, 2018 – Finding daily answers in God’s word…and reviving our heart for HIS plans

Psalm 119:36-38
Help me to prefer obedience to making money! Turn me away from wanting any other plan than yours. Revive my heart toward you. Reassure me that your promises are for me, for I trust and revere you.

Perhaps you have noticed that my “daily devotionals” have not been posted “daily” in recent weeks. Things happen…including a ragweed allergy that put me in bed for several days, an overnight visit from our nephews and niece, and a day-long visit with my husband’s family. There was a time when I would have moved heaven and earth to get out something every day…but I’ve come to realize a few things about writing these devotionals.

First…many of you comment and say, “You wrote that just for me today.” I always am blessed by these messages. But here’s what I know…sometimes more than one person says that in the same day (which is remarkable!)…and every day, these messages are directed first and foremost toward me! I have come to believe that God felt the best way to keep me studying His word was to lead me to write these devotionals “for others”.

Secondly…I believe that God has shown me a tremendous number of things in the last 14+ years. I would like to think that God has changed me through these writings. In 2004, I was teaching a junior high Sunday school class, and I wanted to encourage the students to study their Bible. So I made an outline of 12 topics that I thought were important to them…and I searched for scriptures to address one topic per month. I wrote all of the devotionals for each topic at once and made copies to share with my students prior to the first if the month. I have no idea how many students read these each day, but hopefully there were a few who did.

The following year, the son of my then-pastor, John, and his wife, Susan, headed off to college. Susan came to me and said, “We need something to encourage these college kids to study their Bible on a regular basis. Can you help?” We started e-mailing the “daily devotionals” to “in-betweeners”…college aged students and young adults who needed a little insight into the meaning of scripture – and a practical application. Over the years, the “audience” broadened to include a larger age range…and I realized that the best way to make this applicable and meaningful was to write one devotional each day.

I hope that over time, I have found answers to some of our daily questions and challenges in God’s word – and shared them with you. I know that I have become more aware of how precious each individual person is to God…and as certain ones have frustrated me to no end at times, this has been a valuable reminder! I’ve come to better understand the plight of people whose concerns I once gave little to no thought…the poor…the homeless…the orphans…and those disparaged or ostracized in some way because of their appearance, race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, socio-economic level, political position, or even their religious beliefs.

I’ve come to understand that it isn’t important to God WHO we are…as long as we know to WHOM we belong! I believe that I have matured enough in my understanding of scripture to know that these three verses from Psalm 119 are not literally about money…but more about our priorities as a Disciple of Christ. For me, this means not even turning on the computer for 2 days to spend time with our little ones or Greg’s family. It means taking care of my health and resting occasionally, so that I am better able to do whatever God calls me to do.

I’ve learned that there will be days in which I will try so hard NOT to speak to a scripture that God shows me, because it is uncomfortable or controversial…and He will not let it go. I’ve learned that on days when God has me right where He wants me, the devil is more than likely going to cause my computer to freeze, throw a huge typo in the mix…or cause some other little hiccup. Just today, he’s already shut down my word-processing program as I created this devo! But I am onto him! All I have to do is stop and whisper the name of Jesus…and things get right back on track!

I hope that you learn something about yourself and your discipleship from these missives. I hope that God speaks to you on a daily basis about His plans…and that you listen! I pray that you trust and revere Him – and recognize that His promises are the real deal. As I move into my 15th year of learning from this project, I thank God for the opportunity to share what I discover with you…and I thank YOU for reading. Together, may we grow in God’s love and care and serve well to further His Kingdom. And may His plan always be the only one that we desire to follow.

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