giving God credit for the work He does in our life

Daily Devotional for March 5, 2024 – Get up, get going…share God’s love, strength, and joy with others – and watch Him fight for you!

Exodus 14:14-18
The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a finger!”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Quit praying and get the people moving! Forward, march! Use your rod—hold it out over the water, and the sea will open up a path before you, and all the people of Israel shall walk through on dry ground! I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will go in after you and you will see the honor I will get in defeating Pharaoh and all his armies, chariots, and horsemen. And all Egypt shall know that I am Jehovah.”

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

Twice in the last few hours, I have seen television interviews with TV personality/actor/writer RuPaul, who is hitting the talk-show circuit to promote his new memoir. Born RuPaul Andre Charles, the author’s latest book reflects on the early years of his life, and he notes that he got his “start” by entertaining his mother in their living room. RuPaul explains that his mother was a “world-weary person” who was not very happy, and he did all he could to make her laugh. He said, “I felt it was my job to lift her up and share my joy with her, and I did that.”

The author acknowledged that many people are depressed, and he tells them, “Depression is the right reaction to what’s happening in the world. But you can create joy in your life.” He added that creating joy can be a lot of work, but we can do it…and he gives all glory and credit to God for equipping him for the task. As I read this scripture today, I was reminded of these words – and the walk I took yesterday, where I prayed for many people…family members, friends, our leaders, the Super Tuesday elections today, and more. And then I simply said, “God, I give this all to You, because You are the only one who can fix these things. If there is something You want me to do, show me. But I am giving these people and situations to You.”

It would be very easy for us to throw up our hands these days and all but quit. But in this passage, we learn that when we are at the end of our rope – and we’ve lost our “fight,” God will fight for us. All we have to do is give everything to Him and trust Him.

Now, if you read on in this passage, you will see that God told Moses to lead the Israelites to the Red Sea, where the waters parted, and they were able to cross over ahead of the Egyptians (who God destroyed). And RuPaul reminds us that we cannot sit on our hands…we must sometimes “be the joy” for others – or do whatever God calls us to do. Later in the interview, RuPaul talked about how helping someone else can often bring us more joy than the person we are helping…how sometimes, we simply need to get up and do something for someone else in order to elevate our own mood.

The bottom line for me today is that I need to get busy. And maybe you do, too. I need to give God complete control – and trust and believe that He will fix what I cannot. As a close friend mentioned recently, I need to give everything to God – even the stuck jar lid that I cannot open! I need to ask God to show me how and where to share His love, assurance, and joy with others…and then I need to trust Him to equip me to do these things as He desires and directs. I know from experience – and the assurances of others – that I will find joy and be lifted in these moments.

We are right to be disheartened by all that is happening around us…but we are called to stand up and follow God’s directives. He may not give us a TV show – or literally direct us to part a body of water so certain people can walk through on dry land while others are drowned in the process! But God will be with us. He will fight for us – and we won’t have to do any of the heavy lifting. I don’t know about you, but this is great news for me this day! So, get up and get going…share some joy with another person or group, and watch God handle “the big stuff” and multiply your efforts. Alleluia!

Daily Devotional for July 26, 2023 – From Coffee Clubs to wiener roasts – to serving Jesus – make sure your focus is in the right place!

James 4:4-6
You people aren’t faithful to God! Don’t you know if you love the world, you are God’s enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you doubt the Scriptures that say, “God truly cares about the Spirit he has put in us”? In fact, God treats us with even greater kindness, just as the Scriptures say,

“God opposes everyone
who is proud,
but he blesses all who are humble
with undeserved grace.”

I’ve been cleaning out old photo albums that belonged to my parents and grandparents – trying to decide what to label and keep – and what can go. Don’t judge – we are drowning in old photos! And while I love each one, there are plenty of pictures of people no one knows, landscapes from long-ago trips that are so faded you can barely make out the image, and lots of duplicates. Yesterday, I discovered four photos of my maternal grandmother, my great-aunt, our next-door neighbor, and several other dear ladies who collectively formed what I called a “coffee klatch.” I think officially, they called themselves the “Coffee Club” – or often just “Coffee” for short.

The “Coffee Club” formed in 1938 – the year before my mother was born. They met each Monday morning for coffee after their husbands went to work – even bringing children along in the early days. When the war broke out, the ladies met at a local department store and rolled bandages for the Red Cross. After the war was over, these women resumed their meetings for coffee. By the time I came along in the late 1950s, the “Coffee Club” had taken things to new heights…at least as best I can remember! They always rotated where the coffee was hosted, with each of the eight or so ladies taking a turn. I can remember when it was my grandmother’s turn to host, she worked for several days to press linens, polish silver, set the table and make sure every detail was “just right!”

The photos I shared were snapped in 1977, at my parents’ home. Grandmother was no longer able to host a coffee herself, and I remember that Mother offered to do this for her. If you look closely at the photos, Mother had pulled out HER finest crystal and china – and prepared a breakfast feast second to none. Every detail of this event had to be perfect in my grandmother’s eyes. I shared these photos on Facebook and tagged children and grandchildren of the ladies who attended. I also shared a story that ran in our local newspaper about the Coffee Club.

One person commented that these ladies were all active in their churches and communities…and indeed, the group included Baptist and Methodist women…and perhaps a guest from another denomination on occasion. They shared far more than coffee at these get-togethers. These ladies were my grandmother and great-aunt’s dearest friends. But what struck me was how important the “details” seemed to be – at least for my grandmother. When she would “have Coffee” at her house, it was a BIG deal…and the details were what seemed to matter most. I would venture to recall that the next day, the question was not whether everyone had a good time, but rather, “Did they like how everything looked and tasted?”

I get it…I am a “details” person. But over the years, I have left the china and crystal in the cabinets and drawers in favor of paper plates and cups – and more time to visit with family and friends. Well into my adulthood, my family always had lavish holiday dinners, replete with the fancy tableware and linens. But one summer evening, we had an impromptu get-together at my parents’ house, where we “dined” on pimiento cheese and tuna fish sandwiches, and some hastily made potato salad and baked beans. There might have even been a store-bought bag of cookies for dessert – or maybe a brownie mix thrown into the oven last minute. But I’m pretty sure we used paper plates and cups.

My cousin noted as he left that we had such a great time…and we really didn’t need a big fancy meal for that. We also began to enjoy impromptu “wiener roasts” – where everyone grabbed their lawn chairs, coolers of soda pop, store-bought chips, cookies, marshmallows, buns and hot dogs – and we headed to one of our area campgrounds on the lake for a day of catching up and reminiscing. These were some of our best family get-togethers, and everyone came away remembering the fun of being together – not the preparation and cleanup!

We are reminded in this scripture passage that God is jealous. When we make things about something besides Him – or loving others and serving them in the name of Jesus – God does not like it one bit! He wants our focus and our aim to always be about Him. When we worry about what others will think…how we look…whether our homes or church buildings are nice enough – or we have state-of-the-art (aka “fancy”) gadgets and gizmos…or even that the “right” people are included…we are concerned with the wrong things. The message for this day is to “let it go!” Let God have complete control – and all the attention. Make everything you say and do about serving and pleasing Him and see how far God takes you!

One of my friends suggested that we should resurrect the Coffee Club of our grandmother’s generation. If we can meet at a local coffee shop and keep it about the people who attend, I’m all in! As we move forward, let’s all focus on doing God’s will and loving others in the name of Jesus. When we keep the attention centered on our Heavenly Father, He will surely bless and multiply our efforts and our joy. Alleluia!

John 11:41-42
After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, “Father, I thank you for answering my prayer. I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so that the people here would believe that you sent me.”

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

No man is an island. – John Donne

If you search for the meaning of this phrase on http://dictionary.com*, you will read…” No one is self-sufficient; everyone relies on others. This saying comes from a sermon by the seventeenth-century English author John Donne.” Still, we often hear people say, “I did it myself!” or “I alone can fix this.” Far too many of us want to take all of the credit – and we do not give recognition – or thanks – to anyone who may have contributed.

Jesus is saying in this passage that He did not have to publicly acknowledge gratitude to God for raising Lazarus from the dead and answering His prayer. He knew better than you and I that God is in the “prayer-answering” business. But others need to know. It is critical that we tell others what God has done in our lives…through actual declarations of praise when appropriate…or by sharing our life experiences and how God has worked in and through us.

A perfect opportunity to praise God is when you receive a compliment. Suppose someone says, “You did a great job on XYZ.” You could reply, “Thank you – to God be the glory.” Or maybe a friend is dealing with an illness or challenge that you have overcome, and you can say, “By the grace of God, I have been where you are, and He healed/helped me…and He will do this for you, also.” When someone says, “I don’t know how you do it!” – respond with, “God gives me wisdom and strength.”

My point is this…find a way to acknowledge God and show your gratitude. You don’t have to go out of your way to do this – there are dozens of opportunities in your daily living. Just make sure that you 1) refrain from taking all of the credit and glory, and 2) acknowledge God’s presence and power in your life. There are times when a whispered prayer of gratitude is acceptable, but don’t waste an opportunity to glorify God to others.

Remember, no man is an island…and none of us are able to do ANYTHING without God’s help. Be sure that He is given credit and praise. If it was critical enough for Jesus to do this, don’t you think it’s pretty important for us to do, as well?

* https://www.dictionary.com/browse/no-man-is-an-island?s=ts

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