His Word, His Work

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow

from heaven, and do not return there, but

water the earth, and make it bring forth

and bud, that it may give seed to the sower,

and bread to the eater, so shall My word

be that goes forth from My mouth; it

shall not return to Me void, but it shall

accomplish what I please, and it shall

prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

    Isaiah 55:10-11 (NKJV)

“For the word of God is living and powerful,

and sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing even to the division of soul and

spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is

a discerner of the thoughts and intents

of the heart.”

     Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)

As an attorney editor, I deal with written words all day, but I’m not a great speaker.  I don’t think well on my feet and often put my foot in my mouth,  and I wish I were a better witness for Christ.  Thankfully, I know that these weaknesses of mine do not hinder God since He used a stutterer like Moses and even a donkey to speak for Him!  But what gives me even greater comfort is that I know I can rely on the word of God to speak for me.

God’s word is powerful, so I give it out whenever I can.  I send hand-written notes to family and friends, and I always include a verse of Scripture when I write. Same with personal emails I send. I usually pray about it and trust that God has an intended purpose for every verse I send out and will use it in that person’s heart.  Most of the people I write to are not believers, so I’m grateful that I can rely on God for this. I also regularly post a Bible verse as my status update on the Hub---who knows who might see it and be blessed?

Faith comes by hearing God's word (Romans 10:17) and it also brings conviction. I know I won't get it wrong when I quote from the Bible and I don't need to apologize for it.  I trust God to work through His word.  That’s one reason why I’m grateful to have the opportunity to write devotions here. I like to share verses of Scripture and write about what God has put on my heart. It’s like sowing seed, knowing that it will not return void but will accomplish God’s wonderful purposes!  We just have to give out His word and He works! 

I can't expect God to bless my words but I can trust that He will honor and bless His word. That's why I feel confident when I share from the Bible. Is there someone you can bless today with a verse or two from God’s word?

Thursday Devotional - The Mystery of God

Spring causes me to marvel at God! After the Magnolia trees bloom, then the Dogwoods bloom. After our last tulip bloom fell this year, our Irises bloomed. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:11 God “made everything beautiful in its time.” Not everything is beautiful at the same time. The seasons and timing within the seasons point to an amazing Creator!!!

Ecclesiastes 3:9-14  ⁹ What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

We won’t be able to understand all God has done and how He did it. The mystery and majesty of Him can help us fear and revere Him! How will you marvel at and praise God today for all He’s done?

Alice

Our Brokenness

Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.  1 Corinthians 15:43

Brokenness.  I was listening to the song ‘Broken Vessels’ during worship service this past Sunday, and had one of those moments where the song and my spirit seemed to unite.  The part of the song went like this:

Oh, I can see it now

Oh, I can see the love in Your eyes

Laying yourself down

Raising up the broken to life

It was the part where it spoke about ‘raising the broken to life’ that really struck a chord.  I could see someone going to bed.  Crying with tears streaming down their face onto their pillow.  Feeling hopeless and without answers.  Then Jesus sees them, and looks on them with love and compassion, and assures them that He is with them.  And as His spirit fills them, one can feel the strength coming back to answer the bell of another day.  While the prior day may have been difficult, the world cannot keep them down because we are conquerors in Christ.

So let me ask.  How are you feeling?  For some of you, this may be a tough time in your life.  There are many things that are going on, and while some things might be going just fine, something does not feel right.  For those of you that all seems fine, look around.  This is the calm before the storm.  Maybe the storm isn’t yours.  It’s your spouse, parent, sibling, or best friend.  There’s a reason this is called ‘a fallen world.’  It’s broken, and deep down, we know it.  So how can we put it all together?  The weight is so heavy!  “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

It is always important to remember that Jesus Christ is the fixer in our state of brokenness.  Today’s verse speaks of our situation in the world where we die broken down, but rise in God’s glory as we believed through Jesus.  To understand the verse, think about how we are when a loved one has passed.  I thought of my father and how strong a man he was when I was growing up.  He was a strength in the community and his home, and like God, I feared him.  But oh, how I loved him.  When he had a stroke, he was in his early 70s.  He slowly went from a tower of strength to a man in a wheelchair and then bedridden.  He was incredibly broken physically in the end, but he was forever strengthening his faith.  He would watch me grow into the Christ follower he himself was for so long, and when his calling came, I knew he was in heaven.  He, like all of us, was not perfect, but I am so proud to be called Robert’s son.

But you might ask, “What about when I am broken in spirit?”  We all have been there.  I’ve failed.  I’ve failed at times to be a good husband, a good father, a good coworker, and a good friend.  It was such a burden, I would cry incredibly saddened and broken.  But failure was where Jesus always came to the rescue.  He laid down, and raised me up in my brokenness.  Somehow, He took away the failure.  He made me a better person, and restore me where my wife, my children, my teammates, and friends think I’m actually pretty decent. My wife thinks I’m the best.  Well, she is ☺️  More importantly, Jesus knows who I am, and He knows where you are too.  You are not who this world says you are or what your failures have been.  When you are broken, Jesus will lay down with you, and say, “I am here.  Let me pick you up, and build you into the person who no army can stop.”

God did not make you to be trampled on.  Yes, we are to humble ourselves before Christ, but as our bodies are meant to break down, our spirits are meant to rise up.  If you have been feeling broken lately, know that Jesus’ eyes are looking upon you lovingly, and He wants you to take His hand and rise up!  And if you are feeling strong today, reach out to someone in their brokenness, and say, “I am with you!”  Let us rejoice that with Christ at the center of life, our spirit can never be broken.  Will you confess your brokenness to Him?  Will you extend your hand to one who is broken?  My prayer is that with Christ we can together face our brokenness.  Amen.

Gentle word

Proverbs 15:1

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

This verse really hit me hard as I read it recently.  I find myself often getting frustrated with my six year old when he does not listen.  It is sometimes hard not to give a harsh word but the truth of the matter is, it rarely helps. 

Think about times that you have had a choice to use a gentle answer over a harsh word.  Which way tends to turn out better? 

Today I want to keep things short and simple.  I want to simply remind each of us to watch the words we pick.  In doing so, you share the love of Christ with others.