Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Offering Peace in Fear (5/23/24)

 Who do you and I know that lives in constant fear?

I think Thomas was living in constant fear that first week after Jesus’s death, which led to his doubts. He was so confused by Jesus’s death and probably afraid for his own life, too.  

John 20:24-29         ²⁴ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus’s resurrection offered peace in fear! Jesus offered peace to doubting and fearful Thomas. Jesus met Thomas where he was, offered for him to do the very thing he requested, and showed he heard Thomas’s words from the previous week.

We can extend that same peace to those around us who are also living with doubts and fears. Many people lack true peace and joy that can only come from a relationship with our all-knowing, all-powerful Creator who rose victorious over death! Because Jesus rose, we can have peace knowing those who believe will also rise from the dead and join Jesus for all eternity.  

How will you and I tap into this blessing of peace today, especially with any fears faced?

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Giving Timely Peace (4/25/24)

 After the devastation of Jesus’ death and the confusion over the empty tomb, the disciples were timely visited and comforted by Jesus.  

John 20:19-22         ¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus came and provided peace and joy to His devastated disciples! He not only physically appeared, but did so miraculously! He also graciously showed them the proof of His death. Then, He re-commissioned and empowered them to continue the difficult work He had started.  

Jesus came and gave me peace after devastation and before facing additional difficulties, too. The evening I found out we were going to miscarry (after 13 weeks of pregnancy), I was devastated. When I woke up in the middle of the night with contractions 2 minutes apart, God had me eventually get out of bed and go to the bathroom. My water broke on the toilet and then everything happened. As devastated as I was, I felt like God was holding my hand during the whole thing, starting with the fact that He had my water break not only at home, but on the toilet! I had peace knowing He was there. I felt as if He said “I know this is really hard, but I’m here with you to carry you through.” His peace brought encouragement as I faced the physical and emotional pain in the coming hours, weeks, months and years that followed.

When have you witnessed God bringing peace and joy after devastation? What encouragement and strength did it give you to persevere through the next difficult challenge? 

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God over Our Fears (7/6/23)

This week we’re continuing to memorize Psalm 34. It tied in with some of the big and small fears we faced.

Psalm 34:4-6      I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.

I mentioned a few weeks ago how terrified Edmund was to start swim and dive team practice. This past weekend he and Alexis successfully completed several swim races in their very first swim meet! Edmund went from holding the lane line all the way down (a week ago) to diving off the block and swimming with side breathing.

Alexis had originally not been scared the first week, but she got terrified to swim in the deep end without also holding the lane line. One time, while swimming on her back in the deep end, she said she prayed to God when she was really scared.

Whether our fear is rational or irrational, we can take it to God. He will listen and can help us. As we follow His direction and trust His lead, we can know He’s got it! He’s Faithful!

Alice 

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God when We’re Too Scared (6/8/23)

It’s been a crazy week with all four kids starting swim and dive team practice, in addition to all their other activities. This is the first year for the twins. Alexis was super excited and Edmund was extremely scared. He said he couldn’t go and cried on and off all afternoon before the first practice. We talked through various scenarios and his siblings tried to encourage him. I reminded him that he felt similarly last year before his first baseball practice, yet he has loved it since!

On a much larger scale, Jeremiah was terrified to be a prophet for the Lord.

Jeremiah 1:4-10       The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

⁷ But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

⁹ Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. ¹⁰ See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

When God calls us to do something, He promises to be with us and provide what is needed to do the job, no matter how scary it is.

As I prayed about whether Edmund was to start swim and dive team, the baseball scenario from last year kept coming to mind. So, even though he cried while waiting his turn to jump off the diving board, he did jump off and had a smile afterwards! Later that night as we were talking it over and comparing it to his experience with baseball, he said he was glad he did it. Then, he suddenly exclaimed – “and God was with me!!!”

Yes, God was with him! He is always with us, whether we are afraid of something big or small. What is scary for you right now? Will you take it to God and let Him guide you for your next steps? He will faithfully be with you!  

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God versus Fearful Jeroboam 10/27/22

 What do you do with your fears? Try to suppress them? Worry about them over and over? Talk to a friend or family member about them? Or take them to God?

Israel’s King Jeroboam did everything but take his fears to God!

I Kings 12:26-30     ²⁶ Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. ²⁷ If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”

²⁸ After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” ²⁹ One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. ³⁰ And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.

Jeroboam’s fear led to sin after sin for himself and the people he led! God had promised to be with him and establish his kingdom if he followed Him.

I Kings 11:38             ³⁸ If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.

Jeroboam didn’t need to fear. If he sought God, God would address his fears and provide solutions.

How will you and I seek our Faithful God for our fears this week?  

Thursday Devotional - God is With Us, In Our Fear of the Unknown 6/23/22

 Are you afraid of anything or anyone right now? Is something worrying you?

Several years ago Joe and I were worried and sick to our stomachs over an attorney letter we received from a former renter’s lawyer. They were threatening a lawsuit because we hadn’t returned their deposit money (but, they had left several damages and hadn’t cleaned the place).

Joe and I prayed for help and direction and that we would learn what God might be teaching us through this experience. We knew God was already aware of the situation and would be with us, but it was still hard not to worry about the outcome.

The women that visited Jesus’ tomb had a similar combination of faith and fear. Previously, they experienced a violent earthquake, watched a brilliantly shining angel roll the stone away, and witnessed the guards become like dead men in response! Who wouldn’t have been afraid! Yet, they heeded the angel’s direction to go quickly to tell Jesus’ disciples.

Matthew 28:8-10          ⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

In response to Jesus’s reassurance, the women didn’t say a quick “thank you Lord,” but stopped, bowed down and worshiped!

In Joe’s and my situation, God gave Joe an opportunity four days later to meet with the renter and resolve the whole thing! Like the women, I couldn’t help but immediately praise God!!! He was with us before, during and after the fearful situation!

How will you take your fears to God and then look for His presence?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - God is With Us in our Stand for Him 6/9/22

Last night we read about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and how they bravely faced death for standing up for the truths of God (from Daniel 3). As we were talking about it, Sarah (8) said if someone threatened her, she wouldn’t be afraid because she knew she would go to heaven, where it is perfect. (I pray the Holy Spirit never lets her lose the confidence she has in God and His eternal plans!)

Our Bible reading and devotional time last night tied right in with the passage of Scripture we had started memorizing the day before from Matthew!

Matthew 10:28-33 ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. ³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

³² “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Where are you and I afraid to take a stand for God? Let’s remember He is with us and won’t let anything happen outside of His plan and care. 

Thursday Devotional - God Is With Us In and Sometimes Causes Our Storms

Some storms in life are not a result of sin and evil in the world, but a test from God.

I’ve read or heard the story of Jesus calming the storm numerous times. In pondering it again this week, several things stood out to me.

Matthew 8:24-27        ²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Suddenly a furious storm came! Not just a little rain or a few waves. It seems God caused the impossible storm to test the faith of the disciples. I wonder if they did all their fisherman tricks before they finally woke Jesus. Did they not think God would protect His Son until the appointed time? He wouldn’t let him drown and die prematurely.

I thought about the various storms in my life right now. Of course, I’ve prayed about all of them. I know God can grow me through them, but I hadn’t thought about Him intentionally putting any of them in my life. In addition to desperately seeking His wisdom, I’m now asking for greater trust, faithful perseverance and peace, no matter the outcome.

How might all this change your prayers as you face the storms in your life?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - God Is With Us When We're Afraid

Have you ever been really scared, all alone in the dark?

When I lived alone, I came home late one night from Bible study and found my back door open. I was paralyzed in fear. Staying in my car, I prayed and tried calling various family members and friends. No one answered their phone. Then, I prayed again, knowing God is always available and there with me. 

In a state of continual prayer, I scoured the house looking in all the closets, behind every door and under the beds. Finding no one, it appeared I must not have closed the door securely and it blew open. It was quite scary, but I was comforted knowing God was with me no matter what.

Joseph and Mary were in the dark and probably in a greater state of fear much longer than me! Their journey to Egypt was over 100 miles and started in the dark.

Matthew 2:13-16 “When they [the Magi] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”   Matthew 2:13-16

God didn’t remove the threat or the fear, but He was with them and directed them through it.

What is your greatest fear right now? Will you and I take comfort knowing God is with us? He has a plan for us, and His plans can’t be stopped. He will give us direction when we’re afraid.

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Fear Again?

 Have you ever had a time in life where it felt like you faced one storm or challenge or hardship after another? I can think of several different times. One of those times was when Joe lost his job several different times during the recession.

 

Well, Paul was no stranger to challenge after challenge. Last week, though, everyone on the ship finally listened to Paul! They took his advice this time, ate and were encouraged. Maybe Paul finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, he was about to face another death sentence!

Acts 27:38-44           ³⁸ When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

³⁹ When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. ⁴⁰ Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. ⁴¹ But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

⁴² The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. ⁴³ But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. ⁴⁴ The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.

Safe at last! Paul seemed to have a challenge at every turn. He didn’t worry or give up or blame God. He trusted God’s plans and His Sovereignty, even when it didn’t look like anything good could come of something. God proved trustworthy and accomplished His plans for and through Paul.

We can trust God’s Sovereignty, too. He has plans for each one of us and will accomplish His plans for and through us. I’m nervous about several things right now (mountains of work, kids going back to school, lots of changes to our normal Fall schedule, etc.). It doesn’t help me to stay in a state of fear. I can cast my cares on God. He cared for Paul and He will care for me!

What fear do you need to lay before God?

Alice

Confidently And Fearlessly Forward!

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

I am going to open up and be vulnerable here.  There are many things I am fearful of.  These fears have at times entered not only my mind but also my heart.  Sometimes, I am afraid for my children and how the world tries to crush their spirit.  I fear going places because of exterior threats such as acts of violence.  In my lifetime, my fears have included never having a significant other to love me.  As I approach a new milestone in my life, I worry if my life has made a difference, and though my family has plenty, I will fear losing it all in some fashion or another.  They have consumed me and made me at times want to hide in my own bedroom and close the door to the world.  Some of you may have felt any combination of those fears at some point of your life.  Yet looking back when all of those fears were at their heightened state, I still walked out of my bedroom and house into that very world that tells me to run and retreat.  Why?  Why would any of us want to venture into this world that pushes us into these feelings of insecurity?

We do this because we have been born again through Jesus Christ and are thus of God’s Kingdom.  Not of this world.  Through Christ, we find bravery and courage to move forward into a world that tells us we are not good enough.  The distractions that are of this world are made to create a barrier between ourselves and God.  Thus it is easy to understand that as we focus on the world around us, we struggle to see our own goodness and worthiness.  Through a worldly lens, we see others as who we are not, and focus on what we do not have instead of that God has provided.  If we are focused on God with both our minds and hearts, we immediately see our infinite value as His child.  Others become those you can share God’s light with and what we have is seen as what we are blessed with instead of craving that which we do not have.

We are incredibly blessed to be loved by the one true living God!  Knowing this, we can be open about our fears and uncertainties of the world because we are not of it.  We simply overcome them focusing on who we are (God’s child) and what we are certain of; that God loves us so much that He gave His one and only son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).  Do not let this world convince you otherwise.  You may not see yourself of deserving of God’s grace, but none of us are.  You are indeed worthy because through Jesus Christ, you are born again!  What fears and worries are hindering your connection with God?  How can you move forward knowing you are His child?  My prayer is when confronted with worldly insecurities, we affix our hearts and minds on Jesus Christ, and move confidently and fearlessly forward!  Amen.    

Thurs Devo: Fearless Life

How fearless are you and I? How fearless are you and I when it comes to living for Christ?

Revelation 2:8-11     ⁸ “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. ⁹ I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.¹⁰ Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

¹¹ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

After reading about what the Smyrna church faced and what Jesus said they would face in the future, how fearless do you think you are now?

I wouldn’t like getting a letter telling me I was going to face even more persecution and suffering. However, it would be encouraging, knowing Jesus saw everything I already endured, knows what I’m about to face, and guarantees my eternal future.

Jesus reminded Smyrna (and us) that He was already victorious over earthly suffering and death. Therefore, He can promise life after death to His faithful followers. We do not have to be hurt by the second death, which is eternal separate from God in Hell.

How can you and I be prepared to maintain joy and faithfulness through suffering? The more we know God, love Him and understand what He’s done for us, the easier it will be to live fearlessly for Him!  

Alice

Thurs Devo: Drama Drama!

Do you know a drama queen? Maybe you have one in your family. (Boys can be “drama kings” too!) Well, Joe and I were playing with some foster children at a park on Sunday and one of them was quite a drama queen. She also seemed to fear the worst case scenario. Knowing some of her background, I can see how easy it would be to have that perspective. She hasn’t had loving, caring and dependable parents.

In today’s passage, though, the Israelites are even more dramatic, and they had a loving, caring and dependable God leading them!

Numbers 17:10-13   ¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” ¹¹ Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.

¹² The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! ¹³ Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?”

 Sigh… Are the Israelites not listening???! God didn’t say they would die. He gave them yet another sign so they would remember not to grumble against Him so they would NOT die. He gave them a visual to help them. When will they learn???

It’s easy to see how ridiculous someone else’s fear is (i.e. the Israelites’ fear), but harder to spot my own irrational fears. I’m not only a child of loving, caring and dependable parents, but a child of a loving, caring and dependable God!

What drama are you and I facing right now? Let’s take our fears to God and ask for His help to see the situations from His perspective. Just as God gave the Israelites instructions and visuals to help them live a life filled with joy, He has done the same for us. Instead of being dramatic or running away in fear, we can listen to God’s instructions and learn from Him. 

Alice     

Thurs Devo: God, Honored as Holy

After the earth swallowed Korah, those with him and all his belongings, how would you expect the rest of the Israelites to react?

Number 16:34-40       ³⁴ At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”

³⁵ And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

³⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁷ “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— ³⁸ the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.”

³⁹ So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, ⁴⁰ as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers.

I had a couple questions when studying this passage. First, why did the Israelites fear being swallowed? They had been warned to stay away from Korah, Dathan and Abiram and their tents. So, if they heeded the warning, why were they afraid? God can be trusted. He wouldn’t accidentally swallow more than He intended.

Second, why did God consider the censers holy, when they were last used by sinful, prideful, and rebellious individuals? In re-reading verse 38, God said they became holy because they were presented before Him. He declared them holy, in spite of the fact that they were presented in an unholy and disrespectful way.

Earlier, when Aaron’s sons approached the Lord in a disobedient way, Moses reminded Aaron of God’s previous words:

Leviticus 10:3           ³ Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said:

“‘Among those who approach me
    I will be proved holy;
in the sight of all the people
    I will be honored.’”

We can either voluntarily honor God as holy, or He can gain honor in spite of us. I’d rather enjoy the blessings of honoring God voluntarily, wouldn’t you?

How might you and I be approaching God in a dishonoring way? How will you and I approach our Holy God this week in an honoring way instead?  

Alice