Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy of our Repentant Return (1/15/26)

Over the advent season, I took a break from writing devotionals from Revelation. As we start a new year and get back into Revelation (with only a few chapters left!) you might remember that we finished the seven angels with the seven bowls of God’s wrath. Then, one of the seven angels showed John the punishment of “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes.” She delighted in the destruction of God’s people and lured the rest of the world into abominable acts. She represents centuries of evil powers in the world.

As we continue to see the destruction of “Babylon the Great,” it’s worth noting that those who benefited from her lament her destruction. They are distraught because of the misfortune it also brings to them. They could repent and turn to the true and eternally lavish King of kings. Instead, they wallow in their earthly losses.

Revelation 18:9-14 9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,

    you mighty city of Babylon!

In one hour your doom has come!’

11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.

14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’

The earthly successes of the world can change in an instant. Jesus’s eternal victory lasts forever. His kingdom is everlasting. Those watching the flaming Babylon had an opportunity to repent of their self-focus and turn to Jesus who offers true satisfaction.

John 10:9-10 ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

As we look back on 2025 and look ahead in 2026, what priorities do you and I want to leave behind and which ones do we want to continue? Knowing Jesus is the only One who offers life to full, how does that change your and my goals for this year?  

Thursday Devotional - Our Christmas Picture/Letter 2025 (1/8/2026)

This year I got a late start on our family Christmas card. Then, when it arrived, the last two lines of text were cut off. Joe spent a few hours figuring out the font, downloading it to his computer and printing the missing lines onto the back of each card! So, a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Reas (Joe, Alice, James (13), Sarah (11), Edmund and Alexis (9)).

           I pray we also grow closer to God through the study of His Word this entire year!

What spiritual goals are you and I prayerfully planning to accomplish, with the help of the Holy Spirit?

Happy Humbly Hustling for Him in 2023! (1/5/23)

I stumbled upon this familiar verse when I was studying the book of Micah this past week:

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

In context, it isn’t quite so glamorous!

Micah 6:6-9        With what shall I come before the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

⁹ Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
    and to fear your name is wisdom—
    “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.

God, through Micah, had painted a dark future for Israel because of their consistent wickedness and rebellion against God. If they thought they could “pay” for their wickedness with thousands of sacrifices, that wasn’t going to work. God had given them clear instructions about how to live a life pleasing to Him. I think this is saying that now, they were to accept the consequences (“rod”) and learn from them. God’s greatest desire is for them to walk humbly in relationship with Him!

As you and I set goals for 2023, instead of asking ourselves what we want to do or how we want to serve God, let’s ask God!

Even if we are dealing with consequences for past sins, He can help us accept and learn from those consequences. He knows how best to move forward. Five goals God has for us just from this passage are to:

1. Walk humbly with Him
2. Listen to Him
3. Heed His correction
4. Act justly
5. Love mercy

Instead of saying “Happy New Year!” maybe a better greeting, from one Christian to another, is “Happy Humbly Hustling for Him this Year!” 😉

Thursday Devotional - God is with Us, Pursuing Goals 6/30/22

Can you believe we are halfway through 2022??? So, how are you and I doing on our 2022 goals? For those who set goals, did you and I ask God what His plans and purposes were for us this year?

Proverbs 19:20-21       Listen to advice and accept discipline,
    and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

²¹ Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Now is a good time to revisit our goals and have a mid-year check-in with God! How does He think we are doing in relation to His purposes and goals for us?

Alice 

Thursday Devotional - Goal Drifting?

How are you doing on your goals for 2020? How about a goal to meet with God daily? Maybe you are already ready to give up on some of your goals. Let’s especially persevere in our walk with God. He welcomes us back anytime. However, it is harder to come back the further we drift. Satan knows this.

The writer of Hebrews knew it, too, and warned the Jewish believers to persevere. Hebrews 2:2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

They were being tempted to revert back to the old ways of Judaism. However, Jesus had done away with the old sacrificial system as both the perfect High Priest and perfect sacrifice.

Hebrews 2:9, 14, 17-18    ⁹ But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone… ¹⁴  Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— … ¹⁷ For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Most of us probably aren’t tempted to revert back to Judaism, but maybe to a life or routine void of God. Let’s make sure He’s a priority each and everyday so we don’t drift!

Jesus is fully man and fully God, so He can relate to our struggles and help us!   

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Quiet Time

Last week we talked about setting goals in line with God’s goals. One goal He has for us is to know Him better. We can do that by reading, studying and applying His Word.

For many years I had my quiet time with God before bed. Then, for over a decade, I used my lunch break to have my quiet time. Now, I have my quiet time after I get home from work, while Sarah naps. However, her naps are getting shorter, and she will probably grow out of them soon, so I’ll need to figure out a different time again!

God’s the most important person in the universe, so why wouldn’t we have “lunch” with Him each day or plan an unbreakable appointment with Him???

Hebrews 1:1-3      In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. ³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Jesus created the universe and sustains it! What time of day do you set aside to meet with Him? Or what time will you set aside? He’s available!

He’s the All-Powerful Glorious and Majestic One we can’t afford not to get to know!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Goals for 2020

Have you made some goals for this coming year? How well did you do at your goals from last year?

Joe, the kids and I have talked about our goals for this year, but we haven’t written them all down yet (maybe later today!).

Yesterday, my Mom brought out some of our goals from when my sisters and I were younger and read off some of them (go skiing, play a family game a week, read the Bible more, share the gospel with at least one person, etc.). It was fun to hear what some of our childhood goals were. Sometimes we even wrote goals for other family members (i.e. for Mom and Dad to have another baby or for baby Mary to learn how to walk)! 😊

God has a goal for us to drink less milk and eat more solid food:

Hebrews 5:11-14 ¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

We eat more solid food from God’s Word by studying and applying it daily. Reading these devotionals or a chapter of the Bible daily isn’t beneficial unless we use it and put it into practice (“constant use,” as verse 14 says). I’ve learned that journaling what I’ve learned and how I plan to apply it is helpful.

What goals will you and I set for this year in line with God’s goals?

Happy New Year!

Alice