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 - God of Grace – To those in Need 9/15/2022

Have you ever wondered which person or group to help? Sometimes it can be overwhelming when we know of so many people and organizations in need. 

Timothy may have been similarly overwhelmed, so Paul gave him certain criteria for determining which widows from within the church to help.

I Timothy 5:3-10       ³ Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. ⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. ⁵ The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. ⁶ But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. ⁷ Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. ⁸ Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹ No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, ¹⁰ and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.

Timothy was to determine:

1. The widows who truly needed support
2. Those who had no other means of help from family
3. Those who had lived pure and purposeful lives

I often feel badly not supporting ALL the wonderful organizations that need financial support. However, after prayer, I was led to contribute to certain organizations doing God’s work. Then, I was able to guiltlessly recycle all the other requests for support that came in the mail.

Just as God, through Paul, helped Timothy know where he was to help the needy, God can help you and me know! Will you ask God who you are to help? Then we can listen for when and how to help.

Alice

Thursday Devotional - God Notices and Rewards

We talked last week about especially loving and helping fellow believers. Not only can it attract non-believers, but God notices and will reward it.

Matthew 10:42      ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Hebrews 6:10-12  ¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ¹¹ We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

God notices and promises to reward those who love and help fellow believers.

I was thinking how much joy I get watching my kids help each other, hug each other, give gifts to each other, especially when it’s their own idea. Last week, they both wanted to give a Valentine to each other. Sarah filled out a card for James while he was at school and James ordered a “candy” card from school for Sarah with his own money!

Similarly, God is pleased when we love, help and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ! We love on Him as we love on each other.

How will you and I show love to God by helping or encouraging a fellow believer this week?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Feeling Helpless

My Dad is home from the hospital! He is on high doses of a diuretic and an arrythmia medication. He has a ways to go to recover and regain strength, but he’s glad to be home!

Last night, though, James had another asthma attack. It seems like it has been one health issue after another all Fall (two almost week-long hospital stays for my Dad and several weeks struggling with asthma for James). We’ve done lots of praying for wisdom and direction. God’s the ultimate healer and the only one we can always turn to for help. He’s always listening and always available. 

Psalm 34:1-5, 19-22           

 I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
² I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

⁴ 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…
 

¹⁹ The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;
²⁰ he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken.

²¹ Evil will slay the wicked;
    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²² The Lord will rescue his servants;
    no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

As verse 19 says, not even the righteous are promised an easy life, but we are promised God will hear and help us through any trouble. Last night, I prayed several times for help and guidance. At different points, I felt helpless and that there wasn’t anything else to try. After several breathing treatments (medication and steam) over the course of a couple hours and a hot shower to try to help James, God did bring to mind a couple more things to try (Motrin and a humidifier). Finally James was able to fall asleep. Then, I finally started breathing better myself (and was able to sit down to write the devotional for today)! 😊

Where are you feeling helpless? Will you turn to God for help, listen for His answers and then give Him the glory? The book of Psalms is a great place to go for encouragement. Many of the Psalms that David wrote were while he was helplessly hiding from Saul and fleeing for his life (over the course of several years). He praised God in the midst of it all and knew Who to go to for help!  

Alice

  

Thursday Devotional - Timely Encouragement

Once Israel crossed the Jordan River they were in the promised land, but still had a big job ahead of them to conquer all the people that lived there. Unless they swam back across the river, they were stuck! Maybe that’s another reason God miraculously stopped up the Jordan – it would force them to rely on Him and move forward in faith.

As added encouragement, the timing of when they crossed the Jordan was sovereignly planned by God. He had it that they crossed over just in time to celebrate the Passover! According to Exodus 12-13, it was to be celebrated once they were in the promised land on the 14^th day of the first month of the year (year after year) to remember God mightily bringing them out of Egypt.

   

Joshua 5:9-12           Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

¹⁰ On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.¹¹ The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. ¹² The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

Not only did God bring the Israelites into the promised land exactly 40 years after bringing them out of Egypt, right in time to celebrate the Passover, but He had them experience the wonderful food of the land before removing His miraculous provision of manna. God continued to prepare, encourage and stretch the Israelites in order for them to accomplish His purposes and receive His blessings.

In the midst of overwhelming changes, we can also look for God’s timely encouragement. We can choose to recognize all His help, preparation and encouragement or wallow in the seemingly daunting tasks ahead. Which will you choose?   

Alice

Doing More

Blessed are those who are generous,
    because they feed the poor.  Proverbs 22:9

In this time of annual giving, we are often reminded of those who are far less fortunate than ourselves.  Many of you do a great service to them volunteering time, money, and skill to help those in need.  Thomson Reuters does a great service volunteering thousands of hours to the community.  It makes me proud to work for such a place.  However, I had to ask a very startling truth.  What do I give to my church, and do I help the needy in my community with them?  Now I am not saying my church does not volunteer to help them.  However, maybe I am saying that I am not doing enough.  Or maybe if my church is not doing enough, it is because no one like me has made the effort to reach out to the community and help those less fortunate.  It strikes me as one of those moments where Jesus said, “Hypocrite!  First get rid of the log in our own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5)  Is there more we should be doing within our church?  Is this not one of their primary functions?

We as followers of Christ are called to help those in need.  In doing this devotion, I actually stumbled across this verse while focusing on the beginning of the Beatitudes for Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount.  This is one of these instances where the Old and New Testament underline each other.  As noted by Jesus, He said, “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3)   Many who play it safe will point out that this refers to the poor ‘in spirit.’  However if you have been without financial means, you understand perfectly what it is like to be in need of God then more than at any other time.  While it can be uncomfortable for us to dedicate our time and resources to those in need, we are given a choice.  We can be safe and comfortable and just take in all that is needed to understand God’s plan for our lives, or we can be bold and courageous knowing God will both be with and teach us as we push to do more helping others.

There is nothing better than to give of ourselves in the service of others.  Whether it is a gift to a charity or organizing a volunteer day at church, we owe it to God to look out for those who are either less fortunate or even worse cannot help themselves.  Jesus says, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” (Luke 12:48b)  Let us be willing to roll up our sleeves, and give of ourselves in the name of holy and righteous God who valued us so much that He gave His life so that we may live with Him for all eternity.  What more can you do for Christ where you are?  How can you be more involved in helping those in need?  My prayer is that we look at ways this new year to give to those in need because we can do more.  Amen, and Happy New Year!

Thurs Devo - Help for the Pain

My Mom just called from Virginia and said Mary is finally going into labor. Her contractions are now 1 minute apart! They are headed to the hospital now! She is in a lot of pain and throwing up, etc. from it all. She is a healthy and very strong lady, so we are praying she will be able to endure the pain well and that God will help Mom and Mark (her husband) know how to help her through this.

Because of sin, childbirth is quite painful, among many other things in life!

Genesis 3:16-19   ¹⁶ To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
    with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
    and he will rule over you.”

¹⁷ To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
    through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”

God is there to help us through the pains of this life, though.

Hebrews 4:16     ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Psalm 46:7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Even before He helps us through our pains and suffering, we can praise God!

Ephesians 1:3     Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

How will you and I trust God today for the pains, sufferings, troubles and difficulties we will face? We can praise God now, knowing He is faithful to help us!

Alice