Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – With Greater Answers (11/9/23)

Last Wednesday I suddenly had a severe allergic reaction. My throat closed up and I could barely talk. My tongue acted as though it had a mountain to climb each time it tried to move. I’ve never experienced anything like it. If my kids hadn’t been sick and my husband had been home, I would have probably made a trip to the ER. As I prayed for wisdom and tried various home remedies, God helped me breath better and gave me peace about not going to the ER. My mom came over and gave me something that helped the swelling. I was eventually able to safely go to sleep. It was scary and took several days before I was almost back to normal (hence why there wasn’t a Thursday devotional last week).

God was aware of everything going on and knew the best solution. I wasn’t sure what to do, but knew I could rely on Him. His answers didn’t come in the time and way I expected, but eventually brought peace and comfort.

 

The same happened for a royal official, in his time of crisis.

John 4:46-53   ⁴⁶Once more he [Jesus] visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. ⁴⁸"Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." ⁴⁹The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." ⁵⁰Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵²When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour." ⁵³Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.

This royal official came 20 miles to find Jesus! He didn’t have a car to drive to get him there in 30 minutes, either. Jesus responded to the royal official’s request, but not in the way the man requested. Jesus healed the boy His way, in His time, which brought greater glory! Jesus told the man to go home and trust that He had healed him. The royal official went home in faith. His son was healed the moment Jesus said the words, and then the man’s whole household believed!

Like the royal official, we can tell God what we want Him to do, how we want Him to do it, and when. However, God often works much different than we expect, and with a greater purpose in mind! Jesus physically healed the boy, but more importantly Jesus spiritually healed the boy, his father and their entire household!!!  

Let’s look to Jesus for His greater spiritual purposes as He responds to our temporal needs!

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 - Perfect Priest

Do you ever get frustrated relying on imperfect humans? Whether it’s for accurate work or accurate medical diagnosis? People make mistakes.  

My Dad and my friend’s husband need to some important medical resolutions this week. It can be worrisome to rely on other opinions and the ability to ask the right questions in order to make the best decision. We do have someone we can rely on perfectly, though, who is in heaven and sees everything!

Hebrews 7:28-8:2 ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, ² and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

Jesus is in heaven at the right hand of God! As we read last week in Hebrews 7:25, He is interceding for us. We can trust Him for perfect solutions. Let’s go to Him with all our needs and pray for ears to hear His answers.  

Alice

Thurs Devo - God Provides for His Work

This past weekend Joe and I went on a short trip and I packed some snacks (or lots of snacks, according to Joe). As I was packing the snacks and overflowing our food bag, Joe asked when I was planning to eat all these snacks. I said we would need lunch or a snack on the way out and maybe snacks on our flight back home. I wanted to make sure we had enough for any possibly scenario. As it often turns out, we ended up returning home with still half the snacks uneaten. J

God does not guess at what might be needed. He knows exactly what is needed and when it will be needed.

Numbers 7:1-4          When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils.² Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings. ³ They brought as their gifts before the Lord six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle. ⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ⁵ “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man’s work requires.”

After the tabernacle was completed with all the generous materials provided by the Israelites (as we read last week), God further provided for the transportation of all the tabernacle pieces. Since the Israelites didn’t stay in one place during their 40 years in the desert, each time they moved, the tabernacle had to move. It had to be disassembled and transported to the next location. So, God provided specifically for this part of His work, too.

God didn’t provide for everything all at once. He first commanded the people to give for the building of the tabernacle and then once it was completed he asked the leaders to give for the transportation needs. He provided for each step of the way, at the time needed.  

How will you and I trust God to provide for the ministries He’s told us to be apart of?

Will we trust Him to provide what He knows we need at just the right time?

We can look back and remember how He’s provided in the past as encouragement to trust Him in the future. God will provide for His work.

Alice