Thursday Devotional - God's Work in 2022! (12/29/22)

 Throughout this past year we tried to record specific answers to prayer and ways we saw God work. Then, on Thanksgiving, we read through all the ones we had recorded (and I know there are numerous others we forgot to record!). I thought I would share just a few here:

1. Healing of my broken wrist without needing surgery
2. Recovery from COVID and that we didn’t share it with my parents
3. Sparing my baby nephew’s life and healing him
4. Finding my special mug (in one piece!) that fell off the car
5. Direction and support for leading in a new ministry
6. Preserving the kids’ library book coupons (thrown away on accident)

God cares about and is involved in life and death situations and in tiny .25 cent coupons!

As I was studying Obadiah last night, I was reminded again that everything comes from God. All credit belongs to Him! When we fail to remember that, then we become prideful and the outcome won’t be pretty. God’s prophesy against Edom for their centuries of prideful living was bleak.

Obadiah 1:1-3     The vision of Obadiah.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom—

We have heard a message from the Lord:
    An envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Rise, let us go against her for battle”—

² “See, I will make you small among the nations;
    you will be utterly despised.
³ The pride of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rocks
    and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
    ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?                                

It was a stark reminder of the real danger of pride. The opposite is humility, which recognizes our utter dependence on God and that everything we have and can do comes from Him. I pray you and I can grow in humility this coming year! All credit belongs to Him! He is always at work!!!

 

Thursday Devotional - Harmony without Humility?

Can there be true harmony without humility? I don’t think so.

In the United States, we are very individualistic and self-centered. We also teach children from a young age to take pride in who they are, where they came from, what they can do, etc. Instilling appropriate confidence is one thing, but we tend toward conceit more than just confidence. Then, we wonder why we as adults struggle to be inclusive, collaborate, and resolve conflicts. We can’t be prideful or conceited AND live in harmony. Harmony comes from humility, as Paul points out in the following passage.

Romans 12:14-16  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.

What relationship in your and my life lacks harmony right now (especially with fellow believers)? We can’t control the other people, but we can examine ourselves and ask God to help us recognize where we can be more loving and humble versus prideful and arrogant.

Paul gives us some practical ways to be humble and harmonious by sharing in the joys of and sympathizing with the hurts of others.

So, we can begin our harmonious and humble living by looking for ways to genuinely rejoice or mourn with someone else this week!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faith and Boasting

Did James and Sarah do anything to become part of our family? Do they have any room for boasting about earning their new status as a Rea? Can anything they do make them more of a Rea or more a part of our family? No, no and no!

The same is true in the family of God. We don’t do anything to become a part of His family and have no room to boast about our status as a believer.

Romans 3:27-28           Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

True saving faith isn’t wishful thinking but trusting on God’s plans and promises and acting on that trust with courage. When I have true saving faith, I’m not boastful. I remember all I am, all I have, and all I’m capable of comes from God. I don’t earn faith or justification.

  

What do you and I cling to, to deserve a right standing before God?

Are you and I boasting in our confessions/prayers/works/faith or in God’s justification?

True saving faith results in gratitude, and not pride or boasting.

Alice

Thurs Devo: Confidence in Self?

Most of us know we can trust God, but we don’t always live like we fully trust Him. Sometimes we even pray first about a situation before reacting. However, we don’t always listen for or wait for God’s answer. Or, we hear God’s answer, but decide to try to solve the problem the way we have in the past.

Last week we saw how Moses and Aaron demonstrated faith and confidence in God by going to Him first before addressing the Israelite questions, attacks and problems. They even listened to God’s answer and acted in obedience to the first part, but then pride got in the way.

Numbers 20:9-13                    ⁹ So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. ¹⁰ He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

¹³ These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.

Yes, Moses was told to speak to the rock this time and not strike it. However, I think the greater issue was his heart. God hates pride above anything else. By Moses’ words and actions, he was taking credit for himself and not giving all honor and glory to God, the real Provider of the water.

If I stop and analyze my thoughts, I have pride in myself each and every day. The more I get to know God, though, the less pride I will have. I won’t ever be rid of it until I get to Heaven, just as the most humble man on earth (Moses) had his prideful moments.

The encouraging thing about this whole situation is that God was still faithful. Despite the huge lack of faith on the part of the Israelites, God still provided water for them! God also still used Moses, in spite of his pride, to accomplish His purposes.

Alice 

Thurs Devo: He Who Dies With the Most Toys Wins?

Have you seen that on a bumper sticker? I have. It didn’t have the question mark after it, either. I have also seen the opposite – “He Who Dies with the Most Toys Still Dies.” When I read that, it usually reminds me to focus on what really matters and not on temporal things or things of little eternal value.

I know we can get very attached to certain possessions and I’ve heard of people being buried with some of their prized possessions. Korah got buried with not just some, but ALL of his belongings!

Numbers 16:28-33   ²⁸ Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: ²⁹ If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰ But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”

³¹ As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart ³² and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. ³³ They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

Wow! Quite drastic! Korah had been given opportunity to repent, but he chose to continue in his rebellion in despising God and rising up against Moses, God’s chosen leader.

What lessons have you and I learned the past few weeks from these devotionals on Korah?

I’ve been reminded how serious and destructive pride is.

I’ve also learned that even when someone else is completely in the wrong, I need to respond with humility, like Moses did.

God is to be consulted first and foremost before any reaction.

God is the ultimate Judge and will have the final say on who “wins.”

Alice

Thurs Devo - Questioning God's Choice (Part II)

Growing up, did you ever call your brother or sister a bad name? If your parents heard it, what did they do?

As we read last week, Miriam and Aaron did far worse than just calling Moses a bad name. They spoke against him as God's chosen leader. Of course, the Lord heard it and rightly burned with anger.

Numbers 12:4-9

⁴ At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out.⁵ Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward,⁶ he said, “Listen to my words:

“When there is a prophet among you,
    I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,
    I speak to them in dreams.
⁷ But this is not true of my servant Moses;
    he is faithful in all my house.
⁸ With him I speak face to face,
    clearly and not in riddles;
    he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
    to speak against my servant Moses?”

⁹ The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.

Moses had a special relationship with God. Moses was also obedient to follow God's commands and God Himself called Moses faithful! I don't know that God would have called Miriam and Aaron faithful. They certainly didn't lead the people in following God's commands for the 40 days Moses was on Mt. Sinai. Aaron even aided in creating the golden calf (see Exodus 32).

Who of God's chosen leaders have you and I spoken against, whether verbally or just to ourselves?

Have you and I thought we could do their job just as good or better? I know sometimes I have.

From verses 1-2, it appears Miriam and Aaron did not take their concerns to Moses or God. They just pridefully spoke against Moses to others and tried to elevate their own status themselves.

Instead of speaking against our own leaders or pridefully thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought, lets take our concerns to God. If we are willing to listen to the answer, He will show us how best to move forward and handle our frustrations in a humble and godly way. God may have us sit down with the other person and respectfully discuss some of our frustrations. Or, He may show us that we need to humbly submit to their authority. Or He may have us offer our assistance.

God's servants are God's servants. So, God knows best how we are to work together to accomplish His purposes.

Alice

Thurs Devo - Questioning God's Choice

Have you ever thought you could do someone else’s job better than them?
Have you thought you should have been selected for a particular position, but someone else was?
Or, did the person you like pick someone else to date?
At different points in my life, I could answer yes to all three questions.

We don’t always understand why certain people are chosen. We can often complain about decisions that are made, especially by those in leadership. It’s one thing to ask legitimate questions or to bring up valid concerns in a respectful and appropriate format. However, it is a dangerous place to be to think we are better and superior to someone else or deserve to have the same authority as them.

Numbers 12:1-4    Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. ² “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this. ³ (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) ⁴ At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out.

Miriam and Aaron didn’t seem to like Moses’ wife. However, that doesn’t seem to be the real issue. Their words reveal their haughty heart attitude. They pridefully thought they deserved equal authority with Moses. God had used them to speak for Him and to help Moses, but they seemed to want more and felt they deserved it.

Interestingly, verse three mentions how humble Moses was! This is in quite contrast to prideful Miriam and Aaron! Moses didn’t deserve or earn his position, but he was God’s choice to be the main leader for the Israelites. Moses wasn’t a perfect leader, but God purposed to work through him.

Are you and I discontent with one of our positions?

How will you and I accept the position(s) God’s given to you and me at this time?   

Alice