Godly Plans

“There are many plans in a man’s heart,

Nevertheless, the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.”

     Proverbs 19:21 (NKJV)

Have you made any resolutions for this new year?  Or maybe you’ve chosen a certain word this year?  This seems to be popular even in Christian circles; I’ve recently read of “joy,” “genuine” or “pray” as words selected to focus on for spiritual growth. Or maybe you’ve chosen a particular Bible verse to follow this year?

It’s good to have goals and make plans.  The problem is when we leave God out of them.  James 4:13-17 describes businessmen who made plans for where they would go, how long they would stay there and even boasted that they would make a profit while there, but God didn’t enter their plans.  None of us are guaranteed tomorrow; only God knows.  As Proverbs 19:21 indicates, our heart may be filled with many plans, but only God’s counsel and purpose will prevail.

Have you ever made your own plans and then asked God to bless them?  Have you ever confidently said I will do this and that, just assuming that God would be with you?  I think each of us might have done that.  Instead, we should seek God’s will and His wisdom in making our plans and in setting our goals, and then pray for His help in doing them. 

Whether you’ve made resolutions for the year---or not, I pray that we will each walk humbly with God in an attitude of surrender to His will. And whatever circumstances and challenges we’re facing this year, I want to encourage us to remember that God will use all of it for our good and His glory if we love God and are “called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NKJV)

Thursday Devotional - Righteous Reflections

Happy New Year!

My parents, my family and my sisters and their families were all together for the new year (see attached picture). We were reflecting on this past difficult year, while remembering God was with us through each difficulty. He didn’t remove or prevent several of the difficulties, but He was with us through them (and continues to be with us). He heard each of our prayers and provided direction.

We each went around and shared our biggest challenge or difficulty from the past year and our greatest joy. Later, we also talked about plans and goals for the coming year. We were encouraged knowing God has given us clear direction in numerous big and small decisions in the past. Then, as I re-read and meditated on Psalm 34 yesterday, I was further encouraged!

Psalm 34:15-18 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

    and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to blot out their name from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The Lord is always available, always hears, always sees, always desires to give direction and is always ready to comfort us. We can cry out to Him with our fears, frustrations, and for our future. Let’s continue to reflect on His faithful provisions in the past. Then, we can confidently seek Him first and foremost this new year for His plans for each one of us! 

Alice

Do As I Have Done To You

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?  You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.  And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.  I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”  John 13:12-15

Happy New Year to you and your families! I wanted to give you some insight on my resolution for the New Year.  In thinking about my past year and goals that I have set, I plan to spend a lot of time focusing on preparedness.  Another theme that resonates with me is that I should focus more on those things that are strengths of mine. In that vein, words that come to mind are ‘love for others,’ ‘honor,’ and ‘servitude.’  In saying those things, I realize there is no greater driver for me than love, and as I look toward my devotion writing, I plan to spend more time writing in this area.  It is my love for others that tends to motivate me to be better than I would be motivated on my own.  It is that which I start the year focusing on; love for others.

We are truly followers of Christ when we understand that the relationship with Him is one where we give without attention toward receiving. I have read these verses on many occasions, and focused rightfully on the idea of Jesus as Lord serving His disciples.  However, we tend to lose sight of what Jesus wants here.  He does not want anything!  He invited them to do as He has done.  He did not say, “You must wash each other’s feet, or else.”  This lesson He gave them is emphasized by His saying, “I have given you an example to follow.”  Other versions (“should do” – NIV & KJV, “should be done” – NLV) mirror those words.  While He does say, “Do as I have done to you,” this is not a commandment.  It is a gift of spiritual knowledge!  It is meant to inspire understanding of the expectation of being a follower of Christ.  Becoming more knowledgeable of God does not elevate us above others.  It should instill us with a heart to serve them.  It has the Master as the servant.  It pushes us to ask not what price those who would do us harm must pay.  Instead, it asks how I can better aide in their troubles.  That is the spirit of Jesus’s teaching in these verses.

Jesus gave us the greatest gift of all in sacrificing His life for our sins. It covers past, present, and future sins.  Because of this, we should feel a weight lifted from our shoulders that allows us to live without guilt or suffering.  However, we know that Jesus does not command anything from us in exchange.  Yet life as taught us that those who love us the most command ask nothing in return.  Perhaps if we truly love Jesus as we say, we ought to give our lives toward serving Him without any expectations.  That’s what a loving relationship with Christ resembles.  Is your walk of faith like the examples of Jesus?  Do you act either because God says so or willingly and freely out of love for Him?  My prayer is that we start the New Year doing what Jesus taught His disciples; Do as I have done to you.  Amen.

Rest

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

I am the type of person that just goes and goes and goes until I crash.  At which point, I tend to crash hard.  With the holidays, this was no exception.  By the end of last week, I found myself battling a headache and just wore out.  I knew it was time to find rest.  The thing is, we were getting ready to leave for the weekend so I really didn’t have time for resting.  That’s when I came across this verse.  I’ve read it many times before, it wasn’t new.  But it hit me.  Last week we celebrated the birth of Christ, and right after I got super busy with work and getting the house prepared for new flooring.  I was failing to take the time I needed in my devotions and had grown weary and burdened. 

At that point, I stopped and took a little time to find rest in Christ by being in the word.  Thankfully I can look forward to some additional physical rest this next week as I take PTO and spend time with my son who is on his winter break but in that moment, it was the recharge of some scripture that was really needed.

Have you gotten so busy that you have failed to rest in the Lord’s word?  I encourage you today to not let yourself grow too weary.  Remember to go to the Lord and he will give you rest.

Today for Eternity

“So teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

     Psalm 90:12 (NKJV)

The end of another year is approaching. As we reflect on this past year and ponder the new one, it’s helpful to do so from an eternal perspective.

God is outside time—He is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2), yet He has a lot to say about time and how we use it.  For example, we’re cautioned to redeem the time for the days are evil (Eph. 5:16). And we’re exhorted to use our time in doing all things to His glory (1 Corinth. 10:31).  We are to be good stewards of all the resources we’ve been given, including our time. Because time is limited, it is good to pray as the psalmist did, asking God to “teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

There are no calendars in heaven and time does not exist in eternity.  However, our time on earth is short--a mere handsbreadth (Psalm 39:5). So let’s resolve this new year to use our time wisely, for God’s glory.  

Every day is a gift from God and no one is guaranteed tomorrow. That fact should motivate us to make today count for eternity.

Meditation & Application

I will keep on obeying your instructions
    forever and ever.
I will walk in freedom,
    for I have devoted myself to your commandments.
I will speak to kings about your laws,
    and I will not be ashamed.
How I delight in your commands!
    How I love them!
I honor and love your commands.
    I meditate on your decrees.  Psalm 119:44-48

What am I going to do in 2019? There were many milestones that I reached this year.  One was making it to twenty years at the same place of employment.  Not too shabby for a person who had not stayed anywhere longer than four.  Many other achievements were reached such as having a daughter get to ninth grade and being in decent shape in other areas in my life.  The year has had lots of successes, and looking toward 2019, it is a good time to pause and reflect on what has worked this year.  In that vein, it would be bad for me to simply look at my growth in faith and not realize that there was much room still to grow as a Christ follower.  It is important that while I can do all things through Him, I must remember that I am not Him.  While my faith by works is not good, my works through faith is.  And while I read His word, it is crucial that I do not just say to myself, “Hey!  That’s good to know!”  It is more important that I reflect on it and meditate so that it has both relevancy and value.

We should all take time to gain greater understanding of God’s word not only in comprehension but also through application. As I read the 119^th Psalm, there are many different prayers for not only God’s guidance but also our obedience to Him.  If I am reading it for comprehension alone, I may lose its intent.  Do I really get freedom by enslaving myself to God’s commandments?  If I love the law, am I able to truly love my neighbor?  What courage will I need to always speak the truth of God’s word even when it either might hurt someone or disagrees with other laws?  These are questions one should be asking as they read these verses, and it is clearly noted as such as David said in the 48^thverse, “I meditate on your decrees.”  Even amid his giving glory to God, he noted that he must make time to reflect on those things God had laid on his heart.  We too must take that approach as we gain greater clarity into God’s will for us.  If we rush too fast through a reading, we may find ourselves missing a key principle in our life that may either become a shortfall or lead us down a more treacherous path.

God’s word is there for us when we need instruction. A devotion years ago described the Bible like an owner’s manual for a car.  Most of us know how to operate the car, but to truly take care of it, one must learn of the manual’s contents to ensure a long healthy car life.  For us to have a healthy and growing spiritual life, we too must push not to just read God’s word.  We must understand the context of what we are reading, ensure it means what it says, and pray for guidance in applying it in our lives.  That’s something we should all aspire to do in the New Year.  What practices do you have to ensure clarity when reading God’s word?  How can you reflect more on it in the coming year?  My prayer is that this New Year we find practices to ensure meditation for future application.  Amen, and may you have a blessed and Happy New Year!

The Face of God

“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them

into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another,

‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that

has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph,

and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had

seen Him, they made widely known the saying which

was told them concerning this Child. And all those who

heard it marveled at those things which were told

them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

      Luke 2:15-19 (NKJV)

I’ve been thinking a great deal of Mary this Christmas season.  The amazement and wonder she felt at hearing the angel announce her role in the Messiah’s coming.  Considering the impact on her life and Joseph’s.  Experiencing the reactions of Elizabeth and the unborn baby John; the rejoicing of the shepherds and later, the worshiping of the Magi.  Learning of the suffering to come from Simeon. How did Mary respond?  She exhibited a simple, trusting faith.  She was humble, obedient to God’s will, submissive to His plan.  Mary exalted the Lord for regarding her “lowly state” and doing great things for her.  And she pondered all these things in her heart.

As a mother, I remember the thrill when my son was born—how cherished he was, how precious his little fingers and toes were, how sweet his cheeks were to kiss, how dear every development “milestone” was, how I loved to cuddle and hold him close.  Mary must have felt these things too.  And yet this Babe was not only her beloved child, He was her Savior!  As the song goes, when she kissed her little baby, she kissed the face of God!

Emmanuel. . .God became flesh to dwell among us. . .to be with us.  Like Mary, let us ponder these things in our heart, let us wonder and rejoice at how God has regarded our lowly state and done great things by proving for us a Savior!

Wishing you a blessed Christmas!

Thursday Devotional - 2018 Christmas Letter/Picture

For this week’s devotional, I thought I would include our Christmas letter and picture that we’re in the process of sending out.

Merry Christmas! Every year life seems busier, but God knew just what we needed as we faced several health crises for my parents, asthma attacks for James, another basement flood and decision dilemmas. We clung to verses such as Psalm 59:16 “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

James (6) started kindergarten! He loves that his grand mom comes for reading time and lunch on Mondays. This Fall he also started going with me to Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and kept me accountable to learn the weekly memory verse with him. Gymnastics is another new favorite activity for him and Sarah.

Sarah (4) loves preschool three mornings a week! Her teacher said she sang to (and calmed down) a kid throwing a tantrum. Most importantly, she accepted Jesus as her personal Savior (partially through James’ invitation). The Holy Spirit’s work in her life is evident. She uses memory verses to encourage others.

Joe continues to counsel. In his free time, when he’s not dealing with a rental unit problem, he tackles our never-ending home projects. We both enjoy this year’s new BSF study and having the same leadership role! At church, we started teaching our preschool class and continue with the pre-service prayer team. In addition to work, I continue to write the Thursday devotional for believers at work (and externally post at: https://trdailydevotional.blogspot.com).

I pray you and I will seek and focus on God and His gift of Jesus our Savior, whether Christmas is merry or not.

Psalm 27:1-2, 7-8 and 13-14        

The Lord is my light and my salvation—   whom shall I fear? ²The Lord is the stronghold of my life—   of whom shall I be afraid?

⁷Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. ⁸My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”   Your face, Lord, I will seek.

¹³I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. ¹⁴Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Alice

What Christmas Is All About

My evolution as a Christian continues.  The other day, A Charlie Brown Christmas comes on.  It was perfectly timed because my daughter had one of those ‘playing indoors and hitting the 55” HD TV’ wrong moments (see the 12/5 ‘God’s Righteous Anger’ Devotion), and I really wasn’t up for my initial reaction.  So, I’m laughing as Snoopy boos the announcement of Charlie Brown, his owner, as the director and Schroeder plays ‘Jingle Bells’ practically breaking each piano key for emphasis.  Then of course my heart warms as the Peanuts gang fixed Charlie Brown’s awkward looking tree with Snoopy’s Christmas décor to make it a shiny Christmas tree.  But for some reason, I never really gravitated to the most important part of the cartoon … until this year.

To set the scene, Charlie Brown is dealing with his less than enthusiastic cast as they resist following his direction.  As they laugh at his choice of a sparse little Christmas tree, he yells out in the auditorium, “Doesn’t anyone know what Christmas is all about?”

And so, Linus steps up to the microphone, and then asks for the spotlight to shine on him.  Then he says:

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”  Luke 2:8-14 KJV

As followers of Christ, we are always reminded that He is the reason for the season.  However, I admit this was falling a bit on the ‘checklist’ side of things, and I might have lost sight of it.  I focused on what to get my wife or how happy my granddaughter will be when she gets that new doll.  These are all great things and part of the celebration, but I should always remember the word ‘Christmas’ begins with ‘Christ.’  We often focus on the lessons we learn from Jesus, and that He died so that we may have eternal life.  But none of it is possible without His coming to being.  God understood what our problem was, and despite all His warnings and amazing feats by His believers, He could not bridge the divide of our separation from us because of our sins.  And thus, a solution was given.  “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.”  A Savior!  The answer to our long-needed question of, “How do we get to heaven?” No matter how our lives mirror the examples of Moses, Joshua, Jonah, David, or any others, we all fall short of God’s glory.  But on this day, “the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”  Not a few.  All!

We are so blessed to have a God who loves us.  John 3:16 says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”  He certainly did not have to.  He could have chosen to leave us be, and washed us away like the great flood during Noah’s time.  But He did what we often do this time of year.  He gave, and it was the best gift we could ever get.  One we could neither buy nor earn.  He gave us freedom from our past mistakes and the opportunity for eternal life.  Let us ensure we understand the depth and level of thankfulness this wonderful and glorious day brings!  How will you share the story of Christmas this season?  Who in your life needs the Good News today?  My prayer is that we remember the closing line of Linus’ speech as he says, “That’s what Christmas is all about.”  May He bring you and your family peace, good will, and a Merry Christmas!  Amen.

Good News!

Luke 2:8-12

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Think about a time that you had good news.  Maybe it was that you were expecting a baby or maybe it was a new job. When you have good news, you typically want to shout it from the rooftops.  Both of those however, are situations that you may not be able to show it from the rooftops right away. 

When Christ was born, the good news could not be contained.  It was too great and therefore brought forth a huge announcement.  As we approach Christmas, the excitement of Christ’s birth is still alive today.  It is something that we should still be excited to share with everyone we come in contact with. 

How are you sharing the good news of Christ’s birth?  Do you shout it from the rooftops?  Today I want to encourage you to not withhold this fabulous news.  It may just be what leads someone else to be reborn and have their own good news to share.

Merry Christmas!