Worship for the Weekday
Lay Down Your Burdens
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Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 37:23-24
The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.
Is it just me, or has this been a lonnng week?! It hasn’t been a bad week . . . just long! So I guess it’s no coincidence I opened up my email to these two passages, is it? You see, God always, always knows exactly what we need – and when! He is so faithful that I am constantly amazed! I don’t know why, but I do continue to be in awe of the timeliness and the magnitude of his provisions for his beloved.
So, whatever burdens you have been bearing this week; whatever you are suffering; whatever is troubling you . . . lay it down. Right now as you read this. Just lay it at the foot of the Cross. Take a deep, cleansing breath. Go ahead, we’ll wait for you. God will take away everything that burdens you and fill up that space with His comfort, love, peace and hope. I promise you! No, HE promises you! Remember Him? The great ‘I AM’ from a few days ago.
People disappoint us, harm us, lie to us, hate us, leave us. God never does. His love overcomes every disappointment. His healing soothes every hurt. His Truth is eternal. He will never leave us or forsake us. As I’ve listened to the news this week, and heard about some of the experiences of friends and acquaintances, I find tremendous comfort for myself in theses verses. And I rejoice that I am able to lift these words to God on their behalf. The world needs our prayers. God hears them and answers them. He promises us that. And God never lies.
My prayer today is that you will lay down your burdens at the foot of the Cross. And allow that space to be filled with the hope, peace and understanding only available through God.
Mary
Hot or Cold; Yes or No
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2 Corinthians 1:19-22
19. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes. 20. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God. 21. But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; 22. he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Revelation 3:14-15
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot."
Cold or hot. That’s how I run most of the time! I’m not a “lukewarm” person! Ask my friends and my family: when I decide something needs to be done, I just charge right in and tackle it head on! My friends are generally amused by that character trait; my family? They’re resigned to it! In my faith, though, I do run hot. It is so strong and so sure, that even lately in times that would have troubled me in the past, I keep my faith in God through Jesus Christ.
Yes, I think about the future – mainly for my children and I do confess I have a worry streak. Now, though, as my faith has matured and deepened, I catch myself pretty quickly and lift a prayer to God. I try very hard to not mull over the things I can’t change and to keep trusting that Jesus won such a great reward for me – and for all of us who believe, that anything that happens on this earth is just temporary.
Keeping that in mind, I think of all the many blessings my family and I have received over the years. I never imagined 30 years ago that I would have been married for 29 ¾ years, have a daughter engaged to a wonderful young man, and a son about to graduate from high school! No, we don’t have a half a million dollars in the bank for our retirement. No we don’t go on expensive Mediterranean cruises every year. No we don’t have a lot of the material things that one might think would be important to us.
We do have physical ailments – some of them chronic. We have bad days, and difficult choices to make sometimes. We find ourselves struggling to just live in the world full of other struggling people. And it can be challenging! But we have managed somehow to find Jesus and place Him firmly at the center of our lives. And that has made all the difference!
God establishes us in Christ, too. He wants us to minister to a broken, sin-filled world. The best way to do that is to live a Christian life—not perfect, but striving for the perfection that we will receive in heaven. Our lives will be the testimony to others who haven’t heard the Good News. Or who have forgotten it. Or have longed to believe and just can’t bring themselves to do it. Because the price is great: one must die to themselves. And it’s not easy to be in the care of another. But it is the only way to be happy in this life. The
only way! We must tell others. We must bring them to Christ. It is our commission. And God has given us His spirit as our guarantee that we will be effective and impassioned disciples of His Son.
My prayer today is that you rejoice without ceasing in the blessings you have received. And that you lift a prayer to God to allow you to speak for Him as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Mary
“I AM” is the Only One We Need
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Exodus 3:13,14 KJV
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Isaiah 45:5-7 NIV
I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.
Listened to a song this morning while driving my husband to work. The chorus states, “Everybody’s worshipping something. I choose You.” The song relates how many idols there are in our lives and how we put them too often before we put God. Moses was well-respected in his own “sphere of influence.” His concern, though, was that those who did not know him would probably not follow him on his word alone. He knew he would need some higher authority to give his words power and credibility. A God bigger and more powerful that all the other gods. God knew that too. The burning bush for Moses was the first time since Eden’s fall that God sought out an intimate and personal relationship with man.
Moses wasn’t exactly thrilled with that dubious honor, though. And I don’t blame him! Who? I AM. The I AM? Yes, THE I AM. Oh. Okay. Well I think you must have made a small error. You see, God, I stutter. And I’m getting on in years. And I’ve made a life for myself here. It’s a pretty good life, too and I don’t think my wife and her family will be very happy with me when I tell them all this. I’m not sure even they’ll believe me, let alone the Israelites!
God was patient with Moses. And with the Israelites. He guided Moses every step of the way – providing him exactly what he needed to become the leader he grew into. And through Moses, He made the same provisions for the Israelites. And He provides for us too. Don’t you think the God who formed the light and created darkness can handle our little lives without much trouble? Well . . . sure. But . . . Well . . . OK. He does handle it, just not the way I think it should go sometimes. And God responds that is because we are not in charge!
I struggle so often with trying to take control of my life and my world. And, thankfully, God remains patient with me. Even after all these centuries He remains patient with us. He assures us, “I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me”. I don’t know about you, but I need a God who is in charge—even when I pretend He’s not. And I am so grateful He lets me think it’s all my idea to give Him back control
My prayer today is that you lift a word of praise to the great I AM. And that you remember who made you and loves you and cares for you all the days of your life.
Mary
Striving for Perfection
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Philippians 2:14-15
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
1 Peter 1:13-19
13. Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15. but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16. since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 17. And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. 18. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19. but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
My NIV translation states verse 13 of 1 Peter this way: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” The notes in my bible indicate that this is a graphic call to action. In the first century, the reader would understand that the exhortation is to literally gather up ones long, flowing garment and prepare for physical action. Lest you have any doubt about it, there is a war raging – for our hearts and our minds – and most importantly – for our souls. And Christians must be on guard constantly. And more, we must be aware of all threats to the kingdom.
We are called exiles in verse 17. That is because we are here on earth only temporarily. We are bound for heaven! Because of our final destination, we are to live apart from the world in how we act, in how we think, and in how we live. We are to be holy because Christ was holy. We are not afraid of God, but rather hold him in highest regard, with reverence, because of his unspeakable love for us! We are to love as Christ loved, live as Christ lived. We are to die to ourselves, and live for others. Nothing on this earth should compel us to do so – only Christ and His sacrifice.
This is a high calling indeed. We know we will never be able to live up to the way Christ lived, nor will we ever offer up any greater sacrifice. But His blood is intended as encouragement for us, not self-recrimination. We can strive for the perfection of the Cross. That is the task at hand: the striving. And when we “set [our] hope fully upon the grace that is coming” we shine as lights in a dark and sin-filled world. When we set our minds on Christ, we are able to overcome and to endure the daily struggles in our lives. We even persevere in the face of suffering, pain, and even exile.
Paul considered himself more blessed when he suffered more! I don’t know that I would go that far, but I do know that when I offer up my own suffering—physical, mental, emotional or spiritual—I perform an act of sacrifice. I become more like Christ when I endure in spite of whatever I am going through. I’m far the point of “rejoicing” in my adversity, so I clearly have a long way to go before I reach the point Paul was able to arrive at. I have been practicing focusing upon my many blessings more though. That sets the tone for my whole life now!
The other day my husband looked at me and told me he was happy. It was a sweet gesture, and I told him I was too. We weren’t just saying that – we don’t do that! What we both meant (I don’t think he’ll mind my speaking for him as well!) is that after almost 30 years of marriage – some of them pretty rough, but most very rewarding – we are beginning to reap the reward of our “striving” in our relationship. And that is how it is to be a Christian, too – the striving is the whole point! And the will to “survive,” to endure, to remain steadfast in the striving is because of our promise of heaven.
My prayer today is that you prepare your mind for action. And that you strive constantly for the perfection found only in Jesus Christ.
Mary
In the Shadow of God’s Hand
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Isaiah 54: 10-17
10. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. 11. "O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. 12. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. 13. All your sons shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your sons. 14. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. 15. If any one stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. 16. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals, and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy; 17. no weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, says the Lord."
God deeply desires to make us into something beautiful! Not physically beautiful – but beautiful in our souls. He longs for us look in the mirror and see the precious, glowing, radiant, iridescent, holy and perfect creatures he made us to be. He formed us in His mind long before we were formed in the womb. He made a plan for us so big and so glorious we cannot even imagine it! We are born to be the person God intends. We just can’t envision ever being used in such an amazing way because we live in “the world.” And the world is full of others who have lost sight of their own greatness.
God comforts us, though, and reminds us of His ability to restore us to that perfection. We may feel tired and worn down in our efforts to live in a world that does not reward the qualities Christ exemplified. We may feel as if there is no point in taking the next step in our faith journey. We may even have stopped trusting in God’s care for us, in His ability/desire to enfold us, to shelter us in the “shadow of His hand.” Just as God reassures Isaiah, we can be reassured. He promises to take the storm-tossed, broken places in us and replace them with Himself. “Behold!” That’s always followed by good news, isn’t it!?
God is not responsible for the difficult times in our lives. He wants only peace and comfort for us. But He will certainly allow the challenges we are facing right now to prepare us for the perfect plan He made for us. He will make us into precious jewels – that’s the promise that we must remember as we labor to understand His plan; as we struggle to shut out the world and hear only Him.
Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Death has been conquered and sin has been forgiven. God sent us Jesus as a sign of His undying and unending love. Rest a while today in the shadow of God’s hand. It will shelter you and guide you. It will protect you and follow you on your journey. Remember whose you are and your steps will be a little swifter. Look in the mirror today and see the precious jewel God made you to be.
My prayer today is that you rest a while in the shadow of God’s hand. And that you feel the comfort and protection of His presence as you go through your day.
Mary
His Eyes are Upon the Righteous
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1 Peter 3:8-12
8. Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love of the brethren, a tender heart and a humble mind. 9. Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10. For "He that would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile; 11. let him turn away from evil and do right; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil."
I have shared previously that I was in the midst of discerning in what direction God was leading me. And though I am sure He has more in mind, for now I feel as if I am in the place I belong. I know I’ve said this before about past jobs, but I look back upon them and realize that, for the most part, I rushed to take them because I thought I needed to. This time, I waited on God. I asked Him to guide me and to shut absolutely every door through which He did not want me to travel. And He did! I started this week working with a Realtor with whom I worked about 15 years ago. He was a very nice young man then, and I thought highly of him. Now, he is a good, solid, Christian husband and father, active in his church, and with the same generally good nature and character he possessed then.
What a blessing to work with someone who shares your faith and who openly tells you who the other “workplace believers” are! I know realtors don’t generally have the best reputation. But this one is one of the “good ones.” He serves his clients with integrity and honesty. He goes far above and beyond what is “expected” or required to help others in their transactions. He is an inherently thoughtful and generous person and though he doesn’t approve of the way so many of his counterparts operate, he remains true to his faith, without “bad-mouthing” or attacking their personal integrity. OK. I know. He sounds too good to be true! If he was perfect, he wouldn’t need me, would he!? But my point is there is a place out there for everyone who seeks it. There are coworkers and employers and associates who live their faith out in and through their work. There are individuals who view their work as ministry. Not their ministry. Christ’s ministry.
I was concerned about the economic detriment on my family when I left my last job. But God has provided for us – even more than we needed in the meantime. And I trust He will continue to do so. Because this time, we obeyed Him and believed that He would bless our obedience. And He has. God does provide for His children. No, we didn’t receive large sums of money from some anonymous benefactor! We did take a look at how we were spending our money, though and realized we could be better stewards. And we agreed that this new work arrangement is less hectic and stressful for our whole family. I have flexibility and ability to arrange my work hours around my family and their needs. That’s a blessing too.
If you are in a work situation that is seemingly unbearable, I hope you will spend deliberate time with God asking Him for His intentions. Sometimes, the intention is that you stay where you are – to learn some important lesson, to do an important ministry. Sometimes, though, things get bad as a sign to tell us it’s time to move on. I know how hard it is to hear that message. I fought it – and fought hard. God will keep working on us though, until the situation is resolved—our way our His way!
My prayer today is that you offer up your life to God who loves us and wants only good for us. And that if you’re at a difficult crossroads, you ask Him to lead down the right path.
Mary
The God Who Is “I AM”
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Psalm 119:52, 152
52. When I think of thy ordinances from of old, I take comfort, O Lord. 152. Long have I known from thy testimonies that thou hast founded them for ever.
Matthew 7:24-25
Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
God’s word existed from the beginning of time. It stands firm today, and will last into eternity. Wow! I can’t think of anything else that is that prolific and steadfast. There is only one foundation upon which to build our lives: God. The psalmist in Psalm 119 understood that. Jesus confirms it. When we believe, we know it in our hearts and in our minds. God is. He is the I AM. He is that all encompassing essence of life that sustains us through wars, though suffering, through celebration and rejoicing.
In a world where our very future seems in peril, it is a tremendous comfort to know that God is so reliable and dependable. He is our refuge and our strength. He is time itself and so we can trust that all things are in His care. More than that: we are in His care. This psalmist proclaims his undying gratitude to God and his trust in His word. He beseeches God to allow him to glorify His creator through how he lives his life. Admittedly, though, he falls short constantly. Just as we do. Because God is so merciful, so big and powerful, so complete and so grace-full we constantly have the opportunity to begin anew.
The psalmist also tells God that he is willing to endure affliction, suffering, persecution because God uses all of those painful situations for our ultimate good. He uses them to refine and strengthen us. He loves us too much to leave us on our own, floundering around, forever without direction or purpose. He created within each of us a longing for Him. He wants us to seek Him. He wants us to rely upon Him. He wants us to know that He loves us so much, he created a perfectly orchestrated plan for our lives.
Because of Christ, we can endure any affliction, suffering, or persecution. Because our faith is built upon the Rock of our Salvation. The Cross demonstrates the depth of God’s love for us. The resurrection proves how strong it is. And because of Christ, we are able to offer up our very lives for the God of infinity, trusting that we will join Him in eternity.
My prayer today is that you trust in the God of creation, the God of the present and future. And that you thank that God for the gift of His Son.
Mary
Fasting from Fear for Lent
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Romans 8:35-39
35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36. As it is written, "For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." 37. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39. nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I’m posting this much later in the day than usual! I’m really struggling to get into a new “groove!” I continue to get up early, but somehow can’t arrange my time as I used to. Throughout all this down time and attempting to adjust to a new lifestyle, I have caught bits and pieces of “breaking news” stories. (I shared some time ago that my family attempts to shield me from all the turmoil in the world by limiting my exposure to television news!) What I heard and saw, time and time again, was that somewhere in the world, at all times, there is the threat of war, there is a famine, a drought, an impending epidemic, violent weather, cruelty, injustice, and inhumanity. And then I go to the Word – back to my Bible. And I remember these verses from Romans. And I am not overwhelmed about it all any more.
One of the things I’ve been focusing on this Lenten season is relying more upon God in my daily life. In the day-to-day, and day-in and day-out activities of my life. I’ve given up one of my food addictions for Lent, not just to give something up, but to serve as a constant reminder of how often and how completely I need God. I don’t need the food item. I don’t even crave it any more – though I still, out of habit, will start to reach for it. This idea stemmed from my brief experience with fasting during a study on Spiritual Disciplines. It was very powerful then and I have found it to be the same now.
I am almost to the point where I don’t feel challenged or “suffering” enough as I have gone through the past weeks. I’m deciding whether or not to eliminate other “idols” from my life—which of course would only be possible long-term by offering it up to God in gratitude for the gift of His Son. On my own, it would be impossible to forego something I really like or enjoy. By relying upon Christ, who gave me everything He had, in honor of His Father, I am able to endure.
You may be wondering what on earth fasting has to do with all the distressing world situations I ticked off a few lines ago. Well . . . I have found that in spite of everything going on in the world, I am not afraid. I don’t have bombs dropping around me, and I don’t risk being tortured and murdered for what I believe in, but my small fast helps me somehow connect with the rest of humanity. My tiny sacrifice makes me think of all the others who have less – and less than nothing. Every time I catch myself thinking it’s just too hard, and it’s getting old . . . I remember the Cross.
We are indeed all more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. He conquered death once and for all time. For that reason, all of us have hope in eternal life in heaven. Nothing in our past, present or future can separate us from God’s love.
My prayer today is that you fast from the idols in your life. And remember, “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day
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Philippians 4:12-13
12. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. 13. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
Kidnapped as a teenager, (Saint) Patrick was smuggled to Ireland and enslaved. He became a shepherd and prayed for his release for six years. After his release, he returned to Ireland to minister to his former captives and all of Ireland. There are many legends about him, some of which are incorrect, but being ¾ Irish, I don’t really mind that some of the “traditional” symbols and emblems of the day remain today. What is important to me is, “Patrick is a Christian who became conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, above all in his forgiveness and his gratitude to God in good times and in bad. That’s typical of Gaelic Christianity. But it’s typical of pure Christianity in any country, in any nation, under every heaven.” (Maire B. de Paor, an Irish religious scholar)
I have always been proud of my Irish Catholic roots. I come from a passionate, hard-working, hearty stock and am descended from some of the strongest and most “optimistic” ancestors! I do tend to have a bit of fatalism at times, but I prefer to rephrase it as trusting that what happens is what is meant to happen. That’s a more positive way of describing the lack of struggle with “being in charge.” Most of all, the Irish endure – though abased, though abounding, in any and all circumstance.
I’ll keep it short today, and leave you with a well-known Irish blessing.
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. The rain falls soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Mary
Fire Cracker Prayers
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James 1:5,6 NLT
If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
As I read this passage this morning, I thought of one of my friends who discussed some of his thoughts about healing prayer at our recent healing service. He used a visual reference that I think is just great. He suggested that when one prays – for healing or for anything else – one should pray expectantly! Remember Jesus told us that we do not receive because we don’t ask. He meant we don’t ask with that expectancy my friend talked about. He equated it to a fire cracker – when you light the fuse of a fire cracker, you expect a bang! That’s how we should think about prayers if we expect them to be truly effective.
I think it’s interesting that James assures us God will not resent our asking Him for something. In fact, I think He wants us to ask for what we need – so that He can give it to us! I don’t mean a raise at work or a new car or material things. I mean what we really need. Peace of mind. Joy. Strength of character. Blessings more than we can imagine.
I’ve been in that unsettled place before – in fact I fall into it more often than I like to admit. We all do though, when we try to manage life on our own. When we get so busy we don’t have time to stop and think who made this world we live in, and in fact, who made us, we do feel tossed about by the wind. When we seek God’s wisdom of how to live our lives, we have a better life. This is another one of those “it’s so simple, but so difficult to do” scenarios, isn’t it!?
God loves to give us blessings! He waits for us to ask for them. That’s more than I can expect from anyone or anything else in this world. It’s not a free ride – just a free gift. Faith is all we need to receive God’s abundance, extravagance, indulgent and incomprehensible grace! Wow! And He waits for us to ask for it! Now that’s a deal I just can’t pass up!
My prayer today is that you lift a “fire cracker” prayer to God. And that you hold your ears as you wait for the answer He sends.
Mary
In Need of Endurance
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Hebrews 10:35-38
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. "For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."
Well. . . I believe I posted a devotion recently entitled “Fitting God In.” I apparently need to do a better job of following my own advice! Yesterday I was distracted with car/transportation issues. We have a vehicle that is about to give up the ghost and so we are attempting to transport all three of us with one car as much as possible! It’s been a challenge, but not impossible, we have discovered. Actually, the tightwad in me is trying to figure out how we could arrange our lives so we could actually survive with only one car! My best friend, who is so good at tactfully redirecting people when they veer off track, would interject at this point, “But that’s another story.”
And it is. The “story” today is about endurance. It’s about doing what needs to be done, even when we don’t feel like it. Even when it “gets in the way” of the other things we want/need to do. Even when it hurts. It’s odd that this scripture should have been in my in-box this morning—okay it’s not odd! My walking buddy and I were discussing this morning how challenging it was for us to stay focused on the “other things” we have to do in our lives when we really want to do the fun things – the enjoyable activities of the moment. For her – it’s school; for me, it’s work. We both just want to do other things! We agreed this morning that we would both view the “have to’s” as a means to an end.
Still, I’m avoiding the main point, aren’t I? Because it’s difficult to admit how often and how readily I fail to live up to my commitment to God. The commitment to post devotions is not between me and you, the reader. It is between me and God. He has put the idea in my head and in my heart; He waits for me each morning to meet with Him and rest in him. He leads me as I sit and begin to type. And yet, I let “life” get in the way of Him. That’s where the endurance comes in. Endurance means that even after we feel like we can’t go on any longer on our own, we keep going. Because God’s strength will sustain and uphold us. It means that even when life gets hectic, placing God first and foremost allows everything else to follow in the proper order.
For yet a little while, Christ will come again. And He’s not going to tell me to hurry up and get that last devotion posted – because it will be thelast – it’s time to go! He’s not going to accept my self-centered excuses for not faithfully doing His Father’s will. He never faltered, so I am to endure. He lived by faith, so I am to believe. He was righteous, so I am to obey. It’s one of those things that is so simple, and yet so difficult. Endure all things through Christ our Savior. Put God first and everything else will fall into place.
My prayer today is that you refuse to let life get in the way of your relationship with God. And that you endure until the faithful one comes again.
Mary
Fitting God In
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Matthew 22:37
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind"
When you read this verse you’ll probably think, “Well, of course! I already know that! I already do that.” I say that too! Let’s be honest though . . . ok, I’ll go first . . . It has been twenty minutes since I typed the first sentence of this devotion. Not because I was “waiting for inspiration,” either. It is because I “had” to check my e-mail, and then I “had” to reply to a couple of emails. Then I wrote something I wanted to share with a friend about a healing service at our church last night, then I checked my email again. Sound familiar? Maybe not the particulars, but I bet the pattern does!
You may think to yourself, “So what. At least you got the devotion done, Mary.” And yes, I will get it done and post it. However, the “so what” is that I did not honor God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind while I was working on this. I was “fitting Him in” with the rest of my activities for the morning. I knew that was the case every time I veered away from the task at hand. And yet, I allowed it to happen. I gave God less than my all. In fact, I gave Him only what I could fit in.
I know; we’re all very busy. And still, you’re probably wanting to cut me a break saying, “It’s not so bad to fit God in. That’s more than some do on any given day.” I’m talking about my relationship with God though. Not anyone else’s. You see, God has seen me through almost 50 years of living—most of it good and joyous, with plenty of strife and struggle, sorrow and hard work thrown in. Regardless of the descriptive words used, He has been there through it all. Every morning when I wake up, He’s there, waiting for me. Every night when I go to sleep, he waits for me to turn over my cares and concerns to Him so I can rest and be refreshed the next day.
I’m so grateful God doesn’t get distracted! I can’t imagine Him deciding to “put me on hold” to stop a war somewhere or go get coffee while I was hanging out there waiting for Him to answer a prayer. I’m glad He cares about me enough, and that his grace is deep and long and wide enough to contain the depth and breadth and width of my need for it.
When Jesus said to Love God so completely, He wasn’t just talking about lip service. He was talking about our intentions, our priorities, our obedience, and our humility. To place any one or any thing before God is just simply sinful. Again, I rejoice that in my repentance, I receive another chance, and another . . . and another . . . and another.
My prayer today is that you will join me in placing God first and foremost in life. And that you repent of your distractions in gratitude for the fullness of God’s grace.
Mary
He Gives Us a New Name
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Genesis 16:2
So she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said.
I don’t know about you, but I have certainly been where Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah) are when they decide to take matters into their own hands! I think to myself that surely God didn’t mean for things to take so long. Or surely my plan will work out to the same end, but will be much less stressful/painful. In other words, I think I can outsmart God! I think I am smarter than He and that I have more power and wisdom, too. My way will reap the same result, it will just be faster and much more efficient and everybody wins, because what God planned has been fulfilled.
Now, Abraham is attributed as a man of great faith. Well, what’s going on here in this conversation between Abraham and Sarah? He is being human. He either thought he misunderstood God’s intentions, or wanted to be in charge. He wanted to make Sarah happy, and really, desperately, wanted a son. And God was taking His own sweet time in delivering on the promise! What could possibly be wrong with “helping God’s plan along?” Surely He believed he new best how God’s promise was to be fulfilled.
Do you ever find yourself in this situation? I certainly do. Even when God sends me unmistakable signs and reveals truths to me that could not possibly come from anywhere else, I charge on a head. I second-guess myself (actually, I second-guess God). I go part way, and when things don’t unfold in the way I think they should, in the way I envisioned, I take over. I’m reminded of Peter in the boat when he sees Christ on the water. He obeys Jesus by stepping out of the boat – but he takes his eyes off of him and allows his humanity to send him into the drink! We trust and obey—until we decide we’ve trusted and obeyed enough, don’t we?
Christ set the example for us of exactly how much of our lives we are to turn over to God: all of it. He taught us how much of our desires and wants we are to relinquish to our Heavenly Father: all of them. Jesus showed us that absolute, complete, sincere and intentional submission and obedience to God is the model we are to live by. He died on the Cross to make sure we understood, once and for all, what is required. Then He did something even more unbelievable! He rose from the dead to encourage and bless us with the promise of becoming new creatures in Christ. He even gives us new names: children of God!
No, God didn’t prevent Ishmael from being born to Sarai’s maidservant. But He told Abraham that the son who would be born to Sarah is the one who would fulfill His promise and become the first born of the new covenant. What an amazing, loving, gracious God we worship! He allows us to run around acting like we are in charge, and then when His timing has come to pass, He fulfills His perfect plans for us in spite of our defiance! Wow!
My prayer today is that you will wait with me for God’s perfect timing in your life. And that you will rejoice that His will for us is fulfilled in spite of ourselves.
Mary
All Ate and Were Satisfied
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Matthew 14:19,20 NIV
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
As I opened the email containing this passage, I almost began to cry. Many, many mornings I find that scripture arrives in my email as if it were intended just for me and for my life. (And I guess all of it is that personal if we will be open to the message!) I have been stepping out in faith lately and taking some “chances” that an otherwise intelligent person might not take (I’m talking about careers and business ventures, here, not racing cars or having wild weekends in Las Vegas!) Every step I take on this road, I have found Christ, not just bidding me to take the next step, but showing me that the next step will yield so much more than I can even envision.
I long to minister to God’s world. My heart’s desire is to offer hope and encouragement, love and peace to a world so full of hurt and anger, fear and violence. I pray that God will use me to be a vessel of His love to this world He placed me in. Sometimes – often – being used in that way is scary – because I wonder how I could possibly be a vehicle for good and peace in this world, when I am such a sinner and so bent on yielding not to God’s will but to my own. God has revealed though, that it is through sinners and their admission of sinfulness that others see and hear the power of Jesus Christ. In spite of my sin, in spite of all the ways I fall short of perfection, God still uses me – through my writing, through my art, through my life.
And He uses each of us. He has made each of us to fulfill a specific purpose in our lives—with our lives. I wonder if we sometimes feel insignificant and incapable because of the all-surpassing gift of Jesus Christ. How could gift compare to the crucifixion? How could any promise be greater than the one we received on that first Easter morning? Of course, none can! So we must do our best to live out our own purpose, in gratitude, with thanksgiving, and even with joy. Not a pie-in-the-sky, unrealistic attitude – but one of deep and abiding joy, because we know, without question, what awaits us.
Like the bread and fishes – Jesus offers us more than this current life – He offers us abundance and even perfection in heaven. Trust and obey becomes an easier command from that perspective, doesn’t it. We will be given all we need in this life, and so much more than we can imagine in the next! We will receive basketfuls of love and peace and true joy when we arrive in heaven. That’s worth living for. That’s cause for rejoicing. That’s cause for hope and for obedience. And even after we have received all we need and more, there will still be crumbs left!
My prayer today is that you step out in faith, trusting that God has already provided you everything you need to fulfill the purpose for your life. And that the gift of Jesus Christ will sustain you on your journey.
Mary
Broken and Contrite
Psalms 51:15-17
O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Matthew 6:25-26
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
I’m aware that it may seem these two passages are unrelated. However, as I came upon them this morning, I felt each was intended specifically for me and where I am in my life and in my faith journey right now. Several weeks ago, I began an “adventure” that I was not sure was the right thing for me to do. At one point, I asked God to please shut every door except the one I was to go through – I trust God – just not myself! And He did exactly that. His intention for me is so very clear it’s as if it were a headline in the newspaper!
I sincerely believe, though, that God fulfilled my request because of the “work” He has been doing in me leading up to this great revelation! I had indeed had my spirit broken – God took me to a place where He was the only one who could know and understand my heart and mind. Contrite? Webster’s defines it as: Feeling regret and sorrow for one's sins or offenses; penitent. My primary offense was not trusting enough in what Jesus said in Matthew. He said not to be anxious about anything – because God is in charge.
It is only when we are broken and contrite that we can fully live out trusting completely in our God. For me, it was a matter of giving up the need to be in charge. As the oldest of 5 children, and having the skills and abilities of a “natural leader,” this has been an excruciating challenge for me! Let God be in charge? But . . . What about . . . .? And . . . I bet you know exactly how to complete those statements for your own life.
God designed us with a specific purpose in mind. He made plans for us so much greater than we can even imagine! We aren’t able to fulfill our purpose or follow God’s plan until we yield to Him. Not until we allow God in to be in charge, do we begin to see that we have limited Him by assigning human limitations to Him. When we make Him like us, we limit our own potential too! We need a God bigger than us, bigger than the world, bigger than the universe.
My prayer today is that you will offer the God of the universe your heart and mind. And that you will yield to Him the amazing and wonderful plan for your life.
Mary
Chaos vs. Christ
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Hebrews 13:8 NASB
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
I have a reputation as being a wordy person, so it may be a surprise that I selected just one verse upon which to reflect this morning. This one verse, though, sums up what I have been thinking and reading in other parts of scripture.
This world is spinning out of control around us! My family hesitates to allow me to even watch the evening news, because I become so distraught at the corruption, greed, dishonesty, deceit, suffering and sin in the world – seemingly everywhere – and out of control!
I will attempt to divert my attention from the political situation in the United States, and everywhere else, and focus my attention on my Lord and Savior! There is one thing that never changes. Never has changed. Never will change. Actually, it is one person: Jesus. Without that trust and belief, the news does become a source of anxiety and fear, concern and dismay. This verse reminds us that what we really should be focusing on is the one thing that really matters, and the impact that unchanging truth has on our lives.
How we respond to all the evil in the world is how the world knows we are Christians. My question is what kind of Christian am I portraying to the world? I don’t mean what kind of façade or front am I erecting – because eventually what is in my heart will be revealed. I mean how I respond to those in need in my daily life. How do I react when someone I work with completely runs over me and hurts my feelings? Do I reciprocate when someone cuts me off in traffic? Do I complain to the customer service manager when the cashier is rude? Do I cheat on my taxes because heads of major corporations cheat on such a grander scale, and my little bit of money is insignificant in the big scheme of things? Do I walk past the homeless man on the corner and never make eye contact with him. How about snap at my husband or yell at my kids?
I know each of these, in and of themselves, seems so small and unimportant in the big picture. But a picture begins with the first stroke of brush applying paint to canvas. And every individual stroke thereafter impacts the final result. Just as my sin may seem insignificant compared to the atrocities being committed in the world, so my actions as a devoted and believing Christian may seem not to matter. But exactly the opposite is the case! We are called to persevere in the face of adversity. We are to “trust and obey,” we are to remain faithful. And we are able to do so, because God is faithful to us. After all He sent His Son to be our Savior. What else could we possibly hope in?!
My prayer today is that you walk into the world as a Christian. And that you spread the Good News to every single person in your little part of the world.
Mary
Training Wheels and Coincidences
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Psalm 63:1-4 NASB
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
Every so often, I get to the point where I stop questioning whether or not God “communicates” with us here on earth! Things happen in tandem, in a particular sequence, in a certain way, that there can be no doubt – and it isn’t always the “big” things, like a huge miracle that affirms that belief for me.
Last night I spent some time in quiet and prayer, thinking about a session I will be facilitating at our Women’s Retreat in October. The working title of the session is “Becoming the Woman God Designed You To Be.” And one of the activities I considered doing during the session was a guided imagery involving moving from the desert to an oasis, where, of course, Jesus is the oasis. Then this morning I came upon this scripture in my email. You may say, “Oh, that’s a coincidence.” I contend that these coincidences occur much too often in my life for them to be a matter of chance! And I’m willing to offer that you’ll see they happen to you, too, if you take the time to notice how your life weaves together.
I’ve shared that I’ve been on a journey lately to discover the next stage in my life. And I told my husband a few days ago that I have prayed that God will shut every door except the one I am to go through—I just don’t want to take a chance on making the wrong decision. He joked with me, asking me if I thought God was going to give me “training wheels” for my faith journey. I told him I certainly hoped so! You see,
I do seek Him earnestly.
My soul thirsts for Him,
my flesh yearns for Him. And I will use any tool available to become the woman God designed me to be. And I think God uses anything at His disposal to get through to us! In my case, too often he needs to not only shut a door, he needs to slam it and then nail it shut; because I second-guess myself! I guess, in all honesty, I second-guess Him.
My prayer today is that you will take note of each “coincidence” in your life and consider it a “God-incidence." And that you will use training wheels, prayer, song, or anything else at your disposal to worship your God of infinite lovingkindness.
Mary
Faith Supplements
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2 Peter 1:5-8
Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I was pretty sure when I woke up this morning what the topic of my devotion would be! Monday was a busy day at our house, as we had some early morning appointments and activities that precluded me from even spending time in the Word. Okay, that’s not really the case. We did have the appointments and activities -- I made a conscious decision not to post a devotion! While I’m being completely honest -- I just plain didn’t take the time or make the effort yesterday! Wow. They say confession is good for the soul. I think I just feel ashamed.
Of course there was no question I would spend time in scripture this morning! I’m still “waiting on God” for some direction in several areas of my life -- one would think that is all the more reason to be intentional about spending time with Him, wouldn’t one? Peter tells us that even when we “have faith” we cannot neglect it, nor should we think it’s okay to “take a pass” whenever we don’t feel like feeding our faith. He instructs, us, rather to continually improve and increase our faith and how we live it out.
Our task is to strive for the perfection of Christ. Not that we will ever achieve that perfection -- but we are to strive for it nonetheless. We are to feed our faith a constant diet of “faith-rich” activities and actions. Pray. Read scripture. Meditate. Go out into the world and spread the Good News. Not just when we ‘feel like it.’ Not just when we ‘have time.’ Always. Continuously. Strive to reach the ‘next level.’
“Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
My prayer today is that you make every effort to supplement your faith. And that you are effective and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Mary
