Honest Reflections

One-minute read.

Doubt creeps into all believers’ lives and can happen anytime. Years of following the Lord and nothing appearing to happen can make one wonder. We don’t understand many things God does because His thoughts and actions don’t conform to ours.

In Psalm 22, David describes a vision of Jesus on the cross, chronicling the pain of pierced hands and feet and feeling forsaken by His Father. But crucifixion didn’t start until 500 years after David’s life, and Christ’s sacrifice came another 500 years later. David couldn’t understand his vision or God’s actions at that moment.

But the shepherd boy always trusted that the Lord’s promises would come true. And they did.

Asking God for confirmation of His promises strengthens our faith, overcomes our doubts, and helps us live fearlessly for Him. Talk to the Lord honestly about your concerns, bare your heart to Him, and wait for God’s word to prove true in your life.

Jesus brought salvation to all who trust and believe in Him. Fulfilling prophecy, every promise the Lord makes, He keeps. The things of this world don’t stand the test of time, but you can trust the Rock of Salvation that never falters, and always provides a firm foundation to weather life’s storms.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for fulfilling Your promises and keeping Your Word. Please help us cling to the Rock as we wait for Your promises to unfold in our lives.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

As a child, I resented having to follow God’s law. My parents instilled in me a fear of the Lord and the consequences of sinning. The slightest misstep would bring the Almighty’s wrath into my life. Resenting God and feeling like I could do nothing right, my lack of obedience caused all my problems—or so I thought.

Maturing in my faith helped me understand God’s commandments not as rules to hinder my fun but as precepts that protect me from harm. The more I practiced the Lord’s commandments, the more I experienced His peace. God’s ways don’t dampen life; they give it an abundance we can find no other way.

Growing into adulthood, the Lord led me on the path of His commandments. As life happened, and I made poor choices, I would think of what the Bible said to do, and start doing those things instead of mine. The more I applied God’s commandments to my life, the better life got. Releasing control to the Savior allowed me to let go of the past, embrace the future, and discover divine joy.

You too can experience divine joy by letting the Lord lead you on the path of His commandments. Begin with one thing God tells us all to do: forgive, pray for your enemies, honor your parents, tell the truth, etc. Whatever commandment you choose to implement in your life, watch how the Creator uses it to draw you closer to Him and experience His peace like never before.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for helping us live abundantly as we apply Your principles to our days. Please help us obey as challenges arise, trusting You to lead us on the path of righteousness.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

God gives us directions to protect us from evil and encourage us on our journey. When we subject ourselves to the world’s ways, we will quickly discover heartache. People’s biased version of truth leads us on wayward paths, missing out on the blessings found in the Lord’s will.

Where the world values wealth, power, and prestige, Christ shares love, peace, and joy. Divine understanding brings spiritual gifts of contentment and acceptance. Instead of constantly striving for the next thing, we find satisfaction in the only thing that truly matters: Jesus.

Accepting our human frailties allows us to embrace the Lord’s help, which turns our weaknesses into strengths. Understanding God’s law shows us the pathway to healthy relationships; our roots grow deep in His love, and our branches bloom with affection for those the Lord gives us. Each person we meet becomes another opportunity to share the love we receive from the Creator.

As we seek the Maker’s help in keeping His commands, we will receive it. Living in the victory of Christ means we have the tools necessary to overcome the challenges we face. Learning and applying the Lord’s word to our circumstances will help us experience the joy that comes from following Him.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for equipping us to face the days, weeks, months and years to come. Please help us live in Your victory, applying Your statutes to our lives and enjoying the rewards that come with them.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Gaining a sense of freedom from anxiety and care, submitting to the Lord lets Him do the heavy lifting. We only control our actions, nothing else. How other people respond, the words that come from their mouths, and the circumstances that we encounter all happen without our input.

But clinging to the Lord’s commands keeps us focused on our part, and what we can do. As we put God’s ways into practice, responding as Jesus would instead of our fleshly desires, our heart grows. Love flourishes as we plant seeds of hope with every step taken in the Creator’s will.

The more steps of faith we take, the more we want to take and the faster we take them. Running into the arms of Jesus becomes our response to the world’s manipulations. When sorrow comes, the Lord comforts us, the hope of eternity helping us persevere through it. Implementing God’s precepts brings no shame, releases us from anxiety and fear, and allows us to live in the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Run to the Savior. Experience life in abundance as You give Him your cares, living in the freedom that only comes from the Lord.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You, Lord, for giving us instructions on how to live, carrying our fears and anxieties for us, and helping us enjoy the peace that comes from You. Please enlarge our hearts as we take steps of faith, following You with all we’ve got.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Devastating days happen to everyone. The day my nephew died, my college roommate’s tragic death, and the loss of several friends’ children in untimely and tragic ways all brought me to my knees, filling me with sorrow and making me question the Lord. In those dark hours, I felt lost and alone, but then God. Somehow, someway, the Divine Comforter found me and pulled me into His arms, comforting me in my sorrow.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4

Read at funerals, Psalm 23 has the power to comfort those in their grief. Meditating on God’s presence, comfort, and protection helps people persevere through their most difficult moments. Remaining faithful in our pain, trusting the Savior to guide us, the Shepherd leads us through the valley back to the mountain top.

Sorrow makes us vulnerable, susceptible to false teachings. Death comes to everyone, but eternal life with the Lord only comes to those who believe and trust in Him. Keep the Son in your eyes, lean into His presence, and allow Him to carry you through the valleys. The ways of the world will only bring you more sadness, but life everlasting comes when you trust the Savior.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for meeting us in our darkest hour and giving us hope when we need it most. Please help us lean into Your ways and not let the world lead us astray. Comfort and protect us in our darkest hours.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

If we never struggled, we would never turn to God. The psalmist, having faced his mortality, realizes he has no power over life and death. Because of the author’s realization, he turns to the Lord and meditates on his wondrous works: the rising and setting sun, the breath of a newborn baby, the sounds of nature, and so much more.

Learning the ways of the Lord through His Word opens our eyes to the miraculous nature of our Creator. Meditating on God’s promises helps us implement them in our lives, overcome adversity, and discover the victory found only in the Savior.

God’s word acts like a tiller on the soil of our hearts. Cultivating and preparing the soil, scripture reveals the weeds that we need to pull from our soul and prepares it for planting the Lord’s precepts, which then blossom and bloom into extraordinary acts of love. Without the seeds of forgiveness, grace, and mercy, we would never become better; bitter roots would bind us in misery.

Ask the Lord to open your eyes to the meaning of His Word. Seek to understand the scriptures and transform your life in ways you never imagined. Only divine engagement can help you fulfill your God given purpose. Live fully in the Savior.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You, Lord, for guiding us to Your Word and allowing us to experience Your wondrous works. Please help us understand Your precepts and put them into practice in our lives.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Pulling up to the tennis courts, nothing warms my heart more than seeing my young students waiting for me. As soon as the car door opens, they swarm around me, wanting to help unload the equipment and get our lesson started. Eager to learn, they not only encourage me, but fill my heart with joy at their enthusiasm for learning.

God wants us to come to Him with the same enthusiasm, waiting eagerly to learn from His commands, growing and becoming mature, devoted followers of His Son. When you have a revelation from the Lord and He opens your eyes to something unseen, it changes your life, making you excited to learn more and more of His wondrous ways.

Opening up God’s Word and applying it to your life will teach you many valuable lessons. As you learn about loving the Lord and others, and start practicing it, you’ll discover an abundance of unexpected blessings that encourage and motivate you to seek more knowledge. Divine lessons come in unique packages and transform our lives one day at a time. Only people with unteachable spirits stop learning; for the rest of us, the lessons never end.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for teaching us from Your vast wealth of knowledge. Please help us remain teachable and pliable in Your hands. Let Your word transform our lives as we obey and follow Your commands.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

When the fires of life rage around us, enemies and circumstances seemingly plotting our demise, we can cling to the Lord’s promises and not get scorched. Delighting in God’s testimonies keeps us safe.

Meditate translates as “Siah” in Hebrew, which means “muse on, consider, think on.” Our minds can get overrun with unwanted thoughts. We have the power to control our thinking by meditating on scripture and relieving the worldly pressures.

At a recent conference, during worship, anxious thoughts started to invade my mind. As I tried to center on the Lord, offering Him praise, the niggling images of possible events kept plowing their way into my brain.

“Lord, take away these thoughts. Don’t let them take root in my mind.” I began praying silently for the Lord’s help. As the chorus of “Good Good Father,” by Chris Tomlin, began to unfold, I refocused my mind and let God rule my thoughts.

“You’re a good, good Father
It’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am.”

When unwanted thoughts try to distract you, focus on God’s word. Find a scripture and meditate on it, allowing the Lord’s promises to fill your mind and bring peace to your heart.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You, Lord, for giving us Your Word, which contains promises we can count on today and always. As we face the day’s challenges, bring scripture to mind that will refocus our thoughts, keeping them from straying from You.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

“Gaar”, the Hebrew word for rebuke, means “reprimand” or “prevent.” Often, when I think of God rebuking me, I don’t have good images in my mind. However, as I applied more and more of the Lord’s precepts to my life, I learned that they protected me, keeping me from harm and safeguarding my heart.

Now, as I receive the Lord’s reprimand, it humbles me and reminds me of my need for the Savior. None of us can keep the law; if we didn’t recognize our sin, we wouldn’t turn to Jesus for help. Only with the grace and mercy we receive from Christ can we access the Lord’s peace that surpasses all understanding.

For the first time in my life, I have a backyard garden. Now that the weather has warmed, we’ve planted our first crop. Each day, I water the small plot of land and pull a few weeds. As I pulled up the pesky rascals this morning, I thought of how my daily time in the Word weeds my heart. Each morning, I repent of my sinful thoughts and actions, keeping the soil of my heart pliable for the Lord, so that His word may take root and grow.

Although we will never achieve perfection on this side of heaven, we can become more like Jesus as we emulate His actions. Our right actions please God and draw us closer to Him, allowing us to experience a bit of heaven here on Earth.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for weeding out our hearts and rebuking our wrong actions. Please help us follow Your commands and become more like Jesus with each day You give us.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Children love boundaries, even though they may not admit it. As a tennis coach for over a decade, I have learned this valuable lesson. Any parent knows it as well, but since I don’t have children, I realized it through teaching. The first day of a new session always has the same characteristics: kids testing the boundaries of what they can and can’t do.

As God’s children, following His commandments helps us establish boundaries in our lives. Like the students in my tennis classes, we like knowing what we can and can’t do, even if we won’t admit it. Rebelling against God tests those boundaries and quickly teaches us lessons we won’t soon forget.

Like in my twenties when I decided to do everything my way, leading me straight into the pit. Only when I turned back to the Lord and started following His ways did I find myself back on solid ground. The more I knew, the more I wanted to know.

As we sojourn through life on Earth with the Lord, applying His precepts to our lives, we’ll long for more of His ways. Experiencing the blessings that come from obedience to God creates a desire for more of His goodness. Lean into the Lord’s precepts, experience life in abundance as you follow Him.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You Lord for giving us boundaries to apply to our lives. Please help us quickly submit and obey Your precepts, experiencing Your goodness as we do. Let us never stop learning and applying as we follow You.
IJNIP. Amen