Month: February 2020

“ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

Happy Leap Day! According to Wikipedia: “February 29, also known as leap day or leap year in the Gregorian calendar, is a date that occurs in most years that are divisible by 4, such as 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024…. A leap day is observed because a complete revolution around the Sun takes slightly longer than 365 days. It compensates for this lag, realigning the calendar with the Earth’s position in the solar system; otherwise, seasons would occur at a different time than intended in the calendar year.”

God’s timing includes Leap Years.  I have known 2 people in my life that were born on Leap Day.  They have to wait four years for an actual birthday party on their actual birthday.  Birthdays are one of my favorite celebrations. They break up the humdrum of life, every month, someone has a birthday to be celebrated.  I can’t imagine having to wait four years for a birthday party. Of course, they celebrate each year around the date, but it’s not the same.  God’s timing is perfect. He gives people born on Leap Day an extra special birthday only few have.

There’s no further reading for today, the Bible plan didn’t incorporate Leap Year into its schedule. Today’s verse reminds us, to God, a day is like a thousand years, a thousand years like a day.  We can’t understand His timing, on Leap Day or any day. Our minds literally can’t comprehend God’s clock. We can trust that His timing is always perfect.  

We can trust that His timing is always perfect.

Don’t let anything stop you from enjoying this perfect day.  There won’t be another one for four years. Relish in the moments as God unfolds the day before you.  Write down anything special that happens. Whatever prayers He answers today, write them down as a reminder of His perfect timing.  Make this day special somehow.  

Throughout God’s word, He has His people set up altars of remembrance, as Joshua did, to remind them of what He has done for them (Joshua 4:8-9).  Today, as God answers prayers on this special day, a day that won’t happen again for four years, create an altar of remembrance.  Ways I have created altars of remembrance: pick up a seashell from the beach, save the scorecard from a special round of golf, save a napkin from a restaurant.  Find a token to remind you of what happened. I have a jar labeled, “Lovely Moments” where I put my reminders of what God has done for me in those moments. When I need encouragement, I look through my jar and remember.  Each one is a reminder, God’s timing is always perfect.

Question of the Day:

What token will be your altar of remembrance for today?

“Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.” (Proverbs 10:19 NIV)

One way to get out of trouble is to stop talking. “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind,” Rudyard Kipling.  Our mouths are what get us into trouble.  We say the wrong thing, we tell a secret, we spread gossip, three easy ways we get in trouble with our mouths. If you want to get out of trouble, keep your mouth shut.

The pastor told this joke in his sermon this week.  Three pastors are on a fishing trip. They decide to confess their faults to each other.  The first pastor said he loves to drink alcohol. Every other week, he sneaks out of town to go get drunk.  The second pastor said he loved to gamble. In fact, he had gambled away the church’s mission fund. The third pastor said he should have gone first.  His fault was that he loved to gossip. He couldn’t wait to go home and tell everyone what he had just learned. All three of them got into trouble because of their words.  Trouble is compounded with words, the prudent hold their tongues.

Trouble is compounded with words, the prudent hold their tongues.

When Jesus is in front of His accusers, He remains silent (Matthew 26:63).  He’s about to be crucified, yet He remains silent. Jesus said very few words as he was sentenced.  He was silent as He carried His cross to Golgotha. He said very few words as He hung on the cross. I’ve always marveled at Jesus’ silence at such a time.  Now, I’m beginning to understand His silence. Words would have done no good. Nothing Jesus could have said would have stopped the inevitable. He knew words would just cause more upheaval and trouble. He knew the only thing to do was be silent.

When we are under attack, we want to strike back with our words.  We have all had great one-liners run through our head we’d love to say to someone who has hurt us.  But if we actually said them, they would only cause more heartache, more pain. Those are the thoughts we need to take captive (2 Cor. 10:5 NIV).  Those are the times we need to keep our mouth shut, not saying a word.  Jesus set the example. He let them draw their own conclusions, He knew He would never change their mind.  He also knew, in time the truth would be revealed. He knew He was about to change the world. Trouble is compounded with words, the prudent hold their tongues.

Question of the Day:

What trouble do you need to stop by not talking?

Further Reading:  Leviticus 22:17-23:44 NIV, Mark 9:30-10:12 NIV, Psalm 44:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 10:19 NIV

“Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (Mark 9:7 NIV).

If you want to be a better listener, you have to work at it.  Listening is a skill, if you aren’t a good listener, you can’t be a good communicator.  Solomon says it bluntly in Proverbs: “Listen before you answer. If you don’t, you are being stupid and insulting” (Proverbs 18:13 GNT).  Full confession, one of my worst faults is interrupting people.  God is helping me do better, but I have a long way to go. One of the reasons I interrupt is because I think I know what the other person is going to say, which is impossible for me to know.  I have had to work at my listening skills to become a better listener. The One I try to listen to most, is Jesus.

James gives us practical tips on how we should communicate with each other.  “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” (James 1:19 NIV).  The first thing he tells us to do is be quick to listen.  If we’re listening, we can’t be speaking. If we’re going to listen to Jesus, we must first be quiet.  The hardest part of quiet time with God, for me, is the actual quiet time. The waiting period for Him to respond to what I have said.  I lift up prayers expecting immediate results, but that is not what happens. God isn’t a vending machine in the sky, waiting to meet our every need.  God is our Creator who wants us to learn to listen to Him.

God is our Creator who wants us to listen to Him.

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, talks about how creation is groaning (Romans 8:22 NIV).  God is speaking to us all of the time, He speaks through His people and His creation.  If we don’t know how to listen, we’ll miss what He’s saying.

To be a good listener we need to put our agenda aside.  We need to not assume we know what God is going to say. We have to wait and give Him time to speak.  We need to find quiet time to be alone with Him. We can meditate on His word and let it speak to our hearts.  And we can’t interrupt until He is finished. God may take days, weeks, years to answer our prayers, we have to be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.

Question of the Day:

Where do you’re listening skills need work?

Further Reading:  Leviticus 20:22-22:16 NIV, Mark 9:1-29 NIV, Psalm 43:1-5 NIV, Proverbs 10:18 NIV

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.  By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is  with me—a prayer to the God of my life” (Psalm 42:7-8 NIV).

The only way to live life in the deep end is with God.  Deep calls to deep, heart calls to heart. In this Psalm, David’s heart is crying out to God’s heart.  God’s love is the answer to David’s cry. The deep connection I have with God is in my heart. Our hearts are where God meets us.  When we connect with Him, we’re opening up the corners of our hearts and presenting them to Him. God doesn’t do shallow, He does deep. 

I chose today’s scripture because of the beauty of the words.  David’s cries are poetic as he openly implores the Lord for help.  The deep connection shared between David and God is easily seen. This morning, as I write this, it’s the sixth anniversary of my mother’s passing, a day I did not think I would survive.  I remember, being on my knees, crying out to God for help. I didn’t know how I would go on without her in my life. But here I am, six years to the day later, He’s carried me all the way.  He answered the deep cry in my heart with His daily love, HIs night song has been with me. God doesn’t do shallow, He does deep.

God doesn’t do shallow, He does deep.

If God did shallow, our struggles wouldn’t be so hard.  We wouldn’t have to make the hard choices of what the right thing to do is.  God wouldn’t care. But He does care. He understands how difficult life’s pressures are, He uses those situations to refine us.  Diamonds are made because then endure high temperatures and pressure over a long period of time. God uses our struggles to create diamonds.  When we open our hearts to Him, as we reveal it’s deepest secrets to Him, He refines us.

When my mother died, God used her death to refine me.  I drew closer to Him as the days and weeks passed, allowing Him to be my comforter.  He began to show me things about my mother I had never known. I began to understand why she had done some of the things she did which I never understood.  I began to see clearly, my Mom was following Him. She was setting an example for me to follow. My Mom wasn’t a big talker, but her actions spoke volumes. As St. Francis of Assisi encouraged us to do: she preached the gospel always, using words only when necessary.   I didn’t see it clearly until after she was gone. God doesn’t do shallow, He does deep.

Question of the Day:

What in your life is God using to take you deeper with Him?

Further Reading: Leviticus 19:1-20:21 NIV, Mark 8:11-38 NIV, Psalm 42:1-11 NIV, Proverbs 10:17 NIV

“People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Mark 7:37 NIV

If you want to do everything well, reflect Jesus more.  Jesus did everything well. He did everything counter culturally.  He loved instead of hated. He forgave instead of seeking vengeance.  He told the truth instead of lying. He fulfilled the law we can never fulfill.  Jesus is the way to do everything well. But is it Jesus we’re really trying to reflect?

“Our problem with following Jesus is we’re trying to be a better version of us instead of a better reflection of Jesus.”  Bob Goff

Jesus looks at the heart.  He looks at the intent of why we do things.  We’re not fooling Him when our intentions aren’t pure.  The selfishness we were all born with is a constant battle in our efforts to follow Jesus.  Who are we really trying to promote: ourselves or Jesus?

Who are we really trying to promote: ourselves or Jesus?

God has been teaching me about intent this past year.  He’s taught me about purifying my heart. I started writing daily devotionals in January of 2018.  Nothing has purified my heart more than daily digging into God’s word and writing about it. Even this morning, I did not want to write.  Each devotion I write is an emotional process God takes me through. Trying to stay on task, keeping my focus on God can be challenging. In my women’s group this week, one of the young Mom’s talked about Christian writers.  She referenced a popular book, she made the point it was about the author, not about God. I responded to her and said, “As an aspiring writer, the hardest challenge I have is keeping it all about God.”

We all face that challenge, whatever our calling is on our lives.  Each morning, we have to choose again who we are going to follow. We have to set our intentions for the day.  We have to remind ourselves, life isn’t about me, it’s about Jesus. Then, as the hours slip by in our days, we have to keep ourselves on task.  When we falter, we have to forgive ourselves, refocus, and keep going. I’m still mad at myself for getting upset in the tennis tournament I played last week.  I lost focus of Jesus at that moment, I missed an opportunity to love a stranger. But I have to let it go, I have to forgive myself. The world doesn’t revolve around me, it revolves around Jesus.  When I let Him lead, I have no regrets.

Question of the Day:

Have you been trying to make a better version of you or reflect Jesus?

Further Reading: Leviticus 16:29-18:30 NIV, Mark 7:24-8:10 NIV, Psalm 41:1-13 NIV, Proverbs 10:15-16 NIV

For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.” (Psalm 40:12 NIV)

If you’re in a pit, you’re not alone.  Everyone has troubles, everyone has faults, we’re all struggling.  We’re all seeking rest from our problems. We all want answers to why life is going the way it is going.  But those answers aren’t available. Sometimes, with the aid of hindsight, we can see the purpose in our struggles, sometimes we can’t.   David is crying out the words in today’s verse. He was a man after God’s own heart, yet he was drowning in his earthly troubles (1 Samuel 13:14 NIV).  David, a prominent figure in the lineage of Jesus, is desperate.  He needs help, he’s at rock bottom. He’s holding God accountable to His promises.  David is crying out for the divine help that only comes from God. When you’re in the pit, God is in it with you.

When you’re in a pit, God is in it with you.

When I need to be reminded that God is with me in the pit, I think of Daniel and the lions den.  Daniel refused to worship false gods, as a result, he was thrown in the pit, literally with lions. The next morning, the king goes to check on him:

“When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 

Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” (Daniel 6:20-22 NIV)

Whatever pit you’re in, you’re not alone.  God is with you. He’s protecting you in ways you don’t know.  He’s teaching you things to help you grow. He’s loving you, even if He’s silent.  God is with you. He promises in the Bible, He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6 NIV, Heb. 13:5 NIV).  Hold God accountable to His promises, trust that He is with you.  No matter what the circumstances are in your life, God knows. God is with you, He has a plan.  Trust in Him to let it unfold.

Question of the Day:

What promise do you need to hold God accountable for today?

Further Reading: Leviticus 15:1-16:28 NIV, Mark 7:1-23 NIV, Psalm 40:11-17NIV, Proverbs 10:13-14 NIV

“Hatred stirs up conflict,  but love covers over all wrongs.”(Proverbs 10:12)

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love always overcomes hate. We see this all the time in T.V. shows like “This is Us.”  The masterful way Rebecca, the Mom, creates peace in her household with her love. She knows each of her children’s faults, and she covers them with love.  Her love is different for each child. Randall struggles with anxiety, Rebecca’s love gives him calm. Kevin struggles with addiction, Rebecca’s love gives him stability.  Kate struggles with insecurity, Rebecca’s love gives her strength. God does the same for us. He knows all of our faults, and He covers them with love.

Hatred is a conflict.  When we have feelings of hate towards someone, it stirs up conflict within ourselves.  God has recently purified my heart from hatred. I had hatred in my heart toward someone.  The thought of this person immediately made me angry. This anger caused conflict in my life because I’m called to love everyone.  I had to find a way to love this person. I realized, I first needed the hatred removed from my heart, something I could not do myself.  I began praying and asking God to remove it for me. And He did, but not all at once. Over time, He revealed to me what was feeding the hatred in my heart.  As He did, I was able to remove those things from my life. Instead of feeding the hatred, I paved the way for love.

Pave the way for love!

I was able to remove the hatred from my heart because God showed me what was feeding it.  In order to pave the way for love, I had to feed on God’s love. I had to spend time in His word getting to know Him better.  I had Him search my heart as David did in the Psalms:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  (Psalm 139: 23-24 NIV)

God found the offensive way in me, He helped remove it from my heart.  His love removed the conflict from my life. His love overcame hatred by covering my faults.  One simple prayer inspired by Priscilla Shirer paved the way for love: “Bless them, fix me.” God knows His children, each of us.  He knows our faults, and He covers them with His love. Whatever hatred is in your life, God’s love can overcome it. But He has to be the one leading the way, we can’t do it on our own power.  Only with God can we love well. Only with God can we overcome hatred with love. Only with God can we pave the way for love.

Question of the Day:

Who do you need to pray, “Bless them, fix me” for today?

Further Reading: Leviticus 14:1-57 NIV, Mark 6:30-56 NIV, Psalm 40:1-10 NIV, Proverbs 10:11-12 NIV

“Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.” (Mark 6:4-6 NIV)

If you want a miracle, you must have faith.  Jesus couldn’t do any miracles because his family and friends didn’t believe He was God. Faith is believing what we can’t see (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).  Faith is believing the sun will rise in the morning and set at night.  Faith is believing the air around us will allow us to breathe. Faith is believing that God is sovereign; He can do anything.  Faith is believing God can do miracles.

Jesus was interested in how much faith we have.  We see it in the scriptures often. When He healed the blind man, Jesus asked him if he had faith to be healed (Mathew 9:28 NIV).  He commended the woman who knelt at His feet asking for a miracle; Jesus said the mother’s faith had healed her daughter(Matthew 15:28 NIV).  Jesus said the same to the woman healed from years of bleeding by touching His robe, her faith healed her (Matthew 9:21 NIV).  Time and again, Jesus was interested in the faith of the people He healed.  Without faith, miracles can’t happen.

Without faith, miracles can’t happen.

“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies” (Hebrews 11:32-34 NIV).  

None of the things listed in the verses above would have happened if the people didn’t have faith.  The first step of faith that we have to take is faith in Jesus. When we believe in Jesus, we’re believing in what is not seen.  We believe He is real, that He exists, even though we can’t see Him. When we believe in Jesus, we’re exhibiting faith to those around us.  When we model our lives after Jesus, we’re living out our faith in Him. Each day we seek Him, our faith will grow. As our faith grows, we’ll begin to see the miracles God does every single day in our lives.  We’ll see the miracle of the sunrise and sunset, we’ll thank Him for the air we breathe. We’ll know, He is sovereign, He can do anything.

Question of the Day:

What miracle are you believing God for today?

Further Reading: Leviticus 13:1-59 NIV, Mark 6:1-29 NIV, Psalm 39:1-13 NIV, Proverbs 10:10 NIV

“When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,  because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” (Mark 5:27-28 NIV)

If you want to be healed, walk closely with Jesus.  In a recent podcast, I can’t remember which one, I was introduced to the phrase, “cover himself in the dust of the Rabbi’s feet. ”  When someone wanted to become a disciple, they would live with a Rabbi.  They would spend 24 hours a day together, walking everywhere. They walked so closely, the disciple would get the dust from the Rabbi’s feet on him.  Jesus, being of Jewish descent, is a Rabbi.  When we follow Jesus closely, we are covered in His dust.  When we are that close to Jesus, we’ll be healed.

The woman in today’s story was following Jesus so closely she was covered in His dust.  When she touched His robe, she was healed of her infliction. For 12 years she had lived with constant bleeding, but once she touched Jesus cloak, the bleeding stopped.  The first step in healing is to stop the bleeding.

The first step in healing is to stop the bleeding.

When you have a cut, one of the best ways to stop the bleeding is by applying pressure to the wound.  The pressure causes the blood to flow less, which gives it time to coagulate, which causes the bleeding to stop. God does have the power to heal us instantly, but often, we heal in stages.  Small wounds heal quicker than larger wounds. When the bleeding stops, a scab forms that protects the wound from infection. The entire process for the wound to heal takes weeks to complete.  The body has to have time to repair the broken blood vessels and new tissue to form. Healing does happen over time. But first you have to apply pressure to the wound.

For Christ follower’s, one way we apply pressure to our wounds is by reading God’s word.  Each day we can let His promises stop the bleeding. We can allow His strength to repair what is broken and bring new life from our wounds. When we read and apply His word to our lives, we’re touching His robe.  We’re following Him so closely, we’re covered in His dust. When we are covered in Jesus dust, we will be healed.

Question of the Day:

Are you getting covered in Jesus dust?

Further Reading: Leviticus 11:1-12:8 NIV, Mark 5:21-43 NIV, Psalm 38:1-22 NIV, Proverbs 10:8-9 NIV

“I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,” Psalm 37:35 NIV

When the wicked flourish, trust God for the final outcome.   I played a mixed doubles (male/female team) tennis tournament this past weekend.  In our first match, our opponents cheated. The male partner made a bad line call.  In tennis, the players call their own lines. If the ball lands on any part of the line, it is considered “in.”  In this situation, the ball landed inside the line, but the guy called the ball out before it bounced. Once it landed in, he chose not to overrule his initial call.  Honest players overrule themselves when they make a bad call. I’ve played tennis long enough to understand this is all part of the game. You have to let it go and not let it affect your playing.  When the wicked flourish, trust God for the outcome. But the outcome may not be what you expect.

The wicked will always cheat.  If they don’t know Jesus, they don’t know better.  To them, the outcome is worth whatever it takes to win.  And sometimes they do. At the end of the first set of my match, there was another controversial line call on set point.  I was serving when it happened. Once again, they cheated. I chose not to engage, and conceded the set to them. I let my opponents lack of integrity affect me.  I was unable to shake the wickedness off. We lost the match. Even worse, they went on to win the entire tournament. The cheaters won, the honest people lost. And God let it happen.  But we don’t know the whole story. Nothing surprises God, He has a plan.

Nothing surprises God, He has a plan.

The next verse after today’s says: “but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found” (Psalm 37:36 NIV).  The wicked don’t flourish forever, if at all.  

When we played our match, we had a lot of spectators.  We were on the first court, the easiest match to watch, it was the beginning of the tournament.  There were many witnesses to the cheating. There were many witnesses watching how I handled the situation.  I tried not to let it ruin my witness for Christ. I didn’t handle it as well as I would have liked, but I did handle it the best I could.  By the time this couple won the tournament, everyone had left. No one was there to watch their championship match. But everyone saw them cheating. The wicked won’t flourish, God will always prevail.  Our job is to do the best we can to keep our eyes focused on Him.

Question of the Day:

What wickedness is trying to distract you from God today?

Further Reading:Leviticus 9:7-10:20 NIV, Mark 4:26-5:20 NIV, Psalm 37:30-40 NIV, Proverbs 10:6-7 NIV