Month: March 2020

“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people.  They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” (Luke 9:16-17 NIV) 

When you ask God to bless your efforts, you get leftovers.  Jesus asked God to bless what they had, five loaves and two fish. Luke tells us there were about 5,000 men there (Luke 9:14 NIV).  Culturally, during that time, the men wouldn’t have been alone, their wives and children would have been with them.  Scholars have argued that Jesus fed 15,000 – 20,000 people if you include them. Either way, it’s still a miracle. Once everyone was done eating, there were 12 basketfuls of leftovers.  When you ask God to bless your efforts, you get leftovers.

When you ask God to bless your efforts, you get leftovers.

I ask God to bless my efforts as I follow Him.  Following Jesus can be hard for me. For one thing, being a Christ follower requires that I love everyone (Mark 12:30-31 NIV).  Quite frankly, there are a lot of people I just don’t like.  People are rude, self absorbed and obnoxious. I am sure there are people on this earth who would say I fit that description as well.  People, including me, are hard enough to like, much less love. I need Jesus’ help if I’m going to love them. I need Him if I’m going to love people with something leftover.

Jesus loved people well.  For one thing, He died for us (John 3:16 NIV).  He loves us perfectly, His perfect love driving out all fear (1 John 4:18 NIV).  His love protects, trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Cor. 13:7 NIV). To love people as Jesus loves us is difficult.  We can’t do it without His help, without His strength.  

And remember, Jesus was persecuted.  Jesus’s life was not a bowl of cherries.  He was persecuted from the minute His ministry started until the moment He died on the cross.  The more He was persecuted the less followers He had:

“Jesus fed 5000, but only 500 followed Him after lunch. He had 12 disciples but only 3 went further in garden, and only one stood with Him at the foot of the cross.  The closer you get to the cross, the smaller the crowd becomes.” T.F. Tenant

If anyone had a reason to complain about people, it was Jesus.  And He loved us anyway. And He wants us to do what He did. The only way I can do that is if I ask Him to bless my efforts. When He does, I have leftovers.

Question of the Day:

How do you need Jesus to bless your efforts?

Further Reading:  Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20 NIV, Luke 9:7-27 NIV, Psalm 72:1-20 NIV, Proverbs 12:8-9 NIV

“My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.” (Psalm 71:24 NIV)

When people want to harm you, they will be shamed and confused.  My mother had a saying, “The truth always comes out.” She was right, it does.  When the truth comes out, those who were trying to harm you with their lies will be shamed and confused.  

When we’re in conflict with someone, we don’t always think rationally.  The truth can be hard to find amidst a sea of lies, but it is there. Jesus came to reveal the truth:

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37 NIV)

To find the truth, seek Jesus.

I didn’t get married until I was 42 years old.  In my late 20’s I had thought I’d met the man of my dreams, but instead he shattered my heart.  I spent most of my 30’s recovering from that heartbreak. When I met my husband and we started dating, Jesus used him to illuminate the hurt I was projecting onto others.  Because I had been hurt so deeply, I viewed life from within that hurt. Jesus had to help me see the truth of the situation. He used my husband’s tender love to help. I can remember the first time my husband said to me, in the midst of an argument, “Don’t project what someone else did to you onto me.”  No one had ever loved me enough to say that to me before. My husband did. And as a result, I began to see truths in my life I had never seen. I began to heal as the truth was revealed to me.

When people try to harm us with lies, they will be shamed and confused.  The truth always comes out. One truth that is hard to accept, we have all harmed people.  All of us except Jesus. Jesus never hurt anyone, He loved everyone. When we seek Him, He’ll lead us in the way of truth.  He’ll reveal to us the areas of our lives where we are hurting. He’ll lovingly show us how we’re hurting others because of the hurt we’ve felt.  He’ll lead us on the path of truth, which helps us to heal. He’ll turn the shame and confusion of hurt into His loving grace and mercy. When we project our hurts onto Jesus, He doesn’t retaliate.  He absorbs them, then with love, shows us the truth.

Question of the Day:

What truth is Jesus trying to reveal to you?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23 NIV, Luke 8:40-9:6 NIV, Psalm 71:1-24 NIV, Proverbs 12:5-7 NIV

“The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”  He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.”  (Luke 8:24 NIV)

If you want to calm the storm in your life, wake up Jesus.  Today’s scripture is one of the most famous Bible stories. People who have never stepped foot in a church have heard about how Jesus calmed the storm.  The scene has been portrayed in movies time and time again. The storm is raging and Jesus is sleeping. His disciples are panicking, not knowing what to do, they wake Him up.  If you want to calm the storm in your life, wake up Jesus.

If you want to calm the storm in your life, wake up Jesus.

What does waking up Jesus mean in our lives?  One reason He may be napping in our own lives is because we’re trying to do it in our own strength.  We’ve forgotten Jesus is in the boat with us. We live in a time and place where things are easily acquired.  In America, there is an abundance of everything. Very few of us are actually worrying how we’re going to get our daily bread each day.  Very few of us are wondering what we will wear. Very few of us don’t have a roof of some sort over our head. We live in a country of abundance.  When we have as much as we do, we forget who it was that provided it for us. We forget Jesus.

But now our country is in a crisis.  A pandemic is sweeping the world. I’m writing this during social isolation from the coronavirus.  The media, for me, increases my anxiety if I watch too much of it. People are panicking, our livelihoods are being threatened, I have no idea what will happen by the time this blog posts.  One thing I do see happening, people are remembering Jesus is in the boat with us. They are waking Him up to calm the storm. And Jesus, in His grace and mercy will:

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV).

Jesus is waiting for us to remember He’s in the boat with us.  He’s waiting for us to humble ourselves, to pray and seek Him. When we do, He’ll calm the storm.

Question of the Day:

What storm do you need Jesus to calm for you today?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32 NIV, Luke 8:22-39 NIV, Psalm 70:1-5 NIV, Proverbs 12:4 NIV

“Good people obtain favor from the Lord, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.” (Proverbs 12:2 NIV)

People who plan wicked schemes will be condemned.  The phrase “give themselves enough rope to hang themselves,” means: to allow someone to accomplish his or her own downfall by his or her own foolish acts.  When you give someone room to fall, they eventually will, but it may be tortuous to watch.  We think that people get away with unjust things in life. I’ve been asked many times why people get away with wicked schemes.  Here is the truth, they don’t. They may appear to get away with their evil plans from your perspective, but God is watching. They aren’t getting away with anything in His eyes.  He knows. People who plan wicked schemes will be condemned.

People who plan wicked schemes will be condemned.

I am constantly amazed at the wicked schemes people come up with in life. Murder is a wicked scheme.  God is clear about His thoughts on murder since He put it in the 10 Commandments. Jesus confirmed the severity of murder, and takes it to a whole new level:

“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.”  (Matthew 5:21-22 MSG)

Words kill, they steal life from our relationships.  We judge and condemn people who have planned wicked schemes, not realizing, we’re doing it too. The old adage, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words cannot hurt me,” is a lie.  Words can hurt more than sticks and stones. They leave lasting impacts that reverberate through a lifetime after the initial bruise heals. I am still traumatized from one of my friends in middle school telling me I have a big nose.  I don’t remember much from middle school, but I remember that because it made me feel ugly. His words hurt deeply, they made me ashamed of how God made me. I still have to remind myself I’m God’s masterpiece, a young boy’s thoughtless words don’t define me (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

People who plan wicked schemes will be condemned, we just may not see it.  We are all walking wounded. We all have been hurt by someone’s wicked schemes, and we’ve hurt people with our wicked schemes.  I have moments where I have said things that have hurt people, which I regret. The fact that I can’t take those words back, tortures me.  One of the ones that tortures me the most happened almost 20 years ago. I did what the scripture says, I “carelessly called a brother” a name.  He’s forgiven me, but I still haven’t completely forgiven myself. Those who plan wicked schemes will be condemned, we just may not see it.

Question of the Day:

What wicked scheme are you still trying to forgive yourself for today?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22 NIV, Luke 8:4-21NIV, Psalm 69:19-36 NIV, Proverbs 12:2-3 NIV

 “As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” (Luke 7:38 NIV)

When you are moved by the moment, cherish it.  This woman, who was living a sinful life that everyone knew about, had boldly entered into Jesus’s presence.  She wept as she anointed His feet, she knew the depth of her sin, yet she knew He loved her. She cherished her moment with the Lord, her actions showed that.  Her actions were filled with grace and humility because that is what Jesus had shown her. His grace and humility had given her new life. A life that wasn’t filled with people judging and accusing her constantly for the sinful way she had lived.  Jesus gave her a life that forgave her of those sins, that freed her of that bondage. Her joy in her new found freedom caused her to be moved by the moment. And when her joy moved her, she cherished it. When moved by the moment, cherish it.

When moved by the moment, cherish it.

I felt awkward during worship the first Sunday morning my husband and I watched church online due to social isolation in the U.S.  We were watching Northpoint Community Church with Andy Stanley. The opening song was “Stand in Your Love” by Josh Baldwin.  This happens to be one of my all time favorite songs. I love to sing loud and proud.  However, we weren’t in church, we were in our living room and my husband was watching.  He was a music major in college, I was not. Singing in front of him was very uncomfortable.  But all of a sudden, the song did to me what it always does. It led me into a place of worship, right there in my living room, that made time and place disappear.  All of a sudden I was singing with an upturned face, while tears streamed from my eyes. I lifted my arms and praised Jesus like no one was watching. I was moved by the moment, and I cherished it.  

We never know when moments like the one I described are going to happen.  I call them God moments, a term my friend Lynda taught me. When something happens that you just know is God.  A moment where we connect with God so deeply, so purely, it changes us. When we have God moments, we need to cherish them. Not only are we acknowledging His presence in our life when we do, but we’re also giving Him the praise He deserves.  Just like the sinful woman did in today’s verse.

Question of the Day:

What God moment have you had lately?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20 NIV, Luke 7:36-8:3 NIV, Psalm 69:1-18 NIV, Proverbs 12:1 NIV

“You shall have no other gods before me.”  (Deuteronomy 5:7 NIV)

When asked the question, who is the first priority in your life, your answer is telling of who owns your heart.  God comes to my mind when asked that question. He comes to my mind because I’ve been seeking Him for a lifetime, sometimes harder than others.  At this point in my life, I seek Him daily, all day. I start with my quiet time, end with my study time, all entwined in Him. When I’m asked who is my first priority, God is my answer.  What is yours?

God wouldn’t have always been my answer.  For a very long time, “me” would have been the answer.  At other times it may have been a boyfriend. During the time my mother was sick, she would have come to mind.  Now that I am married, there are times that my husband has been the answer to the question. The truth is, keeping God centered as the first priority in our lives takes work.  Focus your attention on God, He will become your first priority.

Focus your attention on God, He will become your first priority.

Today, as I write, is the first Sunday of social isolation in the U.S.  My husband and I were discussing how different pastors were handling the situation.  In that conversation, my husband gave me a new term that he has coined:

Cross Vision: we think we know the nature of God in our lives but the only true revelation we have of God’s nature is the cross.  When you look at the cross, you see God’s love for everyone, no exceptions.

People during the pandemic have all different interpretations of what is going on from God’s standpoint.  The truth is, no one knows. What we do know is Jesus died on the cross for us because He loved us. He did that so we would know how to love others.  I don’t know what will have happened in the world by the time this posts. I do know, over the next days and weeks God is going to give us the opportunity to love others.

When we focus on God, He becomes our first priority.  When God becomes our first priority, we gain cross vision.  When we have cross vision, we begin to understand love. When we begin to understand love, the world becomes a better place.  

Determine who is first priority by asking yourself the difficult question.  Then decide where you need to focus. No matter what your answer was, Jesus is always waiting.  Just put on your cross vision lens and see the love He has for you. Once you do, you’ll have to share it with others.  Focus on God, He will become your first priority.

Question of the Day:

What kind of vision do you have today?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25 NIV, Luke 7:11-35 NIV, Psalm 68:19-35 NIV, Proverbs 11:29-31

“He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?” (Luke 6:39 NIV)

When the blind follow the blind, they fall into a pit.  Jesus is teaching us a very important lesson here; know who you are following.  I recently listened to an Armchair Expert podcast with Ashton Kutcher.  I had no idea his heart for humanitarian efforts until I listened in on their conversation.  Ashton has a lot of followers because of his successful acting career. His positive influence, influences his followers.  But I wonder, do they know who they are following? Are they following him because he’s a hot guy with a lot of money, or because he’s a humanitarian that is trying to better the world? 

Following people is a “thing” in today’s world.  Conversations about who you follow, or who follows you are commonplace.  I saw this hysterical video the other day about what email would look like in real life.  The video depicts what life would look like if we talked to each other the way we do in email.  Our world has changed drastically in the last 20 years. Conversations we have today, we didn’t have 20 years ago.  Now we have so many choices of who we can follow, we need to be sure of who we truly are following. Blind leads the blind into the pit.

Blind leads the blind into the pit.

I was on the way to a doctor’s appointment the other day.  Unsure of the location, I was using Google maps to direct my voyage.  I have experienced that sometimes Google maps take me to the wrong location.  I’m not sure why this happens, but it does. Like on this occasion when it took me 20 minutes to complete a 10 minute drive because Google was having issues.  I was the blind following the blind, and it led me into a pit.

The same thing happens when we follow the wrong person.  Following HItler was the blind following the blind.  When I googled his name to add the link to this post, just looking at the picture I could feel the evil that was him.  Following Bernie Madoff, financial scoundrel, was unfortunately the blind following the blind.  Many people suffered great losses because of his evil ways. The people we choose to follow impact our lives.  They can easily deceive us, leading us into pits. But there is a way to avoid the pit, Jesus.

When we follow Jesus, He will never lead us into a pit.   Following Jesus gives us life in abundance:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  (John 10:10 NIV)

The blind lead the blind into a pit, but Jesus leads us into life

Question of the Day:

Who are you following today?

Further Reading:  Deuteronomy 4:1-49 NIV, Luke 6:39-7:10 NIV, Psalm 68:1-18 NIV, Proverbs 11:28 NIV

“The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.” (Deuteronomy 2:7 NIV)

The truth is, if you are following God, you don’t lack anything.  In today’s scripture, the Israelite’s have been wandering around the desert for 40 years.  Their wandering is coming to an end, God is reminding them, in all of that time, they lacked nothing.  These people didn’t have homes, they slept in tents. Their food was bread, literally dropped from heaven on a daily basis.  The Israelite’s complained there was no meat, so God provided quails for them to eat (Exodus 16 NIV).  They lacked nothing, they had clothes on their back, food in their stomachs, and a place to sleep at night.  When you follow God, you lack nothing.

When you follow God, you lack nothing.

The problem isn’t that we lack something, the problem is what we think we need.  We think we need electricity, running water, and a solid roof over our head to live.  But according to God, we don’t. All of those things are luxuries that God has provided for us, but they aren’t necessities.  They are things to thank God for every day. After going on a mission trip to El Salvador and visiting the home of a single mother, I’ve not taken those things for granted.

Her name was Marisol, she had two children.  They lived in a small, adobe home with her parents and grandparents.  All of them living in very cramped quarters. A large cistern sat next to the house, filled with water that was used for everything.  The water was not clean, dysentery is one of the deadliest diseases in third world countries, especially for children.  They had the luxury of an outhouse, which I had the privilege to use.  That experience is one I will never forget. I was there for a few hours, this was their everyday life. 

Beside their small abode, there was a large open room.  This is where they meet for church every week. This is where they sang to us songs of joy to the Lord for the life He had given them.  This is where they praised Him for our support of them. This is where I saw His light shine brightly in their lives. They lacked nothing, they were grateful for what they had.

We can learn from these Christ following El Salvadorians.  Like them, we can focus on what we do have, not on what we don’t have.  We can follow Jesus, no matter where He takes us, being thankful for His provision.  They show us that when we follow God, we truly lack nothing.

Question of the Day:

What can you thank God for today?

Further Reading:Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29 NIV, Luke 6:12-38 NIV, Psalm 67:1-7 NIV, Proverbs 11:27 NIV

“Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!  So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.”  (Psalm 66:3 NIV)

God makes His enemies cringe before Him.  God’s enemies should be our enemies. God has seven things He despises:

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes,  a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” (Proverbs 6:16-19 NIV).

God’s enemies are our enemies.

Haughty is defined as arrogantly superior and disdainful.  Think mean girls, this is the leader of the pack.  She’s the one devising new ways to torture those less fortunate.  God’s not a fan. Then there are the liars, Jesus came to tell the truth, not to lie.  Hands that shed innocent blood, God finds them detestable. Someone who devises wicked schemes, this is the person who is constantly manipulating others for their own benefit, God knows their heart.  Feet that are quick to rush into evil, this is the person who goes looking for trouble, for whatever reason. Someone who tells lies against another, that isn’t going to end well for them. And a person who stirs up conflict in the community, they’ll regret it.  There are so many ways to stir up trouble; gossiping, slandering, lieing. People who do it deliberately. These are the enemies of God, they will cringe before Him when the truth is revealed.

We have all been enemies of God.  That is a harsh truth, but it doesn’t make it any less true.  I’ve lied, I’ve manipulated, I’ve instigated, I’ve stirred up conflict and God has made me cringe at those actions.  He has held up the mirror of truth to me and reflected back to me what I have done. We are all guilty of detestable things, none of us are without sin.  We want our enemies to cringe, we just don’t want to admit, sometimes that enemy is ourselves. We want God to make others pay for their crimes, but we don’t want to pay for ours.  Vengeance is a slippery slope that is best left alone. 

Grace is God’s answer.  He wants us to draw near to Him:

“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:8-10 NIV).

We all have been enemies of God at some point.  But when we humble ourselves and draw close to Him, He covers us with His grace.  In His awesomeness, He lifts us up and gives us new life.

Question of the Day:

How can you draw near to God today and let His grace lift you up?

Further Reading: Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46 NIV, Luke 5:29-6:11 NIV, Psalm 66:1-20 NIV,Proverbs 11:24-26 NIV

“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.”  (Psalm 65:8 NIV)

Jesus has the power to make you a singer.  Not only will you be singing, they will be songs of joy all day long.  Our lives are our song, we determine what we sing and who our conductor will be.  When we give Jesus the baton, we can sing like never before. Casting Crowns has a song called Lifesong.  I have always loved the lyrics:

Let my lifesong sing to you

I want to sign your name

To the end of this day

Lord led my heart was true

Let my lifesong sing to you

When Jesus becomes our conductor, our lifesong will be full of joy.

Our lifesong begins the minute we wake up in the morning.  The chorus of our song is defined by who we give the baton to each day.  If we hand it to Jesus, no matter what our circumstances are, we will sing songs of joy.  Unfortunately, most of the time we don’t pass the baton. We hold onto it, afraid to let it go.  We write words on it: worry, fear, anxiety, sadness. We ruminate on them over and over again. Our lifesong doesn’t sing a note, our thoughts are too heavy to carry a tune.  Let go of the baton, give it to Jesus. Let Him be the conductor of your life.

Lauren Daigle has handed the baton to Jesus.  She is a platinum crossover musician because she is following Him, completely.  And her songs weren’t always at number one. In fact, she was cut twice from American Idol, not making it into the final round of 24 contestants.  Yet she continued to sing a lifesong of joy. Lauren’s heart for the Lord can be seen by all as she sings her lifesong back to Him. 

If you tell Alexa to play the Lauren Daigle playlist, you’ll hear Lauren describe what each song means to her.  When she talks about “You Say,” she explains how it became her song she sings over herself every night.  She uses the words to remind her of who she is, daily. They help her sing her lifesong of joy.  Let her lyrics remind you of who you are:

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing

You say I am strong when I think I am weak

You say I am held when I am falling short

When I don’t belong, oh You say that I am Yours

And I believe, oh I believe 

What You say of me 

I believe

The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me

In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity, 

Question of the Day:

Who is holding the baton in your life?

Further Reading: Numbers 33:40-35:34 NIV, Luke 5:12-28 NIV, Psalm 65:1-13 NIV, Proverbs 11:23 NIV