Month: May 2021

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 20-22 GW; Psalms 52 GW

Friends inspire action.

Jonathan loved David.  They were the best of friends.  When Saul threatened David’s life, Jonathan protected him.  Jonathan sided with David against his father.  As a result, Saul threw his spear at Jonathan, trying to kill him.  Jonathan was willing to give his life for his friend.  He saved David from Saul’s wrath. Chapter 20 of today’s reading gives you all the details.  David’s friendship made Jonathan a better person; he took a stand against his father’s wickedness and saved his friend’s life.

We’ll do things for our friends we won’t do for ourselves.  When a friend is in need, we rise to the occasion.  Cooking meals, carpooling kids, cleaning houses, mowing lawns, all things we can do for friends who are struggling.  Some of my most specials times with friends are in the heat of the battle.

When my friend’s husband was in his last days, we found a Bible study on contentment.  I will never forget sitting at her dining room table, studying just a room away from where he lay.  Each week he declined more and more.  Then one Friday night, I got the call. Would I come help write his obituary?  Together we walked through the days and weeks ahead.  

Friends strengthen each other.

As my friend and I sought God amid the storm, we found His peace.  Going over to her house each week wasn’t easy.  Watching my friend die slowly was painful.  But together, with God’s strength, we weathered the storm.

Love for others motivates us into action.   I couldn’t stop my friend from dying, but I could help his wife continue living.  God is clear; our lives are but so long.  While we’re on earth, we are to live.  Friends make life easier.

Thank God for your friends.  Find ways to help them today.  Let them bring out the best in you.

Lord, thank You for friends.  Thank You for people to share life with today.  Forgive us for taking friendships for granted.  Help us today to become better friends with the people we love.  Like Jonathan, let us go the extra effort.   Let our friendships bring our best selves to light.  Lead us in the way we should go.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

Whose friendship has made you a better person?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Psalms 55 GW; 1 Samuel 18-19 GW; Psalms 42-43 GW

Troubled times cause questioning.

When disaster strikes, people look for God.  Finding someone to blame when something bad happens is a natural reaction.  I’ve found, people typically look to God first.  When my nephew died seven years ago at the age of twenty from Type One Diabetes, people asked me tough questions.

“Why did God let Cody die?”  “Why didn’t God heal him?” “What about all of those prayers you prayed for Cody?”

From my vantage point, God did heal Cody.  As a follower of Christ, he was completely healed, never having to take another insulin shot again.  But not the way I had hoped.  However, he still lives in my heart, travelling every where I go.  One day, we will have a reunion.  

My God was present on that warm day in September when Cody moved home to heaven.  He was with my family in every hug, note, meal we received.   As the days moved forward, God’s people helped us keep going.  When we couldn’t walk, they carried us.

God is here.

Where is God when trouble comes?  Here.  God is with you in the midst of the trial.  From our struggles, we gain the most incredible wisdom.  When life strips us bare and brings us to our knees, God is waiting.  Amid heartache is when God is closest.

When people ask you where your God is, tell them the truth.  God is with me.  He fills my lungs with air that allows me to breathe.  God gives us people to help us through difficult times.  Every hug, every prayer, every comforting word is proof of God’s presence.  Feelings lie, but God doesn’t:

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isiah 41:10 NIV)

Where is God?  Wherever you are.

Lord, thank You for never leaving us, especially amid trouble.  Forgive us for believing our feelings instead of Your promises.  Today, help us see You during the storm.  Give us eyes to see, ears to hear Your presence in our lives.  When people ask, “Where is your God?” Let us answer simply, “Here.”  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How does God let you know He’s present?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 17 GW; Psalms 27 GW

Daily tasks train warriors.

David was a shepherd.  Born around 1040 B.C., he was a teenager when Samuel anointed him king, and he took on Goliath.  God trained David to kill a giant with everyday tasks.   Part of a shepherd’s duty is protecting the flock from bears and lions.  David became an expert shots man with his slingshot and stones.  Therefore, when he came against Goliath, he wasn’t afraid.  David was well-practiced in the art of defense.  With God by his side, David knew he couldn’t lose.

Everyday chores have a purpose.  Paul, in his letter to the Colossians tells us:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23 NIV)

David did everything as if working for the Lord.  A shepherd’s life is not a glamorous one, yet God used the mundane to train a warrior.  God doesn’t waste anything.  Each job requires different skills.  Only God knows how He will use your skills to further His Kingdom.

Treasure the mundane.

Your Goliath is different from mine.  We all have giants we’re facing in life.  Just like David, we can slay them with what we already know.  When life feels out of control, and God seems quiet, doing the mundane chores of life occupy our minds while God works.  Sometimes the holiest thing you can do is make the bed.   One simple act leads to another, then another, defeating the enemy’s attacks, trying to keep you in the bed, not out of it.  And remember, God is always with you.

Just like David knew he could defeat Goliath because God was with him, you can have the same confidence facing your giant.  God is with you in the battle.  Trust Him for victory.  Watch as God turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Lord, thank You for not wasting a thing.  Every chore we do has a purpose.  Forgive us for thinking the mundane doesn’t matter.  Just as you trained David for his battles, you instruct us for ours.  As we go about our daily activities, give us a new perspective.  Help us see how you use everything for Your purpose.  Give us victory over our giants today as we work as unto You.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How is God using your daily life to defeat giants?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 15-16 GW; Titus 3 GW

God requires courtesy.

Following Jesus means treating people with respect.  God accepts people as they are; we are to do the same.  People don’t feel love if you’re cursing or quarreling with them.  But others will feel cared for if you listen to their ideas and respond in kindness.

My pastor’s family has a rule I’ve adopted into my life.  Be medium.  Don’t consider yourself better or worse than others, be medium.  In other words, we’re all equal; God loves us all equally.  No matter what color our skin, we all bleed red.  My mom always said, “If you turn people inside out, we all look the same.”  

Everyone you meet is a child of God.  Whether or not they choose to follow Him is their decision, but we are to love as Christ-followers.  

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV)

“World” means everyone.

God made no exceptions when it comes to loving people.  Everyone includes every single person you meet today; God wants you to show them kindness.  Jesus treated people courteously.  He listened to what they said; He sympathized with their problems.  Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and hope to the hopeless.  We have the opportunity to do the same today.

As you move through the next 24 hours, look for opportunities to love.  Take time to listen to people.  Don’t assume you know what they’re thinking.  No two people on earth think precisely the same way.  Give people a chance to talk.  Meet their needs if possible.  Lift them in prayer.  Encourage them.  Kindness is free.   Show love every chance you get.

Lord, thank You for the reminder of how we are to treat people.  Forgive us for thinking of ourselves either better or worse than others.  Help us love people equally.   Today, as we move through the world, don’t let us miss an opportunity to share kindness.  Quicken our Spirits to do Your will.  Let us respond to the promptings You give us to love others.  Don’t let us fall for the devil’s tricks.  In all things, let people know us for our love.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

Who can you show kindness to today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 13-14 GW; Titus 2 GW

Truth does matter.

In the world today, I often hear this phrase, “Live in your truth.”  But as my therapist says, three truths exist—your truth, my truth, and what actually happened.  God helps ground us in the third truth, reality.  We all share one fact in common:  we’re sinners in need of a Savior.  We all need Jesus.

Recognizing your need for a Savior means understanding; you’re part of the problem.  When I’m working on a relationship, God has plenty to teach me.  The people God places in my life that are the hardest for me to love grow me the most.  And the best way to love people is by living in the truth of God.

Accept responsibility.

To use accurate words, you must admit your part in the situation.  No one is ever entirely right or wrong.  Telling the real truth means saying what actually happened.  If you started yelling and wouldn’t listen to what the other person was saying, own it.  Admit you were wrong.  If you didn’t communicate well, learn from the lesson, try better next time.  

Accurate words require brutal honesty, not only with others but yourself.  Jesus helps us accept our imperfections.  He loves each one of us, no matter what.  When we are weak, He is strong.  You can tell the truth and accept responsibility for your actions because Jesus loves you just the way you are.  Don’t doubt that fact for a moment.

Telling the real truth makes your accusers ashamed.  Facing the mirror of reality isn’t easy for anyone.  Grace is something we all need.  Remember, sometimes we’re the accusers.  When we’ve believed the wrong narrative, shame rears its ugly head.  Accepting our sinful nature allows us to give grace not only to others but to ourselves as well.

Lord, thank You for helping us accept ourselves, and in so doing, tell the absolute truth.  Forgive us for acting like someone we’re not and for believing false narratives.  In all we do today, let honesty lead the way.   Help us use accurate words at all times, and when the accuser realizes the truth, let us give them grace.  Praise Jesus; Your truth is absolute.  We can count on the Rock to stand firm amidst the lies.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How accurate are your words?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 10-12 GW; Titus 1 GW

Pass the peace.

One thing we can all do is spread goodwill to others.  Whoever you meet is a new opportunity to share God’s love.  Jesus greeted His disciples with this simple phrase:

“Peace be with you.” (Luke 24:36 NIV)

Paul followed in Jesus’s footsteps.  He opened each of his letters with “Grace and peace be with you.” (Rom. 1:7 NIV, 1 Cor. 1:3 NIV; 2 Cor. 1:2 NIV).   In his letter to Titus, Paul starts the same way, offering good tidings to his friend.

In a world full of turmoil, we need more peace.  Jesus gives us peace that surpasses all understanding.  The storm may rage around us, but calm resides within us.  We gain tranquility when we lay our burdens at the foot of the cross.  Once we have confessed our sins, we find rest from our worries in Jesus. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NIV)

Greet each other with peace.

Churches have “passed the peace” for centuries.  At some point in the service, congregants greet each other.   Traditional services use a simple exchange.  Shaking hands with their neighbors, they say, “The peace of the Lord be with you.”  Then they receive these words in turn, “And also with you.” 

We can pass the peace anywhere.  A quick embrace accompanied by “Praying God’s peace for you” can change someone’s day.  As you pass the peace to others, you’ll receive it yourself.  In turn, you will find joy.  Peace from the Lord brings inner happiness.  When we share what we’ve found with others, our pleasure is magnified.

Try passing the peace today.  Give a quick hug.  Utter a word of encouragement.  Pray for God’s peace to reign in the lives of the people you meet today.

Lord, thank You for Your peace that surpasses all understanding.  Forgive us for trying to find rest any other way than in You.  Today, allow us to experience Your peace like never before.  Help us to share what You give us with others.  Give us opportunities today to pass Your peace to everyone we meet.  As we do, let us experience the joy that comes from obedience to You. IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

Who can you pass the peace too today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Psalms 124 GW; 1 Samuel 7-9 GW

Remind people: God is an escape artist.

David is the author of Psalm 124.  He’s reminding Israel of a time when certain death loomed.  God provided a miracle to save them.  The Israelites needed reminding of how God rescued them from the past.  If God helped them escape once, He could do it again.

Whatever adversity you are facing, God has a plan.  Just like He saved the Israelites from their peril, God can save you from yours.  As David reminded the Israelites, we need to remind each other how God saved us in the past.

Journeying with Jesus means building community.  God never intended for us to do life alone.  We need others in our lives to help remind us of God’s goodness. Often, our community is precisely who God uses to help us out of life’s cages.  

Build community.

Living in a community with others helps you remember God.  The longer the friendship, the better the source.  When I talk to my lifelong friend Lori, she always helps me remember God’s work in my life.  We’ve known each other since Kindergarten.  Together, we’ve traversed life’s ups and downs, all while clinging to God.  When I need reminding of how God rescued me in the past, Lori is one of the people I call.

Develop a network of friends who are traveling in the same direction as you.  People who are following Jesus to the best of their ability.  Remember, the only perfect person is Jesus.  We all falter.  When someone doesn’t live up to perfection, forgive them.  We are all sinners in need of grace.  Don’t place expectations on people only Jesus can meet.

As you journey through life together, remind each other often of God’s goodness.  Previous escapes help you trust God for the next one.  Whatever the trap, God has an escape route just for you.

Lord, thank You for being our escape artist.  We’re grateful You provide a way out of our dilemmas for us.  Forgive us for doubting.  From our doubts, let our faith grow exponentially.  Remind us today how You rescued us in the past.  Give our spirit peace as we trust You more fully.  Just like You worked miracles for the Israelites, You’ll do the same for us.  All glory is Yours.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How has God rescued you in the past?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 3-6 GW; Psalms 97 GW

Rebel against evil.

Evil means “having bad qualities of a natural kind; mischievous; having qualities which tend to injury, or to produce mischief.”  When you see someone blatantly wicked, don’t tolerate it.  Even in the smallest of ways, evil is despicable.  And realize, sometimes the evil you need to address is in you.

We need Jesus to overcome our evil tendencies.  The fruits of the Spirit don’t come naturally to us:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

Only with Jesus can we produce good fruit.  Left to our own devices, our response amid an emotional moment isn’t necessarily love.  All of us differ in our struggles.  My go-to emotion is anger.  However, following Christ helps me to address the evil within me.  I’ve learned to identify the emotion quickly.  I handle it in myself with this passage:

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”  (Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV)

Fight evil with prayer.

When I feel myself beginning to boil over with anger, this verse comes to mind.  Remembering Paul’s words helps me contain the rage.  I’ve dropped to my knees amid the emotion and prayed fervently, “God, please don’t let me sin in my anger.”  100% of the time, He has kept me from sinning.  The problem is, I don’t pray 100% of the time when I’m angry.  Our battle against evil is ongoing.

Talk to God about the evil in your life.  Ask Him for help in addressing it.  Find a scripture to help you pray specifically.  Experience God’s peace as you produce His fruit.

Lord, thank You for the Holy Spirit at work within us, helping us overcome our evil tendencies.  Forgive us for tolerating any evil in our lives.  Today, as we face the challenges of this world, help us stand up to wickedness.  Cleanse us from within of our issues.  Fill us with Your Spirit, letting its fruit overflow in our lives.  Let us bring Your light into the world, wherever we are.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What evil are you tolerating today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 1-2 GW; Psalms 113 GW

God’s crafty.

When God is at work, we have no idea how.  Sometimes, we may get glimpses of Him working in our lives.  Typically, only when we look back can we see what God did.  When you do, you can’t help but smile.

Eighteen years ago, my pastor’s wife asked a bunch of girls out to play tennis.  She was looking for a hitting partner.  I made the cut.  We started playing tennis together every chance we got.  I had 60 hour work weeks, so we were creative.  From those days until now, God has completely transformed me.  God worked miracles in my life through tennis and the relationship we developed as a result.  Now, I’m doing what Lynda once did for me—teaching tennis and using it as an opportunity to love people for Christ.  

When I think how far God has brought me since then, I can’t help but smile. Hindsight is 20/20 because you can begin to connect the dots of God’s work.  One simple invite changed the direction of my life, and I didn’t even know it.  Looking back always makes me smile at God’s craftiness.

God is in all things.

Never underestimate God.  He’s in the simple moments, just as much as He’s in the hard ones.  No one is like the Lord, our God.  You may think you know what’s going to happen, but you don’t.  God just doesn’t think as we do, and none of us are God.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth,  so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)

Stop trying to figure God out.  Instead, embrace His sovereignty.  Begin looking for “God connections” in your life.  Start connecting the dots.  Smile at God’s craftiness in your life.

Lord, thank You for Your Sovereignty in our lives.  Forgive us for only looking for You when we need something.   Give us direction today as we go about our lives.  As we look back over our lives, show us the God connections.  Help us connect the dots of Your work.  Let Your light shine through our smile as we remember.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What are the God connections in your life?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Judges 20-21 GW; 2 Peter 3 GW

God’s timing is not ours.

One day is like a thousand years, a thousand years like a day to God.  Our human brain cannot comprehend this type of time; God lives outside the boundaries contained in a clock.  No matter what we do, God doesn’t work according to our timetable. 

Waiting is “the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.”  We all are waiting on something from God.  A prayer request, no matter how big or small, requires time to answer.  And God’s time is not our time.  We say delay, He says according to plan.

Waiting is meant to grow us, not frustrate us.  As we seek to entwine our lives with God, we have to wait for His direction.  Journeys take time; they don’t happen instantaneously.

Traveling with God is a trip that never ends.  As one of my favorite pastors says all the time:

“I’m just stopping by on my way to heaven.”  Pastor Thomas Dixon

Pack lightly.

Journeying with God doesn’t require a lot of luggage.  What you do need is trust.  When we wait, we must trust that God does know what He is doing.  From our perspective, we may think God needs some help many times in life because nothing makes sense.  Our limited vision from earth can’t possibly understand the entire story:

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV)

Give up trying to understand God’s timing.  Trust that He knows exactly what He is doing.  One day, you’ll see the whole picture.

Lord, Your ways are not our ways.  Thank You for having our best interest at heart.  In all things, You have a plan.  Forgive us for grumbling because Your plan makes no sense to us.  Forgive us for trying to understand things beyond our scope.  Instead, help us trust You more today.  Let us lean into you as the world presses in around us.  Give us Your peace to sustain us as we wait for Your move.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

How are you growing as You wait for God to move in your life?