Author: Beth Morrison

One-minute read.

Yesterday, I talked about speed enforcement in our new area, which has helped me become a better driver.  Besides speeding, I now drive on two-lane roads more than ever. Living in the city, I drove on highways, and I rarely ever drove on country roads like I do now.  Making the adjustment to cars coming directly at me, I have one thought: “Don’t swerve. Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, stay in your lane.”

Following God on the narrow path develops a similar mindset.  Keep the Son in your eyes and don’t swerve to the left or right.  Every situation has the same question: What’s the right thing to do? With every person we meet, we must ask: What’s the best way to love them?  God’s word gives us the answers to the questions.  As Solomon writes in the book of Ecclesiastes, “there’s nothing new under the sun” (1:9).

Of all the commandments, Christ told us the most important one: “love God, love others” (Mark 12:30-31).  The Savior commands us to love, and we can only do that by staying in our lane and following Him closely.  When we do, He’ll give us everything we need to fulfill the command.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us a lane and the help to stay in it.  Please give us the strength we need to love God and others with our whole heart, mind, and soul.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

To enjoy the benefits of God’s promises, we must do them.  Living by the Lord’s statutes opens the door for abundant blessings as we consistently do the right thing.  However, people who blatantly ignore the Creator’s guidelines will have more turmoil in their lives and not experience the joy that comes from the Lord.

Moving to an area with strict speed enforcement, I’ve become a better driver.  Having received my first speeding ticket in years, it slowed me down. Thankfully, I received grace in the situation and didn’t have to pay it, but I learned my lesson.  And, I enjoy driving more than I have in years, obeying the speed limit, and not worrying about blue lights flashing behind me.

Following God’s precepts helps us enjoy life to the fullest.  Knowing that our actions please the Lord releases us from the negative emotions of shame and guilt.  Living by the Maker’s rules not only gives us a healthy relationship with Him, but also with others.  God calls us to live a life of integrity, honor, and commitment.  We will live up to our words, tell the truth, and become a trustworthy ally to those who know us.

Wicked people lie, steal, and cheat.  But those who follow Jesus strive to tell the truth, respect others, and do the right thing.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us a way to live, and the means to do it.  Please help us honor You in all we say and do.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Adopting a rescue dog, our new family member came from Georgia.  Only a month old, the shelter called New Ratittudes, a non-profit organization that saves Rat Terriers.  Ruby, a rat terrier, Jack Russell mix, has sad eyes and a timid personality.  Volunteers from Pilots and Paws Rescue mission flew her to us, delivering her from dire circumstances into her ‘furever’ home.

God sees our afflictions, just like the people at New Rattitude saw Ruby’s.  The Lord rescues us from our shelters and gives us new life through Christ.  Jesus, who pleads our cause, takes on our sins and restores our relationship with the Father, lives up to His promise of redemption.

The day Ruby arrived, we went to the airport early so I could video the plane landing.  Beyond excited, I couldn’t wait to wrap my arms around Ruby and make her mine.  Jesus gets even more excited when we place our faith in Him.  The angels sing, and all rejoice when a sinner places their faith in the Savior.

God delivers us from our sins and afflictions.  One day, we will enter His glory, where He will wipe away our tears, and every knee will bow.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for delivering us from the trials of this life.  Please help us remember Your presence at all times, guiding and directing us on the path we should take.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Jesus began His ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign (Luke 3:1). This means that approximately 1,995 years ago, Christ died.  In the 40 days after His resurrection, over 500 people saw Him.  Since the Savior’s ascension, the church has continued to grow, people sharing the gospel, and what Jesus did and does for them.  The Lord’s testimonies stand the test of time.

In the past five years, I can think of several movements that have started and ended.  Political agendas founded on lies, social movements that began and ended with selfish motives, false religions that made people their god, the names and faces change, but the surface-level movements continue to fail time and again.

Scripture stands the test of time.  Many people take God’s word out of context, trying to make it their agenda, but the truth always prevails.  Every one of us has sinned in our lives, a battle we all fight.  Taking the plank out of our eye, we have no time to focus on the splinter in someone else’s.  Staying in our lane, following Jesus along the narrow path, takes intention, commitment, and dedication.  What we put into our relationship with God determines what we receive from it.

God’s word, founded forever, prevails when nothing else does.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us the lasting foundation of Your word that stands the test of time.  Help us apply Your testimonies to our lives and receive the benefits that come from trusting and obeying.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Reading a morning devotional, the writer introduced me to a new phrase, “Be the thermostat, not the thermometer.”  In other words, set the temperature by keeping your eyes focused on things from above instead of things in the world.  When we keep the Son in our eyes, we can set the tone for any situation.

People with evil intent fall quickly before the Lord.  God knows the hearts of all and the intentions that lie within them.  Trusting the Creator to judge allows us to set the thermometer high, turning up the heat on those who would cause harm and introducing them to the Giant that lives within us.

The Lord’s steadfast love, constant companionship, and victorious ways should embolden us when facing wrongful persecution.  We can rely on the Almighty not only to protect us but to defeat the evil manipulations of others. We can cultivate a temperature of love, peace, and acceptance by relying on God to care for us.

Set the thermostat to unconditional love, grace, and mercy by trusting the Lord.  Allow God to take care of any necessary temperature adjustments with His sovereign view of the world.  The Lord knows which path we should take; let Him lead.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for helping us set our thermostat according to Your word and promises.  Please help us set the temperature to reflect Your love, grace, and mercy.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

An early riser, I often get up before Ron, enjoying the quietness of the predawn.  Many mornings, I awake and lie in bed, thinking about God, His promises, and the day ahead, all blending to formulate my plan for the coming hours.

This morning, I lay in bed thinking about the new addition to our family, Ruby.  After weather delays, God willing, today’s clear skies would allow the Pilots and Paws crew to fly the once-abandoned puppy to her forever home.  Praying for the new arrival, I thought of the Lord and His love for all creatures, asking God to allow for a smooth transition into our home.

Trusting the Creator’s promises gives me a solid foundation for moving forward in life. God promises to provide our needs for the tasks He assigns, never leaving nor forsaking us.  Believing His words gives me hope for the days to come and strengthens me during trials, that what waits on the other side of the mountain will make the climb worth it.

Memorize and meditate on the Lord’s promises.  Start your day thinking about your Maker, and allow Him to set the tone for the hours to come.  Trust and obey, finding hope in God’s word.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for the reliability of Your word that not only guides and directs us but gives us hope.  Let us lean into Your promises as we face the day ahead.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

In life’s desperate moments, when we call out to the Savior, we expect immediate answers.  Unfortunately, the Lord doesn’t work on our timeline.  However, God never stops working for us; sometimes, He does the most while we wait.

Clinging to the Lord’s promises and trusting them to come true will help us persevere while we wait for God to open the next door.  We spend a lot of time in the hallway, waiting for doors to open that take us into the next chapter of our lives.  How we wait matters just as much as what happens when we walk through the threshold, sometimes even more.

Faith requires action.  Putting God’s word into practice means taking action, whether praying for our enemies, forgiving someone who has offended us, or blessing someone in need; all these actions require movement.  And the Lord tells us that if we align our hearts with His, doing what He desires, we will receive divine blessings and answers to our prayers.

Life happens, as do desperate moments when we flounder, looking for direction.  Searching God’s word will give us the guidance we need and help us persevere as we wait for His answer.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for Your divine guidance that comes from Your word.  Please help us wait well as we persevere through life’s difficulties, waiting for You to answer.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

As a novice gardener, roots fascinate me.  Planting a small seed in the ground then watching it grow into a vibrant plant brings me joy.  I planted zucchini and squash at the beginning of the season; they have grown into monstrous plants with big, green leaves and a multitude of flowers that turn into my favorite vegetables. The vegetables thrive because of their root system, a miraculous event to me.

What we root ourselves in determines what we will grow.  The psalmist has rooted himself in God’s commands, growing in the Lord and producing a crop of faith that he shares with others.  When we plant ourselves on the rock of salvation, daily dying to self and living for Jesus, we will produce fruit that flourishes and nourishes others.

Eating the zucchini from my garden brings me joy, not only because of its yummy goodness but because I watched it grow and yield its offerings.  Already, I’ve shared my small crop with several friends, blessing them with fresh produce.

Root yourself in the Lord, applying His commands to your life, and watch as you produce a crop you never imagined you could.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us Your commandments allowing us to root ourselves in Your truth.  Please help us grow and produce the desired fruit we can share with others.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

In life, we have little that we can rely upon because things change constantly. Hours slip into days, that slip into years, with slight changes that we overlook, until one day we realize that nothing remains the same. However, God’s word never changes; it stands the test of time.

The same truths taught thousands of years ago remain true. Christ’s church continues to grow because the rock doesn’t waver; standing on it, we can find solid ground.

“History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.”

Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NLT)

Although the world around us changes, the human condition still struggles with the same issues it has always faced: betrayal, deceit, selfishness, entitlement, jealousy, and so on. But God’s word has the antidote to our instincts. We can cling to the promises found in scripture and find victory over our old self.

Clothe yourself in Christ, practicing His teaching, and become more loving and kinder to a dark world that desperately needs it. Nothing new exists under the sun; the struggles of our ancestors and ours remain the same. But in Jesus, we can find a new way to live and experience the joy that comes from following the Savior.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us Your word to cling to and apply to our lives, discovering victory over our human nature.  Please help us win the battle of the flesh as we follow You,

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

As a member of the prayer team for an international organization that partners with churches around the world, my awareness of the persecution of believers has increased.  Each week, we pray for the pastors and churches that endure attacks of all kinds against their congregations, things we can’t even imagine in America.  And yet their zeal for the Lord continues to grow, and their passion for spreading the gospel fuels the fire.

Stories of miraculous conversions, divine protection, and exponential growth encourage not only us, but also the foreign pastors and their people.  A school in Africa comes to mind that didn’t exist two decades ago, but now, with the help of the organization, it boasts over 1,500 students within its walls, children who now know and love Jesus.

God’s enemies attack but never win.  Amidst persecution, the Lord’s word thrives, multiplying more and more.  Like a sprout in a barren field, it only takes one seed to begin the harvest.  As the leaves of the gospel blossom, producing more seeds, carried by the wind to other areas, God’s kingdom continues to grow.

Applying the Lord’s word to our lives results in miraculous events that produce passion and zeal for more.  God paves the way for His kingdom work, leading us along the path of abundant life.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for igniting the fire in our souls and fanning the flames with Your miraculous works in our lives.  Please bless our efforts as we strive to live and serve You.

IJNIP. Amen