Category: Uncategorized

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezra 9-10 GW; Psalms 32 GW

Hidden sin exhausts.

When we try to disguise our misdeeds, it has physical effects.  Because we’ve judged and condemned ourselves, we can feel miserable, weak, and isolated from God.  The longer the secret continues, the worse we feel.  Groaning becomes our companion.

At this point in life, I’ve learned trying to hide my flaws is pointless.  Accepting my sinful nature helps me honestly discuss my struggles with God.  No matter how hard I try not to make mistakes, more mishaps occur.  But if I embrace my imperfections and give them to God, my weakness becomes my strength, and my groaning turns to praise.

“I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt.  I decided to confess them to you, O Lord. Then you forgave all my sins. Selah” (Psalm 32:5 GW)

Selah means to pause or break.  After the psalmist confessed his sins, he found rest.  When we admit our faults to God, we can relax.  Instead of groaning, we can praise God for making us whole.  God cleanses us from our sins, separating them as far as the east is from the west.  But first, we must confess.

Confession leads to rest.

When we tell God our secrets, He responds with unconditional love.  No matter what the offense, God forgives.  Then He takes what was terrible and uses it for His good.

One of the most uplifting stories I’ve heard lately is about an ex-convict who turned his life over to God.  After spending 20 years in prison, he began a new life in Christ.  Now he lives on a literal mountain top where he takes beautiful photos of God’s creation and shares them with the world.  He tells his story to youth groups, hoping to deter young people from making the choices he made.  God turned his groaning into praise.

Don’t try to hide your faults.  Confess to God the heaviness of your soul.  End the groaning, turn it into praise.

Lord, thank You for meeting our sins with unconditional love.  Forgive us for trying to hide from You what You already know.  Help us become comfortable with our imperfections.  As we confess them to You, use our stories to help others find freedom in You.  Give us the courage to confess.  Let our groanings become praise.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What do you need to tell God today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Psalms 126 GW; Ezra 6-8 GW

Plant seeds of love.

When a religious leader asked Jesus what the Greatest Commandment is, He responded:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 NIV)

In other words, our primary mission in life is to love God, love others. Every person we meet falls into this commandment.  Therefore, God’s asking us to plant seeds all of the time, even when our hearts ache from the trials of life. 

Hurting hearts first inclination isn’t to love.  When something happens that shatters our world, planting seeds of love becomes more difficult.  People want others to hurt with them.  But God wants us to give Him our hurts, trusting He will heal our hearts.  

Part of life’s journey is loving God in the valleys.  When God isn’t answering, we’re to trust. Even as the salty droplets roll down our cheeks, we’re to plant seeds of love.  

Hearts heal with love.

Loving others amid your pain will help heal your heart.  When my nephew died seven years ago, my life was devastated.  As God healed my heart, he led me to a new career, coaching.  Six months after Cody’s death, I taught my first tennis class.  Six years later, we’ve introduced 100’s of kids to the sport of a lifetime.  As our high school students move onto college, new kindergarteners begin their journey.  What for me started as seeds planted with tears is now my joyful harvest.

Life’s hardships will cause tears.  But trust Jesus with your pain will bring a joyful harvest.  The seeds you plant with tears will bring you eventual joy.  Trust God with your pain.  Let Him heal your heart.

Lord, thank You for healing our hearts. Forgive us for hurting others because of our pain.  Help us today; give You our pain.  As we release our hurts to You, heal our hearts.  Let us plant seeds of love, watering them with our tears.  May we joyfully sing during the harvest from the seeds we plant.  Let Your light shine brightly within us.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What seeds are you planting?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezra 3-5 GW; Haggai 1-2 GW

Carefully consider your ways.

Haggai, the prophet, is beginning a series of fiery messages for the Israelites.  God’s temple lies in ruins while people focus on their own homes.  Originally, restoring God’s house was the top priority, but everyday personal issues got in the way.  Instead of working on God’s home, they put their needs before His.  As a result, Haggai is about to call them to the task.

In reality, the Israelites are kidding themselves about their priorities.  Even though they started the temple, they didn’t finish it.  Whatever seeds they planted withered away from neglect.  Nothing satisfies them; food, drink, clothing, money all fall short of God’s presence in their lives.  Like the Jews, we get caught up chasing after the material things of this world instead of focusing on God.

The worst part of our self-absorption, we’re not honest about it.

If people were honest with themselves, they would admit, a lot of problems in life come from their creation.  No one else forces us to do the things we do.  We can try and blame God, but overspending isn’t God’s fault.  Not having gratitude for our food and clothing isn’t God’s problem; it’s ours.   

Choose honesty.

“For 24 years of my adult life, by choice,ourI weighed well over 200 pounds. I say ‘by choice’ because I have never ‘accidentally’ eaten anything, so when I choose to eat too much, I have chosen to weigh too much.” Zig Ziglar

What we do in our daily lives happens one decision at a time.  If we’re lying to ourselves, the truth will reveal itself in our actions and words.  Whether we weigh 200 pounds or have finances out of control, those things happen because of our choices.  God didn’t do those things to us; we did them to ourselves.

Become self-honest.  Consider your ways.  Look at your actions through God’s lens. Let God’s truth reveal the lies you believe.   Build God’s house; let God build yours.

Lord, thank You for reminding us of our selfish ways.  Forgive us for not considering our actions.  Help us today do an honest evaluation of our life.  Show us the areas we need to work on in the days ahead.  Help us become more like Jesus as we focus our attention on you.  Let us stay on task today for You.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What do you need to take responsibility for in your life today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading:  Ezra 1-2 GW; Psalms 84 GW

God blesses innocent living.

Innocent means free from guilt; not having done wrong or violated any law; not tainted with sin; pure; upright. In this general sense, no human being that is a moral agent. Free from the guilt of a particular crime or evil action. Lawful; permitted.  

Jesus is the only truly innocent person to walk the earth.  Placed on the cross, He paid the price for our sins, not His.  When we put our faith in Jesus, we become innocent.   God forgives us of our past and gives us a future filled with hope.  Our role is to “Go now and leave your life of sin,” the same as Jesus commanded the adulterous woman (John 8:11 NIV).

Innocent living is done one day at a time.  When God convicts you of sin in your life, you address it.  Confess the misdeed, accept God’s forgiveness and try not to do it again.  If you falter, repeat the process.  

God blesses effort.

Jesus makes us innocent.  To live upright, we must follow Him. God will bless our efforts as we stumble along.  We have to learn to have grace when we falter, and we also need to accept that we will falter.

Teaching tennis camp this summer, I had a particular student that was incredibly hard on herself.  Because she expected perfection from every shot, the slightest error caused her discouragement.  Taking her aside, I asked her to do me a favor; would she please give herself a break.  The more she beat herself up, the worst she played.  I explained to her; no one does anything well the first time they do it.

Innocent living isn’t something we can do without Jesus.  Trying to leave our imperfections behind will require grace.   Don’t beat yourself up because you’re not perfect.  Instead, accept that God created you for a purpose.  God knows you will falter. He blesses you abundantly for trying to do the right thing.

Do the best you can to live innocently.  Give yourself grace when necessary.  God will bless your efforts.

Lord, thank You for giving us Jesus to cleanse us.  Forgive us for our sins.  Help us strive to do better than we did yesterday.  Day by day, moment by moment, help us live innocently, serving You wholeheartedly.  Help us have grace for ourselves.  Please bless our efforts.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What do you need to forgive yourself for today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Psalms 78 GW

God can!

Psalm 78 is a “maskil” psalm because of the wisdom found within its verses.  Written by Asaph, a Levite singer in David’s court, he was the son of Berechiah.  In the second-longest Psalm in the Bible, the author reminds us of the miracles God performed in the past.  Asaph reminds his readers, even though God provided food for the Israelites in the desert, they complained.

Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites are constantly flip-flopping.  One minute they are in awe of God’s mighty power because of what He does for them; the next minute, they doubt God will provide for them.  

Even after acknowledging God brought water from a rock, causing a minor flood, they question whether He will feed them.  Really?  You witnessed water come from a rock, but you don’t think God will give you food.  Dumb questions come when we ignore what we know.  And God was angry:

“When the Lord heard this, he became furious. His fire burned against Jacob and his anger flared up at Israel because they did not believe God or trust him to save them.” (Psalm 78:21-22 GW)

Believe God can.

Faith believes God can.  The reason the Israelites asked a dumb question was that they ignored what they knew.  Instead of trusting a God that brought water from a rock, they doubted Him.  

What more does God have to do to prove He will provide?

We’re the same as the Israelites.  Even though God delivered us from storms we faced in the past, we don’t think He will get us through the current one.  We doubt God’s ability to “fix” the next crisis.  Instead of trusting God, we ask, “Can God do this?”  The answer is always, “Yes, He can.” But how God performs the miracle is up to Him.

No one expected the water to come from a rock (Exodus 17:1-7 NIV), the Red Sea to part (Exodus 14:21 NIV), or a burning bush to talk (Exodus 3:1-17 NIV), yet they did.   How God meets your needs, only God knows.  But can He, absolutely.

Lord, thank You for Your provision in our lives.  Forgive us for doubting You and forgetting so quickly what You’ve done for us in the past.  Help us today trust You more.  Remind us of how You’ve delivered us in the past.  Give us confidence. You can help us again.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What miracles have you seen God perform?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading:  Psalms 117-118 GW; 2 Chronicles 35-36 GW

Trust God, not man.

Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse of the Bible.  Buried in the heart of God’s word is this gem.  Place your expectations on God, let people off the hook.

We all share a common problem.  Instead of expecting God to meet our needs, we want people to do it.  When people disappoint us, which they always do, we get mad.  But the truth is, we’re not to expect from people; God is where we are to look.

Unrealistic expectations of people set them up for failure.  If I expected my husband to fill the void in my heart only God can fill, he’s going to fail. Even the most trustworthy person on the planet will break your trust.  Part of the human condition is imperfect relationships with others.  No one on earth is as trustworthy as our Father in heaven.

God is dependable.

Just because God doesn’t run the world the way you think He should, doesn’t mean He’s not dependable.  God has the bird’s eye view we don’t possess.  He knows the beginning, middle, and end of the story.   No one else but God is trustworthy to do what He says He will do.  Humans will fail, but God never does.

“Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you.” Oswald Chambers

Lower your expectations of people, raise them of God.  Allow God to work in others’ lives as He wishes.  Don’t try and make everyone the same.  Don’t place unrealistic expectations on those you love.  Allow their lives to unfold as they will, realizing, God’s purpose is different for each of us.

Letting people off the hook brings freedom to your relationships.  Instead of living in constant disappointment, you can enjoy your loved ones for who they are.  Place your trust in God; allow people their imperfections.  God is your hope.

Lord, thank You for Your trustworthiness and dependability.  Forgive us for placing expectations on the people in our lives they can’t meet.  Help us let people off the hook as we put our hopes and dreams in Your hands.  Meet our needs today.  Help us love people well without expecting anything from them.  In You, we place our trust.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

Who are you placing unrealistic expectations on today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Chronicles 33-34 GW; Psalms 16 GW

God knows what’s best.

People like to pick and choose pieces of the Bible to follow.  Guidelines they don’t like, they ignore.  For instance, premarital sex.  God sets a boundary line for us on our sexual activities. 

“But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”  (1 Corinthians 7:9 NIV)

Why does God set this boundary?

As an individual who did things my way during my 20’s, completely ignoring God, my answer to this question, God’s commandment protects you from heartache.  When I was single, engaging in premarital sex, my heart took a beating.  Time and again, I was the one left picking up the pieces of what I thought was a relationship, but in reality, it was just sex.

Finally, after having my heart returned to me on a platter by someone I thought I would marry, I realized I needed to change my ways.  Raised in the church, I turned back to what I knew, God.    And I learned, God isn’t a party pooper. He’s a party maker.

Accept God’s invitation.

Turning back to God meant changing the way I lived my life.  No more premarital sex.  God’s word is clear on this point; I decided to apply His commands to my life.  The first man I met in church pressured me heavily for sex.  When he realized I was serious about my commitment, he informed me of the other women who were happy to sleep with him.  God’s rules protected my heart.

Now, 20 years later, I’m in a pleasant place, married to the love of my life.  Our relationship started on a tennis court and developed over time.  Our first kiss was 11 months after we met; we married less than a year later.  He’s my best friend; every day together is a gift for which I praise God.  Never did I imagine life as it is.  Only with God did I find my way here.

Place God’s boundary lines in your life.  You will grow in ways you can’t imagine. God will lead you to pleasant places.

Lord, thank You for your guidelines.  Forgive us for not following the ones we don’t like.  Help us today, put Your word into practice in our lives.  Lead us to pleasant places.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

Which of God’s boundaries are you not keeping?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Chronicles 31-32 GW; Psalms 112 GW

Good manners bring light.

Growing up, I heard my mom say on many occasions say, “You don’t have to be mean.”  Only in therapy in my fifties is understanding dawning.  My mother was telling me, I had a choice in how I respond to situations.  When things didn’t go my way, I became angry and somewhat challenging to deal with at times.  Growing in Christ teaches me to respond differently.

Jesus helps you realize; you’re hurting heart isn’t permission to mistreat others.  Trouble in life is something we will experience:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 GW)

Whatever storm we face, Jesus overcame it for us.  Accepting the trouble that comes our way means trusting God to get us through it.  Why?  Because of Jesus, He overcomes the world with His death and resurrection.  In Him, we have His eternal light shining through us.

Bring the Light

When we choose courtesy towards others rather than justice for ourselves, we’ll bring light into our lives.  God’s economy is counterintuitive.  Instead of hurting those who hurt you, love them.  Practice the fruits of the spirit in all of your relationships:

“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 GW)

To receive God’s gifts from the Spirit, you must give them away.  If I had listened to my mother and “not been mean,” I would have a much better relationship with my brothers than the one I currently have.  When they hurt me, I was mean back to them.  Who wants to spend time with someone who isn’t nice?  No one.

Jesus wasn’t mean.  People flocked to Him because of His kindness.  In all He did, Jesus was a gentleman.  

Don’t make the same mistakes I did.  Choose kindness instead.  Light will flood your life.

Lord, thank You for giving us, Jesus.  Forgive us for the times in our lives we’ve been mean.  Help us to forgive ourselves and start again.  Let Your light shine through us to the dark world around us.  All the glory is Yours.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What relationship do you need to invest in today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Chronicles 29-30 GW; Psalms 95 GW

Thankful hearts are joyful.

Beside my bed lays a gratitude journal.  One of my closest friends and I are intentionally taking five minutes out of our day to answer three questions:

• What was the best moment of your day?
• What was the worst moment of your day?
• What are you most thankful for today?

Typically, I do mine in the morning when I make the bed.  Since we started doing this in March, I’ve come to a realization.  My life isn’t as bad as I thought.  Taking time to answer question number two with intention, the worst moment of my day impacted my life.  Why?  Because I can’t come up with a “worst moment” on many days, and when I do, it’s lame.  

However, I have yet to struggle with the best moment of my day.  Every morning I wake up is a blessing.  Having the ability to walk and talk, engage in physical activity, cook dinner, spend time with my Honey, all things make me come into the Lord’s presence shouting happily with praise.

Answer the questions.

If you want to cultivate an attitude of gratitude, try what my friend and I are doing.  Answer three questions each day for a month.  Your mindfulness will help you realize where you are focusing your thoughts.  

For me, I started practicing gratitude years ago.  My “formula” for beginning my morning prayer is from Philippians 4:6:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

Each morning, I thank God for something before I request anything.  Instead of focusing on what I don’t have, this helps me remember all the blessings I enjoy—thinking about my “worst moment” accents the positive, giving me more opportunities to praise God.

Create a thankful heart with gratitude.  Become intentional about your day.  Write down the highs and lows, then thank God for His presence in both.

Lord, we come into Your presence shouting praise.  Forgive us for thinking we had nothing to thank You for today.  Help us become more mindful of Your presence in our lives.  Cultivate in us a thankful heart as we move through our days.  All glory is Yours.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What was the best moment of your day?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Chronicles 26-28 GW; Psalms 2 GW

Fear is a form of respect.

Healthy fear is recognition that someone or thing has power over you.  When I was in sixth grade in the late 1970s, my teacher was Mr. Morgan.  Tall, he had dark hair, sparkling eyes, and a rolling laugh.  Always quick with a smile, I forgot he was in charge.  One day, acting like a clown, I went too far.  Mr. Morgan’s reprimand was paddling in front of the entire class.  My stinging butt reminded me who was in control.

God is the same.  Our Creator, against who no ruler or army can stand has His limits.  If we refuse to submit to Him, He’ll let us have our way:

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25 NIV)

Serve with fear.

Don’t get caught up worshipping your creature self; worship your Creator.  He formed you in your mother’s womb, don’t forget His power. 

God is sovereign over all things of the earth.  Every breath we take, God provides.  When we have victory, the glory is God’s.  Without God, we can do nothing.  If you can’t breathe, you can’t live.

Serving God with fear means caring more about what God thinks than people think. 

You do things because you find direction in God’s word.  Forgiving, loving, helping, serving are all things God calls us to do.  Following God requires effort.  We’re not to sit idly by while the world passes us.  No, we’re to engage with the world and love them like Jesus.  When we do, we will rejoice with trembling.

Lord, thank You for helping us understand a little better what serving You in fear means.  Forgive us for not respecting Your sovereignty in our lives.  Help us today serve You well.  Give us boldness to do what You want us to do and not succumb to the world’s temptations.  Help us rejoice with trembling as we serve you.  All glory is Yours.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

Do you serve with fear?