Honest Reflections

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Numbers 34 GW; Psalms 134 GW

God sets boundaries.

When I read today’s daily reading, the word “borders” jumped out at me.  God is telling Israel what their boundaries are in the new land they are about to possess. Wherever you live, you know what your limits are.  My husband and I live in a house.  I know exactly where our lot ends, and our neighbors begin. Everyone knows to respect other people’s space.  God is telling the Israelites what their area is before He does anything else for them.  God knows we all need to know our place.

God knows we need borders in our relationships as well.  People need to understand their roles and the expectations people have for them.  For instance, on the way home from our honeymoon, my husband and I developed a budget.  Each of us has a certain amount of money we can spend without consulting the other person.  Anything above that number, we decide together.  We have borders in place with our money, which allows us to have peace in our relationship because we know our limitations.

Respect the borders.

Whether property lines or relational lines, a key to peace in your life is respecting the boundaries.   Whoever God gave you as parents; He did it intentionally.  A natural border in our life, God expects us to honor our parents.  When it comes to spouses, God is clear about how we are to treat them.  We are to submit to the authority God places in our lives.  Your boss has a different boundary than your friends.  In all relationships, God expects us to lead with love.  

Know the borders in your life.  Boundaries create healthy relationships.  Respecting people’s roles in your life promotes peace.

Lord, thank You for creating borders in our lives.  Forgive us for not respecting them.  Help us to have eyes to see and ears to hear the boundaries in our relationships.  Instead of trying to encroach on other people’s territory, help us accept them just as they are.  Let us lead with love in all we do.  When we interact with people today, let them feel refreshed from the encounter.  Help us uplift and encourage everyone we meet today.  In you, we can find our place in the world.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What border has God placed in your life that you’re not accepting?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Numbers 12 GW; Psalms 68 GW

God’s rain refreshes.

Currently, we’re in a wet period.  Rain is a daily occurrence.  Gray skies, chilly breeze, and lack of sunshine do not seem refreshing.  But in a few weeks, the trees will start to blossom, and flowers will bloom.  When you’re exhausted, you need an influx of God’s refreshing rain, just like land needs it to flourish.

God’s rain washes away the dirt from our lives.  As we turn to Him with open arms, He cleanses us internally, creating a new creature.

“You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the LORD, have created it.” (Isaiah 45:8 NIV)

Instead of dreading the rain, embrace it.  Think of the cleansing God is doing with the water droplets.  As He washes away the dirt, visualize God doing the same for you.  

Embrace the cleansing.

Think about a long shower after a day of toiling in the dirt—hot water rolls down your body, the color-changing to brown as it reaches your feet.  The filthier you are, the longer it takes to become clean.  But afterward, when you towel off and put on fresh clothes,  life is good.  The feeling of accomplishment coupled with the cleansing shower refreshes your soul.

God’s rain in our life has the same effect.  Areas of our life that are stealing God’s joy from us need cleansing.  We must open our hearts and let God’s rain into them.  When we do, He fills us with His salvation and righteousness.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the rain.  Forgive us for grumbling about the downpours in our life.  Instead, let us embrace the cleansing You are providing.  Help us to understand, rain is necessary.  Without the falling water, we would not have new life.  Without the showers, flowers can’t bloom, trees can’t bud.  Today, let Your rain create freshness in our souls.  Wash away our sins as You cleanse us from within with Your Spirit.  In You, we find life.  Help us share what we have seen in You with others, today and always.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What part of your soul do You need God to cleanse today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 26-27 GW; 1 John 5 GW 

Prayers of the heart meet God’s approval.

God doesn’t look at the outside of man; He looks within at his heart.  When we bear our hearts to Him, He listens. God hears real, authentic cries from His children.  He longs to interact with us on a personal level.  God wants us to lay all pretense aside and give Him the good, bad and ugly.

God doesn’t do fake.  He does real.  

Recently, I learned about besetting sin, defined as a “main or constant problem or fault.”  For instance, I have a sweet tooth.  When my students gave me Valentine’s candy at the end of class last week, the boxes were empty by morning.  I don’t buy sweets because I can’t resist sweets, one of my besetting sins.  Whatever our “sins” are that we can’t control, those are the ones God wants to talk about with us.  In Him, we can find victory.

God is waiting to hear from you.

Today, right now, God’s waiting for you.  He is like a mother whose child is returning from a long trip.  She counts down the minutes until she can talk to her baby, wrap him in her arms and feel his presence.  God longs for you to turn to Him.  Tell Jesus what you’re struggling with today.  Whatever nagging sin you battle within life, let God help you find victory.

“Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.” (1 Chronicles 16:11 NIV)

When you turn to God with an open heart, He listens.  Whatever your struggles, God has the answer.  But first, you have to turn to Him.

Lord, how thankful we are You listen and have the answers we need.  Forgive us for turning to other sources for strength instead of You.  Help us to see the error of our ways and turn back to You.  Give us courage to tell You everything.  Let us lay at your feet the sins we struggle with each day, knowing we can find victory in You.  Hear our cries, Lord.  In Your mercy, give us strength to overcome.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What are you holding back from God today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 24-25 GW; 1 John 4 GW

Believe in Jesus, receive His Spirit.

Beginning a relationship with Jesus means accepting His life, death, and resurrection as truth.  Your connection with God grows more profound as you do life with Him.  When Jesus ascended into heaven, He didn’t leave us hanging:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17 GW)

Jesus’s spirit within you is what changes you.  People will notice the difference the longer you walk with Christ.  People are skeptical when someone “gives their life to Christ.”  Following Christ means you’re in a state of becoming.  As you learn His ways, your life will change.  Jesus loves you how you are, but He doesn’t leave you that way.

Jesus wants you to live.

Following Jesus isn’t an insurance policy for when you die; it’s a way of life now.  His Spirit within you prompts you to live different from the world. 

“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)

When we’re living in sin, we’re not living fully.  Freedom comes when we trust Jesus.  Once you know something is a sin, you’re to stop doing it.  The only way you can stop is with Jesus’s Spirit helping you.  Together, you can overcome anything.

Father God, in your mercy, hear our prayers.  Help us see the sin in our lives so we can overcome it.  Forgive us for the struggles we have with sin.  Help us accept, we will always battle evil, but with You, we can have victory.  Let Your Spirit fill our every nook and cranny.  Change us from within our being.  Let the internal transactions with You change our external actions to the world.  Help people know us by our love.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How can you live your life to the fullest today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 22-23 GW; 1 John 3 GW

Giving our life to others is love.

Christ gave His life for us on the cross, yes.  He also gave His life every day He walked the earth.  Jesus set an example for us on how to live.  To imitate Him, we must die to ourselves every day. 

“Don’t act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves.” (Phil 2:3 GW)

In God’s eyes, we are all equal.  When we place our trust in Him, we acknowledge His ways are better than ours.  Jesus put others before Himself; we’re to do the same.  The longer I practice Jesus’s teaching in my life, the more I begin to understand His love.

Love can’t help but give.

Love isn’t something that dies.  The visual of Jesus hanging on the cross, innocent, yet condemned, is the greatest act of giving anyone could do.  God gave His Son so we could have life.  Jesus is the translator of God’s affection for us.  His Spirit lives within us, guiding and directing us through our days.  When we tap into the living water, we find ourselves giving more, not less.

My pastor used an analogy this week that hit home.  He was asked the question: “How do you know if someone has given their life to Christ?”  His answer was profound, “If someone has become a Christ-follower, how could you not know?”

Following Jesus changes who you are.  Spiritual guidance helps you find victory over your instincts.  Understanding love will make you want to give.  People will notice the difference.

Lord, how grateful we are for another day to pursue You.  Forgive us for the times we lose the battle over our flesh. Help us forgive ourselves, just as You have forgiven us.  Lord, give us a greater understanding of Your love for us today.  Let us receive your affection deep within our soul.  Allow the truth of your love for us to take root and blossom within us.  Then let us give freely to others what You have given us. IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

Who can you share love with today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 19-21 GW; 1 John 2 GW

God’s light is true.

When you place faith in Jesus, it’s the first pinprick of light in the darkness.  As you begin to develop a relationship with Him, the light gets brighter.  The better you know God, the brighter His light shines, the more the darkness fades.  But you have to take the journey.  You can’t just stop at the first pinprick.

My husband and I love taking road trips.  Our first long trip was to Miami, Florida, a three-day drive.  At the beginning of that journey, I knew my husband, but I knew him much better at the end of it.  We grew closer as we traveled together.  Traveling involves handling the unknown, fixing the flat tire, finding places to eat and sleep, driving the miles.  Each moment you experience together draws you closer, becoming one.

Journey with Jesus

Don’t just stop at believing in Jesus; live like Him.  Consider today the first day of a long road trip with Jesus.  Prepare yourself for challenges.  Understand, bumps in the road exist for everyone.  Jesus goes through the potholes of life with you.  Lean into His teachings.  Apply what He modeled to your life.  Use the gospels as your travel directory.  Each adversity you overcome with Jesus makes the light shine brighter; the darkness fades more.

Don’t let fear keep you from knowing Jesus.  He’s not condemning; He’s loving.  Jesus has the solution to life’s problems.  Take Him with you on the journey today.  Let His light shine stronger in you.  Watch the darkness fade.

Lord, how we love journeying with You.  Each day is a new adventure waiting to unfold.  Forgive us when we forget to take you on the journey.  Help us to remember who our constant companion is and what He does for us.  Jesus is the best travel partner.  He doesn’t judge, doesn’t argue, just loves.  Help us to imitate Him today.  Let today start a new journey with Jesus like we’ve never experienced.  IJNIP. Amen 

Question for reflection

How are you taking Jesus on the journey with you today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 16-18 GW; 1 John 1 GW 

God is light. 

Darkness is the absence of light.  When we enter into a relationship with Christ, it’s like turning a lightbulb on in our soul.  Our biggest battlefield is internal.  We condemn ourselves more than anyone else.  Each of us knows the sins we commit:

“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT)

Christ helps us live with ourselves.  His forgiving grace enters our souls and gives us hope for a better future.  His light helps us overcome our past mistakes, learning from them.  God extinguishes the darkness, illuminating our journey of becoming a new person in Christ.

Live in the light.

Participating in a relationship with God lights up your life.  As we seek Him daily, His light extinguishes the dark places of our soul.  But we have to invite Christ into our daily lives.  When we seek Him regularly, imitating what He did, we live in the light.

Light living means loving people more than yourself.  Forgiving people who hurt you frees you, not them.  Understanding you only know in part, Christ knows in whole helps you reserve judgment.  Pulling the plank from your eye before addressing the splinter in someone else’s’ will keep you humble.  

Let Christ’s light shine intensely into your soul.  Expel the areas of darkness with God’s lightbulb.  Allow Him access to all places, don’t hold back.

Praise You, God, for Your light.  Forgive us for not giving you all of our hearts. As we embrace the love, You offer, provide us with courage to let You into our soul.  Help us share the dark areas with You.  Give us understanding of Your love as we open ourselves up to You more and more each day.  Deepen our relationship with You as Your light illuminates the crevices of our soul.    Illuminate us.  Free us from sin.  Let us live in Your light.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What area of your heart are you not letting God into today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 14-15 GW; 2 Corinthians 13 GW

Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are one with you.

Why do we need all three?  God’s love is something we can’t fathom in our human condition.  God understands our limitations, which is why He sent His Son.  Jesus is human and divine, God in the flesh.  We can relate to Jesus because He has human qualities.  He experienced the same human emotions we do, yet He didn’t sin.  Jesus helps us understand the depths of God’s love for us.  When He ascended into heaven, Jesus left us a helper, His Spirit.  When we place our faith in Jesus, His Spirit takes up residence in our hearts.  Together, we are one with God.

Take a coffee bean, for example.  When you look at the brown pod, you can’t understand all of the glorious goodness inside of it.  However, when you add hot water, you begin to experience the aroma and taste the beans hold.  The first sip of the aromatic brew immediately begins to awaken your senses and energize your body as it becomes one with your being—three things, made into one with you.

Appreciate the brew.

God’s love is like the coffee bean.  We can’t truly appreciate His affection without the help of Jesus.  Just like the hot water brings the coffee alive to our senses, Jesus does the same with God’s love.  We begin to experience God as we live like Jesus.  When we place our belief in Christ, like drinking coffee, His Spirit lives within us.  Our soul blends with God’s Spirit, and we are energized and awakened to new life.

Drink deeply of God’s love today.  Experience His presence as you imitate Jesus.  Let the Holy Spirit prompt you as you enjoy this day.

Lord, how grateful we are for You.  Help us understand how three are one with us today.  Let us experience Your love as we place our faith in Jesus.  Prompt us with the Holy Spirit to live like Christ.  Jesus loved all, help us do the same.  Today Lord, may we all choose You to follow.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How does Jesus help you understand God’s love for you?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 12-13 GW; 2 Corinthians 12 GW

Thorns keep the heart in check.

Paul had some sort of thorn in his side.  Scripture isn’t clear what exactly causes his discomfort, but it’s enough to beg God repeatedly to remove it.  Finally, Paul resigns himself because whatever the thorn is, God isn’t taking it away.  Instead, God uses the minor irritation to keep Paul humble.

Pride is a common struggle for us all.  The definition of pride is a feeling of “deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements.”  Think of how you feel after completing a monumental task.  For me, finishing another year of writing daily devotionals gives me a sense of accomplishment.  As I write throughout the year, I experience the same type of satisfaction on a smaller scale when I conclude another month.  Pride is subtle; we don’t realize we’re its victim. Conceit is at the heart of a lot of issues in life.  We easily forget the help God gives us in our daily lives. Because we fall prey to the negative emotion so quickly, God gives us thorns to keep us humble.

Thorns remind us of God.

Whatever Paul’s thorn was, he couldn’t remove it himself.  If Paul could have pulled the irritant out, he would have. He needed God’s help to rid himself of the discomfort.  God didn’t want to help.  Paul repeatedly tells God about his problem.  His thorn draws him into a deeper understanding of who God is.  As Paul understands God’s grace and love more, his humility increases.  But without the thorn, the conversation wouldn’t have begun.

Your thorns are a talking point with God.  Like Paul, ask Him to remove them.  If He doesn’t, maybe God’s using them in your life, like He did Paul’s.  Humility is at the heart of love.

Lord, thank You for the thorns in our life that keep us humble.  Forgive us for letting pride rear its ugly head in our lives.  Thank You for the reminder; without You, we are nothing.  Cultivate humble hearts in all of us.  Help us lead with love as we go through our day.  In all things, let us give You the glory.  Let unexpected blessings fill the day ahead.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How is God using your thorns to keep you humble?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 11 GW; 2 Corinthians 11 GW; Psalms 56 GW

Your weaknesses are God’s strength.

When we boast about what we can’t do, we’re glorifying what God can do.  Paul is listing things he could brag about but doesn’t.  Instead, Paul highlights his weaknesses to show God’s strength.  Paul realizes, without God, he can do nothing.  He’s also emphasizing; we’re in this together:

“When anyone is weak, I’m weak too. When anyone is caught in a trap, I’m also harmed.” (2 Corinthians 11:29 GW)

All of us fall short in some way.  We are perfectly imperfect people.  Through our imperfections, God’s perfection shines.  Instead of hiding your weaknesses, embrace them.  Realize, your shortcomings are for your purpose on earth.  God created you specifically for something only you can do.  Through your weaknesses, find God’s purpose.

God knows your weaknesses.

You can’t hide from God.  Whatever weakness you’re ashamed of today, God already knows.  He is waiting for you to give it to Him.  When you say, “I can’t,” God says, “I can.”  But first, you have to tell Him.  More than anything, God wants a relationship with You.  He wants you to communicate with Him about all your anxieties and fears.  Whatever shortcoming you’re struggling with in life, take it to God.  Let Him help you overcome with His strength.

You will always have weaknesses in your life.  Today, my struggles aren’t the same as 20 years ago, but I still have flaws.  Some battles are life long, some only for a season.  But in each of our weaknesses, God helps us overcome.  He gives us the strength we need for today.  Lay your imperfections at His feet, watch Him create perfection.

Lord, how grateful we are for Your strength.  When we are weak, You are strong.  Forgive us for trying to hide our weaknesses from You and the world.  Give us strength today to overcome our failings.  Help us glorify You as we face the day ahead, accepting our imperfections.  Help us understand; whatever shortcomings we have, they are part of our purpose.  Each of us has a destiny to fulfill, help us today to move forward in it.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What weaknesses can you brag about today?