Honest Reflections

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 10 GW; Mark 10 GW

Worship stuff or Jesus; the choice is yours.

Living in America, we are all rich.  More than any other country in the world, we can do whatever we want to do.  If you work hard, you will reap the benefits of your efforts.  People in the United States control 29.39% of the entire world’s wealth. The average American spends $164.55 per day on housing, food, and healthcare; people in low-income countries spend $1.91.  The next time you buy a cup of coffee, you have spent more than some people spend in any given 24 hour period, ever.

All of us can find ourselves in the rich young ruler.  We love Jesus, but we love our stuff too.  Driving fancy cars, having the fastest computer, living in the most prominent house are things people aspire to achieve.  But none of those things will last forever.  Our material things will eventually fade away, but eternal life with Jesus never ends.

Our treasure isn’t on earth.

Nothing we have or will ever have on earth can compare to life with Jesus.  Buying the newest cell phone with the latest technology does not give you peace that surpasses all understanding.  No, instead, you’ll have a few minutes of joy, then the newness loses its appeal.  Inevitably, you need another “new” toy that will bring you the same temporary pleasure.

With Jesus, you’ll find He is all you need.  Your life will transform as you pursue God daily.  Through the ups and downs of life, Jesus never leaves you.  In all things, He is present and available, never growing old.

But if you worship stuff instead of Jesus, you will miss the mark.  

In life, you can either chase Jesus or stuff.  You can’t do both.  One has to come before the other.  If you want to live life to the fullest, choose Jesus.  Nothing on earth will ever compare to Him.

Lord, thank You for never leaving nor forsaking us, even when we leave You.  Forgive us for putting material possessions ahead of our relationship with You.  Today, help us put You first in all things, especially over stuff.  Transform us today as we follow You.  Help us become a new creation in You.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

Where do your possessions rank in your heart today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 9 GW; Mark 9 GW

When God speaks, people listen.

Jesus was hanging out on the mountain top.  Standing in clothes that became dazzling white, Elijah and Moses appeared.  Peter, who witnessed these events, didn’t know what to do.  Suddenly, a cloud overshadows them and God speaks.  Without mincing words, God claims Jesus as His Son and commands the disciples to listen to Him.

Full confession, I’ve never witnessed a cloud speak.  But I have experienced times when I knew God was talking directly to me through an unexpected source.

One of my most memorable times happened while preparing for a mission trip to El Salvador.  Since I had never travelled to a third world country, I was highly anxious.  My biggest fear was connecting with the people.  Our lives are so different; I didn’t know what to expect.  That’s when God used a non-believer to speak to me.

Sitting at breakfast, I was sharing my concerns with my friend. I shared with her a verse I read in my morning quiet time:

“Rich and poor have this in common: the LORD is the Maker of them all.” (Proverb 22:2 NIV)

My friend pointed out the obvious to me as I shared this verse with her.  What we all have in common is this: God created us all.  

God speaks in unexpected ways.

Maybe we don’t hear God speaking from clouds daily, but that doesn’t mean He couldn’t.  God isn’t limited in how He communicates.  What God does well, talk to each of us personally, in a myriad of ways.   

God got my attention because He used an unexpected source to communicate with me.  He’ll do the same for you.  When God speaks, listen.  Sheep know the shepherd’s voice.

Heavenly Father, thank You for talking to each of us personally.  Forgive us for expecting You to communicate with us in ways we expect.  Help us let go of our expectations and embrace Your unconventional ways of doing things.  Open our eyes and ears to hear Your message to us.  Help us to listen when You speak, then follow Your commands.  In You, we find life to the fullest.  Guide and direct our steps today; let us produce good fruit everywhere we go.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How has God spoken to you?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 7-8 GW; Mark 8 GW

God wants all of you.

Following Jesus will cause you to make difficult choices.  God asks us to do things that go against our human nature—forgiving instead of exacting revenge—loving instead of hating—putting our life on the line for another. None of these are easy to do.

Sometimes following Jesus might seem too challenging.  Even the disciples faltered the night of Jesus’s arrest; they all deserted Him.  When the Sanhedrin arrested Jesus, His followers felt their lives were in danger, so they left.  Peter denied Jesus three times that night because he feared for his life.  

We all battle the flesh, even those who knew Jesus best.

Grace is Jesus’s calling card.  When Peter denied Jesus, God forgave him.  Jesus’s actions on the cross paid the price for our sinful nature.  Each day, as we fight the battle of the flesh, we try again.  

Life is a journey.  God knows we struggle with saying no to those things that cause us harm: unrepentance, unforgiveness, pride, selfishness.  The list is endless.  God wants us to say no so we can experience the freedom found in following Christ.

Respond with intention.

Saying “No” becomes easier if you know why you deny yourself.  When you want to lose weight, you say no to food because that’s the path to fewer calories.  Saving money means saying no to every whim.  Knowing the why helps you respond with the right intention.

Jesus’s intention is for us to follow Him.

The mission Jesus gives us takes a lifetime to fulfill: loving God, loving people (Mark 12:30-31 GW).  To complete our task, we must learn to say no to our desires.  Others first living doesn’t come naturally, but we can do it, one “no” at a time.

Jesus went first.  He picked up His cross for you.  Today, pick up your cross for Jesus.  Say no to the flesh, and yes to His Spirit within you.

Lord, as always, thank You for going first.  Your example gives us something to strive for today.  Forgive us for saying yes to our desires which stop us from loving You and others.  Help us today become known for our love as we pick up our crosses and follow You.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What do you need to say no to today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 6 GW; Mark 7 GW

Floating ax heads require God’s help.

Elisha was a man of God.  He was the successor to Elijah, apprenticing under him for over six years, learning about Elijah’s relationship with God.  Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his spirit when Elijah left earth, a complex request. God granted Elisha’s request.  Elijah performed eight miracles in the Old Testament, Elisha sixteen.

In today’s scripture, the disciples of Elisha were gathering logs to build places to live.  The prophet borrowed the ax head.  Unlike today, people couldn’t go to hardware stores and buy equipment.  Ax heads required much time and effort to make.  Losing one meant you had to do without an essential tool to complete your task.  Felling trees is hard to do without an ax.

What seems small to us today, was in fact, a big deal to these prophets.  How were they to complete their homes if they didn’t have the right equipment?  Thank God for Elisha’s faithfulness and perseverance.  Because of his intimate relationship with God, Elisha knew exactly what to do.  Throwing a stick into the water, he caused the ax head to float, saving the day.  Can you imagine how much more his fellow prophets believed after watching this divine solution?

God cares about the details.

God knows we need the right equipment to fulfill our purposes on earth.  Whatever our task is before us, God provides the tools we need to do it.  And when we need divine help, God is only a prayer away.

Because of Jesus, we have a direct line to God.  Whatever the need, we can go directly to the source for help.  Asking God for assistance will result in an answer.  Most of the time, God’s solutions are not at all what we thought.  But inevitably, when God floats an ax head for us, we believe even more in the power of our Creator.

Lord, thank You for having the answers to our dilemmas.  Forgive us for not turning to You sooner instead of trying to solve the problems on our own.  Today, as we face moments of panic, still our hearts and minds.  Just as Elisha calmly made the ax head float, meet our needs today as only You can.  Thank You for reminding us, in all things, You are in control.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How has God helped you lately?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 5 GW; Mark 6 GW

Simple acts require humility.

Namaan, commander of the Aramean king’s army, had a skin disease.  He learned Elisha, God’s prophet, could heal him.  Naaman went to Elisha’s house, who sends a messenger out with these instructions (in other words, Elisha didn’t personally greet the king):

“Wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River, and your skin will be healthy and clean.”

 (2 Kings 5:10 GW)

Kings have egos; Naaman was no exception.  First, he’s offended that Elisha didn’t come out of his house and greet him.  Secondly, the instructions Elisha sent weren’t grand enough for him.  Plus, Naaman thought the water was dirty.  As a king, he had expectations of something much more majestic.  Naaman started to leave until his servants talked him into staying.

Guess what?  Naaman bathed in the Jordan River and became healed.  But first, he had to humble himself to do a simple task.

Simple acts have huge rewards.

Naaman’s simple act healed him from a skin disease he had far too long.  Once he submitted himself to God, he found relief.  Submission came by way of dipping himself seven times in the Jordan River.

We can find healing the same way.  Whatever the issue is you’re struggling with today, give it to God.  Place it at the foot of the cross with humility.  Ask God for instructions of what you are to do, then do them.

Instead of bathing in the Jordan River, God may prompt you to call someone who needs to hear your voice.  Perhaps He will have you bake a cake for your neighbor.  Or write a note to someone you need to ask for forgiveness.  Simple acts have eternal ramifications.  Even though you might not see the results here on earth, one day, you’ll know the truth.  Your most minor acts of kindness had the most significant impact for the Kingdom.

Lord, thank You for the reminder; working for You is done in submission.  Forgive us for expecting grand gestures instead of simple acts.  Help us today become more sensitive to Your Spirit’s promptings to do Your will.  Let every action we do reflect Your love to the world.  Give us conviction of what we are to do and the courage to do it.  As always, the glory is Yours.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What simple act is God prompting You to do?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 4 GW; Mark 5 GW

God’s solutions are unpredictable.

Elisha, a prophet, is visiting a widow.  In dire straits, a creditor is threatening to take her two children as slaves for payment.  The only thing of value the woman has in her home is a jar of olive oil.  Elisha has her borrow empty containers from her neighbors, then go into her house and pour oil into them.  She obeys, doing precisely what Elisha says until she ran out of containers.  When the jars ran out, the olive oil stopped flowing.  God provided enough oil for her to pay her debt and have some leftover for her family.  God’s divine solution in her life came in jugs.

Divine solutions are God’s unpredictable answers to life’s circumstances.

Our insurmountable problems are opportunities for God to shine.  We have to get beyond our unbelief to experience God’s solution.  Life doesn’t happen the way we think; it happens the way God does.  Just like God provided for the widow, He’ll provide for you.  Collect empty jars; God is going to fill them for you.

Trust and obey.

When you don’t see an escape from your troubles, trust and obey.  Search the scriptures and find out what God says.  Then apply His promises to your dilemma.  God’s promises for guidance and help is a good starting point:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

Ask God to make your paths straight.  Seek His divine solution to your problem, then wait for God to act.  Instead of thinking you know what God will do, wait expectantly for Him to surprise you.

When God tells you to line up your jars, get them ready.  God doesn’t disappoint; your jugs will overflow with His blessing.

Lord, how grateful we are for Your divine solutions.  Forgive us for telling You how we think You should solve our problems.  Instead, help us rely on You for answers.  As we lean into You today, submitting to You, straighten our paths.  Fill our jars with Your blessings as we wait with expectation for Your unpredictable answers to our struggles.  In You, we trust completely.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What divine solution are you waiting on today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 23 GW; Mark 4 GW

Light in lights out.

God’s presence in your life won’t go unnoticed.  Jesus’s light burns eternal.   Following Jesus is a process that begins with a decision.  Once you decide you’re giving your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within you.  His presence will prompt you into becoming a new creation in Jesus.  As you do, your light will shine brighter than you can ever imagine.

What is an example of God’s light? Maybe a cat made out of towels.

During my last hair appointment, I shared it with a friend who is an RN. She told us the story of two nurses trying to comfort an elderly patient. The sweet lady was confused about her whereabouts and kept asking for her cat. Trying to calm their patient, the nurses made a cat out of towels that the lady could sit and pet. Their efforts worked; God’s light shone through them as they brought comfort to another through towels.

God’s prompting helps us to love others better. Just like the nurses went the extra mile for their patients, Jesus went the extra mile for us. Following Him means daily trying to love God and others.

Small actions have Kingdom consequences.

No matter how small the kindness, our actions have a ripple effect.  A couple of years ago, a group I was in spent a month doing “Random Acts of Kindness.”  We gave out business cards I nicknamed “Scatter Cards” because their purpose was to scatter kindness wherever we went.  To this day, I wonder about the lives impacted by one intentional month of service, lives I won’t meet until heaven.

We never know how our actions impact others.  As we draw closer to Jesus, our love of people will intensify.   Loving people for Jesus is how your light will shine brightest.

Lord, thank You for shining Your light into our lives through Jesus.  Forgive us for hiding what we have found in You.  Today, let Your love shine through us brighter than ever before.  Each day that You give us, help us to love others better and better.  As we seek You, let us find You.  Fill us with Your Spirit, prompt us from within, help us represent You well today.  In all things, the glory is Yours. IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How are you shining your light today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 22 GW; 2 Kings 1 GW; Mark 3 GW

Closed minds can’t see the truth.

Today’s story is about a man who had a paralyzed hand.  Jesus was in the synagogue with the Pharisees (religious leaders); they were not happy He was healing on the sabbath.  Jesus knew the Pharisee’s minds were closed; therefore, they missed the miracle that He performed.  Instead, after witnessing the man’s hand restored, they left to plot and kill Jesus (Mark 3:1-6 GW).

Not only did the Pharisees miss the miracle, but they also angered and hurt Jesus. Closed minds aren’t receptive to new ideas and concepts.  If we don’t think new possibilities exist with Jesus, we’ll never find divine solutions.

When Jesus healed the man’s hand, He performed a divine solution.  The Pharisees clung to their laws; they discounted what Jesus had to offer.  Closed minds kept them from experiencing what Jesus had to offer.

Open your mind to Jesus.

Our relationship with Jesus is one of heart and mind.  We must open ourselves up to what Jesus has to offer.  In order to embrace Jesus’ influence in our lives, we have to realize; His ways are not our ways.  We can’t put Jesus in a box and expect Him to act the way we want.  Jesus doesn’t work that way.  

God didn’t send Jesus into the world so He would conform to our image.  Jesus came so we could become like Him.  Our ways don’t work.  Jesus has the divine solution we all need, whatever the circumstance.  When Jesus moves in our lives, He does so on His schedule, not ours.

If you don’t want to anger and hurt Jesus, open your mind.  Don’t get trapped in religious rhetoric.  Take Jesus out of the box, look for His divine solutions.  Embrace the miracle, don’t miss it.

Lord, thank You for working in our lives every day.  Forgive us for closing our minds to Your miracles.  Today give us a new mindset, one that embraces Your work in our lives.  Help us to open our thoughts to new possibilities found only in You.  As we seek You today, don’t let us miss Your divine solutions to our problems.  Give us a fresh vision for our lives, direct our steps, don’t let us miss what You’re doing.  All glory is Yours.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How open are you to God’s divine solutions in your life?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Psalms 94 GW; 1 Kings 21 GW; Mark 2 GW

Thoughts precede actions.

Jesus knows our thoughts.  In today’s scripture, Jesus forgives the sins of a paralyzed man, brought by four friends for healing.  The men made an opening in the roof to lower their friend to Jesus.  When Jesus sees their faith, He forgives them.  

But, as usual, religious folks didn’t agree with Jesus’s actions:

“Some experts in Moses’ Teachings were sitting there. They thought, “Why does he talk this way? He’s dishonoring God. Who besides God can forgive sins?” (Mark 2:6 GW)

Jesus knew their thoughts; He knows ours as well.  What we think determines what we do.  The four men in today’s story thought Jesus could heal their friend; therefore, their actions reflect that belief.  But the “experts” thoughts were not in line with God’s.  Without them saying a word, Jesus knew what they were thinking.

Manage your mind.

If we let our minds wander, they can go to dark places.  In the blink of an eye, our thoughts can get us off track.  But we also have the power to choose what we think about each day.  Spending time with God will help us align our thoughts with Him.  When we do, our actions will reflect our faith.

Meditating on scripture is one of the best ways to think healthy thoughts.  When faced with a life situation, find a scripture that addresses it.  When I worked in retail, I lived with the fear of layoffs.  To manage my thoughts and not allow myself to get off track, I mediated on Phil. 4:19:

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

When my thoughts tried to derail me, this scripture reminded me, God is my provider.  He gives me everything I need.  Healthy thoughts led to healthy actions.

Manage your thoughts.  Fill your mind with God’s word.  Let healthy actions come from correct thinking.

Lord, thank You for loving us, the good, bad and ugly.  Forgive us for letting our minds get the best of us.  Help us manage our minds by filling them with Your promises.   Let us recognize any unhealthy thought patterns we have and get rid of them.  Instead, help us think healthy thoughts that lead to healthy actions.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What unhealthy thoughts do you need to get rid of today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 20 GW; Mark 1 GW

God’s mercies are new each morning.

Life with Christ is a process.  Believing and accepting Jesus into your life is the start of a new adventure.  Each day, as you pursue God, He’ll reveal new truths to you.  Some realities are more challenging to accept than others.

When I think back over some of the interactions I’ve had in my life, I cringe.  Why?  Because God shows me my part in the problem.  Things God reveals to me, I’ve been quick to judge and wrong about my judgment.  My selfishness impacts my relationships.  Poor communication harms friendships.  When God feels distant, I’m the one who moves away, not Him.  The list is endless of the way God’s presence in my life changes me every day.  His Spirit within me nudges me daily when I get off track.  And each morning, God’s mercies are new:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)

Today is a new beginning.

No matter what the mistakes of yesterday, today is a new day.  God forgives you; forgive yourself.  Start fresh today.  

As a person who is in a lifelong battle of the bulge, each week, I step on the scale. My WW leader taught me this valuable lesson.  No matter what the past week entailed, today is another Day One.  In other words, each week is the opportunity to wipe the slate clean.  But I have to forgive myself for my failings to move forward. If I’m stuck in the past, I can’t move ahead.

Jesus came to give you a new beginning.  In Him, you can find new life.  Each day is an opportunity to change and become a new creation in Christ.  Let the past go, embrace new life with Jesus.  Today is Day One.

Lord, thank You for giving us a clean slate every morning.  Thank You for a new life in Jesus.  Forgive us for not forgiving ourselves.  Help us today to accept the mercy You offer and to give ourselves a Day One.  Let us release the sins of yesterday, help us overcome them today as Your Spirit guides and directs us.  To You goes all the glory.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What do you need to forgive yourself for today?