Honest Reflections

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Genesis 16-18 GW; Matthew 2 GW

God keeps His promises.

When God made a promise to Abraham, He promised it to his descendants as well.  God changed Abram’s name, which meant “Exalted Father,” to Abraham, meaning “Father of Many” (Genesis 17:5 GW).  At this point, Abraham was 99 years old; the only child he had was Ishmael by his maidservant.  His wife Sarai, who God renamed Sarah, was never with child.  However, God promises to give Abraham many descendants.  What God was promising to Abraham, and what He did, made the impossible possible for him.  A year later, Sarah had a son, Isaac.  Through him, Abraham became the father of many.

When God makes a promise, He keeps it.  How, when, and where are for Him to know.  We have to do what Abraham did, trust.  After God made the promise, Abraham did what he knew to do.  God’s servant got up the next day and went about his business.  Abraham didn’t try to fulfill the promise himself; he waited for God to do it.  All the while, he lived his life.

The God of Abraham is your God too.

We are Abraham’s descendants, his God, ours.  The life we have fulfills the promise God made centuries ago.  Because God made the impossible possible for Abraham, we can trust He will do the same for us.

Whatever impossible situation you are facing today, give it to God.  Trust that He will take care of the circumstance as only He can.  Then go about your business as you wait for His answer.  Love those you meet, spread His peace to all you encounter.  Wait with anticipation for God to work in your life.

Lord, we’re grateful you make the impossible possible.  As we face the day ahead, fill us with the hope of Abraham.  Let us look expectantly to the upcoming days, knowing You are working Your plan out to completion in us.  As we meet people today, let us pass Your peace to them through our actions of love.  When we speak, let hope fill our words.  In all things, help us trust You.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What promise are you waiting for God to fulfill in your life?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Genesis 14-15 GW; Psalms 47 GW; Matthew 1 GW

God is your shield.  

In Him, the rewards of a life lived to the fullest are experienced.  When God made the covenant with Abraham to give him descendants that outnumbered the stars, He first told Him today’s verse.  God has a plan for your life, just like He had one for Abraham.  He will keep you safe while you live out His purpose.  At an appointed time, He calls us all home.  But while in His service here on earth, He is our shield.  Do not be afraid of what God’s plan is for your life.

Questions I hear often, “Why didn’t God protect so-and-so from this situation?” Or, “Why didn’t God heal so-and-so, but someone else died?”  God is God.  He gives and He takes away.  God is the same when we praise Him, as well as when we don’t understand Him.  God never intended us to know everything.  What God wants is for us to trust Him, no matter what the situation, He has a plan.  In God’s timing, all things work for the good.  

God will keep you safe.

One concept that is difficult to accept, God doesn’t change.  What we want as safety in life isn’t what God necessarily wants for us.  We think of security as having no problems, bills paid, relationships intact, health is strong.  But God may not define safety the same way.  His idea of safety might take us through a violent storm, or unimaginable tragedy.  In God’s sovereignty, He remains the same, no matter what the circumstances.

If we stop asking “Why God” questions, we can begin to ask “What God..”.  What is God doing in this circumstance to grow His Kingdom.  His bird’s eye view is much different than ours. God’s purpose is for us to become the person He created.  Our journey is never ending while on earth.  God keeps us safe for our purpose on earth.  He is our shield.

Lord, thank You for Your divine protection.  We are grateful that You are our shield.  Protect us as we serve You.  Help us fulfill the purpose You have for our lives as we continue the journey to become.  Let us seek You today and every day, with hearts open to receive what You have for us.  In You, we find freedom.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What step of faith can you take today knowing, God is your shield?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading:  Genesis 11-13 GW; Ephesians 6 GW

In the 10 Commandments, the sixth comes with a promise.  Honor your father and mother so that you may have a long life on earth.

Honoring our parents is something we can all do.  Whether you consider your parents worthy of honor or not, you wouldn’t have a life without them.  Their actions are what God used to create you.  Just like He planned you before you were born, He also knew your parents.  God expects you to honor them.

What honoring parents looks like differs for everyone.   My father passed when I was young; in his last days, my siblings and I honored him by helping my mother take care of him.  After he died, we helped my mother to the best of our ability.  In her last days, we cared for her and honored her wishes to die at home.  As she took her last breath, my brother and I held her hand.  We met all of her wishes for her funeral, but one, the pastor she requested, wasn’t available to do the service.  

Honoring our parents is more than just listening to them as children; it’s a lifelong journey of growth.

Long-life comes from honoring our parents.

Eleven years ago, a dear friend lost her son in a car accident.  He snuck out his bedroom window on the night of her birthday to go to a party.  Just sixteen years old, he died immediately when the car flew into a tree.  Not until hours later did someone discover the car, stuck in a tree.  At his funeral, she warned his friends; this happens when you don’t listen to your parents.

Honoring our parents is a daily choice we must make.  Whether listening to them when we are young or caring for them when they are old, each day is a new opportunity to honor them.

Lord, thank You for the parents You used to give us life.  Without them and You, we wouldn’t exist.  Help us today to honor them.  Show us what actions we can take today to honor those who gave us life.  Help us forgive any offensives we may feel.  Refocus our energy into a positive activity that will bring life to our relationships with them.  IJNIP Amen

Question for reflection

What is one thing you can do to honor your parents today?

2 minute read

Daily Reading: Psalms 8 GW; Genesis 9-10 GW; Ephesians 5 GW

God’s covenant with Noah is the reason He will never flood the earth again.  After 40 days and 40 nights of rain, once the waters receded, God made a pact.  A rainbow in the sky is the symbol of His promise.

Rainbow formation is the result of light passing through water droplets.  The light slows as it enters a water droplet, bending because of the passage from air to denser water.  Colors generate from inside the water droplet, separating into different hues.

God’s light creates rainbows in the sky and our lives.  As we let God’s light enter into our lives, it reflects from within our hearts to the world.  Just like the rainbow colors come from inside the water droplet, God’s love shines out to the world from within our hearts.  The more light we let into us, the more light we reflect to the world.

God promised no more floods.

Raindrops are the tiny prisms that allow God’s light to shine through them, creating a rainbow.  As we ground our lives in God’s promises, His light in us floods the world.  He won’t cover the earth with water, but He does desire us to cover it with His love.  In all cities, all nations, we’re to share the good news of Jesus’ with the world.

Our tears can become prisms of light for the world to see.  As we lay our pain at God’s feet, He renews us with His strength.  In our weakness, He is strong.  His light shines brighter than any star, flooding the world with colors of love.

Lord, we are grateful for the rainbow.  Thank You for the reminder that you will never flood the earth again.  As light reflects from within the raindrop, let Your light reflect from our tears.  Let us all lay our struggles and hardships at Your feet, trusting You have a plan for us.  May we find rest in Your promises as we strive to reflect Your love to the world today.  Help us honor and glorify You in all we do.  In Jesus’s name, I pray.  Amen

Question for reflection

How can you reflect God’s light to the world today?

2 minute read

Daily Reading: Genesis 7-8 GW; Ephesians 4 GW

Grow with purpose.

God designed you for a specific job.  No one else on the planet is capable of completing your task.  When we are proactive in our relationship with God and others, we will find our purpose.  Each step we take will grow us individually and collectively.  We are in a constant state of becoming as we pursue God.  He uses everything to mold us and shapes us.  Our jobs change as we change.

My husband and I’s first volunteer job together was cleaning the bathrooms at church between services.  To this day,  filling the mints was my favorite task.  As I poured the bite-size candies into their bowls, I prayed for the people who would eat them.  Joy would overflow in my heart as I thought of people praying, worshipping, and learning about Jesus, all with fresh breath.  Even menial tasks have a kingdom impact.  Whatever God is calling you to do, big or small, you will grow as you complete your assignment.

God’s plan for you is to grow.

The reason we are part of a body is because iron sharpens iron:

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens the wits of another.” (Proverbs 27:17 GW)

The people in your life are the ones God uses to help you mature.   The annoying family member who makes your skin crawl just thinking about them, Christ died on the cross for them too. Your co-worker, who talks too loud, essential in your growth. Even the stranger on the street is a person God loves.  We are to love them as we love others.  Healthy relationships require boundaries.  Whatever community you find yourself in today, God’s intent is for you to grow within it.

Lord, we are grateful You have a growth plan for our lives.  Help us mature into who you created us to become.  Whatever job you give us today, let us do it to the best of our ability.  Bless our efforts as only You can.  Help us live our life to the fullest, today and every day.  Only in You can we find our purpose.  Illuminate for us how you want us to grow today, doing the job You’ve assigned us to do.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How have you grown from the tasks God gives you?

2 minute read

Daily Reading: Genesis 5-6 GW; Psalms 12 GW; Ephesians 3 GW

God’s power works in us.

When you deepen your relationship with God, He works in you. One step at a time, He will reveal His plan for you as you continue to follow Him.  Our journey’s vary, but our leader doesn’t.  Ultimately, anyone proclaiming Jesus as their Lord and Savior is following Him.  Revelation comes as you walk in step with Jesus.

What you are doing right now is striding with Jesus.  Spending time reading scripture is one way to follow Jesus.  Another is to do what Jesus did.  When we start reacting to life like Jesus instead of how we would, God’s power is working in us.  His Spirit keeps our mouth shut when we would like to spew our feelings out.  God’s strength helps us sit with a grieving mother or hold the hand of someone as they slip from one life to the next.  First, we accept God’s spirit within our being; our actions become a manifestation of what God is doing in us.

With God, you can do more.

For God to work in us, we must first submit to Him.  As we place our faith and trust in Jesus, His Spirit becomes our inner guide.  Nudges from within will direct us to do what we never would on our own.  Each day as we take small steps, we begin to leave a legacy of love behind us.

Whatever situation you’re facing today, God is working in you to face it.  He’ll give you what you need to respond as Jesus; all you need do is ask.  Where God guides, He provides.  Whatever He is calling you to do, He’ll give you the strength to do it.  He promises, with His power, you can do the impossible.

Lord, thank You for Your power that lives within those who believe and trust in You.  Whoever reads this, let their relationship with You grow more profound.  As they know You better, let them represent You well to the world.  Let the truth of Your word settle deep in their spirit.  As they face the day, provide what they need to climb the mountains they face.  In You, all things are possible.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What has God done in your life that is more than you ever dreamed?

2 minute read

Daily Reading: Genesis 34 GW; Ephesians 2 GW

God unites.

Jesus was Jewish.  Born and raised with Jewish tradition, He knew all of the Old Testament laws.  During His ministry, he confronted the hypocrisy of the religious leaders.  Jesus brought truth into the world that still stands the test of time: 

“He brought an end to the commandments and demands found in Moses’ Teachings so that He could take Jewish and non-Jewish people and create one humanity in himself.” (Ephesians 2:16 GW)

When you enter into a relationship with Jesus, He reveals the truth.  As you apply His teachings to your life, He opens your eyes to things you can’t see.  We gain a perspective only seen through God’s eyes:

“So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Romans 5:11 NLT)

Jesus unites people through love.

God’s love for us is the connector to those we encounter each day, no matter what their position.  Strangers aren’t strangers; they are brothers and sisters in Christ.  Skin color, gender, they don’t matter.  My mom always said, “If you turn us inside out, we all look the same.”  In other words, we all bleed red, just like Jesus did.

Let God’s love unite you with others today.  Find ways to share His affection with those who need it.  Over Christmas, I gave away angel ornaments.  When I gave one to the girl presiding over self-checkout in the grocery store, I loved her response.  She said, “This makes me feel good.”  Make someone feel good today; watch how it unites you with people in love.

Lord, we are grateful the love you have for us unites us with others.  As we move through our days today, let us unite, not divide.  Help us to love those who are different from us.  Give us extra measures of grace so we can agree to disagree.  Let us reflect You well to all we meet.  Help us encourage the oppressed, lift the lonely, and leave a legacy of love wherever we go.  Only through You can we love at all.  Pour into us so we can pour out to others. IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What is an action of love you can do today to unite with someone?

2 minute read

Question for Reflection:

What do you need to lay at Jesus’s feet this morning?

4 minute read

“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” (Proverbs 31:25 NIV)

A woman whose trust is in God laughs at the days to come.

Placing our hopes and dreams in God’s hands is the safest place for them.  As we move from one year into the next, we know uncertainty lies before us.  A year like 2020 proves we aren’t in control; God is.  No one could have predicted the events that occurred in the past 365 days.   And we have no idea what the next ones will bring either.  But if we have faith in God, we can move into the new year without fear.

A woman of noble character knows where her strength comes from each day.  She understands the delicate balance of truth and grace we find in Jesus.  Her attire begins by cloaking herself in God’s goodness.  Her intimate relationship with her Creator is the foundation of her life.  As a result, she can laugh at the days to come.

Let laughter lead.

Give up trying to control life; instead, embrace the life God gave you.  This time of year is an excellent time to review what to take with you into the new year, what you want to leave behind.  If you have a habit that is causing division for you in your relationship with God, leave it behind.  Instead, develop a new mindset that will give you joy.

Rick Warren is pastor of Saddleback Church in California.  In April of 2013, his son committed suicide over Easter weekend.  When Rick and his wife, Kay, went to their son’s home, they waited in the driveway for the police to arrive.  As Kay stood in her husband’s arms, she held the necklace Rick gave her in her hand.   A year earlier, her book titled “Choose Joy: Because Happiness isn’t Enough became available. As a token of her accomplishment, Rick gave her a  necklace with “Choose Joy” as its pendant. Now, in what I can only imagine is one of the most challenging ordeals a mother can face, she follows her advice, clinging to those words.  As she waited for the police to confirm what she already knew in her heart, she chose joy.

You can choose joy too.  You can lead with laughter in the year to come because you chose God.  Clothe yourself in Christ.  Instead of focusing on your fears and apprehensions, focus on God’s sovereignty.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV)

2020 is over; 2021 is a new adventure.  Let go of what was, embrace what is.  Choose joy in the moment.  Laugh at the days to come.

Question of the Day:

How can you choose joy in 2021?

Further Reading: Malachi 3:1-4:6 NIV, Revelation 22 NIV, Psalm 150:1-6 NIV, Proverbs 31:25-31 NIV

4 minute read

“She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.” (Provers 31:15 NIV)

Get up early to provide.

Proverbs 31:10-31 are in the top ten of my favorite scriptures.  The woman described in these verses is every hard-working Mom I’ve ever met. They are women who rise early for their children.  Before the sun is up, they begin taking care of their family: preparing breakfast, packing lunches, making sure everyone else wakes up on time for their day.  Mom’s are noble women, every one of them.

We live in a world where schedules vary.  Now with COVID, Mom’s roles are changing.  No matter what is happening in life, one morning practice will help everything.  Spend a few minutes talking to God in the morning.  Ask Him for His help through your day.  The easiest way, thank Him for waking you up early, then ask Him what He has for you today.  As your day unfolds, so will His plan for it.

Create a reminder.

On the back of my toilet is an embroidered little picture.  Years ago, when I cross-stitched, I made a simple design.  A rainbow sits behind these words:

Someone, years ago, sent me the above saying as a memo.  What I love about the words, they’re true.  God is in control.  All the worrying I do isn’t going to change one thing.  Praying is always positive.  In our prayers, God’s answer is the same, “I got this!”  Now, the way He answers is up to Him.  We don’t have control of what God does.  So we might as well not spend time trying to control Him.  Instead, we can trust that whatever problem we’re facing, He indeed does “got it,” He doesn’t need our help to come up with a solution.

I forget God doesn’t need my help.  I have an opinion about how He should answer.   God is the Creator; He knows what He is doing.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say we are supposed to understand everything He does.  Nor does the good book say He needs our help, which is why, years ago, I cross-stiched a reminder to myself that I see first thing every morning.  Nature calls every morning.  I need reminded every day.

Time with God is the most productive thing you can do, no matter how long your “To Do” list.  Moments with the Creator set the tone for the day.  You can lay down yesterday’s troubles at His feet.  As you do, He’ll renew your strength for the day ahead.

Question of the Day:

What can you do to remind yourself, God’s “got this” in your life?

Further Reading: Malachi 1:1-2:17 NIV, Revelation 21 NIV, Psalm 149:1-9 NIV, Proverbs 31:10-24 NIV