Honest Reflections

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Chronicles 19-20 GW; Psalms 48 GW; 2 Thessalonians 3 GW

God directs love.

Receiving instructions from God has to do with one of two things, loving Him, loving people (Mark 12:20-31 NIV).

The Ten Commandments are some of the best-known scriptures in the Bible.  Summarizing the top ten rules from the Big Guy, we find the list of relational guidelines in Deuteronomy 5:6-21:

1. No other Gods before Him
2. Do not worship false gods
3. Do not take the Lord’s name in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath
5. Honor Father and mother
6. No killing
7. No adultery
8. No stealing
9. No lying
10. No coveting

Every single one of God’s commandments is about relationships.  When God directs us, it’s relationally.  Our three primary relationships are with God, others, and ourselves.  God’s word is full of how we are to handle those relationships.  Surrendering our lives to God means showing affection to a world that desperately needs it.  Jesus paved the way with His actions on the cross.  He illustrated the lengths God is willing to go to have a relationship with us.  When God directs, He directs with love.

Persevere in love.

God’s love perseveres at all times, good and bad.  No matter what our feelings try to tell us, God’s affection for us overrides any lies we believe.  Recently, in a Daily Devotion from Rick Warren, he talked about forming our lives around lies we believe.  For me, I created my life around the lie that I am worthless.  Misinterpreting signals as a child led me to the wrong conclusions.  Now, as an adult, God’s persevering love is revealing His truth to me and healing me of those lies.

Depending on which version of the Bible you use, the word “love” appears on average 610 times.  Every book in the Bible talks about God’s love in some form or fashion.  The thread that ties everything together is love.

Wherever God is directing you, you can believe, He’s calling you to love.

Lord, You rock.  Your love for us is something our minds have difficulty understanding, but we know You do.  Forgive us for not loving well, You, others, or ourselves.  In whatever area we’re struggling to show affection, help us do better.  Especially with ourselves, Lord, help us truly believe You love us unconditionally.  Let love become our calling card in all we do.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What area do you need God’s help to show His love?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Chronicles 16-18 GW; 2 Thessalonians 2 GW

Hearing introduces people to Jesus.

My first recollection of Jesus came from my mother.  She would read Bible stories to us at bedtime.  Listening to Biblical tales helped me know Jesus.  As we grew older and attended church, I learned more about Jesus, listening to the pastor and Sunday school teachers.  Now, I engage in Bible studies that help me know even more about Jesus.  Listening to God’s word and His people will lead you to Jesus.

Recently, I finished a Bible study on Revelation.  At the beginning of that book, God makes a promise:

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3 ESV)

Listening to God’s word impacts your life.  My friend and I, who completed the study, read aloud the entire book.  We studied a chapter a session, each reading half of it aloud.  Something happens when you read God’s word aloud.  The peace that transcends all understanding leads the way as God reveals truths about our lives through His word.  

Listening deepens faith.

Engaging in conversations with fellow believers about how Christ is working in their lives will grow your faith.

One of my young friends battled a rare intestinal disease.  Only 15 when the fight began, we had many times we thought the Lord was taking her home.  Her faith in Jesus led the way in the battle.  In her darkest moments, she talked about how Jesus kept her going.  Whether through a person, or a spiritual experience, Jesus helped her persevere.  Today, I call her a walking miracle.  Because of her, my faith in Christ increased.

Listen to people talk about Jesus.  Share what God is doing in your life with others.  Hearing the Good News draws people to Jesus.  Talk Him up today.

Lord, thank You for Jesus.  Thank You for the people in our lives who talk about Jesus with us.  Forgive us for not sharing with others what Jesus does for us.  Help us today talk up Jesus.  Let others know Him because of what we say.  All the glory is Yours.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

How can you talk about Jesus today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Psalms 138 GW; 2 Chronicles 13-15 GW; 2 Thessalonians 1 GW

Growing faith breeds love.

Paul is writing to the Thessalonians.  He’s bragging on them because they are persevering in the faith; their love for each other increases as they grow.  Grasping God’s love for us happens as our faith grows.  Each day we seek Him, God’s love always meets us.  

Faith means “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.”  Placing your faith in God means trusting He does love you completely.  God knows everything about you, and He still adores you.  The more thoroughly you trust God, the better lover you will become of others.  You can’t help yourself; experiencing the freedom that comes with unconditional love makes you want to share it with others.

God loves completely.

Because God can love us completely, we can love others.  When people discover something that changes their world, they want to share it with everyone they meet.  When I first started WW years ago, I was annoying.  All I talked about was food, points, and how to lose weight.  Why?  Because I wanted everyone to experience what I was experiencing as my body became healthier.

When we realize the extent of God’s love for us, we want others to know too.  The best way for people to know about God’s love for them is by showing them.  Becoming God’s hands and feet to the world means loving the people God places before you.  

Start with those in your home, become a better lover to them by imitating Jesus.  Spread the love to those at your work or volunteer jobs.  When you see a stranger in need, help them.  All of these practices will make you become a better lover.

Let your faith grow.  Experience God’s unconditional love in your life.  Share what you receive with the world around you.  People will notice the change.  You will become a better lover of people.

Lord, thank You for Your unconditional love that never ends.  Forgive us for thinking we aren’t worthy of the love you offer.  Open our hearts today to receive Your love.  Help us trust You entirely as we go about our day.  Whoever You place before us, don’t let us miss the opportunity to love them.  Help us become better lovers today.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

Who do you struggle to love?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Chronicles 10-12 GW; Psalms 53 GW

Bad advice leads to a  lousy life.

Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king of Israel.  Solomon, his dad, was not a kind ruler.  The people asked Rehoboam to lighten the load. 

First, our inexperienced king asks the elders what he should do.  Wise men, they counsel Rehoboam to do as the Israelites wish, by so doing, gaining their loyalty.  Rehoboam then asks his friends for their advice.  Brash fellows told the king to ignore the elders and become even harsher than his father.  

Rehoboam chose his friend’s advice.  Solomon’s kingdom divided, Rehoboam lost everything but Judah.  Jeroboam reigned over Israel.

Consider the source.

If Rehoboam had considered the source, he might have kept his kingdom.  But rather than hear what he NEEDED to hear, Rehoboam surrounds himself with people who told him what he WANTED to hear. Wrong choice for him, bad choice for you.

When I was single, I had two sets of friends: married and unmarried.  When my dating life was in shambles, I had a choice of who I would listen to: those in loving, committed marriages or those in the same situation as me.  I chose my married friends with a union like I wanted to have one day.  Why?  Because they already were where I was.  I wanted to go where they were.  My married friends were wiser than my single friends when the topic was how to have a great marriage.  Because they poured into my life by telling me the things I needed to hear they helped me become who I am today, happily married.

Those friends are still walking with us now that I’m in the type of marriage I always wanted; they still lead us as we grow in our marriage.

Wisely choose your sources.  Find someone whose life you want to emulate and invite them to coffee.  They’ll tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.

Lord, thank You for placing people in our lives that can offer wise counsel.  Forgive us for listening to people who only tell us what we want to hear.  Help us seek wise people for advice, listen to it, and apply it to our lives, today and always.  All glory is Yours.  IJNIP.   Amen

Question for reflection

Have you considered the source in your situation?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Psalms 100 GW; 2 Chronicles 79 GW

Expectant hearts receive.

If you come to God deflated and not expecting Him to act, He won’t.  But if you come to God with anticipation and a cheerful heart, you will receive.

On a recent visit to Lancaster, PA, we visited an Amish Ferrier.  The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, Christian pacifism, and slowness to adopt many conveniences of modern technology.   Elam and Eli ran the blacksmith shop; they were servicing three horses when we arrived.   They serve the Lord with cheerful hearts.

Gelassenheit.

Gelassenheit is the German word that best defines Amish life: “not my will but Thine be done.”  In all they do, the Amish put God first, themselves second.  And they do so with a cheerful heart.  As a result, God’s peace floods their lives.

Walking into the garage of old, horse smells filled my nostrils, sweat trickled down my back as we watched the brothers work.  Eli was soldering a horseshoe when we arrived.  Elam was scraping an old shoe of a medium-sized riding horse.  Both were smiling the entire time.  Eli’s eyes lit up when he saw us; Elam’s grin was from ear to ear.  Dressed in long pants, long shirts with the sleeves rolled up, not once did they complain.  The entire time they talked to us, they were cheerful, their hearts full of God’s goodness in their lives.

No matter where we are or what our circumstances are, we are to serve God cheerfully.  Whatever task, no matter how difficult, do it with gratitude.  Good health and the ability to work are gifts from God that we should thank Him for daily.  When we do, the seeds of gratitude will blossom into a cheerful heart.  Just ask Elam and Eli; they know.

Lord, how thankful we are that You give us life.  Forgive us for taking our lives for granted.  Help us today serve You cheerfully.  Let us focus on what we do have instead of what we don’t have.  As we plant seeds of gratitude, let them grow into cheerful hearts, ready to receive from You.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

How can you cultivate a cheerful heart today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Chronicles 4-6 GW; Psalms 132 GW

God’s love grows.

Solomon’s prayer is dedicating the Temple to the Lord.  He’s welcoming God into the temple and acknowledging, God keeps His covenant of love.  

First and foremost, God loves us.  He wants what is best for us, but our sinful nature battles God’s will constantly.  As long as we walk this earth, we’ll fight the human condition.  But as we begin to experience God’s love covenant with us, life change happens.

Jesus is the covenant.  Placing our faith in Jesus means submitting our lives to God.  Without seeing, we believe what Jesus said and did is true.  We’re admitting our sin and letting Jesus’ blood cleanse us.  Each day, as we give our lives to Jesus, we’ll begin to experience His love.  Jesus’ affection is one that never ends. He never stops loving us; He never stops forgiving us.  Jesus is.

Cling to the Covenant.

Grasp on to Jesus and hold on tight.  Following Him will take you places you never thought you would go.  God’s constant revelation of new truths into your life will make you crave more of Him.   As you begin to see the lies you’ve believed in your past,  you will experience absolute freedom.

Since I began writing daily devotionals two and a half years ago, the one God is constantly changing is me.  My prayer is for everyone who reads my writing to understand how much God loves them and to love Him back.  But the way God is changing me I never saw coming.  What He does is show me lies that I believed somewhere in my past.  These fallacies shaped my life.  They caused me to see the world incorrectly, which made me miss out on many blessings.

Not only does God reveal truths to us, but He does it with love.  So much affection that you want more.  I crave God to reveal the lies to me.  Only in His truth can I find true freedom.

Believe in the covenant.  Find freedom in Christ.

Lord, thank You for Jesus.  Every day, thank You for Jesus.  Forgive us for taking Him for granted.  Help us believe in Your covenant of love today more than ever.  With every breath we take, let us chase after You today.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What lie has God revealed to you lately?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Psalms 72 GW; 2 Chronicles 13 GW

Right actions blossom.

Righteousness is “acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin.”  As sinners, God makes us righteous by forgiving our sin and making us white as snow:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

Approaching the world as a follower of Christ means first acknowledging our sin, then allowing God to work within us to make us new.

Because of Jesus, we are righteous.  

Jesus’ ministry was active; He was constantly doing the next right thing.  As a result, Jesus’s ministry blossomed.  His actions paved the path to salvation for us.

Blossoming righteousness means doing the next right thing.  Opening the door for someone at the store, stopping at the cross-walk to let pedestrians cross the street, apologizing when you accidentally cut someone off in traffic.  All of these acts blossom righteousness; they put the other person’s needs before yours.  Each action requires humility to complete.  

Let Jesus lead.

Nothing you did, or ever will do, will give you salvation.  Jesus’ gift on the cross is accessible to all.  Sharing the present with the world requires action.  Jesus wants us to bloom righteousness wherever we go because that is what draws people to Him.   

When we respond in love, not hate, people notice.  Kind words go much further than mean ones.  Simple actions of self-control can reap huge rewards.  For us to put into practice the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, we must first know Jesus.  His Spirit working within us will cause us to do the next right thing.  When we do, we’ll blossom righteousness; Jesus’ light in us will shine brightly.  People will notice.  When they do, give Jesus credit for the change in you.

Lord, thank You for making us righteous through Jesus.  Forgive us for thinking we didn’t need You in our lives.  Praise You, Lord, for drawing us to You.  Help us today draw others to You by our righteous acts.  Show us what the next right thing is to do.  Equip us with what we need to accomplish the task.  With You, we can do all things.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What is the next right thing you can do today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Chronicles 27-29 GW; Psalms 30 GW

Victory is God’s.

When God moves, you know it.  A few years ago, I experienced job elimination.  Working as a volunteer staff person for a multi-site church, one of the campuses was closing.  Three full-time paid staff were out of jobs.  To maintain the positions, leadership decided to eliminate my staff position without talking to me.  

On a beautiful Thursday morning, I was sent a text and asked to come in for a meeting.  With a smile on his face, the pastor told me I no longer had a position. Of course, I could stay long enough to do the work for the next semester, but I no longer was on staff. The callous handling of the situation caused me much pain.

(Yes, I’m still working through the hurt)

My heart broke into a million pieces as he glibly let me go.  Eighteen months of hard work ended at that moment.  Without warning, I was in a pit I didn’t see coming.  

Twenty-five days after my heart broke, I wrote these words:

“Life with God is so much better than life any other way.”

Pits make you look up.

When we are in a pit, whether one of our own making, someone throws us into it, or we accidentally slide into it, they cause us to look up.  Desperate times in life cause desperate actions.  Soldiers in foxholes aren’t debating God’s existence when they’re under fire.  No, soldiers in battle pray.

Amidst my pit, I sought God.  We did leave that church, but we didn’t leave church.  Step-by-step God led me to where I am today.  Because of that pit, God completely changed the  course of my life.  Never would I have accomplished my Masters’s degree if I didn’t go through that pit.  And I give God all the honor and glory.  He pulled me out of the hole.

Whatever pit you’re in today, look up.  Ask God to show you the first step to take.  Then the next one.  Life is a journey.  We get out of pits one step at a time.

Lord, thank You for rescuing us from our pits.  Forgive us for thinking You don’t care.  Guide us today, show us clearly what step we are to take next.  Help us follow You, Lord, don’t let us get distracted by our enemies.  In You we find victory.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What pit do you need rescued from today?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Chronicles 26 GW; Luke 24 GW; Psalms 98 GW

Jesus opens your eyes.

Two disciples, walking to Emmaus after Jesus’ resurrection, are chatting about current events.  Jesus joins them on their stroll, questioning them about their conversation.  These two men who followed Him closely on earth had no clue who they were talking to at the time.  Jesus helped them understand the scriptures, yet they still didn’t recognize Him.  Only when they broke bread at dinner later that evening did the Lord open their eyes, and they finally recognized Him.

Sometimes, like the disciples, we miss Jesus when He is right in front of us.  Caught up in our own lives, focused on the worldly problems around us, we miss the point.   The disciples missed Jesus because they were trying to figure out what happened. Jesus’ intervention is what caused them to see and understand the scriptures.  We need the same assistance.

Eyes to See, Ears to Hear

Only with Jesus’ help can we see and hear the truth.  In His time, Jesus will reveal all truth to us.  For now, Jesus gives us what we need.  Just like with the two disciples, Jesus opened their eyes at the appropriate time, not a minute sooner.  They had an “Aha!” moment of understanding.

When I first started following Jesus, I didn’t know all I know now.  Only at this point in my life is Jesus opening my eyes to certain truths I haven’t seen before.  Why now?  Because life is a journey, we grow as we go, not all at once.   Babies can’t handle the complex thinking of adults.   When we first begin following Jesus, we aren’t capable of understanding everything about Him.   But each day we follow Jesus, He reveals more of Himself to us.

Aha moments are part of following Jesus. Ask Jesus to give you eyes to see, ears to hear.  Watch as the scriptures open up for you.

Lord, thank You for giving us true vision.  Forgive us for doubting Your ability to help us understand.  Today, give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your truth in our lives.  As we open the scriptures today, give us divine insight to understand them.  Let us become more like Jesus as we follow You closely.  IJNIP.  Amen

Question for reflection

What truth has Jesus revealed to You lately?

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Chronicles 25 GW; Luke 23 GW

Jesus was innocent.

Criminals hung beside Jesus on the cross.  One was cynical and scathing, while the other recognized the reality of the situation:

“Don’t you fear God at all?  Can’t you see that you’re condemned in the same way that he is?” (Luke 23:40 GW)

In reality, we’re the criminals hanging beside Jesus.  Our sins would nail us to the cross, but Jesus was without sin.  He endured the pain and suffering that are ours.  Before you were born, Jesus died for the sins you would commit.  Because of our human nature, we will battle our sinful ways as long as we walk the earth.  Jesus’s sacrifice gives us the victory we can find no other way.

Just like the criminal who recognized his sin, we need to acknowledge ours.  True freedom comes in admitting our shortcomings.  When we give our weakness to Jesus, He gives us His strength.  Jesus hung on the cross in innocence so we could have life eternal.  But if we don’t admit our faults, we won’t recognize our need for Jesus.

Jesus’ sinless act is for you.

Sin is something we all have in common.   My shortcomings aren’t yours, but we all have them.  The beauty of living life with Christ, He takes our weaknesses and turns them into strengths.  But first, we have to admit what our faults are to ourselves and Jesus.  If we can’t profess we are sinners, we won’t enjoy the fullness of life Jesus offers.  Maturity means learning to confess our sin and acknowledging we need Jesus.

Jesus loves you.  Nothing you have done will change God’s affection for you.  All He wants is for you to come to Him.  Change your mind today.   Instead of mocking Jesus, embrace Him into your life.  Let His spirit begin a new work in you.

Lord, thank You for Jesus.  Seriously, without Him, our lives would have no hope.  Forgive us for acting like the cynical criminal.  Help us today become more like Jesus as we submit our shortcoming to Him.  Help us accept our imperfections and allow You to make us new in You.  As we move through this day, let us not forget what Jesus did for us on the cross before we were ever born.  IJNIP. Amen

Question for reflection

What work is Jesus doing in your life?