Honest Reflections

4 minute read

“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.” (Jonah 1:3 NIV)”

Everyone runs from God.

I spent my 20’s running from God.  Raised in church, I can’t remember not knowing God.  After my Dad died when I was 16, I decided I needed a break from God.  After all, He took my Dad from me; why would I want a God like that.  That period was the darkest of my life.  Not only did I alienate God, I alienated my friends and family as well.  My despair so great at losing my earthly father, I became irrational.  If I wasn’t close to anyone, I couldn’t get hurt, but that was a lie.  We are all made for community,  even me.

Jonah was running from God for a different reason.  God gave Him a mission He didn’t want to complete.  Just like cleaning the bathroom, this job wasn’t pleasant.  God wanted Him to go to a people Jonah despised and give them a chance to repent.  Jonah knew if they had an opportunity to turn back to God, they would.  He didn’t feel they deserved God’s grace and mercy, so he decided to run away from God.  Jonah’s problem is the same as ours.  We might run from God, but God doesn’t run from us.

You can’t outrun God.

God is always present in each of our lives.  He promises over and over again in His word; He will never leave us nor forsake us.  Running from Him is as futile for us as it was Jonah.  We end up in the belly of the whale, just like Jonah did.

The belly of my whale was rock bottom.  After alienating everyone in my life, I woke up one day all alone.  When I reached out to a friend, she pointed me back to Jesus.   A new journey with God started that day, one I’m still traveling.  As I looked back over that dark period, I saw God’s hand in my life.  I left Him, but He never left me.

Stop running today.  Turn back to God.  Whatever He’s nudging you to do, just do it.  Like Jonah, it’s the only way you will find peace.

Question of the Day:

What is God nudging you to do today?

Further Reading:Jonah 1:1-4:11 NIV, Revelation 5 NIV, Psalm 133:1-3 NIV, Proverbs 29:26-27 NIV

4 minute read

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25 NIV)

Fearing people is a snare.

In other words, if you care more about what people think than God, you have a problem.  The majority of people in your life care about themselves more than they care about you.  Not everyone, those that don’t, cling too tightly. Our innate selfishness is a chronic condition for all of us. Marriage highlights my battle with putting others first.  For instance, when serving dinner, I want the largest serving—giving my husband more than me is a minor internal skirmish.  I have to work at placing him before myself; it is not natural for me.

God doesn’t work to keep us top priority on His list.  We are His children; we are always on His mind.  Because He loves us so deeply, so passionately, He wants what is best for us.  I used to think God was a buzz kill, a strict parent who didn’t want me having fun. My thoughts were wrong.  Part of the blessing of obedience is protection from things that harm us.  When we lie, we cause harm to ourselves.  Truth always prevails, exposing lies.  Nothing good comes from lying, but freedom comes from telling the truth.  God’s ways are best.

Because He cares, we should care.

If God loves us more than any person, then His ways are the ones we should follow.  God isn’t going to lie to you.  He will never steal or cheat.  Murder is impossible for God; He is the giver of life.  God will never do to you what a human will do.  He gave His one and only Son just to have a relationship with you.  If someone loves me so much, He will sacrifice His Son; He has my best interest at heart.  Remember, God first loved you:

“We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19 NIV)

He loved us first; we should love Him first.  Actively loving God means obeying Him.  As you learn more about Jesus, do what Jesus did. Honestly, following Christ is that simple.  Spend time getting to know Jesus like you would a new friend.  When you read the parables in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, imagine yourself in the story.  YouTube “Jesus’s parables” and find out what kind of teacher He was.  Jesus is awesome.  He knows how to love people, learn from the Master.

Make a standing coffee date with God.  Each morning, with your drink of choice, sit down with Him for a few minutes.  Start with John, meet Jesus through his eyes.  Let God lead you where He wants to take you.  Care about what He thinks.  Don’t care about what man thinks.

Question of the Day:

Whose opinion matter to you more, God’s or man’s?

Further Reading: Obadiah 1:1-21NIV, Revelation 4 NIV, Psalm 132:1-18 NIV, Proverbs 29:24-25 NIV

4 minute read

“My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.” (Psalm 131:1 NIV)

Humble hearts take work.

In one way or another, we all have slivers of pride in our hearts.  Finishing a task brings a sense of accomplishment, which can lead to prideful thoughts. Our physical appearance has the potential to stroke our ego, as does any number of things.  Remembering, God is who gave you the ability to do the “things” removes the sliver of pride. To ensure our eyes are not haughty, we have to remember who gave them to us.  We could not see if God did not provide us with sight.  Our breath is from Him; without it, we cannot live.

“For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4 NIV)

God’s goodness is in every breath.

Deeply inhaling oxygen is breathing life into the lungs God gave you.  He fills them with His goodness as we take in the air.  When we exhale, we make room for more of Him.  Every breath we take on this earth is a gift from God.  At a pre-determined time, known only by God, you will  stop breathing.  Until then, thank Him for the thousands He’s giving you now.  Gratitude for breath will help keep your heart humble.

Breath is our physical reminder; we are nothing without God.  Pride trickles its way into our life so subtly; guarding our heart from prideful ways is a never-ending battle.  We can use our breath to help us find humility.  But we must identify pride in ourselves if we want to fight the fight.

Pride identifies itself in my life when I compare myself to others.  If I feel like I’m better than them for some reason, I know I have a problem.  We are all equal in Christ. He didn’t just die for me; He died for everyone.  God doesn’t have cliques.  His club isn’t exclusive; it’s open to all who believe and trust in Him.  One thing repeatedly seen in the New Testament, each person Jesus encountered, He loved.  We are to do the same.  If I feel I’m better than someone for some reason, I’ve got a pride issue. 

And we all do it.

Everyone has someone in their life which they consider themselves better than for whatever reason.  Of course, no one says this publicly, but that doesn’t make it any less accurate.  Identify those people in your life; you’ll find where pride is living in your heart.  When you do, breathe.

Take a deep inhale. Remember, God gave you breath.  Jesus died for everyone.  In Him, we are equal.  Keep a humble heart.

Question of the Day:

In what areas of your life do you struggle with pride?

Further Reading: Amos 7:1-9:15 NIV, Revelation 3:7-22 NIV, Psalm 131:1-3 NIV, Proverbs 29:23 NIV

4 minute read

“I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.” (Revelation 2:19 NIV)

God knows everything you do.

Do you ever feel like no one realizes how hard you are trying?  God does.  He knows your heart, faith, and perseverance.  God understands; you’re doing more now than ever before for Him.  He’s cheering for you.

“God is a coach, but also a huge cheerleader for you to become who He created you to be.” Mike Cooke

God is your biggest cheerleader.  When getting out of bed seems impossible, He’s there cheering for you. God is encouraging you to try one more time.  He knows the aches your heart feels;  He knows when you need a little push to get you to the next mile marker.  God’s running beside you, yelling words of encouragement, “You got this!  You can do it!  Just try one more time.”  God is transforming you into who He created you to become.  

Remember, you’re becoming.

All of us are on a journey of becoming.  Every day, as we persevere in our relationships with God, we become who He designed us to be.  I am not the person I was 20 years ago, or even two years ago.  Currently, God is teaching me a new rhythm to life.  I’m on the verge of one chapter ending, another beginning as I finish out my last class in my Master’s program.  A common question I’m asked these days, “What are you going to do next?”  I have no idea.  Why?  Because I never planned on pursuing my Master’s.

Before starting my Master’s, I was on staff at a church.  The volunteer position was a full-time endeavor, which required more time than I had available.  As I sought God for what He wanted me to do, He didn’t appear to answer.  So I kept doing what I was doing until one day, he released me from my duties out of the blue.  At the time, more people were in small groups than ever before; I felt like I was impacting lives and doing God’s will.   Why would God pull me out of this job?  Because He knows who He wants me to become.

As God led me in the days and weeks after that day, I found myself back in school.  I began pursuing my life-long dream of writing.  One of the first things I learned, you must write every day to develop your skills.  So I started writing daily devotions, combining my two loves: God and writing.  My journey of becoming a writer is just beginning.

Let God lead you into who you are becoming.  Trust, He is your biggest cheerleader.  He knows where He is taking you.  Let Him lead.  Each day, the journey begins anew.

Question of the Day:

Where are you on your journey of becoming with God?

Further Reading:Amos 4:1-6:14 NIV, Revelation 2:18-3:6 NIV, Psalm 130:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 29:21-22 NIV

4 minute read

“Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.” (Proverbs 29:20 NIV)

People who speak in haste have less hope than a fool.

The problem with speaking in haste is the connection between mouth and brain.  Emotions connect to our mouth much faster than thoughts do. If our mouth was a computer, it needs electricity to operate.  Our feelings are electricity; we’re emotional beings.  In other words, we’re always feeling something at some level.  Therefore, our first reaction is emotional.   Just like an “instant connection” takes a moment to connect with our device of choice, our minds take a moment to catch up with our emotions.  By the time they are in sync, the emotions can do some massive damage, sometimes unrepairable.  Hence, less hope for someone who speaks in haste than a fool.

Unfortunately, I can not count the number of times I’ve spoken in haste.  Gratefully, the older I get, the less I do.  Marriage has helped me learn to stop and think before speaking.  My biggest regrets in life are emotional moments when I said hurtful things to my husband.  The pain I’ve caused him with careless words, I can never take back.  However, once or twice of causing the person you love most in the world pain, you learn not to let emotions rule the mouth.

You have control.

Emotions are controllable; you don’t have to succumb to their wicked ways.  Feelings lie all the time. Just because we “feel” something doesn’t mean it’s true.  One of my favorite books, Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell, discusses how we trust our instincts more than the evidence suggests we should.  In other words, we do not see the truth of the situation because we’re relying on our emotions.

For instance, “feelings” try to make me think when someone doesn’t respond to a text, they’re mad at me.  Sometimes they are, but the majority of the time, they’re just busy living their life.  For logic to take control, I have to recognize I’m thinking out of emotion.  How people control their feelings differ.  For me, I remind myself, the world doesn’t revolve around me. People aren’t at my beck and call.  When they have time, they’ll respond.  Until then, let it go—all things in God’s time (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV).

Give your brain time to connect to your mouth.  Knowing the first reaction is emotional, resolve not to react immediately.  Devise a plan to allow yourself to process what is happening in the moment.  For me, if I’m becoming overly emotional, I try to walk away.  Taking deep breaths helps refocus the mind. Find a way that works for you.

Take time to process.  Don’t speak hastily.

Question of the Day:

Who do you struggle not speaking hastily too?

Further Reading: Amos 1-3 NIV, Revelation 2:1-17 NIV, Psalm 129:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 29:19-20 NIV

4 minute read

“You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” (Psalm 128:2 NIV)

Labor hard; experience God’s blessing.

The authors of the books in the Bible often use farming to make their points.  One reason is because they lived in agricultural communities.  Unlike us, if they wanted food, they had to grow it.  Today we have grocery stores; back then, they did not.  Everything they ate, they worked hard to get.   If they planted much, they received much.  If they planted little, they received little.  We may not have to grow our food today, but the same applies to us.  The only difference, the seeds we plant are spiritual seeds.  

As Christ-followers, the fruit of our labors are:

“ …love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

If we want to produce the fruit of the Spirit, we must plant the seeds.  When we have the opportunity to love, love. Give joy to people; however, you can.  Work to maintain peace in your relationships, even if distance is the answer.  Forgive when someone needs forgiveness.  Choose kindness in all situations.  Let goodness flow from you to others.  Allow God’s faithfulness in your life to flow to those around you.  Seeds of gentleness and self-control multiply once planted.  The more you plant, the more you reap.

Tend the garden.

To receive seeds for planting, we must first go to God to get them.  Through our relationship with our Creator, He gives us the seeds we need.  From His abundance, we plant our gardens. 

Once you plant the seeds, take every opportunity to expose them to the Son.  Let His light shine through you to them, allowing the roots to grow.  Water the kernels from the love God pours into you as you connect with Him.  Daily conversations with God will help you nurture and grow your garden to an immeasurable size.

Whether my Aunt Margie was expecting me or not, she was always ready with a warm meal.  Moments after walking through her door, she would head to the kitchen and start cooking.  My aunt nurtured her garden with food.  Sitting at her kitchen table, she planted the seeds of God’s Spirit in my life that are continuing to grow.  Years have passed since God called her home to heaven, yet the work she did in my life is still producing fruit.  

Aunt Margie’s immense faith gave her a vast garden. She was in constant communication with her Creator, no matter what the circumstances.  Her deep relationship with God overflowed into all of her other relationships.   In everything she did, she labored for those she loved.

Labor hard for God.  Receive His goodness, plant His seeds.  Experience His blessing.

Question of the Day:

Where can you plant seeds today?

Further Reading:Joel 1:1-3:21NIV,  Revelation 1 NIV, Psalm 128:1-6 NIV, Proverbs 29:18 NIV

4 minute read

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude 1:3 NIV)

Condition to contend.

No one can defend your faith but you.  When an opportunity arises to share your faith, take it. Jude, brother of James, in his brief letter, gives Christ-followers three keys to living a life of faith:

Conditioning takes daily discipline and work.  Rocky Balboa’s training montage in this video is an example of the effort required to prepare for battle.  Sylvester Stallone runs, throws barrels, lifts heavy chains, does crazy push-ups with a ball, day after day preparing for the big fight.  Finally, the moment arrives when he faces his opponent in the boxing ring.  Eventually, Rocky emerges as champion, preparation his key to victory.  He conditioned to contend for the prize.

Keep your eye on the prize.

Jude lays out the training plan for each of us.  If we’re to contend for our faith, we have to practice the life principles he gives us. First, we must obey God.  Only through our obedience will our faith grow.  Trusting God for the consequences means letting go of our expectations, embracing His response.  We don’t have to understand everything God does to follow His decrees.  Faith means not knowing everything, but trusting God does.

Secondly, Jesus will return.  The time and date are unknown, but God fulfills His promises.  Knowing His return is imminent should motivate us to obey.  When your boss gives you a job, he expects it done when he returns.  We all know what happens when we don’t do our work, we get fired.  God doesn’t fire us, but we don’t receive His blessing if we’re not doing His will.  Obeying God keeps us in line with Him and helps us wait anxiously for His return.

Third but not least is prayer.  Maintaining an active conversation with God from dawn to dawn is what God desires for us most:

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)

When Rocky Balboa started training for the fight, he started small.  He didn’t run up the 72 steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art first; only after months of training did he accomplish that feat.  He conditioned daily to prepare to contend.   Each day you strengthen your faith muscle when you are intentional about your relationship with God.

Condition today to contend for your faith.  Look for an opportunity to go into battle.

Question of the Day:

How can you train today to defend the faith?

Further Reading: Hosea 10-14 NIV, Jude 1:1-25 NIV, Psalm 127:1-5 NIV, Proverbs 29:15-17 NIV

4 minute read

“Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5 NIV)

Spiritual birth leads to eternal life.

In simplest terms, believing in Jesus is spiritual birth.  Accepting His presence into your heart is the beginning of life change.  Describing the transformation that takes place when you trust Jesus is different for everyone.  Some people have drastic life changes immediately; others, it’s a slower process.  No matter what your experience is like, one truth remains the same.  Believing in Jesus is the starting point, not the endpoint.

My spiritual birth happened when I was 12 years old on my brother’s bunk bed’s top mattress.  For the first time, I realized something was missing.  After listening to the pastor’s message that day in church, I knew I needed Jesus to fill the empty hole.  Even now, 39 years later, I remember the moment I cried out to Jesus and asked Him to live in my heart.  Not in church, not surrounded by people, just me and Jesus talking.  For me, what I experienced after my heartfelt plea, was peace.  I knew I was no longer alone; Jesus was with me.

Believe

Belief is the beginning of your relationship with Jesus.  As a child, we believe in many things: Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy.  All of these fairy tales exist until we grow old enough to know the truth.  Jesus isn’t like these invented characters.  Belief in Him never ends.  As we grow older following Him, the more His reality becomes apparent in our lives.

Nicodemus, the man Jesus is responding to in today’s verse, had difficulty understanding what Jesus is saying.  Perplexed, he asks Jesus: “How can this be?” (3 John 3:9 NIV).  Believing what we cannot see is difficult for all of us. 

“And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” …“I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-25 ESV)

If you’re having trouble believing in Jesus, ask God to help you with your unbelief.  We all have areas we struggle to have faith.  Even though I’ve followed Jesus my entire life, I still have times I pray this prayer.

I recently asked God to help me believe His promises, even the ones I don’t like.  For instance, our days are numbered.  I’ve rebelled against this promise of God’s my entire life.  My problem is I want to control something I can’t control.  I need God to help me with my unbelief, with His help, I believe.

If you’re not sure about Jesus, ask God to help you with your unbelief.  Whatever is holding you back from believing, God will help you have faith.

Question of the Day:

What area do you need God’s help believing?

Further Reading: Hosea 6:1-9:17 NIV, 3 John 1:1-15 NIV, Psalm 126 NIV, Proverbs 29:12-14 NIV

4 minute read

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 1:6 NIV)

Follow God, learn to walk in love.

God defines love for us in His word.  His commandments tell us how to love.  Jesus’s parables are love stories, each of them showing a different way to love.  One of my favorite examples is the rich young ruler found in Mark 10:17-27 NIV.  Jesus didn’t enable him.  When the prince told him he had kept all of the commandments, Jesus reminded him he hadn’t.  The reason we need Jesus, none of us are capable of perfection.  We overcome our humanity when we place our faith in Jesus, following His teachings.  Only then will we find eternal life; only then will we truly walk in love.

A.W. Tozer, an American pastor, and writer made this statement:

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” 

God commands love.

What God’s commandments lead to is love.  The Great Commandment is to love God, love others (Mark 12:30-31 NIV).  Then, He filled the Bible with directions of how to love.

How we are to love God:

• Set our minds on Him (Colossians 3:1-2 NIV)
• Do not conform to this world (Romans 12:2 NIV)
• Don’t abandon Him (Revelation 2:2-5 NIV)
• Don’t forget Him (Jeremiah 2:32 NIV)
• Give Him your heart, delight in His ways (Proverbs 23:26 NIV)

How we are to love people:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV)

When I think of God, I think of love.  Deep, unconditional devotion that perseveres in the hardest of times and rejoices in the best of times.  Each day I take faith steps towards Him, obeying His commands, the emotion grows deeper.  Trust in Him becomes the backbone of love that flows out to others.  

“We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.”  A.W. Tozer

We create an image of God in our minds.  Our life experiences collide with our concept of God.  Our circumstances dictate what we think of God.  We have to move beyond the physical to experience the Spiritual presence of God.  Taking steps of faith means doing what He commands, which will lead us to walk in love.

Question of the Day:

How can you walk in love today?

Further Reading:Hosea 4:1-5:15 NIV, 2 John 1:1-13 NIV, Psalm 125:1-5 NIV, Proverbs 29:9-11 NIV

4 minute read

“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,” (1 John 5:3 NIV)

Obeying God frees you.

But doing what God commands isn’t easy.  Loving people who have hurt you to the core is not a natural response.   The testimonies of forgiveness I’ve heard in my lifetime are phenomenal.  One of the most memorable stories for me came from a grieving mother I met.  She not only forgave but befriended the drunk driver who took her son’s life.  Her faith in God gave her the strength to obey His command to forgive.  When she forgave, her heart was free to love.  Where once she wanted vengeance, she found a divine peace only achievable with God. Her testimony is one that is impacting lives to this day.  God glorified as His child sought to obey Him.

Forgiving someone is entrusting them into God’s hands.  Whatever hurt they incurred, He will handle it.  He sees inside the heart to the emotion behind the action; He understands, people operate from their pain.  All of us are experiencing pain at some level.  Emotional pain isn’t visible; we can’t see the hurt someone is struggling with inside.  But God does. He knows what is going on with whomever and why they act the way they do.  For that reason, He’s the best one to judge their punishment, not us.  When we forgive, we’re releasing the burden, giving it to God.

Unburden with obedience.

Each day we put God first in our lives unburden’s us a little more.  Journeying with God means constant motion.   Pace for the trip is sometimes faster than others, but He’s continually propelling us forward.  Life isn’t stationary, but sometimes we get stuck.  A transgression happens we can’t forgive; until we do, we’re stuck in the moment. To get unstuck, we have to obey.

My left Achilles is a persistent problem.  This summer, with all of the tennis-teaching I was doing, the pain became unbearable.  I was limping everywhere I went, contemplating giving up coaching.  Finally, my husband convinced me to see a doctor.   Within 15 minutes, the doctor unstuck me from my pain.  He immediately identified the improper stretching I was doing, correcting my routine.  As I followed the doctor’s orders, I found freedom from my pain.  I now walk without a limp.  My obedience unburdened me daily, giving me freedom from my pain. 

When in pain, see the Doctor.  No matter what hurt you have, God has the answer.  Follow whatever command He gives you.  Let Him unburden you from your pain, as He frees you to love with His heart.  

Release your anxieties and fears to God.  Trust He knows what’s best.  Follow His commands, find freedom.

Question of the Day:

What command of God are you resisting today?

Further Reading: Hosea 1:1-3:5 NIV, 1 John 5:1-21 NIV, Psalm 124 NIV, Proverbs 29:5-8 NIV