Honest Reflections

“As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.”  (Luke 21:1-2 NIV)

The easy answer to how much you should give to God is all of it.  When we put our faith in Jesus, go all in. Giving to God is more than money.  We give to God with our hearts, our time, our priorities. Everything we do should be a reflection back to God of our love for Him.  How much should you give to God? Everything!

How much should you give to God? Everything!

“So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.” (James 1:16-18 MSG)

All we have comes from God.  When we give back to Him, we’re giving back what is already His. Malachi tells us we’re to give 10% of our wages to God (Malachi 3:10 NIV).  The wealthy were giving their 10% out of the abundance they had, but not the widow.  The widow gave more than 10%, she gave all she had:

“All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:4 NIV)

And Jesus knew the difference.  He knew who was giving out of a show of their wealth, and who was giving out of love for Him.  We aren’t just to give 10%, we’re to give our all for Jesus.  

In this time of COVID19 we have an opportunity to give our all for Jesus. Not only in money, but in time and effort.  We can encourage people through social media. We can send cards in the mail to encourage people. We can continue to give to our local churches that are trying desperately to minister to their communities.  One way I’ve found to help is by donating to ThredUp.  They are an online thrift store that will buy your gently used clothes and accessories.  They will donate your proceeds to the Foodbank to help feed the hungry. There are a lot of hungry people in our world that need to be fed.

Now is the time to give all to Jesus.  This morning on the news they highlighted a foodbank whose shelves were empty.  The woman being interviewed summed it up well: “If you have 2 jars of peanut butter at home, give one away.”  How much should you give to God? Everything!

Question of the Day:

What can you give to God today?

Further Reading: Joshua 24:1-33 NIV, Luke 21:1-28 NIV, Psalm 89:38-52 NIV, Proverbs 13:20-23 NIV

“A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.” (Proverbs 13:17 NIV)

Truth will bring healing into your life.  Our world is full of lies. Lies that we believe, lies we don’t even realize are lies.  But lies will never hold up over time, the truth will always be revealed. Jesus made it very clear what will free us:

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-31 ESV)

Truth will bring healing into your life.

The problem is, the truth isn’t always easy to hear or accept:

You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant. (2 Timothy 4:3-5 MSG)

A wicked messenger delivers spiritual junk food that does nothing to nourish our souls.  Keeping our eyes focused on Jesus, can be difficult. But if we stay focused on Him, we will find His healing:

“When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Mark 2:17 NLT)

Bring healing into your life by keeping your eyes solely focused on Jesus.  I read this years ago, it helps me keep my eyes on Jesus:

“Federal agents don’t learn to spot counterfeit money by studying the counterfeits. They study genuine bills until they master the look of the real thing. Then when they see the bogus money they recognize it.”  John MaCarthur, Reckless Faith

When we keep our eyes on Jesus, when we study God’s word continuously, we’ll be able to recognize wicked messengers easily.  Not only will we be able to spot the lies in our life easier, Jesus will reveal to us the lies we are believing.

We all believe lies.  I’ve believed lies about myself from decades ago that God is still revealing to me.  He is still healing me with His perfect love. The more I keep my eyes on Him, the easier it is to spot the lies.

Gaze upon Jesus today.  Let His truth heal your hurts.  Let His love, comfort your grief.  Let His truth heal your broken heart.  In Jesus you’ll find rest from the lies and healing in His truth.

Question of the Day:

How can you let Jesus’s truth heal you today?

Further Reading:  Joshua 22:21-23:16 NIV, Luke 20:27-47 NIV, Psalm 89:14-37 NIV, Proverbs 13:17-19 NIV

“Good judgment wins favor,  but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.”  Proverbs 13:15 NIV

Good judgement wins favor in your life.  But how do you have good judgement consistently?  We all make bad calls, unintentionally. We think what we’re doing is wise, but in the end it leads to our downfall.  One way I’ve learned to have good judgement is by relying on God’s guidance, not my own. I rely on what His word says when making a decision, instead of relying on my limited perspective.  God’s judgement is always good, but not necessarily easy to follow. To win favor in your life, let God help you make the call.

To have good favor in your life, let God help you make the call.

We, in our human nature, do not have the tools we need to make consistent good judgements.  We see from a very limited perspective, our own. We don’t see other options available to us, because we can’t see any other way to deal with the situation.  That is where God and the people He places in our lives come into play. They help us make the right judgement call.

Years ago, my mother was recovering from a whipple surgery, she had pancreatic cancer.  She was one of the 7% of people who were able to have it surgically removed.  She was staying with my brother and his wife because they were able to give her 24 hour care.  But then my brother’s wife had a bout with diverticulitis which landed her in the hospital. My brother was now overwhelmed with a wife in the hospital and a recovering mother at home.  I was scheduled to go out of town that weekend to visit friends. I had waited months for the trip. That morning, God nudged me to cancel the trip and help my brother. But it wasn’t what I wanted to do.  I called a good friend in Christ and discussed the situation with her. She confirmed the nudge God gave me. She told me I needed to cancel the trip and help my brother. Because of God and her, I made a good judgement call.

I wouldn’t have made the same decision if I was left to my own devices.  If we want to make good judgement calls, we have to let God help us. We have to listen to what His word says, and what His faithful followers say.  They have a perspective on the situation that is impossible for us as individuals to have.  

You can have good judgement in your life by spending time with God on a daily basis.  Reading HIs word, praying and waiting for the nudges God gives you. When you do, you’ll win favor with Him and people.

Question of the Day:

How can you seek God’s guidance in your decisions today?

Further Reading: Joshua 21:1-22:20 NIV, Luke 20:1-26 NIV, Psalm 89:1-13 NIV, Proverbs 13:15-16 NIV

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,  but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12 NIV)

Hope is the expectation of good things to come.  Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 defines hope well:

“Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety.”

To define hope in your life, you have to define what it is you’re expecting to happen.  You may be hoping for a relationship to start, or a relationship to end. You may be hoping for a bigger salary, better job or long awaited promotion.  Hope may be becoming debt free, or just paying the bills each month. We all are hoping for different things in our lives. Jesus offers a hope to all of us that we can cling to together:

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV)

The hope Jesus gives us is eternal life with Him.  

When we place our trust in Jesus, our hope is no longer deferred.  He fulfills the longing inside all of us for life eternal. He is our hope.  But often we place our hope in the wrong things, when we do, it makes us heart sick.  

For many of us, during the coronavirus, we’re realizing we placed our hope in things that are not eternal.  We place hope in our finances, that they will provide for us. We place hope in our jobs, that they will always be there for us.  We place hope in our health, that we’ll always be healthy. But all of these hopes can be deferred, because all of them can be taken away from us.  Some of them have been taken away from us. The coronavirus shut down both of my small businesses almost entirely. But my hope isn’t in my businesses, my hope is in Jesus.  He is the one who has provided for me each day. He is the One who has given me good health. He is the one I place my hope in today.

Jesus can be your source of hope in this time of despair.  He can be the light in the darkness that leads you through the storm.  He’s waiting for you to place your hope in Him. When you do, you won’t be disappointed.

Question of the Day:

Who are you placing your hope in today?

Further Reading: Joshua 19:1-20:9 NIV, Luke 19:28-48 NIV, Psalm 88:1-18 NIV, Proverbs 13:12-14 NIV

“He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.” (Luke 19:3-4 NIV)

Zaccheus was the short man in today’s verse.  A tax collector, who had accumulated wealth by overtaxing the people, he was not well liked.  He had heard about Jesus and wanted to see Him. But he couldn’t see over the crowds. Being a smart man, he realized he needed to get a higher perspective on the situation.  He looked around, saw a fig tree he could climb, and up he went. He was willing to do whatever it takes to get a glimpse of Jesus. If you want to see Jesus, you have to do what it takes.

If you want to see Jesus, you have to do what it takes.

In today’s world, we don’t have to climb trees to see Jesus.  We have God’s word, written out for us. Stories like Zaccheus’s are there for us to read and learn more about Jesus.  As we begin to apply what we learn about Jesus, we’ll begin to see Him moving in our daily lives. We’ll recognize His presence when we receive an unexpected blessing.  We’ll understand it’s Him that has protected us from whatever attack we’re under. We’ll begin to see, Jesus is with us in all we do. But first we have to look for Him.

Just like Zaccheus, we have to gain a new perspective.  We have to take off the goggles of this world and start looking at it through the eyes of Jesus.  We can only do that when we make an effort to spend time with Him, getting to know Him.

My friends that know me personally, know one of my favorite things to do is get coffee with them.  I love to sit with them and talk about life. I love hearing what is going on in their lives, being able to pray for them and encourage them.  They do the same for me. We have a relationship because we are intentional about building a relationship. We’re intentional about making time for each other.  We carve out an hour from our busy schedules to dedicate to each other. If we want to see Jesus, we have to be as intentional in building our relationship with Him as we are with our friends.

Before you turn on the morning news, open God’s word.  Let the Scriptures be the first place you get your news in the morning.  Fill yourself with God’s promises, God’s wisdom, God’s love. Nothing can compare, nothing can take away from it.  If you want to see Jesus, you have to do what it takes.

Question of the Day:

Are you willing to do what it takes to see Jesus?

Further Reading: Joshua 16:1-18:28 NIV, Luke 19:1-27 NIV, Psalm 87:1-7 NIV, Proverbs 13:11 NIV

“Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27 NIV)

Jesus can make all things possible for you.  Just because He can, doesn’t mean He will. God takes the ordinary and makes them extraordinary.  No matter what our circumstances are, God is in control of them. He has the power to work the miracles we need.  He can take what to us is impossible, and make it possible. Our problem is what we want to be possible. What we see as possible, what we want to be possible, are often not the things Jesus wants for us.  Jesus can make all things possible, but that doesn’t mean He will.

Jesus can make all things possible, but that doesn’t mean He will.

Today’s verse comes at the end of a conversation that Jesus has with a rich, young ruler.  The man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to follow the ten commandments.  The young man says he’s done all of those things. Then Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. He tells the young ruler to sell everything, give to the poor and follow Him.  The rich young ruler can’t give up his riches, he loves them more than Jesus. Jesus, understanding where this young man’s heart is says:

“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:24-25 NIV)

The people around Jesus that heard this conversation, wanted to know how anyone could be saved then?  That is when Jesus speaks today’s verse: what is impossible for man is possible for God.

Jesus’ first and foremost desire for all of us is to be in heaven with Him.  He wants us to have life and have it to the fullest (John 10:10 NIV).  He doesn’t want any of us to perish.  We can’t have eternal life without Jesus.  What Jesus makes possible for all of us is a relationship with God that will last forever.  Our riches here on earth will one day be gone, but our life in Christ never ends.  

What we want as possible isn’t what Jesus necessarily wants for us.  We want riches and fame, Jesus wants us to have eternal life. We want a worry free life, Jesus wants us to trust in Him.  We want safety, Jesus wants life in abundance for us. Our life here on earth was never meant to be trouble free. Jesus tells us it won’t be (John 16:33 NIV).   What Jesus wants for us is what we truly need, not the desires of this world. Jesus makes the impossible, possible, He gives us eternal life.

Question of the Day:

Have you trusted Jesus for life eternal?

Further Reading: Joshua 15:1-63 NIV, Luke 18:18-43 NIV, Psalm 86:1-17 NIV, Proverbs 13:9-10 NIV

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1 NIV)

The reason we’re to be persistent in our prayers is because persistence pays off.  The parable Jesus shared with the disciples was about a widow. She had an adversary that was tormenting her in some way.  Day after day, she would go to the judge and ask him to do something about it. He ignored her. He was the type of judge who didn’t care about anyone but himself.  However, her persistence paid off. Eventually, he takes care of the situation because he realizes she’s never going to stop. Jesus point to this story, if an unjust judge like this one eventually does the right thing, how much more so will our heavenly Father if we don’t give up.  Persistent prayers pay off.

Persistent prayers pay off.

Persistent prayers pay off, but it probably won’t be the way you think they will.  God does answer all prayers. He answers prayers in His time, in His way. Rarely is it the way we think it will or should be.  Persistent praying does more than get an answer, persistent praying grows us closer to God. The more we talk to God, the deeper our relationship with Him grows.  When we start praying scripture, we go even deeper. Persistent prayers’ true pay off is a deeper relationship with God.

When we pray God’s promises, we hold Him accountable to His word.  Click here for a list of 50 of God’s promises from the Bible.  Scan down through the list and find the one that fits your situation.  Write it down, place it somewhere you will see it often. Memorize it, speak it, pray it.  Hold God accountable to His word. Grow closer to Him as you get to know Him more intimately through your prayers.  Your persistence will pay off. God will answer, and when He does, it will have been worth the wait.

Question of the Day:

What promise of God are you going to cling to today?

Further Reading: Joshua 13:1-14:15 NIV, Luke 18:1-17 NIV, Psalm 85:1-13 NIV, Proverbs 13:7-8 NIV

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” (Psalm 84:10 NIV)

The best place to spend the day is in God’s presence.  Moses is one of the only people who actually met with God.  When He would come from one of his meetings with God, his face would be so radiant and glowing, people couldn’t look at him (Exodus 34:29-35 NIV).  When we spend time with God in His presence, His light will shine brightly from us to all those that can see.  God loves us, He adores us. But we’re afraid of His judgement and His wrath. We’re afraid to enter into His presence because of our sins.  That is why we need Jesus. Jesus took our sins upon Himself, which allows us to enter into the presence of God. The best place to spend the day is in God’s presence.

The best place to spend the day is in God’s presence.

Jesus is our lawyer.  He stands before us when we’re in the presence of God.  Since He took our sin upon Himself, God doesn’t see any of it.  All He sees is Jesus in us. His beloved Son who died for us, sinless, perfect, unblemished.  He bared our burden, knowing we couldn’t. We don’t have to be afraid to face God. We can stand in His courts with our heads held high, knowing He loves us.

Last fall,  I spent the day with one of my best friends.  We started early on a Saturday morning on our journey.  We stopped and visited family, we shopped, we had lunch. The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold.  The sun was shining. A wonderful girl’s day that refreshes the soul. For me, days like these are some of the best days of life.  But even our best day doesn’t compare to what it is like when we spend the day in God’s presence. Nothing can compare to basking in His love.

Each morning, when I meet Him in my quiet time, I enter into His presence for those brief moments.  As I center my thoughts on Him by reading His word, then journaling in my prayer journal, I feel His Spirit with me.  It is during these times the nudges happen. I will think of someone and something I’m to do for them. I feel conviction about an offense I have incurred.  Depending on the day, I feel His strength lift me up, or His peace calm me down. I enter into His presence, and He changes me with such tender love, I can’t wait to go back for more.  The best place to spend the day is in God’s presence.

Question of the Day:

Have you felt God’s presence in your life recently?

Further Reading:  Joshua 11:1-12:24 NIV, Luke 17:11-37 NIV, Psalm 84:1-12 NIV, Proverbs 13:5-6 NIV

“Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.  It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”  (Luke 17:1-2 NIV)

When you cause someone to stumble, the consequences are yours to bare.  In real life, those consequences can lead to broken relationships and harm to the other person.  We have all caused people to stumble. For instance, I’m a WW member and I have 2 close girlfriends who battle the bulge with me weekly.  I can cause them to stumble when I tempt them with food heavy in points total (how food is tracked in WW). I can cause them to stumble when I convince them to go for coffee instead of a badly needed walk.  When our weekly weigh in comes round, the results will show on the scale. Then the disappointment sets in and now an emotional battle to get back on track begins. All because I caused them to stumble. When you cause someone to stumble, the consequences are yours to bare.

When you cause someone to stumble, the consequences are yours to bare.

Food is one thing, causing people to stumble in their walk with the Lord is a whole other ball game.  I’ve caused people to stumble in their walk with Jesus, that guilt never goes away. I know Jesus forgives me, I know I’m not the savior of the world, He is.  I know He has a plan, and I can’t thwart it. But I’d like to help Him, not hurt Him. 

When I was a young adult, I attended a church that was having financial difficulties.  I had issues with how the money was being handled, which led me to leave the church. That wasn’t how I caused people to stumble.  I caused people to stumble because I bad mouthed the church when I left. I talked about what was going on to people who didn’t attend church.  Because I did that, I just gave them more ammunition for not going to church. To this day, there are people I’m still trying to repair the damage I did decades ago.  My heart breaks that they don’t go to church, partly because of my actions.

But God’s grace and mercy have helped me learn from my mistakes.  I’ve not made that mistake again. Through that experience, God has taught me a myriad of lessons.  I’ve learned grace, I’ve learned humility, I’ve learned wisdom. I’ve learned not to make the same mistake twice.  I’ve made other mistakes since then, but I haven’t made that one again. When you cause someone to stumble, the consequences are yours to bare.

Question of the Day:

Have you ever caused someone to stumble?

Further Reading: Joshua 9:3-10:43 NIV, Luke 16:19-17:10 NIV, Psalm 83:1-18 NIV, Proverbs 13:4 NIV

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10 NIV)

If you can be trusted with a little, you can be trusted with a lot.  Trust is defined by Webster’s dictionary of 1828 as confidence; a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or other sound principle of another person.  We have this misconception that what we do in secret doesn’t matter, but in truth, it does.  God is in our secret places with us. He knows what we choose to do with ethical dilemmas. He knows if we can be trusted with a little, or a lot.  If God can trust you with a little, He’ll trust you with more.

If God can trust you with a little, He’ll trust you with more.

When my husband and I were first married, we made a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond.  Among our purchases was a $3 item that somehow did not get rung up when we checked out.  When we got to the car and I reviewed the receipt, I realized the mistake. I thought it seemed like a hassle to go back in over $3, but that is exactly what we did anyway.  We went in and paid for the item. This is an example of being trusted with a little. If we can be trusted with a little, then we can be trusted with more.

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback church is a man that has been trusted with more by God. One of the reasons I have followed him for years is because of his integrity.  He planted the church 35 years ago with his wife. With an attendance of over 22,000 people, it is the 11th largest church in America. In addition to growing one of the largest churches, Rick is also a best selling author.  His book, “Purpose Driven Life” is one of the best selling books of all time.  As of 2019 it had sold 32 million copies and been translated into 85 different languages.  But that isn’t why I follow Rick Warren.

I follow Rick Warren because his success hasn’t changed who he is.  He still lives in the same small house him and his wife bought when they planted the church.  He has repaid his entire salary back to the church when “Purpose Driven Life” became a bestseller.  In addition, He and Kay, his wife, tithe over 90% of their income. They made a decision, early in their marriage to increase their tithe by 1% every year, and they have been faithful in that decision.  And he drives a beat up old truck he’s had for years. He’s one of the most successful pastors in America because the Lord knew he could be trusted with much. If God can trust you with little, He can trust you with more.

Question of the Day:

How much can God trust you?

Further Reading: Joshua 7:16-9:2 NIV, Luke 16:1-18 NIV, Psalm 82:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 13:2-3 NIV