Honest Reflections

“The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.”  Numbers 21:7 NIV

One way to neutralize the snakes in your life  is to ask God to intervene. Today’s verse comes from a passage that is classic Israelites, which is also classic us.  Moses is leading the Israelites to Mt. Hor on a trade route around the Red Sea. The Israelites get impatient, and for the first time, not only complain about Moses, but God.  All other times their gripes were against Moses, this time they are upset with God. God responds to their complaints by sending venomous snakes among them. Of course, now in physical harm, they turn to Moses for help.  Moses immediately goes to God and asks Him to remove the snakes. Here was God’s response:

“The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”  So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.”  Numbers 21: 8-9 NIV.

God didn’t remove the snakes, he neutralized them.

I have a friend who reminds me, any story we find in the Bible, we can find ourselves in as well.  Today’s story is a prime example, we’ve all complained about God at some point or another in our life. He hasn’t handled a situation the way we think He should have handled it.   We don’t understand why bad things happen to good people. I know, when I was single, I was frustrated because I felt like I was doing “everything right,” yet nothing was happening.  I waited over 40 years for my husband. I can relate to how the Israelite’s felt wandering in the desert for that long. When we are in the wilderness, our humanness has no problem finding faults with God.

God sent venomous snakes to answer the Israelites’ complaints.  The venomous snakes are what made them realize they were sinning.  God didn’t send the snakes to be mean, He sent them to get them back on track.  Sometimes, whether we like it or not, He sends venomous snakes into our lives to do the same thing.  Snakes remind us of our sin, our need for God. 

God is a gentleman, He never pushes Himself upon us, He waits for us to turn to Him. When we do, God neutralizes the snakes in our lives.

Question of the Day:

What snakes do you need God to neutralize in your life?

Further Reading: Numbers 21:1-22:20 NIV, Luke 1:26-56 NIV, Psalm 57:1-11NIV, Proverbs 11:9-11 NIV

“Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack.” (Psalm 56: 1 NIV).

When you need a break, ask Jesus for mercy.  As Christ followers, we are always under attack from the devil.  “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”  (1 Peter 5:8 NIV).  His attacks can feel like a thousand mosquitoes swarming around you.  The harder you swing to get rid of them, the more they attack. The problem we have, we try to stave off the attack on our power.  When we’re under attack, we need Jesus’s power to save us. When you need a break, ask Jesus for mercy.

When you need a break, ask Jesus for mercy.

Jesus has given us the weapons we need to fight the evil in this world.  He’s given us a suit of armor that we are to put on dailly:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:10-12, 14-18 NIV).

In other words, put on your bug spray.  We get swarmed with mosquitoes because we don’t put on our bug spray in the first place.  When we put on God’s armor, we’re putting on bug spray to defend against the attacks of the devil.  Instead of the mosquitos swarming around us, they are repelled by the bug spray. In the same way, when we put on the armor of God, it’s a repellant to the devils attacks.  His fiery arrows miss their mark as we stand firm in Jesus.

When you need a break, Jesus has an answer.  He has prepared a way for you to stand strong in the midst of battle.  He has designed a suit of armor just for you. His mercies are new every morning, His strength always able to carry you through.  But first you have to turn to Him. When you need a break, ask Jesus for mercy.

Question of the Day:

Do you need to ask Jesus for mercy today?

Further Reading: Numbers 19:1-20:29 NIV, Luke 1:1-25 NIV, Psalm 56:1-13 NIV, Proverbs 11:8 NIV

“Hopes placed in mortals die with them;  all the promise of their power comes to nothing.” (Proverbs 11:7 NIV)

Hoped placed in Jesus will never let you down.  Hope placed in man will never equal Jesus. Humans are limited in their powers and their abilities, when we die, whatever we have goes with us.  But Jesus overcame death. His power is limitless. He carried our sins to the cross. He died and rose again. He overcame the world for us. Hope placed in Jesus will never let you down.

Hope placed in Jesus will never let you down.

I recently watched Midway with my husband.  The movie is about a pivotal battle in WWII, it was the turning point for the war in the Pacific.  Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941.  This attack drew the U.S. into the war.  We were the underdog in this fight. After the losses at Pearl Harbor, the U.S. only had 3 aircraft carriers in the Pacific to battle Japan’s fleet.  My patriotism grew as I watched young men give their lives valiantly for their country. My hope in these men was strong. I found myself gripping the edge of my seat, not knowing what was going to happen.  I realized these characters I had grown to love could die at any moment. None of them had the capability of overcoming death. But Jesus did. Jesus overcame death. He is the hope that never dies.

Because we have Jesus, we needn’t be scared of death.  Just as Jesus overcame it, so will we in Him. My favorite character in Midway was Bruno.  I was disappointed to learn an inspirational story he shared in the movie wasn’t true.  His character was from New York in the movie, but the real Bruno came from Milwaukee. The false story told in the movie happens when he’s asked why he’s not worried about the upcoming battle by a shipmate. He responds with a touching story about his family.  When I researched the story, I learned it wasn’t true. What I thought would be a great example for writing, was instead a lie. Hope placed in man dies with them.

Bruno, in real life, was a hero who needed no embellishments.  His hope was in God, He served him well. Bruno died after being tortured for 11 days by the Japanese, he was then tied to a rope and tossed overboard with an anchor.  He sacrificed his life for our freedom because his hope was in Jesus. That is the truth about Bruno. Bruno knew the truth about Jesus. Hope placed in Jesus will never let you down.

Question of the Day:

Who are you placing your hope in today?

Further Reading; Numbers 16:41-18:32 NIV, Mark 16:1-20 NIV, Psalm 55:1-23 NIV, Proverbs 11:7 NIV

“The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.” (Proverbs 11:6 NIV).

Evil desires can be overcome with Jesus. We’re studying Corinthians in my Bible study right now.  The Corinthians had some issues, they weren’t faithful to the message of the gospel. Paul, in his letter to them, spends time correcting them for believing false teachers, conflict in the church, their pride.  They were so young in their belief, they were being swayed back into the ways of the world. But Paul is giving them the answer to their evil desires. Focus on Jesus, He delivers us from evil desires.

Focus on Jesus, He delivers us from evil desires.

At the end of chapter four, Paul asks the Corinthians a question:

“What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?” (1 Corinthians 4:21 NIV).

Paul is challenging them to choose which way they are going to follow.  Are the Corinthians going to continue to follow the ways of the world? Or are they going to focus their eyes back on Jesus.  Whichever they choose determines how Paul will respond to them. In order to get their eyes back on Jesus, they must first admit, they’ve taken their eyes off of Him.

One of my favorite books, “Soul Revolution,” points out how easily we take our eyes off of Jesus.  The author challenges the reader to set an alarm for every hour.  When the alarm sounds, use it as a trigger to pull your thoughts back to Jesus.  I’ve done this experiment before, I was amazed at how far away from Jesus I could get in an hour.  When we lose sight of Jesus, our evil desires begin to raise their ugly head. But the minute we re-focus our gaze, Jesus delivers us from our evil  desires.

Whatever evil desire you’re trying to overcome, take it to Jesus.  Paul gives us an answer to all of our temptations:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

God knows we all have evil desires.  He knows our hearts, and He’s provided a way to overcome them:  Jesus. When we keep our focus on Him, we’ll see the way out God has provided for us.  Focus on Jesus, He delivers us from evil desires.

Question of the Day:

What evil desire do you need Jesus to deliver you from today?

Further Reading: Numbers 15:17-16:40 NIV, Mark 15:1-47 NIV, Psalm 54:1-7 NIV, Proverbs 11:5-6 NIV

“Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.” Mark 14:72 NIV

Jesus’s answer to betrayal is love. We all have been betrayed, Jesus most of all.  And Jesus loves us anyways. Peter, beloved disciple, follower from the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, betrayed Him.  Peter’s denial of Christ came right before Jesus is crucified. Jesus knew Peter was going to do this, He had forewarned Peter (Luke 22:34 NIV).  Peter never thought he would betray Jesus, yet he did. Not only did Peter betray Jesus, He did it three times.  Jesus knew all of this when He got on the cross soon after. Jesus knew betrayal, He overcame it with love.

Jesus knew betrayal, He overcame it with love.

Betrayal is an ugly thing.   Betrayal, in its barest essence is about breaking someone’s trust.  Trust is fragile. Trust is our belief other people won’t harm us. When people do hurt us, trust is broken.  Betrayal is a part of our life here on earth. Betrayal was part of Jesus’s life. His betrayal far deeper than any we will know, His response, love.

I remember the first time I felt betrayed by my husband.  We had only been married a couple of years. He got a speeding ticket, he hid it from me.  I felt betrayed because he didn’t tell me. He had deliberately kept something from me. When I found out,  I was devastated. I thought we told each other everything. But in reality we didn’t. He didn’t keep it from me to be malicious, he was embarrassed.  He shouldn’t have been speeding, He was caught. But it didn’t take away the shock of not knowing for me. And it didn’t take away the new dimension it added to our relationship.  A piece of my trust had been broken. I felt betrayed. But then I thought about Jesus.

Jesus is who I can lay my hopes and dreams upon.  Jesus is the One who never betrays our truth. Jesus is the cake, my husband the icing.  I don’t expect my husband to fulfill every need I have, Jesus does that. I don’t expect him to always be perfect, Jesus is the One who is perfect.  I expect him to be the man God made him to be, the imperfect one. The one who is too embarrassed to tell me he got a speeding ticket. I want him. Jesus is the cord that binds us together, two imperfect people bound together with Him (Eccl. 4:12 NIV).  The strength in the cord is the perfect love of Christ.  Jesus knew betrayal, He overcame it with love.

Question of the Day:

What betrayal do you need to give to Jesus today?

Further Reading: Numbers 14:1-15:16 NIV, Mark 14:53-72 NIV, Psalm 53:1-6 NIV, Proverbs 11:4 NIV

“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” Mark 14:32 NIV

Jesus is the most important bridge.  Can you imagine, being with Jesus, and He asks you to “Sit here while I pray?”  In essence, that is exactly what Jesus is asking us to do every day. Jesus is the bridge between us and God.  He is what connects us to our Creator. Because Jesus is both man and God, we can relate to Him in a way we can’t relate to God alone.  The most important bridge is Jesus.

The Old Testament readings that are part of the “Further Reading” section of the daily devotional have been talking about Moses.  He led the Israelites out of slavery, then wandered in the dessert with them for 40 years. During that time period, Moses met with God.  When Moses met with God directly, his face would radiate so brightly the people couldn’t look at him (Exodus 34:29-35 NIV).  God’s presence overwhelms us, our minds can’t comprehend His splendor.  The bridge Jesus creates connects us to God’s splendor.

The bridge Jesus creates connects us to God’s splendor.

The bridge Jesus builds for us is done by prayer.  He intercedes on our behalf with the Father. When He asks us to sit and wait, it’s because He’s praying:

“Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34 NIV).

Interceding is praying. Prayer is simply talking to God.  Jesus is sitting beside God in heaven talking about you. He’s telling Him all of the things you’ve whispered in His ear.  He knows the areas of your heart that are broken, He wants to heal them:

 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”  (Psalm 147:3 NIV).

God’s splendor is revealed to us the more we rely on Jesus.  As we pursue a relationship with Jesus, we begin to follow His example.  We start to take our eyes off of the desires of this world and place them on the desires of God.  We begin to learn the joy that comes from true forgiveness (Colossians 3:13 NIV).  We begin to understand God’s peace that surpasses all understanding (Ephesians 4:7 NIV).  We stand firm in the face of adversity because we know who is fighting for us (Romans 8:31 NIV).  And so much more: unconditional love, miraculous events, life changing revelations. The bridge Jesus creates connects us to God’s splendor.

Question of the Day:

How have you experienced God’s splendor because of Jesus?

Further Reading: Numbers 11:24-13:33 NIV, Mark 14:22-52 NIV, Psalm 52:1-9 NIV, Proverbs 11:1-3 NIV

“She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.” (Mark 14:8 NIV)

When we do what we can, Jesus rewards our efforts.  Today’s verse comes from a story told by Mark. In six days time, Jesus will be crucified.  He’s having dinner at Simon the Leper’s house when a sin filled woman walks in with an alabaster jar full of expensive perfume. In other words, in walked any one of us, as we are all sin filled.  This perfume would be equivalent to about a year’s worth of working wages. Those in the room with Jesus are up in arms that she is wasting the money on Jesus’ feet. But Jesus silences them with today’s verse.  This woman is the only one who understands what is about to happen, she is offering Jesus her best sacrifice to prepare him for his burial. And Jesus rewards her for doing what she can:

“Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Mark 14:9 NIV)

When we do what we can, Jesus rewards our efforts.

Each day, we have a fresh opportunity to do what we can.  God’s mercies are new every morning:

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

I have a morning routine.  I roll out of bed, read my Bible and journal my prayers.  Each morning I give my life to Jesus again, fresh. I ask for forgiveness for the sins of yesterday, guidance and direction for the day ahead, and His blessing and favor to be on our lives.  Every morning, I have something to repent. Every day, God purifies me in some way, just a little bit more than the day before. Each day, He is molding me into who He created me to be in this life. His will is clear to me, His message simple. Do what you can, He’ll do the rest.

That’s what Jesus did for the sinful woman.  She did what she could, Jesus did the rest. Jesus took her sins upon Himself.  He picked up the cross and finished it once and for all. He did it for her, He did it for us.  All He asks is that we do what we can. When we see someone in need, help them. When we can offer a kind word, do it.  When we can ease someone’s burden, ease it. Jesus isn’t asking us to save the world, He already did that. All He is asking us to do is what we can.

Question of the Day:

What can you do for Jesus today?

Further Reading: Numbers 10:1-11:23 NIV,Mark 14:1-21 NIV, Psalm 51:1-19 NIV, Proverbs 10:31-32 NIV

“The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.” (Psalm 50:1)

The best person to have in your network is Jesus.  Jesus is the Mighty One, the Lord who speaks and summons the earth.  You want the One who tells the sun to rise and set in your network. The dictionary defines network as cultivating “people who can be helpful to one professionally, especially in finding employment or moving to a higher position.”  In other words, who you know is what gets you advanced in life.  No one has the ability to promote you more than Jesus. Jesus rules the network.

The best person to have in your network is Jesus.

I have learned in life, who you know does help you get ahead in the world.  I worked my way through college as a Desk Clerk in a hotel. When I graduated, I became a Flight Attendant.  The reason I got the job with the airline was because of my Sales Director. I had formed a relationship with her while working at the hotel.  She wanted me to get out of the hotel and restaurant business. Her daughter was a Flight Attendant at the time. She gave me the name and address of the Vice President of the company to send my resume too.  Because I sent my resume to him with her recommendation, I got an interview, and eventually the job. Who you know does open doors for you in life that otherwise might be shut.  

“I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”  (Revelation 3:7 NIV)

Jesus opens doors no one can shut.  Our real problem isn’t that Jesus is opening doors, our real problem is we don’t walk through them when He does.  When Jesus opens a door that allows us to feed the hungry, love the unlovable, forgive the unforgivable, we’re responsible for doing it. Jesus shows us the way, we’re to follow.

Caroline, my Sales Director, gave me the information I needed to become a Flight Attendant. She opened the door, but I had to walk through it. I had to send my resume, fly to Maryland, get drug tested, interview for 8 hours, then wait over a month to hear if I had gotten the job or not.  In fact, I had given up hope. I had taken a job at another hotel, thinking this was my fate. When I got home from my first day of work on the new job, I had a message that the airline had hired me. I never went back to the hotel, I moved forward into the open door.  

Jesus does the same for us.  He owns the network, He opens the doors.  It’s up to us to walk through them.

Question of the Day:

What door has Jesus opened for you that you haven’t walked through yet?

Further Reading:  Numbers 8:1-9:23 NIV, Mark 13:14-37 NIV, Psalm 50:1-23 NIV, Proverbs 10:29-30 NIV

“The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.” (Proverbs 10:28 NIV).  

If you want to have a joy filled life, keep your eyes on Jesus.  This past weekend, I witnessed what that looks like. Feb. 23, 2018 was a tragic day for the Cooke family in Mt. Pleasant, SC.  A robbery attempt left a father, Mike, shot 5 times and his son, Bryan, dead. The shooting occurred just before 11:00 a.m. on a Friday morning.  The two year anniversary of that day was on a Sunday this year. I sat in amazement and watched Lynda, wife and mother, sing “God is Good,” with her sisters, at the approximate time her son had been killed.  Then I listened to Mike give us a message of love, grace, and mercy, just after the song.  What I witnessed, was people living a joy filled life because they were keeping their eyes on Jesus.  

Before Lynda started singing, she introduced the song.  She talked about how she had never known life without the trinity.  She talked about how God has carried their family through this tragedy.  She explained why she had chosen this song. Bryan had given her this song some months before.  He had told her to tuck it away for a special time. After his death, it was months before she could listen to music, much less sing.  But slowly, she found her way back to music. When she did, she found this song. A song that she has clung too in the midst of her heartache.  She knew the special time to sing it, on the anniversary of Bryan’s death. A Jesus filled life is a joy filled life.

A Jesus filled life is a joy filled life.

One of the hardest things to accept in this life is that we won’t have all the answers.  We will never truly know why bad things happen to good people on this side of heaven. Mike and Bryan were volunteering their time to get a house ready for a homeless veteran when they were robbed.  They were serving the Lord when this tragedy happened. Why? That is for God to know and us to trust.

The service started with a song from Maverick Music, “Take Me Back”, the lyrics can be a prayer for all of us to cry out when we’re in the midst of a storm:

‘Cause when the storm’s out on the ocean

And the violent wind get’s to blowing

Oh, take me back, back

All the way back…

When it was all simple

And loving was easy

When it was all simple

And trusting was easy…

Take me back to the start, God

Where You won my heart

If you want a joy filled life, keep your eyes on Jesus.  Ask Him to take you back to where He first won your heart.  A Jesus filled life is a joy filled life.

Question of the Day:
Do you need to ask God to take you back to where He first won your heart?

Further Reading:  Numbers 6:1-7:89 NIV, Mark 12:38-13:13 NIV, Psalm 49:1-20 NIV, Proverbs 10:27-28 NIV

“Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?” (Mark 12:24 NIV)

The one person you can never underestimate is Jesus.  He says it right here. He’s responding to the Sadducees.  The dictionary defines Sadducees as: a member of a Jewish sect or party of the time of Jesus Christ that denied the resurrection of the dead, the existence of spirits, and the obligation of oral tradition, emphasizing acceptance of the written Law alone.  They are another set of religious leaders Jesus had to deal with during His ministry.  They were questioning Him about one of the laws on marriage. They’re question: If a woman had been married 7 times because her husbands had died, whose wife would she be at the resurrection? (Matthew 12:18-23 NIV)  Jesus responds with today’s verse.  The religious leaders learned quickly, don’t underestimate the Scriptures or Jesus.

We are no different from the Sadducees.  We underestimate Jesus because we don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.  We all share this mistake because we are all human. We don’t have the capability this side of heaven to understand the full extent of God’s power.  Even when we do see miracles happen in our own lives, we forget them too quickly. When we have problems arise, we try to fix them ourselves instead of turning to God.  We may know the Scriptures well, but we don’t always apply them to our lives. Jesus, the Master that He is, knows this about us and loves us anyway. The one person you can never underestimate is Jesus.

The one person you can never underestimate is Jesus.

The Israelites underestimated God when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years (Joshua 5:6).  David underestimated God when he saw Bathsheba on the roof (2 Samuel 11 NIV).  We underestimate God when we put ourselves before Him.  The Israelites had witnessed God do countless miracles to lead them out of Egypt, yet they didn’t trust Him for their well being.  David already had a wife, yet when he saw Bathsheba, he wanted her too. Instead of obeying God, he found a way to get what he wanted.  When we take matters into our own hands, instead of trusting what God’s word says, we’re underestimating God.

The only way to not underestimate Jesus is to let Him do the leading.  We have to wait on His timing, His answers, His provision. His ways are not our ways, His thoughts, not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV).  Because we don’t naturally act or think like God, we underestimate Him.  No one thought the Savior of the World would be born in a manger, but He was.  We can’t underestimate Jesus when we follow Him. When we let Jesus do the driving, He’ll take us places we never thought we would go.  But first, we have to stop underestimating Him.

Question of the Day:

What area of your life are you underestimating Jesus today?

Further Reading: Numbers 4:1-5:31NIV, Mark 12:18-37NIV, Psalm 48:1-14 NIV, Proverbs 10:26 NIV