Honest Reflections

One-minute read.

Inner joy comes from a proper regard for God and His testimonies. Sitting on my front porch in my rocker, I’m enjoying one of the first warm mornings of early spring, listening to the birds’ chatter all around me. Now and then, a woodpecker’s rapid tapping provides a natural rhythm to the song of nature. The ambient sounds testify to the Creator’s glory, the Maestro who designed each note.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
Psalm 19:1

Fixing my eyes on God’s ways doesn’t take much effort when I surround myself in His glory. Scripture tells of His wondrous works, and focusing on them reminds me of the Savior’s sovereignty. Delighting in the Lord’s precepts brings me joy. I can find no other way.

Take time today to wander at the marvels of nature. Whether watching a bird flitter from here to there, or letting the beauty of a flower mesmerize you, focus on the attention to detail that glorifies God. Meditate on Psalm 19:1 and look for ways you see the Creator’s handiwork in your surroundings.

Delight in the testimonies of God, meditating on His word, and filling your heart with joy.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for Your testimonies that surround us in creation. Please help us meditate on Your word, and give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your wondrous ways.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Running a small crafting business, I design and cut my tags. Last night, as I prepared some cross bracelets and lavender sachets for the shop, I used my paper cutter to make the straight edges. As I brought the blade down on the sheets of cardstock, I thought about my love of school, paper projects, and learning. Jack of all trades, master of none, my curiosity grows the more I learn.

Remaining teachable keeps life interesting. Having the ability to admit you don’t know everything opens the doors to unlimited possibilities. Closing our minds to new things leaves us stuck. Looking upwards and asking the Lord to “teach me” will open doors you didn’t even know existed.

As you learn, your lips will declare truth and revelation to all. Sharing knowledge comes naturally; the desire to help others comes from a heart that wants to bless. Life becomes easier when we seek and live in the wisdom the Lord shares with us.

Ask God for wisdom and discernment. Talk to Him about the things you don’t understand and seek His input. Keep a teachable spirit, ready for feedback from the Savior that you can apply to your life, growing ever wiser in His presence.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for Your word that fills our souls with knowledge. Please help us to remain teachable and moldable under Your tutelage. Let us joyfully share what we learn with others.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Seeking God with our whole heart means learning His ways and applying them to our lives. Remaining teachable acknowledges the Lord’s sovereignty with a heart filled with praise. Storing scripture in our hearts helps us obey when faced with life’s situations.

For instance, the Ten Commandments help me have healthy relationships. Applying them to my life shows me how to connect with the Lord and keep Him a priority. They also give me direction when dealing with people. By putting God first, receiving His love and mercy, I can then share it with others.

We must remain teachable, keeping our Spirit in tune with the Lord, to stay on the straight and narrow path. Veering from God’s will takes little effort. Lies roll quickly off the tongue. Jealousy flares its ugly head instantly. Unwanted, hateful thoughts can arise from minor offenses. Wanting revenge comes from our human nature. On and on the list goes of sinful actions that require little thought.

Following God, seeking Him with our whole heart, helps us avoid sin’s pitfalls. The more scripture we know, the better we can obey and enjoy the rewards of pleasing the Lord.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for Your word that gives us direction for life. Please help us hide scripture in our hearts, using it to honor and obey You today and always. As we seek You with our whole heart, let us discover Your wondrous ways.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

To keep your heart pure, practice God’s law. Living a righteous life means learning what the Bible says, then actually doing it. Jesus told us which commands we should put into practice first and foremost:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31

To fulfill the Greatest Commandment, you’ll need to learn the rest of God’s law, as each one centers on healthy relationships. Putting scripture into practice will lead you on the path of abundant, fruitful relationships that bring joy to your life.

Guarding against the negative emotions of guilt, shame, condemnation, bitterness, and jealousy enables us to maintain soft hearts, ready to receive God’s love and then extend it to others.

Unfortunately, when we ruminate on the negative, we miss the positive. We must guard our hearts from drowning itself in negativity, allowing the Lord’s flow of light to access all areas of our soul. Thankfully, God has given us His Word to help keep our hearts pure.

Don’t beat yourself up for past mistakes; keep trying and don’t give up. Jesus doesn’t expect perfection; He wants your heart. Following Him will teach you how to keep it pure, guarding your inner being with His word.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You once again for Your Word that does so much for our lives. Although we don’t understand everything, we do trust You. Help us learn Your teachings, applying them to our lives and living entirely for You.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

“Yoser” in Hebrew means upright, straight, integrity.¹ The original language of the Canaanites and the official language of modern Israel, understanding a word’s definition helps gain context. What does praising the Lord with an upright heart mean? To me, I answer that question with one word: pure.

To praise God with an upright, straight, and integral heart means cleansing it of sin. Getting rid of the jealousy, hate, and bitterness purifies our soul and connects us to the Creator in a way we can’t achieve any other way. If we keep the Lord’s statutes, they help us stay on the right track by identifying the weeds and removing them.

Weeding a garden requires the ability to identify good and evil. Leave the healthy, vibrant plants, pull out the non-productive, life-sucking weeds. Tending the garden of our heart uses the same thought process. Keep the healthy fruit, prune the unhealthy. Become better, not bitter, by letting God search your heart, allowing His light to shine into the dark places, and removing them.

When you do, you will praise the Savior with an upright heart, and strive to keep His statutes even more. Let the Master Garden weed your heart and give you an abundant life.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for purifying our hearts with Your divine light. Please help us quickly identify the weeds we need to get rid of in our soul and replace them with Your unconditional love, grace and mercy.
IJNIP. Amen

1. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20119%3A7-8&version=NIV ↩︎

One-minute read.

As a tennis coach, I have drills to teach focus. In a world full of distractions, studies show our attention spans have shrunk. Where a goldfish can focus for 9 seconds, humans average 8.25 seconds of attention. Consider that fact the next time you watch a goldfish; they focus better than we do.

Constant bombardment of information takes our attention away from our tasks. The constant ding of notifications from social media sites, health apps, calendars, and more never ends. We have to develop focus by practicing it, and nothing helps us do that better than the Son.

Keeping the Son in our eyes means meditating on God’s word, gleaning insight from the Savior, and applying it to our lives. The more we focus on the Lord, the more we will enjoy the benefits of following Him.

Just like I teach my students focus, I continue to work on it myself. Turning off notifications on my phone and computer helps me maintain my train of thought without interruptions. Determining what distracts us helps us eliminate it from our lives. By doing so, we can maintain our focus, keep the Son in our sight, and live shame-free in the love of the Savior.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for helping us fix our eyes on You. Please show us the distractions in our lives that keep us from enjoying You. Give us the wisdom and discernment to eliminate anything that distracts us from following Your ways.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

“You only believe the parts of the Bible you do,” said the pastor a couple of weeks ago in church. Over the years, I’ve heard many speakers utter those exact words. Obedience to the Lord’s precepts becomes a matter of choice rather than a matter of submission. Following the commands found in the Bible leads to an abundant life; however, if we don’t obey, we can’t enjoy it.

Yes, Jesus fulfilled the law when He died on the cross for our sins. Understanding none of us can keep all of the Lord’s commands, Christ redeemed us from our imperfect selves once and for all. But the Savior did keep every law, perfect in every way. To become more like Jesus, we must at least make an effort. The more we apply God’s precepts to our lives, the more we fulfill the Lord’s purpose for our lives.

Following Jesus and giving our lives to Him means living counterculturally to the world. Learning God’s commands and applying them to our lives transforms us into new creatures who value integrity, forgiveness, redemption, and purity.

Remain steadfast in following the Lord’s commands, and reap the benefits of living for the applause of nail-scarred hands. By doing so, you will find a peace that surpasses all understanding and an abundant life beyond your wildest imagination.

PRAYER:

Lord,
Thank You for giving us Your Word to follow and obey. Please help us apply Your precepts to our lives, transforming us into new people, set apart for Your work. Let us represent You well.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Where do you go when you don’t know what to do?

Answering that question determines the path you will follow. For me, I turn to Scripture. God wrote 80% of His will for our lives down. Through the authors of the Bible, who sought the Lord’s wisdom, we have instructions on how to live our lives. The other 20% comes through a relationship with the Savior, His followers, life’s circumstances, and prayer.

How do I treat the person that hurt me? Love, bless, and pray for them (Luke 6:27-28). How many times must I forgive? Seventy times seven (Matthew 18:15-20). What kind of attitude should I have towards work? As if unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24). What’s God’s greatest commandment for my life? Love God, love others (Mark 12:30-31). What should I do with my life? Make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

Most of life’s questions already have the answer written down for us in the pages of Scripture. If we seek the Lord through His Word, we will find direction and guidance to walk in His ways. Keeping life simple by following the precepts outlined in the Bible will help us stay on track. Instead of following our desires, we align our hearts with the Lord’s.

Applying Scripture to our daily lives requires effort, intention, and perseverance. But when we do, we will draw close to the Savior and experience life to the full.

PRAYER:

Lord,
Thank You for Your Word, which guides and directs our path. As we seek guidance in the pages of the Bible, grant us wisdom and discernment to apply Your instruction to our lives, imitating Jesus and honoring You.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read

Hope comes from the Lord as we follow His ways. In scripture, God tells us how we should love Him and others. When we apply these principles to our lives, we will walk blamelessly as we live out the Creator’s commands. Leading with integrity and following God’s statutes gives order to our lives and directs our paths.

As God reveals truth through circumstances, people, and His word, we respond by allowing the Almighty to transform us. No longer believing in worldly lies, we let go of shame and accept the Lord’s mercy. Through His laws, the Creator establishes divine order in the world, giving Christ’s followers a sense of deliverance and freedom.

Material things don’t last, but the blessing of the Lord’s peace that surpasses all understanding never ends. Ridding ourselves of guilt and shame, we embrace the freedom found in Christ’s forgiveness.

Living in God’s will brings blessings into our lives. The more we implement the Lord’s desires, the more blessings we will receive. As we experience God’s grace and mercy, we can’t help but share it with others. When the Prince of Peace stills our hearts and calms our nerves, we lose our fears and anxiety. The more steps we take with the Lord, the more we will praise Him. No one compares to the Savior, and none can transform our lives like He can. Blessed beyond compare, we find abundant life in Christ.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for giving us a guidebook for life. Please help us apply Your statutes to our days and walk blamelessly with You. Let us live in Your favor and blessing as we fulfill our divine purpose.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Divided into 22 sections, Psalm 119 holds the trophy for the longest chapter in the Bible. Containing 176 verses, the psalm uses the Hebrew alphabet for its structure. Each section begins with a letter of the alphabet, from Aleph to Tav (A to Z).

Describing his reliance on and love for God’s law, the unnamed author often gets credited to David, although some scholars suggest Ezra, Daniel, or Jeremiah as possibilities. The psalmist shares their struggles and how holding fast to scripture helps them persevere, declaring the Word of God as all-sufficient.

Filled with prayers and petitions for guidance and strength, the author relies on the Lord’s grace to help him follow the Creator’s decrees. By practicing God’s commands, the psalmist finds victory over his struggles and the peace that only our heavenly Father can give.

As we embark on a 90-day journey through this instrumental psalm, let’s embrace the truth of God’s word, apply it to our lives, and live in the victory Christ gave us on the cross.

Enjoy the journey, friend. Rest in the arms of the Savior; allow Him to fight for you. Let God’s word be a lamp unto your feet, lighting your path, leading you to abundant life in Christ.

Prayer

Lord,

Thank You for Your Word that lights our path and shows us the way to right living with Christ. As we study the passages in this Psalm over the next 90 days, help us apply it to our lives, living boldly for You.

IJNP. Amen