Honest Reflections

One-minute read.

After 176 verses, the psalmists admit that he needs the Lord to help him stay on the straight and narrow path.  Time and again, the writer goes astray, despite his best efforts to obey God’s commandments.  When we veer off course, the Shepherd gently guides us back into the fold, protecting us from the evils of the world.

Recognizing and confessing our constant battle with sin opens the door for the Savior to rescue us from ourselves.  No one hurts us more than we hurt ourselves.  Bad decisions have victims, whether us or someone else.  But deciding to place faith in Jesus will never cause regret.  The Lord always comes through, no matter how much we screw up.

Closing out 90 days in the longest chapter of the Bible, remember that God keeps His promises, we can delight in His law, and when we stray, He rescues us.  Meditate on the Lord’s word, memorize His promises, and become more like Jesus as you draw into a deeper relationship with the Savior.

Enjoy the vibrance of living with the Son in your eyes.  Let the warmth of His love empower you to love others, as His breath fills your lungs.  In Christ, your soul lives forever in His glory.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for the salvation we receive through Jesus, which gives us eternal life in Him.  Please help us keep the Son in our eyes and joy in our souls as we follow, obey, and trust in Him.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

We all need help.  No matter how “together” someone appears, we all have broken parts that no one can see, except the Lord. 

Taking golf lessons a few years ago, we talked about reading the putts, something I don’t do well.

“Everyone’s guessing, even the pros,” the instructor said to me.  Learning this helped me take some of the pressure off myself and gave me a sense of grace.

Don’t feel bad about needing help; instead, understand that everyone does.  God knows we need divine assistance, and He delivers.  The Lord’s promises provide hope we can trust, clinging to them in times of need.  His Spirit empowers us and gives us the courage to complete our divine tasks.  The Creator answers our cries for help and gives us directions to help us move forward, out of the valley, to the mountaintop.

At the ready, God’s hand lends needed assistance.  In Christ, we have salvation, and can delight in His laws as we apply them to our lives.  Become like Jesus, love God and others with all you have, and enjoy life in abundance.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us divine assistance every day, in every way.  Please help us recognize Your presence and the aid You give us.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

God moved us unexpectedly.  In less than two months, we left the city and moved to the country, something we hadn’t planned.  Sitting outside, listening to the sounds of nature, the horse neighing from the pasture behind us, fresh air filling our nostrils with delightful scents, praise pours easily from my lips.

At other times, when I’m in the valleys of life, praise pours from my lips because I know I’m not alone.  The Lord always accompanies me.  I remember sitting beside my mother’s hospital bed as she lay recovering from a heart attack, my Bible open in my hands, God’s word comforting me in my distress; never did I feel alone in my struggle.

The Most High God knows the trials we face in this life, as well as the joys.  He experiences them with us, and in the Lord’s word, we find the answers we seek to life’s celebrations and its dilemmas.  The closer we draw to the Savior, the quicker we will recognize His presence and discover His peace that surpasses all understanding, no matter the circumstances.

Let praise pour forth from your lips as you seek God.  Talk to Him about your life, open your heart to His Spirit, and discover the joy of the Lord; you can’t find any other way.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us Your word and presence to guide and direct us.  Please help us seek You in all circumstances, praising You on the mountaintops and in the valleys.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Article after article gives me instructions on how to potty train our new puppy.  Following their instructions, taking Ruby out on a leash to a designated area every 30-60 minutes, hasn’t yielded consistent results.  Frustrated, I turned to the Lord in prayer, and He led me to this verse:

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”

Proverbs 12:10

Crying out to the Lord, God gave me understanding in His word that helped me come up with a plan for Ruby.  The Lord cares for every detail of our lives, although some people debate whether He cares about the small stuff; they forget one thing: God’s sovereignty.

The Lord created the world in seven days, moves mountains with a flick of His finger, and heals the sick with a word.  We determine size, but the Almighty doesn’t, He can do anything, no matter how big or small we think the issue.

God wants to hear your problems, no matter the size.  He never intended for us to face life alone.  When Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our paths.  Living in the center of our heart, God guides us from within our souls and helps us face any problem if we ask.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for guiding us through Your word and Spirit.  Please help us understand how to apply it to our lives and follow You closely.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Does knowing God knows all your ways intimidate you?  My parents instilled in me a fear of the Lord from an early age, and I’ve never lived thinking He didn’t know.  But I thought the Creator didn’t care, a lie from the devil that I believed.

I’ve had tough questions asked of me.  Why did God take my son?  Where was God when my daughter died?  How come God allowed those people to suffer?  All difficult questions because I don’t have an answer.  I know we each have an allotted number of days on Earth, and only the Lord knows the exact amount.  Why some live longer than others, only God has those answers.

We gain hope from the Lord’s testimonies.  Hope that those who sow in tears will reap in joy (Psalm 126:5).  Jesus told us in this world we would have trouble, but take heart, He overcame the world (John 16:33).  And one day, we will dwell with the Lord in heaven where He will wipe every tear away, we will have no more pain, and every knee shall bow (Rev
21:4).

Delighting in the Lord’s testimonies means trusting His promises, even if we don’t understand His ways.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us a hope that we can count on in today’s world.  Please comfort us in our grief, and help us trust You no matter what happens.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

“The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”

Oswald Chambers

Hoping for God’s salvation and living by His commandments demonstrates a reverent awe for the Lord, as well as a proper respect for the Creator of the world. Knowing we’ve done what God instructed us to do gives us great peace. But when we knowingly go against the Almighty’s precepts, we will not experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.

As a golfer, the game tests integrity more than any other game because you call penalties on yourself. If you drop a stroke from your score, no one notices. However, I realize that God knows, which motivates me to record the correct score. At the end of the round, when I tally up my card, knowing I kept an honest score gives me peace.

Life works the same way. When we acknowledge God’s all-knowing presence in our lives, it helps us recognize and confess our sin and receive His grace and peace. Living in sin brings turmoil, but when we lay it at the foot of the cross, we find the peace only Jesus can give.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us peace that surpasses all understanding when we align our hearts with Yours.  Search our hearts and reveal areas we need to confess so we can receive the grace You offer.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Current headlines tell the tale of two politicians, friends just a month ago, now bitter enemies.  Reading comments, people speculate over the truth of the situation.  True or false?  Fall out or hoax?  Media strategy or actual events?  No one knows, only time will tell the truth.  The fact that so much falsehood exists in our world makes it hard for anyone to decipher the truth.

However, with God, we can find it.  Because His righteous rules stand the test of time, applying them to any situation will bring light to the darkness.  Everyone has ulterior motives, myself included.  Sometimes, we don’t realize that we have impure intentions.  But the Lord will show us our iniquities if we allow Him to search our hearts.

Not only will we discover our shortcomings, but He will help us decipher the truth in other areas.  Gaining a master’s in strategic communication taught me the algorithms used to gain attention and build followings.  People follow rabbit holes and get lost in lies without even realizing it.  We need divine intervention to keep us on the straight and narrow, not falling for the ploys of the world.

Abhor falsehood, seek divine truth.  Withhold judgment until God and time reveal the lies.  Understand, everyone has a tale to tell, but that doesn’t make it true.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us a compass to discern truth.  Please help us apply Your precepts to our lives, allowing You to search our hearts and lead us in the way of truth.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

As a kid, I loved to go on imaginary treasure hunts.  One stands out in my mind more than most.  Arriving at summer camp, we had the opportunity to go exploring.  Leading my newfound friends, I found a cave.  Without qualms, I rushed into the dark cavern, sure we would find hidden treasure within its midst.  Alas, we did not, but I still remember the feeling of adventure from that day.

Mining God’s word and discovering its secrets yields wondrous treasures.  The more I learn about scripture, the more the context and continuity amaze me.  Ruth, my favorite book in the Bible, came from the Moabite clan.  I learned that the Moabites came from the illicit conception of Moab from Lot and his eldest daughter, who tricked her father into sleeping with her by getting him drunk. 

The Moabites, pagans, worshipped false gods, but when Ruth married Mahlon, a Judean refugee, she encountered the true God and became a believer.  From dire beginnings, the Moabitess became the great-grandmother of David and secured a place in the lineage of Christ.  Ruth’s story of redemption reminds me of God’s grace and mercy for ordinary people who choose to trust and follow Him.

Mine scripture and find great spoils that will draw you deeper into a relationship with the Savior, and help you trust God’s word more and more.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for the riches found in Your word.  Please help us learn more and more about the treasures of scripture and apply it to our lives.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Repeatedly, the psalmist affirms the truth and steadfastness of God’s word.  The promises the Lord makes stand the test of time and prove true through the ages.  Love and redemption describe the themes of one of the oldest books in the world.

With love, Jesus came to Earth to save the lost and bring salvation to a dark world.  With love, Christ spread His arms on the cross and took the punishment we deserve.  With love, the Savior rose from the grave, conquering death and giving us eternal life.

The Lord’s steadfast love never ends, giving us abundant life as we draw closer to Him through scripture.  Applying God’s promises to our lives, we can find the strength to persevere, defeat the giants in our lives, and discover joy and peace that come from above.  Lean into the truth of the Bible.  Discover the precepts that will help you have a divine relationship with the Father and build a firm foundation to traverse life on Earth.

With each day that passes, allow God’s love to transform your life.  Share what you have found with others and help them discover the steadfast love of the Savior.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for loving us more than we can ever imagine or dream.  Please help us accept Your steadfast love into our lives and build a firm foundation that nothing can shake.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Yesterday, I talked about speed enforcement in our new area, which has helped me become a better driver.  Besides speeding, I now drive on two-lane roads more than ever. Living in the city, I drove on highways, and I rarely ever drove on country roads like I do now.  Making the adjustment to cars coming directly at me, I have one thought: “Don’t swerve. Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, stay in your lane.”

Following God on the narrow path develops a similar mindset.  Keep the Son in your eyes and don’t swerve to the left or right.  Every situation has the same question: What’s the right thing to do? With every person we meet, we must ask: What’s the best way to love them?  God’s word gives us the answers to the questions.  As Solomon writes in the book of Ecclesiastes, “there’s nothing new under the sun” (1:9).

Of all the commandments, Christ told us the most important one: “love God, love others” (Mark 12:30-31).  The Savior commands us to love, and we can only do that by staying in our lane and following Him closely.  When we do, He’ll give us everything we need to fulfill the command.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us a lane and the help to stay in it.  Please give us the strength we need to love God and others with our whole heart, mind, and soul.

IJNIP. Amen