Author Archives: jsjdevotions

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June 27, 2015

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Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, Prayer, Trusting God

PRAY AS IF YOU BELIEVE

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Praying Mantis


Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. [Psalm 5:3 (NLT)]

Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! [John 14:14 (NLT)]

I never wrote a Christmas or birthday present wish list as a child; I was taught that it is impolite to ask for gifts. When I was first married, I remember being somewhat disappointed at the gifts my husband chose for me because he hadn’t selected whatever it was that I’d hoped to receive. Yet how was he to know? I foolishly thought that if he truly loved me he would automatically know what was on my unexpressed wish list. After a few disappointing holidays, I realized that I had to speak up and make my feelings known. Good man that he is, he hasn’t let me down since!

If I can express my wishes to my husband, why do I have so much trouble asking God for what I want? Am I afraid He won’t or can’t answer? The more critical the problem or greater the need, the less likely I am to pray as if He can deliver. When praying for other people’s needs, I can be pretty specific, but when praying for my own needs I often pray a somewhat generic prayer of, “Thy will be done,” without ever expressing my fervent hopes for healing or help. It’s as if I don’t trust God enough to ask for anything that specific. This, however, is the God who created the heavens and earth, parted the Red Sea, made the sun stand still, restored lepers to health, gave sight to the blind, and brought Lazarus back to life. I shouldn’t be afraid to ask God for anything, always understanding that my hopes may not be His will. I should, however, have the faith to ask Him anyway.

Father in Heaven, give me faith; help me overcome my unbelief!

“Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” [Mark 9:22-24 (NLT)]

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June 26, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Fear & Doubt, God's Promises, Wisdom & Guidance, Worry

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. [Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)]

5-28-15 elephantNCweb
Our land rover stopped as the bull elephant approached. He paraded around in all of his elephant magnificence and, perhaps thinking we were a cow elephant, he even fully displayed his manhood. Although our cameras were clicking away, apparently that was not the response he desired. After circling us several times, he turned his back to us, raised his tail, and did what elephants do in the grass of the Serengeti! While we held our noses and looked in dismay at the enormous pile in the road, he lumbered away.

Elephants in the Serengeti don’t like to be ignored and neither do elephants in the living rooms of our lives. There’s an elephant sitting in the room whenever an obvious but unpleasant truth is being disregarded or going unaddressed. There have been several elephants in my life that I thought could be ignored. “If I pay no attention to it,” I thought, “maybe, it will just go away.” Problems, however, like elephants, don’t take being ignored lightly. If we disregard them in the living room, they’ll just stomp around the bedroom at night and keep us awake; they may even follow us to work or visit other family members. Ignored elephants will leave a big pile of stink behind them and unheeded problems do the same thing. Paying no attention to a problem doesn’t make it disappear; it just gets bigger, messier and harder to clean up.

We shouldn’t ignore the elephants in our lives; we need to give them to God in prayer and look to His word for guidance. In answer to our prayers, however, God will probably hand us a shovel and tell us to get to work scooping up the mess. It’s often an unpleasant and difficult task, but it can be done. With God’s guidance, I’ve managed to clean up the assorted stinky piles the elephants in my life created. The task, however, would have been far easier if I had just properly acknowledged the problems when they first appeared and given them the attention they originally demanded.

Impossible situations can become possible miracles. [Robert H. Schuller]

“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!” [Psalm 91:14-16 (MSG)]

 

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June 25, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Word: The Bible, Peace of God, Prayer, Today: Make it Count

MORNING EXERCISE

Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them. [Isaiah 55:10-11 (MSG)]

When asked why I exercise every day, I often reply, “If God gives me the privilege of waking up this morning, I owe him the exercise.” Since I want my senior years to be more golden than rusty, I work out regularly. This morning, as I left for the gym, it occurred to me that I should be as dedicated to His word and time with Him as I am to working out! If God gives me the gift of another day, I owe him a something more than exercise in return! And, just as I get better physical health with the exercise, I get a better spiritual life with prayer and reading God’s word.

There is a clear correlation between one’s attitude and the time spent in meditation and Bible study: the more time with God, the better the attitude. If we don’t confess, the weight of sin weighs us down. If we don’t talk with Him, our words to others aren’t nearly as kind. If we don’t praise His wonders, the little blessings of our lives go unnoticed and unappreciated. If we don’t refresh at His well, our souls become weary and weak. If we neglect His guidance, we become confused and lose our sense of direction. If we don’t partake of His word, we miss the opportunity to have His light shine the way for us. Personally, when I neglect time with God, I tend to get short-tempered and stressed; patience, humility and even love tend to be in short supply. If we ever hope to be up to the tasks God puts before us, we need to spend time with Him first!

There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. [2 Timothy 3:16-17 (MSG)]

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June 22, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Holidays & Holy Days, Money & Wealth, Today: Make it Count, Wisdom & Guidance

GRANDPAS -Father’s Day 2015

If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? [Psalm 127:1-2 (MSG)]

6-22-150402cropOld friends were in town and several couples had gotten together for dinner. The men (now all retired and grandpas) got to talking. Instead of talking about work, which is what they used to do, or sports, which they still do, they started talking about their various grandchildren. I loved hearing them go on about teething, toys, Disney movies and the various cute sayings and fantastic achievements of their beloved grands. In short, they sounded just like my women friends and I did some forty plus years ago when we spoke about our children. These men clearly loved the grandpa gig and they chatted about it with the same enthusiasm they used to save for their golf games and the play-offs.

This group of men is from a generation of fathers that weren’t very “hands-on” in the way of baby and child care when their children were young. Parental roles were more defined then: our husbands were the breadwinners and we women were the homemakers, in charge of the house and children. Don’t get me wrong! None of them were neglectful; they are men of faith and all were attentive and loving fathers. They were, however, extremely busy in furthering their careers and attaining financial security for their families. Good fathers all, they just weren’t as involved in the diapers, doctor’s appointments, feeding, classroom parties, lessons and homework as many of today’s dads are. Their own children had done all of the same things their grandchildren were doing, but this was the first time these olds guys were taking part in it. I’m glad they all have grandchildren so they can now experience some of the joy they missed the first time around. Grandchildren are, indeed, God’s reward for growing older (and for not killing one’s teenagers, but that’s another meditation!)

Everything turned out well for these men’s families; it didn’t for many. These men have been blessed with a second chance; not all will be. We need to make sure none of us get so busy building our houses that we neglect building a home for those in it. Unless God is part of the building and guarding of our home and family, we will have nothing. It’s fine to be ambitious, but not to the extent that our spirit, body or family is neglected. Financial security is meaningless if the home life suffers. What good are accomplishments, honors, wealth or fame if we lose our souls, physical health, or families? If we don’t trust our lives to God, we will be anxious and have no rest. If we trust him, he will surely provide and give us the rest and peace we so desire.

Children are, indeed, a gift from God. And grandchildren are the frosting on His cake!

Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you’re keeping them all in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls – family, health, friends, integrity – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life. [From “Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas” by James Patterson]

Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep. [Psalm 127:3-5 (MSG)]

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June 20, 2015

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, Holidays & Holy Days, Knowing Him

GOD THE FATHER – Father’s Day 2015

fdayhorzAnd I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. [2 Corinthians 6:18 (NLT)]

What are the qualities of the ideal father? I think he’d be loving and upright, wise and patient, gentle and kind. He’d be a comforter and good provider, a teacher and a helper. He’d be a firm but fair disciplinarian with a forgiving heart. The perfect father would be easy to approach and always ready with an encouraging word. He’d have a wonderful imagination, a great sense of humor and would always have a few surprises up his sleeve. He would protect his children and never abandon them. Some of us were blessed with fathers who had all or most of these qualities and others, unfortunately, had fathers who fell short in some (or many) of them. It’s comforting to know we all have a Father in Heaven who has every one of these good characteristics plus many more!

Thank you, Lord, for being the perfect father and for loving us, your imperfect children, as only a father can!

It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father. [Pope John XXIII]

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. [Romans 8:15-16 (NLT)]

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! [1 John 3:1a (NLT)]

 

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June 15, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, Miracles, Patience & Perseverance

HE HEALED

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. [Mark 10:51-52 (NLT)]

Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, ran after Jesus. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” he called. The crowd tried to quiet him, but he only shouted louder. No doubt about it, he wanted to be healed and he was. A paralyzed man wanted healing so much that he had his friends carry him to Jesus. When they couldn’t get through the crowd to the Lord, the men climbed onto the roof, made an opening and lowered their friend down to Jesus. Nothing was going to keep him from healing. A bleeding woman spent every penny she had on doctors to no avail. She followed after Jesus, desperately trying to touch his robe in hope of healing. Like the blind beggar and lame man, she truly wanted to be healed.

What a contrast they are to the man who lay by the pool at Bethesda for thirty-eight years. Sick people congregated there every day in hope of a miraculous healing. It was said that an angel of the Lord would come from time to time and stir up the water. Whoever was first to step in that water would be healed instantly. When Jesus came to the pool, he saw the man and asked if he wanted to be healed. It’s odd that the answer wasn’t a resounding “Yes!” Instead, the man complained that he had no one to put him in the water when it rippled.

The sick man by the pool blamed others for his lack of healing; no one would take him to the edge of the pool. Was there no one in thirty-eight years who might have helped the sick man if he’d only asked? Had he been abandoned or had he gotten so comfortable in his misery that he hadn’t requested help? Did he really want to be healed or had he found it easier to be an invalid? Fortunately, Jesus saw and took pity on him, commanded him to pick up his mat and walk. The man obeyed and was healed. If he’d replied, “I can’t; I’m too sick!” he would probably have lain there for the rest of his years.

Some of us may need physical healing; others may need spiritual or emotional healing. Sickness and disease are part and parcel of our imperfect world. No matter how much faith we have or how many doctors or counselors we visit, not every illness will be cured. There is no promise that we’ll stay healthy and death is inevitable. When we need healing, however, we can’t lay helpless by a pool waiting for a miraculous and effortless cure. Healing takes work. That means prayer along with such things as regular medication, physical therapy, a 12-step program, counseling, an exercise regimen or special diet, healthier habits, hospitalization, a support group, or even a simple change in attitude. We can, however, do all of that and still not be healed. Cures are never guaranteed but, if we’re unwilling to put forth some effort, it’s a guarantee that we’ll never be able to stand up, pick up our mats and walk.

The wish for healing has always been half of health. [Seneca]

When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! [John 5:6-9a (NLT)]