Author Archives: jsjdevotions

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January 26, 2015

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Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Prayer, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance, Worry

DON’T WORRY; PRAY

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. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. [Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)]
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God does answer prayers but often not according to our time-table. Several years ago, my daughter was searching for a school that would be the right fit for her daughter, a bright and charming five-year old with some developmental delays. Application had been made to several charter schools that appeared to be good possibilities. Charter schools in her town select students by lottery and we were disappointed that her name had not been drawn by any of the schools to which she’d applied. My daughter and I had prayed up a storm that that the “right” school would accept her daughter, but none had.

That same spring, we were stunned to learn that our granddaughter has three congenital heart defects and major medical problems loomed ahead for her. Topping it off, in spite of much therapy, her developmental tests indicated that her motor skills weren’t what they should be for kindergarten. During prayers, I realized that God had answered our prayers. We’d asked for the “right” school for this sweet little girl; God was telling us that school wasn’t “right” for her at that time. Oddly, my daughter came to the identical conclusion at the same time. There would be another year of pre-school; kindergarten could wait one more year.

Early that fall, because of her medical problems, our grand had to miss what would have been the crucial early weeks of kindergarten. By the end of autumn, however, her most pressing medical issue had been resolved. She returned to pre-school, continued with a variety of therapies, and her skills continued to improve during the school year. The following spring, her mother learned of a private Christian school that seemed like the perfect fit for her daughter. Application was made, her name was put on the waiting list, and we again prayed that God would find the “right” school for our little girl. This time He did! Although she had been eighth on the waiting list, a spot was found for her. God does answer our prayers, just in his own time and in his own way.

My grand is now a happy successful fourth grader. As she approaches junior high, however, school decisions will need to be made again. For a second time, her mother and I will pray up a storm asking God to find the right school for her. We are, however, confident that He will hear our prayers and provide the right solution at exactly the right time.

I don’t know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
And I don’t borrow from the sunshine,
‘Cause the skies might turn to gray.
And I don’t worry about the future
‘Cause I know what Jesus said.
And today I’m gonna walk beside Him
‘Cause He’s the one who knows what is ahead.
There are things about tomorrow
That I don’t seem to understand,
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.
[“I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” by Ira F. Stanphill]

 

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January 26, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Church & Worship, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, Holy Spirit, Knowing Him, Salvation: A New You

THE EVOLUTION OF FAITH

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. [John 1:12-13 (NLT)]

When we’re born again, we come into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ. This spiritual birth is a new beginning, but for some of us, it seems like we’ve had several new beginnings in our lifetimes! In my infant Baptism, my sponsors dedicated me to God and promised that I would be raised in the Christian faith. At my Confirmation in eighth grade, I made a public affirmation of those same promises and accepted Jesus. My teen years were rather troubled and I briefly lost my way. Once in college, I found my way back and once more accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Accepting Christ, however, is not quite the same as walking with Him. When my children were quite young, I again lost sight of the Lord. Serious doubts even briefly kept me from taking communion. God led me back and, once again, I ate at His table. Several years later, perhaps because I got too busy, comfortable and overconfident, I grew lax in my prayer life until a series of crises brought me back to Him.

There were times in my life when I floundered spiritually and others when I walked confidently with the Lord as my shepherd. Whenever I lost my way, once I turned back to Jesus, the Father welcomed me back into His family with open arms. Each time, I’ve been reborn in my faith and each time my faith has become stronger. I can only hope and pray that this time my faith is great enough to keep me firm and strong in my belief until my dying day.

We are so incredibly blessed to have a loving and patient Father in Heaven. Like the father of the prodigal son, He forgives us when we wander off and He patiently waits for us to find our way home to him again.

We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found! [Luke 15:32 (NLT)]

Being born again is a new life, not of perfection but of striving, stretching, and searching — a life of intimacy with God through the Holy Spirit. There first must be an emptying, and then a refilling … It is a highly personal and subjective experience, possible only if we are searching for greater truths about ourselves and God. This experience is challenging, even painful at times, but ultimately deeply rewarding. It provides answers to the most disturbing questions about our existence, the purpose of life, and how to deal with sorrow, failure, loneliness, guilt, and fear. In it, we come to know that our gifts from God are not earned by our own acts but are given to us through his grace … For me, it has been an evolutionary thing. Rather than a flash of light or a sudden vision of God speaking, it involved a series of steps that have brought me steadily closer to Christ. [From “Living Faith” by Jimmy Carter]

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January 24, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God

GUIDING LIGHT


DSC05658aawebSNo longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. [Isaiah 60:19 (NLT)]

Lord, thank you for your light that guides me through the dark times of life. Help me remember that it is light you offer and not a crystal ball that will tell me what the future holds. I’m going to have to trust you for tomorrow. Help me stay in the here and now, following your light, trusting that, when tomorrow comes, your guiding light will continue to be there!

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. [Corrie Ten Boom]

Lead, kindly light, amidst th’encircling gloom, lead Thou on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me.
[“Lead Kindly Light”  by John Henry Newman, 1833]

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [John 1:4 (NLT)]

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January 23, 2015

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God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, Thanks & Praise

I AM LOVED

Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. [Psalm 63:3-5 (NLT)]

Some of us may have tried desperately to please our parents with things like good grades or blue ribbons in sports so that we would feel worthy of their love. Others may have been in relationships where they felt they had to prove their value to be deserving of their partner’s love. They had to be thinner, prettier, funnier, smarter, earn more money or have more status. God, however, loves us just as we are. He doesn’t love us in spite of our faults; he loves us with our faults. He knows every deep dark secret, every scar, every weakness, every defect, every blemish, and every mistake in our lives. That is not to say he doesn’t want us to grow and become better and more like Christ. But whether we change or not, God will continue to love and care for us. There is nothing that we could do, no change we could make, that would make him love us any more tomorrow than he loves us today.

Thank you, God!

He remembers our frame and knows that we are dust. He may sometimes chasten us, it is true, but even this He does with a smile, the proud, tender smile of a Father who is bursting with pleasure over an imperfect but promising son who is coming every day to look more and more like the One whose child he is. [A. W. Tozer]

I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. [Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT)]

I said if You knew You wouldn’t want me, My scars are hidden by the face I wear.
He said, “My child, my scars go deeper; It was love for you that put them there.
[“I am Loved” by William & Gloria Gaither]

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January 22, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Today: Make it Count

TENDING HIS TEMPLE

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! [Psalm 139:13-14 (MSG)]

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When one gets to a certain age, a frequent sentiment heard at birthday celebrations (especially those landmark ones) is, “It’s all downhill from here.” Age, however, is certainly no excuse to stop caring for our bodies. We may not be getting any younger, but we can get better or, at least, no worse. That is, most, but not all of us, can. A woman suffering from Parkinson’s pointed out that, “It’s not easy waking every day and knowing this is the very best I’ll ever be!” Her words resonated in my heart. I thought of my friends and family who’ve had progressive diseases like Parkinson’s, MS, Alzheimer’s, and ALS. Sure, there are things that can be done to slow down the progression of their diseases but nothing, short of a miracle, is ever going to return them to health.

The woman’s words came to mind recently while taking photos before church. One overweight man said, “Wait” and hid the doughnut behind his back before turning to the camera and smiling. “I’m supposed to be on a diet,” he added as explanation. He wanted no record of his misstep, ignoring the fact his arteries and blood sugar would know, whether or not his wife ever did. What’s so bad about a doughnut? For many, they can be an occasional treat but for others, like this man, a diabetic who’s had several heart attacks and is a regular guest in the cardiac care unit, that doughnut is a major offense against his already badly damaged body. Unlike this man, I suspect that woman with Parkinson’s wouldn’t ignore any medical advice that could improve her life. She knows how precious it is.

We are amazingly and wonderfully made and, for most of us, it doesn’t have to be all downhill from here. Paul tells us our bodies are a sacred place: the temple of the Holy Spirit. It’s not just our souls that belong to God; our bodies do, too; He paid a high price for us, body and soul. While we wouldn’t damage or vandalize our churches, we tend to be much more cavalier and negligent with our bodies. We must care for God’s dwelling place as much as we would His church!

Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. [1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (MSG)]

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January 16, 2015

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Fear & Doubt, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, Knowing Him

UNWORTHY

I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. [Jacob’s words in Genesis 32:10a (NLT)]

 Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. [The Romans officer’s words in Matthew 8:8 (NLT)]

Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal. [John the Baptist’s words in John 1:27 (NLT)]

For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. [Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:9 (NLT)]anemone (rue) - MHSP24 (2)WEB

When people say they love us, sometimes we worry that we’re not worthy of their love. “If they only knew!” we think. If they only knew our past, our secrets, our weaknesses, our faults, our fears, or our failures then they’d stop loving us. Jacob knew he was unworthy, so did the Roman officer, John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul. They were all unworthy of God’s unfailing love and mercy. So are you and so am I! That doesn’t matter because God loves us anyway! He can peer into the deepest part of our hearts and minds; He knows everything about us and yet He continues to lavish his unfailing love upon us. We didn’t earn it and we certainly don’t deserve it but it’s there for us, just the same. Thank you, Father Almighty, for your extravagant and unwavering love.

I’m so unworthy, but still you love me
Forever my heart will sing of how great you are.
[“Cannons” by Phil Whikham]

The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.” [Exodus 34:6-7a (NLT)]

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! [1 John 3:1a (NIV)]