Category: devotions about grace

A ripple of hope

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Acts 6:7, “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.”

Many of us operate under the assumption that in order to change the world we have to do great and mighty things. The truth of the matter is: a simple act of kindness in the name of Jesus; a loving gesture displaying Christianity; an understanding word to honor Him can start a rippling effect.

How we interact on a daily basis influences others. Have you ever had your day interrupted by someone’s rudeness? Maybe you were grabbing breakfast on your way to work and the person in the car in front of you bought your meal. Or you are dropping your children off at school and someone holds the door for you. Maybe you are running 10,000 errands in a small amount of time and someone offers to help you. The way it makes me feel in turn causes me to respond to others in similar fashion. And the rippling begins…

Words and actions cross our paths every second of every day. Did you ever stop and think how your words and actions are impacting others?

I once read a church billboard which said, “Always testify to the goodness of Jesus Christ and when necessary use your words.”

Sometimes I see someone acting out in a loving way to another person and I think, “I know that makes God smile!” Other times I see someone acting in an ungodly way and I think, “I bet God is wishing he or she would just sit down and hush.”

As Christians we have a higher calling – to spread the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ – with our words and our actions. When we do so, the ripples start and make such a difference in the lives of others. Try it! You never know how God may use it to benefit His Kingdom.

Blessings for doormats?

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Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Ahhhh! the humble…the meek… the world will run right over them, correct? They are doormats! Wimpy, pitiful folks who cannot take up for themselves much less others.  They probably need the blessings of God, pitiful little creatures. Is that what you are thinking?

Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Is this what Christ is talking about?

There are great and tremendous blessings for those who are meek and humble because their inner strength relies on God and not the world. God wants us to be humble and meek so much, He declares we will inherit the earth!

When our strength comes from our dependence on God and not upon money or power or ability, God blesses us. It is our faithfulness in a God who will right the wrong; heal the sick; judge the wrong-doer; provide; give us direction; give us hope; that brings us to this blessing. Being meek shows the world we know who is in control and we rely on Him.

The word Paul uses for humility is not exactly the word used in Matthew 5:5, but I believe the idea is the same. Humility is defined as “the selfless regard for the needs of others over your own.” Jesus was the ultimate example of humility because He put us above Himself in suffering and dying on the cross for our salvation.

Being meek and humble doesn’t mean we just sit back and let the world pass us by for fearing of stepping in front of someone. It isn’t what we do in our lives; it’s all about how we do it and for whom we do it. God wants us to be active and participate. He wants us to excel in life. He wants us to have victory. It is how we excel and who we give the glory to that counts.

Confidence in God to do in us and through us what we could not do otherwise is the blessing of meekness. Ask God today to work through you. Give Him all honor and glory. Experience God’s blessings when you do.

Our faith or God’s faithfulness?

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Whether it is financial, relational, or physical, we are often in the middle of a battle. When we are there, our faith in God’s delivering power may be the very element. He is trying to teach us. We know God honors faith; and Jesus challenged us to maintain faith and a willingness to put our trust in Him regardless of the situations of our lives.

Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

Matthew 17:20 – “He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’”

Yet, there are times in our lives when God is teaching us other lessons.  Sometimes the emphasis isn’t upon our activity, but God’s.  Often the focus isn’t our faithfulness but God’s showing His faithfulness. Sometimes, the focus is on someone else, and God uses our circumstance to teach lessons others need to learn.

In the end, we learn to rest in Him, whether by difficult times, joyful occasions, storms, droughts, sunny days, or prosperous events. The manner in which our lives have been designed and molded forms us in God’s purpose and plan for our personal lives.  In short, we become the people God intends us to be as we respond in faith regardless of the situation. We come to a point where we see His purpose for our lives fulfilled. And in each situation, God wants us to see His faithfulness.

One of my favorite Bible stories is a story of ordinary events, typical humanity responding to circumstances of life. As with our lives, the events of this story mold the lives of the persons involved. It is a story about people like you and me, facing life circumstances and finding God’s faithfulness in the midst of life.

A famine strikes the land of  Israel and a Hebrew family, Elimelech, Naomi and their two sons, move to Moab in hopes of finding better conditions. Moab, a nation on the east side of the Dead Sea, was just next door geographically but was light years away philosophically, religiously, and morally. While there, the sons marry two women from Moab, Orpah and Ruth. Tragically, Elimelech and both the boys die; Naomi and her two daughter-in-laws are left as widows in a land foreign to Naomi. She decided to return home to Israel. Orpah, one of the daughter in-laws, returned to her family in Moab; but, Ruth, the other dauther-in-law, committed to stay with Naomi.

Ruth 1:16 – “But Ruth replied, (to Naomi) “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.'”

Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem together. They were accepted by Naomi’s family there. A prominent land owner named Boaz noticed Ruth and asked his workers to be kind to her and her mother-in-law. He left extra grain for Ruth to pick up, glean, in the fields. Boaz took Ruth as his wife, bought Naomi and Ruth out of debt, and provided the two ladies with loving care. The result was provision in their lives though they had both been widows.

Sometimes the focus isn’t on our ability to demonstrate faith, but God’s loving faithfulness to us in tragedy. The story of Ruth and Naomi demonstrates God’s interest in our lives. Simple women living in Godly ways are noticeable to God. All He requires is a willingness to serve Him as our God. Just as He cared for the details of their individual lives, He cares for all the details of our lives.

You may be in a situation through no fault of your own; it may simply be tragic circumstances. Be assured God will show His faithfulness to you. He will restore, renew, and care for you. Trust in His faithfulness.

Move that bus!

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There was a popular show on television a few years back. A team of demolition workers, construction workers, decorators, architectural designers would come together and transform a person’s home in a week. The family would be sent on vacation and return to their home, no longer looking like it used to look, totally transformed – in a week! A large bus usually sat in front of the house and people would gather around and the family would yell, “Move that bus!” Emotions ran high as the camera crew would capture the moment of realization when the family saw their new home for the first time.

A friend of mine remodeled his home recently. He laughed because his kids had the idea the home would be finished in a week – like they do it on TV. He told them, “No. It takes much longer than that. We don’t have the ability to do what they do on that television show.” His daughter was discouraged because she had believed it would be like that.

Dave Earley in his book Living in His Presence writes, “There is no such thing as spiritual transformation. It is an ongoing process of ever-increasing glory. Our character is transformed little by little, a bit at a time.”

2 Corinthians 3:17-18, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

When we come to know Christ, the Bible tells us we are “new creations” or that we are “born again.” John 3:3, “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone,  the new is here.”

Like infants, we have a lot to learn! Your walk with Christ is an ongoing learning experience. It doesn’t happen over-night. The transformation does not happen in a week either. Christianity is about studying the word of God. It’s about making mistakes and learning from them. It’s about repenting and turning in the other directions. New Christians are as vulnerable as an infant would be if left unattended. God is teaching us every day, molding us, and making us into the people He needs us to be.

If you know a person who is a new Christian, make it a point to encourage him in his walk. If you feel stagnant in your relationship with God, join a Bible study and learn His ways. If you feel frustrated that you are not where you need to be in your relationship with God, talk to Him about it. He is always there. He hasn’t gone anywhere – you have!

Remember, God is the Creator. Every second He is shaping you in ways you cannot imagine. He is forming you into the beautiful being He knows you can be. What He needs is your full attention to the project.

What to do with 5 daughters

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Numbers 27 tells us of a father named Zelophehad who had 5 daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. By the law, land inheritance passed from father to sons, not father to daughters, and Zelophehad had died. These sisters come before Moses and petition his help. “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.” Numbers 27:3-4.

It is important to understand the courage it took for the 5 sisters to go before Moses. These were women in a culturally different environment. They are asking Moses to change the law, to make an exception, to go against the norm. They are asking the “etched- in-stone” impossible. Also, it is done with wisdom and humility. They didn’t create a ruckus; or secretly try to defy the law. It is done in a manner worthy of representatives of God. The land was important to them not only economically but because it was a part of their father and his name should be preserved. Their intent was to honor the memory of their father as well.

“And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. 6 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 7 The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them.”

Maybe there are problems in your life right now that seemed, “etched-in-stone” impossible. You may believe it isn’t even worth asking. What is done – is done! It can’t change; it can’t be resolved; no one can help! I bet these 5 daughters entertained those same thoughts as well; but, they didn’t stay there. They sought a solution in God.

Moses could have dismissed them. Maybe there are people petitioning you for help. Maybe you are in the position of Moses. Does it seem too high a mountain to climb? Does their plight even matter to you? With great wisdom, Moses knew to bring their case before God. He could’ve judge them himself; he could’ve decided the potential uproar of changing the law to accommodate the daughters of Zelophehad were not worth it; the law and culture were on his side; but instead, Moses petitioned God. Maybe you need to ask God’s guidance instead of relying on your own.

God didn’t just rule for these 5 daughters, He instructed Moses to change the law and gave him specific scenarios as examples of how to distribute property. Because of their request, future generations benefited.

When faced with difficult challenges today, seek the Lord’s advice and wait for His answer. He cares about the details of our lives and how we interact and deal with eachother and the issues which present themselves to us.

Waiting by the Red Sea

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1 Samuel tells of an event in the life of David. He is not yet the king. Saul is king and the city in which David, his soldiers, and their families have been living, was attacked and burned. David and his soldiers were actually gone when it happened and their wives and children were taken by the Amalekites.

David prays to God to ask what to do, and God instructs him to go after the Amalekites. No strategic battle, no blueprint, God simply tells him to pursue them. On the way, David’s soldiers find a sick man, an Egyptian who is the abandoned slave of an Amalekite.

1 Samuel 30:13, “…’I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.'”

Now Ziklag is David’s town. David asked the slave if he could lead him to the raiding party and the slave responds, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

Sometimes we are looking for God’s BIG ANSWER. When Moses stood before the Red Sea, the Egyptian soldiers thundering down upon the Israelites, millions of lives hanging in the balance, God parts the waters and the Israelites are delivered. Red Sea – Big Answer – Big Miracle.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (the guys thrown into the fiery furnace), God shows up and is in the furnace with them. The king actually sees a fourth person in the fire! Fiery Furnace – Big Answer – Big Miracle.

If only God worked that way all the time.

God sometimes gives us answers in ways we would have never thought. Would David have ever imagined he would find a sick slave who would lead him to the exact location of his enemy?

Be careful that you are not sitting by the Red Sea waiting for the waters to part, when God has someone in need for you to help who will in turn help you. Consider, David’s men could have passed this guy up. David could have instructed them, “We don’t have time to help this sick man, we are pursuing an army! We are going to rescue our wives and children! We are on a mission instructed by God. Who has time to stop and help a sick man!”

Who are you passing by? What are you missing that God is going to use to help you? Who are you too busy to help?

When looking for God’s answers, make sure your eyes and ears are opened to hear and see what He is trying to convey. Through out the Bible, time and time again, God shows up in ways no one ever expected. Since God doesn’t change, why do we look for Him in the obvious? He is not a God of the obvious, but of the extraordinary, unique, and impossible.

Today, ask God to open your eyes and ears to see the miracle He is planning for you. Your answer is on the way.

I called

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Psalm 138:3, “When I called, you answered me;”

WHEN: This word brings me comfort because it is a word of ‘time’. It does not indicate between the hours of 9:00am and 5:00pm, Monday through Friday; or Sunday on the front pew only; or in the presence of this person or that; or if God isn’t busy. No, the word when speaks volumes to me because it tells me, He is there when I am ready to ask Him.

I: That’s me and it’s you. It’s personal. He is our God and the word I talks of us. He doesn’t say “When the well-educated or the most athletic or the most handsome,” I covers us all.

CALLED: Have you ever tried to get in to talk to someone society deems as ‘important?’ It basically doesn’t happen. You can’t get the number and even if you do, it is impossible to get passed his or her assistant. But God, the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the Creator of the Universe, the Great I am, gives out His number freely.

YOU: The “you” in this scripture is God. We can have a personal relationship with Him. We can call on Him. When I was a boy, I’d asked my dad before every ballgame, “Dad, will you be there today? Will you be at my game?” I would ask my mom, “Mom, will you wash these for me? Will you make my favorite cookies?” He is our “YOU.”

ANSWERED: He answers! He hears us; we can call on Him; He knows our needs before we even realize what they are. And He answers. In this particular scripture, David says, “answered.” Past tense. It happened! He called on the name of the Lord and the Lord God All Mighty answered him. Since I know God is the same today as yesterday and tomorrow, I know He will answer me and answer you too. He is not just the God of David; He is our God too.

Call on our Heavenly Father today. Know that He hears your cries for help. And He will answer you.

Did I say that?

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1 Peter 4:11, “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.”

Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? If there were a rewind button, you’d hit it and start over! Maybe it was to your spouse; your parent; your child; your best friend. Once those words leave your lips, there is little you can do but apologize over and over. Sometimes an apology can’t take it away. Words can damage our hearts and make us insecure. They can cause more damage than a hurricane and replay over and over in our minds. What is more, they can cause times of extreme despair throughout our lives.

When we speak, Peter tells us we should talk as one who speaks for God. He is right, you know. In everything that we say and do, we should always represent God; whether it is Sunday morning on the front row of church or Friday night at the basketball game, our words matter. The manner in which we speak directly reflects our hearts. As children of God, it is our responsibility to honor our Father by choosing our words carefully. Perhaps nothing challenges me more in my daily life.

There’s a funny joke about a lady who was pulled over and arrested for stealing a car. Once booked and interrogated, the officer determined she had not stolen the car; in fact, the car she was driving was hers! With apologies, she was released. As the officer was returning her personal belongings, she asked why she had been suspected of auto-theft. Did she resemble a particular criminal? “No,” he responded. “I over-heard you yelling at the driver in front of you at the four-way stop. Your language was such that the stickers on the back of your car indicating that you were a Christian and loved God did not match the person driving the car. The owner of the car was a Christian and the person driving the car would not be cursing at the other driver. So I figured you had to have stolen the car.”

As people of God, we are called to a higher standard than others. We must love deeper than others; care more intensely; display tremendous compassion; and speak as a representative of God at all times. What a challenge…

Dust in the Wind

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Waiting for an appointment the other day, a lady’s cell phone began to ring to the tune, “Dust in the Wind.” A popular song by Kansas during my high school years, I started to hum the lyrics as she took her call. “Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind.” The words stung my mind as I thought of their meaning. Are we just dust in the wind?

Isaiah 43:1-2
“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine.'”

Dust? Would God call out with such a degree of importance, “You are mine,” if we were just aimlessly floating along, driven by the whims of the wind? Unequivocably no! We are created by God who knew us before we were even conceived. We are His. He calls us by name.

Jeremiah 1:5,”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”

There are times in life when we might feel like dust in the wind, wondering of our significance; wishing we mattered to someone; trying to find a reason for existence. But what a lie to even consider such.

Psalms 139:16 “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”

God is telling us not only are we significant to Him, He had a plan and purpose for us before we were even formed. Before our days even began, He had them fashioned just for me and just for you. We can’t even begin to realize the importance we are to Him.

I stopped humming that tune; in fact, I’ve vowed never to sing it again. Not only am I not dust in wind, I wanted to stand and shout in the waiting room, “I am the son of the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords! I am heir to His throne.”

Realize who you are in Christ and never doubt the unconditional, overwhelming love He has for you. Shout it to the mountains, “I am the glorious creation of God!”

The belly of a fish

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Jonah 1:4, “But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.”

Most of you know the story of Jonah. The guy who was swallowed by the big fish and lived in its belly for 3 days. He got there because the Lord asked him to go one place but he wanted to go another. And knowing he was disobeying God, he set out to “flee from Him.” It seems crazy  for someone to attempt to run away from God – the Creator of the Universe, the omnipotent King of all kings, the Great I am. Is there anywhere we could go that He wouldn’t see us? Find us? Reach us? When we read the story of Jonah, we almost laugh at his stupidity; yet, even now, some of us are just like him.

Unsuspectingly, some of us justify our actions, even though we know they are in opposition to God’s word. We disguise sin as cultural norms, political correctness, and claim the God of today is not the God of yesterday. The world is a different place, we assert. I often wonder if Jonah was thinking the same thing. He probably felt he knew more about the people of his time than God; after all, he was in the here and now!

A young man came to my office many months ago. He wanted to get married. “Could I do the ceremony for him?” I knew he and his girlfriend had been living together for several years and I asked him about it.

“We have,” he said almost proudly. “We bought a house together and after 2 1/2 years we think its time to take the next steps.”

“The next steps?” I repeated. “You’ve never taken the first step.”

In order for me to marry him, I told him he would have to move out, live apart, abstain from intimate relations, and do it God’s way.

“Oh,” he smiled, “Pastor, nobody waits until marriage anymore.”

We’ve become a society of rule makers and rule breakers. If it doesn’t meet our agenda, we find some possible way around it. We lawyer it down; read between the lines; and make our own precedent. When I think about it, there is a little bit of Jonah in all of us.

Take God seriously. If there is something in your life you need to change, don’t wait another minute. Bring it to God in prayer. Make it right, before you, like Jonah, end up in the belly of a fish.