Aug
23
He Loved Me First
Filed Under Daily Devotions
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 31-32; 1 John 4
We love because he first loved us. ~ 1 John 4:19
OBSERVATION:
One of the most common ways we learn as we grow is by observing others. We mimic and mock those around us. We watch, we learn, we do. God loved us. He showed us how much by sending His one and only Son to die for us. God loved us so that we can know and understand how to love one another.
APPLICATION:
I know God created me for a purpose - He has a plan and has chosen me to be a part of that plan. Yet at times I forget that He loves me. He loves me more than I can understand and more than anyone else ever could.
PRAYER:
Thank you for Your love, Father. I am not worthy of this love, yet You have given it to me to show me how to love.
Aug
22
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 28-30; 1 John 3
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11
OBSERVATION:
This is such a familiar verse for many going through difficult times. A part of us hold onto this verse as a lifeline to keep us afloat. The other part says it’s a load of crap - how could what we’re going through prosper us for the future? Yet when we listen to this part of ourselves (heavily influenced by Satan I should add), we give God so little credit. He is so much bigger than our current situation. We forget that He has the cover to the puzzle box. He knows what the end result will look like. All we see is a jumbled pile of random, silly looking pieces that just don’t make sense on their own. But with guidance and direction, we begin to fit the pieces together and slowly, some things begin to make sense. We don’t see the whole picture, but one corner becomes clear.
APPLICATION:
Some parts of my life I understand. Others I still see as a jumbled mess. But I have chosen to hold onto this verse as a lifeline and hold onto the hope that the things I’ve been through, the things I’m going through and the things I will encounter, will all have a purpose to make my life what God created it to be.
PRAYER:
Father, You are my lifeline. When things seem endless, I hold onto You even tighter. The connection to You reminds me that You do have a plan for me and for my life and You love me and want nothing more than for me to have a relationship with You. You put me in these times to rely more heavily and dependently upon You.
Aug
19
Perfect Complexity
Filed Under Daily Devotions
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 45-47; Psalm 105; John 21
Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. ~Psalm 105:5
OBSERVATION:
When we’re faced with a seemingly impossible situation, we should think about the Lord and all that He has done. I mean REALLY think about it. Learn about the perfect complexity of the eye; the vast greatness of the stars and our solar system; the migration patterns of birds. If God can create all of those things and pay such close attention to detail, we should be able to believe and trust that He will get us through our current situation.
APPLICATION:
I feel this journey will never end and I sometimes feel I’ll never get over this mountain. Then I realize I haven’t been trusting and believing God can do what He says He can do. If He called me to this ministry, He will get me there.
PRAYER:
Father, forgive me for the times I’ve wanted to throw in the towel because I’ve lost sight of who You are and what You can do.
Aug
17
The Wisdom of Our Youth
Filed Under Uncategorized
I was sitting in my room this afternoon pondering over the awesomeness of our God. He completely WOWed me today. That’s a fantastic story, but not the purpose of this post. But I was sitting there, as my cat curled up in my lap, purring as he does best, and my eyes scanned across an old photo. It was a picture of myself and my two best friends in high school. We did a lot of crazy stuff back then. If those of you who know me now think I’m weird and crazy, y’all should have known me back then…there was little restraint on my weirdness. Some of the stuff we did was pretty ridiculous and I look back and wonder what we were thinking…or if we were thinking at all.
But as another thing popped into my head, the longer I lingered on that one, the more it seemed almost wise. One of my friends had started dating a new guy. Well, this guy was not from our home town (her dad lived in a different city) and the other two of us decided he needed to fill out an “application” if he wanted to date her. We weren’t doing it to be mean or anything, we just didn’t know him and wanted to make sure he was good enough for our friend.
Then I wondered, why don’t we do stuff like that these days? Our friends are our life and our family. They mean the world to us and when they hurt, we hurt. Yet sometimes we sit back as they go through hurt after hurt, pain after pain, failed relationship after failed relationship. Why don’t we take more of a part in our friends’ love lives…I mean we’re the ones they go to when things are great and when they get rough, it’s almost like we’re a part of the story anyway.
I know it’s easier said than done. People don’t want to listen to you when you tell them the guy they’ve been dating is a jerk, when all they see are hearts and stars. This guy could do no wrong. And it’s also difficult when our friends don’t let us into the difficult parts of their lives to let us help out. (This could lead to another blog for yet another time.)
I think we should take better care of one another…and let others in so they can take better care of us.
Aug
14
Connected to Survive
Filed Under Daily Devotions
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 16-17; Psalm 96; John 16
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
~ Jeremiah 17:7-8
OBSERVATION:
The world throws a lot of crap at us every day. Societal pressures to conform to worldly ways; the inconsistency of the economy; even our own insecurities to live up to the person we want to be. But if we have trust in the Lord, who has complete confidence in us, we don’t have to worry. He is going to provide for us the things we need to live, to survive and to be fruitful. When we remain connected to Him, we can endure anything and make it out successfully.
APPLICATION:
I have to remain connected to God if I’m going to get through this difficult time. I have to keep believing and trusting in Him.
PRAYER:
Father, I believe You have a plan for me and a time line for me. I no longer pray for patience, Lord, but I pray for You to do the things only You can do. I pray this in Your Son’s name, Amen.