Monthly Archives: December 2021

December 17, 2021 · 5:42 AM

Spiritual Roots

Roots are pretty incredible structures. We rarely see them when we look at plants and trees, but they are viral to their survival. Roots help anchor the tree in place to keep it from getting blown over by winds or pushed over by something. They also absorb nutrients from the soil they’re planted in and use them to feed the tree. It’s no wonder the Bible’s uses trees as metaphors for us. Where your roots are grounded matters. Each of us have our roots somewhere and they are feeding our spirit. They also are our anchor when we run into difficult seasons. Have you thought about your root system or are you more concerned with how things appear above ground?

Here are some Bible verses on roots.

1. See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.

Hebrews 12:15 AMP

2. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.

Matthew 13:21 NLT

3. What the wicked construct finally falls into ruin, while the roots of the righteous give life, and more life.

Proverbs 12:12 MSG

4. And I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love, so that you, together with all God’s people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ’s love.

Ephesians 3:17-18 GNT

5. Your spiritual roots go deeply into his life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by your devotion to him!

Colossians 2:7 TPT

Where you have your roots matters.

Photo by Emma Gossett on Unsplash

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December 16, 2021 · 5:30 AM

The Tamarisk Tree

In Genesis 21, Abraham had been living in the Promised Land as a foreigner for a while. After he made a treaty with Abimelech, verse 33 says, “Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the LORD, the Eternal God” (NLT). I don’t know if Abimelech was there for the planting or if it was just a sign to God, but it was no coincidence that he planted a tamarisk tree given the promise God had made to him about that land.

According to nps.gov, the tamarisk tree is an invasive tree that spreads rapidly. It has the ability to survive in harsh conditions. It is very adaptable to whatever conditions it faces. I can’t think of a better tree that depicts the Israelites and God’s plan for them. God had given them that land, and Abraham had been given the promise that he would have as many descendants as there were stars. His family would flourish and spread throughout that region one day.

The tree is also representative of how we as Christians are to be. God did not plant us where we are in order to be quiet about our faith. He expects us to advance the Gospel rapidly, even in the harsh conditions we live in today. In Mark 16:15, Jesus told us, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” He wanted us to be invasive with His message. It has never been about waiting for someone to come to you with questions about your faith. It has always been about us being proactive.

The tamarisk tree is also a survivor. It adapts to be able to thrive in the harshest conditions. Throughout history, it’s been in the harshest conditions that the Gospel has spread the most. With the social pressures and unfriendly conditions towards Christianity that we face today, you can expect that the Gospel is about to spread rapidly once again. We must be adaptable in the face of such pressure instead of allowing it to shut us down. As history begins to repeat itself, we need to be prepared for another Great Awakening.

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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December 15, 2021 · 5:43 AM

School’s Out

I went through a sales psychology class once that helped people recognize how their fear displayed itself in their lives. It also showed how it showed up in their sales. One of the ways it would show up is by having a person feel like they didn’t have enough information. Instead of calling the customer, they would spend half an hour looking at the account, comparing plans and looking for ways to save them money rather than to call. We had all been to several classes on how to engage customers, how to connect with them and even had a sales process to follow. Yet somehow, this type of person felt like they wanted to learn more before actually putting it into practice..

In Colossians 2:7, Paul recognized that there are Christians with a similar problem. To encourage them he wrote,“You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving” (MSG). With 66 books in the Bible, there are countless lessons for us to learn. We can spend a lifetime trying to learn them all, but in doing that we miss the point. Christianity isn’t about getting a head knowledge of everything we’re to know. It’s about living it out day to day as we grow closer to God and displaying His love to others around us.

Don’t let the fear of, “What if I mess up and give God a bad name,” keep you from living out your faith. You will never know enough. That’s why He sent His Holy Spirit to fill us, to guide us and to remind us of what He said. You’re going to mess up. You’re going to fall, but He is faithful to forgive us when we confess our shortcomings (1 John 1:9). We can’t let the fear of failure to prevent us from living out our faith. We’re human, which means we’re not perfect. Let God worry about His reputation. You just need to live out your faith and let it spill out on people. You do your part and let God do His.

Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash

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December 14, 2021 · 5:33 AM

Emmanuel

Around Christmas time, I remember an old song we used to sing at church by Don Moen. “Emmanuel. Emmanuel. His name is called Emmanuel. Emmanuel. God with us. Revealed in us. His name is Emmanuel.” Simple, yet powerful as it reminds us of God’s plan to save the world. I thought about the meaning of it the other night when we, as a family, sat down, looked at our nativity and talked through all the people in it. By doing this activity, we each gained more insight and perspective into what has become a common Christmas symbol, but is truly the greatest display of love the world has ever seen.

Since the Garden of Eden, sin had reigned on the earth. It brought death and decay with it. Man had no ability to conquer it. When God looked on our helpless estate, He didn’t condemn us to an eternity In hell. Rather, He displayed His love by sending His one and only Son into the world, not to condemn it, but that through Him the world might be saved (John 3:16-17). He became one of us in order to reach us, to break the curse of sin and to end its rule. If you remember, while He was in the tomb, He took the keys of death, hell and the grace removing its power over our lives. He ushered in a wave of grace to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves.

Romans 8:3b says, “Yet God sent us his Son in human form to identify with human weakness. Clothed with humanity, God’s Son gave his body to be the sin-offering so that God could once and for all condemn the guilt and power of sin”. Jesus, coming to earth as depicted in the manger scene, is God reaching out, identifying with us and ultimately sacrificing Himself so we could be together. Emmanuel is a powerful word that concisely tells the story of Christmas. You are loved immensely by your creator. He didn’t come to condemn you. He came to save you because there is no way to save yourself.

Photo by Dan Kiefer on Unsplash

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December 13, 2021 · 5:30 AM

Choosing Joy

Not long ago I realized I was singing one of the most iconic Christmas carols incorrectly. “Joy To The World”, written by Isaac Watts in the early 1700’s, says, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come,” not, “has come.” I looked up the history of the song, and it turns out it was written about the second coming of Jesus and not the incarnation. Watts was concerned with the lack of joy he saw in Christians as they worshipped. He wanted to remind them to look past their current circumstances to the return of Christ when all things will be made right. 300 years later, it’s a good reminder for us as we live for Christ.

Romans 12:12 says, “Let this hope burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy. Don’t give up in a time of trouble, but commune with God at all times” (TPT). Joy is not something that is based on your circumstances. Joy is as much an attitude as it is an emotion. It keeps us focused on what is to come rather than what is. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. It’s no wonder that the enemy of our soul is constantly trying to rob us of our joy. He knows that when he removes joy, it makes it hard to trust God. It makes serving God feel more like a chore than a privilege.

If you’re burdened down, going through a rough time, let hope burst forth within you today giving you joy. We know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28), and that struggles produce growth in us. Let the things that are trying to steal your joy push you into closer communion with God. Instead of blaming Him, thank Him for taking the time to grow you and make you more like Christ. Above all, remember that this too shall pass and the Lord will come again to make all things right. We can joyfully worship just as Job did no matter what we’re going through by keeping things in perspective. When all else fails, choose joy.

Photo by Preslie Hirsch on Unsplash

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December 10, 2021 · 5:45 AM

Christian Experiences

Think of a time when you said something like, “Wow! That was an incredible experience.” It wasn’t just an event you were at or a part of that made the difference. It was something that happened to you while you were there that changed you or made a profound impact on you. When we experience something, it creates a moment in time that creates an emotional marker and often is a turning point for us. Marketers try to create experiences for consumers because they understand the power of them. Since the beginning of time, God has been letting us have experiences with Him. Plus he gives us things to experience so that it creates change in us. His goal for each of us is to know Him and to experience a change that helps us become new creations.

Here are some Bible verses on the things God wants you to experience.

1. All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life.

Philippians 3:10-11 GNT

2. So then, my friends, try even harder to make God’s call and his choice of you a permanent experience; if you do so, you will never abandon your faith.

2 Peter 1:10 GNT

3. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

4. Eternal life means to know and experience you as the only true God, and to know and experience Jesus Christ, as the Son whom you have sent.

John 17:3 TPT

5. We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!

1 John 1:3-4 MSG

Pay attention today to the experiences God is giving you and wants to have with you.

Photo by Pascal Habermann on Unsplash

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December 9, 2021 · 5:30 AM

Joy In Pain

In the darkest time of my life, I was so upset and angry I couldn’t eat or sleep for days. In the night, I would lay down, but I couldn’t sleep. As tears rolled down my face, I began to sing a couple of songs I learned as a kid. The first one was “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength,” and the other one was “Rejoice in the Lord Always”. As depression and bitterness we’re trying to make theirselves at home in my mind, I could only combat them with these songs. I knew that I was in a bad situation and that adding in those two things would make things worse. I tried to remember that God knew what I was going through, even if He wasn’t stopping it, and that joy would give me strength to endure anything.

When I was younger, someone once told me that there’s a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is based on circumstances so it comes and goes based on my condition. Joy is internal and not based on any external situation. It comes from understanding that no matter what my condition is, I’m still loved by Jesus and there is nothing that can separate me from it. When you learn to look at your life through the lens of Jesus’ love rather than your current circumstances, you learn to have a joy that gives you strength no matter what you’re going through.

Psalm 31:7 says, “I will be glad and rejoice because of your constant love. You see my suffering; you know my trouble” (GNT). God is very much aware of your pain, your suffering, your stressful situation or whatever you’re facing, and He knows how to work it our for your good. Even though you can’t see how anything good can come from it right now, keep trusting in His plan and resting in His love. Let joy spring up from within you and turn the ashes of what used to be, or what could have been, into fertile soil for God to do something new and unexpected. His joy will strengthen you and His love will sustain you through whatever comes your way. Keep trusting in His plan.

Photo by Geetanjal Khanna on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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December 8, 2021 · 5:52 AM

Living Your Faith

In one of my jobs, I had a manager who talked big. In meetings he would tell us what he was going to do and what he expected from us.after a few months, I realized that he rarely did anything he said he was going to do. After a particularly exciting meeting, I went to a coworker I had become friends with. I asked, “Foes he ever make good on his promises or does he just talk? He laughed and said, “He just talks.” I don’t think he was a bad guy. He truly wanted to do the things he promised and hoped it would motivate us, but in reality, it simply eroded our trust in him.

In Matthew 21:28-31, Jesus told the story of a father who had two sons. He asked the first one to go work in the vineyard. The boy told his father no, but then later changed his mind and went. After the first refused, he went to the second son and asked him to go work in the vineyard. He agreed to do it, but then never went. Jesus then looks at the crowd and asks, “Which of these two obeyed his father?” (NLT) We may not have liked how the first son responded to his father, but in reality, he’s the one who obeyed. Christianity isn’t about saying the right things. It’s living out your faith.

James 1:22 says, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” The danger we all face is becoming like the second son. We know what God wants to hear, and we know what other Christians want to hear. We can get good at speaking Christianese, but without the actions behind the words, we erode trust in ourselves and in God. We are the only Jesus some people see. Actions will always speak louder than words. Beliefs are not based on what we say, but what we do. We will always act in accordance with what we truly believe. If our lives aren’t living out what we profess to believe, we are only fooling ourselves as James said.

Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

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December 7, 2021 · 5:49 AM

Being Rerouted

Have you ever been trying to do something or go somewhere, but it seemed you were blocked at every turn? Maybe you hit every red light or traffic seemed to be stopped no matter which way you tried to go. Im the type that it makes me try harder to get where I’m going. I start thinking if I should run a red light in order to break the cycle of reds. Or I look for crazier ways to get where I’m going rather than the traditional ones. I become a man on a mission. What if it wasn’t the universe conspiring against you? What if it was God trying to prevent you for your own good?

In Numbers 22:21-39, Balaam decided to go with the king’s men when they wouldn’t take no for an answer. The Bible says that God put an angel in the road to oppose him. The donkey saw the angel and turned off into a field. Balaam beat his donkey and forced it back on the road. Then the angel stood in a narrow pathway. The donkey pressed up against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot. He then began to beat the donkey with his staff. That’s when the donkey spoke up and asked what he had done to get beaten so badly. Balsam told the donkey he wanted to kill him. That’s when God opened his eyes to see the angel.

In A te 16:6-10 Paul was prevented several times from going where he thought God was leading him. Instead of trying to keep going, he tried somewhere else. Finally he had a vision of a man from Macedonia asking for him to go there. Verse 10 says, “So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there” (NLT). Roadblocks may actually be God trying to reroute you. Instead of getting angry or more stubborn, try asking God if there’s somewhere else you’re supposed to go. He’s got a plan for you and will do what it takes to get you there. Listening to His voice and following His lead is much easier than fighting against Him.

Photo by Robert Linder on Unsplash

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December 6, 2021 · 5:20 AM

Living In Freedom

I once heard the story that some scientists did an experiment with some fish. They took a predator fish and its prey and put them in the same tank. The predator ate the prey. The scientist then placed a piece of glass in the middle dividing the aquarium. They placed the prey on the other side of the glass. They predator repeatedly attacked, but kept hitting the glass. Each day it tried fewer and fewer times to go after the prey. When it quit trying, they removed the glass. They prey fish swam all over, but the predator never went after them. Whether the study is true or not, I don’t know, but the conditions of the mind is true.

Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (NLT). You and I are raised and live in a society that lives in opposition to God’s way of living. Our minds are like the predator fish. We’ve been conditioned with the mindset of this world and its values. We are in need of transformation and renewal of our minds so that we can live the way God called us to live, which starts by changing how we think. Our thoughts direct our behavior, as referenced by the predator. God wants to continually transform us through our mindset.

1 Corinthians 7:23 says, “Since a great price was paid for your redemption, stop having the mind-set of a slave” (TPT). Once we receive Christ, we are set free from being slaves to sin and our fallen way of thinking and living. Even though we are free, we will have to continually fight against the glass in the tank mentality. That’s why we need God to renew our minds and our way of thinking. We often fall short of who He created us to be because we live with our old mindset. Pray today that God would transform your mind and way of thinking so that you can live the life you were created to live. Remember Galatians 5:1: “Freedom is what we have—Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again” (GNT).

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

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