November 22, 2024 · 5:17 AM

Taking Care Of You

In the beginning, God charged Adam with taking care of the earth. Throughout the Bible we read where God has since charged us with caring for the elderly, the widow and the orphan. We’re also to take care of the poor and needy. In all that caring for others, we might wonder who is supposed to care for us. Again, the Bible is clear on this one. It says that God will take care of you. We worry so much about things that are out of our control, but are in His. He is not going to leave you or forsake you. He’s clothed the fields with flowers and made sure the birds have food. After reminding us of this, Jesus said, “Aren’t you more valuable than them?” When we seek His kingdom, first, He takes care of everything else for us.

Here are some Bible verses on God taking care of you:

1. As a shepherd cares for his sheep on the day that he is among his scattered flock, so I will care for My sheep; and I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.

Ezekiel 34:12 AMP

2. Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Psalms 55:22 NLT

3. Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 TPT

4. Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.

Hebrews 1:14 NLT

5. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.

Psalms 36:6 NLT

Photo by Mita 64 on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 21, 2024 · 5:30 AM

The Secret Of Satisfaction

Growing up, my parents would let me have any shoe I wanted as long as it was less than $25. That was fine for a while, but then I arrived in junior high and Nike introduced the Air Jordan line up. My friends and neighbors got them, but I couldn’t. They were $100, which was considerably more than my $25 limit. I wanted them so badly that I began to put pictures of them in my binders, drew them in my books and had posters on my wall. I thought they were the coolest shoe ever. My parents were teaching me a couple of lessons. The first was to be thankful for what you have even if it’s not what you want. The second was that if you want something more than what you have, save up your money to get it. That created more value in those shoes than if they had been given to me.

In Philippians 4:11, Paul wrote, “For I have learned to be satisfied with what I have” (GNT). That’s a lesson we could all learn. He’s not saying that we shouldn’t ever want more than we have. It’s that we need to learn to be satisfied with what we do have. If we’re constantly looking for something else or wanting more, we will miss the lesson of contentment and fail to be appreciative of what God has given us. When we don’t appreciate something, we don’t value it. If we don’t value it, we take it for granted. God blesses us daily with good things that we look right past because we already want more than the daily bread He’s given us. Paul’s next verse said that whether he had a little or a lot, the secret to life was learning to be content and satisfied.

Ecclesiastes 6:9 put it this way, “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.” What blessings have you been overlooking? What are some things you get, but are never enough? A lack of satisfaction or contentment can be an outward expression of an inward brokenness. Once you’ve identified the outward expression, trace it to its roots. Ask God to bring healing to that area and to help you learn to be content with the things you have, whether a little or a lot. Once that change happens in you, the lens that you look at life through will change, and your prayers will too. Start changing them today by thanking Him for the many things He’s already blessed you with instead of asking Him for all the things you don’t have.

Photo by freestocks 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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 20, 2024 · 5:37 AM

Unqualified

Have you ever been told you’re unqualified to do something? I can tell you from experience that it’s a confidence crusher, especially when you hear it over and over. After awhile you can begin to believe it yourself. You may even tell yourself that you’re unqualified to do something. Fear likes to use that line to keep us where we are so we don’t step out in faith. So many people let that word hold them back, but there are those who defy it. There are those who know that most of what God calls you to,you’re going to be or feel unqualified to do and step out anyway. They push past their fear and feelings into a position of faith and reliance on God to show up. It’s on,y when we push past the natural that we activate the supernatural. The Bible shared stories of people like that in order to encourage us to do the same.

In 1 Samuel 17, we read the story of a teenage boy who is the youngest of his brothers. They were off at war while he stayed home. After a while, his father sent him with a care package for his brothers. When he arrived at the battlefront, he saw the enemy had a mighty warrior that everyone was afraid of. Something in him rose up beyond his lack of qualifications to say that he could beat this guy. His brothers told him he was too young and was just showing off. The king told him he was unskilled and unqualified to fight. Even as he stepped onto the battlefield to face this mighty foe, the enemy taunted him using his lack of qualifications. However, this young man didn’t let that stop him. In verse 46 he replied to the taunts, “Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!” (NLT). Then, this unqualified boy, grabbed a stone, put it in a sling, ran towards the enemy and killed him.

Jeremiah 17:7 says, “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” Where is your hope and confidence? Is it in your qualifications or what people say about you? Or is it in the Lord who called you? David trusted in God controlling the outcome regardless of his qualifications and even though he was outmatched in every area. He stepped onto the battlefield in faith trusting God to do what he could not. He still had to face the giant. He had to endure the ridicule. He also had to put the stone in the sling and send it flying. Stepping out in faith is going to require more than just standing on the battlefield. It’s going to require action from you. God used a skill David had to unconventionally defeat the enemy. Don’t let your lack of qualifications keep you on the sidelines. Put your hope and confidence in the Lord and starting taking on giants.

Photo by Jonathan Zerger on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

November 19, 2024 · 5:31 AM

No Shortcuts

Several years ago there was a college admissions scandal. Several rich, prominent families were paying people off in order to give their kids an unfair advantage in getting into colleges. A lot of famous people committed fraud doing this while paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe money. What they didn’t understand was how they were setting their kids up for failure in life. By contrast, people like Kevin O’Leary and Warren Buffet have given their kids very little to help them in life. They have said that they don’t necessarily want their kids to inherit their wealth because they won’t have struggled to gain it. The struggle is where they learn to appreciate it and value it. They believe that taking financial struggles away from their kids will cripple them in the long run and destroy their character.

In the Bible, God used struggle and hardship as part of His process to strengthen people, develop character and to get people ready to lead. Joseph stands chief among them. When he was a teenager, God gave him dreams of what his future would hold. He shared them with his family and was a punk to his brothers. They resented him for his behavior and dreams, so they grabbed him, stripped him, and sold him as a slave. His favored status was gone and years of struggling ensued as he worked in Potiphar’s house and went to prison. While he was in prison and forgotten, God worked on his character. When he was ready, God redeemed him from the pit and placed him second in command to Pharaoh. When his brothers came seeking help, he didn’t take revenge. He recognized God’s hand in the struggle.

James 1:3-4 says, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (NLT). God has a process to grow you and place you. It isn’t an easy one. Don’t have the mindset of the people above who tried to shortcut the process. That ultimately affects your development and character. Trials and tests are part of the growth process. If you want to be complete, lacking nothing, you must submit to the process. It won’t be easy, but the strength you will gain will maximize your ability to reach the potential God placed in you. Instead of trying to use a shortcut, ask God for strength, wisdom and courage to endure. You can become the person God sees in you and be used for greater things.

Photo by Jason Hogan on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 18, 2024 · 5:30 AM

A Lifestyle Of Gratitude

Every November I see people post daily about something they’ve thankful for. I love to see the posts, but gratitude shouldn’t be seasonal. It’s actually a spiritual discipline that we need to incorporate into our daily lives as Christians. In its trues form, it is an act of selflessness because it acknowledges that someone other than ourselves is the source of things in our lives. It gives credit where credit is due while working to keep us humble. Gratitude is one of the best ways to acknowledge God’s work in our lives. Too many times we pray to ask God for things, yet stop to give Him thanks when He answers. In our home, we have made it a practice to stop what we’re doing, no matter where we are, and give thanks once a prayer has been answered.

In Luke 17:11-19 it says that Jesus was walking from Galilee to Jerusalem. As He was passing through Samaria, He came into a village where He was met by ten lepers who called out to Him for help. Jesus saw them and simply told them to go show themselves to the priest. As they were walking along, they realized they were healed. Nine continued on to show the priest and run to their family. Verse 15-16 says, “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying and praising and honoring God with a loud voice; and he lay face downward at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. He was a Samaritan” (AMP). Jesus asked where the other nine were. Then he asked, “Was there no one found to return and to give thanks and praise to God, except this foreigner?” That question should challenge each of us to have the spiritual discipline of gratitude in our lives.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” It doesn’t matter what season we’re in, or what our circumstances are, we must learn to be grateful. When we continually give God thanks, it changes our perspective and attitude. The more we things we give thanks for to God, the more we find we have things to be grateful for. A grateful heart is the will of God because it keeps our eyes fixed on Him no matter the situation. What can you do starting today to incorporate this spiritual discipline into your life? How will you be held accountable to be like the one leper who returned to give thanks? Don’t let this be just another season of giving thanks. Use it to begin a lifestyle of gratitude.

Photo by Eddie Wingertsahn on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 15, 2024 · 5:22 AM

The Gift Of Blessing

In the Bible, when one person blessed another, it was a significant moment in their life. Sometimes it was words that were prophetic of who they would become, and others it was with a gift. The blessing wasn’t give or received lightly. When the Bible tells us to bless others, it’s not encouraging us to bless their little heart as we like to do in the South. It is something meaningful. We’ve lost the gift of blessing through the generations. I believe the enemy has caused it to get lost because of how important it is to a person and what it does for them. I still believe it is important for us to bless our family, friends and others according to the Bible. Take a moment today to put into practice the gift of blessing.

Here are some Bible verses on blessing others:

1. Bless us with a bountiful harvest, with golden grain swaying on the mountain fields! May the cities be full of praising people, fruitful and filled— so that his name may be honored forever! May the fame of his name spring forth! May it shine on, like the sunshine! In him all will be blessed to bless others, and may all the people bless the One who blessed them.

Psalms 72:16-17 TPT

2. Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them].

Romans 12:14 AMP

3. Do not pay back evil with evil or cursing with cursing; instead, pay back with a blessing, because a blessing is what God promised to give you when he called you.

1 Peter 3:9 GNT

4. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

Proverbs 11:25 ESV

5. And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity.

2 Corinthians 9:8 AMP

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 14, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Momentary Prayers

I’ve always had a heart for missions and missionaries. I love when they visit our church and share their stories. The church organization I grew up in would have missionaries return to The States every few years to share what they were doing with the sending churches and to raise more funds. They would pass out these business cards that usually had their picture on it and the words, “Pray for us.” I remember hearing several tell stories of when they were in certain situations and they could feel the prayers of someone on the other side of the world. I knew then how important it was to pray for missionaries and others whom God put on my heart. I decided at a young age to make it a point to pray for someone at the moment they asked or in the moment God brought them to mind.

Paul started off in 2 Corinthians 1 reminding Christians that when we go through painful times, God is right there with us giving us comfort. He does that so that we can come alongside others who are going through difficult times to bring comfort to them. He reminds us that he experienced a lot of suffering for Christ and therefore had lots of comfort to offer others. When we go through a season of difficult times, it’s often an opportunity for God to fill us up with empathy that others will need. It also shapes how we pray for someone. When we’ve gone through something painful or traumatic, it shapes how we pray and what we pray for. Those prayers are felt by those whom we pray for because they’re born out of the comfort we’ve received from God in our time of need.

In verse 11, Paul writes, “Because there are so many interceding for us, our deliverance will cause even more people to give thanks to God. What a gracious gift of mercy surrounds us because of your prayers!” (TPT) Your prayers surround others with gifts of mercy. Who has God laid on your heart to pray for? Don’t pass up the moment to pray for them or try to dismiss what God is asking you to do. Your prayers matter and have a powerful effect (James 5:16). Whether it’s a missionary in another country, a friend or family member, when God asks you to pray, do it. Just like there are moments when you need someone to be praying for you, others need you to pray for them. Sometimes it’s the difference between life and death. Don’t discount your prayers and the effect they can have.

Photo by Alireza Bp 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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 13, 2024 · 5:29 AM

Destroying False Arguments

I’ve always loved court shows on TV like Law and Order. The writing combined with the drama and actors makes for a great show. Because of that, I’m also a person who has wanted to be on a jury. I want to see the arguments up close and to be able to decide. When you think about that word argument in this context, that’s what these persuasive speeches by lawyers is called. Their job is to take the same set of facts and argue what the truth is from them. They want to persuade the jurors to their side of the truth. They both will tell compelling arguments in order to sway the jury to either act or decline judgment.

In 1 Kings 12, Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, had just taken over as king. In verse 4 the people said, “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you” (ESV). He sent them away for three days while he decided on what to do. He brought in the elders who had advised his father to hear the argument they would make on what he should do. They felt like he should ease the load on the people. The. He brought in his friends who were young and inexperienced to hear their arguments. They thought he should be harder than his father and rule with an iron fist. He was persuaded by their arguments. When he told the people what he decided, they were angry and the kingdom split.

Each of us face similar arguments all day every day. We have the voice of the Holy Spirit making an argument for how we should live and make decisions. We also have our sinful nature making arguments against the desires of the Holy Spirit. No wonder Paul gave us instructions in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that says, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” We are constantly hearing arguments from two skilled lawyers on what actions to take. It’s important that we destroy the arguments that go against God’s design for our lives. We must learn to bring them captive or we’ll live divided lives, which are unstable. God has give us the choice, and also the power, to destroy false arguments. Seek Him for wisdom and courage to listen and obey the Holy Spirit.

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 12, 2024 · 5:33 AM

Continue Planting

I’ve known several true gardeners who have decent size gardens in their yard. I’ve watched them work hard each spring tilling up the soil to aerate it. Then they use the hoe to take out any unwanted items like roots as they form it into rows. They know just when to plant seeds and how deep to place each individual seed. It’s as much physical exercise as going to the gym. Then they’re out there all the time making sure the soil has the proper nutrients so they can maximize the productivity of the seeds. They pull weeds for months as the crops grow and water it as needed. When it comes time for harvest, they know just when to pick each item. Once they’ve harvested each plant, they put some away for immediate use and start canning the rest. It’s crazy how much work goes into ensuring the seeds produce a harvest.

The book of Nehemiah is good to spend time in because of all the lessons you can learn. God dropped a seed in his heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem while he was living in exile. The king gave him permission to do what God had told him and even funded the project. When he arrived, he saw the rubble and how much work it was going to take to bring this seed to life. He mobilized the people living their to help him. As they began to move the rocks, opposition came which slowed the work down. They had to have a sword in one hand while moving rocks with the other. With hard work and perseverance, they were able to rebuild the wall and gates of the city. It took them just 52 grueling days to see extraordinary results from their efforts. When they completed it, they had a great feast to celebrate what God had accomplished through them.

Psalm 126:6 says, “Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the harvest” (GNT). I don’t know what seeds God has placed in your heart to plant, but I do know it won’t be an easy process. Knowing when and where to plant will take effort. You will face opposition, sometimes from the people you least expect it from. You will have to pour some blood, sweat and tears into it before you’re able to reap the harvest. Don’t give up in the process though. Galatians 6:9 reminds us, “So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.” Keep digging. Keep planting. Don’t stop weeding and watering either. There is a harvest coming after all this labor and there will be rejoicing because the harvest will be worth the effort.

Photo by amol sonar on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

November 11, 2024 · 5:31 AM

A Peaceful Mind

It can be hard to have peace when we’re surrounded by chaos, but it’s not impossible. Remember that peace is a fruit of the Spirit that we can cultivate in our lives. When your world seems to be falling apart, or when you’re worried about something, where do your mind go? My mind races constantly trying to find the solution. That kind of stress tends to rob us of sleep, concentration and peace. In times like that, I remind myself that Jesus had the ability to sleep in a boat that was being rocked by a storm. They woke Him up screaming, “Don’t you care that we’re about to die?” Jesus immediately asked, “Where is your faith?” His faith was in His Father and the storm around Him didn’t rob Him of peace.

Paul and Silas were able to experience that same peace in their lives. In Acts 16, they were being harassed by a demoniac day after day. When Paul had enough, he cast the demon out. The person’s owners weren’t happy about it so they stirred up a mob against them with false claims. They were beaten and thrown in the deepest, darkest part of the local prison. Verse 25 says, “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening” (NLT). I’m sure the other prisoners were wondering how they could have peace after the beating they had received and while they were bound up in a stockade. It was because they had learned to keep their faith in God and to keep their mind on Him. Their darkest moment brought out praise instead of worry.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” When we can control our thoughts, we can protect our peace. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7, “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.” The very next verse tells us to fix our minds on what’s true. If you want the peace that passes understanding, you must keep your faith in God no matter how badly the storm around you is raging. You must continue to let those issues shape your prayers as you trust God with the outcome. Peace is possible in any situation when our faith and minds are fixed on Him.

Photo by Mariam G on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,