But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. Job 23:10-12 NIV

As my husband and I were heading home from a recent beach trip with family, I was thinking of how blessed we are. Though we have had trials, God has always been there to help us navigate them. How God directs us made me think of traffic signs. Traffic signals are meant to warn us, prepare us for possible danger and to send us the route that will get us where we want to go.

God does that for us! When we choose HIS way, He signals us in the way and direction and time we should go. Just as a traffic light has three different colored lights to tell us what to do to stay safe on the road, God also tells us how to stay safe. When we pray and ask Him about something, He may, like a red light, direct us to stay put and not make a move, because it is not time yet. Maybe other things need to happen first, maybe He wants us to be still a bit longer or maybe He has a reason we do not know about. But the truth is…

He knows what He is doing and what we should be doing. For that reason, we need to stop, be still and trust Him sometimes, even when we want to forge ahead. Whatever His reasons, they are good ones and we need to look for and obey His signals.

The warm yellow of a traffic light kind of makes me think of the Holy Spirit. It is the loving light within me that guides me, way better than I can do myself. After all, who am I to know what is best, according to God, unless I have Him in me? Isn’t that an amazing thought that we have the Holy Spirit of God as a resource and ever present guide? We have God in us! We do not have to make decisions blindly with our own knowledge, or lack of it. The Holy Spirit tells us when to slow down and proceed with caution. He sees what we do not, that sometimes slower is better.

Sometimes, we get the “green light” from God. It is a very special feeling when we have prayed for a certain direction and He gives us the go ahead! To know we are on His path in the right direction and He is with us, cheering us on…well, there is nothing better. To purpose to please Him and to be given encouragement in the form of a “green light” is to know we are in His will. His approval means everything. We can proceed, knowing it is the right time and right way, because He said so.

God,

Just…thank You for Your truth, wisdom, guidance and encouragement. You knew we would need all of it to navigate the highways of this life. Please forgive us for going ahead sometimes without asking Your opinion first. Guide us please in YOUR way and not our own. That is where we will find purpose and fulfillment of this life You have given us. With Your Holy Spirit, urge us in the way to go and at the right time. You are good and we love You so much! Amen

With love from the Father to you, have a great day,

Christina

Our country is in crisis; we all know that. We might know, or think we do, some of the causes and the necessary solutions and where to place the blame. But what really matters is that we absolutely know who is in control of it all. That is what will keep us in the place God wants for us…in the know.

What am I talking about? Well, to remain “in the know,” we must know what is worth knowing and that is what our soul knows to be true. What our soul knows to be true can carry us through anything. Even though we cannot know or control all that goes on in the world, we can know in our souls that our God can carry us through anything.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

Being “in the know” also means we know who is responsible for good works and we praise Him accordingly.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 NIV

The most important things to know are those that never change, things you can count on. Just to name a few, for encouragement:

God loves the whole world and made a plan so that we could be with Him forever.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

God is in control of the whole world. He sees everything going on in the world.

Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? Psalm 113:5-6 NIV

God knows all that we do not. Being “in the know” means knowing we do not need to know it all, but trust the One who does. We are “in the know” if our souls know who our Savior and Lord is and we trust Him like no one else in the world. There is a great peace that comes from knowing He has our present and future in His capable hands!

With love from the awesome Father to you, have a great Monday!

Christina

Good Morning everyone,

Sometimes life doesn’t go the way we want it, right? This weekend I had a back issue pop up again, just when I thought it had so improved. No worries, I am good now, but it did force me to lay low for a couple of days and let John wait on me. Instantly, I was angry about it. “This again? There are things I want to do this weekend!” But you know what? So many people have it worse. And there is always something to praise God for. Always.

So this morning, as I rolled out of bed and put my feet on the floor slowly, to see if my back would let me get up, I realized something. I have so many other blessings! I have this home, a beloved husband, family and great children, a wonderful church, an upcoming wedding where I will gain another son! How dare the enemy try to make me focus on what I wish was different. It’s great to focus on what is the same…each day. And what IS the same every day? Every day is a day that God loves us. Every day is a fresh new day to love Him more and praise Him more than we did yesterday!

So…What do I want to say, at the end of today, that I accomplished? I want to say that I filled it up with praise to God. There are so many minutes and hours to fill! Isn’t it great to have those hours?

Read this beautiful verse and feel David’s love for our Father. In this chapter, David’s spirit is failing. He needs hope and direction, so he goes to the unfailing source, God. That’s a perfect way to start each day, to bask in God’s love and declare that He is the One we trust with our day.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8 NIV

Dear God,

Thank You for always loving me and guiding me, when I do not understand things and when I need encouragement. You are the best! Thank You for this day that You gave me. Thank You for my blessings of husband, family and friends. Please send comfort and guidance to the people stranded in Afghanistan. Let them feel You near and feel Your love and our prayers. Please bring them home. Please guide our leaders to make good decisions for them. Protect them, Lord, as only You can do. We ask these things in Your name because we know for sure You can do them. Amen.

May your day be filled and felt with God’s love.

Christina

In my devotions today, I read in Exodus 17 that Moses was praying on the mountain while Israel was at war. Just that thought stopped me in my tracks. Up on the mountain, seeking God, is where we should all be when we are in trouble, isn’t it? Moses had his arms stretched high as he prayed to his Father, but his arms grew weary and dropped. Aaron and Hur came to his side and held them up again. Isn’t that just like what our friends do for us? They support us in prayer. 

When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. Exodus 17:12 NIV

Did you notice in this verse, that they helped him to rest and made his hands steady? So should our hands be in prayer to God. Steady and always raised to Him who is able. Sometimes we need encouragement and support from our friends, though, just as Moses did. Know what’s cool? Moses did not ask for help, but His men supported him at just the right time.

Prayer props up people, plus, a holy purpose provides people with possibilities.

(I just had to have some fun with the letter ‘p’!) Seriously, though, Just as Aaron and Hur did for Moses when they propped him up, we are the prop that someone needs! How special of a job do we have! Think about that. WE are the answer to a need. We serve God well when we respond to a request for help. But, oh so much better and obedient, that we take it upon ourselves, to the glory of God, to seek out someone whose need we have the ability to fill:)

By the way, what I didn’t reveal….Whenever Moses’ hands were up, Israel was winning the war. When his hands were down, the Amalekites were winning. Know what? This tells us that prayer can change things. We must always remember, though, that GOD has the ‘upper hand.’

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. Exodus 17:11 NIV

Dear Father,

We know that we can go to You in prayer and You will listen. We feel Your love and care surrounding us. Help us to surround others with love and care by meeting their needs and praying with them. Thank You for being our God and our friend. We do not deserve being loved by You but we praise You for Your goodness. Help us to do Your will and be a prop for someone else. We are Your willing servants. We love You so much! Amen

With love from the Father to You,

Christina

I know that sounds like a weird title, but that is the thought that came to me when I was reading my Bible today. I could not think of a better way to describe the thought that our enemy wants to cut all of our ties to the Lord. He is relentless and sly in his attacks.

He wants to cut our:

1. Confidence in God-

The opposite of confidence seems to me to be doubt. Because God can do the impossible and does not change, we really have no reason to doubt Him. Our confidence is sure and secure in the solid rock that never, ever varies. The enemy would like to cut that tie. He wants us to NOT have faith in God, so we will listen to HIS lies. Then, he can make us fear and doubt things. Fear is of the devil. It comes when he cuts our ties to God by tempting us to doubt God.

 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.2 Cor. 10:5

2. Communication with God-

The two-way communication we have with our Lord strengthens our relationship with Him. Through that bond, He can teach us and mold us and help us navigate our lives to the glory of God. And therein lies the problem, according to the enemy. He does not want us to glorify God, but ourselves. He tries to make us glorify ourselves and neglect the bond of communication with God. When he tempts us to rely on our own ability, we fail, and we may not rely on talking to God as much.

 He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.John 8:44

3. Commitment to God-

The enemy wants to cut our determination to stick with God. In hard times, he is only too happy to lie to us and make us think God has left us. God NEVER leaves us! The devil will also distract us with wordly things. He will lie and say other things warrant the love that is meant for God. He will tell us material things will make us happy, when in reality, the more we get, the more we want. (Been there, done that!) The enemy will do whatever it takes to make us not prioritize a right relationship with God.

James 4:4 …You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Why does he do all these things? Because he wants our soul to belong to Him. He wants to take us from God, not because He loves us, but because he hates God and He wants to ruin us. That’s why he chases us with scissors, to cut us apart from God.

What to do? Pray always about everything! Also… we should chase God as hard as the enemy chases us. Let’s pursue God with all that we have each day. Our God is able to keep us supplied with peace and His wisdom and love and that will never change.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a great day. With all that’s going on in the world, remember to communicate with God often, have confidence that He is in control and commit to keep on keeping on with Him. It WILL be worth it all! It is worth it now, too! We serve an awesome God!

With love from the Father to you,

Christina

I am reading through the new Testament in the Bible. Right now I am in Luke. It is packed with Jesus’ recorded words. I love seeing all the red words. I love imagining that I am in that time period listening to Jesus talk. I love REALLY getting the meaning. I love that God’s Word is so powerful and changes hearts like mine. I love the sea of red in Luke’s book and many others, especially this passage in Matthew where Jesus tells us a story with a purpose.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 NIV

I don’t know about you, but I want to be like the wise man. See how God’s Word inspires change in us? Real change, not a temporary fix like much of today’s self-help books. God’s Word penetrates our souls. No other words can do that!

Isn’t it amazing to know we are reading words that God inspired and knew we would be reading today? His Word is so powerful! As far as red words in the Bible… There has been a debate in certain circles, about whether Jesus’ words should be red, because the WHOLE Bible is the inspired Word of God. I was shocked the other day when I went to buy a journaling Bible and had trouble finding one with red words. There weren’t many!

Having said all that, it is imperative we hold precious the red words of Jesus, but revere and hold precious the entire Bible. Every verse is valuable! Every verse is a part of a story God wrote with real people that He made…with events that He planned or allowed or used to tell the Story of Salvation.

In my simple mind, I think Jesus wants us to really hear what He is saying and why. It is so selfless of Him to try so hard to get us to see the truth of what our lives should be all about…and it is not riches or popularity or being perfect. It about us being imperfect but coming to know Him, God and the Holy Spirit. They are our riches. We want to bow to THEIR opinion.

Dear God,

Thank You for always teaching me. It seems like I am re-learning and firming up things I think I should have down by now. You know me best so You know I am trying to be more like Jesus, but I do fail. Thank You for loving me enough to send Your Son to save me. You are my teasure. I love You so much! Amen.

May you enjoy some red words today and always and hold your Bible, God’s Words, as a treasure above all others:)

Christina

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Luke 12: 16-17 NIV

As a child, I loved stories, especially fables, because they had a point or a warning of what NOT to do. THe imaginative stories made a point about how an animals or person’s character, whether greedy or impatient or patient or wise affects a situation. They teach a lesson.

To learn life lessons, the best and true resource is God’s Word. It is our hope and is vital for our learning journey. Jesus makes it easy to learn by telling us parables. He is our authority, so reading a story of His means we am getting the “scoop” straight from the One who knows our hearts! His stories parallel real life and get us to think about our choices line up, or don’t, with what God expects.

In Luke 12, Jesus tells a story about a man with a great harvest who did the wrong thing. The Parable of the Rich Fool goes like this… A rich man had an abundant harvest. The problem? He did not have enough storage for all of it. He decided that he was going to tear down his small barns to build bigger ones, to store all of his abundance. That way, he could rest in comfort knowing he had all he needed for years to come. He wanted an easy life!

That hit me like a ton of bricks! We ALL want easy lives, don’t we? We definitely store up things to that end. After hearing this parable, I am thinking our goal needs to be one of wanting easier lives for OTHERS. What do we have stored up that others can use? How tight do we hold onto things that make our lives easier and maybe a bit lazy? I am preaching to myself here, so no judgement.

A personal note…the backstory to why these verses spoke to me so strongly…

A few months ago, I started having a strong desire to get rid of all my extra stuff in the basement. I started to realize someone could be using those old chairs or curtains and blankets, craft supplies and dishes and clothes. What if I have them all away and trusted God to supply my future needs? Should I be saving so much? NO!

Meanwhile, a friend of mine started doing a “death cleaning.” She is in good health but is doing a certain process of cleaning. This is an idea based on ridding ourselves of things others will not want when we are gone. (You can look up Swedish Death Cleaning.)

If you think about it…Our abundance of things can help others today, instead of being a burden for others to go through after we are gone. Little did my friend know how freeing it would be! When she posted on facebook about it, I had to tell her I was cleaning out my house too and donated several car loads to Salvation Army. It IS freeing! What a bonus!

Both my friend Pam and I feel this is a God thing. We feel God is trying to do a good work in us and it requires us to follow His leading. It is rather exciting to follow God and not be sure of where He is leading! This is NO credit to us at all, as He is the only One worthy of praise.

From the only authority, God’s Word…We just are not meant to store up treasures on earth, says God. Here is what God said to the rich man in the parable…

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20-21 NIV

Jesus makes the point with this parable…We are to be rich toward God, rich in what HE desires. That is a matter for prayer, for sure! As we navigate this sometimes confusing life course, I hope we appreciate the wisdom of God and Jesus here. Isn’t it awesome to have His recorded words to read whenever we want to? Isn’t it great to be told the absolute truth that matters? Jesus tells us what God expects of us. Does anything matter more?

Dear God,

There just aren’t enough words or the right words to tell You how much I appreciate having Your Word as my guide. You know how imperfect I am and selfish and greedy I can be. Though I will never understand how You could go to such lengths to save us, I will always love You for it, as best I can. Thank You for showing me how to please You, through Jesus’ parables. I love You so much! Amen.

I love you all with the love of the Father! Gotta go clean the basement, not even joking!:)

Christina

Fridays are a great day for encouragement! You have made it through the week! That is no small thing sometimes, right? Trials can drain us, especially if we try to handle things on our own, without God. When we do that…and I am admitting I do that often, as I have always had an “I can do it myself” attitude…we tend to mess up or go a different direction than God intended.

Then, we end up needing help. We may have to back up a step or two and talk to God about what went wrong. Only God can truly FIX us or set us straight again. I would like to have that power myself, but that is not God’s plan.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5

I really like this verse and refer to it often. Why? Because it amazes me that God has a plan for our individual life, wayyy before we are born! God knows what He wants to use us for and what things He will allow or not allow in our lives. He knows ALL. When we try to do things all on our own and get turned around or broken in the process, God is there to help.

Like children, we can’t fix broken things or messes.
And like a Father, God says,”Come get your hug and we’ll do this together.

God doesn’t just know how to fix the problem, He knows how to fix US. He knows what we need to get through the trial. He knows we are imperfect and need Him. That’s why He stays close!

The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. Psalm 145:17-19 NIV

Dear God,

Thank You for being the answer to all of my needs. Thank You for loving me, even though I forget to ask You first about some important things. Show me as I read Your Word, what Your will is for each day. Remind me to stop and ask what You think about my plans. You know best! I love You so much! Amen

With love from our Lord to you, have a father-focused Friday!

Christina

(This is a free picture from pixabay, of a collection of treasures.)

Near the end of Luke 12, Jesus is talking about being ready for when the Lord comes back, much like a servant who is always ready for his master. Servants are to be watchful and to be getting ready for the master’s return. Are WE watching and ready? Am I? What does that look like in today’s world? As always, when reading God’s Word, we want to be on the right side of things, don’t we? So, I thought about this verse hard.

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,  like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Luke 12:35-37 NIV

If we are watching out for someone to come, we are expecting, anticipating, looking forward to their arrival. When a guest comes to our house, don’t we make sure the house is clean and we have good food and a bed and maybe entertainment planned, just for them? We want our guest to be comfortable and feel loved and wanted. What if we transfer that to Jesus?

I am not sure HIs main concern is that we have a nice place for Him, so what really does He expect of us? How do we make Him feel loved and wanted then? What does He want to see when He comes back? This verse spoke to me. Jesus told the crowd:

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48(b) NIV

Just thinking off the top of my head, but…If we are looking forward to His coming and Jesus told us to be ready, we can prepare how?

The first thing that comes to my mind is to see earthly things as just that, earthly things.

It’s about perspective. I am not even sure why this is so pressed into my heart right now, but the verse above makes me think we need to hold loosely the things of this world. After all, if we hold tightly to the things of this world, doesn’t that mean we are setting up our kingdom here? Can’t we hold tighter to things of God if we see heavenly things, especially a relationship with our Savior and God as our most prized treasure?

Secondly, and this is something my husband and I discussed…

Not only do we need to hold loosely the things of this world, but we need to let go of them if the Lord desires.

Personal note…this just happened yesterday… I looked at our collection of antique iron toys and wondered if it is okay to collect them. I like them a lot, but when I pass by the shelf sometimes, I think … “How many people could we feed if we sold them?” When I mentioned this to my husband, he said, “But you like them.” I replied, “Yes, but would I give them up if I needed to?” This brought on a discussion. We came to the conclusion that we would not sell them right now, but we will sell them if the Lord moves us. We are ready to do so. I think that is the whole point…

We are willing to give up or give in as God directs, because earthly stuff just shouldn’t matter more than God.

Thirdly, and this is a broad idea and covers a lot of ground. We are to be ready to do what our Master wants, no matter what it is.

That is probably the most freeing thing ever. I have not always felt this way, I admit. I was in control of how much I gave God. I gave enough that I felt I didn’t appear too selfish with God’s blessings. But you know what? I don’t make the rules. HE does. Also, I can’t fool God. He sees my heart. He knows if I am holding back.

What I got out of this passage and I hope you can relate…We are entrusted with much, to do God’s will with it. Our stuff is not ours, really. We just hold tight to it as if it is. How we use it, share it, hold it, appreciate it and offer it back to God is an offering to Him. I hope this doesn’t sound too “preachy” because it is not meant that way. I am excited that Jesus is coming back and I want us all to be ready!

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for helping me see that waiting and watching for You is a big part of my job here on earth. All I know is…I need to trust You enough to let go of earthly stuff. I need to be ready for Your return. Help me to keep this perspective, that everything is God’s, not mine. Help me to share what I have been entrusted with. I am ready and waiting for Your return. I will do my best to live each day as if it’s the day You come back. I love You so much! Amen

With love from the Father to you,

Christina

Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.  Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge? Job 37:14-16 NIV

As my husband and I were driving home from seeing family, I noticed it was a beautiful day in more ways than one. Time with family is always precious to me and I was considering that on the way home. As I was looking out the window, I became enamored with all that was going on in my view! Nature seemed to be putting on a show for me! Everything was looking its best and either moving or standing beautifully still and proud. I tried to best “review” the play they were performing, directed by God.

bedecked tree, flecked sky
coiffed clouds skirt over mountains
sun dances on cue

In Job 37, Elihu is talking to Job about the wonder of God. He tells Job to basically, be still and listen to what I am saying. This is important stuff about God. He tells Job to CONSIDER God’s wonders. Think on them. Marvel in them. Nature is something we wonder at, but God has perfect knowledge of. Isn’t that worth thinking on? Our God is amazing!

Dear God,

Your wondrous display of nature makes me stop and stare. It is so beautiful. It makes me think of YOUR nature, Your goodness. Your beauty. It boggles my mind that You have done so much for me. Please open my eyes to what You want me to see and focus on. Show me ways that I can point others to You. Thank You for people in my life, who, like Elihu, tell me to stop and wonder about You. I love You so much! Amen

As you go through your day, I hope nature mesmerizes you too. It points to God, which is an excellent place for us to look! Have an awesome day!

Copyright © 2021 Christina Crute