For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
I know that title may sound silly, but that is the thought that is in my mind right now. There is something special about a Monday. It is a perfect chance to start a week with the right mindset. I admit my mind, from the moment my feet hit the floor this morning, was focused on a to-do list for the day. Then I remembered, “God first.” That’s just something I decide every morning, because otherwise my day wouldn’t start out perfectly.
See, we need Him so, so much. Our pastor focused on that yesterday. We need God. In humility, we can admit that need every second, minute, hour and day. Doing this, at the beginning of the week and the beginning of the morning is about as close to perfect a start to a day that I can think of.
The verse above reminds us we are made for Him, for His good works, not for our own works. Today is a perfect day to declare from the onset of this week, that we will do what He made us to do, His good works. We will gladly do them because we love Him and we love others. We want others to know the joy and peace we have, so let’s make this a perfect day by looking to our perfect Father for HIS plan for today.
Will you pray this with me?
Dear Father,
Sometimes I feel so imperfect. I wish I could be more consistent in doing good works that glorify You and Your love for us. I dedicate this morning and every morning to Your will. With Your Holy Spirit, nudge me when I get off track and plan my day around my own wants first. You come first. Forgive me for putting myself first sometimes. I am made by You, FOR You. I submit my heart and mind and soul to Your use for this day and week. I will consider Your plans for my day and life first, before I plan. You know perfectly well what I need. That gives me joy and peace! Thanks for being my perfect Father. I love You so much! Amen
With much love from our awesome Father to you, may we start each day in a perfect way, with our King:)
Do you ever miss the old hymns? Maybe you still sing them every now and then at your church. I love the constant message of redemption by Jesus’ blood. I never want to take it for granted that the Creator of the universe sent His perfect Son to die for us, to save imperfect humans from sin. How loving is that? Mind blown! As I was thinking about this, an old hymn, “Just a Little Talk With Jesus” came on in my earbuds, on Spotify. Aah… If I could just express my love for the Lord with a song to this same tune…
These are the words the Lord gave me after I asked Him to help me express what was in my heart. I hope these words encourage you and you try singing these words to the tune of “Just a Little Talk With Jesus.”
My adult daughters still come to me for guidance on decisions. They ask my husband John, too, but when they need mom’s advice, can you guess how appreciated that makes me feel? They can very easily make all decisions on their own, but having Mom’s vote seems to mean something to them. It warms my heart. I know that they do not come to me because I am the wisest mom in the world, but because I love them so much and want the best for them. They also know that God is my wisest One!
One question I always ask them, before they make a major decision is, “Will you regret it later if you say no to this thing?” “Is there a chance you will wish you had said ‘yes’ to this?” Very often, that seals the deal for them and myself, when I have questions, because it gets at the heart of our desires. Now, I am not proposing to them that, if they make a wrong decision that they live with the angst of regret. It just seems practical to think, “What if I did not do this thing?” Later on, will I wish I had at least tried?”
Our Father in heaven loves us and wants the very best for us. Like a parent, I imagine it warms His heart when we come to Him for guidance on decisions. It honors who He is, all He has done for us and tells Him we need Him so much that we cannot make important decisions without Him. I don’t know about you, but very often, when I make wrong decisions, it is because I did not fully consider what HE wanted. I do have some regrets, but I do not wallow in them, as I used to.
How come? Because I am not perfect, was never meant to be perfect and never will be perfect. God is! He knows we will make wrong decisions, or decisions earlier or later than He would like. He knows we can be selfish and impatient and prideful, so naturally we will not do everything perfectly. BUT, when we come to Him and ask for forgiveness, He always says, “yes.” Plus, we learn from wrong decisions, too-fast decisions and those based on our own selfishness or wisdom, such as it is. Learning is good!
My encouragement for today is to pray at the beginning of every day, every meal and before every major decision. Coming to God on purpose is not only vital for growing spiritually, it will keep us in His will, by us asking for it. It is pretty simple but pretty awesome!
Though we have heard this prayer a million times, it bears repeating with a full, sincere heart, a child’s heart to a loving parent, Father God. Let us come to Him knowing He wants our best and trust Him to lead us in that way. He is that good at what He does!
Pray along these lines: ‘Our Father in heaven, we honor your holy name. We ask that your kingdom will come now. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food again today, as usual, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. Don’t bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One. Amen.’ Matthew 6:9-13 The Living Bible
May you have a day with Father God that makes you both smile,
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Colossians 3:14-15 NKJV
This morning, I feel like story-telling, because I am so grateful for the Lord’s love and patience with both me and my older brother, John. We could not have been more different in personality. I am shy and he was wild and crazy with a million friends. It took the Lord and cookies for us to form a real bond. I will explain…
I miss John so much since he went to be with Jesus last year. The things I miss most about him are the little things that happened over and over. I remember how excited he got every time the family got together and I handed him a box of “preacher cookies.” That became the basis of our relationship for awhile. We were very different in lifestyle but we had one thing in common. We both loved cookies! It was my privilege to make cookies for him and his to make me feel like they were the best in the world. Yeah, I know he did that so he would get free cookies often, but it still stands out as one of my favorite memories of Him. I would barely get in the door to a family gathering when he would say, “Hey sis, did you bring cookies?” And usually, before the family gathering was up, he would tell me, “I will text you when my box is empty.” Would that I could hear those words one more time! He made me feel he needed his little sis.
What else stands out? The fact that I and my siblings were so concerned for his soul. It is tough to talk to your own family about the Lord, because you don’t want them to feel judged, but loved. I still question whether I did enough, soon enough. Did I tell him enough that I was praying for him? Did he truly know I loved him regardless of our differences? Could he see that his little sister only wanted the best for him and the best was the Lord?
In the end, yes, He knew. See, he was an amputee and his phantom pain was unbearable. Nothing gave him relief, that is, until he started reading a devotional I bought him and he started seeking the Lord out of desperation. I would like to say I was always that intentional with him, tending his need for God, but I wasn’t, until he reached out to me during a period of depression that scared him. That gave me the go-ahead to tell him how I really felt about what he should do. He flat out asked me, “Sis, can you please tell me what to do? I feel depressed. I will do anything you say.” That was something he never ever came close to asking me before, so I thanked the Lord for this opportunity, asked for right words and what came out was, “John, just pray.” Then, “Make an appointment with your doctor right away.”
He needed a simple answer. He could not handle anything more at the time. He said, “Okay, but will you pray for me , too?” “will you check on me every day for awhile?” Though my heart was breaking for him, I struggled to hold it together so he would hopefully hear the peace of Jesus in my voice. I was shell-shocked…Was this my wild brother I was talking to?
Though I was thrown by this sudden turn of events, it was a happy turn, my brother asking for me for guidance. It was daunting, though, because I am so imperfect and still have much to learn for myself. I felt inadequate for this task. But, by leaning heavy on the Lord, so I didn’t mess everything up, I did my best. John and I began to text and call each other every few days. John made me promise to do that. Baby step by baby step, I saw God work on his heart. I won’t go into details, but some God-things happened that blew his mind and he began to believe and want the Lord.
The last time I saw him, he was so happy and joking. There was a peace about him. He made a point of cracking joke after joke and causing my sister and I do our loud, embarrassing cackling laugh! He didn’t mention any pain that day. Something was different, I realized later. As I write all this down, I am so thankful for answered prayer. John may have taken the longest, hardest road possible to peace in Jesus, but he got there, I am sure. I knew, when he started sending me Bible verses and got excited about how good God was, that he was finally happy in the Lord.
Side-note, but an important note. I owe a debt of gratitude to a couple of John’s friends that took him to church and loved on him so much the last year of his life. How do you thank someone for influencing your sibling’s eternity? God is so good. He used those two saints to do His important work:) I will forever love you two. You know who you are because I now call you my sister and brother in Christ.
Thank you for reading. I just wanted to reminisce about how good our God has been and continues to be. I believe it is our job, as His children, to tell stories about what He has done in the lives of people we know. Why? So others will know that there is hope available and His name is God. So God will be glorified. Is there anything more important? Nope!
Father God, thank You for every opportunity, trial, blessing and joy you allow. Help us, as imperfect as we are to recognize that every experience can be used to glorify You and it is our honor to do so. We love You so much! Amen
Do you ever wonder why people do the things they do? Do you shake your head in amazement at the crazy things going on in the world today? I do, but then I remember….all is not hopeless! God has a plan to save us from our sin, so there is hope for the world! The blood of His Son, Jesus, covers a multitude of sins.
Today’s devotion is simple, because, well, sometimes the simple, basic truth needs to be dwelled on the most. There was and is a problem, sin, and God solved it. It is that simple and wonderful!
Here is the problem as Paul describes it…
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves,lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. Timothy 3:1-5 NIV
We all have sinned, have lived for self, then Jesus’ blood saved us to a better life and purpose! He is the answer to our problems. My words do not seem to be sufficient so here is God’s Word with the answer. Inspired by God, Paul writes…
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. Titus 3:1-8 NIV
There is a problem and God solved it. I wanted to stress this simple but profound truth because…God has the answer to every problem we face. He is the answer. No matter the craziness and evil that goes on in the world and hearts, Jesus’ blood covers all. We cannot give up believing that men and women can be saved from sin. Jesus’ blood was shed for all of us and it covers a multitude of sins.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 NIV
I think we need encouragement or at least I do this morning and, as usual, God delivered! We should not lose hope! Just as God had an answer for sin, He has answers for all of life’s problems. Trust Him and His plan and have peace and hope! Do not stop doing good, as Paul describes above. Do not stop believing that people with all backgrounds and histories can be saved. All is not lost. Jesus can be found.
Dear Father,
Thank You does not seem to express how grateful we are for Your answer to sin and answers in Your Word, for all of our fears and problems. You have it all covered, so we do not need to lose hope. We do not deserve Your goodness but You give it every day. We see it when we focus on You. Thank You for being our answer and our hope. Help us to share this answer with the world and do good, believing that all can be saved, not because of the good we do, but the good You do. We love You! Amen
With love from the Father to you, be encouraged that God is on the throne, in control of our world:)
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,
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!
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.
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 17:11NIV
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
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!
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