You know how, in grade school, teachers ask students to pick a buddy for a project? Or how about when kids pick classmates to be on their teams? I never thought about it like this before today, but when we choose God, we team up with our buddy, our partner, a co-missionary of sorts, to accomplish something together.
When God told Moses to go back to Egypt and to see the Pharaoh and bring God’s people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt, he was scared. He told God he wasn’t a good speaker and was a bit slow of speech and tongue.
Gods response to Him made me laugh this morning. Here is how God replied to Moses’ excuse:
“Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” Exodus 4:11-12 NKJV
He reminded Moses of his Creator! Prior to this, God had already told Moses every detail about the mission to rescue the Israelites. God told him where to go, who to go see, who to gather together to go with him to Pharoh, what to say to God’s people and what to say to Pharoh. He even gave Moses a few miracles to do, so people would believe he brought a message straight from God!
God is the best buddy we will ever have! Just as He prepared Moses to accomplish His will, He will prepare us also. And… He will not only prepare us but He will go with us! We never go alone.
God will make us prepared partners with Him to do His will. Wow:)
Dear Lord,
How little our faith seems when you ask us to do certain things. But You made us, so You already know what we can do! You see what we do not. Please guide our minds to remember Your goodness and faithfulness over the years, and give us the courage to follow You, wherever, whenever.We love You so much and give You all the glory! Amen
” Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will” Matthew 11:25-26 ESV
After Jesus said this, He looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” John 17: 1 NIV
I am reading my Bible this morning and I am fascinated with Jesus’ prayers to God. In the two prayers of Jesus above, He is thanking God and submitting to God. Doing these things and having a vital prayer life with God is not only important for us, but for Jesus too. When we pray we can accomplish amazing things. We can align ourselves with God in the same way Jesus did. He aligned Himself with God through prayer.
Jesus prays to Him, praises Him and acknowledges God’s will. He thanks God in Matthew 11 above, for His will, which places Him in total submission to God. The same happens for us. When we raise up God, we put ourselves in line to do His will. Not on a horizontal, same-plane kind of alignment, but a vertical alignment, beneath Him. Alignment is best accomplished when, in prayer, we talk to our Father as our authority of our lives. We lower ourselves to accept and also seek His plans.
We cannot lift ourselves up, nor are we meant to. It is God’s job to exalt us as He sees fit, IF He sees fit.
Dear Father: We thank You for sending Your Son to be the example for us to follow. We know that all He did was on Your authority. We, also,want to do everything under Your authority. Lead us further and further with You, into a close but vertical position. You are God and we are not. Forgive us when we do things or make decisions without praying about them first with You. We glorify You as King, Father and Lord of all that is in the universe, including us. We love You so much! May You be glorified in all we do today with the day You have given us. Amen
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 28-30
Imagine the requests from us to God, then imagine how many issues have travelled back and forth from you and Him. It is not unlike tractor trailers that crowd the road to deliver cargo and then return home with the heavy load gone from the truck. Often, a truck returns to home base with something different than it started with, a new load to bring home.
We are kind of like trucks:) With today’s chaos and changes, we need Jesus more than ever. Current events and trials weigh us down, like trucks with heavy cargo. Prayer carries our cargo to Jesus. We send up all of our fears, disappointments, joys, questions, confessions, pleading and all other matters in prayers to Him. The highway between us and Jesus is well traveled. Jesus takes our load then sends back what we need, answers, instruction, guidance, light, discipline and His love, to name a few. We always come away with loads more than we gave. He is a giver.
Jesus lives to give us what we need. He died to give us what we need!
Dear Jesus, Please empty us of our burdens, or give us Your strength to bear them. We know that sometimes You might not take them away because it will help us to grow spiritually. If that is Your will, then we will glorify You in it. Thank you for being the giver that You are and the fact that you will be there whenever we need you, which is forever. We love you so much! Amen
My Momma used to say, when she came across the poor or those in desperate circumstances, “But for the grace of God, there go I.” I didn’t understand as a young girl until she explained to me that it is by God’s grace that any of us have what we have. Without God’s grace to be healthy enough to work and God’s grace to bless our effort, we would attain nothing. Everything we have is an expression of God’s grace. He gives us His grace, not because we deserve it, but because He cares and understands.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV
The greatest gift we received, due to God’s grace, is salvation. Out of His love and grace, He sent His sinless Son so we could attain forgiveness of sins. There is no law of man that could ever produce a sin-free heart. It makes sense! Our actions in following laws or being good, for example, do not abolish our sin. Jesus’ actions do! Paul says that if we could attain our own righteousness through the law, then grace would not have had a purpose.
I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Galatians 2: -21
Giving glory where glory is due… Dear Jesus, Thank You for showing us that the only way to live righteously is to have YOU, the Righteous One, living and working through us. We cannot save ourselves by just being good or following laws. Your grace forgives and changes us! It is our desire to always and fully appreciate what You did on the cross. With Your righteousness in us, help us to give grace to others and love and forgive them. We love You so much! Amen
Have you ever played dress-up as a child or have you seen children do so? It is so cute! With too-big shoes, glasses or clothes, they walk around trying to act like a parent. They mimic the actions that they have seen their parents do. As children of our heavenly Father, we can look like Him too! Our actions can show others what a loving Father our Lord is. It is our honor and responsibility to imitate parts of His character, like humility, gentleness and patience. Paul gives us this verse:
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-2
There is a saying, “You may be the only Bible some ever read.” What this means is…whether we realize it or not, people watch what we do and can learn much about Jesus by the way we behave when we humbly and unselfishly love others, even if they never read a Bible. When we suffer, for one example, it is the way in which we do it that others will notice. Paul suffered with a great attitude. Just as His example helps us. we can set an example for others. Jesus set the best, though most difficult example! Others need to see our heart, His heart. Let’s copy Him!
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV
Glory Goal: Do others see Jesus in you? Would they say you look like your Father in heaven? May He receive all the glory of our actions and may we copy Him better every day.
Good morning and Happy Lord’s Day. Let’s praise Him for this day and all others! He is not just worthy; He is more than worthy!
Everyday I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom Psalm 145:2-3 NIV
Living with a constant devotion to praising God, pleases Him. Can you imagine how happy He is to hear our voices praise Him? We can talk, pray or sing praises, giving our all, knowing He is listening! We win God’s approval when we praise Him! The world around us sings a different tune, one that seeks approval from man, but we are GOD’S servants and servants praise their masters.
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 NIV
He makes things simple doesnt he? Servants seek the approval of their Master, not other people. I am thankful for this guiding verse.
Have a great day of praise! May the Lord bless you and make you feel safe and calm and loved in His arms.
Yesterday’s devotion leads us into today’s devotion. Recall how the Pharisees sought to accuse Jesus’ disciples of wrongly picking grain to eat on a Sunday? And how He set them straight because He is Lord of the Sabbath? On that same Sabbath, the Pharisees, again, try to discredit Him, but this time in the temple. Anyone else feel like they are breaking a law themselves by accusing Jesus on any day?
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Matthew 12:9-10
The Pharisees seriously think they can trap Jesus with a question. There was a man with a withered hand in the temple, so the Pharisees asked Jesus if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Their intent is to accuse Him of breaking the law if He does so. You think Jesus knew what they were planning in their hearts? Of course! Once again, He set them straight by using an example they could relate to. He answers them with a question first.
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:10-11 NIV
I find it interesting that the Pharisees’ response is not recorded. They really couldn’t answer because if they did they may look foolish. For example, if they were to answer truthfully and say, “Yes, I would save one of my sheep on a Sunday.” then they would prove Jesus’ point. Men are more valuable than sheep, so if you would save a sheep on Sunday, you certainly can save a person. On the other hand, if they told Him, “No, I wouldn’t save my sheep.”, He would know they are lying. They were literally caught between a rock(Jesus) and a hard place!
So, what did Jesus do next? He healed the man and made the withered hand look whole, like his other hand. Yay, Jesus! Do you think this made the Pharisees gave up their crusade against Him? No. They may have gotten even more determined to accuse Him of wrong. They left, but were now plotting to kill Jesus! Again…do you think Jesus knew their secret plans? Absolutely. Did it keep Him from continuing His Father’s work? No, He stuck to His Father’s plan:)
But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. Matthew 12:15 NIV
What we can learn from this?
1. Jesus knows our thoughts and words before we speak. He knows those we speak but also those in our hearts. He knew what the Pharisees were up to and He could have been angry or irritated, but He showed His and God’s character by simply answering with wisdom and patience and going on His way, away from the place they were at.
2. It is not wrong to question Jesus. Jesus wants us to come to Him, knowing He has all the right answers. Coming to Him knowing He is the Messiah, God and Holy Spirit in One is the opposite of what the Pharisees did. They came to Him to find something wrong, whereas we come to Jesus to find what is right! They did not want to recognize Him for who He was, so they constantly tried to find something to prove He wasn’t who He said He was. An impossible task!
3. We will be challenged in our obedience to God. Jesus was challenged but stayed the course! Resistance to do God’s will may come from within our own heart or from others. Pride or selfishness will challenge or determine our choices in our Christian walk. So what do we do? Turn to the Bible, prayer and God every time. As in Bible times, some Christians in the world today are persecuted for their beliefs. Officials try to accuse them of fault, which reminds me of the Pharisees’ goal. Here in our country, some groups of people are quick to judge Christians. That’s why what they see from us is so important. We can answer the challenge of adversity or controversy by doing our best not to respond, or when appropriate to respond, doing so with the Lord’s wisdom and patience. We must represent Who we follow. Humility and a desire to please our Father and become more like Christ, is more like what the world needs to see from us.
One for the Journal – For what reasons do you question Jesus? To gain strength , for example? I do! List some things you have asked Jesus for and how He answered. Circle all of His answers. Sometimes He acts in a way we don’t expect, but He always answers. Write Him a thank-You note and keep it in the journal or on a bulletin board.
Dear Jesus:
We are reading how You handled evil intent from the hearts of the Pharisees. Lord, help us be more like You. As tempers flare and the world is arguing, help us to be peacemakers with our words, our restraint and love actions, showing the world there is a better way. Urge our hearts to love deeply with mercy as You do. If we have obstacles in our way to being what You want us to be, show us. Then, give us opportunities each day to honor You. We ask all of these things in Your precious name, knowing that You are able to do more than we can ask or think. We thank You for Your abundant mercy and grace towards us. We love You so very much! Amen
Matthew chapter 12 makes me laugh a bit! Jesus was innocently walking through a grain field with His disciples. The disciples were hungry so they plucked a few grains to eat. Apparently they were not alone in the area. The Pharisees saw what was going on and accused Jesus about the disciples’ behavior. I mean, who watches people walk through a grain field? This suggests to me that they were actively looking for something to accuse Jesus with. They told Him…
“Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath!” Matthew 12:2
It is almost like they said, “Aha! We caught you all breaking a law! What do you have to say for yourself?” They thought they caught Jesus being an accessory to breaking the law about grain and Sundays. A few things we can learn from this:
The Pharisees told Jesus to look. I guess they assumed Jesus did not know what His disciples were doing? They said, “Look!” to tell Him they caught them in the act. Do they not know Jesus sees everything? If they truly believed Jesus was who He said He was, I wonder if they would accuse Him. How could anyone accuse Jesus? He is God after all! Jesus sees all. we do not need to tell Him to look at someone else’s supposed wrong.
Jesus could have just said, “You are not the boss of me or my disciples,” but, He didn’t. He gave the Pharisees specific examples of others doing things against the law on the Sabbath in the temple, yet remaining blameless. He basically tells them they are missing the point and that He has authority.
“He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12: 6-8
Jesus is merciful. He exhibits the mercy that He tells the Pharisees about. He could have only said the last line of His answer to them. “The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.” But, He didn’t. He stopped to explain, to those who disrespected Him. Isn’t He so awesome in everything He does?
We need to be merciful toward others, because Jesus is merciful towards us. John and I were talking last night about our upbringing. I had a consistent faithful example from my parents and church family, as to how to follow the Lord. John did too. Despite our similar upbringings, we both failed the Lord at times. He was merciful to us, though, even though we went to church and knew The Commandments and much of God’s Word. Jesus didn’t say to us. “Shame on you. You should have known better.” He said, “I have mercy on you. You are forgiven.” We can have mercy on others, even if we think they should have known better.
One for the Journal- In our hearts, do we harbor any resentment towards someone for something they did? When we think we know right from wrong, it is tempting to hold a grudge against someone, especially when they hurt you. In your journal, list some things you have been tempted to judge someone for. Then, pray for those people. If they have hurt you, choose to have mercy on them as Jesus does on us.
Dear Lord:
You are a great Father, teacher, guide and Forgiver of sins! Give us more of Your love so it cannot help but spill out to others in mercy. Guide us as we read Your Word to follow Your example of being merciful. We want to be like You. Only Your righteousness and mercy has any hope of making us that way. Thank You for doing all You do for us every day. Even in the hard times, we will praise You. You are Lord of every day! We love You!
Ever hear the expression, “Endless Possibilities”? At Lowe’s, you will be confronted with “endless possibilities” of colors when you are trying to choose paint. The possibilities are not endless, but it seems that way. Olive Garden has a few meals on their menu that are labeled, “never-ending.” In reality, the food can run out at some point. It is not actually never-ending, but it may seem like it. How about when we are in a trial that seems endless and you wish it wasn’t? Again it seems like the trial is never-ending, but that is not always the case, thank goodness!
Know who comes to mind when I think of a never-ending trial? Joni Eareckson Tada. At age 17, a terrible diving accident left her paralyzed from the neck down. Can you imagine being a healthy, active, fit person and then becoming a quadriplegic? Wouldn’t the suffering be unbearable? It may seem that way, but to me and to millions around the world, Joni inspires others by gracefully bearing it. But she does not simply ‘bear it”, she chooses to be a light and a hope to people everywhere!
You may ask, “How does she do that?” The fact that she can have joy is a testament to God’s love and faithfulness. Only He can accomplish in her what does not seem possible. She founded Joni and Friends, an organization that provides physical and spiritual support to special needs families worldwide. (joniandfriends.org) She has written many books and devotionals and there are movies about her life. Through all of her outreach, she has this message…God’s mercies and light are new every morning and she is living proof.
God has the power to do the impossible! He doesn’t just seem infinite. He is! In every way, He is infinite.
Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite. Psalm 147:5 KJV
He is everlasting and never gets tired!
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28 NIV
He lives forever and deserves honor forever!
God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen. 1 Timothy 6: 15-16 NIV
When we have a trial and we will, we do not need just a physical remedy such as doctors, medicine or other practical solutions, we need a supernatural remedy. And we have One! We have our infinite God to supply us, by His mercy, with truly endless understanding, strength and hope. God says:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
One for the Journal- Write a prayer to God about a trial you are facing or something you do not understand. Often, writing a prayer, versus speaking it, helps me to be more honest and open, because I do not choose my words to be pretty or spiritual- sounding. God wants us to come to Him raw and real. Be still. Be personal. He is our friend and wants to help you. Remember Jesus had the biggest trial of all and even HE turned to God for help. Tell God your needs and ask for His will and everlasting hope.
Dear Father,
Trials are always going to be a part of our life. They won’t last forever, though, if we know You, and we do! Your grace and love have no measure when it comes to helping us. How blessed we are just to call You friend! Teach us how to handle trials Your way by giving us the light and energy and strength to bear them. It would be awesome if we could effect someone else with the hope they see in us, all because of You! We want to be totally Yours to use as You see fit. We love You so much! Amen
This may sound like a strange title but I want to share with you how important our gifts are to God. We are all made special and especially for a purpose. I used to write songs about Jesus, thinking I could write a big hit. Nope. I used to write stories too and dreamed of writing a book. That didn’t happen, mostly because I am not sure that is the direction God wants me to go, but I do still love to write anything. God showed me that things we love to do are often gifts we can use fo I loved to write anything. God showed me that things we live to do are often our gifts to use for Him. Peter writes,
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4;10
Peter doesn’t say IF we have a gift or IF we know what it is or IF we want to minister to others. He says, ‘as’ we all have gifts. He is basically calling us to take what we have received straight from God and use it to love others. We get to do God’s work! What a high calling! Do you know what your gift is? You have one, whether you know it or not! Wouldn’t it be cool to figure out what it is and love others with it?
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ In these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV
I love red letter words of Jesus in the Bible. Jesus’ words deserve a real good listen. He tells us we are to love God with absolutely everything we have. Everything. He tells us this is the number one commandment among all commandments. After that, we are to love our neighbor just as we do ourselves.
So, if we combine the truth in these two verses, the fascinating truth is even bolder. We are meant to use our gifts. We are to love God with all of ourselves. That means using our gifts and loving others with our gifts.
We all have a calling. It is not just preachers who are called to work for God, we all are! I wasted a lot of time trying to figure out what my special gift from God was. I used to write songs, so I thought that was my calling. Nope. I used to do a lot of things but none of them felt right, like what God wanted me to do.
I tried to do things that others did for God, until I realized we are all different. I cannot sing well, nor play an instrument well, nor do I like being in front of people. So how did I discover what gifts I had? I asked God to show me and I waited. It was that simple. I think He was waiting for me to ask Him:)
He showed me that I am an encourager. It is what I love to do! I used to not think that was a gift. A dear friend at church told me my job for God is to be the best Tina that he made me to be. (I love you, Daddy Dillard!) His words resonated with me and I hope it helps you too. Daddy Dillard is my best friend’s dad and I love Him dearly. My real Dad told me something wonderful too! He said that Jesus is the reason he gets out of bed each morning. What a great attitude he has, even with dementia!
What they are both telling me, I will share with you. You do not have to do what everyone else does. You were made to be you. Whatever you love to do or used to love to do, may be a good thing to do for others, for God. Finding your gift will give you a peace and purpose that will change your life. I promise! Just ask Jesus!
One for the Journal- You are special! God made you to be unlike anyone else. Only you can do the job God has for you! Others are missing out if you do not use your gifts! Write the following quote and verse on a card and put it where you will see it often, maybe on the frig or mirror. If you like list all things you like to do or used to like. Can any be used in church or in your community to love others? I pray you discover your gift, if you haven’t already:)
Know that you were created with love, to love.
“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
Dear Jesus:
Thank You for making us like You did. We know You had reason for doing so. Please help us know what gifts You gave us. Remind us of things we love to do, things that we could share with others, to bless them. Thank You for dying for us. If that wasn’t love, nothing else is. Noone can come close to being as loving as You, but You tell us to love with all that we have. We are so honored that You would even think of living and working through us! We love You so much! Amen
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