*I give credit for this awesome image to James Chan from Pixabay. Thank you, James!

In Genesis 28 and 29 there is an amazing love story. It all started when Jacob’s father, Isaac, blessed him and told him to go to Padan-Aram to find a wife, specifically one of Laban’s daughters. Jacob left at once as his father suggested.

Jacob first saw Rachel, a shepherdess, as she was coming to a well to water her sheep. When he found out she was the daughter of Laban and the sheep were Laban’s he watered his uncle’s flock. Then…he kissed Rachel! He lifted up his voice and wept! In my imagination, I see him rejoicing that God is watching from above and blessing Him as God told him He would, in a dream.

“I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 28:13-14 NJKV

Jacob went to Laban’s house and told him who he was. Laban was thrilled. Jacob stayed there and worked one month for Laban. When he asked Jacob what he wanted for wages, he requested Rachel be given to him. Laban agreed but, as was custom at the time, Jacob had to work for her, seven years! So he did. Simple as that. Isn’t the verse the sweetest?

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. Genesis 29:20

After seven years, Laban gave Jacob a bride, but it was his older daughter, Leah, that he sent in to Jacob. His own uncle tricked him! Now, Jacob had a wife but not the one he loved. Jacob told Laban to give Him Rachel as he had worked long and hard for her. Laban agreed, but…yes there is another twist. Laban said Jacob could go ahead and have Rachel in one week, after Leah had one full week. At that point, Jacob would have two wives, but had to work for Laban seven more years.

Jacob put up with all that Laban did because He loved Rachel. When Jacob left to find a wife, I doubt he imagined working seven years, getting married to “not Rachel”, then working seven more years for a second bride, Rachel. Despite Laban’s tricks, which were probably done out of a father’s love for Leah and for the custom that older daughters marry before the younger, Jacob did whatever it took to deserve the one he loved.

What can we learn from this? Just everything that matters. True love does what it takes. It is that simple to understand and that difficult to do when we face difficulties. We may have plans and they may be God-honoring plans, but they may not go as we expect. God may have a different plan than we think. But we need to press on. Disappointment is real. When disappointment comes, and it will, we can look at our prize, Jesus! He is worth working a lifetime for! Just remember, and I preach to myself most…anything that is in the way of our relationship with Jesus, He can remove or help us get through!

One for the Journal- List a few things that could easily hold you back from Jesus. Whether it be pride, other sins, or unforgiveness perhaps, write them down. Bring them into the open and talk to Jesus about them. Then, listen to Him. He will speak into your sincere heart. He loves you! He showed you on the cross. He showed us all the meaning of true love:)

Dear Jesus,

You are so dear to us. How can we possibly thank You enough for what You did out of love for us? We want to serve You with a full heart, whatever it takes. Please show us if we are harboring love or strong attachment to anything in the world that takes our eyes off the One we love more. We know You know all things and we do not. When things do not go as we planned, remind us that our disappointments are an opportunity for us to look more directly at Your plan. We trust You to arrange what it best for us. We love You so much! Amen

Love and prayers to you all.

Just me. Just His.

There is a kind of spiritual “hearing loss” that happens in prayer. We sometimes miss hearing what the Lord wants to say. There is a still small voice that comes to us when we come to Him in prayer, still and small, silent and humble. I have had to remind myself of this multiple times, to sit and listen. I often get too wrapped up in asking for the Lord’s guidance and giving Him my prayer requests, that I do not stop to listen to what He may ask of me.

When my pastor told me once that we should just sit still and be with God sometimes, I was confused. I didn’t understand how that would be better than communicating with Him. Now, I do. The way I see it, we honor God when we are quiet because we are respecting that it is His voice that is more important than ours. Plus, it is good just to be with Him without asking for anything and appreciating that He is always there for us. We can commune with God! Commune with our Creator! Webster’s Dictionary defines commune as intimate fellowship or rapport. What a privilege to be able to have that time with the Lord!

I just had a a thought.. What if God graded us on our listening skills? What if God wants to tell us something and He cannot because we are in a hurry with our prayer? We will never know unless we are quiet with Him. Our souls do need rest at times and it is very restful to sit with the Lord and appreciate that He is in control and He may have something to say. Prayer is all about Him. David acknowledges this often. He exalts God over and over for His faithfulness in answering prayers. David tells us what God says…

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 NIV

Prayer can be a time of refreshing, not just requesting. Joy comes when we spend time with the One our soul loves. We can rest on His promises and rest in His presence. David almost repeats Himself in the same chapter below. He knows the value of praying with God and receiving rest and hope.

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1NIV

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5 NIV

How about we just stop the devotion here and leave more time for prayer? How exciting that we can be with God and we do not need to talk! Maybe we can strengthen our listening skills:) Maybe the Lord will ask us to do something for Him. What an honor!

One for the Journal- Write a prayer to God. Write to Him about your struggles and requests then praise Him for who He is. Now the best part. Sit still and just feel Him near. Think of all He has done for you. Rejoice in your heart that He lives there. Just be with Him. He may or may not have something to speak into your heart, but there is still so much rest and hope to be found in your quiet time with Him.

Dear Father:

Have we told You lately how awesome You are? We will tell You again and again. You are beyond anything we deserve. You are always here for us. We want to be quiet more often in prayer and let You do the talking if You want. Teach us a new and better way to be with You. Calm our hearts and minds so we can feel Your presence fully. We always want more of You and we want to hear what You have to say always. We love You so much! Amen

Love and prayers to all,

Just me. Just His.

With more than a month before Valentine’s Day, the stores are already loaded with red hearts, chocolate candy and huge stuffed animals with a high level of cuteness, to tempt your wallet. I feel bombarded when I visit a store for necessities and what I want is moved back in the store, to make room for Valentine presents the store hopes I will buy. They are selling the idea of love. They are banking on the fact that we all want to celebrate love.

Love is more than emotion. It is action. God loved us and sent Himself and His love to us in the form of Jesus. He also sent the Holy Spirit of love to live in us after Jesus went to heaven. God is all about love. In a way, Jesus was, and is, God’s ‘valentine’ to us. From the day we ‘buy into’ that love until the day we die, we are bound in love with Him. Wait…that’s not quite right. He is in us and we are in Him until the day we die and beyond! Can you fathom how much love He has, that He cannot stand to be separated from us, EVER?

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8

Love is stronger than hate. God proved that by sending His only Son to people that would hate Him. Love is stronger than hate. Jesus proved that. Jesus died on the cross for all, even those who hated Him. Love is stronger than hate. The Holy Spirit proves that every day in us. We have a supernatural love in us that loves others despite how they feel about us. Love is stronger than hate. Now, more than ever, the world needs to know what we know…these greatest actions of love. Like me, you might be thinking, “But there’s SO much hate and anger and divisiveness in the world. Can we really make a difference?” Yes. The Bible tells us that what we have in us, the Spirit of God, is greater than any spirit in the world!

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 1John 4:4-5 NIV

There are so many major differences between our viewpoint and the world’s. Here are a few:

The world’s viewpoint is based on self. Our viewpoint is from heaven. It is higher. It is denial of self.

The world’s viewpoint is what they feel like saying at the time. Our viewpoint is what God says! It is obedience to what God says, not ourselves.

The world exalts itself. We, as children of God exalt Him. He is higher, better, more, fuller, perfect (and we, ourselves, are not.)

We can only keep our God-focus when we are deeply rooted in Him and His love. In Ephesians 3:16-19, Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians describes the extent and treasure of God’s love:

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

One for the Journal- Today write down 10 things or people you love a lot. Next write down ten things God loves. Make sure to put your name on that list! Then, consider how you can show God He is number one on your list today. An idea…what if we wrote on a card… “God what can I do today to show You I love You?” What if we read that card the minute our feet hit the floor in the morning? I just wrote my card and will ask that each day.

Dear Father in Heaven,

We are so humbled to even say Your name because of who You are. You are God! You are also the definition of love. May all we do and say and think and plan relate to You and Your love. Thank You for Your love that sustains us in a world of hurt and anger that confuses us. We want Your love and Spirit to fill us with what we need to accomplish Your will of loving others with actions, despite theirs. You loved us even they we are imperfect. The way we interact with the world needs to be all about You and Your love, not about what we do, but why we do it. We love You so much! Amen

Love and prayers as always,

Just me. Just His.

It is a southern thing, perhaps, to ask your dinner guests to ‘come hungry.’ If you have ever been told to come hungry, then you have been invited to share a big meal by someone else’s hands. It is an act of hospitality and love. Someone wants to, on purpose, prepare a meal that will satisfy your hunger. You know who always wants us to come hungry so we can be filled? Jesus.

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:33

That is great news! We will not lack spiritually if we dine on His sustaining food. He is speaking of spiritual hunger. What a blessing to have Him to run to when we are spiritually hungry or we want to thank Him for feeding us. As hands prepare a meal in love, so the scars in His hands prove He did the work of preparing a meal that lasts forever and a forever home. With Jesus, we will never be uninvited or hungry or homeless. The Bread of Life and the Living Water that Jesus is will sustain our hearts and souls. Isaiah tells us what the Lord says:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,  and you will delight in the richest of fare.
give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. Isaiah 55:1-3

Notice above how many times He uses the word ‘come’ and ‘hear’ and ‘give ear’ and ‘listen’ What an invitation we have been given! We can come and receive all that we hunger and thirst for, the good, rich food of the Lord! He spared no expense for us. He gave all that He could possibly give, Himself.

I feel both convicted here and also extremely thankful. The convicted part…Often, I donate money to the needy at the cash register when the cashier asks me. Why? For the same reason Jesus did, because He could and did, because He was asked and there was a need. I feel convicted to carry that thought process to my home and give away what I have extra of. As I tell cashiers when they ask for donations, “Yes, I will give. If I am able to spare a dollar, and someone needs it, shouldn’t I always do it?” This is in NO way a credit to me, but the Lord telling me to be thankful for what I have and be generous with it.

The thankful part”…There was a time when I couldn’t give anything away because I had so little. He has blessed me with what I need to live on and more. Whatever we give out of love for Jesus must be generous, as He was generous with the life He gave. Hospitality towards others is hospitality toward Jesus:

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:40

The Lord put a lot on my heart this morning, so it may seem I got off track, but I just write as He leads my simple brain and heart. The Lord will always feed us what we need. We can, and should, come hungry to Him, wanting to be feed on all His goodness. As a gesture of love to copy His example to us, let’s think about feeding others physically. It is not just at Christmas time that they are hungry. As we are hungry and God blesses us with food, let’s bless Him right back by being generous to others with what we have.

One for the Journal- List a couple people you know that need encouragement. Can you meet their need? A note, phone call or a meal can totally change someone’s day and make them feel loved as the Lord makes us feel loved. What are your spiritual needs? Come to Jesus hungry today, asking for spiritual nourishment you need from Him. It is not selfish to ask for encouragement from Him. He will always give it!

Dear Lord,

Fill our minds today with Your goodness. We may have resisted being generous at times, with what You have given us. Help us to listen to what You need us to hear about coming hungry and feeding the hungry. Help us to give for Your sake as well as for others. Keep prodding us as your sheep to stay on right paths and feed on Your Bread of Life. Thank You for what You did for us on the cross and still do for us. We love You so much! Amen

Love and prayers always,

Just me. Just His.

Tina

We are in a storm. The thunder and lightning are arguing with each other. The ocean is all riled up and wave after wave crashes the beach, taking more sand with each attack. The dark sky is angry and its fast-moving clouds threaten to explode with a flood. That is how I see our world at times. It is enough to make one ask, “God, when will this storm end?”

We are in a storm of broken relationships. Differing political opinions are coming before our love for each other. The future looks bleak. As the churning waves of opinion, grit, stubbornness and pride hit us, some of us go down with it. We see others as our enemy because they believe differently, and we clash, threatening to explode. The world is flooded with tears over the state of our country. We feel like we are drowning in an angry sea.

When afraid we must go straight to Jesus. As He beckoned Peter to join Him in a walk on the sea, He beckons us to trust Him and His Father and walk on top of the storm. That may not sound like solid ground, but walking towards Jesus is always the safest place to walk. We can stand upon His promises! The Bible tells us what He will give us if we ask, peace!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

That precious peace, that makes no sense sometimes that we should have it, during a storm, is much like walking on water. It truly is the “peace that transcends all understanding.” Jesus tells us,

“And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” John 16:33 The Passion Translation

His name is “Conquerer! ” Our name is “Courageous.” As Jesus bore the cross because He knew what awaited Him, and He obeyed His Father. Let us also bear the trials of this world because it is God’s will and because we have hope and a home in heaven to look forward to!

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:2-3 NIV

When we are in a storm, and we are, let’s keep our eyes on the One who saves and the One who made us. Our relationship will keep our hearts light with His amazing peace! We are only here for a moment. We can not only endure, but thrive on peace and visions of what is waiting for us in heaven. We will see Jesus someday! That thought alone brings so much joy!

One for the journal- Write out three promises in the Bible that that bring you joy, such as the one above about peace we are promised. An idea…consider putting your Bible in front of the tv or in a place you will see often, as a way of reminding yourself that the Good News in the Bible gives peace:)

Dear Jesus:

Thank You for calling us to You and holding us up in turbulent times. Your peace makes all the difference in our sometimes crazy world. Thank You for giving us courage to weather the storms. Give us courage also to tell others who makes us calm. We have full confidence that You will deliver us from any doubt or trial we have. You are our Rescuer and Conquerer! We praise You for Your obedience to Your Father, Our Father. We love You and will obey too. Amen

With love and prayer always, have a great Friday!

Just me. Just His.

Tina

Things happen that can rock our world. Like yesterday and the attack on the White House. Shocking events can temporarily shake us and make us feel the darkness. We need light and the good news is… there is light to be found! Jesus!

The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. John 12:35-36

The Lord is our light! We do not need to fear. He lives in us and the light that He is cannot help but shine out. Light brings hope.The world desperately needs His light and hope. The darker the world is, the more our Lord’s light will show up. When we choose the Lord, it is a choice to walk in His light. Instead of fearing the darkness we can celebrate the light!

Our faith is a light! Even when we cannot see through the darkness, by faith we can see a step at a time. We may want to know what will happen next week or next month. However, when we can’t see the future we can know we will be okay because Jesus sees the future for us! In faith, we trust our Light to guide us as He sees fit. Our faith overcomes the darkness that may threaten to overtake us. We can trust the Lord to take us through this world, our temporary home, on the way to our real home, heaven.

Our righteousness is a light! With Jesus as our example of holiness, we shine a holy and needed light in our world. Some cannot see where they are going because they cannot see through the darkness. That is so sad. With our call to be righteous like our Lord, though, we can see where we are going. We are going wherever Jesus leads us. Our positivity and faith will attract others to us. We are “children of light.” Our purpose is to shine holy for Jesus…and shine wholly for Him!

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 1 Peter 1:15-17

One for the journal- Think of someone who has helped you during a “dark” time of trial in your life. Write down three ways to help someone else by encouraging them during their trial. What has the Light of the world done to help you? Thank Him for His ever present guidance.

Dear Lord,

How can we thank You properly for all that You are to us? You are our never-ending light! We thank You for being our hope and faith each and every single day. Sometimes we use our own judgement and see dark, so thank You for reminding us that we have a bright future and trials here are temporary! We love You so much! Amen.

One last thing you will love! Here is a link to a great song that encourages us to shine for Jesus! https://youtu.be/DtIIFJIxdUw Chris Rice- Go Light Your World.

As always, love and prayers to all,

Just me. Just His.

We ask the question, “How much does it cost?” when we want to own something. Sometimes we don’t have enough money and sometimes we just don’t want to pay that high of a price. If we are working part-time , a valuable purchase might be out of the question. If we are working full-time we may have too many other obligations to give that purchase a priority. The Lord put this thought in my head about cost…”How much would you pay for salvation if it wasn’t free?” For several weeks it has plagued me. So has this verse:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:25-27 NIV

What a heavy thing to consider! Salvation IS free. It was bought by someone we didn’t even know at the time that He did it. Jesus, thought we were worth the price. He obeyed His Father and gave to the needy, us. He gave all. As usual, He sets the example for us with His actions. Is it good enough that we appreciate His sacrifice or should we follow His example to give all? We were given life and then a free life to use for Him. How can we do that? What does giving all look like? As selfish as I can be, do I give all I possibly can? Please consider my experience with not giving for a minute…

There are so many opportunities to help the needy. In the front of grocery stores there may be bins to donate food for the needy or a poster asking for presents for soldier’s families. Our church has a food pantry and we also collect coats for the Rescue Mission in our city. I used to never, ever donate. Sad, but true. The Lord convicted me of not sharing what I was blessed with. Now my husband and I give what we can when we are asked to donate to a worthy cause. Why? Jesus has given us something we do not deserve and cannot pay for. Because being a disciple means giving all. Because Jesus set the example of giving all. Because in Luke chapter 14, He asks us to. That is enough.

So, getting back to the question of cost, here is one for our journal- Take time to be alone with Jesus and listen to what He says when you ask yourself…What are you willing to sacrifice because Jesus’ death means more than your life? Ask the Lord to bring to mind your part as a disciple. What are you able to give in terms of time, money or even unused possessions stored in the basement? Is there some overlooked thing you can do for the needy and thereby do it for Him?

Dear Lord,

Thank You for showing us we have something to offer our church, our community and You, most of all. As You bless us, we will bless others. Please forgive us of being human and not seeing the value of doing that more. We want to bear our own cross and sacrifice our comfort for someone else’s. Show us how to do that. We may have been working part-time and holding back our resources but show us how our hearts can work full-time for You. Thank You for what You gave us for free. Help us to freely give also. Show us the benefit if denying ourselves for someone else’s blessing. We love You so much! Amen

As always, love and prayers to you all.

Just me. Just His.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Why? Because it’s fitting, David says. Psalms are songs, so imagine David singing this!

Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Psalm 147:1

To cover all bases, David explains why everyone should praise the Lord in Psalms 147.

Why should Jerusalem praise the Lord? David says…

Extol the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion. He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. Psalm 147:12-13

Why should nature praise the Lord?

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created. Psalm 147:2-5

Why should the broken praise the Lord?

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

Why should all people praise the Lord?

Kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. Psalm 148:11-13

What happens when we don’t hear or see God answering our prayer? Do we still praise Him? David asked God some questions of his own. He was clearly miserable here, and feeling like God had forsaken Him:

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. Psalm 22:1-2

And in the next verse He begins with BUT…a clue that he is making an exception to what He just said.

But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Psalm 2:3

I love this verse!! God is enthroned in praises. Our praises exalt Him. He abides on high and floats on our praises, is the image I have of David’s words. We can put Him on the throne in our hearts. He so deserves it! His name and character and actions and love deserve to be exalted no matter what.

One for the journal: This is a fun one! Make a list of all that God has done for you. Squeeze as many things on one page as you can! Get in a quiet spot and tell God what you are about to do. He will bring to mind things you may have forgotten. He has done so much for all of us. He made us, for starters! When you are done thank Him for all that is on your page:) I will do this exercise too! I would love to see your journal entries if you ever care to share them:)

Dear Father,

You are not just our King but our loving parent. You made us, designed us and take care of us. Your plan to save us from sin is a testament to Your pure love. Help us to live here on earth to honor You. You are more than wonderful and worthy! There’s no way we can list every thing You have done for us, so we thank You for all You have done, all You are doing now and all You will do in the future. We know You are always working for our good. Please guide us to work for You more. Show us what we can do at church or in our community to exalt You. We love You and give You all praise now and forever! Amen

Just me. Just His.

Do you ever have a week where the enemy is attacking you? Did it leave you frustrated and tired? If so, we have something in common! For the last couple of weeks, my computer has been acting up, only when I try to write my devotions. My knee is swollen so I cannot go up and down stairs without pain. An injury from a car accident has me in a lot of pain; my neck, back and shoulder keep spasming or locking up. Honestly, I am not writing this for sympathy. I am writing it because I still can! There are so many things to be thankful for, even in a trial!

Though my neck is killing me, some people cannot move from the neck down. Though my back keeps spasming off and on, some people have back pain 24-7. Some people cannot feel their back at all. Though my computer is trying to keep me from writing these devotions, some people do not have a computer or the hand movement to type or write. Though my computer won’t let me post a picture today, I can paint a picture with words. Some people cannot see pictures or the printed word. All of this points me to God’s Word which says…

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

One thing I like about James’ writing is that he covers all bases when it comes to guiding Christians’ behavior. It is like he answers our questions before we ask. He writes that we need to find the joy in trials, and then proceeds to answer questions that may arise from that statement. He answers the questions: “Why should we have joy?, What kind of trials will we have? What is the reason for my trials?

James tells sisters and brothers in Christ to consider seeing trials as a joy. The word ‘consider’ makes me laugh a bit because sometimes you have no desire to see the good side of things. That makes the enemy happy, our focusing on, and being engulfed by the bad. James asks us to just look at trials in a different way, through the eyes of spiritual growth. He also uses the word, WHENEVER. He doesn’t say, “If you happen to have a trial,” he says when you do face trials. And not just one trial, but trials of all kinds! Why should we have joy? Because trials produce perseverance and maturity, if we let them.

So, as I sit here writing, I am so thankful for the ability to read and write and understand God’s Word. I am thankful for my recent trials because it means I have an opportunity to mature. I am thrilled that I have God’s word to guide us as I persevere so I may “be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” I am thankful for caring doctors, family and friends who encourage me. I am beyond blessed to be able to see, hear, and move my body, which some cannot do at all. Most of all, I am joyful because I matter enough to warrant a test of maturity. God is so good!

If this devotion seems a bit personal and all about me, I apologize. I only mean to encourage others with the encouragement the Lord gives me. I have joy in my trials this morning and you can have it too! It is a decision based on fact and choice. Fact: God loves us! He wants us to become our best self for Him. Choice: We can choose joy over despair because… we know trials have a holy purpose!

One for the journal…Read the scripture today several times, then read it as if the Lord were talking directly to you. 1.Make it personal. For example…Insert your name before the verse and read it as if God is talking to You. 2.After you finish making it personal, make it a statement of faith: I WILL consider trials a joy. I know I will face all types of trials. I also know and will do my best to remember, that trials test my faith. When I persevere and choose joy in the trial, I will become more of what God wants me to be, a mature follower of His. My faith in Him will grow and mature, the more I use it. I will not be lacking anything when I trust in God….something like this. Write in your journal your own personal vow based on the verse.

Dear Father:

You are so good to us. Though we have trials of all kinds, we know You are perfectly capable of helping us through each trial and with joy! The world may not understand it when we have joy in a dark place, but that’s a good thing. Maybe they will see it is Your light that guides us! Thank You for whatever trials we may face today. Please stay close to us always. We love You so much and only want Your will, even if its a trial You think we need. Amen.

As always, love and prayers to you,

Just me. Just His.

It is the first Sunday of 2021! How will you spend this special day? Many of us will go to church online or in person, because it is the Lord’s day. Some of us are required to work on Sundays. As for me, I was planning on going to church online and then painting my old desk today. John and I bought the paint last night. However…the Lord put this thought of rest in my heart and mind. If I am able to rest and not work, shouldn’t I?

For some, that is not possible. Preachers work on Sunday. Many workers are required to work on Sundays. Some have to work all weekend. I thought about how God worked hard for six days and then needed a rest. He looked at all He made and rested on the seventh day.

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. Genesis 2:2-3

Wait, GOD needed a rest? He needed a rest, so much so that He created the seventh day specifically for resting and made it holy. He blessed the seventh day. I know sometimes we have to work to support our families or we may need to help someone else on that day. We can work as if we are working for the Lord, in those cases!

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24

It crossed my mind that God helps people all day, every day. He rested but He never sleeps! How comforting!

He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:3-4

Dear Father,

It is really hard for some of us to slow down on Sundays. Could You help us to see the value in it? Please help us put our to-do list on hold if we are not required to work today. We love You and want to honor You however we can and when we do work, we want to work as if You are our boss, which You really are. We love You! Amen

Journal Time…

List some ways that You can honor God on Sundays. List some ways You can honor Him on other days too. It may be that you can help your neighbor, write a letter to someone lonely or sing praises to God every morning, if you love to sing. He does not expect us to be perfect at all, but to strive to honor Him and His Word. It is the heart’s intent that matters:)

Love and prayers to all!

Just me. Just His.