Comfort in You
As we looked at Sunday, Father, I am grateful for the freedom that has been given me –not just in the country in which I live but most importantly the freedom You have extended to me. I am no longer a slave to sin but have been set free because of Your sacrifice. May I never take it for granted. Amen.
Revelation 2:10-11 (<<click green)
How we respond to pain and suffering makes all the difference, Lord. I think that it is interesting that when we are afflicted, we either allow it to turn us from You or draw us to You – either we blame You for permitting our pain and suffering or we find comfort in Your arms in the midst of it.
The enemy of our souls, the devil, has controlled the hearts of minds of much of humanity for so long that none of us can avoid affliction in our own lives. Disease, oppression, violence, hatred, greed, selfishness – sin is rampant. Satan instigated it and continues to egg it on and You, Lord, get the blame.
From the beginning, we were warned. And once we succumbed to Satan’s enticements, You extended a means of reconciliation. You gave of Yourself, not because of any sin You committed, but solely out of love for us. And we still want to blame You for our pain and suffering.
We have made our beds and we must sleep in them. We cannot avoid the problems of this world. All we can do is to come to You. We can find solace only in You. If we will “remain faithful even when facing death, [You] will give [us] the crown of life.”
Lord, help me to not place the blame at Your feet for the evils of this world but to embrace the peace found only in You. Amen.
July 4th, Tues, 6:55 am
A Gift
What a wonderful day You gave us yesterday, Father! It was so nice having a day together without a lot “scheduled” on our plate. What a blessing to have time to just enjoy each other’s company. Thank You for the wonderful gift!
Revelation 2:7 (<<click green)
Reading ahead just a bit, Lord, I never realized that each of the seven churches is promised a gift if they are victorious in standing with You. (It is totally awesome how regardless of how many times we read and hear Your Word that there is always something that we can learn! Great is [Your] faithfulness; [Your] mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:23)
The gift extended to the Ephesians (and to us!) is “fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.” Of course, the “tree of life” stood in the Garden of Eden at the very beginning but when we chose to disobey – to sin – we forfeited that gift of living forever in Your presence. But when we repent of our sin and accept another marvelous gift from Your hand – salvation and the forgiveness of our sin! – we will once again be able to partake of “fruit from the tree of life”.
Lord, it just baffles me that people avoid a relationship with You. We have in our very small view of things that You are a cosmic killjoy, that all that You want to do is to burden us down with an impossible list of rules and regulations. We just want to have “fun” and You just want to take that away.
But in reality that is a total bald-faced lie! You alone are the source of true joy and fulfillment. Everything we cling to in this world will only let us down – it will leave us, it will fall apart, it the long run it will only bring tears and sorrow. But not You, Lord!
I love the way the Amplified Bible translates James 1:17,
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].”
Lord, may we accept all the wonderful gifts from Your bounteous provision! Amen.
June 30th, Fri, 6:26 am
Are You Listening?
Thank You for a beautiful morning, Father! My quick walk outside was exhilarating! You are ever giving! Praise Your name!
Revelation 2:7 (<<click green)
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying…”
Ask anyone who is around me very long and they will affirm that I have some hearing impairment. What? I said, “Ask anyone…” OK, that’s a running joke in our home. Karen and I both struggle to hear each other sometimes. I can be looking straight at her and still not hear her clearly. I can’t hear high pitched sounds at all anymore. Many times Karen has asked, “Do you hear that?” and my response will be, “Hear what?”
I have ears to hear but am I listening? People speak and I hear the sounds coming out of their mouths but do I listen? It is important to hear what those around me are saying but it is even more important to “listen to the Spirit”. He may not speak with and audible voice but he speaks nonetheless and if I am listening, I am better able to handle the many aspects of my life.
The Spirit is not just floating out there somewhere. The third Person of the Trinity is always with me. There is nowhere I can go that He is not there. And as with any companion, He enjoys interacting with me. As I travel this journey and interact with Him, His voice becomes all the more familiar. I find comfort and direction as we walk side by side.
Lord, help me to do more than just hear. Enable me to listen so as to understand, as well. Amen.
June 29th, Thurs, 8:10 am
I Choose Love!
It’s unusual, Father, that I sit down with You at the beginning of the day and then again at the end but here I am. May I have ears that listen to what You have to say to me and what I hear may I put into action. Amen.
Revelation 2:6 (<<click green)
Lord, as I read this verse my study Bible points out something very important. You compliment the Ephesians on the fact that they “hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans.”
The Nicolaitans were believers who compromised their faith in order to enjoy some of the sinful practices of Ephesian society. The study note on verse 2 states that Ephesus was “a city noted for immoral sexual practices associated with the worship of the goddess Artemis.” She was a fertility goddess. It goes on to say, “We also are living in times of widespread sin and sexual immorality. It is popular to be open-minded toward many types of sin, calling them personal choices or alternative lifestyles. But when the body of believers begins to tolerate sin in the church, it is lowering the standards and compromising the churches’ witness…God’s approval is infinitely more important than the worlds’. Use Gods’ Word, not what people around you are willing to accept, to set the standards for what is right or wrong.”
That’s pretty black and white. But looking back at verse 6, Lord, You say absolutely nothing about hating the Nicolaitans. The believers in Ephesus hated the “evil deeds of the Nicolaitans.” Your guidance hasn’t changed one smidge. We are to stand against deeds that are against Your word but we have to love the doers of the deeds. Once again,
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
What’s love got to do with it? Everything!
Lord, I would pray that You would help us to love like You love. Our world makes it so easy to hate. So many things are divisive. We are constantly pitted against one another. May we be more like You each and every day. Amen.
June 28th, Wed, 11:17 am
Cancel Code Yellow
Thank You for this day, Father. May I follow closely by Your side with my hand firmly in Yours. Amen.
Luke 15:11-32 (<<click green)
At Kohl’s, we have a protocol in place for certain emergencies – Code Blue for medical emergencies, Code Red for fire, Code Green for tornadoes and such. In my more than seventeen years of employment, I can count on one hand the number of times all three of these together have been called (thank You, Lord!). But we have a fourth one that is called multiple times each week – Code Yellow. It is a notification for associates to help locate a lost child or if we’ve found a lost child, a lost parent. Thankfully, there has never been a long-term separation and parent and child are soon reunited. One of the best things to hear is “Cancel Code Yellow”.
Lord, none of us are exempt from wandering from You. Some of us wander away for just a short period of time. Some of us have wandered for years. Your desire is to be reunited. But like the children we are, we sometimes relish in our “freedom”. But many times it is short-lived when things bigger than we are, scare the bejeebies out of us.
Unfortunately, many wander in separation for years feeling like they are beyond being reunited with You. You know different but we feel like our list of “crimes” is too large to consider reconciliation. But no list is too big for You, Lord. Your sacrifice encompassed the entirety of sin from all of mankind. Nothing is too big nor is anyone too far gone that You cannot redeem.
Lord, all of us wander. May we all see that You are not poised with a lightning bolt ready to nail us for our wandering but like the Father in Luke 15, You eagerly await our return. If we will but ask with sincerity of heart, all will be forgiven.
Thank You, Lord, for Your fathomless love and forgiveness, mercy, and grace.
June 28th, Wed, 5:34 am