Reach Towards God

She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." (Matthew 9:21)

And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  (Matthew 14:29)

Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.  (John 13:23)

She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.  (Luke 10:39)

...the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God.  (Luke 5:1)

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Come near to God and he will come near to you. [James 4:8]

The Exposed Heart

When you get married, your spouse gives you his heart.  It lies open and exposed before you. 

It is a big responsibility - to nurture this heart.  

Are you stomping or strengthening his heart?  Kicking or caressing it?  Belittling it or building it? 

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Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
 [1 Peter 4:8]

Comfort

"When my spirit was in heaviness, thou knewest my path..."  (Psalm 142:3a)

What a comfort to know that He knows our hearts.  If our spirit is heavy, he knows it.  Psalm 142 encourages us to pour out our hearts to the Lord.  We can cry unto Him, complain to Him, show Him our troubles and pour out our complaints to Him.

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I cried unto thee, O Lord, and said, Thou art my hope, and my portion in the land of the living.  
[Psalm 142:6]

The Iron Entered His Soul

We tend to think that if we're suffering, then something is wrong.  We may feel it's the fault of someone in our lives, due to their behavior.  Or, we may blame ourselves for seemingly poor life choices. 
Yet, suffering is the very thing that God uses to refine us into pure vessels.

"He wants us to be, not hothouse plants, but storm-beaten oaks; not sand dunes driven with every gust of wind, but granite rocks withstanding the fiercest storms.  To make us such, he must needs bring us into His testing room of suffering."  ~Streams in the Desert

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'Joseph ' whose feet they hurt in the stocks: the iron entered into his soul' (Taken from the Book of Common Prayer, 1662, Psalms 105:18)

For Wives, When Struggling

Sometimes, he may not treat you lovingly.  He is not perfect; neither are you.  No matter how he treats you, forgive him and show him respect.  It is possible to show someone dignity and respect regardless of how you feel they are treating you.  Ask God to show you the good in the situation.  Have faith in God's future for you as a couple.

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Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  [Ephesians 5:21]

A Thought for Husbands

She may think she deserves your love.  Your love is owed to no one.  It is a gift that you choose to give.
Yet no matter how poorly she treats you, love her.   No love left in your heart for her?  Turn to the Author of Love. 

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. (I John 4:16)
 If God lives in you, then you can love her by relying on His love in you.

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...the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. [I John 4:4b]

Peace

When you're lying awake at night thinking about that situation  or  that person, there isn't peace.   

He himself is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14)  The Holy Spirit within us is our comforter in the events of life that keep us awake at night.  Through prayer, we are promised the peace that passeth all understanding.  This peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Yes, our hearts and minds need guarding.  Otherwise, we are prone to sleeplessness, self-focus, worry and despair. 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

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Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  [John 14:27]

Sunrise, Sunset

Today, as I said goodbye to one child heading off to freshman orientation at college, I was teaching my youngest child the ABC's.  The paradox of the moment struck me.  Happy to have a little one still; sad when they grow up and leave home.  Happy to be finished homeschooling the one; struggling to find strength to start over with another.

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~Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 
[Lamentations 3:22]

Comparison

I heard a pastor once say, "Whenever there is comparison, there is sin."  When we compare ourselves to those around us, we are tempted either to be proud and boastful, or ungrateful and jealous

Instead, let us focus on the Lord and ask Him how He wants us to use our resources.  Peter walked towards Jesus on the water. When he took his eyes off Jesus and started looking at the waves wround him,  he began to sink.  He needed to keep his eyes on Christ, who enabled him to walk on top of it all.

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And he said, "Come."  And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. [Matthew 14:29]

A Large Place

Tonight, someone was asking me questions regarding decisions I've made regarding our home purchase, income decisions and general lifestyle.

Afterwards, I went to the Lord feeling both defensive and frustrated.  Below is the verse that He provided through today's devotional reading.  I will meditate upon it and find rest for my soul.

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He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me; because he delighted in me." 
[Psalm 18:19]

Music Stand

We own a beautiful, handcarved music stand that was made in France.  It is an expensive item, that draws many a compliment.  However, it has one big problem.  The tripod of legs does not hold its ground, and invariably the stand becomes unstable and topples over.

Today, I spoke with the person who sold us this music stand.  He picked the stand up, spun around each leg of the tripod and locked it in place, solving the problem. Apparently, he'd had the same problem with his music stand and called the manufacturer in France to ask for guidance on solving the problem.

This music stand was designed to hold its ground, yet it was not doing so because of improper use.  Are we using our time and talents properly, so that we can stand our ground for Christ?  If not, our Manufacturer knows how to solve this problem.  We need to call upon Him and ask for guidance and wisdom to stand firm.

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But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. [Isaiah 64:8]

Biggest Weakness, Biggest Strength

Is there a personality trait in a loved one that you find annoying?  A person's weakness aften has an opposite positive side, which is a point of strength.   Ask God to show you the strength that is the inverse of your loved one's weakness. Sometimes the positive side can be the sanding off of some of our own sharp corners!

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Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. [Philippians 4:8]

Deliverance from Evil

The words of The Lord's Prayer are so familiar to most of us, that we sometimes ignore their poignancy.  "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." 

Recently, I've been praying for a loved one to be shielded from temptation and from evil.  If our Lord taught us to pray those words, how important and effective they must be.

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And the Lord shall stand by them and save them: he shall deliver them from the ungodly, and he shall save them, because they put their trust in him. [Psalm 37:41]

Quiet Desperation?

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."  Henry David Thoreau 

From Sparknotes.com:

“Desperation” is also a word with deep religious connotations, the “lack of hope” that, according to Dante (one of Thoreau’s favorite writers), was inscribed on the gates at hell’s entrance. The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan’s Protestant spiritual classic and a bestseller in the New England of Thoreau’s day, features a hero who passes through a bleak lowland called the Slough of Despair on his way to meet God. By asserting that most humans have gotten stuck in despair, Thoreau is implying that they are unable to continue farther on their pilgrimage toward true redemption.

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Are you living a life of quiet desperation?  Are you stuck in despair?  There is hope through the Lord.  Ask God to lift you out of the Slough of Despair and look for the answers that He shows you.  Reach up.  Take God's hand and let him pull you out of the slough.

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He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  [Psalm 40:2]

Reservations Made

When planning to dine at a nice restaurant, reservations are required. Did you know, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, that God has made reservations in heaven for you?  Not only do you have reservations for the marriage supper of the lamb, (Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:9) but there is a mansion reserved there for you. (In my Father's house are many mansions.  John 14:2)  Wonderful things for us to look forward to............

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To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.  
[I Peter 1:4]

Butterfly Bush

There is a beautiful butterfly bush outside my kitchen window.  Every time someone visits, they comment about the beauty of this bush, and they marvel at the number of butterflies that are always sipping nectar from the long purple blooms.

Do you know why that butterfly bush is so beautiful?  Every year in October, I take pruning shears and cut off every single chute, leaving just three barren, plain trunks that look like they are dead.  When spring comes the energy and inner growth, that has occurred in the winter months, springs forth and the bush grows many new branches, all loaded with beautiful, fragrant, purple flowers.


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I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 
[John 15:1,2]

Why Walk in Obedience?

When difficult things happen to us, things like illness or job loss, or just generally things aren't going "our way,"  we should make sure that we are doing things according to God's best way in every area.  There are some sinful behaviors which are blatently spelled out in the scripture. 

If we walk in disobedience,  we may be like Jonah where God used difficult circumstances to get his  attention.

Walk in obedience.  That way you can rest assured that any trial you go through is not a measure of discipline from God.

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Because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son."
[Hebrews 12:6]

Liberty

He brought me forth also into a place of liberty. (Psalm 18:19)

Merriam Webster describes liberty as "the quality or state of being free... Freedom from despotic control."  A despot is one who exercises power tyrannically.  Spiritually, that despot is Satan.

Taking the straight, broad highway seems to make sense.  It can look attractive, yet it can lead to spiritual death.   Broad is the way that leads to destruction.  Narrow is the road of God.  As we seek Him, he will help us to find the narrow gate.

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Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
[Matthew 7:13,14]

God's Way

Doing things God's way requires daily actions that are consistent with scripture.  It involves trusting God with the results.  We can trust Him.

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He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? [Romans 8:32]

Praying Scripture

The Bible provides great ideas of what to say when praying to God.

A very common prayer of many is, "Lord, show me what your will is.  Make the path clear regarding the decision I face."  "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."  (Psalm 119:105)

Here's my new favorite way to ask God for direction:   "Make thy way plain before my face..."  (Psalm 5:8b)   Don't let me miss this one, Lord.  Make thy way plain before my face.

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He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.  [Psalm 23:3]