The new 2008 format for my devotional offering is to simply post a picture and single scripture the first week,
promoting your personal reflection and communication with God. Then on the following week I will add commentary.
May 12, 2008 |
May 5, 2008 |
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"But the Lord's love for those who respect him continues forever and ever, and his goodness continues to their grandchildren." |
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No one ever takes anyone’s place. Children should not be concerned with the arrival of a new sibling or cousin that their place in the hearts of their parents and grandparents could ever be taken over. As wise parents and grandparents, no child ever takes any previous one’s special place. Our hearts simply grow larger to welcome in the new child, do they not? Oh, to be trusted with such precious ones! I feel blessed beyond measure with the children God has placed into my life – and now doubly blessed with the grandchildren. Our fourth little grand blessing was just announced this Mother’s Day – due to arrive the first part of January. Truly, there’s just no containing the fullness of my heart! Oh Lord, that this love would flow without end: down my arms to embrace them, into my feet to stand with them, from my mouth to build them up, through my eyes when I look into theirs – that they would grow up secure and strong, knowing You, the source of that certain and impartial love, the source of all the wondrous gifts that fill our lives. |
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| "Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning." James 1:17 HCSB |
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April 28, 2008
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April 21, 2008 |
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"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it." Isaiah 55:8-11 NLT |
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O Lord my God, You send out Your word, and like the rain and snow You promise that Your word will always produce fruit. I cannot trust my own heart, for Your truth declares "The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out." (Jeremiah 17:9 The Message Bible). Therefore, I surrender the darkness in my heart to the light of Your word, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 NIV) I ask You, Lord, to cut away any thoughts and attitudes that do not align with Your Spirit. "Create in me a pure heart" (Psalm 51:10 NIV). And I also surrender my mind, because Your word implores "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2 NIV) Yes, Lord, "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)! So there is hope for this dark heart! Lord, You can "make [me] holy, cleansing [me] by the washing with water through the word" (Ephesians 5:26 NIV)! My hope lies in You and in Your word that my mind and heart, that is, my thoughts and ways might actually align with Your thoughts and ways for me! "I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6 HCSB) "According to your faith will it be done to you." (—Jesus, Matthew 9:29 NIV) |
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April 14, 2008 |
April 7, 2008 |
| "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand." 1 Chronicles 29:14 HCSB |
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| Now how could I after knowing One so great Respond to You in any way that’s less than all I have to give? But by Your grace I wanna love You not with what I say But everyday in the way that my life is lived Mike Weaver, Andy Cloninger, Michael Farren Big Daddy Weave “Every Time I Breathe” |
March 31, 2008
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March 23, 2008 |
| H E I S R I S E N | |
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"All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3 NLT |
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Oh yes, we certainly do live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. |
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| The evidence for the reality of God can be observed in the enormous difference found in the attitudes and actions of those who continually welcome the risen Savior into their lives in contrast to the lives of those who do not. |
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March 17, 2008 |
March 10, 2008 |
| U L T I M A T E R E S C U E M I S S I O N | |
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But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 NIV |
I’m certain almost all of you have heard it said: If you were the only person in the world, Jesus still would have died on the cross just for you. I’m certain that statement is true. There’s something about that statement that is also true, of which the realization freshly pierced into the core of my being. If I was the only person and Jesus died just for me, it also means I was the one who held the whip, who held the hammer and nails – the one who tore through His flesh. I was the one. I am responsible. I’ve long been told that “it was my sin that nailed Him to the cross” and I’ve always accepted that truth. But there’s something extremely sobering, extremely chilling, extremely humbling in the realization of my transcendent responsibility for His physical suffering that day. Such understanding adds much more depth behind my mea culpa: "Lord, I’m so sorry for my sins." So much more. Praise our God for His unfathomable mercy – for a Savior who in the midst of utter agony requests "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34 KJV) Thank You, Jesus. Thank You with all of my heart. |
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March 3, 2008 |
February 24, 2008 |
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." Isaiah 35:1-4 NIV |
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If only you could see yourself the way God sees you. Do you know that God believes in you? – even when you don’t believe in Him? – even when you don’t believe in yourself? Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before him”. Bearing unimaginable pain, Jesus searched the span of time and saw you. He saw His sacrifice breaking the power of sin and death over your life. He saw you rise in victory over every evil ploy this fallen world could throw at you. He saw you empowered to reach your full and glorious potential, being everything you could possibly be in this life and the next – in Him, for Him and with Him. Such vision kept Him nailed to the cross. |
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| "Therefore…let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2 NAS |
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| Fix your eyes on Jesus until you begin to see yourself in the reflection of His eyes. Then run. Run with all His might. |
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| This week's devotional is dedicated to all the beautiful "buds" with whom I had the privilege to enjoy last weekend's retreat. | |
February 18, 2008 |
February 11, 2008 |
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"For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." 2 Chronicles 16:9 NAS |
| "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." Psalm 139:7-8 NIV |
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| We might as well stop fighting. We might as well stop running. We cannot escape. Resistance is futile.
Surrender. That is what His eyes look for as they move to and fro throughout the earth. A heart that is completely His. Unconditional, full surrender. However, this surrender is enormously different than the surrenders we’ve seen or read about in our world. Enormously different. There is no gun pointing at our head. The Mighty Warrior of Heaven is simply searching for our heart. And upon this surrender the unusual outcome will be that we are set free. No prison or slave labor for His captives. Nope, no way, because this unusual captor of hearts is known as One who "raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes" (Ps.113:7-8 NAS). So what on earth are we waiting for? "O LORD, you have searched me and you know me…you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD…My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place... All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be…" Psalm 139:1, 4, 15-16 NIV |
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| To the One who knows me inside out – let me love You from the inside out. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24 NIV |
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February 4, 2008 |
January 28, 2008 |
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"I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. |
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Skepticism. Somewhere on the journey from child to adult we develop a good case of it. But all for the better in this world – otherwise we’d be eaten alive. Yet, God wants us to change, to leave that adult-learned survival trait clear out of our relationship with Him. Children who are born into the care of a loving, protective, providing parent quickly come to rest in that care. Have you ever noticed how most babies turn, search immediately and reach out toward their parent if they are suddenly put in the arms of a stranger? Trust has also been learned, yet is soon instilled in a newborn child as soon as they are held and fed and cared for. Children learn to walk and laugh and play in the safety of their home, but all too soon they must venture out into the neighborhood. And all too soon they discover a cruel and selfish world. But that does not change the character of the parent to whom they run home to for understanding and shelter. God wants you to know Him as your constant loving and wise Father – walk, work, play, sleep without a shadow of a doubt in who He is for you – in all He desires for you. |
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"It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him." Hebrews 11:16 The Message |
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January 21, 2008 |
January 14, 2008 |
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This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17 NIV |
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| God's heart is to enjoy a relationship with you.
As revealed in Isaiah 48:17, He desires to teach us what is best for us and to show us the way to go. In reading the Bible, we discover that God is not distant and silent, but clearly a communicating God. A quick word search of the Bible (New King James Version) for the phrases God revealed brings up 14 verses, the Lord revealed 17 verses, God told 29 verses, the Lord told 39 verses, God spoke 62 verses, the Lord spoke 239 verses, God said 578 verses, the Lord says 858 verses and the Lord said 1153 verses! God not only communicates to us today through reading the Bible or through teachers who study and share His Word, but God deeply longs for One on one relationship with us. He longs to converse with us directly, guiding us through our personal circumstances. And who would be a better guide than the One who knows all, the One who made our hearts and knows us best and loves us most? Who could be a better counselor than the "Wonderful Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6) Himself? Throughout the Old Testament, the children of Israel broke God's heart by stubbornly following after their own ways again and again. They rebelled against all that God had taught them. And because of their stubborn prideful selfishness they eventually wrecked their lives and lost everything they had. God sent His prophet Isaiah beforehand to warn them of the consequences to come - ""Woe, to the obstinate children," declares the LORD, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine..." (Isaiah 30:1 NIV) This warning is only one of the many, many warnings given throughout the book of Isaiah. Yet in the midst of all the warnings God still declares His relentless mercy: "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion… How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears he will answer you…Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."" Isaiah 30:18,19,21 (NIV) And in the New Testament Jesus assures His disciples as He prepares to leave them – "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth…for he lives with you and will be in you…the Holy Spirit…will teach you all things" John 14:16-17, 26 (NIV) I certainly don't want to take any unnecessary chances with my life. "I know, LORD, that a person's life is not his own. No one is able to plan his own course." Jeremiah 10:23 (NLT) Cultivating and enjoying a relationship with someone means that you communicate back and forth. You both talk. You both listen.God desires no less. |
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January 7, 2008 |
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A new year – traditionally, typically, the first days of the year are filled with anticipation, hopes, dreams, goals and resolutions. Here we all stand looking into the future – little seeds of potential just waiting to bloom. Jesus told His disciples in John 12:24: "I tell you the truth, a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to make many seeds. But if it never dies, it remains only a single seed." (NCV) Jesus shared this principle just prior to His crucifixion. Within this little parable lies a dynamic truth. This tenet applies not only to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but to all those who would follow Him as well. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20: "I was put to death on the cross with Christ, and I do not live anymore -- it is Christ who lives in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself to save me." (NCV) I can appreciate how The Message translation elaborates on this verse stating "My ego is no longer central." Becoming a seed and dying to our self for Christ means that we put to death all our self-fabricated aspirations that serve ourselves. We ask the Lord to take over our lives and hearts - becoming and reigning as the Lord of it all. And should we be so brave, we even ask that He take away all the desires in our heart that would not line up with His, replacing those desires with the best plans He has for us. After all, God made us. He knows our gifts and talents better than we know ourselves. He sees our highest calling. How could we settle for less? How could we settle for less than giving our all and all to the only One who knows all? We need not fear losing out. We could never out-give God. Jesus promised us "whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39 NIV). Not only that, as many have discovered, it is when living out this principle that God "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20 NIV) For the most part, I imagine an element of pain accompanies dying. Yet if we will only trust Him, we can look forward with assurance to a glorious spring. |
