Devotions

Israel was free. Pharoah had finally capitulated and allowed Israel to leave with their children, their herds. They had even plundered the Egyptians as they left. For about a week they rejoiced and had it easy. God even provided shade during the day and heat during the cold nights. [Exodus 12-14]

Then God did something strange. “Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea.” [14:2]

God had them camp between the pursuing Egyptian army and the Red Sea. It appeared the party was over.

You know the story. God shielded them from the enemy, parted the Red Sea so they could walk over on dry ground, and then annihilated the Egyptian army. God proved Himself Glorious and Strong on their behalf.

“When Israel saw all that God had done, they sang. ‘I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is His name…. Who is like You, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?’” [15:1-3, 11 HCSB]

There are times in this life when it feels like we are standing between an immovable barrier and a pursuing enemy. Be assured, God knows just where we are. He will prove to be our strength and song. He will prove Himself Glorious in Holiness, Revered with Praises, Performing Wonders. Amen & Amen

I spent years journaling when I was first saved. It was often a form of prayer, speaking to the LORD and listening for his response. I found that if I did not spend enough time writing in my journal, I had a hard time remembering to be thankful. So often the Scripture combines thankfulness with prayer.

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” [Colossians 4:2]

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” [Philippians 4:6]

We should be thankful daily. We have so much for which to be thankful. Our sins have been wiped away. We have a future and a hope. We have a God who not only loves us as His creation but wants us to be his sons and daughters. We have been invited, urged, and wooed to come into His presence boldly. God wants to bless us! We should be the most thankful gracious people on the face of the earth. There should never be a grumble, a murmur, or a complaint!

May 1 was the 2025 National Day of Prayer. Were that the only day we prayed we would be very weak in our spiritual walk. Six months from now in November is the National Day of Thanksgiving. If that is the only day that we are thankful, we are going to be very unlovely to be around.

Remember to thank God today for who you are and all you have. Remember to thank Him today for all He is and His promises. Remember to do it EVERY DAY.

Today is Memorial Day, first observed May 30, 1868. It is a day to honor the nation’s armed services personnel killed in wartime. Unfortunately, Memorial Day has lost some of its meaning. While there are still a few parades, and veteran’s groups decorating the graves of fallen comrades with flags, most Americans view this holiday as the beginning of the fun summer season. It’s all about camping, picnics, and just having a great fun-packed three-day weekend.

As I thought about the change in the way most Americans celebrate Memorial Day, I also thought about the change in the way some American Christians think about their journey here on earth. Early Christians recognized that this world was a foreign land, Peter said, “I urge you as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul” and “live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.”  [I Peter 2:11, 1:17]

We are strangers, pilgrims, and sojourners, in an alien hostile land. The world is a battleground. Choices must be made constantly to live for the holy, the good, the right, and not to succumb to the influences of compromise, evil, and apathy.

But have we forgotten the admonition of living as pilgrims in a foreign land? A. W. Tozer said: “In our day, the interpretation has changed completely.  We are not here to fight, but to frolic!  We are not in a hostile foreign land; we are at home!” [A.W. Tozer, “Renewed Day by Day, Volume 2]

Christians, be on your guard, we are here to war. Our time to frolic will come when we gather around God’s throne to celebrate the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb. For now, Pilgrim, remember your duty!

“Shift the Blame” is the first game ever invented. It came on the scene long before Trivial Pursuit, Checkers, Hopscotch, Pin the Tail, or Jacks. It has been around since the Garden of Eden. God made Adam. Adam was lonely. God made a partner for Adam. Her name was Eve. God gave Adam and Eve one rule. “Don’t eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” [Genesis 2-3]

One simple rule, easy to remember. One day Adam left Eve alone. The serpent came calling. The serpent convinced Eve that it was okay to break just that one rule. “God didn’t really mean what He said.” So Eve eats from THAT tree. Eve gives the fruit to Adam. Adam eats.

Adam and Eve are suddenly aware they are naked. They hear God coming. They hide. God finds them. “Why are you hiding?” They tell God they are hiding because they are naked. God asks them how they know they are naked. “Did you eat the fruit that was off-limits?”

And now the game begins! Eve shifts the blame to the serpent. “The serpent deceived me and I ate.” (It’s not my fault God, it’s the serpent’s. I would never have done such a thing if the devil hadn’t made me do it!)

Adam, on the other hand, shifts the blame to God. “The woman YOU gave me, she gave me some fruit and I ate.” (Things were going along quite nicely here in the garden until YOU created this woman!)

Unfortunately, this game never ends. That’s why the words of Paul in I Timothy 1:15 are so refreshing. “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them.” [HCSB]

 Paul didn’t shift the blame. When he came to Christ, he came as the worst of sinners needing a Savior. That’s the way we each must come. Owning up to the fact that we disobeyed and ate the wrong fruit, and now we are naked and hiding in the bushes away from God. Boy, do we need a Savior!

It has been several weeks since the pinched nerve in my neck got angry. During that time I have had two MRI’s. One was scheduled months ago as a follow-up for another issue and the second scheduled to see if my spine problems have progressed.

My pinched nerve was especially painful as I drove over for the first MRI. I was not at all sure if I could make it through the test as I had to hold my breath repeatedly during the imaging. Of course, as I fussed about what “might” happen, the pain got worse. And as the pain increased, so did the discouragement.

Then I started to sing! I remembered Paul’s admonition to the Ephesians to be filled by the Spirit and to sing “spiritual songs” from the heart.

“… be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father.” [Ephesians 5:18-20 HCSB]

The pain diminished the louder I sang. I sang with my understanding, and I sang with my spirit. I made music from my heart to the LORD. My words were my own, the melody was original. I praised God and gave thanks.

I continued the entire drive over and when I arrived, the pain was much less. I did well throughout the test. I re-learned the lesson … pain discourages, praise encourages. Thank you, LORD.

I have been dealing with a pinched nerve in my neck for over a week now. I try to move cautiously because when it gets angry, it ain’t fun!

I had another MRI (4^th one this year) last night and now I am waiting for word on what exactly is happening in my spine. Much of the day the pain has been miserable, and I have not been able to do much. And it is funny how pain diminishes my patience. (Just ask Bob!)

I’ve had more than a few talks with the LORD. Then a few days ago my morning verse of the day reminded me that God has not forgotten me. “For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints—and you continue to serve them.” [Hebrews 6:10 HCSB]

God “will not forget.”

 Often times when we are not as “active” in service, or as “visible” to the world, we are forgotten. We fade into the shadows. But there are no “shadows” in our God. He will not forget us. Even if we cannot continue to serve the saints the way we used to do … our God remembers our work and the love we showed for His name when we were able. Thank you, LORD!

One of the greatest joys in my life is when I am asked to share. I guess you can take the preacher away from the pulpit but can’t take the pulpit out of the preacher! Last Sunday I was honored to share with the Dream Team at church prior to the service.

I used a quote from Mia Hamm. Mia Hamm was the face of women’s professional soccer for years, 2 gold medals, 2 world championships. She said, “Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her.”

I also used a quote from Jesus to the Church at Ephesus. First, He acknowledged what they were doing. “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance … You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.” But then He told them … “You don’t love me as you did at first.” Or as some translations say, “You have left your first love.”

I am at that stage of my life where my body will not allow me to do much anymore. The “hard work” is behind me. But I don’t ever want to hear the LORD say to me … “You don’t love me as you did at first.”

For me, it is no longer “DOING,” that characterizes my life. It is “BEING” a child of God. Finding my worth in His love, my Joy in His presence.  If I may paraphrase Mia Hamm: “Somewhere behind the maturing Christian I am becoming and the work God has asked of me and the mentors who have pushed me – is a young woman who fell in love with the LORD and never looked back… I play for her.”

Have you ever wanted a “do over?” I watched the PGA Championship last week and was reminded that in golf, a do-over is called a “mulligan.” It is a second chance at a shot with no penalty, played from the same spot as the previous shot. It’s not allowed under the rules of golf but is often used by players in casual games.

Have you ever wanted a “do over,” a “mulligan” in life. A second chance to go back and do it over again but retaining the wisdom you have acquired (probably by not doing it right in the first place).

There is much of my life I would do over if possible. Things like buying houses when the market was high and selling them when the market was low. Or more important things like being a more understanding wife … or a better mom …  or like finding the LORD sooner and serving Him more diligently.

Unfortunately, there are no actual “mulligans” in life. To think that I can go back and do it again better than before is fanciful thinking. All I can do now in these far fewer days in front of me than what I have behind me is to keep going forward. Or as Paul said … “reaching forward to what is ahead.”

“Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 3-13-14 HCSB]

May 19

Trust, Rest – Part 2

I wrote yesterday that “the thing about resting is that it is nearly synonymous with trusting. We rest only where we can trust. There is no rest if there is no trust.”

David wrote: “I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” [Ps 13:5 NIV]

Solomon wrote: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” [Prov 3:5 NIV]

Isaiah wrote: “Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.” [Isa 26:4 NIV]

Jesus said: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” [John 14:1 NIV]

There truly can be no rest where there is no trust.  The Scriptures are clear that God is trustworthy, that He is faithful and true.

Still, I must acknowledge that there have been times when I really wondered about God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness. There have been times when difficulties continued to abound, times when God appeared faraway. May I say this … there have even been times when God seemed not to have noticed the troubles brewing around me. I remember thinking once that God had gone on vacation and left a not-so-bright trainee in charge!

Still, even in those times when I could not understand what God was doing … even in those times when I could not sense His presence with any part of my being … God was faithful. God was present. God was trustworthy. God was good. 

I am still tired from our trip, still needing to rest more than usual. As I thought about needing physical rest, I began to think also of spiritual rest, about resting on the promises of God and what that involves. The thing about resting is that it is nearly synonymous with trusting. We rest only where we can trust.  There is no rest if there is no trust.

 Another thing is that in resting on, trusting in the promises of God, faith will always face obstacles. As soon as we claim a promise such as, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” we are going to find obstacles in our pathway that try to distract us, difficulties we must conquer, impediments that appear problematic or impossible to overcome. It doesn’t seem to matter what the promise is, our faith will be challenged. It must be exercised and stretched.  [Philippians 4:13]

Ever started an exercise program to build muscle and strength? Remember how you moved and stretched, and how your muscles ached the next morning? You probably wondered why bother if it is going to hurt like this every time. But you learned that eventually with consistent exercise and stretching your muscles it quit hurting, and your strength increased.

Our faith grows and becomes strong the same way, by exercising it, by overcoming all the obstacles in the pathway as we rest on the promises of our God.