Devotions

I began my day reading in the Book of Isaiah and thinking about the Ways of the LORD. “’My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’”  [55:7-9 NLT]

I wish I could understand the Ways of the Lord, but most of the time I have a poor grasp. Every time I think I understand (and have God and what He is doing in a box), He does something differently.

As I looked up the phrase “the Ways of the Lord” in my concordance I found a few references.  By looking at those few references I came to realize that I do not have to UNDERSTAND the Ways of the Lord, but I do have other RESPONSIBILITIES TO the Ways of the Lord.

Hosea 14:9 tells me that “The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.”  [NIV]

The Ways of the Lord are made for walking. Those who do the right things will walk in the Ways of the Lord. We have a duty to walk in the ways that God calls us to walk. All through Scripture the path is lit by His word. We are taught about following the Spirit and putting to death the ways of the flesh. We are taught about our duty to God, our duty to our fellow man and our duty to ourselves.

God puts His ways before us like a roadway that stretches from where we are to where He desires us to be, and then He tells us to walk. The Ways of the Lord are made for walking!

John 15:9-11: “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.  When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”  [NLT]

Notice the correlation between love and obedience. As Jesus loved the Father, we are to love. As Jesus obeyed the Father’s commands, we are to obey. As the Father loved His son, so the Father now loves us. Jesus then told those listening that there was a purpose in telling them that, it was so that His joy may be in them and that their joy may be complete.

In other parts of John, Chapters 14-17, Jesus gave His disciples a legacy of peace. Now He says that love and obedience will produce His joy in us. Joy! Joy! Joy! Jesus’ Joy! Abiding in us!

Just as the world’s system works to steal our peace, it strives to dampen our joy. It tells us that joy is the same thing as happiness. Even Miriam-Webster defines joy as happiness. But for the believer in Christ, joy and happiness are nowhere near the same thing. Happiness is based on happenings. Joy is based in love of Christ and obedience to His commands. His joy abides in us.

Notice also that this is so our joy may be complete. Joy apart from love for and obedience to the Savior is incomplete joy. It is fragmented and based not on our Rock, but on our circumstances and attitudes.

True joy, Jesus’ Joy, is completed joy. It abides in us. It is not affected by anything outside the heart of the Savior. It is untouchable joy. It manifests itself when times are good, and it manifests itself when times are bad. It can be felt even in times of deepest sorrow.

Joy! Joy! Joy! Jesus’ Joy! Abiding in us!

At the beginning of this year, Bible Gateway, one of my daily bible verse sources, sent me an email with a link to “The 100 Most Read Bible Verses” in 2024. They also gave an overview. Most popular book was the Psalms, followed by 1 Corinthians. Most popular chapters were Psalm 23 and Psalm 91. Two chapters are tied for the most popular NT chapter, 1 Corinthians 13 and Philippians 4.

I have been going through those 100 verses and to me the primary themes seem to be verses that address fear, anxiety, shelter, refuge, and courage. People are anxious in this world. They are looking for peace, for something to sooth their anxiety and provide the courage they need to face everyday life.

The Number 1 verse is Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me,” followed closely by verses 6, 5, 1, 3, 2 of that song. Just past those verses is John 3:16 and then all the verse of Psalm 91 in various order.

I have been reading through John 14-17.  Those last chapters in John report how Jesus prepared His disciples for His death. His awareness of the struggles to find peace in this life is evident. He leaves His peace, calling it a gift, and because of that gift we are not to fear.

John 16:33: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” [NLT]

John 14: 27: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” [NLT]

Recently Pastor Paco at CLC Middleton brought a message on offenses. One of the “nuggets” I received was, “We are not obligated to take the offense just because it is offered. Being offended is a choice.”

At the end of the service, Pastor Paco gave a chance for everyone to “forgive” offenses by saying out loud, “I forgive (insert name).”

My mind was blank. I could not think of the name of someone I needed to forgive. That did not last long. By the time I got home, a few people came to remembrance, then a few more. I asked God to help me forgive.

This morning, I opened one of my daily email verses and Proverbs 17:9 reminded me that there might be a few more “names” about to pop into my memory. “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” [NLT]

Thinking about those I need to forgive, thinking about the offenses that came my way, I realized that many were deeply buried. And I will admit that there are parts of me that are not sure I want to forgive them! I will also admit that some of the deepest hurt came from people in the church, not those I encountered in the secular world.

I guess I know where God is leading me today! “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you, But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” [Matthew 6:14-15 NLT]

Father God, help me to forgive. Amen

Spring is around the corner, at least officially. With the wild weather we have seen recently, who knows when it will really begin. But when it does, some of the trees and bushes will need to be pruned.

John Chapter 15 is the marvelous Vine and the Branches passage.  Jesus told His listeners, “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” [vs1-2 NLT]

There are only two kinds of branches: those that are dead and those that bear fruit. The dead branches have one fate, to be cut off and tossed into the fire and burned. Can’t be any clearer than that.

The fate of the other branches–the fruit producing ones–is to be pruned so that they will be even more fruitful. So often I have heard people talk about being pruned, as if it was something horrible. Pruning is anything but horrible; it is life giving and fruit producing! Pruned branches are ones that stay attached to the vine. Pruned branches have already been bearing fruit; now the pruning produces even more fruit.

I have watched my husband in his garden for years, carefully looking at the vines and plants and trees, looking for signs of life and production, then tenderly cutting away the little things that hinder in order to provide opportunity to produce even more. He does it not from a spirit of punishment, but from love; and it doesn’t harm the plant, but instead causes it to thrive.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” [vs 7-8 NLT]

“Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath. Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.” [Psalm 146:1-3 NLT]

That is the way Psalm 146 begins. My day began snuggling in my blankets in bed, half asleep, telling myself to “Wake Up!” My body disagreed and put up a fairly good fight until I finally planted my feet on the floor and moved toward the coffee pot!

David, in Psalm 57, told his soul to wake up and realize God’s purpose for his life. “Wake up, my heart [soul]! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.” [vs 8 NLT, See yesterday’s devotion]

Notice how David wakes up his soul? He does it with song…and David’s songs are centered on His LORD. We awaken our heart and soul by praising our LORD with everything we are. We keep our hearts and souls awake by praising Him as long as we live. And we leave this world with praise on our lips as we step into His very presence.

After telling us to put everything we are into praising our LORD, the Psalmist reminds us to NOT put confidence in “powerful people,” where “there is no help for you there.”

Our help, our purpose, everything we need in this life are found not in the rulers of this world. They are found in the King of Kings and LORD of Lords. Praise His Holy Name!

David wrote Psalm 57 as he fled from Saul into a cave. It was a cry for mercy, a cry for God’s purpose to be fulfilled, a cry for the evidence of God’s love and His faithfulness, and a cry for David’s soul to awaken.

Listen to verse 8, “Wake up, my heart [soul]! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.”

 “Wake up Soul!” Ever do that—shout at yourself to “Wake up Soul!”

When we battle God, when we turn a deaf ear to His pleas, when we ignore His purpose for our lives, it isn’t long before our soul simply goes to sleep. The voice of the Lord becomes increasingly distant until finally we simply do not hear it anymore. It is not that He has quit talking; it is that we have become deaf to His voice.

As David was in a literal cave, pursued by his enemies, crying for God’s mercy and purpose in his life in Psalm 57, we can find ourselves in a spiritual cave, one dug by our own disobedience, our own attitudes, and our own rebellions.

“Awake, my soul!” means it is time to repent and leave the cave, time to realign our attitudes with the will of God, time to admit His purpose in us and time to change. Let us “wake the dawn with our song!”

Ever say the words, “Something has to change!” Sometimes I shout those words. I look around me and think “enough is enough,” or “I don’t want to do this anymore!”

I am usually miserable when I say things like that. And I am usually making everyone around me miserable. (Why suffer alone?) When I say things like “something has to change,” it is usually me that has to change.

Psalm 57 begins, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.” Then Verse 2 continues, ^“I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.” [NLT]

God has a purpose for us, one that does not involve depression, or bad attitudes, or lack of joy, or fear. Often when we cry out in our misery that “something has to change,” it is because we have been fighting God’s purpose for us. (Fighting God? How did we ever think we could win that battle!)

Fighting God is not the way to have a good life, or even a good day. Doing what we want when we want does not make us happy. It makes us miserable. The only way to have the joy God wants us to have is to allow God to fulfill His purpose in us.

Soul! Stop fighting God! LORD, have Your purpose in my life! Amen

After spending the last few days thinking about our three enemies (the world, devil and our own sinful nature) and the battles we often face against them, and victories and weapons and such, I want to think about other things this morning.

I want to think about that iconic Louie Armstrong song, “What a Wonderful World.”

“I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and for you. And I think to myself, What a wonderful world. I see skies of blue and clouds of white, The bright blessed days, dark sacred nights, And I think to myself, What a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces of people going by. I see friends shaking hands, saying, ‘How do you do?’ They’re really sayin’, ‘I love you.’

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow. They’ll learn much more than I’ll never know. And I think to myself What a wonderful world. Yes, I think to myself What a wonderful world.”

When you read Armstrong’s biography, it is a wonder that he could write such a song, how he could think that this is a “Wonderful World?” After watching the evening newscasts, how could any of us think this is a “Wonderful World?”

But we can. It will require making an effort to seek out the beautiful things God displays all around us. And it will require fixing our “thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable….things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” [Philippians 4:8 NLT]

“What a Wonderful World”

Scripture is clear that we have three enemies, the world, the devil, and our flesh (sinful nature). It is imperative that we discern between them because the “weapons” required will be different.

We battle the world and the enemy of our soul using God’s mighty weapons and with His authority. But Romans 8:13 tells us that we battle our sinful nature differently. That battle involves putting it to death through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. “For if you live by its dictates [the sinful nature], you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.” [NLT]

Our “old nature” is a traitor within us. It refuses to acknowledge that it no longer has power to rule us. And you cannot command your sinful nature to die “in the name of Jesus.” I guarantee it will not obey.

But you can starve its desires and choke out its commands until it acknowledges that it is dead. “…that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” [Ephesians 4:22-24 NKJV]

One last thing about warfare and enemies and weapons and such. The greatest dangers are when we focus too much or too little on these things. We cannot ignore spiritual battles, but we cannot dwell on them constantly. We need to trust the Indwelling Holy Spirit that He will warn us when we need to face our enemies, and He will provide everything we need to do so.