Past Devotions

I remember from my English composition classes in school that when you begin a written work, whether a book, or poem, or short story, you need to grab people’s attention in the very beginning. You cannot wait until the middle of the piece for it to be interesting, most people don’t have that kind of attention span.

Paul must have had the same instruction because he really knows how to begin his letters. Ephesians is a prime example of that. After the salutation where he identifies himself and the people to whom the letter is being sent and offers a short greeting of grace and peace, “BAM!” he grabs our attention.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” [v 3]

Our God has blessed us (past tense). It’s a done deal.
His blessings are spiritual blessings. They are spiritual, which means they are supernatural. They are blessings, which mean they are bountiful.
He has blessed us with every blessing. There are no blessings withheld … we have them all!
They are reserved for us in the heavenlies where they are safely guarded in Christ. Nothing can destroy or steal them away from us. They are ours!

Yep, Paul got my attention this morning. Makes you want to read the rest of the letter, doesn’t it!

My inbox was full of free offers this morning.  I can buy a dozen Krispy Kreme’s and get another dozen free. With just Bob and me in the house, not sure we’ll partake of that.  Texas Roadhouse wants to offer me a free appetizer. I can choose from “Cactus Blossom (a breaded and fried onion), fried pickles, tater skins loaded with stuff, cheese fries, rattlesnake bites.”  Those all sound like they would send my blood sugars through the roof.

Every morning my inbox is filled with “free” offers.  I can get a “free” chapter of a book but must later pay for the rest of it.  I can receive a “free” sermon outline, well just the first part of it, and if I like it, I can pay for the remainder.  Few of these “free” offers are things I really need.  Or want. They are simply tailored to attract my attention and then get me to spend my money.

My Creator, however, knows what I really need and His “free” offer really is free. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  [Rom 3:23-25]

I have often had that verse recited to me, usually with the focus on “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” part. That is important, but this morning I’m focusing on the “justified freely by His grace” part.

We all need God’s salvation. None of us match up to the Holiness He requires. And none of us can earn it or buy it with our “good” works. If it is not “freely” given by His grace, through what Christ Jesus accomplished on the cross … we will never be able to afford it because on our own we are spiritually bankrupt. (Oh, and His offer truly is free! All of it!)

I am surrounded by wonderful Christian women at The Way Assembly of God in Middleton.  At the Women’s Fellowship last Friday, the women literally surrounded me and prayed for me. I had been battling a bad attitude, a little impatience (maybe a lot of impatience), some uncertainty and other such things as I’ve waited for a situation to be resolved. None of the ladies knew any of this, they just spontaneously (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit) told me to sit in the chair and they gathered around and prayed.

Early Saturday morning I left for my worship walk. I turned on my music and headed out for a new subdivision across the way from my own. There are a few houses built in one section, but they’ve just finished all the sidewalks and streets in a new section yet to be opened for construction. I knew I’d be able to get my two miles there.

At the end of the first mile I began to sing and pray aloud. I felt an overwhelming sense of godly sorrow and began to repent and ask God for forgiveness. I wept, a lot. [2 Cor 10:11]

How could I have doubted God’s care for me … no matter how the situation is resolved. How could I have become impatient with a God who graces me with so much patience. How could I have let a bad attitude take root, knowing how much God loves me.  I’m not sure “how I could,” but I did.

By the end of my second mile, I knew my bad attitude had lifted and my heart was once again right with God. What happened Saturday morning in my soul began Friday night in a “prayer chair” surrounded by wonderful Christian women who heeded God’s call to pray over me.  I am so blessed. So very blessed. To be loved by God. To be surrounded with these Christian ladies. Thank you!

2 Corinthians 1:11:  “…you help us by your prayers…” 

My online news feed wants to convince me of “All the ways the royals are just like us.”  One prime example to prove that point was the fact that recently the Duchess of Sussex (the former Meghan Markle) shut her own car door! Be still my heart!  I am laughing thinking about all the times I’ve schlepped three kids, diaper bags, groceries, and other items in and out of cars, vans and trucks. I’m pretty sure I closed my own door, along with everyone else’s more than once.

The article also cited the time Prince William and Duchess Kate had to deal with a two-year-old’s tantrum in public. I remember the time my two-year-old decided to throw a tantrum in the check-out at the grocery store, throwing himself on the floor, kicking and screaming loud enough to wake the dead, all the while I’m trying to gather up my bags, my other child and get all of us out of the store as quickly as I could. I must admit I was tempted to just leave him there!

While I’m pretty sure the “royals” are not just like us in most ways, I’m also sure that the royals are in one way just like us. They may have all the privileges and auxiliary help anyone could ever need. They may never have to shut their own car doors.  But they, like us, will one day have to give an accounting of themselves before the LORD.

There are two places of accounting in Scripture. There is the BEMA Seat for those who know Christ Jesus, where believers will receive their rewards (2 Corinthians 5:10). There is the White Throne Judgment Seat for all those who have rejected Christ Jesus as LORD, whose names are not written in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:12-15}.

Being “royal” here will not count there. The only thing that will count is whether we have surrendered to Christ Jesus, whether He has written our names in His Book of Life.

Every preacher knows (or should know) that you must live your messages before you can give your messages to others. As someone mentioned to me recently, maybe that is why preachers often avoid the hard messages.

The last few months have been tough as my messages have centered around seeking more of God. How can I tell people to uncomplicate their lives, unless I uncomplicate mine? How can I tell others they must decrease, if I refuse to do so?  How do I encourage others to embrace God’s will, His plan, His Word, if I demand my own?  Yep, it’s been a rough couple of months.

So, of course, what comes up this morning but Paul’s words as He closes out his second letter to the Corinth Church.

“Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you…. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” [2 Cor 13:11-14]

Aim for perfection? Other translations simply say, “Be perfect” or “Become perfect.”  Thankfully, the word for perfect or perfection in the Greek (katartizo) means to thoroughly complete, repair or adjust.

I am sure that we are never going to achieve perfect perfection in this lifetime, but we can aim for it. We can desire to become complete in Christ Jesus our LORD.  His grace, God’s love and the Spirit’s fellowship will be with us as we walk this journey, and with us when we complete it!

I have had a bad attitude for a few days now. I know I have had a bad attitude. Bob knows I’ve had a bad attitude. And surely, God knows I have had a bad attitude.  I think I even know why I have had a bad attitude, but just knowing why has not done much to change my bad attitude.

Usually, when a bad attitude begins to settle in, I turn my attention to the Psalms. Granted, there were times when even the psalmists had bad attitudes, but mainly, what I find are reasons to praise, worship, trust, know, bless and honor my wonderful LORD.  Today I read Psalm 30.

David is the author of that song. David had been granted a great deliverance from an unnamed peril by God. He even blames himself for his distress and speaks about how he cried out to God in its midst. Then he urges others who might find themselves in similar distress to also cry out to God.

Two lines in the song really spoke to me this morning. “weeping may remain for a night but rejoicing comes in the morning.” [Vs 5]

And, verses 11-12: “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.” 

I think I need to go for my worship walk this morning (a long one!) and do a little rejoicing, dancing, singing, and thanking along the way.

We have a nice little house in Caldwell, Idaho, bought 12 years ago this month. It needed work, both inside and outside. Over the years we’ve made improvements, including the upgraded kitchen when we had water damage last year. Thankfully, that improvement was expensed through insurance.

The master bath, which wasn’t in very good shape when we moved in, is yet to be improved.  We are “exploring” different options. What we’ve found is “cheap” and “not cheap” builders.  Fortunately, the foundation is good, so we can build on it with little worry.  Ah.

“Each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”   [1 Cor 3:11-15]

Paul told the Corinthians there were two types of building materials, costly ones and cheap ones. We choose which to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ.  When that day arrives when we will all appear before Christ Jesus at His BEMA seat, we will stand on the foundation and what we built will be tested by fire. [2 Cor 5:10]

If we have built with costly materials, we and our building will be left standing on His foundation after the fire and we will receive rewards. If we have chosen cheap materials, the fire will destroy what we have built, but we will still be left standing on the foundation.

Remodeling our master bathroom on the cheap isn’t that bad; building a building for our Master on the cheap will leave us wanting.

Springtime. Flowers. Warm days. Sunshine late into the evening. Weeds. Yep, you saw that correctly—weeds. There are so many things to love about spring, weeds, however, is not one.

As soon as they turn on our pressurized irrigation, we start watering. From what I understand, that water is only filtered for the big stuff, the little weed seeds are not filtered out. So now when we water, we are sprinkling weed seeds into our flower beds and lawns. It’s nice to have the pressurized irrigation, convenient, and cheap. It’s not nice to have the weeds.

We got a bit of a late start working on the yard because of two trips to California with Easter in between, so, we’ve been on a mission to get the front and back yards over their winter doldrums. We’ve mowed, edged, fertilized, picked up trash that April blew in, planted new flowers, trimmed the rose bush, and pulled weeks. Lots and lots of weeds have sprouted, including those awful thistles.

We normally pull the weeds when they are first starting to sprout. The roots aren’t deep or strong yet and the chore is easy. But with the delay the weeds, especially the thistles were almost a foot tall. They had strong roots, and very large thorns. Even my gardening gloves were not good protection from getting pricked.

As I worked in the backyard yesterday, pulling the thistles, I was reminded of how quickly weeds of sin can also take root in our soul. It is so much easier to get to them before they have a chance to sink their roots down deep into us.

Romans 6:12: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”

Exodus 33 is perhaps my most favorite chapter in the Old Testament. I love the interaction between Moses and Jehovah God. The people had sinned. God has said they could still have the Promised Land, but He would not go with them. He’d send an angel and they’d get the victory, but His Presence would be absent.  That’s not going to cut it for Moses.  He pretty much tells God that if God doesn’t go, he’s not going either.

God had acknowledged His favor of Moses, and Moses begins his exchange with God based on that favor. “You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.” [Ex 33:12-13 NKJV]

Think about that.  Moses found grace in God’s sight. Because of that, Moses requests one thing—that he might know this God in whom He had found favor. Moses asks to know God’s way so that he might continue to find grace with God.

We, too, have found grace with God. The New Testament is full of references to the grace (favor) in which we now stand. Paul made it clear in Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”

So, based on God’s favor, what are our requests? Are we, like Moses, asking to know God’s way in order that we might continue to find favor with Him?  Or are we hoping to take advantage of God’s favor to satisfy our own agendas?

For the record, God’s response to Moses’ request … “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” [v14]

Over the past week I have had a personal prayer request. I have asked a few people to pray about it without revealing what it was about.  It’s what we often call “unspoken.”  Some people don’t like to pray for “unspoken” prayer requests; they want all the details. The reasoning is that they won’t know how to pray if they don’t know the situation.

I have never minded praying for or asking others to pray for “unspoken” prayer requests. Sometimes the things that are on our heart are deep and private, yet we appreciate and need others to help.  As of now, I haven’t had my “unspoken” need settled. I’m still in waiting-mode.

I know what I want the LORD to do, but hopefully, I am not so arrogant as to demand He respond that way. I pray fervently that no matter how this situation turns out, that I have the grace to accept God’s decision. After all, He knows the future, I don’t. He knows what is best for me, I’m not always sure. He knows the best timing, I’m pretty much a “right now!” kind of person.

I remember this morning the promise God gave in Rom 8:26-27. He promised that the Holy Spirit of God would help us in our weakness … even in our weakness when we don’t know how to pray for a situation.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

 I trust that the Spirit of the Living God has taken my prayers for this unspoken situation and molded them to the will of my Father. I trust that my Father will give me what is best and will provide the grace to acknowledge and obey His will.