June 26, 2009- Trust in the Lord

Scripture to read today:

Jonah 1; Jonah 2; Jonah 3; Jonah 4; 2 Timothy 2

Scripture that spoke to me:
Jonah 4:2
He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity

Observation:
Jonah was told to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there. When he did, the city turned from its evil ways and God had mercy on them. Now, Jonah is upset because God didn’t smite them all! This wasn’t the way he wanted things to turn out.

Application:
This is probably my biggest fault. I know how I want things. I don’t always know how God wants them, though. I try to order my world so that I’m pleased with it. I don’t leave things for God because He might not do things the way I want them. I recognize this, and try hard to change it so that God’s will is done, not my own. I try to see the big picture, but it isn’t always easy.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, forgive me for not trusting in You. Forgive me for not laying everything at Your feet and giving over to your will. I know that You work through everything for good- help me to be able to give it all to You. Amen.

June 17, 2009- Getting Out of My Own Way

Scripture to read today:

1 Kings 20; 1 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 17; Colossians 3

Scripture that spoke to me:
Colossians 3: 5-6, 12
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming… Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Observation:
Paul’s words are easy, but in practice they’re a seemingly insurmountable mountain. Turning away our own nature is, well, unnatural. But Jesus cane to show us that is can be done. He set an example for us to follow, even if we fall short.

Application:
I had a conversation with a friend today about giving everything to God and not taking it back. Why is our nature so hard to overcome? I want to do it all myself, on my own strength. I want to make the plans, set them in motion, and see them through. Oh, I say I trust God, but I want Him to do things my way! To do something that goes against my most innate desire, even if it is the right thing to do, is so very hard. But that is what sets us apart as Christians- we don’t live for this world. We understand that the things we gain in this life aren’t gained forever- it is what we store up in heaven that remains.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me get over myself sometimes. Help me get out of my own way and on to what You have planned. Amen

June 6, 2009- Ignorance is Bliss

Scripture to read today:

Ecclesiastes 1; Ecclesiastes 2; Ecclesiastes 3; Psalm 45; Ephesians 2

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ecclesiastes 1:18
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.

Observation:
Whoever said ignorance was bliss must have read this verse. To be uninformed about some things seems to prevent worry. The less you know the less you have to act on knowledge. This is not mean to be cynical, or to say you shouldn’t learn things, but to learn brings on a responsibility to guard that knowledge, to act upon what you have learned, or to realize that you can do neither.

Application:
My friend Susan has been doing a lot of research into prophesies lately, mostly end-of-the-world stuff. Scary stuff. I try to turn a deaf ear to it because I don’t want to have to worry about what is to come. I choose to be uninformed on things like this that I can’t do anything about. I haven’t listened to the news much lately, either, because I don’t like the direction that our leader is taking us, but I have no control. To know and to worry are useless, so I’d rather not know. (disclaimer- don’t get me wrong- I love to learn! I will read and read and read and enjoy learning new things. I’m not opposed to learning, only studying some things.)

Prayer:
Lord, help me remain peaceful about the things I can do nothing about. I know You are in charge and have a master plan, and that is all I need to know. Amen.

June 4, 2009- Controlling your Emotions

Scripture to read today:

Proverbs 28; Proverbs 29; Psalm 60; Romans 16

Scripture that spoke to me:
Proverbs 29:9, 11
If a wise man goes to court with a fool,
the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control.

Observation:
Look at the action of fools- they rage and scoff, they vent their anger. Wise people control themselves and don’t let their emotions take over their judgment.Which is often hard to do. The ability to think and reason goes away if your emotions get too turbulent.

Application:
I think back to all the court action I had to bring on my ex (and still may, he is thousands of dollars behind on his child support) and it was like taking a fool to court! He leads with his emotions. I managed to stay cool (really, numb, but cool nonetheless!) It helped, because I was able to remember things on the spot that helped with my case. This is often hard to do though, in cases where you’re just confronting a friend or a co-worker. If I haven’t had time to reign in those emotions, I can’t think straight.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to be wise, and be able to control myself in all situations. Amen.

May 27, 2009- God has the Game Plan

Scripture to read today:

Proverbs 4; Proverbs 5; Proverbs 6; Romans 8

Scripture that spoke to me:
Romans 8:31
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Observation:
God is the omnipotent, all-powerful, mighty Lord! Yet He cares for each of us as His own children. We are blessed to have such a wonderful, caring Father. Yet we struggle to get more, we worry needlessly, we turn away from the Father to lead our own lives.

Application:
I needed this reminder today. I played the “If, then” game with myself last night. “If I lose my mother, then God will comfort me.” “If Scott leaves my life, then God must have someone even better in mind.” “If Brandon goes off to college and never comes home, then I have done my job.” Things like that. I went on and on- but it comes down to the fact that I know God is in control, and He has better plans than I could ever have! So I don’t need to worry, I just need to pray and listen and find what He has planned for me.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for loving me and wanting what is best for me. I know that if I follow Your ways, that I need not worry, because You have the plan already. Please continue to bless me and my family. Amen.

May 25, 2009- They Who Wait Upon the Lord

Scripture to read today:

1 Kings 10; 1 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 9; Romans 6

Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Kings 11:2
They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

Observation:
The one thing Solomon should have been wise in was love. He was told not to take wives from other countries- but he did. The Lord knew that this would cause him to follow the gods of his wives and not stay true to the Lord, but Solomon couldn’t be wise in love.

Application:
I don’t think many of us are wise in love. Our hearts and our heads just don’t work together like that. Our heart has desires that our head knows aren’t good for us. So how do you stay wise about something like love? (I really wish I knew the answer to this- I don’t have a good record at being wise in love.) I do know that I can pray, and ask for God’s guidance, and wait. Maybe the wisdom to wait and see what God has planned is the best wisdom there is. Don’t be hasty to follow your heart. Isaiah 40:31 says “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” Waiting won’t kill us- it will make us stronger.

Prayer:
Lord, I know You have something wonderful planned for me- probably better than the plans I have for myself. Help me to be patient and wait on you. Help me to be wise and wait for your timing and not go off on my own. Amen.

April 19, 2009- Distrusting God

Scripture to read today:

1 Samuel 22; Psalm 17; Psalm 35; Matthew 6

Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Observation:
God cares for His people. He fed the children of Israel as they fled the Egyptian army. He fed over 5000 with 5 loaves and two fishes. He can feed us. He can clothe us. But yet we spend a lot of time seeking to provide these things for ourselves, and even congratulate ourselves when we do. We forget that everything we have comes from the Lord, so we shouldn’t worry about anything, for God will provide.

Application:
I’m a worrier. I worry about money. I worry about health. I worry about a lot of things that I have no control over. Why do I do this? I can give a problem to the Lord- but I take it right back. I worry that He won’t solve it to my liking! I’m so foolish. Do I not trust God? This is probably my biggest weakness. I like things to be in order and I like planning ahead. I don’t like to wait on God, who is neither early or late, but right on time.

Prayer:
Lord, forgive my distrust. Help me to overcome my anxiety about not being in control of things I have no control over. Let me learn to trust in You and Your ways. Amen.

March 11, 2009- Freedom from Laws

Scripture to read today:

Deuteronomy 16; Deuteronomy 17; Deuteronomy 18; Psalm 38; Galatians 2

Scripture that spoke to me:
Galatians 2:16
(We) know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

Observation:
The early church is not without its problems, the biggest of which seems to be the divide between the Jews (God’s chosen people) and the Gentiles, who follow different customs. Should either give up their customs in order to follow Jesus? Should the Gentiles have to be circumcised? Should all eat meat that is clean? Paul and Peter had a lot to try to reconcile in this new church. The Jews lived by the law, and for them to be told the law didn’t matter was heresy! But Jesus made the law unnecessary- He offered free forgiveness of sins.

Application:
We have some laws today that I’d like to throw away. Actually, I think we have become pretty law happy. Now they’re talking about outlawing smoking in cars with children in it. Not that I want children exposed to smoke, but it seems that the more laws we get, the more stringent our lives become. We lose free choice. This must be what it felt like to be a Jew- told what to eat, when to worship, what to offer God…. and so on. Jesus came to free people from those laws so they could focus on Him, not on whether or not they were keeping a law or not.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us laws but more importantly, thank You for giving us freedom. Amen.

February 22, 2009- Wait for the Lord

Scripture to read today:

Numbers 10; Numbers 11; Psalm 27; Mark 1

Scripture that spoke to me:
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Observation:
Waiting isn’t easy and it usually isn’t fun. David was anointed a king at age 16 but had to wait until he was 30 to become one, so he was familiar with waiting. David knew about waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Application:
Waiting is not usually easy for me. I’m a “get it done” kind of person. I don’t want to wait. But God has the answers and if I try to fabricate my own without waiting for His, I’ll probably fail, or at least have a less desirable outcome. I know that God has a plan for my life (a plan to prosper me, according to Jeremiah 29:11). I also know that “they who wait upon the Lord will not grow weary (Isaiah 40:31). So I can wait, and in waiting, it will be good. It still isn’t easy, though.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to see that You have a great plan, one that You will reveal to me at the right time. Amen.

February 21, 2009- Opportunities or Obstacles?

Scripture to read today:

Numbers 8; Numbers 9; Acts 28

Scripture that spoke to me:
Acts 28:7-9
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.

Observation:
Paul is shipwrecked on the island of Malta. He has taken a long detour from his original plans. But instead of being impatient at the sidetracking, he goes with the flow and preaches to the people he comes in contact with, even healing the sick.

Application:
How many times do we start out to do something and it seems that so much gets in our way? Is it possible that we need to just “run with it” and see what happens? Paul seems to be able to adapt and change, probably realizing that God is in control of where he goes and who he meets. I would like to be more like that- instead of straining to get back to what I originally planned, be able to take what I’m given and move forward.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to more willingly adapt to the situations I find myself in. Let me see Your detours as opportunities instead of obstacles. Amen.