Our Struggles, His Plan

 

     Don’t be concerned if you haven’t figured out the purpose or plan or gifts God has chosen for you at this time in your life. He may use you or me in ways that surprise us! Can we be content with who we are and where we are and trust God to work with us to show us what’s next?

     Paul teaches us about contentment. He lived through so much including beatings, a shipwreck, hunger and grief. Here is what he says;

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Philippians 4:11

And

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

     Contented no matter the circumstances? That’s how I long to live each and every day. I have learned over the decades that God uses our weaknesses, our sorrows and our struggles to do His work. Would I trade the things I have learned through hardship to have an easier life? I would have to say, “no.” The greatest gift in surviving our difficult times is knowing Jesus and allowing Him to use it all for His glory.

Jesus,

You carry our burdens, heal our sadness, watch over us when we doubt and pick us back up again when we fall. Give us Your contentment and use the difficult lessons and hardships in life to share You.

 Amen

Our Gifts, God's Glory

 

     All of us, as believers, have the continual and eternal joy and peace of our salvation, along with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit within us. As we gain confidence in this earth-shattering faith and the way it changes our hearts and minds, we can investigate how God has uniquely designed us and how and where we are called for His purposes.

    The Biblical gifts of the Spirit are worth delving into, as we recognize how God has designed His church to work together, each one doing their part. (See 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12 and Ephesians 4) Just as the human body is wonderfully and intricately designed to flow together working as one, so, too, are we. (1Corinthians 12)

     As we put together not only our spiritual gifts, but also take into consideration our personality types, our natural talents, what we value most at this particular season of life and the passions God has placed on our hearts, we can find purpose and joy in the places we are meant to serve.

     No matter where we go, or how we serve, we bring Jesus into a hurting world. We are called to walk alongside the lost and the weak and allow others to walk alongside us during times of struggle and doubt. It is a picture of God’s kingdom on earth. Ask God to open your eyes to something fresh and new as you seek His purposes. Remember it is not by works we are saved. It is only in believing in the one-time-only sacrifice of Christ that saves our souls.

     Listen to these verses that describe this so beautifully:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10

     Hearing the Word of God’s salvation, having faith through the grace of God, saves us. But God has work for each of us that was planned in advance. We are not saved by works, but we work because we are saved. Trust Him to show you. Take a chance. Take a step forward and give something in your heart a try. He will fill you with the Spirit’s power to do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Dear Lord,

Show us the works You planned for us from long ago and give us courage to step into them with no fear. Our confidence remains in You to give us strength for everything life throws at us. We are Your handiwork.

In Jesus Name

Amen

 

He Knows

 

     Be devoted to God this year, giving all to Him. He works through our toughest times, through the uncertainty, through the fear, through the path ahead that appears to be filled with stones and boulders. He will smooth the path and lift us over the rough spots, to a new beginning, to a miracle, and eventually, to heaven.

     This year of 2020 has brought us to our knees in frustration, brought us to tears with boredom, brought us to questions that have no answers. He hears us. The souls of the saints will continually rise up with light, until the very end of days.

     God holds our hand through these times. Trust Him. Be devoted to Him. Listen to His voice above the voices in your head. That’s where trouble often lies. Trying to figure things out on our own, to control the impossible, to find answers when there are none. God knows. He is the One who made the heavens and the earth. Give Him your heart and He will provide.

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is still to come. I say, “My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please.”  Isaiah 46:10

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

Father,

You know the end from the beginning. You created all things and we can trust You with all we have, with all we are, with the past and the future. Your plans will be made clear as we wait to be with You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

He First Loved Us

 

     Fill your souls with the unending love of God. Be filled with the supernatural power of the very Spirit of God. Receive His heavenly wisdom as you move out into this crazy world.  Our devotion to God comes in response to His love for us.

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

     Paul gives us great instructions as we live together in the love of Christ.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:10-12

     Our instructions are to love one another and to keep our spiritual fervor. How? Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

Father,

Let Your word be lived out in our lives this year as we battle against the evil that surrounds us. Give us the light that shines so brightly in the dark. Your love and light will vanquish darkness.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Spiritual Wisdom and Power

 

     Being devoted to God comes to us as we learn to trust Him completely. After all He has done for us, it should be easy. He sent Jesus to die in our place, to forgive our every wrong move and to give us a guarantee of an eternal glory! Not only will He meet our every need, He will give to us abundantly, until it overflows.

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8;32

     As you think about the future, as you pray for your needs, pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God always gives generously. Pray for His wisdom. The more we rely on His gifts, the more confidence we will gain as we move toward the future. Just ask.

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? Luke 11:13

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5

Father,

Please give us the power of Your Spirit and the gift of Your wisdom in the days ahead. Give it in abundance to all who ask.

In Jesus name,

Amen

All We Need

 

     The prayer from the book of Ephesians we looked at yesterday says we are “rooted and established in love.” Christ dwells in our hearts. He lives there! Our response to the devotion of God gives us the zeal to love others, to look for ways to share.

     God guides us all in different ways. He loves in the way each of us needs to be loved throughout the varied seasons of life. He comforts us when we grieve. He showers us with compassion when we are lost. He is faithful when we don’t feel His presence. He provides courage when we are afraid. He is patient when we lose our way. His loving kindness is never-ending and His grace and mercy are new every morning.

     This year we all desperately need a fresh start. God is the master of new beginnings. What will we keep from this impossible year? What will we gladly leave behind? (Hopefully, so much!)  We are all anxious to regain our freedom to move about freely, to be in close contact once again with our loved ones. For today, let God’s love fulfill your every need.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Father,

You will meet us where we are and show us Your plans. The riches you offer are way beyond our earthly needs. Help us to rest in that in the days ahead, knowing You are always there.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Devotion

 

     My word of the year has been chosen. The word is, “devotion.” Four years ago, I began this tradition to replace the heap of unfulfilled resolutions from years past. The tradition started with the word, “authentic,” followed by “beginnings.”  When I realized the first two years began with the first two letters of the alphabet, I continued the pattern.

     Last year’s word, “contentment,” didn’t live up to its potential. Contentment within the confines of quarantine and isolation, amidst the turmoil of politics and in stemming worry over a myriad of issues? Highly unlikely. This year the letter, “D” stumped me for a time.  

     “Devotion” fits my need to strive to be faithful to Christ, to family, to friends. A worthy goal I hope to dig into a bit deeper, with God’s help. This word appears in the Bible a handful of times, preceded by descriptive emphatic words such as “wholehearted,” “sincere,” “undivided,” and “pure.”

     I pray for a life of devotion to be lived out this year. I pray to be loyal, loving and enthusiastic in my passion for God, to allow God to fill me with His Spirit, to share His joy as I share Christ with others, to commit to study the Word of God,  and to humbly live out what He has called me to do.  Let it be so.

     One of my favorite sections of Scripture (along with a thousand others) is the prayer Paul penned to the Ephesians. Let’s take it as a prayer for you and for me.

I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is in work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever!  Amen