Sharing our Lives

1 Thessalonians 2:8

My husband has taught me that everything we do can be worship. He really is right about that, too!
Not only is singing, praying, studying God's word, or doing good work acts of worship, but we can offer our daily jobs as an act of worship. Whatever we are doing, if we are doing it "as working for the Lord" (See Colossians 3:23), then it truly can be worship.

This is also true in our personal relationships with other believers. Today's verse is one of my favorites, but the truth of it can also be convicting. Many times I am more than willing to share "the gospel of God" through teaching or talking with other believers, but am I as willing to share my life? Or am I too consumed with what I want to do or have to do to make time for other people?

In this fast paced, garage door society that we live in we can honestly go an entire day or more without even speaking to another soul face to face. Oh we may e-mail or text another person, but sometimes I personally do that so that I will not have to get into a long conversation face to face or on the phone. The funny thing is when I am lonely, I sometimes wonder why I do not have more close personal relationships.

Fellowship with other believers is a privilege, but it is also one of our purposes in the Christian life. We are not called to walk this journey alone. Sometimes because of experiences such as betrayal, it is difficult to "share [your] lives as well", but I know from experience that God will truly supply someone or several someones that you can truly share your life with. However, it might be someone you least expect.

Let's never stop sharing our lives with other believers. The "Elaine" paraphrase is: Let's never stop making friends! I challenge you today to share you life with another believer today and it can not be through a text message!

Honest Worship

Psalm 13

It is amazing to me how God teaches various people from all walks of life the same lessons at about the same time. For instance, for the last several years,
B. J. and I have truly felt that God is moving so strongly in the area of worship. We had discussed privately that we believed that the time of people coming to church to be "entertained" was coming to a close and that more and more people were seeking out true worship. Amazingly, I have heard many teachers and worship leaders say the exact same thing.

The same is true of the Psalms. Beth Moore's latest Bible Study was on the Psalms, Sheila Walsh has recently written on the Psalms, and even more recently a Birmingham Southern professor has published a book on the Psalms. Although, these teachers may differ on some areas of theology, their teachings of the Psalms being honest, human outcries to God are the same.

Many times in my life I have come to church, put on a happy face, gone through the motions of worship and be totally brokenhearted on the inside. But, instead of bringing that brokenness to God honestly, I missed an opportunity to praise Him corporately. God has begun to change that in me in 2008.

Now during worship if I do not really believe what I am singing or if I do not feel that right then and there, I tell Him in my heart. For example, a popular worship song says, "all of you is more than enough for all of me, for every thirst and every need. You satisfy me with your love and all I have in you is more than enough." Do we really believe that? Yes, we know it is true, but do we believe it? If I find I am struggling with singing to God honestly, I tell Him. I confess my unbelief, and I also tell Him I want that to be true in my life.

Today's Psalm has been so instrumental in this change. How many times have I felt like the psalmist? "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever..." I honestly tell God how I feel even if it is so "unspiritual". I just lay it out there as humbly and reverently as I can. It is amazing what honesty with God does for your spirit. We see that after the psalmist has cried out to God in honesty something changes. In verses 5 and 6, he says:

"But I trust in our unfailing love, my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me."

Wow. The psalmist had truly experienced God. He came with a mind full of doubts and anxieties and left with a mouth full of praise. At the end of the day, He truly has been good to us all.

The next time we have the opportunity to worship God corporately, I pray that we will seek Him honestly and allow Him to truly change our hearts. Let's take the masks off in worship because while man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7)

The Joy of Submission

Ephesians 5:22-27



This used to be my most dreaded passage of scripture. I did not like it, did not want to read it, and most assurdly did not want to follow it. I would hear message after message on it, (all preached by men of course) and be so angry. Then I heard a popular quote that this verse means for the wife to duck because God is about to hit your husband! I liked that.



Part of the reason that I did not like this verse is that I took the word "submit" and thought "obey". According to various New Testament commentaries, the word "obey" is not used in scripture with respect to wives. The heart of submission is "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating" (Study Light Lexicons).


Several years ago, B. J. and I truly began to seek out the truth in these verses for the health of our marriage. If you look back at verse 21 it says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." We are not to submit because we want to or even because our spouse is deserving of it, but because Christ is worthy of it. That puts it in a whole different perspective. We should submit to our husbands as an act of submission to the Lord. Not in obedience to our spouse, but in obedience to Christ.



So I guess you are wondering where the "joy" part comes in? While talking with a friend recently, I made the statement that I knew when I married B. J. that I would go wherever he went. I knew we were both called into the ministry of Jesus Christ, and I trusted him to lead us. I realized after saying that, that it has been a joy to allow him to be the leader of our family. I am so thankful for a husband that loves Jesus and although he is not perfect, he truly does seek to love me as Christ loves the church. If your husband is a follower of Jesus Christ, trust him to do what God has ordained for him to do. It is truly God's plan. We can rest in that truth and have the joy that comes from obedience to Christ.



I do realize that there are many of us that do not have a husband that is following after Christ. If that is your situation, I can understand that this verse is probably very difficult to follow. Although my husband is a Christian, I grew up in a family where my mother was the spiritual leader of our home. If I have learned anything from her, it is that Christ is worthy of our submission even if you feel that your spouse is not. Persevere, dear sister! Your obedience to Christ will not be in vain.



Whatever your situation, take some time today to remember that your marriage is a picture of Christ and His church. May we seek to glorify Him in our marriage today and everyday until His return.

For His Glory...

Exodus 14:1-4
Exodus 14:15-18

Recently, I have had several discussions with other believers about the "hard things" about God. This passage and the whole story of the Exodus is one of them. Several times during process of God rescuing His people from the Egyptians the Bible says, "...but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart." While that is difficult to understand, I do believe that part of the answer as to why the Lord would choose to do this is found in scripture. Simply put, it was for His glory.

We were reading this story in our family devotion last week and one of the questions was: "Why did Pharaoh not let the people go?" Joel said, "because he was mad and he didn't want to." True. But, we also tried to explain to him the truth that God had "hardened" Pharaoh's heart. While he did not ask any questions about this, my spirit has always struggled with this answer. As we were finishing the story and I was silently struggling with the answer I had given my child, I began to realize that the Egyptians had been surrounded by the Israelites for hundreds of years. However, they still did not believe that God was the true God. They worshiped false Gods.

Possibly some of the Egyptians were converted to Judaism, but most of the country's religion was based on polytheism. They had over 2000 gods they worshiped! How could they have been in the presence of God's chosen people for so many years and remain virtually unchanged? When I began to look at this matter from that perspective, my thoughts began to change.

While most of my life I have looked at that passage and truly thought that it seemed unfair, now I am beginning to see how God bestowed His grace upon the Egyptians. For centuries, the Egyptians lived in total disobedience to Him even though the truth was right there in front of them. Although we see the judgment of God poured out on them through the plagues, how many Egyptians truly did "know that [He] is the LORD" as a result of what happened. How many of their lives were changed because of what they had seen?

We may never know the full answer to this question, but statistics tell us that as many as 20% of the population of Egypt today are Christians. In an area where Islam reigns and persecution is fierce, this truly is a miracle.

While there will always be things that are difficult to understand about God, we can all believe wholeheartedly that He is good, abounding in mercy, and worthy of glory.

Spirit Led (by B.J. Price)

Acts chapter eight concludes with a powerful story of how the Spirit led Philip to witness to an Ethiopian official.

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.

"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."

The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. (Acts 8:26-40)

There is much we can learn from this passage of scripture. For starters, note with me how Philip hears and obeys the Spirit. With the Lord's help we should tune our hearts each day to be sensitive to his voice and his leading.

Secondly, we should note that Philip's obedience to the Holy Spirit allowed him to join in the work that had already begun. This is the pattern that we will do well to recognize in the world - Christ has called us to be his witnesses, Christ offers salvation to all, the Holy Spirit draws men and women to God, the Holy Spirit then reveals his work to us, God invites and allows us to be a part of bringing men and women to himself.

Thirdly, we should note that Philip used the scriptures to share the message of hope. "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

Fourthly, we should note that the Ethiopian official responded to the true gospel with immediate obedience. He wanted to be baptized right away. It would make sense that Philip must have spoke about Jesus' life, death, burial, resurrection, and commissioning of the disciples to go make disciples of all nations baptizing them.

Finally, we should note that the Ethiopian went away rejoicing and Philip continued preaching the gospel as the Spirit led him.

Today, as an act of worship, may we first delight in the Lord and in our salvation through Jesus Christ alone. May we fully surrender to God in order for our hearts can be tuned to hear and sense his leading. May we be faithful witnesses wherever we go.

written by B.J. Price (www.bjprice.blogspot.com)

Who Are We Trying to Please?

2 Timothy 2:3-4

In our lives there are so many people that we are supposed to please. Husbands, children, friends, people at church, our bosses... the list could go on and on. While there is not necessarily anything wrong with pleasing others, (especially our husbands!) there is something wrong if this becomes our focus.

Scripture tells us several times to be focused on pleasing God, not man. The apostle Paul even says that if he were still "trying to please man [he] would not be a servant of Christ" (See Gal 1:10)
Our scripture passage today teaches us to not get involved with civilian affairs, but to be focused on pleasing our commanding officer. Simply put, this passage means to be more concerned with doing what Christ wants us to do than anything else.

How can we put this into practice? A few things that come to my mind are if there is an issue at our work place or within our circle of friends and it does not have anything to do with us, we need stay out of it! Let's not be involved of the affairs of others. Another great way we can put this into practice is to learn to say "no". I realize this is hard for many of us because we are so used to saying "yes" to everything and wearing ourselves out trying to do everything for everybody, but when we do that we cannot be truly focused on Christ. We can not do many things and do them all well. To keep our focus on Christ, we will have to say "no" to some good things, so we will be able to say "yes" to some great things!

Last but certainly not least, the best way to keep our focus on our "Commanding Officer" is to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (See Heb. 12:2). Some practical ways to do this is to spend time in God's Word and in prayer, preferably on your knees or face at some point each day. Amazingly, as we change our posture, He changes our focus. Another way is to talk with others about what God is doing in your life, what He is teaching you. Many times what God is teaching you, He is teaching others.

As we change our focus to pleasing Christ instead of man many things may change in our lives. But, we will be giving up the good for the great! And we might be able to get a little sleep at night!

What If...

Psalm 124

I have said many times that nothing comes into our lives that has not passed through the merciful hand of our Sovereign Lord. I truly believe that statement. However, to believe that is to believe that He does allow painful things to come into our lives. I believe that as well. Why would He do that? I do not know the answer to that question, but I trust the answer given in scripture in Romans 8:28:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

When I can't "trace His hand", I choose to "trust His heart".

Today, I want us think a little deeper about this fact. Our scripture passage shows us that the Israelites were acknowledging their realization of the fact that if God had not been on their side many terrible things would have happened to them. If God had not intervened on their behalf they would have been destroyed. As God's chosen people, Satan meant to destroy them. And while sometimes God allowed them to go through very difficult circumstances, He never allowed them to be completely destroyed.

Do you realize today that if God was not on your side you would have been destroyed by whatever painful experiences you have gone through? Satan meant to destroy you. He meant to take whatever circumstances you were in and destroy your life. The fact that you are reading this shows that he did not succeed!

One of the most powerful exercises I have ever done was when I was studying the Psalms of Ascent in a Beth Moore Bible study. When we came to this Psalm, she encouraged us to think about what might have happened if God had not intersected into our lives. If He had not intervened, where would we be? I want to give that same challenge today.

Spend some time with God today asking Him to show you what would have happened in your life if He had not been on your side. Ask for the Holy Spirit to help you and to reveal this to you as vividly as possible. Then spend some time thanking God that He rescued you from the enemy.

This is a very personal experience, but if you would like to post a comment about what the Lord has showed you today, please feel free.

I love you all and I thank God that He intervened in my life. I assure you I would not be writing anything about Him if He had not. Praise be to God forever and ever!

For Freedom's Sake

John 8:36
Galatians 5:1

I talk all the time about freedom in Christ and sometimes people just look at me like I am totally crazy! I used to believe that I was the only one in the church that had been held in bondage to certain sins. But, recently I have realized that I am not the only one. Unfortunately many believers are being held hostage by sins that they have been set free from. They just decided to get back in the cell and lock the door. They have the "key", but just do not know how to use it.

A few years ago, I was reading the book Believing God by Beth Moore with my husband. In the book you were encouraged to wear a blue bracelet to remind you of 2 things you were giving up while reading the book. One of them was supposed to be a fast of some kind and the other was supposed to be a sin or habit that was leading you into sin. It was easy to choose what sin I wanted to "fast" from. I had struggled with "sins of the mouth" for a long time and I hated them. I put my blue bracelet on and vowed to not talk ugly ever again.

Well, I was doing pretty good, until one afternoon we were headed for a band competition that my cousin was performing in. We left in plenty of time provided that we had known where we were going. I despise being late. I do not really mind if others are late, but I can not stand to be late myself. As we were turning around for the fourth time, I lost it. I was crying and not saying very nice things to my husband and they were definitely not said in a nice way. I realized what I was doing and in my rage ripped off my blue bracelet and threw it out the window! I had failed.

In a few minutes, we both just started laughing. Not only at how ridiculous I had acted, but also that I been so foolish to think that putting on a blue bracelet and vowing not to do something would really change this issue in my life. There is only one way to experience lasting change and that is through depending on the One who set us free in the first place. His name is Jesus and you can know Him today for the first time. If you already know Him you can know Him better by spending time with Him in prayer and the studying of His Word. He is the only cure for our sin problem and prayer and Bible study are the prescriptions.

I never got another blue bracelet, but Christ did set me free from that particular stronghold when I started relying completely on Him and taking "captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (See 2 Cor. 10 3-5). Was it easy? No. Was it overnight? No. But, I have realized that very few things that are worthwhile are easy. It takes time, but you can start today.

Take that sin that keeps coming back up in your life and turn it over. There have been times that I have had to take a thought "captive" every five minutes, but eventually by the power of God, you will be free. The first step is realizing that Christ has already given you the key.

"Just be Reasonable"

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)

This has always been one of my favorite passages of scripture. I will never forget my youth pastor always saying, "Just be reasonable!" There is so much truth to that statement. In view of everything God has done for us, all the mercy He has poured out on our lives and, all the grace He has poured on our sin it is only reasonable to live for Him.

My pastor preached on this passage on Sunday and it was a fresh reminder that we do not have to be a minister (or even a minister's wife) or a missionary to live our lives as a sacrifice. We can all do this everyday in practical ways. The Message says it like this:

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."

Whatever you do today look for ways that you can honor God with your life. It might be a simple as letting a co-worker or a family member that is struggling know that you care. Possibly you could reach out to that new person at church who does not quite know where they "fit" yet. Tell your children or family members that you love them for no reason at all.

The great news is that as we live our lives as a living sacrifice, we will not be conforming to the world which will lead to the renewing of our minds. "Then we will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2). We all long to know what God's will is for our lives. Well, this is it! With His help, live your life as a sacrifice for Him. He will renew your mind and then you will know what else He wants you to do and it will be a perfect fit for you.

On a personal note, as you are reading this, I am presently undergoing some tests at the hospital. Please pray that God will be glorified today in our lives and that He will make Himself known through us.

The Need for Fellowship

Acts 2:42-47
Hebrews 10:25

I love the Body of Christ! The media bashes us, and the world does not know what to do with us. It is a great group to be a part of!

I am always encouraged by fellow sisters in Christ that I share Bible study with. What I love about it is the willingness to get together, put your own agenda aside, and dig into God's Word to find truth. Recently, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the ladies' transparency in Bible Study. Many times I feel where we as the church fall short is in honesty about our struggles. However this past week I witnessed many ladies openly admitting their needs in search of prayer, encouragement, and accountability. How refreshing it is to see an honest heart.

One woman's comment particularly spoke to me and has had me very excited. When she was asked what she hoped to gain from the study we are doing, she very openly admitted that in her fast-paced life she has only been doing a one-minute devotion. She then said, "that is no longer enough for me. I want more of God than that." Hallelujah! That is such a Godly desire! Matthew 5:6 says: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
God will fill the desire for more of Him.

What is so awesome about being an active part of a small group of believers is that you have somewhere to share what God is doing in your life. A place to share your praises as well as your prayer needs. Your victories as well as your struggles. Who do you tell if you are not involved with a small group of believers?

Although, I do believe that being a part of a local church is important, I believe it needs to be deeper than that. You can have your name on a church role and go to worship service every Sunday and not speak to a soul. Where is the accountability in that? Yes, the "church" is counting your attendance, but who is counting on you. When you are involved with a small group, your presence, your input, and your contribution to the group is valued.

If you are not plugged into a small group of believers, I highly encourage you to find one. This might sound difficult, but there are many different Bible Study groups meeting almost everyday of the week in most areas. You can usually search your local church's websites for a list of studies/groups available. However, it doesn't even have to be that formal. You could start one yourself with two or three other believers in your home or at the coffee shop.

If you are actively involved in a small group, spend some time thanking God for the people in your small group. Pray for them specifically today. Send a card to someone in your group thanking them for devoting themselves "to the fellowship..."

Overcoming Fear

Psalm 23:4
Psalm 46:1-3
2 Timothy 1:7

I recently heard writer/speaker Angela Thomas say that she was "very familiar with the Bully of fear". I agree with this title for Satan because he meets so many of the requirements for being a bully. A bully likes to hit you when you are down. A bully seeks you out when you are alone. A bully looks for your weak spots and that is where he strikes. Satan does all of those things and more. He is definitely a bully.

Unfortunately, I am extremely familiar with this bully as well. For as long as I can remember, fear has been an issue in my life. I was afraid of the dark as a child. I can remember singing "Victory in Jesus" as I went to sleep many nights. As time went on my fears changed, but the feelings of helplessness they evoked stayed the same.

I am convinced that Satan's favorite time to strike is at night. Even if we are not physically alone, we are alone in the fact that everyone else is sleeping. It is quiet and there is virtually no escape from whatever fear he decides to throw at us. He always seems to hit me in my weakest areas at night.

In my early 20's, the bully started meeting me head on. B. J. and I had been married about two years when we both started experiencing very strong spiritual warfare. We were in ministry and B. J. was about to take his first full-time ministry position. Satan wanted to destroy us. He meant to destroy our ministry, our witness, our marriage, and our lives. We had discussed how we felt as if we were under attack, but I do not think either one of us knew how much the other was struggling. I will never forget one day when I was standing in the kitchen, B. J. came in and said, "I don't know who we think we are trying to fight Satan with our own words. Jesus fought him with the Word of God, we have to do the same."

That statement truly changed my life. I read the passage in Matthew 4:1-11 and realized that Jesus never answered Satan with "leave me alone!". He answered him with the very Word of God! Satan has no power over scripture. He has to flee. If we want to fight the enemy, then we have to have the ammunition. The Word of God is our only ammo! If we want to have our ammunition ready, we have to hide God's Word in our heart (Psalm 119:11).

Sometimes I still awaken in fear with thoughts that can only be from the bully. I quote scripture to drive him out of my mind. I have even sang praise songs in the middle of the night. Turns out "Victory is Jesus" is not a favorite of the enemy! If I am really struggling, I will get up and just read the Word out loud if I have to. What's amazing to me is that fear has led me closer to God and to His Word. Satan "intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..." Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

A very wise man named James Long used to say,

"God will never waste an experience".

God can use even our difficult times, problems, and fears for His glory. The question is not will God use this, the question is will you let Him?

A Woman Who Fears the Lord

Proverbs 31:10-31

In 1991 the President and Barbara Bush were on the campaign trail in Texas. One day the presidential limousine was low on gas. When they stopped for gas, the attendant came running out of the station to pump the gas into the presidential limousine. Suddenly, Barbara leaped out of the limousine, ran over to the attendant, and hugged him. They carried on a conversation for a few minutes and then she returned to the car. Upon reentering the limo, the President asked his wife who that man was. She said, "Oh, that is one of my old boyfriends from high school". President Bush smiled and said, "Let me get this straight... You are married to the leader of the free world, but if you had married him, you would be married to a gas station attendant?" Barbara just smiled and said, "Oh, don't be silly George! If I had married him, he would be president!"

Although, I find this story absolutely hilarious, I do believe there is some truth to Mrs. Bush's statement. The Bible testifies to the fact that a wife of noble character brings her husband "good, not harm all the days of her life" (31:12). She also "speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue" (31:26). This passage also says that because of the wife's noble character that her husband is "respected at the city gate" (31:23).

I venture to say that respect is what people, especially men, want more than anything. I want to be the type of wife that brings honor to my husband, not shame. I want people to look at him and be respectful of him because of the way I live my life. So how do we get all these wonderful qualities? There are several things that might help us to be like this wife of noble character. But, only one will truly change our hearts and lives and make a lasting difference.

The secret to being a wife of noble character is found in the second half of verse 30:

"...but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

That is the one component that allows all the other areas to fall in line. What does it mean to fear the Lord? That is actually the theme of the entire book of Proverbs. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...". "Fear of the Lord can be hard to describe, but one of the best definitions I have ever read is found in the NIV study Bible. It defines fear of the Lord as "a loving reverence for God that includes submission to his lordship and to the commands of his word". If our lives are truly submitted to the lordship of Christ and to the commands of His word, we will bring honor to ourselves, our children, and our husbands. But, we will also bring honor to our Father to whom all praise and honor is due.

"Blessed are those who mourn..."

Matthew 5:3-11

The Sermon on the Mount has been referred to as the highest call to moral and ethical living. Some even dismiss it as being completely unrealistic and believe that it refers to the second coming of Christ. However, it is obvious that Jesus meant for this to be the standard for living the Christian life. Let me tell you something you already know: We do not measure up to this standard. That is probably the point. We could never meet these standards in our own strength. We have to rely on Christ.

The verse that I want to focus on today is Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." At first glance, questions might arise in your heart: Why would God want us to mourn? Does this mean if I have a lot of terrible things happen to me that cause me to mourn that I will be more blessed in heaven? After close consideration of this verse and the personal way that God has used it in my life, I do not believe that is the case. What I do believe that it means is that God wants us to mourn over our sin. Kay Arthur says "For only those who mourn shall be comforted. the blessedness does not come in the mourning; it comes in the results of the mourning..."

When was the last time you truly mourned over your own personal sin? Or better yet, when was the last time you mourned over the sins of our nation? The word for "mourn" in this passage is "pentheo" in the Greek which literally means "to mourn for or to lament as a way of life". Has there ever come a time that you have truly had Godly sorrow over sin?

It is time for us to mourn over our sin. It is time to cry out to God and ask Him to break our hearts to the things that break His. He is holy, holy, holy. Sin is completely opposite to His character and yet sometimes my mind is filled with sinful thoughts that I should truly be broken over and I'm not.

My challenge for us today is to do something I did many years ago when I first studied this verse. I asked God to allow me to feel the way that my sin made Him feel. I prayed this prayer after coming out of a terrible season of sin, so brokenness just does not seem like the right word to describe what happened next. I could literally not get low enough on the floor. I wept bitterly and I could not even utter any words other than, "I am so sorry". And I truly was.

I have no idea how long I cried out to God, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was in that room in Jacksonville, Alabama picking me up off the floor surrounding me with His loving arms. I had truly experienced Godly sorrow and the blessing of His presence followed.

Join me today in asking God to break our hearts over the things that break His. Allow yourself to mourn over your own sin as well as the sins of our nation.

"But it is you..."

Psalm 55:12-14

The theme of this passage can be summed up in one word: Betrayal. If you have never experienced a betrayal, I hope you never do. If you have suffered through a betrayal, know that you are not alone. This is a very difficult area for people to talk about sometimes, especially those of us that have been through a very personal betrayal. However, I am so thankful that even in the darkest hours of our life, we can find solace in the Bible.

In this passage, David is seeking retreat from the madness that is going on around him. David was extremely familiar with betrayal. This passage was written when David's life was being threatened by a powerful conspiracy in Jerusalem much like his own son's conspiracy against him described in 2 Samuel 15:1-12. Only this time David found himself up against a "companion" his "close friend". Not only was this person a friend, but their bond went even deeper. David had "once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng and the house of God." This wasn't just a friend at work or someone at school. This was someone that David shared the bond of worshiping God with publicly. A modern day example would be someone that was in David's Sunday school class or small group that he also went to lunch with after church. This was a close friendship and everyone knew about it which only made the pain much more intense.

Betrayal cuts very deeply. The wound cuts so deep that healing takes quite some time. It is one of those things that should not happen period, but definitely not in the church. Yet, so many times that is exactly where it happens. Church is supposed to be a safe haven, a retreat from the world. Yet so many times I find that it is not. I do not mean to beat up on the church because I truly love the body of Christ, but there are some things that we must confront head on in our lives and in the lives of those around us if we are to ever reach a dying world for Christ. We hear about terrible things that happen inside the walls of the church and yet we still wonder why lost people think they are no different from us.

Obviously, there are many different types of betrayal. The degrees can range from breaking a confidence to adultery. Although some are harder to move on from others, the pain is very similar and the relationship is never the same.

If you have gone through a betrayal in your life, let me say again that you are not alone. Our Lord and Savior is very familiar with how it feels to be betrayed. Turn to Him today and find understanding as well as the grace to forgive and heal.

Also, let us never forget that all of us are capable of committing any sin in our flesh. We see example after example in scripture of men and women that walked with God and at some point fell away committing many sins of the flesh along the way. May we walk so closely with Him that we would never be the cause of another's pain, especially a "man like myself".

What is in my right hand?

Isaiah 44:13-20

Idol worship. How many times did the children of Israel fall into this sin? It used to seem so foolish to me. These people had seen God part the Red Sea, He had literally led them through the wilderness, and they had seen the effect His glory had had on Moses face. Yet they still fell into the snare of idol worship.

If the children of Israel who had seen all these miraculous acts can fall into something like that, what does that mean for you and I? As I was preparing for this devotion, I realized that possibly God allowed them to make this mistake over and over as a reminder and a lesson for us. What we have to get our minds around is that anything that we put ahead of God is an idol.

The verse I want us to focus on today is verse 20. It says:

"He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him, he cannot save himself, or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie"

In Jewish culture, the right hand was the best hand. Whenever a father was blessing his sons, he always used his right hand (see Genesis 48:17-18). And Jesus is referred to as being "exalted to the right hand of God" (Acts 2:33).

When the Bible says in this verse "this thing in my right hand", it is referring to whatever is most important to you. For just a moment take your right hand and make a fist. Think about what is most important to you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see what is truly most important to you, what you are really trusting in. What are you really holding in your right hand? If it is not God, it is a lie. Husbands, families, children, church, money, and extracurricular activities are all wonderful things, but if they have taken the place of God in your life, they have become an idol.

After you have honestly searched your heart, if you find that sometimes you are holding anything other than God in your right hand, hold that clenched fist up to God and say out loud, "this thing in my right hand is a lie!". Then release it by opening your hand to God in repentance.

I think we struggle as much with idol worship as the Israelites did, it is just in a different way. Today, let's seek to worship God and God alone.

"Is My Master Satisfied with Me?"

Isaiah 53
Isaiah 53:11

I am satisfied with Jesus
He has done so much for me
He has suffered to redeem me
He has died to set me free
I am satisfied, I am satisfied,
I am satisfied with Jesus,
But the question comes to me,
As I think of Calvary,
Is my Master satisfied with me?
B. B. McKinney
Copyright 1926 Broadman Press

I grew up singing this hymn and it asks a great question: "Is my Master satisfied with me?" I have an extremely people pleasing personality. Some of the greatest moments in my life that I can remember are times that I pleased someone that I truly looked up to. Unfortunately, this became a stronghold in my life. The quest to be perfect dominated my thought life at times. But by God's grace, I have experienced consistent victory in this area for quite some time.

Given my personality, this was a question that I asked myself about my relationship with everyone, but especially in my relationship with God. I truly want my life to be pleasing to God and that is a godly desire, meaning I believe that He gave me that desire. The line is crossed however, when we desire for our worship of God, our good works, our service, our love, or our whatever to satisfy God.

Look at the scripture one more time...

"After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied." Isaiah 53:11

Jesus paid the price for all sin when He died on the cross. John the Baptist said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" When we accept what Jesus did on the cross as the atonement of our personal sins and place our trust in Him for salvation, our sin is taken away. Therefore, nothing else needs to be done in order for God to be satisfied with us. He is satisfied with His Son's work on the cross.

This revelation truly set me free to love God, worship God, and serve God without feeling like I had to be perfect. I will never be perfect, but He has chosen to have perfect love for me. Oh, how thankful I am that He loves me! Now, we can love Him in return. (see 1 John 4:10).

So, the answer to the hymn's age old question and the question that might have lingered in your soul is a resounding, "YES! My master is satisfied with me!" I pray you will let the truth of God's Word sink in to your very bone, marrow, and soul today. Let it change your very thought process about your relationship with God.

"Your service might please God. Your worship might exalt God. And, your study might reveal God. But, you need never aspire to satisfy God. He is satisfied, satisfied with the work of His Son."
Max Lucado

Pray without ceasing...

Ephesians 6:18
Philippians 4:6-7
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

Prayer is such a wonderful blessing that God has given us. When we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we have direct access to God through prayer. This is an amazing fact that I really can't seem to get over and yet how many times do I let the opportunity to pray pass me by? Do I really "pray continually"?

We have heard it said a million times that there is power in prayer. This is true, true, true! With that being said, what is holding us back from unleashing this insurmountable power? In my life, I am certain that it is the work of the enemy. It seems like whenever I try to schedule out time to pray something always gets in the way. The phone rings, the boys wake up, the door bell rings, etc. Sometimes it is not only the busyness of life that keeps me from praying. Sometimes even in our relationship with God we will choose to do anything but pray thinking that these other "religious activities" are more important. I read a quote from Beth Moore that validates this point:

"Often, we do everything but pray. We tend to want something more "substantial." Even studying the Bible, going to church, talking to the pastor, or receiving counsel seems more tangible than prayer. What victory the enemy has in winning us over to prayerlessness! ...He knows that prayerless lives are powerless lives, while prayerful lives are powerful lives!

I don't know about you, but I want a powerful life! But, how do we change from being prayerless women to being prayer warriors? There have been many circumstances that God has used in my life to urge me to pray more. One of them was the situation with my mom, while another was when I struggled with postpartum depression. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a bad situation to cause us to do what we should have been doing all along.

A friend of mine recently told me that up until the last 6 months that she truly struggled with prayerlessness. However, when her sister was diagnosed with cancer everything changed. This experience has taught her total dependency on God. At the end of our conversation she made the most amazing statement, "I would never want to go back to life the way it was before". What an awesome transformation prayer has had on her life.

I don't want it to take another difficult situation for me. I want to continue seeking God daily in prayer. I would like to offer some practical ways to start to commune with God more and more each day:

• Pray out loud.
• Write down your specific praises and/or requests.
• When someone asks you to pray for them or a situation, stop and pray with them right then.
• Talk with God while you are going about the normal activities of your day i.e. in the shower, while cooking supper, while vacuuming, sitting in car line, etc. He really is always with us so just talk to Him! I personally love to tell God about things that happen with my children or in Bible study. I know that He knows, but I just like to tell Him!
• Don't try to use eloquent speech, just talk to Him with your own thoughts.
• Pray scripture. This is a totally awesome experience and a wonderful way to pray His will because it is His Word!
  

If you have other ways that God is using in your life to help you "pray continually", please post them here. I would love to hear your ideas! Know that I am truly praying for you and thank God for each of you!

He Still Heals...

2 Kings 20:1-7

About 2 1/2 years ago, my mother was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of adrenal gland tumors. Her physician found them by accident and because she was essentially asymptomatic, it took about six months for her to be diagnosed with what is called pheochromocytoma. Don't worry! I couldn't say it either!

I will never forget the day we went to the first surgeon. It was late in the evening by the time we left his office. During the consultation he said that this was the type of thing that "scared" a surgeon. Obviously, we were extremely upset. I was pregnant with our second child, but we had not told anyone yet, including my mother.

I came home and spent the entire evening searching the Bible for every single time the word "heal", "healing", "heals", or "healed" was used. I prayed that God would give me the right passage that wound give me peace for that night. I came to the passage in 2 Kings and knew that I had my answer. I'm not sure if you caught it or not, but there is something in this passage that deserves our attention.

God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah he was going to die. Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. The Lord heard him, and before Isaiah even left the middle court, God sent him back to tell Hezekiah that he was going to live. Now here it is so don't miss it! "Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs" They did so and applied it to the boil and he recovered" (2 Kings 20:7).

As I read this story, I found that a little strange so I looked up some commentary on the verse. The commentary in the NIV study Bible reads:

"The Lord healed Hezekiah, but divine healing does not necessarily exclude the use of known remedies."

Wow! We knew that my mother was going to have to have surgery and, God used the surgery which was the "known remedy" to heal her. Could He have done it another way? Sure He could have, but He chose to use the surgery. God used so many people to minister to us during this trying time, and amazingly, used us to minister to others.

God is still in the business of physical healing, but most assuredly He is in the business of spiritual healing. A friend of mine is in Ecuador right now on a medical mission trip. Not only is she bringing physical healing to these people through "known remedies", she is also bringing spiritual healing to their very souls. Thank you, Leslie for your willingness to give of yourself.

Every church, Bible study group, Sunday school class, and prayer group is overwhelmed with prayer requests for healing. Let's keep praying and look for God to do it however He sees fit. And when He does, give Him the praise. Never forget that although physical healing is wonderful, spiritual healing is truly a miracle.

"...and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Invisible

Luke 7:36-50

For today's devotion, I would like to offer an illustration of what might have been going on in the mind and heart of this precious woman that is described in our passage of scripture. I call her precious because that is what she is to Jesus even though to the rest of the world she was invisible.

There she was again, in the temple courts listening to the people talk about God, the law, religion. She kept coming here, but she wasn't sure quite why. No one spoke to her, no one even looked at her. To them she was invisible. The only time anyone paid her any attention was at night when no one would know. After all, she was a "sinful woman". She knew that better than anyone.

She kept coming to the temple hoping that someone might show her a way out of her pain. Could she truly be set free the way the prophets had spoke about? She was Abraham's child. Was there anyway out of this paralyzing guilt and sinful life?

Then one day she saw him, Jesus, the one she had heard about. He healed the sick and cured the blind. Could he truly be the one they had waited for? She listened and the words burned inside her. Her heart was truly repentant that day. She believed He was the Son of God, and she was determined to live a new life. But, as the crowd dispersed, she found herself all alone. She wanted to cry out, "I want to change! Someone help me and show me where to turn! Someone, please! See me!" But, to them, she was invisible.

She had to find him. She had to find this man that had given her hope. The man that had caused her heart to burn with repentance and who spoke the words that made her truly want to change. She overheard a Pharisee invite Jesus to dinner. She was determined to find Him and somehow express her love and gratitude to Him.

She set out with the finest material possession she had, her alabaster box filled with perfume. She approached the house of the Pharisee her heart pounding within her. She just had to see Him. She had to offer her praise. As she entered, no one looked at her. They just continued their meal as if she did not exist. But, there was Jesus. She knew her sin so well and deep down she knows He knows it to. She knelt behind Him so as not to disturb Him, but then she couldn't help herself. The pain of the life of sin she had led for years just came pouring out through her tears. She wiped them away with her hair, but more came. She kissed his feet over and over because no words could express what He meant to her. She poured out the perfume in her alabaster box on his feet as a sacrifice of praise. And then He spoke.

Jesus told the Pharisees of two men. One had a large debt while the other had a small debt. The moneylender canceled them both. Which one loved the moneylender the most? All she knew was that she had a large debt. Jesus finished his story and that's when it happened. He said, "Do you see this woman?" The world stopped turning for just a moment for her. He saw her! She was not invisible. Then He looked at her. His eyes were so beautiful and difficult for her to look into at first, but now she can't look away. He said, "Your sins are forgiven."
"All of them?", she wanted to ask. But, the freedom she felt in her heart answered her question.

From that day on, it didn't matter when people looked past her or through her or treated her as if she were invisible. He had seen her. And He is all that matters.

Have you ever felt invisible? I certainly have. Sometimes we really need a compassionate hand to reach out to us and there are none. Just cold eyes that don't even meet ours. Please know today or any day that these feelings might come into your heart that Jesus sees you. He really sees you, and He doesn't look away. Look into His eyes today and find the peace you have been searching for.

Extravagant Worship

John 12:1-3

For about six months I have been trying to wrap my hands around what intimacy with Christ really means. I have searched the scriptures, searched my heart, and sought God. I know there are several passages that support the fact that although we can never know Christ fully, we can know Him truly. What I do see in scripture is that women just like you and me did know Christ. My heart thrills at the thought! He came over and ate dinner at their house! Can you imagine? I mean, what would you cook if God was coming for dinner? I'm just not sure my Paula Deen's Baked Spaghetti would be good enough!

In today's scripture passage, we see Jesus in the home of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. If we will recall from another encounter, Mary was the one that was usually found sitting at Jesus' feet listening to him teach. However, today we find her in a much more personal encounter.

It appears from the text, that Mary approached Jesus without fear. This shows me that she really knew Him. She would not have approached Him to do what she did if she were the least bit afraid of rejection or humiliation. Mary then took her expensive perfume and began to pour it on Jesus' feet. Mary's act of devotion here was costly because what she was pouring out could have possibly been here most valuable material possession. She was also humbling herself by attending to Jesus' feet which was a servant's work. I guess the most powerful part of this story, however is the fact that Mary wiped Jesus' feet with her hair. In Jewish culture, respectable women did not unbind their hair in public. Mary was truly a respectable woman and she meant no disrespect in her act of worship. I believe she was truly showing Jesus that she was willing to be a little undignified for the sake of knowing Christ.

Christ has delivered us and set us free. Are we willing to pour out our most valuable possession for Him? Are we willing to humble ourselves to the place of a servant for the cause of Christ? And, are we willing to worship without regard to what others think even if it is a little undignified?

"I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes."
2 Samuel 6:22
King David's answer when ridiculed about dancing before the Lord...

Peace like none other...

Isaiah 48:18

After two days of talking about obedience, disobedience, and consequences, I wanted to offer you some awesome encouragement today. Our verse today totally revolutionized my way of thinking after I really let it sink in to my soul. The verse is set in the past tense "If only you had..." which means that the Israelites didn't pay attention to God's commands, but what it means to me is that I can have peace in my life when I pay attention and follow God's commands.

A few years ago I heard a interview with Harrison Ford. The interviewer said something to the effect of "You have achieved so much. Is there anything else you want out of life?" Ford's answer was, "Peace." Wow! How amazing his answer was to me. Here is a man that has truly achieved all this world has to offer - money, fame, fortune, the applause of man and yet he still longs for peace in his soul. This confirms that peace cannot be found in the things of the world.

However, I have been following Christ for quite sometime and yet I still find there are times that I don't have peace. One time in particular that I recall was after the birth of my second son, Caleb. In April of 2006, I started sensing the Holy Spirit leading me to stay home with my children. Joel was three at the time and Caleb was due in July. I was only working 3 days a week and I really felt like I needed to work for my family. I pushed this leading away for months and went back to work as scheduled in October.

The only word that I can find to express how I felt for the next few months is misery. Not only was I miserable, but Caleb was sick continuously. Before the winter was over he had had bronchitis three times and was taking breathing treatments everyday. I would get in my car everyday and the conviction would fall. I would pray, but the conviction was almost unbearable. I started talking with God honestly about why I felt I needed to work and just asked Him that if this was truly his leading that He would work these issues out. He did and one day driving home from work with the conviction of the Holy Spirit throughout my car I said, "Okay, I'll do it!" The peace immediately flowed through me and I just wanted to shout! So I did! God brought this verse to my mind that day and in many days that followed.

"Peace would have been like a river..." may not sound all that peaceful to you, but if God is with me on the ride then count me in. Even in the rapids, if you know you are being obedient the peace will continue to flow.

Another Lesson in Obedience

Judges 2: 1-3

Todays devotion could very quickly turn into a week long Bible study! The verses I suggested in Judges are the conclusion to a story about when the Israelites were taking control of the promised land. Let me summarize Judges chapter 1...

The Israelites had been commanded to take the land that God had promised them. They were supposed to "drive out" the Canaanites that lived in the land God was giving them. God commanded them to do this for their good. He knew that if any of the Canaanites remained with their pagan gods, the Israelites would eventually fall into idol worship. The Israelites had been commanded over and over not to worship other gods, so God was attempting to remove the temptation from them. However, they didn't obey. By the end of Judges chapter 1, all of the tribes have been named that failed to complete the job. Some of them did press the remaining Canaanites into slavery, but this was not what God had instructed them to do. Yet again we see that partial obedience is disobedience.

They didn't drive the Canaanites out therefore, God responded to their disobedience with a consequence. He would not drive them out. He left them there to be thorns in the children of Israel's sides and allowed their gods to be a snare for them. If you read on through chapter 2 of Judges, the consequences that they faced are almost unbearable for me to think about at as a mother. A generation later, they were still paying the consequences. The fathers had left the pagan altars, and their children and grandchildren were led astray. Verse 10 says that "another generation grew up who neither knew the Lord nor what he had done for Israel."

I am forced to ask myself today, what "pagan altars" am I not tearing down that will be a snare for my entire family tree? Where am I partially obeying God that might lead me down a path where my children would not even know the Lord or what He has done? What I see over and over throughout the Bible is not that God punishes children for their parents sin, but that our example of sin sets up a stronghold in their lives that will carry on for generation after generation until someone breaks it.

Up until about four years ago, I lived in a stronghold of doubt. It was a paralyzing place to live. It wasn't until I started searching the Word and made a conscious decision to believe God, that Christ (through me) began to break down those strong, thick bars. All through the process I started seeing that my mother, as well as her mother, had struggled with this same issue. Praise be to God that I have broken free from this stronghold and my mother has as well. I pray that this will not be an area that any of my children will ever struggle with. I pray that I will be an example of freedom in Christ to them.

May we take a serious look at our lives today and ask God to reveal any stronghold of sin that might pull our children away from Him. Our legacy depends on it and possibly the salvation of their souls.

Something to Consider

Joshua 7:1-26

This passage of scripture can be viewed as very troubling. Many times, we as New Testament believers, skip over stories like this thinking that we are living under grace and so we don't need to worry about the wrath of God that we see in the Old Testament. While for the believer it is true that we are living under grace and that God is satisfied with us (See Isaiah 53:11), we would be foolish to think that God is still not very serious about sin. Psalm 45:7 says "You love righteousness and hate wickedness". There are so many verses I could refer to today to drive the point home, but hopefully we will all just accept that God hates sin!


It is easy to look at the main character of our story today and see how great his sin was. Yes, Achan stole some of the devoted things and yes, he knew that was wrong. However, I don't think he ever realized that his one covetous thought that led to stealing could have caused the destruction of all Israel. Note in verse 1, the Bible doesn't say that the LORD's anger burned against Achan. It says His anger burned against Israel.

God is so serious about sin that He punished all of Israel over Achan's sin. Are we as the church serious about our own sin? I just don't think we are. How many times do we add just a little bit more to a story to make it more interesting or funnier? How many times do we joke about losing our temper as if that is not something that will send us to hell without the blood of Jesus. How many times do we allow our minds to consume us with ungodly thoughts. For me personally, God has truly broken my heart recently in an area where I was not acting with integrity. Partial obedience is disobedience. These are areas of our life that need serious attention as the body of Christ. I'm not just talking about blatant sin or living in total rebellion to God. Usually if we are reading a devotion then that is not something we are struggling with at the moment. I'm talking about sinful attitudes and thoughts of the heart that then lead to sinful actions.

We may consider some of these things as small, but God does not. He hates all sin. With that being said, will you join me on your face today asking God to reveal anything in your life that isn't pleasing to Him. Anything that could be leading you into a stronghold of sin. If nothing comes to your mind, start with pride and move on from there. As the body of Christ we must remove these obstacles from our lives so that we can complete the task that God has given us to do. Get it out today. The benefits will be eternal for you and possibly for the entire body for Christ.

My Deepest Longing...

Psalm 84:10
Philippians 1:21-24

Recently B.J. and I went to see the new movie Prince Caspian. It is the second installment of the Chronicles of Narnia movies based on the world famous books by C.S. Lewis. We have been Narnia fans for quite some time so of course we loved it! We love the books not only because they are wonderful works of fiction, but also because the spiritual truths in them run deep.

I was reminded in the movie of something God taught me last summer when we were reading through all of the books. In the book, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund and Lucy are about to be sent home from Narnia. They begin to question Aslan about when they will be returning to Narnia. Aslan tells them very gently that they will never return to the magical land of Narnia. Edmund and Lucy are terribly upset and then Lucy says:

"It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"

I read those words and felt as if I were Lucy being pulled away from my beloved Savior. There have been times on Earth that I have experienced the presence of God in such a powerful way that I didn't ever want to leave. I just wanted to stay in His presence. As I read those words I finally saw the true picture of heaven. We sing songs about the wonderful things we will see in heaven. We talk about "when I get to heaven" this and "when I get to heaven" that. The Bible gives us as vivid of a description as it can, but yet we have so many unanswered questions about heaven. But, the bottom line is heaven will be heaven because Jesus is there. We will fall into His arms and just be with Him. We will finally be with someone who knows us, I mean truly knows us and loves us anyway. No rejection, no fear, no guilt, no shame. Just pure, intimate acceptance. Heaven.

Narnia is a magical place in the books, but Lucy saw past all that and into the truth. It wasn't the beauty or the magic that drew her there, it was Aslan. The same truth goes for us. It won't be heaven because of the beauty or the people we will see. It will be heaven because we will finally be with Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

I truly do long to be with Him. Of course, I want to see my children grow up and continue to walk with Christ daily, but I do not fear that day. No matter how old I get before He calls me home, in my heart, I will always be Lucy.

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

What is Love?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The 'love' chapter... I think I have heard more messages, read more commentary, and done more Sunday school lessons on this passage of the Bible than any other! Although, you may be like me on this passage of scripture, surely there is still more we can 'dig' out so that we can live it out.

Several years ago, I took a Bible Study class by Beth Moore called Living Beyond Yourself. It is a study based on the fruit of the Spirit. Yet again, Galatians 5:22-23 is a very familiar passage so I wasn't sure how much I would learn from this study. (Those of you that have done Beth Moore studies are laughing out loud right now I'm sure!) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love..." Of all the fruit, love is listed first. Other than the word "Lord", love is used more in the Bible than any other word. We know that God is Love. But, how are we to love?

During that Bible study and for the next year and a half, God truly began to show me what love is. Agape is the Greek word used in 1 Corinthians 13. Agape love or God-love is divine, unconditional love that I am convinced within the natural man (meaning the flesh) we don't have any hope of possessing. This type of love is only a gift from the Holy Spirit. However, we can truly experience this type of love by yielding ourselves to the Spirit daily. Only agape can possess all of these qualities. God has helped me better understand these verses and put them into practice in my daily life by giving me this paraphrase:

• Agape is patient meaning that even though I could avenge myself, I will choose not to.
• Agape is kind and useful to His kingdom.
• Agape does not want what others have. It is content.
• Agape does not boast or brag except about God and what He has done.
• Agape refuses to be prideful because pride is deceit of oneself.
• Agape is never rude, therefore I should never be hateful or act unbecoming of God or the body of Christ.
• Agape is not self-seeking and it does not seek to receive love in return. If God had sought His own interests, He wouldn't have given Jesus over to be crucified.
• Agape is slow to anger. It can be angered, but very slowly.
• Agape does not keep a list of other's wrongs. It does not revel in other's failures.
• Agape doesn't delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It isn't happy when evil is taking place in it's presence.
• Agape always protects others by not exposing their faults.
• Agape has faith in others.
• Agape expects the best in others.
• Agape never gives up.
• And most importantly, agape NEVER fails!! When you love God and people with this type of love, your actions will never be in vain and even if it is not received, it will never fall to the ground. Your Savior, Jesus Christ, THE King of Kings and Lord of Lords will pick it up. Can I just say Hallelujah?

When I first realized that without the grace of God I didn't have a chance of loving Him or my neighbors the way the Bible commands us to ("Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Matthew 22:37) it radically changed my prayer life. I began confessing to God daily that I did not have the love for Him or for others that He wanted me to have. I still continue to ask Him to give it to me daily. And you know what? My answer comes the same way everyday.

"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 good gifts to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11

This is the way...

Isaiah 30:21

About a year and a half ago, B.J and I started walking down a path that we really didn't want to walk down. When our youngest child Caleb was born, Joel started stuttering. At first, we thought it was just the changes at home or his huge increase in vocabulary at such a young age, so we ignored it thinking it would go away. And, at times it did. But, then he began to really struggle to get his words out. It was extremely difficult to watch our son try to speak to us and not be able to get his words to come out. He began to get frustrated to the point of crying and throwing tantrums just because he could not make his words come out. It got so bad that he refused to talk at all. At this point, we truly felt like we needed to get him some help. That is where we came to a fork in the road. When it comes to stuttering there are two schools of thought: 1. Ignore it and it will go away. If you say anything about it, the stuttering will get worse. 2. The earlier you seek therapy the better hope of full speech recovery you have.

Obviously, these are two very different schools of thought. We had a very tough decision to make and if we were wrong, it could have lasting consequences on our child. We had been seeking God in this situation for months, literally begging God to remove this obstacle from our child's life. God continued to say 'no' to that prayer. So, we began to seek His guidance in what we were to do. We prayed and read research and prayed some more. We finally made the decision to take him to be evaluated.

Joel was evaluated by a speech therapist who diagnosed him with a fluency disorder. This means that aside from miraculous intervention, he will need therapy to overcome this obstacle in his life. He started seeing the head of speech pathology at Children's Hospital. Amazingly, within the first 30 minute session he was already learning techniques that would help him get his words out. He left therapy so excited and with his head held just a little higher. On my way home that day I was praying. I was still unsure about our decision, but as I was praying the Holy Spirit brought today's scripture to my mind:

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21

I realized that He was on the road with us. He was behind us telling us the way and beside us to give us strength for the journey. He is also at the end of the road, meaning He knows how it all will play out in the story of our lives. It is such a comfort to me to know that nothing comes into our lives that hasn't passed through the sovereign hand of my merciful God.

Joel has improved, but still struggles. Recently, when he was seriously struggling B.J. and I entered into a period of fasting to seek the heart of God over what we needed to do. God never ceases to amaze me. The first day of our fast, I arose to spend time with Him. I opened my devotion for that day and there is was: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Praise be to God! He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Whatever you are struggling with today, seek His face. He will not lead you astray.

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Psalm 25:6
Psalm 28:6-9

A couple of weeks ago my youngest son, Caleb, had a minor surgery on his tongue. He was born tongue-tied, but had no problems feeding as a baby so we didn't worry about it. However, since he started talking, we noticed that he wasn't saying "L's". Our oldest son, Joel, has speech problems that are not related to his tongue, but it has truly been a difficult road to walk. Therefore, we wanted to do anything we could to prevent a future speech problem with Caleb.


So Caleb was seen by his ENT physician on Monday, and we scheduled the surgery for Tuesday. Since it happened so quickly, I didn't even have time to call everyone and ask them to pray for him! I even felt uneasy because I just didn't feel like we had had the time we needed to pray for our baby! But, Tuesday morning came and Caleb went back to surgery. His doctor came out about 15 minutes later to tell us everything went well and in just a few short minutes, my baby was back in my arms. I felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude to my Savior.


As I was thanking Him for taking care of my baby, He very quietly spoke to my heart and said, "Yes, but I take care of all these children and sometimes no one acknowledges Me." I sat there broken for a few moments realizing that as a nurse, I have taken care of hundreds of patients and almost all of them have had very good outcomes. However, I am certain that many of them were not Christ followers, nor were they even aware of God's unfailing kindness, love, and mercy to them.

God cares for those that don't serve Him, don't choose Him, have rejected Him, and He even cares for the ones that do not believe He exists. What a picture of mercy. Let us pray that God's kindness will lead them to repentance (Romans 2:4).


That day I truly realized we have a ...

Wonderful, merciful Savior
Precious Redeemer and Friend
Who would have thought that a Lamb could
Rescue the souls of men
Oh you, rescue the souls of men
You are the One that we praise
You are the One we adore
You give the healing and grace our
Hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for...

- Dawn Rodgers & Eric Wyse

Mustard Seed Faith

Hebrews 11:1
Matthew 17:14-21
Matthew 13:31-32

All my eggs are in one basket, so if placing my faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross is the wrong place to put my faith, I am out of luck. You too? Thankfully, it is not the wrong place to put our faith! But, if so much depends on faith I want to have as much as I can get. However, most days I still come up short. Can faith really grow? If faith is so important, why is it only defined one place in the Bible? And why is that definition somewhat vague?

Although we only see faith verbally defined once, we see it "personally" defined in all of the Bible. One of my favorite stories of faith is the story of Joseph. One day my son Joel was watching the movie Joseph: King of Dreams. I don't know if you have ever seen it, but it is an animated movie fictionally depicting the life of Joseph. It is as biblically accurate as it can be, but of course takes imaginative liberties. In short, it is a great movie. If you will recall from the biblical story, Joseph was not only his father's favorite, but he also had dreams that some might call delusions of granduer! These dreams only made his brothers despise him even more. Their jealousy led them to sell him into slavery and eventually, through a series of events, Joseph ended up in prison. In the movie, while Joseph is in prison someone trys to bring him some food, but unfortunately she dropped the food and the rats quickly devoured every bite. Joseph is so upset and he yells at God, "Any kindness You take away... what have I done to deserve this!" In his rage he falls down, but when he gets up he happens to see a single green leaf on a branch. That is where this song picks up. He starts to plant and nurture the branch. Here is the song...



As you saw, all during the song, Joseph is planting, watering, and nurturing that little branch with the one green leaf. Symbolically, that is all the faith he has left. That one leaf is his "mustard seed faith". At the end of the song, after he has remembered everything that brought him to where he is, the branch has turned into a beautiful tree. Joseph had helped grow that tree, but God had grown his faith. At that moment, in the movie, he looks at the tree and the prison door opens. Joseph is free and heading to Pharoah's palace. His true purpose was on the other side of the testing. How thankful I am that he persevered! I thought today about all Joseph had been through. The rejection of his own family! Oh, how that must have hurt him. Rejection is something I struggle with to this day, but how thankful I am that the Word shows me I am not alone. On the other side of our acceptance of God's Sovereign will, I sincerely believe we will find God's true purpose in our life.

Faith in itself is a gift, so it can't be about how much you have. It has to be about who your faith is in. Take whatever faith you have, even if it is only the size of a mustard seed, plant it deep into the fertile soil of God's Word. In time it will become a beautiful tree that "the birds of the air will come and perch on in its branches"(Matthew 13:32).

Knowing God...Being Desperate for the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:10-16

Do you ever wonder if you can really know God? Through all my study I still find it a mind blowing fact that God is knowable. Although we can never know Him fully or exhaustively, we can know him truly. The part that I missed for so many years is how to know God. I think in our scripture reference today it becomes clearer and clearer that we know God through His Spirit. I recently heard Dr. David Platt say it this way:

"Only the Spirit of God knows the fullness of the glory of God. If we want to know God, then we need the Spirit to reveal Him to us. Therefore, a people who are desperate to know God will be desperate for His Spirit. If we are not desperate for His Spirit, it is a sure indicator that we have grown content with knowing little about God. Do we want to know the glory of God? Then let us be a people desperate for the Spirit of God"

A few months ago, we witnessed this type of desperation and almost had revival at our house during the week of the "fall back" time change. Nothing reeks havoc on preschoolers like a time change, and since we have two boys ages 4 and 22 months, let"s just say we were experiencing a little havoc! Our oldest son, Joel, had been waking up at 5 a.m. since the time change, so this particular night I was determined to have him in bed on time. After our nightly prayers, I went straight to the tub for a little relaxation while my husband, B.J. sang his repertoire of songs for Joel. At some point, B.J. had gotten in the habit of having different toys "sing". Joel's favorite toy to sing was the "Spirit of God". Now before you think you can go out and buy a "Spirit of God" toy let me explain. We are very demonstrative people and therefore we act out a lot of Bible stories. When Joel was two, we used to act out the story of Moses and the Passover almost everyday. We had to have something characterize the Spirit, so we used a collapsible ball that came from the Discovery store. Ever since then, that ball has been the "Spirit of God". Anyway, that night Joel wanted the "Spirit" to sing. At first, B.J. said 'no' because he didn't know where it was, but then he saw it sitting on the shelf so he decided that the "Spirit" could sing. However, Joel had already changed his mind and wanted a different toy to sing. B.J. was also tired and so said, "No, the "Spirit of God" is going to sing." Well, at this point Joel began to pitch a fit so B.J. put the ball up. This really upset Joel. I heard him shouting "I want the Spirit of God! I want the Spirit of God!". Then he screamed at the top of lungs, "I want the Spirit of God!!!!!" I jumped out of the bathtub wondering what in the world was going on and just sure that the Spirit was falling in wind and fire on our house! Unfortunately, Joel was getting two pops for pitching a fit! However, this really made me think, if we as believers ever threw a fit for the Spirit to come upon us, what would happen in our lives, in our jobs, in our churches, communities, country, world? If every believer was that desperate for God to fill us with His Spirit daily what would happen? Maybe throwing a fit could change the course of history.

"We have but to want Him badly enough and He will come and manifest Himself to us"
A.W. Tozer

Which son are you? (Part 1)

Luke 15:11-32

The story of the prodigal son; so familiar, yet so much to learn in just this short passage. Being a woman who spent a significant amount of time as a “prodigal”, I can never read this passage or hear a message on it that the tears don’t sting in my eyes. God let me go, but then waited for me and when I turned and started walking back to Him, He ran back to me. Amazing.

Even if you haven’t ever gone through a season of sin, there are attributes to each of the sons that we can all identify with. Today we will look at the younger son. First of all, the root of the problem with the younger son was that he wasn’t content with what he had, nor was he thankful. So he set off to find satisfaction somewhere else. It is not said very often and most would find it sac religious, but have you ever been unsatisfied with Jesus? I have been. I thought that salvation equaled satisfaction and since I wasn’t satisfied, was I truly saved? This started a cycle that I went in and out of for years, until finally I realized through the grace of the Holy Spirit and His word that satisfaction comes from Christ, but salvation is only the beginning. It is a process of daily (sometimes even every five minutes!) coming before Christ and asking Him to satisfy all my needs. The younger son was walking around with an empty cup looking for anything that would fill it up so he set off to find satisfaction in the world. But, as we look closer into the story we see that he didn’t find it. “After he had spent everything…He longed to fill his stomach…” The younger son was still unsatisfied. However, this time “he came to his senses” and realized that he had everything he ever needed at home with his Father.

So, are you walking around today with an empty cup? Trying to figure out why you are so unsatisfied when you have Jesus? Are you trying to get your husband, wife, children, job, or friends to fill it? Understand this today and accept it as truth: They never will! They can’t and were never meant to! Your husband doesn’t “complete you” as Hollywood has so eloquently wanted us to believe. Those children you have or desire will not complete you either. Only Christ completes us and if we have accepted Him, then turn to Him right now and ask Him to satisfy your needs. The younger son did one thing right in this story, he just came back. Come to Christ today humbly and empty-handed and ask Him to satisfy your soul. This is a prayer He is sure to say ‘yes’ to.