Happy Dance Time!

TGIF Greetings~

Romans 2:11 “God does not show favoritism.”

What a great verse!  When my kids were little Jorge and I would occasionally ask them, “Who do we love more?”  Rayray would always say, “Jorgie,” and Hormone would always say, “Rachel.”

That made us feel that somehow we were doing things right.  No child wants to feel like their sibling is loved more than they are.  Showing favoritism is a guaranteed way to invite jealousy and bitterness into a family.

It’s great that God – the ultimate Parent – understands this and therefore does not show favoritism.  This means – among other things – that if He answered prayer for someone else, He will answer for you.

Amen! Amen! Amen!

He doesn’t answer prayer based on who’s the cutest, the brightest, or sweetest.  I might never ever receive an answer again if there were the case.  He doesn’t show favoritism; He answers any and all who seek Him.

Case in point: I have a buddy whose son has struggled for the past couple of years with a health matter.  This mom dug her heels in and decided she would persist in prayer until her answer came.  Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, but she never gave up. 

Earlier this week I received this text: “I went to the doctor today with _____.  All results came back normal.  There is no inflammation now. Amen!”

As you might imagine, I have been doing my happy dance non-stop.

Please join me in my dancing.  What God did for her, He will do for us.  As lovely as my friend is, she is no lovelier than us.  She positioned herself stubbornly before God’s throne, and He answered.  When we position ourselves accordingly, He will answer us too!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You don’t play favorites.  All praying people and all prayers are welcome.  Hallelujah! In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN!

It Was Before~

Greetings~

Is it possible that Joseph – chagrined but noble – can still teach us a few things?  YES!  There is so much to learn and apply, but it’s for our own good and will lead to joy!

Remember, Joseph was chagrined, which means he was mortified, humiliated, and crushed.   But he was also a kind, bighearted, compassionate man.  That is why he determined to take care of things in a way that would protect Mary.

When, exactly, did he determine to take the high road?  Was it during the confrontation with Mary, or before he even set out to meet her?  This is actually important because it will make all the difference in the outcome. 

It was before.  And likewise, if we decide to keep our cool before we have that difficult conversation or encounter with our boss, spouse, kids, co-worker, in-law, or relative - even if we have been wronged, even if we are mortified, humiliated, and crushed - if we determine to be kind, bighearted, and compassionate, God will do wonders for us!  This will also avoid an escalation, false accusations, and hurt feelings. 

Matthew 1:20-21 “But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."

Joseph has already decided to do the right thing, but before he even gets the chance to show us his determination, an angel of the Lord brings relief.  In one fell swoop, his trust in Mary is forever secure, he learns that he will be the earthly father of Christ, and He gets to be the one to name the most AMAZING Person ever born! 

The blessings start to flow as soon as we decide to do the right thing. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank you for Joseph’s example.  If You can help Him then You can help us.  We want to be kind, bighearted, and compassionate no matter what.  The best part is that You will help us in our determination, and then bless us for it.  We receive it! In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Determined~

Matthew 1:19 “Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.”

 

Last week Jorge and I were still talking about Joseph.  My own husband declared his admiration for him concluding, “He’s the better man!”  It is true that Joseph is praiseworthy, but even more importantly, he sets an example worth imitating.  There’s a key word in the verse above that shows us that we can all strive to be like Joseph if we want to, and that word is “determined.” 

 

In Joseph’s case he decided, he willed himself, he concluded he would do the right thing.  The Bible doesn’t say that Joseph took care of things quietly. It says he determined  to take care of things quietly, and there’s a big difference.  When you just up and do something, it implies it was a run-of-the-mill occurrence.  Like, “I took the clothes to the cleaners,’’ or “I went for a jog.”  But when you say, “I was determined to take the clothes to the cleaners,” it’s as if to say that nothing was going to get in the way of your taking the clothes to the cleaners.  When you say, “I was determined to go jogging,” it’s a proclamation that you know it will require hard work and effort.  Likewise, when Joseph said it, he knew it would not be easy.  He knew it would require putting aside his right to be hurt and put all his focus on the one who hurt him in the first place.  This, as the youth would say, is cray cray!

 

Let’s not forget that Joseph was made out of flesh and blood.  He was a human being with emotions and feelings.  He has just found out that the woman he is planning to marry is having a baby that is not his.  This is mind blowing to me.  Why would God put this in the Bible?  I believe that at least one reason is for you and me to understand the scope of goodness we are capable of when God is in our life.

 

When we allow God’s goodness to control our behavior, amazing blessings will follow.  Joseph became the earthly father of JESUS! 

 

What amazing blessings does God have in store for us?  Let’s ask Him to fill us up with the determination to do the right thing, and we will find out!

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, It may not have seemed like it at the time, but You were setting up Joseph to be blessed beyond his wildest dreams.  Keep us mindful of our reactions because we too want to see awesome blessings in our lives.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

I Ran Yesterday~

Dearest DEVO readers,

Did I think I could go through life without ever having to actually practice what I preach?  NOPE, and yesterday was one of those days where I ran to the Fortified Tower!

At 11:32 AM Mrs. Urgell, A.K.A. Rayray, call me and calmly says she is in the hospital.  I take a deep breath and remind myself that if I get hysterical, then she will get hysterical. 

“Are you ok? What happened?”

“I almost fainted and had really sharp stomach pains.”

“How are you feeling now?”

“They gave me some strong medicine, and I feel better.”

“Did they do blood work?”

“Yes, and everything is fine.  They have ruled out appendicitis, and I am going in for a sonogram soon.”

“Ok.  I am on my way.”

I hung up the phone, and before you can say, “Hot dog and a cornbread,” I was in God’s holy presence asking for wisdom, healing, and peace.”

How do I know prayer works?  The answer is simple:  God responded to me, and I was as calm as calm could be.  

I texted a few folks to say a prayer for us, and headed off to the emergency room.  Long story short she had a little ovarian cyst that decided to have a fireworks display in her belly.  The pain can be really rough, but God bless her, Rayray has always seen fit to avail herself of all the fine emergency services our great community provides, and she rode first class, via ambulance, all the way to the hospital where they immediately treated her.  By the time I saw her the worst had passed, and the first thing she said to me was, “Please do not take any pictures,” which was a shame because she looked so pretty in her green gown.  Then I turned to her hubby, a man whose marriage has made me very happy, and encouraged him to regularly put his hands on his beautiful wife and pray for a blessing over her body, and because he is used to me being a little pushy he smiled and assured me he would!  Rayray was released shortly thereafter, and Jorge and I hung out at their house for a few hours just to sort of nonchalantly supervise.   

Will you all join me in saying AMEN?  Take it from me.  God is ready to answer when we run to Him.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You provide soothing for our souls.  There is nothing that catches You by surprise.  You are always ready to dispense whatever we need to deal with life.  Blessed be Your name, in Jesus we pray, AMEN~

…next week we will continue to talk about a Joseph J

Chagrined but Noble~

A post Father’s Day greeting to all; I trust all you lovely dads out there had a beautiful day!

One of my favorite dads in the Bible is Joseph – Jesus’ dad.  Can you imagine the awesome burden of being a father to a PERFECT kid?  Sure it must be nice that his child never talked back, never broke a rule, was always well-mannered, obedient, and kind hearted.  But talk about the pressure.  How does one go about parenting the Savior of the mankind? What kind of qualities does one need?

There is one verse in the Bible that gives us deep insight into the kind of man Joseph was. 

Matthew 1:19 “Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph.  Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.”

This is such a worst-case scenario.  You’re in love, you’re engaged, you’re planning a huge celebration, and your fiancé gets pregnant – with Someone else’s baby.  I don’t blame Joseph for being chagrined.  And yet, even though it appeared that his-wife-to-be had been unfaithful, he was determined to work things out in such a way that Mary would not be disgraced, humiliated, or put to shame.

His hurt, pain, and disappointment were secondary to Mary’s well-being.  A couple of verses later an angel visits Joseph in a dream, and he finally understands the greater purpose behind Mary’s pregnancy.  But a man who controls his emotions even BEFORE all the facts are clear, a man who faces extraordinary circumstances and still puts other’s needs ahead of his own, a man who doesn’t cause a commotion even when he has a right to, that is the epitome of kind heartedness and goodness.  That is the kind of man all men should aspire to be and all women should aspire to marry.  Those are the kind of men God uses for big and awesome things, like being the father of Christ.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for the fathers in our lives.  They have such huge responsibilities and carry a lifetime burden of providing, protecting, and praying for us – their families.  Impress upon them today that You are with them and will help them each step of the way.  We want our dads to do big and awesome things for You! In Jesus’ name, AMEN.           

He Will Lift You Up~

Happy Thursday!

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.

This is such an encouraging verse.  When we run to our Fortified Tower and get down on our knees before Him and tell Him that we can’t do it on our own, He will help us get back on our feet! 

First we go down, but then we get lifted up.  And what speaks to me the most about this verse is that as soon as we humble ourselves, He takes over.  He gets busy seeing how to go about getting us back up. 

I love not having to worry about the particulars.  In fact, God always says for us to seek Him, run to Him, call upon Him, cry out to Him, depend on Him, trust Him, and then He will handle the rest.  That really does relieve the pressure!

Back in 1999 the company Jorge worked for suddenly went bankrupt.  Within a few days our income stopped, and both company cars were repossessed.  I am not too ashamed to admit that we never saw it coming, and that my husband actually rode the bus for a while.  It was rough.  The bills still demanded payment, the kids were in private school, and we had a mortgage to pay. 

This verse became so special to us during that difficult time.  Night after long night Jorge and I would go to the Lord and freely admit that we needed Him.  We had no clue what to do or where to turn.  Looking back now we can both see the hand of God moving actively in our lives to get us back on our feet again.  I am pleased to report that even though it has been a journey, we have never lost faith in God.  We have never not paid a bill.  Jorge has had a car for several years now, and God has lifted us higher than we could have ever imagined.  Jorge is working in a field he loves, he is working for himself, and enjoying God-given success.

Where could you use a pick-me-up? In what area of your life would you like to feel significant?  Is it your love life? Your relationship with your children? Your career? Your finances? First, you must get down on your knees.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for lifting us up when we need it.  Thank You that as soon we call upon You for help, You take over.  We are depending in You to get us back on our feet.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

'Roid Rage

Greetings~ J

“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”  Proverbs 18:10

When we run in prayer to our Fortified Tower, He makes us strong.  Do we need to be strong spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically to live this life, or can we get by being weak in all these areas? 

We’ve all heard about road rage.  But have you heard about ‘roid rage?  Back in 2009 I lived what I have affectionately titled, “The Year of the Roid Rage.”  First it was fibroids that left me so severely anemic that I was hospitalized for a week receiving iron and blood transfusions followed by surgery.  A few months later it was my thyroid that was misbehaving, so doctors chopped half of it off.  I was physically exhausted, feeble, wobbly, powerless, and sluggish before and after each surgery, and it’s no wonder all those words are synonyms for the word “weak.”  I remember the first time I was able to drive after each surgery.  It felt so good to have my strength back.    

But can you imagine going through life being perpetually powerless, wobbly, and sluggish?  The good news is that God doesn’t want us to. That is why He encourages us to run to Him.  He will give us the strength we need in mind, emotions, body, and soul.  He will give us health (Proverbs 3:8), He will help us be steady (Isaiah 35:3), He will give us a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), and my favorite verse: “For I can do everything through Christ, Who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).  This verse literally means that Christ empowers us; He infuses us with inner strength so we can be ready for anything.

I’ll take that deal if I can get it! Wait! I can! And so can you.  Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We run to You today because we need to be ready for whatever heads our way.  We need to stand against temptation, we need energy to deal with our families, and we need healthy bodies to face it all.  We need You and Your supernatural strength today and everyday.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Additional Ingredient

“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”  Proverbs 18:10

I love the word fortified in the passage above, and its grammatical role is that of adjective.  It describes the tower.  Because it’s “fortified,” this means – according to dictionary.com – that the tower protects or strengthens against attack, it furnishes a means of resisting force, makes strong and imparts strength or vigor, and increases the effectiveness of, as by additional ingredients. 

In other words, Jesus protects us when we have a problem, strengthens us when there is trouble, helps us to resist the enemy, gives us the energy we need to face each day, and makes us more effective at living the Christian life by being that “additional ingredient” in our lives. 

Each of those points in and of themselves could easily be turned into a five-point sermon, so let’s take them one at a time.

Additional Ingredient…

John 15:15 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Does anyone have the ability to give themselves eternal life?  What about protect themselves or their family?  What about when facing decisions about career, family, and love?  Is it really wise to make them without consulting God?  Just like a diet is fortified when you include vitamins in your regimen, our lives are fortified when we invite Christ in.  Given that we really can not do anything apart from Him anyway, I want to encourage us all to run to Him daily. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We run to You today, and we rest safely in Your care.  Thank You for protecting us, making us strong, and giving us energy.  We are especially grateful that there is no limit to what we can do with You on our side.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~ 

We Are Safe~

Greetings~

Way back in the early 1970s when I attended Mary Lin Elementary school on Candler Park Drive in Atlanta, Georgia, we used to play hide-and-seek during recess.  There was a massive tree on the playground that was always home base.  If you made it there without being tagged, you were safe!  It was always a thrill to make it safely to base, and certainly there were close calls along the way, but it was and continues to be a fun game.

And this game we have all played has a beautiful parallel with our Lord Jesus:

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

We run to it every time we pray, and unlike hide-and-seek where there’s always the possibility that we’ll get tagged before we make it to base, nothing and no one can stop us from running to our Lord.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we run to You today.  Thank You that You are strong and keep us safe.  There’s so much going on around us, but we focus on You.  You are a fortified tower, and we are grateful for Your protection over us and our families.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~ 

My Life Story~

2 Samuel 22:25 God rewrote the text of my life
    when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes. (The Message)

If someone were to write your life story, would you be pleased with the narrative?  Would you consider your life as being one that has been lived well thus far?  Are there certain parts you would keep secret – maybe even entire chapters? Are there other details you are proud of and wish the world would know?   

Regardless of how any of us answers those questions, I am pretty certain every one has parts of their story they would like rewritten.  If I could go back and rewrite the chapter when I was 15 years old, it would say: “Yenise really hated her bushy eyebrows and decided that once and for all she would shave them off - completely!  She made her way to the bathroom sink and fumbled in the cabinet for some Barbasol.  She dispensed a huge glob in her palm and applied a thick coat to her right brow.  As she brought the brand new BIC disposable shaver closer and closer, she came to her senses and picked up a plucker instead promptly giving herself a nice arched brow.”  Of course, and as the pic below demonstrates, I actually did shave both eyebrows off right down to the skin.  In the grand scheme of things, this was a foolish decision with only temporary consequences.  But some of the stuff we do or don’t do stays with us much longer, and that is why we need a heavenly do-over.

Even though I can’t go back now and edit my life story – neither can any one else - we can go before the Lord and open ourselves up to Him.  We can lay it all out, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  And then moving forward, He – not our boss or our buddy or our momma – He will rewrite the text of our life.  He changes the course of our life. The trajectory of our life.  The quality of our life.  The meaning of our life.  But first we must be willing to open up.  GLORY!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We open up to You today and invite You to rewrite the text of our lives.  Edit out the fear, loneliness, sadness, illness, and shame and replace it with peace, love, joy, healing, and hope.  In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN~