Not Thankful...

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you."

      A Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving to all!

      A couple years ago I read this little story:

   

A five-year-old girl was asked to say the blessing at Thanksgiving dinner. She began by thanking God for all her friends, naming them one by one. Then she thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, Brother, Sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all her Aunts and Uncles. Finally, she gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes. Then she paused. After a long silence, the young girl looked up at her mother and asked, “If I thank God for the broccoli, won’t He know I’m lying?” Her little-girl honesty makes a great point: All of us have "broccoli" in our lives that is hard to give thanks for!   But the verse above makes it clear that we are to give thanks "in" everything, not "for" everything. For example, a few days before Rachel got married her great-grandmother was in the hospital with heart failure. I wasn't thankful for that.  But I was grateful that she was surrounded by loving family, that she was receiving excellent care, and that she knew Jesus. Big difference. Likewise, I never said, "Thank You, Lord, Jorge has skin cancer! Yippee!" But I did say over and over again, "Thank You that Jorge kept the appointment with the dermatologist because he really didn't want to go. Thank You it was caught early, and Thank You that You watch over even our tiniest cells..." Giving thanks opens our eyes to God's presence in our lives, and it strengthens our faith. No matter what "broccoli" you have going on, there is some aspect to be thankful for.  Think about it. PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are thankful for You.  You are aware of every single thing that we are going through, and by encouraging us to be thankful, our faith is strengthened.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Your Momma Didn't Raise no Fool!

Greetings,

Several years ago our pet cat, Shadow, who is now deceased and resting peacefully beneath our níspero  tree, upchucked on the living room carpet.  It fell to Jorge to clean it up because, as you all know, I have a weak constitution.

I was in the kitchen when I suddenly heard Jorge making gag sounds.  Every time he would scoop up a little of the "vittles," he would almost spew his own.

Of course, I reacted the only way any other reasonable person would have: I ran to him with alcohol-drenched cotton balls and thanked him profusely for being so brave.  After all, the cat's little present was a mix of hair, boogers, and slime.

NOT!

I made fun of Jorge instead and was heartily ungrateful and boisterous.  Do you think it was wise to pick on him while he was in the process of doing me a huge favor? 

It was not, but then there are so many foolish things we are capable of...

Proverbs 1:7 "Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning."

The number one foolish thing anyone can do is thumb their nose at God and all that He offers.   

What does He offer?  A quick review of Psalm 103 says He forgives all our sins, heals our diseases, saves our life, crowns us with love and mercy, wraps us in goodness, and renews our youth, and that's just three verses worth. Read that entire Psalm, and then thank God that your momma didn't raise no fool! 

Every time we pray, whether at the end of this DEVO, at church, in our car, with a friend, or by ourselves, every time, we are acknowledging that we need God in our lives; this makes us all very wise indeed!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We recognize our great need for You.  We purposely choose to start each and every day with You.  Thank You for all the amazing things You do for us.  We receive forgiveness, healing, salvation, love, mercy, and renewal today for ourselves and our families.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Get into IT!

Psalm 18:30 "As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord's Word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him."

Thursday greetings,

One of my most-loved and valued possessions is my mom's old Bible.  She truly cherished it, and nearly every page has an underlined passage, which means those words particularly ministered to her.   One time two-year-old Hormone thought he would underline in the book of Ecclesiastes, and I thought my mom would be upset.  On the contrary. Her precious reaction was, "You're never too young to get into the Word!" Amen~

When I look at its worn pages I am reminded of a person whose faith was unwavering even when faced with the unthinkable.  My father left her and us a few days after their 25th wedding anniversary, and a few months later she was diagnosed with the cancer that would eventually take her home to Jesus at 47 years old.  Through all the pain, sorrow, confusion, and questions she held onto the Word for dear life, and I trust she knows  that I learned to do the same because of her.

For example, both my kids will be traveling this week, so I find Psalm 91:11 comforting: "He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways."

Through it all - the great, the good, the bad, the hard, the unfair - God's Word serves to strengthen our faith and bring peace to our souls.  May we all get into It today!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for Your mighty Word.  The Bible, when we read It, blesses us, guides us, strengthens us, and builds up our faith to believe You for miracles. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

 

Surprise!

Mark 7:37 "People were overwhelmed with amazement. 'He has done everything well,' they said. 'He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.'"

Last night Rayray called me at 8 PM and asked me where I was.  I was about to take a bath because somehow - I totally blame myself - I thought the dinner she had invited me to was for tonight not last night.  I threw on my favorite t-shirt, put a whimpering Hershey Pie in his cage, hurried out the door with Jorge, and arrived 45 minutes late! 

To be honest, I sort of had a clue that we were invited in honor of our 30th wedding anniversary, which is today. And I was kind of relieved that the dinner was last night because what kind of child asks their parents to dinner on the actual day?  But it was still a night of surprises!

When we arrived, Hormone and his lovely wife, Lis, were there.  Shiny helium number 30 balloons were strung up. The girls, with full support of their husbands, had prepared our favorite foods, presented us with our favorite dessert, gifted us a family tree complete with pictures of each one of them and my granddogs, and even had a Q&A game for me and Jorge to play. When asked what my super power would be I replied, "I want to squish people." In retrospect, I should have said something better, but I was overwhelmed and feeling grateful and nostalgic, and then I started a teary-eyed speech about how much I love every one and they poo-pooed it saying I was too dramatic... Jorge's epic advice of the night was, "Pray and laugh every day." 

Nonetheless, surprises can be wonderful, and the Bible is full of them.

Surprise, Hannah,  you're finally having a baby!

Surprise, King Darius, Daniel is still alive even though you threw him in the Lion's den!

Surprise, Pharoah's daughter, there's a baby in this basket you just found in the river,  and he will grow up to deliver the Israelites!

Surprise, Mary, you are going to have  a baby, and He will be the Savior of the world!

Surprise, all you onlookers, Jesus makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!

Surprise, Peter, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is going to wash your feet!

Surprise, all you judgmental people, Jesus hangs out with sinners and protects adulterous women!

God always does the unexpected, but whatever it is, the Bible verse above tells us that He does everything well!  So as we pray today and every day,  let's embrace God's awesome unpredictability.  He will answer our prayers above and beyond our wildest dreams (see Ephesians 3:20),  and we should all live in holy anticipation of God doing something wonderful in our lives!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You surprise us in miraculous, wonderful ways.  We open our lives up to You today to receive more blessings than we ever imagined.  Many of us our praying about our families, jobs, health, emotional well-being, which direction to take, and relationships.  Whatever our need may be, surprise us with Your power, love, and might as You answer us.  Thank You that we can trust You to do everything well in our lives. In Jesus name, AMEN!

Turner of the Page

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am dong a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland" Isaiah 43:18-19.

Greetings,

This morning I received a notification from Pandora to tune in to Christmas radio as a way to kick off the holiday season.  Of course, as someone who loves Christmas, I took them up on the offer, and my morning has been filled with merry music. (Jingle Cats anyone?).

Honestly, I am sort of in shock that this year has flown by so quickly, but I am happy for the change.  And I am reminded that  God is known in His Word  as a, "Turner of the page," "Doer of a new thing," and "Usherer in of a new season."

How many of us want to stay put right where we are? How many of us are looking to God to get us out of our current season and into  a new more blessed one?  How many of us are ready to leave behind the struggles of 2016 and start off 2017 with renewed hope?

I am, which is why I pray.  Prayer invites God to do a new and powerful thing in my heart,  mind,  attitude, family, finances, and everywhere else where I could use it. Amen!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You turn the page in our lives and move us into better chapters.  We look forward to more joy, more peace, more hope, more wisdom, more heath, more protection, more love, and first and foremost, more of YOU.   Do a new and mighty thing in each of our lives.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Jesus Has a Prescription!

Greetings,

I have officially been diagnosed with EFS - Election Fatigue Syndrome - and maybe you have too!  The good news is that Jesus has a prescription for us:

"The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.  Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation.  This is the way our Savior God wants us to live" (The MESSAGE Version).

Prayer is always the number one answer.  Pray for ourselves, others, and our leaders, especially our leaders.  And when we pray, we must keep in mind that every single person alive, regardless of political affiliation, is capable of being blessed - of receiving God's wisdom, guidance, and protection.  

What a joy and privilege we have been given to draw closely to our Lord and have a heartfelt, intimate conversation with Him where we freely share all our hopes, dreams, and worries.  

Today, especially, my beautiful country is on my heart, and I find comfort in praying for her knowing that God even expects me to. I ask God to secure her and  preserve all her citizens in safety and peace.  I ask God that her government would be wise and faithful. And I ask God that her military would stay brave no matter what. 

God bless America, and God bless you!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, The way You want us to live is close to You in constant prayer; it's an ongoing, daily conversation where we pour out our hearts to You and You respond.  You send comfort, joy, hope, and peace.  We cling to You and are grateful that You remain on Your throne as the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth NO MATTER WHAT! In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Do Not Lose Sight!

"Jesus never lost sight of where He was headed  -  that exhilarating finish in and with God  -  He could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now He's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through.  That will shoot adrenaline into your souls" (The Message Version)!

Dear Child of God,

What are you putting up with right now? 

Is your child off track?  Is your boss mean?  Is your bank account running on empty? Is your spouse inconsiderate? Are you having difficulty getting your joy back?  Are you lonely? Does this political season have you fatigued and worried?  Are you struggling with your health? 

Whatever your struggle is, there is a way to navigate through the unrelenting, tough seasons of life: Do not lose sight of where you are headed!

Christ was able to face the unthinkable by focusing on the "exhilarating finish," which put Him right next to God. 

That is our ultimate and glorious destiny as well! 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help us to never lose sight of where we are headed. We look beyond our current problems, and focus on our final and glorious destination right alongside You.  Thank You that when our faith takes a hit, we can redirect our attention like Jesus did and receive a much-needed boost for our souls!  In Christ's name, AMEN!  

Hard at Work

Dear DEVO Readers:

I pray you will read the verses below and find your soul uplifted.  Remember, you can put anyone's name in the place of your own and find comfort in knowing that God is also hard at work in that precious life!

(Your name here), "you are blessed because you believe the Lord will do what He says" (Luke 1:45).

And He says in scripture (Psalm 138:8 & Jeremiah 29;11) that "He will work out His plans for your life  -   plans that are good; plans that will give you a future filled with hope  -  for His faithful love endures forever.  He will not abandon you for He made you."

Thank You, Lord, that I am blessed and that You are constantly at work in my life and in the lives of those I love. You are doing good things today, and I receive them. You are always by my side. Amen!