A Simple Admission

Galatians 3:9 "Those who have faith are blessed..."

Good morning!

Let us resume our Ironman tale.

The night before the Ironman competition, Ernie went to bed early; he would be taking  a 5AM shuttle the next day to get to the event.

But before he went to sleep something awesome and sacred and beautiful took place: Every single one of us there, eight in total, put our hands on Ernie and prayed.

Picture, if you can, this fit, buff, mega-tanned dude sitting in a floral patterned hotel chair with family and friends encircling him and eight strategically placed hands on his body.  Everyone was in agreement that what we were about to do was necessary and powerful.  We were going to call on the almighty God Creator of heaven and earth to protect Ernie, give him endurance, bless him, and honor him.

Making it even more special was that Ernie's two sons flew in that day to join us.  Both his boys were part of our circle of prayer, and simply said, " God, take care of our dad."  Their request was straight to the point and powerful, and it was the heart cry of everyone there. 

The question is, Did God answer?  Was our faith rewarded? Tune in next week...

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, Thank You that faith does not have to be complicated.  All You are looking for is honesty  -  a simple admission that we need You because there are so many things we cannot do for ourselves. 

Today we ask for You to fill us in each area of our life where we are lacking.  Some of us need rest.  Others need peace.  We all need joy and hope.  Bless us and honor us too. Help us, dear Lord, for only You can effectively fill these voids.  We are especially grateful that You receive, cherish, and welcome our faith. In Jesus' name, Amen!     

Iron Sharpens Iron

Happy Tuesday,

Next month marks the five-year anniversary of an Ironman competition that Jorge and I attended in Houston, TX.  It was the thrill of a lifetime for Jorge and me as we went there to support my cousin, Maggie, and her husband, Ironman Ernie. 

Ernie finished the 140.6 miles of swimming, cycling, and running in 12 hours 47 minutes.  Out of 3000 participants, he came in 797th.  THIS IS REMARKABLE!

It was beyond exciting to be there at the start, see him during the transitions, cheer for him and blow our elk horns when he made appearances at each eight-mile bend, and then finally and gloriously stand in awe as he crossed  the finish line. 

But allow me to elaborate in increments.  The Thursday night before the competition we all had dinner, and an amazing Bible verse just sort of popped into the conversation.

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. 

  

At the heart of this verse is that we cannot do life alone.  We need friends and family to encourage us, train with us, love us, keep us sharp and alert, point out dangers ahead...

Ask Ernie and he will tell you that even though he was willing to do the work, he had a whole team of support with him before, during, and after to make the Ironman a reality. 

Let us learn a lesson from Ernie today: Allow others to help you, and you will succeed. 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, Thank you for family, friendships, unwavering support, love, and encouragement.  Thank You for reminding us today that Proverbs 27:17 is all about bringing out the best in each other even in grueling competitions.   Fill us today with Your love and inspire us to get out there and make a difference in someone's life.  In Jesus' name, Amen!

The Closest Ones Benefit the Most

Tuesday's DEVO had this paragraph in it: "We can certainly notice the needs of others and have the right responses ready in any given situation.  We can speak encouragement, and we can point others to the love of our  Father.  As for healing, we can take a bold step and pray for someone.   Christ is the One Who patches things up, but our hearts and hands are the conduits through which His power travels."

I have been thinking about these words a lot since then, and I finally realized why.  It's because those who are closest to us are the ones who will benefit most when we notice their needs, give a right response, speak encouragement, point them to the Parent Who loves them more than we do, and pray for them.

A few days ago someone in my precious inner circle really needed a confidence boost; they  desperately needed to see that God was in control.  In a voice devoid of its usual fervor-pitched loudness, I brought it down a notch to really emphasize how relaxed I was in the midst of the mayhem.   And then I simply stated the situation was in God's good hands, that I had placed it there several days ago, that He and only He was in control, and that nothing and no one could stand in the way of what needed to happen.   It finally all worked out.  I was AMAZED  and grateful I could stay so calm in the middle of a very frustrating moment.

Had I not prayed about it, had I ignored the need, or had my initial reaction been to throw in the towel, the outcome might have been different.  Also, had I not bombarded the throne of God with requests and guidance for this matter, I might have not had the faith  -  NO  -  I would not have had the faith to be so sure He was in charge!  And honestly, folks, I do not have the right reaction every single time something heads my way; it's something I have to constantly work on by staying plugged in to my Lord.  But in this circumstance I responded with God-given grace and certainty. I was acutely aware of God having my back and the back of this precious inner circle member.  It was fortitude not of my own making, but one that only comes when we follow Christ's example.  I love it when God uses me to impact someone else's life, but it's all the more meaningful when it's someone really close to me.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We connect with You right now in prayer, and we thank You that this connection blesses our lives and mightily impacts the lives of those closest to us.  We pray for our faith and the faith of all those we love to grow stronger. Help us to always keep the right attitude and perspective.  Remind us that when we pray about something, YOU TAKE CONTROL! In Jesus' name, AMEN.   

Keep the Celebration Going!

Greetings,

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter weekend.  Thousands of churches around the world celebrated the resurrection of our Lord, and that is a wonderful thing!  One way we keep the celebration going is by doing the things Jesus did. 

Matthew 9:35-36 "Then Jesus traveled to all the towns and villages.  He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives."

At the heart of this passage is a Savior Who had compassion for people.  Wherever he went He noticed the hurting people in the crowds, He was aware of their struggles, and His heart broke for them.  And  then He did something about it.

He gave good news!

He taught them a better way to live by encouraging them to connect with the heavenly Father!

He healed their physical ailments!

He made their minds sound!

He restored a healthy balance in their emotions!

He soothed their souls!

You may be thinking you can't do what Christ did, but I disagree.    We can certainly notice the needs of others and have the right responses ready in any given situation.  We can speak encouragement, and we can point others to the love of our  Father.  As for healing, we can take a bold step and pray for someone.   Christ is the One Who patches things up, but our hearts and hands are the conduits through which His power travels.  

And look what James 5:16 says, "...pray for each other so that you may be healed."  The most amazing result of our efforts is that we, in the process of reaching out to others, of wrapping our arms around them, of praying for their well-being, will be healed ourselves! AMEN!

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, Thank You for Resurrection Sunday.  You are alive, and Your life is in us.  We are equipped to live this life victoriously.  We want to keep Your example going.  Make us aware of  other's needs.   Fill us with compassion.  How many times has someone reached out to us and changed our life for the better?  We want to do the same.  This time, however, we want to touch someone else's life knowing that when we do, blessings will flow into our own.  Praise Your beautiful name. Amen!  

He Chose Love

Matthew 26:53 "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?"

Greetings,

Think about your greatest struggle right now.  If you could call on God to send thousands and thousands of angels to your rescue, knowing He would do it at once, would you?  I WOULD...IN A HEARTBEAT!!!  Jesus could have done it as well, but He did not.  Instead, He chose His love for us over His own life. 

Christ spoke the words in the verse above as Judas betrayed Him in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He was arrested and would soon face a horrifying crucifixion.  He could have avoided it all; the angels were one brief request away. But He willingly chose to go through with it to give you and me eternal life. This profoundly blesses me.

He is worthy of our love, our trust, and our faith.

He is worthy to be praised and worshipped.

He gave His all for us; let's give Him our all.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, As we prepare to celebrate Your resurrection this Sunday, we are humbled and grateful.  Your willingness to save us is the most amazing sacrifice ever.  We offer up to You our fractured, frail, fickle souls because You are the only One Who thought we were worth dying for. It does not seem fair that we get You and Your blessings, and all You get is us in return.  But love is a mighty thing; thank You for loving us.  We desperately need You.  In Your name, AMEN.

Follow the Light

Greetings,

This past weekend I was flipping channels and came across The Croods. It's a movie about a caveman family living in a dangerous, ever-changing world.  I first saw it with my niece and nephew when it came out in 2013 and decided to watch it again because I remember loving it so much.  It was just as great the second time around, and it amazed and blessed me that its core message is so relevant today: In a nutshell, they must "follow the light" in order to survive.

As soon as I heard those words I automatically said, "Amen!"

John 8:12 " I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life."

Following Jesus means we have the wisdom we need to avoid destructive behaviors and live a blessed life. Following Jesus means we trust that what He teaches is true.  And since we are never in the darkness, the Light is ever present and always pointing us in the right direction. We will never be left without a clue as to what to do, and we can be free from ignorance, sin, debilitating emotions, and misery.

How do we follow the Light?

It starts with prayer. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are our life-giving Light.  We invite You to shine brightly in the dark areas of our life that are destructive.  Wherever there is fear, expose the root cause so we can be filled with peace.  Wherever there is unforgiveness, unmask it so we can be liberated from negative emotions, wherever there is pride that says we know better than You, bring it to the surface so we can repent and place our trust in You again.  Wherever we are toying with temptation, lay it bare so we can spare ourselves unnecessary suffering.  We follow You, Jesus, today and every day.  Thank You for making our paths bright; fill us with wholeness and healing. Amen.

Like Mary

Luke 10:38-40 "Jesus entered a village and a woman by the name of Martha welcomed Him and made Him feel quite at home.  Her sister, Mary, sat before Jesus hanging on to every word He said. Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen.  Later, she interrupted saying, 'Jesus, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to help me.'  Jesus said, 'Martha, you're fussing too much and getting worked up over nothing.  One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it  -  it's the main course, and it won't be taken from her.'"

Greetings in the name of our miracle-working Jesus!

I wanted to revisit this passage from Tuesday because as I was reading and re-reading it, I realized I am more like Martha than I want to admit.  Notice how she welcomed Jesus and made Him feel quite at home.  Well, Jesus knows He is welcome my my house.  One of the first things I do in the morning is play praise and worship music as I putt putter around doing all the household stuff.   I sing at the top of my off-pitch voice and thank Him for letting me wake up and blessing me with family, friends, and Hershey Pie.   

But sometimes "I fuss too much and get worked up over nothing."  I feel scattered brained and like the 10 million things on my to-do list will never get done.  Sometimes when I am praying my mind will start to wander, and I think about the clothes in the dryer that needs folding or the paperwork I have on my desk.  And a couple of times I have even cut my prayer time short because someone is calling me on the phone. Frown.

Our dear Lord helps us puts life in perspective, "Only one this is essential, it's the Main  Course..."

Our Lord is the most important part of our day, and the Bible is filled with Christ's encouraging, powerful, life-changing words that we can all hang onto!  There's wisdom in sitting in at His feet and feasting on the Main Course.  The Bible says "it's to our advantage" to do so.   Christ knows we have other responsibilities; He's just reminding us that in the middle of our busy lives, He wants us to visit with Him.  He wants us to put our priorities in order.  He wants us to unwind and bask in His presence.  He wants to bless us and fill us with peace. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, like Mary, we choose You today and every day.  We are blessed when we spend time with You and let You fill us with Your goodness.  We want to hang onto Your every Word, and the Word of the day is MAIN COURSE.  You are our priority, our first love, our King, our Savior, and our Guide.  Keep us and those we care about safe and tethered to You.  In Your name we pray, AMEN.    

The Main Course~

Good morning,

I first spoke of a dear and sweet mighty woman of God whom I have known for over 40 years back in October.  Her name is Rosita, and she was my pastor's wife in Georgia.   She is in her eighties now, but she has not slowed down a bit.  She is widowed,  but her granddaughter and two great grandsons, ages seven and one,  live with her.  She provides most of the child care as a means to help her granddaughter get back on the right track,  and as you might imagine, it's not easy.  

Yesterday I called her for prayer, and she could barely speak because she has a serious bronchial infection. I assured her I would call back when she was feeling better, to please just rest because of all the coughing and congestion.  The way she sounded scared me a bit, and so, even though I called her for wisdom and support, I asked her to let me pray for her.  I offered up a quick petition for healing and peace and planned to hang up right after the "Amen."  But of course, bronchitis was not going to stop her.  She whispered a fervent, joy-inducing, faith-building, hope-giving intercession that mightily blessed me.

***

Luke 10:38-40 "Jesus entered a village and a woman by the name of Martha welcomed Him and made Him feel quite at home.  Her sister, Mary, sat before Jesus hanging on to every word He said. Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen.  Later, she interrupted saying, 'Jesus, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to help me.'  Jesus said, 'Martha, you're fussing too much and getting worked up over nothing.  One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it  -  it's the main course, and it won't be taken from her.'"

***

In other words, it is more important to attend to the soul than anything else.  We all have a million things clamoring for our attention or pulling us in different directions, and Rosita was no exception.  I was so profoundly moved by her willingness to go to God on my behalf that after we hung up I had tears in my eyes.

I want to become the kind of person who has her priorities in order.  I want to always be available when someone needs me. I want to always have the foresight to ask if someone needs prayer when they call.  I never want to overlook someone else's need.   

I want all of us to feel the way I felt yesterday, like I was full on the Main Course!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for this powerful passage of scripture that teaches us that Christ is the only essential thing.  Everything else can wait.  Make us sensitive to the needs of others around us so we can be blessed as well.  We love knowing that when we welcome Christ as the Main Course, nothing and no one can take Him away from us.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~