God is Good~

Numbers 6:24

"May the Lord bless you and protect you.May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace."

What a perfectly beautiful blessing to enjoy as we go about our day:)

We have been learning about God working all things out for our good, and it's easy to be strong in our faith when the going is good. With so much negative news lately, let's take a day to focus on the good because it serves a purpose.

Did you have a good night's rest last night? What about a good meal? Perhaps a good hot shower?

Did you enjoy a good T.V. show? A good conversation with a good friend? How about a good laugh because someone tripped over a rug and tried to act like nothing happened?

Maybe it was a good hug from one of your kids or even a pet? Did you open up your email to a good blessing today?

It is so very easy to accept the good in our lives. And being grateful for the good serves a purpose. The good things that happen to us in life are actually working for our good because as we enjoy them they remind us of God's goodness. We need to fill up our tanks with these reminders because it will help us go the distance when the going gets rough.

I had a discussion once with someone whose son was undergoing some frightening medical tests, and I was so impressed with her calmness. The words she said to me have been stored in my heart until this moment, and we would all be wise to embrace them tightly:

"Yenise, I have been alive for over 50 years. And day after day I have gotten up and enjoyed peace and provision from the hands of a loving God. Why, oh why, would I stop believing Him now? He has never failed me, and He never will."

Let's read that again:

"Yenise, I have been alive for over 50 years. And day after day I have gotten up and enjoyed peace and provision from the hands of a loving God. Why, oh why, would I stop believing Him now? He has never failed me, and He never will."

All those years of experiencing God's goodness in her life really gave her a reservoir of faith from which to draw upon as she and her family waited for results.

If we make it a habit to give credit where credit is due, "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father," James 1:7, we will be better equipped to handle life's challenges.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord,

Thank You that You and You alone are the source of everything good and perfect in our lives. We acknowledge You as our Provider, Comforter, Guidance, and Peace. We open our hearts wide to receive You. Bring us and every single person we love under the covering of Your protection. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Is it Love?

Happy Wednesday~


Each and every one of us is so blessed today because God is busy busy busy working every detail in our lives into something good; God is causing everything to work out for us because we love Him.

How can we know if this is actually the case? The condition in this verse is that this is something He does for those of us who love Him.

How do we know if we love Him? Are we loving Him enough to activate this amazing promise in our lives?

Think back to the first serious relationship you ever had. You thought about him or her. Your momma never had to tell you to call them up. No one had to describe them to you; you knew everything from their hair color to their shoe size. You knew their favorite food, favorite color, and favorite song.

I have a crystal clear image in my head of Jorge wearing a gray Member's Only jacket and white leather glove shoes (no socks) with Paco Rabanne cologne on our first date. His bangs were combed to the side and then expertly fashioned into a side swept overhang that looked like a boomerang. His breath smelled slightly of tic tacs and red snapper, and I remember thinking that his nails were nicely trimmed. He opened my car door, allowing my chaperon brother into the back seat first, and then he helped me in.

I loved hearing stories about him like that time he jumped off his grandmother's garage roof and fractured his leg. Or when he had a starring role in his high school's production of "Grease." I wanted to please him, and one time made him green eggs and ham as a tribute to a favorite childhood story. He became grossly ill, but swore he wasn't mad about it.

My grandfather thought it highly inappropriate that Jorge wore a gold chain with his name plate on it, and that he wore shorts out in public. But he knew better than to criticize my man to me.

Jorge could do no wrong, and we regularly poured out our teenage hearts to one another. We were inseparable, and found it unbearable when my mother forbid me to see him for one entire month because I missed curfew by 10 minutes. So what did we do? He would show up at my house at 1AM after work, and I would hand him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches through the chained front door, which was right next to my parents' bedroom. He came because he loved me, and I risked further punishment for the same reason.

Love for God is actually very similar. We think about Him all the time, we get to know Him through prayer and Bible reading, we enjoy learning about Him, no body better talk bad about Jesus in front of me because I will say something, we want to live our lives in a way that pleases Him, and we pour out our hearts to Him because we desire His guidance and blessing.

Loving God is not about perfection. Loving God is not about religion. Loving God is about having a relationship where we mess up a lot and He doesn't. These moments we share here together demonstrate our willingness to get to know Him better--to increase in our faith, hope, and love. The moment we each said, "Dear Lord," He showed up and hasn't left since.

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, We love You. Thank You that we can have a dynamic two-way relationship with You. We always seem to be asking, but it's only because You offer so much to us. You are incomparably generous, and it is amazing to think that even the worst moments of our lives are turned into blessings. Open our eyes to see Your goodness. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Do Not Shut God Out~

Let's talk a little bit about what happened yesterday; we'll resume this week's topic tomorrow.

What happened in Boston is horrifying and beyond our scope of human understanding.

Different governmental agenices are investigating, and sooner or later the people responsible will be brought to justice. I am also grateful to live in this amazing nation where we have the compassion and the resources to really help our fellow brothers and sisters who were victims of this madness.

As I watched the new conference this morning different people spoke--the F.B.I, the Mayor, the Governor, the Chief of the Hospital, Police Captain, Fire Department Head--and yes, dear ones, an announcement from different clergy that the fine people of Boston were planning numerous inter-faith prayer vigils. Many houses of worship announced services, and Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley said in a statement, "In the midst of the darkness of this tragedy we turn to the light of Jesus Christ, the light that was evident in the lives of people who immediately turned to help those in need today." Amen~

It is precisely at times like this that we have to fight the urge to question God's goodness. We have to refrain from asking why and pour all our strength into the One Who is our shelter from the storm. If we shut God out because we are confused, scared, and/or angry, then there will be no one left to turn to. He is the end all be all source of comfort and protection for us, and we must put our limited understanding aside and trust Him. Trust Him to pick up the pieces. Trust Him that when all is said and done, "He will rescue us from every evil deed and bring us safely into His heavenly kingdom." 2 Timothy 4:18.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Our hearts our heavy today for the victims in Boston. We pray that You would bring supernatural comfort for your children. Thank You that so many are turning to You in this time of great need. Minister to their broken hearts and put a soothing balm over their wounds that would begin a healing process. Thank You for those who so bravely entered the chaos to help others. Deliver them and all of us from evil. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Every Last Detail~

Romans 8:28

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

The Message Version states the verse like this: "Every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."

Is there anything out of the reach of God? Anything He ignores? Anything He dismisses? Anything He doesn't care about?

I want us all to purposely stop right here and determine once and for all that not one teeny tiny bit of our lives has been overlooked by God. If we will live our lives on the premise that God sees it all and cares about it all, then it will drastically change our perspective.

Remember when our kids were little? How many of us wet our fingertip and held it under their baby noses to make sure they were breathing? How many of us spent a sleepless night or two or 10 keeping watch when one of our children had a fever? And when Hormone had a serious infection in his hand a couple of years ago that landed him in the hospital for a week, Jorge and I parked ourselves next to him 24/7 for over a week even though he was 23 years old. Hovering doesn't even come close to describing how we were literally all over him.

Some people, like my grandmother, would have expected nothing less than that because she took hovering to the extreme. She could not understand why I didn't keep a journal of my childrens' bowel movements--noting time of day, color, and consistency--like she did for her two offspring. And whenever she babysat for me, I knew she would have an orderly report on this topic as soon as I walked in the door.

Surprise Surprise! There are some things about my kids that I am not interested in.

How many times do they go in and out the door?

How many times do they stand up and sit down?

How many hairs do they have on their head?

And yet God cares even about these mundane details. God doesn't mess around, and when He says, "Every detail," He means it.

Matthew 10:30 "And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

Psalms 139: 1-2 "You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways."

Let us meditate on the vast and thoroughly thorough manner in which God chooses to involve Himself in our itty bittiness.

"Of what importance is the human race, that You should notice us? Of what importance is mankind, that You should pay attention to us?" Psalm 8:4

And yet God does. Who do we think we are? We are weak, we don't live that long, we can be really rotten, and guess what? We aren't that special to most people. But God Almighty notices us and pays attention to us.

Side Bar--Anyone who has ever felt lonely and insignificant better do a double take because the One Who made the universe is hovering over you right now.

Tomorrow we will examine how being armed with this truth blesses us when things don't make sense.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, Sometimes we go about our lives ignoring You when all the while You are paying attention to us. Could it be that You are waiting for an invitation to come in and help us, strengthen us, and protect us? Wait no more. We open our arms wide to a Holy Spirit invasion. Thank You that every thing about us is under Your caring concern. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

When Things Don't Make Sense~

During Christmas of 2011 Rayray and I took a mother-daughter road trip. It was so much fun, and one of the places we visited was the Live Tarantula Museum in Helen, Georgia. I have pictures of Rachel holding a huge, hairy spider in her palm, and a video where she is actually stroking it and says, "It's so soft..." I, on the other hand, felt my blood pressure rise and have had several nightmares where that same spider escapes its cage, finds me even though I am over 700 miles away in Florida, and punctures the skin right behind my knee with its fangs.

So, can you blame me for not understanding why she is grossed out by the hairs on her own brush? She won't touch it, and one time when I removed the ombre hairball and asked her to throw it out, she stepped back like it was a tarantula, except she played with one of those. Go figure!

Some things just don't make sense.

My family and I are in the middle of something right now, and as the details become clearer, I will share them. But as I sit here and write to you today, it doesn't make any sense to me. I thought I was so sure that things should have gone one way, but they are headed in the other direction. But let's take a moment to examine what we should do when things don't appear to be working out like we expected.

Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

The Message Version states the verse like this: Every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Every single detail.

This means the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have been comforted countless times because of this beautiful promise that God has made me and you. This promise is not for everyone because not everyone loves God. Not everyone prays, and not everyone wants a relationship with Him. But all of who read this DEVO can be grateful that no matter what, something good is always being worked into our lives because we love God.

Have a beautiful weekend, and we'll keep on exploring this next week.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, How wonderful that You turn anything and everything around to bless us. Allow this truth to grab a hold of our hearts and encourage us today. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

A Heart That Never Fails~

Thursday Greetings!

Yesterday my husband spoke with a buddy whom recently had a dramatic, life-altering experience. A few weeks ago this friend was at the gym preparing for a Disney Cruise that he would be taking in two days. He was in the middle of a strenuous workout when he started feeling bad. His wife was called and she drove him to the emergency room. It was quickly determined that he was having a heart attack right then and there. This guy is 41 1/2 years old. His father died at 42 of a heart attack, and even though he thought about how great it would be to see his dad, he wanted to wait.

His wife and two small children, who were outside waiting for the in-laws to pick up the kids, were called in by the medical staff and told to say their good byes as they prepped this guy for emergency surgery because the doctors thought he would not survive. In they went, and as he lay there literally dying, they cried and hugged. All the nurses and doctors were crying too. Due to the urgency of the situation they did not even have time for anesthesia, so as the wife and children were escorted outside, they started a procedure--inserting two stents into two completely blocked arteries.

The overwhelming chest pains masked the smaller pain of the anesthesia-free surgery, and Jorge's friend just remembers thinking, "I need to live no matter what. Any pain pales in comparison to leaving my wife without a husband and my three kids without a dad."

I am happy to report that against all odds he survived! He is, for the glory of God, making a complete recovery and will soon be back to his normal life.

My husband was visibly moved by this story, and I knew as soon as I heard it that I would give everyone an important task today.

Stormie Omartian has a beautiful line in one of her books on prayer, and she has provided the inspiration for this assignment.

At some point today I want each and every one of us to place our hand over the hearts of those we love, or if we live alone place our hand over our own heart and say this prayer:

Dear Lord,

As I place my hand over _________'s heart, give him/her a heart that never fails. Keep _________'s heart strong and full of vitality for a very very long and full life. Psalm 27:15 says when we hope in You our hearts will be strengthened. Thank You that each and everyday we place all our hope in You and Your goodness for this life and the life to come; this means our hearts are strong! In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Jesus Has The Final Word~

Bonjour~


Today we wrap these verses up:)

Ephesians 1:18-21

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you and the glorious wealth that God's people will inherit, and v.19 His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength v.20 He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms v.21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

One of the best questions I have ever been asked is this, "When was the last time you worried that God would not be able to take care of you in heaven?" My response? "I have never doubted it." It was like a mini epiphany as I realized that there is at least one thing that has never ever concerned me.

Why is it so difficult to have that same kind of peace and assurance on earth?

I hope this last verse will make it's way to every last negative emotion we have ever had and eradicate all doubt and fear. Jesus is far above ALL. Obama does not have more power than Jesus and neither does the Pope. Cancer is a strong and frightening word, but it's not as powerful as Jesus. Divorce is heartbreaking, but Jesus, from the highest possible vantage point, is aware of it all and again, has whatever we need for restoration.

Did you know you could walk into any bookstore and find over 200 different versions of the Bible? This is important because it allows for comparisons that help us to better understand what God is saying. One of my favorite versions is THE MESSAGE BIBLE. Verse 21 is stated like this: Jesus is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything.

You say your spouse refuses to be kind. Jesus has the final word.
The doc says you will need medication the rest of your life. Jesus has the final word.
Your teenager is out of control. Jesus has the final word.
Your boss says you will never get a promotion. Jesus has the final word.

No matter what it is, Jesus has the final word. First we invite that power into our lives, and then we get to witness Him be in charge.

I recently asked someone to make a list of all their concerns for every single person in their family, including herself. What amazed me and blessed me and sent me to the stratosphere of joy when I received the list was how utterly long and detailed it was.

Here is a woman who is not going to stand by and watch her family plod along, mired in problems, when Jesus, Who has the final word is waiting for an invitation to send His help.

What are we going to do today? Are we going to engage or disengage? I say we engage with all our heart and soul. I say we take a step of faith and tell God that if Jesus has been positioned strategically as the most loving, dynamic, powerful Friend and Savior we could ever have, then we are going to accept it as fact and pray like we mean it.

My friend did not hold back in her desire to ask great things of a Great God, and neither should we.


PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Thank You for these amazing verses. Jesus, and Jesus alone is the One Who has the final word. Forgive us for looking to anything or anyone else besides Him. We take a united step of faith today and ask You for a breakthrough in our lives. Especially for (Fill in the blank). We welcome Christ into our problem and are grateful that His purpose prevails. In Jesus' name, AMEN~