What Was Missed

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again. Mark 10:33,34 (New King James Version)

Jesus spoke very plainly on a number of occasions of His impending death and resurrection. Today’s passage is just one of many times that He was very clear on the truth of what lay ahead for Him. Therefore, I often read with amazement that His disciples missed what He was saying. When He was eventually crucified they did not anticipate the resurrection…it never entered their mind. Instead of looking for His rising again, they lived with sadness, confusion, and fear. Although that was not the end of their story, it is a chapter within their story that I often experience.

Truth that can be crystal clear to others can sometimes elude me. By the time I see it and really get it, others may be amazed at my missing such an elemental truth. One of the first of those truths for me was the fact that God’s love was not dependent on what I was doing. I was a Christian for over 30 years before I began to understand that the Christian life is about relationship with God NOT performance for God. The change that came with that truth was phenomenal!

Recently the light came on for me regarding another truth I had somehow missed and it is this…..my emotional well being must be attached to God rather than people. In the 35 years of being a Christian, I have not known that truth or lived my life out of it. Anyone who has known me or read my devotionals for any length of time can attest to the constant battle I have fought to find the balance between looking to God and looking to people. I saw only two options: look to people to meet my emotional needs or ask God to kill any desire in me to even be in relationship with people. How God must have ached to see me miss His offer of help and healing, which includes people, with Him as the Source.

I am not meant to walk solo through life without the counsel, input, and advice of godly friends. I am not meant to close off my heart to every one but God. The body of Christ is His body….His representation. What He wants me to see is while I look to Him and depend upon Him, He will minister to me in ways that include people. Once again, His ways are higher than my own and I am in awe.

Father, I have lived with a famine mentality when all the while You have been calling me to feast on You and all that You provide. I love You! Amen.

He Believes in You - Point of Grace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIKsimvJlPI

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Necessary Amputation

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you…. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you …. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you. Mark 9:43-47 (New King James Version)

I am facing the necessity of amputation this morning. Not of my hand, foot, or eye, but rather of disparaging thoughts. I have no doubt it is better for me! So much of my journey entails turmoil, despair, and sadness because of thoughts that I dwell upon and allow to lead me down paths that are not intended for me. They may be innocent in and of themselves but by the time I am finished with them they are poisonous and destructive to my spiritual, emotional, and intellectual well being.

I am a visual person and many times God has to give me a picture of something before I can fully understand it. That is exactly what He has done in the area of diseased thinking. I am picturing wrong thoughts as small tumors that attach themselves to my brain…much like moss on rocks or shelf mushrooms on trees. If I allow them to stay, they grow and pull me into a downward spiral. That happens when I make the choice to dwell on them, play out scenarios with them, and eventually allow them to master me which in turn affects my actions, attitudes, and demeanor.

God has used today’s passage to implore me to cut them off and out! I can do that by meditating on Scripture (such as Philippians 4:8), depending on His Spirit to infuse me with truth, keeping my thoughts on what brings life instead of death, remembering past counsel I have received from friends and books, voicing my praise and thanksgiving to God, filling my life with music that is full of spirit and truth, continually seeking communion and communication with God, and refusing to allow the wrong thoughts to be introduced, entertained, or sustained.

I have a choice in the matter and God is more than willing to help me make the right choice. His desire for me is to live in spacious freedom rather than the confines of emotional dungeons. He wants to release me from all that binds me to earthly weaknesses. He longs to lead me into living out of my spirit rather than my flesh. One step at a time He is showing me how to do that!

Father, You have once again stoked the fires of my teachable spirit. I accept Your invitation and Your help to be made whole. It will take time but it will be accomplished. Amen.

He Sends His Love - Point of Grace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SatL1vr_Cvs

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

It Should Make a Difference

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9 (New American Standard Bible)

Paul’s pattern for prayer leaves me in awe. Read any of his epistles and you will find the same theme regarding his prayers for fellow believers. Many of them were young in their faith and facing difficulties of persecution, false teachings, and living in a society that did anything but encourage a deep walk with God. While he could not be with them in person, he continually lifted them up to the One who was with them on a permanent basis. God held their spiritual lives in His hands and was faithfully helping them to take steps forward on their journey. Paul was not only passionate about sharing the gospel but was deeply concerned about the spiritual growth that would follow each salvation decision. Each convert and each congregation held a special place in his heart and he expressed his love and concern in his prayers and in his letters to them.

My Bible note gives an interesting interpretation of the knowledge for which Paul prayed. It says, Biblical knowledge is not merely the possession of facts. Rather, knowledge and wisdom in the Bible are practical, having to do with godly living. In other words, my actual intake of Biblical knowledge is proportional to how I am applying it to my life. If it is not making a difference in the way I think, speak, and act it is merely mental ascent. So how will I know if God’s Word is having an effect on me? Paul proceeds with quite the litmus test.

His desire (and God’s desire) is that each believer lives a life that is pleasing to God, full of fruit from their good works, continually increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened by the very power of God, persistent and patient in their walk, and joyfully thankful to the God who has saved them. Does it mean we reach perfection in this life? No. But it does demonstrate a need for progress. How well are we doing at allowing God to instill these qualities in us? God’s Word is meant to be read and then bred in us. May genuine change be evidenced to ourselves as well as the people in our lives.

Father, taking in Your truths is the easy part. Living out what I take in is the daily challenge. I look to You for the strength and ability to run my race well. May I not block Your work in me. Amen.

Thy Word - Amy Grant http://youtube.com/watch?v=RNkwbEwA-DY

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

His Promises and Passion

Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. Jeremiah 31:4 (New King James Version)

For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. Jeremiah 31:25 (New King James Version)

Built, rebuilt, satiated, and replenished! What a mighty God we serve! Who but God could make such promises and see them through to completion? In the midst of struggles, failures, doubts, and fears, His Words stand as spectacular lights to illumine our paths. These were the verses I drank in yesterday and they have become His promises to me. God knows how to target our hearts with needed arrows of truth and I take comfort and joy in that.

For me, the idea of being built and rebuilt speaks of a process and progress. There are no easy roads to spiritual maturity. No quick fixes to deliverance and freedom. No miracle grow formula to rush what may take years to develop. That is not the way God operates. He is a skilled craftsman and takes His time. I look forward to each dance of joy He gives me!

When I saw the words satiated and replenished I smiled. To me, those words refer to complete satisfaction and supplying what is lacking. Filling those empty places and supplying those ever present needs. He makes up for all the times of stumbling and falling behind I do. His loving patience astounds me over and over again.

I have said it before and I will say it again. I don’t always do, say, or think the right things. I spiral and live in pits more often than I care to admit. I lose my focus and get off track on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. I have read my own devotions and at times wondered who writes them because the words sometimes seem so far removed from where I am at. But even with all of that, I am covered by the grace of God. I am strengthened by His Spirit that lives in me. I am adorned with His garments of praise. And I long for more! More knowledge of Him. More steps of obedience. More victory over darkness. More opportunities to get it right. More times where my eyes sparkle with His life. And those desires have been increased with the precious verses that sit atop this page.

Father, You once again intersected my world with Yourself. I am in awe of You and amazed at what You do! Amen.

Days of Elijah - Robin Mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HDJ3xyvjMU

There are now over 800 previous devotionals housed on my blog site. Read them according to date, theme or book of the Bible. Copy them for a personal notebook. Share them with others. Enjoy!

Fueled With Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (New International Version)

I received an email from a friend who admits to struggling with staying hopeful that her situation will improve. She sees small rays of light and many moments of uncertainty. Another friend lives with physical pain and a debilitating disease. In the midst of more pain than wholeness she too fights to hold on to hope. For some it is finances, job security, difficult marriages, wayward children, strained or severed relationships, or any number of scenarios that lie outside our ability to bring about the change we long for.

I am involved in a study entitled Created to be God’s Friend. At times, the lessons can be profound as God uses them to shine the light of truth on my internal world. This past week as I was answering questions, one answer exposed my own feeling of hopelessness. I was forced to admit my doubts about forthcoming change in me. Because I still battle on a daily basis certain mindsets and attitudes, I succumbed to the idea that complete freedom and wholeness would not be realized in this life time. I know now that it is a dangerous thing to wave the white flag of surrender over any area of my life that stands within the arena of God’s transforming touch. God, who never changes, does not view me as unchangeable, and He wants me to trust Him enough to bring about those changes.

With the truths of Scripture, the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and timely counsel of a wise friend, my hope has been re-ignited. I am not a basket case or a statue of immobility when it comes to God’s work in my life. My situations of the heart are not outside the realm of His potter’s wheel. How the enemy must detest truth that he knows will set me free.

To any who are facing what feels like hopeless scenarios, I give to you the words of today’s verse and ask you to allow God to speak them over your life. In the midst of pain, turmoil, or disappointment, it is God’s intent that you walk with hope, peace, and joy. Those are not empty words! They are banners of victory waved over us even though we can’t see the end of our stories. The God of hope wants to lavish us with the hope that only He can give. As I allow Him to do that I notice what I am hoping for is changing and with that change I am being changed.

Father, my view of You and what You are like is changing for the good. I live in the hope You provide and I dance with delight! Amen.

The Voice of Hope - Lara Martin
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qbk1TGe5k0Q

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

When It Is Part of God's Plan

So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. Genesis 21:14 (New King James Version)

I have been trying to take in the truths of Genesis 21 throughout last night and into this morning. It is a story that hits home with me and forces me to rethink some conclusions. It is personal because I have experienced a similar scenario in my own life.

Abraham was commanded by God to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Ishmael was his first born son whom he loved deeply and had dreams for. Sending him away entailed a death of those dreams but not of his love. It involved seeing God’s separate plans for him and Ishmael. It displayed a trust that God knew what He was doing and would carry out His plan for both their lives. It demonstrated a harsh reality for me as I read it. God’s plan called for a separation and severance. I cannot imagine the sense of loss, confusion, and feelings of rejection that must have entered the life of Ishmael at that time. I don’t know if he ever saw God’s hand in it or how he ever viewed his father from that point on. But Scripture does tell me that God was with him in the wilderness and made of him a great nation. The loss of his relationship with his father did not mean the loss of God’s plan for his life. It meant the fulfillment of that plan.

I know what it is like to be in relationship with a spiritually significant person. I know what it is like to build hopes and dreams on how that relationship will continue. But I also know the sense of loss, confusion, and feelings of rejection when separation and severance is called for. It feels worse than death and leaves one stripped raw with emotional pain. Yet it is imperative that I see for myself what I see in the story of Ishmael. God has a plan for me and will see that plan through to fulfillment.

For me, that plan entails keeping my eyes on Him and allowing Him to do His work in and through me. He knows that I still desire the relationship He brought to an end. He knows I still battle negative thoughts and feelings. But none of that stops Him from keeping His hand on my life and directing me down the path of His choosing. I am slowly learning to trust Him to finish what He started. I anticipate the day when I experience beauty for ashes and joy for the sadness. Today, the anticipation grows just a little more.

Father, I see my story in Your Word and I long for the completion of that story. Amen.

Beauty For Ashes - Crystal Lewis & Ron Kenoly
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2CZ6IsGjEug

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

Promised Victory

A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust. Matthew 12:20, 21 (New King James Version)

There are times when I feel like a bruised reed (battered and shattered) but this morning I see two promises that speak life to me. God is not going to break me even in the weakest condition and victory is forthcoming. I need those words and embrace them for a new day.

I have witnessed victory in some areas of my life that I was sure would do me in. I have felt broken in the midst of disappointment, loss, and heartache. But I am here to tell you the victory did come and the it strengthened my hope for future victories. I am convinced there is not an area in my life that is a permanent condition….especially when it comes to heart issues and attitudes. When I see them, they stand as reminders that God will work. God will give the victory.

This past weekend, I attended a women’s conference entitled “From Brokenness to Blessedness.” The theme alone told me God had something in mind for me, so I made the decision to not invite anyone to go with me. I wanted to be unhindered and undistracted so that I could respond freely to whatever would happen. Little did I realize the work He was about to do in me. As the speakers talked, an issue I had been battling rose to the surface and I was reduced to tears….many tears. No sound, simply tears. Just as they would subside, a fresh flow would start. They seemed to be driven by a profound sadness….the very spirit of heaviness that had enveloped me for the past two years. It took Friday evening and Saturday morning for me to reach the place where I had completely drained myself of tears. What followed was an internal peace that had been eluding me. What made me sad all this time has not changed but the sadness is gone. Gone! It has been three days and I am proclaiming victory! This will forever be a spiritual marker in my life and one I will recall and recount often when future battles rage.

I share this to say, other issues I am dealing with are under the same death sentence as far as God is concerned. I don’t know what the deliverance will look like but I know it is coming….I have God’s Word on it and a past experience to treasure!

Father, I marvel at what You have done. You have not only delivered me from a spirit of heaviness, You have birthed hope within me. Help me see the victories that still await my realization. In the name of Jesus, amen!

Power of Your Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6Qtxzd6vk&feature=related

If what you are reading is touching your spirit and increasing your thirst for God then you are one of the reasons I wrote it. I want to extend a personal invitation to you to join my email devotional family and allow me to send them to you directly! Simply send an email to shattuck7@sbcglobal.net and request to be added to my devotional list. It would be my honor and privilege to do so.