Tag: daily devotional

His little voice caught my attention as he walked holding his Mama’s hand
through the parking-lot. I heard him loudly, proudly spelling, “Y-B-B-O-L Y-B-B-
O-H . . . HOME DEPOT!!!”

I chuckled as they passed me as I headed to my car with my purchase. He was
so happy to think he had spelled and knew the big store sign!

I wondered how often we, as God’s children, proudly announce things to Him that
we are confident that we understand, when, in fact, we are seeing something
backwards along our Walk with Him, but excitedly conclude that we’ve “Got it!”
Does He smile at our attempts to make Him proud of us, His Kids? We think
we’ve figured something out, and are happy to show-and-tell Him what we
“know.” We may have all of the pieces of the Picture, but often in the wrong
order, and with wrong conclusions.

Does He let go of our hand as we walk together, with our mistakes and wrong
conclusions? Or does He continue holding us safely as we do our best to keep
up and make Him proud.

I think He quietly smiles, knowing that we are trying . . . still learning. Someday
we will understand, and love Him even more for His Patience and Unfailing Love
as we walk through life together.

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“Behold . . .
We go up to Jerusalem. . . “
Luke 18:31

Today’s news struck an ominous note to me . . . Lebanon was being bombed by Israel. . . and
Jerualem would be a retaliation target. That is not really anything “new”, unfortunately, in the history of our world. In Jesus’ time, Jerusalem / Israel was under Rome’s military Occupation.

But Jesus, knowing what was to come for Him . . . His ultimate Mission and Death, . . . still
went, and brought His closest friends with Him.

What might Jesus be asking you to do this day, as you follow Him?
Are you paying attention?
Is it scary?
Is it beyond what you think you can do?
Maybe it’s “the worst” you could imagine.

You . . . I . . . we do not know what lies ahead. But Jesus does. And as He calls your name this day, or tomorrow, or next week and beyond, the Call is direct . . . and clear: “Let’s go . . . “ with Him.

When you choose to follow, that is the bottom line.

Will you follow His, “Let’s go” ?

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Check out Janet’s new book, Not Forgotten on Amazon.

“My Kindness is all you need.
My Power is strongest when you are weak.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

For most of my adult life, I was privileged to have a front row Seat in watching God carry out
some incredibly amazing Answers to some extremely difficult Problems in my personal world.

The Problem: 1 very “lost” small-town young man + 1 very shy “PK” (Pastor’s Kid) + a large population of very troubled young people + God = People (estimate unavailable) now in the Kingdom of God.

I was the “church girl / PK (pastor’s kid)” who had known Jesus since the age of 3, when I
remember asking Jesus to “forgive me and come into my heart.” I promised to love Him forever.

Of course, at that point, my sin history was fairly brief . . .such as being mad at my little sister, sticking my tongue out behind the door at my un-seeing parent on the other side of the door, clipping an ant with my blunt-nose scissors . . . but I had a sense that those things would probably not make Jesus happy or proud of me.

When, in my mid-20’s, God brought a fairly new Believer into my life, I had never imagined
marrying a Coast Guard guy . . . a former “pot-head” with a troubled teenage past, raised a
Catholic (his church highlight was drinking the left-over wine from the Host as an altar boy.)
That was followed by years of living without any personal awareness of Who God really is, nor of God’s Love and Purpose waiting in his future.

Our unlikely Math added 3 boys to our picture, and then 1+1+1+1+1….to an un-numbered Sum, of troubled young and not-so-young people from our city and beyond, all the way to the Sahara Desert of North Africa.

Our human logic can never attain the Logic of our Creator. He by-passed all human “logic”
when He created the world . . . the heavens . . . and our own human forms designed to carry His Own Spirit in each one. He far surpassed human logic when He sent His Son to die on earth so that we could live forever with Him.

May we carry that Eternal Treasure of His “illogical Math” as we individually live out our
numbered Days. And may you be numbered in the Divine “+” to His Equation into which He has added us.

Part 3

“Come to Me. I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

Rest.

Such a simple, common word. Such a common human need. Such a common, human
experience. . . but not always within our grasp.

Remember an experience when you were utterly exhausted. You could hardly put one foot infront of the other, because your strength was gone. There was nothing left in you to give.

Many in our world have lost the experience of true “rest.” Stress, pressure, emotional turmoil . . . so much a part of our lives in a world that is full of activity, effort, fear, insecurity.

Jesus certainly faced that common human reality while He walked in our world. He would not have experienced our earthly, human limitations in Heaven’s Realm before He chose to come in human form and live the human experience. He spoke of rest. He took rest. Even in a boat during a violent storm, His human body needed to sleep.

But “sleep” is not necessarily “rest.” We may be able to sleep. . . but wake up with the same
emotional turmoil, mental anguish, heart-aches, and spiritual emptiness that drains Life from our very beings. We carry emotional and mental weights that are too heavy to bear.We take on burdens that slow our walk to a crawl. Or to a halt.

Jesus’ simple, open Invitation is exactly what our exhausted, empty souls need. Rest. Not just a physical “rest”. Not just a mental “rest.” Not just an emotional “rest.” But a rest that only He can give. An all-encompassing rest that touches far beyond the physical need. It touches our very soul.

I will never forget an experience I had in the Sahara Desert, in the refugee camps in July one summer. Temperatures were +120 degrees Fahrenheit, with no breeze. I dragged myself into a tent and laid on a thin rug covering the sand. Completely exhausted, dehydrated, hot, and fully wrapped in my traditional covering, I fell asleep. A few hours later, I slowly began to awaken, with a soft awareness of gentle hands holding one foot, and then the other, tenderly wiping each with a soft, wet cloth. Without opening my eyes, the gentle care brought me back to awareness and the sensation of tender hands and a soft, wet cloth tenderly removing the dusty, gritty sand that coated my cracked, sore feet. First one. Then the other. I was having a little taste of Heaven on that desert floor! My senses were being awakened. . . my thoughts began to engage, . . . my exhausted mind sensed “life” returning, and my heart was aware of God’s gentle love and care . . . through the hands of a loving friend.

That simple, tender act of kindness . . . to the most unseemly, battered part of my body, brought an unmatched sense of love, care, soothing, and comfort like nothing I had experienced before. It continues to be one of those moments that I will never forget.

A worn basin, cool water, a humble cloth, and gentle hands. When offered into God’s Hands,
they bring healing that goes deeper than our eyes can see.

(Part 1)

“I have told you this so that
My Peace will be with you.
In the world you will have trouble.
But don’t be sad!
I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

They had spent the evening together. They had shared a meal, spent time together in a
comfortable setting, and had enjoyed uninterrupted time relaxing and simply enjoying each
other’s company without the frequent demands that came to Jesus from people who wanted His attention and help. Jesus had washed their feet before the meal, taking personal time in that simple, kind, practical act with each of His dearest followers. They had been through so much together in the past few years.

They did not realize what was so soon to come as they sat with Him, relaxing that evening. He showed no signs of worry, or fear, or sadness as they spent that time together. Jesus was focused on His friends, giving them encouragement. They were not aware of how frightening and difficult the coming hours and days would be. . . not only for them, but for Him.

In those hours spent together, Jesus gave His full attention to them. He was not focused on the horrors that He knew were to take place later that night and the coming days. His full attention was on them. He was focused on them. . . these friends with whom He had shared Life and ministry for the past three years.

I cannot imagine spending the final hours of my life, knowing of horrific events that would soon begin to unfold, focused on a roomful of friends, sharing a meal, being the “Perfect Host,” and being fully Present with them throughout that final evening. What Love! What selfless attention He focused on them. Simple. Practical. Needful. Care for His friends. Serving them, with the full knowledge of what was to come for Him.

May my focus . . . my priorities . . . my energies reflect to the people who matter most in my life, the selflessness that Jesus lived and breathed each day. May my eyes be focused on serving and loving well throughout my days. Even when my own heart may be troubled and broken, may I reflect the One Who has loved me so well, even when it was not deserved. May those simple, practical ways of caring for the people in my life be a reflection of Jesus. . . and allow Him to use it in ways that I never could.

“Jesus said, ‘Let’s go up to Jerusalem.’”

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?! Jesus Himself inviting His followers to go with Him to Jerusalem! Such a special place! Such a “Crown Jewel” focal point for all of Israel.

But in order to go “up” to Jerusalem, you have to go down through the Kidron Valley that
surrounds the “up” of Jerusalem. It’s not glamorous. It would not have been an easy trek for
Jesus and His friends. It’s hot. It’s quite a steep hike up to Jerusalem. Not many shady spots
along the way on that steep slope. On foot. In sandals. BYO water. Etc.

But Jerusalem is worth the trek. All of Israel felt that. Even to this day, there is truly something very unique . . . VERY special about the first glimpse of Jerusalem from a distance. But winding through the heights/mountains around Jerusalem is not an easy trek on foot.

What a visual and experiential Picture God had designed as the Main Stage for His Greatest
Work to unfold in History! And through ages of turmoil and violence surrounding that Special Place, it still stands. Although the “Temple” now lives in our own hearts. . . where His Spirit resides when He has been invited . . . the Land remains.

It strikes me as SO relevant today, as Jesus continues to say to each of His Own followers now, “Let’s go up to Jerusalem.” The “City of God.” ‘Come with Me, . . . let’s Go together.’

Whatever “Valley” has been the setting of your present reality, His invitation continues. And I think that the sweetest part of the invitation is that He intends to be on the Journey with us! He could have said, “Hey! Buddy! You need to go up to Jerusalem! I have a good reason to tell you to do it. Just Trust Me!” But that’s not what He does. He is making the trek with us. No map provided. No travel coupons included. No shade even offered. . . nor Kwik Trips along the way. Basically, We’re gonna hike it together. We can do this! Let’s go! (My personal
translation, here.)

We’re all in our own “valley” spots. We’ve been following Him. Sometimes He seems “missing-in-action,’ . . . but He never is. And when those times come and He asks us to do something outside of the ‘usual,’ we might hesitate . . . question . . . start making our list of plans. That’s only human, right?

But His Response is usually quite simple. “Let’s go.” And that is enough.

“You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High.
You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare His Way,
You will make his people know that they can be saved through the forgiveness of their sins.
A new day will dawn on us from above
because our God is loving and merciful.”
Luke 1:76-78

They had longed for and prayed for God to give them a child, but their age had made it an
impossible dream. They had been faithful servants of the God of Israel, but any hope of having a baby of their own was gone.

But God’s Timing is perfect.

When Zechariah and Elizabeth had passed the point of “possibility” . . . God gave them John,
and He laid out His Plan for that pre-born baby boy. Speaking to the tiny life growing in
Elizabeth’s womb, God gave the child His Purpose, and his name: John. He would be the
Voice in the desert, announcing and preparing his nation for the One soon to come into the
world during John’s lifetime. The mission God would give their son in his adult life:
Announcing and preparing his nation for the Messiah’s coming. All those years of longing for a baby. . . and Hope was gone. Only God’s Intervention could make it possible.

And He did. . . in a direct Communication from God, while still in his mama’s womb, God gave
that tiny human his Purpose in life. His message would be laying the Groundwork for the
coming Messiah, already being “knit together” in his Cousin Mary’s womb.

God gives us a Glimpse of how and who He uses to carry out His Words, Love, and Purposes in this world. Luke, a chosen disciple of Jesus, gives us through his writings, a glimpse of God’s preparations through un-likely people . . . even infants and small children . . . to join Him in bringing His Light into our dark world. Sometimes even little ones give us pearls of wisdom that come through the mouths of babes…a most unexpected source.

May we be willing and obedient “children” to listen to our Father’s Words and speak them in a dark world waiting for His Light.