Category Archives: Devo Drops

Thoughts on daily devotional scripture readings

Weakness

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Back in January, when I was writing down goals and plans for the year ahead, I asked God for a word. One word. A word to focus on in 2016. I thought I had picked a good one. I liked it. He didn’t agree.

Me: Flourishing — can this be my word for the year? Please?

God: No, I’m sorry, but not this year. I have another word chosen especially for you.

Me: Oh. What is the word?

God: Weakness.

Me:

God: Did you hear Me?

Me: I don’t think I like it. I don’t like weakness.

God: It’s a good word. Let me teach you all about it.

Me:

I guess it’s about time to respond, now that half the year has come and gone. I don’t like the sound of that word any more than I did in January, but it’s still there waiting for me. So I did a search for “weakness” in the Bible and uncovered some surprises.

Weakness is looked upon as being a very positive quality in the scriptures. Paul talks about it a lot in 2 Corinthians 12.

“I delight in weaknesses”….”for when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul goes so far as to say, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses….I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.” Why? Because God’s power “is made perfect in weakness”.

It seems God specializes in picking underdogs. Moses had a speech impediment. Gideon was the least in his family and from the weakest clan. Shepherd boy David faced down a giant. Paul had a disability. Even Jesus came to earth as a vulnerable little baby and later was “crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.” 2 Corinthians 13:4

Weakness.

This word is better than I thought.

Too bad I waited six months to start looking into it.

I’m ready now. Teach me all about it, Lord.

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A Tourist’s Guide to Heaven

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This summer I have the privilege of taking some women on a guided tour of Heaven in preparation for their trip there. Hopefully that excursion is a ways off, but it’s not too early to get a look at what is in store.

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If someone gave me an all-expense paid trip to Paris, flight included, I’d be a fool to turn it down. My first reaction would be one of tremendous gratitude. My second response would be to read up on all the things a traveler might need to know. Where is this place, exactly? What should I bring? What will we eat? What does the city look like? What are some highlights that shouldn’t be missed? Can my dog come along? What’s the weather like? What language will be spoken? What time zone will we be in? Who will we meet there? Do I need a passport?

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I’m happy to be a trip advisor for these young women. We’ll answer all those questions and many more. Is Heaven for real? Is there an actual stairway to heaven? Does God look like Morgan Freeman? Do angels play harps? Was John Lennon right about heaven? Is Beyonce? Are there streets of gold? Is there a pearly gate? Is there sex in Heaven? (That one got your attention.)

Goodness, we’re going to have fun digging into the travel guide called The Holy Bible. The only Person who has ever come from there, visited here, and gone back again has a lot to say about the place. I think we should take His eye-witness word for it.

Hopefully this will be the summer we all get a little more heavenly minded and find ourselves anticipating our eternal future with unbridled joy and rock-solid confidence.

Because the most important detail is this:

we’re not going sight-seeing.

We’re going home.

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“But our citizenship is in heaven.” Phil. 3:20

Another and Another

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I spent a few days with some women who are writers.

Real writers.

Actual published authors.

These ladies knew what they were doing, where they were going and how they were going to get there. They knew their klout score and their social media strategy and how to pitch their book to a publisher. I was in awe of their brilliance. So much good writing is already out there. At the end of the retreat, I had to ask a question:

God, does the world really need another writer?

The answer came at sunrise on the lakeshore.

“Does the world need another doctor? or preacher? or scientist? or teacher? I need another and another and another.

I’ll tell you what I don’t need — a bunch of people questioning and doubting and hemming and hawing about whether or not they should use the gifts I’ve given them. I have already set up divine appointments for your words. Yes, I need another writer.

Next time, don’t ask what the world needs.

Ask what I need.

Then get to it.”

arrowhead sunrise

 

Still Learning to Be Still

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Awhile ago, I wrote some thoughts about what it means to be still.  Five years later, I’m still learning to be still.  God had a talk with me about it. Here’s how it went:

What do you want to say to me, God?

Mostly I just want to sit here beside you.

No commandments, no instructions, no assignments?

Mostly I just want you to sit here beside Me.

Shouldn’t we be about the business of heaven?

Let’s just sit here together for awhile.

But, isn’t time of the essence?

Child, I am the Essence of Time.

You can only understand that as we sit here together for a little while.

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Be

still

and

know

that

I

am

God.

Psalm 46:10

 

 

Behold!

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What does it mean to “behold”?

It means to “be” — be present, be engaged, be aware.

It means to “hold” — keep a focused gaze, set the eye on, see into.

In order to experience “wonder” we need to “behold”.

A friend reminded me of these truths with a flower and a word.

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What does this flower tell me about God?

One flower, three magnificent petals.

Three in One.

Behold!

I carried the word in my pocket all day.

It helped me see what is right before my eyes.

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Taste and See

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I tried to cook my cookbook.

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Ms. Betty Crocker was not amused.

See that look in her eye?

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No golden roasted chicken sprang forth, no practically perfect pie appeared, no crusty wholegrain bread was in sight. They all stayed put on the cover, taunting me.

The charred cookbook had no flavor.

Then someone taught me to open the pages, read the instructions and follow them obediently. I learned to get my hands in the dough, knead with all my might, patiently wait for the creation to come together. I discovered the joy of opening my mouth, taking in the goodness, savoring the flavor.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)

God wants me to use my senses to experience Him. It’s only in the opening up of myself to His Word, the working in and pushing out of the gospel, the willingness to wait for the Spirit to rise – only then can I begin to gain understanding of His goodness.

It’s only in the receiving of the Bread of Life, the swallow of commitment, the joyful discovery of nourishment – only then can I begin to see Him in all of His glory.

I can look at a cardboard picture of a roasted chicken,

but I can’t know the succulent, juicy flavor unless I taste the real thing.

I can observe evidence of God’s goodness in the world,

but I can’t know He is good to me until I take Him in.

“Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10)

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and you will delight in the richest of fare. (Isaiah 55:2)

Lengthen and Strengthen

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I’ve been hanging out with Isaiah this month. He starts out strong and doesn’t let up for 66 chapters.  Lots of judgment in the first 39 chapters is followed by comfort and consolation (mixed with a little more judgment) in the last 27 chapters. Speaking on God’s behalf to a rebellious nation wasn’t an easy job, so not too many applied for the position.

But when God said, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah was like the kid in the back row of the 3rd grade classroom who desperately wanted to be the first one to give the answer to the teacher.  Isaiah shot his hand up in the air and almost fell out of his seat, saying “Ooo, oo, oo, me!  Send me!!!  Pick me!!!”  God must have loved that.

When I got to chapter 54, I hit the brakes and squealed to a halt.  There it was — flashing in red lights and sounding the siren. “Enlarge the site of your tent, and stretch out the drapes of your dwellings; don’t hold back. Lengthen your tent ropes and strengthen your stakes.” (verse 2)  

There has been a theme looking me square in the face every time I turn around lately. Every book I read, every Bible study and Sunday school class I sit in on, and even in a conference I attended, the same idea keeps hounding me.  It boils down to this:

I have spent a lot of time and effort putting my stakes down deep. I’ve studied, read, prayed and memorized. I’ve pounded down some sturdy anchors. Now it’s about time to lengthen the ropes.

Strong stakes aren’t for the purpose of keeping me safe and sound in my own little protective tent, complete with all the creature comforts this world has to offer. They are there to create the potential for enlarging my site, to make more room for whoever God wants to bring my way.  I don’t know exactly what “stretching out the drapes” will entail. I’m not sure what or who I’m making space for. But the message is loud and clear.

Strengthen the stakes and lengthen the ropes.

Lengthen and strengthen.

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Saving the World

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I was talking to a friend recently about things we did when we were younger, when our fresh faith set us on fire for the Lord. We shared stories of innocent, but not very well thought-out attempts to share Jesus with everyone we possibly could.

She told about getting some friends together and going downtown at bar closing time with hot coffee. They stood on the sidewalks and “ministered” to tipsy people by handing out free cups of strong, black java. There were some issues with this “reaching out” tactic, however well intentioned. First, nobody remembered the nice church people in the morning. Second, it wasn’t the safest place for young people to be hanging out. Third, it got awkward when someone they recognized from the next pew stumbled out of the establishment.

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Her story reminded me of my own fervent attempts to spread the love of Jesus. When I would visit a public restroom I would take a Sharpie marker out of my purse and add to the graffiti in the stall. Right above the roll of toilet paper, I would solemnly write, “Let Jesus wipe away your sins.” This method of evangelism also was questionable. First, writing on public property was vandalism. Second, it was borderline offensive. Third, I doubt if there was any real soul searching as a result of my entreaty.

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After some study, it appears that the Bible is silent on both handing out coffee at 2 a.m. and writing on bathroom walls. The closest the Good Book comes to mentioning coffee is naming a New Testament book Hebrews. The only thing that will actually be wiped away, according to the Bible, is tears. (“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17)

God’s approach to saving the lost was much more effective.

“But God demonstrated His own love for us in this:

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 

Romans 5:8

 Maybe dying to myself and loving others sacrificially would get me better results.

Holy Week Confession

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thornsI’m grateful for Saturday — the day after Good Friday. The intense emotions of Holy Week wear me out and a breather is welcome.

Engaging in the events that marked the last week of Jesus’ life on earth was a struggle for me this year. I didn’t know if I had it in me to walk through the suffering and death of my Jesus yet again. Every year it seems to hurt more. I seriously considered just going through the motions and pushing through the dark days until the relief and rejoicing of the empty tomb on Easter morning.

In other words, I wanted to skip the suffering and go straight to the celebration.

It doesn’t work.

Because going through the motions is exactly how to engage the emotions. As a pastor’s wife, Holy Week services are not optional. I intended to show up, but I planned to keep my heart guarded and not enter in to the agonizing story once more. But showing up was all it took for God to break down my resistance.

On Thursday, I sat in the quiet sanctuary, drew near to the table, tasted the bread, swallowed the juice. I took Him in.

On Friday, I heard the words of Isaiah and Luke, surveyed the wondrous cross, sang, “If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.” He took me in.

Going through the motions is what ushered me straight into His presence.

On this blessed quiet Saturday, I am remembering that the day after the death of Christ is also the day before the glorious life of Christ. But it is the suffering of yesterday that gives weight to the jubilant joy of tomorrow.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”         Psalm 30:5

A Slow Fast

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I’ve finally discovered a way to slow down time.

Fast from something for 40 days.

My, how the days do seem to drag on.

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For Lent this year, I chose to give up reading. At first it was nice to have quite a bit of extra time to do other things. But now I’m getting antsy — longing for the feel of a book in my hands. 

Here’s what I’ve been learning on this slow fast:

1. It’s good to have a chance to be alone with my thoughts. When I grab a book every time I have a few minutes (or hours) I’m continually cramming information into my brain. It all gets squished in there and I can’t differentiate between my thoughts and the notions of the five authors I’m reading. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, given a little space to breath, I do think my own thoughts.

2. There has been a feeling of empowerment with denying myself something I assumed I needed. I can look at my TBR pile of books and say, “You’re not the boss of me.” I can drive by the library and gloat, “You have no hold on me. (Or holds for me.) ” I can click out of Amazon and resist the urge to hit “Buy now with 1-Click”. I can.

3. Limiting my reading to only one book (the Bible) has made that precious time delightfully sweet. My eyes are more eager in the early morning hours to open the pages and soak in the words. I’m paying attention better, staying more engaged and falling in love with the words of life.

4. I am learning that I can do without things and it’s not really that hard. What seemed like a lofty and admirable plan on Ash Wednesday, quickly showed itself to be small potatoes. Coffee, chocolate, Facebook, spending money, reading — those things aren’t as big a deal as we think. We could live without any of it and survive.

5. Reading lots of books had become a source of pride for me. I’ve kept track of every book I’ve read over the last twelve years and adding a title to that list was puffing me up a bit. Or maybe a lot. I don’t know who I thought I was impressing, but I didn’t see it for what it was until now.

6. Now I know what it’s been like for PB all these years when he’s wanted to go to sleep and I’ve kept the light on to read. It’s so annoying. But I’m proud of my hubby – he’s read more than I have in the last month.

7. It’s been confirmed in my mind that TV is a wasteland. Outside of watching a few documentaries and basketball games, my only other go-to activity has been to go to bed. I’ve definitely gotten more sleep than usual.

8. On the scale of what qualifies as true sacrifice, giving up reading is pretty weak. It doesn’t come close to donating a kidney or falling on a grenade to save a fellow soldier. My little experiment pales in comparison with what this Lenten season is really all about. The supreme sacrifice will never be required again – my debt has been paid in full. My eternal future has been secured, not because I gave up reading for forty days, but because my Savior gave Himself up for the love of the world.

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