Category Archives: Devo Drops

Thoughts on daily devotional scripture readings

Beginning – Day 2

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“In the beginning was the Word…” John 1:1

John was the last of the four gospel writers to record the life and times of Jesus.  He must have given great thought as to how he would begin his account. This one would be different from the other three.

Matthew began with a genealogy going all the way back to Abraham. Mark jumped right in with grown-up-Jesus coming to be baptized. Luke started with a proper introduction and the back-story before writing a detailed account of Jesus’ birth.  Luke’s family tree traced Jesus’ lineage even farther – clear back to Adam.

But John wanted to start at the very beginning (a very good place to start).

Perhaps he turned to Genesis 1:1 for inspiration.  “In the beginning, God…”

John presented Jesus not as a baby, not as a man — but as The Word.

A Word with creative energy.

A self-existent Word.

A Word with skin on.

This disciple whom Jesus loved recognized his Beloved Savior in that inaugural beginning.

Before Abraham, before Adam, before time and light and molecules.

In that beginning was the Word,

who would later come and live for awhile among us.

word

Beginning – Day 1

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When I was in elementary school, every fall my history book started with Christopher Columbus discovering America. I thought the world began in 1492. Being a good Methodist Sunday school girl, I knew Jesus walked the earth sometime before that. Like maybe 1482. So….not in America. Needless to say, my concept of time was a bit skewed when I was in 3rd grade.

Years later, when teaching history to my own children, I was shocked to find that the timeline we put up on our wall measured several feet from 1492 to present.  But the years prior to 1492 wrapped around our whole house. Time has been around a long time.

beginningThe Bible’s opening words are, “In the beginning…”

But long before God said, “Let there be light,” there was an eternity stretching out across the formless surface of the deep. God was there before the beginning began.

January is a good time to think about beginnings. A new year, a new journal, a new budget book, a new list of goals.  New possibilities, new opportunities, new challenges.

Shall we begin?

 

2016 Bible Reading Plan

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bible readingYou are cordially invited to join me in reading the Bible in 2016!  I’ve created a little plan to help me stay on track and I am happy to offer it to you. This one is doable – reading a chapter or two every Monday through Friday, with weekends for catching up. Each month there is a new focus so if you crash and burn, you can start fresh at the start of the next month. There is a variety here from both Old and New Testament — history, prophecy, gospels, epistles and poetry. It’s all good.  Very good.

As Charles Spurgeon said, “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.” So let’s wear out our Good Books this year.

Each month, a new set of readings will be available here – just click on “2016 Bible Reading Plan” at the top of the page.  I’d love to know if I’m flying solo or if you’re traveling along. Leave a comment or email me at dinah.overlien@gmail.com and say, “I’m in.”

 

Tears

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I go into my room, sit in my chair and set out to pray for this desperate, broken, sad world which God so loves.

Words don’t come.

How does one pray for the world?

Finally I say, “Father, show me Your heart for the world.”

And sudden tears spring to my eyes, taking me by surprise.

Oh, I see.

Your heart weeps for the world.

And I wonder, will God be just as relieved and happy as the rest of us when the new heaven and new earth finally arrive?

Does the promise of no more tears apply to God as well?

When He wipes every last tear from our eyes, will that also be the end of our Father’s tears?

god so loved

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  Revelation 21:4

Running the Route

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greenIt’s football season and for us Cheeseheads, there’s excitement in the crisp, cool autumn air.  Our Green Bay Packers are off to a 5-0 start.  Things are looking up after a dismal summer of baseball doldrums in Wisconsin.

I admit that I don’t completely understand football.  Other sports seem to be more straight-forward.  For instance, golf — a little ball, a little hole.  Chase the little ball around until it goes in the little hole.  What’s so hard about that?

In baseball, there is a fairly small window across home plate where the pitch is predictably coming. The batter knows the ball is arriving somewhere between his knees and the letters on his jersey.  All he has to do is hit that ball when he sees it coming straight at him.  Easy schmeesy.

In basketball, everyone on the court knows where that ball is going — through a round hole 18″ in diameter and 10 feet off the ground.  Every single time.  Yawn.

But with football, there’s this thing called a moving target.  The quarterback must throw the ball to where the receiver is GOING to be.  Sure, they plan it all out when they huddle up before the play.  Hopefully, the guy runs his route as expected so he happens to be at exactly the same place as the incoming ball at exactly the right time, if the quarterback threw the ball at exactly the right speed.

That concept is a little beyond my grasp, obviously.  But some measure of truth did leak out into my soul.

I need to get in a huddle with God at the start of every day.  I need His Word to give me the game plan.  Then, I need to run the route in obedience rather then tearing around on the field expending lots of energy but never being in the right place at the right time.  I need to be open to receive whatever comes at me during the day and run with it.

Football is complicated.

That’s why it’s so impressive when teams make it look easy.

Following through on God’s commands is not that hard.

That’s why it’s so baffling when we make it look complicated.

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”  Hebrews 12:1

Adoration

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adore

The ACTS acronym has been around a long time.  It serves as a method of prayer that includes Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. I remember learning this handy dandy prayer model when I was a kid. Plus, it’s in the book “Christian Prayer for Dummies”.  So it’s nothing new.

I’ve never had trouble coming up with things to confess — there’s plenty of fodder for that.  Thanksgiving is easy — I just have to open my eyes and look in front of my nose.  My prayers tend to lean heavy on the supplication side — there’s no end to the list of things I ask God for on a regular basis.

Adoration is my weak spot.

I can’t think of much to say.

According to the dictionary, to adore means to regard with the utmost esteem, love and respect; to like or admire very much.

If I was at Menards and happened to see a certain HGTV decorating star, I’d go up to her and say, “I love your show! Your style is so warm and inviting and your creativity is so inspiring!  I so look forward to seeing your designs each week!  You are my favorite decorator!”  (Yes, I would use all those exclamation points.)  (And I would say “so” three times.)

If I was at the library and ran into an author I highly respect, I’d whisper, “Your books have meant the world to me.  I admire the way your stories connect with life.  You are so good at putting things in a way that resonates with me.  I’m so honored to meet you and be able to tell you how I feel.”

If I had a backstage pass at a concert and had the chance to speak to a musician I’ve always loved, I’d say, “The songs you sing speak right to my heart.  I play your albums all the time and know every one of your songs.  I think you’re the best songwriter ever.”

There.  That wasn’t so hard.

Adoring God is simply telling Him what I love about Him.

“God, I love Your style, Your creativity, Your words, the way You touch my heart.  You are my favorite — the best ever, and I’m honored to worship You.”

Adoration.

Teach Us To Pray

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The disciples didn’t ask Jesus to teach them how to

walk on water,

or multiply loaves and fishes,

or quiet a storm.

They never asked for lessons in

preaching

or healing

or driving out demons.

There was no request for interpretation of Old Testament passages,

or an explanation of original sin and the fall of man.

The only thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them was

how

to

pray.

So let’s not ask God to wow us with wonders,

or check off our wish list,

or indulge our whims.

Let’s not get hung up on

eschatology

or hagiology

or epistemology.

Let’s just lay down our pride and say,

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

teach us

Going Into the Closet

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closet“But when you pray, go into your closet, close the door and pray to your Father….”  Matthew 6:6

What do you think Jesus really meant when He said this?

Was He implying that I should try to find a happy place in my mind so I can feel a sense of calm and peacefulness?

Was the Lord hinting that I should shut my eyes when I pray to cut down on distractions?

Did Jesus mean that I should pray about what clothes to wear every morning?

Could He have been suggesting that if I can’t close my closet doors, that perhaps I have too many clothes?

Or was He instructing that I should

go into a closet

close the door

and pray?

Could you do it?  Would you do it?  Should you do it?

I mean, actually clear a place in an actual closet in your house, put a folding chair inside, and go sit on it for a few minutes every day. What would it be like to close your closet door and talk to God in there?

prayer closet

Nah, that can’t be what He meant.  I’d feel foolish sitting in my closet, praying.  What if someone heard me?  That would be embarrassing.  How would I explain my unusual actions?  Surely He wouldn’t ask me to do something odd like that.  What could possibly be the benefit of such a strange practice?  I must be taking Jesus’ words too literally.

“Prayer is not learned in a classroom, but in a closet.” E.M. Bounds

Prayers

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praying childI used to pray the same bed-time prayer every night.  My mom would tuck me in and listen to me recite this verse:

“Day is done, gone the sun, God be with us everyone.”

Then I would go on to “God Bless” everybody — Mommy and Daddy, Grandpas and Grandmas, brothers and sister, cousins and friends.

When our family gathered around the supper table and it was my turn to say the blessing, I always rattled off this little ditty:meal prayer

“Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God, for everything.”

My siblings and I each had our own special prayers to recite.  I don’t know who chose those little sing-songy verses or they how they got assigned to us.  Meals didn’t start until dad called on someone to say grace and we all bowed our heads.  For Sunday dinner, my brother would usually get the nod because his prayer was short enough to get in between plays of the Packer game:

“God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Amen.”

My prayers have changed since those days, but sometimes I still feel like I’m saying the same things over and over again.  If I’m getting bored with the way I pray, I wonder how God feels.  I have a lot to learn here.

Prayer is one of those topics that tend to induce guilt (“I know I should pray more.”) or anxiety (“I don’t have to pray out loud, do I?”) or doubt (Does it really make a difference?”).  Prayer can seem mysterious, but as Billy Graham once said, “Prayer is simply a conversation between you and God.”  And most of us are pretty good at talking.  Listening, on the other hand, can be a problem.

This fall I’m going to be leading a Bible study on prayer, so expect the topic to come up here in the coming weeks. I don’t expect to have an answer for every question about prayer or attempt to solve this thing once and for all.  Instead, my hope is that we will take a step forward in enjoying our relationship with our loving Father, who wants to chat with us awhile every day.

Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.  Psalm 54:2

It’s Time

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FullSizeRender

Sometime this summer, this old clock stopped ticking.

Actually, it’s not an old clock.  It’s a $5.99 clock from Ikea.

I remember the day it happened.

One of my grands dipped it in the bathtub until the 5, 6, and 7 were drowning.

I dried it off and set it back on my desk, but the ticker was silent.

IMG_1474

I guess you could say that sometime this summer, I kinda stopped ticking, too.

I don’t know when it happened.

Maybe I was drowning in funerals (5) and weddings (6) and fun activities (at least 7).

I allowed myself to be silent for awhile.

Today I picked up that clock, wiped off the soap scum, twirled those hands around, and gave it a shake.

 The ticking returned! The rhythm is back!

My clock came back to life!

So I figure it’s telling me to do the same —

dust off the dander, limber up my hands, and breath some life back into small drop.

May the click of ideas and the rhythm of words return.

It’s time.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”  Ecclesiastes 3:1