Category Archives: Devo Drops

Thoughts on daily devotional scripture readings

Farther Along

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story song

I borrowed a line from my son on Easter Sunday:

“The resurrection was the greatest fourth quarter comeback in history.”

If that’s the case, then the 50 days between the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was the longest post-game wrap-up ever.

Those poor disciples.

They spent most of their three year internship with Jesus a few steps behind.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand?'” (Mark 4:13)

“Do you still not understand?” (Mark 8:21)

“But they did not understand what He meant and were afraid to ask Him.” (Mark 9:32)

“They kept asking, ‘What does He mean?  We don’t understand what He is saying.'” (John 16:18)

For three days they hid out, fearing for their lives after the crucifixion of their Teacher.

For forty days, the resurrected Jesus popped in and out of their gatherings, alive and well and….unexplainable.

For another ten days they waited for……something.  Jesus said, “wait” so they hunkered down in Jerusalem not even knowing what they were waiting for.

Ten days.

That’s a long time for eleven men to sit around.

I hope one of them remembered Jesus’ words from their last meal with Him:

“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” (John 13:7)

I often feel like I’m two (or twenty) steps behind Jesus.  I wonder why He makes me wait so much.  I wish there were more explanations for the crazy things that happen in my life and in the world.

The disciples obeyed and waited and, before long, they “got” it.  That’s what it looks like to be a follower of the Risen Christ.  When I get a little farther along, more understanding will come to me, too.  I just need to keep moving along, to get a little farther than yesterday —

don’t stop, keep walking.

This week, this is my story, this is my song.

“Farther along we’ll know all about it.  Farther along we’ll understand why.  So cheer up, my brothers, live in the sunshine.  We’ll understand this, all by and by.”

“Farther Along” by Josh Garrels

farther along

Yes To ____

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There’s something in my shower that has changed everything.
It’s not a gadget or a beauty product or a cleaning solution.
It’s a sticker.

IMG_1083

I’m not too particular about which lotions and soaps I use.
Awhile back, I picked up a cleanser called
“Yes to Blueberries”
because the label said,
“helps improve skin firmness,
protect skin,
diminish fine lines and wrinkles,
and nourish age-damaged skin.”

I’m all for firmness and diminishing wrinkles.
I tried not to be too offended by the “age-damaged” part.
Plus, it was on sale.
Plus, I like blueberries.
Grapefruit and carrots are also on my “like” list, so I tried these.

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I can’t say for sure that I’m firmer or less wrinkly,
but there is a feature of these products that has had a huge impact on me.

The soap comes with a sticker that keeps the lid from opening.
So the other day,
I grabbed my new bottle of Grapefruit Rejuvenating Body Wash
that promises “soft skin with a natural glow” and pulled the sticker off.

Huh.

Some of my most meaningful prayers have come from
reading labels in the shower.
This little two word sticker rejuvenated my spirit.

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This is the prayer of faith I’ve been trying to articulate!

God, today I say “Yes to ____”
and You fill in the blank.

Before I step out of the shower and begin the day,
before I know what the next twelve hours will bring,
before I have the chance to rethink and say “no” —
here’s my prayer:

“Yes to ______.”

Help me stand firm in the truth,
protect me from evil,
diminish my desire to sin,
and nourish my soul.
Keep my heart soft
and help me glow with the Spirit.
Amen.

For This I Have Jesus

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story song

PB says he takes it with a grain of salt when parishoners go through the line after church on Sunday, shake his hand and say, “That was a good sermon, Pastor.”  But if someone should happen to call the church office on Wednesday to say, “That was a good sermon on Sunday, Pastor”, then he’ll believe it.  If they’re still thinking about it three days later, the message must have gotten through.

Back in October of 2014, PB said something that stuck with me.

Three months later, I’m still thinking about it.

Now, that’s a good sermon.

I don’t remember the context or the scripture or the point of the message.

But I wrote down five words:

“For this, I have Jesus.”

I’ve said those words many times since.

I’ve said that phrase many times this week.

When missing dear ones, in other counties or other countries —

for this, I have Jesus.

When praying with a family in a pediatric hospital waiting room —

for this, we have Jesus.

When gathering around the Word with sisters asking hard questions —

for this, we have Jesus.

When rocking the baby girl who can’t sleep because of a cough  —

for this, I have Jesus.

When talking to friends who are struggling, but managing to hang on —

for this, we have Jesus.

When lying awake at night thinking of a million things I need to do —

for this, I have Jesus.

When the phone rings at half past midnight for the pastor to come —

for this, we have Jesus.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

This week, this is my story, this is my song:

For This I Have Jesus, written by Graham Kendrick

(Please excuse the amateur, homemade recording.  Ignore the mistakes.  Let the words land soft in your heart.)

Multiple Choice

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testWhen I was in college I fulfilled some General Education credit requirements by taking a Philosophy 101 class.  Here’s how it went down —

On the first day of class, the professor handed out a great big packet of notes — pages and pages of single spaced, perfectly outlined notes.  On the second day of class, the professor had us open the packet and follow along as he read the notes out loud.  Word for word.  Every day.  All semester.  So boring.

So why go to class, right?  I could have just read the notes myself, right?

Wrong.  Because our grade was based on attendance.

The tests were all True/False exams and we were free to use our wonderful packet of notes at will.  The prof even tipped us off as to what was going to be on the final exam.  There were no excuses for flunking his class.

I got an A but the only thing I learned was to stay away from Philosophy 102.

Moses spent forty years out in the desert school trying to teach a bunch of rebellious Israelites the rules.  He wrote five books of the Old Testament, making sure they had all the information they needed to have a good life in the Promised Land.  He reminded the people over and over again of who they were and whose they were.  Just before Moses died, he laid it all out there one more time and then told the people there would be a pop quiz.  It would be a one-question test, with the choice of two possible answers.  Then, just to be sure they didn’t mess up, He gave them the correct answer.

See, I set before you today

1) life and prosperity

2) death and destruction

(psst….. now choose life).

Deuteronomy 30:15, 19

  No excuses.

One More Thing Before I Go

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Moses and I would have gotten along famously.  He was a list-maker, a rule-keeper, and a self-doubter.  I can relate to all of those tendencies.

My Bible Reading Plan for this year starts off in Deuteronomy where Moses begins to hand off his forty-year leadership of the Israelite nation to Joshua.  He spends eight chapters reminding the people of the covenant, of the commandments, and of the consequences of obedience and disobedience.

babysitterMoses makes me think of what PB and I used to do when leaving our four little kiddos with a babysitter.  I wrote down detailed instructions on dinner, TV watching, and bedtime.  Then I went over the detailed instructions with the babysitter.  Then I had her repeat the detailed instructions out loud to me.  As we walked out the door, we emphasized a few of the most important detailed instructions, adding a few more details to the instructions.

That’s Moses.  He gives the people step-by-step directions on entering the Promised Land.  He tells them what to do (Deut. 26:1-2) and what to say (Deut. 26:3-10).  He uses visual aids (Deut. 27:2-3), he stages an interactive ceremony (Deut. 27:12-26), and he sings them a song (Deut. 32).  Moses encourages the people to remember how God led them in the past, then warns them against forgetting God in the future.

He covers all the bases.

He drives his message home.

Then Moses demonstrates his greatest act of faith.

After parenting the people for decades, Moses leaves them in Joshua’s charge —

with a long list of detailed instructions.

Fresh Start

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freshSure, I stayed up late on New Year’s Eve, but I couldn’t wait to get out of bed this morning.  New Year’s Day is one of my favorite days of all.  It’s a holiday, so there’s plenty of time to lollygag in the morning, but it’s a day off with no presents to buy, no food to make, no expectations to fulfill.

All week I’ve been working on setting goals for the year ahead — making a plan and checking it twice.  Like a little girl with a backpack full of brand new school supplies on her first day of school, I hustled to my special chair this morning with anticipation.  A fresh start!  A new Bible reading plan!  A new journal with empty pages!  Let’s go!

If you need a little help staying on track with Bible reading this year, check out my 2015 Bible Reading Plan page.  I’d be thrilled to have you join me in reading a chapter a day (Monday-Friday with weekends free for catch up).  Let’s see what new things God wants to do in our midst in 2015!

“Be alert, be present.  I’m about to do something brand-new.  It’s bursting out!  Don’t you see it?”  Isaiah 43:19

The Faucet

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My sister has impeccable timing.  She knows when I need a shot in the arm, a nudge in the side, a kick in the pants.  After posting every day in October, I was ready for a break.  Lucky for me, my sister has cute grandchildren and a way of seeing God-moments in everyday moments with them.  Here’s a good one.  Thanks, Robin!

hoseOur 18 month old grandson, Ben, is a delight to watch as he learns how things work and how people do things.  A few months ago, while we were outside enjoying a summer day, he picked up the water hose and looked at the end, waiting in anticipation for the water (“dah’-doh”) to flow out.  When nothing happened, he toddled to the faucet on the side of the house, touched it, and then hurried back to the end of the hose fully expecting to see the water.  When he found nothing, he turned his palms upward and said in great bewilderment, “Where dah-doh?” He understood the basic process, but missed an important detail — he had not yet learned the connection of actually turning the faucet on.

We adults are sometimes a bit like that.  We know that God is there, ready to renew us with Living Water.  We may take a moment now and then to touch base with God, saying a prayer from time to time or going to church on occasion.  We wait for God to speak to us and become bewildered when nothing seems to happen.  But we miss the point of going beyond “touching base”.  We must spend time with God daily — searching the scriptures, praying, praising,  being thankful, and faithfully believing.  We must take the step to truly open our hearts to God, making his love real and active in our lives, and allow it to flow through us to others.  We must learn to turn the faucet on!

“You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”  Isaiah 58:11

“Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”   John 7:38

Good To Me

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When God called forth light, He looked all around and said,

“Good.”

When He separated the waters and put up the sky, He nodded and said,

“Hmmm….good.”

When the Lord brought up land from the seas, and caused plants to grow, He said,

“Oh…that’s good.”

When the Creator designed the stars, sun and moon, He smiled and said,

“Ah….also good.”

When He fashioned birds for the air and fish for the sea, He surveyed it all and said,

“My goodness, that’s good.”

When Jehovah formed creatures according to their kinds, He was pleased and said,

“Again, these are good.”

But when the Father made man and woman, He was especially delighted and said,

“Now…oh yes… This.  This is very good.”

good

This week, I have been aware of God’s goodness following me everywhere.

Even when I’ve felt

completely inadequate, totally insignificant, and wholly undeserving,

His goodness hounds my steps.

As a child created in His image, I have the capacity to recognize goodness.

God is good.

This week, this is my story.  This is my song.

“Good To Me” by Audrey Assad

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”         Psalm 23:6

Election Day

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votedWhen the kids were little and we were homeschooling, I took advantage of a November election to teach about government.  We studied the three branches, the political parties and the candidates running for office.  We visited the state capitol and met our representative.  We wrote letters to the President and the Governor, assuring them of our prayers and asking for their pictures.  We learned the Pledge of Allegiance and said it together every morning.

The night before the election, one of the candidates made a stop in a town nearby.  We bundled up the kids and stood outside for an hour before finally seeing the top of the hopeful politician’s head.  In the distance.  For a split second.

But the atmosphere was electric — that political rally rivaled any big sporting event.  There was music and a cheering crowd and people holding up signs.  We got swept up in the frenzy.

The next morning, as the kids were eating breakfast, Sam asked who won.  When I told him that our candidate was not elected, he put his little head down on the table and started to cry.  PB and I looked at each other with wide eyes.  I guess we overdid it.  I had to convince the broken-hearted boy that the world was not coming to an end.

Smack dab in the middle of the Bible — the very center of all the verses in God’s Word — is this:

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.  It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”  Psalm 118:8-9

So I’ll vote today.

But my refuge is in the Lord.

I’ll watch the returns come in tonight.

But I won’t put my head down and cry if my candidate loses.

I’ll pray for those who are in positions of authority.

But the world will not come to an end until the Lord God Almighty says so.