Begrudgingly, I sat to read my Bible today. I am grumpy. I don’t really feel well. I want to be taking a nap. Even better, I could be cleaning my disaster of a house, figuring out what’s for dinner, or tearing down my Christmas tree. Grrr. And what do I find? My devotional today is about settling my mind and not skimping on my time with the Lord. One of the scriptures used is Luke 10:38-42 – the story of Mary and Martha. For those who aren’t familiar, Jesus came to their house and Martha was busy with the hostessing while Mary sat and listened to the Lord. Martha complained, and Jesus told her Mary had made the better choice to be at His feet. Oh snap! She got burnt…and by Jesus no less. The New King James says “she had a sister called Mary, who ALSO sat at Jesus feet and heard his word”. This tells me that Martha too was (at some point) sitting to hear what Jesus had to say. Regardless of what chunk of time she was listening versus how long she spent in the kitchen, the point is, she was distracted. Not that she didn’t care to hear Jesus’s words, just that she was preoccupied with getting the bagel bites out of the oven. I always think Martha gets a bad rap. Probably because of all the conversations I’ve missed when people are in my home, all because I’m scurrying around making sure everything is done. So here’s what I’m taking from today’s lesson. There’s always tasks to be worked on. Mary simply decided that all the other stuff could wait. For the time Jesus was with her, He was priority number one. The Lord said (imagining Indiana Jones right now) she chose wisely. I need to make the same choice. God first. Not just first, but during my time with Him – I shouldn’t be distracted by anything else. The dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, vacuuming, working-out, baths and naps will be there when I’m finished. And I’ll be better equipped to handle them once I’ve had my time at Jesus feet.
Devotionals
Devotional – Don’t Worry! I’ve Got a Plan!
Starting off the year with my very favorite verse. What an excellent devotional my mom gave me! 🙂 Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I have always loved this passage of scripture. It is so comforting to me that even when it seems like there is no plan – like the world and my little life spinning around with it are completely out of control – God still knows what the purpose of it all is. And, not just that there’s a plan, but it is to prosper me. It’s one thing to have a plan, but if the plan is horrible pain, suffering and ultimate disaster in my life – that’s not one I’m very thrilled about. The thing is, this verse is in the middle of a letter written by Jeremiah (a prophet) to his people who’d been captured and were prisoners in a foreign land. The entire country had been taken from their homes and were being held captive among some really not cool Babylonians. The most interesting thing to me is that verse 10 in this passage promises release and the returning of the people to their homes — but only after they’ve spent 70 years as prisoners. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem like a great promise to me. I think I would have questioned that plan just a tad. But God follows it up with a verse that essentially says “Trust me. I know what I’m doing. It’s good. You’ll see.” Even in the worst of times, when it seems like God has failed me, left me, or forgotten about me, His plan is still present. More importantly the plan is always working for my ultimate good. Fan-stinkin-tastic!
Resolving Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions. Ahhh. The chance to make a bunch of promises to yourself that (generally) get forgotten once the calendar says February. The world as a whole resolves to be richer, nicer, skinnier, smoke/drink/drug less, and on and on. Then somehow, we always end up right back where we started. Or worse. I’m sure just about everyone with a blog is talking about the close of the old year and the fresh start of a 2010. Oh, and this year we get the new decade too. Lucky us.
Some of the most often used resolutions in the United States are:
- Improve health: lose weight, exercise more, eat better, drink less alcohol, quit smoking
- Improve finances: get out of debt, save money
- Improve career: get a better job
- Improve education: improve grades, get a better education, learn something new (such as a foreign language or music)
- Improve self: become more organized, reduce stress, be less grumpy, manage time, be more independent Continue reading
Devotional – Peace Doesn’t Come From Being Happy
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ” What a wonderful promise. How rarely I actually have peace in my heart. This year especially, I have struggled to have any at all. My mind just keeps rehashing all that is wrong, so how can I have peace? The world would have us think we have to be happy to have harmony and well-being. Everything needs to be just so in order for our hearts to have rest. But this passage reminded me that God’s peace isn’t like that. Despite what rages in our lives, regardless of circumstances, we can have peace . God’s promise of peace isn’t contingent on anything we do – it doesn’t hinge on the people in our lives being nice to us, or illness being kept at bay. It is there. Always. In the midst of trial, when we’re anguishing over difficult decisions, God’s overwhelming peace can bring wholeness and rest to our lives.
Devotional – I’m Not Just Tonya
As part of my time with the Lord, I’m reading a devotional my mom got me for Christmas called “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young. It has a paragraph or so on each page and several scripture verses for each day of the year. What touched my heart today was 2 Corinthians 5:17″ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. I’ve heard/read this passage many times – but today it really struck me as I considered the close of 2009 and fresh start of 2010 just a couple days away. The Message says “Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons!” How exciting! I have a lot of “old” from this year, and each year up to now that I would certainly like to allow to pass away. Often I forget that I’m a new creation, I get bogged down with all the ugly in life. This verse reminded me that I’m not just Tonya. I’m united with a Savior who has given me the opportunity for a fresh start. Hooray! I’m just bursting with anticipation for 2010 – I know God has great things in store for my life as I draw closer to Him and intentionally build my life intertwined with His presence.
Vaccinations of life
Every time I take one of my kids in for their needed vaccinations I think of how quickly I revert to childlike behavior with God. Yesterday, as my son looked at me, pain in his eyes and sobs welling up in his little throat, I realized I mirror his reaction when dealing with hard things in life.
I whine and complain. Cry and carry on asking God “why?”. In my finite mind, it seems so without reason, unfair and unnecessary. In hindsight, the needle pricks of life really aren’t such a big deal. But in that moment of pain, it’s all consuming. When getting shots my kids don’t remember that every day I clothe and feed them – lavishing them with hugs, kisses and care. Just as I rapidly forget all the wonderful things God has done for me, focusing instead only on the apparent lack of concern He’s demonstrating just then. I’m sure my thoughts echo my children’s “If you really loved me, you wouldn’t be doing this.” Continue reading
Like a small rudder steers a large ship
My Bible study this week (we’re working our way thru James) was on James 3:1-12. I’ll admit, I had a rough week and (GASP!) didn’t read the study book prior to our group meeting last night. But it’s amazing how, even when we don’t take time for Him, God’s got our back.
Yesterday, I was at a funeral – of a woman who died too suddenly and much too young. As I listened to the way people talked about her, the nice things that were said, the praises of her character, and had all wonderful memories of her running thru my own mind, I realized something…we don’t take the time we should to say those things to each other when we’re still around. Why is it we only make the effort once someone is dead? Encouragement and edification seem to be lost in the hussle bussle of the world around us. We often think kind things of others, but how frequently do we actually tell them? Continue reading
Dissonant Symphony 