Devotional – I Promise You Trouble

~ Tonya ~ Leave a comment

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

It’s really kind of a bummer, but there it is. Not a promise of an easy life. Free from cares and worries. No guarantee of smooth sailing, of everything going my way. But a promise of trouble. Take it to the bank, in this life, we have problems. Thankfully, Jesus promises that in Him, we will also have peace. Not because there’s no rough patches in life, but rather, because in those hard places, we have someone who’s bigger. Bigger than a lost job. Stronger than any illness. Smarter than the toughest problem. Peace that comes from knowing Jesus is not dependent on a calm easy life. His peace rises above despair, loss and worry. His peace shelters us from life’s storms.

Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that through it all, Jesus promises peace. I find it much easier to focus on the trouble. How it isn’t fair. Why it’s happening to me. I need to keep my focus off the worries of life, and squarely on the giver of life, who soothes my soul with His peace.

Thank you Jesus for your amazing, unending peace. When troubles come in life, help me to keep my focus on you, and not be distracted by the problems. Hard things in my life come and go, but You remain constant. Thank you for overcoming the world, so no worry can defeat me.

Devotional – L.O.V.E.

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2 John 1:6 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.

It’s not new. It’s not flashy. It’s not really that hard. Just love on another. So, why is it so difficult to accomplish? I find that my own life gets in the way of loving others. Because to really show love, you’ve got to do something. It’s not enough to just say it. Honestly, I’d rather be doing my own thing. I’m selfish like that. Showing love to those around me takes time, effort and thought. But, it’s a command. It’s not an option – I’ve said this before, loving others isn’t a choice.

Today, I’m trying to remember that as hard as it is sometimes, showing true love is always worth it. Even when I don’t get the recognition I think I deserve. Even when the person I’m loving doesn’t respond the way I think they should. Loving others well is just an outpouring of gratitude for the love I’ve been shown by God. Maybe it will help to remember – I’m not doing it for the people around me  (necessarily), I’m doing it for God. Making Him happy is more than enough for me to be willing to step outside myself – and simply love.

Heavenly Father,
I thank you so much for your never-ending love towards me. No matter how many times I fail, You are always still there, still loving me. Please help me to demonstrate that same devotion to others – especially when I don’t think they deserve it. Help me to put into action Your love.

Devotional – Tithing Your Cummin

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Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Boy, Jesus was always coming down on the Pharisees. What a bummer to be one of those guys huh? In the latest installment of “I’m following God with my whole head rather than use even a little of my heart”, the Pharisees had taken tithing (giving 10% to God) to a whole new level. They were measuring out one tenth of their spices and offering it to the church. What dedication. What servants hearts they must have possessed to want to give a percentage of even the tiniest things they grew. Um, or not. Rather than showing the love of God, they were taking the letter of the law and applying it to the minutia of their lives. Continue reading →

Devotional – Your Chariot Awaits

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Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Obviously, these days our trust in chariots has somewhat diminished. Those things would never pass the NHTSA’s side impact protection tests. Chariots and horses were much more than the Israelite equivalent of a commuter car though, they were symbols of wealth and power. They were powerful weapons for armies. David captured so many chariots during the wars of his reign as king, that his son had to make entire cities for storing them. Chariots also served as protection, with their waist-high, curved, shield like front, they were models of multi-tasking.

Our chariots have become more sophisticated these days. Rather than trust in two wheels and a couple horses, we cling to the our modern-day versions. We trust that if we just made $$ (insert-slightly-higher-than-what-you’re-currently-making-salary), we’d feel confident, comfortable and carefree. We believe that our intelligence and wit will make us a force to be reckoned with in our social circles. We protect ourselves from pain, not with gilded gold-plated shields, but with sarcasm, silence or secrets. As we’re rumbling through life trying to keep our high-powered chariots under control, we’re missing the peace and contentment of trusting God to take the reins, pull over and walk the road with us.

What chariot are you driving? Where is your trust being placed? If it’s not in God, it’s going to let you down. And chariot crashes aren’t pretty.  Watch Ben Hur if you don’t believe me.

Devotional – What’s Your Talent?

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1 Chronicles 15:22 Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.

What are you good at? Not just ok, not good enough, but really truly gifted at?

My tendency in life is to focus on the attributes that need some work. I’m always striving to become better at certain skills. I’ve been working on sympathy for years. Mercy is another “improvement needed” area in my life. In the struggle to maintain areas that have some rough patches, I forget that God has given me talents that I naturally excel at. Some of them are easy to spot.
Continue reading →

Devotional – Yeast of Rules

~ Tonya ~ 1 Comment

Matthew 15:8-9  8” ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.

Sometimes it’s easy to say all the right things. “Praise God! I’m blessed! Hallelujah! Thank you Lord. I love you God” Our lips are much easier to discipline than our hearts are. Jesus quoted from Isaiah these words to the Pharisees. These were people who (on the outside) had their faith all together. Not only did they go to church, but they were at the Wednesday night prayer meeting, the Saturday evening service and both services on Sunday. They LOVED following the rules. The more rules, the happier they were because it gave them that many more opportunities to showcase just how spiritual they were. They dressed the right way, talked the right way, walked the right way, even ate their food the right way – but Christ said it was all in vain, because their hearts were all wrong. Continue reading →

Devotional – The Neck

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1 Samuel 25:17 Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”

These words were spoken to a man’s named Nabal’s wife. Her husband had treated David badly and at that moment the future King was on his way to teach Nabal a lesson. Actually, David was going to kill him – and all his household. The servants of the house came to Abigail (Nabal’s wifey) to plead for her to take charge. To do something quickly to prevent the horror about to descend on them all. So what does Abigail do? She starts baking. Seriously. Read for yourself! Continue reading →

Devotional – I’m ok being a sheep.

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Psalm 95:6-7 O come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.

My sister’s and I have a name for people who, not paying attention, just follow the person in front of them. Seemingly unable to think for themselves, these folks just blindly line up wherever. They could be mere feet from a better option, but they don’t notice. It’s like they just trust that the person in front of them knew what they were doing – and so they’ve followed. We call them sheep. It is not meant to be a compliment. I’ve been thinking about sheep in a different light today. During my sermon yesterday, our guest speaker mentioned being the people of God’s pasture – His sheep. So, if God is my shepherd, I’m a sheep right? But what does that really mean?

Sheep are often thought of as dumb animals, but in fact they are equally as intelligent as cattle. Sheep have the ability to remember faces for years and can be taught their own names. However, their instinctual panic and flee characteristics make them seem downright stupid. As humans, we don’t really respect creatures that just scatter screaming like crazy when faced with danger. Sheep are very influenced by their leader and have a natural inclination to follow as a pack wherever they are led. They know their master’s voice and willingly go where the voice commands.

I want to be like that. I want to know God’s voice. To hear His instruction in my life and follow it. I want to delight in the pastures He brings me to, knowing that He has selected the best for me. I don’t want to flip out in the face of trials and bleating scatter like crazy. I want to know the security of the flock the Lord has me in. To rest that God is prowling the edges, keeping me safe.  I’m ok being a sheep, so long as Jesus is my shepherd.

Devotional – Deep breath in, deep breath out

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Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

One day at a time. Just today. That’s all I need to concern myself with.

But it is just so hard!

The past few days I feel a bit like the proverbial chicken missing his head. I suddenly have  many many many things to juggle, and I feel like my hands can’t move fast enough to keep all the balls in the air. For example, yesterday I went down to my church to work on a few things I needed to do. I got a lot accomplished and felt great, until I got home and realized I’d forgotten to drop of my husband’s bass guitar so the worship team could use it. “Oh well, I’ll just take it down tomorrow morning after my workout” I thought. Continue reading →

Devotional – The Red Balloon

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2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

What an awesome day. I am continually impressed with God’s ability to mold me and shape me into a better version of myself. Closer to His own image. Transforming me little by little, or sometimes (like today) suddenly in a big chunk.

I am a perfectionist by nature. My own worst critic, I have a tendency to never allow myself a passing grade. I realize God has gifted me in many ways, but my first instinct is usually to find fault with just about everything. No matter what my success, I’m always following it up with a list of ways I could have done better. This is an area the Lord has been working on with me for several years. Slowly changing my heart to allow for the things in life I cannot change, nor can I control. Do you know how God “fixes” a control-freak-perfectionist? He gives you things utterly completely and entirely beyond your ability to handle or even manage. And you know what, it works really well. Continue reading →