Victory is at the Finish Line - Running the Race
As we run the race of life, it is essential to keep our eyes on the finish line. Victory is not always about being the first to cross it but about enduring and persevering through the challenges and obstacles that come our way. Each step we take, each hurdle we overcome, brings us closer to our goal. It is the journey, the effort, and the determination that define our success.
In this race, we are not alone. We have supporters, mentors, and fellow runners who encourage and inspire us. Their presence reminds us that we are part of a larger community, striving together towards a common purpose. The camaraderie and shared experiences enrich our journey and make the finish line even more meaningful.
As we approach the finish line, let us remember to celebrate our achievements, no matter how small they may seem. Each milestone is a testament to our hard work and dedication. Let us also take a moment to reflect on the lessons learned and the growth we have experienced along the way.
Victory is not just about the end result; it is about the person we become in the process. So, let us run with perseverance, with our eyes fixed on the finish line, knowing that victory is within our reach.
- G. Yarin
Finish in Faith | Rise in Victory
Every strand is planned
Sitting on the porch, I watched a spider carefully spin her web, thread by thread, she worked with purpose, moving carefully and deliberately. What looked like fragile strands shimmered in the light, yet together they formed a structure strong enough to catch what was needed for her survival. Watching her, I was reminded of how God is weaving the threads of our lives. Often, we only see single strands… moments that feel fragile, ordinary, or even insignificant. Yet in His wisdom, He is fitting each piece together into a greater design. What seems random to us is part of His plan. 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.” Isaiah 64:8 “Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Without a plan, our Creator wastes nothing, and nothing is wasted. Every strand of joy, trial, and weakness is like the spider’s web. The web looks strong, yet it is vulnerable. It continues to grow, connecting new places as it develops; a web is made point by point, piece by piece. The spider goes over and over the same points, reinforcing the framework until it is complete. God does this with us too. God patiently fits the pieces into place; He weaves together trials, joys, and challenges to strengthen us and draw us deeper. What looks like delays is His hand reinforcing the framework of our faith. The web strengthens in teaching us patience, hope, and trust.
Our lives are beautifully woven by His light shining into the strands. You can take courage. You’re not random threads in the wind. You are strong, woven by the Master’s hands, for by strand, into something purposeful, beautiful, and full of purpose.
GOD’S BLUEPRINT; BECOMES OUR JOURNEY
-G. Yarian
A BIRD IN THE HAND
You have heard the proverb, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” No one is quite sure who first said it or exactly what they meant, but it has stood the test of time. Perhaps it was coined by a hunter, or maybe by a philosopher...for this proverb can be applied to many moments in life. It reminds us to be content with what we already have rather than chasing after what we only hope to gain. It gently nudges us to live in the moment instead of dwelling in dreams of what might be. The present moment is real; our dreams may or may not be.
When Jesus spoke to His disciples in what we now call the Sermon on the Mount, He urged them to live in the “now” and not to be overly concerned about the future: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34. It is good to have dreams for the future, as long as our feet and our faith are firmly grounded in God’s Word in the present.
The psalmist reminds us of this when he wrote, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” It is a call to celebrate each day as a gift from God. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray for our “daily bread.” And Isaiah encourages us to “seek the Lord today” not because God will be unavailable tomorrow, but because we might not be here tomorrow.
-G Yarian
God’s “Now” Is Greater Than Tomorrow’s “Maybe”
spearmint
The pleasant taste of real mint leaves is unforgettable. That is why I was thrilled to find what I thought was a spearmint plant growing near my front door. But after giving it the “taste test,” my joy quickly turned to disappointment; it was not mint at all, but Mexican Mint Marigold. Its bitter taste was a letdown, much like the sorrow we feel when people disappoint us. Someone we trust, admire, or love acts in a way we never expected, and suddenly they no longer seem like the person we thought we knew.
The truth is, every one of us has at times worn masks or pretended to be something we are not. Children do this innocently when they dress up as superheroes or princesses. As we grow older, in life and in our walk with Jesus, we are called to discover who we truly are and to live in that truth. Too often, we hold others to account for what we quietly excuse in our own hearts, like the team who questioned their coach’s integrity when he demanded strict diets, only to be seen later eating at a fast-food restaurant.
The reality is, we all fall short of our own ideals. The good news is that when we commit to following Jesus, we do not become perfect overnight. We become saints in the making. Old habits, selfish attitudes, and false appearances begin to be reshaped. The process takes time, but God’s Spirit is patient.
As someone once said, “The church is not where the spotless gather... it is where the hurting are made whole.” God’s grace is the healing medicine we need. It is a gift we can never earn, but can freely receive. His grace forgives our failures, brings peace with God, draws us into unity with others, and fills us with hope for the future.
G. Yarin
TREASURE EACH MOMENT
Death is the hardest of all the realities in life. It is so final. It may come suddenly or slowly, but it always comes. It tears those we love from our embrace, leaving behind aching hearts and a trail of unanswered questions.
Scripture does not deny that death causes pain. In 1 Corinthians 15:26, death is called “the last enemy.” Death is cruel because it was never part of God’s original design. It is the tragic result of sin entering the world. When we stand at a bedside or a graveside, we feel the sting of loss. Our souls cry out at the cruelty of death. It feels unnatural because it is unnatural… we were created for life and fellowship with God. This is why we are so deeply wounded by death: it is the tearing apart of what God intended and created to be whole.
Yet, while death is cruel, it is not victorious. Jesus Christ entered into death itself… not avoiding its cruelty but conquering it as He rose from the grave. At the cross, He bore the full weight of sin and its curse. And when He rose again, the grave lost its power. “Death has been swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death where, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54–55). For those in Christ, death is no longer a final separation but a doorway into eternal life.
The cruelty of death is real, but it cannot cancel the promise of resurrection. One day, God will wipe away every tear, and death itself will be no more (Revelation 21:4). So, while we grieve with honesty, we do not grieve without hope. Death is cruel, but Christ is greater. And because of Him, the story does not end at the grave... it continues in glory.
-G. Yarin
MAKING DECISIONS
Have you ever had to decide whether to support an idea or oppose it? Life can present us with choices that test our wisdom and our convictions. One picture that can help us make a choice is to watch a tree in a windstorm. The trunk stands firm, refusing to snap, while the branches bend and sway with the wind. This image reminds us that not every issue demands the same response. There are times to be unshakable, like the trunk, and times to be flexible, like the branches.
A wise saying captures this well: “Stand firm on core values, but bend on trifles.” The Apostle Paul told the believers in Ephesus to put on the full armor of God so they could stand strong in their faith. In other words, when it comes to the truth of the gospel, we are to be immovable, rooted, and steady, no matter the storm. Isaiah adds comfort with his words: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). God is not distant; He is present in every storm, guarding and guiding us.
Still, not everything is a battle worth fighting. Sometimes harmony is better preserved by bending on small things, provided our core values remain intact. Compromise can be a gift when it leads to peace without sacrificing truth. As Paul wrote: “Live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16).
Today’s challenge is this: ask God for wisdom to know when to stand firm and when to bend. May we respect others, seek peace, and above all, remain faithful to the Lord. Ask the Lord to give you strength to stand firm when your faith is tested, and grace to bend when love calls for patience. Help us discern the difference, so that our lives reflect both truth and compassion.
-G. Yarian
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered - God’s Promises
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, as described in Hebrews 11:1.
Faith means you can take the next step forward because you trust that God will hear and answer your prayers. The Greek word translated “substance” literally means “that which stands under.” In other words, faith is the solid foundation beneath your hopes, making them strong and real, even before you can see them. Think of it like holding a title deed or legal proof of ownership. That deed assures you that what is promised already belongs to you, even though your eyes cannot yet see it. Faith is not just wishful thinking; it is a confident assurance in unseen realities. Imagine it this way: you have a dream of building a house, and you have hired a trustworthy builder and given him a picture of God’s promise. Because you have a plan, a dream, and a builder you can depend on, you move forward with confidence. The house is not standing yet, but your faith gives a present reality to your future home, making it possible for you to act toward its construction.
In the same way, faith brings the unseen into your daily life. When you live by faith, your hopes are not empty desires; They are anchored in the unshakable truth that God’s promises are real and sure. Faith gives substance to those promises, even while they are still unfolding in the spiritual realm. It is your foundation for hope. Though you may not yet see how everything will come together, you can trust the One who made the promise—because He cannot fail. Faith gives you the courage to wait, to trust, and to act with certainty, knowing that what God has assured will come to pass, even if it still lies beyond your sight today.
G. Yarian
Tis So Sweet To Trust in JEsus
It is comforting to sing “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” when the sun is shining. But what happens when life suddenly throws you a curveball? When the news you receive is a shock, when your plans unravel, and your world spins around three hundred and sixty degrees, leaving you disoriented and unsure which way is forward? In those moments, trust is no longer a pleasantry; it becomes a choice, an act of faith in the face of uncertainty. It means stepping into an unknown chapter without a clear map. Fear may try to creep in, whispering questions and doubts, but God’s presence remains constant. He has promised to never leave or forsake you, even when the path is dark and unfamiliar.
Walking fearlessly into that chapter does not mean you will not feel the weight of the change; it means you choose to believe that He is in it, working for your good. The very curveball you wish had never come might be the turning point where you experience His faithfulness in ways you never imagined. For it is in these moments that trust becomes not just a song, but the very support that carries you through.
When the song feels too heavy to sing and the future seems uncertain, will you still trust Him? It is in these very moments that trust becomes more than words. It becomes your very lifeline. Trust means loosening your grip on your own plans, expectations, and even your dreams, and choosing instead to follow God’s leading. It means placing your future in His hands, believing He knows the way ahead. It may reshape your outlook and redirect your path, but His calling is always filled with care.
He walks beside you, and He will never forsake you.
G. Yarian
Wretched Man That I Am!
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1: 8-9
“For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
Romans 7:22-25
I was a cat person for a very long time. I grew up with cats, and didn’t have a dog until I was in high school when we got Brandy, a sheltie. She was my mom’s dog, though she went totally crazy when my dad would get home. When I was younger, I’d always pretended I had a German Shepherd dog named Duke, and he’d protect me and be my best friend.
My boys grew up with cats, and we’ve had our two cats, Hobbes and Cracker Jack, for 13 years now. They have brought happiness and admittedly at times frustration (when Hobbes decided to poop on the floor instead of the litter box) and we’ve enjoyed being cat owners. Excuse me—people don’t own cats; they work for them. We’ve enjoyed being cat servants.
About six or seven years ago, my older son Greg found a stray terrier named Oreo whose owner didn’t seem concerned that she was lost, so Greg got to keep her. Oh, how wonderful it is to have a granddog! We learned so much about dogs, and I was smitten. Every so often I would look at dogs on rescue websites and wonder what it would be like; rescue dog videos showed up on my Facebook feed (now I’m seeing the connection between my searches and Facebook—oh, Mark Zuckerberg!), a former co-worker posted pictures of her foster dogs and I was more than smitten. A chance encounter with a dog rescue foster mom at PetSmart last year who had a German Shepherd rescue dog had me reaching out to see if he was available for adoption. Much to my chagrin, he was not. And then I saw the sad face of another German Shepherd mix on the SNIPSA site, and I was done. I’d found my dream dog. Her name was Mayflower, and the site said she was two years old. Her expression (to me) was one of sadness, and I knew I had to do whatever it took to banish that expression. I contacted SNIPSA who then connected me to her foster mom, and we arranged a meeting at her house the Saturday after Thanksgiving. She was shy but sweet; her tail wagged a bit as she got closer to me. I sat on the floor, and she buried her head against my chest. Again, I was done—there was no doubt in my mind that she was my dog, and I was her mom. She liked my husband as well, so we came back the next day to get her, after hitting PetSmart to buy supplies like it was Christmas.
I changed her name to Tessa, and she has commandeered her way into my heart, vying with my cats for sole custody. The forlorn expression she had in her rescue picture has transformed into a happy grin, replete with a wagging tale and wiggling bum. She is sweetness and gentleness in animal form.
So, it was in horrific shock the other day that I saw her make a beeline at 4:30 in the morning to the dark corner of our backyard as we’d started our morning routine of her going in the backyard to potty while I fed the cats, started coffee, and listened to my flash briefing on Alexa. The backdoor motion sensor light flashed on and I saw her seize an animal with her mouth and rapidly shake her head back and forth, essentially breaking its neck. I stood there in horror, incredulous at what I was watching, yelling at her to let it go but hoping that she wouldn’t let it go too closely to me for fear it would still be alive and jump on me. My sweet Tessa, with the chocolate brown eyes, soft wet nose that nuzzles my arm…the one who wiggles with joy when it’s been two minutes since she last saw me and kisses (licks) my knees… that Tessa has now reverted to her true undomesticated nature: vermin killer. She killed a possum—I’m just thankful it wasn’t a mama one with babies attached to it—I think I would just cry myself into a puddle of tears at that sight. I coaxed her inside, the possum maybe 50 feet away from me with its dead eyes open, seemingly looking at me. Tessa then sauntered into the living room, content to play with her stuffed animal Monkey, biting into him with glee to make him squeak. I watched her in stunned silence, seeing her a bit differently now that I’d viewed a glimmer of a new and admittedly unappealing side to her. She was still the same Tessa but she was now a bit different, if that makes sense. Her true nature was underneath the surface of canine domestication, with its scritches, stuffed toys, and belly rubs.
Friends, we too have a true nature that almost all of us as believers strive to keep hidden from the view of others. Despite the ongoing process of sanctification—the work that the Holy Spirit does in us to mature and strengthen our spiritual maturity, turning us away from sin and towards the image of Christ in His righteousness—we are all works in progress, and still live in our worldly flesh. We all struggle with less-than-pure thoughts, impulses, reactions, and other things that being living creatures this side of Heaven struggle with. We can all be quick to speak and slow to listen; we can all fall prey to the enemy’s attacks which create conflict, or unhealthy competition, or erroneous and faulty judgment of another. Although we are called to be on guard for the enemy’s attacks, and to wear our spiritual armor, there are times our humanness inhibits our reflexes and defenses. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve walked right into the trap the enemy built specifically for me, blindfolds and shackles dulling my ability to see it for what it is, while I stewed in jealousy, frustration, anger, or other emotion.
I’m tremendously thankful however, that I am no longer a slave to sin. Jesus ransomed me at Calvary with His sacrifice—He exchanged His perfect sinless life for mine, and received God’s Holy justice and wrath in return. Because of His sacrifice, I am set free from slavery to sin and death, the wages of that sin.
Years and years ago I sought marriage counseling (alone) during my first marriage and I went to a Christian counseling services who allowed clients to pay on a sliding scale based on their ability to pay. Although I’d grown up in the church, I had fallen away and wasn’t a practicing believer. I was given scripture verses to read and think on, none of which come to mind, except one that resonated with me at first read:
“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me….. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7: 19-20; 22-25)
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord indeed!
Prayer Requests
Prayers for:
Rocio Farias, who has COVID, and for protection for the Farias family
Those with family members who are struggling with addiction, and for those with addictions
The Church to preach the gospel message throughout the world
Us to seek to discern His will for our individual and corporate lives
My friends, if you read this devotional and your curiosity is piqued by its words, I pray that you open yourself up to the nudging of the Holy Spirit. If you’d like to know more about what Jesus did for you, and why He did it, please reach out to Pastor Wayne or a member of Session. We’d all love to answer your questions and pray for you to know Him.
Quotes
“Many books can inform you. There’s only one book that can transform you.”
“Every saint has a past; every sinner, a future.”
“How great is it to live under a sky that is repainted every day by the greatest artist.”
Follow Through
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
Psalm 1:1-3
I am 54 years old. I’ve been prematurely grey for almost half of my life, and dyed my hair for all of my adult life, up until six years ago, as I’d always equated grey hair with old age. When I started letting the grey grow out, I emphasized to everyone (but mostly to myself) the premature aspect of premature grey. Lately however, the persistent body aches and pains that accompany me when I move my arm oddly (frozen shoulder in my right shoulder) or even if I sit a bit too long (sciatica in my left leg) have caused me to rethink my insistence on premature, because lately I feel rather…tenured. Yes, we’ll go with tenured…or seasoned. I am a seasoned adult.
The conditions I mention above have plagued me for a number of months now. I’ve seen doctors for both of them; an orthopedic surgeon for the frozen shoulder for which I received two cortisone shots and a six-week course of physical therapy, and I’m currently going to Airrosti for my sciatica. With the physical therapy and the Airrosti, I was given a list of exercises and stretches to do at home to improve the range of motion and flexibility as well as prevent re-injury.
Even though I am a rule follower, I did not do the home exercises diligently. In fact, there were some days that I did not do them at all. I know that I should; I wake up and tell myself that I am going to get the requisite number of stretches in so that I won’t have to stand up every so often in a meeting to elongate the hip flexor muscle so that the pain in my hip will cease. These doctors and physical therapists have determined that this exercise and stretching routine will help my situation; why is it I don’t routinely do the exercises on my own time? It’s important for me to do these things; it’s simply not enough for me to go to the Airrosti doctor once a week and expect that his treatment will stick without much (or any) follow through or work on my part. I am in control of my commitment to this course of treatment; I am going to get out of it the degree to which I put into it.
Such is the lens we need to apply to our relationship with our heavenly Father. We can’t be what one pastor termed a “52-hour-a-year Christian”—you know, the one who attends church every Sunday, but doesn’t study the scriptures or spend time in prayer and communion with our Lord on a daily basis. It isn’t enough to simply go to church every Sunday—we’re not going to get a participation trophy just for showing up. No—we must curate our relationship with the Lord by spending time at home, in prayer and in His word on a regular (read: daily) basis. It is in this time that we get to know Him, and find more about ourselves in the process. We learn to seek His direction for ourselves and His body; we grow in spiritual maturity and wisdom. We go to church to hear His word taught and hear his message through our Sunday School teachers and pastors; we augment that understanding in prayer, reading scriptures, and sharing our experiences, questions, and testimonials with our brothers and sisters in Christ. As we grow in grace, we experience a gradual sanctification that causes us to be aware of the extent of our sin and the depth of the grace that He provides; we feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit guiding us away from sin.
Friends, this growth doesn’t happen overnight. It is a result of a commitment to walking with our Lord, on His terms and in His time, not our own. We must be an active participant in the relationship. Give the Lord your dedicated time and He will honor and bless it.
Prayer Requests
Prayers for:
Those facing the loss of loved ones, especially those for whom we have had memorial services of late
Those struggling with depression
Caretakers of family members with health problems
Those seeking to know His will for their lives
Because I’ve been sitting for a bit writing this, my hip is hurting. I am going to do my stretches and home exercises after I send this out. I’m also asking for your help in keeping me accountable to doing them, so I hereby give you permission to ask me how I’m coming along with them. Ha!
Quotes
“We will never change the world by going to church. We will only change the world by being the church.”
“We are very good lawyers for our own mistakes, but very good judges for the mistakes of others.”
“A narrow mind is usually accompanied by a wide mouth.”
Ch-ch-ch-changes
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
I need to share that the 15 months or so has brought a remarkable amount of change in my life, with diehard commitments ceasing or slowing down markedly, former beloved teammates opting to leave the company (either through severance packages or retirement), the passing of my stepmother, work programs ending, a shakeup in a Christian bible study/accountability group that resulted in a friend leaving the group, changes within the church, all culminating in my younger son graduating college and moving into an apartment with two roommates. All of this, mind you, over the same course of time that a worldwide pandemic and lockdown is going on.
To go along with the adage of “when God closes a door, He opens a window”, I will say that there have been corresponding positives in relation to some of the things I mention above: one of the teammates who left the company is getting to stay at home with her five-year-old daughter and is happier than I’ve ever seen her; my dad met a nice Christian lady who makes him happy and they are engaged; my younger son is now adulting!
I’ve lived enough years on this planet to know that experiences such as the things I list are a normal part of life—change is constant, and is required to enable growth. At the risk, however, of sounding like a big whiny baby—I do have to say that it has felt like a large amount of change in a short time. Or perhaps it is a normal amount, but the fact that it all took place during a pandemic and lockdown just made it feel like a lot of change.
Regardless, it got to be overwhelming at times. I can compartmentalize with the best of them, and that is how I coped with some of the bigger ticket items, but there did come a point where events overlapped from a timing perspective. The unsettled feeling that I felt about people leaving work didn’t stay in its neatly built container. It jumped invisible lines and started manifesting itself in the tense interplay between people I deeply cared for, affecting not only group dynamics, but also me, and at times, my walk with the Lord.
I don’t like the fact that it’s been over a month since I wrote the last devotional. I’ve had a couple of topic swirling around in my mind, as I always do, but couldn’t bring myself to sit down to start writing, and rely on the Holy Spirit to finish them. I longed for that to happen, but I took the easy way out and found other things to do with my time. And then, me being who I am, I felt bad for not writing the devotional, which created some space for the enemy to continue to poke.
Y’all, I knew that the Lord’s hand was in each of the events and the timing of such and yet, I couldn’t find any joy or comfort in the whole of them. I will share that I was obedient to His word and thanked Him for the trials and challenges I was facing, but only because His word said that I should to do, not necessarily because I was thankful. And I owned up to that fact directly. I’d hoped that He would honor that act, and that His Holy Spirit would work on my heart to bring it where it needed to be—truly submissive, truly grateful, truly in a position that acknowledged His sovereignty and my lack thereof.
He’ll get me there—as long as I surrender and die to self every day. Not gonna lie—the struggle is real. Sometimes it’s the number of changes and context switching in a given day or week (death by a thousand paper cuts), but more often, it’s the depth or substance of the change that threatens to topple me. But topple me they do not—for the Lord is with me. Because I have made the LORD my dwelling place, no evil shall be allowed to befall me, nor plague come near my tent (Psalm 91: 9-10).
Like death and taxes, change is chaotic, unsettling, and inevitable. God, however, does not change. He is immutable. The writer of Hebrews declares that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Malachi 3:6 tells us “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” His constancy is promising and comforting.
Prayer Requests
Prayers for:
Those facing frightening health prognoses
Families impacted by abuse or addiction
Those grieving the loss of loved ones
May you partake of the Lord’s constancy in your time of chaos. If you are struggling, please do not do this all in your own strength. You are part of the body of Christ – you have Christian brothers and sisters who are here to envelop you in prayer, love, and support.
Quotes
‘If it’s out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind, too.’
‘The girl who seemed unbreakable, broke. She dropped the fake smile and whispered, “Jesus, I can’t do this anymore.” And He replied, “Daughter, I never wanted you to. I’ve been waiting for you to let Me carry you.”’
‘When you replace “why is this happening to me?” with “what is this trying to teach me?”, everything shifts.’
What, Me Worry?
“Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6: 25-27; 31-34
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
(It’s been a while since I’ve written a devotional! I have let time get away from me for the past couple of months or so, with some unplanned event coming up nearly every week, eating my free time. I’ve missed writing these!)
A dear family friend reached out the other day, asking me to pray for her husband. He was having surgery and while the doctor said that the surgery went well, he’d been in recovery twice as long as the doctor said he would be there, and she’d just heard a code blue call (medical emergency like cardiac or respiratory arrest) announced in the hospital. She was afraid that it was for her husband. While I can’t say that I blame her for what seems to me to be a bit of a reach or overreaction, I’m still thankful that she asked for prayers, and that the Lord answered them not too soon after I’d said them. Her husband is now home, recovering nicely (thank You, Lord!).
This isn’t the first time this friend has been overcome with worry—when her granddaughter came home kvetching about customers at her local Panera Bread restaurant, this friend tossed and turned all night, worried that her granddaughter’s temporary attitude was the depiction of who she truly was, bereft of humility and gratitude for having a job during a pandemic. She also found herself wide awake and in a panic after my husband shared that he’d interviewed for a job (years ago) and didn’t follow up as quickly afterwards with the interviewing manager as she felt he should have. She was ever so slightly upset with me when I gently and lovingly chided her for not having a bit more faith in the fact that the Lord had it all, and if it was part of His plan that Don should get the job, he would (and he did. And lost it last year because of the pandemic, but that isn’t the point here. He’s since gotten another job and all is good!).
She worries about her adult children, too—choices that they’ve made, how they’ve dealt with the consequences of those choices, how their walk with the Lord is, and the like. When it comes to worrying, no one has anything on her—she has got it down pat. I have to admit that at times, it would seem that she’s well served by the worry, as it has allowed her to anticipate something that she hadn’t accounted for in travel. But most of the times, I’ve seen her worry rob her of physical and emotional rest, and peace. It hurts my heart to have her experience this, and that pain is made worse by the fact that she is a Christian. (I almost typed “and should know better”, but that’s not a fair statement for me to make).
Because we are still on this side of heaven, in these fleshly bodies, we can experience a variety of emotions and reactions to life’s situations. It can be difficult to abstain from wondering about the next step when you’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death, or in the midst of chaos over which you have absolutely no control. The world tells us that we should be self-reliant and masters of our own destinies, and it is difficult to overcome or drown out that sentiment. When we finally acknowledge that the Lord is in control and surrender to His will, oftentimes we’ll realize that we had surrendered 99.98% of our problems or life to Him, and kept the remaining .02% for ourselves.
Folks, when we don’t give the Lord 100% of us, whether it’s our problems, our burdens, our joys, or our lives, we are essentially telling Him that although He is the sovereign and almighty Lord, the One who made the heavens and the earth by speaking them into existence, the One who was, is, and is to come—we are telling Him that we have a better understanding of what to do with our problem/burden/joy/life than He does. O, what folly! He is the God of the universe, and we don’t trust Him to handle all of what we are experiencing?
Here’s the thing, y’all—He knows what’s going to happen in our lives already. He knows the outcome of our current problem, and the next one, the one after that, and oh, that big ol’ one that is threatening like angry thunderclouds to ruin our day and our outlook. We see through our own limited viewpoint, and because of this, we perceive that things are happening to us, and not for us. And because we don’t have the sense of control we feel that we should have, we begin to worry. The enemy jumps when he sees the slightest of crack in our resolve, and spins us up by encouraging our minds to think of all of the things that could possibly go wrong—and we worry more. Anxiety takes over and begins to cloud our thinking, and our emotions and thoughts run wild.
Lest you think I am an unemotional Vulcan-like humanoid who sees the logic in Jesus’s question “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27), I assure you I am not. I fret, although I can admit that I seem to do that less the longer I live on this earth. When things were at their most stressful over the past couple of months with various things converging (potential loss of a job that turned into a new job where I find myself drinking from the proverbial firehose daily; major conflict within two separate friendship groups; social unrest, and oh, yeah, this pandemic!), I found myself flailing about in stress and unease about the future. What helped me was the realization that the Lord had it, and the Lord was going to use it to do something in me.
I don’t know where I heard this concept, but I have glommed onto it and say it so much that I’m sure folks are tired of hearing it: “the Lord either causes things to happen or allows things to happen.” Regardless of which one applies to my current situation or the one three days from now, I take comfort in the fact that He is in it, even when it doesn’t seem like He could be. If He is allowing something painful to happen to me, it is obvious that He wants me to learn something from it, or grow from it. How incredibly awesome is that? How can we be upset about circumstances that will do a good work in us, or will prune us for better growth later, or that will allow us to experience something so that “we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)?
The Psalmist states, “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5). He is good, and what He does for us, in us, and through us, is good as well. So let us cast all of our anxieties upon him, because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
Prayer Requests
Prayers for:
Christine Jeans, who faces an aggressive form of brain cancer and the loss of her mobility
Steve Sloniger, who wasn’t feeling too great this morning
Those who have lost loved ones to COVID and other health conditions
Dear one, regardless of the problem before you right now, know that I am praying that you seek His comfort and support, and that you experience His peace immediately as you share your burden with Him and worry naught.
Quotes
“Don’t ruin a perfectly lovely present by worrying about a totally unknowable future.”
--Elle Sommer
“Worry often gives a small thing a great shadow.” - Swedish Proverb
“We worry about tomorrow like it’s promised.”
Regifting
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:13
“Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Matthew 18:32-35
I know it seems odd to write about regifting close to more than two months after Christmas when the thought is most common, but it simply wasn’t time for this devotional then.
I think by now everyone knows the concept of regifting – giving someone else a gift that you received. I was surprised at the number of articles debating the etiquette of regifting—only a few were against it; those that were for it had a few conditions, the main one being that it is not to be done within the same social/family group. In other words, do not give your sister-in-law something that your mother-in-law gave you, even if the present is so much more appropriate it for her because it’s her size, favorite color, matches her décor. Other than the occasional white elephant gift exchange where it is totally acceptable and expected to regift something, I don’t think that I have regifted anything. I am more the type who will genuinely be touched by the thought, put a sincere and thankful smile, and then put it in my closet to dig out years down the road to give to Goodwill, hoping that the giver won’t ask me about it. Thankfully my relatives live out of town so it hasn’t happened yet!
There is, however, one thing that we are exhorted to regift because we have received it—grace and forgiveness (well, I guess those are two things). Friends, if we are truly living as Christ calls us to live, we will extend grace and forgiveness to those who have hurt us, even if they lack remorse, even if they don’t take accountability for what they have done.
I’m not saying that this is easy—oh, heck no. We live in a broken world, and each of us have been a victim to some degree or another of that brokenness. On an extreme side, it has been only the power of God’s love that has gotten us through the hurt or shame of the act or acts that have been perpetrated on us. Some of us still carry the hurt and shame, even though we did nothing wrong.
On a much less extreme side, we still face people who are disagreeable, rude, or just difficult to get along with. Whether it’s because of their actions or words (or both), sometimes it’s just so darn challenging to get along with them (I know the Lord said we are to love our neighbor—do we also have to like our neighbor? If so, I really need to pray about a couple of folks!). We know that we should extend grace to the person standing in front of us, talking down to us…or to that co-worker who makes our work life miserable…or to the spouse or child who knows exactly which buttons to push and how hard.
But how are we supposed to extend forgiveness when we can’t easily find it in our hearts to do so?
Number one on the list: you pray. You come to the Lord with a contrite heart, acknowledging that you know that you are supposed to forgive the debts of others, just as your debts are forgiven, but that you can’t get to that point yet. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you get there. He knows that you are human; He will honor your request if it is asked in sincerity.
Secondly, thank Him for the grace that He has given you. God didn’t have to send His son to die on a cross for the forgiveness of our sin but He did. Jesus didn’t have to step out of heaven to suffer as He did and to die a criminal’s death, but He did. Were it not for His sacrifice, we would be lost forever, and this world would be the best we would ever experience.
Lastly, with a sincere heart, ask the Lord to allow you to see those who have hurt you as they truly are—pitiable and in need of His grace. Do not put yourself in a haughty position and pray as the Pharisee in Christ’s parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector (“God, I thank you that I am not like other people…”). No, friend, the persons who have hurt, wronged, or slighted you are products of this broken world, and most likely have experienced pain not unlike the one they inflicted upon you. Knowing this doesn’t nullify the hurt or damage, but it does allow you to have a glimpse of empathy and maybe even understanding. It humanizes them, and rightfully so, and equips you with a potential ability to relate to them through their suffering. It also shifts the proverbial balance of power, enabling you to extend to them something they may not be able to extend to themselves—love.
Prayer Requests
Prayers for:
Jane Hasty, who suffered a mild stroke, causing her to lose her speech, although the doctors expect a full recovery. Pray for her grandson Clay as well
Carolyn Carter, whose health is failing and is experiencing hearing loss
The 20-year-old niece of Cheri and Kenny Williams, who is receiving radiation treatment for a tumor that is causing her retina to be detached
Beloved, you have been given a gift purchased by the blood of the Lamb—the gift of forgiveness. Recycle it, reuse it, regift it, for that’s what we are called to do.
Quotes
“The more fascinated we become with the toys of this world, the more we forget that there’s another world to come.” --- A.W. Tozer
“Some people are hurting so much that you have to do more than preach a message to them. You have to be a message to them.”
Texas Snowpocalypse 2021
Boy howdy, what a week last week was, right? For those of you who may not know, Texas experienced a polar vortex where we saw sleet, snow, ice, and single-digit temperatures, the likes of which hadn’t been seen here since 1985. Some went without power for days; others didn’t have water; some experienced the loss of both. And when water came back, we had to boil the water to ensure that potential harmful bacteria were killed. A friend of mine who lives near Boerne experienced the loss of both; when the water came on, they discovered a burst pipe. Calling a plumber, she found that there were 300 customers before her. It has been quite an experience, I must say.
I wanted to share some observations I made during this whole Snowpocalypse.
Be alert and watchful. I walked my new dog Tessa (we got her the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year. She’s a 2 ½ year old German Shepherd mix and the absolute owner of my heart. There’s a devotional in the making about her, so I won’t go into any more detail here) the Sunday we canceled church because of the ice. I bundled up, wearing tennis shoes (instead of the snow boots I had just purchased the day before) because I thought it would be more of a workout because Tessa is a very brisk walker. We got a quarter mile away from my house when I moved from walking in the street onto the sidewalk and, like a pratfall in a movie, my legs went up from under me and I landed on my backside, bruising my hand and my bum. In fact, my bum still hurts a bit. It feels odd asking you to pray for my bum, so I won’t, but I’m not going to turn them down if you decided you wanted to. I’d be bummed out, though, if you didn’t pray for me. (cracking myself up at that one). After I got myself up, wincing in pain, we continued slowly on the street so that she could get some exercise. Went a far distance and then I slipped again, this time on the street. Luckily, I landed more on my side this time. However, like the physical comedy that can happen in a movie for laughs, it took me more than a couple of tries to stand on my feet, as the ice was incredibly slippery, and every time I’d try to stand up, I’d slip. I walked sideways to what seemed to be a drier part of the street, and gingerly trudged back home. Lesson: I was ill-equipped to walk my dog in an ice storm. I wore the wrong shoes and I didn’t pay proper attention to the dangers of the black ice that was around me. Similarly, we can do the same in our Christian walk. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 to “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” If we are not aware of our surroundings, we too can slip and fall—fall away from the discipline of prayer, Bible reading, and fellowship; fall prey to the manipulations of the devil and his schemes; fall off the proverbial wagon into sin.
God’s providence and timing is amazing. Through an odd series of events, I am booked on an eight-day land tour of Iceland with my mother-in-law at the beginning of October of this year. In researching what to pack for this land trip, I found that snow boots were recommended (along with hiking shoes, which I already have a pair). I found a pair of snow boots at Kohl’s the Saturday before the storm hit—they were London Fog so they were great quality; they were being discontinued and were on sale, so I got them for right under $20. I never imagined I’d use them as much as I did before October. Their grip gave me certainty where I walked and their length protected my legs as Tessa and I walked through snow banks as we explored during her walks. Lesson: Some attribute the timing of my boots purchase to fate, or luck, or chance. But you and I know better, my friend, don’t we? We read in Matthew 6:8b: “…for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” The Lord knew I needed boots for the crazy Texas ice and snow, and He provided.
Don’t take the little things for granted. We are blessed to live in a world where (present circumstances excepted for some of us) we have clean running water, food in our refrigerator, internet and phone service, and warmth in our houses during the slight Texas winters (and boy howdy, cooling in the summertime!). Lesson: When forced to live without these things, we quickly realize how much we take these luxuries for granted. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 to “give thanks in all circumstances”. May we remember those times in which we could not shower or flush the commode, and be thankful for all the times that we can. Yes, we easily praise Him when the power is returned, or when the water first comes out of the pipes, but do we remember to thank Him when we can access power and water without any challenges? It is a habit we should all get into the habit of doing, if we are not already.
Make hay while the sun is shining. We lost water Monday when our pipes froze, and like many others, we melted snow to put into the toilet tank so that we could flush the commode. We were joyous when the water came back later that day. I filled our coffee makers (regular Mr. Coffee for my husband, and the Keurig and the Nespresso machine for me. Can you tell which one of us is the coffee snob?) with water, as well as maybe one pitcher. On Wednesday, our water pressure started getting lower, and the water tank didn’t refill when I flushed the commode. We were impacted by the SAWS water outage, and I was perturbed with myself for not having filled up more water containers. The next morning, when I realized that the water pressure had improved, I showered and then proceeded to boil as much water as I could to keep on hand for drinking and cleaning, afraid that it would go out again. It did not go out, and as of this writing (Monday at 9:30PM, the boil notice for my street has been rescinded!). Lesson: be diligent about doing what needs to be done during the time that you have to do it. Time is not always promised to you. Jesus tells his disciples in John 9:4, “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” Boil your water, hug your family, share the gospel, for there will be a time when we won’t have the opportunity to do so.
Be prepared. The Saturday before Texas was plunged into a deep freeze, I went to HEB. It was more crowded than a typical Saturday, but there wasn’t a frenzy of people stockpiling toilet paper and firewood (thankfully). I got my normal grocery items, grabbed just a few extras like ground turkey, apples, and salad mixes, and went on my way. What I regret not having picked up more of was water (see above). I knew that there was the potential for sleet, snow, and colder temperatures; I just don’t think I (or anyone) realized the downstream impacts this storm had on everyone and everything. Lesson: like the Boy Scouts motto: be prepared. Matthew tells us in chapter 24 to “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” You see, God Almighty is in control of everything in this world, even though at times it may not seem like He is, with all the evil we see in the world. We need to be diligent and intentional about understanding our own salvation—we may think that we have time to “get right” with God, or we may assume that we’ve “gotten right” with God already because we have always gone to church, and know all of the hymns by heart, and do good works. Friends, I’m going to be straight with you—that’s now how this works. Since we don’t know when the Lord will call us Home, by our passing from this life into the eternal, or by us meeting Him in the clouds in the twinkling of an eye, we cannot bank on the fact that we have an unlimited amount of time to be reconciled to Him.
If you’re reading this and are not 1000% sure that you are His child but want that assurance, please reach out to Pastor Wayne, Skylar, or any one of the church elders. We would be blessed to talk to you about salvation.
Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
Prayers for:
LaVerne Prilop, who has been hospitalized since Saturday and is now in hospice care
Lana, LaVerne’s daughter, and others who are facing the potential loss of their loved ones
Those who are experiencing health conditions and concerns but are unable to get them addressed for various reasons
Praise reports:
Judy Wallace has been released from the hospital! She says that overall, she’s doing okay—that she’s tired but resting. TGBTG!
For this absolutely beautiful weather—it was at least 60 degrees warmer today (Tuesday) than at this time last week (isn’t that crazy?)
Tremendous praise for the work that Jesus did at the cross – He died to redeem us from slavery to sin and death, y’all! Praise!!
My son Greg had five minutes of power every hour through the first part of the storm. He shared that he found it to be kind of nice to have the opportunity to read instead of being distracted by video games or social media. Because some couldn’t even dial in for meetings because of the lack of power, my work week was quieter than normal, something for which I was tremendously thankful. Lesson: may we always seek to find the positive in the challenges the Lord sends us, for they are there. It may require us to ask Him to reveal them to us, but that right there is a prayer and time spent with Him.
Quotes
“The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work within us.“ -- A.W. Tozer
“We cannot afford to let down our Christian standards just to hold the interest of people who want to go to hell and still belong to a church.” -A.W. Tozer
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Corinthians 5:21
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
Romans 3:21-22a
The devotional’s title refers to a mental disorder in which a person fixates on a slight or even perceived physical flaw, often to the point of becoming obsessed with fixing it or covering it up. People with body dysmorphic disorder have an inaccurate view of themselves, which can lead to feelings of self-consciousness or anxiety all the way to the repeated consulting with medical experts like plastic surgeons or dermatologists in an effort to fix the problem. What the person who suffers sees in the mirror drastically differs from what actually exists. It was estimated in 2018 upwards of 3% of the general population, or 5 million to 10 million people in the US alone, have this condition. Thankfully, it is treatable through a combination of therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes like exercise and the avoidance of drugs and alcohol.
Spiritually, a similar condition exists, though I daresay that it’s much more pervasive throughout the body of Christ. In this condition, how the person sees him- or herself drastically differs from how God sees him or her. This person, although a follower of Jesus Christ, knows of his or her sin, and despite understanding the concept of how Christ’s sacrifice at the cross took on the punishment for said sin, cannot truly accept the fact that their sin is forgotten by an all-powerful and all-knowing God. Because they know what they did, and how egregious their sin was, they cannot fathom that the God of the universe could still love them. This disconnect can cause the sufferer to pull away from God, ashamed of their sin nature.
Friends, I know people who know that they know that they know that their salvation is secure. They know that they are loved by the Lord. They uplift those around them, praying for and serving their brothers and sisters in Christ, as we are all called to do. They attend church, participate in bible studies and are those whom I would consider spiritually mature in their walk with the Lord. They are stalwarts of Christian faith. And yet…sometimes in the quiet moments of their lives, the enemy reminds them of that sin they committed lo those years ago… that big one—that one that would church leaders to wag fingers and point…that one that would cause them to lose all spiritual credibility among their friends—that sin’s memory looms so large that it blocks the view of the light and brings with it darkness, distance, and shame. In such a state, when this person looks in the mirror spiritually, they fixate on the ugliness of their wretched condition, convinced that the Lord and everyone else sees them for who they truly are: a sinner unworthy of the love of the Father.
Poppycock! (I did want to write something stronger but…I thought better of it). Lord Jesus was righteous—He did not sin, and to fulfill God’s plan to reconcile sinful us to Himself, Jesus willingly died, taking on the punishment for our sin. It is in this act that He imputed His righteousness to us. On the topic of imputed righteousness, the website gotquestions.org says, “Through our faith in Christ, the righteousness of God is given to us. This is called “imputed” righteousness. To impute something is to ascribe or attribute something to someone. When we place our faith in Christ, God ascribes the perfect righteousness of Christ to our account so that we become perfect in His sight…..We are not righteous in ourselves; rather, we possess Christ’s righteousness applied to our account. It is not our perfection, but Christ’s that God sees when He brings us into fellowship with Himself.” It doesn’t matter what we have done, how many times we did, what we will do in the future—if we accept Jesus as our Savior, we receive His righteousness. When the Lord of the Universe looks at us, He sees us adorned in the gloriousness of the robes of righteousness. We praise and shout hallelujah because we didn’t do anything to earn this treasured gift. As the Casting Crowns song goes—“Not because of who I am/But because of what You've done/Not because of what I've done/
But because of who You are.”
Friends, the next time the enemy reminds you of your sin, tell him to go pound sand. Don’t listen to his lies – bask in the overwhelming love of Christ, and see yourself as a child of the King!
Prayer Requests
Prayers for:
Speedy convalescence from surgeries for Joe Furnish and Lori Grimes, and encouragement for their respective caregivers
Dora Santillano, who is grieving at the loss of her beloved brother JP
Dell Sheftall, who fell and aggravated an old back injury
Please know that I am praying for you. How my heart longs for you to know the freedom and the joy there is in being His child.
Quotes
“For a Christian, this world is the only hell they will know. For the unbeliever, this world is the only heaven they will know.”
“Though you have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once.”
Qualifications for Heaven
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:5-7
None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.
or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
Romans 3:11-12; 23-25a
I have been changing the message on the church marquee for years now, and it is something that I enjoy. It’s fun to pour over sources on Pinterest for references that will convey a thought-provoking idea in the limited space (and lettering—for some reason we have only like nine Cs, four of which are used within website name—odd, right?).
A couple of years ago I put something on the marquee that I felt was important as a church for us to convey, and for people to understand. For the first time ever, I had someone from the church text me to say that someone from the church had been bothered by the message, and asked if I would consider changing it. I was floored and bewildered, baffled by the thought that such a message would elicit such feedback. No, the topic of the message wasn’t political, heretical, social justice-related or anything of the like. What was the message? “Good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people do.” Cue collective gasp and maybe even some swooning.
At first I was miffed about getting such a call, because I couldn’t understand how such a message could bother someone who went to church, given that this is basic gospel stuff. We read Christ’s own words in John 14: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” I didn’t immediately leave work and change the marquee, because the discussion happened on a Friday and I was changing the signage on Saturday anyway. The perturbed feeling didn’t go away on its own; I had to talk it out with close friends.
I realize now that my reaction was one that lacked empathy and compassion. It was also one that demonstrated a huge assumption on my part: that everyone who attends church has heard the gospel message. Now before you stop reading and scroll on down past this to get to the prayer requests and praise reports, I ask you to reconsider. Just hear me out for a bit, and then you can go about your business.
What exactly is the gospel message? The word gospel is the translation of the Greek noun evangelion, which means good news. The good news that followers of Jesus Christ receive is the fact that God reconciled the world to Himself through the sacrifice of His son who died on the cross, receiving the punishment for our sins, and that He rose again on the third day. It is good news because it is a gift from God. For those who receive it, God’s gift is grace – unmerited favor. This means that there isn’t anything that anyone can do to earn it or deserve it—no actions anyone takes or does merits this remarkable present. This grace allows the atoning work at the cross—the spilling of the blood of the perfect Lamb of God—to set us free from God’s judgment of our sins and instead enables us to wear Christ’s robe of righteousness. When we accept this gift, our future goes from eternal damnation to eternal life. We accept this gift by confessing our sin, repenting from it, and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Friends, except for Jesus, there has been no one who has walked this earth that is without sin. Scripture tells us all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Not some, all. Not only drug dealers, pornographers, and people who think Nicholas Cage is an excellent actor—all. Even your little ol’ grandma has sinned. We are all descendants of Adam, and as such, we struggle with sin. No one is good. Jesus tells us that outright in the gospel of Mark, when He speaks to the rich young man who approached Jesus and called Him good, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” By that very statement, there truly aren’t good people, as only God is good. Ergo, there are no good people in heaven, nor will there be even when I get there (ha! It was a joke, I swear).
If I have burst your bubble, I’m kind of sorry, but I’m kind of not. It’s important to me that you truly, truly know the truth, and the Truth. Friends, the only way is Jesus. The only answer is Jesus. The only solution is Jesus. And here’s an equally cool thing—you don’t have to do any type of works to receive Him—you don’t have to “clean up nicely” (because you can’t), you don’t have to wait until you stop sinning (because you can’t), you don’t have to do X number of good works (again, because you what? Can’t). All you have to do is acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess that He is Lord (“if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” – Romans 10:9-10).
Friends, if you are ready to make that step, stop what you’re doing, and pray to receive Him. After you have done that, reach out to Pastor Wayne, me or another elder, a friend or family member, so that we can pray for you and help you in your new path!
PRs: Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
Prayers for:
Ms. LaVerne who was hospitalized and is now at Warm Springs Rehab Hospital
Rochelle Cook for pain from her sciatic nerve
JP Perales, Dora’s brother, who has lung damage and a stressed heart from COVID
Praise Reports:
Good news on Judy Wallace’s dad
For the rain we have received
That we are each loved by our Heavenly Father
Friends, the chorus of the contemporary worship song from years sung by Todd Agnew “Grace Like Rain” reminds of what we have to celebrate:
And Hallelujah, grace like rain
Falls down on me
And Hallelujah and all my stains
Are washed away, they're washed away
Quotes
“Your ministry is found where you’ve been broken. Your testimony is found where you’ve been restored.”
“We will never appreciate Jesus’s agonizing prayer in Gethsemane; we will never appreciate His sweating, as it were, great drops of blood, until we grasp in the depths of our beings that Jesus was staring at the wrath of God we deserve”. –Jerry Bridges
Strength Training
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Psalm 28:7a
I have been working out with a personal trainer since late February, 2020. It was set up through the USAA fitness center, so I’d meet with my trainer Danielle at 6:15 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays and then get ready for work there at the gym. When COVID forced us to work from home, we maintained the same routine but would meet virtually via FaceTime and using some dumbbells I borrowed from my son, resistance bands, and my stairs. There are a variety of strength-training exercises that she coaches me through, all with the intent of increasing muscle mass which then increases my resting metabolic rate, which means I burn calories even after I’ve stopped exercising. I don’t do enough weights to where I’ll be mistaken for a bodybuilder, but I have seen improvement in my cardio workouts as well as experiencing my clothes fitting a bit better. It’s a win-win! It’s a commitment for sure, but one in which I am reaping benefits.
Speaking of commitments, I’ve shared with you that I have found a new job, so I’ll have continuous employment and won’t have to worry about facing a countdown clock with all the stress that it brings in having to find a job. My new job is with an area and people with whom I’ve worked before, albeit in a different capacity. It officially starts this week (week starting January 17) in the HR system, but I’ve been attending meetings since we all returned from the Christmas break on January 4. There’s a tremendous amount of history and detail to learn, and there have been a couple of times my director has asked me to prepare a presentation for which I have no clue the scope of how to do it (for fans of The Office, it’s that feeling Jim has when Charles Miner asks him for a rundown—he doesn’t know what it is but is too afraid to reveal that he doesn’t know. It’s nerve racking to watch that episode for me). While the work is exciting, there is a lot of it, and I see my team logged on when I sign in every morning, and that they are still logged in when I sign off every evening. I was told that the extreme pace by which I was interviewed and hired was an indication of how quickly they needed me to take the reins and run with the program. All of these expectations have swirled around my head, increasing my stress level as each day went by with me still not having put together the presentation needed. Add to that a plethora of much smaller stressors that seemed to pile on at exactly the same time, and the fact that I had not been getting enough sleep, and I was a hot mess.
One morning in prayer, the words of Nehemiah 8 came to mind: “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah shared this uplifting message with the remnant of Israel who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall, and had been weeping, having been convicted of their sin upon hearing the word of the Law of Moses read to them. I sought the answer of what that truly meant, and how I could have that strength, for I felt severely lacking in that area. My weakness felt apparent on all levels—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Even though I knew that the Lord was with me, my grip on Him seemed slack.
His grip on me, however, was ever-present and strong.
Through being in the Word, research, prayer, and the counsel of friends, I have come to realize that the strength that comes from the joy of the Lord is the knowledge that He is always with me, that He loves me, and that there isn’t anything that can separate me from His love—like Paul says in Romans 8:38-39: “neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I need to emphasize that I did not arrive at this understanding on my own, in my own strength. As with the strength training I do with my personal trainer, with its exercise repetitions and the discipline to keep at it, there are tools and tasks that can help you develop your spiritual maturity and deepen your relationship with Him.
Spend time in prayer. Make time to have one-on-one time with our heavenly Father—enjoy true and gentle communion with the one Who loves you and died for you. Have a conversation with Him—don’t make it formal with fancy “thees and thous”; He is your Father. He knows your thoughts before you even have them, so be frank and open with Him. Share your fears, concerns, confessions, and praise. Be real with Him.
Spend time in the Word. I mean opening up your Bible, studying it and meditating on what you read. Snacking on a devotional in the morning cannot satiate an appetite that hungers for the nourishment that Scripture provides. Jesus tells us in Matthew 4: “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” It is in the reading of His word, through the Holy Spirit, that He can “speak” to you.
Seek the company of other believers. The writer of Hebrews tells us to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” We are a part of the body of Christ and as such, we need to rely on each other for support, counsel, and accountability.
I’m not trying to sell you on a spiritual workout that is guaranteed to have you powerwalking with the Lord in just 30 days, but I am confident that if you are sincere in seeking to deepen your walk, developing these habits are a definite step in the right direction. Habits like these take spiritual discipline, but the reward is so worth it! It’s a win-win!
PRs: Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
Prayers for:
Our nation during these times of severe civil and spiritual unrest
Those who are facing seemingly insurmountable personal challenges
Those who suffer with depression and thoughts of suicide
Praise Reports:
The rain He has sent and will send our way
That Dora’s brother JP is doing better!
His blessings on Stone Oak Church
Next week’s devotional will be a picture demonstration of specific spiritual exercises like saintly burpees, holy Sumo squats, and divine mountain climbers. (I’m kidding-I tried to be clever but…alas, maybe notsomuch)
Quotes
“The devil will trick you into thinking that you’re still struggling with what God has freed you from.”
“One might better try to sail the Atlantic in a paper boat, than try to get to heaven on good works”. --Charles Spurgeon
Confession and Repentance
Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law… And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Nehemiah 8:3; 6b
Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.
Nehemiah 9:1-3
We are at that time in the calendar when a number of people have solidified their new year’s resolutions, some of which may have already been broken some 2-3 weeks into January. Hey—no judgment here—I don’t even make them. I think it takes a lot of resolve to not only make them but to also keep them. Identifying that there needs to be a change in one’s life is admirable and noteworthy and actually biblical!
I’ve been hanging out in the Old Testament lately in my daily reading—I just finished Nehemiah. I’ve read Nehemiah before, but it didn’t have the effect on me then as it did now. Nehemiah was a layperson who served as the king of Persia’s cupbearer, as position that gained him the trust, respect, and counsel of the king. God put it on Nehemiah’s heart to lead an effort to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, and the king not only granted him the time to do it but also provided the funding and materials for it. Nehemiah restored the physical aspect of the city by involving Jewish citizens who had returned earlier to rebuild the temple, and they rebuilt the wall in only 52 days, despite opposition from the governors of surrounding territories. He worked with Ezra, a prophet, to bring a spiritual restoration to the citizens there as well. It is this revival that had quite an effect on me—the fulfillment of Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Friends, after the wall had been rebuilt and Nehemiah recorded the names of those Jewish families who helped in its restoration, all of those families came together inside near the Water Gate and told Ezra to read to them from the Book of the Law of Moses, and he did so from morning until noon. The entire group stood while he read for at least a good four to six hours, receiving the word and having it explained to them by other learned men and Levites. Afterwards, they are overcome by emotion, because, according to Dr. J. Vernon McGee, they had “never before heard the Word of God.” They then participate in the Feast of Tabernacles over the next several days.
They gather back together some days later having fasted, wearing sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. Those of Israelite lineage then stood together and “confessed their sins and the inequities (sins) of their fathers.” They also “read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.” (chapter 9, verses 2b-3). They praise and acknowledge God as Creator and for His grace in dealing with Israel in the past and the current, despite their actions towards Him. “For You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly. Neither our kings nor our princes, our priests nor our fathers, have kept Your law, nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, with which You testified against them.” (chapter 9, vv 33b-34). The people are so convicted of their sin in the sight of the greatness of God that they declare a covenant to the Lord to walk in God’s Law (no interfaith marriage, no buying of wares or grain on the Sabbath, and forgoing of the seventh year’s product and the exacting of debt). They also make an oath to bring money for the service of the house of God, and to bring the first fruits of the grain and flocks.
Twice now, in as many weeks, the people have engaged in the hearing of the Word for an extended amount of time and were moved to worship by its conviction. In the second scenario, they were compelled to confess their sins. Revival happened in those instances—the hearing of the word, the realization and conviction of how far gone they were compared to the greatness of their Lord, the confession of their sins, and the praise and dedicated worship they had for their Lord. In the second instance (Nehemiah 9), they were moved to confess the sins of their ancestors, going back to Moses and what happened in the desert, as well as acknowledging their present sin and its consequences – “However You are just in all that has befallen us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly.” (Nehemiah 9:33).
Confession occurs when we as believers agree with God that our sin is wrong. It is an extremely important step in the spiritual growth of a believer, and is a prerequisite to repentance. Repentance takes the believer one step further with, according to Dr. Charles Stanley, a recognition that sin is against almighty God and is utterly wrong. It is heartfelt sorrow for sin, followed by a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.
In a devotion last year, I mentioned a pattern for prayer entitled ACTS, which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. In the Confession portion, you can start by examining yourself and clarifying who you are before God. Share your sins with Him, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any secret sin you may not even be aware of. You can do this not only on a personal level, but also on a church, community, and national level. I have found myself numerous times of late confessing sins on behalf of our nation and asking for His forgiveness.
Friends, we get an opportunity every time we come together in worship to allow His message to convict us of our sin. It isn’t always the most pleasant of sermon topics, but it is important. We also get an opportunity to repent of that sin when we go before Him in prayer. To grow in spiritual maturity, we must be in the Word and in prayer. The more we spend in those things, the more we will be open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and He will grow us into the Christ followers He intended us to be.
PRs: Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
Prayers for:
Those who are suffering from COVID
Our frontline healthcare workers and the staff who support them
Our nation during these times of unrest
Praise Reports:
Thankfulness that the Lord has enabled technology in such a way that we can livestream our worship service
That He has sent volunteers to work in His service!
His blessings on Stone Oak Church
May 2021 be the year that we truly pursue living a sanctified life, one set apart by the Lord for His purposes.
Quotes
“Spiritual maturity isn’t measured by how high you jump in praise, but by how straight you walk in obedience.”
“Winners of souls must first be weepers for souls”. --Charles Spurgeon
And the Lord showed up!
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:17
Most of you who have been reading these devotionals are aware of my need for a job and a number of you have told me that you’ve been praying for me about that. For that I have two things to say: a) thank you—you do not know how much it touches my heart that you would do that for me and b) your prayers worked—I have a new job lined up! It is within USAA and I officially start on January 17, though I’ve already attended some meetings to try to hit the ground running at that time.
Almost three weeks ago I was sitting in a Zoom meeting with some of my friends from Emmaus bemoaning the fact that I had to search for a new job, while planning the menu and party theme for my very own pity party. One of the ladies declared that there would come a day, soon, in which we would all be celebrating my new job and it would be abundantly clear that the Lord was in it all. While I agreed with her, I admit that I didn’t think it would happen so soon! (it was the very next day that the Holy Spirit changed my thinking and helped me realize that these events were helping me grow and not stumble). Here’s how this went down: the week of December 1, there was a job posted at USAA in an area I had supported before, in a Design role. The job was for a Senior program manager, modernizing the technical stack that area used for the users to do their job. I met with the hiring manager, as we had worked together, to find out more about the job. I applied for the job on December 7th, had a job interview via Zoom the morning of December 14, a second-round interview with two executives on December 15th, and by December 17th, I had a job offer, at a Lead level (instead of a Senior) and a small bump in pay. I did not expect the pay increase, nor did I expect that they would offer me a Lead position right off the bat. You could have knocked me over with a feather at how quickly and smoothly everything went—it was abundantly clear that this was the Lord’s hand at work. I shared this news with my friends at our Zoom meeting-exactly two weeks to the day that my friend made her declaration. God is good—all the time!! All the time—God is good!
As I was praying the next day, praising and thanking the Lord for His abundant blessing, it made me think of all the times in which people shared stories about how the Lord worked in their lives in a big way—miracles surrounding healing, marriages and families being restored, wayward lives turning around, and other testimonies too numerous to list here. Sometimes it seems that as the story is told, depending on the point of view, that all would be lost if the Lord had not shown up, and that He does so in a really big way. And some times that is truly the case—to demonstrate to all who would believe that the event that just happened whose outcome was so improbable that it can only be attributed to Him (like how He handled the dueling prophets of Baal and Elijah at Mount Carmel). My situation was not that drastic or severe—I knew that the Lord had me and that I merely needed to trust Him. And it’s not like the Lord had to “show up”—I knew that He was with me the entire time, despite the grandiose pity party shindig I was throwing for myself. But the result was still the same—when I truly started to view this latest challenge for the positive thing that it was, changing my focus from Self to Him—He provided, and in a way that can only be attributed to Him. To God be all the glory!
In just a few days, we will celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. Our Redeemer stepped out of heaven and came to earth in the most humble and meager way—a baby, born in a stable. “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” And the Lord showed up! The second Person of the Godhead was fully God and became fully Man, walked among us, faced the same things that we face but knew no sin. In His death, He reconciled us sinners to the righteous and Almighty God, enabling us to be children of God. This being the Christmas season, we rejoice in His birth, all the while realizing that the most precious gift we received was through His death. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Everlasting life, my beloved friends!
If you are reading this and thinking that although you’ve heard the gospel story time and time again, you are unsure if you truly understand its impact, and would like to know more about this indescribably exquisite gift, please reach out to me—I would be delighted to share more about it.
PRs: Prayer Requests and Praise Reports
Prayers for:
Travel mercies for those traveling this Christmas time
The lost sheep and prodigals to return
Peace and unity for the church, country, and world
Praise Reports
My new job!
Mark Hardison’s journey of health and healing reports
His blessings on Stone Oak Church
May God’s abundant peace and joy fill your hearts as we celebrate Christmas, despite the challenges that politics, weather, and a health crisis may bring. Know that you are loved!
Quotes
“A thousand times in history a baby has become a king, but only once in history did a King become a baby.”
“The birth of Christ brought God to man; the cross of Christ brought man to God.”
Change the Preposition
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1: 6-7
Because I am a work in progress, I have to admit that even though I declared in last week’s devotional about that I trusted in the Lord, I still was not fully settled in my soul about everything that had been happening. I was sharing these thoughts with my Wednesday evening Zoom call ladies (a group of six ladies who connected through Emmaus, who are now each other’s accountability partner and beloved sister in Christ), telling them that although I had the head knowledge of His promises, the need to trust Him, and the fact that it is flat out ludicrous for me to worry about what is happening in my job prospects and family’s health, I lacked the ability to fully make it happen in my heart. I just couldn’t get there from where I was emotionally and spiritually. I wanted the physical reactions I had been experiencing (racing heartbeat just from sitting at my desk, jitters, headaches, and the like) to stop, and in their place I wanted that perfect peace that Isaiah mentions in chapter 26, verse 3: You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
My friends told me the same things I would tell one of them if they were in my same predicament. They prayed with and for me, and one of them announced that she couldn’t wait for the day that I told this group about the surprising new job I had that I never thought I would be able to get, for that meant that it was only through God and that He delivered on His promise to meet my needs. I was challenged to glorify God in these days of uncertainty. Again, all things that I knew with my Vulcan-like logic and intellect but the head knowledge wasn’t translating into the heart knowledge, leaving me feeling quite disconnected and maybe even a bit worried, if I’m honest.
The very next morning during my prayer time, I asked the Lord to help me get to the point where I felt that same confidence in my heart, to overcome that disconnectedness. I was tired of being the victim in the screenplay of my life and the guest of honor at my own pity party. I honestly cannot remember now how exactly it happened, but the thought occurred to me as I was talking with Him that the trials I’ve been facing haven’t been happening to me; they have been happening for me. The Lord was not some capricious bully out to smite me out of cruelty; He was my Abba Father. He loves me and wants to grow me, with the ultimate goal of being more Christ-like. Talk about a game changer—a total change in perspective! I know it sounds cliché, but I felt different after that realization—lighter in my spirit and a bit more joy in my step. The random racing heartbeat has gone away thus far, tempered by the peace He has given me because I trust in Him.
He is so good, I tell you—so amazingly good!
Prayer Requests
· For unity and grace as we fully participate in the season of Advent by preparing our hearts for the celebration of the birth of our Savior and Lord
· For those who are convalescing from or facing various health-related issues
· For the caretakers of those who are ill
· For the broken-hearted and the lost
Friends, I know that the perspective He allowed me to have is one that you can have as well, if you earnestly seek for Him in the midst of the trials and tribulations you experience. I am praying for you.
Quotes
“Real peace is not the calm. Real peace is the presence of God in the storm.”
“When you’re hanging on by a thread, make sure it is the hem of His garment.”