"Dear Lord, I am filled with thankfulness as I remember how You pursue me with Your love. Thank You for loving me first, even before I was aware of You. Thank You for each person and situation You put in my life that lead me to You. Reignite the fire of my love for You, causing it to grow stronger than ever. Let everything I am, do, and say point to Your unfailing love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen"
-Melanie Chitwood, Proverbs 31 Ministries
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Escaping the Rut of Want
Just wanted to share this with you... It was a good reminder to me of where we've come from and where we're going...
"Twelve years ago I was stuck in a rut of want. There was an opportunity that looked so promising. A publisher expressed genuine interest in my writing. It seemed to be right. It felt right. I wanted it to be right. It must be right!
But it never came to pass.
In my most mature moments I reasoned, 'It wasn’t meant to be. I trust God and believe in His perfect plans.'
In my not so mature moments I wondered, 'God, this isn’t fair. Why do you keep saying no?'
And in my immature moments I whined, 'God, do you care this hurts me?'
Have you ever been there?
Ruts of want are tough places to be stuck.
When God says no, we are sometimes tempted to wonder if He loves us. In reality, it’s because He loves us, He sometimes says no.
Read that last sentence again and rub it into your heart. The hurting part. The part that throbs and aches when you see others getting the exact opportunity you want. You fake a smile to hide the pain.
God brought this change of perspective to me through a baking disaster that happened to my youngest daughter, Brooke. She came to me a 9pm one night and asked if she and her friend could bake a cake.
Hope, Brooke’s older sister, had offered to help and I was too tired to argue the incessant pleas of a nine year old.
Brooke measured and poured, whipped and stirred, and carefully placed a batter-filled cake pan into the oven. Then she turned on the oven light and watched the cake bake. Her cake became her whole focus. She couldn’t stop looking at the cake and grew increasingly impatient with the slow-passing minutes on the timer.
Nothing kills patience like being solely focused on the object of your desire. And tragically, impatience becomes the breeding ground for compromise.
About 30 minutes into the 45 minute baking time, the cake looked done. It smelled done. Brooke and her friend wanted it to be done. She reasoned it must be done!
Hope helped retrieve the cake and place it on the counter to cool.
And it wasn’t long until the cake imploded.
The cake couldn’t withstand the pressure of an undone center… and neither can we.
If we obsess over the cake and make it our whole focus, character atrophies. If we make growing in godliness our obsession and keep our focus on God, our character matures. And a mature character makes for a solid and well done center.
I thank God everyday for the no’s He’s graciously allowed and continues to allow in my life. I used to pray, 'God, let me, let me, let me!'
I now pray, 'God, please never let my success outgrow the character necessary to handle it.'
Indeed, it’s because God loves us, He sometimes says no.
What ‘no’ have you thanked God for lately?"
-Lysa TerKeurst
"Twelve years ago I was stuck in a rut of want. There was an opportunity that looked so promising. A publisher expressed genuine interest in my writing. It seemed to be right. It felt right. I wanted it to be right. It must be right!
But it never came to pass.
In my most mature moments I reasoned, 'It wasn’t meant to be. I trust God and believe in His perfect plans.'
In my not so mature moments I wondered, 'God, this isn’t fair. Why do you keep saying no?'
And in my immature moments I whined, 'God, do you care this hurts me?'
Have you ever been there?
Ruts of want are tough places to be stuck.
When God says no, we are sometimes tempted to wonder if He loves us. In reality, it’s because He loves us, He sometimes says no.
Read that last sentence again and rub it into your heart. The hurting part. The part that throbs and aches when you see others getting the exact opportunity you want. You fake a smile to hide the pain.
God brought this change of perspective to me through a baking disaster that happened to my youngest daughter, Brooke. She came to me a 9pm one night and asked if she and her friend could bake a cake.
Hope, Brooke’s older sister, had offered to help and I was too tired to argue the incessant pleas of a nine year old.
Brooke measured and poured, whipped and stirred, and carefully placed a batter-filled cake pan into the oven. Then she turned on the oven light and watched the cake bake. Her cake became her whole focus. She couldn’t stop looking at the cake and grew increasingly impatient with the slow-passing minutes on the timer.
Nothing kills patience like being solely focused on the object of your desire. And tragically, impatience becomes the breeding ground for compromise.
About 30 minutes into the 45 minute baking time, the cake looked done. It smelled done. Brooke and her friend wanted it to be done. She reasoned it must be done!
Hope helped retrieve the cake and place it on the counter to cool.
And it wasn’t long until the cake imploded.
The cake couldn’t withstand the pressure of an undone center… and neither can we.
If we obsess over the cake and make it our whole focus, character atrophies. If we make growing in godliness our obsession and keep our focus on God, our character matures. And a mature character makes for a solid and well done center.
I thank God everyday for the no’s He’s graciously allowed and continues to allow in my life. I used to pray, 'God, let me, let me, let me!'
I now pray, 'God, please never let my success outgrow the character necessary to handle it.'
Indeed, it’s because God loves us, He sometimes says no.
What ‘no’ have you thanked God for lately?"
-Lysa TerKeurst
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Craving Connections
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
"Do you ever catch yourself checking email repeatedly? One morning I checked my email as soon as I woke up. Then I made breakfast and checked it again. Had my devotional time and checked it again. Ran some errands and when I got home, checked it once more.
Now, I admit I have a thing about keeping white space in my inbox, but this was about more than managing emails.
I was going back for a reason. I sensed the Holy Spirit nudging me to pause and ask myself, 'Why do you keep checking your email?'
I sat there and let my heart respond honestly. I wasn’t sure if it was God or me answering, but my thoughts intertwined with His Spirit whispered: You keep coming back because your heart longs for connection with a friend.
Yet no matter how many times I checked email, it was never enough to satisfy my craving.
Somewhere in the busyness of life I had let many of my friendships reduce to quick connections via email. Over the past year my schedule had gotten so full with kids, school projects, family needs, investing time in my marriage, and new responsibilities at work that something had to give.
I didn’t want it to be my family, so I asked God to help me find balance.
I had sensed Him leading me to cut back on the amount of time I spent talking on the phone, socializing with neighbors and hanging out with friends. Although I hadn’t completely cut out my friendships, my face-to-face connection time with friends had been reduced to a minimum.
That morning as I sat at my computer, I realized I had not found balance. The pendulum had swung too far.Here I was checking email repeatedly, trying to fill a God-created need for relationships with a white screen and black alphabet keys.
My heart was craving more. God had revealed the source of my incessant email checking and shown me that I needed to fill the lonely place in my spirit with friends I could talk to and share life with — in person.
That day I called one of my closest friends. She happened to be available so I turned off my computer and took a break from work to spontaneously meet her at a coffee shop.
It was just what I needed: face-to-face, heart-to-heart, eye-to-eye connection and conversation.
I know friendships are not easy to build. They take time. And time is limited with lives that keep us so busy. But in this age of technology, it’s important to evaluate things in our lives that create a false sense of connection like email, television, text messaging and overboard activities.
Although these things are okay in moderation, they can’t substitute real-life relationships.
So what about long-distance and internet friendships? Aren’t they important, too? Yes, they are. But God created us for relationships where we can see each other, hug each other and talk to each other face-to-face.
We need to pull away from our computers and televisions to intentionally carve out time for friends that are in close proximity. Times where we can meet face-to-face to share what’s going on in our lives. Today’s key verse instructs us not to give up meeting together to worship and encourage one another. As we see here and throughout the Bible “meeting together” is important to God.
Jesus needed face-to-face connections, too. So He surrounded Himself with intimate friends — first His Father, then His close friends John, Peter and James and then the other nine disciples.
He also had friends like Mary, Martha and Lazarus. People He spent time with sharing meals and having conversations about spiritual truths that applied to their everyday lives. Through His example we see how important it is to satisfy our craving for connections by spending face-to-face time with friends.
So, who will you connect with face-to-face this week?
Dear Lord, You created me with a need for friends. Yet, I find myself rushing through my days with little time for heart-to-heart connections. Help me to seek You first as my ultimate Friend, and then reach out to others so I can have and be a close friend. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
-Renee Swope, Proverbs 31 Ministries
As I started reading this devotional, I read and re-read the paragraphs multiple times, feeling like I was just skimming over it and not really letting it sink in.. so I took a deep breath and started reading again...and WHAM!!! This is me... not necessarily in checking my e-mail, but in checking my phone at every possible chance to see if anyone had texted me... or checking my facebook on my phone to see if anyone has written me a mesage or responded to something that I posted... and it hit me that I am that person.. that my heart is longing for a connection to a friend, and instead of reaching out... instead of tunring to my Saviour to fulfill that longing I am continuously turning to a relationship with a white screen and black alphabet keys.... (or when I am trying to drift off to sleep-- a box of noise and light). To paraphrase Renee's words, Help me first to seek you Father as my ultimate Friend, and help me to then reach out to others so that I canhave and be a close friend. AMEN.
"Do you ever catch yourself checking email repeatedly? One morning I checked my email as soon as I woke up. Then I made breakfast and checked it again. Had my devotional time and checked it again. Ran some errands and when I got home, checked it once more.
Now, I admit I have a thing about keeping white space in my inbox, but this was about more than managing emails.
I was going back for a reason. I sensed the Holy Spirit nudging me to pause and ask myself, 'Why do you keep checking your email?'
I sat there and let my heart respond honestly. I wasn’t sure if it was God or me answering, but my thoughts intertwined with His Spirit whispered: You keep coming back because your heart longs for connection with a friend.
Yet no matter how many times I checked email, it was never enough to satisfy my craving.
Somewhere in the busyness of life I had let many of my friendships reduce to quick connections via email. Over the past year my schedule had gotten so full with kids, school projects, family needs, investing time in my marriage, and new responsibilities at work that something had to give.
I didn’t want it to be my family, so I asked God to help me find balance.
I had sensed Him leading me to cut back on the amount of time I spent talking on the phone, socializing with neighbors and hanging out with friends. Although I hadn’t completely cut out my friendships, my face-to-face connection time with friends had been reduced to a minimum.
That morning as I sat at my computer, I realized I had not found balance. The pendulum had swung too far.Here I was checking email repeatedly, trying to fill a God-created need for relationships with a white screen and black alphabet keys.
My heart was craving more. God had revealed the source of my incessant email checking and shown me that I needed to fill the lonely place in my spirit with friends I could talk to and share life with — in person.
That day I called one of my closest friends. She happened to be available so I turned off my computer and took a break from work to spontaneously meet her at a coffee shop.
It was just what I needed: face-to-face, heart-to-heart, eye-to-eye connection and conversation.
I know friendships are not easy to build. They take time. And time is limited with lives that keep us so busy. But in this age of technology, it’s important to evaluate things in our lives that create a false sense of connection like email, television, text messaging and overboard activities.
Although these things are okay in moderation, they can’t substitute real-life relationships.
So what about long-distance and internet friendships? Aren’t they important, too? Yes, they are. But God created us for relationships where we can see each other, hug each other and talk to each other face-to-face.
We need to pull away from our computers and televisions to intentionally carve out time for friends that are in close proximity. Times where we can meet face-to-face to share what’s going on in our lives. Today’s key verse instructs us not to give up meeting together to worship and encourage one another. As we see here and throughout the Bible “meeting together” is important to God.
Jesus needed face-to-face connections, too. So He surrounded Himself with intimate friends — first His Father, then His close friends John, Peter and James and then the other nine disciples.
He also had friends like Mary, Martha and Lazarus. People He spent time with sharing meals and having conversations about spiritual truths that applied to their everyday lives. Through His example we see how important it is to satisfy our craving for connections by spending face-to-face time with friends.
So, who will you connect with face-to-face this week?
Dear Lord, You created me with a need for friends. Yet, I find myself rushing through my days with little time for heart-to-heart connections. Help me to seek You first as my ultimate Friend, and then reach out to others so I can have and be a close friend. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
-Renee Swope, Proverbs 31 Ministries
As I started reading this devotional, I read and re-read the paragraphs multiple times, feeling like I was just skimming over it and not really letting it sink in.. so I took a deep breath and started reading again...and WHAM!!! This is me... not necessarily in checking my e-mail, but in checking my phone at every possible chance to see if anyone had texted me... or checking my facebook on my phone to see if anyone has written me a mesage or responded to something that I posted... and it hit me that I am that person.. that my heart is longing for a connection to a friend, and instead of reaching out... instead of tunring to my Saviour to fulfill that longing I am continuously turning to a relationship with a white screen and black alphabet keys.... (or when I am trying to drift off to sleep-- a box of noise and light). To paraphrase Renee's words, Help me first to seek you Father as my ultimate Friend, and help me to then reach out to others so that I canhave and be a close friend. AMEN.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
What the Ravens KNOW
“He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” Psalm 147:9 (NIV)
"I watch as the bird perches aloft a swinging power line, oblivious to the current pulsing through his perch. He raises his beak and sings in the direction of the clouds above, his song more insistent than melodic.
Until I read today’s verse I might’ve assumed that the raven was calling for his mate or trying to out sing the other birds. But with today’s verse on my mind I wonder if he is not doing what all of God’s creation inherently knows to do: call on their Creator for their needs.
Ravens are pretty plain as birds go. Missing the distinct markings of a bluebird or cardinal and the unique talents of the woodpecker or hummingbird, ravens strike me as being least likely to get God’s attention. And yet, the Psalmist mentions this unremarkable bird in Psalm 147:9. He points out that when they call, God hears them and He provides for them.
Maybe today you are feeling unremarkable, forgotten, lacking anything special. You might be feeling plain, all black feathers in a forest full of bright plumage. Why would God answer your call? You have nothing to offer in return.
This verse assures us that God doesn’t respond based on who we are or what we have to offer. He responds because we are His, plain and simple. He responds because it is in His nature to provide. Our call initiates His response. We must believe that with all our hearts and stand on that truth as we wait for that response.
I know that’s easier said than done.
Perhaps you have been waiting a long time. Maybe you are feeling hopeless that your prayers will ever be answered. Or perhaps you are losing faith that He even hears.
I’ve been there, too. There have been times when I looked into tomorrow and saw blackness as dark as the feathers of a raven. Days when I read a verse like Psalm 147:9, and thought to myself, 'Yeah, right. He might answer that bird, but He isn’t answering me.'
And in those times I’ve wondered what I needed to do to get God’s attention. In John 6:28-29 the people ask Jesus what they must do to do the works God requires. They want to please God and they know Jesus holds the key as to how they can do just that. As they wait anxiously for His answer, I imagine they are expecting a laundry list of possibilities, bullet points they can jot down and refer to later.
Instead Jesus tells them that the work of God is simply to believe in the One He has sent. Jesus knew that believing is work. It is heart work. To believe in Jesus even when He seems far away or unresponsive is some of the hardest work we will have to do as we follow Him. But that is all what He asks us to do.
The ravens know that He always provides and they sing with confidence in that, no matter what their circumstances are. Oh how I want to do the same in my life. Will you join me today, singing, believing and standing on His promises as we persevere in song.
Dear Lord, today I am going to keep singing and trust that You will answer my call because I believe You love me and want the best for me. I am going to do the work that You require and trust Your provision. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
- Marybeth Whalen, Proverbs 31 Ministries.
How amazing to think that as the bird sits perched on the power-line, clinging to what could potentially kill them, the bird opens it's mouth, and as the notes of it's song come out to think that it is asking for it's daily provision. The Bible does say that creation will and does cry out... I often wander how much we in our human flesh are unable to see around us... the babbling brooks, the wind blowing through the trees.... could Creation really be calling out for the Creator??
What an amazing thought!!!
And even more amazing is the thought that the Bible also says that even as God clothes the grass of the field, and feeds the sparrows, how much more so does the LORD God love and care for you!!
What a humbling thought today... that no matter what trials, no matter what circumstances, no matter WHAT.. My God loves me and will provide for my needs. I need just open my mouth and "sing".
Thank you Father ! AMEN
"I watch as the bird perches aloft a swinging power line, oblivious to the current pulsing through his perch. He raises his beak and sings in the direction of the clouds above, his song more insistent than melodic.
Until I read today’s verse I might’ve assumed that the raven was calling for his mate or trying to out sing the other birds. But with today’s verse on my mind I wonder if he is not doing what all of God’s creation inherently knows to do: call on their Creator for their needs.
Ravens are pretty plain as birds go. Missing the distinct markings of a bluebird or cardinal and the unique talents of the woodpecker or hummingbird, ravens strike me as being least likely to get God’s attention. And yet, the Psalmist mentions this unremarkable bird in Psalm 147:9. He points out that when they call, God hears them and He provides for them.
Maybe today you are feeling unremarkable, forgotten, lacking anything special. You might be feeling plain, all black feathers in a forest full of bright plumage. Why would God answer your call? You have nothing to offer in return.
This verse assures us that God doesn’t respond based on who we are or what we have to offer. He responds because we are His, plain and simple. He responds because it is in His nature to provide. Our call initiates His response. We must believe that with all our hearts and stand on that truth as we wait for that response.
I know that’s easier said than done.
Perhaps you have been waiting a long time. Maybe you are feeling hopeless that your prayers will ever be answered. Or perhaps you are losing faith that He even hears.
I’ve been there, too. There have been times when I looked into tomorrow and saw blackness as dark as the feathers of a raven. Days when I read a verse like Psalm 147:9, and thought to myself, 'Yeah, right. He might answer that bird, but He isn’t answering me.'
And in those times I’ve wondered what I needed to do to get God’s attention. In John 6:28-29 the people ask Jesus what they must do to do the works God requires. They want to please God and they know Jesus holds the key as to how they can do just that. As they wait anxiously for His answer, I imagine they are expecting a laundry list of possibilities, bullet points they can jot down and refer to later.
Instead Jesus tells them that the work of God is simply to believe in the One He has sent. Jesus knew that believing is work. It is heart work. To believe in Jesus even when He seems far away or unresponsive is some of the hardest work we will have to do as we follow Him. But that is all what He asks us to do.
The ravens know that He always provides and they sing with confidence in that, no matter what their circumstances are. Oh how I want to do the same in my life. Will you join me today, singing, believing and standing on His promises as we persevere in song.
Dear Lord, today I am going to keep singing and trust that You will answer my call because I believe You love me and want the best for me. I am going to do the work that You require and trust Your provision. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
- Marybeth Whalen, Proverbs 31 Ministries.
How amazing to think that as the bird sits perched on the power-line, clinging to what could potentially kill them, the bird opens it's mouth, and as the notes of it's song come out to think that it is asking for it's daily provision. The Bible does say that creation will and does cry out... I often wander how much we in our human flesh are unable to see around us... the babbling brooks, the wind blowing through the trees.... could Creation really be calling out for the Creator??
What an amazing thought!!!
And even more amazing is the thought that the Bible also says that even as God clothes the grass of the field, and feeds the sparrows, how much more so does the LORD God love and care for you!!
What a humbling thought today... that no matter what trials, no matter what circumstances, no matter WHAT.. My God loves me and will provide for my needs. I need just open my mouth and "sing".
Thank you Father ! AMEN
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Faith Vs. Fear
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified
because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;
He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)
"Our pediatrician told me that my baby had a collapsed lung. The baby I’d given birth to just an hour earlier.
'Courage is not the absence of fear, but the presence of faith.'
They weren’t the words I wanted to remember in that moment, but they came to me as I sat and listened to the doctor’s news, jaw clenched and blinking back tears.
The trauma started the previous evening when my doctor declared that I needed to get to the hospital immediately. A series of sonograms and tests revealed that my son was in distress and dangerously underweight. We had to deliver as soon as possible. So my husband and I packed a bag and left our three other children in the care of my mother. We walked through the door of that hospital afraid that our worst fears were about to become reality. Faith did not come naturally in that moment.
I would have preferred that courage meant I wouldn’t fear the path that lay before me. But no, my path would involve hours, and then days, learning the ins and outs of oxygen tubes, IVs, and heart rate monitors. I would learn terms like spontaneous pneumothorax and the dreaded pneumonia. My path contained a great deal of fear.
It is no wonder that God had to remind us in Deuteronomy 31:6 not to be afraid. Fear, it seems, is a natural reaction when we face a challenge, whether it is being led through the desert into the Promised Land, or being rushed to the hospital for an emergency delivery.
But the only antidote to fear is faith. And courage is not something we find within ourselves. It is the result of faith, and even that is a gift from God.
We spent five days in the hospital with our tiny son. And each day God took a little of our fear and replaced it with faith. I have wondered since if our stay in the hospital was as much for my healing as my son’s. Thankfully, God healed us both.
Be strong, God said, and courageous. We can do this because He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He stands with us in battle, and He sits with us who hold the tiny hand of a newborn baby in the Intensive Care Unit. He never leaves our side. Never.
Dear Lord, thank You that You stand beside me today as I face this trial. Thank You that I am not alone. Would You take my fear and replace it with faith? You have said that You will never leave me nor forsake me. You have told me not to be afraid or discouraged. I believe that You will make me strong and courageous. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
-Ariel Allison Lawhon, Proverbs 31 Ministries
Yes, Lord, Amen, Increase my faith today I pray.
Amen
because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;
He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)
"Our pediatrician told me that my baby had a collapsed lung. The baby I’d given birth to just an hour earlier.
'Courage is not the absence of fear, but the presence of faith.'
They weren’t the words I wanted to remember in that moment, but they came to me as I sat and listened to the doctor’s news, jaw clenched and blinking back tears.
The trauma started the previous evening when my doctor declared that I needed to get to the hospital immediately. A series of sonograms and tests revealed that my son was in distress and dangerously underweight. We had to deliver as soon as possible. So my husband and I packed a bag and left our three other children in the care of my mother. We walked through the door of that hospital afraid that our worst fears were about to become reality. Faith did not come naturally in that moment.
I would have preferred that courage meant I wouldn’t fear the path that lay before me. But no, my path would involve hours, and then days, learning the ins and outs of oxygen tubes, IVs, and heart rate monitors. I would learn terms like spontaneous pneumothorax and the dreaded pneumonia. My path contained a great deal of fear.
It is no wonder that God had to remind us in Deuteronomy 31:6 not to be afraid. Fear, it seems, is a natural reaction when we face a challenge, whether it is being led through the desert into the Promised Land, or being rushed to the hospital for an emergency delivery.
But the only antidote to fear is faith. And courage is not something we find within ourselves. It is the result of faith, and even that is a gift from God.
We spent five days in the hospital with our tiny son. And each day God took a little of our fear and replaced it with faith. I have wondered since if our stay in the hospital was as much for my healing as my son’s. Thankfully, God healed us both.
Be strong, God said, and courageous. We can do this because He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He stands with us in battle, and He sits with us who hold the tiny hand of a newborn baby in the Intensive Care Unit. He never leaves our side. Never.
Dear Lord, thank You that You stand beside me today as I face this trial. Thank You that I am not alone. Would You take my fear and replace it with faith? You have said that You will never leave me nor forsake me. You have told me not to be afraid or discouraged. I believe that You will make me strong and courageous. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
-Ariel Allison Lawhon, Proverbs 31 Ministries
Yes, Lord, Amen, Increase my faith today I pray.
Amen
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