Month: June 2022

Beyond All We Ask or Think

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

This is a devotional I posted nearly a year ago, but I want to share it again today. I just celebrated another birthday, and I feel so abundantly blessed and loved by my family with the very thoughtful gifts and the joy of the time we spent together. And I’m reminded again of God’s gift of life, His love that never changes, His constant presence, and His promise of eternal life with Him. So, here is the message from last year:

The first thought that came to mind as I awakened this morning was about the abundant blessings God has given me.  I thank Him above all else for His love and for the incomparable gift of salvation!  The words “abundant” and “lavish” came to mind and I began thinking about the Scriptures that use those words to describe God’s love and His actions toward those who belong to Him.

Eph. 1:7-8 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. (Notice especially the word “lavished.”  The dictionary defines lavish: “bestow something in generous or extravagant quantities on”). In order to forgive and redeem us, it cost God the death of His Son on the cross! (John 3:16) Nothing could show us greater love than that!

John 10:10 I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Matthew 14:13-21 Jesus asked the disciples to provide food for the multitudes that had followed them.  An impossible task!  But with the five loaves of bread and two fish that were available, Jesus miraculously provided food for thousands of people with food left over!  He is able to take what little we have to offer Him and turn it into more than enough for the task He has called us to do. 

Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.

I am reminded again today to be grateful for all God has done for me, and to give Him the praise!

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Whatever is going on in your life right now, even if the situation seems impossible, I pray that you will be encouraged as you are reminded of God’s Word and His never-ending love for you.

Maybe you are in a season in which you are experiencing God’s lavish blessing.  Thank Him for that!

Remember that He is able to do “far more abundantly beyond what we ask or think!” 

Lord, we give you all the glory!

Here I Am. Send Me!!

Isaiah 6:8

As I started reading the book of Isaiah recently, those are the words that keep coming to my mind.  Isaiah was a prophet of God, and he had a vision of God seated on the throne in His temple.  As Isaiah was in the presence of the holiness of God, he was devastated by the awareness of his own unholiness.  God mercifully provided forgiveness for Isaiah, and then asked the question, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”  And Isaiah’s response was “Here I am. Send me!!”  Isaiah’s heart was changed as he realized God’s love and forgiveness.

I’ve been thinking about Isaiah’s heart and what made him willing to say those words of commitment in response to God.  He obviously was in God’s presence, and he knew God’s voice. Isaiah trusted Him so much that he was willing to go wherever God was calling him to go.  Isaiah expressed the same desire that Jesus claimed in John 5:30: “I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” 

So that makes me think about my own heart.  Do I want to know God’s plans for me? Am I willing to do whatever He asks me to do for Him?  For so many years, I was “going through the motions of being a Christian” but did not have a personal relationship with Him.  I’m so thankful that God has changed my heart.  I’ve learned to spend time with Him daily, and I ask Him to show me His plan for each day. I do love Him, and I do want to live in the center of His will. I remember that He is my Shepherd, He knows me by name and calls me to follow Him. He loves me and desires that relationship with Him.

How do I know what God’s plans are for me?  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the plans I have for you.” So, I just need to be asking and willing to follow Him wherever He leads.

Ephesians 2:10 reminds me that “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  I love that verse!  God created us to do specific things that He has gifted us to do for His purpose and His glory. I experience true joy and peace when I choose to live in His plan!

Am I willing to respond to God as Isaiah did? Yes!  I’m learning to spend the first moments of the day with God, not just praying and reading His Word, but taking time to listen. I ask for His will and trust His Spirit working through me to accomplish it.

Here are the words of a prayer I copied a long time ago.  I don’t remember where I found it, but it expresses a heart that is fully committed to the Lord and His will. I want this to be the prayer of my heart.  I’ll share a few lines of it here:

Lord, I’m Yours… and whatever the cost may be, may Your will be done in my life.  I’m not here on earth to do my own thing, or to seek my own fulfillment or my own glory.  I’m not here to indulge my desires…I’m here to please You… You alone are worthy to be my Lord and Master… I’m here to love You, to obey You, to glorify You.  O my Beloved, may I be a joy to You!

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Can you identify with Isaiah’s response to God?  What is the evidence in your life?

If not, what would keep you from responding that way? 

God hears and answers prayers for a changed heart and can give us the desire to be fully committed to Him if we ask in faith.

Support for the Battle-Weary

Last week I wrote about the process of creating a website and publishing weekly devotional messages. And then a year later I was prompted to compile them as a self-published book. It was a difficult assignment for me, but I learned so much as I learned to follow God’s leading one step at a time.

This devotional I’m posting today is one of the first that I first published on my website in 2021. It is still relevant in my life today, and I pray it will be an encouragement to you too.

Moses’ hands were heavy…

Exodus 17:8-13

After the people of Israel were set free from slavery in Egypt, Moses was leading them through the wilderness.  As they were being attacked by their enemies, the Amalekites, Moses came up with a battle plan:  Moses told Joshua to choose men to go out and fight.  Moses would station himself at the top of a hill with the staff of God in his hand.  Moses, Aaron and Hur all went up to the top of the hill as the battle was going on down below.  When Moses held up his hand, the Israelites prevailed, but when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed. What happens next fascinates me, and I love the picture that it gives for our lives today.

 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, and Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side and one on the other—so that his hands were steady until the sun set. So, Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

This is the picture that comes to my mind when God brings someone to my attention who is just worn out from battling the enemy.  I have been in that place myself where I was just too emotionally, physically, and spiritually tired to fight anymore, even to lift my own hands in prayer.  Can you identify with that?  God has given us a wonderful example to follow.  Sometimes we need to be the one to come alongside a brother or sister who is weak and tired and “support their hands.”  We need to prayerfully ask God what we can do to help that person.  What practical ways can we get involved? 

            Perhaps more difficult than supporting someone else’s weak hands is admitting our own need to be supported.  Many of us like to be the ones to offer aid to others but find it very difficult to receive help ourselves. During the times when the battle is the fiercest, we really can’t fight by ourselves. We need to be willing to admit when we are worn out and need help.  God never meant us to fight the battles alone.  He intends for us to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) and to strengthen the hands that are weak (Hebrews 12:12).

Notice that Aaron and Hur placed Moses on a stone.  Psalm 18:2 tells us The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. When I am called by God to help strengthen one who is weak, I need to make sure I am leading them to Him, the Rock, not giving them my own advice about the solution to their problem.

The Lord is the firm foundation, the refuge, the deliverer (Psalm 18:2).  God Himself and His Word need to be at the center of our encouragement to others.  We need to pray for God’s wisdom as we come alongside to help.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Has God brought someone into your life who needs encouragement?

At times we can be overwhelmed with the needs of someone else.  Remember that God is their rock, their refuge and strength.  Depend on Him to give you the wisdom that is needed to help support them.

Looking Back and Remembering

Two years ago on June 1, 2020, I posted my first devotional on the website I had just created.  Honestly, I’m still surprised that I was able to make that happen!  It was definitely not as easy as advertised online (“7 easy steps; 17 minutes and you can create your own website …”)  Don’t believe that for a moment!  But through prayer and support from several special friends, and the finishing touches by my son-in-law, I could finally begin posting weekly messages.

About 20 of the first devotionals had been in my file cabinet since 1997 when I first started writing.  At that time, I hadn’t any idea what to do with them, didn’t know who would want to read them, had no idea how to distribute them.  But in the fall of 2018, the Lord prompted me to get them out of the file cabinet and read them again. One step at a time, the vision became clear that it was time to start writing again, still not knowing what I would do with them.

This week, I looked back and read in my journal where I had recorded each step in the process that led to creating a website and publishing weekly devotionals.  I was amazed at the process and God’s timing, remembering how He provided the direction when I just didn’t have a clue what to do next.  It was obviously His assignment for me, and I learned so much through the process of following Him as I took each next step.  I’ve learned to trust God completely for what seems impossible.  I’ve learned that He will provide whatever is necessary to accomplish what He has called me to do. 

After a year of publishing weekly messages, I was prompted with another challenge.  Three friends in less than a month asked if I had considered publishing a book.  Each time I said no, I have not considered that and have no desire to.  But all three said almost exactly the same thing, that they had co-workers and friends that they would like to be able to give a book of these devotionals.  I realized, again after much prayer, that this prompting was from God.  Once again, I had to overcome my own inability to imagine where to begin such an assignment. And once again, God led each next step.  My dear friend MarJean had already self-published several books on Amazon.  She was willing to help me and right there to encourage me whenever I got stuck in the process and felt like giving up.  Definitely God’s gift to me!

The book became available on Amazon.com on March 27, 2021.  In case you are interested in having a copy and don’t have the information, the title of the book is “Living in God’s Extravagant Grace; Encouragement from God’s Word.”  If you have any questions, you can contact me by email at sjspokane000@gmail.com.

I believe the next step now is to publish another book of the second year of devotionals posted on my website www.livinggodsgrace.com.  You can go to that website to read all of the devotionals published so far.

As I look back and remember, I’m so grateful to know God and His promises.  My faith, trust, and complete dependence on God have grown more than ever before! Here are a few verses that I have treasured through the experience of following God. 

Jeremiah 29:11 – I know the plans I have for you.

Philippians 1:6 – He who began a good work among you will complete it…

Psalm 32:8 – I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

John 10:4 – When He puts forth all His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice.

Isaiah 43:19 – Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth… I will make a roadway in the wilderness.

I was planning to include the very first devotional from my website on June 1, 2020.  But I’ve decided to save that for next week.  You’ve probably read enough for now!

PERSONAL REFLECTION

I know that a lot of people don’t like to write in a journal, but it has been such a blessing to me to be able to look back and remember how God specifically led in so many different situations in my life.  I encourage you to start a journal if you haven’t already.  It is so helpful to look back to see what you have struggled with, or been profoundly grateful for, and see how God has been with you in specific ways through it all.

Do you feel God prompting you to step out of your comfort zone and follow Him on a new path?

I was so encouraged by a message from our pastor’s wife at the time.  She spoke to our women’s group at church about being willing to “Just take the next step.  Even if you don’t feel qualified.  Even if you don’t know what the outcome will be.  Trust God to lead each step, one at a time.”  I would like to encourage you with that same message!

Which of the verses I included above have special meaning for you today?