Daily Devotional

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah,
and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you,
Be not afriad nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude;
for the battle is not yours, but God's. -- 2 Chronicals 20:15 (KJV)

I'm familiar with feeling overwhelmed. I have had several jobs in my past that can lead to one experiencing this feeling, such as waiting tables, fighting a deadline for a publication, and being responsible for up to 22 young children - and their educational goals - at a time. It tempts me to want to shut down and back away from the stressful situation, but I'm not often afforded that option. The food gets cold, the deadline will be missed, or a child could slip through the cracks.

As a full time mommy now, I still have things to get stressed about. Laundry and other chores that get put off and then pile up; getting to appointments on time with a fussy toddler in tow; keeping up with a budget, etc. If I allow it, I could probably drum up stress in any situation - I seem to be a magnet for it.

Is this healthy for my family? Is it healthy for me? Should I bear the burden of stress so often that it hurts my spirit? NO! Would the visible stress on my face give a false testimony about my very satisfying and happy life? Would it possibly hurt my testimony about having faith in God? Could it even get in the way of my relationship with God? YES!

In the verse, we are reminded that no matter how daunting the task, we shouldn't be dismayed. In all things, we should lean on and look to God for strength and for the strategy to get through the "battle." Like any of our worries, we are told to lay them at His feet - He will get us through.

Daily Devotional

Say not thou, I will recompense evil;
but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.
-- Proverbs 20:22 KJV

**In my devotional book, this verse was taken a little out of context I think, so I'm going to go two directions here: one way discussing the verse as the devotional took it, and secondly the way I believe it is intended within the context of this chapter in the Bible. They both speak of patience, but in very different ways.**

The devotional story talked about a scenario at a grocery store where a customer grew impatient with a slow-moving line and proceeded to make several hateful comments and complaints aloud. The author of this story struck my heart when she wrote that "impatience reveals a selfish and mean spirit while showing patience is really a simple act of kindness." What a basic and common sense concept! How often I too have felt impatient about a delayed expectation, sometimes even being transparent enough that others around me would notice my frustration. In the moment, you feel a little bit justified and satisfied to express these feelings so that whomever you're waiting on might move a little faster to suit you. I hope I can remember that keeping my impatience to myself - or better yet, not submitting to my human-nature at all - would be a simple show of kindness and a reflection of my Godly spirit that would honor Him and give Him glory.

I'm so glad that God is eternally patient. He NEVER tires of our shenanigans or our disobedience to the point that he'd walk away and give up on our salvation. He knows how sinful and wicked we are in our human-nature, and yet he pursues us and desires us to come to Him for redemption. He offers His gift of eternal life with no strings attached beyond a child-like faith in Christ, and with no take-backs. What a patient and loving God!

In the 20th chapter of Proverbs, Solomon gives warnings and instructions to God's people. In verse 22, I believe he issues warning to not look to oneself for salvation but to wait on God. We are all tarnished and imperfect, and only in God can we be made whole and clean. We shouldn't look for ways to justify our sins; when we repent from these sins, we will be redeemed by God's mercy. Salvation does not lie within ourselves or our own power - despite what "the world" would have you believe with all it's new-age and free-thinking movements. Wait and look to the Lord for redemption - "he shall save thee."

Daily Devotional

The hearing ear, and the seeing eye,
the Lord hath made even both of them.
--Proverbs 20:12 KJV

And what would He have us to do with them? Should we use our eyes for lust or looking upon wicked things? Should we use our ears for spreading hurtful gossip or for listening to filth?

So, what WOULD He have us to do with our eyes and ears? We can use our ears to listen when others are hurting. We can use our eyes to look for lost people, or for opportunities to help one another. We can use both eyes and ears to learn from the Bible and from our brothers and sisters in Christ who will share their wisdom with us. Our eyes should look for God's unconditional love that we may follow His example. Our ears should be open so that we can discern good from evil, righteousness from wickedness.

Daily Devotional

I'm going through a book of short-n-sweet daily devotionals for women. It occurred to me to share them here so they may bless someone besides myself.

Who, when he came,
and had seen the grace of God,
was glad, and exhorted them all,
that with purpose of heart
they would cleave unto the Lord. --Acts 11:23, KJV

This verse talks of Barnabus' reaction to the witness of the establishment of the church at Antioch. His heart was joy and Spirit-filled, and he desired that more would be added unto the Lord. He could see the happiness and peace among these young Christians, and he wanted more people to experience this peace and joy. I think, as a Christian, it is simple to understand this desire. When we delight in the Lord and His rich abundance in our lives, it isn't hard to want others to share in our joy and to know the same kind of peace in their own lives. Today I want to strive to allow God to show me ways I can spread a little love and joy to those around me.