Tag: Devotions

Step Out of The Boat

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Matthew 14: 25-29 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified.  “It is a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.  But Jesus immediately said to them, “Take courage!  It is I.  Don’t be afraid.”  “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

I love the lake.  I love riding in a boat.  I love fishing.  I love swimming.  I love watching the sun set over the water and I love listening to the water lap against the shore in the morning with a cup of coffee.  Being at the lake is one of my favorite things to do.  I’ve been going to the lake with my family since I was a little girl and I am very comfortable there. 

Peter was very comfortable at the lake too.  He probably spent every day at the lake because he was a fisherman until Jesus came along.  So, in Matthew 14, when Peter found himself in a boat on the Sea of Galilee with his friends, he was not afraid.  He had been in a boat most of his life, so he was very comfortable there.  That is until he saw what he thought was a ghost, and then Peter was terrified.  He was trapped with no where to go.  The place where he felt safe one minute, was adding to his terror the next.

But then Jesus told him not to be afraid.  I like to think Jesus said something like, “Chill out guys.  It’s just me.  Jesus.  Stop freaking out.”  Peter wanted to believe that it was Jesus, but his faith was a little shaky.  Then Jesus said, “Come.”  So, Peter does something incredible.  He leaves the safety of the boat.  He leaves the place he is most comfortable, and he steps out of the boat into something brand new with Jesus. 

Jesus is calling you to something new too.  He wants you to leave the place that is comfortable and safe and step out into something brand new with him.   I know it is scary.  But will you have faith?  Will you step out of the boat?

Dear Lord, please give me the courage to step out of the boat in faith so that I can have something new with you.  Amen.

Dandelions

Psalms 46:5 God is within her; she will not fall.

I am the mother of 3 boys.  When they were little and all three would tackle me at the same time, I started telling them they needed to be careful with me because I was a delicate flower.  After a while, that became “my thing”.  I was known as the delicate flower.  Now, my boys always knew I was saying that kind of tongue-and-cheek.  Being a single mother, I could not afford to be delicate in any way.  In fact, I’m quite tough.  So today, whenever I say I’m a delicate flower, my middle son says, “No, you’re not.  You’re the Mominator.” 

Recently I read about a flower that reminded me of this contradiction . . . tough and delicate.  The flower is a dandelion.  Dandelions are resilient and can grow anywhere.  I read that they can even grow under a wall, but they will not grow straight under the weight of the wall.  Remove the wall and the dandelion will straighten up after a while.  Isn’t that the same with us?  The enemy will whisper lies to you about how you are alone and not loved.  He will tell you that you are not worthy of God’s love and forgiveness.  But we are like dandelions waiting to grow straight.  If you can identify the enemy and the wall he is trying to build in your life, you can tear it down and grow straight and tall towards salvation. 

Dandelions are also delicate and beautiful.  About a week after they bloom into a pretty yellow flower, the flower turns into a puff ball of seeds which are blown away by the wind.  People also love to pick dandelions, blow on them, and make a wish.  The seeds float through the air and land all over the world. That is what happens when you share God’s love.  You may never know exactly where the seeds will land or if they will take root and grow, but you should keep spreading them.

We should all have a little dandelion in us.  Tough as a weed against the enemy one moment and beautiful and delicate enough to spread God’s seeds of love across the earth the next.

Lord, thank you for creating the delicate but tough dandelion.  Help us to identify and remove the wall in our life so that we may grow straight and tall.  Encourage us to spread your love to all the earth. Amen

Seek Me

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Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Have you ever heard a great song on the radio and you wonder who sings it or what the words of the song mean?  Don’t like music?  Okay, what about this . . . have you ever seen a yummy dish on your social media feed and wonder how to make it?  Jeez, not a foodie either?  Okay, how about this one . . . have you ever heard a news story and wanted to learn more about it?   In all these situations, what would you do?  You would seek an answer, most likely on the internet.  You would search Google for the lyrics to the song, the recipe for the dish or the details of the news story.  Well guess what?  You can do the same thing if you want to learn more about Jesus.

Today there are apps you can download that will put the entire Bible in the palm of your hand.  Devotionals are available at the tap of a button.  Encouraging words are scrolling through your Facebook and Instagram feed with links to all kinds of information about Jesus.  All you have to do is download it, tap it or click on it and you have access to some of the most amazing reading material that has even been published.  The Bible says that if you seek the Lord with all your heart, You. Will. Find. Him.  All you have to do is seek him. 

In Isaiah 55:10-11, it says (in a nutshell) that the words the Lord spoke will not return to him void but will accomplish what he desired them to accomplish.  So, if you read the Bible, the inspired word of God and the actual words of Jesus, those words will accomplish what Jesus intended them to accomplish.  If you seek Him, you will find HIM and his words will not return void.  This is such good news.  I do not always understand what the Bible is saying but I know the words will not return void, so I know Jesus is accomplishing something in me just because I read them.

So, go ahead and download a Bible app. I personally recommend YouVersion.  It has 61 English versions of the Bible including New International Version (NIV), New Living Translation (NLT), New King James Version (NKJV) and even The Message.  You can search for devotions by subjects or set up a reading plan to help you read the Bible.  I’ve got a notification set up every morning that sends me the “Verse of the Day” which helps me get my day started off right.

If you seek Him, you WILL find Him. 

Dear Jesus, thank you for technology. Thank you for the men and women that worked so hard to provide us with the resources we need to seek you and find you.  Amen.

Do I Believe in God or Not?

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

For the last 16 years I have spent my life, morning, noon and night, raising my three boys.  I have worked hard to give them a stable environment where they know they are safe and loved so that they can just be kids.  I’ve tried to expose them to different kinds of sports, music, theater, movies, museums, and food so that they can try everything and figure out what they like for themselves. 

But when it comes to God, I didn’t do that.  I didn’t give them a choice.  I decided that we were going to church on Sunday morning to learn about Jesus and that was that.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I made the wrong decision.  Sometimes we must make decisions for our children because they don’t know what’s best for themselves . . . yet.  But at some point, our children are going to have to make up their own minds about whether they believe in God or not. 

The Bible says we should “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  It is my job to share Jesus with my children.  To teach them how to talk to Jesus and how to hear Jesus talking to them through His Word.  It is my job to show them how important it is to have a church family that comes together to worship and learn more about Jesus regularly.  It is my responsibility to bring Jesus into our home and to talk about how Jesus would have handled life.  It is my honor to pray for my children and with my children so that they can learn to pray too. 

But even if you do ALL these things, it is not a guarantee that your child will believe in Jesus.  That’s because it is not what you do, but what the Holy Spirit does in your child’s heart that will bring him or her closer to Jesus.   So, I encourage you to do all those things I mentioned above and more.  Give your sons and daughters every opportunity you can to hear the Word and to invite the Holy Spirit into their lives. 

Dear Lord, thank you for sending your son to die on the cross to redeem us.  Please place a hedge of protection around our children.  May their eyes see, and their ears hear what you are trying to tell them.  In Jesus name, Amen.