"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
(Due to technology issues, today's devotional is a repost of a devotional from August 2023. Hope to be back with a new post next week!)
A little eighty-something lady stopped me in the aisle and asked if I knew where the creamed corn could be found. In fact, we were standing just a few feet from the shelf where it was stocked. When I showed her the spot she responded with embarrassment, "Oh, it's right there! I'm sorry." And then she went on to apologize for her hearing loss, which made communication difficult.
“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce." Jeremiah 29:5
There have been times in my Christian walk when words from the Bible have had an immediate impact on my life. At that very moment God spoke to me directly from scripture in such a profound way that it transcended even the circumstance in my life. I want to share with you one exceptional experience I had that I believe may have an impact on your life, as well.
In 2007 God called the love of my life to his eternal home. It was sudden, and after the memorial service when life returned to normal for everyone else, I felt adrift. Praise God I turned to Him for not only comfort, but for direction too. Jeremiah 29:11 was a Bible verse I had repeated often to myself through the years; probably the closest thing I had to a "life verse": "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." Whenever life threw me a curve ball, this one verse gave me confidence that my future was secure in Him. He had a plan, and He promised to fulfill it. One morning in my widowhood, I opened my Bible to that verse for comfort when my eyes settled on the verses that preceded the eleventh verse:
"This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
What?! God had allowed Israel to be carried into exile and His instruction to them through the prophet Jeremiah was to carry on? Keep living life. Build a home, raise a family, grow food and feed yourselves, marry off your kids and enjoy your grandkids, and seek the welfare of the community where you live, pray for it! I was astounded! How had I missed that all the years prior? I had only focused on what God promised to do, and had not given a thought about my role in waiting on the fulfillment of His promise. The irony is that it was really quite simple. Just keep living life. Do whatever is in front of me that day and do it faithfully, knowing that God is working all things together for good.
I can't begin to tell you the freedom I felt when I closed my Bible that morning. I was in a strange place for sure, but it was okay. I had a family to love, I had a home to care for, I had work to do in a community I cared about. My life had meaning, and God had a plan for my life. I was going to be fine. Just carry on!
Today's music video The Plans I Have for You (Jeremiah 29:11) by Marty Goetz and Misha Goetz was recorded live in Jerusalem.
I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17
In just two days from now 2024 will be over. For some of us it will be a relief to turn the calendar page and say good-bye to this past year. Others will have fond memories of 2024 and may feel a bit nostalgic about leaving it.
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14
Not long after the end of the Napoleonic wars, in 1816, a young assistant priest at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria named Joseph Mohr wrote the poem "Stille Nacht!" There is much speculation about how the words came to Mohr -- some stories have him inspired by walking through the snow-covered streets of Obendorf in the calm and quiet of late evening. Perhaps at last experiencing true peace after years of war with France.
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:13-14
James Montgomery was only six years old when his Moravian missionary parents left him in a Moravian settlement in Ireland and sailed to Barbados on an evangelical mission. Sadly, they died in Barbados, and young James never saw them again.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2
In December 1865 the renowned Episcopalian preacher Phillips Brooks traveled to the Holy Land. On Christmas Eve he attended the five-hour Christmas Eve service at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Of his experience Brooks said, "I remember standing in the old church in Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the Wonderful Night of the Savior's birth."
"Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises." Psalm 98:4
As we enter the Advent season this year, I thought it would be interesting to consider a familiar Christmas Hymn each week leading up to Christmas, and explore the story behind it. Today we'll look at Joy To The World.
"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Pastor Chuck Smith told the story of a Mission that had a Saturday night service with testimonies. People would stand up and testify about what God had done for them that week. One man was very poor, yet he always gave a testimony filled with thanks to the Lord, despite the poverty and adversity in his life. One night he shared how he was walking down the street and saw a one dollar bill lying on the pavement, and he was so thankful. He went to the market and bought a dollar's worth of ground beef.
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 107:1
There is something that comes with age that I find extremely comforting. After walking with the Lord for over 50 years I have come to fully trust that He is a good God. I may not understand everything that He allows to happen in this world, but I do know that He is good, and that His love is steadfast. His love is constant and it will endure for all of eternity.
"And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered."
Acts 28:30-31
A leading newspaper executive was visited by a local pastor. The man of God came right to the point as they shook hands. "My friend," he said, "I'm here to ask you to become a Christian." The editor walked over to a window and for several minutes stood looking down into the street. The minister thought he had offended him. Finally the man turned, his face wet with tears. Taking his visitor's hand again, he said, "Thank you for your concern. Since I was a young boy at my mother's knee, not a single relative or business associate has ever taken an interest in my soul. I thought no one cared!"
Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springs out of the earth,
Through sunshine after rain.'"
2 Samuel 23:3-4
Of all the privileges we have as Christians in the United States, the privilege to vote for the leaders of our government is one of the greatest. When we look around the world and recognize how many people are living under tyranny, we should get down on our knees and thank God that as of this moment, we still have a choice of who will govern our country.
I voted for the first time in 1968, and I have voted in every election since then. There have been numerous times when the person I voted for did not win. As disappointing as that may have been, I thanked God that I had the right to cast a ballot. There have been times when I was underwhelmed by the choices I was given, yet even then I made a decision. I've always trusted God with the outcome, believing that He is in control of every situation. He knows ahead of the final vote counted who will be in leadership of our nation.
I hope that you plan to vote tomorrow, if you have not yet voted. The freedom to vote should never, ever be taken lightly. The signers of the Declaration of Independence "with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence" pledged their "Lives, [their] Fortunes and [their] sacred Honor" to establish a free nation where its citizens could choose their leaders. Men and women across generations have fought and died to secure that right. So, choose the candidate whose beliefs most closely align with scripture. There is no perfect candidate. There is only a perfect God. There is no human savior. There is only Jesus who saves. One day He will return to rule over all the earth. The "government will be upon His shoulders." Until that day, we will have to vote for an imperfect person, and pray that the one who wins will govern righteously, in the fear of God.
Today's music video God Is In Control by Twila Paris is a song from the 90's that reminds us that God will never forsake us. He is in control!
I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.
