Devotional – Page 3 – B Is for Blessed!

New Year, New You?

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.

Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Psalm 40:3-4 NIV

Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

Goodwill to Men…Crossing the Bridge with Susan and Andy

He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:16-19 NIV

Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
John 4:9 NIV

As we celebrate this Christmas season, we would all do well to ponder “goodwill to men.”

Merriam-Webster defines goodwill as “a kindly feeling of approval and support: benevolent interest or concern” It is also defined as “willing effort.”

In one of our Friday letters on race,Tom who blogs over at realchange4u reminded me about the relationship between the Jews and Samaritans.

“Relationship” may be an overstatement because the Jews did not mingle with Samaritans.

Yet, Jesus went about “doing good” and regularly connected with those who were considered the fringes of society. Swearing fishermen, tax collectors, crippled beggars, and the infamous woman at the well were just a few.

Jesus made a “willing effort” to minister to those unlike himself.

“But He needed to go through Samaria.” John 4:4 NKJV

Jesus did not confine himself to “Jews like him.” He did not segregate Himself the way many of us intentionally and often unintentionally tend to do.

“And he was a Samaritan.” This account of Jesus healing the lepers is miraculous without these five words.

However, I believe these words were included to demonstrate that Jesus did not differentiate between the Samaritan and the Jews. I suspect there is an even greater message in the fact that only the “foreigner” returned to thank Him!

The divide between people will only close when people choose to close it. Doing this requires a conscious decision act differently. It demands a willingness to renew the mind daily and submit to the Holy Spirit.

I would have missed out on so many blessings had I not been receptive to the kindness of people unlike myself.

We tend to prematurely judge people based on what we learn from family and friends, or worse, misinformation in the media. Our personal experiences either affirm or defy our preconceived notions.

Still, when we broaden our vision and view people as God sees them, we can acknowledge each person’s individual merit instead of categorizing someone and hastily applying a label.

If we remain stubborn and defy the Holy Spirit we will always miss out on God’s best. Our blessings are often disguised in the people we would least expect to deliver them.

This Christmas, don’t speak of “peace on earth, goodwill to men,” but live it.

May we be peacemakers, willing to extend ourselves beyond our usual boundaries. May we make the effort to connect with others. Those first tentative steps may very well bridge the gap between where we are and the blessings we seek!

And speaking of bridges, Susan, Andy Oldham and I will continue our conversations into the New Year under a new category titled Bridges.

It is our desire to include more people and topics in our conversations. We welcome your comments and are grateful to you who have joined us on this journey. If you care to contribute a post please let us know! Andy adds his voice to the conversation next Friday and we will begin anew in January.

As this year ends, may we all give glory to God in the highest, promote peace on earth and extend goodwill toward men.

Merry Christmas!

A Beatitude of Gratitude

Living in the “Bible Belt” I read many a church sign while driving. Some of them are rather witty and others are down right weird.

I did come across one that I liked a lot. It read, “A GRATEFUL MIND IS A GREAT MIND.”

As I reflected on that particular sign I thought about my various “states of mind.”

Some days I’m focused.

On other’s, not so much.

On occasion, I can keep a very clear train of thought that allows me to accomplish much in record time. Then there are days I’m left looking around having nothing to show for my efforts.

Yet, when I focus on counting my blessings, I gain clarity that at other times alludes me.

When I am grateful, it puts into perspective all the minor and petty annoyances that don’t really matter. Headaches and temporary trials don’t compare to God’s great grace, mercy and favor.

If I did not continually count my blessings, I would get bogged down in the nonsense of the day, other people’s drama and become mired down in things that aren’t any of my business.

We must renew our minds daily as not to magnify our problems instead of our God!

We are implored by Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

When we make a habit to appreciate how good God is to us, we are compelled to offer mercy, compassion and kindness as we have received it. The realization that we are not worthy, but God loves us anyway, should move us to love our neighbor/brother enough to not just pray for them but actually “do” for them.

Allowing our gratitude to spur us into action produces great deeds and great love, the kind Jesus would have us show toward one another.

In this season of thanks, don’t merely settle for being grateful, act grateful.

Allow your gratitude to motivate you to do something. Your random act of kindness may make a world of difference for someone else.

Stressed out by the holidays?

Allow gratitude to adjust your attitude!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
Psalm 30:4 NKJV

Get Up!

“For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity,” Proverbs 24:16 NKJV

If life is a race, there will come a time for all of us when we fail to make the time we strive for, fall short of the distance, or even fall by the wayside victim to injury.

Yet, as children of God, we are victorious and need to simply get up!

The disappointment of not meeting some goal or deadline we set for ourselves is no reason to live a defeated existence. There are often achievements that don’t come as fast as we’d like. The path to reaching a milestone is often harder than we imagine. We may have false starts or stumble over hurdles even as we see others continue toward their finish line.

It is vital to get up and finish our race even if we feel like we’ve been left behind. We may run slower than others, have to run uphill or even run in the rain when necessary. If we sat around waiting for “ideal conditions” we would never finish!

Proverbs 24:16 indicates a righteous man may fall and fall more than once. We often shortchange ourselves when we fall/fail. We may not rise promptly because we become fixated on the fall. Still, the difference between God’s children and those who are “wicked” is that when (not if) we fall, we can rise.

Too often, many are deceived into not getting back up. Doubts about being too late or too old, too weak or too slow keep people from completing their course. Instead of getting up and continuing to run, many go off to the sidelines instead. If we aren’t careful, we can allow the fear of failure to keep us out of the running.

When we embrace the fact that we may fall instead of living in fear of failure, getting up is that much easier. When babies learn to walk they fall. Yet, children often instinctively and quickly get back up because they haven’t learned what “failure” is. Or, if they fall and hurt themselves they look to a parent (as we should look to our Father) to help them.

Failure doesn’t keep children from trying. Furthermore, once they learn to walk, they start running all over the place!

Don’t second guess the race God has called you to run. If God has called you to run it, He will equip you to finish.

Should you stumble don’t stop. When you fall, get up!

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,”
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV

System Error!

System error.

I hate those dreaded words when they pop up on my computer screen. It generally indicates that whatever I’m trying to do, my computer isn’t going to allow me to do.

There are times I would have given anything to have had such warning when I was walking down a path I would later regret.

Thankfully, God is more than able to reconfigure us when we’ve gone astray. Many times, we don’t heed those signs that suggest a great idea might not be so great after all.

God reconfigures us by giving us opportunities to change our attitudes, grow in our faith and learn from our experiences.

Our version of a system error may be a relationship that is toxic or other interests that diminish our spiritual lives, not enhance them.

God can reconfigure us using the strangest of circumstances. We can find ourselves in situations where we have no choice but to escape instead of pressing forward.

I’ve certainly been there a time or two.

It’s at this point we must “reboot.”

When a computer reboots, it must first shut down. Sometimes God has to shut down certain things we have going on as well. This is often the only recourse left when have allowed ourselves to become corrupted by some virus or another.

Starting from scratch is rarely ideal especially when you made significant gains only to see them vanish. Loosing data (or things) you believe to be valuable is painful. However, some loss is often necessary if we are ever to function correctly again.

The right virus is certain death for even the most complex computer. The same applies to us. We must arm ourselves with the only “antivirus” that can continually clean off those cookies and extensions that cling to us, many we carry unaware.

Norton doesn’t have anything on God’s Word. It is the only thing that keeps us running smoothly. Software has to update to keep current but God’s Word is unchanging and never fails. It is our only defense for all the malware roaming around that would shut us down for good!

It often takes more time than expected to fix a corrupted disk and more steps than the average person could ever imagine. This is also true when God is “fixing” us and our many circumstances. Yet, because God’s mercies are new every morning, we can all restart!

God is the Ultimate Restorer. He can fix anyone!

We can never be so far gone as to fall beyond the reach of our Father.

When is the last time you asked God to restore you?

He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3 NKJV

Endure!

Ivy is one of my favorite plants for many reasons. However, the trait that I find most appealing is its tendency to endure.

You can pull it up by the roots and think it’s gone. But look around a few months later and there it is once more!

Ivy’s roots dig deep.

Its grasp is tenacious.

We must also dig deep and hold fast to God who sustains us that we may overcome our trials and not be overcome by them.

Many times when we feel like we are barely holding on, we are straining to hold on to everything but God. People and things will always fall short of what we really need, but our God is mighty to save, yet not always in the ways we would hope or think.

And then there are times our disappointment arises not because we aren’t holding fast to God, but rather because we expect deliverance from our trials instead of allowing God to fortify us through them.

Our perceived hardships may in fact, facilitate the blessings we desire.

Our personal fires can mold us into the people God intended all along and even burn out a few faults in the process!

One sign of maturity is when we can weather our droughts and storms with the confidence that God is larger than whatever it is that looms over us. When we place our hope in Him instead of ourselves, it is then that we find peace and are blessed.

We each have a purpose and a race to run that is ours alone.

Some things you may be hoping for or working toward may seem at a standstill. Yet, don’t dare give up on your dreams!

If God has given them to you, He can allow them come true.

If you endure.

My ivy grows slowly, yet it continues to grow…

“Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end [intended by] the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” James 5:11

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 NKJV

Thirsty…

In need of refreshment?

“but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14 NKJV

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42:1-2 NKJV

Out On a Limb!

Out there.

That’s how I felt when my boss informed me I needed to leave my store and become manager at another location.

This was not something I was seeking.

This isn’t even something I wanted.

I found myself precariously perched, not quite sure of what I was getting into and rather reluctant to leave my “pharmacy phamily” of co-workers I love and patients I’ve established long-lasting relationships with.

“Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do for your own good.”

My eighteen-year-old said that with a smirk during my initial state of “unrest.” I contemplated tapping him not so gently on his smug little head. I’ve said those very words to him more than once this year.

I get so annoyed when he turns my own words on me.

Especially when he is right.

The nest in the photo is actually in my front yard. I noticed it once the leaves fell. I’ve taken various shots of it for a couple of months now, clueless of how it would eventually minister to me.

Initially, it looked like a precarious spot for precious eggs. It is far removed from the trunk of the tree. I was thinking those particular bird parents may not have been that bright.

Then today, I saw that nest in a different light.

We had stormy weather not long ago. Twigs and trash were flung about. I even found a portion of one downspout far in the yard.

Then I looked up to find this nest unmoved. It was secure enough not to have fallen several stories to the ground below.

The limb can support the nest, yet isn’t strong enough to support the weight of neighborhood hawks or curious kitties.

Sometimes we may feel like we’ve been left “out there” but what if “out there” is for our own good?

What if our “limb” supports us but not the weight of things that would weigh us down like fear or doubt?

What if being pulled away from all we know forces us to look up to God instead of giving our attention to things beneath us figuratively and literally such as bad habits or outdated thinking?

Sometimes, if we won’t seek out our best, God will certainly push us into it.

These situations either mature us as we trust God or ignite the worst in us as we struggle to manage on our own.

It is often when we are pushed to the edge, we discover what God can do and what we are capable of with Him.

I learned long ago my comfort is hardly God’s priority. However, fueling my faith and teaching me to trust and obey are.

Maybe I’m not so much out on a limb as being nudged out of my nest.

It may well be the very thing that teaches me to fly.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:25 NIV

Get Over It!

I was speaking with my oldest son about making good choices and telling him not to make the same mistakes I had. In his teenage wisdom, this kid told me to “get over it.”

If one of my kids tells me to “get over it,” there is a huge problem. My first instinct was to look behind me and see exactly who he was talking to!

God spoke to me through my child. It is hardly the first time He has done that.

I suspect most of us have an “it” that holds the potential to keep us from God’s very best. Sometimes a painful reminder, or being tired and cranky allows our “it” to rear its ugly head.

Regret can morph into resentment and erode any forgiveness we “think” we have given.

When we don’t “get over it” once and for all our “it” will surely find its way back to us.

We are taught to forgive others as God forgives us.

Yet, often the hardest person to forgive is our self.

We may readily forgive others yet still cling to our own mistakes wondering about what could have been instead of what can be.

Abraham was instructed to leave his family and go forth into a new place God had for him. Still, Abraham took his nephew Lot with him. Eventually, that didn’t go very well and Lot received the best of the land that was divided between them.

Abraham got over it.

Abraham knew that whatever he had with God was far more than anything Lot could take away from him.

We would all do well to remember this very thing.

Whatever we lose, or mistake we make is insignificant compared to God’s best.

In our weakness, He is strong.

Bury the past in an unmarked grave and concentrate on new opportunities God can provide this year.

Get over it and get moving.

God is waiting on you!

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.”
Philippians 3:13-15 NKJV

*** If you have lost your resolve and your resolutions fell by the wayside, simply pick them up.

Each day is a new opportunity to begin again…

Light, Camera, Action…

Great light is crucial for most photographers. As an amateur, I regularly seek proper lighting. Photographers lust after and chase after just the right light well aware of the role it plays for noteworthy images.

God’s Light is no different. It is crucial for us. We may not readily recognize it but God’s illumination and revelation are what we crave to reach our full potential.

This year, I decided I want to do more than chase light.

I want to create it.

So, I enrolled in an annual photography class that meets next week. It is the same class I’ve considered the past two years but never dared rearranged my schedule to attend.

One of my best friends posted New Year’s Day, “Nothing changes when nothing changes.”

I will talk less and listen more. I will allow God to lead me instead going my own way. I will rearrange my priorities.

These are a few things I’m doing differently to avail myself to more of God’s Light this year.

Some would say my goals are unnecessary.

And they are, for salvation.

Still, what I have to gain far exceeds my efforts, just as the work required to create an image doesn’t feel like “work” when the desired photograph is successfully captured.

I want to develop into all God wants of me.

Nothing changes when nothing changes.

Choose to change.

Circumstances may appear unchangeable, yet, altering our attitudes, expectations and actions often allows miracles to find us.

Start small and keep going.

And should you stop, choose to begin again.

May we all see good God’s Light in 2016.

Happy New Year!

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27: 1 NKJV