Devotional for 4/1/13

My Real Struggle

 

 

As I was trying to fall back asleep I was praying over my children and some of the challenges they are facing: who should they align their life with, what should they pursue, who should they become: big questions that are a normal part of their time of life. First I was worrying, then I remembered that God was watching over them, and then I would pray. Then another scenario would dart into my mind and the cycle of worry, remember, and pray would begin again.

 

In myself, I want to do or say something that will help! I want to take my years of experience and use them to protect them and give them wisdom. But they are children no longer these young adults perched for take-off, and here I am wanting to double-check their parachutes "just one more time."

 

"Then the Lord reminded me that I can do even better than double-checking all their safety equipment, road maps, life plans, and associations. I can pray.

 

When I want to advise, question, direct, micro-manage, or warn through the phone: I can pray. My young adult's issues aren't something that can simply be solved by me talking. But GOD can do far more than I could ever hope to accomplish. The same God who delivered me from darkness into His glorious light of salvation is more than capable of leading my children!

 

Do not worry.

 Learn to pray about everything.

 Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need.

 Philippians 4:6 NLV

 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,

 but against the rulers, against the powers,

 against the world forces of this darkness,

 against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12 NASB 

 

Dear Lord, thank You for the loving reminder of Your faithfulness to me and my loved ones. Thank You for the privilege of praying. For showing me that the  'person' is not who my struggle is with, but the spiritual forces that are working against us. In Jesus name, amen.

YOU ARE SPECIAL!

Easter Sunday devotional, 3/31/13

Sometimes women have a hard time realizing how special we are.  We may have low self esteem for many different reasons.  Perhaps we were told over and over in childhood, or even as adults, that we don't matter, that we are no good, or that no one wants us.  Sometimes it is subtle, like when we are overlooked repeatedly for our accomplishments, or when we are ignored in a social situation. We sometimes tell ourselves we are not important, as we have been falsely taught that is what humility is all about.

But God has other ideas.  He has shown over and over how special women are to him.  The Bible tells us that Adam was given a help mate, woman.  God's Word also speaks of women as poets, as prophetesses, and as good and faithful followers.  The Christmas story tells us that God came into the world through a woman only. Even the Easter story shows the importance of women:

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”  Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.  Luke 24:1-10 NIV

The women were the first to discover the empty tomb and be greeted by 2 angels.  They became messengers to the disciples of the great news that Jesus was raised from the dead.  How significant that role was!  And we continue to each hold a special place in God's heart, so much so that he died and rose again for each and every person on earth!

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, who gave your only Son to die for us.  Thank you for all your wonderful gifts of love to me.  Help me to remember that I am special in your eyes and that I have important roles to fulfill here on earth for you.  Give me the wisdom to know what those things are and the strength to carry them out.  In the name of our risen Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

written by Jan Andersen

Saturday Devotional...What Should I Fear?

What Should I Fear?

In my heart I want to be someone
who follows flawlessly
the beliefs that I rely on…still

I find to my dismay I am someone
who agonizingly falls short
of my cherished motivators…and

Painfully I am not that someone
who is always strong and absolute
following my spiritual principles…yet

Even though I want to be someone
who relies on my Creator to keep me
safe from real or imagined phobias…nevertheless

I find myself to be someone
who falls in to nursing her terrors
letting them spin her around wildly…thus

Feeding the monster of fright I become someone
who is out of control of her own beliefs
drifting on wild waves of her own terror…therefore

I wonder if I have become the sort of someone
who says she believes but does not act
in a way that shows her faith…despite

My best intentions to act like someone
who knows what is correct and true
I often miss so many of my goals…until

I happily remember that I am someone
who has been blessed by faith
that gives me my treasured knowledge…that

My fears are not being held by someone
who is abandoned in this earthly setting
Where I spend my years…then

I remember that I am someone

who really has nothing to fear
because my Creator is the strength of my life.
May He be the strength of your life, too!

©Corinne Mustafa
March, 2013 

Good Friday Devotional...Jesus Sacrificed

But God demonstrates
His own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

This is mind blowing to consider on Good Friday of 2013. It is not a new concept, but I had never read this this scripture until the mid-1990s.

From the time I was a preschooler my mother had told me it was because Jesus had come to live as a human here with us that I would be accepted as a resident of paradise when my time on earth was done. I knew this, but I did not understand completely the miracle that this really was.

Now I understand that it was because God does not anyone to perish.

NOONE!

Here are some of the things that Jesus did by submitting to the atrocious abuse and ghastly crucifixion that He endured.

This means…

• …that, in spite of the underbelly that each of us is aware exists in us, Jesus died for us.

• …that Jesus spent thirty-three years on earth experiencing joy, suffering, pain, and love in his human form.

• …that He/God knows what it is like to be a human with all the blessings and challenges that humans had He is not a God who does not have first-hand experience of human life.

• …that He still has compassion for our shortcomings and even our sin, and He works in our lives to lead and guide us at all times. He helps to avoid the temptations that we have.

• …that amazing is the concept of Romans 5:8 which tells us that He worked for our salvation taking on all our sins when we were unborn and when He knew what our shortcomings would be.

• …that His love for His children is never ending.

I am feeling total wonder as I consider these things that I have known since I was a small child. It is not a wonder of disbelief. It is a wonder of amazement at the kindness and blessings of God

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,
that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Holy God,

Help us to spend Good Friday meditating with appreciation and joy for what was done for us this day and acknowledging the wonder that happened so that we could come home one day. From today through Resurrection Sunday may our thoughts be mind blowing anticipation and appreciation for what God has done. so that we never forget and proclaim that....

HE IS RISEN!

Amen

Written by

Corinne Mustafa

Thursday Devotional...When Things Change

What do we do when the life we have settled into changes? When the mission that we thought was firmly in our grasp seems to dissolve and drift away like sand? Or when we discover that the people around us, the ones we trust, are not who they seemed to be.

Everything on this earth changes, it is a part of the life cycle. Some change is rapid, things happen in the blink of an eye. Other changes are so subtle, that we may not notice the growth, or deterioration of someone we care deeply for, until we are forced to acknowledge it by circumstances.

The Last Supper was a Passover meal. A tradition commemorating the Exodus. A time of reflection and the celebration of freedom. And a fixed moment in time when Judas Iscariot still appeared to be faithful to the other disciples. Even when Jesus told them that they had a betrayer among them, the faithful spoke in disbelief; unable to consider that any of their companions could chose to destroy the man who was transforming the world day by day.

Imagine the utter heart-brokenness of the eleven who saw their lives knocked over and scattered by the actions of someone they considered a brother. The teacher whom they had come to love more than anyone could have imagined stolen from their very grasp. Their mission dissolved with a heartless kiss.

To go from someone who was lost, to one who was chosen to live a deep and intimate way with a man who they had come to realize really was the Son Of God and their Savior, to an outlaw on the run for his life. Especially Peter. He was a leader, he had deeper moments with Jesus; and denied him three times! Talk about having your faith shaken. It was a wonder that he could stand, let alone walk away.

What if even one of them had walked away for good? What if John, or Thomas, or even Peter had slipped away that night and not looked back, vanishing from history like a whisper. Where would I be today, if Jesus had been betrayed by not one, but two or more of His chosen companions?

Thankfully, the eleven remained faithful; even while they were hesitant in obeying Jesus’ call to spread the word throughout the world. These simple, fully flawed and mortal men, whose faith may have been shaken, but was not destroyed. They became new men, by the wondrous work of the Holy Spirit! These Old Testament followers became New Testament participants.

We don’t know exactly where they went that night, or what they did; but I believe that they each fell to their knees, asking for help. I believe they spent long hours praying to God for guidance and protection. And whether it was a prayer to the God of their traditional upbringing, or to The Father of the One Who Changed Their Lives; it was a heartfelt prayer that allowed them to take courage in what they knew to be true. They did not fall back to who they had been; they gathered together for strength and walked into their new, true selves.

They became the men who gave us the truth that allows each of us to be changed for the better.

“Though you have made me see troubles,

many and bitter, you will restore my life again;

from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.

You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.”

Psalm 71:20-21

Written by
Lynda Kinnard

Wednesday Devotional..."Awakening In Jesus"

For many, many years in my life, even as a Christian, Easter to me was just a beautiful time of celebration. I had not totally come to grips of the true depths of the full meaning of Easter. And then I remember one year when we were praying for the upcoming Easter preparations and for the people, this particular year stood out amongst all the others.

That Easter morning the stage was set for the special music and sound effects and for teaching and all the extra things that take place on that day. My heart seemed to be extremely tender and open to what the preacher was saying that day. Everything and everyone around me seemed to fade except the words of the teaching. As the pastor continued to share all the things prior and after Jesus's death and His resurrection, and the furious love He has for all mankind, my heart became fully engaged. I was able to grasp the full meaning of Easter! What a glorious day!

My heart became fully alive and vibrant to the extreme love my Savior has for me. His sacrifice was huge and He triumphed from the Cross and is alive forevermore!

Jesus tells us in
Revelation 1:18

"I am He who lives, and was dead,
and behold, I am alive forevermore!"

 Allelluia He is Alive today!!!

In His Radical Love,
Sandy Billingham

Devotional for 3/26/13

Downton Abby

There is a popular series on PBS by Masterpiece Theatre that has my family talking about people, the choices they make, and the things that happen in life outside of their control. I won't spoil anything for those who are still watching it on DVD or have it on their DVR. The story is an interesting take on a family and their relationships with each other and all those who are connected to them in one way or another.

Whether we live in a large house with employees, a small apartment that we share with others, or in something in between, we can each choose to be a valuable addition to people we come in contact with each day. This has been the gist of many of our conversations: the choices we make as individuals really do have a further reaching affect than we may ever know. Even if we feel like, or society tells us, that the role we play in life is not very important or influential.

 Teach your people to obey the leaders of their country.

They should be ready to do any good work.

They must not speak bad of anyone, and they must not argue.

They should be gentle and kind to all people.

Titus 3:1-2 NLV

 

What I have told you is true.

Teach these things all the time

 so those who have put their trust in God

 will be careful to do good things.

 These things are good and will help all men.

Titus 3:8-9 NLV

Dear Lord, thank You for guiding us and helping us to become people of worth because of who we are inside and how we are to others. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS

Sunday devotional for 3/24/13

I have ascended mountain top experiences that carry me for weeks on a natural high.  And I have fallen into valleys so deep that I thought I would never climb out.  Our Savior knows what that is like.  

Jesus entered Jerusalem in honor and glory on what we celebrate today as Palm Sunday.  People threw their cloaks on the ground as a royal carpet and waved palm branches as a sign of honor.  But the tide would quickly turn.

 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, 

“Hosanna!”  

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 

“Blessed is the king of Israel!” ...  John 12:12-13 NIV

Jesus soon talks about what will happen later that very week, about his death on the cross in order that many might have life.  And he faced this impending "valley" in his life with resolve.  It troubled him, but he knew it was necessary. 

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ...

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!”... John 12:23-24, 27-28 NIV

Even in his "valley" of impending death, Jesus was able to share that there would be great benefit to come of it, and that was what he came to earth to do.  We can take heart in knowing that our valleys also serve a purpose, to point us back to God so that we lean on him in our troubles.  There is an end to every valley, and it is in the valleys that we can most appreciate the majesty of the mountains.  Just as we do not remain in our "valleys", Jesus did not remain on the cross.

 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.  And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”  John 12:31-32 NIV

As we enter Holy Week on this Palm Sunday mountain top and see the approaching valley of the passion of Christ, we look forward to the climax of Easter, when Jesus will be "lifted up from the earth."

Prayer:  Lord, God, almighty and everlasting Father, we thank you for sending your son triumphantly into our world and being willing to sacrifice him in payment for our sins. We are ever so grateful for the free gift of salvation that we could never earn for ourselves.  Help us to appreciate the mountains as well as the valleys in our lives.  Draw us unto you that we might have everlasting life in the shadow of the cross.  In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, we pray.  Hallelujah, Amen.

written by Jan Andersen

Satirday Devotional...DANCE!

DANCE!

 Sisters and daughters
of Deborah

you who have
God's rhythms

in your limbs and loins

come to the battle

with your dance.
Sound your finger cymbals.

Wave your banners

to the Lord on high.

Be His dance of victory

against the killing and abuse

that threatens to steal

 more lives and joy.

Stand up tall and dance

carrying your banners, wearing

your brightly colored skirts and shirts…

chartreuse,

ruby red,

teal and turquoise,

amber and golden yellow,

purple like the petals of the lilac.

Dance, Dance, Dance

your gyrations of praise. 

Dance, Dance, Dance.

Let your movements stir the air

in the heavenlies and on earth

to bring a change and a healing.

Dance, Dance, Dance,

You handmaidens and women

descending from Deborah. 

Dance, Dance, Dance,

Your bodies slicing through the air

with lovely grace,

slicing evil in half you are admitting good,

slicing through the death and darkness,

raising up those who were

thought to be dead.

Dance

all you daughters and sisters of Deborah.

Dance

with the newly risen who now have hope.

Dance

ask our Creator to show us what to do,

so that we may save

the wounded and slain,

those who perished from

the abounding evil.

Show us how to help them hope.

I will dance

to help push back the dismal clouds

of your despair

and mine.

I will dance for you.

I will dance for me.

I will dance for my God.

All you sisters and daughters of Deborah,

come let's dance!

You can find the story of Deborah in Chapters 4 and 5 of the Book of Judges.Chapter 4 contains the prose narrative and chapter 5 contains the story in poetry. From these accounts can discover much about Deborah, who was a judge and prophetess. We can learn a lot from her and adopt some of Deborah's life stories and her characteristics to make a difference in the world we live in today.

Written by
Corinne Mustafa (C)

Thurday Devotional...3/20...Something To Always Remember

What Should I Fear?

In my heart I want to be someone
who follows flawlessly

the beliefs that I rely on…still

I find to my dismay I am someone

who agonizing falls short

of my cherished motivators…and

Painfully I am not that someone

who is always strong and absolute

following my spiritual principles…yet

Even though I want to be someone

who relies on my Creator to keep me

safe from real or imagined phobias…nevertheless

I find myself to be someone

who falls in to nursing her terrors

letting them spin her around wildly…thus

Feeding themonster of fright I become someone

who is out of control of her own beliefs

drifting on wild waves of her own terror…therefore

I wonder if I have become the sort of someone

who says she believes but does not act

in a way that shows her faith…despite

My best intentions to act like someone

who knows what is correct and true

I often miss so many of my goals…until

I happily remember that I am someone

who has been blessed by faith

that gives me my treasured knowledge…that

My fears are not being held by someone

who is abandoned in this earthly setting

Where I spend my years…then

I remember that
I am someone

who really has
nothing to fear

because my Creator
is the strength of my life.

Written by

Corinne Mustafa

©

 

This writing is written in a personal way. I sometimes slide into behaviors that are not representative of my beliefs and of my desired behavior. It is really our blesising that we know that the Lord is our strength. Whenever we disappoint ourselves we have been given the gift of being able to pull ourselves up and get on our desired path again.

Wednesday Devotional...3/20/13...Triumphant In Praise

Have you ever had those days you were down and out and felt blah and ready to go home to be with Jesus? I certainly have and it is no fun. What I have discovered is that my whole focus is inward. I began to dwell on my past mistakes and all the stupid things I have done and said. As I do that things began to spiral down very quickly and a deep heaviness sets in.

God's word tells us in Isaiah 61:3

"The garment of praisefor the spirit of heaviness."

 

So the remedy for that spirit of heaviness is to began to focus outward onto Jesus praising Him and thanking Him for all that He has done. As we do that wholeheartedly the spirit of heaviness is replaced with joy, peace and righteousness. So look onto Jesus with great praise and thankgiving and throw off that spirit of heaviness!!

In His Radical Love,
Sandy Billingham

Devotional 3/19/13

Say To This Mountain....


The road was dry and dusty as I walked along thinking about what I had heard the day before in Sunday school. If I truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then I could say to this mountain be removed and it will cast itself into the sea. As I considered how much I believed in Him, I was looking at a mound of dirt, maybe 25 feet high, and I imagined the stir it would create if I spoke to it and it picked itself up and plopped right into our neighbor's pond.

 So I tried it! I spoke to the dirt pile; and waited. After a few minutes I said out loud, "Why didn't You do it?" Then I felt embarrassed as an awareness washed over me, that I didn't need that mountain moved, I was just trying to show off with His power. Then I felt peace and I knew in my heart that IF a mountain needed to be moved, He would move it.



Fast forward many years and I am looking at my life and realizing there are some mountains that need to be removed. What am I doing about it? Ignoring them and hoping they will dissolve? Hating the issue and spewing my emotions? Giving up and feeling sorry for myself? Then I quote Dr. Phil in my mind and ask myself, "How's that workin' for ya?"

Answer: not very well. So as a believer what are my options?

Mark 11:23-25 AMPLIFIED

Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life.

Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you.

 This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’

—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it’s as good as done.

That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large.

 Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything.

 And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking.

If you have anything against someone, forgive

—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”

Dear Lord, thank You for making Your truth clear to us when we need it. Please help us to remember to ask You for all things. Please search our hearts and show us any hidden resentments or anger that we may be holding. We will choose to purposely forgive those who have hurt us. Thank You for Your love, forgiveness and peace. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Devotional for 3/18/13

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Have you ever planted a garden? I have always thought that growing things was very cool. Whether it’s one of those cute little herb gardens you can keep on the kitchen counter or the acres of plants that spread across the horizon when you drive through an agricultural area this part of God’s creation is very beautiful.

As I consider what I would like to grow in my little suburban box garden this year, I try to figure out what I want to get out of it at the end of summer. Some things I choose because I will use a lot of them, like tomatoes. While other things I choose for fun, like carrots. Then I tuck some herbs into the corners for the pure pleasure and convenience of having fresh parsley or basil without having to run to the grocery store.

As I was thinking about all the types of plants I might grow in my backyard, I started to think about the plants I have growing in my heart. Even though I take time to pull them out when I notice them, weeds like selfishness, self-pity, resentment, impatience and pride still keep popping up.

In my garden box, after I have raked and watered the soil, if I walk away and don’t watch over it, it will soon be full. It will be full of tall and strong weeds. I have learned that I don’t have to plant weeds. They just blow in on the wind and take hold and start growing wherever they can grab a spot.

As I picture the weeds in my own heart I realize that they must be removed by hand, one by one, in order to not disturb the good plants growing there. Perhaps when I choose to not insist on my own way I am pulling a weed of selfishness out of my heart. But if I leave that spot bare, another weed will blow its way in. So I must plant a seed that I want to grow in its place: such as patience, forbearance, humility, generosity, self-control, or perseverance (see Galatians 5:22).

Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Psalm 139:23-24 MESSAGE

There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger
and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
Keep me from stupid sins,
from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.

Psalm 19:12-13 MESSAGE

Thank You, Lord, for watching over each of us. Please open our minds with understanding and gives us ears that will hear and eyes that will see, so that we will love mercy, do what is right, and remember that You are God and You are good. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

LEGACY

Sunday Devotional, 3/17/13

Have you ever thought about what people will say or remember about you once you die?  It's interesting what some obituaries say about a deceased person.  Have you ever gone to a funeral and heard people share how great the person was, and you wonder if you've wandered into the wrong funeral because that is not how you remember that person?  People in general want to be remembered in a positive way after they are gone.  Some even leave huge sums of money in order to have something donated in their name, or with a plaque on the wall, or even an entire building named after them.  What will your life's legacy be?  

When you hear "St. Patrick" what do you usually think of first?  Perhaps the color green, shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold at the end of a rainbow, good luck, a green river, green beer, etc. Other than the story behind the shamrock, I don't think these are the things St. Patrick would want to be seen as his contribution to society.  He was the son of a deacon in the Christian church in Roman Britain. At the age of 16 he was kidnapped and taken to be a slave in Ireland.  God told him in a dream how to escape and return to Britain by ship. He became a priest and returned to Ireland and is credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish people.  Legend holds that he used a shamrock to explain the three in one of the Holy Trinity.  But these are not the things society typically remembers of him.

We don't actually have any control over what people will remember about us or say about us after we are gone.  Even a person as important to the church at his time as St. Patrick had no way of knowing that people would distort his legacy into something not only secular, but also fictitious.  What is important is that we remain faithful to God and bring others to him.   And those lives that have been touched by our faithfulness will be "credited to our account."

"... stand firm in the Lord... let your gentleness be evident to all... what I desire is that more be credited to your account."  Philippians 4:1, 5, 17 NIV 

For what will people remember us?  May they remember us as faithfully sharing God with them with gentleness and love.

written by Jan Andersen