WHAT IS IT?
Today's reading: Job 25-26

"God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds do not burst with the weight. He shrouds his throne in his clouds. He created the horizon when he separated the waters; he set the boundaries for day and night." Job 26:7-10 NLT

I believe I can speak for us both when I say, all God has done in creation is amazing!

His ways baffle the most knowledgeable scientists. His creation surpasses the finest man-made art. His ability to control the winds, waves, seasons and days mystifies.

So, here's my question...

If you and I agree on what an amazing job He does daily, why are you worried over the things you are?

What is too hard for Him?

What are you facing that is beyond His abilities?

What is there you are needing done that He cannot do? 

COMMIT
Today's reading: Psalm 36-38

"Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you." Psalm 37:5 NLT

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." Psalm 27:5 KJV

Commit means to entrust, to carry into action deliberately or to obligate/bind.

Everything means all that exists or all that is important.

Trust means an assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something.

Lord,

I can wrap up all that's important to me, all that fills my head and heart, all that takes up any of my concern or emotion and give it to You. Completely to You. That's my part. 

And not worry about You doing Your part. And not worry about when, how or if You will.

Because of what You have done, because of who You are, because of Your track record, because of the strength You have I can place full confidence in You.

And I can wait as You do a work in it, through it and with it.

Amen
 
 

DON'T GO BACK
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 12-15

"Don't be afraid Samuel reassured them. You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now you worship the Lord with all your heart and that you don't turn your back on him in any way. Don't go back to worshipping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you--they really are useless!" 1 Samuel 12:20-21 NLT

Maybe you don't struggle like I do.

Maybe it's easy for you.

Maybe you aren't tempted, weak or lacking in resolve like I am.

Maybe you're never tempted by anything satan dangles in front of your face.

Maybe your old self never shows up and takes control of your day.

Maybe, but I'm thinking you are as in need of a grace giving God as I am.

'Don't go back to worshipping worthless idols', sounds like a simple enough command as I sit this early morning in my prayer chair.

I have no shelf where I keep my little gods.

I have no shrine set up where I worship and pray to idols.

And yet on a daily basis, I'm having to come to grips with the fact that I am drawn away from God by worthless things.

Things that promise. Things that glitter. Things that prostitute my heart. Things that lure. Things that come more easily. Things that divert my attention. Things that the crowd make look almost godly. Things that are worthless and life-sucking. Things that make me doubt all He has promised me.

And yet He offers me hope!

He desires that I turn my eyes and heart back to Him. He wants my attention, my worship, my life. He gives me more than I deserve and more, much more, than any of my idols could ever offer.

All but Him is worthless.

AGAIN
Today's reading: Genesis 48-50

"But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father had laid his right hand on Ephraim's head. So he lifted it and placed in on Manasseh's head instead. No, Father, he said, this one over here is older. Put your right hand in his head.
But his father refused. I know what I'm doing, my son, he said..." Genesis 48:17-19 NLT

I think this is the fourteenth time I've read this portion of Scripture at this time of the year.

I only know that because I've used the same Bible reading plan for that long, it's my favorite and it works well for me.

I would have to look back over my journals, but I believe I stop at these same verses each and every year.

They speak to me.

They speak about me.

Today, I hope they speak through me...again.

Again because I have no doubt I've written about this section each and every year.

It's that personal to me.

It's a lesson I'm repeatedly learning, re-learning and learning again.

Maybe you're tiring of reading about it. Maybe you're reading it for the first time. Maybe, like me, you need the reminder...

I, too often, attempt to move God's hand for Him. I try to place it where I believe it needs to be. I give Him, laughable isn't it, instruction as to what's best for my life--and His plans. I give Him reason after reason as to why what I suggest might be best, filling Him in on what He may have overlooked. I provide Him with information and well-thought out advice. I doubt Him. My faith wavers. I think too highly of myself and too little of Him.

I've done it as recently as, well, this morning. As I read over the Bible passage looking for something else to write about. Something new. Something fresh. Something I'd not written on several times before. Something I'd won the battle over, not something I still struggle with.

And He whispers in my ear and in my heart, again--I know what I'm doing, Malinda.

PREPARING TO PREPARE HIM
Today's reading: 1 Corinthians 9-10

I sit this morning waiting for the sun to come up. I'm up even earlier than usual, and that's pretty early.

We are getting ready to attend our church's sunrise service for Easter morning.

It's made me think about the women who got up early the first Easter with the intentions to prepare Christ's body...

I will guess they had made preparations the night before.

Maybe they had laid out their tunics, placed their sandals by the front door and had their baskets of spices ready to take to the garden tomb.

I'm sure, like so many of us, the remainder of their day was planned as well. Maybe a quick stop at the market, take a loaf of bread to an ailing friend, laundry, meal preparation.

They had no idea what was about to happen to them.

I cannot imagine their surprise, their fear, their anxiety, their joy, their questions, their excitement as they stepped inside that tomb and heard the angel's announcement--He is not here. He has risen as He said He would.

I know a bit of that excitement.

I didn't travel to Israel expecting to verify any doubts about an empty tomb.

I knew it was empty, but seeing it with my own eyes, standing in what they believe to be the very spot, validating that it was indeed empty--no bones, no body, no remains...I believe I felt a little of what the women experienced.

And I'm feeling it this morning as I await the sun's rising on this Easter Sunday.

Hallelujah, He is risen!

WHERE WAS HE?
Today's reading: Mark 3-4

"He looked around at them angrily, because he was deeply disturbed by their hard hearts..." Mark 3:5 NLT

Without looking the passage of Scripture up, can you tell where Jesus was when this occurred?

Might He have been in a house of ill repute? Could He have been in a tavern? Was He in a drug house? A gambling facility?

It might surprise you, and it might not, that at this point in His life, Jesus was in the church. He was surrounded by church folk. Within the walls of the house of God.

Impossible you say?

Then you haven't been on the 'church scene' very long.

Even the Christmas and Easter visitors who will fill the pew tomorrow know the simple fact: Christians are not perfect. 

It would be nice to assume that each and every person who has accepted Christ as their personal Savior has lived up to the changes He has made in them. It would also be nice to think that each and every sermon preached by Bible-believing pastors are intended toward the unbelieving, because they are the only ones who would need them. It would also be nice to know that every person staying out of church would never think to use 'those hypocritical Christians' as their reason not to attend.

Tomorrow, yes, even on Easter Sunday, God will be looking down angrily on a few church attenders who have broken His heart because of their attitudes and actions.

The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's own or real life. The truth is of course that what one call the interruptions are precisely one's real life - the life God is sending one day by day.  - C. S. Lewis

BECAUSE OF
Today's reading: Isaiah 62-66

"I will tell of the Lord's unfailing love. I will praise the Lord for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love." Isaiah 63:7 NLT

This one verse directed my heart immediately back to the tour bus and a small stretch of highway in central Israel on Day 7 of our trip. We were driving along listening to the tour guide, Yonni, speak and what he said, I wrote it down in my travel journal. It touched my heart that day, but this morning that touch goes deeper.

Side note: I wrote a lot of things down in my journal, and today, a month after returning from this trip, I am so very glad I did. I have already referenced my journal and pictures a hundred times--and have been amazed at what I have already forgotten!

'You can be sure, brothers and sisters, that if God will keep all the promises He has kept to Israel, He will surely keep all His promises to you.'

I can claim every victory He has given to Israel as my very own.

I can stand on every promise kept--to Israel and to me.

I can depend upon the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to keep me as He is keeping the Promised Land.

I can see it in Israel's history, I can trust it for my own life!

"He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. Indeed he who watches over Israel never tires and never sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as a protective shade. The sun will not hurt you by day, nor the moon at night." Psalm 121: 3-6 NLT

BUT HE KNOWS
Today's reading: Job 23-24

"I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find him. But he knows where I am going..." Job 23:8-10 NLT

Job cried out, but his cries echoed back against the walls of his heart.

Job reached out, but his hands grabbed hold of nothing solid.

Job ran to the place where he had last felt like he was in God's presence, but he didn't feel anything this time.

Job did everything he knew to do. He performed. He served. He sang. He studied. He refrained from whatever took up the majority of his time. He did the equations that had always worked before, A+B, had always equaled C, but no right answer.

Job finally rested on the very core of his belief system, that God knew where Job was whether or not Job knew himself.

I listened to an interview on the Christian radio station yesterday. I caught only this portion of it, did not get to hear who it was speaking or hear the beginning of their testimony, or the end. What I did hear the speaker say was this:

'When life seems so far out of your control, you have to know, you have to be shown by God, that the only thing you ever really control is what you believe in.'

Job, and you and I, can only control our faith in God. We cannot control external circumstances. We cannot control diseases or a lot of medical issues. We cannot control the actions or reactions of others, and sadly sometimes of our own. We cannot control wayward children or wandering spouses. We cannot control militant political groups or governments gone badly wrong. We cannot control the weather or the length of long, dark nights.

We can control our minds, our hearts, our souls--and what we, better yet, Who we believe in.

Job reminded me of that this morning with his words.

A SACRED PIT
Today's reading: Psalm 33-35

"...Although I did them no wrong, they dug a pit for me." Psalm 35:7 NLT

Matthew 27:1-2 says this about the day leading up to the crucifixion...

"Very early in the morning, the leading priests and other leaders met again to discuss how to persuade the Roman government to sentence Jesus to death. Then they bound him and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor."

But what about during that night? Where was Jesus? What was He doing?

I know.

He was in a pit. A sacred pit.

A pit dug for him, although He had done no wrong.

I stood in that pit while in Jerusalem.

It's one of the few places they can say with 99.99% accuracy Jesus stood. No speculation. No guessing.

This pit was designed as a holding cell for prisoners. A pit beneath/beside Caiphas' house. A pit He would have been lowered into by ropes. A small pit, maybe 18 feet by 18 feet in size.

I touched the walls He would have touched.

I stood on the ground He would have stood on.

I prayed in the same, the exact same spot, I am sure He spent time in prayer.

I cried in the same place undoubtedly He cried in.

A pit dug for Him, although He had done no wrong.

No pits, valleys, low places or dark times I could ever experience would ever compare to this sacred pit. I will never be called to spend quite a long, lonely, dark night in such a place.

I will always remember the pit they dug for Him.

LIKE THE OTHERS
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 6-10

"Finally, the leaders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. Look, they told him, you are old now, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king like all the other nations have." 1 Samuel 8:4-5 NLT

In the King James Version, the last part of this portion of Scripture says, '...make us a king to judge us like all the nations...'

According to the definition of 'judge', they wanted someone who would govern, vindicate, punish and discipline.

Someone other than God.

They had had Him as ruler, king, judge and leader and chose to go against His commands and His desire that they serve Him with their whole hearts.

And they didn't like the punishment He doled out. The exact punishment He had told them would come if they wavered in their commitment to Him.

So they asked for a king.

They saw and heard some of the unlovely things a king would do or demand from his followers--but they were willing to take that risk. A king looked better to them. A king sounded better to them. A king might not require of them what God was requiring. A king couldn't see what they did in private, what their hearts were focused on, where their true allegiance was.

How often, I'm thinking this morning, do I prefer sin over God? Prefer comfort over obedience? Natural man and his tendencies over the new creation I am in Christ?

How often do I want to fit in, no matter the cost, rather than stand up against the enemy and his impact on my life, my family, my church?

What am I asking for instead of God??

BLESSING OTHERS
Today's reading: Genesis 44-47

"Then Joseph brought his father, Jacob, and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. How old are you? Pharaoh asked him. Jacob replied, I have lived for 130 hard years, but I am still not nearly as old as many of my ancestors. Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before he left." Genesis 47:7-10 NLT

To set the stage:

The famine in going full blast. The brothers have been re-introduced to the brother they had sold into slavery. The family of 66 has moved from Canaan to the land of Egypt. The patriarch, Jacob, is now being introduced to Pharaoh with the hope of being allotted land and provisions...

And what do we read?

...Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

...Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before he left.

That's not the intention of this visit. It's not the protocol. It's not why Joseph scheduled the meeting or even why Pharaoh agreed to it. Blessing Pharaoh was not the reason for the gathering.

But it happened.

Honestly, it should happen anytime God's people enter a room, interact within a room or leave a room--someone should have been blessed.

No matter the reasons for being there.

No matter the intent of the interaction.

No matter the people involved, we as God's children have been given opportunity, through grace, mercy, forgiveness and love, to bless those God allows into our paths.

So, go out today with a new mission.

Go forth and give a little of what God's given to you.

Go ahead, bless their little hearts!

FREE TO WORSHIP
Today's reading: 1 Corinthians 7-8

"God has purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world."  1 Corinthians 7:23 NLT

As we prepare to attend our places of worship, this verse reminds me of just how easy it is to become enslaved to things God has freed us from.

-Are we preparing as if for a fashion shoot?
-Have we determined not to sit by Sister So-And-So?
-Are we still carrying around grudges for words spoken last week from the pulpit, or from behind a door in the women's restroom?
-Are we still miffed about being looked over for a position?
-Are we going to serve out of duty rather than with a servant's heart?
-Are we more concerned with how we will sing that what we will sing?
-Are we already hoping the service won't last long because we have a laundry list of things to accomplish today?
-Are we allowing the difficult time we had getting a teenager up and going to set the mood for our worship?
-Are you so tied up in which translation is being used that you don't hear God speaking to your heart thru it?
-Are you going with a desire to be seen or to praise His Holy name?

God has purchased us at a high price, we cannot allow anything to enslave us when it comes time, anytime really, to worship His name.

COMPELLED
Today's reading: Mark 1-2

"Immediately the Holy Spirit compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness." Marl 1:12 NLT

"And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness." Mark 1:12 KJV

During my time in Israel, we drove past, did not stop, the place along the Jordan River where they believe Jesus to have been baptized.

It was at least an hour's drive from the place where we were baptized, but the same river.

This site is used for baptisms today, but it is a very unsafe place, according to our tour pastor. It is a spot where little 'work' has been done to make it tourist friendly or accessible.

I think about that spot along the Jordan as I read this verse.

It was a place where believers had gathered for John's words and encouragement and preaching.

It was a place where lives were changed and families were mended.

I'm sure it was a place that stirred the hearts of new believers.

And yet it says the Holy Spirit compelled Jesus to leave this place--and place Himself into the hands of the enemy in the desert.

When I looked up the Greek translation of the word 'driveth', the definition that jumped off the page and into my heart was 'plucketh, as in pulling hairs from a beard'.

I'm sure that's exactly what it felt like for Jesus to leave this worship service and begin a 40 day fast.

I've been there.

On a mountaintop, then sent to a valley.

In a state of victory, then in a another battle before catching my breath.

On a high, then find myself in a low.

With a great deal of confidence in God as my Savior, then filled with doubt as to why He would ever love me.

It hurts.

It is a wilderness.

And in Jesus' case, as in ours, the wilderness (desert) wasn't too far away.

But God was in both places!

GOD IS OUR LIGHT
Today's reading: Isaiah 56-61

"No longer will you need the sun or moon to give you light, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and he will be your glory." Isaiah 60:19 NLT

We all have 'a list'.

Maybe yours begins with one of the following headings:

Life will be perfect when...

I'll have it all together when...

I'll be a great Christian when...

If only these things would happen...

And yet, as we read today's verse, as we soak in the words, as we attempt to grasp the truth in this portion of Scripture--our own lists pale.

The things we have listed look unimportant, maybe even petty.

The items we have keyed into the equation of success and happiness seem self-centered, self-glorifying, selfish.

This verse tells us that if we truly have Christ living as the Lord of our life, we need nothing else. Nothing outside our hearts. Nothing tangible. Nothing we can hold in our hands, accumulate in our homes or rack up as accomplishments on our part.

REAL COMFORT
Today's reading: Job 21-22

"How can you comfort me? All your explanations are wrong!" Job 21:34 NLT

Maybe, as I have, you have stood in line at a funeral visitation and thought about what you would say to the grieving family.

Nothing sounded right.

Nothing sounded theological.

Nothing sounded like Hallmark's best.

Maybe, as I have, you've walked away from the casket beating yourself up for what you did say.

It didn't come out right.

It wasn't meant the way it sounded.

It sounded really ignorant when replayed in your mind.

It didn't go quite like you'd rehearsed.

How can we comfort without God's help? On our own we mess up, mis-speak and hurt with words that are meant with good intentions.

We need Him to guide our words of comfort and consolation.

We need Him to bridle our tongues as we counsel.

We need Him to engage all tactics required to keep our mouths from harming another.

Less we act and look like Job's friends.

THE ATTACK OF MY CITY
Today's reading: Psalm 30-32

"Praise the Lord, for he has shown me his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack." Psalm 31:21 NLT

I've got to praise You, Lord.

For safety when satan's fiery darts were sent hurtling towards the walls of my heart.

For confidence in Your saving grace when the landmines of accusations from my past, and present, were damaging the outskirts of my mind.

For peace, marvelous peace, when the gates of my emotions were bombarded with fears.

For assurance, blessed assurance, when the borders of my faith were attacked by doubts.

You have kept my city safe from attack. You. Only You.

 I praise You.

God saved us to make us holy, not happy. Some experiences may not contribute to our happiness, but all can be made to contribute to our holiness.  - Vance Havner

YOUR NAME
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 1-5

"Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Penninah. Penninah had children, while Hannah did not." 1 Samuel 1:2 NLT

I really thought God was speaking to me through this verse this morning about comparisons. As in, Some have ____, some do not have ____.

Then, I looked up the meaning of the names of Elkanah's wives...

Penninah means 'jewel'. Fitting, I thought, as she was the golden fertile girl of the family. The giver of life to all of their family heirs. The one, who in that day and time, was fulfilling her purpose as a woman. The one who had it all, in the eyes of the woman of the neighborhood--and I am sure of Hannah.

What changed my thinking was looking up Hannah's name.

Hannah means 'grace'. Grace is a virtue coming only from God. Unmerited favor. Approval.

Grace is above and beyond comparison to any jewel.

Grace outshines the largest and clearest diamond.

Grace touches more lives than any sparkling gem.

Grace comes from God, not from the earth.

Grace directs our focus on God while a jewel catches our eye for its beauty.

Maybe I don't have what all the other gals have, but if I have grace, I have it all!

JOSEPH'S TEARS
Today's reading: Genesis 40-43

"Now he left the room and found a place where he could weep." Genesis 42:24 NLT

"Then Joseph made a hasty exit because he was overcome with emotion for his brother and wanted to cry. Going into his private room, he wept there." Genesis 43:30 NLT

Reading about Joseph and his heartache reminds me of one of my most prized souvenirs from Israel-- a tear bottle.

It's a small, ornate glass bottle. It has a green hue to it and small gold stripes. It has a cap, or stopper for it's top made also of glass.

It's real name is a 'lachrymatory'. It was created as a visual aid for the following verse...

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Psalm 56:8 NLT

Today, as in the Roman times and the Victorian age, these tiny bottles are given as gifts when one loses a loved one. A gift of sympathy.

I will almost guarantee that Joseph had cried many a tear before his brothers arrived at his feet to ask for grain.

I imagine he cried in the pit they threw him into.

I imagine he cried as the dust swirled behind the caravan he was sold to as it moved farther and farther away from his home.

I imagine he cried as a guilty verdict was declared in regards to Potiphar's wife's accusations.

I imagine he cried himself to sleep many a night in his jail cell.

The tear bottle sitting here in my prayer closet reminds me that not a one of his tears were ignored by God. None of them fell to the ground unnoticed by his Creator.

Not a single one of yours do, or will, either.

JUDGES
Today's reading: 1 Corinthians 5-6

"It isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, You must remove the evil person from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 NLT

It so happens I received a quote this morning in my Inbox that sums up just what this verse says. I don't believe I need to or could add anything else to it...

If society is to be awakened one day from its deep slumber, it will only be done by Christians who have first woken up themselves to the full splendor of their privilege and who have taken seriously the call to live wholly and entirely for God.          - Maurice Roberts

WHERE OUR ENEMY LEAVES US
Today's reading: Matthew 26-28

"When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and other leaders, I have sinned, he declared, for I have betrayed an innocent man. What do we care? they retorted. That's your problem." Matthew 27:3-4 NLT

Isn't that just where our enemy, satan, leaves us?

Broken.

Remorseful.

Empty.

Ashamed.

Alone.

With blood on our hands.

Where he leads us is not mentioned when he is pandering to our emotions or attempting to sell us on his lies. How we will feel afterwards is never addressed as he suggests alternative routes. Regret is not calculated into the equation of what is right, wrong or due us. Conviction is not brought in to the conversation. Our enemy never lets us know how many will be harmed when we go against God's wishes, including our own hearts.

And yet we trust him time and time again.

Judas-like.

LOOKING AT THE STEPS
Today's reading: Isaiah 51-55

"From prison and trail they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins--that he was suffering their punishment?" Isaiah 53:8

As we were standing outside the Church of St Peter and the Gallicantu (Rooster)/House of Caiphas, our guide drew our attention to the steps you see in left of this picture.

They were the actual steps Jesus would have walked in Matthew 26. The steps leading him away from his 'trial' and to his night in a pit before the day of His crucifixion.


Real steps. Actual stones. Still remaining. Still visible.

The steps used to lead Him away. The steps leading Him to a pit into which He would be lowered into for the night. A very, long night. A night when He would consider all my sins and wonder if I was worth it. (And, praise God, He determined I was!)

Did the soldiers have a clue? As they marched Him up those steps? As they pushed and shoved Him? As they man-handled the very One who would save them from their sins? As they mocked Him? As they paraded Him past those gathered for the commotion?

Who among really realize what He has done? Can we for a moment comprehend the weight of sin placed on His shoulders? How can we imagine the pain? Can we fathom the separation from His Father for that period of time?

A LOWER LOW
Today's reading: Job 19-20

"Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for the hand of God has struck me." Job 19:21 NLT

In my opinion the twentieth chapter of Job is the saddest of them all.

This chapter is when Job seemingly hits a lower low.

To read it is gut-wrenching.

To live it would be so painful.

And so many of us do live through the torture Job speaks about...

We have all been given advice by friends that cuts us to the quick. We have all, at one time or another, been looked down upon because of the trials we have been asked to endure. We have all been scrutinized and found lacking, found deserving of the trying times that befall us.

Worst of all?

Worst of all is that at some point in our lives we have been so flooded with advice, so inundated with Bible verses, so patted on the back and too many times tsskd-tsskd...but not been offered the privilege of being prayed for.

I don't remember a single time in the book of Job where his friends offered to pray for or with him.

That's sad.

His friends see him hemorrhaging and instead of offering even a bandage they spend time processing the situation.

I am guilty of the same.

I have offered advice. I have quoted great Christian leaders. I have directed towards the Bible. I have pointed out where mistakes may have been made. I have attempted to solve their problems based on the newest craze on the books. I have pointed out the mistakes of others to the point that blame might be shifted. I have discussed and diagrammed the situation until one would think I was a psychiatrist...but don't always offer to pray.

To speak to God on behalf of the friend in need.

To mention their name to the Creator.

To push them towards the only Hope there is available.

To carry them on their stretcher to the house where Jesus is.

To allow them the peace that comes only when hearing another present your needs to the Father.

It's when I don't pray that I become one of Job's friends. 

GOD'S VOICE
Today's reading: Psalm 27-29

"...The voice of God echoes above the sea. The glory of God thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon...The voice of the Lord strikes with lightning bolts. The voice of the Lord makes the desert quake; the Lord shakes the deserts of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare..." Psalm 29

As I think about the voice of God this morning, I am oh so glad I have never had Him yell at me.

Correct me, yes.

Discipline me, yes.

Point out, very specifically, where I had gone wrong, yes.

But yell? Raise His voice? Shout at me? Never.

So to read this psalm, to consider what His voice can do? To think about all His voice commanded into being? To know the power and majesty in His words? To ponder the capacity of energy held in His speech?

I am humbled that He chooses to speak to me softly, gently and with love. I am in awe that He whispers to my heart. That He gives me gentle nudges. That He speaks quietly in my ear.

I grabbed my journal from my trip to Israel to make sure I had the quote right, our guide spoke these words while we stood on Mt. Carmel reading the account of Elijah in 1 Kings 18. The words spoke to my heart then, and even more so this morning...

'Earthquakes, fires and storms are the ways God chooses to speak to pagans. His quiet voice is what He uses to speak to His own.'

REDEEMER
Today's reading: Ruth

"I am your servant Ruth, she replied, Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer." Ruth 3:9 NLT

It's a love story to surpass all others. Something Hollywood tries to re-create, but can't. The kind of story all little girls dream of.

But looking deeper into it, finding out the background, digging around about it, mining for the gems, I find what I need to continue on this morning...

Redeemer-a person who brings goodness, honor and value to something again.

Maybe I was a cute baby. That's where any good in me ended. That's where all the good in us ended. We have nothing to offer, there is no good in us, we bring nothing to this world of value.

Until Jesus redeems us.

Until we accept His gift of salvation and ask Him to rule in our hearts.

Until we allow Him full reign of our lives.

Then and only then will there be any goodness, honor or value in us.

Hillsong-My Redeemer Lives

I know He rescued my soul
His blood has covered my sin
I believe, I believe

My shame He's taken away
My pain is healed in His name
I believe, I believe

I'll raise a banner
'Cause my Lord
Has conquered the grave

My redeemer lives
My redeemer lives
My redeemer lives
My redeemer lives

 

BEING NOTICED
Today's reading: Genesis 36-39

"Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did." Genesis 39:3 NLT

Joseph was enslaved.

Joseph had been sold out by his own.

Joseph was not in a position to live to his fullest potential.

And yet, despite all those things, Potiphar noticed God in him.

Makes me think about my own life...

I'm living with a long list of unanswered prayers, but are folks noticing God in me as I wait and believe?

I'm living a constant battle with sinful desires, non-stop skirmishes with my 'old man', but are folks noticing God in me when I stumble, get up and dust myself off?

I'm far from perfect, but are folks noticing God in me?

God oozed from Joseph despite the circumstances Joseph was in--may He do the same with me!

BE CAREFUL
Today's reading: 1 Corinthians 3-4

"So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether or not someone is faithful. When the Lord comes, he will bring our deepest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. And then God will give to everyone whatever praise is due." 1 Corinthians 4:5 NLT

I know I am not the only 'jumper' out there.

I could wager a bet, and win, that I'm not the only one who has ever presumed to know all about all there is to know.

And I will venture to guess that I am not the only one who has ever had to eat crow, apologize or change my mind, and attitude, about something I thought I was in the know about.

Like thinking I know the depth of another's faith.

That's dangerous territory.

That's a slippery slope.

That's a hornet's nest one shouldn't play with.

We don't know, no matter what we believe we know, the heart of another. Their convictions. Their reasons for serving the way they do.

That isn't to say their won't be fruit that can be inspected, but it does mean the heart is something we can't/won't/don't need to see.

That being said, I'm glad God placed this verse before me today--before I go jumping to conclusions, again.

TOO BUSY
Today's reading: Matthew 23-25

"And he will answer, I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me." Matthew 25:45 NLT

Lord,

I am too busy.

Sure, some of my busy-ness centers around You, serving You, ministering for You, worshipping You--but not all of it.

Sometimes I feel as if I am too busy to notice the 'least of these'.

They're not on my list of to-do's.

Not on my itinerary.

They haven't been penciled into my planner, or made an appointment in my day.

Not scheduled into my schedule.

They might even take more time than I have allotted them for a jam-packed day.

They may have shown up on my radar at an inconvenient time, inconvenient for me.

I'm sorry about that.

Very sorry.

You have not put me on this earth, at this time, to be so consumed with my life that I don't notice another's.

Allow me the precious privilege to see today. Let me notice. Give me a 'slow motion' kind of day, one that let's me acknowledge who You have placed in my path. Let me look around, instead of focus on what I believe needs doing.

And once again, Lord, I'm sorry.

-Malinda

MINING
Today's reading: Isaiah 45-50

"And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness--secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name." Isaiah 45:3 NLT

My Dad was a coal-miner. He would travel in an elevator sort of device into the depths of the earth to work each and every day.

He never went expecting to find daisies growing in the mine tunnels.

He never expected to find a tropical rain forest, singing birds or a lush carpet of grass amid the dark as night pit.

He looked for, found and mined coal.

Maybe you are in a pit today. A deep, dark pit.

What are you looking for while you're there?

A gem?

Gems, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, amethysts and the like, are found in the dark places. Places hidden from sunlight. Places that few other things are found.

Maybe in this pit you will find how sufficient God is. That's a gem!

Maybe in this pit you will find out how very much God loves you. That's a gem!

Maybe in this pit you will find out how much stronger you in Christ than all alone. That's a gem!

Maybe in this pit your relationship with God will blossom and grow. That's a gem!

Maybe in this pit you will realize some things that need added to your life, and some things that need removed. That's a gem!

Maybe in this pit the Word of God will become more alive to you. That's a gem!

Maybe in this pit humility will become one of your characteristics. That's a gem!

Maybe in this pit you will recognize someone else needing a shoulder, a listening ear or a boost up. That's a gem!

Maybe in this pit pages of your testimony are being written that you will one day share with another. That's a gem!

Mine for gems while in your pit. Don't frustrate yourself looking for a rose garden, look for treasures that only come in the darkness.

He will enable you to find them.

THE LOWEST POINT
Today's reading: Job 17-18

"You must defend my innocence, O God, since no once else will stand up for me. You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph." Job 17:3-4 NLT

My intentions were to write about these verses as the saddest part of Job's whole ordeal. He felt alone. He felt ridiculed. He felt judged. He felt everything in enormous quantities.

And then I thought about it--it was the turning point in Job's life.

It was the point at which he realized it didn't matter who on earth supported him, believed in him, rallied around him--but Who in heaven did.

Satan loves to tell us we are all alone. He likes to fill our minds with innuendos leading us to believe the fight is ours, the battle is too big and the world has left us high and dry. He likes to let us wallow in the pit of despair, adding to our burdens and reminding us of only negative thoughts.

Satan is a liar.

As God's child, we are never alone. NEVER ALONE!

This was the point at which Job realized it. He assessed the situation, evaluated his companions, looked over where he was, where he had been and where he was not content to remain--and he called out to God.

'No one else is here for me, Lord--but you!'

Maybe you're at that spot. Maybe you're still grasping to use the resources you've accumulated and the friends you've won over. Maybe you're still attempting to crawl out of the pit yourself, hand over hand.

Give up. Give in. Give it over to God.

He is with you. He is waiting for you to cry out, to cry out loudly and sincerely.

It is the turning point.

WHERE I GO
Today's reading: Psalm 24-26

"Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord's blessing and have right standing with God their savior. They alone may enter God's presence and worship the God of Israel." Psalm 24:3-6 NLT

The non-conformist in me didn't like being told where I could and couldn't go in Israel.

Not towards the tour guides, our host pastors or the bus driver--but by those in the control of certain areas of this Holy Land we visited.

There were certain places we couldn't go in because we were not of the right religious cause. There were places we were told not to close our eyes and pray, as to get us removed from the area. There were places that very much belong to the Jew, and to the grafted in Gentiles, but were off limits because of political power and prestige. There were places we felt a lot less than welcome...our money was welcome, our faith was not.

Thanks to our Gracious God, there are no limits, boundaries, fences or lines in the sand as to approaching Him!

To know Him, in my heart, is permission granted!

No one can keep me from being in His presence.

No peace agreement can stop me from calling on His name.

No piece of ground is holier than the three square feet I stand on in His name, washed by His blood and forgiven by His grace..

No area of my Savior is off limits to me!

Every day we may see some new thing in Christ. His love has neither brim nor bottom.- Samuel Rutherford

MICAH'S IDOLS
Today's reading: Judges 17-21

I've read this morning about Micah and his idols. It was a short read, but it was full of information my head and heart had to process.

I won't type up all thirteen verses, but I would recommend you take a minute or two today to read it for yourself. See if any of the offenses Micah made against the Lord are yours, too.

-Theft. What have I stolen from another? In the form of a blessing, an opportunity, an encouraging word? What about hope? Have I attempted to steal their peace, because when I open my mouth and present my ideas, it makes God's ideas look a little less than believable?
-Idolatry. What little gods am I putting before God? What's on my nick-knack shelf that I am depending on more than the Lord?
-Altar building. Are the memorials I am setting up to worship at ones that glorify Him, or that glorify me, my attempts, my successes?
-Self-serving ways. Ouch. Is there really an explanation needed here?
-People ordaining. Am I placing folks on pedestals God does not intend for them to stand on? Am I deifying people who look good in my eyes, but are as faulty as I am? Am I honoring titles, not hearts?
-Faulty expectations. Am I thinking, for a moment, that the sins in my life will be rewarded by God? Really? Am I attempting to okay a diversion from His plans for me because of another's decision, or another's choices? Am I really thinking He will look over this small sin because He is too busy judging the big sins in others' lives?

Micah has made me think this morning. About a lot of things.