Honest Reflections

One-minute read.

When lighting a campfire, the spark must catch fire through air flow and kindling. Add bigger pieces of wood as it burns until a steady flame appears. Keeping the fire going by adding more logs periodically allows it to burn endlessly.

Reading God’s word and beginning to apply it to your life starts the flame. As you do the Lord’s commandments, the fire will burn as transformation begins. Learning more and more of the Creator’s ways fuels the fire and allows you to live fully for Jesus. The Lord’s ways help us become more like Christ, and the things of our old lives fall away in ashes.

As transformation occurs in our lives, the miraculous works of the Lord give us divine understanding.  God opens our eyes to what we cannot see; His supernatural ways become the spark that lights the fire and provides light for our journey.  The closer we stay connected to the Savior, the more we will understand as our hearts align with His.

Each morning, spend time with God to stoke the fire His word lights in you. Read the scriptures, talk to the Lord about your life, and find the peace that surpasses all understanding as the Savior keeps the flames going with His presence.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for lighting the flame within our souls and giving us light to lead the way. Please help us fuel the fire as we spend time with You daily, engaging in Your word and applying it to our lives.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Discovering that I lie to myself more than anyone else changed my life. When God reveals the truth to me and I begin to understand how I misinterpreted or internalized something incorrectly, it makes me sad.  I’ve always hated lying, but never realized how much I lied to myself.

We all lie to ourselves. Humans view everything from a limited perspective and don’t see the whole picture. Then, we create logical narratives but discover they have no truth.  We find the truth only when we allow the Lord to search our hearts and shine His light into our souls.

God’s commandments help us discover the truth.  Like fine gold, they show us the error of our ways and illuminate the lies we’ve believed.  Living life for Jesus, applying His teachings to our situations, transforms us as God opens the doors we can’t see. One friend said, “Sometimes God has to push me through the door.”

The Creator knows our hearts and the lies we tell ourselves, often keeping us from living life in abundance.  As we learn and follow His commands, the Lord reveals the lies we believe and helps us live in the truth of His word.  Transform your life and become more like Christ by following God’s precepts.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for revealing the lies we tell ourselves.  Please help us live in Your truth, apply Your precepts to our lives, and find abundant life.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Experiencing divine understanding opens our eyes and gives us insight. The Lord only reveals what we can handle. George Washington Carver asked God to uncover the mysteries of the universe to him, but the Creator knew Carver’s mind couldn’t handle that much information. So, instead, God revealed the complexities of a simple peanut to George, and he discovered over 300 uses for the small brown nut.[1]

For me, “Aha” moments describe divine understanding.  When God opens my eyes to something I couldn’t see before, it always amazes me.  Like puzzle pieces falling into place, my limited perspective takes on an entirely new view.  The scales fall from my eyes, and transformation happens as God reveals His truths to my soul.

Just yesterday, while driving, I listened to the biography of Amy Carmichael, an Irish Presbyterian missionary in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Listening to her struggles as she followed the Lord, I thought, “I haven’t a clue what it is to suffer.” As I became more familiar with her ministry, God opened my eyes to a new depth of submission and service to Him.

Ask the Lord to open your eyes and give you divine understanding.  Let the Creator give you a new perspective on your life.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us divine understanding and helping us draw nearer to You.  Please open our eyes to what we can’t see and give us new insights.

IJNIP. Amen

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[1] https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/george-washington-carver-1860-1943/#:~:text=One%20day%20I%20went%20into,to%20know%20about%20the%20peanut?%E2%80%9D&text=In%201921%20Carver%20addressed%20the,and%20national%20fame%20for%20himself.%E2%80%9D

One-minute read.

Following God’s precepts gives us hope for a good outcome and teaches us that what the Lord desires us to do differs from what our human nature desires. When offended, we want revenge; God wants us to pray for them. Instead of reacting with anger, the Lord wants us to show grace.

When we manage to control our emotions and show grace to the offender, we want the praise that goes with doing the right thing. But Jesus didn’t seek the praise of humans; He only cared about what His Father thought. God doesn’t want us to get caught up in pride but to live in the humility of Christ.

“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Romans 13:14

We can trust God’s righteous promises and learn to clothe ourselves in Christ from them. Jesus lived the perfect life, fulfilling all the laws. By following Him, we will learn how to submit our lives daily, care more about God’s opinion than anyone else’s, and live in humility as the Lord desires.

Trust God’s righteous promises, and let Him mold you to become more like Jesus.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us Your word to follow and apply to our lives.  Please help our spirits remain teachable as we learn and grow with You.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

We expect the Lord to bless us when we obey God and do the right thing.  The psalmist expects his Master to live up to the righteous promise that the godly will find deliverance from their adversities.  A teachable spirit allows God to mold us into His vision for our lives, becoming more like Jesus daily.

“Bless our efforts,” I wrote in my prayer journal this morning as I closed out my quiet time with the Lord.  Each morning, I start with my Bible, pen in hand as I search for the verse that grabs my heart, write it in my journal, and then fill the page with my thanksgivings and prayer requests.

As Ron and I strive to serve the Lord together through our work and activities, like the psalmist, I expect God to live up to His righteous promises. Living a life of hope requires believing the Lord will do what He says. Otherwise, what hope do we have?

Faith means hoping in what will come.  When Jesus promised us eternal life in heaven with Him, believing His words gives us hope that we will one day experience glory, leaving the struggles of this life behind forever.  Hope helps us persevere on the days we feel like giving up. 

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for Your promises, which give us hope and help us persevere. Please bless our efforts as we strive to live for You, becoming more like Jesus daily.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Dross, the impurities that float to the top when heating silver, gets thrown away.  The Lord does the same thing with those who rebel against Him, choosing to live life without the Savior.  Turning from the Creator leaves people with a bleak future.

Saul turned from the Lord’s ways, leading the nation of Israel to defeat.  Battling the Philistines, they mortally wounded the rebellious king.  Dying, Saul asked his armor bearer to end his misery, but the soldier refused the request.  In desperation, Saul threw himself on his sword and died.  And when the Philistines got hold of the dead king’s body, they did not treat it well.  1 Samuel 31 details the death of Saul, a king who turned from the Lord.

We can learn from Israel’s kings’ mistakes and keep our eyes on Jesus. Living for the Savior will give us divine peace and joy, but turning from Him will lead us to dark places we don’t want to go.  Spend time learning Christ’s testimonies and applying them to your life.  Live abundantly for the Lord. 

Submitting your life to Jesus daily will help you avoid the pitfalls of rebellion and keep you on the straight and narrow, leading to joyful living with the Savior.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us abundant life when we follow Jesus.  Please help us stay on the straight and narrow by keeping the Son in our eyes and becoming more like the Savior as we follow Him.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

I finished 1 Samuel this morning in my yearly Bible reading plan. Saul’s jealousy for David turned into hatred, and he lived a miserable life, chasing after the shepherd boy, who had become a warrior.  Where David once brought Saul comfort by playing his harp for the king, he now caused the king nothing but anxiety.

David kept his eyes on the Lord and his commands, while Saul turned from God following his desires: one experienced divine joy, the other human misery.  When David had a decision to make, he sought the Lord for answers and, as a result, received divine guidance, always one step ahead of Saul’s manipulations.

When we keep our eyes on Him, the Lord leads us on the straight and narrow path, just as He did David.  The more we focus on the Savior, the more trouble we will avoid.  Saul’s ploys got him nowhere, but David’s devotion led him to one victory after the next.  Defeating Goliath started the victorious journey for the young shepherd boy.

Seek God for guidance, and you will find it.  Look to scripture for help, meditating on the Lord’s promises and trusting Him to make your paths straight.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for guiding and directing us when we seek You.  Please help us always consult You before making any decisions, allowing You to show us the way.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Samak, the original Hebrew word for uphold, means “to lean upon, rely upon, gain confidence, strengthen, refresh.”[1]  When the storm winds blow, God’s promises will keep you anchored to the solid rock, not letting you get overtaken.

Standing on faith can seem risky.  We must wait without knowing what or when the Lord will move in our circumstances.  Non-believers won’t understand, and may even ridicule us for our faith, but in the end, God will prevail.

When Moses built the ark, it took over 100 years.  He took much abuse from passers-by in a land that had never experienced a rain shower.  But in the end, the floods came, and what seemed ridiculous didn’t seem so funny. 

Following God’s promptings may cause us to do uncanny things, but when His will unfolds, we’ll understand.  We only see in part now, one day, we will see the whole.  Wait on the Lord, trust His promises, and know God’s word never comes back void.

In an ever-changing world, the Creator’s promises don’t change.  We can rely on the Lord’s covenants; He always keeps His word.  Live in the hope of what will come as God’s plan unfolds in your life.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for Your reliability and trustworthiness.  Help us wait for Your will to come to fruition in our lives.  Let us live in Your hope.

IJNIP. Amen

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[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20119%3A115-116&version=NIV&tab=interlinear

One-minute read.

Double-mindedness means disobedience to God’s word and deception, saying one thing and doing another. Nothing drives me crazier than when I meet someone who tells you one thing to your face but does the exact opposite.

When teaching tennis students, I often have kids who say they understand my direction but don’t follow it. As a coach, I realize I may not have communicated well, and I will try again.  With the Lord, He gives us clear commands to follow, and we can take refuge in His word, knowing it will protect us from the double-minded.

When a religious leader asked Jesus to sum up the entire Bible, the Savior had a ready response:

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Matthew 22:37-39

Refuge in God’s word gives us a place to hide in love.  By loving the Lord and others, you will draw closer to the Savior, learn to deal with the double-minded with grace and mercy, and experience divine joy.  Place your hope in God’s word, lean into Him for the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us a place to take refuge.  Please help us learn and apply Your word to our lives, experiencing the blessing from obedience to it.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Reading the story of David and Goliath, the young shepherd boy had a heart inclined towards the Lord.  When David learned of the Philistine’s taunts, he felt righteous anger that anyone would deny his God.  Defined as an offense towards the Creator, righteous anger motivates us to action, just as it did the future king of Israel.

Picking up five smooth stones, wearing only his shepherd’s attire, David marched onto the battlefield, facing the giant.  With one whip of his slingshot, David felled the enemy, claiming victory for his nation.  In the notes of my Bible, I wrote, “The Philistines represent sin to me,” because as I read the Old Testament, the battle between the two nations never ends.

Saul, Jonathan, David, Samson, and other Israelite armies fought the giants.  Just as we battle sin, and will continue the fight until the Lord calls us home.  But when we have our hearts tuned into the Savior, we will perform His statutes, and like David, we can say, “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand” (1 Samuel 17:46).

Tell the giants in your life about the God you serve.  Incline your heart to the Lord, and let Him lead you to victory.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us victory over our sins. Please help us identify the giants in our lives and, like David, face them with You.

IJNIP. Amen