Honest Reflections

One-minute read.

We stopped at TAC RV on the border of North Carolina and Virginia to get propane for our tanks. While Ron had them filled, I wandered inside to shop. The beautiful young lady behind the counter noticed my T-shirt from the church we attended.

“I go there!” Crystal said, as God orchestrated a divine appointment that began our friendship. I will never forget Crystal whipping her phone out and friending me on Facebook. Still friends, we don’t see each other as much these days, but our connection remains strong in the Lord.

I ask the Lord to help me keep His divine appointments each week, not wanting to miss any. Sometimes, He empties a propane tank or orchestrates a flat tire. You never know the Lord’s plan, or how He will get you where He wants you to go, but you can trust He will.

Following Jesus gives you an unseen calendar, filled with divine appointments that will change your life. Staying alert and tuned into God’s workings will help you recognize them when they happen. Life-changing, divine appointments come in various ways; sometimes, what seems bad becomes the best thing that has ever happened to you.

Let God fill your schedule with divine appointments and enjoy the blessings that come from them.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for filling our calendars with divine appointments that change our lives. Please help us keep them all, get us out of the way so You can do Your thing.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Camping in early May beside an artificial pond, geese, ducks, and herons populate the small water spot. Goslings follow their momma across the surface, dad bringing up the rear, protecting them. Trees blossom, kids play, and life moves slowly, another spring coming to life.

Year after year, the earth stands fast, God’s creation going through the cycle of life. Scripture often refers to the seasons, nature’s rhythm set long ago by our divine Creator. The Lord’s foundation doesn’t change; firmly fixing His word in the heavens, we can count on the promises within the Bible’s pages.

Listening to chattering geese and chirping insects, God’s creation thrives with life. Even though we only live on Earth briefly, we can cling to the Lord and enjoy the world He created. Abundant life comes from following Jesus. Applying His solid teachings to our circumstances helps us discover the victory Christ gave us on the cross.

Life changes constantly as we move from one day to the next, but the Lord’s word doesn’t. We can find stability in God’s promises and experience a vibrant life as we follow Him. Lean into the Creator’s faithfulness today and enjoy His blessings.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for giving us an abundant life filled with the wonder of Your creation. Please help us live fully for You today and experience the blessings from our devotion to You.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Steadfast love, dependable, unconditional, life-giving, affection from the Savior helps us overcome the persecution we endure on earth. Each of us will feel the fire of life’s challenges scorching us. Following Jesus means learning to respond to them as He did, instead of how our flesh would.

Christ endured arrest, trial, condemnation, and execution by Roman authorities. Suffering a torturous death on the cross, Jesus responds with grace towards His persecutors.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Luke 23:34

We can’t begin to understand the level of persecution Christ suffered for us. Willingly, He got on the cross, felt the spikes go through His hands and feet, struggled for breath, having to pull Himself up to take air into His lungs, and yet He asked the Lord to forgive the people who did it—becoming like Jesus means leading with grace, leaning into His unconditional love to accomplish the task.

Christ gave you new life by dying on the cross. Receive His gift, accept the steadfast love, and honor the Lord by living for Him. Become more like Jesus every day, applying His precepts to your life and responding with grace and mercy as He would.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for bearing our sins on the cross, dying a torturous death so that we may have life. Please help us honor and obey You today in all we do, becoming more like You and less like us.
IJNP. Amen

One-minute read.

Lies permeate the world, and we all must deal with them. Trying to decipher truth from false tales gets harder and harder. Fake news, manipulated photos and videos, and AI technology that imitates people’s voices make knowing what to believe hard. When people lie about us, it hurts, and people will lie about us.

When people don’t know the whole story, they make up details to complete it. We make assumptions to fill in the gaps; I’m as guilty as anyone of doing it. Awareness of our thoughts helps us stop the narrative and remind ourselves that we don’t know everything and we never will.

And when people lie about us, we must respond with grace. Their opinion doesn’t define our identity; Christ does. Correcting them when possible helps, but if we can’t, don’t lose sleep over their wrong assumptions. If you keep a right relationship with God, the rest will take care of itself.

Confess your sins to the Savior. Ask Him to show you any lies you’ve believed. Look to the Lord to keep your heart pure and let Him lead you in all your ways.

Don’t live in the pitfall of someone’s lies. Instead, walk tall in the truth of the Savior and His unconditional love for you.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for revealing the truth and not letting us live in the pitfalls of someone else’s lies. Please help us stay focused on You and Your opinion rather than the false tales of others.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Due to wrongful persecution, the psalmist portrays himself as a weathered, useless, shriveled wineskin, blackened with soot. If you’ve ever cleaned a chimney or fire pit, you know the dark, black, powdery residue from a fire gets everywhere. Easy to ignore and overlook, no one wants anything to do with cleaning up the mess.

Wrongful accusations can feel like soot on our clean reputation. People believe what they want to think, and convincing them otherwise doesn’t work. And we shouldn’t waste our time trying. My mom used to say, “If you don’t owe ‘em money, what do you care what they think?”

I loved my mother’s advice, but love the Lord’s even more.

“Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.”
Proverbs 26:2

Don’t fret over wrongful accusations. Lies don’t last, and God will reveal the truth. We don’t have to endure curses without cause because they have nowhere to land. Setting our minds on what God says about us helps deflect the enemy’s lies. Stand on the Rock, live in His truth, and let the devil’s attacks bounce off you, not leaving a mark.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for helping us deflect wrongful accusations and not let them affect us. As the enemy attacks, let his jibes fall away effortlessly, not hitting their mark.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Persecuted without cause, the psalmist looks to the Lord for salvation. At the end of his rope, the writer feels useless and shriveled because of the onslaught of lies. He doesn’t doubt God will comfort him, but the author wonders how long he must wait for the Lord’s compassion.

We all have experienced wrongful persecution. Whether a misunderstanding or blatant lie, the pain cuts deep. Doubt about ourselves can cause us to falter, but with the Lord in our lives, we can hold on to Him. We can count on our Divine Protector to care for us by submitting ourselves to God.

Now, halfway through my fifties, I care less and less about people’s opinions of me. Wrongful accusations don’t bother me as much as they did. Only God’s opinion matters to me. He brings truth and teaches me that lies don’t last, nor do attacks.

Loving the Lord and people fulfills the Great Commandment and nourishes healthy relationships. Truth comes to all who follow Jesus. God comforts us in His time and way, constantly vigilant, never leaving nor forsaking us. Hold onto the Lord in your struggles. Keep the Son in your eyes, and trust Him to care for the rest.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for having our backs and knowing what we need. As we wait for Your comfort, please strengthen us for the challenges, allowing us to endure the pain.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Living under the microscope challenges me as an author who loves and writes about Jesus. No matter how much I adore the Savior, I still sin. Every day, I do things that require divine mercy. And people quickly remind me when I do, as if I don’t already know.

“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.”
Romans 14:13

Not creating stumbling blocks for others requires humility and constant connection with the Lord. I find myself confessing all day long. “Lord, forgive me for that thought.” “Lord, I’m sorry I said that.” “Lord, forgive me for doing that.” On and on the list goes of ways I must repent in 24 hours. The closer we draw to God, the more aware we become of our sin. Accepting our fleshly ways helps us live more blamelessly as we seek the Lord for help.

And when we remain connected to the Savior, people will notice and ask questions. Tell the truth. Share with them how God helps you through the day and how His forgiveness enables you to live blamelessly. Nothing we do can save us from sin; Jesus did it all for us on the cross.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, which makes us blameless before You. Please help us live humbly and closely connected to You, accepting our sinful nature and allowing You to cleanse us from it.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Meditate on God’s law, and you will find His mercy. Strength comes from belief. As we believe in the Savior and discover His promises, we will find what we need to persevere when persecuted. Mercy comes to those who seek the Lord.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 16:18 KJV

All sin has pride at its roots. Since the pastor made that point in a message a few years ago, I’ve realized its truth. Thinking we achieve things on our own, without God’s help, will cause us to fall. Meditating on this precept has helped me recognize sin in my life, confess it to the Lord, and receive His mercy.

Meditating means ruminating over a specific passage, which allows you to apply it to your life. When other thoughts try to distract you, pull yourself back to God’s promise. You can control your thinking and choose to focus on the Lord through His word. Our connection to the Creator strengthens when we keep the Son in our eyes.

Pick one of God’s promises that applies to your life and meditate on it today. Any time the enemy tries to distract you, don’t let him. Stay focused on the Lord, and allow Him to lead you to victory.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for Your word, which gives us a way to control our thoughts and focus on You. Please help us meditate on Your promises today, not letting anything distract us from You.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Sometimes, God allows bad things into our lives to teach us lessons. A painful truth, the Creator knows we won’t learn any other way. The Lord never promised a rose garden, but He did promise never to leave nor forsake us. When we find ourselves in the fire, we have company.

“Look!” he told them, “I see four men walking untied and unharmed in the middle of the fire, and the appearance of the fourth resembles a divine being.”
Daniel 3:25

When King Nebuchadnezzar threw Daniel and his friends into the fiery furnace for not worshipping him, God allowed it to happen. The blaze burned so hot that it killed the guards, who threw the men into the flames. But as the king watched, something miraculous happened: a fourth man appeared in the furnace, and the heat didn’t scorch them.

Because they endured the flames, Nebuchadnezzar ordered a decree that everyone must respect their God, “because there is no other God who can save like this” (Daniel 3:29). The Lord allowed fire into Daniel’s life. God’s servant went willingly into the flames, trusting the Lord to save him, one way or another.

Jesus comforted Daniel in the flames, and He will comfort you. Whatever God allows in your life, He walks through it with you. Trust the Savior when life’s fires engulf you, knowing He will keep you safe.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for walking with us through the fires of life. Please comfort us when we face trials, and remind us of Your presence.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

God created you with love, fashioned for His purposes. When you look in the mirror today, ask the Lord for His perspective on you. The things you may not like about yourself, God loves. With care and provision, He made you, and the Creator doesn’t make junk.

In a world striving to identify itself, find your identity in Christ. Learn what God thinks of you and base your self-worth on His description. Jesus knowingly had His hands and feet pierced on the cross, dying a torturous death for you and me. The amount we pay for something determines its value, and the Savior gave it all for us. We have value and worth because of the Son.

Live your life for Christ, blessing Him with obedience. Ask the Lord to understand His laws as you strive to do them. The more you practice God’s ways, the brighter your light will shine, and the more people will notice. Like moths to a flame, they will want to know about the light they see in you.

Share God’s love with others by practicing His laws and having a ready answer on your lips when people notice. Shine bright in a dark world with the Lord as your Leader.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for creating us with love and precision to fulfill our purpose for You. Please help us follow You closely, applying Your laws to our lives, and shining brightly for the world to see.
IJNIP. Amen