Month: January 2026

Strong Tower

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

God’s name is our strong tower. We call on it when we are in trouble and He hears us and rescues us. He has already saved us from our sins and daily offers us grace and mercy. We are always safe with Him. Sometimes, we have to wait for an answer, but in the waiting, we find the power of God sustaining us and holding onto us as His beloved children.

The other big thing I got from my Bible verse this morning is that if we are trying to be more like God (as all of us should aspire to do), then we will act as a refuge for others who need a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen and encourage, someone to pray with them. I don’t want to offer meaningless advice as Job’s friends did. I would rather sit silently with the person in anguish and tell them that I don’t have all the answers, but I know Someone who does. Being the person who is there for others is reflecting the character of God to them, and I want to be more like the Lord in all I do and say. God’s being a strong tower to me means that I can be strong for others. Even when I am not feeling strong or particularly wise, I can still be a presence in their lives, just showing up and letting them know that they do indeed have a friend to turn to.

We always have a friend in God. He is the One who sustains us in the hard times and walks with us through all of the valleys. And when the going is particularly rough, He is our strong tower, right there beside us, cheering us on and letting us know that His love never ends. That’s what God is to me and what I desire to be for others.

Extend Mercy

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

Undeserved Mercies (Daily Refresh, 1-20-26)

When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…

They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.

They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.

And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:

“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬

Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)

God’s ways might not always be easy, but they can always be trusted. 

When we choose unforgiveness, hate and anxiety and bitterness will likely take root. But when we choose forgiveness (even though we might need to consider new boundaries), love and peace and reconciliation can flourish.

So, what about you? Have you ever been mean? Have you been selfish? Talked behind someone’s back? Broke a vital promise? Lied, criticized, ignored, or done the unthinkable? Have you ever decided to give up and walk away?

In our unique-to-us ways, we’ve all let someone down. We’ve disregarded God’s instructions and, instead, created our own instructions. We’ve messed up.

We deserve God’s wrath but, instead, He’s offered us His unconditional love. 

Because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, we didn’t get what we deserve. And even while hanging on that cross, breathing His last earthly breaths, He cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Jesus repaid our evil with extreme mercy, leaving us free to conquer evil with good. So today, let’s honor His sacrifice by treating others the way He treated us.

My Thoughts

None of us deserves God’s mercy, but He gives it to us daily anyway, every time we mess up. He continues to reach out with love. So, who are we to choose to judge others and act out with vengeful behavior? Will that change that person’s actions? No, but it may create a vicious cycle of “getting the last laugh” and bitterness. Is that how you want to live, sowing seeds of discord all along your path in life? How about being like Jesus and start with mercy, compassion and understanding? That person may never change and may always be a burr under your saddle, but you can rest in God’s love, knowing that you chose to do right, to reach out and to forgive. Our victory is not in how many “gotchas” we accomplish daily but in how often we show the love of Jesus to others, especially those who mistreat or abuse us.

Wheat or Tares?

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

I pondered these verses as I read this morning. I know that I am supposed to be producing wheat, or maybe I am wheat. Whatever, I am supposed to be a grain that feeds others. Wheat isn’t in a field just to look good and then die. Rather, it is harvested, ground up and used to make bread, cereal and other good things to nourish people. If I am not being useful to nourish others, then I cannot call myself wheat, can I?

Growing next to the wheat, and sowed by “the enemy” are the tares. What are tares? According to the New Oxford American dictionary, tares are a weed that resembles wheat. And I thought an important part of this scripture was that they are right next to the wheat, hard to discern which is which out in the fields. But when it is time for harvest, the reapers gather the tares first and prepare them for destruction. I don’t want to be a weed that is good for nothing except to be burned.

Instead, I want to be the wheat that can be used to feed others. My testimony is important. The way I grow and keep my life is important. It’s not just the reapers who are watching me; those who hunger for the Lord are watching, too, and if I am doing what I am supposed to, I will be able to feed them exactly what they need so that they can be part of God’s kingdom, too.

Isn’t it interesting that the tares are right beside the wheat, much like many who claim to know the Lord are in the world with us? By their fruits, we can know them. The Lord sends the reapers out and we need to make sure that we are the wheat and not the weeds.

United Under Christ

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

The Importance of Unity (Daily Refresh, 1-18-26)

What does unity mean to you? In a chaotic and divided world, sometimes the word “unity” can sound like something irrelevant, something that just can’t work in the broken world we live in. Division is nothing new. In fact, it was a challenge very early in church history and something the apostle Paul addressed head-on.

In 1 Corinthians 1, we see that Paul had received reports that believers in Corinth were segmenting themselves based on who shared the gospel with them. They said things like, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or, “I am of Christ.” Rather than being united as one body of Christ, they were dividing themselves into smaller groups and factions.

Paul was very moved by this. In 1 Corinthians 1:13 he asks them these simple questions: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Paul didn’t want the believers of Corinth to get lost in comparisons and separations. He wanted them united under Christ: one King, one Gospel. 

Paul brought them back to the only thing that matters: salvation is from Christ alone. Without Christ, there is no unity. But under Christ, we can be united in a way that the world has never seen or understood. 

In a world of fighting and division, the body of Christ gets to show the power of the Gospel. We are united, focused on Christ and only Christ.

My Thoughts

On Saturday, the state of Virginia got a new slate of officers. The governor is now Spanberger, a liberal who says that Virginia is now a “sanctuary state.” The lieutenant governor is a Muslim who took her oath on the Quran, the first state-elected office ever of a Muslim. And the attorney general, well, he’s the one who said he would like to kill those who didn’t believe as he did. My thoughts? I shook my head in sorrow and disbelief and prayed for my state and our nation. This is all very divisive, isn’t it?

So I am glad to have this devotional this morning. We didn’t make it to church on Sunday because of wintry weather and because I wasn’t feeling well and had to spend much of the morning in bed fighting dizziness. Anyway, here I am, happy to report that I am united with other believers in Christ, and I firmly believe that as Christians, we will be tested in our unity in the days to come. I don’t want to focus on the differences between denominations but on the one thing we have in common if we call ourselves CHRISTians. We are saved because of His sacrifice and because of His great love, we are to love on another. Period. The divisiveness between Christians needs to end so that we can stand together against those in the world who do not believe and who would seek to destroy our faith. If you don’t believe that is where we are headed, then you haven’t read and clearly understood the book of Revelation. Yes, in the end, we win! Hallelujah! But check out the persecution and destruction before the victory at the end. Truly, united we will stand as Christians if we want to make it through the dark days of the creeping takeover of our nation by the forces of unbelieving evil doers. Stand for Christ or fall for all of the lies. The choice is ours…make a good one!

God’s Divine Contentment

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Called to Contentment (Daily Refresh, 1-17-26)

Observing Sabbath-rest allows us to step into the same rhythm God established in creating the world. Scripture tells us when God rested from His work, it was because His work was complete (Genesis 2:1). God took joy in His accomplishment. 

In Hebrews 4:10, the writer draws a parallel between God’s rest and ours: “For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” We’re invited to delight in His presence and share in God’s divine contentment.

This rest isn’t about taking a break from good works. It’s about surrendering the need to control by trusting in the completeness of God’s work. Our “rest” releases us from the burden of proving ourselves good enough to earn His love and approval. These things have been secured through Jesus’ finished work on the cross. When we step into this rhythm of rest, we can find contentment that spills over into every part of our lives.

Is God calling you to stop trying to do everything on your own and instead find peace in Jesus’ finished work on the cross?

Lay down your burdens, not out of laziness, but surrender. Believe that the One who made the world also takes care of you.

My Thoughts

I don’t know about you but I have trouble resting. I don’t mean falling asleep, although that is sometimes an issue, too. I mean “resting”, just letting go and being content with being in God’s presence and in a safe place in my life. I am always looking for the next thing that I need to do, the next appointment I need to go to, or the next person I need to call. Rest means that instead of looking around for what I need to do next, I am happy with what has already been accomplished and just rest. I am at peace and instead of having scatter thoughts all over the place, my mind is resting, too, as I consider my relationships with God and others as the blessing they are to me. Jesus has already done everything that needed to be done for me on the cross, so I don’t need to prove myself to God once I accepted Him as my Savior. Something in my mind, however, keeps wanting me to prove myself to others, and I need to work on getting to the point where I accept myself as I am and don’t strive so hard to please others. That way I can rest, whether they approve or not. That’s because deep in my heart and soul, I know that God approves and He is calling me to rest, to accept and to be content.

Encouragement from the Lord

On By vickleaIn Scripture7 Comments

This verse was one of my memory verses for 2025. I still review it frequently, not because I don’t recall it but because I want to slowly read the encouragement there. I read one line at a time and pause after each one to think about what it means in my life.

“The Lord your God is in your midst” means that God is right there in the middle of the mess that is my life. He knows and understands all of my frustrations about my daily life. He doesn’t “hang up” and tell me to move on. She just stays there and comforts me with His presence.

“The Mighty One, will save” means that God is in the process of saving me every day. Salvation is not a once and done and then you are complete. God is constructing me to be more like Jesus and He doesn’t ever give up on me.

“He will rejoice over you with gladness” means that there is nothing I can do to make the Father turn away from me. He is rejoicing for my victories just as He is continuing to work on me in my defeats. That thought makes me more likely to continue to strive to be more like Him. He rejoices with gladness. He is happy that I am His child.

“He will quiet you with His love” helps me to calm down and listen to His voice. God has something to say in the middle of my chaos; I just have to get quiet and listen. He doesn’t get me quiet by saying, “Will you just shut up?” No, I feel His presence all around me and my heart and soul get quiet before Him.

“He will rejoice over you with singing” makes my heart happy when I think about God singing a song just for me because He loves me so much. During my rough childhood, I used to lock myself into the bathroom and sing “Jesus Loves Me” quietly to myself. If no one else acted as though they loved me, I knew that Jesus was right there. Now, as His adult child, all grown up and with a relationship with Him, I am glad that God rejoices over me. He doesn’t berate me or try to make me feel guilty. He rejoices over me, singing a song of love and acceptance, one which we all need sometimes.

I have shared this favorite verse with you as well as my thoughts about it. What is your favorite verse of encouragement? I want to know so that I can meditate on it, also.

Blessed to be a blessing!

Following Your Heart

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

Centering Our Hearts (Daily Refresh, 1-15-26)

One of the most important biblical topics is your own heart. Throughout the biblical story, God shows that He is not nearly as interested in your money, time, or service as much as He is your heart.

Why is this important? Jesus taught his disciples that the heart is the center of our lives. Our emotions and our desires flow from the condition of our heart. If God gets access to our heart, then the rest of our lives follow after.

In Matthew 6:21, Jesus says that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. The things that we treasure in our life reveal where our heart truly is. The things that we think about, spend our money on, and use our energy to attain—that is where our heart is.

But it’s not enough to just not let our hearts dwell on those things. Instead, we need to train our hearts to dwell on Jesus. The apostle Paul encourages us to dwell on the things that are of God:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8 NIV

This type of thinking moves our heart to cherish Jesus as our treasure above everything else on earth.

If you’re honest with yourself, where would you say your treasure is currently? What are the things you devote your time to and spend your money on? Consider how those things reveal where your heart truly is. Spending time in God’s Word and in prayer are great ways to reorient our hearts back toward God.

My Thoughts

Today’s devotional hit me right where it hurts…in my heart and my conscience. I may seem to have everything together, but the truth is that I don’t. I have a lot of problems ordering my thoughts and getting myself motivated to do what I should do. Yes, I spend time in God’s word daily. But am I really focused? Sometimes, my phone is right next to me and when it lights up with a notification, I pause my devotional time and see who or what is calling my attention. Thus, my attention is divided. I need a “rerouting” on my heart and mind, so I am choosing to focus on God during the next hour of my devotional time, with my phone face down and away from me and my thoughts centered on the Lord. I cannot give God half of my attention when He deserves all of it. I want to treasure my time with Him and look forward to it, not see it as one more thing on my “to do” list to complete and check off. I confess that my busy days with medical appointments have led me to act more like my time with God is a chore and not a treasured choice. The appointments are still going to happen, but my time with God cannot wait. If I want to truly show Him how worthy He is to me, then I need to set aside other things and just focus on Him. He sees me and I want to see Him, high and lifted up on His throne and in my life.