Author: vicklea

I love to read! I’m a retired teacher with a spouse of 45 years, three amazing children and nine wonderful grandchildren. I am blessed!

Hummingbird or Vulture?

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

I prefer to be a hummingbird, positively looking around for the good and sweet things in life. It’s a sad fact that there are vultures around, too, just as it’s sad that there is darkness and light. In a world filled with criticism, be the encourager. In a world filled with evil, be kind and generous. Be the one who makes a difference so that others want to know the reason for the hope within you.

Fight Fear and Hold Fast

It seems there’s always something to worry about: natural disasters, current (and potential) wars, shaky finances, relational brokenness, unmet expectations, political, cultural, or racial divisions, senseless violence, our kids, our jobs, our health, and more—much more. But many of the things we fear are largely out of our control.

We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can choose our response.

You can constantly be worried, negative, anxious, fearful, critical, and bitter. Or, you can be known for seeing the good in people, choosing joy, offering encouragement, looking for God’s fingerprints, and always finding something to be grateful for. In either case, the cycle feeds itself. 

Like hummingbirds are attracted to sweet things while vultures scour the earth for dead things, we will always find what we are looking for. Why? Because darkness and light both exist. Good and evil are everyday realities. And we must decide who we’ll trust, and how we’ll spend our lives. 

There are plenty of scary things happening in the world, but—because of Jesus—there is always good.

Even on our darkest days, Jesus is the light of the world. He’s already carrying the weight of the world on His shoulders, which means we don’t have to. He has already made a way where there was no way, which means we can follow the path He has blazed. The Holy Spirit is already compelling us and leading us and teaching us and comforting us, which means we’re not alone.

The hope we have in Christ isn’t just wishful thinking or positive vibes. It’s hope that’s based on truth—on facts and faith.

So what can we do? The Bible says:

“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can fight anxiousness with hope.
We can ward off worry with truth-filled encouragement.
We can resist fear by offering life-giving words.
We can refuse to settle for living scared.
We can expose the darkness to light.

So the next time you feel anxiety and fear weighing down your heart, ask God for help and encouragement. Remember, He is with you always.

God Purchased What Was Already His

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/9115/day/5

The lessons from the book of Hosea are many but none is more important than the one of redemption. Hosea was already married to Gomer; she was already his wife. But when she left him and their three children, he did what God told him to do and went in search of her. After he found her, he had to pay to get her back with him. Isn’t that the story of our own salvation? We belonged to God from the day He created us. We wandered away, strayed far from our Heavenly Father. Then He sent Jesus as the price for our redemption so that we could be accepted back into His presence again, restored to a relationship with Him. The story of Hosea is one of forgiveness and love, even when the object of your love is not worthy. We did nothing to deserve God’s love and forgiveness, yet He forgives us anyway. You may be thinking as I did; But we are not prostitutes. We didn’t go out and sell ourselves to others. Really? In our state of sin, that is exactly what we did. We sold ourselves to whatever caught our eye and took our attention off of God and what was holy and right. It may not have been an idol of lust, but whatever replaced God in our lives was our idol and He redeemed us because of His great love for us, not because we deserved it. Grace…mercy…love. All equal salvation. I don’t know if Gomer was thankful or not but I know that I am and I hope that you are grateful for the sacrifice of Jesus’s blood that God paid for our eternal souls.

Memorial Day

On By vickleaIn Holidays, Scripture1 Comment
As I explained on my Facebook page, my husband is a veteran, but he did not die in a war. Thus, Memorial Day is not to honor him. That is Veterans Day, in the fall, when he is pleased to go to various restaurants that offer discounts or free meals to veterans to thank them for their service. Memorial Day is a time of solemn remembrance of those who gave their lives that we might be free. It is when flags are put in the cemeteries where veterans are buried, to recognize their sacrifice. So, as you have your barbecues, family time or beach visit, please take time to remember that freedom isn’t free. It cost some service members everything and their families deserve to be thanked for the sacrifices they made…children without a parent, mothers without a spouse, parents without their beloved child. Because they gave selflessly.

Jesus gave His life for us to have eternal life and He knew that the sacrifice He made showed His great love for mankind. Let us remember this Memorial Day to honor those who died. My husband is still alive, and he knows that Memorial Day is not to honor him but rather the untold thousands in graves here in the U.S. and in Europe who gave their all to safeguard our freedom.

Trust in God’s Faithfulness

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

It is an absolute truth that men will most likely disappoint you. They make promises that they don’t keep, whether because it is out of their control, they forget or they don’t have the means to do so. But God always keeps His promises. Instead of being fearful in challenging circumstances, pause and think of all the times that God has been faithful in the past and trust Him to continue to be true to His character.

God is Faithful

We all have to face hard things. It’s not if you will face them, but when. But when those challenges come, you can know you’re not alone.

In Isaiah 43:2, God reminds Israel that His faithfulness doesn’t change with their circumstances. He was faithful in the past, and He would continue to protect and provide for them…

“When you pass through the waters…” 
After 400 years of slavery, God empowered Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity. Just as the opposing army was closing in and all seemed lost, God made a way—right through the Red Sea. (See Exodus 14.) This is probably what the book of Isaiah is referencing to remind the Israelites of God’s power.

“When you pass through the rivers…” 
Isaiah’s readers would have probably been reminded of the time God dried up the Jordan River for the Israelites when they were crossing over with the ark of the Lord. They even built a memorial, so that generations to come would remember God’s presence. (You can find this story in Joshua 3.) 

“When you walk through the fire…” 
In the book of Daniel, three men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were thrown into the fiery furnace after refusing to obey the king’s decree to bow down to an idol, instead of to God. They were miraculously delivered, and didn’t even smell like smoke. (This story is in Daniel 3.)

Even though this event probably hadn’t happened when Isaiah was writing, God’s words still came to pass. And today, when we look at His faithfulness to the men in the fiery furnace, we can reflect on His promise in Isaiah, and remember that God is faithful to protect His people. 

Recalling God’s faithfulness in the past helps us trust Him with the future.

Even when faced with worst-case scenarios, God is not surprised. He’s already gone before you. No matter what happens, life’s trials and difficulties will not get the final say. God is still powerful, still providing, and still protecting you … and nothing can stand against our God.

So today, as you think back on your life, how have you seen God’s faithfulness? And how can those memories help you trust Him with your future?

Give Back to God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/9115/day/2

This devotional hit me hard because I have not been giving things back to God with which He has blessed me, especially our children. Instead, I have a tendency to cling to them tightly, afraid to let them out of my sight or mind lest something happen to them. I have been learning the lesson of letting go for a while now, and I confess that I am not there yet. I need to let my children go. I am disappointed daily in their lack of a relationship with God, or even a desire for one. So, I pray for them over and over, the same prayers. Knowing that their eternal destiny is in the balance, I want to commit them to God and let Him handle their disbelief and the questions that they have raised about Him. Our sons have bought into a lot of the lies of the current culture and I feel that only God can restore them in truth. I want to be like Hannah and give them back to God. Many years ago, they were dedicated to the Lord in church; may the Lord receive that dedication and continue to work in their hearts as I strive to let them go.

Facing Difficult Circumstances

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/9114/day/7

We all face difficulties in life; that is part of what life is all about. It is our response to those difficulties that shows others in Whom we believe and put our trust. We can wring our hands, cry and become bitter or we can pray to the Lord who made us that He will fulfill His promises to work things out for us in the best way possible for us. I remember several devotionals in the last year pointed out that God did not lead the Israelites around the Red Sea, thus circumventing the challenge. Instead, He parted the Red Sea and led them through it. Whatever our “Red Sea” might be, God will be with us all the way to the other side if we believe and trust in Him.

Run Your Race in Your Lane

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/9114/day/6

We have such a competitive spirit in our nation. We want to be the best at all that we do, and we are so busy striving for that number one position that we forget that one of our purposes is to encourage others. Instead, we have a tendency to tear others down and make them feel small so we can feel bigger. I like the concept that we are in a race, as described in the Bible. I also like that we each have lanes to be in and we are running an individual race, not a competition. We are all supposed to keep our eyes on Jesus, not on each other, especially the shortcomings of others. When we feel as though we just have to say something negative, we need to remember that the person to whom we are speaking those words is a special creation of God, He made them and He is working on them in their race just as He works on us in ours. Running life’s race can be challenging, so let’s offer each other a hand up instead of stomping our foot down on others. We are not here to compare ourselves to others and rejoice when we think we are better. We are here to help each other along the way and our only model of comparison is Jesus, our Lord.

Our Story Is Still Being Written

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App3 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/9114/day/5

My big takeaway from the devotional today is that God is not finished with me until I draw my last breath here on earth. He is still writing my story, and it will have a happy ending. Each day is a new page in the book of my life and I want the new pages to be filled with gratitude and experiences that glorify God. It doesn’t matter what others say about you or what happened in the past; each day is a new day to make a difference in your world for Him. I am not who the world says I am or even who they think I am. I am exactly who my Heavenly Father created me to be. Like the rest of His creation, I am convinced that God looked at me and said, “It is good.” All that He does is good and created for a purpose, and I am happy to report that I continue to have a reason to live and to serve God every day as He writes new pages in my story.

Jochabed and Moses

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/9114/day/4

Not only did Jochabed come up with a plan to save Moses from the evil intentions of the king, but she also got the opportunity to be his nurse for Pharoah’s daughter. I know that when I was feeding my infants, I did talk to them, pray for them and dream dreams with them of what their future would be like. It’s hard not to imagine that Jochabed did likewise, especially knowing that her time with her son was limited and would end when he was weaned. It’s amazing to me that Moses was put into the water, saved from the water by Pharoah’s daughter and then ended up leading the entire Israelite nation across water that God parted. What a big part that water played in his life! But his mother who had the God-inspired idea to save his life played the biggest role of all. Without Jochabed, there would have been no Moses, or at least not the one we know about from the Scriptures.

God uses His people to work out His plan but we have to be listening in order to hear what He is telling us to do. In our busy lives, we need to set aside time to just listen and be aware that God has a plan–for the world and for us individually, too. Sometimes we go with the plan and sometimes we fight it, but whatever we do, God still has a plan and we need to trust Him.

God Redeems

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/9114/day/3

As a child, I constantly felt rejected, by my mother and my friends. I felt rejected by my mother because she really didn’t like me and told me so constantly. She verbalized how ugly I was and how I needed to study hard because no man would ever be able to love me. I was rejected by my friends because I couldn’t run and play as they did, and they were not happy to just sit and play board games or jacks with me inside. So, in my loneliness, I turned to books. It sounds silly now, but I often went into what we called the “big bathroom” because it was the main bathroom with a tub and a shower, and I would sit on the toilet with a book and while silent tears rolled down my cheeks and sing “Jesus Loves Me.” A sweet and caring neighbor invited me to Sunday school and church and I had learned that song and its truth. I was probably around twelve years old when this was happening, so I really feel foolish now as I write these words, but that song gave me comfort for many years, long before I knew Jesus as my Savior.

I am absolutely amazed that Leah, the rejected one, is in the lineage of our Savior because she is the wife who gave birth to Judah. Jacob preferred Rachel, but God showed favor to Leah and seemed to make up to her the fact that Jacob obviously preferred Rachel. Judah’s name indicates that Leah had accepted Jacob’s rejection and was clinging to a relationship with God.

We have all been rejected in some way at some time by someone. We each have to come to the place where we realize we have been redeemed by a Savior who is bigger, better, more powerful and more loving than we could possibly ever imagine. I am who I am today because of some of the traumas of my childhood, but also mostly because God has redeemed me and given me a husband, children and grandchildren who accept and love me just the way I am. That’s the love that God has for me, too, a love that is hard to understand but so wonderful to know!