Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Trust Him to Do More

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

With our finite minds and bodies, we cannot imagine all that God can do in and through us as we become willing partners of His plan. He has had a plan since the beginning to bring people to His saving grace, and in His mercy and love, He has made us a part of that great plan. We are not spectators, but participants! We need to trust God to use us to do more and be more, growing more like Him daily and asking Him what He wants us to accomplish today that will help Him achieve His plan.

Immeasurably More

What’s the boldest prayer you can think to pray? Or the most incredible thing you can dare to imagine?

Did you know that God can top it?

Paul said it like this: 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You know those quiet dreams in your heart? God put them there. You know that ache for something better than this broken world? God gave you that desire. You know the deepest longings of your soul? God knows how to fulfill them. 

Like Paul said, God can do more than we ask or imagine, but we also must remember the second part of his words: according to his power at work within us. 

It’s all God’s power and His plan. But He has invited us into it.

So what’s our part in this process? 

We can give glory to Him—knowing that it’s Him who gives us the desire and power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13). He created us, loves us, and has entrusted us with sharing His message with the world.

We can submit ourselves to His plan—knowing that it’s all God, but He chooses to work in and through His people to accomplish His purposes. He doesn’t need us to be perfect, He just wants us to be willing.

We can trust Him with the process—knowing that He is good, righteous, worthy, strong, and eternal. We don’t have to know all the answers because we already have Him, and He can do more than we can ask or imagine.

Waiting is Worth It

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/26293/day/18

In the middle of the valley of waiting, we all get tired and wonder if the promise we wait for is ever coming. The story of Joseph offers us hope. Think of all that Joseph went through and all of the years he waited, for it all to culminate in God’s saving an entire nation through him. We never know what God is doing on the other side of the tapestry of our lives, but we can be sure of one thing…if it is from God, it will be the right thing, at the right time and for the right reasons.

God’s Perspective

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/26293/day/17

The devotional today is one that encouraged me and made me think, too. Where is God in my current circumstances? But, God… Fill in the blank with a praise for what you are going through and what God has done in the middle of your challenge. For example, we had planned to go to PA just as we do every summer. But my health has made it so that living in a place that is not air conditioned is not feasible right now. I really dreaded telling my daughter that we couldn’t come. She said that she would talk to her husband and they would come up with something. When she called back with her plans to do a staycation at our house, I was overwhelmed with praise for God that He was working things out for me to see my PA family! But God worked things out in an unexpected way. I thought the answer would be that we could meet them at a beach or somewhere (which we don’t have the funds for). Or maybe that the visit could wait until the weather was cooler and I was feeling better, but that would mean not seeing the kids in college. But God had a different plan and has worked things out so that we see our daughter’s entire family and get to spend time playing games and doing all of the things I love best about visiting PA, only without the long trip and the lack of AC. I confess that I didn’t see things from God’s perspective, but I did trust Him to work things out so that all are content with the plan. And bonus! Aaron is going to work on repairing our steps. I love my husband dearly, but he cannot fix anything…not cars, household maintenance, nothing. Things were easier when we were both working and could pay for repairs, but since we are both retired, our steps are sadly lacking in safety. Another but God…He knows what we need and supplies it in unexpected ways.

On a Mission for God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

I confess that I have not dedicated my entire life to God’s mission. I am trying to do better and look for opportunities to spread His Word and His love. How are you doing on the task that God has given each of us? He doesn’t want us to be condemned by our lack of success in meeting the goal. He just wants us to work on it.

The Mission of God

All of our lives are used for something. Most people spend their lives focused on growing a family, building their career, or amassing possessions.

While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.

In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.

For Paul, God’s grace and salvation is so great that nothing on this earth is as important as God’s work.

Paul says that nothing in His life matters as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
Acts 20:24 NIV

The mission of God is not opposed to growing families or building careers. In fact, God desires for us to use those opportunities to faithfully accomplish the mission of God. We can raise families in the way of God, and we can tell our coworkers about God’s grace. Any place we find ourselves in can be an opportunity to accomplish the mission of God.

Take a moment to consider your own life and where you spend your time. Are you using every opportunity you have to spread the good news of Jesus? Does your life, like Paul’s, point toward God?

Consider a few ways that you can begin to change your perspective and live your life on mission for God.

What Ifs and Hiding Your Feelings

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/26293/day/15

This devotional really hit me right where it hurts this morning. Innumerable times, I have a situation that is less than ideal and I try to comfort myself with “what ifs”, imagining the worst that could happen and what God can do to help out. I have found that generally the situational “what ifs” don’t happen. The only place they come to fruition are in my mind, and that is not a good thing for my stress level.

The other part of the devotional that spoke clearly to me is the part about hiding my feelings. I do that a lot because I have been trained by life experiences that people either don’t want to hear it or don’t really listen. For example, I have given up on telling my husband how frustrated I am with living in a rural area, far from medical care that we are needing more often. He is determined to stay here, so I just don’t talk to him about it. I hide my feelings and again, that is not good for my stress level.

On the plus side, as I wait, I do wait expectantly for God to act in spite of the “what ifs” and I tell God honestly how I am feeling. He can work on my husband’s heart if He feels it is necessary and that’s a good thing. I can just let go and trust God. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do anyway?

Shining the Light

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

I think we can all agree that this world is a very dark place, a place that needs light. The more we shine for Jesus and show the the light of His truth in the world, the less darkness there is. We have a job to do…be the light. When people are arguing over politics and the state of the world, remember to shine your light. Remind them that the only Kingdom that will stand is that of Jesus and the only power that matters is His. The Gospel is not ours to hold tightly to our chest; it is ours to shine out into a needy world, a world of sinners just like we once were. Going from darkness to light can change a neighborhood, a nation and the world!

Shining the Light of Jesus

Have you ever walked from a dark place into a very bright space? Light has incredible power over our senses, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. But light is necessary for us to live. It illuminates the world.

In Matthew 5, Jesus uses light as metaphor several times to describe the life of a disciple. He says that His disciples are like a town built on a hill that shines light into the valley (Matthew 5:14). He also says we’re like a lamp that gives light to a whole house (Matthew 5:15).

The life of a disciple of Jesus is meant to be like that of a light that shines brightly for others to see. So what is the light that we have?

It is the message of the Gospel. We’ve been given knowledge of what Jesus has done for us, and it’s that knowledge that changes everything for us. We now have a new life because of Jesus.

Jesus also says that people recognize our light through our good deeds. When we choose to love others, we are showing them the light and love of Jesus.

If you want to be a light in a dark world, remember this: the most illuminating act of all is loving people like Jesus. We are a city on a hill, a lamp shining into a whole house. The darkness around us may seem overwhelming, but the love we show because of the light within us illuminates everything.

An Opportunity to Love Again

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/26293/day/12

We have all been hurt at sometime by someone in our lives. It may be an unexpected, come-on-you-suddenly kind of wound. Or it may be a sneaking around for a long time and then striking kind of wound. Whatever wound you have, during your time of waiting, you can give it to the Lord to heal. Forgiveness isn’t a suggestion in God’s word; rather, it’s a command. God knows that we cannot move on in life without forgiving, even if we don’t really realize that there is someone we need to forgive. I know God brought someone to my mind this morning that I didn’t even think about forgiving because I thought the wounds that were inflicted were already forgiven. Not so much if I still feel pain each time I think of what was done, so I am going to spend some time today taking my wounded self to the cross and asking God to forgive me for holding on to the wounds instead of letting Him heal them. I want to open myself fully up to God’s love and forgiveness, don’t you?

God Doesn’t Waste the Wait

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/26293/day/11

While we are waiting for God to act and tell us the next steps we should take, God is continuing to work in our lives. He uses the time in the waiting room to train us and get us ready for the new things we will be facing. We can use that waiting time wisely or we can moan and complain about our lot in life and the fact that God seems far away. I confess that I have often been in the latter group, but as I age (and hopefully mature more in Christ), I am more likely to ask God to use the season of waiting to get me ready for the next challenge. As the devotional points out, once the waiting is over, we have a tendency to totally forget the hardships of waiting and to bask in the current blessings. Instead, we need to continue to reflect on what we learned in the waiting room and use the resources and training that God provided there to carry us successfully and righteously through the task He has set before us.

Jesus Showed Selfless Love

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

In today’s world, everyone seems to be “out for themselves.” If people don’t think that they will benefit, they don’t want to undertake anything, especially if the benefactors are others. But Jesus showed us a different way, a way to selfless love, a sacrificial love that expected nothing in return, knowing that the real reward was eternal. As we go about our day today, let’s prefer others above ourselves. Let’s not be in a hurry in the “me first” movement. There are no prizes in God’s kingdom for the “me first, last and always” crowd. The eternal rewards and crown of life go to those who practice humility and selfless love just as Jesus modeled for us.

An Example Worth Following

Jesus stood there in silence as he was stripped, spit on, beaten, and mocked. He stood there as they twisted thorns into a crown and shoved it onto His head. He watched as they gambled for His clothes. He was rejected, accused, and crucified—and He endured all of this willingly, because of love. 

Imagine having unlimited power and authority, and giving it all up. Imagine voluntarily sacrificing your life so that others could also experience God’s deep, unconditional love. This is what Jesus modeled for us.  

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges… When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” 
Philippians 2:5-8 NLT

Jesus knew He belonged to God, and He knew what He was called to do. He knew that selfless service mattered more than selfishness. He knew that humility was greater than pride. And He knew that obeying God would lead to our freedom and His glory. 

Jesus modeled humility by laying down His life so that we could know the love of God personally. And if we say that we follow Jesus, then we need to have the same attitude and outlook on life that Jesus did. But we can only do this by staying united in Jesus as we follow His example together.  

So, how do we stay united? We show love to each other. And how do we show love to each other? By thinking about other people first, and choosing not to hold onto bitterness. True love requires a willingness to let go of pride, and to serve without expecting anything in return. 

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” 
John 15:12-13 ESV

So who can you show love to today? Spend a few moments allowing God to reveal how you can practically embrace humility, stay united in love, and serve others selflessly today.