Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Daily

On By vickleaIn Admonition, encouragement, God’s blessings, promises, Scripture1 Comment

The Cambridge Dictionary says “daily” means “happening on or related to every day.” Of course, you already knew that! And I am sure that you can think of more than a few things that you do daily. For me, what comes to mind immediately is brushing my teeth, taking my meds and checking my blood pressure. But did you know that the Bible talks about doing things “daily” also?

One of the first scriptures I learned about and took to heart was the one in Matthew where Jesus says to give Him your burdens because what He gives in return is easier to bear. In the Old Testament, Psalm 68 encourages us to praise God for daily bearing our burdens. Well, guess what? The Lord cannot bear for us what we are holding onto and refuse to let go of. So, we have to daily lay down our burdens, whatever is worrying us, and trust that God is taking care of it. It’s a habit that I plan to work on because I am not there yet.

I am almost certain that this scripture verse is familiar to all of the Christians here in the blogosphere. Deny, take up your cross and follow…did you see that very important word daily? This is not a once-and-done action. Daily, we deny ourselves. Daily we take up our cross, the life that God has gifted us with along with the purpose that we are fulfilling in Him. And we follow Jesus, daily. We cannot say that, “Well, back in 1973, I became a Christian, so that is all done and I’m on the right road to heaven.” Again, this is a daily commitment to the Lord, not a “I did it, I got the tee shirt and now I am securely on my way to heaven.” Maybe. The assurance comes because we daily re-commit our lives, our everything, to Him. Sometimes, it’s easy to walk backwards and get tangled up in the world’s standards and attractions. That’s why it’s important to daily commit ourselves to our life with God, in God and through God. He is the one who sustains our lives, in every way, including physically, emotionally and most importantly, spiritually. We cannot stay alive spiritually without daily spiritual food. I didn’t eat a meal back in 1973 and tell myself that was all the food I needed for the rest of my life. I need to daily soak in His truth from His Word and allow the Holy Spirit to nourish my soul so that bearing my cross is not a burden but an honor because I am carrying out God’s plan for my life, daily.

We walk by the Spirit daily, with God’s Word hidden in our hearts and with a day that starts right with time with Him. I would no more think of running out the door without brushing my nasty overnight teeth than I would go out without getting dressed first. We cannot even consider being ready to walk by the Spirit daily without preparing ourselves by immersing ourselves in His Word. You may have five minutes, ten minutes, an hour or more to spend in His Word. I don’t think God is as concerned about how much time you give Him as how much quality time you spend daily with Him, getting to know Him better through His Word and devoting time to talking to Him in prayer.

Apollos is named in the scriptures several times by Paul who knew him personally. This verse says he was a “learned man.” Some could say of me that I am “learned.” After all, I have a degree in Spanish and history and a graduate degree in educational administration. But what I consider when I desire to be “learned” is to be versed in the scriptures, in the things that really matter in life, This verse doesn’t leave us to guess what Apollos was learned in because it explains that he had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. That comes, I think, by daily spending time in His Word. In a world full of Katy Perrys and Taylor Swifts, I would rather be like Apollos. Thus, I need to give my time daily to what will benefit my most, to God’s Word, soaking it in and letting it bathe me in truth and light.

So, back to my first question? What do you do daily to spend time with your first priority, which should always be God? Think about it. Schedules may need to be adjusted and time managed differently in order to daily devote yourself to time with the Lord, but I consider it a habit well worth cultivating. Don’t you?

Dependence and the Wilderness

On By vickleaIn encouragement, Scripture4 Comments

All of us undergo a wilderness experience at some time in our lives. You know what that is like; it’s dry and you feel all alone. Think about Moses leading the Israelites through the wilderness and Jesus going to the wilderness to be tempted. In both cases, how did they survive? I think it was by total dependence on the Father, and that is what our wilderness experience should teach us too, if we are willing listeners.

Moses led the people in the wilderness, with the Lord leading the way to show them exactly where they should go. Moses was well acquainted with the voice of God as He spoke to him from the burning bush and called him to lead. Moses had already spent forty years in the wilderness as a shepherd, and I am sure that he was learning from God during his sojourn there. Part of the wilderness experience is learning to lean on God and not be so self-sufficient. We can’t follow if we don’t listen for the voice to lead us. We don’t have a cloud or a fire to guide us, but we have the Holy Spirit inside us, guiding us in the way we should go and reminding us of the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus’s wilderness experience was specifically for Him to be tested and He passed with flying colors, as they say. How? He spoke back the Word to Satan and then Satan left Him.

I don’t know that the Spirit leads us into the wilderness, but He might if that’s where God wants us to be for a season so that He can get our attention and speak to us clearly. Many of us, including me, need to learn the lessons that we can only learn in difficult experiences, things we call a “wilderness experience.” It takes us out of our comfort zones and forces us to look honestly at ourselves and our relationship with God as well as what our next step should be.

Our strength comes from the Lord and it is in the challenging parts of life that we learn to depend on Him and not on our own knowledge and abilities, things that God has gifted us with, by the way. We learn that He is the one who sustains us in the dry periods of our lives, giving us just what we need, just when we need it, and also just when we are open to really listen to Him.

I think we can all agree that wilderness experiences are not fun and entertaining. But they are necessary for growth and we all want to become mature Christians, fulfilling God’s purpose for us. If God is calling you to a wilderness, be ready to depend on Him and to wait with Him there until He leads you to the oasis. The wilderness is not where He will leave you; you are just passing through it on your journey to a closer walk with the Lord.

Focus vs. Sidetracked

On By vickleaIn encouragement, Scripture2 Comments

Do you know how easy it is to get sidetracked, even when you think you are focused and moving ahead well? Look at this photo carefully. There’s a straight track and then, suddenly, a sidetrack. As I understand it, the engine cannot go on the sidetrack unless someone shifts the direction towards it and then off they go. Who shifts our direction? Well, the simple answer is that we do, but there are also all of those pesky little distractions in our lives that may or may not be sent by Satan.

I am more determined than ever to stay focused on my purpose in life. I think that I am a helper and that is what I want to focus on, not doing things for recognition (sidetrack), or for monetary benefit (sidetrack) or even for a prize of some kind from others (sidetrack). I just want to help and then go on to the next task that could use my help.

Let me give you a concrete example that happened recently. One of the authors for whom I help to launch books has her team members share graphics and/or create them. I have Canva so I create graphics frequently and I am better at it than when I first began since I have learned by trial and error what may or may not work. Anyway, this author gives points for these graphics and sharing them. Points can lead to rewards like gift cards. (Sidetrack) So, I decided to help others who cannot create graphics; I make graphics out of the quotations from the book that they provide. Then, they can share the graphic and get the points for it. One friend said she would mention me and give me credit for the graphic, but I told her not to do that because I am not turning in points this time. I am staying focused on my task of being a helper, not a winner of prizes.

Our granddaughter is totally focused right now on working towards her Master’s degree and getting ready for her August wedding. She left this morning about 4:30 to head to college for her every-other-weekend in-person classes. She studies and works on projects every afternoon when she gets home from her part-time job. She goes to bed early so she can get up and get busy the next day, or as in the case this morning, head out for her two and a half hour trip. She is a practicing Christian and takes time every morning for her devotional before she heads to work, so she is keeping her priorities straight. But her main focus right now is to get her degree in occupational therapy so that she can help others. I have no doubt that she will reach her goal because she is continuing forward with “her eyes on the prize.”

We need to pray and ask the Lord what He wants us to focus on. When I prayed, I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me that I am to be a helper, in as many ways as I can given my advanced age and limited capabilities. My heart is on Christ as whatever I do, I do for Him. I don’t desire or seek earthly rewards. After all, they all perish. I just want to be a helper. I don’t remember a single scripture in which Jesus asked for remuneration or any kind of payback for His work that He did for others. He simply wanted them to go and tell what had happened so that others would believe. Jesus accepted their gratitude, although their thanks was not a prerequisite to receiving His blessing. I am not trying to compare myself to the Lord; rather, I am trying to emulate Him and just help out where I see a need.

This is my prayer today for me and for you. I hope that you will recognize what is worthy of your attention and keep your focus on God’s Word. That is what I am trying to do, and I hope that this post today is helpful to you and your walk with the Lord. God bless you.

God Is Faithful

On By vickleaIn Characteristics of God, God’s blessings, Scripture3 Comments

I am feeling a little melancholy this morning because my devotional is all about God’s being faithful and as I meditated, I realized that God has always been faithful to me, but I keep falling short. But even in that realization, God is faithful to point out to me lovingly that He is still working on perfecting me.

When I am angry about some small thing (and aren’t all things small in the face of eternity), God is faithful and waits for me to calm down.

When I am feeling overwhelmed, whether about health issues or family problems or just things coming at me fast and furiously, God is faithful and quietly waits for me to acknowledge that He is my peace.

When I am sad about the loss of a friend or the events in the world, God is faithful, whispering in my ear that He is still in control.

When I am so tired that I don’t think I can take another step or do one more thing, God is faithful and encourages me with His strength.

And even now, when I am disappointed about all of my failures, God is faithful to remind me of where I began and where He has faithfully brought me to. I am not a finished work, and He has always been faithful to continue to work with me.

Meditation on this verse can give you astounding insight into your relationship with God. Read the first line and put emphasis on the word “my.” Yes, God is the God of the Universe, but He is MY God and He deserves all praise and honor. His faithfulness is always perfect as He has a plan and does wonderful things in my life, many that I don’t see and recognize at the time. God is faithful…all the time, in all ways.

This is a challenge I am making to myself, that no matter what is happening around me or what I am going through, I want to be faithful to praise God. It’s easy to look at circumstances and concentrate on all of the bad things that are happening. I want to be the one who looks at the circumstances and says, “Praise the Name of the Lord.” Not because what is happening is always good, but because God is always good and always present and always faithful!

Can you think of the ways that God has been faithful in your life? Please take some time today to praise Him for His faithfulness. God doesn’t change and is and will always be faithful.

Under Construction

On By vickleaIn Admonition, encouragement, Scripture1 Comment

When you see a sign like this, do you rush to get around it or do you look closely to see how much progress is being made? I think the answer depends on how much you have at stake in the completed project. How interested are you in it, in other words?

We recently had a new Dunkin Donuts being built in a nearby town. My husband who loves all things coffee and donuts commented every time we went by about whether they were making significant progress or not. It was just completed, and of course, he went to check it out. How could he not when he was watching them build it? His interest was piqued and he couldn’t wait to see it all done.

We are all buildings under construction, and sometimes others are interested in what is being built and want to help us along to being completed. Others just want to gawk and keep going. But there is a third group that wants to try to tear down whatever has already been built. How do some help and others tear down? God is the builder, and some help by encouraging us in our walk with Him. We may not have a roof and be leaking, but God is repairing, replacing and restoring as fast as we will allow Him to do so. We have to be open to the changes in our hearts and attitudes that need to occur in order to complete the building. In order to be open to the changes, we need encouragement from others, especially those who have already experienced some of what we are going through.

When we encourage others, we get encouraged ourselves. We are a community of believers, not a one-man show.

The ones who discourage us are those with disparaging remarks, like, “You say you’re a Christian, but I’m just not seeing it.” Or, “If you’re such a good Christian, why do you use the language you do sometimes?” You know what I mean. We are Under Construction, meaning God is still working on us. We are not perfect and probably never will be on this side of heaven. But we keep reaching for that perfection and each time the Holy Spirit leads us away from temptation and toward goodness, we are helping to build the person we are supposed to be. Unbelievers don’t understand the whole thing about not being finished yet. They expect us to be super-Christians, without sin or errors or any humanity left in us. Only Christ would meet their expectations and they don’t believe in Him. The truth is that we all hear more discouraging remarks every day than the positive ones.

I want to encourage you today to build someone up. Think of someone who can use an encouraging word. Call that person, write him/her a note, go to visit them. Just make a point of being an encourager today. Running errands today? Who might you meet that could use an encouraging word? You have a vested interest in the progress of others because they are your brother or sister in the Lord, or even possibly someone with whom you can share your testimony so that’s they can start on the road to salvation themselves. Remember that we reap what we sow, so let’s all of us sow seeds of encouragement. After all, don’t we want to see everyone a completed and perfect work of God? Heaven awaits. Until then, we are all “Under Construction.”

Missing Someone

On By vickleaIn encouragement, Scripture2 Comments

When my military husband was deployed, I missed him. The children missed him. We all counted days or made paper rings to count them, a countdown until his return. Then, we would make a cake, his personal favorites for dinner and wait expectantly for his arrival home.

I miss a lot of loved ones who have gone to heaven to be with the Lord. My mom died in 1983 and my father in 2017. My grandparents died in 1991 and 1992. My best friend Heidi died in 2017 also, only a few months before my father. I miss them, but I don’t wish them back because this life is hard and I hope that they have gone to heaven and they wouldn’t want to leave there.

I want to see my loved ones when I get to heaven, to be reunited with them at last. But I really want to see Jesus.

Jesus’s prayer to the Father is for us to be with Him. I think that He misses us, not the same way I miss my lost loved ones because Jesus is in contact with us through prayer and the Holy Spirit. Don’t ask me to theologically explain that because I can’t. But I do believe that the Savior who died for me longs for me to be with Him, and yes, He misses me being right there with Him. You know the videos in which the family is reunited with the spouse returning from his deployment. The child is surprised at the football game. The mom at work. Imagine all of the videos we could play of our meeting Jesus. We know Him in our hearts and when we get to heaven, we will know Him and be able to be right there beside him, much like the beloved spouse returned from the battlefield.

We are fighting a battle now. We are deployed on the earth to fulfill the mission that God has given us to do. Jesus is watching over us, along with the heavenly host. Can you imagine His cheer when we make a right choice or repent of a wrong one? Yes, I think He longs for us to be with Him. The time isn’t now, but it is coming when we will be untied with Him. That will be a day of rejoicing, a day when we see His glory and behold all of the love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I don’t know exactly what it will be like, but I know that Jesus wants me to be with Him, in the Father’s time and when the Father calls me home. We should all long for that day and know that it will be a joyous homecoming and a special day for the Lord and for us. We can be encouraged that Jesus misses us and wants to be with us, just as we want to see Him.

The Race

On By vickleaIn encouragement, Scripture1 Comment

I know you will find this hard to believe, but I have never run a physical race before. First, there is the whole asthma thing in which walking fast can make me lose my breath and gasp for air even as I reach for my inhaler. Second, I will be totally honest. Even if I could run, I probably wouldn’t because I hate to sweat. If I feel perspiration creeping down my neck or across my forehead, I head to the bathroom to take a shower or at least wash off. I know…strange, right?

But there is a race that I am running, every day. Some days, I think I am making progress and other days, I feel as though I am just standing still, running in place. But, I am still running, still listening to that still small voice that tells me I’m going to make it, to just keep going.

God has a race marked out for us to run and we all need to run it whether we are athletically inclined or not. The stakes are high and the prize is eternal. So how do we get ready for this race?

I have four grandchildren who run cross country. They have informed me repeatedly that you have to run every day to be ready for the race. Sometimes their run is with others at practice and sometimes they are running solo just to keep in shape. Sometimes, we run our race alone and other times, we are with other believers. But we never stop running.

So, for my race, my everyday run consists of spending time with the Lord daily, first thing every morning. I may not feel like it, but my feelings don’t count because God is waiting for me, so off I go to read His word, pray, meditate and spend time with Him. I call that preparing for my race. The race is starting the minute I get up from my chair and start my day.

The phone rings with someone needing something. Do I blow them off, tell them I’m busy (which may actually be true) or do I offer to help however I can? Remembering that this is part of my race, I choose wisely and offer to help. I have to run errands and my husband is still sleeping. Since he and I go on errands together, do I wake him up or let him sleep, knowing he stayed up late watching sports? The little voice inside me that is impatient tells me to wake him up, but I walk away quietly and wake for him to awaken naturally, refreshed by getting enough sleep. Still running that race! I make lunch and spill the soup on the floor as I try to balance it with my walker. I could spew a string of words that are not for polite society. But, instead, I get paper towels and silently clean up my mess. You know what is happening here? Life! Life is what is happening. And as someone once said, life is not what happens to us, it is how we respond to it.

That is our daily race, which some call the “daily grind.” Day after day, things happen and we react or respond, hopefully with God in mind and the Holy Spirit ruling our response, but honestly, that doesn’t always happen and we have to confess, repent, and keep going. Regardless of the events in our lives, we keep running the race. Our eyes have to stay focused on Jesus, not on the events that are happening to us or around us. The world is filled with distractions to try to get us to quit the race and join in their revelry, the sin that has already entangled them and they want us to join them in it. But, we don’t quit! Why not? Because our eyes are on Jesus and He did not give up on us. He didn’t quit but rather went to the cross, suffered and died. That was His race and He ran all the way to being seated next to the Father.

Was Jesus tempted and opposed? Constantly! The Pharisees and other religious leaders were always watching Him, waiting for Him to break their numerous laws and standards. Jesus indeed broke many of their laws and established new ones. He healed on the Sabbath and was condemned for it. He spoke words of truth from His Father and was ridiculed for it. He spoke out for the underdogs, the sinners who were around Him and following Him everywhere. He touched them and allowed them to touch Him. He was running His race and knew what the end would look like for Him, yet still He ran, faithfully and daily. Can we do any less?

Others are watching us, too, hoping that we will “grow weary and lose heart.” They want us to turn away from God so that they can say to themselves and others, “See, I told you this salvation thing isn’t real.” So, we have to keep running, not just for us, but for all who need to see the race and know that our faith is real, our God is real and there is a real heaven (or hell) waiting for everyone.

Thus, I am running my race and I know that you are, too. Your race probably doesn’t look like mine, but it’s the same race, just a different track. Some run through woods with lots of obstacles. Some run uphill a lot and feel as though their body cannot take any more. Others are running in a flat valley with a cool breeze and thanking God for the respite from the hard places that they have just left behind. Just keep running. The end of the race is coming, although we don’t know how or when. We know what is waiting for us at the end, so we just keep running, cheered on by a heavenly host that wants us to finish and finish well.

Broken and Fixed

On By vickleaIn encouragement, God’s blessings, promises, Scripture, testimony, YouVersion App1 Comment

I think that we can all agree that this toy car is past the ability to put it back together again. I remember when our children were young that they would break a toy and bring it to me to fix. Well, I am not good at those kinds of things, unless it was a wheel that needed to be put back on a car or a head back on a doll. I could sew eyes back on stuffed animals, too, as well as apply bandaids to their “owies” in order that my child was mollified and would continue to accept and play with the toy as it was. In general, my usual reply to the problem of a broken toy was that they needed to find something else to play with because that toy was headed to the trash pile.

I was once like that broken toy. I needed all new parts, a lot of banging dents out and a lot of careful attention to the details so I could work again. That’s when Jesus came into my life.

I am, you are, we all are healed by the Lord Jesus. That is not to say that we don’t have physical ailments. That would be a lie. Our bodies were not made to last forever; rather, they are a temporary abode for our soul that will go to heaven to spend eternity with God. Sometimes, God does heal us physically, but it’s not something that we can “name it and claim it” and it happens. I am thankful that God healed me when I had a stroke, but honestly, I was too unaware of what was happening to really know what He had done until after it was finished. Then, I realized what God had done for me and was thankful and amazed.

I think what I am trying to say is that Jesus healed our brokenness on the cross. He healed the relationship between us and the Father, and that is a healing that is always there for us because that was all part of God’s plan of salvation. But it upsets me sometimes when I see people desperately ill with terminal diseases like cancer and they are not healed of the sickness. Instead, they are generally taken to be with the Lord (if they are Christ believers). I have thought about that long and hard and come to the conclusion that that is the ultimate healing. There is no more pain after that. No, their physical bodies did not survive, but their soul is happily ensconced in heaven with the Lord, which is what we should all be looking forward to.

As I write this, I am having a stomach issue with a lot of pain and bathroom trips to eliminate whatever is making me sick. Would I like to be healed physically in this moment? Of course! It’s no fun becoming good friends with the toilet seat. And I prayed that God would take care of me and help me to get better. But if the instantaneous does not happen, I know that God is still working on the soul part of me to draw me closer to Him in spite to the illness. I don’t want to be like some and get angry with God because I prayed and He didn’t instantly answer. God is not my personal wish granter. He is my Heavenly Father and I trust Him to take care of me, even if it’s through the sickness instead of a miraculous healing. After all, I know what a miracle is. I had a massive stroke and I am still here almost eleven years later. I can walk, talk, eat, sing, smile and enjoy life because I was healed. I have been blessed with enjoying the company of ten grandchildren, after the stroke. I celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary, after the stroke. Even my neurologist says I am a walking miracle. Does God care about the little things like a stomach bug? I’m sure He does because I think He cares about everything that happens in our lives. Will He suddenly heal me? Maybe. But the healing of my physical body is not what I seek after. I seek after the spiritual healing, the touch I receive daily from the Lord that inspires my posts online and helps me to understand His Word and to get closer to Him.

God doesn’t want anyone that He loves to continue through life in the shape of that toy car, broken and discarded. He fixes us from the inside out, starting with our hearts. We were all once broken, but now we are “fixed” by the Master Craftsman who created us. He fixed us and continues to do the necessary repairs to make us whole and ready to live with Him forever.

Prayer from the YouVersion, Daily Refresh, 11-08-25