Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Prayer Is a Touchstone

On By vickleaIn prayer, Scripture, YouVersion App3 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/12

As I read this devotional this morning, the word “touchstone” jumped into my mind. I have read it in books, heard it from others but I didn’t really know what it meant. I only had a vague idea. So, I consulted the online Merriam-Webster dictionary and this is what I found. It is a stone used to test the quality or genuineness of something. Having read that definition, I decided that prayer is a touchstone for my relationship with God. The time I spend with God each day is important to me. It helps me to start each day knowing that I have touched base with the One who will guide and keep me throughout the day. I may not have a lot of time some days to pray long prayers, but I know that God is still there for me, waiting and listening and hearing and even answering as I call. I have said it before on this page, but I think it bears repeating. My prayers to God are like a long phone call. I call on him when I awaken and never hang up. He is still on the line for me all day long. The quotations in this devotional really spoke to me, especially the ones by John Bunyan and Corrie Ten Boom. Prayer isn’t just a thing I do…it is a part of me that helps me to know that my faith is genuine. I do really believe, even when times are hard and the doubts assail me from all sides. Prayer is my touchstone; faith is the rock upon which my life has been built and it is the rock upon which I will stand until God calls me home. My prayer time with God is always quality time, not because of me but because of the One who hears and spends time assuring me that He is there and always will be.

May your day be blessed with the touchstone of prayer.

Seek Ways to Serve God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App4 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/10

Serve while you grow and you end up growing more. I found in my life as a teacher in various states teaching various subjects that nowhere did I grow more in my knowledge and dependence on God than when I was told I would be teaching Latin I in high school. I am trained to teach Spanish and history, but the administrators needed a Latin teacher and said that since I had a background in Spanish (a Romance language) I would do fine. Let me tell you, I studied that subject every night, barely staying ahead of the students. The Latin teacher who was there to help me for about a month left to get knee surgery, had complications and was out for most of the year. So, there was me and a substitute who knew no Latin or any language at all. I did have one human resource, a teacher named David from another school who would answer all of my questions. (I kept a running list.) I also called on God over and over again to help me to understand and to remember the conjugations, declensions and vocabulary that were all totally new to me. My six week class of introductory Latin in high school that I took to help with my SAT scores was not terribly helpful, but David was and God calmed my spirit. I learned by doing. I taught and I learned.

Sometimes, we are called to step outside of our comfort zone and just do what God is calling us to do. This week I have been at my sister’s house in NC. I would much rather be in my warm home in VA, preparing for a visit from my son and his family. She is not especially pleasant to be around since she is not a Christian, wants little or nothing to do with God and seems to have developed a bitter spirit about Him since she is going blind. I have helped all that I can. I have prepared meals, cleaned, ministered to her needs so she doesn’t have to struggle to get up. I have tried to show her that Christians are not sanctimonious and judgmental but loving and kind. Has this been a great visit for me? Not according to earthly standards, but I have been doing what God sent me here to do. I have served. I am not trying to toot my horn or get pats on the back. I am just saying that someone, somewhere can use your gifts, talents and ministry of serving. You just have to find where and how to do it. You will never know true fulfillment here on earth until you are following Jesus’s example and serving, even when the people you serve don’t seem to see or appreciate what you do. God sees and He is smiling at you because you are looking more like His beloved Son every day that you serve others.

Enthusiastic and Boiling Over

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App3 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/9

You know when a pot is boiling over, it affects the area around it. The stove eye and the surface of the stove get wet, sometimes with the sticky stuff in the pot. It is evident that the pot has boiled over because you can see it. If we are “boiling over” for the Lord, it should be plain for others to see.

The other truth I got from this devotional this morning is the meaning of enthusiasm. In Greek, it comes from en (in) and Theos (God). We can be enthusiastic about God all the time if we remain “in God.” When I am visiting my children, I am all about spending time with the family there, playing with the grandchildren, talking to the adults, sharing laughter and fun. When I am with God, which should be all the time, I need to be “all in,” dedicated to spending time with Him and enjoying my time with the Lord in fellowship. God is only a prayer away, a whisper, a look up and a deep breath in. I pray for more enthusiasm in my life for the things of God and less concern about what is going on around me. I hope you will join me in that quest.

Keep the Steam Going

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/8

I confess that I need to light the fire within me and keep going strong for God. I do remember when I was a new Christian and nothing could stop me from telling others about my newfound faith. These days, I find myself thinking of the repercussions of sharing with others before I actually even open my mouth. May God give me the boldness and passion that I once had because the people of the world are dying without a Savior and my silence may have eternal consequences for them.

Admitting Weakness Brings Strength

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

It is never easy to admit that you need help, that you can’t do it alone. But I have found when I stop struggling by myself and just honestly tell God that I cannot do it alone, He shows up on my behalf and I am stronger than I thought I could be. In the natural world, that makes no sense, but in God’s world, it makes perfect sense. He wants us to have a relationship with Him and what better way to have a relationship than to admit to God that I am weak and He is the One who makes me strong in the battles of life? The song I sing to my grandchildren, that old favorite of parents and grandparents everywhere, “Jesus Loves Me,” includes the spiritual truth of God being strong for us. If we are independently going about thinking we can do everything without God, He has no reason to show up for us. It is when we call on His Name and admit out dependence on Him, it is then that our battles are won and our weakness flees. We cannot be dependent on God and totally independent at the same time. We have to let go of our pride and turn to the Almighty God, the Creator who made us, the One who knows all of our needs before we call on Him, and confess that we cannot make it one more day on the battlefield of life without His help. Then, we gain a valuable lesson and the victory that we crave over the enemies that assail us. We call and He answers, not because of what we have done or who we are, but because of Who He is and all that He has already sacrificed for us that we might know Him. Don’t be like the stubborn toddler who loudly proclaims, “DO IT MYSELF!” Lean into God and let Him know that you are counting on Him to help you out, and He will.

Help for the Weak

Admitting weakness isn’t the trendiest thing to do in today’s culture. But if you’ve found yourself feeling weary, overwhelmed, or unsure of yourself, there’s good news:

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

For those of us in Christ, we’re not in this alone. God’s Spirit is working in us and through us to accomplish His purposes—even when we don’t see it or feel it. He’s bringing things to mind, putting people in our path, and stirring up our hearts with that which matters to Him.

So the pressure to do it all, have it all, and be it all is off! You don’t have to rely on yourself. You don’t have to have it all together. You don’t have to be the one to keep the world from falling apart—that’s God’s job.

You don’t have to be confident in yourself to be confident in your God.

God’s Spirit helps you to pray. God’s Spirit strengthens your heart. God’s Spirit intercedes for you when you’re lacking the words.

God’s Word says that His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and it’s actually in our weakness that He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).

You have a Helper who meets you in your vulnerability, offers you His strength, and refuses to leave you stranded or scrambling on your own. You can trust Him to help you, to guide you, and to offer you His strength when you are weak.

Facing Trouble Fearlessly

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/6

I have not been as fearless as Paul, but I am improving, learning to take my troubles to God before spouting them off to the world and getting others who are non-believers wondering what happened to my faith. First, take it to God. Then, wait expectantly for Him to do what God does…He answers in His own unique way and in His own time. Like Paul, I am totally convinced that God does more than we can imagine if we just trust and wait.

Reality above the Real World

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App3 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/4

I feel bad for those who don’t believe in God, not just because they are missing out on a relationship with Him, but also because the real world of sickness and troubles is all they know. They don’t have the power of God on their side so they can rely on Him to help them through the sickness and the challenges of life. God doesn’t always heal, but sometimes He does. God doesn’t always take you out of the trouble, but sometimes He does. And whether the healing comes or not and whether the trouble disappears or not, God is still there and still by your side all the way through until the end if you trust in Him. Thus, I feel bad for those who don’t believe in God. They don’t have that knowledge that no matter what happens, God is right there, fighting on our side, and in the end, He always wins. The reality is God is real. The sad thing is that people without God don’t know it.

Nothing without God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/3

I have never heard the term used in this devotional, “the God of the gaps.” But I know for many years, that is how I chose to live. I went about my life, including God in it whenever there was a “gap” that needed to be filled and I couldn’t do it myself. Then, after many years of halfway serving the Lord, He got hold of my heart and told me in no uncertain terms that he didn’t want to be a foul weather God…He wants to be the God of my everyday life, in all ways and always. I repented of my not quite there faith and turned to Him completely, and I have found that He is not only there for me in ways that I never imagined, but that I am so close to Him that I can hear His voice whispering comfort and advice to me, just when I need it. I am “all in” for the Lord and He is all there for me.

Yesterday, I saw my ophthalmologist and he gave me the good news that the infection in my eyes is totally clear. He also told me that I have something called membrane dystrophy, which basically looks like wavy lines going through my cornea because the surface is too dry. So, I have a special gel to put into my eyes at night and I am supposed to use my eye drops five times a day instead of four. Plus, my eyeballs are still swollen following the infection, so I am continuing to use the steroid drops he prescribed until they are all gone. I say all this to praise God for the healing but also to report that while I was in the office, I felt a tug to ask the doctor about getting a comprehensive eye exam, something I haven’t had in a couple of years. I have been going to a retina eye specialist once I was diagnosed with a “trace” of macular degeneration and the exam there consists only of finding out how the disease has progressed. The bottom line is that now I have an appointment to have the exam I need and the doctor told me that they will also do the scan on how the macular is doing and send the report to the retina specialist. I may sound crazy but I felt that tug to speak up was from God. He knows I need my eyes checked and that I was too wary of the financial cost to even broach the subject. But in talking to the insurance adviser there in the office, my insurance will cover the exam, so a problem I have been fretting about for a while was solved by listening to that little voice telling me to go ahead and ask about it. Advice from God is always sound advice and He is there to not just stand in a gap for me but to walk before me and prepare the way I should go. Again, listening and being willing to follow through are important, but a relationship with God is the way to a happier, healthier life.

Update on Mitch: The news about Mitch is not good right now. He started running a fever of 104 yesterday so the doctors say he has another infection but they don’t know how to treat it or where it is coming from. They also told him family that he may have to have one or both legs amputated as well as a hand to stop the spread of the sepsis infection. Please, when you pray, lift up a prayer for Mitch and his family. Just a reminder that they have two children under six and his wife is currently in her third trimester of pregnancy with their third child. God knows what Mitch needs…I am praying for wisdom for the doctors and for God to touch his body and remove the infection. Will you agree with me in prayer? Thank you.