I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
The Most Important Thing (YouVersion Bible App, Daily Devotional)
When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22 what the most important command was, He didn’t hesitate to recite Deuteronomy 6:5: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (NIV)
The starting point for all of our lives is wrapped up in loving God. We were created to love God and have a relationship with Him. We love because He first loved us! Amid everything that you have to do in life, the most important thing is that you love God with everything that you are.
If we become successful in life but don’t love God, we’ve missed the most important thing. In Deuteronomy, God instructed the Israelites to constantly keep this command in their hearts and minds. They made physical reminders to help them remember to love God in everything they did. They taught this command to their children as the foundation of all other commands in Scripture.
Take some time to consider your life. Is loving God the primary motivation? Think about how good and merciful God has been in your life. Remember that God loves you more than you could ever imagine. The best motivation to love God is to constantly remember how much He loved us first.
My Thoughts
Like many people, I find it easy to love God when things in my life are going well. But when there is a deep valley I have to cross through or obstacles in the pathway to my goal or my plan, I have a tendency to look for solace elsewhere. I pick up a book, turn on the TV or even put a Christian station on to listen to. Anything to distract me from the fact that things are not going my way, so I want to pout a little bit.
You know, if God turned away from us each time we disappointed Him, I am absolutely sure that we would not see Him much in our lives. Instead, He is always gracious, always merciful, always waiting for us to do what He has called us to do instead of what we want to do. Our desires need to line up with His. One of my devotionals this morning included this quotation: “God is always faithful, even when we are being faithless.” You might also add that God is always loving even when we are not showing love to Him. God loves the unlovable, the faithless, the broken and the sinner. So, loving God with all of my heart, soul and strength doesn’t seem much to ask when He has given so much just to have a relationship with me.
From YouVersion Bible App, Devotional, “In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake”, Day 5
God wired us for home. And to a certain degree, our earthly homes are supposed to be miniature Edens. For many of us, home is where we first experience what it means to be loved. It’s where we discover the security of belonging. Homes don’t just define where we live, but in many ways, they define who we are. Which is why leaving home can be so hard. But even these homes we have to eventually leave.
So it’s no surprise that we all experience homesickness in different ways and in different seasons. Eventually we leave our home, but our longing for home, the one God made us for, never leaves us. We all live with that “memory.” We never outgrow homesickness.
We were not born in Eden but outside of it. And as beautiful as this life is, it’s not enough. It’s temporary. A prelude of sorts, of what is to come. It’s why the New Testament describes us as “exiles” and “foreigners” (1 Peter 2:11).
God has made us to hunger and thirst, long and wait, for a new home. A greater home. A restoration of what went wrong in the Garden of Delight. The road to this home is bumpy. It’s full of suffering and weakness and pain. But the weeping is meant to be like a welcome mat. Instead of feeling homesick for the place behind us, we begin to long for a home that is ahead of us.
You might be in a boat in the middle of a lake. But you are not alone. And that lake has another side. One Jesus has promised to get you to. “Let us go over to the other side,” Jesus said. There will be many storms. Some smaller. And maybe some bigger. But there is a shore. We’ll say it again: there is a shore.
The promise of safe arrival.
Rest.
Renewal.
Victory.
Home.
God’s presence. . . .
So let us press on in the storm. Let’s continue to trust the God who meets us in our storm.
Your chaos will cease. It will not last. You have a future. We have a future. And it’s a future filled with God’s goodness and love and beauty. It’s a future filled with God himself
My Thoughts
I am not sure anyone can understand the life of a military wife except another military wife. In a little more than thirty years, we moved twenty-five times. We would stay at a base for two-three years and then move on to the next one, as my husband pursued his career and a higher rank. I hated that lifestyle but I really loved the people that I encountered and the lessons that I learned from all of that change that I was forced to make, not to mention the independence that I had to learn since I was alone a lot of the time. You see, we didn’t just move. Each time we moved, each new place generally required a new school for my husband to attend while I stayed in the new location and took care of the children. When Harry was in the navy, it meant months (almost a year sometimes) of being alone in a new place. And one year, there was a remote tour to Iceland for a year while the children and I stayed in South Carolina. Lots of adventures, but no real home!
I remember telling my husband in Arkansas that I just wanted a stable home, a place that I could build memories for me and the kids. Alas! That never really happened! We did eventually purchase a home in Pennsylvania when Harry was getting ready to retire, but I couldn’t find a teaching job there, so once again, we moved, this time for me. Suffice it to say that I have been a little perplexed about what God’s plan for me has been. Until I met and married Harry, I had lived in one town all of my life and one home for most of my life. Now, suddenly, I felt uprooted, a stranger in a strange land…over and over again.
Today’s devotional pointed me in the right direction and reminded me that all of this time I have been moving around, Jesus was right there with me. He is still working to bring me safely to shore and to my “forever home.” We have a home now that Harry and I live in alone since our children are grown and have their own families. It does my heart good to know that they are settled into homes of their own and have been there, in the same place, for over a decade now. That is what I wanted so badly for them and for me when they were growing up. But Jesus was gracious to keep me through all of those moves and to grant the desire of my heart for my children to have what I considered a “real home.”
I am grateful for each new experience that the Lord has allowed me to have and for His mercy that He has shed on me, even as I whined and complained about more boxes and another new place. I had the opportunity to go to places I would never have chosen to see, much less live there. I have seen how people lived in the cotton fields in Arkansas and in the bitter winters of northern Maine. I have made friends in eleven different states and met people from churches who welcomed me wholeheartedly, even though they knew I would only be there a short while before the military would move us. I learned acceptance, resilience and how to adapt even when I was a reluctant learner.
I like the word picture of “safe to shore” No matter what life’s circumstances, there is a shore we are headed for, and all of the trials of today will be worth it. We just have to hold onto that hope that He placed in our hearts on the day of our salvation.
From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake”, Day 4
Trust is not giving up; trust is opening up. Opening our hearts to the possibility that maybe God really does know best. Maybe his wisdom and care and love are what we need most. And so, reluctantly at first, we open our hearts to trust in the middle of what we don’t always like or understand. But we open our hearts to a Father who knows best and has our best interests in mind, even if we can’t fully comprehend it. . . .
The struggle to trust and obey is real. But it’s also a necessary step toward growth and transformation.
Learning to trust God with what we don’t know is essential for being filled with God. If we are to increasingly experience the good life of following Jesus, we have to learn to trust like he did, often with what we can’t see or get our minds around.
This is one of the hardest parts of growing and being transformed in trials. Learning to surrender to what Jesus wants—his purposes, his plans, and his wisdom.
The Bible talks a lot about obedience. But the obedience God is after is not just an external conformity to what he says. It’s an inward alignment of our heart with his, even when we don’t understand what he is doing or why he is doing it.
Trust requires humility.
Trust requires saying, “I don’t understand, God, but you do.”
Trust requires admitting our powerlessness.
Trust requires giving up control.
When Jesus took the disciples out on the water and they found themselves surrounded by the storm, they realized they weren’t in control. They were helpless. They lacked the resources, the power, the wisdom to fix the situation. They were discovering what we all soon discover, that belief is not just faith in something, belief is faith in Someone. God is at the center. We follow him. He doesn’t follow us.
Their first response was fear. They had obeyed him before. But out on the water, in the world of the unknown, they were learning to trust him.
If we don’t trust God, inevitably, we will try to be God. And we’ll try to control what only he can control. What God is really interested in is our trust.
My Thoughts
It is a really big thing for me that “trust” is the theme for today since that is my word for this year. The definitions of trust here spoke to my heart and soul and let me know that I am not there yet. I am still at times reaching to control things, to change circumstances, instead of letting God do things for me. The part in the devotional that says we align with God and follow Him instead of His following us pierced me. I realized that I frequently want God to get in step with my plans instead of seeking what His plans are and following them. I think in our humanity, we all want to be in control and have difficulty relinquishing it to God. I don’t want to try to be God; I want Him to be the center of my life, in the pilot’s seat of my airplane so He can take me where He want me to go. That’s a hard thing for me because I don’t like unknown things. I plan routes in advance so I know exactly what lane I need to be in for the next turn. God is telling me clearly to let go and let Him make the plans. Because I can trust Him with all the details of all the unknowns.
The word “cancer” rattled around my brain like a pinball bouncing back and forth, looking for a place to land. A place to register. And then it dropped. Sinking into my heart. Shredding everything in its path.
As much as comfort can be our friend, it can also be our enemy. Have you ever been just fine where you are? Your health is good. You have plenty of money in the bank. Your job is secure. All of your kids are healthy. Life makes sense. God is behaving like he should, or at least like you think he should. And then Jesus says, “Follow me. You’ve learned enough by the lake. Let’s go in the lake.”
This is exactly what Mark records Jesus doing with his first disciples. Jesus shifts his location as he shifts his lesson.
The disciples found themselves in water instead of by water. It was getting dark. Evening was coming. And where there is water, there are also waves. Before long, these waves were threatening the very lives of these young followers of Jesus.
But if not for the storm, they would never discover the goodness and power and faithfulness of the God who was with them. Without fear, they would never know faith. Without hurt, they would never know hope.
It’s no wonder Mark records that Jesus was the only one unmoved by the storm. The chaos of the water and storm were no threat to Jesus. In fact, he was in the stern of the boat, sleeping on a cushion. At rest. This was going to be a lesson not for Jesus but for the disciples. And for us.
We need water to grow. And some lessons we can learn only in the midst of chaos, not in a classroom. And no matter how we get there, we can trust the God who meets us in our storm
(From You Version Devotional, “In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake”, emphasis added by me)
My Thoughts
I really needed to start a new devotional, and this one was recommended to me. I really like that the underlying theme is trusting God in the midst of difficult circumstances.
On Tuesday, I was in the waves, the wind was getting stronger and the waves threatened to overcome me. But I contacted my neurologist, the one who is faithful and dedicated and told him my fears about my Doppler scan and asked what I should do about it. He has called me before as late as 9:00 p.m., just to check on me or to reassure me. Last night, Dr. Smith called at 7:30 and told me not to worry. He read the scan and my blockage is there but it is mild. He said “mild” is considered 10-50%, but he also told me that he compared this year’s scan to last year’s and this year’s is actually better. No change in medicine or routine and no surgery! It was like Jesus speaking, “Why did you doubt? Peace, be still!”
I doubted because of my humanity. I am ready to meet the Lord, but I am not ready to go yet, so hearing that I could possibly have another massive stroke was scary for me. There is so much more I want to do, more people to talk to, more relationships to work on. I know that God’s timing is perfect, but is anyone really ready to die? When I do pass away, I don’t want to linger. I want to just go, and I have prayed to God about that. Whatever happens, I do have confidence that God will take care of all of the details in my best interest and with the love He has constantly shown me.
I am hopeful that this experience will help me remember how trustworthy God is, even when the winds come up and threaten to topple my boat. I am still discovering more of God’s power, faithfulness and the hope that He wants me to have in Him. I am taking small steps, but they are in the right direction.
There Was Jesus: On the Mountain and In the Valleys (YouVersion Devotional, “There Was Jesus”)
Sometimes, I don’t know what’s harder to remember: to praise Him in the hard times or to praise Him in the good times. He’s with us during both and every time in between. Remember the last time you had a really great day? Did you recognize Jesus with you that day? Were you mindful of His presence? Did you thank Him for that good day? It’s not often that I remember that He is with me when I have a good day, probably because things feel under control.
Just like in yesterday’s scriptures, trusting that God is with us in difficult times poses its own set of challenges, but as there are scriptures to remind us He is with us during the rough times, there are scriptures to remind us He is with us during the good times too.
James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”
It doesn’t say to sing praise only when times are bad or only when times are good.
My prayer is that we can always look around and recognize His presence at all times; good and bad, on the mountain and in the valleys. 1 Chronicles 16:11 tells us to “seek His presence continually.” I invite you to do an exercise with me right now: take a look around and thank God for existing in this place and in this time right now. You may not feel anything; you may not see anything, but trust that He’s there with you right now.
‘Every minute, every moment
Of where I been and where I’m going
Even when I didn’t know it
Or couldn’t see it
There was Jesus.’
My Thoughts
Usually, my life, and probably yours, too, goes in cycles. I’m on a mountaintop and then in a valley (or traveling between the two). Yesterday started to be a regular day for me with an appointment for a Doppler test at my neurologist’s office. My husband was driving, and suddenly (like really fast), the car in front of us braked and Harry had to brake quickly. Praise God for looking out for us! We didn’t hit the car in front of us and the car behind us didn’t smash into us, either. I thought about my verses for this week in Psalm 121:7-8 that remind me that God “keeps me in my going out and coming in.” We continued on our journey and a car darted out of a side road, right in front of us. It was like he didn’t see us or was daring us to hit him or something. Once again, Harry employed a hard brake and I was thankful for God’s calming presence. Yesterday’s trip was like trying not to play “bumper cars” on the roads to the hospital.
Then, I had my Doppler. The technician that does the test has been doing them annually for me for the last nine years, so I am acquainted with him but he has never really been talkative. I decided that was just his personality and just followed his instructions. But yesterday, he was talkative and said more than, “Lie down on the table, please.” He asked if I could get on the table and would I be okay there for a few minutes on my back. Then he chatted with me a little as the test proceeded. At the end of the test, which took less than fifteen minutes, he told me that he saw a little blockage in my carotid and hoped it didn’t get any worse. Well, for someone who has had a stroke, a blockage of any kind is not good news, to say the least. I told him that I would be praying about it, he walked me to the exit and I was done.
So, was all this a mountain or a valley? I honestly don’t know. I felt God with me in the car as we avoided accidents that could have been the result of driver error (the other drivers). I felt God with me when I was with the technician, soothing me to be okay on a hard table with a bad back. And when the technician told me I have a little blockage, I focused on the word “little” instead of the blockage. I knew right away that was something I would need to be praying about in order to achieve peace about it.
Regardless, I knew that God was right there with me. He tells me in His Word that He won’t leave me and that He would keep me as I traveled, and He did, He does, and He will. I contacted my neurologist to ask what the plan is now that my Doppler has been done and I expect to hear from him in a couple of days. Whatever the plan is, God will be beside me.
Cultivate What Matters Most (You Version Bible App, Daily Devotional, 11-09-24)
Imagine putting on shirts of compassion, patience and forgiveness. That might seem ridiculous, but Colossians 3:12 tells us to “clothe ourselves” in traits that match our identity in Christ. In other words, we need to cover ourselves in actions and attitudes that result in us looking more like Jesus every day.
So, how do we do this? One way to get started is by thinking of the struggles that keep you from living more like Jesus, and then start to replace them with their opposite action.
If your communication leans sarcastic and cutting, choose to say something kind instead.
If you tend to come across as harsh, choose to do something that requires gentleness.
If you’re holding a grudge, choose to extend forgiveness.
As you go about doing that, choose to take part in activities that build you up spiritually. This could look like connecting with friends who will keep you accountable, memorizing Scripture that you can apply to your life, or cultivating compassion by serving in your community. The more you intentionally pursue actions that lead to humility, compassion, and kindness, the more those traits will become a natural part of your life.
And as you pursue the qualities mentioned in Colossians 3:12, the changes this produces will be most evident in the way you treat other people. The apostle John said that we can’t claim to love Jesus if we hate each other (1 John 4:20), so a life that reflects Jesus is going to embody love. And according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, love is “patient and kind. … It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. … Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
A life marked by God’s love is going to display the very things the apostle Paul talks about in Colossians 3:12.
So if we want to live like Jesus, then we need to receive the new life He’s given to us and accept His unconditional love. Only then can we begin to reflect His love to others by showing people compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
My Thoughts
Now is not the time to run around and brag about the victory of your favorite candidate. Now is the time to be kind and patient and tender-hearted. I remember how depressed and anxious I felt four years ago when Biden was elected. I was dismayed and in total denial. Now, I can apply that to family members and friends who supported Harris. They need to vent, and I need to be willing to listen. Pointing out the ungodly policies of their candidate will not help them. They are afraid because the MSM told them that Trump will destroy everything. So, instead of using words to point out facts, words that they cannot hear right now, I am choosing to be kind and compassionate and just listen. If they have a question, I will answer without being snarky. I want to show them the kindness that I would want shown to me if the other candidate had won.
This verse is perfect for right now and for every day. I am retired so my choice of attire in the mornings after I shower is warm pj’s or cool ones, depending on the weather. Sometimes, on appointment or meeting days, I even get dressed. But my outward appearance isn’t what matters to other people or to God. They want to see how I will treat them, even if they believe differently than I do. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to be willing to meet people right where they are and to just listen to what they need from us. Sometimes, it’s just kindness and compassionate understanding. Sometimes, we are called to act, like providing a person breakfast or a hot drink. Whatever we can do to be more like Jesus, then we need to choose to do it. It may not be comfortable for us like wearing pj’s all day, but stepping out and helping others know that Jesus is real and loves them is our mission in life. There is nothing more important that showing someone you love them so that they, in turn, can believe in the love of Jesus.
Let Your Gentleness Be Evident to All (YouVersion Devotional by Max Lucado: “Anxious for Nothing”)
Unchecked anxiety can unleash an Enola Gay of angry outbursts, rash accusations, and fiery retaliations against those in your path who are unfortunate to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. How many people have been wounded as a result of such unbridled stress? On the other hand, how many disasters have been averted because one person decided to be calm?
It is this composure Paul is referring to when he states, “Let your gentleness be evident to all” (Philippians 4:5 NIV). The Greek word translated as gentlenessdescribes a temperament that is seasoned and mature. It envisions an attitude that is fitting to the occasion, levelheaded and tempered. The gentle reaction is one of steadiness, evenhandedness, and fairness.
Jesus promised that “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV). It is as inevitable as the sun rising on a new day—as waves crashing on the shores of a beach. But what you also need to remember is that Jesus has promised to be with you in the midst of those troubles. Before Jesus departed this earth, he said to his disciples, “Go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20 NIV).
In fact, throughout the Bible, God repeatedly pledged to be present with his people. He was with Abram as he traveled to a new land. He was with Hagar when she fled into the wilderness, and with Isaac when he was forced to move from place to place. He was with Joshua when he faced the Canaanites, and with David when he faced the Philistines. He was with Peter in prison, and with Paul whenever and wherever he found himself in dire circumstances.
God was never watching from a distance. In fact, his very name is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” He became flesh. He became sin. He defeated the grave. And he is still with you.
Maybe you’re fighting today to keep a family together, a business afloat, or a school from going under. How you handle that fight will reveal where your trust ultimately lies. If you trust in Jesus and believe he is always with you, the byproduct of releasing the control to him will be a contagious calm that surrounds your life. This calm will allow you to see how God is working in your situation—and others will notice there is something different about you. It will bring healing to your anxiety, mature your faith, and show others that God is always faithful.
Anxiety management is like pulling stumps out of the ground. Some of your worries have deep root systems, and extracting them is hard work. But you don’t have to do it alone. Present the challenge to your Father and ask for help.
Will he solve the issue? Yes, he will. Will he solve it immediately? Maybe. Or maybe part of the test is an advanced course in patience. This much is sure: contagious calm will happen to the degree that you turn to him.
Respond
Who in your life is most impacted by the way you respond to stressful situations?
How would you define the word gentleness? Would you say your responses to others in stressful situations tend to be gentle? Why or why not?
How can knowing that God is always present in your circumstances help you to maintain a sense of contagious calm?
My Thoughts
On Election Day, I spent most of the day alone as my husband is a poll watcher. When he came home a little before eight, he was tired, but in a good way, and we talked a little while about what was going on in the election. I had been praying all day for God’s mercy and as the evening wore on and the results were coming slowly, I decided to go ahead and go to bed. I thought that I would not be able to sleep, but in my prayer, I asked God for peace and His response to my heart was, “Trust.” I woke up about three a.m. as my husband was coming to bed. It looked like President Trump would win, but I didn’t trust the Democrats not to pull a switch or find more ballots. My anxiety kicked in again, and again, God spoke to my heart, “Trust.”
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my word for this year has been trust. I have had to trust God for some hard things, at least hard things for me. I had to drive my husband in heavy traffic back and forth to his appointments for his eye surgery. It sounds easy and normal, but not for me. I have little peripheral vision after my stroke and as a result, I have not driven much for the last ten years. But, God whispered the word “trust” to me and so I just did what I needed to do.
So many times, I have surprised myself and probably others around me with my calm spirit when inwardly I was seething with anxiety. God’s message to me has been the same in every situation, “Just trust.” I have not arrived at the place where I can say that I am not anxious about anything, but I can testify that I am calmer in situations that used to make me so anxious that I would hide from others or explode at them. So, progress, right? God is still working on me, and I am thankful that He never gives up.
We all know that life sometimes gets difficult, but God wants each of us to look to Him. We are not supposed to hold tightly to our possessions or the people we cherish. When we go before the Lord, our hands should be open, letting go of all that could hold us back from giving everything to God. He has each of us, holding us in the palm of His mighty hand, and we can rest assured of His love and that He will work to fulfill His purpose for us.
This is from my devotional today on the YouVersion:
You Are My Beloved Child
The Father says, “Before you were ever a thought, I knew every detail of your design. From the number of hairs on your head to the number of days in your life, I have made you for My pleasure and delight. More numerous than the sands on the shore, are My thoughts of love towards you. You are My beloved child, and I’m proud to call you Mine.”
You are a child of God! Many people have grown up in families with fathers that weren’t active, others have grown up with phenomenal fathers, or maybe fathers that weren’t present at all. This piece of our story often becomes the lens through which we see our heavenly Father.
How do you envision your Abba Father?
Allison Fowler says, “The heart is the lens through which we see God. If we refuse to forgive, our bitterness and resentment become the dirt that clouds our ability to see Him clearly.” So invite the Lord to sweep your heart of false beliefs of His character that may have formed from your upbringing or challenges you may have faced. Let the reality of His character settle deep within you: God’s character is the embodiment of perfection, kindness, and love; it is without blemish, flaw, or stain.
Take a few moments, close your eyes, and reflect on God’s stunning nature. Healing oil from heaven is flooding into your heart right now, removing cloudiness, and opening the eyes of your heart. Listen to your Father’s voice as He whispers truth into your spirit, and receive His lavish love that is swelling in His heart for you. The Father says, “You are My beloved child.”
My Thoughts
As I read the devotional today, I was reminded of how much love I felt from my father when I was young and how I felt as though he had abandoned me later in my life, when he turned to drugs. I am thankful that I have a Heavenly Father who has no hesitation about loving me, and He is with me all the time. There is nothing I can do to make God love me more or less. His love is always perfect, and just what I need.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing that will happen today that you and God cannot handle together. Walk with Him, not ahead of Him, not behind Him…side by side with Him whispering in your ear about His wonderful plans for your life. May your day be blessed with His almighty and loving presence!
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 