All In, With All You Have

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Fully Committed (Daily Refresh, 12-29-25)

“And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time.”
1 Kings 8:61

These words are part of King Solomon’s prayer of dedication at the completion of the temple in Jerusalem. It was a moment of celebration and fulfillment, a physical reminder that God was dwelling among His people. But Solomon didn’t want a beautiful building. He wanted a faithful people.

Not halfway committed. Not when commitment is convenient. Not when you feel like committing.

Fully committed.

It’s easy to drift into partial commitment: reading your Bible when life slows down and you can find the time, praying only when things go wrong, showing up to church when your family has a free weekend. But Solomon’s prayer still calls to us today, and it’s clear: be all-in with your faith.

So what could full commitment look like in your everyday life? Here are four things you and your family can do to build a life that’s fully committed to the Lord:

– Read your Bible daily. Not out of guilt, but out of hunger. Let God’s Word shape your thoughts and decisions.
– Pray continually. As 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, keep an ongoing conversation with God through every moment, big and small.
– Be rooted in your church. Attend regularly. Serve consistently. Don’t just go … belong!
– Live in obedience. When God speaks, follow. His commands aren’t burdens; they’re the path to real freedom.

Full commitment isn’t perfection, it’s direction. It means you’ve set your heart fully toward God and you’re pursuing Him with all you have.

My Thoughts

When I read this devotional today, my first and very self-righteous thought was that I am already fully committed. But then, I read it again more carefully and see some areas that I need to work on.

First, I do read God’s Word daily, but sometimes I think it is because it is a habit, a something I need to do before I do other things. I need to work on my attitude so that it is more of a hungering for His Word and not the first thing on my to-do list.

Second, I am rooted in our church but I don’t always feel as though I belong. We had a fundraising campaign last year called “all in” and I did not participate. The main reason is that they do a new campaign every year at our church, just giving it a different name, so that they can expand, build, etc. I’m not opposed to that, but it was getting tiresome to me and more of a competition to give rather than giving from the heart. I need to check that out in me and ask God what He wants me to do when their new campaign starts at the beginning of the new year. I think I am still holding on to a little resentment that I cannot fully participate in the services because of how loud the music is. I am wearing noise cancelling headphones every week now.

I am working on listening to and following God. That is now always easy for me because I am a natural organizer. If God let me loose, I would probably try to organize things in His kingdom in a way that would be easier for me to understand, but He reins me in and reminds me that I am a follower, not the chief leading the parade.

So this is honestly me. I am all in, with all that I have and anticipating God’s working in my life in new ways for the new year. How about you? Are you fully committed?

Joy and Hope

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I apologize for being absent for a couple of days. I needed the break time since my family was here. Both my son and daughter, their spouses and our grandchildren came over on Christmas Day. We had a full house and full hearts. I may skip a few days now and then as I wait for inspiration, but I will return and hope that you will continue to look for my posts.

This is a quotation I found from Charles Spurgeon when I was looking for another quotation. Isn’t this the truth? We hope that when we have a new government, things will get better, less chaotic. In some ways that is true. But the President and his men are not the source of our hope. Only Jesus offers hope that is there for us anytime we reach out to Him.

2025 has been a challenging year for me, with a broken foot and now a possibly messed up rotator cuff. The pain is teaching me a lesson about being patient and taking things easy instead of pushing myself. Not being able to reach up to get things is a real pain for me because I don’t like to ask for help. But I am learning that it’s okay to admit that I am not as self-sufficient as I would like to be. The foot is healing well, but it leaves behind a reminder of the almost three months I had to wear a clunky ortho boot. The reminder is also painful; my hamstring is pulled and causes frequent pain. Starting when I was wearing the boot, I assumed the pain would dissipate once I stopped wearing it, but it’s still there, a constant reminder that I suffered an injury that is still healing. Whatever the last year brought you, I hope that you were able to continue to experience joy in the presence of the Lord. He is my joy, in spite of the pain. As I age, I find myself spending more time on reflecting on the gifts that God has given us, and one of them is joy. Just like hope, we have to spend time in God’s presence in order to feel the joy that bubbles inside us, ready to spring out.

God is present with us! Are we present with Him? Check your hope and joy; they are like barometers for your time with Him.

You Can’t Earn Your Way to God

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

Jesus is Lord (Daily Refresh, 12-27)

No matter how good you are, how hard you try, or how decent of a person you attempt to be, when it comes to following Christ, you can’t earn your way to God. You can’t do enough good things to tip the scales in your favor. You can’t buy, win, impress, or manipulate your way into salvation. 

But Jesus has already purchased your freedom on a cross and offered it to you as a gift. 

But you do have one job, as Paul describes in his letter to the Romans…

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV

Many people believe that Jesus was a real, historical person. Many people believe that Jesus was a genuinely good man. But the Bible says that even the demons believe there’s only one God—and shudder (James 2:19).

Minutes before their deaths, two criminals hung next to Jesus on the cross. One of the criminals mocked Him, but the other one trusted in Him. Jesus told the one who trusted Him that he would soon be in Heaven. He received grace.

You see, we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s holy standard. We all need His grace, but we haven’t all received His grace.

So are you trying to be good enough for God? The bad news is, you can’t. You can’t ever be good enough on your own. But the great news is, Jesus has already made a way. However, you can’t simply know that He was a real person or think that some of His teachings were nice.

But the most important question remains: Will you make Him the Lord of your life?

My Thoughts

There are multiple people in my family who have the philosophy that I also grew up with, that if I am “good” then one day I will go to heaven. I didn’t find out until I finished college and a neighbor presented the gospel to me that I found out that you can never be good enough to go to heaven because being “good” is not how to get there. There is one way to heaven, and that is by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. Some people are so accustomed to having enough money to buy anything that they want, they may have convinced themselves that they can buy their way into heaven. A definite false belief since God has no need for money. After all, He who created and owns everything doesn’t need our wealth if we have it. Others think that they are such savvy negotiators that they can talk their way into heaven, perhaps at the last minute. That seems to give them permission to live however they want and then talk to the Gatekeeper and enter into heaven. Again, not the way God established His world and the “ticket” into salvation. Once we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, then we want to do good works because we want to be more like Christ. We aren’t so worried about gathering riches on earth because we know that they don’t last. And we are more careful about what we say because we know that we represent our Savior and will one day account for all of our words. So, the bottom line is that salvation is your choice now, today, not the minute when you die and stand before God. You need to make that choice before you face your Creator. Being good isn’t what God seeks; He wants sold out, absolute surrender to Him. Sounds scary, but it’s really not because at the bottom of what God wants from you is His firm foundation of love. He wants what is best for each of us, and He knows it is to choose to be with Him forever.

Tis the Season

On By vickleaIn Christmas, Holidays2 Comments

Bells are ringing,

Phone is sounding,

Carols playing.

Tis the season

To shop and give,

But let’s not forget

The reason.

The Christmas story

Told in God’s Word

Is not a myth,

But a true miracle, the gift that we all need,

But the one that many avoid.

Not wanting to be convinced,

They shy away from the truth.

They prefer the noise of the bells ringing,

Children demanding, Phone sounding,

And carols playing.

I prefer the silence in which God speaks to my heart,

And reminds me of the reason for this season.

Have a very blessed Christmas, from my house to yours!

God Is the Author

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Trusting God’s Story (Daily Refresh, 12-22-25)

Imagine Mary and Joseph getting ready to become parents. They probably asked a lot of the same questions expectant parents do today: Is the baby healthy? Are we prepared to care for this child? Do we have what we need? Where will we have the baby? Are we ready for the birth?

Near the end of Mary’s pregnancy, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that everyone within the Roman world return to their hometown for a census (Luke 2:1-4). This meant that Mary and Joseph had to leave their home in Nazareth to take the four-day journey to Bethlehem, the city of David, who was Joseph’s ancestor. 

It could’ve been because of the census that Bethlehem’s inns were full of people making the journey home. It also could’ve been because of a misunderstood “scandal” surrounding Mary and Joseph. Regardless, when the time came, Mary gave birth to Jesus in the only place available to them: a stable. She placed him in a manger—a feeding trough—because that’s all there was. Surely this was not the birth that Mary would have planned for her firstborn child.

And yet, it was exactly what God had ordained. God showed us a lot about His Kingdom through the circumstances around the birth of His Son. 

He showed us that Jesus is humble. Jesus was born in a stable and placed in a manger. The King of all Creation, yet such a humble beginning.

He showed us that the Kingdom of God is accessible. This King wasn’t tucked away in a castle or a mansion, separated from His people and surrounded by luxuries—shepherds and wise men alike were able to come visit Him.

He showed us that we can trust the story. Mary had to trust God’s story. Joseph had to trust God’s story. Imagine how the story would have been different if Mary and Joseph had demanded that room be made for them in an inn, shouting, “This is the Messiah, people! We need a room with amenities!” But they didn’t do that. They accepted the situation in front of them, trusting God’s story regardless of how strange or undesirable the setting seemed. 

And from that surrendered posture and strange set of circumstances, God brought forth His Son, exactly as He had planned. 

We can trust the story because God is the Author. Jesus’ humble birth was not an accident—it was a message, a picture to all of us of what God’s Kingdom is truly like. It’s also an invitation for us to surrender our plans, our ideas of how the story should be, and trust the trustworthy hand of God in our lives. We can trust God.

My Thoughts

We can trust our story to God, also. He planned and executed His plan perfectly, with the perfect timing, the perfect setting and the perfect place. God is the Author of each of our stories, so on this wonderful Christmas Eve, let’s lay down our plans before His throne and trust that His plans are better.

If you are reading this and enjoy it, please leave a comment. I am having some difficulty with Word Press. Some cannot see my posts. Others cannot comment. So, if you can see and comment, I would appreciate knowing that. Thank you and have a blessed Christmas Eve. May we always work towards fulfilling God’s plan for us!

Give from a Place of Gratitude

On By vickleaIn ScriptureLeave a comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13415/day/22

I am not a Scrooge, but I do watch my pennies around the holidays. Our nuclear family has grown exponentially as each of our three children has two, three and five children of their own. Plus our siblings to buy for, too. So, yes, I budget. But I also give when I see or I am made aware of a need. That is not to toot my own horn by any means. I don’t give so others will look at me and be thankful. I try to give anonymously and give the glory and all of the gratitude for providing to the Lord. He blesses me so that I can bless others. I like to use what He has given to me wisely so that more can receive a blessing. I would rather be a Bob Cratchit than a Scrooge any day!

God Cares

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/619/day/349

I hold on to the promise of God that He cares about me and all I do, say and all of the challenges I face. In the New Year, I will be starting PT again, this time for my shoulder that the doctor thinks has a rotator cuff problem. I am trying to avoid surgery, having already had a steroid shot a week or so ago. The pain is better but not gone, so I am thankful that God truly cares for me and everyone I love. Casting my cares on Him means letting it go and not worrying about surgery that may or may not happen. He is a good, good God and it is beyond my scope of understanding how much He cares for me. I just accept that He does and my heart’s desire is to show others that He cares for them, too.

Hear Jesus in the Quiet Moments

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13415/day/21

It’s hard to be still in the hustle and bustle of getting ready for the holidays, especially when company is coming and you will have a house full. That is me this year. In a “normal” year, it would just be me and my husband, celebrating Jesus’s birth together, opening a few gifts and then resting and enjoying the day. In the past, we have traveled to Maryland to be with our son and his wife’s family. A big and very noisy and boisterous group! This year, our daughter from PA is arriving on Tuesday with her husband and three of their children. One of her daughters is living with us already and their oldest, a son, is driving down from the Lancaster area where he is now working. So, seven people on Christmas Day! I am still trying hard to carve out my devotional time and so far, so good. On the day after Christmas, Teya’s fiancé arrives to add to the numbers here. I am anticipating the visit with great happiness and prayer that all will go well and we will enjoy our time together. Our daughter is the one who is a strong, solid believer, so she will understand if I need to go away and have some quiet, “be still” time. She does the same thing herself. Meanwhile, on this last Sunday of Advent, may all who read this know the peace and stillness that only Jesus can bring to your heart, soul and mind. God bless you with the ability to be still!

Believing

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Believing Beyond Norms (Daily Refresh, 12-20-25)

Mary was a young girl immersed in the quiet rhythms of Nazareth when an angel announced that she would bear the Son of God (Luke 1:31). The typical response to hearing this might be fear, or shock, or awe. Instead, Mary responded with belief—a belief that what the angel was telling her was the truth. “May your word to me be fulfilled,” she said to the angel (Luke 1:38). 

Witnessing this unwavering faith, Mary’s older cousin Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, acknowledged Mary’s faith and blessed her: “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

In these simple words, we hear a reminder to anchor our faith in the unwavering truth that God is faithful to fulfill His promises according to His Word. Elizabeth’s statement, “Blessed is she who has believed,” is more than an observation; it’s a present affirmation. The emphasis isn’t just on the fulfillment of these promises, but on the blessing that comes from believing and trusting in God’s plan. And it prompts us to examine our own faith journeys. Do we, like Mary, choose to surrender and trust in God’s promises?

Today, as you seek the Lord in prayer, express gratitude for the unexpected blessings. Ask for discernment to recognize God’s hand at work, even when circumstances seem contrary.

My Thoughts

God picked Mary, I think, because He knew how she would respond, with the same faith she had been showing in her life all along. I like the part of the devotional that places emphasis on believing and trusting in God’s plan. Yes, God would fulfill His promises, but how did Mary know that? Because she believed God and trusted Him. I am absolutely certain that I don’t have the kind of faith Mary had. I am more of a Zechariah kind of person who lost his ability to speak until after John the Baptist was born. He questioned the angel, saying in Luke 1: 18, “‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.'” I am one who likes to see the evidence before I step out, but God is consistently reminding me that I must step out in faith in order to see Him move. Do I believe? Yes. Do I doubt sometimes? Yes. Does that make me an awful Christian? No, I think it tells you that I am flawed, just as we all are. Some things are easy for me to believe for; others are harder. I think the difference is knowing God’s will and that He will bring it to pass because He has promised it already in His Word.

I am sure I could not be a Mary or even an Elizabeth. But that is okay because God takes me just the way I am and works with me to make me a better Christian. I am a cracked pot on His potter’s wheel, but He continues to mold me and make me the way I should be. Flawed, imperfect but so very loved and blessed!