Rest and Refuel

On February 13, 2025February 13, 2025 By vickleaIn praise, Scripture, testimony1 Comment

From the YouVersion Bible App, Daily Refresh

Called to Contentment

Observing Sabbath-rest allows us to step into the same rhythm God established in creating the world. Scripture tells us when God rested from His work, it was because His work was complete (Genesis 2:1). God took joy in His accomplishment.

In Hebrews 4:10, the writer draws a parallel between God’s rest and ours: “for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” We’re invited to delight in His presence and share in God’s divine contentment.

This rest isn’t about taking a break from good works. It’s about surrendering the need to control by trusting in the completeness of God’s work. Our “rest” releases us from the burden of proving ourselves good enough to earn His love and approval. These things have been secured through Jesus’ finished work on the cross. When we step into this rhythm of rest we can find contentment that spills over into every part of our lives.

Is God calling you to stop trying to do everything on your own and instead find peace in Jesus’ finished work on the cross?

Lay down your burdens, not out of laziness, but surrender. Believe that the One who made the world also takes care of you.

My Thoughts

I really needed today’s devotional today and hope that it speaks to your heart, too. The part that spoke to me the most is above and I changed the print to make it stand out. All my life, I have struggled to be accepted, to be good enough to win approval. First from my parents, then from my friends and then various administrators for whom I taught. Once I accepted the Lord, I knew in my mind that He had accepted me just as I was, but I still had difficulty getting this truth into my heart. I had gone through years of not being good enough. My mom told me she never wanted me, called me ugly and told me I had to go to college since no one would ever want to marry me. My father abandoned me and sought drugs as his source of comfort. My friends were good while they lasted, but we kept moving to new places so I never really got close to anyone until we moved to Virginia. And my bosses gave infrequent kudos and little appreciation. I found that no one could demand the same perfectionism that I demanded of myself. Then, Jesus stepped into my life and I could breathe for the first time the clean air of complete love and acceptance. I didn’t have to get good grades, be a stellar employee or do a lot of favors to win approval. I already had it. Today’s devotional is a reminder to me of how far I have come from the child who was not loved to the child of the King who is loved eternally. God is good and wants us to rest in Him and be totally content with who He made us to be.

Peace Is an Ongoing Effort

On December 11, 2024 By vickleaIn Christmas, Holidays, ScriptureLeave a comment

From the YouVersion Bible App, “Advent, Day 11”

3 Ways to Practice Peace Today

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of peace being a state of wholeness, calm, and renewal between God and His people. In the different stories from the last few days, we might notice that peace isn’t a one-and-done experience. Instead, it’s an ongoing process that ultimately brings us closer to God.

People in Scripture lived in the tension of receiving God’s peace each day, while also finding ways to share His peace with the people around them.

Yesterday, we read Matthew 5:9 NIV, when Jesus said:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Notice it says “peacemaker”—not “peacekeeper.” Peacemaking is an active process where we all have a role to play. It doesn’t mean we go along with every opinion that gets thrown out around the dinner table. It also doesn’t mean we have to agree with everything our friends and family believe. Those actions may avoid conflict, but they don’t make peace.

It’s also tempting to ignore conflict or pretend it’s not there. But Romans 12:9 reminds us that love must be sincere. If we hide our hurt feelings, we’re not bringing peace—we’re avoiding the process of making peace.

So how can we bring peace to our relationships with God and others?

1. We recognize we already belong.

On Day 8, we learned we have the gift of peace because we belong to God’s family. This peace can’t be taken from us because of who gave it to us. Still, there will be moments, circumstances, and seasons in our lives where it might be more difficult to find peace.

It might be in an unexpected diagnosis, a long-running relational tension, or when it feels like those around us are far from God. In these moments, we can choose to trust and believe that God is working in our lives and the lives of those we care about. And we can take these concerns and worries to our heavenly Father, believing that He will replace our anxious thoughts with His perfect peace.

2. We acknowledge reality.

Sometimes when we feel a lack of peace, it’s because we’re struggling with how we wish things around us were different. In order to experience the state of wholeness, calm, and renewal that God’s peace promises us, we must acknowledge where we are right now. When we do, we can better identify steps to make peace around us.

3. We share what we have.

Not only is peace a gift we receive from God, it’s a gift we share with those around us. We have confidence in what we know is true of God—His faithfulness, kindness, patience, and more. And we choose to share this goodness with our friends, family, coworkers, and community. It starts small, like choosing to listen with empathy and curiosity, praying for those you disagree with, and taking a step to reflect God’s character to others.

When we practice peace in these ways, we’ll be able to see the wholeness, calm, and renewal that God wants for each of us.

My Thoughts

When I think of peace being ongoing and having to work at it, that seems like a dichotomy to me. Shouldn’t peace just rain down from heaven and fill each of us? Well, maybe, but my experience has not shown that to be true. As the devotional points out, there are actions we can take to help make peace a reality in our lives daily, not just for ourselves but for those around us, too.

I have a family member who is very contentious and hard for me to live at peace with. When I visit, I have to hold my tongue, keep my opinions to myself and hope that she doesn’t explode from something I say or do. I confess that I have been avoiding the process of making peace, as the devotional points out. It is up to me to love sincerely by sharing the truth, even if she doesn’t want to hear it and it’s hard for me to share. With the reality of God’s peace and knowing that I am accepted by Him, I think I can do it. At least, I plan to try.

An Unexpected Change of Plans

On December 10, 2024 By vickleaIn Christmas, Holidays, Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “An Unexpected Christmas”

Day 2: The Unplanned

You may be familiar with the next portion of the story. You’ve likely heard of the virgin Mary. It’s tempting to consider her as just another character in a story. But consider for a moment the real Mary.

She was a teenager. She didn’t have an iPhone. She wasn’t studying for her SAT or considering her choice of colleges. As a first-century Jewish girl, she knew what the future would hold for her. She’d soon marry a nice guy from the village and raise a family. Within this context, the story of the first Christmas continues.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.(Luke 1:26–38)

This was not part of Mary’s plan. Can you imagine Mary as a teenager grasping the weight of this conversation? First, an angel appeared to her. She had to wonder, Did that really just happen?Then she had to face the reality of what this news would mean for her. She had to consider, What will Joseph think? Then, What will my parents say?

Despite uncertainty or fear, Mary responded that she was willing to do whatever the Lord asked of her. She showed her willingness to trust God even when it cost her something. With her words, Mary displayed her heart to serve God and not herself.

Mary would have never written this plan for herself. But it was part of God’s plan. It was part of a great story God was revealing… in histiming and in his way.

This past year has had unplanned moments for all of us. For some of us, the unplanned moments were inconveniences. For others, this unplanned season has left us hurting, grieving, or concerned for our future.

An angel may not appear to you this Christmas season. But, as followers of Jesus, we will all be faced with a choice similar to Mary’s. How will we choose to respond to the unplanned?

As Christmas approaches, are we trusting in something or in someone? What could it look like for you to trust God in a deeper way this season?

My Thoughts

I don’t think I have ever considered Mary to have just been living her life as a young Jewish teen when Gabriel appeared to her. But, after reading it in the devotional, it makes sense to me. God calls the unlikely to do the unexpected in order to carry out His plan and then He equips them to do what He has called them to do.

I don’t know about you, but I generally get frustrated when I make a plan and then have to change it because of unseen circumstances. Honestly, I used to tell God how upset I was with Him that I had to change my plans when I thought He could have done something to help me carry them out. God has had to deal with me and my rigor for years, so I know He is used to it, but He has also been helping me to be more flexible, to expect changes. I don’t like them, but when they happen (as they usually do), I don’t fall apart because of it. I am getting better at “rolling with the punches” that life hands out and then praying and moving on. I am amazed that young Mary was able to accept the proclamation right away and told God that she was His willing servant. That shows me that God chose her for a reason! Perhaps He had already prepared her heart or He knew how much she already loved Him. I am not there yet, and may never be, but I aspire to be like Mary and just say, “Okay, God. Let’s do things your way; I’m getting out of the way so it can happen the way you plan.” Instead, I try to help God make the plan and He doesn’t need my help at all. In fact, I have never had God ask me for input into His plan. It’s His plan that we are supposed to all be working toward fulfilling and if a few glitches in our lives cause us to get off track, I am confident that in His grace and mercy, God will get us back on track instead of giving up on us.

Spread Peace

On December 8, 2024 By vickleaIn Christmas, Holidays, promises, Scripture, YouVersion App8 Comments

From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “Advent, Day 8”

Peace Helps Us Belong

The holiday season is special for a number of reasons. For many, it’s an opportunity to gather with family and loved ones to celebrate Christmas together. It’s a season for belonging.

At the same time, we all have those family members or friends who put us on edge, even just a little bit. If we’re not careful, our differences and tensions bring division and crush unity.

However, there is a source of deep, unbreakable peace. As followers of Jesus, we are part of the family of God. We have a kind of belonging that cannot be taken from us by others because it was given to us by God.

When we remember the ultimate family we’re in, we’re able to empathize with the people around us—even the ones who sometimes rub us the wrong way.

Peace is a state of wholeness, calm, and renewal between us, God, and others. So when we experience peace, it has the power to fight division and bring wholeness to all of our relationships.

From the very beginning of the Bible, we see how God works with and through people to lead everyone to be at peace with one another. One example of this is the story of a shepherd named Abraham.

In Genesis 12, we see God promising blessings to, and through, Abraham.

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3 NIV (emphasis added)

Still, like nearly everyone in the Bible, Abraham had moments of conflict with his family and with others around him. But these moments didn’t disqualify him from God’s promises or God’s family.

It was from Abraham’s family line that Jesus, our ultimate Peacemaker, would be born. Through Jesus, we’re able to be made whole and complete in our relationship with God.

And in Revelation 14:6, we learn that this good news and invitation to God’s family is a free gift offered to everyone—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.

Today, we can have peace because we belong to God’s family.

Pause and Pray:

God, thank You for Your love for humanity. You have always been gracious to me, even when I didn’t deserve it. Thank You for blessing all people, including me, through Your one and only Son, Jesus. Please give me Your peace that surpasses all understanding. In Jesus’ name, amen.

My Thoughts

I don’t know about you readers out there in the blogosphere, but I do know that I have not been feeling much peace this week. I have felt anxious about decorating (and I really only put out a few things and decorate the tree). I am even now anxious about completing my shopping. Why do I wait until December to shop? Well, that’s when I have the money all saved to do it and I anticipate the first of December every year. But then, I have to wait for people to give me ideas about what to buy and then when I choose things, I find out that they will be shipped later than Christmas. It just seems that one thing after another blocks my good intentions and the result is anything but peace.

When I read the definition of peace in today’s devotional, I read it again…and again. I highlighted it in red above just in case you need to read it multiple times, too. I am made whole by God. I can feel peace even during turmoil because He gives me His peace. And every day is a new day to establish better and renewed relationships between me and God and others. I don’t have to wait for my sister to give me “permission” to call her. I can call at any time and just express love and concern for her. Peace is a hard thing for me in this season of busyness, but I am finding if I just sit quietly for a little while I can get more accomplished than if I frantically try to do everything in a short period of time.

It is a real consolation to me that I am a part of God’s family and that I can share things here with my brothers and sisters online, knowing that you will not judge me but will pray for me and perhaps even identify with some of the same issues that I have. God sent His Son in order to adopt us into His family, a family that doesn’t judge but rather offers love and acceptance.

Today is a day of rest for me. I didn’t sleep late, but I do get to go to church and fellowship with others as I learn more about God. Then, after church, I can rest and not work on lists of things to do. In that I find peace.

Live as a Child of God

On August 20, 2024 By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

We change from the inside out, not the reverse. When I put on clean clothes, it doesn’t make me the person I am. What is inside me, inside my heart, determines my choices and makes me who I am. We need to recognize that our sin no longer has the power to separate us from God because we are His children and He calls us to repent and live rightly before Him, totally clean and knowing who we are in Christ. I want my public persona to match the person I am in private, so that I am always and consistently living as a child of God, with the knowledge of my place in Him. I am loved and He forgives me.

True Inward Transformation

Have you ever thought about what a proper response to God looks like when you make a mistake?

It was common in ancient times to tear your clothes as a way of repenting and showing sorrow over mistakes you may have made. It was an outward expression of something happening internally.

But what would often happen is people would make a public display of repentance without actually repenting in their heart. So, rather than tearing your clothes, God says He would rather you repent in your heart. Tearing your clothes means nothing if your heart isn’t broken before God. Outward expressions should come from true, inward transformation.

And God says that anyone who comes to Him in genuine repentance will experience His grace and compassion. We do not need to fear God’s wrath since we are His children. He encourages us to repent and return to Him when we mess up.

Scripture says that God is slow to anger and abounding in love. Rather than living in guilt and sorrow, God says He will give grace and love instead. He desires that we experience and live within His love, even when we mess up.

What is your first reaction when you mess up? If you try to hide or ignore your sin, take some time to consider why. God wants you to experience freedom and love. Go to Him with what you’re carrying in your heart, and repent of anything that goes against His ways.

Remember that nothing can remove His love from you. He desires that you live in grace and mercy as a child of God.

God Redeems

On May 19, 2024 By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/9114/day/3

As a child, I constantly felt rejected, by my mother and my friends. I felt rejected by my mother because she really didn’t like me and told me so constantly. She verbalized how ugly I was and how I needed to study hard because no man would ever be able to love me. I was rejected by my friends because I couldn’t run and play as they did, and they were not happy to just sit and play board games or jacks with me inside. So, in my loneliness, I turned to books. It sounds silly now, but I often went into what we called the “big bathroom” because it was the main bathroom with a tub and a shower, and I would sit on the toilet with a book and while silent tears rolled down my cheeks and sing “Jesus Loves Me.” A sweet and caring neighbor invited me to Sunday school and church and I had learned that song and its truth. I was probably around twelve years old when this was happening, so I really feel foolish now as I write these words, but that song gave me comfort for many years, long before I knew Jesus as my Savior.

I am absolutely amazed that Leah, the rejected one, is in the lineage of our Savior because she is the wife who gave birth to Judah. Jacob preferred Rachel, but God showed favor to Leah and seemed to make up to her the fact that Jacob obviously preferred Rachel. Judah’s name indicates that Leah had accepted Jacob’s rejection and was clinging to a relationship with God.

We have all been rejected in some way at some time by someone. We each have to come to the place where we realize we have been redeemed by a Savior who is bigger, better, more powerful and more loving than we could possibly ever imagine. I am who I am today because of some of the traumas of my childhood, but also mostly because God has redeemed me and given me a husband, children and grandchildren who accept and love me just the way I am. That’s the love that God has for me, too, a love that is hard to understand but so wonderful to know!

Choice or Requirement

On August 21, 2023August 20, 2023 By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

We make choices every day, starting from the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we close them to go to sleep at night. Think about it. You choose to praise God for a new day before your feet hit the ground, or you choose to get out of bed grumbling because it’s a new day. You choose to have a devotional time with God or you choose to sleep later and rush around and out the door with a quick acknowledgement that He is there whenever you call out to Him. And so it goes all day long. How do I know this? Because I, too, have made wrong choices and had to turn around, confess and start again making right ones. But one choice that I made many years ago was absolutely the right one and I never have turned from it.

I like the wording of this verse, especially the word “refuse.” That shows a choice to me…it is up to me daily, all day, every day, to take up the cross and to follow Jesus where He leads me. Only in constantly and consistently making that choice am I considered worthy of being His child. He does not insist, require or punish me when I refuse…He just lays out the truth of the consequences. The choice is clear for everyone, sinner and saint. Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is just the beginning of our way to the cross. We need to daily commit ourselves to following Him and then do it. God is always there to pick up the pieces, comfort and forgive me when I fail, but it is up to me to make the right choice to begin with. The choice is up to each of us, individually and daily. God is waiting for us to make the right choice, so let’s try very hard not to disappoint Him.

Not by Works

On January 23, 2023 By vickleaIn Scripture, Song2 Comments

I am and always have been a person who seeks the approval of others. I want people to like me, to appreciate what I have done and to notice that I am helping. I don’t think that I am alone in this desire, but I do know that this need to work towards acceptance isn’t necessary with my relationship with God.

I have read these verses, memorized them, taken notes from numerous sermons about them. But they are now settling into my heart. I spent years trying to please my mother, but there was nothing I could do to make her happy with me. I just was never good enough. I had straight A’s on my report card, but my mom brought up the fact that I had gotten a C on a test recently. I was just not good enough. I knew from a young age that my mother cried when she had me, stated repeatedly that she never wanted me and even refused to name me. (My dad names me, ironically, for my mother.) In spite of a less than welcoming childhood and all kinds of physical problems, I grew and matured and at the age of twenty-one, I became a Christian. I didn’t have to do anything special for God to love me. I just had to be me…a sinner saved by grace. There was and is absolutely nothing I can do to make myself more acceptable to God. He loves me just the way I am. That has been a freeing truth in my life. I still like to please people, but if I don’t, I’m not totally devastated. I just keep trying to please God instead by serving others. Not because He requires it, but because He doesn’t require anything of me except for me to believe and accept Him as my Lord and Savior. I have been changed from the inside out and it’s freeing to know that I can’t earn grace!

May you, too, find the freedom that comes only from accepting God’s free gift of salvation. And may your day be blessed with finding others to tell about His love, mercy and grace!

Just As I Am-The Vagle Brothers

Thankful that I Am Accepted

On November 9, 2022 By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Many years ago, I sent out various applications to colleges that I desired to attend and then waited anxiously to hear about whether I was accepted or not. I did not get into my first choice, a college that was way beyond my financial capabilities anyway, but I was accepted into Mary Washington, graduated from there and went on to teach. It was during the weeks of waiting for the acceptance letters when I was overwhelmed with the thoughts of what would happen if no one accepted me.

Less than a year after my graduation, I was invited and accepted into the family of God. No anxious waiting, no thoughts about a plan B or even any idea that I would not be accepted. Why not? Because acceptance is a gift from God and He does it well.

There is no favoritism with God, no “show me the money and I will accept you” kind of pseudo-acceptance. God truly accepted me because He shows absolutely no favoritism. I had to confess my sins and repent, true, but that is what everyone who calls on the name of Jesus as Savior has to do. There is no magical formula for acceptance with God, no letters of application to complete and no anxious waiting to see if God will allow you into His family or not. He already has…you have to accept the invitation He sent out long ago when He sent His Son to die for you, and then His acceptance of you is automatic. As someone who struggled most of my young life with being accepted, this is the most amazing gift and one I hope that I never take for granted. And I pray that you know the same acceptance and loving grace that He has shown me. It’s free to you although it cost Jesus dearly.

My prayer of blessing for you today comes from the Holy Bible. Accept His blessing on your life as you read and meditate on the Scripture below.

Review of WHAT YOU WISH FOR by Katherine Center

On June 19, 2020 By vickleaIn Uncategorized2 Comments

With the magical and flowery prose that is the signature of Center, this book explores relationships, love, loss, honesty, grief and self-discovery. Samantha Casey fled California from a love interest that didn’t reciprocate and ended up in Galveston, Texas. She is the librarian at a small private school there and is loving it. Max Kempner, the co-founder and principal of the Kempner School, encouraged curiosity, investigation and artistic freedom there, and Sam is in her element. When Max suddenly dies, everyone is grieving but determined to find a good principal to carry on his legacy. When Duncan Carpenter arrives, Sam remembers him from California and expects him to be fun and charismatic, much like Max. But Duncan seems to be the antithesis of Max, demanding changes in the entire atmosphere and physical appearance of the school, all in the name of safety and security. Although Sam knew Duncan in California, she was not at all ready for this new form of him who has lost his hope and love of life. The scene is thus set for conflict, lots of emotions and plenty of cheering for one side or the other. Should Duncan be fired or should he be allowed to continue his reign at Kempner? As a former teacher and a rules person, I was kind of on Duncan’s side, but I did think he went too far in some of his demands and was expecting an explosive reaction from the faculty who were all more used to laid-back Max. Duncan seemed determined to get rid of freedom of expression at the school, and Sam was equally determined to save it. I really liked both characters, because Center is a master at strong characterization, creating a siren’s call for me to an emotional connection with her characters. I think that this book had a slower start for me that her other books, but about a third of the way into the book, I was captured and the magnetic pull of the charm and intrigue in the book just wouldn’t let go until I had finished it. Fans of Center will really love this book and I encourage fans of romance with multiple themes interwoven to try it. I love to feel happy after I read a book, and that is always how I feel after a Center book. This one also made me think about what I really want in life and what I am willing to do to grab it.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”