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.
It is very easy to get busy with our own lives and forget that there are people who need help. We say we will pray for them, but do we? When is prayer not enough? We have quickly discovered that we can send money to a good cause and our conscience about helping others is assuaged. Jesus did not say to send money. He said to “go.” I am guilty of being one of those who tends to be insular, staying at home and sending money. I want to be more active, to look around and see the needs of others and to meet them if I can. And if I cannot, I want to find someone who can. There is so much evil and greed in the world. I want to reflect Jesus with my love, a heart of compassion and real caring. How do I do that? I don’t know, but I am willing to find out. So, my heart’s cry is “Send me.”
Please take the time to listen to the words of this song. Our answer to God should always be “yes” before He even asks. After all, He sought us out before we even knew Him.
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.
I was once this person, the lonely one who didn’t understand the busyness of the world while I was suffering all alone. But God reached out and showed me that I was not alone…He had been there all along. And He sent others to talk to me and affirm that they would walk alongside me even in strange places with my husband deployed thousands of miles away. Now, it is easier for me to notice people who are sitting alone, who are not engaging in conversations with others, and it is a thing I strive to do, just to let them know that I see them and I am there if they want someone to listen. Sometimes it isn’t what you say that matters to the person that is lonely; it is just taking the time to be there, close and ready to hear their heart when they are ready to speak.
No one likes to talk about suffering and few know really what affliction is. According to the online dictionary, affliction is a condition of pain, suffering and distress. I want to add that the pain doesn’t have to be physical; it can also be mental or emotional pain. Whatever it is that we are going through, I sincerely believe that God can use it to teach us about others and about ourselves.
God comforts us when we are in the midst of our suffering, but why would He do that? God’s desire for us is that we get closer to Him, lean into Him during our times of hardship. That way, when we see other suffering, we are more likely to recognize what they are going through and be able to reach out a helping hand and an open heart to them. God’s plan for us is fellowship, with Him and with one another. Unfortunately, many of us don’t want to admit our need for others until there is a crisis that we are facing. Then, we reach out. I hope that we reach out to God first and then to other people, but that depends on how close your relationship to God is. Do you trust Him to help you through the suffering or do you sit back and whine and blame Him for it?
For example, it’s difficult to really comfort someone who has just lost a parent without having suffered that loss yourself. Yes, you can say the right words and give the hugs, but the real understanding comes from having gone through it and come out on the other side. The important thing is to be there, ready and willing to help carry the burden until the load gets lighter. Having been there, you will be more likely to notice when the other person needs you desperately, even when it’s the middle of the night. I am not saying that you cannot be compassionate unless you have suffered yourself. What I believe is that you see the event with different eyes if you have experienced it.
Does God want us to suffer? No, because He is a loving Father. Sometimes our suffering is due to our own bad choices. Sometimes, it’s because sin is in the world and Satan is wreaking all of the havoc that he can since his time is short. Whatever the reason, God doesn’t cause the suffering but He will use it to teach us how to be patient, how to persevere, how to trust Him; in short, God uses suffering to help us to be more like Him if we are willing to put ourselves into His capable and loving hands. Then, after we have come through whatever it is, God can use us to help others. No one likes suffering and affliction. There isn’t a long line with people clamoring, “Yeah, sign me up!” But since we are well aware that it’s going to happen, we might as well have our hearts ready to lean on God and to go through it to the other side, with our eyes open to the opportunity that God may present just because of our suffering.
Authors have written books about the day after 9-11. Presidents have made speeches. Congress has passed resolutions. But I have done nothing on the day after one of the worst days in the history of the United States. This morning I was feeling kind of out of sorts, not really discouraged, but just not feeling as though I had done much for the survivors, the people left behind. Then, in Dr. Denison’s Forum this morning, was this song that is also a prayer. I share it with you in the hope that you will join me in praying it, today and everyday that you remember. You don’t have to remember the words, but I hope that the heart of the message will touch you deeply in your soul, where you long to make a difference.
God, the One True God, knows exactly who He is and what He does on a daily basis. Sometimes we struggle to find out just who we are and what our purpose on earth is. God had no such problem.
In fact, when He passed before Moses, God called out who He is. He is the Lord! He is the God of compassion and mercy! He is slow to anger and filled with love that never fails and faithfulness to those He created. I am awed at God’s not only passing in front of Moses but also that He revealed Himself to Moses so clearly. And I am thankful to have His Word through which He reveals Himself to me. His promises are there always ready for us to seek and find. This is one that I unexpectedly found during my study of the Old Testament earlier this week. It’s a revelation of God’s character, but it is also a promise that He will show who He is to each of us by the promises that He keeps. The verse clearly says, “I am”, not I was or I want to be or I plan to be. He says “I am” and He is…compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, loving and faithful. God knows who He is and is training us to be more like Him. I praise Him for His patient perseverance with me.
May your day be blessed with the knowledge that God knows exactly who He is and He also knows exactly who He made you to be,too!
These days it seems like the world just constantly wants a piece of me, or at least a piece of my mind. With various medical tests and a cardiac monitor that I have to wear 24/7 for thirty days, I don’t seem to have a lot of time to actually pull away from the chaos and just be. That’s what I need most, to just be with the Lord, telling Him my thoughts, fears and praising Him for all He has done. So, this morning, in my devotional time, God has given me extra time alone with Him so that I have spend time in the quiet place that I need.
Even Jesus needed to withdraw from the demands of life sometimes. Once His reputation for healing people spread throughout the land, there were crowds everywhere He went, pressing in on Him and just wanting to be close to Him. I don’t pretend to know what Jesus was going through, but I do know that His intention was to go to a quiet place away from all of the people. But when He got there, the people had found out where He was headed and met them there. I can honestly say that if that were me, I would have been outraged that I could not find a moment’s peace. But you know what Jesus did? He showed compassion and taught right there, even providing for the people’s hunger by multiplying five loaves and two fish. Jesus did not say, “This is my time! Now go away and come back after I am finished having some peace and quiet.” No, that is what I would have done and probably you would have done the same, too. Jesus needed quiet time just as much if not more than we do, but He put the needs of others over His own. In doing so, He set the example for us.
So, when I am feeling pressured by too many people wanting time from me, I will come back to the Bible and remember that Jesus gave the people time that they needed from Him. He sacrificed everything…family, a home and even His precious time with His Father. Why would He do that? Love, just love. I think He spent plenty of quiet time with the Father in the late night or early morning hours when there was no crowd. I also think that the Father spoke with Him constantly, guiding and directing Him and showing Him the love that only a Father can have for His only Son. Quiet time? Yes, we all crave it. And it is important. But so is meeting the needs of others and putting them above ourselves and our own desires. Jesus showed the way.
I have had my quiet time this morning and I am ready to face the challenges of a new day. We are taking a trip to the mountains of Virginia where we will meet our daughter and her daughters. Harry and I get to care for the “littles” while Hope takes the older girls to tour the local Christian college and to the meetings for prospective students. Will there be a lot of quiet time there? Probably not. But God can still speak to me if I take time to listen. That is a skill that Jesus had mastered…He listened to the Father and then followed through with what the Father wanted Him to accomplish. I want to be like Jesus, don’t you.
May your day be blessed with peace in the chaos and quiet listening to the Father speak to your heart.
Hurray! My favorite month of the year has arrived! It’s the month with beautiful colors outside, a little nip in the air but not too cold and the month when we are reminded to be thankful. My personal opinion is that thankfulness should be an every month, every day thing, but I am grateful that here in the United States, we at least still have a holiday to be thankful. I just wish more people were mindful of the fact that the One we should always be thankful to is God, not our bosses or our own selves. Anyway, my plan is to post things daily to make us think of thankfulness to God. Today, I am focusing on attributes of God from my devotional this morning.
God’s love is absolutely unfathomable to our finite minds. Just when I think that I have a small grasp on what it’s like, I find out that there is so much still there for me to discover.
Since all of creation was made by God, He has compassion on each of us and on each of the creatures and other living things He has made. Some in my family have the belief that God is just up in Heaven somewhere waiting to crush us. Not so! He is there but He is waiting to pour out compassion and love on us, since He knows our weaknesses and how hard we have to work to stay on the right path. He understands because Jesus lived the earthly life and went through trials and temptations just like we do. God didn’t say life wouldn’t present challenges, but He did say He would be with us through it all.
Nothing, not one thing on earth or anywhere else can separate us from God’s love. His love surrounds us daily if we just recognize it. Sometimes I have to pray especially to see the evidence of God’s love for me. It’s not a selfish prayer, just a realistic one for me that I need to pray sometimes. And the answer is practical and immediate. I see His love all around me in His creation: in the smile of the baby in the stroller, in the report from a friend that she is out of the hospital and doing well, in the sun shining through the branches of the colorful trees outside and in the blue sky laced with clouds. God loves me and you so much that He gave us the world to enjoy while we occupy the earth. Look around you and see God’s love, for yourself and for all of His creation.
May you enjoy this thankfulness journey with me and may each day bring new insight into all that each of us has to be thankful for. God bless you!
I have to confess that my compassion has been sorely tested this last week. Staying with someone who is absorbed by bitterness and anger is frustrating and hurtful. Every morning I need new strength to face whatever that day’s complaints are. And then, God shows me words from His Holy Word that pierce my soul and let me know that what I am doing, the small things that I accomplish daily, are but a drop in the bucket to the compassion He would like to teach me to have.
It’s hard to sing a song of praise around someone who is morose, grieving so many losses in her life. But I sing quietly to myself and then go out to just listen and offer quiet words of comfort. That has been my life this week.
I have found that I need to get ready each day with the armor of God but also with compassion and kindness and patience. The situation is not likely to change, but I can change how I react to it. I know that I would have problems dealing with all that my sister is dealing with, so I am trying to see things through her eyes. Her vision is clouded with macular degeneration and her heart’s vision is clouded with bitterness. But I can see clearly that what she needs is a touch from the Lord and that is what I am praying for and then waiting for the answer.
Jesus did not come so that we can hold grudges but so that we can forgive and be forgiven. This last week has been hard, but kindness has helped.
So, I wait for God to act. I have advised, prayed, given quiet counsel and listened. Now, the infinite wisdom and love of God needs to take over in all of the places where I have failed to make a difference, to consume a bitter life with His unending love. And so I wait.
For what are you waiting? God’s timing is always perfect, so no matter how long it takes, persist in prayer and wait patiently for the Lord to act. His way is not my way, but His way is perfect and that’s what I am waiting for.
Have a blessed day as you wait or as you rejoice because this time the waiting is over for you!
Just a short encouragement today to do what God says and to show mercy and compassion to all that we meet. We don’t know what others are going through, but we know that everyone is facing something new every day. Instead of looking at ways to get back at someone who offended you, how about looking at the ways that you can show love to them. After all, isn’t that what Jesus told us to do?
May your day be blessed with others who will show mercy and compassion to you just as you extend it to them.
www.bible.com/reading-plans/45776/day/1
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 