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.
If the prophet Jeremiah needed God’s help, then who am I to say that I can forge forth on my own and will just let God know if I need Him? No, that old hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour” is more appropriate for me, and probably for you, too. We cannot stand in a world that glorifies evil and sin without God to strengthen us and stand beside us during the daily battles of life. The reality is that we are weak, but He is strong, just like the song I sing to my grandchildren. My faith and trust in God continues to grow daily as He cultivates in me the image of His beloved Son, but I have not arrived yet. In order to face the day and all it brings, I need God’s wisdom, His grace, His mercy and His strength. God is always there, and like Jeremiah, I need to call on Him for the help that I need.
Today I go to the ophthalmologist for a follow up on the eye infection I have had that lasted almost two months. I am better now and can mostly see clearly (some blurriness at times still), but I am thankful for an eye doctor who knew how to treat the disease and wanted to make sure that it’s cleared up. God heals and sometimes uses doctors to do it. I am thankful for doctors but mostly I am grateful to God!
In his first letter to the believers in the Greek city of Corinth, the Apostle Paul said this:
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV
This well-known verse is the conclusion of what’s often referred to as the “love chapter” of the Bible. In it, Paul explained that spiritual gifts (like prophecy or knowledge) are helpful to the Church but simultaneously meaningless without an undercurrent of love.
Faith and hope are at the top of the list, but love is the greatest.
Think about it…
Faith is crucial to Christianity. In fact, “Without faith it is impossible to please God…” (Hebrews 11:16). “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). But one day, faith will give way to sight and what was once foggy will suddenly become clear.
Hope is also essential to those who follow Jesus Christ. And we certainly have a great hope—based on facts, evidence, and witnesses—in the God who created us, gave His life for us, and will return for us once and for all. But one day, the future we hope for will become reality.
And so, Paul says, love is the greatest. Earlier in the chapter (1 Corinthians 13:4-8), Paul defines love in action.
Faith and hope are important, but love is the greatest of them all.
Many seasons in life can be scary. You might be asked to step into something new and uncertain. You might walk through a difficult situation or face insurmountable opposition. It is easy to feel discouraged or fearful of seasons like this, especially in the midst of the unknown.
But God’s Word says that faith is needed in every season of life. Faith means putting our trust in God and taking the next step, even if we don’t know what is ahead.
In Deuteronomy 31:6, God encouraged them to be strong and courageous in the midst of facing their greatest fears. And, He even gave them a promise to ease their fears: He would never leave their side.
Often, in seasons of difficulty, all we have left to hold onto is a promise from God. But regardless of how everything changes around us, we can always place our faith in God’s promises.
During this season of Advent, and time of reflection, think about the seasons of your own life. Every situation you face is an opportunity to grow your faith in God and trust in His promises. So, if you’re feeling discouraged or fearful of the future, spend some time in prayer, asking God for courage and peace.
Remember that you are never alone in life. God is always with you. Not only will His presence never leave you, but His love will never be taken away. He will never forsake you. There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:38).
Thank God for His love and presence during this season of reflection. And confidently cling to the promises that He has given you.
A lot of people take DNA tests to check out their ancestry. I never took one, but my husband and several other family members did. I think it is more important to consider the spiritual legacy that we are leaving behind.
Praise God for godly grandmothers and mothers who share their faith to the next generation. I want to be a Lois. I did my best to be a Eunice, but somehow the faith that I have does not flow through all of my children as I would like it to. The end result is in God’s hands. Nevertheless, I want to be faithful to share and leave a spiritual legacy that will endure throughout many generations, God willing. Who can you share your faith with and leave a legacy?
So, my health has had a few blips lately, with a visit and stay in the hospital, multiple visits to specialists and a general feeling of “what’s next.” But God has been with me through it all and encouraged me with my devotional this morning.
This is a quotation from my devotional. It expresses well what I have been doing since I found out that I have to see a neurosurgeon about my frequent headaches. I am looking up! Psalm 121 is one of my favorite psalms, reminding me that nothing is happening in my life that God does not have under His control. My help has always been and will always be from the Lord.When I am resting at night, God doesn’t rest. He is looking over me, just as He is watching over Israel. God loves me and we not allow me to stumble around aimlessly searching for Him. He is right there beside me, day and night. No matter what may come against me, the Lord is my shade protecting me from harm. I don’t know the end of this health situation, but I trust the One who does know. God is watching over my life, when I go to doctors, travel to a memorial service next week, spend time with grandchildren, whatever I do and wherever I am. He is watching over me until the day He calls me home to be with Him. That is a promise from God and what keeps me looking up in faith and expectation. God is good…all the time!
If you have been walking with the Lord for any length of time, you have read the Scripture that says:
Thus if you want to please God, then you know that you need to have faith. But what is faith and how do you strengthen and build your faith?
Faith is putting your trust in God, regardless of circumstances and outward appearances. David had faith when he faced Goliath. Gideon had faith when he took a small band of men with him to defeat a large army. Stephen had faith when he faced those who ultimately stoned him.
How do you build your trust and your faith? The answer has always been there for you. You read the Word. You listen to the Word. You follow His Word. In doing so, you build your faith, that is, your trust in God. It’s hard to stand on God’s promises if you don’t know what they are, so it is imperative to memorize His Word so that you have it handy when you need it. God makes our faith strong by giving His unerring, infallible and eternal message to us. It is up to us to read it, hear it and heed it.
I want to see the invisible God, believe for unbelievable miracles and receive what others say is impossible. I’m spending time in God’s Word so that my faith is stronger. I pray that you are doing likewise.
My husband is an avid gardener. His passion is for his vegetables, but a few years ago, he planted a beautiful flower garden right outside the window where I sit. It started with a rose bush and a few irises. It has since grown to multiple rose bushes, lots of irises, azalea bushes and seasonal flowers that he hangs for my enjoyment. Recently, he added a hummingbird plant to attract the little creatures that I enjoy watching. My husband takes joy in my pleasure of looking out to see the garden. My mobility is limited and my allergies keep me inside, but his love helps me to enjoy God’s beautiful creation.
My husband is the caretaker of the flowers, but we both know that God is the one who helps them grow and flourish. So when things happen that are unexpected, the challenges in life that throw curveballs my way, I only have to sit in my chair and look out the window to be reminded of how much God cares. My faith has grown in this season of testing (of the medical variety, mostly), and I have learned to lean hard into God, knowing that He loves me even more than my beloved spouse does. I can see the evidence of Harry’s love and God’s each time I glance out the window…it makes me stronger to face whatever the day brings. Harry lovingly transports me to all of my appointments and God stays with me throughout all of the procedures. They have a pretty good partnership going and I’m blessed to be the recipient of all of that love. In fact, like the flowers, I blossom under the mighty hand of God, the One that shows me through the kindness of my husband how much He (and he) cherish me. My faith grows and my thankful heart overflows with gratitude.
I sincerely hope that you see flowers in your life today and remember that God put them there for you to enjoy and to remind you that He is faithful. The answers are coming…just wait for the blossoms to unfold!
I haven’t moved any physical mountains lately, but I have seen mountains in my life fall. They are the mountains that keep me wondering what life is all about and why all the pain and suffering and all of the medical tests with no answers. They are the mountains that help me to know that God is alive and working in my life because He is actively involved in all the circumstances. He didn’t put the mountains in my life, but He will help me move them. Faith moves mountains…Jesus said it and I believe it!
By the time you get to Numbers 13 in your study of the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness, you should understand that the hearts of many of the people were still set on selfishness instead of on the Lord. God had saved them from slavery in Egypt, given them food to eat, kept them safe and still they whined and complained. So it is no surprise that when the representatives from each tribe were sent to do reconnaissance and bring back a report of what Canaan was like, most of the spies were negative and reported that there was no way that the Israelites could be victorious. Yes, the land was good and the food there was plentiful, but the enemy were giants. Thus, they were reluctant to go forward. Only Caleb from the tribe of Judah and Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim encouraged the people to continue forward, as lead by the Lord.
Caleb’s positive attitude did not come because he was confident in his own ability or in the ability of the warriors with Israel. Rather, he was confident in the might of the Lord. His certainty was strongly rooted in his faith in God. I want to be a Caleb in a land of naysayers who all want to stay right where they are, comfortably ensconced in a wilderness while God provides food, shelter, and clothing that never wears out. There’s nothing wrong with that, right? Of course, there is something wrong with that! The Israelites did not wander for forty years in the wilderness just to be content staying there! They were sent to occupy the Promised Land and it was ready for them to march in and take, but because of the unbelief and reluctance of some of the leaders, they had to stay in the wilderness for more years. Of those leaders, only Caleb and Joshua got to go into Canaan.
Sometimes life seems like a wilderness journey, but we get comfortable with those circumstances and although we don’t like them too well, we don’t want change to happen because we don’t know what the outcome of the change will be. Either we trust God to take us out of the wilderness into the new place that He has promised us or we don’t. Either we are a Caleb who sees God taking care of things for us or we stay where we are, moaning over the circumstances but reluctant to try to change them. Again, I want to be a Caleb. I don’t want to be stuck in the wilderness, moaning and whining and refusing to move forward. I don’t want God to leave me there because of my unbelief. Sometimes I have to take the time to pray for help with my unbelief and a new infusion of faith. Keeping records of past answers to prayer helps restore me and get me ready to move on. Do you want to move on with God or stay comfortably where you are, even though that is not God’s best for you? I know what my choice is and I hope that you are aware of the repercussions to making the wrong choice.
May the Lord bless you with the desire to want to be a Caleb in the middle of the wilderness of life and grant you the courage to move forward with Him. Not ahead of Him, not behind Him, but with Him as your guide into His very best for you!
I am an overcomer, and so are you if you are a Christian. Following in the path that the Lord has prepared for us, we cannot always expect the way to be easy. But we can know without a doubt that Jesus goes before us. Since He overcame all that life on earth and Satan threw at Him, we can, too. It takes faith, perseverance and steadfastness, but we can do it!
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Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 