Devotions

White For Harvest

Published on by Joan

If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME!   So glad you are here!

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV)

I live in an area in which there is a lot of farming.  Throughout the year, various types of crops can be seen growing. Now is the time for cotton.  Every time I ride by the field with the cotton shining bright white, I think of the words of Jesus.

There are so many people who haven’t heard the truth of the Gospel.  As Christians, we ought to feel the urgency to share the love of Christ with everyone we come in contact with.  We do not know when the Lord may return, or when our last breath on this earth will be taken.  We need to be ready for that moment, and help others make sure they are ready, as well.

But recently, I saw this message I have so often thought about in a new light.  I saw a story showing where someone had stopped beside the cotton field and was gathering a little of the harvest for themselves.  In other words, stealing. Perhaps they admired the cotton as I have so often, and desired to have a little to decorate their home.  Maybe they thought that what little bit they took wouldn’t matter.  After all, there was a whole field full of it.  But it wasn’t theirs.  They were stealing from the owner of the harvest.

How often do we steal from the Lord of the harvest?  How many times do we feel the Lord urging us to speak to someone and we don’t?  How often do we feel like we need to share a word from the Lord and we stay quiet?  How many souls are we stealing from the Lord by not sharing the truth of salvation?

Selah.

I don’t know why we find it hard to tell others about Christ. Perhaps if we thought more about the end result of us not sharing, of someone spending an eternity separated from Christ, instead of the possibility of being embarrassed or ridiculed, we would share more.  Satan is doing all he can to steal from the harvest.  He is working hard to keep people from hearing and believing in the message of salvation.  I don’t want to help him along.

I pray God will help me to be more sensitive to His instructing me to share with someone as He gives me opportunity. And I hope this will be your prayer as well.  The harvest is white and ready.  Every soul matters.  May we not steal from the Lord of the harvest by not assisting in the reaping.

Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins.  Thank You for raising Him from the grave that we might have eternal life with You.  Help me to share that wonderful truth to everyone You place in my path.  Give me wisdom and strength to work in the harvest for Your glory and the salvation of souls.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Road Barriers

Published on by Joan

If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME!   So glad you are here!

Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.  Jeremiah 10:23 (NIV)

I live ten minutes from my place of work. But along that ten-minute route are seven, count them, seven stop lights.  Now if I can hit it right, every single light is green and I can get to work in those allotted ten minutes. Otherwise, if one light turns red, they all seem to. Then my ride becomes twelve to fifteen minutes. That doesn’t seem like a big deal, except I’m not a morning person. I hit my snooze button until the very last minute that I know I just have to get up, so every minute counts.

It would be nice to live in a world with no stop lights. Or at least, all green ones.

I recall a story in the Bible about a traveler getting detained along his trip. In the middle of the stories of Moses leading the people, there is the story of a man named Balaam.  Balak, the king of Moab, was frightened of the Children of Israel. He saw their great number and feared the destruction of his people.  Balak asked a prophet named Balaam to come to his land for the purpose of cursing the Israelites. 

A simple read of Numbers, Chapter 22, would make it seem like God told Balaam to go, then changed His mind. But a deeper study shows that Balaam’s heart did not fully belong to the Lord.  Although the Lord had told him plainly not to go and to have nothing to do with Balak’s desire for him to curse the Children of Israel, Balaam still entertained Balak’s offer.  It would be like God saying, “If you insist on traveling that dark path, go.” God gives us free will, to choose whether we will fully obey Him or not.

Along the route, an Angel of the Lord stood in the path of Balaam riding on his donkey.  The donkey could see the Angel while Balaam could not. That was further evidence of Balaam’s unrighteousness, that he had less spiritual insight than his donkey. The donkey stopped three times at the sight of the Angel.  Each time Balaam beat the donkey to try to get him to move.  God finally opened the mouth of the donkey, allowing it to speak to Balaam.  Then Balaam’s eyes were open so that he, too, could see the Angel.

Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.” The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials. Numbers 22:34-35 NIV

This story makes me pause and ponder. How often have I insisted on doing my own thing and God has attempted to place roadblocks in my path of disobedience?  Perhaps when certain plans go wrong, it’s God trying to shine a red light to get my attention to stop.

There are other similar instances in the Bible. When Paul was traveling on his missionary journeys, sometimes he made the comment that God would not allow him to enter certain areas, but instead would send him somewhere else. We need to be that spiritually discerning in our lives.  If we have that close fellowship with the Father, then when paths are lying in front of us and we need to choose, we will be able to sense which to go down. We will be able to see the red lights and green lights. I hope and pray that I will be so close to the Lord, that I will always choose the right path.  I pray all the stop lights are green.

Heavenly Father, thank You for directing our paths.  Help us to have spiritual eyesight so that we stay on the right path You have already planned for us to walk along. If we begin to wander away from You, please place a barrier in front of us to cause us to return to You. Thank You, Lord, for caring about every step we take. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Soaking It In

Published on by Joan

If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME!   So glad you are here!

Being a grandmother is simply the best!  I have four little ones that have blessed me with the name of Bebaw.  It’s so fascinating to see how their little minds soak up things quickly.  I can tell my memory has gotten worse, but they seem to remember everything (except where they took their shoes off at!) Even the youngest one at 15 months old is learning new things every day.  The younger ones are learning by watching the older ones and the oldest one is learning by questioning everything.

The down side to soaking up everything they see is that everything they see is not always good.  They can’t be kept away from everything and everyone. And even if they could, bad behavior doesn’t have to be taught. We are all born with sinful natures.  Unfortunately, even after we have received Christ as our Savior, our old sinful nature is still a part of us. 

But it’s not just children who soak in so much information.  Everything we see with our eyes, hear with our ears, everything related to all of our physical senses, enters into our minds. Those images and experiences stay with us, affecting us in ways we may not even realize. Information overload is real. Things that are seen now openly in life or on TV, in books and magazines, on social media of any type, are things that would have made people blush years ago. Today, we hardly even cringe. 

Then once things are in our minds, our behavior is affected. 

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. Matthew 12:33-35 (NIV)

It’s impossible to avoid some things.  We can’t exactly walk around with our eyes and ears closed.  But as much as possible, we can control what we look at and what we listen to.  The Bible states it this way:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

It takes discipline on our part to guard our hearts and minds.  It may mean staying away from certain people that can’t seem to control their language or topics they discuss.  It may mean not reading certain books or magazines.  It may mean turning off the TV or internet.  It definitely does mean we need to spend more time in God’s Word and in prayer.  Like Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, we need to, “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

May we all seek after wisdom and be careful what our mind soaks up.

Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us our physical senses and minds to process that information. May we spend time in Your Word, seeking wisdom so that, like it says in Proverbs 4, we may:  “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Meant For Good

Published on by Joan

If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME!   So glad you are here!

Age has its advantages. (Not that I’m exactly enjoying getting older.) But I’m learning a lot. For instance, I used to question “why” a lot more than I do now. Why did this bad thing happen? Why is life such a trial? Why doesn’t God do something about this? Why doesn’t God just “zap” that person?

In hindsight, I can look back now at so many struggles I have experienced in life and see how God used it for my good and His glory. He has a purpose and plan for everything and just because we don’t understand it doesn’t mean the plan isn’t being carried out perfectly. 

Joseph learned how to deal with mistreatment through experiences he endured. His own brothers sold him as a slave. Then he was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and a captain of the guard. When Potiphar recognized that Joseph had the favor of God on him, Joseph rose in status in that household. Until Potiphar’s wife lied about him and he ended up in prison. Perhaps it was because of that time in captivity and in prison, when he had a lot of alone time with God, that Joseph learned true dependence upon the God of his fathers. 

Through a series of events, Joseph ended up second in command in Egypt. He was able to save his own father and brothers, and many others during a time of famine because of that position. After the death of his father, Joseph’s brothers expected him to finally take revenge upon them for selling him into slavery. But Joseph was merciful and gracious to them.

Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21 (NKJV)

Joseph learned to leave the judgement up to God. He could see, looking back over his life, how God had orchestrated everything to save many people. Now perhaps the things we are going through are not going to save the physical lives of many people, but we could possibly influence people to trust in the Lord, thus saving them spiritually. 

Through the inhabiting of the Holy Spirit, God has equipped us with spiritual eyesight. So I wonder this: if we could use our spiritual eyesight to the fullest extent to see how God is using our trials to lead others to Himself, would we grumble less?

Some trials we experience could possibly be the consequences of sin. If that is so, we ought to repent quickly. However, when we are striving to live as closely to the Lord as possible and people mistreat us or speak harshly against us, may we have the mindset of Joseph. May we stay faithful and receive the favor of God. May we allow God to lead us and use us wherever we are and whatever position we are in. May we be able to say of every situation, “but God meant it for good.”

Heavenly Father, it’s so easy to get my feelings hurt by the words or actions of someone else. Please forgive me for wanting to rush in to judge or speak harsh words in return.  Help me Lord, to stay faithful to You in every positive and negative circumstance.  Please use each situation in my life to point others to receive salvation that comes only from You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Drop The Rocks

Published on by Joan

As I lay in bed one night, another night of sleeplessness, I found my mind rehearsing a speech I so wish I could give. I must confess I have not yet mastered the discipline of throwing off worry and I often become anxious at the way things are in our world. So, I lay there, going over and over in my mind the words I wish I could say if I had the opportunity.  The topic changes depending on that day’s happenings.  But most recently, I can’t get away from this topic.

My audience? Everyone. Including myself. The scene? Someone speaking, hurling derogatory statements at the one they see at fault. They stand there self-righteously tossing their stones up in the air from one dirty hand to another, eager to throw.  As I stand up to this speaker, I would start my speech something like this:

In the Words of our Savior, “Let he without sin cast the first stone.”

No, the person you are speaking of is not perfect. Neither am I. Neither are you. In fact, the only Perfect One to have ever and will ever walk this earth is the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23 states, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

“No, I’m not perfect, but I’m better than they are,” they say, pointing their finger at their target.

But guess what? When you stand before God, He is not going to compare you to the one you are trying to be better than. No. He will be looking at you and looking to His Son.

“Does this one belong to You?” the Father asks the Son.

Because you see, Christ died for everyone. Scholars say that Christ was hanging naked on the cross. I beg to differ. I believe all my filthy, sin stained garments that I, at times, try to find enjoyment in wearing, was thrown on Christ. Yours were, too. So often when we think of sin, we think of the ugly, “big” sins. Murder. Robbery. Rape. But no. In God’s eyes, sin is sin. Not just those “big” sins, but every harsh word on our tongues, every unkind thought in our mind, every impatient breath we blow out, every little lie we speak, every attitude of pride that keeps us from apologizing or accepting apologies, are all filthy rags.

Imagine us all standing before the cross, tossing one stained and torn rag on Christ after another. Those rags formed a garment of death.

I wonder which sin thrown from which person was the last stitch in that ugly robe that shrouded Christ?

Those pieces of rags must have felt like stones thrown on Jesus. Then God had to turn His face from His perfect, sinless Child, not because of His nakedness, but because of the cloak of sin He wore.

But then, praise be to God that Christ rose again!  That sin stained garment is gone. And when we receive Christ as our Savior and Lord, His red blood washes us white as snow. Our sins are forgiven!

Will Christ recognize you when you stand before Him?  Will the Sacrificial Lamb see His red blood placed on you in exchange for your filthy rags and be able to say, “Yes, this one is Mine,” to the Father?

Or are you still wearing the filthy garments of sin that Christ died for?

God will see each of us as individuals, not comparing us with anyone else. It’s time we drop the rocks. None of us are good enough to throw them.

Check out this song, “Rocks,” by The Isaacs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQDCnKvAi74

Fake Flowers

Published on by Joan

If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME!   So glad you are here!​​

We have several flower beds around our house and out in our yard.  Life has been so busy that I haven’t had time to get out and work in the yard like I would have liked to. Or needed to. Weeds and flowers seemed to have grown a foot overnight.  One day when I finally had a little bit of time to try to pull some weeds, I noticed how much some of the weeds resembled flowers.  Especially before flowers actually bloom, some of the green leaves of the flowers are hard to tell apart from the weeds growing alongside of them.  I took my time to determine which green shoots to pull up and which ones to leave alone and let grow. 

I started thinking about those weeds as fake flowers.  They were growing just as fast and looking very close to the real thing, but they were still just weeds.  Some of the weeds actually do have pretty flowers once they bloom.  And when one of my grandchildren comes running to me with a dandelion in their hand and a big smile on their face, saying they picked the pretty flower just for me, well, then it’s more special than the most beautiful rose in the world!

But as I pondered over the fake flowers, I thought of how often people are fake. We all, at some point or in some ways, are not always genuine.  We may put a smile on our face when greeting others when all we really want to do is have a good cry.  Sometimes being fake is living out the phrase that we need to, “fake it ‘til you make it.”  To persevere under stressful situations until we get through those situations.

However, there are also people who are fake, pretending to be someone they truly are not.  They are intentionally trying to deceive others for their own personal gain or other ungodly reasons.  So how do we tell the difference?

Examination.  Just as I looked closely at the real flowers to compare with the fake ones, we can examine the fruit that is produced.  Like I have heard someone say before, “We shouldn’t judge others, but we can be fruit inspectors!”

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.  Matthew 7:15-20 NIV

As we see all of the flowers and trees during this time of year, may we all do a little self-examination.  If we have received Christ and He lives within our heart, then the fruit we produce will give evidence to that fact.  May we bloom and produce a beautiful fragrance that draws other to Him!

Heavenly Father, thank You for providing reminders of how we are to live in everything we see.  Even pulling weeds can teach me so much.  I want to look like You, Lord!  Help me to bear fruit so that others know I belong to You.  May I live in a way so that others never question if I am real or fake! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

For more encouragement, visit Joan at joanwalkerhahn.com.

© 2019 by Joan Walker Hahn.  All rights reserved.

Lessons Learned From Blackberries

Published on by Joan

If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME!   So glad you are here!​​

I had been fighting the briars for years. Every spring and summer they would appear and I would pull them up. What I couldn’t pull up, I would cut off as close to the root as I could. But one spring, life had been so busy that I hadn’t spent much time cleaning out the flower beds. Before I knew it, the briars had completely taken over a group of purple irises. Then I noticed the vines were full of small, green blackberries. I figured I might as well leave them alone and enjoy the blackberries once they ripened.

One Saturday morning I went to pick the berries that had ripened. The ones easily visible were mostly small. But as I began pulling some of the branches and leaves out of the way, I discovered larger berries.  I had thought there would only be a small handful ready to pick, but I ended up picking enough to eat and to make a blackberry cobbler on Sunday.

The berries that had been more visible had not been as protected by the leaves as the larger berries I had to pull branches and leaves away from to see.  Those small berries had still gotten ripe, but were smaller because of being exposed to the hot sun and lack of rain.  Insects and birds had eaten on those berries more in the open, too.  But the berries hidden within the branches and leaves were plumper and sweeter.  They had been protected from the sun and birds.

As I was picking those larger berries, several verses came to mind.

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5 (NIV)

And one of my favorites:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.  Psalm 91:1-3 (NIV)

In Christ, we are protected from the enemy.  As we rely on Him as the life-giving, life-preserving, main branch, we are able to produce the fruits of the Spirit.  And as we allow Him to be our shelter and rest in Him, we are kept safe from being consumed by the dark forces of sin.  Yes, we still have to face trials, but we will overcome each one.

Perhaps you feel entangled by worries like the briars strangling out my flowers. Maybe you are struggling to live a Godly life.  Remember that when we accept Christ as our Lord, we are grafted into the family of God.  We need to allow Him full control of every aspect of our life.  Then, like that main vine of blackberries that produced many branches full of fruit, we, too, can become productive for Christ.  Allow God to fend off the enemy as you rest within Him.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the promise that when we allow You full control, You can use us to produce much fruit.  I’m also grateful for the shelter and protection You give us against the enemy.  May we continue to remain in You and not try to handle this life on our own, for we know apart from You, we can do nothing!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Alone In A Crowd

Published on by Joan

If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME!   So glad you are here!​​

Have you ever been in a group of people but still felt all alone?  I have many times.  Often it was because I was enveloped by deep shadows of depression.  Sometimes it was because of the situation I was in and feeling no one could understand.  At other times it was because I kept to myself, feeling insignificant and unworthy of friendship.

There was a woman in the Bible who I believe must have felt that loneliness.  She was a widow and had just lost her son.  In those days, a widow who was childless often became destitute with no one to take care of her financially. 

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”   Luke 7:11-16 NIV

I noticed a couple things in this passage.  First, the woman didn’t approach Jesus.  He went to her.  Perhaps she didn’t see Him or recognize the Miracle Worker that had just arrived in town.  In many of the miracles Jesus performed, people came to Him asking for that miracle.  Not so in this case.  Jesus saw the woman first and went to her. 

Secondly, the passage said there was a large crowd with the woman.  In a crowd that size and because of the tradition of mourners wailing loudly, there must have been many women crying.  I wondered how Jesus immediately spotted the mother.  Of course, we know that He sees all.  Even in the midst of a large crowd, He knows each of us as individuals and sees our needs. 

And thirdly, Christ, Himself, certainly knows what if feels like to be alone in a crowd.  The one time that stands out in my mind is when He didn’t want to be alone.  He asked His closest disciples, His dearest friends, to go with Him to pray.

And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?”   Matthew 26:37-40 NKJV

Three times Jesus looked to His friends who were there for support, and each time He saw them asleep.  Can you imagine how alone He felt?  We can learn by looking at Christ how to handle those moments.

First, Christ continued to pray.  He kept returning to His Father for comfort.  We, too, can always find comfort in our heavenly Father when we feel no one else understands.

And then, Christ trusted the Father’s will.  Even though His flesh wanted a way out of the suffering, He knew the Father’s plan was perfect and relinquished Himself to that plan.  When we keep our trust in God, everything always works out for our good and His glory.

 As long as we cling to Christ, we will never be alone!

Heavenly Father, thank You for seeing me! Even when I feel so small and unnoticed, You see my heart and hear my pleas. Help me to keep my trust in You and Your plan for my life. May I always feel Your presence and know that I’m not alone.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Turning Your Back

Published on by Joan

If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME!   So glad you are here!

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Ruth 1:16 NIV

The story of Ruth and Naomi has always been one of my favorite stories from the Bible.  The message of Boaz being Ruth’s kinsman redeemer is a direct portrayal of Christ being our Redeemer.  It’s a beautiful love story.  But the only way Boaz was able to be Ruth’s kinsman redeemer was because Ruth had turned her back on her homeland, her family and all that was familiar to her.  She had chosen to stay with her mother-in-law and move to a foreign country.  She had chosen to follow the God of Naomi.

I never had to make the choice to leave my family in order to follow Christ.  But some have.  Whether we’ve been blessed to have always lived in a Godly home or not, we still have to make decisions every day as to whether or not to follow Christ.  Before dismissing the idea and thinking to yourself, “Yea, yea, I’ve done that,” stop and really think about it.

Ruth completely separated herself from her home country.  More than likely she never saw her family and friends again.  Have we separated ourselves from the world?  Do we live according to the lifestyle revealed to us in God’s Word, or do we still live according to the ways of the world?  Are there people in our life that we need to stay away from in order to live the Christian life?  Is our life with God really different than the lives of those who do not profess Christ as their Lord?

Ruth chose to worship the God of Naomi, putting aside the idols and gods that were part of her life before.

What idols are we holding on to?  Do we pursue pleasure and spend time doing what we want to do more than we spend time with God?

Ruth received the love of the one who could redeem her.  Have we received the love that God is offering us?  Again, before we answer the question lightly and think, “Of course I have,” stop and think.  When we receive the love God offers us, it should be just like the bride that receives the love of her groom and commits herself to him and him only.  We are to cleave to God with all our hearts.  Have we given our love to something else more than to the Lord?  It may be easy to put God in front of the things we consider worldly.  But what about the things that God calls good?  Like our family and friends.  God is to be above all others and all things.

I’m burdened that we as believers in Christ, take our commitment too lightly.  I know I have many times.  We have so much at our fingertips and so many things to grab our attention.  Yes, we have commitments to work, to care for our families and homes.  But we should put as much effort into worshipping the One who gave us all we have, as we spend time enjoying those things.

No, we can’t spend every moment on our knees in prayer and praise.  But think about the love story.  Ruth was aware of Boaz’s presence even while she gleaned in the field.  He made sure that she was watched over as she worked.  We can be aware of God’s presence each moment of the day.  We can be attentive to His voice even as we go about our daily routines. 

Living a life with the Lord is the most beautiful love story ever!  We need to stop and really think about the relationship we have with Christ.  We ought to be willing to turn our backs away from everything in order to follow Him.  Are we living that kind of love story?

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to be my Redeemer!  Help me to really examine my heart to make sure I am putting Christ first in everything.  If there are things I need to turn my back on, please reveal it to me.  I want to be completely committed to living this life of love with You!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Ant

Published on by Joan

If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME!   So glad you are here!

Nothing upsets me any faster than seeing ants inside my house.  With all the recent rain we have had, it seems they have decided to come in out of the wet weather.  There is nothing to attract them except for a warm, dry place to live.

During my recent bout with them, this scripture about ants came to mind.  I have to admit I was not considering well of them at the time.  But this verse calls us to stop and think of them in a good way.  So let me try.

They are steadfast.  They are hard-working.  They work together. 

There.  Is that enough?  Well, the verse says to consider and become wise.  Which means to not just think about their characteristics, but to try to have those same characteristics. 

So I have to ask myself, am I steadfast? Here is a favorite verse of mine.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.”  Isaiah 26:3 NIV

When my Dad was first going through cancer treatment, he brought this verse to my attention.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10 NIV

We have no idea the things we may face, or how those things may end.  But if God, Himself, has promised to restore us and strengthen us, then that thought in our minds can help us to stand firm in Him.

Am I working for God?  I recall as a child when we had art, the teacher had everything prepared ahead of time.  She would come into our room and show us step by step how to make something.  The end result was something I would not have known how to do, but with her preparations and guidance, I was an artist!  It’s the same with God.  He has prepared everything for us.  We follow Him step by step and the end result is beautiful.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV

Do I help other believers? We are told in Hebrew 10:25 to not forsake assembling together with other believers.  It is through the joining together that we are encouraged and built up.

Yes, ants know what they are doing.  Though they still get me agitated.  But maybe that is also a good characteristic to have.  When we are around unbelievers, they ought to feel a little agitated.  Not because of something we are doing wrong, but because of us reflecting the characteristics of Christ. 

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.  Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26 NIV

It’s a good thing to feel agitation that leads to repentance.

So, as hard as it is to admit admiration for the critter, we should want to be like an ant for Christ.  To desire to be found faithfully working, steadfastly, for Him.  We need the encouragement and edification that comes from being around other believers, just as we can offer the same to them.  We should want to be so close to Christ that unbelievers are uncomfortable, yet attracted to the One living within us.  May we all consider kindly the ant.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that gives us practical advice about how to live.  As we go about our daily lives, bring remembrances from Your Word to our mind to guide us, even if it means fighting with ants!  May we live a life that is steadfast and be busy doing the work You have prepared us for.  May we always point others to You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.