Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: Contentment


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Roseate Spoonbill

Scripture for Today: Psalm 34:8-9 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you His holy people, for those who fear Him lack nothing.”

This wading bird lives in the mangroves, or tropical swamps of the southeastern United States.  His pink plumage, red eyes and partly bald head make him recognizable, but what really distinguishes him is that giant spoon-shaped bill!  With it he may look a bit comical but this bill allows him to sweep underwater from side to side and scoop up fish and crustaceans.

Today’s verse has no spoon but is an invitation to “taste and see.”  There are those who say they have tried God or tried religion.  And perhaps they have in some manner.  But to “taste and see” means coming to the Lord in humble fear, recognizing who He is.  We realize just how good He is when we throw ourselves on His mercy and take refuge in His love and power.  When He opens the “eyes of our hearts” (Eph. 1:18)), we are ready to fully engage and scoop up every spiritual blessing He offers (Eph. 1:3).

I have tasted and I have seen His goodness.  And unlike the temporary good feeling of eating something tasty, His goodness and blessing keep me satisfied in the deepest part of me.  He knows exactly what I am craving as He created me to hunger for Him.  When I fear and respect Him, I will lack nothing.  He is that good!  He satisfies my deepest desires for love, peace, beauty, and significance!  How amazing He is!  I am blessed when I make Him my refuge.  And what is so amazing is that His goodness never fails to satisfy!

Lord, thank you for blessing me.

 


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Gorilla Prayers

Scripture for Today: Psalm 84:2 “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”

If this gorilla is really praying, I wonder what his request might be.  Perhaps he is praying for a mate!  Could he be praying for freedom from his zoo habitat?  Maybe he is praying for something special for his next meal.  It seems ludicrous that any animal would pray.  Their needs are simple both physically and emotionally and there does not seem to be any awareness of a spiritual realm.

Today’s verse puts a finger on exactly what separates us from animals.  An animal, even if one argued that he had a soul, does not yearn for the Lord.  His heart and flesh do not cry out to the living God.   The longing for a relationship with the God of the universe is something beyond their capacity.  But for man, it is exactly why we were created.  God Himself put the idea and longing for eternity in the human heart (Eccl. 3:11).  We are made to cry out for Him in our innermost being.  Even just one day in His presence is better than one thousand days elsewhere (verse 10).

The Lord fills and completes me.  It is my communion with Him that enriches my very existence.  When my relationship with Him is interrupted by my own wandering or indifference, it does not take long to sense that something is missing.  Feeling that lack, I cry out to Him for reassurance that He is there and that He still loves me.  He always answers.  And somehow, I am more human when I am connected to my Creator.  The yearning is satisfied and it is “well with my soul.”

Thank you Lord, for completing me.


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Essential Oils

Scripture for Today: Psalm 27:4 “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.”

Why are essential oils called, “essential?”  For some, it’s because they are concentrated down to the essence of the odor, characteristics and taste of the plant.  Others believe they are essential oils being essential to life.  In either case, to become essential is to be reduce to a highly concentrated form.  An example is one ounce of peppermint oil which takes sixteen pounds of fresh peppermint leaves to produce.

Today’s verse reduces all of life down to one concentrated desire on David’s part.  He views his relationship to the Lord as the most essential component to his well-being.  All of David’s attention is on the Lord.  Above all else he wants to enjoy His presence.  David asks of the Lord only one thing.  Nothing is quite as important than spending time in His presence and enjoying His beauty.  All else pales in comparison to the importance of his relationship to the Lover of his soul.

There is lots of talk today regarding what services in our world are “essential services.”  Some are obvious and some seem to be up for interpretation.   But one thing is essential to life here and to life eternally.  I can regain my health, my finances and my social connections, but what good is any of it if I forfeit my soul? (Mark 8:36)  I need Him.  The Lord is essential.  When everything else is stripped away, HE is still there.  His presence and beauty are essential to my life.  If I learn nothing else from life, may it be this!

Lord, You are my life.


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Simple Pleasures

Scripture for Today: Ecclesiastes 5:20 “They seldom reflect on the days of their life because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.”

Simple pleasures are the best!  How sweet to see the pure joy on the face of this little boy!  Squealing with pleasure he chases those bubbles and popping them has made his day.  Somehow, as we age, it takes a bit more to distract and occupy us.  With the weight of worry, the stress of responsibilities and the jaded skepticism that can creep into our thinking, we can miss out on having that glad heart.

Today’s verse teaches that God can occupy us with gladness of heart.  Rather than  negative reflections on the days of our lives, we can experience gladness.  Rather than chasing after riches which in the end are meaningless, we can be happy and contented with simple pleasures.  The art of being glad and satisfied has very little to do with what we can acquire.  All our work can be toiling for the wind (verse 17) or we can be happy in our toil, enjoying its fruits as a gift from God (verse 19).  It is a choice we make.  The Lord can keep us away from thoughts of always wanting more and instead occupy us with a glad heart.

Which is better, to have little with a glad heart or to have lots but be frustrated with what I do not have?  I find it such a comfort that God cares about the state of my heart.  He does not want me occupied with stuff.  He offers a light glad heart when I turn my temporal wants and desires toward what is eternal.  And when I do that, I can much more easily enjoy the simple pleasures in this life!

Lord, keep my heart occupied and glad!

 


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A Blank Slate

Scripture for today:  Psalm 118:24  “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Gone are the days when students carried their own small squares of slate to school.  This simple tool of education in the early nineteenth century replaced the need for expensive paper.  It could be wiped clean with a rag and used repeatedly.  I cannot help but think of today as a brand new clean slate being the first day of a brand new year.

Today’s verse teaches that each new day is a day that the Lord has made.  This new day and new year are His creation.  It is blank now but it has the potential to be just about anything!  As our Creator, He continues to create and He has something specific in mind.  We can rejoice and be glad looking at that blank slate.  His plans for us are good and we can trust what He will do.  And He holds not only the chalk but the eraser for those times we get it all smudged with our mistakes!

There may be days this year when I wake up with a less-than-positive attitude.  I may think I know what is ahead for the day and it is not a subject for joy and gladness.  All the obligations facing me can bring me down.  But the message in this verse is that God gave me this new day as well as this new year.  He created it.  He is in control of my day.  He has plans for it that I may know nothing about!  I can face the day with joy regardless of what it might or might not hold.  Why?  Because He is in it, and in His presence is “fulness of joy.”

Happy New Year!!