Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: God’s Strength and Power


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The Easter Basket

Scripture for Today: Isaiah 40:12 “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?”

I can still remember the squeals of delight when distributing those Easter baskets to our kids! I started with the oldest, much to the annoyance of my youngest. The origin of Easter baskets is thought to be from a Catholic tradition in Poland and other eastern European countries. Families would bring their Easter Sunday dinner to mass in a basket to have it blessed. Of course, anything in the basket other than chocolate and jelly beans would be firmly rejected by children everywhere today!

Today’s verse describes the contents of another basket as being all the dust of the earth. This poetic description of God’s mighty power asks rhetorical questions that can only have one response; no one. No one but God could measure all the waters of the earth, or the breadth of the heavens. No one but God is powerful enough to hold all the dust of the earth or weigh the mountains and hills. If He can do all of this, than raising Jesus from the dead poses no challenge at all to the all-powerful One.

I serve a mighty powerful God who is not bound by the laws of nature that He Himself created. And the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that raises me to new life as well. I was dead in my sin (Col. 2:13) but God made me alive with Christ. I can be truly alive only because He is! And if God can raise Jesus from the dead and promise me an eternity with Him, why do I worry about what this day might bring?

Thank you Lord, for Your resurrection power!

(Look familiar? This is a repost from 2018)


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The Tallest Cross

Scripture for Today:  I Corinthians 1:18  “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

Credit to Godot13 at Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International 

This cross is thought to be the tallest in the world, standing at 492 feet in Madrid, Spain. It is so prominent that it can be seen from 40 miles away! Built between 1940-1958, it sits atop a monument to immortalize the fallen, which explains the monument’s name, “The Valley of the Fallen.” Roughly 34 thousand combatants are buried there, from both sides of their civil war. Half the fallen are buried on one side and half on the other.

Today’s verse describes two ways people view the cross of Christ, especially remembered on Good Friday. It continues to be a symbol of sacrificial love throughout the centuries. For those who are being saved it is a positive symbol of our salvation. We celebrate a cross where death led to life everlasting. But for those who are perishing the cross is foolishness. It signifies indignity and failure, rather than the power by which we are saved. 

The cross continues to polarize. There is no middle ground as we are on one side or the other. We are all in the Valley of the Fallen, having fallen short of God’s standards. (Rom. 3;23) Like the two thieves crucified with Jesus, there are only two responses. I either place my trust in Christ as my substitute, or I remain in my sin. What power in this cross of Jesus! His power snatched me from darkness and placed me in His wonderful light! (I Peter 2:9) Because of the cross I have hope. I have life, forgiveness, and healing! The power of the cross is that it cancels the power of my guilt and shame!

Lord, I am eternally grateful for the power of Your cross.


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What Palms Tell You

Scripture for Today: Isaiah 49:15-16a “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.”

Palm reading is generally thought to be a superstitious belief but it continues to enjoy some success for those who want to believe. There are different types of palmistry practiced but the idea is to interpret one’s future by looking at the heart, head, life or fate lines. Classic palmistry has its roots in Greek mythology where a god or a goddess is related to different areas of the palm or fingers.

Today’s verse talks about God’s palm and what is written there! The Lord is reassuring the Israelites that He will never forget them. As unusual as it may be for a mother to forget her child, He will never forget His own chosen people. A mother may not have compassion for her child, but the Lord will comfort His people and will have compassion on them. (verse 13) Those that God loves He will never abandon. Those that He loves are engraved on the palms of His hands.

How reassuring it is that the Lord will never forget me! His thoughts towards me are as numerous as all the grains of sand in the world. (Psalm 139:18) That means I can never catch Him NOT thinking of me! His palms are engraved with my name and no one can snatch me out of those loving powerful hands! (John 10:28) Not only is my name there but also the scars that prove His love for me. My heart, hand, life or fate are all in His control as I belong to Him. What an amazing confidence and peace His love makes possible!

Thank you Lord, that You will never forget me.

(Look familiar? This is a re-post from 2020)


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Where Are You Looking?

Scripture for Today: Psalm 147:5 “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hedera_baltica/29107323717/in/photostream/

This Long Eared Owl can turn his head every which way. Because his head is connected with just one socket pivot instead of our two, he can turn his head almost 360 degrees. It may be that many of us are turning our heads to look behind us, being that this is the last week of the year. The excitement of Christmas day is passed and the hoopla of the New Year’s celebration is ahead of us. What a perfect time to slow it down and reflect on this last year and the changes it has brought. We remember both the good and not so good. And hopefully, in looking back we gain wisdom.

Today’s verse reveals that God never needs to look back to gain wisdom. He is great and mighty in power. And there are no limits to His understanding. He does not need to look back over 2022 to make plans for 2023! He never wishes He could change an action taken in the past as all His ways are perfect. (Deut. 32:4) He would never regret His own perfect decisions nor would He be surprised at their outcomes. There is no need for God to look back to improve His understanding of events. He is all-knowing and eternal, seeing all from outside the confines of time.

What a mighty God I serve! There is nothing He does not understand. He is aware of every thought, every motive and every circumstance. How deep are the riches of His wisdom and knowledge! (Rom. 11:33) And this is why I can trust Him for 2023. He not only completely understands what I cannot about the past but He already sees what is ahead. There is a plan already in place, globally and personally. (Jer. 29:11) My understanding will always be limited. But I can trust my All-Knowing Father, looking back with gratitude and facing the future with confidence.

Thank you Lord, for understanding my past and my future.


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The Core

Scripture for Today: Ephesians 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”

Picnicking with my French friend in the rolling hills of Alsace, I was surprised to see her completely finish her apple, core and all! I had always heard that apple seeds were poisonous. I have since learned that they do indeed contain “amygdalin” which releases cyanide into the blood stream. But it would take eating 40 cores to reach a fatal dose. Perhaps, the health benefits of eating just one entire apple outweigh any risk.

Today’s verse speaks of the “core” or the inner being of a person. Physical training exercises that strengthen the core are important to good health. Spiritually, we need strength as well. But our source of strength does not have much to do with what we eat or how we exercise. We are strengthened in our spiritual core by the Spirit indwelling the believer. It is out of the inexhaustible riches of His power that He makes us strong. All the spiritual disciplines are important to grow in faith. But in the end, it is His power that gives us the strength to keep on keeping on.

I need to know this for the times I am feeling especially weak in my faith. In a period of apathy or of doubt, I need His Spirit to strengthen and reassure me, there in the secret parts of me that no one sees. When I cry out for His help, He hears and He answers. After experiencing His renewed strength, it would be ludicrous to boast about MY efforts or MY spirituality! I am a clay jar, fragile and weak so that His power is obvious to others!

Thank you Lord, for the daily strength available in You.