Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: God’s Strength and Power


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Sipping Hot

Scripture for Today: Romans 12:11 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

I only enjoy coffee when it is “sipping hot!”  When it gets room temperature or cold, I can hardly swallow it.  It either gets reheated in the microwave or dumped out in the sink.  Iced coffee seems a good way to reuse it but I have never acquired that taste.  The heat and the steam rising from the cup and warming me is all part of the coffee-drinking experience!  Many French friends enjoy their coffee in a bowl so as to warm their hands in the morning!

The verse that comes immediately to mind is God’s reproach to the Church in Laodicea.  They were lukewarm in their deeds, neither cold nor hot (Rev. 3:15-16).  The Lord wants us to remain hot or zealous for Him!  In our verse for today, Paul encourages the Roman church to never be lacking in zeal.  The context is our spiritual gifts used in the local church.

This fervor and zeal come from Him.  Just as the spiritual gifts are gifts of empowerment from His Spirit, so is this zeal.  When we try to manufacture zeal on our own, we run out of steam pretty quickly.  Our service becomes mechanical or ritualistic.  Our good works for the Lord come from a sense of obligation instead of being heartfelt.  We become lukewarm when we operate out of our own strength!

Not only does my zeal come from Him, but it needs to be an informed zeal that recognizes that my righteousness comes from Christ and not my own good works! (Romans 10:2)

I need some of that “spiritual fervor” today.  Lord, keep me zealous and energized for You.  I want to serve You but I cannot do it on my own.


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Teeter-Totter

Scripture for Today:  Psalm 75:6-7 “No one from the east or from the west or from the desert can exalt themselves.  It is God who judges.  He brings one down.  He exalts another.”

It has been a long time since I have seen one of these teeter-totters in a public park.  I remember playing on them as a child and coordinating my movements with a friend so we could enjoy the up and down motion.  More often than not, there were some rough landings.  Not all of them were accidental!  I managed to survive this now outdated playground equipment.  Being that it is considered a safety hazard there are very few still seen today.

Our verse for today teaches that it is our sovereign God who brings down one person and lifts up another.  Regardless of our origin we can not exalt ourselves.  This psalm of Asaph declares that God puts down the wicked and lifts up the righteous.  He has the right to do so and He does it with justice.

When we try to exalt ourselves we can make a mess of things.  That is because all who exalt themselves will be humbled (Luke 14:11).  There is nothing better than hearing compliments and praise from someone else for a job well done.  When one sings their own praises all that is heard is pride.  How much better it is to leave the matter of recognition to the Lord.

God does promise to exalt us in due time.  We are to hope in Him and faithfully keep His way as we wait to see that happen.  Not only will we see ourselves exalted but we will see the wicked destroyed (Psalm 37:34)  It is a comfort to know this.  He is just and I can trust Him.

 

 


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Drones

Scripture for Today:  II Chronicles 16:9a “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him…”

It is not a very comfortable feeling to know you are being watched.  The Los Angeles Police Department just acquired two drones which could provide much more information than a helicopter.  Some are equipped with facial recognition software, infrared technology and even speakers capable of monitoring personal conversations.  Drone use can be thought of as negative in war, espionage, and law enforcement.  But they can also be used in research, tornado prediction and the search for survivors.  Of course, a lot of the controversy surrounds privacy issues.

Our verse for today describes another kind of surveillance.  The eyes of the Lord are looking throughout the earth.  For what is He looking?  He is looking for hearts that are fully committed to Him, to strengthen them.  The context is war, and though the people were outnumbered in horses and chariots, God saw their hearts and that they relied on Him.  Because of that, He strengthened them and gave them victory.

God’s eyes are watching me to see if my heart is fully His.  His surveillance is not to punish me but to strengthen my resolve.  That is a surveillance I welcome.  But there are other eyes watching too.  My enemy the devil is prowling around like a lion, looking and looking for someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8)  He is looking for the weak and uncommitted heart.  That kind of surveillance is unwelcomed, to say the least.  But as my heart belongs fully to the Lord, I do not have to worry about that pair of eyes.  God has already secured the victory for me!

Thank you Lord, that You are my El Roi, the God Who Sees!


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Dust Bunnies

dustbunniesScripture for Today:  Psalm 103:14 “for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.”

We have a scene just like this one in our future.  As soon as we move out our very heavy bookcases, there is sure to be  some “dust bunnies” hiding out.  Between bird dander, cat hair and dust from the yard, our dust bunnies continue to grow each year we are here!  I sneeze just thinking about it!  But it is nothing in the face of a little vacuuming and water.

I have no compassion for this dust, but our verse for today is written in the context of God the Father’s compassion for His children.  He is not only compassionate but gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love (verse 8).  For those who fear Him, He forgives rather than accuses and does not treat us as our sins deserve (verses 9-10).  He calls to mind how very weak we are.  We are formed from some weak material; dust.

There are times I need to remember how I was formed as well.  Prideful thoughts can have me believing I am really something and without a real need for God.  But in fact I am nothing without Him.  I am weak and as inconsequential as a dust bunny blowing around under the bed.  It is in the hands of my Creator that I can become something of value.  He works in me to give the desire and the strength to please Him (Phil. 2:13).  I may be as weak as dust, but in Him I can be strong.

God invites me to “Look to the Lord and His strength and seek His face always.” Psalm 105:4.  His strength is equal to anything He asks of me.

Thank you Lord, for your gracious patient compassion for me!

 


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He Promised!

Scripture for Today: Romans 4:20-21 “Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He promised.”

Alsace has lots of rain, but how can I complain when I see beautiful rainbows like this one!  It is especially breathtaking when two are formed.  If there were a rainbow for every promise God has made to us, the sky would be ablaze with color!  The rainbow brings to mind the promise God gave Noah after the flood; that He would never again send a world-wide flood.  I imagine that when the first rains came after that flood, Noah and his family must have looked up at the sky with anxious eyes.  But God always keeps His Word, and the rainbow serves as a reminder of this beautiful truth.

If the rainbow reminds us of God’s faithfulness to His promises, what would a second rainbow represent?  It could stand for any one of the many promises in Scripture.  Perhaps the most important one is the promise of eternal life (I John 2:25).  But the second rainbow represents for me the power God has to fulfill all of His promises!

Our verse for today explains why Abraham could stand so firm in his faith.  God gave him the promise of a son; something that was physically impossible.  Abraham believed God without wavering because he was fully persuaded that God was powerful enough to do the impossible.  God has the power to keep all of His promises.  “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen.18:14)  The answer is an obvious “No!”

I want to be just as fully persuaded as Abraham!  Thank you Lord, for Your amazing power to do the impossible!