Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: Holiness


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Murphy’s Law!

Scripture for Today: Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

I am not sure who Murphy is but I would like to have a word with him! The old adage says, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” There are many versions of how this saying came to be. But in any case, the identity of Murphy, if ever real, has been lost. His law was definitely at work on me as my computer crashed the same day as I dropped and broke my cell phone. It was not a good day. I hesitated to get into my car!

Today’s verse describes the Christ-like qualities that the Holy Spirit produces in a believer. There will never be a law against these beautiful characteristics in any culture or in any century. The previous verses describe behaviors for which all kinds of laws are needed. But laws will never be needed to control or stifle these admirable qualities. Even with Murphy’s Law, a Spirit-controlled person will respond to that horrible awful day in a different manner.

I guess I was not so Spirit-controlled as all those negatives happening at once caused me to lose it!  Where did the patience go? What happened to forbearance and self-control? Responding with the flesh is so much easier. But some days I can laugh it off or at least take things in stride. The toast landing wrong side down is the perfect litmus test of where my heart is with the Lord. Regardless of what problems arise, I cannot respond like Him without His help. It is only by His Spirit that I can keep it together!

Lord, keep me filled and controlled by Your Spirit today.

(Look familiar? This is a post from 2016)


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Mud Rain

Scripture for Today: Jeremiah 2:22 “Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me.”

My husband’s recent ministry road trip meant that extra effort was needed to keep the car looking presentable. After an especially long car-cleaning session, it felt good to have all that road dust removed. However, that night there was a blustery rain storm. In the morning, he expected to simply have an added rinse. Instead, the car was covered with “mud rain!” During the night those winds had blown in dust particles that had combined with the raindrops, negating all his cleaning!

Today’s verse is God’s reprimand to the Israelites for turning away from Him to false gods. They even knew they were were guilty but said, “It’s no use! I love foreign gods and I must go after them.” (verse 25) Their poor attempts at washing themselves did nothing to remove the guilt as they continued in their disobedience. God in His grace and mercy would have forgiven their sin and guilt had they been sincerely repentant.

Turning away from what I know to be wrong requires His power. There are times I too am thinking, “It’s no use” when desiring change. Yet, He has promised a “way out” when feeling overwhelmed with temptation. (I Cor. 10:13) He understands everything I am thinking and feeling and He is there, ready to give the grace that says “no” to temptation. (Titus 2:11-12) And when I blow it, His cleansing not only removes the sin but also the guilt!

Lord, thank you for your patient and complete forgiveness!


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Not So Perfect!

Scripture for Today: Proverbs 20:8-10 “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin.'”?

I was told that Amish quilts had an interesting peculiarity. A “mistake” sometimes called a “humble block” will intentionally be included in the handwork. The idea is that no one is perfect except God. In looking for the origin of this practice, I learned that the Amish quilters themselves strongly deny this custom. Yet, the folklore continues. This myth is embraced however by those producing Persian rugs and Native Americans blankets with the same idea; no one is perfect!

Today’s verse is a rhetorical question and the obvious answer is, “no one!” We need not look to flawed individuals in Scripture for examples. We need only to look in the mirror! We all fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) Jesus tells us to be “perfect” or “complete” even as the Father is. And He asks this of His followers in the context of loving our enemies. If there is ever a litmus test of imperfection or incompleteness, it is this! Do I love my enemies? Can I?

Loving those who love me makes me feel fairly satisfied with myself. But I know how closed my heart can be against a perceived enemy. It is a great coping skill to excuse myself and rationalize my behavior with the same thought….”well, no one is perfect except God.” But with His Spirit residing in me and making His “I Corinthians 13 love” available, I am without excuse. I do not have to have warm fuzzy feelings towards that person, but He wants me to forgive and show the same love that I have received from Him!

Lord, complete what is lacking in me today.


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Waiting for the Bus!

Scripture for Today: Psalm 119:176 “I have strayed like a lost sheep.  Seek Your servant for I have not forgotten Your commands.”

I cannot even imagine what these sheep are thinking! Are they just trying to stay dry? If so, where is their shepherd? And the rest of the flock is no where in sight. Perhaps in their sheep brains they are thinking they have a better smarter idea than any of the other sheep. After all, they are calm comfortable and enjoying their shelter there in the countryside of Ireland. And what will they do when that noisy lumbering bus pulls up? Perhaps scatter in fear.

Today’s verse is the last verse of the longest psalm. The author, even though he has tremendous love and respect for God’s commands, still has a problem always following them. Like Paul, even knowing what is right to do does not always mean we do it! (Romans 7:18-21) After so many verses extolling and exalting God’s precepts, this author ends with a cry for help. He confesses his weakness and closes with a heartfelt prayer.

I have always wondered about this long psalm exalting and loving God’s Law so much. And yet the author is made of the same stuff I am, recognizing God’s commands as right and just and yet straying from them. I do the same thing when I think I have a better idea. I can so easily agree with a Biblical precept and then somehow excuse myself from following it. Thankfully when I stray, my Shepherd has that rod and staff to pull me back to where I should be: in the green pastures and beside still waters!

Lord, don’t let me stray today! 


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A Margin of Error

Scripture for Today: Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”

It is complicated to calculate margin of error, at least to those who do not have strong math skills! This concept in statistics expresses the amount of random variation underlying a survey’s results. In principle, the larger the sample is, the smaller the margin of error is. The other important factor is the confidence level, whether 90, 95 or 99%. There are also other sources of error that come into play; bias in the questions, excluding groups that could not be contacted, people refusing to respond, people lying or miscounting.

In today’s verse there is absolutely no margin of error! The sample is the largest it can be: earth’s entire population. Added to this fact is the veracity of God’s Word. Paul affirms this statement when quoting Psalm 14:1-3, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Rom. 3:11) God’s standards of righteousness are well above man’s. God looks down from Heaven on all mankind. (Ps. 53:1-3) And if it were not for the grace He showed when taking on Himself the punishment of our sins on the cross, there would be no hope of forgiveness or of eternal life with Him.

No. There is no error at all in what God declares is true. I have a confidence level of 100% because God said it. There is not a person on this planet (myself included) that can merit eternal life. No one can slide in as part of some forgotten percentage. God does not grade on a curve. His standard is holiness and I am woefully short. Thankfully, He has given me not only abundant grace but also the righteousness of His Son! (Rom. 5:17)

Thank you Lord, that there are no margins of error needed in what You say!

(Look familiar? This is a repost from 2020)