Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: Submission


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Chocolate Only Please

Scripture for Today: Ephesians 5:21-22  “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.”

My husband and I were having lunch with my French chorale group after a concert.  At that round table,  everyone was ordering the ice cream dessert, vanilla with chocolate sauce.  My husband, concerned about cost, told me we could get a cone later that night.  I was not happy as chocolate ice cream is my weakness.  As my husband left for the bathroom, others encouraged me to go ahead and order!  Thankfully, I resisted as they were out of the chocolate sauce and gave everyone strawberry instead.  Later that night I doubly enjoyed my chocolate ice cream cone!

Today’s verse tells us that we are to submit to others as a sign of reverence for Christ.  This submission is done reciprocally in a marriage but then wives are specifically addressed.  When a wife submits to her husband she is showing her love by respecting him (verse 33).  This submission is not unlike our submission to the Lord, also to show love and respect.  And just as the submission of Christ to the Father is a strength, so our submission is a show of strength and commitment to God’s plan.

The hardest part of submitting to my husband’s wishes that day was the public nature of it.  I was concerned that I would look like a weak push-over in front of the others.  But respecting my husband was more important than their opinion.  The Lord was so good to sweeten the experience that evening with what I really wanted.  And the added benefit was the sweetness in our relationship!

Lord, give me the strength to submit, showing my love for my husband and for You.

 


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Remote Control Mix-Up

Scripture for Today:  Psalm 37:5  “Commit your way to the Lord;  trust in Him and He will do this.”

This array of remote controls is impressive!  I cannot imagine trying to keep them all straight.  Seriously, I would probably mix them up to the point of inadvertently turning on or off the wrong thing.  Even with the few we have, I have been mixed up, pointing the fan remote at the television and wondering why nothing happened!  All these controls must give one a sense of command.  With voice recognition we can tell lights to come on or heating to turn off.  It is a powerful feeling to have the environment obey one’s every command!

Today’s verse teaches believers to give up control of our lives to the Lord.  There are plenty of things over which we have no control.  But for those things we do, we are to entrust even those to Him.  This is not a natural reaction to a problem.  In fact, in facing a difficulty beyond one’s control, the first inclination is to somehow find a sense of control.  But committing one’s way to the Lord is yielding it all to Him.  It is an intentional decision to allow the Lord His perfect way and to relinquish control.

My basic problem in yielding those controls to Him is a lack of trust.  Why ever do I think I can do a better job of it than He can?  Trusting in myself and my own limited understanding may keep control in my feeble hands but His way is always better.  Even when His way is difficult, I can trust that He knows what He is doing.  Nothing is random and I can be confident that He does have a plan.

Thank you, Lord, for your wise and loving control.


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Martens in the House!

Scripture for Today: Proverbs 11:6 “The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.”

The cute and furry martens in our area of France were a real problem.  Because we had a car port rather than a garage, they would burrow up into the car carriage for warmth and chew on the wires!  A devise with an electrical shock discouraged them.  But the parties they would have in our attic were quite another challenge!  The only solution was trapping them and letting them go as they were protected.  Thankfully, our landlord took care of them with boiled eggs luring them into cages.

Today’s verse talks about what will trap those who feel no allegiance to the Lord; their evil desires.  What looks innocuous and tasty turns out to be dangerous.  Their evil desires promise comfort and warmth but instead deliver a nasty shock.  Those who are in right standing with God are delivered from even wanting what is evil and wicked.  Their righteous living keeps them away from entrapment.  When the one who is righteous delights in the Lord, his desires change and are no longer evil, aligning with His desires (Psalm 37:4).

It is not always easy for me to determine if my desires are evil and self-serving.  My heart can deceive me and my rational can be flawed.  Sin can be sneaky and alluring and temptation can be very strong.  It is only in submitting my desires to Him that I can have any confidence that my desires are lining up with His.  He will shine the light of His Word and expose the thoughts and attitudes of my heart. (Heb. 4:12)  The discomfort of conviction is a whole lot better than becoming trapped!

Lord, change my desires to be like Yours.

Photo Credit: Thomas Broxton Jr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/133339206@N03/17344629244


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Stubborn as a Donkey

Scripture for Today: Nehemiah 9:17a “They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles You performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.”

When a donkey refuses to budge, it might as well stick out his tongue at you!  Donkeys have the reputation of being strong willed and obstinate.  But in their donkey brains they are stubborn for a reason.  No matter how hard one pulls on a donkey, he will not move if he feels in danger or if he feels he is being overworked.  Sometimes a donkey just has to stop and think whether he wants to obey or not.  And if not, they will plant their hooves and refuse to move.

Today’s verse describes the Israelites as stubborn and stiff-necked.  God had made His commandments very clear, but they refused to listen to His voice.  They also chose not to remember all His miracles in leading them out of slavery in Egypt.  The result was a stubborn conviction that their way was best, even if it meant returning to that slavery!  They planted their feet and refused to go on.  Perhaps they felt it was just too hard to obey.  Thankfully, God did not give up on them (verse 17b).  Because He is gracious and compassionate, He forgave them.

It is easy to see their stubbornness but I tend to gloss over this trait in myself.  Any time I refuse to listen to God’s voice of conviction, I am at risk of stubbornly returning to sin’s slavery.  Any time I forget all of what He has done for me, I am likely to stubbornly do what seems best to me.

Thank you, Lord that You do not give up on me.  Help me to listen and remember today!


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On the Move

Scripture for Today:  Jeremiah 8:7  “Even the stork in the sky knows when it is time to move on.  The turtledove, swallow and the crane recognize the normal times for their migration.  But My people pay no attention to what I, the Lord, require of them.”

I am fortunate to have lived in an area known for its stork population.  I so enjoyed watching them fly past our windows.  The cranes around there were almost as big but do not have the same “wow” effect for me.  Every year I watched for them to return with the warmer weather.  They would spend the winter in Sub-Saharan Africa, something I wished I could do in the middle of those long cold months!  And they often returned to the exact same nest.

Today’s verse talks about four different kinds of birds but with one thing in common; they all migrate.  Their little bird brains know instinctively when it is time to move on so as to avoid the freezing temperatures.  Jeremiah mentions these birds as a contrast to the Israelites.  The people prided themselves in possessing the Law of God.  But they continually turned to their own individual course, rather than following God’s way.  The Law, instead of being written in their hearts, became a mere code or outward ceremony.

I wish obeying God was as instinctive for me as migration is for the birds.  But then it would not mean as much.  God wants my obedience to be an intentional choice.  Knowing what God expects of me is a good thing.  But I do not want to make the same mistake as the Israelites.  The point is not how many Bible verses I can recite by heart.  He is more interested in how many I obey!

Help me, Lord, to be obedient.