Devotions By Jan


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Climbing Mountains

Scripture for Today: Ecclesiastes 2:22 “What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?”

I love a good challenge.  Having worthy goals can stimulate and engage us.  Without them we can become bored and disinterested in life.  But it is not always easy to balance the need for new mountains to climb and the ideal of being content.  When the summit is reached, there can be a sense of deep satisfaction at the accomplishment.  The problem comes when that feeling dissipates.  And from the summit we see new mountains to climb.  Do we stop climbing and find contentment on our summit?  Or can we be content while continually seeking new mountains to climb?

Today’s verse from King Solomon asks a good question.  Why do we work?  Why do we strive and toil?  Whether it is for altruistic or selfish motives, what is our purpose for our mountain climbing?  After all of Solomon’s accomplishments he concluded that though his “heart took delight” in what he had done (vs. 10) he felt it was meaningless.  A life of significance that is meaningful has nothing to do with reaching our financial or vocational goals.  But it has everything to do with relationship.

There is no higher more satisfying goal than to know Jesus personally.  It is a relationship that is all consuming and never ending. Knowing Him is not only a life-long process, but an eternity-long process.  Our God is so grand and awesome that one can never come to the end of knowing Him!  He is the life-giver, the life-sustainer and the reason for which I live.  Knowing, loving and serving Him is the mountain I climb.  I will never reach the summit and that is fine with me as He gives me such joy along the way!

Lord, let me climb higher today!

 

 


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Crowning This New Year

Scripture for Today: Psalm 65:11 “You crown the year with Your good blessings and You leave abundance in Your wake.”

This crown belongs to Queen Elizabeth and being that it weighs three pounds, the quote from Shakespeare must be especially true for her; “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”  It is so heavy that the Queen will practice wearing it a few days before having to don it for an official ceremony.  But the crown is impressive with its valuable jewels.  More than that, it impresses as a symbol of power and authority.

Today’s verse describes a power and authority much larger than that of an earthly monarch!  We serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  It is in His power to crown a year with His blessing and abundance!  He came in order to give His followers a life that is abundant (John 10:10).  He promises His blessings for those who are obedient to Him.  His eyes search over the entire earth to see whose hearts are fully committed to Him, in order to strengthen them (II Chron. 16:9).  He looks to bless His own with good things as a Father does for his son (Matt. 7:11).

How reassuring to be His own and face this new year with trust and confidence in His provision!  I do not know what the new year will hold, but like the saying says, “I know who holds the future.”  He is worth trusting.  He will crown this new year with His goodness toward me.  I know this with every fiber of my being because He has promised, and He has been so faithful in the past.  Whatever this new year may hold, I can look forward to the eventual fulfillment of every hope and every dream.

Happy New Year to all my readers and may you experience blessing this New Year!


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“CAVU”

Scripture for Today: Colossians 3:1 “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”

Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited, or CAVU, is an aviation term that pilots use to indicate good flying weather.  But it is also used as slang to mean anything sought after or desirable.  For the late President George H.W. Bush, this term described his approach to life.  He had the acronym on a plaque in his office.  And on his 80th birthday he described his life as CAVU, “thanks to my family and friends.”

Today’s verse gives us a look past the ceiling of the sky to something beyond.  It is only visible to our spiritual eyes.  But like the former president, this unobstructed view of Heaven is to describe our approach to life.  We have been raised up with Christ from the old life to the new.  We are to set not only hearts but also our minds (verse 2) on what is there.  Christ is there, seated at the right hand of God.  Our focus is to be on this reality more than on the temporal things of earth.

I can only “see” beyond the things of this earth by being in His Word.  The truths read and studied there lift my sights to what is eternal.  I frankly could not smile without being reassured in His Word of what is to come.  Life can be pretty awful sometimes.  Knowing that God has planned what eye cannot see, ear cannot hear or even what our minds cannot imagine (I Cor. 2:9) is an enormous comfort when things are so sad and so hard.

Thank you Lord, that, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim,” when I see You.

 

 

 

 

 


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Chocolate River!

Scripture for Today:  Romans 5:15 “But the gift is not like the trespass.  For if the many died by the trespass of one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many.”

This looks like a dream come true….a river of chocolate!  About a ton of liquid chocolate recently escaped its storage tank near Werl, Germany, flowing out to the street!  When it hit the chilly sidewalks it solidified, making clean-up difficult.  Even so, 25 firefighters were able to scoop up the mess with their shovels.  I wonder if any of it ended up in mouths as well!

Today’s verse talks about an overflow that is even better than chocolate!  Paul is teaching that even though the consequences of Adam’s sin are far reaching and for all time, God’s grace and salvation overflows to the many.  His grace or unmerited favor is greater than all our sin (Romans 5:20).  There is not a single sin that is not covered by God’s grace when confessed.  The gift of His grace is much greater than the judgement that followed that one sin of Adam’s.  Christ’s gift of grace covers all sin and provides right standing with God (verse 16).

God’s abundant supply of grace is overflowing.  He never stops it up and says, “that’s enough!”  His grace never runs dry.  It continually flows bringing forgiveness and righteousness!  As I continually sin, I need His grace to be overflowing.  Everyday I need to feel His love and forgiveness wash over me, giving me a new start.  Everyday I can count on His grace as it has nothing to do with me earning it and everything to do with His incredible love.

Thank you Lord, for Your overflowing grace to me!

 


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A California Christmas!

Scripture for Today: Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

In Southern California, our “white” Christmas was only white because of the sand!  This manger scene built on the beach is about as “Christmassy” as we can manage close to the waves of the ocean.  Perhaps it will last a bit longer being put together with stones.  However, it is a sure thing that it will disappear.  Perhaps, two days after Christmas, the feelings of peace and joy have already disappeared as well.

Today’s verse says that our hearts can be made of stone.  Hearts made of stone are stubborn, resistant and unresponsive to God’s voice.  This heart may occasionally feel a taste of that peace and joy at Christmas time.  But it is generally hard with self-protection.  Having a heart of flesh can make one vulnerable to hurt.  However, a heart of stone can carry one through life without being broken.  A heart of stone will not feel guilt or conviction either.  A hard heart made of stone can be proudly self-sufficient.

Every time I move away from the Lord by neglecting His Word and prayer, I feel my heart start to harden around the edges.  The longer I allow this to continue, the more difficult it is to get back to that soft heart of flesh that listens and obeys.  It is with a heart of flesh that I can experience the peace and joy He offers.  It is His new spirit within me that makes me open to His love.  Living with a stone heart is not life at all.

Lord, keep my heart soft towards You today.