Devotions By Jan


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Our Training Wheels

Scripture for Today: I Timothy 4:7 “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourselves to be godly.”

This sweet little girl looks a bit unsure of herself, even though she uses training wheels. She glances behind her to make sure her mom stays close. I can still remember learning to ride a simple bike with those all-important training wheels. The first time I tried riding without them was a wobbly milestone moment! Mom had to be close enough to grab me in case I fell or I would not have attempted it!

Today’s verse reveals that to be godly takes training. Paul was addressing the false Gnostic ideas that condemned marriage and certain foods. Perhaps this group thought such heresies would give them a shortcut to godliness. But godliness, or conduct that honors God, can only come through knowledge of the Truth (Titus 1:1) The Lord has already provided everything needed for the believer to live a life of godliness through our knowledge of Him (II Peter 1:3). But there is no shortcut to studying the Scriptures, which give us our training in righteousness (II Tim. 3:16).

The training never stops. Those small helpful wheels never come off! I can never come to the end of knowing Him. There will always be more to learn and more changes to make in my behavior. I may make progress but I will always need Him, His wisdom and His strength to avoid falling over! I need to be continually in His Word to exemplify any godliness in my life. In studying His Word I grow closer to Him and He keeps me balanced. His Word shows me how beautiful He is! And His Word shows me how to live a beautiful godly life that honors Him.

Help me Lord, to live in a way that honors You.


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Bibliophile

Scripture for Today: Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Is this cat a bibliophile, appreciating and collecting books? More likely, his paw is just serving as a bookmark for his owner. Today is National Book Lover’s Day. This is a day where one is encouraged to spend the whole day reading! We observe this day by visiting the public library. Or we can explore a used book store for that overlooked gem of an out-of-print tome. Another way to mark the day is to randomly give a book to someone.

Today’s verse talks about a book that records all the days that are allotted to each one of us. He Himself has authored this book and it is timeless. It records the length of our lives before they are even begun. What an amazing verse that makes clear just how detailed and expansive His control is! As He has planned, and as He has purposed, so it will happen (Isaiah 14:24). Every entrance into the hereafter is on the very day recorded in that book.

It is a tremendous comfort to know that God never slips up. A death may still seem untimely to me, but He knows. A life may be violently cut short, but God has a plan through all of it that we do not see on this side of eternity. I cannot thwart His plan for my exit from this world. Rather than be frightened at the thought, I am reassured that He has a plan. His control is good because He is good. I do not need to know the number of my days. I just need to know that He knows.

Lord, help me to always be confident of Your control.


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Make Up Call

Scripture for Today: Acts 17:31 “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/christianspenceranderson/6138402466

The Make Up Call would never be necessary in a perfect world where every referee call were done perfectly. But of course, referees are only human. If he erroneously gives possession of the basketball to one team, he may try to balance out the injustice with a make up call. To do that he may quickly whistle a travel or improper zone defense on that team in order to restore possession to the other wronged team. That penalty may be entirely fictional in order to right a previous wrong!

Today’s verse promises a day when the world will be judged. All wrongs will be put right. Perfect justice will be meted out and it will be perfectly done. It will be perfect because of who is appointed to do it; Jesus Christ. The proof of His right to establish justice is evident in His resurrection. In His perfect judgement there will be no make up calls to balance out an injustice. There will no challenges at all to the absolute rightness of what He will declare.

At no point can I ever argue with the His perfect justice. I can never point out something He missed or excuse myself because of my good intentions. There are no extenuating circumstances that can cloud the issue of my absolute guilt before Him. His justice is always fair. Thankfully, He sees Christ’s righteousness when looking at me (Rom. 3:22) and I am under no condemnation (Rom. 8:1). But it is comforting to know that whatever injustice gets overlooked here will one day be put right.

Thank you Lord, for Your perfect justice.


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Smart Glasses

Scripture for Today: Psalm 25:15 “My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.”

AGCO-Fendt, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Smart cars, smart phones, and now, smart glasses are becoming more and more commonplace. It seems we need all the gadgets in order to be really smart! Smart glasses free up the hands in doing a task while at the same time, allowing access to a computer. The reflected digital images appear in one’s field of vision but allow the user to see through it. The upshot is, the wearer may seem to be looking at you while in fact seeing something completely unrelated!

Today’s verse reminds us of the importance of keeping our eyes ever on the Lord. When we do, He instructs us in the way to choose (verse 12). With our eyes on the Lord, He relieves the troubles of our hearts and frees us from anguish (verse 17). When we look to Him, He takes care of our sin and our enemies (verses18-19). Having our eyes ever and always on Him means He will rescue us from the snares and traps of the evil one.

It is smart to keep my eyes on the Lord. No one else can do for me what He does! There is no gadget or new invention that can touch my heart and soul. His power, protection and peace are mine when I focus my trust and attention on Him. I dare not trust in man at all whether it be in his wealth, science or technology (Psalm 20:7). I want Jesus to always be in my field of vision. He is the Author and Perfecter of my faith (Heb. 12:2).

Lord, keep me looking to You today.


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Feathers

Scripture for Today: Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Is there anything softer than downey feathers? This is certainly why some duvets and pillows afford such wonderful and comforting sleep. Apart from being breathable and regulating body temperature, these soft feathers will envelop and conform to the body. They are so malleable that there is less strain on the muscles. Their natural softness just wraps around the body, so much so that it is hard to leave!

What a beautiful image feathers are in today’s verse! The Lord covers the believer with something so soft. Yet, at the same time, His feathers are strong, providing refuge from any attack! It is under His wings that we discover His faithful care, as strong and protective as a shield or surrounding rampart. His feathers are lightweight, not weighing us down. We can breathe deeply and catch our breath there, surrounded by His attentive safe keeping. His soft feathers wrap around the body shielding us from whatever threatens us.

The best place to be is under His wings. How good He is to provide that respite for the soul! Sometimes I do not even realize how harsh the world is until I go there and feel the contrast of His soft enveloping love. He offers me His protection and strength there under His waiting wings. But how often do I go there? I am just silly enough to walk right past Him and muddle through on my own. But I have had enough of hard realities. I need to relax, let go, and bask in the soft realities of His love and care.

Lord, keep me under Your wings today.