Devotions By Jan


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Snow Monkey

Scripture for Today: Revelation 3:15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other.”

This Japanese macaque or snow monkey looks almost asleep as she enjoys the warmth of the hot springs. These volcanic pools or “onsens” can reach 100 degrees fahrenheit at Hell’s Valley or Honshu, Japan. This boiling water bubbles up from frozen snow-covered ground due to volcanic activity underneath. What a contrast with the bitter cold of this alpine environment! No other primate is more northern living nor lives in a colder climate!

Believers were neither hot nor cold in today’s verse. The Lord is rebuking the church of Laodicea out of love. (verse 19) These believers were doing good deeds. But something was wrong. They were not done with any kind of passion. Perhaps they were showing kindness and giving to others out of habit or a sense of obligation. However, the Lord sees the heart and the motivation. And like the good works that prove to be wood, hay and straw rather than gold, silver and costly stones, there is a marked difference (I Cor. 3:12-13) The Lord asks them to repent and be earnest.

The difficult question I ask myself is whether I am being earnest. No one else can know the answer as it is a matter of the heart. Frankly, the good I may do for someone else may be tainted with thoughts of self aggrandizement or reciprocal expectations. When my thoughts of “I should help” outweigh my thoughts of “I want to help” than perhaps I am being lukewarm. The only way I know to be passionate in serving Him is to continually connect to the Vine and have that fruit naturally flow from my relationship with Him!

Lord, keep me earnest today.


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Protecting Vines

Scripture for Today: John 15:1-2 “I (Jesus) am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is frozen_vineyard_in_luxembourg.jpeg
Mya, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

France is experiencing record lows late in the season. Drastic action is being taken to keep those vines from freezing. This includes lighting fires and “crop candles” in an effort to raise the temperature. Some vinedressers even concoct a special herb tea infusion for the vines! Giant fans and helicopters are used to pull warmer air from higher up, pushing it toward the ground.

Today’s verses describes some drastic action as well. God is the gardener or vinedresser for His true vine; His Son, Jesus. Believers are the branches that need special care to be fruitful. Not only do we as the branches need to stay connected to our Vine but we are worked on by our Vinedresser to be fruitful. Some branches are cut off because they produce absolutely no fruit, completely missing their reason to be! Others produce fruit but need His pruning and cleaning to produce more and better fruit for Him.

I would rather have His care, even if it involves drastic measures, than to completely miss my purpose! Being pruned is not a comfortable experience. But I know my Father’s discipline is not a punishment as my sins are paid for on the cross. His discipline is a teaching moment and always done with love and for my benefit. He turns around the freezing temperatures of indifference or pride in my life. With His care, I can look forward to my service becoming more and better fruit!

Lord, thank you for Your loving care.


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Notes of Hope

Scripture for Today: Psalm 92:1-2 “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.”

Music filled the hall in New York City, calming the nerves and giving encouragement to those taking the vaccine. Sing For Hope was founded just after 911 to encourage the first responders. Their mission statement says, “Sing for Hope harnesses the power of the arts to create a better world.” Being that music continues in Heaven where no improvement is needed, music must have a much more profound purpose.

Today’s verse gives us the best purpose of music; that of praising our Creator! We praise Him for His love in the morning, allowing us another day of life. We praise Him for His faithfulness at night for having brought us through another day. Our praise is non-stop all day long! But more than that, our praise in music continues on into eternity, echoing down golden streets! Our music on earth is only a warm-up before the big and eternal concert of praise to our Savior!

Despite a raspy voice, sour notes or being off key, my music is beautiful being “heart music” and it will continue forever! (Psalm 30:12) Praising Him lifts my spirits, refocusing my attention on HIm. Music directed to Him calms my heart and encourages me to be more faithful to Him. Music is such a gift to all humanity but as a believer, it stirs my soul to praise Him! And that praise brings a renewed sense of closeness to the Creator of all the arts! God-honoring music may or may not make a better world, but it does make a better me!

Lord, make this a day of continual praise!


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Follow The Arrows

Scripture for Today: Psalm 43:3 “Send forth your light and your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.”

It’s been years since our children watched Sesame Street but there is one song from this program that refuses to leave my head, “Follow the Arrows.” The lyrics say, “Follow the arrows, just follow, don’t say no. Follow the arrows, they’ll show you where to go…” These arrows point every which way. But if frustrated, one can always follow the arrow towards the Mad Tea Party in Alice’s Wonderland and forget all about it!

Today’s verse tells us what to follow. God promises to send the arrows of His light and truth, demonstrating His faithful care for His own. He will never steer us in the wrong direction. His light and truth will always lead back to His presence. The author of this psalm wonders why his soul is so downcast and disturbed. Yet he recognizes that at the altar of God he will find joy and delight (verse 4). It is in God’s presence that he will hope again as he praises his Savior. (verse 5)

When I am depressed and feeling far from my Creator, there are lots of arrows I could follow. The world points me to the distractions it has to offer. But they all fall short of true lasting joy. Some arrows point to science as the answer to everything. But I am more interested in the Creator of science and the delight I can feel in His presence. Some arrows appear for such a short time as they point me to the newest fad. But when I follow the light and truth of God’s Word, I am led right back to Him!

Thank you Lord, that Your light and truth point me to You!


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Holocaust Remembrance Day

Scripture for Today:  Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast.”

What a sobering experience it was to tour the Dachau concentration camp. This gate, like the one at Auschwitz, screams the absurdity that “Work Sets You Free.” The horrifying truth was that the only freedom for those prisoners was found in death. The saying comes from the title of a novel by a German author. In that story, thieves and gamblers discovered their redemption through labor.

Today’s verse teaches a truth that for some is counter-intuitive. Very clearly it states that salvation does not come through our work or efforts. We want to think that somehow, something we did contributed to being saved. But no matter how hard one works to earn Heaven, man will always fall short of the perfect standard of God’s holiness. We cannot free ourselves from the damning chains of sin without God taking the initiative. His grace or unmerited favor, is what frees us. Salvation itself is free and a gift from God. Because this is true, none of us can boast about having anything to do with it!

My gratitude towards God grows by leaps and bounds when I grasp this truth. It is all grace and it is amazing! There is tremendous freedom in my spirit to be assured that my salvation depends on Him and not my efforts. Without this truth, I would always be in a state of fear and worry about my eternal destination. Putting my faith and trust in what HE did on that cross rather than in what I can do makes me free indeed!

Thank you Lord, that Your gift of grace saves me and makes me truly free!

(Look familiar? This is a post from 2018 to honor this day)