Devotions By Jan


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Confused Bees

Proverbs 24:14 “Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

It was only a ten-minute grocery stop for a man in New Mexico. He had left the window down and on returning, calmly left the parking lot. But it was immediately apparent that something was not right. That something turned out to be a swarm of 15,000 bees who had taken over his back seat! After voicing his surprise he called 911. This swarm had probably split from another colony, following another queen, and looking to find a new location.

Today’s verse likens wisdom to the sweet taste of honey. Finding wisdom is worth the effort as it will mean a future hope. There was no future for those bees in choosing that car. Nor is there much hope of a positive future for the fool who discounts God’s words. But the one who is wise is the one who treasures His words, finding them “sweeter than honey” (Psalm 119:103) God’s Word is what makes wise the simple (Psalm 19:7). And with wisdom one makes the best decisions, including where to relocate!

Gaining wisdom is a lifelong process involving not only reading and knowing His word, but intentionally putting it into practice. I cannot read His Word like an advice column that I can take or leave. God’s Word is not just full of  suggestions on how I should live. It is authoritative. God’s precepts give me not only a good course of action but the very best one! I have no wisdom of my own but I can walk in His wisdom when I submit to His way! Living wisely means there is hope for my future!

Lord, make this day sweet by helping me be wise.


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Rose of Jericho

Scripture for Today: Luke 24:7 “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”

This unusual plant in its happy state is a beautiful green with tiny white flowers. Pictured here is its dried out state. This plant, also called “Resurrection Plant,” is able to survive long periods of time with no water. This small grey plant will curl its branches and seed pods inward in a dry season for even years at a time. Then the ball it forms, if still rooted, will open when moistened. What was seemingly dead and gone comes back to life!

Today’s verse comes from Luke’s amazing account of Christ’s resurrection. Two men in dazzling white spoke this to the women who had come early in the morning to the Lord’s tomb. I wonder which shock was greater; the absence of Jesus’ body or the presence of these angels! When the angels announced, “He is not here. He has risen,” they remembered the Lord’s words. When these women reported this to the disciples they were understandably incredulous! They were grieving. They had given up hope and felt lost without their beloved Lord.

When I read this account I wish I could have told the disciples during those three dark days, “Just wait!” As the truth of Jesus’ resurrection finally dawned on them, grieving was turned into shouts of joy! Their hope was no longer dead but had revived. The fact of the Lord’s triumph over death does the same thing for me! Death is only a temporary separation because He lives. His resurrection has proved not only His love but His power as God. HE is my hope and it is a hope that cannot die!

Thank you Lord, that because You live I have hope.


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Lamb or Lion?

Scripture for Today: John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.'”

The lamb walking up to the cross does not seem threatening at all! He is small, white and vulnerable. The lion, however, gives pause. He is near the cross but has stopped short of it. That ferocious ruling lion is sitting, seemingly to wait. As we commemorate Good Friday or Holy Friday today, we are seeing only the lamb. For some who do not see the lion, today may not mean much. But the lion is one and the same as that weak sacrificial lamb.

Today’s verse was spoken by John the Baptist who recognized the One who was to be the Lamb of God. This Jesus would be led like a lamb to the slaughter for our sins, taking on our punishment (Is. 53:7). But the sacrificial lamb becomes the lion as He rules over and conquers death three days later! Jesus is called the “Lion of Judah” who has triumphed! (Rev. 5:5) Jesus will one day return, not as a humble baby but a triumphant eternal King of Kings.

What looks like defeat on this solemn day is actually the precursor to amazing triumph! Jesus would emerge from that grave a victor over death. He is revealed as a strong, ruling lion who is to be feared. When He returns He will right all wrongs and establish justice. I am so grateful to be forgiven but that does not mean that I will not tremble in His holy presence! Yes, Jesus is approachable as the Lamb, but He is also awe inspiring as the Lion.

Thank you Lord, for being the Lamb of God today, and also a Lion to be feared.


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Maundy Thursday

Scripture for Today: John 13:34 “A new commandment I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

This beautiful carving of the Last Supper can be seen at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. This impressive Gothic-style cathedral is a commanding presence on the Rhine River and can boast being the tallest twin-spired church in the world! This carving is part of an arch depicting many biblical scenes. Today is Maundy Thursday which commemorates Christ’s final Passover and Last Supper before Easter. Maundy is from the Latin, “madatum,” meaning command.

Today’s verse is a new commandment Christ gave us on this very day. It was a busy one as this was also the day when Jesus showed His love for His disciples by washing their feet (John 13: 1-17). He loved them to the very end (verse 1). As Jesus shared His last meal with them, He established the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper or communion as a visual reminder of the sacrifice He was about to make. His love was a sacrificial one and He commands that His followers have that same kind of love for each other.

There are many churches that mark this day with observances that mirror Christ’s own; washing feet and taking the Lord’s Supper. It is a solemn moment as I approach that fateful and pivotal day of crucifixion. It helps me to ready my heart for Good Friday. But perhaps an even more meaningful way to mark this day is for me to obey this command of love. Not only today but everyday, He wants me to show the world that I am His disciple through the way I love (verse 35). With my selfish heart, I find it one of the harder commands to follow.

Lord, I need Your help to love like You do!


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The Takahe

Scripture for Today: John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this.'”

How wonderful to have the takahe be part of our world! This beautiful flightless bird of New Zealand was thought to be extinct in the late 1800’s. But it was rediscovered in 1948 in some remote valleys on South Island. The takahe is one of the over 100 species that have been declared extinct but have later resurfaced. This phenomena has a name, the “Lazarus effect.”

Today’s verse comes from the scene of Lazarus’ resurrection. Lazarus had died four days earlier and now Jesus arrives. He is speaking to the sister, Martha, declaring Himself the resurrection and the life. She answers, Yes, to that very important question he poses. Jesus then asks her to demonstrate her belief by rolling back the stone covering the tomb of Lazarus. What happens next is jaw dropping as Jesus prays and Lazarus emerges from the tomb! Unfortunately, Lazarus would again experience death. But because he believed in the One who is the resurrection and the life, his soul would live on and never die.

What hope I have! Death is never the end. Jesus proved that He is the resurrection and the life when He raised Himself up from His grave. Death could not defeat Him and it will not defeat me either. He has promised. Not only do I have a resurrection to look forward to but He has given me life that is worth living in the here and now! When I live with eternity in view it makes sense of my life.

Thank you Lord, that You are my resurrection and my life!