Devotional

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Generosity is a Privilege
Apr 01, 2019 | Arlene Pellicane

Today's Truth

He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.  (Proverbs 22:9, NKJV)

Friend to Friend

It was a generous act that got my attention.  After I was done speaking at a conference, a teenage boy asked to speak with me at my book table. “I know this may be strange,” he said. “But I’d like to buy books for the next ten people at your table.”

He handed me $100. I couldn’t believe that someone wanted to be so generous, and I couldn’t believe it was a 17-year-old boy! The host church wasn’t in an affluent part of town and I later learned that boy did not come from a rich family.  I praised his generosity and motioned for him to stay close, so he could overhear my next conversation. A kind looking woman in her fifties handed me a small stack of books to purchase. I had the privilege of saying, “An anonymous donor has already bought those books for you. Today, they are free!”

You should have seen the smile on her face and tears in her eyes. It was almost as touching as the look on that young man’s face as he saw the joy generated by his sacrificial act.  He, the generous giver, was blessed! Today’s truth says that “He who has generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.”

How does one have a generous eye?

I believe it’s about looking around to notice the needs of others and to respond. The opposite would be a selfish, me-centered eye. Now that kind of eye is the one we’re born with and the kind social media breeds. We need to cultivate a generous eye by the power of the Holy Spirit.  There was a saying posted at the host church, “Generosity is a privilege.”

It’s not a duty, burden, problem, or something to be avoided at all costs. It’s a privilege to give money in an offering, pay for someone’s meal, serve children by volunteering, or buy books for someone else. The Bible tells us what our attitude should be when giving in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

When you give generously to others, you are partnering with God in the profound work of ministry. You are putting a spotlight on the abundant good works of God in our lives. You may be generous with your money, and you can also be generous in these areas:  Your time. Spend unhurried time with your family members and best friends. Be generous with your minutes with people and miserly with your screen time. Take time out to volunteer for service projects, drive the van, or sit with a hurting friend.  Your talents. Maybe you have the heart of a coach or teacher. You can volunteer to tutor kids or coach basketball. Do you sing or play an instrument?

Get involved in your church, join a band, or minister at your local nursing home. Are you great with numbers?

You might offer to help out a non-profit with their accounting.  Your words. Be lavish in your praise and encouraging words. In Acts 20:2 (NIV) it says that Paul “traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece.”

Let’s be known for our generous acts and our generous eyes. Generosity truly is a privilege and a blessing to everyone involved.

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Standing Firm in Our Trials
Jun 19, 2018 | Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.   James 1:12

Friend to Friend

Patience is not one of my greatest strengths. In fact, I tend to live each day with a schedule in mind an agenda by which to live that day and several goals I need to meet before the day’s end.  God does have a sense of humor.  I can’t tell you how many times my schedule falls apart, the agenda is completely forgotten, and I have to move today’s goals to tomorrow’s list of things to do. I am learning that when God wants to build a certain quality in my life, He puts me in the opposite circumstance. For example, if God wants me to be more patient, He arranges the hours and minutes of my day in ways that demand patience.  What is patience?

To be patient is to have the ability to endure, but it doesn’t stop there. Patience must also have the capacity to be wronged and not retaliate. In other words, patience is love persevering and love waiting. We are not only to be patient in the way we face difficult situations but in our relationships as well. That just about covers life, doesn’t it?

One of the most powerful Bible passages on patience and perseverance is found in the book of James. “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”

Do you want to be blessed?

Stand firm in your trial. Do you want to be rewarded?

Stand firm in that tough circumstance. Be patient because patience really does pay off.  God promises blessings and rewards to those who persevere and stand firm in hard times, but the reason we can stand firm is because He loves us unconditionally and promises to walk with us through every dark moment life will bring.  Nothing touches our life that does not pass through God’s hand, with His permission.  Remember the Bible story of the man named Job?

Job was a faithful servant of God, strong in his faith and unwavering in his obedience to God. Satan didn’t like it. In fact, he went to God and asked permission to test Job. I love that truth! The devil had to go to God like an errand boy to get permission to touch His child, Job. Satan was convinced that if Job lost everything God had given him his health, his family, and his possessions if Job lost everything, he would curse God and follow Satan. God told the serpent to give it his best shot, convinced that Job would persevere. Satan stripped Job of his health, his possessions, his wealth and his family everything Job held dear. Job stood firm.  Every trial must come through His love; but every trial has a purpose. Every pain has a purpose, every ordeal contains a seed of victory, and there is a promise for every problem you and I will ever face. The psalmist writes, “The LORD is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy” (Psalm 28:7).

Patience pays off in many ways, but one of the greatest rewards of patience is joy. Joy is a deeply rooted confidence that God is in control. Warren Wiersbe writes, “When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat!”

God will never let us face more than we can handle with His help. Hebrews 12:12 says it so well: “So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs.”

I have been there, done that and can relate to a weary heart and shaky legs. Can’t you?

No matter where you are today, where you have been, or what you are facing tomorrow, be patient, knowing your God will strengthen you to stand firm.

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When You Need to Tear Down a Path and Put Up a Fence
Jun 20, 2018 | Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.  Matthew 5:29

Friend to Friend

How’s that for an encouraging verse! Jesus said it, so let’s talk about it a minute.  One Sunday my pastor had to do some housekeepin’ fussin’ at our congregation before he started his  sermon. It was a “visitors, close your ears” moment as Jimmy interrupted the service for an important message from our neighbors.  See, right beside our church property is a city park. On Sundays, when our parking lot is full, we tend to use the city parking lot for our overflow parking. The only problem is the folks going to the city park don’t like it that those daggum church people are taking their parking spaces.  It is not nice of us. Really. I’m sorry. I’ve done it too.  And while our sweet pastor calmly asked the congregation, once again, to stop parking in the city parking lot (he didn’t yell, but I bet he wanted to), folks still do it.  As soon as Jimmy finished his announcement and began his sermon, God had a sermon just for me. He wasn’t finished with me and the forbidden parking lot issue. That’s what happens when you make a path or keep a path open, He seemed to say. You’re going to walk down it eventually.  See, although we’ve been warned, scolded, and pleaded with not to park next door, a little path is situated through the bushes, from the city park’s parking lot to our church’s parking lot. The bushes are trimmed on both sides, cobblestones are carefully placed, and a nice little bit of concrete forms a gently curving sidewalk. Someone keeps the bushes clipped and the grass maintained. The breezeway almost beckons us (me) to break the rules.  Now let’s go down a different path. Let’s call the path sin, or maybe it’s just a bad habit you say you can’t help indulging in. Let’s say you’ve decided that once and for all you are not going to park yourself in the parking lot of that behavior.  You’re not going to stop by Dunkin’ Donuts and eat a half dozen chocolate covered donuts in one sitting.  You are not going to sleep with that boyfriend ever again!  You’re not going to date that guy you know is bad for you ever again.  You’re not going to look at that website.  You’re not going to flirt with the married guy in the next cubicle.  You’re not going to gossip about other people.  You’re not going to drink alcohol because you know you have a problem.  You’re not going to _______________.  Hundreds of vices could be put in that last sentence. But then there’s a nice little path you’ve kept open just in case. You wouldn’t call it “just in case.” You wouldn’t say it out loud.  The guy’s number is still in your contacts list on your smartphone.  You still think about what that guy in the next cubicle would like when you get dressed for work in the morning.  You still pull up that website when you hope God isn’t looking.  You still pull up a chair when someone begins to gossip.  You still take the route home from work that goes right by Dunkin’ Donuts.  You keep a bottle in the cabinet just for company.  The path beckons you. And as long as you keep the breezeway open, you’ll probably breeze right through it eventually. The answer?

Remove the path. Put up a fence with no gate.  Remove the contact.  Change the job.  Get rid of your computer.  Take a different route home from work.  Remove the bottle.  Make the path impassable, implausible, and impossible to take, and put up a gateless fence instead. Jesus said, if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out (Matthew 5:29). That’s pretty dramatic. I’m not telling you to pluck out your eye, and Jesus wasn’t saying that either, not literally. But He was telling us to remove the cause of the temptation. Remove the path. Put up a fence.  Do you need to put up a fence where you now have a path?

I erected a fence the moment I pressed the send button when I told this story about the pastor’s sermon in a blog post. As soon as I had told someone about my parking dilemma, I never parked in the city parking lot again. Just telling someone about the struggle often helps with accountability. And you don’t have to do it alone. You have the power of the Holy Spirit working in you and through you. Don’t believe the devil for one second when he says you’re helpless and hopeless to act any differently than you are today.

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Unlocking the Power of Praise
Jun 29, 2018 | Rachel Wojo

Today's Truth

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.  Hebrews 13:15

Friend to Friend

My 21-year-old daughter, Taylor, stares at me as she sits propped up in her hospital bed. Not many young adults would ask for a hospital bed in their room, but she hasn’t been able to ask me for anything in 15 years. I attempt to read the communication in her eyes and will her body language to reveal her needs and desires. She’s been a front line disease fighter since birth and since age 4, we’ve faced the eventual outcome of no cure and no treatment. My thoughts turn to prayer, an instinctive reflex I’ve cultivated for all these years, but somehow, I can only be silent.  Though I can find no words in the moment, I long for God’s presence. Just as my girl will move her leg over to touch mine so she can simply know that I am here, so I find myself seeking moments to be still and know that He is God and yes, He is here. I remind myself that prayer begins with praise. Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name.  How do I find words to praise God when my child, my heart existing outside my body, is suffering?

Limbs that once ran everywhere have withered down to skin and bone. Hands that once grabbed with lightning speed can barely hold a sippy cup to her mouth. Voice box that once chimed “Mom-my” is lost, never to be returned on this earth. Though together we’ve practiced gratitude day after day, frankly, we are running out of things to be thankful for.  But Jesus didn’t begin His prayer with thanksgiving. And the praise didn’t begin with things God has given. Nor did it begin with God’s work. Jesus first reminded God of Who He is. With this epiphany, the prayer that I couldn’t begin starts to form as I grip my girl’s hand. Just as Jesus began his prayer with words of adoration, so my prayer reflex is stimulated to follow his model.  Praise is the most powerful tool in our prayer arsenal. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. (Hebrews 13:15, NIV) As today’s truth explains, the blood of Jesus sacrificed on the cross provides our direct access to God. As a result, we are privileged to enter the presence of our Father and whisper praises directly to Him!  When we stand before the Almighty God, we come as we are. It doesn’t mean we have a complete understanding of His work in our lives. It simply means our hearts are trusting and believing Him to be the ever-present, never changing God who loves us beyond our comprehension.  When we can’t find praise in our hearts because we don’t understand what God is doing, we can always praise God for Who He is. He is the God Who never changes and has loved us since the beginning of time. Praise Him!

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Living Love When We Disagree
Jul 24, 2018 | Melissa Spoelstra

Today's Truth

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.  1 Corinthians 1:10

Friend to Friend

Living love when we disagree sounds good on paper, but it isn’t easy. We’re different we have different personalities, preferences, and perspectives. And we can struggle to get along, especially  when we don’t see eye to eye. In the course of a day, we can find ourselves disagreeing or debating with family, friends, coworkers, and even strangers on social media about everything from food choices and parenting styles to politics and religion. Often we find ourselves divided even as Christians. How can we work out our differences with humility and grace, always showing the love of Christ, while still remaining true to what we believe?

So who has been irritating you the most lately?

Keep that person in the back of your mind and we’ll come back to them in a minute.  Paul urged the church in Corinth to “be of one mind, united in thought and purpose” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

He essentially called them to live love even when they disagreed. Chapter 13, known as the love chapter, wasn’t included to be a nice poem for weddings. Instead, it was written to urge Christians living in a pagan and diverse culture to approach one another with the love of Christ. God’s Word calls us to do the same.  Regrettably, we often exercise the opposite of that kind of love, choosing instead to keep a record of wrongs or make rude comments whether in person or on social media. Jesus prayed that we would experience unity as his body. “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (John 17:20-21).

In His prayer, Jesus asked that His followers would be as united as He and the Father are! We can never demonstrate this supernatural love and kindness with those who disagree with us apart from Jesus. Paul acknowledged this truth, mentioning the name of Jesus eight times in the first nine verses of his letter! He knew that we desperately need Christ at the center of our personal lives, including our interactions with others. Our unity comes only through Christ and His love.  Here are some of the main questions the concept of living love has brought up for me:

How can we?
•   Deal with our differences in a loving way without compromising our convictions
•   Achieve harmony while maintaining our diversity
•   Consider the ways that the surrounding culture impacts our beliefs
•   Agree to disagree on matters of preference and opinion
•   Humbly listen to others with views different than our own
•   Embrace ambiguity in some areas, acknowledging that our view is often partial and incomplete
•   Demonstrate to all that love is the greatest thing and that love never fails.

How have you worked through some of these issues?

Have you noticed that sometimes Christians can behave unlovingly towards one another, especially online?

Now let’s bring it a little closer to home. So who was that person that came to your mind when I asked who has been irritating you lately?

Think about that person right now. How is God calling you to live His love toward them today?

We can’t do it without Jesus at the center of our lives can we? Know that I am praying that every person who reads this post would have supernatural power to live love in their midst of their disagreements!

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When You Don’t Want to Go Back to the Way You Were
Aug 24, 2018 | Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  Psalm 51:10

Friend to Friend

I just got my braces off again.  I have had braces on my upper teeth three times. Count them. One. Two. Three.  As the orthodontist explained, “Teeth have a memory. They always want to go back to the way they were.”

As soon as he said those words, I felt convicted. I have a tendency to go back to the way I was.  We all do.  Karen (not her real name) admitted to single handedly destroying her marriage with passive aggressive coldness, destructive words, and disrespect of the worst kind. After her husband walked away from the marriage, she had a Holy Spirit moment and realized what she had done. Karen’s heart softened and she vowed never be that woman again.  She immersed herself in Bible study and began to pray for her ex-husband even though the marriage was over. Karen took on the beautiful holy glow of a woman who knew she was totally forgiven and completely loved by God. Miraculously, her ex-husband saw the change, and the marriage was restored!  However, after a few years, the destructive behavior began to creep back in.  A word here.  A cold shoulder there.  A retreating into self for weeks at a time.  Ten years after the miraculous restoration, the marriage crashed and burned.  “Teeth have a memory. They always want to go back to the way they were.”

Jesus saw this tendency to fall into old ways when He cleaned out the temple. In the beginning of his ministry, after his first miracle of turning the water into wine at the wedding of Cana, He traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  “In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle, he scattered the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market.’” (John 2:14-16 NIV)

Three years later, during his last week of life on earth, Jesus came upon the unholy mess again.  “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers’” (Matthew 21:12-13 NIV).

How did the corruption happen the second time?

I don’t think it happened all at once. After Jesus cleared out the temple initially, I suspect it stayed that way for a time. But one day, a moneychanger set up his table. Then another brought in a few birds, followed by a couple of sheep, and then here came a cow.  The next thing you know, the temple wasn’t any different than it was before Jesus cleared it out and cleaned it up three years earlier. In three years it had reverted back to an unholy mess.  And God whispers in my ear: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV).

Sometimes I am that messy temple.  Swept-clean sinful behavior, ungodly thoughts, and jump-off-the-cliff emotions are itching to creep back in at all times. It is up to me (and to you) to keep the temple clean.  Perhaps you’ve had a Holy Spirit moment at some point in your life a moment that caused you to make a major lifestyle change.  But for the moment to maintain momentum, we need to be constantly aware of our tendency to revert to go back to the way we were.  I am so thankful that Jesus went back to clean out the temple a second time. It lets me know that He will graciously return to my messy self again and again with broom in hand.  I don’t know about you, but I never want to go back to the way I was.

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Radically Obedient
Aug 27, 2018 | Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses since He had the same temptations we do, though He never once gave way to them and sinned. So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive His mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.  Hebrews 4:15-16

Friend to Friend

I learn a lot from our grandchildren. When our grandson Justus was five years old, he came up with what I thought was an ingenious plan for disobedience. Our daughter called one day, laughing. “Mom, I  have to tell you what your grandson just said.”

Now when Danna refers to Justus as “your grandson” it generally means he has done something wrong an extremely rare occurrence as far as I can tell.  Danna said, “I told Justus it was time to put away his toys and get ready for his nap. He stopped what he was doing, and I could tell he was seriously thinking about what I had asked him to do. Then his eyes sparkled, and he let out a huge sigh.  It was obvious he had made a decision. Justus then smiled sweetly and said, ‘No tank you, Mama. Maybe tomowow!”

Maybe tomorrow.  I often do the same thing when God asks me to do something. I want to obey Him. But right now, it is inconvenient, and I just don’t want to do it. Maybe tomorrow I will.  I wonder.  Did Jesus question God or wonder why He had agreed to such a ridiculous plan?

Seriously. Giving up heaven for earth a throne for a manger?

To live among frail humanity bent on self-destruction. To suffer and die for people who hated Him, tortured and betrayed Him, and thought He was nothing more than a fraud?

Did Jesus find it hard to obey God?

If I am brutally honest, I tend to think the obedience of Jesus came a lot easier to Him than it does to me. After all, He was fully God and fully man an enigma my skeptical mind and doubting heart simply can’t comprehend.  That is when I play the God card. Really. How hard could it have been for Jesus to obey God?

How could He give into temptation?

He was God.  But He was also man.  During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Son though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered (Hebrews 5:7-8, NIV).

God did not give Jesus the power to obey simply because He was His Son. Jesus learned obedience the same way we must learn obedience through desperate cries for strength to make the right choices and through tears of anguish and repentance when we make the wrong choices.  Jesus found the strength to obey God through a holy and radical submission to God. He learned obedience through pain and suffering. The word “learned” indicates a continual choice and the ongoing process of falling down, learning the lesson each failure holds, and getting back up again determined to make the right choice. And we must do the same, knowing and willingly accepting the fact that surrender is costly, painful, life changing and worth it all.  God’s truth is for today not tomorrow.

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You Are Worth Pursuing
Sep 13, 2018 | Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth

My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.  Song of Songs 2:10

Friend to Friend

I was in college when I first eyed my husband. He was sitting on the floor at a friend’s Bible study gathering with his back against the wall, dressed in scruffy jeans and a red flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up his muscular forearms.  His thick brown hair and chocolate-brown eyes left me weak in the knees. And the best part was that this handsome hunk of a man had a tattered Bible in his lap. He laughed easily, prayed humbly and read intently. I was smitten from the first time I laid eyes on Steve.  After a few weeks, he finally asked me out on a date. We continued seeing each other over the next several weeks. One night, Steve asked me to a college football game, and I agreed to go. Then he said, “Can I just ask you? Will you go with me to all of the football games for the rest of the year?”

“I’m not going to answer that question,” I replied. “You’ll just have to ask me each week.”

Looking back on those early days, what I was really saying was that I wanted to be pursued. None of this blanket invitation for the entire fall business. I wanted to be wooed and won. Even though he had me the moment I saw him sitting on the shag carpet floor, I didn’t want him to know that. I wanted him to show me I was worth putting forth the effort to capture my heart. Isn’t that the desire of every woman’s heart?

And nobody does it better than God. Everyday He proves that you are worth it!  In God’s all-out pursuit of my heart, of your heart, He sings through a child’s voice, speaks through a bird’s call, shouts through the claps of thunder and calls out through the rising sun.  What is the key to experiencing God’s passionate pursuit?

It’s simple really. We must recognize and acknowledge His presence as we live and move and have our being in Him. Acts 17:28 must be more than a nice Bible verse; it must become a way of life.  When it does, sudden glory moments will fill our lives and take our breath away. It is a divine romance of the purest kind.

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Why Worn Ways Win
Sep 24, 2018 | Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’   Matthew 3:3

Friend to Friend

John the Baptist told God’s people to “prepare the way for the Lord” to purify their hearts and get ready for Jesus to come, redeem, restore, heal, love, challenge, and change the world. (Matthew 3:3)

I read this and smile because I like preparing things. I like to cook. I love hosting gatherings, planning party details, and preparing for guests. My son recently graduated from high school and I spent countless hours prepping for the celebration we had in his honor. It was wonderful.  When presidents, dignitaries, and heads of state are going to visit a particular town they often send people ahead of them to make sure the area is made ready for their visit. This is a different type of preparation than my domestic kind. They are serious to vet out each location regarding security. They vet out the people that will be in attendance and in charge. They prepare the way for those to whom they are in service.  John the Baptist “prepared the way” for Jesus much like this. He went to Jerusalem, all of Judea, and to the whole region of the Jordan telling the people of Israel to repent and prepare the way for Jesus by “making straight paths for Him.” (Matthew 3:6)

Prepare the way. Make straight paths.  Since these are not modern things to say, it is a smidge confusing, right?

I wondered about it, so I investigated a bit further. Here’s what I found out. The Strong’s Bible Concordance tells us that the word for “paths” in this verse is the Greek word tribos, which means, “a worn way.” (Strong’s Number G5147)  Worn.  Interesting.  When I think of things that are worn I think of things that are familiar. Known. Broken in. Comfortable.  I love my worn jeans and the well worn path I walk on in the woods by my house. I love my worn leather shoes and my worn Bible.  As I think about this phrase further, a few thoughts cross my mind about a “worn way.”  When a path is worn it is easy to follow. Natural.  When a path is worn, it leads to a specific destination.  These observations cause me to reflect. Have I worn a path for my heart, soul, and mind to welcome and prioritize Jesus today?

Do my thought patterns, spiritual disciplines, and behaviors pave a worn path to truth and grace?

Do my actions “prepare the way” for others to encounter and wonder about Jesus?

Every life points somewhere. Mine will either point others toward Jesus or away from Him. Yours will too.  I want to be a worn path to Jesus woman but how?

I make straight paths for others to see Jesus when I am kind, when I am slow to anger, when I am quick to forgive and quick to listen. When I am compassionate, faithful, and humble.  I make straight paths for others to see Jesus when I am accessible and honest. When I choose His peace over my impatience and His joy over my frustrations.  I become the worn way for my loved ones, my co-workers, and community to see Jesus when I am influenced by and responsive to the ways He loves, shows compassion, and grace freely.  What a beautiful reminder that you and I have the opportunity each day to influence others toward Jesus.

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Internal Civil War
Oct 02, 2018 | Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  Romans 8:1-2

Friend to Friend

I will never forget the day I discovered that our son is not perfect. Jered was about six months old and crawling everywhere. I had just returned from running errands and was busy putting groceries away in the kitchen, which had a pass through opening that enabled me to keep an eye on Jered while I worked. He seemed content as he played with his toys, occasionally taking a break to terrorize our two cats.  When Jered first began to crawl, we removed anything that could hurt him, most of our breakables and everything of sentimental value. We left a beautiful conch seashell on the living room coffee table and used it to begin the arduous but vital task of teaching Jered the meaning of the word “no.” We would repeatedly point to the shell, touch it and say, “No, no!”

Of course, he was a brilliant child, but I was not sure if he had really grasped the whole concept until that momentous day.  With the last of the groceries put away, I dumped a bag of potatoes into the kitchen sink and began peeling them for dinner. Glancing up, I saw Jered staring at the alluring shell, a mischievous grin of anticipation on his face. He suddenly launched into a fast crawl straight toward the forbidden shell. I winced as I pictured what he could do to that shell and what the sharp edged shell could do to his small, tender hands. I called out in a firm but confident voice, “Jered, do not touch that shell!”

He immediately stopped, sat up and looked back at me while seeming to consider his options and weigh the consequences.  As I repeated the warning, Jered joyfully clapped his hands, flashing me his most adorable smile. What a great kid! He’s got it! I started around the corner to give him a hug and praise him for his obedience when he took off like a shot, crawling as fast as his chubby little hands and knees would carry him. Reaching the coffee table, Jered grabbed the shell and plopped it in his lap like a hard earned trophy. I gasped in disbelief as his face reflected total triumph. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he was not one bit sorry! My perfect little boy had a rebellious streak just like his mother.  Each and every one of us was born with a nature that loves to rebel and feed a natural “bent” toward selfish, wrong choices. However, when we come to Christ, we receive a new nature that naturally desires to obey God. The result is internal civil war.  The Apostle Paul struggled with sin just like we do today. In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul describes his frustration with his own sin: “I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15, NLT).

Sound familiar?

I will never forget the first time I read those ardent words written by this zealous man of God. I was so relieved! It sometimes seems as if I am the only believer engaged in major battles with sin. Paul’s words, however, assure me that I am not in this battle alone. Neither are you! As long as we live in this broken and fallen world, our sinful nature and our God nature will constantly be at war.  How do we win that war?

The solution is very simple, but very expensive. In fact, it will cost us everything, beginning with the total control of our lives.  To win this war between the old and new nature, we must constantly surrender to God, allowing Him to guide, direct, and empower us to live for Him. I love how one man described his own war against sin. “It is like there are two dogs fighting within me, an old dog and a new dog. The one who will win is the one I feed the most.”

While the old nature is fed by the world and encouraged to enjoy the sin it so freely offers, God lovingly urges us to strengthen the new nature He has given us by reading, studying and applying the Bible, by praying and spending time with other believers, and by serving Him. Certain victory is ours when we constantly choose against the old nature while surrendering to the power of the Holy Spirit.  Join me in giving up! Victory is on the way!

[Pip]

It’s Time to Put Your Foot Down
Oct 03, 2018 | Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me”  Philippians 3:12

Friend to Friend

Did you know that just because God gives you a promise that does not mean it is automatically yours?

Nope, you have to believe it and take hold of it to make it yours!  Paul wrote: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).

In order to experience a thriving faith the abundant life to the full we must take hold of that for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of for us and placed in us.  I love how the Amplified Bible translates today’s truth. “I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.”

I press on to lay hold of to grasp to make my own.  After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, that first generation of slaves set free were not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Their grumbling and unbelief kept life to the full at arms’ length. But when the next generation came along, they believed God would do what He said He would do. They moved forward to take hold of the promises, and lived bold to claim what their parents never saw. What made the difference?

Let’s take a look.  After the death of Moses, God said to Joshua, Moses’ aide, “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.  No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.  “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:2-3, 5-7)

It is that sentence “I will give you every place where you set your foot,” that stops me in my tracks every time.

God had given the Israelites the land, but they still had to take it. They had to put their foot down. They had to take hold of the promise.  I just love miracles. Don’t you?

I love reading about times when God mysteriously and supernaturally intervenes in someone’s life times when what was impossible with man became a reality with God. But almost every time, God performed a miracle in the Bible, He required men and women to participate to put their foot down.

•   Build an ark.
•   Lift your staff.
•   Fill your jug.
•   Gather jars.
•   Make a cake.
•   Blow a trumpet.
•   Give a shout.

Jesus echoed his Father’s cadence in the New Testament.

•   Take up your pallet.
•   Cast your nets.
•   Stretch out your hand.
•   Wash off the mud.
•   Look in the fish’s mouth.
•   Roll away the stone.
•   Stand up straight.
•   Go and tell.

Yes, God does miracles. And in every one of the above-mentioned marvels, God’s power followed someone’s obedience. The key to experiencing the abundant life of relationship with Christ is obedience, and most people don’t even like the word. But it is the pathway to the faith you long for.  Oswald Chambers wrote, “Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already.”

So girlfriend, put your foot down. It’s time to take hold of the promises of God!

[Pip]

Walking Where Jesus Walked
Oct 16, 2018 | Wendy Speake

Today's Truth

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane… And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.
Matthew 26:36-38

Friend to Friend

My husband and I just returned home from our first trip to Israel. I’ve heard for years that a pilgrimage to the Holy Land will change a believer’s life, that the Bible goes from black and white to technicolor! It’s all true. When you walk where Jesus  walked, and read the words that The Word spoke in those places, with the rocks all testifying beneath your feet, your faith grows too big to stay on the inside and slips down your checks in the form of awestruck tears.  My favorite day was the one when we drove into Jerusalem, eager to place our feet where our Savior’s feet had trod. Anxious to inhale the scent of the earth that He first made and then walked upon, wept upon. Driving into Jerusalem, our guide explained that 85 percent of all Biblical events happened along the same road we now took. This road is referred to as “the watershed” of Israel, because the rain from the mountains collects in the valleys, carving a lush pathway through desert country all the way to Mount Moriah, Mount Zion, and Hebron flowing down into Jerusalem and Bethlehem and on to Beersheba, where Abraham’s well still runs deep. The watershed.  As we walked down the Mount of Olives, my personal watershed started to flow. Descending the small hill covered in an ancient grove of olive trees, we made our way to the garden, known then and now as The Garden of Gethsemane. Lush, watered by the watershed where The Living Water wept.  Inhaling deeply, earth particles filled my lungs pollen and dust flowed in with oxygen. Walking through the garden, long branches brushed my shoulders, and I exhaled carbon dioxide my offering back to the garden trees. They drank it from me, those ancient gnarled trunks and delicate slender leaves, with olives growing in small clusters upon each bough. Leaves moved silently in the breeze for just a moment before turning my gift to oxygen again. They exhaled, and immediately my lungs expanded from the grace offering once more.  Back and forth, for centuries, since the beginning of the beginning, this cycle of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide has continued. Humanity’s co-dependent dance with creation, testifying to our intelligent Creator.  That’s when I thought of the recycled elements, moving back and forth for centuries; between mankind and this garden grove this grove and mankind mankind and these trees and the God-man’s lungs as Jesus inhaled and exhaled on the night He was betrayed. Today was my turn in the garden, to inhale His exhalation, through this ancient garden ritual.  It’s poetic more than realistic, I know, but the imagery blesses me still. How the air in me had once been the air in Him. And when He gave up His air and gave up His Spirit, His Spirit filled me too.  Overcome by His sacrifice, I slipped off my sandals and stood there on Holy ground.  Without sin of His own, He took the full press of my sin. The Garden of Gethsemane is “The Garden of the Oil Press.” Gethsemane translates oil press. That’s where Jesus went to pray as the weight of our sins began to press heavily upon Him. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be completely crushed for our iniquities. This was the spot where the crushing began.  Instead of oil, however, He gave up tears in the garden of the oil press. Instead of being crushed to death, He was crushed to life eternal. Instead of anointing oil, He released a watershed of anointed, cleansing blood that a current of forgiveness could flow from Jerusalem out into the whole world. The watershed.

[Pip]

Practice Makes Progress
Nov 14, 2018 | Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

In the night, LORD, I remember your name, that I may keep your law. This has been my practice: I obey your precepts. You are my portion, LORD; I have promised to obey your words.  Psalm 119:55-57

Friend to Friend

I’ve always been an athlete. As an adult, I enjoy power walking and keeping fit. Growing up, I played on different sports teams all year round, but volleyball has always been my jam.  I played volleyball in college and now I help coach my daughter’s high school team. I’ve been around this game for more than thirty years and I’ve spent more time on the court, on the sand, and on the grass playing and practicing than most people ever will.  You’d think that after all the hours invested I’d have the game perfected by now, right?

Not hardly.  There are still times when I shank a pass and have spike attempts that send the ball into the net instead of over the net. There are still times when I miss a serve.  Each mistake frustrates me. Seriously. I’m competitive and I hate to lose. No matter how much I’ve grown as a player, I’ve come to realize that when I step on the volleyball court mistakes are going to happen and there will always be opportunities for me to grow and progress in my skills. Simple as that.  And you know what?

I’ve found the same to be true in my prayer life.  Do you remember that old saying “practice makes perfect?” Well, I think it’s a bunch of beans! I recently heard a phrase that better represents the reality of growth and development: practice makes progress.   Whether we’re talking about our development as athletes, as students, as a wives, as employees, or simply as women of faith specifically, as women of prayer we are all purposed for growth until we die.  The truth that the apostle Paul wrote about in Romans 7 still remains: we don’t do what we should do and we do what we shouldn’t. So true. Prayer, I’m afraid, is one of the “don’t dos” for many of us. We all seem to KNOW how important it is to trust God with our burdens, but many of us neglect to put this important discipline into practice.  Do you ever go the phone before you go to the throne?

Yeah. Me too.  There are times when I don’t trust God the way I should. And though I’ve been faith-walking with Him a long time, there are still a million ways that I need to grow. There will always be ways for us to grow and there will always be mistakes for us to work through.  My relationship with God grows when I pray. Yours does too.  Similarly, our trust in God grows as our relationships with Him grow.  Jesus said this, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)

Jesus counts us as his “friends.” That blows my mind! Yet, how many of us would talk to our close friends as infrequently as we talk to Jesus, our Creator and Redeemer?

Of course, it’s not like we can ignore the world around us and pray 24/7. Right?

We’re still going to go to work and spend time with friends and family, but in the midst of it all, Scripture instructs us to: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

The practice of a praying life increases faith and bolsters our courage to trust God.  This can translate into prayers of thankfulness and petition during power walks, time in the carpool line, while we wash laundry, and take lunch breaks. We can redeem these moments to thank God, and to pray for our children, careers, futures, frustrations, marriages, trials, and our challenges.  When we “do life” with God by exercising the spiritual discipline of prayer our faith grows.  It helps us to trust Him more.  A strong volleyball team is one that relies on each other in the game. As Christians, we have the advantage. We have God on our team. And with God on our team, we cannot fail. If God is for us, who can stand against us? We just need to talk to Him and trust him, rather than trying to play the game of life on our own.  Practice makes progress.  We will learn to trust God more as we go to Him in prayer.

[Pip]

Notice Others in a Selfie World
Jan 11, 2019 | Arlene Pellicane

Today's Truth

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.  Philippians 2:3-4

Friend to Friend

My daughter Noelle and I were sightseeing in New York City. One highlight was rocketing up 102 stories in a mere 47 seconds inside the elevator of the Freedom Tower. Once at the top, we looked for a good spot to take in the glorious view. I couldn’t help but notice two teenage girls taking up a large space in the very front.  The problem was they were not even looking at the city below. They were posing for selfies lots of them! They laid on the floor and posed. They struck different standing poses and snapped. I walked around and returned to that same spot about ten minutes later. They were still there! Posing in pursuit of the perfect selfie with New York City in the background.  I doubt they noticed the other people who would have liked to snap a picture where they had set up camp. I wondered why they didn’t turn around and enjoy the panoramic view with their God given eyes instead of the phone screen. With screens taking center stage, women can be obsessed with capturing the perfect photo to show the world.  Yet Philippians 2:3-4 tells us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.”

Selfish ambition is a work of the flesh, not of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:26 (NIV) instructs, “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each another.”

Does that mean it’s wrong to pose for a selfie?

No it can be a perfectly appropriate way to capture a moment. But there is cause for concern if you find that;
-You are overly concerned with portraying yourself a certain way to impress others
-You take numerous photos of the same pose to get it just right
-You compare your selfie to others and take mental notes on how you can improve yours
-You feel conceited when you see how favorable you look compared to others
-You are more interested in taking a selfie than meeting someone new or talking with an acquaintance

The Bible tells us to value others above ourselves. When we place the lens of our focus on the needs of others (instead of our own interests), we are having the same mindset as Jesus Christ. Popular culture fights against this notion. “Selfie” wasn’t even a word in the dictionary until 2013 but it’s commonplace today. The constant tracking of self can lead to a growing indifference towards others. The bigger we become inside the frame, the smaller everyone else becomes.  When you walk into a room, do you take the attitude of “Here I am!” or do you step in the doorway and think, “Ah, there you are!” Turning our “selfie” focus into an “others” focus takes practice and intention. God calls us to be “There you are!” people, women who are genuinely interested in others. But we live in a selfie world that caters to our natural instinct to preserve and exalt ourselves.  It’s time to switch things up. Instead of spending too much time preparing the perfect selfie, let’s quickly snap a picture of ourselves and then spend the bulk of our time focused on others. That view is much more meaningful.  Remember the teenage girls from the Freedom Tower?

They walked out with some great selfies, but they never really took the time to take in the view. They missed out. Don’t miss the amazing people and things happening around you because you’re focused on your phone. Make it your daily practice to notice others in a selfie world.

[Pip]

The Gift of Giving Part 1
Apr 05, 2019 | Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Luke 6:38, NIV

Friend to Friend

My requirements for a car are simple and few. It has to run. And it has to have both air and heat. I don’t like car payments. Cars are not my “thing.”  onsequently, we have bought many used cars and have even been given a few  cars over the years. We drive them until they die. And then God provides another car.  A year ago, the car I was driving died. Since it was the beginning of summer and Dan was scheduled to have a month sabbatical in addition to his month of study and vacation time, we decided to wait on making a car decision. We could make it a few months with one car or in our case, one truck.  I had one last speaking engagement to do for a friend, but since the event was within driving distance, we decided to combine it with a trip to Texas to visit family. It was one of those events the Lord told me to do for free. The church was small, and the friend was starting a women’s ministry in a small Kansas town that had literally been blown away by tornadoes several years earlier. I really wanted to help and encourage her in any way that I could.  The plan was simple. Dan and I would drive his truck to Wichita, Kansas and fly to Texas to visit family for several days. We would then fly back to Wichita and drive to Greensburg for my event and then drive home. Simple right?

Not so much.  When we got to the Dallas airport, we discovered that our flight to Wichita was booked for 10:00 pm instead of 10:00 am. You need to know that my husband has booked hundreds of flights over the years and never made that mistake. Since I had to be in Greensburg that night, we rented a car and drove to Wichita where we turned in the rental car and climbed in Dan’s truck.  About an hour down the road, the air in Dan’s truck went out. It was a hot summer’s day. The temperature in Dan’s truck began to climb. When it reached 92 degrees, I began to boil.  I am already calculating how much this “free” event is costing. Yes, I am very human. I have severe back problems. We had already stopped twice between Dallas and Wichita to buy giant bags of frozen peas. They really do work well as ice packs. So my back is killing me, I am sweating like crazy, and well let’s just say that I am not a happy camper at this point of our “free” event trip.  We found an auto parts store in a small town and decided to see if they could help us. It is 4:50 pm on Friday afternoon. Maybe all the truck needs is Freon! The store owner comes out, raises the truck hood, shakes his head and says, “Freon is not gonna fix that!”

Evidently some belt had shredded which meant some rocker arm had frozen. As I said, cars are not my “thing.”  With a smile, he said, “Pull her around back, and we will see what we can do.”

I am thinking he can’t do much. The store is about the size of my kitchen and sits in a town in the middle of nowhere. I am such a giant of faith!  But I did manage to eek out a prayer, “Lord, please send angels with the parts we need!”

Only a few minutes had passed before the store owner came walking toward us with a grin on his face. As he blew the dust off of two boxes, he said, “Well, what do you know? I do have those parts.”

God came through!  And then the whispers of the enemy also came through. I could only imagine how much the parts and labor would cost. The expenses for this “free” event continued to add up. A rental car two giant bags of peas and the now repaired air conditioner on Dan’s truck.  When the parts were installed and we were ready to leave, the store owner handed Dan the bill. A look of surprise or maybe shock covered Dan’s face. I couldn’t bear to ask until we got in the truck and drove away.  “How much was it, honey?” I asked.

Dan smiled and said, “About a fourth of what I expected it to cost.”

We drove in silence for a few minutes basking in the perfect provision of God for every need of our lives even when our faith is pitifully small. You just can’t out-give God.  Don’t miss the rest of the story in my next devotion. As my Mama used to say, it is a “humdinger!”