All that I am not

02 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , , , ,

“He said to me, My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness. So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me”~ 2Cor 12:9

So often I get frustrated with all that “I am not”. The key in that is frustration. If I am feeling frustrated then somehow God is not in the situation. Jesus did not come to earth, die on the cross, and rise again on the third day for us to feel frustrated, weak and defeated. He went through all that to give us an inheritance, authority in this life and His strength to rule over our circumstances.

In any area where we stumble, God is ready and willing to provide us with His strength. It seems crazy but in 2 Cor 9:12 it says that we should BRAG about our weaknesses! Why? Not for a false humility but because when we brag about our weaknesses, Christ’s power can rest on us! When we are weak we have God’s perfect strength.

Lord, help me this day to remember that your grace is enough for me. Help me when I get frustrated over my weaknesses and my inabilities to remember that these are God moments made special for me. In my weaknesses I find your powerful strength to get me through the day. Amen.

I am sure about this

01 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , ,

“I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus.” ~ Phil 1:6 CEB

When I read my Bible I like to highlight, circle, mark in some way things that stand out to me. What stands out to me in this verse is “I’m sure about this”. I would mark this phrase so that in times when I am feeling unsure about life in general I can skim through my Bible to remind myself of the things I know to be true.

What do I know to be true of the rest of this passage? Paul tells us in Phill 1:6 that God saved us and started a good work in us, and His work in us will come to full completion. As we think about God in work in us, we must remind ourselves that as imperfect as we are, God is perfection. Perfection may seem impossible. It is! God’s plan isn’t perfect because we’re perfect. The plan is perfect because God is the One who designed it. The perfection comes from Him alone.

I am thankful as I try to move on toward perfection that I do not have to rely on my skills alone. God knows me better than I know myself and He has designed and set into action a plan engineered just for me. I don’t have to know the whole plan yet. I just have to take those first steps of faith and follow Him.

Thank you Heavenly Father for sending Jesus into the world bringing You closer to me. As I step through this day may I be sure about this, You will go each step of the way with me if only I ask You to be with me. Help me to keep my eyes on You and not my circumstances. Amen.

To walk with the Lord

29 May 2014 Leave a comment

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Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. ~John 15:4-5 (CEB)

As a young girl, growing up in church, I heard things like “walk continually in the presence of the Lord” and “pray constantly”. I struggled with what these meant knowing too I didn’t want to do it as the Pharisees did… for show. So how was I to do this with a true heart?

Henri J. M. Nouwen has addressed this in his book The Living Reminder ~ “To walk in the presence of the Lord means to move forward in life in such a way that all our desires, thoughts, and actions are constantly guided by Him. When we walk in the Lord’s presence, everything we see, hear, touch, or taste reminds us of Him. This is what is meant by a prayerful life. It is not a life in which we say many prayers, but a

life in which nothing, absolutely nothing, is done, said, or understood independently of him who is the origin and purpose of our existence.”

I do think to thank God for the flowers, the decorated trees, bird songs, beautiful sky scapes… but some of the ordinary things slip by me unnoticed. A roof over my head, food on my plate… a bed to sleep in. May I remember this day to be thankful for EVERYTHING. Not just the things that make me gasp in wonder but also the simple reliable things of life.

Dear God, Thank You for the gentle reminders You put in my life of Your Presence. Help me tune in to those reminders so that I may feel Your Presence go with me this day. May all I do and say be a reflections of Your love. Amen.

A new life

27 May 2014 Leave a comment

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Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” John 11:40 (NIV)

Have you ever felt that part of your life was dead? I know I have, stuck in my troubles forgetting that God has power that I do not have to turn things around. I, like Martha have cried out, Lord, if  You had been with me I would not be sitting here in pain now! There have been times that I have felt that Jesus seemed to be taking his sweet time getting around to my problem. That He would come too late.

In John 11:21-24 we find Martha in a state of despair. She had sent a message to Jesus to come quickly because Lazarus was gravely ill. Now here Jesus finally arrives and from Martha’s viewpoint He is too late. “Master, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).

“Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother shall rise again.’ Martha replied, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day'” (vv. 23-24). I don’t think she really understood what Jesus was saying. She was looking toward a future possibility, not a present reality. She didn’t really expect things to change. Martha was seeing things from her viewpoint, not from God’s viewpoint.

I may be presently hurting, but I need to hold on to the hope that God can  bring a new beginning out of the pain. I need to believe that He can create a Lazarus moment in my life. There is more here than just the part I can see. He can show me glory in my present circumstances and he can use my pain for something great.

Lord, Help me to find the glory in my circumstances. I need to hold onto the fact that I may not be seeing the possibilities that exist from my vantage point. Help me have faith in you, the one who lives above life’s storms. Help me to trust your viewpoint on my present circumstances and that all will come together for my good. Amen.

Taking life as it comes

25 May 2014 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , , ,

Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (CEB)

Sometimes I think I hold the market on worry. I get so pulled into all the possibilities all the” what ifs” that I sometimes just wear myself out. As a child I would almost make it a game. If I could think of all the “what ifs” then maybe I could keep them from happening. Even though I know the odds of really being able to control things in that way I still find myself in my old habit of worry. Maybe that is part of the key to the problem. I have let worry become a habit. I do it without even thinking. It has become part of a thought process that I need to unlearn.

Just before verse 34 in Chapter 6 of Matthew we are told that God knows what we need. He dresses the earth in splendor, He feeds the sparrows, He knows the number of hairs on my head. Can’t I trust Him to know what I need as well? How I can learn to set aside my worry is to just deal with things as they come. God has equipped me to do this which is why He tells us to focus only on today. Worry only brings frustration and frustration is the first clue that God isn’t in my situation.

Lord help me to practice this day the art of taking life as it comes.  You know what I need and I am assured by your Word that you will meet my every need for this day. Amen.

The Bible tells me so…

23 May 2014 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , ,

We have known and have believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who remain in love remain in God and God remains in them. 1 John 4:16 (CEB)

When my son was little and starting to say his bed time prayers on his own, he naturally began his prayers with no prompting from me, “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so” and then he would move into blessing everyone he could think of, ask for good sleep and for safety through the night. Until I heard the words from my son’s mouth I never really thought about the fact that we know God’s love because the Bible tells us so.

It is so easy to go about our everyday life saying the words that God loves us without ever really knowing just what it is that we are saying.  The knowledge of God’s love should not be just some biblical fact which we adsorbed as a child but it should be a living reality in our lives. Look again at verse 16, God is love. He doesn’t just love me, He is love. The verse goes on to tell us that those who remain in love remain in God and God remains in them.

How do I remain in God’s love?  John 14:21 says, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” What are the commandments to keep? Matthew 22:37-39 says, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself”

It is not enough just to know that God loves me. I must live my life in such a way that I remain in God’s love. To remain in God’s love I should love my neighbor as myself. When I love others, I am in God’s love.

Gracious God, your commands are stated simple enough for a child to grasp but sometimes it slips right by us and we forget what you want of us. You want us to love each other in all we do and say. Lord help me this day to love those around me as the Bible tells me to love. Amen.

The cost of sin

17 May 2014 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , ,

So it is also written, the first human, Adam, became a living person, and the last Adam became a spirit that gives life. ~1 Corinthians 15:45 (CEB)

Even though I have been born into sin, I am set free through Jesus. This is not just one of those cliché sayings. It is not just fancy words that Christians throw around. Jesus’ life blood conquers and overcomes the death that works in us through sin. Because Jesus came into the world we can have new life.

God in the beginning created a world where humans had authority over their lives, but Adam and Eve gave away their authority when they took a bite from the “tree of knowledge”. With knowledge came self-awareness and death. God sent Jesus into the world to give us back authority over our lives. He came to conquer each of our deaths that we may have abundant life. To be able to harness the power of Jesus’ blood over our lives we need to understand that through Adam sin entered the world. David confirmed this truth in Psalm 51:5 “Yes, I was born in guilt, in sin, from the moment my mother conceived me.” Adam passed down this sinful blood to us. Jesus because he was born of God and not man has life in his blood. Our lives have been purchased though Christ’s life blood when he died on the cross. Christ is the last Adam and because he became a spirit that gives life.

Sin has a cost. If I hold onto my sin the cost is my life. If I can accept that Jesus paid the cost for me I can live. There is another twist to this. If I don’t accept that Jesus died to give me life did he die for nothing? That reality is a little harder for me to bear. I can easily say I am not worthy, my sins are too great or not now but later I will listen to Christ’s teachings. The truth is Christ died so that even I might have life. When I think about Christ’s suffering on the cross, it pains me to think by rejecting this truth it is as if I am saying, “You suffered this horrendous death for nothing.” This puts any rejection of him in a new light.

Lord, may I not let you have suffered in vain! Help me to accept your truth in my life. Set me free so I may live. Amen.

Offspring of the Creative One

10 May 2014 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , , ,

When I look up at your skies,

at what your fingers made—

the moon and the stars

that you set firmly in place—

what are human beings

that you think about them;

what are human beings

that you pay attention to them?

You’ve made them only slightly less than divine,

crowning them with glory and grandeur. ~Psalm 6:3-5 (CEB)

One of the things that I love about running first thing in the morning is that it gives me time and space to see the beauty around me. Running is about as “still” as I can get sometimes. What I mean is that there are so many noises around me. So many things that pull at my attention. Most of it seems to stem from technology. Technology is a wonderful,but it is hard to get away from it. Sometimes I even feel enslaved to it. When I run,it is a time that I can truly get away from all screens and distractions and my mind begins to wander. I think my best talks with God and observations about the world around me happen when I run. When I run, I can find that still quiet voice that lives inside of me.

Because technology seems to crowd into more and more of our “still” time, I can’t help but be aware of the dangers of losing touch with God. Time is given less and less in creative endeavors. Writing, drawing, painting, and gardening all tap into that part of me that reminds me that I am the offspring of a Divine Creator. When I create, my soul converses with God. When I create, wisdom often emerges out of my soul’s conversation with The Creator; the truth is smaller and less universal.

Karla M. Kincannon, in her book Creativity and Divine Surprise says, “While we exile creativity to distant corners of our existence, our ability to perceive the things of God in our life and in the life of the world radically diminishes. Without creativity we are deaf to God’s call; what we are to be and do remains a conundrum. The truth of our existence lies in the heart of God, and if we cannot perceive the Divine Presence, we cannot make meaning of our days.”

Lord, help me find meaning in this day. Help me search for Your voice in all I do. May I take time to look around me at all Your creation so that I may remember that You have formed us to join you in the work of shaping the world. A world that reflects Your design for unity in diversity among all your creations. Inspire in me today a holy creativity greater than I could ask for or imagine. Amen.

For the lost and the least

30 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

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“Now when the Human One comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left.

“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’

“Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.” ~Matthew 25:31-46 (CEB)

I have never felt ashamed to look at the cross until one day when a young woman came with her child in her hands. She said to me she had gone to two or three different convents asking for a little bit of milk for her child.

She was answered, ‘You are lazy. Go and work!’ And so on.

By the time she came to our house, when I took the child it died in my hands. I felt ashamed to look at the cross because Jesus has given us so much and we could not give even a glass of milk to this little child.” ~From My Life for the Poor by Mother Teresa

Almighty God, in every age you have called out men and women to be Your faithful servants. We believe You have now called us to join that great company who seek to follow You. Grant unto us today and always a clear vision of Your call and strength to fulfill the ministry assigned to us. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

Play we must

29 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , , , ,

“Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

“Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.

“Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.

“Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

“Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.

“Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.

“Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.

“Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

“Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you. ~Matthe5 5:3-12 (CEB)

“Nothing surpasses the holiness of those who have learned perfect acceptance of everything that is.

In the game of cards called life one plays the hand one is dealt to the best of one’s ability.

Those who insist on playing, not the hand they were give, but the one they insist they should have been dealt- these are life’s failures.

We are not asked if we will play. That is not an option. Play we must. The option is how.” ~From Taking Flight by Anthony de Mello

Lord God, Creator and Redeemer, claim my life and ministry for Your high and holy purpose. Help me to remain faithful and steadfast all day long, and when evening comes grant a peaceful rest in Your presence. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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