Thanks in every situation

07 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

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

 

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians   5:16-18

Here in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-21 it lays it all out pretty simply. Rejoice always. It doesn’t say, only when you feel joyful, it says rejoice ALWAYS. Pray continually, not just sometimes but in everything I should be in prayer. Give thanks in every situation… hmm. That one is harder.

Last Sunday morning I got in the car to head to church. The car didn’t start. I am to be thankful in this Lord? Well, I could have been an hour from home like I had been a few days before. I could have been at the grocery store with frozen food melting in the trunk while I waited for help. So, I was thankful. I was thankful that this didn’t happen while I was visiting my parents in West TN, 6 hours away when I had a tight schedule for getting back, not just for the day I was traveling back but also for the next two days after I got back. The few days I was without a car I only had to rearrange a handful of things and for this I was thankful too. No, I wasn’t happy about having to spend money on my car for repairs but I was thankful that I had money to pay the repairman. I was also thankful that I have a repairman that I trust. After I thought about it, I realized that I had a lot to be thankful for in spite of my car troubles.

Because I took the time to look for the things that I was thankful for despite the car troubles and the impositions it caused, I was able to handle this “crisis” I little better this time.

Heavenly Father, help me to remember to rejoice always, to pray continually and to always remember to give thanks in every situation. Amen.

Stay the course

06 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

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Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. ~Galatians 6:9 (CEB)

No matter what is going on in our lives we must never give up. In the scripture on God’s Armor (Eph 6:10-18) it ends the section with “no matter what, persevere.” This is easy to throw around but how do you even begin to persevere in a world that is full of all kinds of problems, frustrations and difficulties? I persevere by my diligence in prayer, resolving to stay the course, unwavering faith, and determination to stand firmly on God’s Words and His promises for me.

It gets frustrating how slowly things seem to be moving sometimes. It is easy to think that God isn’t dealing with the situation but I have to remember that God is doing some of his greatest work even if I can’t see what He is doing. Also I need to keep in mind if the problem didn’t occur over night it also will take time to correctly resolve it.

No matter what is going on in our lives the victory is in not giving up. I think that is a good definition for perseverance. Not giving up. When the road ahead is full of bumps and I feel like I am acting out one of my son’s ninja shows trying to dodge trouble, I need to keep assured that the good that I am trying to do is noticed by God and time will bring fruition to my diligence.

Sometimes God, I get tired of doing the right thing. Give me courage to stay the course give me strength to do your will. Amen.

Shelter in the storm

03 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

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

You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in distress, a hiding place from the storm, a shade from the heat. When the breath of tyrants is like a winter storm. ~ Isaiah 25:4 (CEB)

I attended a meeting one night and the facilitator accused some of us of not being thrilled to be there. He asked us to think of a word that described our feelings. When I thought about how I was feeling, I decided that I felt pretty good and I was glad to be there that night. At the same time I realized that this was not a complete picture of what I was feeling. On the surface I felt happy and peaceful, but underneath the calm I knew there still raged a storm, a storm that may never find rest this side of heaven.

I think this is what was meant about feeling peaceful despite life’s circumstances. Maybe you are in a storm right now. For you, maybe your storm is an alcoholic or drug addict in your life. Maybe someone you love is dying of a terminal illness or you are dealing with grief and great loss. Maybe you personally are suffering with drugs, alcohol or a terminal illness. Maybe your financial situation is just about to swallow you whole. Despite the storms that may never cease this side of heaven we find verses in the Bible that tell us that we are not alone. That someone walks along with us in the storm. Isaiah 25:4 even tells me that I can hide away from the storm, find refuge from my distress. How do I find refuge from the storms? In fellowship with other Christians, reading the Word, singing hymns, prayer and worship. These things can provide a shelter and a resting place.

Heavenly Father, thank you for providing a shelter in the storms of life. May I frequently seek out your comfort so that I can continue in Your peace. Amen.

All that I am not

02 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

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“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

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“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

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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

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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.

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