A heathy hunger

24 May 2014 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , ,

“Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full. ~Matthew 5:6 (CEB)

Healthy people get hungry. Appetite is a sign of life. Matthew chapter 5 verse 6 tells us that Christians should be defined as people who are hungry for God. In the “Disciplined Life”, Calvin Miller says that our souls should have an excessive appetite to please God. But most of us don’t hunger to this extent. We are perhaps a little hungry for Christ, but we are more consumed with ordinary pursuits for shelter, food, safety, power and sexual appetites. This is part of being human, but can become dangerous when we lose our mastery over them and allow them to take over our lives.

God places within us a hunger for Him. Often I forget that the restlessness that I feel inside of me is because I have strayed away again and I try to fill that hole with other things that will not fit. Those things are just temporary fixes and because it doesn’t come from the true source I will find myself back at the well again. I need to be filled in such a way that I no longer thirst or hunger. I can only find this satisfaction in Jesus. I can only fight the cravings if I try to fill myself up with Christ.

Heavenly Father when I find myself back at the well, fill me with you. Fill me up until I want no more. Satisfy this restless hunger inside of me with your righteousness. Amen.

The power of words

21 May 2014 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , ,

“With lots of words comes wrongdoing, but the wise restrain their lips.” ~Proverbs 10:19 (CEB)

Words are powerful. Because our words carry so much power, it is important that we learn to say only what is essential. Benjamin Franklin said, “He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or sees.” Oh that I could learn this lesson… when to keep my mouth shut! Once the words are out there you can’t take it back. You can apologize for things that you have said, but you can never retrieve them.

Something my mother always told us growing up was, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” This is good advice! We should restrain our lips from negative speech, gossip, sarcasm, insincere flattery, coarse jesting, or being funny in a rude way. Instead we should use our mouth to encourage others, looking for and finding the good qualities in people, choosing to speak well of those around us.

This positive speaking of others also helps to adjust our attitude towards those we come in contact with frequently. What our mouth speaks our heart soon believes. If I can speak positively about someone I deal with daily, my attitude towards that person can improve even if they are not my favorite person to deal with!

Guard my words O Lord, may they reflect your love to the world around me. Help me to remember that sometimes silence is wiser than anything I might choose to say. 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.

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.

Creator, Protector and Lover

24 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

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

The LORD’s trees are well watered— the cedars of Lebanon, which God planted, where the birds make their nests, where the stork has a home in the cypresses. The high mountains belong to the mountain goats; the ridges are the refuge of badgers. God made the moon for the seasons, and the sun too, which knows when to set. You bring on the darkness and it is night, when every forest animal prowls. The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they gather together and lie down in their dens. Then people go off to their work, to do their work until evening. LORD, you have done so many things! You made them all so wisely! The earth is full of your creations! ~Psalm 104:16-24 (CEB)

“And in this [God] showed me something small, no bigger than a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed to me, and it was as round as a ball. I looked at it with the eye of my understanding and thought: What can this be? I was amazed that it could last, for I thought that because of its littleness it would suddenly have fallen into nothing. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and always will, because God loves it; and thus everything has being through the love of God.

In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second is that God loves it, the third is that God preserves it. But what did I see in it? It is that God is the Creator and the protector and the lover. For until I am substantially united to [God], I can never have perfect rest or true happiness, until, that is, I am so attached to [God] that there can be no created thing between my God and me.” ~From Showings by Julian of Norwich

Almighty God, in wisdom you have created us and all things. Provide my daily needs and grant me grace and strength to fulfill the ministry that You call me to today. I offer up my prayer in the name and spirit of Christ. Amen.

The greates gift

17 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

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

 

After these events, the LORD’s word came to Abram in a vision, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your protector.Your reward will be very great.”

But Abram said, “LORD God, what can you possibly give me, since I still have no children? The head of my household is Eliezer, a man from Damascus.” He continued, “Since you haven’t given me any children, the head of my household will be my heir.”

The LORD’s word came immediately to him, “This man will not be your heir. Your heir will definitely be your very own biological child.” Then he brought Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you think you can count them. He continued, “This is how many children you will have.” Abram trusted the LORD, and the LORD recognized Abram’s high moral character. ~Gen. 15:1-6 (CEB)

“The greatest gift I have ever received from Jesus Christ has been the Abba experience. ‘No one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him’ (Matt. 11:27). My dignity as Abba’s child is my most coherent sense of self. When I seek to fashion a self-image from the adulation of others and the inner voice whisperers, ‘You’ve arrived; you’re a player in the Kingdom enterprise,’ there is no truth in that self-concept. When I sink into despondency and the inner voice whispers, ‘You are no good, a fraud, a hypocrite and a dilettante,’ there is no truth in any image shaped from that message. ~From Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning

Lord God, in whom I find life, health, and strength, through whose gifts I am clothes and fed, through whose mercy I have been forgiven and cleansed, be for me guide, strength, Savior, and Lord all the days of my life. I offer my prayers through Christ. Amen.

Included

15 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

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

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. . . . See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. ~Rev. 3:20, 22:12 (NRSV)

“It is being included in the eternal life of God that heals all wounds and allows us to stop demanding satisfaction. What really matters, of a personal nature, once it is clear that you are included? You have been chosen. God chooses you. This is the message of the kingdom.” ~From The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20)

Below the surface

11 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

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

Jesus and his followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, show me mercy!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him forward.” They called the blind man, “Be encouraged! Get up! He’s calling you.” Throwing his coat to the side, he jumped up and came to Jesus. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see.” Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus on the way. ~Mark 10:46-52 (CEB)

“Contemplation breaks us open to ourselves. The fruit of contemplation is self-knowledge, not self-justification. ‘The nearer we draw to God,’ Abba Mateos said, ‘the more we see ourselves as sinners.’ We see ourselves as we really are, and knowing ourselves we cannot condemn the other. We remember with a blush the public sin that made us mortal. We recognize with dismay the private sin that curls within us in fear of exposure. Then the whole world changes when we know ourselves. We gentle it. The fruit of self-knowledge is kindness. Broken ourselves, we bind tenderly the wounds of the other.” ~ From Illuminated Life by Joan Chittister

Heavenly Father, please heal me of any self-justification that leads to blindness. Enable in me the ability of self-knowledge so that clearly see the path you have for me. Amen.

Clothed in human form

30 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , ,

Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors. ~Luke 2:8-14 (CEB)

“New discoveries about our universe seem to emerge every day. Telescopes in space enable us to see into the created order farther and more clearly than ever before. But even with all of this marvelous technology we have not been able to chart the boundaries of creation. And even if we could, the idea of a created order many billions of light years in depth is too much for us to comprehend. So how can we comprehend the One whom we call the Creator? Clearly, an infinite God has a communication problem with finite humankind. Christians find the answer to that problem in Jesus Christ. The mystery of this magnificent universe finds resolution in the mystery of the birth in Bethlehem. Jesus Christ came and was clothed in human flesh to let us know who God is and what God is really like. In Jesus Christ we see that God is approachable, and to a degree knowable by creatures like us. God can understand our condition because God has made us. We can know God because God has been revealed in Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:15 and 16 say it so well. ‘He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and things invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers- all things have been created through him and for him.’ In Jesus we have the perfect reflection of God. While the Creator of this vast universe may seem distant and unknowable, we can see, understand, and know Jesus of Nazareth. While it may seem too much to ask the Maker of the complex creation to hear us as we pray, we remember Jesus listened to everyone. So we, you and I, can communicate with the One who is author of all.

Our earthly existence takes on new meaning when we remember that God chose to put on our humanity and chose to wear that humanity as an ordinary working man. Our ordinary existence is not so ordinary when we remember that God chose this existence to give us a true picture of the divine. Therefore there are no unimportant moments in any lifetime. All are precious gifts of opportunity to know and serve the One who made us and chose to stand with us and like us in the great life.” ~From A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God, Rueben P. Job

It is humbling to think that the Creator of the universe loves me so much that He stripped Himself of Heaven to enter this world as nothing but a naked vulnerable infant. He clothed Himself as a human just so that I could get a better understanding of how wide, how deep, how high and how far His love is for me.

Merry Christmas!

Heavenly Father, Thank You for coming down to earth in Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for loving me so much. Amen.

The scrapebook in my heart

19 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , ,

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is really greater than me because he existed before me. Even I didn’t recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it rested on him. Even I didn’t recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. I have seen and testified that this one is God’s Son.” ~John 1: 29-33 (CEB)

“Jesus does not shift the balance in the relationship between creature and Creator. This balance rests only on the human’s act of abandonment and God’s act of gratuitous love.

I should say that, although Jesus has given us the “photograph” of the Father in the gospels, the mystery, the “unknowing” of God remains. We see, and yet we do not see; we become acquainted, and yet we still need to become further acquainted; we know, but we are still very ignorant. It is a photograph that we are able and unable to see.

It depends on you. You are the camera, able to fix inside yourself what you see and what you don’t see in the gospels and thus make a photograph of your own. You know that the power of fixing an image in the soul depends on the Holy Spirit, who is love, who alone is able to make that photograph in proportion to your intimacy with him.” ~From The God Who Comes by Carlo Carretto

I am a lens through which to experience God. Only I can zoom in on the pictures that are meant for me. The pictures are mine to capture. No one can take them for me; I have to gather my own pictures of God’s love. My life is a scrapbook pieced together carefully and intentionally by Him. It is a story of His love for me.

Thank You Father for the pictures I have stored in my heart of Your love for me. Help me to remember to look through this scrapbook of Your love for me regularly so that I may never forget that I am beloved by You. Amen.

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