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Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  (2 Corinthians 9:6)

In 1998 I found myself divorced, without a job, and with only a monthly income of $400.00. Though I really felt strongly about tithing, I was very tempted not to. After all, I had such a small amount of money and God would understand, right? I had an almost 2- year-old son and 400.00 was simply not enough to live on.

Tempted not to tithe, I felt the prompting of The Holy Spirit telling me I needed to keep giving. So, I swallowed hard and gave 40.00 to God and I was left with $360.00 to live on. Honestly for me, this was a true exercise of faith. It’s always easier for me to give when I know I’ll have a little extra in my pocket.

During my first year divorced, God supplied me with a great job that I loved. Fast forwarding to one year later…I found myself making the same amount of money we made as a couple pre-divorce and able to give the same amount my ex-husband and I were giving before we divorced. God took that 40 dollars in one year and multiplied it generously. 

I’m not sharing any of this to pat myself on the back. I was very tempted not to give, and I really believe God would understand. Anyone would understand. The really important part though? God’s Holy Spirit prompted me to keep giving. I just knew I needed to be obedient. I really believe He was trying to show me how true His word really is and the importance of giving no matter what.

I know His word is true, but to watch God work when you are obedient is a wonderful thing.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”

Now he who supplies seed to the Sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  (2 Corinthians 9:8-11)

I am so thankful He prompted me to keep giving despite my circumstance. If you’re being honest, what is God asking you to be obedient about? Blessing will occur in the midst of your obedience. Move forward in confidence and most importantly, obedience.

Blessing will occur in the midst of your obedience. How will you devote2Day?  

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

I love capturing God’s beauty. Sunsets, the ocean, or even a pretty autumn scene are just a few of the pictures I like to capture. God’s artwork is magnificent. I have found myself noticing the weather forecast, the times of sunsets/sunrise and the wind variable just to see the perfect excellence of God’s creation. One thing’s for certain, though…I would never see His beauty if I didn’t look.

It seems simple enough. God’s beauty is all around us. However, I won’t see it if I don’t look.

I think the same is true about the miracles of God. Every day God is performing miracles on our behalf. Sometimes we miss out on the miracle because our eyes aren’t open, or we aren’t watching for them. Often, we don’t see them because we pray for a certain miracle already in mind and if we don’t get that miracle, we assume God didn’t perform one.

Today, I look forward to seeing the miracles God is performing. I have my eyes wide open.

Dear Lord- help me to stand in active anticipation with my eyes wide open to see how you are working on my behalf and on behalf of those around me. I thank you in advance as you perform miracles I didn’t even know were needed.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a pit. No matter how hard we try, we can’t seem to make our way out on our own. We didn’t cause it, we didn’t invite it, and we certainly didn’t welcome it. We are tempted to make a deal, devise a plan, or rely on our own strength.

What’s your pit? Anything from finances, relationships, and depression to grief, health issues, and everything in between, the pit can get you dirty.

What you do while you are in the pit matters. It is easy to become frustrated, angry, and even bitter with blame, questions, and complaints. The mud, slime, and debris can weigh you down.

The comforting news? He hears you cry. He knows your pain and He sees your struggle. You are not alone. He is in the pit with you. Recognize Him.

Sometimes God is simply calling us to be patient, stand still, and surrender completely and totally to Him. What does trust and surrender look like for you? The pit is hard, but the rock is firm.

The pit is hard, but the rock is firm.

Dear Lord, help me to trust you completely. I’m determined to wait patiently and rely on your strong arm to get me out of the pit. I know the pit is temporary. Today I choose to praise you because I know you’ll replace this pit with a firm foundation, a spring in my step, and a new song in my mouth.

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.

Psalm 40:1-3  

During the pandemic, we’ve watched grocery stores swell, water disappear off shelves and stockpiled our own share of toilet paper. We’ve been asked to self-isolate, wear masks, and stay home from church. We’ve seen loved one’s pass, arguments over masks and vaccine mandates, and mounting political tension everywhere. It’s been a hard couple of years for most.

So, what’s next? What will we deal with next? I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself in the waiting for the “other shoe to drop” mode. I think I’ve actually picked up the shoe and guard it tightly as I wait. I guess it’s a defense mechanism. I don’t want to be caught off guard unable to handle whatever it may be. At times I’ve felt like batman trying to defend myself from the fiery darts constantly coming my way.

Waiting for the other shoe to drop is very tiring. It takes a lot of energy always trying to be on guard and trying to stay one step ahead in preparation.

Today God is showing me a different approach…. Forgetfulness and Hope. In Philippians 3:13 it says… “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”  

It seems simple:

1. Forget the past  2. Look forward to the future

As we begin the process of forgetting the past., we need to look forward with hope. In fact, we can overflow with hope. Wow, what a wonderful thought…overflowing with hope. I want to be so full of hope that my hope rubs off me onto everyone I meet.

Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

So today, may we forget the past and overflow with hope for the future.

Dear Lord: Today I decide to put down the other shoe and live with high expectations and hope for what’s coming next. May I overflow with hope and be full of joy. I look forward to getting some rest as I put down the other shoe.

Come Back When You Can Stay Longer

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! (1 Chronicles 16:11)

I remember as a kid going to visit my grandparents, and no matter how long we would visit, every time we would get ready to leave, my grandmother would say… “Come back when you can stay longer.” As I got a little older, I would wait for her to say it. I mean, we would be there to visit the entire day and without fail she would say… “Come back when you can stay longer.” I often wondered if there was any amount of time long enough that she wouldn’t mention us coming and staying longer.

Now that I’m grown with my own family and my son is married, I totally get why she said it. She simply enjoyed spending time with her family. Family is the most important thing.

I think God feels the same about us. He just wants to spend time with us. We are His children, and He wants us to communicate with him. Whether it’s reading His word, spending time in prayer, praise and worship, and spending time at church, I sometimes picture Him saying… “Come back when you can stay longer.” Or in some cases, just… “Come back.”

There are so many important things we must do, but the most important is spending time with Family- Our Father God and all the rest of His kids. “Come back when you can stay longer.”  

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. (1 Chronicles 16:11)

“Being confident in this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

 I remember clearly when my dad had his toes on one foot amputated. The doctors were pretty certain they were going to have to amputate to just below the knee. We were all preparing him for that very real possibility. Every hope had been exhausted and the realness if this second surgery was weighing on our hearts as a family. We had been praying for miracles for months and the doctors in 2 separate hospitals had exhausted every other option. It seemed certain a second amputation would occur.

 We were all exhausted and we were now relying on prayers from so many, as our exhaustion made it so hard to pray. The morning came. It was time for the doctor to take off dad’s bandage. The answer to prayer came that very moment…the doctor saw blood. I have never been so happy to hear about blood. We asked what we should do next. The doctor said to go home and take it one day at a time. It wasn’t until 10 months later that we saw the complete healing.

 Even though we didn’t see a complete healing the day the bandage was first taken off, I knew God had begun His work. The months following surgery were not easy for my father or mother. The months were filled with bandage changes, a wound vac, hours of sitting inside, trips to Columbus, and setbacks. Some days I wondered if God’s promise of Healing would actually happen. But then, I remembered the verse God gave me to hold onto when doubt would enter my mind…

 “Being confident in this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

In life, there are setbacks. It is so easy to take our eyes off God and concentrate on the problem. The more we focus on the problem, the bigger the problem gets and the smaller God seems. But the fact is, God is not small. His power is not small, and the authority given to us through His son is bigger than any problem life can throw our way. Where you lack confidence, be confident that he will complete what He has started! Thank you, God, for the power of your word made real in our lives!

And Then Many Will Be Offended

“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”  – Jesus   (Matthew 24: 10-13 (NKJV))

I don’t have a patent on perfection. I’ve been offended a little more than I’d like to admit over this past18 months than the rest of my life combined. Normally I’m bothered when I hear about people who are offended. This time, I’ve been on the offense.

What I’m about to share, I’m not sharing because I want sympathy. I’m sharing because maybe there is someone who can identify. We’ve all experienced difficult times over the last few years. In fact, many have experienced way worse than I.

2 years and 2 months ago my father died. His death was the most difficult loss I’ve ever experienced. I had heard the term heartache, but it wasn’t until his death that I experienced it. Physical heartache is very real. My heart was literally aching. For the first 6 months I developed physical issues I had never experienced and had no control over any of it. I really don’t know how people go through that without Jesus. I believed there was nothing worse I could go through.

8 months later the pandemic hit. We have an assisted living facility. I felt an indescribable weight and pressure. We have a facility full of “the most vulnerable”. The “what ifs” were weighing on me with each new day. I felt like I woke up each day with one more brick attached to me. There was nothing I could do to get relief. I clung to God’s word, but the bricks were still there. The weight and pressure was mounting.

4 months after we were asked to close our doors, (March 15^th was when we as a world went on lockdown) we had our “outbreak” at our facility. This was a very difficult time for so many reasons. Plus, it was right around the one-year mark of my dad’s death, so I was still dealing with grief, plus everything we’d been dealing with because of the pandemic. I honestly didn’t know if I would make it through. I was beginning to feel physically and emotionally unable to handle anything.

By the grace of God, we were slowly moving forward, all the while the pandemic was still very real with all the stress, pressure, and life changes it brings.

6-months later, during the height of the outbreaks across the Country and in our area, my father-in-law passed away from covid. It wasn’t associated with our facility in any way It was from community spread.  It was so devastating and unreal. It was so unexpected. Like most during this time period we had a private graveside funeral. In so many ways even several months later, it still feels unreal.

Again, I’m not sharing for sympathy, I really do have a point. I want to get back to the scripture I first shared-

“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”  – Jesus   Matthew 24: 10-13 (NKJV)

The other day when I was reading in Matthew 24, I got to these words…

“And then many will be offended”

So what does this scripture have to do what all the stress & grief, and heartache described above?

I was thinking back on all the things that have bothered or offended me the past few years. I think had I not been going through grief mixed with almost unbearable added stress, maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t have let so many things offend me. I’m not making excuses; I’m just saying at some point ability to reason goes out the door when you’ve had enough.

If I’m being honest, I think I was full of so much anger from everything I was going through, that I made up reasons to be offended. It was easier for me to pick a reason to be offended at someone, than to admit anger for having to go through so much crap. I was part of the “many” in the scripture… “and then many will be offended.”

I know this for certain. Remaining in offense causes bitterness and bitterness causes love to grow cold. I recognize that I was part of the many in the scripture, but I don’t want to be part of the scripture that reads… “The love of many will grow cold.  Plus, I certainly don’t want my bitterness to then allow me to be deceived.

The good news? The scripture continues to read… “But He who endures till the end will be saved.”

Where has your offense taken you?

Dear Lord, Help me to react out of love instead of anger and always choose the path of forgiveness.

“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”  – Jesus   Matthew 24: 10-13 (NKJV)

I’ve been praying for provision in a certain area. I must admit, though, today I was beginning to look at the wind and the waves. What I have been praying about suddenly felt impossible, kind of like trying to squeeze water from a rock.

What a crazy thought! It’s totally impossible to squeeze water from a rock… at least for ME it’s impossible. Then I realized I can’t squeeze water from a rock, but God can.  

I started to name miracle after miracle of God…

If God can part the red sea…He can squeeze water from a rock . If God can use a boy & a rock to kill a giant, He can squeeze water from a rock. If God can turn Egyptian water into blood , He can squeeze water from a rock. If God can feed 5 thousand with 2 fish and 5 loaves, He can squeeze water from a rock. If Go can use Moses to strike a rock with his staff and produce water, God can and did squeeze water from a rock.

Then God reminded me of miracles I’ve seen in my own life & those around me.

It would be humanly impossible for me to squeeze water from a rock, but what I am unable to do, God can do easily. God CAN squeeze water from a rock.  

Jeremiah 32:17 says: Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

What rock do you need God to squeeze water from? My God can do anything.  Matthew 19:26 says: But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  

With God ALL things are possible!  

Dear Lord- thank you for your provision. I look forward to watching you squeeze water from a rock!

This morning I had to drive into town to pick up a few things. When I got in the car, and put on my sunglasses, I soon took them off. Often times I hesitate to put my sunglasses on because I am so afraid to miss out on the perfection of the day God provided.

It’s the same reason I get up so early in the morning…If I sleep in, I’ll miss out. I want to take in the blueness of the sky and all of my surroundings without altering it in any way. I want to participate fully in the day the Lord gave me.

I pray blessings on you today, and hope you enjoy the fullness & perfection of this very day.

Psalm 118:24- “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Schools are looking for bus drivers, restaurants have permanent “help wanted” signs on their doors, and businesses are changing their hours of operation to accommodate lack of help. If you leave your home at all or watch the news, you know we are in a labor crisis.

People are quitting at an alarming rate, and it’s not just employment. – Is marriage getting too difficult? Just quit. Does a friend have different political views? Just quit. We are in a quitting pandemic. It’s causing damage with rippling affects.

I get it. The temptation to quit is very real. Life is very hard. Quitting seems really appealing- even glamorous.  I could give you 5 legitimate reasons to just go ahead and quit. I Could even give you some irrational reasons that sound legitimate- believe me, I’ve been tempted, too.

The most dangerous thing of all…quitting God.

When it comes to quitting God, it happens in stages; You may not have made a conscience decision to quit. It just happens over time. It’s a slow fade and a silent killer.

My heart is heavy for those who are in danger of quitting God and may not even realize it. Life is weighing you down & you’re being pulled in 8 different directions. You’re exhausted trying to make it through each day’s challenges and the anger you feel about everything the pandemic has caused is mounting.

Though we may have a great desire to quit, we have a God who will never quit us. His mercy and grace are unending, and His love never fails.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says this:

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

His word gives specific instructions about quitting:

1. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7

2. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12

3. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

4.Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

     Corinthians 16:13

I don’t want to be a casualty of war… the war being waged against our souls. I do not remember a more difficult time to be a Christian or to stand for what we believe. I just know when it all comes down to it, I want to be able to say, “I fought well.”

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7