Monday, December 31, 2018

Bring the full tithe
     into the storehouse,
that there may be food
          in My house.
And thereby
put Me to the test,
    says the LORD of hosts,
if I will not open
the windows of heaven for you
and pour down for you
a blessing
until there is no more need.

                Malachi 3. 10

(Watch what the LORD does
with a heart
surrendered to Him.
Not putting Him
          to the test,
but putting us to the test
   of taking His word as truth.
Not a financial issue
   but a heart condition,
not just about us,
but God blessing the world.
“You can’t trust Me too much.”
         —Andrew Murray
             Absolute Surrender
             1895)

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Great is the LORD
beyond the border of Israel.

                Malachi 1. 5

(The LORD has no limitations,
no one beyond His grace
           and redemption.
God grants you ministry
outside the camp
    to point others to Him.
Even today,
even in this,
God has placed you strategically
      for His kingdom,
      for His name's sake.)

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Let them praise
    the name of the LORD,
for His name alone is exalted.
His majesty
    is above earth and heaven.

                  Psalm 148. 13

(Did it even occur to me
to praise the LORD
           in this?
To claim His name over this,
to know that He reigns
       and not circumstances?
In praising the LORD
 -- putting my awe and reverence
and worship into words
and actions and attitudes --
everything I face today
    does not just look different.
                     It is different.
I know Him in
        yet another dimension.
Praising the LORD
changes us in tangible ways.
Bringing Him glory
        changes the world.)

Friday, December 28, 2018

...so that the feeblest among them
on that day
    shall be like David...

                 Zechariah 12. 8

(God uses the most unlikely people
                  for His purposes,
those who know
       in Whom is their strength,
who seek His glory
              and not their own.)

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Ask rain from the LORD
    in the season of spring rain,
from the LORD
       who makes the storm clouds,
and He will give them
              showers of rain,
to everyone
    the vegetation in the field.

                  Zechariah 10. 1

(Did it even occur to me
     to ask God about that?
To ask from Him
    His way in this,
    His provision,
    that which only He can do?
The LORD provides rain
   in unexpected ways
and in the most unlikely places.
God brings forth fruit in its time.
Our prayers and His provision
   impact more than we can count,
   even those we do not yet know
and those who do not yet know Him.
Ask rain from the LORD.)

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

One generation shall commend
         Your works to another
and shall declare
         Your mighty acts.

                  Psalm 145. 4

(Do my children
and my grandchildren,
even those with whom
    I interact every day,
know the chronicle
  of His faithfulness
             in my life?
Do they know the details
    of His story in me?
One generation
               to the next,
point others to Jesus.)

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a Child is born,
    for unto us
             a Son is given.

            Isaiah 9. 6
(written 800 years
   before the birth of Christ)

For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
should not perish
        but have eternal life.
For God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that
   the world might be saved
                        through Him.

                    John 3. 16-17

(God's gift of grace
and love
and forgiveness
and salvation
    to the world.
Jesus Christ has come.
A weary world rejoices.)


Monday, December 24, 2018

And in the same region
there were shepherds out in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord
                appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord
               shone around them,
and they were filled with fear.
And the angel said to them,
"Fear not,
for behold, I bring you
      good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day
                in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find a baby
      wrapped in swaddling cloths
and lying in a manger."

                  Luke 2. 8-12

(And the world
         has never been the same.
For unto you,
           Jesus has come.
The Christmas story
is not just another story,
  but that which is real
and changes everything.
             Even us.)

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Not by might,
not by power,
    but by My Spirit,
says the LORD of hosts.
Who are you,
         O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel
   you shall become a plain.
And he shall bring forward
the top stone
amid shouts of
      "Grace, grace to it!"

                 Zechariah 4. 6-7

("I can't do this"
is exactly where God wants me to be.
         Because He can do even more.
Not on my strength,
                   or performance,
           or hindered by imperfection,
     but "by My Spirit."
How do I approach
            these impossible people
        and this volatile place?
How do I live out
my faithfulness to God?
      "Bring grace,
       bring grace to it.")

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Here is a call
   for the endurance
and the faith of the saints.

            Revelation 13. 10

(You have been
        strategically placed.
You were made for this.
This impossible situation
       you are in its midst,
be faithful to God in all things.
Stand firm,
wear the full armor,
and bring the name of Jesus.
That is exactly
           why you are there.
Not for your entertainment or ease,
    but to bear witness
                      and be faithful.
Who stands forth
when it comes down to the hard stuff?
Those who have been redeemed.)

Friday, December 21, 2018

...the wilderness,
where she has a place
         prepared by God,
in which she is
    to be nourished...

             Revelation 12. 6

(The wilderness is
often a place where we ask,
"What in the world am I
               doing here?
     Did I make a wrong turn?"
         into a place of loneliness,
              into a place of isolation,
        where I don't want to be.
But in Scripture and in God's eyes,
the wilderness is
              a place of wonder and awe,
      and never a barren spot,
but a trail of tremendous growth
             and God's revealing.
The circumstances
    nor the landscape may not change,
but God transforms me in it.
Do not fear the wilderness,
              but embrace God in it.
You are not alone.  Never alone.
   Never without profound purpose.
God Himself
     walks with you in the woods.)

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Be strong,
all you people of the land,
          declares the LORD.
Work,
       for I am with you,
       declares the LORD of hosts.
...My Spirit remains in your midst.
               Fear not.

                Haggai 2. 4

(In modern English
           or ancient Hebrew,
"fear not"
     means amazingly "fear not."
How many more times
            does God have to say it?
What scary situation
                or impossible people
has God placed before me
            in my work or on my path?
What if there was nothing to fear?
How would I approach this
                 with different vision
       and a huge helping of grace?
Spend my limited time and energy
                     on work,
    not wasted on worry.)


Wednesday, December 19, 2018

The LORD your God
    is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you
            with gladness;
He will quiet you
             by His love;
He will exult over you
             with loud singing.

             Zephaniah 3. 17

(The LORD your God
       is in your midst.
Even now,
even here,
even when I can't see
           through the fog,
God is fulfilling His purposes
                   for me.
That is all I need to know.
"Seek Me in this,
     seek Me through this.")

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet
   I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy
       in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord,
             is my strength;
He makes my feet like the deer's;
He makes me tread
             on my high places.

               Habakkuk 3. 17-19

(My favorite words in the Bible:
              Yet God.
No. Matter. What.
Even when it looks like
     this is not going to end well,
even when I am overwhelmed,
even on the scariest precipices,
             nothing to hold onto,
         my feet can't touch bottom,
yet God.
    I stake my life
                 on His steadfast love.)

Monday, December 17, 2018

And now
I will break his yoke from off you
and will burst your bonds apart.

                   Nahum 1. 13

(When we seek Him
           and walk with Him,
the LORD releases us
   from whatever we fear,
even right in the midst
               of where we are,
from whatever binds us,
   both real and imagined,
that we would bring Him glory
    in impossible places
              if not for Him.
I can't do this by myself.
"Exactly. Walk with Me.")

Sunday, December 16, 2018

With what shall I come
    before the LORD,
and bow myself
    before God on high?
...He has told you, O man,
what is good;
and what does the LORD
              require of you
but to do justice
and love kindness,
and to walk humbly
         with your God?

             Micah 6. 6-8

(Bottom line:
    Love God
    and love others well.
Every which way you can.
Even in this.)

Saturday, December 15, 2018

...and they shall beat
their swords into plowshares,
and their spears
       into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up
             sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war
                         anymore,
but they shall sit
   every man under his vine
   and under his fig tree,
and no one shall
               make them afraid.

                  Micah 4. 3-4

(God's way in volatile situations
   or impossible relationships
is always
peace, reconciliation, grace,
     forgiveness and love.
Be the first
to lay down weapons,
    cast away ammunition,
and to turn what destroys
      into what builds and plants.
Be the first to forgive
           and to ask forgiveness,
the first to extend your hand,
and the first to make that call
       to break the awful silence.
"Love them to Me.")
          
         

Friday, December 14, 2018

And the people of Nineveh
                  believed God.

                   Jonah 3. 5

(That is the greatest miracle
      in this story of a whale.
Faithfulness always
             produces fruitfulness
in unexpected dimensions
      and many layers
and beyond the boundaries
                 of time.
God has
strategically positioned you
         to point others to Him.)

Thursday, December 13, 2018

After this I looked,
and behold,
a door standing open
            in heaven!

          Revelation 4. 1

(What kind of door
       am I looking for?
The door which brings me
into a more intimate
       relationship with Christ
is always open,
unlocked,
and the porch light on.)
        

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Behold,
I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears My voice
      and opens the door,
I will come in to him
             and eat with him,
and he with Me.

              Revelation 3. 20

(Not a matter of looking
           for open doors,
but opening our hearts
                  to Him.)

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Seek good,
    and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the LORD,
              the God of hosts,
will be with you.

                Amos 5. 14

(Whose way do I seek?
    My way, or His in this?
Seek good.
Good does not just 
        arrive on the doorstep,
and rarely the easiest,
quickest,
most scenic route,
           but He is with you,
through treacherous places.
He will not just reveal
               His passage through,
but His Presence all around you,
      right in the midst of the mess.
For His glory.)

Monday, December 10, 2018

Be faithful unto death,
and I will give you
     the crown of life.

           Revelation 2. 10

(And I am afraid,
uncomfortable,
reluctant,
to be faithful to God
in this awkward
   or inconvenient situation?
Faithfulness to God
     and intimacy with Him
grows ever deeper
in my everyday choices
to bring the name of Jesus
     even right where I am.)

Sunday, December 9, 2018

"Yet, even now,"
    declares the LORD,
"return to Me 
          with all your heart..."

               Joel 2. 12

(There is one certainty in life:
       we all mess up.
But our relationship with God
is not based on perfection,
nor success,
nor achievement,
nor performance,
but on His unending love and grace.
His door is always open,
the light is always on,
a place right next to Him
      waiting at the table.
He lives here,
      He dwells with us.
It is not God who comes back,
                but us to Him.
Yet, even now,
        His grace never falls short.)
   

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Sow for yourselves righteousness;
         reap steadfast love;
break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time
         to seek the LORD,
that He may come
and rain righteousness
                     upon you.

               Hosea 10. 12

(What am I planting in this?
God always in time
         and a bizillion ways
bears fruitfulness
    through faithfulness to Him,
beyond our vision
and even beyond the boundaries
         of our lives on earth.
Faithfulness is not bound by time.
On the Other Side,
we will stand amazed
         at what God has done.)

Friday, December 7, 2018

Let us know;
let us press on
        to know the LORD;
His going out
    is sure as the dawn;
He will come to us
             as the showers,
the spring rains
       that water the earth.

                 Hosea 6. 3

(Not just knowing about Him,
      but knowing Him.
It doesn't just happen,
   like a package suddenly
                 on the doorstep,
but a deepening relationship.
Press on, seek, pursue daily,
         to know Him more.)

Thursday, December 6, 2018

...not as though I were writing you
a new commandment,
but the one we have had
               from the beginning --
that we love one another.

                   2 John 4. 5

(Every which way we can.
The most meaningful ways
       are the most unexpected,
not in stuff,
but a different tune,
           and a new heart.
Not I,
      but Christ in me.)

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

And there
    I will give her her vineyards,
and make the Valley of Achor,
                           a door of hope.

                         Hosea 2. 15

(Achor means trouble.
And so God transforms
    our Valley of Trouble,
that impossible barren place,
and reveals His way
  not just through it,
                    but in it.
We look for exits
             and new opportunities,
but even in the toughest places,
    God always keeps
    an open door of hope.
"Trust Me, even in this.")

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

But go your way till the end.
And you shall rest
and shall stand
   in your allotted place
at the end of the days.

                Daniel 12. 13

(God does not call us
    to be successful
    or famous
    or perfect,
just to be faithful to Him
               in all things
for His glory.)

Monday, December 3, 2018

...but the people
    who know their God
shall stand firm
and take action.

                 Daniel 11. 32

(Ready,
willing and able,
because of daily choices
to follow God
           and stand strong,
despite the prevailing winds.
The equipping does not arrive
on the doorstep out of the blue,
but takes place
          on every ordinary day
by praying,
reading His Word,
and following faithfully,
               even in this.
There is no small stuff
when it comes to
        responding to God.)

Sunday, December 2, 2018

But you have been
     anointed by the Holy One...

                   1 John 2. 20

(Anointed and appointed.
And that should change
the way we look
       and how we respond.)

Saturday, December 1, 2018

...because you are strong,
and the Word of God
                abides in you,
and you have
       overcome the evil one.

                 1 John 2. 14

(Our confidence and strength
     are ours by the Presence of God
     and the power of His Word
                       in our lives.
Don't be distracted.
We live in enemy territory,
but the adversary has
              power over you.
You belong to Jesus.)

Friday, November 30, 2018

But the saints of the Most High
shall receive the kingdom
and possess the kingdom
forever,
forever,
and ever.

                       Daniel 7. 18

(What I am facing,
whatever I am going through
is preparing
the way of the LORD
     in the lives of others
and revealing
   that His kingdom is now
and not just yet to come.
The saints of the Most High
run on a different operating system,
       and are marked radically
       by the reality of His Presence.)

Thursday, November 29, 2018

When Daniel knew
that the document had been signed,
he went to his house where he had
windows in his upper chamber
     open toward Jerusalem.
He got down on his knees
three times a day
and prayed
and gave thanks before his God,
as he had done previously.

                     Daniel 6. 10

(Deeply engraved
     patterns of faithfulness,
the source of his strength,
the daily equipping
   of Daniel's trust in the Almighty.
Praying and
spending time in God's Word
     always bears profound fruit,
more than we can know
for this day
and for the time to come.)

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

I have heard of you
that the Spirit of God
            is in you,
and that light
and understanding
and excellent wisdom
    are found in you.

             Daniel 5. 14

("There is something different
                about you."
A relationship with God
does not just
change the trajectory of your life,
     but He changes you,
                   for His glory.
When we follow Him fully,
we point others to the Almighty,
    sometimes even when 
    we are even unaware of it.)
          

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

...but you are able,
for the Spirit of the Holy God
            is in you.

            Daniel 4. 18

(Not "you can do it!"
but "what God does
         through you."
God Himself empowers you
to fulfill your mission,
because He is with you,
and the power of the Almighty
        surrounds you.
Be faithful to Him in this.)

Monday, November 26, 2018

If this be so,
our God whom we serve
is able
      to deliver us
from the fiery furnace,
and He will deliver us
out of your hand, O king.
But if not,
be it known to you,
                O king,
that we will not serve
your gods or worship
    the golden image
    that you have set up.

              Daniel 3. 17-18

(No matter the situation,
no matter the outcome,
    faithful to God in this,
that in everything
        God may be glorified.)

Sunday, November 25, 2018

...always be prepared
to make a defense to anyone
who asks you
for a reason for the hope
      that is in you;
yet do it with gentleness
              and respect.

             1 Peter 3. 15

(Others are always watching you
not to see if you are perfect,
but to see if this God of yours
                         is real.
Always be prepared to point
             others to Jesus.
The most profound moments
    are those which are unexpected.)

Saturday, November 24, 2018

...but they shall bear
fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows
from the sanctuary.
Their fruit will be for food,
and their leaves for healing.

                 Ezekiel 47. 12

(That which flows from
          God Himself,
that which bears fruit,
sustains,
and brings about healing.)

Friday, November 23, 2018

...that you may proclaim 
the excellences of Him
who called you
out of darkness 
into His marvelous light.

            1 Peter 2. 9

(Called not to a job,
but called to Christ.)

Thursday, November 22, 2018

O give thanks to the LORD,
       for He is good;
for His steadfast love
        endures forever.

                Psalm 113. 1

(Thanksgiving is a 
           daily practice,
not an event,
nor a meal,
nor an emotion,
     but a response.
Not even
        "I am thankful"
but "I am thankful 
             to God.")


Wednesday, November 21, 2018

...to make a separation 
between the holy
and the common.

            Ezekiel 42. 20

(Learn to distinguish 
between what draws 
      you closer to God
and what pulls at you. 
Not all things
          are helpful.
Everyone struggles
     with something.
Know when 
      to walk away
and follow Him.)

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

But He 
   gives more grace.

           James 4. 6

(How to handle
   any situation.)

Monday, November 19, 2018

...look with your eyes,
and hear with your ears,
and set your heart
upon all that I shall show you,
for you were brought here
in order
  that I might show it to you.

                 Ezekiel 40. 4

(Be very aware
of God's Presence
and profound purposes
            right where you are.
Even here
     in this impossible place
     or difficult situation,
His divine purposes
             are deeply embedded.
God is revealing Himself
 to you
         ...and to others.
This very well may not
         be just about you.
Probably isn't.
God never works
    in singular dimensions.)

Sunday, November 18, 2018

...let every person
    be quick to hear,
slow to speak,
slow to anger;
for the anger of man
does not produce
the righteousness of God.

             James 1. 19

(Boy, do we have that backwards.
Live in such a way
that the grace of God
                is seen in you.
Even in
      this impossible situation.
May others see
    something different in you.
And that would be Jesus.)
 

Friday, November 16, 2018

I will seek the lost,
and I will bring back the strayed,
and I will bind up the injured,
and I will strengthen the weak...

                Ezekiel 34. 16

(God has placed them
            in your life
for a reason.
Bring the love of Jesus
    to those who surround you.)


Thursday, November 15, 2018

Strive for peace with
               everyone...

             Hebrews 12. 14

(No exclusions.
Strive means
  to make every effort
  and to fight vigorously
                    for it.
Peace doesn't just happen.
"Show me Your way
in this,
          O LORD,
             for Your glory.")

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

...let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us,
      looking to Jesus...

              Hebrews 12. 1-2

(No matter the course
set before me today,
running faithfully,
bringing glory to His name.
Even in this,
      eyes on Him.
Run with Jesus.)

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

By faith
the people crossed the Red Sea
as on dry land...

                Hebrews 11. 29

("Show me Your way,
             O LORD,
through this impossible,
       difficult situation."
Do we even stop
         to ask His way in this?)

Monday, November 12, 2018

And Abraham went out,
not knowing where
          he was going.

           Hebrews 11. 8

(That is what
           faith looks like:
following God,
even in what we cannot
              fully understand,
even in the really hard stuff,
even in what
    may make no sense at all,
                    to us.
God is going someplace
                     with this.
       Walk with Him.
Even in this mess,
even in this failure,
even in bleak wilderness,
                 God is.)

Sunday, November 11, 2018

And let us consider 
how to stir up    
          one another 
to love and good works,
not neglecting 
       to meet together,
as is the habit of some,
but encouraging 
            one another,
and all the more
as you see the Day
          drawing near.

      Hebrews 10. 23-25

(Living without community
with other believers 
       is not an option, 
 not a matter of
     "I don't fit,"
     but how you do,
not connected 
    to the Church
but being the Church,
a vital part of the family.
Stir up,
love well,
and encourage 
 everyone around you.)


Saturday, November 10, 2018

With God
we shall do valiantly;
it is He
who will tread down
            our foes.

               Psalm 108. 6

(With God.
Not "you can do it,"
nor "believe in yourself,"
       but with God.
This is way too big,
too hard,
too overwhelming 
              for me!
"Exactly. 
 But not for Me.
 Follow Me through it."

Friday, November 9, 2018

He turns a desert
     into pools of water,
a parched land
     into springs of water.

               Psalm 107. 35

(Now watch what God does
 with your impossible situation.
"Trust Me in this.")

Thursday, November 8, 2018

If a man is righteous
and does what is just
            and right...

            Ezekiel 18. 5

(As a direct result,
God changes
the trajectory of your life.
And what you choose
   impacts everyone
around you
and who comes after you.
God did not promise
that life with Him will be easy
    but "I am with you.")

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

He rebuked the Red Sea,
and it became dry,
and He led them
through the deep
      as though a desert.
So He saved them
from the hand of the foe
and redeemed them
   from the power of the enemy.

              Psalm 106. 9-10

(A foe or enemy
is anything you fear,
     both real and imagined.
Don't allow the past
to define or enslave you.
Forgiven, released, redeemed.
God meets us
    in our deepest need.
He may not deliver us from
an impossible situation,
          but leads us through.)
            

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

...and you shall know
that I have not done
without cause
all that I have done in it,
     declares the LORD.
 
              Ezekiel 14. 23

(Even though 
I do not understand,
God always bears
profound purposes
     in many dimensions 
     and delicate layers
of which I am not aware
   nor cannot comprehend.
Nothing is ever random 
but by His intricate design.
Even the really hard stuff 
does not lay
beyond His redeeming.)

Monday, November 5, 2018

In the morning
the word of the LORD
came to me:
"Son of man,
has not the house of Israel,
the rebellious house,
said to you:
     "What are you doing?"

               Ezekiel 12. 8-9

(Live in such faithfulness to God
that others can't help but ask
               "why?"
What makes you different?
And that would be Jesus.
People are always watching you
  to see if God is real.)

Sunday, November 4, 2018

The Spirit lifted me up
    and brought me to....

                Ezekiel 11. 1

(Sometimes not where
               I intended.
What am I doing here?
Even in what
    I can't understand,
God's profound purposes
           are seamlessly woven,
no matter the circumstances,
no matter how things appear.
Not to find a place for God
              to fit into my plans,
but to let the LORD
     lay His day before me.)

Saturday, November 3, 2018

And behold,
the glory of the God of Israel
            was there...

            Ezekiel 8. 4

(Sometimes
   in the most unexpected places,
always
    in following Him.)

Friday, November 2, 2018

And He said to me,
"Arise,
go out into the valley,
and there
    I will speak with you."

           Ezekiel 3. 22

(Seek the LORD,
listen,
respond,
follow
     even where it makes no sense,
and "wait for Me there."
Even here.
Even in this.
There appear to be
no trails in the wilderness,
         at least paths that we
         cannot yet see.
God knows the way.)

Thursday, November 1, 2018

And you shall speak
       My words to them,
whether they hear
            or refuse to hear,
for they are
       a rebellious house.

              Ezekiel 2. 7

(God does not call me
  to be successful.
God calls me
          to be faithful,
wherever I am,
even here,
even in this,
even among those around me.
I will be very surprised
by who is watching,
who is listening,
even more at who responds.)

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

At present,
we do not yet see
everything in subjection
                   to Him.
But we see Him...

           Hebrews 2. 9

(I cannot understand everything,
but I can trust Him,
love Him,
respond to Him,
even in what I don't comprehend.
"Follow Me in this.")

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD
                never ceases,
His mercies never come
                to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.

                 Lamentations 3. 21-23

(No matter what.
Worry tries to control
           the what if's of the unknown.
Hope stakes it life on what is known:
                  God Almighty.
His faithfulness comes
with the sunrise every morning.
His steadfast love covers it all
               and never ceases.
You are not alone,
     God whispers in the darkness
and sings in the breaking of the day.)

Monday, October 29, 2018

I will walk with integrity of heart
          within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless.

                Psalm 101. 2-3

(Intentionally turning away
from anything that distracts
     or gets a death grip on you
engraves patterns of faithfulness.
It is not a matter of setting up
                         fire walls,
but not opening the door
          in the first place.)

Sunday, October 28, 2018

And let our people learn
to devote themselves
           to good works,
so as to help cases
      of urgent need,
and not be unfruitful.

               Titus 3. 14

(Excuse me,
but your gospel is showing.
Faithfulness to Christ
enlarges our vision
             past ourselves.
Fruitfulness in Christ
 is the planting of His Word
 and living out
   the long ripening of His Spirit.
Faithfulness
         always impacts others.)

Saturday, October 27, 2018

It is He who made the earth
                by His power,
who established the world
                by His wisdom,
and by His understanding
   stretched out the heavens...
The LORD of hosts
                 is His name.

                    Jeremiah 51. 15, 19

(No wonder I feel like
 I am not in control,
                   because He is.
His evidence and His Presence
    are seamlessly woven
into all that is both visible
                    and invisible.
Just because I cannot comprehend
doesn't mean He is not there.)


   

Friday, October 26, 2018

Their Redeemer is strong;
the LORD of hosts is His name.

                   Jeremiah 50. 34

(Trusting the LORD is
part of His redeeming.
By trusting God
with what you do not know
--even in what you do know--
               He changes you,
even if the circumstances don't.
And that may be His purpose in it:
             to know Him more.
The LORD is stronger yet.
"Trust Me in this,
      trust Me through this.")
           

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Preach the Word;
be ready in season
         and out of season.

              2 Timothy 4. 2

(In obvious places of need
and in
      totally unexpected situations,
and even among those
           we would least suspect.
Every word,
every deed,
nothing random in any circumstance,
but a divinely appointed opportunity
                 for the gospel.
Be ready.  Seek it out.
Even here.
Even now.
Bring the name of Jesus there.)

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

And do you seek
     great things for yourself?
Seek them not ...

             Jeremiah 45. 5

(Only for His glory.
Even in this.
For who or what 
    I do something,
    always changes me
    ... and the outcome.)

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Let the favor of the Lord our God
             be upon us,
and establish
  the work of our hands upon us;
yes,
   establish the work of our hands.

                    Psalm 90. 17

(A daily prayer before I begin my day,
before I begin the work
      He has set before me.
Whatever the task,
           may He be glorified.
Even in this.
No work done for His glory
       is ever menial,
nothing stands outside His bounds.
Not "Take God to work" day,
   but walk with Him into it.)
          

Monday, October 22, 2018

...for God gave us a spirit
        not of fear
but of power
and love
and self-control.

             2 Timothy 1. 7

(A radically different response
brings about
a radically different outcome.)



Sunday, October 21, 2018

...washed the feet
        of the saints...

         1 Timothy 5. 10

(In whatever way
   that honor appears.)

Saturday, October 20, 2018

So also good works
      are conspicuous,
and even those that are not
cannot remain hidden.

                1 Timothy 5. 25

(Good works,
kindness,
compassion,
unexpected grace
         reverberate.
God always bears fruit
and alters the landscape.)

Friday, October 19, 2018

Train yourself for godliness,
for while bodily training
    is of some value,
godliness is of value
               in every way,
as it holds promise
        for the present life
and also for the life to come.

              1 Timothy 4. 7-8

(Quite literally Cross-fit.
As my friend Chris Davis
always says,
"The proof of desire
  is in the pursuit.)

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Ah, Lord GOD!
It is You who have
   made the earth
   by Your great power
and by Your outstretched arm!
Nothing
      is too hard for You!

                 Jeremiah 32. 17

(The word "nothing"
in the original Hebrew means
          "absolutely nothing."
Still does.
This particular dilemma or problem
is not beyond His power
                   or redeeming.)

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Keep your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from tears,
              declares the LORD,
and they shall come back
from the land of the enemy.
There is hope for your future,
                declares the LORD...

              Jeremiah 31. 16-17

(God is using you
in deep and mighty ways
     His sacred purposes.
Hope is in the LORD,
not in prevailing circumstances.
Press on.
All eyes on Him
   as the LORD
   navigates us through.)

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

For I know the plans
   I have for you,
          declares the LORD,
plans for welfare
                 and not for evil,
to give you a future
                 and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me
and come and pray to Me,
      and I will hear you.
You will seek Me
and find Me
when you seek Me
     with all your heart.
 
               Jeremiah 29. 11-13

(Seek God in this,
       not just an answer.
Faithfulness to God
  always produces fruitfulness
                    beyond measure,
in His perfect timing
and in His unexpected
    and incredible ways.)

Monday, October 15, 2018

...do not hold back a word.
It may be they will listen,
and every one turn
        his evil way....

            Jeremiah 26. 2-3

(You never know,
never even suspect,
who is watching,
who is listening,
who will respond to God,
God has placed you there
     to bring His love, grace
     and His name.)

Sunday, October 14, 2018

In the latter days
you will understand it
         completely.

            Jeremiah 23. 20

(God redeems
         even the hard stuff.
Just because 
        I don't understand 
doesn't mean 
His profound purposes
          aren't deeply woven.
Nothing random,
        just deeper than
        my myopic vision.
Someday we shall all say,
"Oh, so that's why....")

Saturday, October 13, 2018

...that they may know
       that You alone,
whose name is the LORD,
are the Most High
    over all the earth.

                  Psalm 83. 18

(Bottom line
    in every endeavor
that He is known.
Above all things,
          intimacy with Him,
no deeper thing to seek
         or pray for others.)

Friday, October 12, 2018

If I say,
"I will not mention Him,
or speak any more
               in His name,"
there is in my heart
as it were a burning fire
shut up in my bones,
and I am weary
      with holding it in,
and I cannot.

              Jeremiah 20. 9

(God has placed you there
to bring the name of Jesus.)

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Blessed is the man
    who trusts in the LORD,
    whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree
           planted by water,
that sends out its roots
                 by the stream,
and does not fear
         when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious
            in the year of drought,
for it does not cease
                    to bear fruit.

                 Jeremiah 17. 7-8

(Trusting God
       changes everything
even in this.)