your daily crossroad
God First
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Disappointments & Delays
John the Baptist recognized Jesus while they were both in the womb.
As an adult, John the Baptist declared Jesus as Messiah and then baptized him in the Jordan River. (Matthew 3:14)
Clearly, John knew Jesus in ways no one else has.
And yet, how could John’s faith become so shaken that he later questioned whether Jesus was really the Messiah? (Matthew 11:3)
The three elements that weakened John’s faith were fear, disappointment and isolation.
When John became stranded in prison:
- he was disappointed
- he was afraid
- he was isolated
He became vulnerable to the enemy and began to doubt who God really is.
When we become disappointed or afraid in our situations, don’t we also find ourselves doubting God’s nature as our loving Heavenly Father?
Do we begin to doubt His ability and desire to heal our brokenness, mend our relationships, give us peace in the midst of troubling circumstances?
But, our feelings are not the facts. The facts are:
- God loves you
- God desires the best for you
- God will never leave you nor forsake you
I will be vigilant today against isolation. God has not given me a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7)
I choose to place my disappointments & delays at the foot of the cross, and put my trust in Him as Savior and King of my Life.
Forgive
God’s commands around forgiveness are pretty clear and straightforward, and yet why do so many of us struggle with it?
Often, we are urged to forgive without allowing the healthy processing of feelings.
We may fear that forgiving someone means we accept their behavior as okay or that we are somehow saying their wrongdoing doesn’t matter anymore.
The reality is forgiveness liberates me from bitterness and hard-heartedness, even if the other person never changes.
“We win by tenderness. We conquer by forgiveness.” Frederick W. Robertson
I may have to say to the Lord I am willing to be willing, but I choose to make the step of faith toward forgiveness.
This small step of faith is all you are asking from me, and I give it freely.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. (Luke 6:36)
If you struggle with forgiveness today I pray after reading this devotion you are encouraged to do the right thing and forgive.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Judge Not
Withholding love & support are subtle ways we act as judge.
However, God clearly outlines in scripture we are not to judge.
We cannot be judge over anyone’s life, but our own.
God it is hard to lay down judgement, hurt and anger when I feel someone has been out of order. Let me remember you are my vindicator and help me to trust you with the outcomes. Amen.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Praise Him
In giving Thanksgiving, I remember to praise God for answered prayers about my children, my job, my home, relationships, health, or business worries.
Thanksgiving is the ramp into the heavenly places, but praise lands us into His presence.
His presence will be my place of rest and peace regardless of my circumstances.
His Love
How do we become persuaded or convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God?
We won’t mature in our faith, or know anyone deeply and intimately unless we spend time with them.
Enter His Gates
“Enter His gates”
Thanksgiving prayers are about what God has done for us.
Trust Him for The Promise
The three Kings (three wise men) were fearless. They stepped out in faith, and with the promise of the prophecy they followed the star and…they encountered heaven.
“They fell down and worshipped him.”
These distinguished, wealthy, and educated men fell down at the feet of a young child and worshipped him.
Their expectations were exceeded beyond anything they could have dreamed of.
The sacrifices of comfort, the lengthy separation from home, running from King Herod…in an instant it was all worth it.
They were able to worship the Savior of the world.
Courage in our journey and pursuit of God can be a hard thing.
But, if we truly long for an encounter with Jesus, He will always exceed our expectations.
If we take the leap of faith and with trust and abandonment say – “your will not mine”, we can experience a glimpse of heaven.
This devotion blessed me. What truth! He will always exceed our expectations no matter what the outcome looks like, amen. I am reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Trust Him for the promise.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Matthew 1:21
Where to Run If You’re Overwhelmed
You skip breakfast. You’re late for work. You forgot to pack little Joey’s lunch. Your laundry basket is a Mt. Everest of dirty clothes. Your loved one is in the hospital. You can’t seem to get to the store to buy groceries. You still haven’t returned that growing list of phone calls and text messages.
“Rapture me Lord!”
A Moment of Truth
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Oh, not the boastful kind of pride but, rather, the kind that springs from the heart when they ‘get it right’ in their life-decisions. I feel disappointment, but never stop loving them, when they don’t get it right.
Friend, we are His children and He loves us, in spite of all our ugliness and sin, in such a way that you and I cannot and will not ever comprehend. He will always love us unconditionally. He will never lock the door behind us when we’re willful and turn away from His path. He will never hit the ‘ignore’ button and not take our calls. He will never write us out of His will.
You will always be welcomed back to His open arms (though the punishment may sting a bit). You will always be heard when you fall to your knees and call out to Him in prayer. And you will always have the promised inheritance of eternal life, mercy, grace and forgiveness that has been yours since you accepted the truth of Jesus’ death on the cross. Nothing will ever take His love from you. You are a child of the most-high, God, and He will never stop loving you unconditionally…nothing you do can change that!
Enjoy your day, my friend, with that truth tucked away in your heart!
What a beautiful reminder of just how much God loves you and I. No matter what your facing today, know that no matter what, you are loved by God.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Deuteronomy 18:15
Love
We get drawn away from the simplicity of love with today’s current culture.
He Knows My Name
How can I have a bad day when I realize God is thinking precious thoughts about me—so many wonderful thoughts that they are as abundant as grains of sand. They are so numerous I would have trouble counting them all! But that is our loving God. He sees each of us as an individual. He knows our personality quirks. He understands our worries. He sees our heart’s desires. He created us and has known us since we were cradled in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-14).
As I start my day, Lord, it is comforting and powerful that You know my name and You think precious thoughts about me. No matter the struggles I may face today, no matter the disappointments or hurts I may endure, You haven’t forgotten me. You know who I am, and You have good plans for me. You assure me I am Yours. Thank You for Your amazing, mind-boggling love. I love You too!
Today’s Reading is John 6:35
A Prayer for Thanksgiving Day
All across our nation, Thanksgiving is a day that we set aside in order to do one thing.
How To Grow A Vibrant Spiritual Life
I’ve always thought about today’s passage in an external sense, rather than about the spiritual life. After all, that’s how it presents itself.
The lazy person reaps ruin while the diligent can expect a healthy harvest.
Simple. Makes sense. It’s a good challenge to keep me working hard and ensure I don’t let myself slack off.
But what if we consider this sowing-and-reaping principle in terms of our spiritual life? Specifically in our relationship with God.
We might not all live in castles or own vineyards, but we do all have the most valuable possession in the world: a human heart, soul, and spiritual life that needs tending.
Which scene resembles your inner quality of life in the following ways:
1 . Your spiritual life and relationship with the Lord,
2 . and your relationship with yourself?
If you’re like me, it’s probably a mix of the two.
TENDING TO YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE
There are places in my relationship with the Lord I can honestly say are well-cultivated.
For me, being in the Bible and in prayer are two places I’ve experienced incredible life. I have also put myself on the line in order to be obedient to his direction—even though it’s been scary and uncomfortable.
It’s a mainstay of my personal relationship with Jesus.
I may not have a heart populated by colonnades and cascading fountains, but there is life there for both myself and for others.
But if I dig deeper:
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- What about pride and my desire for recognition and praise?
- What about envy?
- What about my greed?
- What about mean-spiritedness and incessant judgment of other people based on appearances?
- What about how I deal with anger?
- And the list goes on…
You see, the further I look past the well-tended fixtures of my inner life, I notice neglected places and crumbling walls.
I see nettles intruding on flower beds, choking the life out of what is good.
TENDING TO YOUR PERSONAL INNER LIFE
The same goes for my relationship with myself.
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- Do I hold myself accountable for my attitudes?
- Do I deal with anger before it blossoms into resentment?
- Am I the same man in private as I am in public?
- Am I cultivating habits that, while not comfortable, will produce life?
- And again, the list goes on…
I encourage you to survey your spiritual life in the same way. Find both areas that are flourishing and those that are crumbling.
How can you be diligent to tend to both? How will you increase fruitful areas while tilling up the weed-infested ones and starting over?
For me, it all starts with a willingness to see reality. So, are you willing to see the real problems that exist in your heart? Are you willing to admit that there are cycles of trouble in your life that don’t stem from everyone else’s actions, but are caused by your own attitudes and dispositions?
Here’s the deal. Until you own the entirety your inner life—the fruit trees and the weeds—you’ll never have the power or clarity to nurture it to its full potential.
So, if you find yourself in a spiritual draught, be diligent in cultivating the places where life can be found.
We can nurture wonderful landscapes within our hearts and minds—but we must do so on purpose. The question today is, are you?
This devotion blessed me. I felt it was so powerful and something that needs to be shared time and again. After reading this devotion today I pray you stop and ask yourself, am I cultivating the places in my spiritual life where life can be found?
I pray you have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Hebrews 12:28
Purpose Through Process
Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Syria. He was a “mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.” Naaman wanted to be healed of his leprosy.
Through the words of an Israelite servant that was in the service of his wife, Naaman heard about the prophet Elisha and was told that Elisha would cleanse his leprosy.
With a letter from his king as well as his blessing, Naaman sets off for Israel to seek healing. The letter does not reveal that Naaman is looking for Elisha, it just states that he is seeking to be clean.
Naaman arrives in Israel and hands the king the letter. The king of Israel is greatly distressed, tearing his own clothes he says, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me”. (Verse 7)
Fortunately for the king, Elisha catches word of what has happened. Elisha instructs the king to send Naaman to the prophets house. Naaman expects to be healed by Elisha himself.
Imagine yourself in this situation. You’ve had a crippling disease for your entire life. You’ve finally arrived at the place where you know you can find healing! All you need is for the prophet to come speak it over you.
Your excitement builds as you anxiously await the prophets arrival.
There’s noise on the other side of Elisha’s door. Your moment to meet the man of God has come! Good health is about to be yours.
And what happens next? The prophet is a no-show! The person standing before you: the messenger of Elisha. He doesn’t bring word that the prophet will be arriving soon. No, he brings instructions.
“Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.” (Verse 10)
Naaman is angry! The Jordan is a dirty river; the waters of his own home are much cleaner than it. If all Naaman wanted was to be clean, he could have just as easily stayed home and bathed. In a rage, Naaman starts to turn away, unwilling to heed the words of the messenger.
Fortunately, Naaman’s servants spoke boldly to their master. They encouraged him to follow the messenger’s instructions, and so he did.
“Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” (Verse 14)
Naaman had certain expectations of how this story was going to begin, continue, and end. He probably thought that it would be pretty simple: head to Israel, see the prophet, get healed, return to Syria in time for dinner.
But God’s process was quite different. Instead of sending Naaman to the prophet, God sends him to the king, who sends him to Elisha, who sends the messenger in his place, who sends instructions.
And even then, the instructions weren’t what Naaman expected.
But look at how the story still ends: with Naaman being healed. I would suppose that Naaman would have died a leper had he not been obedient to wash himself in the Jordan.
God’s purpose was brought about by God’s process. Oftentimes, God’s process looks much differently than we expect.
Despite his rage at the situation, Naaman still obeyed and was cured of his leprosy. He obeyed despite his lack of understanding.
Will you obey God and seek his purpose, even when his process is beyond your understanding? Read 2 Kings 5:1-14 today.
What a powerful devotion. I felt it had to be shared today. I pray after reading this devotion you are left with this thought, don’t reject God’s purpose just because you don’t like or understand His process.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Colossians 3:17