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Luke 9:23
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Religion may be a Sunday affair, but following Christ is a daily duty. We don’t get to sit in a pew on Sunday and then go back to life on Monday through Saturday. Jesus doesn’t just remember us on Sunday. He didn’t just remember you on His cross and then forget about you either. He wants to be in your life every single day of your life, which means we need to take up our cross daily and follow him.

My mom use to have this picture that said something like, “Seven days without Jesus makes one WEAK.” If you didn’t eat for six days and then feasted on Sunday only, how strong would you be? Could you face the physical challenges of your day-to-day coming and goings? I don’t think so. I think you would be pretty unhealthy. So, why is it people think hearing the word of God on a Sunday morning is enough to strengthen them for the entire week spiritually?

Getting fed on Sunday is important. However, even as a pastor’s wife, I would say the Monday through Saturday feeding is more important. Those are the times when you seek out God and you choose the meal. This is where you really grow and e strengthened to face every challenge. So, don’t you think it is time you grabbed your menu?

Lord, thank You for providing a full menu of good foods every single day. ~amen

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1 Peter 2:24
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

“He himself”, those words echo in my mind today. To me it means He chose, no one made Him do it. He bore our sins because He wanted to do it. No one forced Jesus to be beaten and hung on that cross. Oh, I am sure Satan, the soldiers, and Jewish leaders thought they were bringing it on, but there were just puppets in an elaborate story that began years ago. No, Jesus allowed this to happen to Him.

When you put Jesus’ motive into perspective how can your jaw not drop? How can you not think, “Wow! He did that for me.” You and I weren’t even born yet and He did that for us. He knew we were going to be sinners. He could have thought of His own safety and said, “Nope I cannot go through that pain and suffering for a bunch of people who don’t deserve it.” Instead, He loved you so much that He stepped up and put you first in His mind. He put your safety first. He did not want you to have to suffer that pain forever of death away from God.

Are you feeling the love? All of your wounds are healed. If you will your sins have been wiped away. Death has no hold on you anymore. Satan can’t touch you. All because Jesus put you first.

Lord, thank You for loving me enough to put my welfare first.

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Psalms 4:8
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

I feel awful today. No, it is not Covid. Spring is not my friend. I tend to come down with asthmatic bronchitis thanks to allergies. I always feel awful when I feel awful. Ok, that even sounded weird to me. What I mean is I feel guilty when I am sick. I know there are a million things I should or need to do and yet, dragging myself off the couch to walk to the bathroom takes all of my energy. In reality, I tend to have this grandiose idea that the world cannot go on without me. Arrogant right? I am going to guess many of you have the same feeling . . . LOL!

Today’s verse reminds life is just fine. God is still running the world and can do so without me. I can lay down and sleep, for He alone makes me dwell in safety. Sometimes that safety is from me. It is not only OK for me to check out of the world for the day, it is what is best for me.

Our God is a great big God. He loves us and loves it when we are His hands and feet on Earth. He wants us to spread His word and love to others. He also loves us so much that He provides us with peace so we can lie down and refresh ourselves.

Lord, thank You for giving me the day off!
~amen

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Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

So, I had a kiddo that liked the Wiggles. I also taught pre-school at the time when they were big on the scene. Every time I think of the fruit of the Spirit, I get one of their songs stuck in my head, ‘Fruit Salad’!

Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy

Let’s make some fruit salad today (Uh huh uh)
It’s fun to do it the healthy way (Uh huh uh)
Take all the fruit that you want to eat
It’s gonna be a fruit salad treat!

Now we’ve made it, It’s time to eat it (Uh huh uh)
It tastes so good that you just can’t beat it (Uh huh uh)
Give everyone a plate and a spoon
We’ll all be eating it very soon!

The funny thing is it fits! I mean the Spirit is just waiting to serve you up a heaping helping of His favorite fruits of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Take all that you want there will always be more waiting. Then do the most important thing, SHARE IT! Give everyone around you a helping too. Before you know it, we will
all be saying Fruit of the Spirit Salad, Yummy,
Yummy.

Lord, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit equipped with all of His wonderful fruit! ~amen

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1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Today’s verse is one we often hear at funerals of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to save someone else. Military, first responders, and other everyday heroes come to mind. Although each of these people certainly deserves the highest honors we can give them, this verse does not have to mean that extreme sacrifice. It can mean every day little things we do for each other.

To give up one’s life can just as simply mean putting others first. Giving up little bits of time, money, or objects. Any selfless act can be giving up a piece of your life. I know this is not giving up your whole life, but it is exactly what is expected of us. Jesus gave up His whole life for us. Can’t we even give up those simple small things for others?

We all have so much to share. Yes, all of us have something. I know everyone is so busy, but let’s be honest we choose to be busy. There is time we can carve out of our days. It can even be that extra few minutes in the checkout lane where you let someone go first.

If you keep your eyes, ears, and heart open you will find ways to sacrifice your life for
someone every single day. Jesus laid His down for you, now it is your turn to pass it on!

Lord, help me find ways to pay it forward. I want to do Your will and sacrifice my life because you sacrificed Yours for me. ~amen

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2 Corinthians 5:14
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

I love the story of the Three Musketeers. When I read today’s verse I immediately thought of their motto, “All for one and one for all.”` Jesus died for all and we are all His! Now, if we could all learn to work as one.

How do we work as one when we are all so different? We remember Jesus died for all. Yes, ALL! There is no one you can hear, see, or even think of today that God did not send His only begotten Son to die for on that cross. I know some days that is very hard to deal with. I can bet there is at least one person who comes to mind right now that you are questioning. I am sure they have hurt you or someone in your family. Your nerves just flare to DEFCON 1 in 0.01 seconds just at the sound of their voice. I promise they don’t deserve salvation. They deserve to go straight to Hell for all of their sins. Oh, and by the way, so do you. I know. . . OUCH! I am feeling it too.

None of the “all” deserved God’s love, but He gave it. Not a single one deserves grace, but we get it. The quicker we remember one died for all, the faster we will be able to reach others with Christ died for them and loves them too. Then we can all start living as one for the One who died for all.

I am so thankful You died for all and I am one of those all. Remind me that all others are in that all also. ~amen

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Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

If this is the only gift we ever got from God our lives would have everything we need. Redemption and forgiveness fill us to the brim. Our God believes in cups that overflow (Psalm 23:5). So, He goes above and beyond this every single day.

Before Jesus left the disciples He told them that God would send another advocate to help us and be with us forever to teach us all things and give us peace (John 14:15-31). We know that the Holy Spirit brings us love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). See what I mean? Cup overflowing!

God is there to meet any need you have. He is also there to go above and beyond anything we need. He even knows what we need before we need it and is prepared to provide it. All we have to do is be ready to receive it. If that wasn’t enough, once you have received it there is more and more to accept. It doesn’t stop or run out. His love is everlasting and unyielding.

Today, I want to remember to thank God more. He has given me so much and continues to do it every single day. I need to thank Him that much more.

Lord, thank You for redemption, forgiveness and so very much more you provide for me every single day. ~amen

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Psalms 14:1
The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.

Hmmm . . . today’s verse read totally different to me than I have ever read it. I know in my NIV bible there are quotes around, “There is no God.” I presume the following statements are describing the fool who says that in his heart. What if we remove the quotes or extend them. What if the verse said,

The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.”

I promise I am not trying to change God’s word. When you look at it this way does it seem familiar? Doesn’t this look like how the world sees us? Don’t they have a pessimistic view of us? They claim we are fools because we believe in a God. They assume we are trying to brainwash them. We do things with our own agenda. We can’t possibly be good, we must be corrupt and vile.

We have a lot of work in this world. We have to beware of the fool because he is corrupt, vile, and up to no good. At the same time, we must convince them we are not any of those things. It is an uphill battle. Good thing we have a God pushing and pulling us up it!

Lord, help me reach the fools of this world. Let me convince them You not only exist, but you exist for them! ~amen

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Psalms 40:1-2

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.

I vote we skip verse one today. Ok! Ok! I know we can’t do that. But you have to admit it would be a lot easier if we just concentrated on the part about God lifting us out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. I am all for him setting my feet on a rock and giving me a firm place to stand. The fact of waiting patiently on Him is not exactly exciting.

You know when I read verse one it reminds me of when my kids were little. If they started throwing a fit, they got ignored by me and did not get what they wanted. If they waited patiently I would turn and help them out. Is that what God is doing in this verse. If we stomp, snort, and scream does God cross his arms and ask, “Are you done yet?” I feel that way sometimes and must say, I deserve it.

The thing is when we wait patiently, we are giving up our pride, arrogance, and all about me attitude. We are giving up our worries and putting our trust in God. We are taking a deep breath and know God is in control and He is working things out for my good.

Patience is not easy but it is a necessity of life. We can’t go around throwing tantrums. Remember, God will turn and hear your cry!

Lord, thank you for hearing my cry and lifting me out of my slimy pits. ~amen

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Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

If Jesus was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain, why do you think we will escape any of it? People often blame God as soon as things start to rock their worlds. If they don’t blame Him for the actual problem, they blame Him for not getting them out right away. Take a look at what Jesus went through in life and at His death, are we any more important or better than Him.

I am not saying God won’t be there with you and help you in times of trouble. I am not even saying that He won’t or hasn’t stepped in before troubles came your way. I am saying we should not be surprised when troubles come knocking at our doors. We should follow Jesus’ example when they were pounding on His!

Another way to look at this verse is You Are Not Alone! Jesus has been there and done that. He not only sympathizes with you, but He also empathizes with you! He feels the exact same pain. We have a God who doesn’t sit in a white temple looking down, paying us lip service. We have a God who goes through every pain with you.

Troubles are troubles. We are not exempt from them. But that is OK because Jesus has been down this path already and is ready to lead you through.

Lord, I am so grateful that you empathize with me. You feel all of my pain and walk me through it. ~amen

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