God Archives - Page 18 of 27 - Tabetha’s Devotions

March 30, 2018

You Can’t Earn It

Luke 22:42
Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.

Daddy, if I am really good, can I have ice cream?

Mommy, if I clean my room, can I go to the park?

If I exercise all week, I can eat out on Saturday!

If I lose weight, I can go on vacation.

There is nothing wrong with rewards and incentives. We all respond better when we get something for our efforts. If you don’t believe that, ask yourself how long you would continue working at your job without a paycheck!

There is one place where rewards and incentives don’t apply. God! No matter how good we are we cannot earn our grace. We cannot earn our salvation. We can’t even gain blessings and the answers we want to prayers for our “goodness.”

How can I say this with such boldness? That is easy. Can you come up with anyone full of more goodness than Jesus? He is perfect. He is blameless. He is sinless. He asked for one thing, he really wanted out. He didn’t want to suffer. His will was to find another way. He asked to please “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

If anyone deserved a reward, it was Jesus! He did everything he was asked. Yet he was not rewarded with what he wanted.

So what makes you think you deserve something just because you have been a “good Christian”? It doesn’t work that way. Grace and blessings are gifts. God loves to bless his children. Blessings come in many shapes and sizes. Yes, they even come as “No!”

God loves you right where you are, even when you make mistakes. That is one blessing I am glad I don’t have to earn. I am pretty sure I am not the only Christian who stumbles and fells. I am sure glad I don’t get the rewards that I deserve.

Thank you, Jesus, for taking the reward I deserved and giving to me grace and unfailing love that I will never earn.

March 28, 2018

What’s Your Dream?

Hebrews 10:23-25
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I spent some time praying and reading my bible yesterday. It became one of those deep thinking times. I admit some days I just go through the motions. I read and pray and then get on with my day. However, yesterday was not one of those days.

I felt a like I was being drawn very close to God. I just couldn’t get enough of him. Then at one point, I heard a still small voice whisper, “What is your dream?” I was flabbergasted. I mean I was really speechless. I couldn’t answer.

For the past month, I have hit a desert spell you often hear Christians talk about. I knew God was around. I still had faith and hope. I saw blessings and answers to prayer, but I felt depleted. I just didn’t know where I was going and what I wanted to do. I felt like a warrior without a mission.

So when God asked me what was my dream, I answered the only way I knew how. I prayed God give me a dream. This morning he did just that!

I opened my bible study and again there where the words “What is your dream?” It was followed by some suggestions and the one that sang into my heart was writing. Earlier this month I was hit with some rejection of my writing. It really blew the wind right out of my sails. In many ways, I was giving up on my dreams. The good news is God wasn’t!

He popped Hebrews 10:23-25 in my lap to remind me why I wanted to write in the first place. Right before my eyes was my dream! I realized I had let one rejection kill my dream. Good thing I have a God in the business of resurrections! He certainly resurrected my dream.

What about you? What is your dream?

March 26, 2018

God Knows All

Psalm 147:4-5
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

There are lots of verses that tell us God is not changing like Numbers 23:19, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.” Or James 1:7, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

However, we also know God has changed situations such as in Genesis 18 when Abrahan intercedes before the Lord for Sodom and Gomorrah. God goes from destroying the entire city no matter what to agreeing to save it if ten people can be found righteous.

Jeremiah 18:7-10 “7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”

Jonah is another story where we find God originally going to destroy a city and then changes his mind because the people repent. Jonah 3:10, “10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.”

So how do we have an unchanging God that changes?

I recently came up with an idea for this that totally blew my mind.

Whenever the Bible speaks of unchanging, I believe they are talking about God’s character. He is not a lier. His not bi-polar. He is always good, loving and looking out for us. He will not forsake us or leave us. These are what make him him and they will never change.

As far as changing his mind, I am going to stretch your thought process here a little. Stick with me and it is perfectly OK if you don’t agree with me. But here we go…

I have heard people say things like, why should we bother praying God is going to do what he wants anyway. I have heard others talk about predestination, meaning God already knows who is going to be saved and who isn’t so why should we worry about it. Then there is my favorite, we don’t really have freedom of choice because God already knows what we are going to do. If any of these aren’t true, then how can you say God is all knowing? What if I were to tell you, when I say God is all knowing, I think he really knows all the possible outcomes.

Let me step back for a minute. Some of you may know that I am a HUGE Dr. Strange and Flash fan. Recently while watching Dr. Strange for like the millionth time, something the Ancient One said to Dr. Strange got me thinking. She is dying and is talking to Dr. Strange:

The Ancient One: You wonder what I see in your future?

Dr. Stephen Strange: No. Yes.

The Ancient One: I never saw your future, only its possibilities. You have such a capacity for goodness. You’ve always excelled, but not because you crave success but because of your fear of failure.

It reminded me of a character on the Flash, Devoe (or the Thinker). He is always one step ahead of the Flash because he can calculate all the possibilities of the future.

What if God, knows all because he can calculate and see all the possibilities. He knows every possible outcome that could happen depending on how us humans react. We step right, he knows we will end up here. However, if we step left he knows we will end up there. This is why, when Jonah was sent out to Ninevah he was told to tell them unless they change their ways they will be destroyed. They continue down their current path and possible outcome A, they are destroyed. They change and possible outcome B happens; they are saved.

This is why we are called to pray. James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Our prayers intercede. Our prayers change destiny. Our prayers take us down one possibility.

I believe God’s character is unchangeable. However, I believe our prayers can change his mind to another possible outcome. I believe he is all knowing because he literally can calculate and knows every possible outcome for every single thing going on at any given moment in this universe.

What do you think? As I said before, you don’t have to agree with me. I just hope I got you thinking!

February 26, 2018

I Want it MY Way

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

I have faith in God
I don’t worry that God Can or Cannot do something
I worry if and when he will do something
Will he do it my way?
Will his way be painful?

I know the verses also about him loving me
If you being evil give good gifts
How much more God will give those who ask. (Matthew 7:11)
But will It be my way?
But will it be painful?

Realization:
God will work out everything for my good! (Romans 8:28)
No, It will not be my way!
Yes, It may be painful!
But In the End
It will be perfect and wonderful!

February 19, 2018

Sit Back and Watch

Philippians 4:6-7
⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In one of my devotions this morning, I was reading about not worrying and learning to trust God with all your problems. I loved it when the author said to tell him your problem with trusting and thanksgiving, then watch him supply your need.

Then watch him supply your need…

I pondered these words for a few minutes and two things came to mind right away.

First, just like Elsa, we need to Let it Go! I am not saying stop praying, but stop worrying. You have turned it over to the only one that has total control over the situation. Let him do his thing. Often when something is eating at me, I have to turn to verse seven. I lay claim to that peace which transcends all understanding. I have to tell Satan (and myself) I have already prayed about this and it is out of my hands and now I am going to rely on God’s peace!

Second, (I chuckle at this one because it sounds so like me) when we make our problems known to God it doesn’t say, give him your suggestions for solutions. It says to make your requests known.

Maybe that is why he tags on verse seven, hoping if we relax in his peace we will Let it Go and Let God.

God never promised us life without problems. He promised to walk through life with all of its problems right beside us. Troubles will come our way. Anxieties and worries will strain our very last bit of hope and faith. However, we can take all of our problems to God and be assured he will send you peace while you sit back and wait for him to supply your need in his own way and his own time.

February 9, 2018

Waiting On Trains

Romans 12:12
Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.

So I am currently stuck in my car waiting on a train. What do I mean by stuck? Well, there was a train on the track in front of me so I turned on the road before I got to it.

That didn’t work out so well because there was a train stopped on that road too!

Can you say a lesson in patience?

Yes, friends and family and all those that know me all too well, I CAN hear your laughter!

No one has ever accused me of being patient.

However, today I am taking a minute (or 30) to take a breath and laugh.

Yes, laugh!

Let me let you in on the joke…

I had been driving a car that I am pretty sure was held together by tape and chicken wire. It has selective heat. I mean it has heat as long as the car is moving. However, stop moving, for a light, stop sign or perhaps a train and Boom! Nothing but cold air. On my way home from work, I am generally stopped by a train 2 to 3 times a week.

Earlier this week, I found myself blessed with a new Jeep. I was so excited! God not only gave me heat. He gave me heated seats!

That is what I call a God wink. you know that moment when you can feel God winking at you and saying,”I got ya, girl! I love you!”

Well… now comes today. On my way home, I laughed as I drove over those tracks. I was thinking now that I have heat, I haven’t been stopped by a train.

I am sure somewhere in Heaven angels rolled their eyes as God said, “Challenge Accepted!” you know the rest. Or almost…

The train finally cleared the tracks thirty minutes later and I thought I had finished my blog. However, I had to add to it once I got home. You see, after going over the tracks, I managed to hit EVER SINGLE red light the rest of the way home.

Yep, somewhere God is getting a good laugh at this. You know what, so am I! Because I had heat AND a warm behind!

February 5, 2018

Grace and Love

1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud

I realized I forgot to blog on Friday. Actually, I had a lot on my mind. I had a migraine on my mind.

My doctor had me give up coffee and tea. Cold Turkey! Can you say major withdrawal? I had severe migraines, flu-like symptoms and oh yes, I was cranky! I am not sure I have apologized to everyone enough.

I am so lucky my family and friends were able to exhibit some 1 Corinthians 13 love. I sure needed their grace and understanding.

Aren’t you glad God gives us gace and love? How good are you at extending that same grace and love to those around you? Do you give grace and love to only those you believe deserve it?

News Flash!

That is not grace or love!

God does not dole out grace to only those he finds worthy. Thank Goodness! I am sure I would not be one of those worthy people.

Next time someone has you at your wit’s end, remember to fall back! Thank God! He has never left you without grace or love. So don’t give up on this person either. I am guessing you could both use some grace and love. I know I could!

January 29, 2018

Yet I Rejoice!

Habakkuk 3:18
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

I want to begin by apologizing for not blogging last week. It was a rather difficult week for me. For those of you who know me or have read my story, you know I am accompanied by a service dog. Meshach is my current service dog. He is actually my second service dog.

Annie was my first. We met when she was just six weeks old and were a service dog team for 8 years before I had to retire her because she was going blind.

This past week she had a stroke. We believed she was going to come out of it fine because she got up the next day as if nothing had happened. By Monday evening though, it was a very different story. She began to have seizures. She was no longer able to get up and move around. By midnight we knew we were going to have to make a hard decision the next day.

Tuesday morning I had to say goodbye to a dog that had saved my life so many times. I held her until her very last breath. She was surrounded by family and friends and made as comfortable as possible.

It has been a week since I came home and found her totally disorientated. It has been a long hard road, but I can now say her name and smile. I can remember all the funny things she did and laugh again.

Tomorrow will probably be rough because it will be one week since I said good-bye. The day the veterinarian calls to let me know I can pick up her ashes will be another. However, through this whole situation, the verse in Habakkuk has kept ringing in my ears. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Every time I would begin to cry and get upset, I just kept repeating this verse. I won’t lie and tell you it made me smile right away, but it did make me breathe. It made me realize I would go on and I would smile again.

I can’t say for sure that our pets will meet us again in heaven, but I sure hope so. One of my friends put it to me this way. “Love is in heaven and Annie was pure love!”

January 19, 2018

He Trusts You!

1 Timothy 1:12
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.

What is your service? Do you work outside of the home? Is your service to your family in your home? Do you do both? What about church? Friends? Strangers?

God’s service is not confined to the four walls we call church. Nor, is only given to pastors, missionaries, and bible scholars. God has a service for everyone.

Here is something else you may not know. His service for you may always be changing. I mean daily!

I have heard that little voice before encouraging me to call someone, pray for someone, let the person go in front of me or even offer a helping hand. These little nudges come quite unexpectedly out of nowhere. I have even found myself in the place where God has asked me to give up my last couple of dollars to someone when I needed it. These are all calls to service.

Have you ever thought of it the way Paul so eloquently put it in 1 Timothy 1:12? God considered you trustworthy and appointed you to His service. Did you catch that? God considered you TRUSTWORTHY! He is trusting you to follow his instruction. He called YOU!

Not your pastor.

Not your Sunday School Teacher.

Not your small group leader.

Not the missionary or evangelist

Not even the little old lady down the street who knows every verse in the bible by heart and quotes it in every one of her prayers.

No, he trusted and called on YOU to perform this great service. No matter how small you may think the task is, in God’s plan, it is HUGE! And he has trusted you with it. The God of the Universe! The maker of all things has trusted you enough to ask you to do him a favor and perform this service.

So, the next time you hear that small voice answer with a “YES SIR! Right away sir! And thank you, sir, for trusting me with this task.”

January 17, 2018

Joy in Pain

James 1:2
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

Anyone else ever wanted to use a black highlighter over the above verse?

I mean, the word trials is synonymous with pain. As a matter of fact, Webster defines it like this:

a person, thing, or situation that tests a person’s endurance or forbearance.

synonyms:

nuisance, pest, irritant, problem, ordeal, inconvenience, plague, thorn in one’s side, one’s cross to bear;bore; informal pain, pain in the neck, pain in the butt, headache, drag, bother, nightmare, albatross; nudnik, burr under someone’s saddle, trouble, anxiety, worry, burden, affliction, ordeal, tribulation, adversity, hardship, trying time, tragedy, trauma, setback, difficulty, problem, misfortune, bad luck, mishap, misadventure

Well, that just sounds something worth being joyful over now, doesn’t it! Surely, God didn’t really mean we should be joyful when we are in pain. Or did He?

Let’s look at this another way. As a matter of fact, let’s take a look at the next couple of verses.

James 1:3-4

Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature.

Have you ever worked really hard on something? Maybe it was a craft like a painting, wrote a song, a book, crocheted a blanket. Or maybe you have done something athletic like made it on a team, lost weight, ran a marathon, triathalon or biked a century. Or how about saved up for something like a down payment on a house, a new car, cellphone or other big ticket item. Whatever it was you had to sacrifice. You sacriced time, money and yes, sometimes a little pain.

As a matter of fact it just might have been a nuisance, pest, irritant, problem, ordeal, or inconvenience.

The point is, when it was over you made it! You finished! You persevered! You probably learned a little something along the way. If nothing else, you learned you can do it! How sweet was that reward!

There are a lot of trials on Earth you would much rather avoid like, the death of loved one or an illness. However, even these have nuggest of joy. You grow stronger as you persevere through the trial. Maybe you find a friend to travel with you. Or perhaps you grow closer to God as he travels with you.

God never promised us he would get us our of trials, but he has promised he will go through them with us.

That is joy!

Tag: God

You Can’t Earn It

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What’s Your Dream?

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God Knows All

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I Want it MY Way

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Sit Back and Watch

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Waiting On Trains

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Grace and Love

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Yet I Rejoice!

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He Trusts You!

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Joy in Pain

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