religion Archives - Page 13 of 21 - Tabetha’s Devotions

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!

January 15, 2018

Don’t Be A Small Actor on the Stage of Life

Mark 12:41-44
The Widow’s Offering

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.

“Man we are scraping the bottom of the barrel!” Meaning we have no more! This is all we have to work with and this is it!

I have been in situations where I didn’t even have the barrel! I mean peanut butter and jelly was a luxury. I have stood in this widow’s shoes!

I can almost hear her thoughts right now…

Lord, the rent is do tomorrow.

My cupboards are bare and I really need to go to the market.

The oil is low, I won’t be able to heat my home or light the lamps.

But Lord, I have you. These two coins aren’t mine. They belong to you. You will provide all my needs.

Her actions were about so much more than money. They were about how large her faith, hope, and dedication to Christ was compared to the others. It is about how important the “little” things are when done for Christ.

These rich men gave what was needed. They showed up did what was expected of them and went on their merry little way. Their week ahead was not changed in any way. They were the “Sunday Morning” Christian.

God, I will give you what is expected. No more! No Less! I will put forth enough faith and hope to say I believe in you, but the rest of my life is my own.

The widow, on the other hand, puts all her faith and hope in God that day. She had no idea what laid ahead of her that week. She knew there were bills to pay, obligations to be met. She knew she would have no other way of surviving other than put all she had in Him.

Which spiritual coin purse are you working from? Do you give just wanted is expected of you to make it all look good? Or do you, like the widow, go all in? Do you bring to the table everything you have and put all of it in the hands of God?

There are no large or small jobs in the sight of God. There is only large or small faith in everything you do.

January 12, 2018

Today I Want to Pray for You!

Lord, today I lift up my family and friends before you in prayer, and in agreement with your word, I ask:

That they will love You will all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Mark 12:30

That they will be patient thus gain greater understanding, and that they will be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Proverbs 14:29, James 1:19

Thay You protect them spiritually, mentally, and physically. Psalsm 28 & 41

That they will submit themselves to you, resist the temptations of the evil one, and acknowledge You in all that they do so that You will direct their steps. James 4:7

That you will give them the desire, strength, and courage to run the race with boldness, so that they may press on toward the goal that You have called them to in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

That they will be a wise steward of all the things You have given them, remembering that all things are Yours, given to us by You for Your purpose and glory.
Matthew 6:19-21, Luke 16:10-13

That they would meditate on your word, pray without ceasing, and stay faithful to you Lord Jesus to the end. Psalms 1:1-3, 1 Thesselonians 5:17

In Jesus Name, Amen!

January 10, 2018

Who Cares?!?!

Psalms 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?

January is a rotten time of year. Every commercial seems to scream “You are fat!” I don’t care if you are watching TV, scrolling social media, reading your email or picking up a magazine. You are bombarded with this message.

Then there are all the other messages that tell you are unorganized, lazy, or totally in debt.

I am not saying some of these things aren’t true, but there is one huge problem with all of these messages. They start you down a road of COMPARING!

I am convinced comparing is the go-to weapon of choice for the enemy. If he can open that door even a smidge, he gets you hooked. Your mind starts down a trail that is so hard to turn away from.

You try the first exit and it leads you to depression and despair because you don’t measure up. The next exit has you all holier than thou because at least you are not as bad as that person. No matter where you turn your focus remains on one thing…YOU!

Let’s get to the truth right now. You start worrying about what everyone else around you thinks. You are afraid people are not going to like you and think you aren’t good enough.

How do I know this? Because I have worn out way too many pairs of shoes on that journey. Can I tell you something I am trying to remember?

Who cares!?!?

I don’t care if I ever look like those rich, skinny women, with the perfectly organized house and thousands of followers on Pinterest. If God wanted me to be them he would have made me them. God made me the way he wanted me with my own unique qualities and talents. I need to be more aware of what he thinks of me.

You know what he thinks of you? He loves you right where you are now.

He doesn’t care if you fit into a bikini. You are perfect to him.

He doesn’t care if your home looks like the cover of a magazine. You are perfect to him.

He doesn’t care if you have organized your entire life on the most beautiful planner money can buy. You are perfect to him.

There is no need to be afraid of what everyone else thinks because the Lord is ou light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of our life — of whom shall I be afraid?

Let’s not wear out another pair of shoes trying to compare our lives to someone else. Instead, let’s skip down the road of life together enjoying what we have and who we are.

January 8, 2018

I Am Not A Failure

Joshua‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Something going wrong is not a failure. Not trying again is a failure!

This is not easy for me to admit, but last semester I did not pass my cumulative exam for my doctorate degree. I had three weeks to write two papers and both of my papers fell short. I must pass this exam to go on to my dissertation. Once I pass it, I will have achieved my doctorate all but dissertation. I was so frustrated and upset; I did not retake the exam until this semester. I had failed!

Or so I thought.

I had that option of retaking it last semester, but I couldn’t. I needed to put some time and space between me and those papers. I needed a break. Mind you, I finished my Bachelor’s degree waited two years started my Master’s and then went directly to my Doctorate right after that. I have not had a break from classes in almost six years. I was burnt out and the added frustration of not passing just sent me into a tailspin.

During this break, I have tried my best to not think about my “failure”. However, this past week has had me sweating bullets again. What if I fail again? What if I never pass it? I was so sure I was going to be a failure.

Today was fresh and new. I opened the exam and took a new look at the papers I had written. Things were a little clearer and the comments from last semester actually made sense now. However, I still felt like a failure and was not so sure I could do any better this time.

Then two friends stepped up to pass on some advice.

One went to the bible and brought out the verse above. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” What I gleaned from that verse was quit being a fraidy cat and get to work on those papers.

Pass or pass not, God will be with me. Tomorrow will come. The sun will rise. Life will go on.

My other friend proceeded to tell me you only fail when you quit trying. I am not a failure.

I did not fail my exam. Yes, I did not pass. The papers were lacking. What I did not see was all the things I did right on the papers. I had lots of great comments. The professors said it was obvious I was knowledgable about the subject. I had great ideas. One of the papers, I just needed to add more and put more of me and my analysis into it, not just the facts. The other paper, I need to connect my data to my recommendation. They were both awesome, I just needed to connect them better.

Today, I am going to choose to be strong and courageous and carry on. I am not a failure. I have not given up trying. I just figured out how not to pass. Now it is time to find what works!

January 5, 2018

No Strength to Carry On

Psalms 18:28
You Lord, keep my lamp;
my God turns my darkness into light.

Have you ever cried so hard and so long you literally had none left? No more tears. No more energy. You were totally exhausted. You may have even collapsed. You have no idea where you will get the strength to move on from that moment. You don’t have one more step in you.

Yet, somehow you do.

Where does that strength come from?

Why does your heart continue to beat? Your lungs continue to breathe in and out. The next day the sun still comes up and so do you. How?

I have been there. When my first husband came to tell me he no longer loved me and wanted a divorce. When my mother called to tell me my brother had been murdered. Saying goodbye to loved ones for the last time.

How did I take my next step? The same way you will. Hope! Hope that the next breath will be a little easier. The next day will find a smile somewhere.

I will tell you it will not be easy. It may even seem impossible at times, but it will happen. Life will continue on and you will find smiles and laughter again.

God will keep your lamp burning and turn your darkness into light.

January 3, 2018

Be the Light in Someone’s Day

2 Samuel 23:3-4
The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’

How can I make someone’s day?

During Lent last year I was challenged to do random acts of kindness each day instead of giving something up. I had so much fun sending little thank you notes to people. I even snuck a card to a lady working in the drive-through window on a very cold and busy morning at McDonalds. I know I was supposed to be blessing others, but spoiler alert I got blessed too!

You never know what baggage someone is lugging around or what scars they have. You may be the only smile or kind word they get. Never pass up a moment to be someone’s sunshine. It doesn’t matter if it is your spouse or the rude cashier, everyone deserves a smile, thank you, can I help you or may I pray with you.

Generosity doesn’t take a lot of money. It just takes a heart!

Light up someone’s world today. You just might be the only thing keeping them from total darkness.

Lord,
Help me be like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain to someone today.

January 1, 2018

Give Me Light For The New Year

2 Samuel 22:29
You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.

I love to wake up to a brand new year. I have brand new journals, planners, and calendars laid out in front of me. Blank pages. How will they be filled? What will this new year bring?

I am not much for New Year’s resolutions. I have goals I want to accomplish. Places I would like to see. Things I would like to do. Yes, there are even things I would like to change or improve about myself.

However, I know just like those blank pages, my life will soon start to fill up. Any promises I make today will fall to the side and soon be forgotten.

Instead of resolutions, I want to offer up this simple New Year’s prayer.

Lord, you are my lamp; you turn my darkness into light. Guide my steps this year. Light my path. Help me to never give up even when I falter and fail. I want to follow you and fulfill your resolutions for my life.

December 29, 2017

Flu Season, Yuck!

1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

I am so sorry I have been absent this week. My family, like so many others around us, has been battling the flu🤢

I am feeling better today and wanted to do something I haven’t done in a while.

Yep, it is BRIGHT SIDE FRIDAY!

Give me your five! Here are mine…

1. A husband, who was also very sick, still tried taking care of me when he could.

2. Being on Christmas break + being sick = no writing sub plans!

3. Having the sweetest service dog in the whole world, who wouldn’t leave my side and tried to cuddle real tight when my fever was causing me to shiver.

4. The beautiful dusting of snow we got today. Enough to make everything pretty, but not too much that makes it a pain.

5. This one is probably obvious, but thank you Lord for your healing touch.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! May God bless you this New Year! I can tell you I already feel blessed just being able to stand up without the world spinning out from under me.

Tag: religion

He Trusts You!

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Joy in Pain

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Don’t Be A Small Actor on the Stage of Life

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Today I Want to Pray for You!

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Who Cares?!?!

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I Am Not A Failure

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No Strength to Carry On

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Be the Light in Someone’s Day

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Give Me Light For The New Year

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Flu Season, Yuck!

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