Thanks Archives - Tabetha’s Devotions

July 23, 2018

Frustratingly Frustrated

Psalm 77:11
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

I feel, agape, aghast, amazed, astonished, bamboozled, beat, bewildered, blown away, bowled over, breathless, buffaloed, confounded, dismayed, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, floored, knocked, licked, overcome, puzzled, shocked, speechless, staggered, startle, stuck, stumped, stunned, surprise, taken aback, thunderstruck.

In other words: I. AM. OVERWHELMED!

It has been one of those very looooooooong days. I am switching jobs and had to go to a benefits orientation. I am very grateful to be offered so many wonderful possibilities, but man, making the choices is a nightmare. They throw out so many words like HMO, PCP, OAP, QCHP, SURS, and the alphabets goes on and on and on!

My frustration level quickly hit DEFCON 1. My head started to hurt. I wanted to run, find a place to curl up in a ball and cry my eyes out. I wanted my mommy!

Some of you may be giggling right now, while others are yelling, “Amen, Sister!” The point is all though this situation may have not brought you to your knees, but I am guessing something at sometime may have.

We all get frustrated sometimes. It is OK! It is not unChristian to feel frustration. It is not a lack of faith or hope. It is not a disappointment to God. It certainly isn’t a sin!

News Flash! Jesus got frustrated! Take a peek at Matthew 16

5Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6“Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

7At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. 8Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? 9Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? 10Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? 11Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’”

12Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Jesus was frustrated with the disciples. I am not saying He became a hot headed maniac and just let loose on the guys. However, clearly He was irritated.

Frustration is an emotion we must work through. You can’t hide it, drink it, or eat it away. Believe me I have tried. Those things may make you feel better for awhile, but the pain comes back and brings friends like guilt!

Lord, thank you for letting us feel our emotions. Thank you for helping us work through them. Thank you for teaching us through example. I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago (Psalm 77:11).

July 13, 2018

Weekend Blessings

Colossians 3:17
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

TGIF! We have made it through another week of life. I hope yours was blessed.

As you look forward to your weekend, I pray your calendar is blank, open to all sorts of possibilities. Those are my favorite kind of weekends.

No matter how you spend this weekend, I would like to pray for you today.

God, I thank you that we are chosen, holy and dearly loved by you. As this weekend approaches I pray we will be blessed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Help us to be there for one another and give out as much grace as you have given us. Over all these virtues we will put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Help us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, since as members of one body we are called to peace. Let the message of Christ dwell among us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to YOU with gratitude in our hearts.

And whatever we do, whether in word or deed, we will do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to YOU, God the Father through him.

Amen
(Colossians 3:12-17)

June 4, 2018

Wait Like an Eagle!

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I remember growing up in what you would call a small country church. One of my favorite songs we would sing was based on Isaiah 41:31

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
They shall run and not grow weary.
They shall walk and not faint.
Teach me Lord,
Teach Lord to wait.

For those of you who may not know, I am excellent at waiting. NOT! NO WAY! NO HOW!

So, why in the world would I ever love to sing this hymn?

To be honest, it is because of my mom. This has always been one of her favorite verses and she always loved singing it. She always managed to remind me of it when I wasn’t being so patient.

A few years ago, when we were marathon training we would bring this verse up to each other when we were feeling a little low on energy. Even as I ran the marathon that year, I kept humming and singing that song over and over to keep me going.

My biggest problem with waiting is I feel powerless when I am in the middle of something. I have to do something to get started. I have to do something to finish up a project. In the middle, not so much to do. I just have to wait.

And when I wait, my mind starts to wonder and come up with all kinds of problems. I play the “what if” games or “I should have”. I think of all the ways I could have screwed up somewhere. Fear comes knocking down my door.

Recently, I “stumbled” (OK, God may have pushed a little) on a couple of other verses.

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 37:23-24
The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

I realized even during those waiting times, God is holding my hand. I have nothing to fear when I am in a waiting pattern. God will give me strength to see any project to the end. Even if I have screwed up somewhere along the way, HE will make it come out alright. I have nothing to fear.

This is exactly why when I wait and put all my trust in the LORD, He will strengthen me and give me wings to fly and feet to run and I will not grow weary of waiting.

May 21, 2018

Cuss, Cry, Cringe or Thank God

Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It was a really long day! I was feeling a little overwhelmed. It seemed everyone needed me at the same time today and there just wasn’t enough of me to go around.

I still had several more things to accomplish once I got home, but I was excited because at least I was leaving work and headed that way!

Then I came to my “favorite” road home…the one with the railroad tracks!

Yep! You guessed it there was a train on the track. It was going really slow. As a matter of fact, it stopped and went the other way and then stopped again and came back.

What did I do? Do I scream (cuss)? Did I throw a tantrum (cry)? Did I give up and bang my head on my steering wheel (cringe)?

Nope!

I rolled down my windows. Turned off my car grabbed my phone to play some tunes and a book to read. I laid back and thought, “Wow! Time for me!” (Thanked God!)

I would love to tell you this is always my reaction when life throws something in my way. If I did, I would be lying through my teeth!

Patience has not and is not always my friend. However, there are sometimes I just have to find the silver lining! Today was one of those days. I mean seriously, how many times do you get to just kick back and read a book when you have a million other things to do. I had an excuse and everything! I was going to take full advantage of this!

Let’s be real here. Even the most organized list maker and planner is going to face obstacles though out the day. Now, I am not saying throw all the plans out, but how about we start looking at is as an outline of possibilities for the day. Then let’s just sit back and see what gifts God has to offer us for the day! Maybe you will be lucky enough to get a train to help you stop and relax too!

April 13, 2018

Always Hope

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

HOPE is simply

Having

Obscure

Peace

Everlasting

No matter how dark life gets, I have a hope that tomorrow is a new day. It is this hope that gets me up everyday. It is this hope that carries me through everyday! It is this hope that allows me to sleep.

I can’t explain the peace that comes over me while the storms continue to rage all around. I can’t explain the joy I still find when I see only darkness around me.

I can only say thank you Lord for never leaving me. Thank you for your peace and joy. My hope is in You Lord.

And I pray may the God of hope fill you my friends with all joy and peace as you all trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

April 4, 2018

Favored and Chosen by God

John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Luke 1:26-38 covers the story of Mary being told she is going to give birth to Jesus. I always find a couple of the statements particularly interesting. One of them is in verse 29 “Mary was greatly troubled and wondered what kind of a greeting this might be.” I just want to say, “Yep she was a smart girl!”

Gabriel just popped in and said in verse 28 “Greetings you who are highly favored the Lord is with you.” Now I am not sure if her reaction is because as far as she knew it had been many years since God had spoken to his people, or if she was thinking about all of her ancestors who had been called highly favored. But her reaction was simply and totally human, “Oh, this can’t be good!”

I am so sure I would have reacted the same way! I mean look at some of the people the bible mentions as favored: Samuel (I Sam 2:26); Job (Job 10:13); David (Acts 7:46);
and Noah (Gen 6:8). Do you realize the things these people endured? From the outside being favored doesn’t look so favorable!

Then, there is Mary. She is maybe 12 years old. Her future is looking pretty bright. She is engaged to a man who isn’t rich, but isn’t down and out either. He has a home and a profession. Life is looking pretty good. We know Joseph cared for her. Maybe even loved her. If he didn’t, he would of gotten rid of her the second he found out she was pregnant. Yep, her future was set!

Then. Along. Comes. Gabriel.

In the old testament, angels weren’t exactly known for good news. As a matter of fact, they weren’t even known as friendly. Now, not only has an angel appeared, but he calls her favored. Oh Boy! I am in for rocky roads ahead. This cannot be good, right?

No.

In the end, we see Mary going “Challenge Accepted!” Verse 38 says, “May your word to me be fulfilled.” I think it is easy to see why she was favored by God. She saw her future fade, all her dreams and plans crumble. However, She knew God’s plans were greater. She stepped out in faith and chose to walk down the path God laid out for her. She knew the plans He had for her were plans to prosper her and not harm her (Jeremiah 29:11).

Was the road going to be smooth and filled with rainbows and unicorns? No! But it was going to be worth every tear along the way!

What about you? Are you ready to step out in faith on a new adventure he is calling you to? You are highly favored and chosen by God you know!

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 8, 2018

Brick by Brick

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

I am struggling today with a couple of personal issues. My father is in the hospital with pneumonia. Praise God he is doing well, but it was quite a fright for all of us last night.

While in the ER, I received some life-altering news that part of my dissertation examination was rejected. Besides feeling like a failure, I am not sure where this path is leading me.

What I do know is this, there is a plan for me. I may not see the path right now but it is being laid out brick by brick.

I don’t know what you are going through today, but I woke up this morning after a horrible day and the Son still shined! He brought me these verses for comfort and now I pray them over you.

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19

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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.

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.”

Tag: Thanks

Frustratingly Frustrated

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Weekend Blessings

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Wait Like an Eagle!

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Cuss, Cry, Cringe or Thank God

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Always Hope

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Favored and Chosen by God

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You Can’t Earn It

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Brick by Brick

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Sit Back and Watch

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He Trusts You!

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Thanks For Sharing!

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