Category: Biblical Wisdom

Sometimes the answers we seek to life’s troubles are in the Bible. Can I make a difference? Does God care? Am I good enough?Yes!

Water Bottle Revelations

Posted on by Wendy
Even though the top is just slightly off, water will likely leak everywhere.

I was recently sitting at my desk eating lunch when I reached for my water bottle. Right before I picked it up, I noticed that I hadn’t screwed the top on correctly. It didn’t seem like a big deal; it was just slightly off, but there was a good chance when I went to take a drink of that completely full water bottle, that water was going to leak all over me.

Something about that slightly off bottle top, got me to thinking about my morning spiritual routine.

On most mornings, I sit quietly, eat my breakfast, drink my coffee and spend some time with a daily devotional or two and pray. I find that when I do that, I am ready to deal with almost anything that life may throw at me that day. I am less likely to get annoyed in traffic, less likely to get my feelings hurt by some offhanded comment and less likely to get aggravated in general.

It’s fairly easy to let daily annoyances go.

But, some days I run late and I don’t have as much quiet time and sometimes I don’t have any. I may look the same when I leave my house, but I am not the same.

On those days, I am much more likely to let little things bother me because I didn’t start from a solid place of peace to begin with.

As I was looking at my water bottle, I thought about the Armor of God, found in Ephesians. Paul says in his letter: “ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. “ Ephesians 6:10-12

I think we sometimes forget in our busy modern lives that there is a constant unseen battle going on between good and evil. Paul goes onto describe all of the different parts of armor that we need to wear daily as Christians, to protect ourselves.

But, there is only one piece that can be used offensively and that’s the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Should I be at all surprised when I leave my spiritual sword at home for the day, that the enemy would take extra shots at me? Why wouldn’t he?

Would I leave home without my cell phone? Why would I leave home without my spiritual sword?

A water bottle with a slightly off top, reminded me that leaving home without all of the armor available to me can leave me open to a messy day. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too,

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Pentecost Reminders

Posted on by Wendy
May the miracle of Pentecost remind us to wait on God and boldly speak of His wonders.

I was recently reading the account of Pentecost found in Acts 2. It’s a fascinating read. A room full of believers were in a room together. They were there because the risen Jesus had told them to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit.

Many of these people had been with Jesus since the beginning of His ministry. They had witnessed the miracles and his gruesome death. They had mourned him and probably doubted, but they were also around for the very first Easter. They saw Him ascend to heaven, so these folks were more than willing to be obedient.

Most experts believe they waited for ten days. It must have felt like an eternity to them, but they waited.

The waiting in itself is something we could all learn from. We don’t like to wait. We are always in a hurry. When the red light turns green, if we don’t step on the gas, the person behind us starts honking their horn, but God’s way is different. 

The Old Testament is full of stories of people who were called to wait on God and when they did, they were always rewarded. 

The believers at Pentecost were rewarded too. The Spirit showed up in a roar and fiery looking tongues rested on them individually and they could speak in different languages.

The text says, “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.“ Act 2:5

It goes on to say that all of those people could hear what was being said in their own language and they were bewildered. 

And what was being said?

They were declaring the wonders of God.

So, the Holy Sprit blasted onto the scene and gave all of those people who were obediently following Jesus’ command, the ability to speak about the wonders of God in a language that every single God-fearing Jew, from every nation, under heaven could understand.

Just ponder that for a moment. The believers waited and the Spirit showed up and a miracle occurred.

While most of the crowd below was amazed, as there always was and always will be, there were doubters.

Their scientific explanation was that they must have had too much wine. In other words, they were dunk.

Man has always attempted to explain away the miracles of God.

I’ve no doubt there were people who walked away from the truth that day. They walked away from hope and from redemption, the same way they do today, but around 3,000 became believers and their lives were forever changed. 

The story of Pentecost has so much meaning for us today. In a world full of impatience, we are called to wait. In a world full of doubt, we are called to believe. And we are always called to declare the wonders of God even when we think no one is listening. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊 

Psalm Reminders

Posted on by Wendy
We all have the opportunity to spread cool breezes when we listen to the Spirit’s prompting.

This past week has been a long one for me. First, my son was sick with a summer cold which he then passed on to me. We adopted a new pup who is absolutely adorable, but still a puppy and his acclimation to the family, especially to the other two pups, began a little rougher than we expected. 

I normally begin my day with some yoga and a daily Bible devotion, but this week has been all about treading water and avoiding any canine skirmishes, so there was no yoga and although I was usually able to stumble through a devotion, it was not without many interruptions.

I didn’t feel up to my lunch walk most of the week and by Thursday, which began unexplainably with the new pup, throwing up at 4:00 AM, I felt completely worn out and grumpy in general. I was praying about my mental state as I trudged to my office through the sprinkling rain and when I arrived at my desk, a Bible verse that I taped on my computer, months ago, caught my eye. It was from Psalms.

“Listen to my words, LORD, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.“ Psalm 5:1-3

I really don’t even remember what prompted me to print it out, but I found it unbelievably appropriate for my situation and so I prayed it out loud and I felt a sense of peace come over me.

We were expecting thunderstorms that day, but the lunchtime weather was beautiful and I took a much needed walk. I was greeted with a delightful cool breeze and I was reminded of working on a roof in the summer heat on mission trips in the past, what a big difference a simple breeze can make when the air around you is stifling.

 I was also immediately reminded of the breezes of the week before. I had received a “Good Morning Sunshine,” text from a friend out of the blue and an unexpected “Just thinking about you,” text from another that resulted in lunch plans. One of my sweet cousins has started making social media posts of Christian encouragement that originate from seeing God in her garden that made me smile and one on pruning in particular, really spoke to me.

As I walked and prayed, God revealed to me that He had been using others to send cool breezes repeatedly during my stifling week and I felt both humbled to have missed them at the time and grateful that He pointed me to them. As the Psalm said, I cried for help and waited expectantly and as always, God provided.

He always does, but we often miss it. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊 

  

Faith Like Grass

Posted on by Wendy
“The tiniest bit of faith can change everything.”

It was a dreary drive into work yesterday. The skies were gray and it was sprinkling rain. We have been having a dry spell and we really needed the rain so I tried to be thankful. But, as I hurried across the parking lot to my building, everything looked so gloomy that I was having a hard time staying positive.

About halfway across, my knee started aching and it caused me to look down and when I did, some green grass caught my eye. It was pushing up through the cracks in defiant contrast to the gloom. As I glanced around, there were more patches all over the lot. They made me smile.

I suspect that the people who are in charge of the maintenance of that lot, do not like that grass at all. They probably go to great lengths to get rid of it, yet against the odds, with sun and yes, enough rain, the grass finds a way to persevere.

That defiant grass stayed on my mind for the rest of the day. It reminded me of the faith that we so desperately need these days. Sometimes our circumstances seem so desperate that we believe our lives will never get better, but the tiniest bit of stubborn faith can make all the difference.

Jesus said, “You don’t have enough faith, I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20

In case you wondered, mustard seeds are tiny.

That parking lot grass reminded me that no matter how dark and gloomy our days may seem, a little faith can beat all of the odds. Sometimes I need reminding.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Call to Pray Without Ceasing

Posted on by Wendy
Christians aren’t called to consider the possible outcome. We are called to pray without ceasing, knowing that nothing is impossible for the God we serve.

The online Bible Study that I read in the mornings, has been going through the book of Ezekiel for Lent. I’m going to be honest; this book is not an inspirational, uplifting read. It’s about sin and its consequences, (especially in the beginning), which is what we are all supposed to be reflecting upon during Lent. It does eventually, get to reconciliation and redemption and points to the hope of Christ, but it’s definitely not one of my favorite books.

One morning last week, the reading was in Chapter 37 and for me, it was very timely. The passage is often referred to as “The Valley of Dry Bones.” In chapter three, God leads Ezekiel to a valley full of dried up bones and then asks him a question.

“He asked me, “’Son of man, can these bones live?’”

(Ezekiel gives the perfect answer.)

“I said, ‘Sovereign Lord, you alone know.’”

Ezekiel knew that it wasn’t about what he knew or thought he knew. It wasn’t about science or the rules of nature. It was about God’s will and His ability to do what is impossible for man. Ezekiel knew and acknowledged, if God wanted those bones to become living breathing beings again, God could make it happen and in the subsequent verses that’s exactly what He did and He used Ezekiel to accomplish His Divine goal.

That passage at that moment, hit home with me because the night before, there had been a Facebook plea for prayer from the wife a sweet friend that I met on a mission trip. They found a mass in his lung and it was scheduled for immediate removal. He is a retired fire fighter and no doubt, his decision on a career to save others, led to damage to his lungs. They are both people of deep faith and as fast as I could pray and comment, other comments came flying in, promising prayer.

Then, when I got to work, there was a frantic text from a friend of mine asking for prayer for a two-year- old with Down Syndrome who had gone into respiratory and then cardiac arrest and had been life flighted to the hospital. She said they needed a miracle and I prayed for that child who God had knit together in her mother’s womb.

As I prayed during that day for the healing of two of God’s precious children, I thought about the valley of dry bones and the part Ezekiel played. God told Ezekiel to prophesy that the bones would come to life. Ezekiel obeyed and witnessed a miracle right before his eyes. Ezekiel trusted God and had complete faith in His abilities.

As Christians, the Bible tells us repeatedly to pray and to pray without ceasing. We may not be prophets, but we have been given the spiritual tool of prayer, a power we too often take for granted. Ezekiel’s valley reminds me that only God knows the outcome of any situation and He has no limitations. Our part is to pray with the hope of complete restoration. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Oh Praise Him!

Posted on by Wendy

 

Last week, my daughter texted me that she had rearranged the furniture in our living room. It had been a super long week and I was exhausted. I began the week, staying up very late cheering for my alma mater in the national championship game, which they won, but that meant that the rest of the week was filled with deep fatigue.

Since I am a college advisor and it was the first week of the semester, it was an especially busy week, filled with constant email and an orientation that I was responsible for leading. Added to that, one of our cars was in the shop, so my family was carpooling.

Due to both fatigue and carpooling, I skipped my morning yoga and I missed out on my daily reflection and prayer time on my drive in. By the end of the week, I felt like I was walking in cement. I was physically and spiritually, running on empty and that is not a place I like to be.

So when I received that text from my daughter, I could have cared less about the furniture. I just longed to get in my bed and sleep for days. But, God was at work.

When Sunday came and everything was cancelled due to expected snow and ice, I settled in my chair which now faced the big picture window in the living room. (It used to be at its back.) It was nice being able to see out. It was gray and raining, but it was facing nature. We tuned into our favorite church service out of Savannah. The first song was an old hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King.” I sang that song as a child growing up, so it was familiar, but they jazzed it up a bit and I sang along.

This particular hymn is all about creation praising it’s Creator. It even talks about the sun and moon praising God. When we got to the line “Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise, praise the Spirit three in one,” the first big fluffy snow flakes began to fall. My eyes filled with tears at their majesty. My hubby and I looked at each other and grinned. He jumped up and began videoing those gorgeous flakes.

Snow is a big deal in the deep south. We don’t see it often and when we do, we are always filled with wonder. When my hubby played the video back later, we could hear that hymn playing and I didn’t fail to miss the God wink.

Although the snow was hard to beat, the sermon was fabulous and out internet went down as soon as the pastor ended with prayer. We didn’t have it back until Monday.

I took the rest of the day and reflected, prayed and wrote. God knew about the week I had and He met me in my weakness. He prompted the furniture arrangement. The forecasters had no clue when the snow was coming, but God knew and at the very moment we were singing a hymn of praise, He showed Himself.

God is always working, most often, unseen and when I find myself in a hole, praise is always the way out. Because when I acknowledge His majesty, He tends to show up in the most amazing ways. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Having Faith in Abundance

Posted on by Wendy
Annie reminds me that we need to trust in the abundance in God’s economy.

We recently adopted a pup from the pound. We saw her online and went to meet her and just had to have her. We named her Annie. When we first brought her home, we noticed her ribs were showing and we joked about how we are always good at fattening up our pets. When we fed her the first time, she ate like she hadn’t eaten in days. She wolfed her food down in no time flat and then she went after our other dogs’ food.

I figured it was her first time in a real home and it would take some time for her to trust that there will always be enough. I knew it would take some patience. It’s been a couple of weeks at this point and she still eats like every meal is her last. There are lots of treats and plenty of food, but she still doesn’t really believe in abundance.

There was a time in my life when I would have been frustrated with her lack of trust, but I have to admit that she reminds me a little of all of us on our faith walk. When we become Christ followers, we are given this unbelievable amount of grace. In fact it’s so abundant, we have a hard time accepting it.

We are given gifts and talents to further the kingdom and yet, we are reluctant to share them. Whether it’s financial gifts, the gift of our time, the gift of encouragement or even hospitality, we have been given countless gifts, but like Annie, we tend to be tight fisted with them. Living in this world, on this side of eternity, has made us believe in the principle of scarcity.

What we have to remember is that even though we live in this world, we are not of it. We are only travelers here. We are citizens of heaven and in God’s economy, there is no scarcity, only abundance.

Keeping that in mind, we are called to live not with fists held tight, but with hands wide open, open to receive blessings and open to give them back to a world around us that desperately needs them. We have to learn to trust abundance and believe there will always be enough.

It takes time. Building faith takes time and so, I am patient with Annie, because honestly, she reminds me of me and maybe she reminds you of you. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Carrying a Spiritual Umbrella

Carrying a Spiritual Umbrella

Posted on by Wendy
Growing our faith in the quiet times prepares us for the rainy times.

I was driving to work one day last week, enjoying the sunny morning. The skies were spectacularly blue and I was feeling grateful. When I got close to my parking spot, I passed a man walking with a backpack and a large umbrella. The umbrella caught my eye because it was such a beautiful morning, but I knew why he was carrying it.

When I first started my job, I was walking to my car at the end of the day and a few raindrops began to fall. The sun was out and we weren’t expecting rain, but in just a couple of minutes, I was caught in a downpour that came out of nowhere. A girl ran past me and commented that it wasn’t supposed to rain, yet there we were. While I was sheltering under a tree, a sweet coworker was driving by and she offered me a ride for the rest of the way. I gladly accepted.

Determined not to get caught again, I bought a little umbrella to keep in my bag that I take with me everyday. A couple of weeks later, it began raining once again on my walk to the car, but I was prepared, or so I thought. I pulled out my new little umbrella and smiled. I would be dry on my walk to my car. But, this was a blowing rain.

My head stayed dry, but my pants were soaking wet. I clearly needed a larger umbrella.

So the gentleman carrying his large umbrella on that sunny morning wasn’t a surprise, he too, had likely been caught in a sudden downpour that left an impression, but he left an impression on me that day.

We tend to choose to live our lives unprotected. When the sky is blue and sunny, we go about our business blissfully. We give little to thought to rain or storms that may pop up at any time and we get drenched when they inevitably come.

Our spiritual lives are the same. When everything is quiet and still, we often forget to pray; we neglect to read our Bibles or spend quiet time with God. When the rains come, we are unprepared and we find ourselves desperately seeking shelter under just about any overhang we can find believing we may drown.

But, when we seek to walk with Jesus when our skies are still and sunny, our faith grows stronger and larger and we have it with us at all times. When the rains come, we know we won’t drown, we stay focused on Jesus and we are protected.

A man with a large umbrella on a sunny day reminded me that being prepared is always wise both physically and spiritually. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Reaching for His Hand

Posted on by Wendy
Jesus doesn’t just heal us and leave. He takes our hand and helps us back onto our feet.

I have recently been participating in a Bible study on the Gospel of Mark. I always enjoy reading the Gospels because they show Jesus doing what He does, healing the sick, casting out demons, questioning the self-righteous and challenging the people who think they have all of the answers, not to mention dying to save all of humanity and then rising from the dead defeating death for good. The Gospels tell a story that even Hollywood couldn’t dream up; only God Himself could weave such an intricate story.

I also find reading the Gospels to be a bit of a treasure hunt. Every time I read one, I find a different gem to carry with me. This time, I found it in some of His healings.

In Mark 1:31, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law who is sick in bed with a fever. The text says: “So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.”

In Mark 5:41: In the case of Jairus’ daughter, “He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!” (which means little girl, get up!) Technically, this was more than just a healing because the child was dead, but she got up.

When I got to the part about Jesus casting out of a demon in Mark 9:26-27, “The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet and he stood up,” a new gem caught my attention.

In three different instances, Jesus not only performed a miracle, but he reached for the person’s hand and helped them back onto their feet.

He didn’t leave them where they were, flat on their backs, to figure out what to do next. He reached for their hands and helped them up onto their feet, presumably to get back to living, doing whatever they were called to do. Peter’s mother-in-law got busy serving everyone around her and Jesus told them to give the little girl something to eat.

When Jesus heals, he doesn’t turn and walk away. He reaches for our hand, pulls us to our feet, no matter how deep the hole is we may find ourselves in, and He invites us to get back to life serving Him. We are all called to make some kind of difference or we wouldn’t be here. We all have the opportunity to reach for His hand and learn what that calling is. He will always help us up. The Gospel of Mark reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Maybe There Are No Late Bloomers

Posted on by Wendy
God’s timing is always perfect.

I was recently in my bedroom, putting away clothes and tidying up, when a bright pink bloom, caught my eye. It was on my Christmas cactus. Delighted, I went and took a closer look. There it was, straining towards the window’s light. The entire plant had been in full bloom in late December and early January and it was a beautiful sight to behold, but those blooms had dropped off months ago.

Now, in mid-March, this gorgeous tropical looking bloom stood alone and gorgeous against nothing, but the greenery of the plant. It had no other blooms to compete with, making it all the more special.

I found myself smiling as I took multiple photos of my little late bloomer and thought about it for the rest of the afternoon.

We live in a society that celebrates the fastest and the strongest. We are encouraged to compete to be the first at everything from the day we are born. Our parents compare notes on the first to sleep through the night, the first to take steps and the first to be potty trained. Once school starts, the competition really ramps up. Parents want their children to be the first to learn their alphabet and the first to write their names correctly. Kids on the playground want to be the first, when they run a race. And, who doesn’t remember hoping to be the first picked to be on a team, or at the very least, not to be the dreaded last?

But, God’s economy has always been different than humanity’s. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, found in Matthew 20, Jesus said, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” In  the Gospel of Mark, He said, ” But, many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10:31 Jesus didn’t seem to put too much value on being first.

Ecclesiastes 3, tells us that there is a time for everything. Verse 11 reminds us that, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Notice how it doesn’t say our time?

This got me to thinking that maybe there are no early or late bloomers in God’s economy, because His timing is perfect. Maybe we are just called to bloom at different times and as long as we are walking with God, we will always be right on time.

A March bloom on a Christmas cactus, reminded me that God’s timing is always perfect and the results of walking with Him are always beautiful. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂