Exercising Your Gratitude Muscles
“Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him”—Colossians 3:16c-17(CEB). Thanksgiving will look different this year for most of us. Large family gatherings are discouraged because of the pandemic. Others have lost loved ones to this virus, leaving an empty seat at the table. Family traditions, such as going around the Thanksgiving table, and expressing gratitude for something or someone, may be more difficult. We might be asking, “Where is the light at the …
Trusting God During Tough Times
“Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord”— Psalm 112:6-7(NIV). Has the bad news in 2020 left you fearful? Tested your faith? Left you worried about tomorrow? This year has been tougher than others for most people, at least in my lifetime. While 2007 was a tough year for my family—the unexpected loss of my father, almost losing my oldest son to an accident, and my own hospitalization because of a dog attack—there is no comparison to this year’s chaos. …
Kindness Wins According to God’s Mercy
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life”—Titus 3:4-7(NIV). If Jesus hadn’t gotten ahold of me almost 20 years ago, there might have been a fight yesterday. But, since He never gave up on …
Grace: The Greatest Gift from Above
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast”—Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV). When someone gives you an unexpected gift, how do you react? For example, if someone blesses me with a Christmas present, and I have nothing for them in return, I feel the need to reciprocate. I apologize and then rush to purchase a gift in return. At least that’s what I did in the past. I didn’t feel worthy unless I could respond to their kindness. Reciprocating with …
When Your Burdens Are Too Heavy
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”—Matthew 11:28 (NIV). In my late 60s, I’m not as strong as I used to be. However, through exercise, I’m working toward improving my physical strength. My exercise is not as intense as it once was. I’ve had to downsize the amount I can lift with my hand weights. I don’t want to injure my body by overdoing it. As we age, our bodies don’t bounce back as quickly after an injury. The burdens of an aging body change our lifestyles. It …
Do You Listen with Your Heart?
“Make your ear attentive to wisdom. Incline your heart to understanding”—Proverbs 2:2 (NASB). A recent devotional in The Upper Room about listening with the heart led me to meditate on the writer’s words. The writer’s husband had retired early because of Parkinson’s disease. Because his voice had become soft and monotone, his wife often had trouble understanding his speech. However, she said, “Our adult son always understands what his dad is saying.” One day she asked her husband the difference between their son’s approach and hers. Her husband replied, “Our son listens with his heart.” The writer realized her preoccupation …
Tracing Our Blessings Backward
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love”—Ephesians 1:3-4 (NRSV) Sometimes we get hung up on our past mistakes. Our regrets. Our poor choices. We soon forget the blessings God has bestowed on us. Why is it easier to focus on the negative, forgetting what He has done for us in the past? Aren’t we encouraged not to dwell on the …
Is Your Treasure in Heaven?
Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me”—Matthew 19:21(ESV). “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Have you ever wondered where this idiom originated? According to the English Language and Usage website, the earliest example is found in Hector Urquhart’s introduction to 1860’s “Popular Tales of the West Highlands.” The intro reads: “Practical men may despise the tales, earnest men condemn them as lies, some even consider them wicked; one refused to write any more for a whole …
Failure is Inevitable But Not Fatal
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”—Romans 3:23 (NIV). Fearing failure, I waited almost a year after becoming eligible before I took my driver’s test. I was getting ready to enter college when I took a leap of faith. Passing the written part didn’t bother me. It was the fear of failing the parallel parking portion of the test that held me back. Living in a rural community, we lacked parallel parking spaces. The examiner would use two vehicles parked across the street from an auto repair shop to conduct the test. On the day …