When the Holy Spirit Convicts
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come”—John 16:13 (NIV). When I sit down to write, I pray for God’s Holy Spirit to give me the words—the right words, His words, words that encourage, nourish, energize, and sometimes, even convicts. That last one was, I know, harsh. But, it applies to all of us who are following Christ. We sometimes find our thoughts, words and actions lead to …
The Truth about Deception
“Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What have you done?’ ‘The serpent deceived me,’” she replied. “‘That’s why I ate it’”—Genesis 3:13 (NLT). A recent email reminded me of how easy it might be to fall for a scam if we’re not discerning. The idiom, “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true,” comes to mind. The email I received was supposedly from a church friend. The scammer was asking for money, writing that he’d lost his wallet while overseas. Without knowing this friend had passed away several weeks before, I …
Are You Tired of Waiting on God?
“For since the world began no one has seen or heard of such a God as ours, who works for those who wait for him!”—Isaiah 64:4 (TLB). Before I learned to wait on God’s timing, impatience would have been my middle name. I didn’t like waiting on anything or anyone. We spend our lives waiting. We wait for an answer after a job interview. We wait in anticipation for a life-changing event, like our wedding day. We wait impatiently at the doctor’s office, especially when we have to sit very long after our appointment time has passed. We wait for …
Are You Taking God for Granted?
“But don’t take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God’s ways had no idea of any of this, didn’t know the first thing about the way God works, hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God’s covenants and promises in Israel, hadn’t a clue about what God was doing in the world at large. Now because of Christ–dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything. The Messiah has made things up between us so that we’re now …
The Pain of Rejection
“But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation”—Luke 17:25 (NLT). Opening the email from a magazine, my heart raced. Had my devotional been accepted for publication? I was feeling confident until I read their rejection. After reading the form letter, including a long list of possible reasons my submission had been rejected, I sighed. Rereading the email, I frowned as I questioned their responses. The letter included 13 reasons why my meditation might have been rejected; however, only three examples were cited in their general guidelines of acceptance. Why had my writing been …
Unpacking Your Troubles
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”— Psalm 46:1(NIV). When my sons were troubled by something disturbing at school that day, they usually waited until bedtime before sharing their fears. My youngest might wait a few days before revealing his thoughts to me. Often, I would have already tucked him in bed at night and left his room before he called me back. Sometimes, I was already in bed when I’d hear him yell, “Mama, I need to talk to you.” While I sat on the edge of his bed, listening to his troubles, I’d wonder …
The Value of a Friendship
I still think of her throughout my day, relishing the memories we made through our common bonds as well as adversity. That’s the value of a friendship. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”—Proverbs 17:17 (ESV). We bonded over our love of animals, landscaping our yards and fried chicken livers. But, our friendship grew through adversity. My friend, Sonya, 12 years my senior, moved into my neighborhood in 2010. After leaving Georgia, she purchased the house next door to me. I welcomed this tiny woman as my neighbor, but as so many of us …
Do You Believe in Miracles?
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”—Matthew 19:26 (NIV). Until I surrendered to God in October 2001, I never considered I was a miracle. Of course, we’re all miracles, if you think about it. We might think of miracles as the larger-than-life events in the Old Testament, like the parting of the Red Sea or Daniel’s escape from death in the lion’s den. Or the miracles Jesus performed during His three-year ministry, like turning water into wine or the healing of lepers and cripples. The Miracle of Conception So, …
Maintaining a Sense of Wonder as We Age
“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their parents.”—Proverbs 17:6 (NRSV). In May 2018, my seventh grandchild was born. Fifteen years separate my youngest granddaughter from her oldest sibling. Because my youngest grandchild before Ruby’s birth was almost nine, I’d forgotten the joys of having a baby in the family. Seeing Ruby grow, and watching her explore the world around her, brings new meaning to my 60 plus years on earth. She’s another crown in my aging life. Embracing each birthday isn’t easy, especially when we accept the inevitable aches and pains accompanying the …