Lightbulb Moment

by Bethany Lashbrook

This week's verse: 1 Peter 2:1-3, "Therefore, rid yourselves of malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk; so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted the Lord is good. (NIV)

Devotion:

Yesterday, everything just fell into place. Just like that. A year long spiritual drought in my household ended just as promptly as it came on. One year ago, my husband and I were swallowed up and we have been running in a black hole every since. We just kept running by each other - waving - wondering when we were going to make it back up to breathe again.

And then I came upon this verse in my reading today. I'm gonna break it down for you in the way I saw it today with fresh eyes, fresh breath, fresh fire in my life.

Rid yourselves of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Surely I couldn't be any of these harsh words. That's exactly what I have been. I have been mean (without the Lord put first in my life, I tend to focus on past failures, past inadequacies, past regrets and in the process, I become mean). I have been deceitful to my friends, my family, and most importantly, to God. I think he doesn't see things but he sees it all. Hypocrite, envy - check - check. Been that too. Slander - not so much out of my mouth - but what about the TV shows I choose to watch? Are they all for the Glory of God? Am I allowing slander in my home through my choices? What do my children think of this?

Crave spiritual milk, so that you may grow in salvation. In one day, my husband and I held hands and started walking up out of the dark hole together and as we were reaching for the top, we agreed that without growth, this last year is worth nothing. Without growth, we have been taught nothing, haven't listened at all, haven't learned our lesson. Without growth, we fail to trust that the Lord brought us through this valley for a reason and we will continue to grow.

Now that you have tasted the Lord is good. That's exactly what the Lord is. My girls have a saying when I make one of their many favorite meals. They like to tease me. They say, "Mom, it's not good. (pause) Sorry, mom, it's not even great (pause, pause), it's terrific!"

That's how I feel today. The Lord isn't just good, He isn't just great, but for what He has been in my life - he is terrific! And for that, it was worth the year's drought. For that feeling, it was worth the growing pains. And for that, I will be ever grateful!

Dear Lord, thank you for valleys, and thank you for mountains. Thank you for changing seasons, periods of growth, and periods of drought. Thank you for you Son. Amen.

Application: Pray with me this week for those who are in a spiritual drought. Help them be revived by the Holy Spirit! Just as Jesus walked the Earth, we too can Spread the good news, of our Lord Jesus Christ!

This week's Verses:

Psalm 46:10, "Be Still and know that I am God." (NIV)

Isaiah 66:2, "Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being, declares the Lord. This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." (NIV)

Who Am I? I am Yours

Submitted Anonymously

This week's verse: Psalm 103: 11-13, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. (NIV)

I personally know someone who has come to Christ later in life. Don’t we all? Some are “born” into Christ because their family brings them up from birth. Some come to Christ as a child or teen and get baptized in their own time. But, there are still some that come to Christ late in their adult life after a lot of mistakes have been made. The Lord forgives all of these equally and remembers those mistakes no more. Yeah!!

As I was watching “Four Christmases” this year I heard a comment that put me in mind of this new Christian as he relates to his immediate family. The couple was going to meet each other’s parents for the first time and who they wanted to be was confronted by who they used to be in their families eyes. Their families still saw them the way they were in the past and went to great lengths to embarrass them in front of their mate. Unfortunately, this sometimes happens in the new Christian’s life much the same way. Any change is forgotten or ignored. The first time the new Christian is faced with ridicule of His new found love for Christ is possibly within his own family.

We must never forget that everyone has a story about his or her life. It’s a rough world out there and some have been affected by it more than others. That’s why salvation in the Lord IS so important – for those who NEED God’s love and compassion and forgiveness. The fact that they waited until they were 40, 50, 60, or even 70 to acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior is a matter between them and the Lord.

Our job as Christians is to be just as Colossians 3:12 states: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe you with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (NIV, emphasis mine). Patience is the key here. New Christians are watching us and they need to know that we don’t see their past anymore either.

Colossians 3:13-14 Bear with each other and forgive one another. If any of you has a grievance against someone forgive as the Lord forgave you. (NIV).

Lord, please help us to remember that everyone is forgiven who comes to you with a repentant heart. You love everyone equally, no matter where they have walked. You created each and every one of us and have a plan for each of us. Thank you for your unending love and unbelievable huge heart to forgive us all our debts – large and small. In Your Sons’ Name, Amen.

Application:

Are you a “new” Christian that has a hard past? Maybe you need to ask others for forgiveness from your past behaviors. Have you hurt others because of who you used to be? A small “forgive me” can go a long way.

Perhaps as a Christian you have had negative thoughts about a family member who has different beliefs than you and you have a hard time seeing them the way our Lord sees them. Take those thoughts captive with these memory verses:

Power Verses:

Psalm 25:7, “Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord. (NLT)

Romans 12:10, “Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.” (MSG)

Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (NIV)

New Year's Improvements

by Bethany Lashbrook

This Week’s Verse: Proverbs 3:11-12, “But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this.” (MSG)

Devotion:
On New Year’s Day, I was at my parents' house eating our January 1st meal of ham and beans. While we ate, we had the usual discussion of our New Year’s resolutions. I started to think about all the things in the past I had once wished for. You know, the resolutions that at one point in time most of us women have made:

I pledge to lose 10 pounds this year… I would like to work out more… I am going to spend more time with my children on a daily basis… I am going to do less rushing, and more chilling… I am going to help the environment and recycle more… I am going to stop spending money on credit cards… I am going to make new friends, and be nicer to the IGA employee checking me out when I am in a hurry.

Any of these sounds familiar? Well, as we were all jokingly telling of our New Year’s resolutions, my dad mentioned that he no longer was calling them resolutions. Rather, he was going to refer to his as “New Year’s improvements.”

What an idea!

I sat on that for a couple of days and have agreed to make some improvements of my own. See, all of my other New Year’s resolutions started with “I,” so I want to first off, give up the “I” and see what God has in store for me. The second improvement is to stop thinking in such a worldly way when it comes to making these improvements.

I would like to trust Him more, love Him more, seek Him more, adore Him more, and show Him to others more often. I could always read more about Him, tell others about Him, help others through Him and live more like Him. I can always forgive more, love my neighbors more, care more, and show more fruits of the Spirit. These are all huge improvements that I would love to make in my life this year.

Even though I will keep fresh in my head those ten pounds that I have pledged to lose again this year, I will remind myself of the real improvements needed in my life!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for so clearly opening my eyes to the real improvements needed in my life. There is nothing more in this life that we should want than to please you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Application: Have you made any New Year’s improvements this year? Would you like to ask God to show you areas of improvement in your life? Prayerfully consider asking God for the complete truth of how He would like you to be in 2010.

Power Verses:
Ephesians 4:23-24, “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” (NLT)
Colossians 1:10, “… that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (NKJV)
Matthew 6:25 & 27, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear… who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life.” (NIV)

Room to Grow

by Karen Keim

This Week's Verse: Song of Solomon 6:11, "I went down to the grove of nut trees to look at the new growth in the valley, to see if the vines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom." (NIV)

Devotion:
A little over a year ago, a friend sent me a beautiful planter. The pot that held the plants was about six inches by six inches, and it had four different plants in it, each just the right size to make a very nice arrangement. As time went on, of course, the plants began crowding one another as they grew in that small pot. They began looking weak and pitiful. More than once I would think to myself, “I’ve GOT to repot those poor plants.” In fact, my husband suggested that I would be doing those shabby-looking things a favor if I just threw the whole pot away!

Well, here came spring. I was cleaning out my potting shed and came across some pots that were just the right size to repot each of those four malnourished plants. And that I did! I planted each in its own pot, using fresh potting soil, adding a little bit of fertilizer, and put them on my front porch where they get just the right amount of sunlight. Oh my, what BEAUTIFUL plants they’ve each individually become! As I was admiring them just this morning, I couldn’t believe how they had grown and improved in such a short time.

I then got to thinking how that whole scenario is representative of our own lives. We are like those plants. We are “all bunched up” and bound up by the things of this world. We couldn’t grow (spiritually) if we wanted to! We’ve got so much “stuff” of the world crowding in around us. Mind you, it’s not all bad stuff. All of the plants in that pot were “nice”, “good” plants. But they were “sucking the life” out of one another and causing each of them to be weak. Do you have things, people, activities that are sucking the life out of you?

Let’s do a little repotting of ourselves! Don’t do what I did with those plants and put it off. Let’s get out of that “pot” that’s holding us down. Let’s repot ourselves in a spot that has less of the world in it. How about putting yourself in the fresh soil of God’s Word? Get in it!!! And then “fertilize” with prayer.

You know what? I can just see the beautiful, growing, spiritually-nourished person we can each become by doing just that!

Father, forgive us for allowing the worries of this world to choke the life out of us, as Jesus spoke of in his parable of the seeds (Matt. 13:7). Thank you for the chance to start fresh, leaving behind what stifles our growth.

Application:
Identify wordly influences that are leaving you weak and undernourished. What can you do to disentangle yourself from them and start fresh separated from them? Sinking your roots into the Word and getting nourishment from prayer will allow you to blossom.

Power Verses:
Ezekiel 47:12, "Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."(NIV)
Job 29:19, "For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,whose branches are refreshed with the dew."(NLT)

A New Day

by Stephanie Niebarger

This Week's Verse: Isaiah 43: 18-19, “Do not remember things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening now.” (NLB)

Devotion:
I read the above scripture in my daily devotion a few weeks ago and it reminded me that each day is a new day to make a fresh start. Forget about what mistake you made and go forward. One of my favorite Reba McEntire songs is “Walk On.” The chorus goes: “Walk on. Nothing ever stays wrong that long. Walk toward the light, ‘til you find the sun (or Son – my translation) and you’ll be better off in the long run.” In other words, if we endure while walking through a rough patch, we'll actually come out better on the other side. But the thing about a fresh start is, you have to let go of the past.

Joyce Meyer puts it this way: “Don’t waste your future being condemned about your past. Sooner or later, we must come to the place where we stop feeling bitter, resentful, and sorry for ourselves. There must come a time when we stop living in the past and asking why. Instead, we must learn to let God turn our scars into stars.” Our negative history, if we let God shift our perspective, can possibly begin to be viewed as positive because it's shaped us into who we now are or can be in God.

Think about a precious stone or diamond--it doesn't get that way by any easy means. It is first placed under intense heat and then chiseled away to the beautiful stone that may be on your finger right now! Do you feel like you've been through the fire, chiseled like a stone? Don't give up. God is forming you into something beautiful like a diamond.

A friend sent me one of those “forwarded emails” with this analogy: Take a cup of water and hold it out straight in front of you. Initially you hardly noticed the weight of it. But after a while, it gets heavier and heavier until you can’t hold it anymore. That’s the same as any past mistakes or failures you may be carrying around with you. Let them go. They are holding you back from being the person God intended for you to be. Treat each day as a new day. Let go of past mistakes and go forward knowing that God is there with you to help you along the way. And you can bet He's polishing you to sparkle and shine for Him.

Father thank you for seeing us through some of our most difficult times. Please Dear Father, help us to let go of the past and focus more on the future that You have for us.

Application:
Is there something in your past that you are hanging on to? Past resentment, guilt, anger? Let it go. If there is someone you need to forgive, do it. Ask Jesus to help you get past all the baggage you are carrying around with you. Don’t waste your future being condemned about your past!

Power Verses:
Revelation 21:5, "Then the one sitting on the throne said: 'I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted.'"(CEV)
Philippians 4:13, "Christ gives me the strength to face anything."(CEV)
1 Corinthians 1:9, "God, who started you in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that." (MSG)