A Miraculous Delay

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Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Are you the kind of person that likes immediate results? I am. I’ll admit I’m not a very patient person by nature. Waiting frustrates me.

Just ask my kids.

So when God whispers instruction into my life and I choose to trust Him through faithful obedience, I tend to expect that I’ll soon see Him fulfill a promise. After all, Scripture teaches that God blesses the faithful.

But I’ve discovered that God’s timetable rarely matches my own. Sometimes blessings loom just beyond the horizon. Time passes and promises remain unfulfilled. And I get weary from waiting.

Ever been there?

Beloved, just as God calls us to trust His plans, He also insists we trust His timing. So how do you and I keep from becoming weary while we wait? Perhaps we need to allow God to change our perspective.

I want to challenge you to consider something. What if the waiting is actually part of the blessing? What if that time between the promise and its fulfillment actually provides an opportunity to experience God in a way you’d miss without it?

Caleb knows what I’m talking about.

You may be familiar with Caleb’s story. He was one of only two men that made it into the Promised Land after God delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery. What happened to the rest of them? They died in the desert, unwilling to trust God’s heart.

When the Israelites saw the size of the people occupying their Promised Land, they were ready to choose a new leader and head back to Egypt. As a result, Moses and Aaron fell facedown, and Joshua joined Caleb to plead with the people to trust the Lord.

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” Numbers 14:6-9

You may be surprised to hear how the Israelites applauded their faith.

But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. (verse 10)

Dear one, when you choose to step out in faith, you may discover that even God’s people sometimes turn on you in fear. Unfortunately, you can’t follow Jesus and follow the crowd. But you can rest in this eternal promise: when you stand for Jesus, He will fight for you.

Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. (verse 10)

God showed up and voiced His anger over their unbelief, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?” (Numbers 14:11)

I wonder if He’s asking the same questions today.

Beloved, how long will our generation persist in its unbelief? How long will we, the children of God, allow what’s popular to dictate our actions instead of  what God has said? Like the Israelites, our disregard for His Word will bring consequences.

Moses interceded on behalf of the people and God agreed not to destroy them, but their disobedience was not without consequence.

The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. . . But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” Numbers 14:20-24

Even when God offers forgiveness, disobedience will always reap consequences. But just as certainly, faith will always reap blessings. But they may not come in the timing you would choose. Just ask Caleb. He waited 45 years to see the fulfillment of his promise.

How can that be? Wouldn’t God want to bless His faithful servant? Why make him wait? Consider Caleb’s words when he finally received his blessing.

“Now then, just as the Lord promised, He has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time He said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said.” Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. Joshua 14:10-13

Sure, God could have made a way for Caleb to enter the land at forty, but then Caleb would’ve missed experiencing God’s miraculous presence for the forty-five years he waited.

God faithfully kept His word to give the land to Caleb, but He also gave him an added blessing that hadn’t been promised. He kept age from ravaging his body. Caleb watched the flesh of the rest of the men in the camp wear out while he remained strong. He escaped the aching decay of age and stood at eighty-five as strong and vigorous as he had been at forty. And how much sweeter the taking of that land must have been for him after 45 years!

God always keeps His word, beloved. Always.

If you have been faithful to trust God through your obedience but His promise remains far off, perhaps another blessing waits for you in the interim. Ask God to give you a heart like Caleb, who believed even when he didn’t see. You may discover your wait includes an experience of God that exceeds what you could ask or imagine.

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14

Broken Bread

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“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6:51

I learned early on that Jesus is the Bread of Life. But for along time, I didn’t experience the life He brings. Then I realized: life doesn’t come from hearing about the bread. Bread only nourishes when we eat it.

“It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God’s children starving while actually seated at the Father’s table.” ~A.W. Tozer

Jesus came close so that He could nourish our souls with Himself. But if we don’t engage with Him, we’ll miss the life He offers. Taste the Bread, beloved. Don’t just nibble on it. Feast. Until you become the very Bread you consume.

For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29

You and I are also supposed to become heaven’s bread. Jesus was meant to be the first bread of many loaves. Bread that multiplies as it’s given away.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus’ miracles that fed hungry crowds both centered around bread?

You may recall that Jesus fed a crowd of over 5000 with a few loaves of bread and two fish. When the disciples came to Jesus about the late hour and the people’s need for provisions, He responded with an impossible request.

“You give them something to eat.” Luke 9:13

I imagine you and I would have been as perplexed as they were.

They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” Luke 9:13

But Jesus didn’t want them to buy food for the people. He wanted them to feed the hungry with what they already had in their midst.

 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. Luke 9:16-17

Blessed. Broken. Given away. Multiplied.

Jesus was pointing them to the cross, dear one.

And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

Bread that is blessed, broken, and given away feeds and satisfies the hungry. Christ became the Bread to nourish our hungry souls. He invites us to follow His example.

Bread that is blessed, broken, and given away feeds and satisfies the hungry. #becometheBread Share on X

Taste the Bread, beloved. Consume it so you may become Bread. Then let Jesus bless it and break it, so that you may also give Bread.

Life and glory flow out through the breaking. We are blessed before we’re broken, but the breaking releases the blessing. Like Jesus, we must allow ourselves to be broken and given away. Every false idea we have of ourselves must shatter so we can become who we truly are. Only then will the Bread of Life multiply.

When Jesus fed the 5000, the disciples gave the bread away, and each returned with an overflowing basket. Kingdom giving never creates lack. It actually produces abundance. Do you want your basket full, beloved? Give away your bread.

Blessed. Broken. Given away. Multiplied.

There may be pain in the breaking, dear one. Even anguish. Just look at the cross.

But I have chosen to trust God with the breaking. I have seen Christ’s vision for His glorious church. Beautiful. Spotless. Without blemish. Alive with the glory of His might.

And I see hungry crowds in desperate need of Bread.

Jesus placed the very river of life that flows from God’s throne (Revelation 22:1-2) into our hearts through His breaking (John 7:38). I long to release that river. But it seems it will only flow out through the breaking and restoration of my heart.

So break it, Lord. Do what you must in me to set it flowing, to release your river of life from within me. Catch the wounded and broken in its flow; wash and heal them.

I trust you, Father. For with the breaking, there will be a mending. But I—and those you entrust to me—will be changed.

 

When Enemies Take God’s Ground

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After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. 1 Samuel 10:5a

Scripture is packed full of hidden treasure waiting to be uncovered. I believe 1 Samuel 10:5 holds one of those valuable gems.

At first glance, it doesn’t seem to offer anything too extraordinary. I passed over it many times without much pause.

But my ESV Bible offers literal Hebrew translations to many significant words, and this time something stirred in me to check out the footnote. To my surprise, I read the following words.

Gibeath-elohim means the hill of God.

Let’s try inserting the meaning into the sentence.

After that you shall come to the hill of God, where there is a garrison of the Philistines.

Do you see it, dear one?

I’ll ask the question you should be asking. What in the world is a Philistine garrison doing on the hill of God?

Think it through a moment. A blaspheming enemy of God had been permitted to build a fortified stronghold on God’s property. Enemy troops were oppressing God’s people from His own hill.

How could this possibly happen? How could something that belongs to God come under the control of His enemy?

It only happens one way, beloved. The people of God allow it.

Perhaps you’ve believed that what God owns could never come under the enemy’s rule. Scripture disagrees.

In fact God repeatedly entreats His people to draw near and obey His voice so that He may bless them. He also warns of the consequences of neglecting to do so.

“But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies…” Deuteronomy 28:15, 25

I don’t know about you, but I find that thought unsettling. When God’s people disregard His words, He causes our enemies to defeat us.

 I can’t help thinking of James 4:6.

 “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

When we don’t choose to draw near and trust God’s direction, He actually opposes us. Love won’t permit us to flourish without Him. And the enemy gets to set up camp on God’s holy hill as He allows us the self-sufficiency we chose.

Isaiah 63:18-19 describes what people who have surrendered God’s ground to the enemy look like.

Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.

Do you see it, dear one? When God’s adversaries are allowed to trample His sanctuary—His dwelling place—the people of God resemble the rest of the world. They look just like those who don’t belong to Him.

I wonder, beloved. Is this what has happened to us?

Our wandering from God’s Word and heart has allowed the enemy to set up camp in God’s dwelling place. We call ourselves His, but often bear no distinguishing mark of His presence. The same oppressor who has his way in the world is having his way in the lives of God’s people.

That shouldn’t be, dear one. The people of God should bear witness to His hand upon us. His blessing should be evident to the world around us.

Do you want to experience the favor of God, dear one? Do you long to know the power of His anointing on your life?

Join Him in His purpose. Get the enemy off His ground by committing to obey His voice. Only then will we see God reveal Himself.

We’ve all experienced wonder at the stories of the Old Testament. We marvel at the miraculous defeat of a giant by a boy with a sling and a stone. We shake our heads at the idea of the fortified walls of Jericho crumbling at the shout of God’s people. We are amazed when considering Gideon’s band of 300 defeating an enemy of thousands.

One common denominator connects those miracles, beloved. Each time a child of God stood in faith to remove an enemy from God’s ground and establish the rightful place of God’s people. That could be you, dear one.

None of God’s heroes were trained in warfare. They didn’t bring special expertise and experience. They simply chose to believe what God said. And their faith released the favor of God—the arm of God—to move on their behalf and accomplish His purpose.

We are desperate to see God move, but perhaps we’ve focused on the wrong things. We want God’s favor to promote our own agendas. But God’s favor falls when we join His.

Let’s obey God’s voice and get the enemy off His ground.

Impossible? Absolutely Not!

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Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:27

We serve a magnificent, all-powerful God. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Things that loom beyond our human realm of possibility become quite possible when the Almighty enters the scene.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t live as though that’s true. We tend to limit what we’ll expect from God, especially when it comes to our understanding of His plans for us. We often allow our abilities—or lack of them—to define our idea of what God desires to do through us. That misplaced focus can cause us to miss out on marvelous blessings.

Today we visit the desert with Moses to join him beside that famous burning bush. We have much to learn from his encounter with God, so come close. Feel the heat of the flames. But don’t worry, these won’t consume so you don’t need to fear getting burned (Exodus 3:2). You will, however, learn how to push past your own self-doubt and trust God to do something extraordinary through you.

Let’s first consider the scene. Moses has spent the last forty years tending sheep in the desert, a long way from Pharaoh’s palace where he’d been raised. A botched attempt to save an Israelite slave ended in murder and sent him fleeing Egypt for his life. Now suddenly, on an ordinary day while Moses performed an ordinary task, God showed up and told him it was time to finish what he’d started forty years before.

The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land… So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:7-8, 10

Moses’ response to God was less than enthusiastic. Honestly, I’m pretty certain mine would have been as well. I mean, who really wants to return to the scene of their most tragic failure? And the last time Moses saw Pharaoh, he wanted to take his life.

Like Moses, you and I have all sorts of reasons for not wanting to do what God asks of us. On the surface, some of them even appear to be very valid. But I think you’ll find that if you bring them to the Lord and allow yourself to see them overshadowed by His greatness, their validity disappears.

How do you typically respond, dear one, when God calls you to move on His behalf? Do you charge ahead full of faith, or do you argue like Moses to see if God changes His mind?

I used to do quite a bit of arguing. I am full of faith in God’s ability, but I often doubt myself. Thankfully, God’s pretty good at winning battles.

Moses offered up four arguments against doing the thing God asked of Him. Today we’ll consider the first three and save his final argument for next week. As we look at each one, contemplate how God’s response to Moses applies to you.

Who am I? Moses’ first argument stemmed from self-doubt.

“But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11

Essentially, Moses questioned God’s choice, “Are you sure you’ve got the right guy?” I can tell you I’ve spoken similar words to God myself, and God answers with the same words He spoke to Moses.

God’s Answer: “I will be with you.” Exodus 3:12

Who are You? Next Moses asks for a little clarification. God had already revealed who He was at the start of their conversation, and Moses hid his face in reverent response (verse 6). Still, upon hearing the task God appointed for him, Moses asks…

“Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” Exodus 3:13

We should note that God revealed His names in scripture as His people experienced that aspect of His character. It’s as if Moses is asking, “You said you’d go with me, but who are you going to be?” Would He be Deliverer? Comforter? Provider? God Almighty?

God’s Answer: “I AM WHO I AM” Exodus 3:14 

By proclaiming Himself I AM, God declared, “I am everything you need.”

What if they don’t believe me? We can easily face a crisis of faith when we consider how others might view it. Wondering what others think can keep us from believing ourselves. I would bet every fisherman that abandoned his net to follow Jesus dealt with this one. Moses, it seems, faced that same doubt.

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Exodus 4:1

 God’s Answer: Essentially, “I will show myself.” Exodus 4:2-9

God promised Moses that if he would trust Him by going to Egypt to rescue the people of Israel, God would make it known to the people that He was with him. He would provide evidence that He was present and that He did in fact send Moses to deliver them through miraculous signs.

Eventually, Moses chose to trust God and saw Him keep every promise. God showed up to perform marvelous works that brought great deliverance and altered the course of history. And that shepherd tending sheep in the desert became the leader of God’s chosen nation.

Beloved, what is God calling you to do that you have neglected to trust Him for?

Obedience invites God’s presence. And as you step out in faith with I AM, you can rest assured that God will eventually show Himself to doubting scoffers. If He has invited you to participate with Him in His plans, just like Moses you can believe that when the time is right, He will reveal Himself in the midst of it.

I’d like to leave you with one closing thought to chew on. When Moses voiced the reasons he couldn’t do what God had asked, not once did God encourage Moses by building him up. He didn’t offer the words, “You can do this.” Moses’ ability was a non-issue.

God’s response was simply, “I will; I AM; I can.”

A Little Vision Correction

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Hello, dear one. It’s been a while.

Life has felt like a bit of a swirl lately. I wonder if you can relate. When things that once felt sure and certain begin to give way, you find yourself in unfamiliar territory. Unsure. Maybe a little unsafe. And it doesn’t feel great.

Well, that’s where I’ve been.

The God who loves me more than I love me decided He wouldn’t let me settle for the good things I had. He insists on giving His best. Sounds good, doesn’t it? But we don’t always receive His best willingly. Sometimes, we fight it. Hard.

And although I didn’t recognize it at the time, that’s what my heart was doing. Fighting, even while I thought I was yielding.

And that, dear one, is why community is so important to God’s plans, to receiving His best for us. The people He lovingly joins us to can help us receive from Him and see the things we’ve been unable to see through our broken or filtered lenses.

Community is so important to God’s plans, to receiving His best for us. The people God lovingly joins us to can help us receive from Him and see the things we’ve been unable to see through our broken or filtered lenses. Share on X

So that’s why I’m here. I want to help you recognize your own broken lenses, so that you too can receive His best. After all,

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.” Luke 11:34

According to Jesus, how we view things directly influences what we experience. If we see it the right way, through the lens of truth (God’s perspective), light will fill us, releasing its kingdom fruit (love, joy, peace, rest…). On the other hand, if we’re looking through a bad lens, darkness fills us. You’re probably very familiar with its fruit.

Anxiety. Fear. Depression. Sadness. Isolation. Insignificance. Hopelessness.

The list goes on. If you and I want to experience the blessings of the light, we must view things in the light of truth and let Jesus rewrite our false perceptions.

So, this is an invitation to walk with me into some of the truths God has revealed to me, the places He’s shifted my perspective so my vision could align with His. There’s power in the light, dear one. Fellowship. And Freedom.

And best of all, the love we discover as we encounter the true nature of the God who made us.

The Christmas Story and Mary’s Surprising Response

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And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38

We all want to witness miracles.

We want God to wow us with wonder like He did so many times in Scripture. And let’s be honest. We really just wish God would show up and prove Himself.

So we cry out for miracles, just like Habakkuk.

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

Habakkuk 3:2 NIV

Yes, we want the miracles. We just don’t want what God requires of us to release them.

Faith.

I’m not talking about the theoretical faith we remind one another to carry about like a prized possession. We’ll grab hold of that easily enough.

No, I’m talking about hitting the pavement with it. Living faith that defies difficulty. That stretches and grows us. Faith that believes an unbelievable promise, then holds onto it no matter what.

Do you have that kind of faith, beloved? Do you take God at His Word, no matter how crazy it sounds? Because that’s the only way you and I will ever witness miracles.

We need to trust God’s Word more than we value our comfort.

We need to trust God’s Word more than we value our comfort. #Heplanstoprosperyou Share on X

I wonder if you’ve thought much about Mary’s response to the angel who had just informed her she would give birth to God’s own son. “Let it be to me according to your word.”

Really? Is that how you would’ve responded?

Let’s forget for a moment that we know how it all works out and slip our feet into Mary’s sandals. She was just an ordinary girl, planning a wedding with the man of her dreams.

I wonder how many times she had imagined her wedding day. Would she wear flowers in her hair? Did she help her mother design her dress? I imagine she dreamed of a beautiful gathering with family and friends offering warm smiles and supportive hugs.

Then a messenger appeared with news of a very different dream.

A baby.

Before her wedding day.

In this new dream, her husband wouldn’t father her firstborn child. She would face ridicule and judgment. She might even lose the husband her dreams encircled.

Yet when an angel of the Lord appeared to her declaring that God had chosen her to mother the Son of God Himself, she said,

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Amazing. Mary simply believed God, and that was enough for her. She was an ordinary woman who set her heart toward extraordinary godly purpose. God’s Word became more important than her comfort and ease. More powerful than doubt, ridicule, shame, or loneliness.

She believed God, and trusted that His plan would bring about His very best for her. God still asks the same of us.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Mary’s belief invited God’s seed to create life in her womb. And God would use this ordinary girl as a vessel through whom He would bring about His plan to redeem a lost and broken world.

Do you think she found it worth it, beloved? When she finally looked into the face of the miracle she had carried within her for nine long months, do you think she felt regret?

I don’t. My guess is one emotion consumed her. Love. She gazed into Love’s face and held Him in her arms. I imagine she wept with wonder. And gratitude flooded her heart.

But eventually her miracle would ask more of her. More surrender. More sacrifice.

One day hatred would tear her Son from her. The man He would become would hang before her, bloodied and beaten on a wooden cross.

Her child that kings had worshipped with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh would become the sacrificial Lamb. And Mary would receive her greatest miracle. Eternal life.

Will you trust God to work miracles through your life, beloved? Will you trust even when you don’t understand? Would you believe the blessing overshadows the cost?

Mary believed.

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. Luke 1:45

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Maybe Today

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Hello, friend. Today I have the joy of introducing you to my sister-in-law, Gina Kelly. We became sisters when I married her brother 28 years ago, but over the last several years I’ve had the honor of serving beside her as a Healing Community leader at Kelley Latta Ministries and watching her minister to hurting hearts through our Love LIVES outreach. God stirred up these words in her heart, and I’d love to share them with you. May her words encourage you as you enter into the hope of promises fulfilled.

Maybe Today

By Gina Kelly

I see Him, but not here and now. I perceive Him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. Numbers 24:17a, NLT

Maybe today.

From my earliest memories, my uncle has signed every card and email with those words. At first glance, it might appear that he’s speaking of a goal. Maybe today I will win the lottery. Maybe today I will clean out the garage. But the true meaning behind those two simple words is far from any self-made plan or goal. Maybe today…for my uncle…is all about Jesus. Those words declare his hope in God’s promises that are yet to be fulfilled. Maybe today he’ll see Jesus face to face.

For the last several years, we have all wondered if the “today” my uncle longed for was at hand. He has battled various cancers that have not been cured, only managed. He now requires dialysis at home. He has been near death on several occasions. Each time he has rallied. Each time he has continued to wait for the “today” that is promised.

My uncle is waiting for the day that Jesus takes him home to be with Him. Whether Jesus returns in the clouds and fulfills the hope that every person who has placed their faith in Him holds, or if He simply draws my uncle home, my uncle’s greatest hope is found in these simple words: “maybe today.” Maybe today he will stand in the presence of his Savior.

My friends, I am learning from my uncle. It is now difficult for him to talk. Yet his eyes twinkle as he speaks of Jesus. I wonder how my days would look different if the first thought I had each morning were, “Maybe today.” Would my sleep be sweeter if those were the last thoughts as my head hit the pillow? I would like to find out.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. I Corinthians 13:12, ESV

Maybe today…..those words resonate so deeply in my heart as I think of my uncle.

I’m also drawn to think of the Old Testament prophets who faithfully proclaimed God’s promise of a Messiah. My uncle and I wait for a known Savior. Jesus has already come to earth. We have the “full story” of His birth, life, death, and resurrection. We only await the final chapter: His return.

Those prophets trusted in a Savior, the Messiah, who was yet to be revealed. Listen to the words Isaiah penned over seven centuries before Jesus’ birth:

 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.  Isaiah 7:14, ESV

We are familiar with the story of Joseph and Mary. The miracle of a conception by a virgin and the man who chose to stay by her side through it all. Did the prophecy of Isaiah help to bolster Joseph’s faith? Did it lend credibility to the message the angel proclaimed? I believe that both Joseph and Mary were surprised by the “day” they had hoped for and the way in which God showed up on the scene. I know that I would have been a bit astonished by it all!

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Micah 5:2, NIV

God is so specific in His promises! Over 800 years before Jesus was born, God told Micah that the birth would happen in Bethlehem. I wonder if Isaiah had read the scroll upon which Micah’s words were written? Did he wonder in his day if he would meet the Messiah in Bethlehem? I cannot truly comprehend a gap in time of seven or eight hundred years. A decade to me feels like a long time. Does it to you?

Yet God promises that His timing is perfect. What seems to my finite heart to be a “really long time” is but a tiny speck in light of eternity. I believe that learning to live with a grateful heart, as Kelley shared in her last Word on Wednesday post, is key to making our waiting – our “maybe today” lives – joyful. Too many times we try to carry our burdens as we wait for the day promised. We carry burdens that Jesus desires for us to lay at His feet.

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to us.

Jesus came to earth as a baby over two thousand years ago, fulfilling the words of the prophets. The whole world pauses to remember His birth each December 25th. Gifts are given and received as we remember the greatest gift of all; the gift of life Jesus gave to each of us who placed our faith in His death and resurrection for our salvation. He fulfilled the “maybe today” longing of the hearts of those who faithfully looked for His coming.

My uncle reminds me of the promises of God yet to come. As I type these words tonight, he is having yet another surgery. My family and I do not know what the outcome will be. But we do know that the greatest joy my uncle will one day have will be standing in the presence of Jesus. I want to spend my days in grateful anticipation of the day I see Jesus face to face. Don’t you?

It has been my joy to share with you today.

Maybe today…
 

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The Power of Gratitude

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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Sometimes gratitude hurts.

Life isn’t always kind, and when we find ourselves struggling over circumstances we wouldn’t choose, we don’t naturally feel grateful. In fact, we tend to get angry. Even bitter.

Yet our opening scripture suggests that God desires for us to give thanks in all circumstances. Every one. That includes the good and the bad.

This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you, beloved. Gratitude.

 Why would gratitude be so important to God? Perhaps the next verse offers some insight.

Do not quench the Spirit. Verse 19 

Ingratitude stops the flow of the Spirit, hindering God’s work in our midst. Praise and thanksgiving, on the other hand, release God’s Spirit to move.

Ingratitude stops the flow of the Spirit in our lives. Gratitude releases it. Share on X

You see, thanksgiving carries us into His presence.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! Psalm 100:4

When we choose gratitude—even when we’re hurting or don’t understand our present circumstances—we choose to enter into God’s goodness. That choice—to focus on what is good instead of what’s presently lacking—removes the enemy’s power and invites God in. You see, perspective is everything.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” Matthew 6:22

According to Jesus, how we view something directly relates to what we experience in our body. The light we long for comes from seeing with a healthy perspective. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. When we view things through a faulty lens—the lens of negativity—our body takes on the darkness of our wrong perspective. It actually gives the enemy a position of power in our lives—and permission to torment us.

“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Matthew 6:23

I wonder, dear one, if you wrestle with the pull of the darkness in your own life. Hopelessness, anxiety, and depression are crippling lives in greater measure than we’ve ever seen, particularly within the body of Christ.

Yet we have this promise about our Savior,

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5  

Do you want to live the overcoming promises of God’s Word, beloved? Do you want to dwell in the power of the light? Choose gratitude. Find something to be thankful for, and dwell on that. Let your lips offer a sacrifice of praise, especially during times of sorrow. You will discover that gratitude ushers you into the presence of God.

I’ve watched this happen in the life of my mother-in-law over the last couple of years.

Pain in her body has kept her from doing many of the things she loves to do. She spends most of her days at home. Hurting. But I have watched a sweet peace fall over her, as she’s chosen not to dwell on what she’s lost, but rather all that she has.

She tells me, “I have so much time, time to think of all the blessings God has given me. My beautiful family. His faithfulness to us.”

And I’ve watched a beautiful miracle unfold through her. You see, the presence of God falls on her and flows through her when she speaks. A friend of mine visited her recently wanting to encourage her. Instead, she was profoundly blessed by the encouragement she received! God’s presence flowed to my friend and lifted her own weary heart.

Why? Because my mother-in-law has spent the last years dwelling in the courts of her King. Her gratitude ushered her through His gates, allowing Him to minister to her soul. And that allows Him to show up without her even trying. Her heart is already engaged with His, and He’s right there, ready to give.

When our hearts stay engaged with God's Spirit, He shows up without our even trying. Share on X

As we celebrate this Thanksgiving season, I wonder if we can go a little deeper. Beyond pumpkins and lovely wooden signs declaring thanks, what if we engaged our hearts? Let’s fill our bodies with light as we look at our lives through the lens of gratitude and declare our thanks to the Giver of every good gift.

As you enter His courts with your praise, He may just surprise you.

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The Real Lesson from Mary and Martha

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“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 NIV

In case you aren’t familiar with the story of these two sisters, I’ll set the scene. They had the great honor of hosting Jesus in their home during His travels. Excitement and rising tension must have mingled in their hearts as He approached. We can infer from Scripture that it wasn’t a planned visit.

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. Luke 10:38-40a

Can you imagine it? The Teacher who healed the sick and cast out demons was coming to their home. Martha had invited Him. Spontaneously. Yet while she was nearly killing herself to make her guest feel like the King she believed Him to be, Mary just sat there with Him, not lifting a finger to help.

Not surprisingly, that didn’t sit well with Martha.

 She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Luke 10:40

I can relate to Martha, can’t you? Resentment piling up in her heart as she tried to honor the Lord with her very best. In this work-driven world we live in, it only makes sense to us that Jesus would prefer our service. Logic tells us we should demonstrate His worth by what we do for Him.

But that isn’t how Jesus responded.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

Did you notice, dear one? Jesus actually said He preferred Mary’s choice. According to Him, only one thing is needed. And I believe what Jesus really wants from us can be summed up in one word.

Receive.

Beloved, this word will change your life if you allow it to. Its message is simple, yet profound. And it’s what most of us miss as we struggle through this Christian life trying to perform and earn His approval.

Jesus doesn’t want your performance, dear one. He wants your heart. And He didn’t go to that cross to get anything from you. He went to that cross so that He could give. Lavishly. We call this mystery grace.

Jesus doesn't want your performance. He wants your heart. Share on X

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight. Ephesians 1:7-8

The great distinction between the message of the cross and the religion that Christ came to conquer is that grace receives from Jesus. While religion serves Him to earn His favor, grace receives what can never be earned. If we don’t understand this, we can spend our whole lives striving to earn what we’ve already been given. We can busy ourselves like Martha, doing good things to please the Lord, bustling around Him in a well-intentioned frenzy, while never stopping to connect with His heart. And we’ll suffer the soul-crushing oppression of living in defeat. Frustrated. Worried. Angry. Wishing He would do something to put the people who aren’t serving like we are in line.

Grace receives from Jesus what can never be earned. Share on X

The way of the cross—the way of grace—receives from Jesus what He bled to give.

He died to restore your union with His own Spirit, and from that connection, teach you how to live as a kingdom child drawing from the provision and protection of your Father.

This is the hardest lesson for us to learn, dear one: receiving versus doing. Since the time of the fall, mankind has lived bound to self-sufficiency, each of us struggling to earn our place in the world. But through the cross, our place has been determined. We have been anointed for greatness, image bearers positioned to reveal His glorious goodness in this broken earth as we understand and learn to access what Christ has lavishly given.

Which is precisely why the enemy wants to fill your life with frenzied serving. Once he’s lost you to the kingdom of heaven, he does all he can to separate you from the grace that defeats him. So, he convinces you to keep on striving, to please God and earn His favor—at the expense of receiving from Jesus the truth of who you really are.

In 2 Corinthians 6:1, Paul implores the church, “…we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” Beloved, you can live your whole life never reaping the benefits of the grace you’ve been lavished in. How? Because you keep trying to earn and never learn to receive. Religion even twists what Mary chose into a work we must perform. It screams, “Be like Mary. Have your quiet time. Read the Scriptures and pray. Jesus will not be pleased with you if you don’t.”

But the real point of this story isn’t what Mary did. It’s what her choice allowed Jesus to do. Sitting at Jesus’ feet allowed Him to give to her. It also enabled Mary to receive what He wanted to give. And this, my friend, is the glorious wonder of the cross. Jesus bled, not so that we could kill ourselves trying to earn His favor, but so that He could pour Himself into us and empower us to live from His provision. If we keep ourselves so busy we don’t have time to sit with Him, you and I will never receive what He wants to give.

You see, only Jesus can tell you who you really are. He created you. He knows what makes you tick, what feeds your soul, what He created you to do. Beloved, you need divine power to fulfill divine calling.

And you’ll only discover it in His presence. Face to Face.

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