June 23 - God's Ways

 

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,”

said Jesus, “but this happened so that

the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

(John 9:3 NIV)

 

I want to believe a sign of maturity is to accept God’s ways without question. Will I be able to pull Jesus aside in heaven and ask, “Why did you let ___ happen?” I might not remember whatever it was once I am in the presence of the Almighty. A better question might be, “How was your work displayed in ___?” I will trust His wisdom. I hope you will, too!

June 22 - Servants

“Along with their relatives -

all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord -

they numbered 288.”

(1 Chronicles 25:7 NIV)

 

I am encouraged to read about musicians in the Bible who serve during worship. We are all given unique gifts in God’s kingdom. Some are encouragers and some are prayer warriors. Some preach and some teach. I believe those who help behind the scenes will be highly honored in heaven. I thank my heavenly Father for all gifts of service, seen and unseen. I hope you will, too! 

June 21 - Hope in a Fallen World

 

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God.”

(Psalm 42:11 NIV)

 

This is not supposed to be happening! How quickly I forget this is a fallen world. Things get old and wear out. People forget appointments and disappoint me. The weather does not always cooperate. How is all of this supposed to bring me closer to Jesus? Oh, right, only He is perfect! I will put my hope only in Him today. I hope you will, too! 

June 20 - Bird Rescue

 

“God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.”

(Psalm 46:1 NIV)

 

A little bird followed a visitor into our hospital and made his way to our gift shop. It flew past my head while I was checking out our greeting cards display. I found a maintenance man in the hospital café and he rescued the little bird and carried it in his hands to safety. Somedays I am like the frightened and confused bird, and my heavenly Father always rescues me. I will call on Him. I hope you will, too!

June 19 - Shine Your Light

“You are the light of the world.

A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

(Matthew 5:14 NIV)

 

“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!” I learned that song in elementary school and still sing it with joy. We have all seen this light in others, in their smiles, their joy, their expressions. It is impossible to hide the light of Jesus. I thank my heavenly Father for taking me places to shine His light into the lives of people around me. I hope you will, too! 

June 18 - Perfect Control

 

“Ah, Sovereign Lord,

you have made the heavens and the earth

by your great power and outstretched arm.

Nothing is too hard for you.”

(Jeremiah 32:17 NIV)

 

I will be the first to admit I have no control. When the Holy Spirit reminds me of this, I am humbled. Whatever I may face today has already been orchestrated in my heavenly Father’s plans. He keeps all creation in its perfect place and provides oxygen for me to breathe and water to sustain my body. I smile and thank Him for being in control. I hope you will, too! 

June 17 - Serenade

“The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

(Zephaniah 3:17 NIV)

 

What does God’s singing voice sound like? Can He produce many tones at once? I hear His voice in the choir during worship and in the instruments that accompany. I hear Him sing a lullaby to lull me to sleep and a marching song to get me going. I will rest in His arms and enjoy His serenade. I hope you will, too! 

June 16 - Scuffles

 

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.’

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly

about my weaknesses,

so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

(2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

 

Frustrating as it seems, I try to do my best, but fail. There are some successes, some times when I get it right. My joy is in partnering with the Holy Spirit in the good times and bad. When my grip slips, He grabs my hand. I will rejoice in the scuffles. I hope you will, too! 

June 15 - Spiritual Pride

 

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,

who rely on horses,

who trust in the multitude of their chariots

and in the great strength of their horsemen,

but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,

or seek help from the Lord.”

(Isaiah 31:1 NIV)

 

My pastor expertly split our congregation open with the sword of the Word and let all our spiritual pride spill out. Peter was his example of someone close to Jesus who promised to stay close and failed. I will seek help from the Lord. I hope you will, too! 

June 14 - Righteous Blessings

 

“Better the little that the righteous have

than the wealth of many wicked.”

(Psalm 37:16 NIV)

 

The important distinction in this verse is the righteous vs the wicked. Wealth is a gift from God and is to be enjoyed, not used for evil purposes. Jeff and I know from experience, the more we have, the more we have to take care of. I do not want to spread myself or my gifts too thin. I will be content with my blessings and spread them for His righteousness and glory. I hope you will, too!

June 13 - In the Beginning

 

“In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.”

(John 1:1 NIV)

 

Eternity spreads in all directions. My finite intellect cannot absorb this concept. Maybe one day, face to face with Jesus, He will help to explain the big picture. Thankfully, it is beyond my pay grade, beyond my responsibility. I do not need to know how the power bill will be paid, just enjoy the use of electricity in my life. All I need to do is believe, like a child trusts a parent. I hope you will, too! 

I Told You So

 by Macy Johnson

“The promise is for you and your children

and for all who are far off -

for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

(Acts 2:39 NIV)

 

On a recent visit, our daughter brought a puzzle for her children to put together while they were in our home. I opened the box and spread out the pieces on our breakfast table. Libby and I sat across from each other to search for the edge pieces - a common ritual with newly-opened puzzles.

June 12 - America, America

 

“O land, land, land,

hear the word of the Lord!”

(Jeremiah 22:29 NIV)

 

“America, America, God shed His grace on thee!” I have enjoyed mini history lessons of this amazing country of mine through the documentaries of various former Presidents. Ulysses Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, and George Washington are a few men who brought the United States a little further along by the grace of God. I pray that we will stand firm in the faith our heavenly Father has given us through our founding fathers. I hope you will, too! 

June 11 - Morning Praise

 

“Praise be to the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion

and the God of all comfort.”

(2 Corinthians 1:3 NIV)

 

A day full of opportunities to serve in many different ways looms ahead. I should get going and close my laptop, but the view out my window stops me. Clouds that covered the sunrise slowly break apart and reveal glories to praise God for. The stillness of the morning brings peace and comfort, urging me to breathe in slowly and exhale a thank-you. I hope you will, too!

Spacebar

 by Macy Johnson

“All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,

wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.”

(Isaiah 28:29 NIV)

 

My laptop computer’s spacebar was sticking. No matter how slow or fast I typed, the words jammed together and created a visual mess. As a pianist, I know when one of my fingers does not cooperate, so I realized my hands were not the problem. A sticking piano key is one problem, but this scenario created a uniquely stressful frustration for a writer.

June 10 - Gifts of Grace

 

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

be with your spirit.”

(Philemon 25 NIV)

 

I like to think of grace as “unmerited favor.” When birds flock to the feeder on my balcony and remind me of their Creator, I am filled with grace. Their tiny, fragile bodies are kept alive by God and sent to me as a graceful reminder of His power and presence. His meticulous order of the natural realm is a gracious gift to me, a keeper of His kingdom. I will honor His grace-full gifts. I hope you will, too!

June 9 - Pruned

 

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,

while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes

so that it will be even more fruitful.”

(John 15:2 NIV)

 

Ouch! God never promised His pruning would be painless. I watch as He cuts off the dead wood and diseased branches of my heart. I cringe as He yanks away the vines of selfish desires out of my mind. I feel new life flowing through my veins to give nourishing fruit to my thoughts. I will humbly submit to His pruning. I hope you will, too!  

June 8 - Perfect Peace

 

“You will keep in perfect peace

him whose mind is steadfast,

because he trusts in you.”

(Isaiah 26:3 NIV)

 

Try as I might, I cannot make peace or keep it. Perfect peace comes only from my heavenly Father. I might not be able to make sense of all that is going on around me, but He can. Nothing can touch me apart from His perfect will and loving hand. I can breathe and accept His will in what may come today, because my mind is steadfast. I will be an instrument of His peace. I hope you will, too!