Tag Archives: Godly Girlfriends

I’m Nothing Special

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Garbage

Today’s Devotion: Numbers 27

Moses gets ready to pass the baton. We have been with Moses since Genesis. Not only a long life, but a lot for us to learn from this man of God and today, in Numbers 27, is no exception. I love Numbers 27: 15-17, “Moses said to the LORD, ‘May the LORD, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.'”

Joshua is to be the successor of Moses. After Moses lays down the work, Joshua will pick it up. In one sense he was the most unlikely one to succeed Moses. Do you know why? He was an average man. No one went around saying that Joshua had great potential, great leadership ability and all that sort of thing. Apparently Joshua didn’t have that. He was an ordinary individual. Joshua reveals what God can do with an ordinary man.

If you’re like me, I don’t feel like I’m anything special. You hear about the greatness of Marie Curie, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, etc, etc, etc… But throughout the bible God uses ordinary men to do His great work and I’m only to assume the greatest people in history probably didn’t see themselves as anything special either. If anything, I would bet most of them cried out, “Why me?” I’m inspired by Joshua and I’m always grateful when God uses the most unlikely as the best candidates to get the job done. He will not leave us to be without a Shepard and this tells me He can use ordinary people like you and me.

I’m so encouraged today that my ordinary day and ordinary life can be used by God for great and wonderful matters. Not for my glory, but His glory. Not by my abilities, but by His ability. Not for my needs and desires, but for His needs and desires. What a purposeful, yet amazing life we can led if we listen to His voice, be obedient to His calling and live according to His will.

Heavenly Headcount

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Appleton, WI

Today’s Devotion: Numbers 26

This is the beginning of a new section of the Book of Numbers and my bible labels this chapter as census and rules. The new generation is preparing to enter the land. The remainder of the Book of Numbers is about this preparation.

When I drive by those signs that tell us what the population is, I’m always fascinated by that number. I know it this the population that was recorded according to our latest census, but counting every adult on the planet is no easy task and it’s constantly changing. There is a small town that we pass through when we go to my in-laws house that reads population = 23. After all the years of driving past that sign and through that little town, I have often thought about going around to introduce myself to those 23 people and asking them what it means to them to be so significant? 23 is such a small number, but the fact that they live there and their population sign records it tells me that every one of them matters. In the sign above, I matter… I’m one of 70, 078!

I know, I have too much time on my hands, but truth is… someone took the time to count and tax payer dollars were spent to publish that number on their sign. So why does it matter? It matters because we matter to God.

Numbers 26:51 says, “The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.” The census determined that number. Sad thing is, that throughout the book of Numbers we lost a lot of people to sin, selfishness, greed, impatience, complaining and discontentment. The number is actually 1,800 few than the previous census that was taken back in Leviticus.

So here’s the deal, or at least my interpretation of what God is telling us today. You matter. We matter. We, collectively, make up mankind. God created us; every man, woman and child. This is our life to live, but we are His people called to live according to His purpose and plan. New Year’s Day was yesterday and many of us are going out in the world today (back to work, school, regular routine) with the intentions of being better people that we were last year or even a day ago. This is great, but we need to keep our focus on God, not ourselves. What is His plan to fulfill through us, what is He going to do to transform your heart this year and how can you most effectively do that? As we represent one human being in the headcount of believers, let’s exercise our significance and get out there and matter… For Christ’s sake.

Watch And Pray

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New-Years-Eve

Today’s Devotion: Numbers 24

This chapter is a continuation from Numbers chapter 23 because Balaam gives us two more prophesies – one being the coming Christ, which is a story that is shared on Christmas fairly often. It is also noted that this is the message (prophesy) that the wise men had knowledge of and is why they knew to be looking for a star to find the coming Messiah.

See verse 17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.”

Tell me THAT isn’t cool!

This makes me wonder if we are paying attention and listening for the signs that God is giving us regarding the return of Christ. I don’t believe you would disagree that we don’t have to look far. Turn on the world news, watch the global economy taking shape, the natural disasters that are seemingly more frequent (like birth pains – Mark 13:7-9) and not to mention how sin is permeating our culture – a whole new meaning to the “Sex, Drugs and Rock-N-Roll” quote of the 70’s.

If we look to the new testament where God IS preparing us for what is to come, we will see His warning in Luke 21:36, “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

I pray for you my girlfriends in Christ, that we will be wise to hear God’s voice, following His teaching and be wise to see the message that He has for us in preparation of what is to come. With a new year upon us, a fresh start – a new beginning in some aspects. Let’s not only plan to be healthy, make wise choices, be financially stable or whatever worldly self-improvement plans we have to check off our lists. Let’s put more emphasis on time in His Word, Following His plan for our lives; watching and praying for what the future holds so that we may stand before the Son of Man like wise men who read the message and followed that star.

Discipline, Not Condemn

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bookcase God's love

Today’s Devotion: Numbers 23

This chapter has been dubbed, “”The error of Balaam”—ignorance of God’s righteousness.”

Balaam has now come to Balak, the king of Moab. Balak takes Balaam to the top of a mountain so that he can see the camp of Israel below. Balak is not satisfied with any of the prophecies of Balaam; so he will take him to four different mountains on four different sides of the camp.

Balaam uses his own reasoning and rationalizing, and concludes that God must condemn Israel because of their sin. Man has a tendency to conclude that God must judge Israel, because of their sin, and that God must judge the individual sinner. However, God does not judge the sinner because He has already judged him in Christ Jesus—when he (we) came to God by faith in Christ.

The world does not understand that and neither did Balaam. He thought that God must condemn Israel. He figured that if God was going to judge Israel, he might as well get the benefit of the rewards from King Balak; thinking that God would condemn Israel and that he would be permitted to get a handsome reward as a result of it.

Balaam did not understand the righteousness of God either. He did not understand that the believing sinner, just like the people of Israel, could not come under the judgment and condemnation of God. When the believer sins, he comes under the disciplining hand of God, not under the condemnation of God.

Aren’t you relieved? I am! Disciplined for our sin, not condemned. That’s not to say the world isn’t out to get us or the devil doesn’t work overtime to discourage us, beat us when we’re down and rob us of our happiness and hope. Today, I’m thankful to have a God who knows my heart, has all things figured out, can right my wrongs and direct my path. I’m so glad that my God forgives, loves, redeems, restores, and rebuilds lives.

Thank you LORD!

Permissive Will of God

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Today’s Devotion: Numbers 22

I’m on the verge of a major life decision and God puts Numbers 22 in my path. He’s amazing that way. I teach my kids in Sunday school that praying is how we talk to God. Reading His Word is how He talks to you. Then sometimes, what He tells you isn’t what you want to hear.

So here I am. Reading Numbers 22 and realizing that God permits us to make our own decisions. There is His will and then there is our will. In verse 20, “That night God came to Balaam and said, ‘Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.'” In other words, God is saying, “All right, you want to go and before it is through you will go, but if you go, you are to say what I want you to say. Be careful of that.” We have here what is known as the permissive will of God. He permits us many times to do something that we insist on doing when it is not in His direct will. You remember how we learned from the children of Israel that God granted their request but sent leanness to their souls. Sometimes He also grants our requests and sends leanness to our souls.

So am I making a decision outside of the will of God? Yes! Months ago this seemed like a great idea and I was fully convicted that it was something God was leading me to do. Now, here I am, the day before I’m about the pull the metaphoric trigger and I hold a great deal of anxiety wondering why I have such apprehension to follow through? I have Christian friends on both sides of the fence – Friends who ardently oppose and those who know God uses people and circumstances for His good. I have sought wise counsel and prayed, but there are risks to say ‘yes’ to my decision and there are an equal number of risks to say ‘no.’ Nothing God can’t handle, of course, but as you know if we are living outside of the will of God we cannot/will not be blessed.

Heavy stuff here today and a chapter and verse put here just for me today. I guess you get to read it to make your own interpretation, but as for me, I need to get on bended knee and seek the LORD’s clarity today so I don’t make a mistake. If you could pray about it, even though I’m been very vague… God will hear you and I believe will help guide me.  Thank you!

Guilt By Association

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guilt-by-association

Today’s Devotion: Numbers 18

God tells Aaron in verse 1, “The LORD said to Aaron, ‘You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood.'” God is telling the Levites that they are responsible for what takes place. We need to remember that Korah was a Levite; the rebellion arose within the tribe of Levi. It was very serious. God is telling them they are responsible.

When I was young, my brothers would instigate some trouble and my Mom would come directly to me for answers. Often times I was nowhere near their mischief, but because I was the oldest, my Mom held me to a higher level of responsibility. She would say, “Your the oldest, you need to keep your eye on your brothers.”

Now whether you think that’s fair or not, when I read Numbers 18 and the expectations that God places on Aaron and his sons, there is something to be said by living with God-given responsibility. As a Christian, I see this as a calling to help my Pastor. Imagine the pressure that rests on his shoulders and the level of accountability that he has to God as he leads our church, congregation, and his entrusted body of Christ? We all have a level of responsibility to help him, his family and our church family.

It’s the holidays and the Christmas season can be a time when we need to express our appreciation. We probably don’t even know what pressure he endures by skeptics of Christ’s birth. I pray for our church leaders that they would remain steadfast in their ability to be a witness to those who don’t understand and faithful to follow through with God’s plan in their lives, family and ministry.

Sinner In the Middle

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Today’s Devotion: Numbers 16

Do you remember the game Monkey in the Middle? Two people stand a distance a part and the person in the middle is trying to intercept the ball. Should they catch it, the thrower becomes the new monkey.

In Numbers 16 we have a situation of “Korah in the middle” and there is one big problem with that. God and Moses were playing toss and they never asked Korah to play; he just jumped in. Just like a big bully on the playground, Korah intervenes by trying to spike the ball which was a very bad move on his part. The moral of this chapter is, “Don’t get in the way of God’s plans, especially he hasn’t invited you to be a part of them.”

That’s exactly what Korah did. He built up a rebellion against Moses and Aaron and had their own agenda; and that agenda was not God’s. Even worse, they were jealous of Moses and Aaron and took it upon themselves to rise against them and they succeeded by bringing a lot of people down with them, but never got to Moses and Aaron.

How does this play out in our lives? We read and know the will of God, but we see an opportunity to impose our will. We do this for a lot of reasons (selfish ambition, boredom, impatience, jealousy, anger, etc.), but the primary reason is sin. God has a plan for our lives, but in our sin we craft a better idea; our idea. The result – we jump into the middle of God’s plan and try to get him to move toward us, instead of us moving toward Him.

The results were not favorable for Korah, his men, and 14,700 innocent Israelites who were affected by the plague that God began due to Korah’s rebellio. It’s a big mess and the chapter doesn’t have a overtly happy ending, but there is a clear message here and that message is that we don’t want to get in God’s way. Today I am reminded to pray to God as Jesus did, “42 Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42

Blue, God Believing Day!

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BelieveGod

Today’s Devotion: Numbers 15

There is a Lorrie Morgan song with a line in the lyric that says, “I’m looking for something in blue” and the blue she seeks is for her unborn son. A couple years ago I was in a Beth Moore study called “Believing God,” we all cut blue ropes, made them into bracelets, and wore them as a reminder to believe God. This all based upon a the biblical message that we are studying today. In Numbers 15, verse  39 says, “You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes.”

So is this tassel supposed to be some form of good luck charm like a pet rock, rabbits foot, or finding a penny, picking it up so all day long you have good luck? Not at all. This is a reminder. A reminder that we are to believe God. Since I became a born-again believer I have let go of all things superstitious. My parents used to call me every new years day to remind me that I was supposed to wash my hands in money so we could make sure we had enough for the year ahead. I stopped avoiding cracks on the side walk that would break my mothers back. I cringe at the thought of how many people put their faith into palm readers and horoscopes, and lastly, I gave up putting my faith into winning the lottery. (Although I still joke that that I would be the poorest lottery winner because I have so many people, causes, and ministry organizations that I wish to support.)

God is all we need. When I found Him, I found so much more than hope of 2 kids, a yard and a picket fence. I am reminded of this as I read Numbers 15, how God gave the Israelities something blue to remind them not to follow the lusts of their own hearts and eyes. Know that this message is intended to encourage you if there is something you are struggling with or striving to remain faithful to God in. It just might be between you and God, but you know what – everything is.

Let’s make it a blue, God believing day!

 

My Size, God Size

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sizeup

Today’s Devotion: Numbers 13

They say I’m petite. I find myself looking up when talking to other people. Sometimes, standing amongst a crowd can be very intimidating because it becomes even more obvious that I am significantly shorter and that’s both with or without heels.

Does size matter? I’ve been in martial arts long enough to know that I will never win a fight with strength. Perhaps its my size or perhaps its my gender, but even when I was in the best shape of my life, I never took for granted that most people, just in mere size, were stronger than me. I most certainly recognize that the fight I have the best chance of winning is to not be in the fight at all.

So here we have the Iraelities, spying on the land that they were told, by God, that they would conquer. Instead of trusting God, they size up the enemy and become intimidated. Verse  33, “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Grasshoppers? That’s the best they can do? Describe themselves as poor, helpless grasshoppers? Talk about losing a fight before you ever step into the ring!

What problems do we face in our lives that seem “too big?” Our minds are a battlefield and the older I get, the more I am convinced that the mind will take the easy way out or assume the worst most often. This survival tactic then leads us to one conclusion – avoidance.

Sure, that can be wisdom as a result of having done things the hard way before or had bad things happen when we had the best of intentions, but this is really not where God wants us when it comes to faith. He wants us to do what is right, not just take the easy road, and He wants us to trust in Him because through Him all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26).

As we continue to read though the books of the Old Testament, we will continue to see how man is weak and God is strong. If we depend on Him, trust in Him and obey Him – life will be much more fulfilling and we’d get to our goals expeditiously. Instead, we avoid [perceived] challenges, let the enemy intimidate us, and delay God’s goodness that He has planned for us. Next time we see a situation that appears to be too big, too hard or too overwhelming – let that be our Que to know that we don’t have to do it alone – God will get it done.

More “You” and Less “Me”

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Humility

Today’s Devotion: Numbers 12

A short chapter that is packed with teaching, but my favorite is found in verse 3 “(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)”  Not only are the words themselves saying something, but the fact that they are in parentheses gives it extra attention and emphasis.

So we’re kicking off the new week with humility. I think that is an excellent way to start. As we approach our work, families and trials that we face (and any number of them that could be), I think it is a great place to enter the day and week.

My family has a Christmas tradition. Every December we read a chapter a day in the book of Luke. There are 24 days until Christmas and 24 chapters of Luke. I love this yearly reminder of the story of Jesus – his birth, life, and resurrection. It truly brings the meaning of Christmas to the forefront of the chaotic season. Sure, this is a random tangent, but I do have a point. My point is that we just read Luke chapter 14 and the majority of the chapter is about humility – taking the lowest seat at the banquet table, the cost of being a disciple and verse 11 says it best, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

So how can we be humble today. To me, humility means to esteem others not yourself. To make everyone around you feel significant, valuable, appreciated and accepted. Using the word “I” less and “You” more. Serving others and seeking ways to meet their needs rather than your own and giving credit, not taking credit.

The bible has a lot to say about humility and God clearly loves humility, especially in Moses as taught in Numbers chapter 12. I think the fact that Moses was recognized for it is for us to know that it is a character trait that God wants and we need to be. Let’s proceed confidently into the day with humility.