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Daily Devotion

1/29/2016

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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Amy Carroll

"Finding the Happy Ending to Our Sad Story"

"Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!"
Psalm 34:3 (ESV)

As I made my way across the room to my friend, her eyes widened and then fell to the floor in dismay. Although I was breaking my usual church routine by attending youth group with my son, I was confused as to why she seemed uncomfortable with my presence.

We chatted with the other youth leaders for a while before they drifted off to talk to others. Hesitantly, she asked me why I had come. I explained how curious I was about the workings of the group. I was there to get a sample of what my son would experience as a new member. With a quiver in her voice, she asked, "Did you know I’m the guest speaker today?"

I hadn’t known that she would be sharing, but suddenly I understood why she might not want me there. The topic was abortion, and my friend, the guest speaker, was telling her story for the very first time about the abortion she had chosen years before.

"I’m so afraid you’ll think less of me after you hear my story," she confessed, her eyes filling with tears.

Stunned and saddened, I gathered my amazing, godly friend in my arms and whispered, "I love you. I could never think less of you."

She wiped away her tears, walked to the front and started the program with the kids. By the time she finished speaking, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

Even though this part of her story had gone untold for decades, we all knew her current story. This was a woman who sparkled with joy and shared Jesus’ love everywhere she went. His light shone out of her and drew others irresistibly into relationship with Him. The beginning of her story about the abortion was sad, but the end of her story stood gloriously in front of us.

When she stepped down from the stage and back into the audience, I made a beeline for her, and blurted out the thought that overwhelmed me. "Not only do I not think less of you because of your story," I said, "It has magnified God for me!"

King David more eloquently expressed how her story made me feel. He too was overwhelmed by the character and work of God:

"Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep" (Psalm 36:5-6a, NIV).

God fills the expanses. His love is limitless. His power exceeds anything I can imagine. It’s that power that changes us and brings good into even the saddest of stories.

Knowing how God had transformed my friend didn’t actually make God bigger; I just saw more of Him revealed. From knowing her story, I know other truths as well--truths about who God is and how He operates. I know God is real. I know He is at work in us. I know He can change a life and redeem a sad story into one that inspires others. I know that God is BIG.

How do we magnify the Lord together? We transparently share the stories of His work in our lives. Your life isn’t perfect. Neither is mine! But when He uses our stories for the healing and growth of others, that’s part of the redeeming of our sad stories. When we share our own imperfections instead of hiding them, it’s a chance to shine a spotlight on our hero, Jesus, the One who has healed our wounded places and changed the ashes of our sins into the beauty of a godly woman.

Dear God, please use the sin and sad stories of my past for Your glory
and the growth of others. Set me free from the shame of those stories and redeem them with Your grace and freedom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

Psalm 78:35, "They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer." (NIV)

Psalm 107:2, "Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story--those he redeemed from the hand of the foe." (NIV)
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Daily Devotion

1/28/2016

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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Mike Taylor

“God’s Eraser”

The conversation began something like this, "Mike, you are a really good guy. I think the world of you. We couldn’t have done this without you …" While such words were certainly nice to hear, I began to prepare myself for the one word that would change the entire tone of this moment.

I could almost feel it coming--can you? We all know it. The word is, "BUT."

In a situation like this, the word BUT acts as a verbal eraser. It eclipses the sunshine of affirmation and shadows our hearts with words that sting. It erases any memory of the praise we just received. The darkness of shame imprints our hearts as we listen to what we should be doing or what we should not have done in the first place. These are the words that stay with us--permanently engraved on our hearts. The words of praise and affirmation are but a mirage, a false promise that we have learned not to trust.

BUT, know this …

God has an eraser of His own. Unlike the ones with which we are familiar in personal relationships, God’s eraser is a wonderful instrument of comfort.

While people use the word "but" to shadow words of praise and affirmation with those that wound and often scar, God’s eraser does just the opposite. His eraser permanently and forever replaces words of condemnation and judgment with eternal promises of hope and praise.

Romans 5:8, Romans 11:22 and Ephesians 2:4 are some of many places in Scripture where the words "but God" remind us He erases the bad and replaces it with the good. His eraser offers the promise of hope and the certainty of His love.

The challenge of the Christian life is reminding ourselves to live on the right side of God’s eraser. If you know Christ personally, your sins have been forgiven--erased--and replaced with the promise of an eternal home with the One whose love never fails.

God’s eraser tells those of us who believe in Him our sins have been forgiven and we have the promise of eternity in the presence of the One whose love for us is certain.

The story of Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers shows how God also uses His eraser in the midst of human evil. Joseph was well acquainted with the evil things people do to one another and was now face-to-face with his brothers who’d treated him with unspeakable cruelty. He acknowledges this when he says, "You meant evil against me …" (Genesis 50:20b).

His next words reveal what Joseph had learned about God’s grace and the mystery of His ways … "but God meant it for good …" (Genesis 50:20c).

Joseph is now able to see how God had been at work to bring good--both to him and his family--in the midst of human evil. Joseph had come to understand that God is always at work to bring about what is ultimately good and will use the evil of mankind for His purposes.

Knowing the end of the story helps us see the whole picture of God’s purposes for Joseph’s suffering. But when the story is ours, how easily do we reconcile the idea of God’s goodness in the midst of our own difficulties? How do we rest when we see the incredible brokenness around us?

It’s easy to question the goodness of God when suffering in the present tense. In moments when it seems God is nowhere to be found and there is no answer to the question, Why is this happening? … look to the cross.

You might not get an answer to your "why" questions, but the cross--God’s grand eraser--tells us one thing about suffering: It’s NOT happening because God doesn’t care about us, or because He has forgotten us. The cross reminds us everything has been (and will be) made right.

Living on the right side of the eraser means we focus our hearts more on our Savior than our circumstances and trust His ways are meant for our good and His glory.

Always.

Father, thank You for the comfort of knowing Your goodness is steadfast and everlasting. Forgive us for those times when we are tempted to allow difficult circumstances to tell us otherwise. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (ESV)

Psalm 117:2, "For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!" (ESV)

Deuteronomy 31:8, "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." (ESV)
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Daily Devotion

1/27/2016

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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Lysa TerKeurst

"Just Because"

"Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions."
1 John 3:18 (NLT)

Grace looked up from the old, worn photo album to see Richard the postman making his way through the cold to her door. What a sweet young man, she thought.

Grace loved her walks to the mailbox in late spring and through the summer, but the cold winter air seemed to whip through her thin skin. Though in her heart she still felt like a young, energetic girl, her age was evident to her. Aches and pains made her careful and slow. As the air turned cooler, Richard made it a habit to deliver Grace’s mail to her door.

Today was an especially lonely day for Grace. It was the seventeenth. No one but her Jim would have known what a special day this was. It wasn’t her birthday or their anniversary. For 42 years the seventeenth of every month was their unique day, as Jim would say, just because.

Though they never were rich with money, they were determined to be rich with love. For this reason, on the seventeenth Jim always found some special way to say it and live out 1 John 3:18, "Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions."

Over the years the gifts had been as simple as a scribbled note or as elaborate as a bouquet of store-bought flowers. But the message was always the same: "Just because." Once he’d secretly taken Grace’s wedding band from her jewelry box and had it engraved with their special saying.

She found such comfort, confidence and connection in those two simple words. To Grace it was more than a gesture of love; it was an outward symbol of much more.

When she’d gotten sick and couldn’t keep up with the house, it meant I love you for who you are, not what you do. When they had an argument, it meant even when we don’t see eye-to-eye I love you still. When she started aging, it meant yours is a timeless beauty. Though Jim had never been a man of many words, his "just because" was perfect and poetic to Grace.

Jim had passed away three weeks earlier. It wasn’t a sudden death; they both had known his end was near. They’d had a sweet time of reminiscing, hugging, crying and then as quickly as he came into her life all those years ago, he was gone. She missed him terribly but had peace.

They’d had a wonderful life and left nothing unsaid. Now Grace loved flipping through their old photo albums savoring pictures, but even more so she loved touching all the mementos from over the years written in his masculine handwriting.

Though she’d seen the postman coming, the doorbell startled Grace. Carefully, she made her way to the door. She graciously took the few letters he handed her and apologized for not having cookies. Maybe tomorrow. She then walked slowly to the kitchen to open her mail. A bill, another sympathy card and something that made her heart jump and melt all at the same time.

Her eyes filled with tears and her hand trembled as she slid her finger underneath the envelope’s back flap. It was a simple letter as they always were, delivered on the seventeenth as they always had been. Before his death, Jim had arranged for Richard to make one last special delivery. "Not even death shall stop my heart. Just because, Jim."

~ ~ ~Sometimes a short story illustrates a point better than pages of instruction on how to be more intentional with relationships.

All relationships take work. And I know firsthand how hard it can be. I imagine some of you have prayed for a more tender relationship with your spouse. I’ve been there. I understand.

So I wrote this story to remind myself to pursue this kind of intentionality with Art during the good days and the really hard ones too. This kind of love--not flashy, but forever; not commercial, but committed--isn’t always easy, but it truly is honoring to the Lord and to your spouse.

I pray this story settles into your heart and encourages you that even the smallest acts of love toward your spouse can bring about the most loving legacies.

Dear Lord, I am so thankful for who You are — the Great Lover of our souls. Cultivate in me a heart of generosity and intentionality so Your love can shine through me into my relationships. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 13:34-35, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NIV)
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Daily Devotion

1/26/2016

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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Alli Worthington

"When You Feel Too Busy to Enjoy Life"

"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered-- how fleeting my life is."
Psalm 39:4 (NLT)

I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide.

Somehow in the rush of my crazy busy schedule and all the demands on my time and attention, I found myself in a crowded airport, realizing I had left my cell phone in the shuttle from the hotel. I asked the couple in front of me if I could borrow their phone so I could call my own phone and ask the shuttle driver to please return it to me.

As I dialed my number and waited for the shuttle driver to answer, an embarrassing thing happened: Right there in the airport, surrounded by people, my bra started ringing. I had tucked my phone in my bra, totally forgotten about it, freaked out thinking I had lost it and then called it right there in line! (Can you even imagine?)

On the flight home, I worked hard to not make eye contact with anyone else and thought about how my life had become so exhaustingly busy.

"I have to get off the hamster wheel. I have to be made for more in my life than just running in circles. This busyness is breaking me."

My husband Mark and I have five sons, and at that point in our lives we were both working full time, leading a church small group, teaching on Sunday mornings and if that weren’t enough, he even coached pee-wee football. On the outside we looked like a happy all-American family (or at least we did on Instagram and Facebook-- isn’t that how it always is?) … but on the inside I was exhausted and burned out. And I was way too busy to actually enjoy life.

The crazy part of it all is that everything we were doing in our lives was, in itself, a good thing. But we had to admit to ourselves that doing all of it together at the same time was killing us.

Between our scheduled commitments, the little things that popped up daily and the needs of all five kids, we barely made time for ourselves, each other and God. Sure, we were serving and leading, but the mad-dash schedule of one thing after the next didn’t leave us with any room to rest or be restored. We were running on empty and had the frazzled nerves to prove it.

The Bible teaches us another way to live: to keep our hearts and our minds focused on the things that really matter in our lives.

The Psalmist said, "LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered-- how fleeting my life is" (Psalm 39:4).

Just as we read in today’s key verse, being aware that my days are short helps me remember to focus on the things that bring real happiness, peace and purpose to my life: my relationship with Christ, my family and my relationships.

I’ve learned that by staying focused on the big things in life, I’m better at protecting my time from the little things that creep in and make my life crazy busy.

Maybe you can relate. Maybe you’ve felt the demands of all those little things that seem so urgent in life? You want to finish your Bible study, but those piles of laundry must get done. You want to sit down at the end of a long day and read books to the little ones but your mind can’t get away from those work emails that need to get answered. The struggle is real.

I’ve learned the best way to keep my heart and mind focused is by keeping my to-do list focused as well.

Lord, help me keep fighting the good fight against busyness today. Remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Enable me to focus on the things You want me to do, not all the little things I worry about or think I should do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

Ephesians 5:15-16, "So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days." (NLT)
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Daily Devotion

1/25/2016

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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Wendy Pope

"Retaliating with Words"

"May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!"
1 Samuel 25:22 (NLT)

"I’m going to let her have it!" My friend said she’d had enough with another friend’s gossip and lies. She asked me to read an email she’d composed to this woman, basically telling her off.

I could totally relate to her anger as there have been people in my life who had the ability to raise my blood pressure and make me see red. However, I knew my friend would immediately regret hitting send, so we deleted the email and moved away from her computer instead.

Have you ever been so fed up with someone’s rudeness and disrespect that you made a beeline toward revenge? Perhaps in your head, you composed a sassy text message or a scathing verbal assault?

It’s in those moments we need an "Abigail" to speak reason and bring clarity to the situation. Let me explain …

In 1 Samuel 25, David was furious at a very rude man named Nabal. Maybe on a good day David wouldn’t have gotten so mad. But he’d had a string of misfortunes come his way. He was on the run for his life from King Saul, and David’s living quarters consisted of caves and fields.

So when Nabal refused to offer food and drink to David and his men, especially after David had treated Nabal’s shepherds kindly, David reacted, as we see in today’s key verse: "May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!" (1 Samuel 25:22).

Whoa, those are strong words! But given all that had happened to David, you can almost understand and somewhat justify his anger against Nabal.
Enduring such trying circumstances would make anyone temperamental! And now to be treated with so much disrespect and contempt … David was fed up and plotted revenge, until Nabal’s level-headed wife Abigail stepped in.

Scripture tells us that Abigail was a discerning woman. She had the words of wisdom to calm David down and deter him from his plan to kill Nabal. David hit pause and permitted the intervention that stopped him from doing something he’d later regret.

In our "I have had enough" moments, we too need to press pause before we press send. It may not feel like it in the heat of the moment, but acting out in anger is often something we will later regret.

We might not have an Abigail reading our emails over our shoulder or speaking reason into our situation, but as Christ-followers, we do have the Holy Spirit guiding us every minute of every day. Our response to the still small voice will make the difference between regret and relief.

Lord, help me control my anger. Set a guard over my mouth to help me pause in the moment so I don’t make matters worse. Help me honor You in all I say and do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

Proverbs 29:11, "Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end." (NIV)

Ephesians 4:29, 32, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear … Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (ESV)
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Daily Devotion

1/22/2016

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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Liz Curtis Higgs

"Can God Handle Our Doubts?"

"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Mark 9:24b (NIV)

If you’ve ever whispered: "I’m not sure what I believe, Lord. I just don’t have enough faith," then be encouraged. A story in Mark 9 shows us what God can do when we wrestle with doubt.

First, we meet a desperate father, whose son was possessed by a demon that threw the boy to the ground, leaving him rigid and foaming at the mouth. Jesus’ disciples tried to drive out the evil spirit, but failed.

When the Lord arrived and learned what happened, He didn’t mince words. "You unbelieving generation … how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?" (Mark 9:19, NIV). He rightly called them, "You faithless people!" (Mark 9:19a, NLT), because faith was the missing element.

Jesus wasn’t unhappy with His disciples. Rather, He was pointing out the spiritual state of the crowds who followed Him but hadn’t placed their trust in Him. Because of their unbelief, demons roamed the land. Because of their lack of faith, a young boy lay stiff on the ground. Because they doubted God’s power, His people couldn’t call upon it.

Beloved, we needn’t wonder why there is so much evil and suffering in the world when people who claim to know God have stopped believing in His power. Deep down, they don’t think He can triumph over evil. They aren’t convinced He can really fix things. They may call Him the great I AM, yet struggle to believe it.

Listen to this boy’s father, whose words reflect that kind of uncertainty: "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us" (Mark 9:22b, NIV).

"If?" Clearly this man didn’t know who he was talking to, because Jesus can do anything! Still, we can be every bit as doubtful as this needy father. We place our requests before God, then take them right back, fretting over how we’re going to solve our problem, not convinced God can really do anything about it.

The Lord repeated this man’s words back to him--not to mock him but to underline the father’s misplaced doubt. "‘If you can’? said Jesus" (Mark 9:23a, NIV). It’s a gentle but firm reprimand as well as a loving reminder of His power.

Then comes the good news we’ve been waiting for, the response to his question, "Can you help me, Lord?" The answer is "Yes, yes, yes!" Jesus told the man, "Everything is possible for one who believes" (Mark 9:23b, NIV).

A man who thought nothing could be done, yet pleaded for something to be done, just learned all things can be done.

I love what happened next. "Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, …" (Mark 9:24a, NIV). This father didn’t think at length about the Lord’s words. No, he responded instantly. We can almost feel the tightness in his chest, the stinging sensation in his nose, as he tried to keep from crying. But he had to speak, had to blurt out the truth.

"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24b).

There it is: his confession of faith. And, in the same breath, his admission of doubt. What an example for all of us! He embraced the unbelief inside him--his fear, his uncertainty, his trust issues--and gave it all to Jesus, saying, "I do have faith! Please help me to have even more" (Mark 9:24b, CEV).

For those of us who believe in God, worship God, and yet have times when we doubt, here is proof that we can admit our lack of faith to God and ask for His help.

He knows how to ease our suspicions and fears, our misgivings and apprehensions. He can handle our cynicism, our incredulity. He understands our doubts.

However wobbly our faith may be at times, our trustworthy God never changes. He hears and answers when we cry out, "Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior" (Psalm 38:22, NIV).

Heavenly Father, we want to believe. Help us with our unbelief. Remind us Who You are. Remind us You can do anything. Keep our eyes on Your Word and our lives in Your hands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

Luke 24:38-39a, "He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see.’" (NIV)

Mark 5:36b, "Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’" (NIV)
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Daily Devotion

1/21/2016

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Coffee for Your Heart
Holley Gerth

"Those Negative Thoughts?
They're Liars, Liars, Pants on Fire"

The hard pavement feels like a punch with every step. The hill’s steepness taunts me and tries to steal my breath. But what really tempts me to quit are the accusations that follow me: “You’re going so slow. You’re not doing a good job. This must be your worst effort ever.”

I always believed doubts and discouragement like that until I discovered something: I would finish my “terrible” run only to discover my time had gotten faster. Huh.

Then I started looking closer at other times in my life when negative thoughts tried to trip me up and I found the same principle applied. In the moments when we want to give up, when we feel weak and exhausted, when we think we can’t do it…we’re often getting stronger.

We’re not tired because we’re failing; we’re tired because we’re fighting.

We’re not weary because we’re weak; we’re weary because we’re winning a hard battle.

We’re not struggling because we’re quitters: we’re struggling because we’re refusing to give up.

So I’m slowly learning to respond differently. When those unwelcome thoughts show up (and, yep, they still do) I try to tell myself something like, “This must mean I’m running harder and faster than ever before--it just doesn’t feel like it right now.”

Let’s not allow ourselves to be convinced we should give up because we think we’re not doing well enough. Instead let’s recognize the strain and pain for what they are—signs of growth. Resistance usually means we are breaking through what has held us back and pushing with all our might toward what God has for us.

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

In the place between what is comfortable and what feels like it may kill us is where we become all we’re created to be.

I complete my run and, sure enough, my time has gotten a bit better. I’m not taking that victory lightly. I’ve earned every teeth-gritting second of it. I’m covered in sweat, smell terrible and probably looked about as graceful as a crazed monkey by my last step. But I didn’t quit. And I didn’t keel over. In this world, that’s the best we can do some days.

The crowd of accusers, doubters and discouragers is finally silent and now it’s my turn to speak. I face the path behind me and declare to all the lies that tried to stop me, “I’m stronger than I seem.”

Then I turn on my heels and walk away.

I’ve won for today.

XOXO
Holley Gerth
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Daily Devotion

1/13/2016

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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Leah DiPascal

"When All You Have Is Not Enough"

"And taking the five loaves and the two fish he [Jesus] looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied."
Mark 6:41-42 (ESV)

I couldn’t avoid it any longer. After distracting myself for hours — washing clothes, emptying the dishwasher and checking emails for the fourth time — I finally had to face the beast.

Pulling out the thick folder that bulged with utility bills, a mortgage notice and credit card statements, I reached for my tiny checkbook and released a heavy sigh from the pit of my stomach.

Tallying the numbers as I held my breath only confirmed what I already knew: too many bills and not enough money.

The small amount felt like tiny crumbs waiting to be devoured by the multitudes.

My husband and I never anticipated a downward-spiraling economy, which happened right after we started our business 10 years ago. When our clients suddenly stopped paying for the services we provided, it launched us into a season of not-enough, which lasted longer and proved more difficult than we ever imaged.

As funds dwindled, so did my faith, and I began wondering about my family’s not-enough crisis … Would there be enough to go around? Would the little we had left stretch to meet our obligations? Would God come through in this situation and provide what we needed?

As I think back on that difficult time, I wonder how the disciples felt, the day the multitudes came to hear Jesus speak. Mark 6 recounts what is known as "The Feeding of the Five Thousand."

These people desperately wanted what Jesus could offer them: hope, healing and promises of the kingdom of heaven. What I love most is that Scripture tells us Jesus had compassion on them:

"When he [Jesus] went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things" (Mark 6:34, NIV).

But by the end of the day the disciples were faced with an unanticipated problem. They told Jesus, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat" (Mark 6:35b-36, ESV).

With the Sea of Galilee behind them and a sea of people facing them, the disciples were ready to wrap things up and go home. It had been a long day of managing the multitudes and I imagine they were starting to feel weary and overwhelmed. But not Jesus …

After filling the souls of thousands with the spiritual food of the Word of God, Jesus wanted to fill their bellies with actual food.

He told the disciples, "You give them something to eat" (Mark 6:37, ESV). But a quick tally revealed only five loaves of bread and two fish. As the people began to rumble with empty stomachs, the disciples were suddenly faced with their own not-enough crisis.

How would they have enough? Would Jesus help them and provide?

Maybe today you’re facing a not-enough crisis that has you feeling anxious, weary or overwhelmed.

  • Too many bills and not enough money in the bank.
  • Too many doctor’s appointments and not enough definitive answers.
  • Too many interviews and not enough job offers.
  • Too many demands and not enough solutions.

In today’s key verse, we see how Jesus took the disciples’ not-enough crisis and made it more than enough as He held up the loaves and fish to heaven, giving thanks to God the Father and blessing it.

Jesus’ multiplication powers produced plenty of leftovers and everyone was satisfied.

Did you see that? Not just a few-- "they all ate and were satisfied."

In the case of our family’s personal finances, God miraculously stretched what little we had to pay our bills so our debts were all satisfied. Although we couldn’t see it at the time, God was multiplying our less to provide miraculously more.

Is your not-enough situation giving you an empty rumbling of doubt and discouragement? Why not hold what you have up to Heaven? Trust God for His multiplication powers. And ask Jesus to bless it according to His will.

God’s love is excessive and His grace multiplies. God’s provisions are abundant and His compassion toward you is endless.

In God’s hands, our not-enough can become plenty, with leftovers, so that we can be spiritually satisfied and physically provided for by Him in miraculous ways.

Heavenly Father, help me entrust my not-enough to You not just today, but every day. Thank You for promising to meet all my needs according to Your riches in glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

Philippians 4:19, "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (ESV)

Psalm 90:14, "Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives." (NLT)
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Daily Devotion

1/11/2016

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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Glynnis Whitwer

"Can This Year Really Be Different?"

"‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and they said, ‘We’ll go with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing."
John 21:3 (NIV)

Each year as I hang up the blank calendar in my kitchen, empty of appointments but full of promise, I think to myself, This year will be different!

This will be the year I finally finish that house project, exercise consistently, lose weight, pray faithfully, spend more time with friends and so on and so forth. This year has to be better than last year … right?

And yet, for so many years I’d get to March (if I lasted that long) and give up on my goals, feeling like a failure once again.

I got so frustrated because I knew how to do this stuff. I might not do it perfectly, but I can paint a wall, take a walk, put less food in my mouth, sit and pray and schedule time with friends. This isn’t rocket science! But … for some confusing reason I either stopped trying or kept making the same choices as before, expecting a different result.

I wonder if that’s how the disciples felt the night they went fishing and caught nothing. The story is told in John 21, after Jesus’ death when the disciples had gone to Galilee to wait for His return (which He’d told them about in Matthew 26:32).

While in Galilee, at least on one night, the disciples returned to their old lives … to fishing. They knew how to fish, as they’d done it all their lives, but that night after hours sitting in wooden boats, floating in dark silence, they caught nothing.

The story takes an interesting turn as the sun starts to rise. Jesus stood on the edge of the lake (although they didn’t recognize Him at first). He asked if they’d caught anything, and when He learned they hadn’t, He gave them a simple instruction: "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some" (John 21:6a, NIV).

Scripture doesn’t record the disciples’ thoughts, but I imagine they were confused and a bit annoyed at this piece of advice. After all, they’d been doing everything they knew to do, why should they keep trying? The fish obviously weren’t there!

And yet, they threw their nets on the right side of the boat. This time, in obedience to Jesus, Scripture tells us they caught so many fish they were unable to haul in their nets.

This would have been a nonstory had the disciples ignored the suggestion to try again, but in a slightly different way. They could have insisted they knew how to fish, they knew the water, and they knew the behavior of the fish. Instead, they humbly listened and obeyed. The blessing of the fish was minor in comparison to seeing Jesus and His power at work in their lives again.

This passage encourages me to press pause at the start of the New Year. I’ve already proved I can’t do much in my strength. So before I go back to my old ways, forging ahead, certain I just need to try harder, I want to stop and seek Jesus’ direction and help.

As I look back on my life, those are the times I’ve seen the Lord work in the greatest ways. When I admit my natural strength isn’t enough, God’s supernatural strength is evident.

So maybe this year things can be different. Not because I’ve got a new game plan or brilliant strategy. I haven’t found a short-cut or an app to make things easier. Maybe the difference is simpler than that. Instead of looking to myself, I need to wait on Jesus. Not just in the big questions and problems, but in everyday, seemingly mundane choices.

As the disciples learned that morning, we are never far from success when we allow Jesus to direct our course.

Dear Lord, I’m so sorry I’ve lived much of my life guided by my own direction, while You have always been there offering wisdom and power. I want to become a woman who looks to You first before trying harder in my own strength. I need Your help. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 7:8, "Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride." (NLT)
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Daily Devotion

1/8/2016

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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Eryn Lynum

"When the Call Feels Bigger Than You"

"She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard." Proverbs 31:16 (ESV)

I walked around the old tattered fence. Hope mounted as crisp leaves crunched beneath my feet.

The fence was home to a shabby, forgotten garden, out back of the new home we’d just purchased. How long had it been since someone had tended its roots? Surely not too long, I gathered, as I eyed the fallen, pulpous peppers sitting among the underbrush.

My eyes took in the misfortune of soil left untended, but in my heart I saw a season of growth and opportunity amidst this agricultural wreckage.

It was my field.

Stubble. Chaff. Clay. Not much to behold, yet promise was burgeoning just below the soil.

A year later, after we had tilled and toiled and harvested that garden soil, the words from today’s key verse began their resounding echo in my spirit: "She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard" (Proverbs 31:16).

The verse reverberated within me over time. As I read it again and again, that originally untended garden out back began to flourish with a successful first season of fruit bearing.

And God opened my eyes to other untended fields with potential.

Vacant fields lay all around us. In wedding vows promised before God and family. In the births of new babes. In the prodding of one’s heart toward new ministry. In the face of new mothers in shelters downtown. In the eyes of orphans a world, or a street, away.

How many times have I stood before an empty field? And how many times have I walked right past one without consideration?

Sometimes, the eyes of one’s heart must squint to see it, but there is hope amidst the overgrowth. There is great potential waiting to be unearthed from these desolate fields.

I imagine this woman spoken of in Proverbs 31 … "She considers a field and buys it …" Her feet planted on the edge of that field. Hand rubbing chin and head tilted in curiosity.

What could it be? What would God work through her hands for His glory?

Perhaps we are afraid to see these fields. When we glimpse an opportunity before us, do we turn our gaze because we are wary of the work the soil demands? The beauty of the fruit is alluring; we truly desire to see God do great and magnificent things through us. But our hands seem so unprepared, and we feel wholly unworthy of the calling.

When you stand before that vacant field, and consider the great expanse of the work it will take from barren to harvest, don’t let fear turn you away. We have much to make of empty fields if we are ready to put our hands to the plow and get a little messy.

You need only consider your next right step. Don’t be overwhelmed by the size of the task before you. Focus on the one thing that must be done next and trust God to level the ground before you. Pick up some gloves and clear the brush. Till some soil. Plant a seed.

And then watch in wonder as it begins to blossom. When we’re faithful to simply show up with hands willing to work, we can watch in wonder as God brings forth fruit from our humble efforts.

God places them before us, these barren fields, and beckons our hearts to create something of artistry, of intrigue, of splendor, of His majesty. He’ll call forth the rains. We only need to consider, buy in and put our hands to the plow.

Heavenly Father, help me see the empty and waiting fields that You place before me. Give me wisdom on when to keep walking and when to stop and put my hands to the plow.

Protect me from the fears that will hold me back from seeing You do great and mighty things through me. Help me always work through the strength of Christ and point any and all of my efforts back to Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

1 Corinthians 3:6, "I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow." (NLT)
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