Real Life - A Weekly Blog Devotional

Hi Everyone,

I’m so sorry that so much time has gone by since my last devotional post.  I began homeschooling my daughters recently and that is taking all of my time and energy.  I feel God calling me to focus on that ministry, so I’ve had to take a break from writing these devotions for awhile.  

I hope that when you visit this site, some of the past devotions listed on the sidebar will be a blessing to you. 

God Bless You!

Becky

From the Word:
Click and read Genesis 16

Key Verse:
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”
-Genesis 16:13 (NLT)

(Note: Taking matters into our own hands is a topic I’ll have to tackle in another devotion. Bad Idea! Ha ha)

What stuck with me after the reading was how hard life was for Hagar. She must have felt so alone, and of so little value. She was property, to be given to an old man for sex without her consent. How insignificant she must have felt!

This is an overused analogy, but it always amazes me when I’m in an airplane and look down at the ground. People become smaller and smaller and more and more insignificant the higher the airplane goes. Looking out that airplane window, I can relate to the feelings of the agnostic. Why would God care about me, someone so small in the sea of humanity?

In today’s reading, Hagar says, “You are the God who sees me!” Isn’t that an amazing thing to consider? The God who is big enough to create the universe, and small enough that His fingerprints are seen in the tiniest of cells, saw Hagar, an insignificant servant girl with a rough life. He also sees you and me.

What a comfort to be KNOWN and SEEN. I join Hagar at being amazed by this truth.

Personal Application:
Do a study on the names of God. You can do a Google search or check out one of the many book on that subject. His names give insight into His character. Worship Him for who He is! Thank Him that in the midst of your everyday life, in the midst of the joys and sorrows, you are seen by the One who loves you. Trust him today and rest in knowing that you are not alone.

More of God’s Word

1. You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day. -Psalm 139:15-16 (The Message)

2. Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? -Psalm 113:5-6 (NIV)

3. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. - Matthew 10:30 (NIV)

With an hour to kill sitting in the bleachers at my daughter’s gymnastics lesson, I decided it would be a good time to finish up my homework for Bible Study the next morning. I pulled out my copy of Lord, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur, my favorite pen, and my shiny new, green, spiral notebook, and settled in to study.

As I read the chapter, two questions the author asked jumped out at me:

1. Why do you think it is important to know Him as Creator?

And

2. What role has God had in your life?

Drowning out the noisy gym, I let my mind chew on these questions for awhile. Why is it important to remember He is the Creator? I asked myself. And I wondered if someone asked, What role has God played in your life? how I would answer.

I opened up my new notebook and put my favorite pen to work brainstorming. Here are some of my disorganized thoughts on these two questions:

• Knowing Him as Creator, reminds me of His power. The same One who created stars so large I cannot fathom them, and who’s very fingerprints are all over the tiniest of cells my eyes cannot even see, is the same One who knows me AND He is knowable. Amazing! This knowledge leads to worship and gratitude.
• Knowing Him as Creator leads to humility. I am reminded that I am created, He is my Creator, therefore I submit to Him, to His will, His ways, and have no right to dictate how things should be. (Job 38) I don’t even know enough to know how He does the simplest of things in creation, how can I then tell Him how to run my life?
• Knowing Him as Creator, reminds me that He is worthy of my trust. As my eyes sees all that He has made around me, and as I’m reminded of how mighty He is, how powerful that He could speak life into existence, I’m no longer anxious or afraid. I am His.

And how would I respond to what role God has played in my life? Well….that would take a very long book to write. : ) But here is a shorthand list:

• He had a plan for me, my life, my purpose, and my salvation before the foundation of the Earth.
• He created me. Perfectly. Even with my imperfections. He allowed my left eye to be small and blind for a purpose and my body, my personality, my mind, everything to be formed according to those plans and purposes He had for me before time began.
• He called me and accepted my little girl invitation to come into my life and be my Savior.
• He directed my life, but gave me free will to decide to love and follow Him.
• He forgave me every time I strayed, and welcomed me back with open arms. (Still does)
• Allowed trials, hard things to draw me to a deeper relationship with Him, more reliance on Him, a stronger character, and an ability to comfort and minister to other people in a way I would never have been able to do if I hadn’t been there myself. During all of it, He carried me and comforted me.
• He healed my broken heart and made me whole again
• He gave me hope, purpose, and eternity.
• He filled me with peace that is unexplainable and completely outside of the circumstances in my life.
• He loves me with a love that NO ONE and NO THING can ever take away from me.
• He is my everything, my very reason for existing.

Now it’s your turn. Because meditating on these two questions blessed me so much this week, I wanted to deviate from my regular devotion format and encourage you to contemplate these questions yourself this week. Feel free to use the comment section to do some brainstorming and sharing of your own. It would be awesome for me to read what your thinking about our Creator.

Love,

From God’s Word:

Click and Read 1 John 4:7-21

Key Verse:

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. - 1 John 4:16a (NIV)

I was afraid to ask.

In my personal Bible study I came across this prayer of King David’s:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV))

I wanted to pray it myself. I wanted God to search my heart and let me know if there was “any offensive way in me” so I could fix it, but I was afraid of what the answer might be.

I’ve always been a pleaser, an achiever, and never one who took criticism well. But after four consecutive pregnancy losses, I was broken and ready to know why God was punishing me, why He had stopped loving me, and why He had abandoned me.

So, I steeled myself and waited for His answer. I waited for the list of all of my offenses to come, motivated to get to work on them. I was ready to make things right between us.

His answer shocked and humbled me. He spoke to my heart and told me this, “Becky, do you want to know what is in your heart that offends me the most? That thing that hurts me to the core? It is that you have doubted my love for you. This is where I want you to start. Start by KNOWING I love you. Be assured of that fact and stop questioning my love for you. This will be the foundation I want to grow you from. The foundation of absolute assurance of my love for you.”

I had waited once again for a laundry list of to-dos. Once again He went straight for my heart. Life would never make sense without that assurance. I would never have anything to offer this world without that assurance. Without complete confidence in God’s love for me, I would be stuck. It truly was the place to start.

Personal Application:

Are you confident of God’s love for you? Do you doubt it? Confess your doubt and ask Him to fill you with a fresh assurance of His love for you. Ask Him to help you “know’ and “rely” on that love.

Father,

Thank You that You are love. It is Your very nature. Before I can share Your love with this hurting world, I need to be absolutely assured of Your love for me. Forgive me for doubting Your love for me. I know Jesus paid the ultimate price to demonstrate that love for us all. I will trust in Your unfailing love.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen

More of God’s Word:

1. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

Dear Readers,

For the next three weeks, I will be traveling and unable to update my devotion posts. I’ll be back Monday, August 10th, with a new devotion. In the meantime, I hope you’ll look to the left of the screen at the list of topics. They will lead you to past devotions I pray will be a blessing to you while I’m away.

Don’t forget to leave me comments. I love hearing from you all!

Love,
Becky

originally posted January 26, 2009
From the Word:

Click and read Psalm 139

Key Verse:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. -Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

While running errands the other day, I turned on the radio and heard a brief section of a sermon by Chip Ingram. He asked the audience to consider what items they thought God would put on their “growth list” for the upcoming year. That’s all I caught before I drove up to the Dutch Brother’s window and had to turn off the radio to order my very much needed Sugar Free Soy Almond Joy. : ) I tucked that thought in the back of my mind and resolved to think about it later.

A few days later during my prayer time I remembered his question and asked, “What would you put on my list, Lord?” I opened up my laptop and started typing a list of the things I thought would be there, fully expecting a long to-do list for improving my inadequacies. I started to type things like:
- Less procrastination
- Be more of an evangelist
- Work harder and quit being lazy
- Lose weight

But as I was making the list, the “to-do” things started getting pushed to the bottom of the list as He started sharing with me His growth agenda for me. My growth list was a long list of “to-do,” but His growth agenda prioritized attitudes and heart condition over action. I was surprised and humbled.

His list included:
- Assurance of His love for me
- Replacing lies with truth
- Increased faith especially when I doubt my salvation
- Desiring His approval over the approval of the World
- Freedom from the hold the enemy has over me in the areas of shame, fear, and anxiety.

My list ended up so different than I expected it to be. I was once again reminded of God’s grace and love for me. I saw again His desire for me to be free from lies and to trust fully in Him. He didn’t dismiss the areas of holy living that I thought He would want me to be concerned about, but losing weight is far less important to Him than the fact that I allow shame over my weight to interfere with my relationship with Him, and procrastination is less important to Him than the level of my faith. And over all else, He wanted me to be absolutely assured of His love for me. My performance was less of a priority than the condition of my heart.

Personal Application:
I’ll ask you the same question:

“What items would God put on your growth list?”

Spend time in prayer this week seeking that answer. Are there areas of your heart that Jesus longs to get to? Are there places He wants to heal? Have you believed lies that need to be replaced with truth? Use today’s key verse as your prayer this week and allow Him to shine His light on your heart.

Don’t allow fear to keep you from asking Him. You will probably be surprised by His unexpected agenda for your life. If there are areas of sin He points out to you, confess them quickly and receive His forgiveness. Often the individual sin actions in our lives stem from deeper sin issues in our hearts. Allow Him to dig out the root of what is causing the behaviors so you will not be hindered in your spiritual growth.

Father,

Thank you for your goodness toward me. Thank you for caring about my spiritual health and heart condition. Show me the areas of my life and heart that you want access to. Help me to submit to you and your priorities for my spiritual growth. Give me the ability to hear from you and to know where You want to work in my life.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen

More of God’s Word:
1. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9 (NIV)

2. But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. -1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

From the Word:

Click and Read Colossians 3

Key Verses:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

Hi, my name is Becky, and I’m an approval junkie.

Words of praise, acknowledgement for a job well done, and positive feedback are gold to me. When I was in elementary school, I loved getting assignments back with a “Scratch ‘n Sniff” sticker and words like “Way to Go” or “Fantastic” written across the top in red ink.

As an adult, I often long for that same kind of encouragement. When I get done scrubbing a toilet, no one hands me an “Excellent Work” certificate. Most of the time, no one even notices a clean toilet. The other day, I actually dragged my poor husband into the bathroom to show off my handiwork. I had used a new steam cleaner, and I wanted him to see how shiny it all was. Trying to be enthusiastic, the best he could come up with was, “It smells nice and disinfected!” Not exactly the glowing praise I was after. : )

Recently, God gave me some ministry assignments. I struggled with them at first because I wasn’t getting feedback. There wasn’t anyone telling me if I was doing things “right” or “well.” I wasn’t even sure if He was using the work at all or if anyone was even aware of the work I was doing. And when I reached out and took the risk of looking for affirmation from people, it was all falling flat. I started to doubt God had called me at all. My natural self wanted to quit. I felt apathetic about the work because I figured no one was paying attention anyway. It became drudgery to do the work.

It took time to figure it out, but my attitude is slowing changing. I’m learning I am doing it for an “audience of One.” There is only One person to please, only One who needs to see. And whatever I do, in word or deed, it should be done with excellence, because it is done for Him!

Personal Application:

We can forget that as followers of Christ, our WHOLE lives need to be lived for Him. There should be no separation of religious and secular aspects of life. Everything needs to be done as an act of worship.

Take a look at your attitude about the work you do. Are you doing it with excellence? Are you finding joy in doing it for Him? Talk to Him about it this week. Ask Him to breathe new life into the way you look at your responsibilities. Ask Him to show you how to make them your own acts of worship and gifts to Him.

Do you crave affirmation and approval? Do you find it hard to do work where there will be no affirmation or encouragement? Ask Him to help you crave His approval and to get the encouragement you need from Him. He has already accepted you and loves you. Your worth is not determined by your boss’ opinion of you nor by that important person you hope to impress.

Father,
Help me to desire your approval above the approval of anyone else. Give me the desire to work hard for you. Make my everyday activities acts of worship to you. Be glorified through me and forgive me for the times when I want the glory for myself. Where I have experienced discouragement, I pray you will build me back up and renew me. Help me to see that my worth is in belonging to you, not in the opinions of other people. Thank you for loving me and accepting me. Thank you for giving me a unique purpose and gifts that I can use for you and your Kingdom.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen

More of God’s Word:
1. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 (NIV)

2. Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

3. The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ - Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. -Ephesians 5:15-16

I’ve been distracted this week by the silliest thing. It’s a computer game called Scramble. Letters are placed in a 5×5 grid, and you have three minutes to find as many words inside the grid as possible. It’s a part of the Facebook web page, so many of my friends have been playing the game as well. I can see their scores on the side of my computer screen, and each time I beat one of their scores, my pictures moves up the ladder.

I’m currently in second place behind my friend, Rachel, who has 220 points compared to my 162 points. Man has it brought out the competitive nature in me! Every free moment this week, I’ve been hunched over my computer typing away, desperately trying to beat Rachel’s score. I knew I was in trouble when I closed my eyes to go to bed, and all I could see was the Scramble board.

It hit me how bad this addiction had become when my five-year-old daughter walked by me sitting at the kitchen table, looked at my laptop screen with a critical eye and said, “Oh good, you aren’t playing that STUPID game!” Ouch!

If I died tonight, my tombstone could read, “Here lies Becky. She played Scramble. Over and over and over again.” : )

Seriously, is that the legacy I want to leave? There is nothing wrong with a little entertainment now and then, but there is something wrong with placing such high priority on such a trivial thing. I’m coming to the end of my week feeling so far away from God, so spiritually blah, and so disconnected. And no wonder! Instead of quiet times this week, I played Scramble. “God, I’ll be right there. I know you want to spend some time with me. Just one more round!”

How easily my attention can be shifted away from what matters. I’m so thankful for a new week, with a fresh start, and an opportunity to prioritize my life wisely.

Personal Application:

Who or what has had your focus this week?

How easily little distractions can move in, shifting our focus, and sending our hearts and minds on spiritual detours. If something has taken your eyes off of Jesus this week, confess it now, and ask Him to help you prioritize your life according to His priorities for you.

Father,
It is so easy to become distracted and dulled by the things of this world. So many things compete for my attention, taking my eyes off of those that have eternal value. Please reveal to me where my priorities and thoughts have shifted off course. I want to be in the center of your will. Help me to choose wisely how to spend my time and my mental energy so I can be effective for your Kingdom and able to hear your still, small voice.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen

More of God’s Word:

1. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. -Colossians 3:2 (NIV)
2. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. -Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

Love,