Rock Candy and Waiting on the Lord...

This week's devotional is going to be short.  Yay!  Haha yes, as my husband puts it, I can be a little "wordy".  Don't worry, this one is short and sweet - pun intended!  ...unless you want to read the article I have included.  It's not so short, but it's a great article and totally worth your time!

A couple weeks ago, I got the idea to make rock candy with the kids.  I was really excited about it, and so were they, as we are a new homeschooling family and I thought it would be a great science project with a sweet reward at the end.  What I didn't realize at first, was that it takes 3-7 days for the candy crystals to form!  Needless to say, it was a test of patience for the kids, my husband, and me.  But of course, it got me thinking as these things often do, about faith and how we are called to wait on the Lord (See Psalm 27:14).  After all, patience is a fruit of the spirit (See Galatians 5:22-23).  Have you ever heard someone say that it's dangerous to pray for patience?  I get what they're saying, because God will give you opportunities to be patient, which honestly none of us want, but at the same time, learning patience is one of the most valuable, peace giving things a person can learn.  The Bible also says not to fear, so I say, "Go for it, and pray for patience"!  Whatever it may be that you are waiting on, a job, a loved one to be saved, hearts to be changed, your coffee to brew, whatever it is gives you an opportunity to practice patience.  And you know that practice makes perfect, right?  Well maybe not perfect, but at least more successful.  In this world that we live in, waiting is not highly valued.  We can do almost everything as quickly as we'd like.  Immediate gratification has become our goal.  When we have to wait, it often incites great agitation and even anger.  My husband got told to "Go to Hell" the other day because a person had to wait too long in the pharmacy line.  The truth is, as Christians we are not called to be like the world.  Romans 12:2 says: 

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."  (emphasis added)

So maybe practice does make perfect (insert wink/smile emoji)! We are called as Christians to be different than the world.  We are called to demonstrate our faith in patience - calmly and peacefully waiting on our Lord, because ultimately every detail of our lives is in His hands.  And, if we do not grow weary of this good waiting, we will get our sweet, sweet reward at the end (See Galatians 6:9)!

As I was researching this topic of waiting, I came upon this great article, so I wanted to share it with you.  Please enjoy it!  http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-waiting-is-the-hardest-part

Father God, 

Help us to wait on you.  We have so many great examples of waiting in your Word.  Noah waited for the flood waters to recede, The Isrealites waited to find the promised land.  And we also see the repercussions from not waiting on your promise, when Abraham and Sarah couldn't wait for Isaac.  As Christians, we are ultimately waiting for Jesus to return, and every day we are waiting.  Help us to be patient, and have peace and remember that all time was created by you for your glory, so please help us to use our time wisely while we have it.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

What Are You Planting?

"Do not be misled.  You cannot mock the justice of God.  You will always harvest what you plant.  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.  But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit."
Galatians 6:7-8 (NLT)

An interesting fact I learned a short while ago is that most places in the Bible when you see the word justice, you can replace it with righteousness, and vice versa.  Out of four translations I looked at, this is the only one that uses the word justice.  The others just say "You cannot mock God" or something similar.  Either way, you get the understanding that although many people DO mock God, it is a pointless effort.  After all, how can the creator of Heaven and Earth and everything in it be mocked?  He can't.  And when you add in that His justice (or righteousness) cannot be mocked, you realize that what this part of scripture is saying is that no matter what you think, say, or do, this is a truth put in place by our good, good Father, who always keeps His Word.

We see the example of this all around us, in our relationships, our family, our work.  You get way more out of something when you put a lot into it.  When you plant pumpkin seeds, you don't get green beans.

I have three daughters, and this year we decided to plant some vegetables.  We did some in pots, and we put some directly into the ground.  We started all but a few from seed, because I like the experience of seeing those new sprouts coming out of the earth, so miraculously.  So far, we have gotten exactly what we have planted.  We have spinach and carrots, potatoes, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, and herbs.  However, they have not all grown as well as I would have liked.  The ones we put in pots have done the best.  The plants we put in the ground however have had a hard time growing.  We had a lot of weeds to begin with, which I tried to take out but they have returned, and the ground is so dense and hard that the roots can't go very far very fast.  The plants are growing, but not nearly as well as the ones in the pots.  This makes me think of our lives.  Maybe we are planting good seeds, maybe we are seeing plants growing, but the weeds and hard soil are preventing us and the people around us from growing as fast and healthy as we should be.  Maybe our weeds are too many events on our calendars or our smart phones, or unhealthy relationships.  Maybe our hard soil is our hearts that we haven't fully submitted to God, or an area of our life that we have hardened to God or other people.  These distractions can keep us from growing in our faith as quickly as God would want us to grow.  Matthew 13:4-9 addresses this in the parable of the sower, how we can allow these obstacles to steal our reward in Heaven.  Remember in Matthew 14 when Peter saw Jesus in the storm and he gets out of the boat and walks on water?  But then he realizes the storm around him and begins to sink.  It's this imagery that we should remember when we feel like we are not close to God.  How do we get back to Him?  Seek Jesus.  Keep your eyes on Jesus and you will not sink.  If your eyes are on Jesus, your roots will grow deep into Him (Colossians 2:6-7 - our PWOC verse from this year), you will not notice the hard ground into which you were planted, the weeds that try to crowd you out, or the storm that rages around you.

So back to the original question.  What are you planting?  Are you planting life or death?  Have you planted more weeds than good, nourishing plants?  Do you have a lush, fruitful garden in your life or are there areas that feel dry and wilted?  Pray about these things.  Pray about your priorities.  Have you taken your eyes off Jesus and started sinking, and then find yourself watering the weeds in an effort to soothe your soul?  The answer might just be to find Jesus again (See Matthew 7:7-8) and start watering the right plants.

We don't have to do the growing.  God does that for us.  We are called to plant, trust God, and rejoice in the harvest.  (See Mark 4:26-29)  Through faith, put good Godly work into the right areas of your life and you will surely reap a harvest you never imagined possible.

Father in Heaven,
Please turn our eyes from looking at worthless things as your word says in Psalm 119:37.  Help us to remember to look at your face when we are sinking.  Keep us focused on you so we can continue planting good things.  We may have been planted in rocky soil or maybe our soil was fertile from the beginning, but either way, sometimes we find ourselves planting weeds and watering the wrong plants.  Our victory is in your son Jesus, who has overcome all of the obstacles that keep us from growing closer to you.  We ask that you search our hearts and help us to stop planting that which is not of you, and start focusing on what you would have us plant.  We thank you for the harvest that we will see through our obedience.  We love you and trust you, and we give our lives up for you.
In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.

Praise Him, the Creator of Heaven & Earth!

Welcome to our first devotional of the summer!  I am so excited to be sharing with all of you!  I have prayed over this devotional and I hope it blesses you as much as it has already blessed me!  I have included several scripture verses, and you can click on each one to open the link so you can read it, although I highly encourage you to look at each one in your Bible and read it in context.  I pray that you will find yourself on your own little scripture journey with God!

Ok... here we go!

Please read Psalm 104 to begin.

I have never considered myself a morning person.  Since I was little, I've been referred to as a "night owl", and I've never minded staying up late, but I have a really hard time getting up early.  I love how God can use people and circumstances to grow us in certain areas, because my husband IS a morning person, and He is very disciplined about it.  He gets up every morning, spends time with God and exercises.  He has always encouraged me to do the same, even though I mostly resist.  Then when we had our first child, she always woke up between 6 and 6:30 am, so naturally I had to force myself to go to bed earlier and get up earlier.  As my faith has grown, I have found many Biblical reasons to get up earlier.  We see this in Proverbs 31, in the description of the virtuous and capable wife who stays up late AND gets up early.  I have also learned from mature Christians I respect that quiet time in the morning with God is a great way to start off a day and stay in step with the spirit throughout the day (See Galatians 5:16).

There was a time in my life when I was really struggling, and I knew I needed to refocus and make sure God was my #1 priority.  I gave up many things at that time in order to seek God, but one of the things I did was sacrifice sleep by waking up early before the kids to read my Bible and pray.  It was something I knew I should've probably been doing for years, but I just REALLY wanted my sleep (selfishly).  When I laid this down, and said, "God I choose you", it was incredible how my life began to transform.   I was getting less sleep but my energy level multiplied!  My focus became more Heavenly, and my days became less stressful and I was more clear-headed and full of joy.  Not to mention, when I slept in I was missing the beautiful sunrise, the quiet coolness of the early hours, the soft melodies of the songbirds, the sparkle of the dew.  God has given us so many gifts in the morning!  Not only does God want us to remember that He is the Alpha and Omega (which means beginning and end - see Revelation 1:8), but He has also decorated the beginning of every day so beautifully that we can't help but be in awe of Him and His amazing wondrous ways.  His mercies truly are truly new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23)!

There are still days I don't want to get up early, but the days I don't, I usually feel it in my spirit.  It's not so much that God commands us to get up in the morning, that it is just something that has blessed my life.  The important thing is that God nudged me to put myself aside, and when I did - even in the smallest way - He showed me a whole new part of Himself that I would have never seen if I kept sleeping in.  These things we can see with our eyes and hear with our ears remind us that our God is the God of the Universe.  That everything good is from Him.  God has provided us with so many blessings that remind us of who He is, and He certainly is worthy of praise.  Let's all be aware of the beauty of God, and let us all live with an attitude of praise to our King Jesus.  There may be something that God is nudging you to do, and although you don't want to, He may have something amazing for you if you just obey.

Father God, Thank you for your amazing, beautiful creation.  May we always remember that you are the one God who created all of this beauty for us to enjoy.  As the days are longer and we spend more time outdoors, may we allow these things to stir up our affections for you and draw us nearer to your presence and increase in us an attitude of praise.  If there is anything that you are prompting us to do or not do, may you help us to hear your still, small voice and give us the courage to step out in faith and obey you.  It may be something that seems insignificant, but you can do a lot with very little.  We love you, we praise you, and we thank you.  In Jesus' Holy & perfect name we pray, Amen.