Category: devotionals

2020 Year of JOY

2020 included many reasons to be discouraged. Pandemic isolation, advanced lung disease, lengthy hospitalization, 55th anniversary plans changed, birthday and wedding plans cancelled, death of friend, and miscarriage.

However,  the word “Joy” kept showing up in devotionals, scripture, and teachings. Great joy, joy unspeakable, reckless joy, the joy of the Lord is my strength, intimate joy, surprised by joy, and Secret joy.

God prepared my journey of joy in late 2019 at a Women of Joy Conference. Nervous about leaving my husband by himself, I ventured out with ladies from my church. We had a great weekend of teaching, worship and yes, JOY!

Friday, the worship songs were too contemporary for this 70+ gal. But on Saturday night Michael W. Smith led worship and all the songs were familiar and favorites. I was able to release the heavy concern for my husband and the “what ifs” of the future and worship. The reckless love of God overwhelmed me and allowed God to flood my soul.

My journal records – “Thank you Lord for showering me with that overwhelming, never ending reckless love of God, I didn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, yet you gave yourself to me. Thank you for touching my inmost being with your spirit. And thank you for taking care of John while I was gone.” (Even though when I returned, he had not been able to get TV remote to work most of weekend and too embarrassed to call anyone for help.)

Christmas brought a gift from our granddaughter and her husband for a family photo shoot. Pure joy. Next day golf with son and grandson added to my joy.

Then on January 1, 2020, changed the calendar cube and noticed the scripture on the bottom.

 Psalm 126:3  The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

Opening my prayer journal to favorite verses noticed that most contained the word joy. Most favorite –

3 John 1:1-4 
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Then these two entries:

12/21/19 – Father God being in your presence is my joy.  There is nothing like knowing you and the peace you give.  My desire is for our sons and grandchildren to know that joy and peace.

1/7/20 – It is a joy to Jesus when we are intimate with him – never lonely, never need sympathy – never leave impressions of ourselves but only that Jesus is having his way with us. Hallelujah! That is joy.

Photos from 2020 show much joy experienced even though most of our plans failed. 

So, my friends, (as my husband would say when he preached) you can experience the joy of the Lord even in the presence of challenging times. He is our joy.

Jude 24-25

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great JOY into his glorious presence without a single fault.  All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!

It’s About Time

Colossians 3: 16    Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Last year I began reading my Bible!

You might ask, “What, you have been a Christian for over 50 years, and you just began reading your Bible???  It’s about time.

With digital apps so convenient, I have been reading the Bible through an online app – Bible Gateway. It is so convenient, and my phone is not as heavy as my Bible.

My heavy Bible

I began using my phone app for church and going to Bible Study. At first, I read my hard cover Bible at home, then it was too easy to just read from the phone.

I was challenged recently by seeing an interview of Ruth Graham Lotz about her new book on prayer. She explained that she was committed to spending more quality time with God prior to prayer – by following a pattern of praising God, confessing her sins, thanking Him for things and then asking for needs. It reminded me of an acronym – ACTS – for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. I have used this pattern for years.

My quiet time includes two devotional books, online devotionals, and current Bible study book. Sometimes, I don’t spend as much time in prayer.

Comfy corner of my office for reading Bible and devotionals.
Comfy corner of my office for reading Bible and devotionals.

This caused me to revive a habit of reading from my huge, heavy Bible – five Psalms and the Proverb for the day (whatever day you are reading) prior to other devotional reading. I got out my hard cover Bible and determined to do the reading there instead of my phone. It felt so good to hold God’s word in my hands again.

This pattern of reading the Psalms helps with the adoration.  The Psalms are filled with praise for creation, the goodness of God and so much more. Also, the Psalms encourage personal and corporate confession of our sins.

The Proverb for the day can be both reflective of all four – adoration,  confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Mostly it seems to deal with behavior and seeking wisdom contrasting the fool and the wise.

I love verses like Proverbs 16:31 “Gray hair is a crown of splendor it is attained by a righteous life.”  Wonder why? Well, I qualify on at least one count.

Gray hair demo

But others are disturbing – Proverbs 21:9  “Better to live on the corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”  Ouch!!!  I resemble that at times too!

So, Proverbs can also encourage confession of sin and supply a path for supplication – asking for needs.

You might want to try this method of reading and preparing for prayer.

Let this be the year you soak in God’s word and seek Him.

Below are some suggestions for devotional books and Bible apps.

  • Our Daily Bread – Our Daily Bread Ministries
  • My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers
Well worn book
  • Strength & Grace Devotions – for caregivers from Guideposts
  • First 5 App – Proverbs 31 Ministries
  • Biblegateway.com
  • Online devotional – Susie Larson (just found thanks to gals in Bible Study group.

You may have some to share – please comment below and let us know your favorite devotional writers. 

Duty Calls

          

“The bobcat does not have an emergency brake.  Can you walk up to the barn and put blocks behind the back wheels?”  my husband called from his trip into town.
So my morning devotions were interrupted –I  dressed quickly and walked to the barn.  I found some blocks small enough to pick up and put them behind the back wheel of the bobcat, then walked back to the house.
However, my
duty was turned into delight. 
Hearing a humming sound from the electric transformer caused me to tune in on other sounds of early morning.  The happy chirping of birds, the clicking of a woodpecker, and the moisture dripping off trees and shrubs had  a refreshing feel.
 
 
  Azaleas and irises 
lapped up the moisture and stood up a little taller and blackberries strutted their stuff in full bloom.
 It is “blackberry winter” after all.  The last few cool rainy days washed everything and made the woods so lush.
  Even my snap peas in side garden joined in the celebration. 
Then a song burst from my heart as I sang to the Lord and all the creatures in the woods to hear – 
 
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, new every morning – great is thy faithfulness of Lord, great is thy faithfulness.”
What a refreshing interruption to my morning routine and a
 
duty turned into delight.