Tag Archives: lorihatcher

Do You Smell Good to God? – Lori Hatcher
avatar

Posted on by

Sweet Scents to God

Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Revelation 8:3-4

Who hasn’t been assaulted by them? They’re usually, but not always, big-haired older ladies with lots of rings…the ones whose scent arrives before them. Drenched in perfume, it’s obvious they didn’t just dab it, they doused it (and gargled with it, just for good measure). I am always amazed anyone can think their chosen scent actually smells good, but obviously some company developed it, marketed it, and sold it to the person in question who is approaching you.

The worse scenario is rushing into church late and plopping down next to them before your nose has a chance to catch up to the rest of your body. As you slide into the pew, you’re thrown into scent overload. Your eyes water and you taste whatever Chanel Number Phew smells like. Before long you can’t breathe and you get woozy from holding your breathe. People around you stare because you’re making strange gagging noises.

Revelation reminds us, just like the big-haired, heavily perfumed lady of my nightmare, we too have a scent. This scent is not apparent to those around us, but only to God. Our scent wafts up to God’s throne in Heaven, and He smells it.

The sweet smell of me that wafts up into God’s throne room comes from the prayers of the saints, of which I am one. Just like the lady who bathes in her perfume, I can choose to bathe myself in prayer before the Lord and send up a sweet smell into God’s nostrils. What a delightful opportunity to make God smile.

Send up a sweet savor to the Lord and lay your requests before Him in humbleness and faith. God will bless you.

Lori Hatcher is the wife of a youth minister, homeschooling mother of two lovely young adults, and a part-time dental hygienist. She is a regular contributor to South Carolina’s Reach Out Columbia magazine and author of the blog “Be Not Weary,” http://lori-benotweary.blogspot.com.
Read Lori’s devotions..

Receive a daily devotion on your Kindle!

Scraps – Lori Hatcher
avatar

Posted on by

The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi.  She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”  Ruth 2:6-7

I was touring a small textile manufacturing business in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with a friend from college. Kim worked there as a supervisor, and her job was to oversee a small shift of seamstresses who spent their days making handcrafted Pennsylvania Dutch items.

As I marveled at the rows of ladies sewing at their machines, I noticed an elderly woman dressed in Amish garb moving quietly among the sewing machines. While I watched, she traveled from one work station to the next with a broom and a dustpan, sweeping up the small scraps of fabric the ladies had discarded as they cut out their patterns. Intrigued, I asked my friend about her.

“Oh, she’s been doing that for years,” she answered. “She came in one day and asked me what happened to the leftover scraps of fabric. When I told her we threw them away, she asked if she could have them.”

“What does she do with a bunch of useless scraps?” I asked.

“Believe it or not,” my friend replied, “she uses them to make quilts.” She led the way to an office area, and there on the wall hung an intricately designed Amish quilt.

“Who would have thought,” I said, “that something so beautiful could come from leftovers you throw away?”

What a comfort to know that God uses the leftovers of our lives. All the mistakes, all the failures, all the hurts, and all the pain that we would rather throw away, are raw materials in His hands. Like the little Amish lady, God moves quietly among the events of our lives, gathering up the pieces, fully able to link them together into a beautiful tapestry of grace.

Lori Hatcher is the wife of a youth minister, homeschooling mother of two lovely young adults, and a part-time dental hygienist. She is a regular contributor to South Carolina’s Reach Out Columbia magazine and author of the blog “Be Not Weary,” http://lori-benotweary.blogspot.com.
Read Lori’s devotions.

Receive a daily devotion on your Kindle!

Birthdays – Lori Hatcher
avatar

Posted on by

…teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalms 90:12

“I will be 50 years old next week!”

I was writing an article on breast cancer survivors, and the “Pink Posse” had invited me to join them at their monthly support group meeting. They call themselves the Pink Posse because they are roped together in their fight against breast cancer. All the women in the group share the common bond of a breast cancer diagnosis and are in various stages of treatment.

An important part of each meeting is Praise Time. They share good medical news, family events, and other things for which they’re thankful. When Susan’s turn came, her enthusiastic announcement about her age caught me by surprise.

If one of my friends had made that announcement, it would have been accompanied by a groan and a sigh. The rest of us would have given her good-natured pats on the back and sympathetic nods while we pondered our own rapidly approaching day.

This group of women responded quite differently. The table erupted with cheers, clapping, and shouts of celebration. Their response was so different from what I expected that I was silent for a moment before I smiled half-heartedly at Susan.

The Holy Spirit gave me insight into the situation. I realized Susan was celebrating because she wondered at one time if she would live to see her fiftieth birthday. I was filled with shame as I realized how much I took for granted and the life I lived every day. It had never occurred to me that I might not live to see 50, or 60, or 70. Instead of being grateful for each year of life, I’d been dreading the advancing age each birthday represented.

Psalms instructs us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. That day I vowed to the Lord I would never take another birthday for granted. I promised to rejoice in all the days ordained for me, and I committed to do my best to welcome each new year of life with eager anticipation.

Greet each day (and each birthday) as a day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice together and be glad in it

Lori Hatcher is the wife of a youth minister, homeschooling mother of two lovely young adults, and a part-time dental hygienist. She is a regular contributor to South Carolina’s Reach Out Columbia magazine and author of the blog “Be Not Weary,” http://lori-benotweary.blogspot.com.
Read Lori’s devotions.

Don’t Make Me Tell You Twice – Lori Hatcher
avatar

Posted on by

I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord. Hosea 2:19-20

“Don’t make me tell you twice!” my grandmother would say, frowning and shaking her finger for emphasis. We knew when Granny said those words, she meant them. They were her no-nonsense words, and we children knew we’d better listen up and follow with the appropriate action if we knew what was good for us.

I am glad God never says, “Don’t make me tell you twice.” He often repeats Himself in scripture, and He doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, unlike my grandmother, I think He actually LIKES to repeat Himself. Eleven times in the Bible He tells us to “fear not.” Four times in the gospels, Jesus encourages us to “have faith.” Over thirty times in the Psalms, God instructs us to “Praise the Lord.”

While I am not a fan of repetition, I LOVE the promise God repeats to His people Israel in Hosea: “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.”

Betroth is not a word we hear too often anymore. It has connections to a bygone era. To most it is an outdated concept. Its synonyms are to engage, to promise, to pledge.

I love how God repeats his promises to betroth Himself to Israel and, ultimately, to us. As He makes His pledge of commitment to us, the church, His bride, He never once mentions what we must bring to the bargaining table. God makes all the promises and provides the dowry. His love never wanes and His commitment will never end.

God’s qualities are those of a perfect husband: above reproach, fair, loving, kind, gentle, and forgiving. Best of all, I will betroth you to me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord. He pledges to love us no matter what and is committed to bring us into relationship with Him.

Lori Hatcher is the wife of a youth minister, homeschooling mother of two lovely young adults, and a part-time dental hygienist. She is a regular contributor to South Carolina’s Reach Out Columbia magazine and author of the blog Be Not Weary, http://lori-benotweary.blogspot.com.
Read Lori’s devotions.

Receive a daily devotion on your Kindle!

Backward Giving – Lori Hatcher
avatar

Posted on by

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

It was the only time I saw my daughter cry during our family mission trip to Mexico. Our assignment that day was to visit one of the poorest families in the church.

Marta was a single mom and the sole provider for her five children, as well as her mother. They lived in a one-room cinderblock house the size of my kitchen and living room. Until a team from the states had built their home, all seven of them had lived in a one-room shack made of thick corrugated cardboard walls and a tin roof.

When we arrived, all five of the children met us by the side of the dirt road where they had been waiting for hours. They were neatly dressed in their Sunday clothes. Pati, the youngest child and only girl, had her shiny dark hair carefully braided and tied with two ribbons. After the introductions were made, each child shyly approached us with gifts. Pati presented her gift to my youngest daughter. She handed her a carefully washed piece of fruit neatly wrapped in a napkin.

Knowing these children had very little to eat, my daughter looked at me with wide eyes. “Mom,” she whispered, “I can’t take this. What if it’s all they have?”

“Take it.” I encouraged her. “They care more about giving it to you than keeping it for themselves.” That night I held her as she cried. We all cried as we talked about how humbling it was to be the recipients of such sacrificial gifts. American Christians, myself included, approach giving like this: “If I have enough money left over after I pay my bills and meet my family’s needs, I will give.”

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. At first glance this verse in Philippians seems to support this—that is, until you read the context. Earlier in the chapter, Paul talks about how the Philippian church had been the only church to sacrificially give to meet his needs. He called their gifts “fragrant offering(s), acceptable sacrifice(s), and pleasing to God.”

It is only AFTER Paul commends them for their sacrificial giving that he issues this promise. We have it backward.

The reason God gives to us is so we can give to others.

Will you join me as I trust God enough to give sacrificially?

Lori Hatcher is the wife of a youth minister, homeschooling mother of two lovely young adults, and a part-time dental hygienist. She is a regular contributor to South Carolina’s Reach Out Columbia magazine and author of the blog “Be Not Weary,” http://lori-benotweary.blogspot.com.
Read Lori’s devotions.

Receive a daily devotion on your Kindle!