The power of Lightning

But Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26

Lightning hit our house. The jolt sent the glow of sparks through the closed window blinds. “Smoke,” Dad said. “Get out of the house, now.”

It was 1:30 a.m. and I didn’t waste a second. I ran barefoot in my pajamas only to realize I’d left my glasses on my nightstand. I couldn’t see, but I couldn’t go back.

Lot and his family were told to get out of Sodom and not look back. The temptation to look back, to hesitate, thinking about what you are leaving behind, is great. We weren’t told not to look, but as I read his story I understood the temptation.

I thought my glasses would burn in the house and I would be left half blind, maybe for weeks. Those glasses meant a lot to me, but they were just things. Even though a fire didn’t result, I couldn’t go back into the house until the firemen finished their inspection and gave the okay. Once they did, I rushed inside to retrieve them.

Lot’s wife valued something she left behind enough to ignore the warning of the angels. She looked back and lost her life.

We cling so tightly to things in our life—home, friends, habits, and material possessions. Sometimes I need to leave things behind, like habits, temptations, and my desires for things of this world. Often the things that I long for the most are things I have been warned to leave behind. The story of Lot’s wife teaches us to run from the things that tempt us away from God.

Have you been warned to leave something behind and not look back? When you’re tempted to cling to what is replaceable, choose to leave it behind today. Let Christ save you.

Norma Thurston Holtman is a former RN and homeschool/soccer mom. She is the mother of two adult children. She and her husband make their home in the mountains east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A long-time Bible study leader, she writes a weekly devotional for her church’s website. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and an aspiring novelist. She desires to use her writing to bring glory to God and encourage fellow believers. Her devotionals can be found at http://2MefromHim.blogspot.com.
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*Photo by Suvro Datta – used by permission freedigitialphotos.net

Night bloomers in their beauty

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:32 NIV

The sun had set and we waited in anticipation. We sat in our lawn chairs and watched for the slightest movement. Minutes later, the event began. The plant started to shake and one by one each bud popped open, revealing beautiful yellow petals. My five-year-old son jumped and clapped. I mirrored his excitement. We’d just witnessed an act of God illustrated in the evening primrose. Blooming after the sun sets is contrary to my understanding of plant growth. Isn’t the sun essential to the growth of plants? This act of nature ought to apply to flowers blooming.

My heart stirred. The evening’s entertainment reminded me of God’s timing. Many times in my life I thought things should have happened sooner than they did. I should have married in my twenties instead of my thirties. I should have been a mother before the age of 33. I should have found my life’s purpose earlier in life. “You’re not blooming when you should.” These were the thoughts echoed in others’ words who felt I wasn’t reaching my potential.

Learning to wait on the Lord’s timing is one of the most difficult things I’ve done. People around me appear to succeed without difficulty while I struggle. I’ve prayed and trusted God throughout this experience, yet relief is nowhere in sight. How much longer will this last, Lord, I’ve wondered.

Sometimes all we hear are the whispers of doubts. “Things will never change.” These whispers are not real. Instead, our God will give us the strength to endure as long as we wait on Him. The choice to wait on the Lord allows Him to create a beauty we could have never imagined.

Are there any areas of your life where you are waiting and wondering why you have not bloomed yet? God has made the promise He will give us strength and a place of refuge during our times of trouble. Isn’t that the perfect place to find rest?

April Parman is married and has a son. She is currently working to complete her seminary degree in Women’s Leadership and Biblical Counseling. She is a writer living in Kentucky. Visit her blog at http://brokenseashells.wordpress.com.

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Beautiful to God

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made . . . Psalm 139:14 NIV

I can’t seem to make anyone happy these days—the mirror, the scales, or the camera. Why is it I worry so much about what they think? They don’t determine who I am, but they sure do have a lot to say about how I see myself.

God says I am “fearfully and wonderfully made”—unique—special—one of a kind. Then why do I constantly compare myself with others and long to be someone or something I was never created to be?

I spent years trying to straighten my naturally curly hair and longing to be taller. I want to write like Max Lucado, sing like Karen Carpenter, and dance like Jennifer Lopez (would be happy to look like her too).

Why can’t I just accept who I am and be happy and content with the way God created me? Since He is a God of order and doesn’t do things haphazardly or without purpose, do you suppose He made all of us for a specific purpose, carefully crafting our characteristics, inside and out? If we were all exactly alike, what a boring world it would be. If variety is truly “the spice of life,” then we should learn to embrace the variety and respect the differences in everyone . . . including ourselves.

When the potter shapes and forms the clay, the clay has no input. The potter undoubtedly sees the finished product in his mind. The clay cannot say: “Make me 5’6” tall with long straight hair and a Colgate smile. Oh and by the way, give me a superior intellect and outstanding athletic ability.

The truth is, the Father knew what He was doing when He drew up the blueprints for our existence. We were His idea—His creation—and He has a plan, purpose, and destiny for us, just the way he created us.

It’s been said that “what we are is God’s gift to us; what we make of our ourselves is our gift to God.” Maybe the greatest gift we can give Him is to accept who we are and strive to be the best we can be—for Him.

I’m working on that. How about you?

Andrea Merrell lives in the upstate of South Carolina and is a freelance writer and editor with a passion to help others see God’s Word as practical and relevant for ordinary, everyday life. Andrea is a staff writer and Associate Editor for www.ChristianDevotions.us. She is a contributing writer and copy editor for www.DevoKids.com. Her work has been published in Spirit & Heart: A Devotional Journey, Faith & Finances: In God We Trust, Faith & Family, PEN Points, The Write Life, and Extraordinary Answers to Prayer. She also writes for www.cornerstonegreenville.com. Visit her website at www.andreamerrell.com.

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Weeded Out

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

I spent today yanking it out. No, I’m not a dentist. I’m a gardener and a sinner. While weeding, I realized how much weeds are like sin. They’re thieves, taking up real estate that doesn’t belong to them; much like sin does. They both shadow objects from the light and, like sin, weeds suck out the nutrients and rob those entangled in them of their full potential and future growth.

Noble plants like Morning Glory and Mint can also wreak havoc in the garden left unchecked. There are like sins that are noble — sins we do that seem right — noble gestures — but if they aren’t done in accordance with God’s plan or are directly contrary to what He’s asked us to do, they are still sin.

Weeding takes time and diligence. It can’t be done quickly if it’s to be done thoroughly. It’s not just the big weeds or sin that need to be removed, it’s all of them. Weeding is hard work. My body and face contort as I yank, sweat, stretch, and groan.

Weeding the garden, and our hearts, is a battle. To guard our hearts requires vigilance because the status of our heart determines the course of our life. Keeping our heart free from sin will enable it to grow unhindered.

Do you have a weed growing in your heart that needs to be yanked? Get on your knees and pull hard, then watch what God will do.

Connie Pilston Shoemaker resides in Pittsburgh and has been writing and speaking for more than twenty years. Using God’s canvas of creation, Connie weaves together the story of our most important relationship on her blog “Kissed by the Creator” (www.kissedbythecreator.com) . She has been published in Parent Talk, Vibrant Life, Cross Country Skier and Backpacker magazines. She is putting the finishing touches on her first book.
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The Sweetness of Christ

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Song of Solomon 2:3

Some tasty observations on a short morning walk and a simple grade school science fact have me rethinking a lifelong practice of early-morning berry picking. Better yet, my newly found berry fact reminds me of a God-truth. Time in the presence of the Son is sweet, and it sweetens the fruit of the Spirit dwelling in me.

The sun’s warmth persistently penetrated the morning fog as I walked along the wooded path toward town. The thorns of the blackberry bushes at trail side tugged on my jeans, and my delight in fresh berries tempted me to munch. Yielding to the lure, I popped a berry in my mouth. It was cool and juicy, but the sweetness that had enticed me was absent. I snacked my way to town never finding a sweet berry. A couple hours later, I made my way back up the now sun-drenched path. In the mid-day heat, the glistening berries tempted me with a promise of juiciness. This time the berries were delightfully sweet.

At the end of the trail, our neighbor — the caretaker of the bushes — happened to be working outside. He chuckled as I shared my puzzling observation.

“Of course. The sunlight draws the sugars up into the plant. Berries in the sunshine are always sweeter.”

Photosynthesis, of course. I should have known.

Out of that simple, natural-world truth, the Spirit reminded me of a more important truth: It is the warmth of the Son that draws wandering souls. There is sweetness in the Son’s powerful, persistent love that exists nowhere else. When I walk in the Son’s Light, my thoughts, words, and actions fill with the sweetness of the indwelling Spirit. Just as the berries grow sweeter in the sun, I grow sweeter in the Son too.

Are you getting enough time in the Son? Are you walking within His light? He loves to share His sweetness. Soak in the Son and let His sweet Spirit ooze out of you.

Billie Jo Youmans is a wife and homeschool mother in rural New York State. The transforming touch of Christ’s love continues to delight her soul. She enjoys writing as a means to share her joy of life in Jesus with others.

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Fleshing Love Out

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

“Eweee.” My son’s attempt at whispering his displeasure at the minister’s statement was less than quiet. “Mom, why would they want to cut off a wife with a cleaver and be one flesh?”

I pressed my finger against his lips. “Sssh. It’s not a cleaver. It’s cleave. And it’s a symbol.”

“Cymbal? I thought that was something on a drum.”

I squinted my eyes into the mom stare. “Now would be the appropriate time for you to be quiet. Watch the wedding.”

My then, six-year-old son’s sense of humor was cute but not in the middle of a wedding. His vocabulary had always been advanced so I knew that he knew what cleave and flesh meant however, I wasn’t sure he got the symbolism involved.

It’s not always easy to wrap our minds around the idea of marriage and how God wishes for us to launch out on our on into deep, committed, and meaningful relationships. As a mom, my love for my sons runs way beyond deep. It’s insatiable. I want them happy and well cared for but I also understand the line God drew in the sand. It was the same line my parents parked their toes on and didn’t step on or over.

When our oldest son married, we welcomed his new wife into our family but we also knew this was his time to step forward, take his bride, and solidify a tight and lasting relationship with her. His love and devotion for his wife didn’t mean he no longer loved us, it just meant a new level of maturity for him.

It was his time to leave us and begin to flesh out his love and new life with his wife. Together, they would grow in the hope of what tomorrow would bring. His decisions would become their decisions. Her desires would become their desires. Together they would be one.

I wish everyone entered into marriage with the level of commitment God placed on it…for when they do…when they make every effort to cling to one another… the joy and happiness found in being “one flesh” is beyond insatiable. It’s the closest thing to the heart of God they’ll ever experience.

Whether you’re getting married in the near future or whether you’ve shared a sixty-year relationship with your honey—trusting that relationship only to Christ is the glue that holds things together. Snuggle up to your “sweetie” and let God lead your love.

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Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and cofounders of ChristianDevotions.us. They cowrite the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host Blog Talk Radio’s Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! along with Scott McCausey. Eddie and Cindy travel and speak at conferences across the country and they are available to speak at your church or conference. Contact them at cindy@christiandevotions.us.

Do you sense something vital missing from you relationship with your spouse, children, and God? Try He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion. This compilation of 54 devotions includes scripture verses, space for journaling, individual prayers and words of wisdom from two of today’s funniest and insightful Christian authors. This heart-warming collection of stories will inspire you to reach for the true source of joy: a life lived for and through God. These deeply personal devotions offer biblical insights and spiritual truths from the perspective of one man and one woman.

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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.
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Conditioning in God

Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Isaiah 55:2 NKJ

Stop this treadmill, it’s going too fast. I can’t run any harder. I hadn’t realized the treadmill had increased its speed. My mind screamed the words as I crashed into the wall.

When I hit the wall…it was time to re-evaluate how I spent money. I had things but there was no nourishment, no satisfaction. I needed to consume what was good for me, and that meant listening to God. The time had arrived to change the diet. I could run daily, but until I stopped eating junk food, the running was useless exercise.

That was my condition as a young widow. I ran hard to maintain life. All my energy was spent on physical labor and training horses. The work and maintenance was cost and labor intensive.

I took three part-time jobs and taught equitation in the open time slots. When I brought in a new horse it included stabling and jump training, which meant my teaching pay went back to the stable. I was sprinting through each day and when it ended I was exhausted, hungry, and dissatisfied. My wages were giving me no sustenance.

Then I heard God speak. Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good.

I had to change my delight. I sold seventeen acres and kept two horses, but dismissed the jump training. I downsized and spent my money on true bread. My focus turned back to God and I put more time and effort into knowing Him better.

God wants us focused on Him. He loves to provide for His children and His ways to do that are creative and surprising. God specializes in abundance, making sure every need is met in the ways that are best suited for us. He gives us healthy nourishment.

The human default is set on junk food. The craving for corn chips and chocolate éclairs grows as it is fed, and soon rejects true nourishment. The checkbook doesn’t change, but the appetite for unnecessary junk increases. How is the diet on your plate? Too much junk and not enough nourishment for the money spent is not filling. There is satisfaction, delight and abundance in the bread of life.

Barbara Durnil is a retired medical worker and freelance writer. As a born again Christian, she has loved and followed God for thirty-three years, teaching and holding leadership positions in the Christian Community. Listening to God and writing His voice are her joys and passions.

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The Love of Christ

I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed. Isaiah 49:23

They looked as if they were out for a lover’s stroll, but in reality they were moving purposefully toward a destination. As they neared the Bastion Hill pedestrian bridge, the young Latvian man reached into his pocket and retrieved a simple padlock, only unusual in the initials and wedding date freshly engraved on its surface. His pretty new wife smiled at him as they mounted the bridge. Together they fastened the lock to the railing, turning the key to secure it in place. After a kiss for good measure, they jointly tossed the key into the water below.

This custom is a charming and romantic way Latvian newlyweds express their unending devotion to each other. The tradition has recently begun to spread into many countries around the globe. I love the graphic picture of eternal commitment it affords.

God has that kind of commitment toward us.

He has expressed a deep love for those who are His. “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” he told Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.”

God has proved his dedication by investing a great deal in us. It cost the life of his only Son to initially seal the deal. He then gave us a new nature, liberating us from the bondage of sin and creating new life within us. He provided spiritual abilities with which to serve him and the Holy Spirit to teach and guide. He continually strengthens and empowers us as we wait on Him. The list goes on and on, but you get the point. The evidence of His commitment is as palpable as a padlock fastened to a bridge.

Julie Coleman is a seminary graduate, speaker, and freelance author. With contagious enthusiasm, she brings hope and encouragement to everyone in her audience. Her warmly personal and insightful messages make her an effective and well-received speaker. More of her writing can be found at www.juliecoleman.org. While her days of teaching school are now over, her twenty-year career earned her the title of Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year. Julie is a wife and mother and makes her home in the Annapolis, Maryland area.

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Each strike...He took for the team.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24 NIV

“No worries,” our Christian Devotions Speak UP! radio host teased. “You guys have beautiful weather down south and here in Michigan…it’s freezing. I’ll take this one for the team.”
I had to chuckle as we bantered with Scott about the warm spring weather we’d experienced in the south while he…well…weathered the weather. At least it’s just weather, I thought. It could be something terrible, something unbearable.

I’ve heard this phrase a lot recently. In fact, I’ve even been told …take one for the team. Most of the things I have to take are fairly simple when I compare them to Christ. I consider myself more than fortunate, especially when I look abroad at the conflicts, hunger, and pain. But when I think about sucking it up and taking one for the team, nothing compares to the beaten body of Christ. No one “took one” like Him.

Peter lopped off a guard’s ear when Christ was arrested. Jesus healed the man then took one for the team.

Pilate challenged Christ: “Why have you come?”

Jesus replied: “So that you might know the truth.” He was handed over to be crucified and Jesus took another one for the team.

He was beaten. Spat on. Verbally abused. Yet He said nothing, and still He took one more for the team.

As Jesus hung on the cross, He found the strength to forgive a criminal and plead for those who carried out this horrible deed. Christ took one more for the team. And not once…not once…did He look back.

I’ve prayed relentlessly for guidance and direction in the choices I make and the dreams I pursue. There have been moments when the weight of responsibility seemed more than I could bear. In a sad attempt of comparison, I felt the worry of my inability, the judgment of my inadequacy, and the sting of those who circle like vultures waiting to attack. And nothing comes close to what Christ felt as He hung on the cross, weighted by my unborn sin.

For every strike of the hammer to the nail…Christ took one for the team.

I’m not sure where you stand or what you’ve experienced but I can promise you, Christ has already taken “one for you.” By His wounds you are healed. Accept His gift.

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Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and cofounders of ChristianDevotions.us. They cowrite the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host Blog Talk Radio’s Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! along with Scott McCausey. Eddie and Cindy travel and speak at conferences across the country and they are available to speak at your church or conference. Contact them at cindy@christiandevotions.us.

Do you sense something vital missing from you relationship with your spouse, children, and God? Try He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion. This compilation of 54 devotions includes scripture verses, space for journaling, individual prayers and words of wisdom from two of today’s funniest and insightful Christian authors. This heart-warming collection of stories will inspire you to reach for the true source of joy: a life lived for and through God. These deeply personal devotions offer biblical insights and spiritual truths from the perspective of one man and one woman.

Print version $9.95

NOOK eBook $2.99

Receive He Said, She Said on your Kindle!