Whole Heart Devotion

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."  Psalm 27:14 As my children grow older, I look for opportunities to give them a chance to exercise more and more independence.  It began whenever they were toddlers and wanted to walk ahead of Mom and Dad on nature trails or through the hallways at church.  As the years pass, they are wanting to express that independence in parking lots and shopping centers.  As calm as I try to remain in letting them delve into the world of independence, I often find myself saying, "Don't get too far ahead!".  I just can't help it!  I feel such a strong intuition to protect them in all circumstances and I can understand and foresee danger that they aren't capable of seeing.  That same scenario has played out in my personal walk with God many times.  As a loving Father, He has seen me getting too far ahead of Him and He has lovingly told me to slow down and wait for Him.  In so many instances I have

"They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed."  Psalm 22:5 One of the hardest things to accept in life is that people are going to let you down.  I've only been on this earth for thirty-three years, but that has been ample time for numerous people to disappoint me.  I've been disappointed by broken promises from friends, sinful choices made by professing Christians, lack of sympathy from people during personal times of grief, and a whole host of other instances where I've felt as if the world in general has let me down. I'm not alone whenever it comes to disappointment.  I'm sure you could recount many times when you've been let down by a friend or family member, or perhaps even by someone you don't even personally know.  Let's be honest . . . being let down by someone hurts.  It can almost callous you to the point where you're tempted to put up barriers in an attempt to rid yourself from being hurt

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."  Prov. 3:5-6 Do you remember learning the concept of "If and Then" statements in school?  If you don't remember learning them formally, I'm quite sure you've heard them and even used them many times. These are statements that reveal what is going to happen, based on a prior action.  In my house, they sound something like this: "If you don't clean your room, then I'm taking your iPod away." "If you do well on your schoolwork, then we'll go skating tonight." "If you don't clean your plate, then you can't have any dessert." These "If and Then" statements are true for adults, too.  For instance: "If you perform well at work, then you're likely to get a promotion." "If you make your relationship with your spouse a priorit

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  Matt. 6:33 I love the songs that we sing in church that come verbatim from Scripture.  For me, there's no easier way to memorize God's Word than by putting it to music.  There's something about adding a tune to some words that makes it stick in your brain a little easier!  Once you get the song in your head, all you have to do is remember the passage that it comes from and you've got Scripture hidden away in your heart for who knows how long! A song that comes directly from Scripture is one that has been sung for many years called "Seek Ye First."  I remember singing the short chorus as a child and it was probably one of the first Bible verses that I put to memory without even realizing it.  The message in the verse, and therefore in the song, can be such a powerful guide to our misguided lives. We seem to be so good about getting involved in

"Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation."  2 Peter 3:15a Perhaps you've heard the expression, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus."  I hear that expression used most often during times of turmoil and tragedy.  I have heard it this week in reference to the horrific tornadoes that ravaged the Midwest.  I heard it following the bombings at the Boston Marathon.  I heard it following the senseless school shooting in Newtown Connecticut in December of 2012.  It seems to be a phrase that is used much more frequently than I ever remember before. It is essentially a prayer for Jesus not to tarry and for Him to return and rapture His church, which will provide an end to the earthly suffering for God's people.  The expression comes from the King James Version of Revelation 22:20.  It says: "He which testifieth these things saith, 'Surely I come quickly.'  Amen.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Praying for Christ's return seems to prov

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  Matt. 5:16 If you spent any time in church at all during your childhood years, or perhaps even had a Christian grandmother or neighbor, it is very likely that you were taught the song, "This Little Light of Mine."  It's sung with precious hand motions of each child holding up their sweet little pointer finger, which represents the light of Jesus.  The verses say, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine  . . .", "Hide it under a bushel, NO, I'm gonna let it shine . . . ", "Don't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine . . . ", "Let it shine 'til Jesus comes, I'm gonna let it shine . . . ". When children are singing that song, they can't possibly fully understand the depth of the analogy of the shining light.  They are wise enough to realize that their finger isn

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."  Genesis 2:24 I can say with near absolute certainty that I've never been to a family reunion for my own personal, blood-related family.  Because of God leading my parents away from our home state of Illinois to serve a church in eastern North Carolina, the family reunions that we normally attended were those of fellow church members who graciously invited their pastor and his family.  My dad was usually asked to pray, which meant that we got to eat a wonderful meal and pretend that we were a part of this lovely family, many of whom we didn't even know! Thankfully, what I've missed out on with my own family, I've been able to make up for with my husband's family.  I get to be a part of the typical family reunion traditions like hearing the family folklore and catching up on a year of family happenings within a few hours on a sunny Saturday af

Our cars are equipped with all kinds of warning lights.  They tell us whenever maintenance is necessary to ensure that our vehicle will continue to operate to full capacity.  Our bodies are equipped with similar warning signals.  Whenever we are getting sick, we're likely to spike a fever or feel excessively tired which alerts us to an ailment or infection. What are some of the warning signs that reveal to us that our spirit might be in need of some maintenance? Think about what yours are while I share with you what mine are.  Whenever my spirit is in need of a service call, I begin to see these things surface in my life: Those thoughts that had been properly passing through the appropriate filters are now manifesting into words that are hurtful and destructive. Those beautiful times of early morning communion with God through prayer and Bible study are replaced with sleeping late and then hurrying through the rest of my day. Worship songs in church become mere words off

"To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice."  Prov. 21:3 I'm quite sure that I'm not the only parent whose children try to use all kinds of clever tactics to get out of doing something they have been asked to do.  Like most kids, mine occasionally act as if cleaning their room is some form of modern day torture.  They honestly would rather clean toilets than clean their own room that houses all of their stuff. Yesterday morning was no different.  I had specifically told my oldest child on the previous night at bedtime that his bedroom was in desperate need of attention and that cleaning it should be the first thing he does after his feet hit the ground the next the morning.  Well, I should have known that whenever he came and snuggled up with me in bed as the sun was rising the following day, that there was more to it than just him desiring some quality time with mom.  Although I cherish the fact that he hasn't outgrown snuggli

I've had many people tell me that they aren't comfortable praying publicly.  Whenever I hear this, I try to never doubt their private prayer time because the mere aspect of speaking publicly is enough to send some people into hysterics!  One thing I do try to say to encourage them is that praying publicly should be no different than praying privately.  The public prayer is still directed to God, but other people are merely getting the opportunity to overhear your conversation with Him. I'm convinced that the quality of our prayer life is a direct reflection of our relationship with God.  If I desire to have a strong relationship with my Heavenly Father, then my communication with Him through prayer can't be shallow, self-centered, nor regularly neglected.  If we desire to be Christ-like in all that we do, then we should look nowhere else but to Christ for what our prayer life should resemble. One of my favorite passages of Scripture comes out of John 17.  In this pa

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."  2 Tim. 1:7 One thing I love about my husband is how he always pulls for the underdog in any sporting event . . . if his favorite team isn't playing.  Although I'm not a sports enthusiast, I do like to try to show some interest in the things that appeal to my husband, so whenever he's watching a game on TV I always ask him, "So, who are we pulling for in this game?" Most of the time he responds something like this: "Well, I don't really care for either team, but ________ is expected to lose, so I'm pulling for them." Doesn't make any sense, does it?  Part of me thinks that he just likes to see sports strategists proved wrong!  He loves to see the underdog win, especially in a hard fought battle, and then his famous saying is: "And that's why you play the game!" What he means by that is that even though al

I enjoy pulling into my driveway and seeing bright colors of yellow, and purple, and red flowing out of my hanging baskets.  After so many cold and colorless months, it's nice to not just feel the warm air on our skin, but to also be visually stimulated by the vibrant colors of spring. From a distance, you don't see any imperfections in each basket of flowers.  They look like they're full of healthy blossoms, as if they are watered daily and appropriately fed the perfect amount of plant food.  However, I'm not the most diligent gardener.  I'm have more of a "hit or miss" type of approach.  They might get tended to very consistently for a week, and then I'll get lax and just pray for rain! As I took the time this morning to actually get up close to my plants, I realized that it was time to do some pruning.  Each plant was still beautiful from a distance, but as I got closer I began to see all of the buds that had died and were beginning to wither. 

Disgusted.  Outraged.  Fiery.  Infuriated.  Irate.  Indignation. Those are all of the emotions that surface within me whenever I hear of a child being mistreated.  I go to another level of crazy whenever I hear about children who were robbed of their childhood because some lunatic who had a hobby of abducting young girls and holding them hostage in his home.  I can't stand the thought of a child's innocence and purity being stolen from them simply because another human being lacked the moral fortitude to conduct himself as an adult should. Those same emotions surface whenever I think about the millions of babies who never got the chance to see the light of day because of the choice that was made by the people who thought they were mature enough to engage in the behavior that produces a child, yet not mature enough to give that child life.  The level of irresponsibility and moral immorality in our world today that is producing these millions of abortions every year should tr

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."  2 Corinthians 2:15 Have you ever had a moment where you have a flashback from your childhood?  It could be spurred on by driving by your old school, or hearing a song on the radio, or seeing your favorite childhood candy on the shelves at the grocery store.  For some reason, many of my childhood memories are spurred on by smells. I know that sounds weird, but there are times whenever I get in my car and the smell of the leather seats take me back to the days that a neighbor would pick me up for school.  She drove a bright red car with gray leather seats and she would very frequently swing through our neighborhood doughnut shop and pick up a couple of bags of doughnut holes for me and her son.  Boy, were Mr. Bob Boutwell's doughnuts the best ever! Whenever I smell kerosene, it reminds me of one of my earliest school-age friends who heated their home with kerosene and

There is an older gentleman that goes to my church that has been such a blessing and encouragement to my pastor-husband and I.  Every Sunday that he is able to be at church, he always takes my husband by the hand and prays that God will speak through him as he preaches and that God will be glorified through all that is said and done during the worship service.  He's not just an encouragement with his faithful prayers and words of affirmation, but he is such a delight to sit back and observe during the service.  He literally sits on the edge of his seat taking in every word that is spoken.  He's leaned in with expectancy so he doesn't miss a single thing and it's such an encouragement to my husband, as well as a spark of joy to those of us around him. Between the prayers that he offers up and the way he absorbs the message that is presented, he just exudes a spirit of expectancy.  Oh, I wish that we all possessed that same spirit!  I wish that we prayed with expectan

If you have ever spent much time around someone who lived through America's Great Depression, then you know that they are made out of something different than you and I.  Their experiences of going without the certainty of where their next meal or stitch of clothing would come from had such a dramatic impact on their life that every decision or life choice that they would make for years to come would be a reflection on those years of poverty. I've never even come close to living through something like that.  In today's America, so many people live beyond their financial means on a daily basis that should we ever have to go through something like the Great Depression again, most of us wouldn't even know where to begin in order to make do with very little. I began thinking about all of the times in the Bible ( mainly in the Old Testament ) when you read the words, "There was a famine in the land.".  The Children of Israel seemed to always be headed for or co

"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning."  Exodus 17:11 It seems as if there is a war raging all around us everyday.  We're at war with what the media and society deem as politically correct.  We're at war with what Hollywood attempts to portray as the new "normal" whenever it comes to family values and marriage.  We're at war with clothing companies who want to market clothing to our young daughters that will make them look like they are young adults.  Within our churches, there seems to be battles raging just as fiercely as in the world.  We've all heard about one too many pastors who have fallen into some sort of sexual temptation.  We are fighting within our own four walls about which social issues should be addressed and how to Biblically address them.  And dissension about worship styles remains at an all time high. On top of all of those wars raging

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."  3 John 4 While on Facebook recently, I stumbled across a young lady that I used to babysit when I was in college.  She was the oldest of the three children in her family and I was mortified to realize that she herself was in college now!  After perusing her profile page for a few minutes, I felt such great joy to see that she was doing well.  When I speak of her doing well, I'm not speaking in terms of academics, health, or wealth.  I am speaking about how it was very obvious to see that she had matured into a Godly young lady with a desire to serve Him.  All of the many years of devotion and love that her Christ honoring parents poured into her life has proven to have paid off and their college-aged daughter is living testament of it. I've heard Sunday School teachers speak of finding out that a former pupil of theirs is now a pastor or  missionary.  You can hear the pride and joy

It's always intrigued me how polar opposite occurrences can take place at the same time within a particular country.  Currently, there are areas of our nation that are experiencing unprecedented flooding, yet if you travel several hundred miles, you'll find an area that is suffering from a never ending drought.  Some areas will set records for having the warmest temperatures during the winter months while another area will set records for having the coldest winter on the record books. When I stop to think about it, the same holds true for people.  There will always be someone who is walking at the peak of the mountaintop with amazing things taking place in their life while a friend or family member is struggling in the valley.  Have you heard of things like this happening within your family or circle of friends: Someone gets laid off from their job, yet someone else gets a promotion. Someone is rejoicing over their child's acceptance letter to the college of their choi