A Minute In It - Our Good Father

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and as you are reading, take in all the ways God shows up and then Praise Him!

Psalm 91

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
    nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
    though ten thousand are dying around you,
    these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
    and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
    if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
    no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
    to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
    you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
    I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
    I will be with them in trouble.
    I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
    and give them my salvation.”

The Devil You Know

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (NLT)

The other day I heard the phrase "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't." The phrase originated in the 1500s and was printed in a book of Irish proverbs. It basically means sometimes it is better to deal with something you don't like but know, rather than something you don't know at all.

In some cases, I agree with this statement. But in the case of Satan, I want to stick with the devil I know. Here are some of the things the Bible says about Satan.

• He deceives us. 2 Corinthians 11:3
• He is a murderer and a liar. John 8:44
• He is a thief. John 10:10

That definitely is not better than anything. No matter what, it seems like the devil you don't know would be better, right? Not if you read the rest of the story. The Bible also says:

• You can fight off his advances by choosing Jesus. Ephesians 6:11-16
• If you stand up to him, he flees. James 4:7
• He has already been crushed. Romans 16:20
• He has been conquered and defeated. Revelation 20
• Jesus put him in his place and if we choose Jesus, he is not a threat. Revelation 12:11

So you see, I will choose the devil I know. He's conquered. He's defeated. He's outta here!

Who's First?

Do you love me more than these? John 15:21 (NLT)

Peter had denied Jesus - I know that felt awful. Can you imagine? After that, he returned to what he knew....fishing. He was out on the lake failing at what he was supposed to be good at when he hears a voice. "Catching anything?" "Nope." "Throw the net out on the other side." They did. The net was overflowing and they realized it was Jesus.

Peter dives into the water and reaches shore. Jesus cooks them breakfast and they talk. He asks Peter "Do you love me more than these?"

These what? These fish? Was he asking Peter if he loved him more than his livelihood? After all, fishing was what paid the bills. How about these miracles? Peter, do you love me more than these miracles? It's possible. One of the reasons the disciples got so excited about Jesus was that he could take over the world with his power. Maybe he was asking Do you love me more than this comfort? When Peter denied Jesus, he return to what he knew best. He returned to where he was comfortable...to a place where it wasn't scary? Or maybe, he was asking Do you love me more than these other men do? 

Do you love me more than your money and possessions?
Do you love me more than your comfort?
Do you love me more than what I can do for you?
Do you love me more than you love anyone else?
Do you love me more than you love yourself?

If Jesus asked you these questions, what would your answer be?

Asking Amiss

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss...James 4:3 (NKJV)

Have you ever pondered on this verse? What is the definition of amiss? According to the dictionary, it means "not quite right, inappropriate or out of place." 

So is this verse saying "You are not receiving what you ask for because your request is inappropriate? Out of place or not quite right?" What does that mean?

When James wrote this, it is clear in the first few verses that there were problems. People's motives were wrong. They wanted things that weren't theirs and they also wanted things they should not have. 

He first says "You don't have because you don't ask." Is it possible the reason they don't ask is because they know they shouldn't be asking for it in the first place? Do you ever do that?  You want something but you aren't asking God because you know he probably, in his tremendous love, say no? Or how about when you are doing something and you know God wouldn't like it so you don't talk to him about it? Same thing really. 

Later in verse three it says "that you may spend it on your pleasures." And there is why they were asking amiss.  There is nothing wrong with pleasure, God gives it to us all the time. The problem is when the pleasures we want are unhealthy and harmful to ourselves and others. 

As I continued to ponder this verse, I thought about whether I ask amiss. The answer is probably yes. While I don't outright ask for things that are unhealthy or harmful, my requests might be "not quite right." Maybe I am asking for the wrong reasons. Maybe my focus is on the wrong thing - like something temporal and not eternal. In my humanness, I am sure I do this. 

What am I going to do about it? I am going to pray and ask God to get my heart aligned with his so my requests are based on his kingdom and not my own.  That prayer will be spot on; there is not a chance of asking amiss if I am asking for God's heart.

Thirsty No More

Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1 (ESV)

Are you thirsty? Come to the water. But remember, you can't come to the water only once. You will get thirsty again. Keep coming. Keep drinking. This isn't about satisfying your physical thirst. This is about satisfying your longing for something more. Something God.

The first drink is not the end of the journey, it's the beginning. It is the first refreshing sip in a life-time of gulps. And what will it cost you? Absolutely nothing. It's free! Free to anyone who knows there has to be something more to this life...something more than the temporary smile or momentary satisfaction. 

What is the value of being full of contentment, joy and peace? Priceless! Try it!

Fourteen Years Of Trouble

And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before.  Genesis 42:9 (NLT)

Fourteen years.  Joseph had a dream that his brothers would one day bow down to him. He shared that dream with them. And then he had another similar dream. He shared that with his fathers and his brother. At this, his father chastised him and brothers were very angry. The brothers solution?  Why, let's sell him into slavery to get rid of him.

Fast forward 14 years. The Bible says in verse 6, Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground. 

It took 14 years from the time Joseph had his dreams about his brothers before it came to fruition. What do you think took so long?  If this was God's plan, why didn't he just work it out?

 In Psalms 105:19 it says Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. I read this text as an "until/and". God's timing is a combination of things. The time has to be perfect and our character needs to be ready. Joseph had the dream but there was no famine. It was a dream of things to come. And, without testing his character, would Joseph be ready to be the second in command of Egypt?

I often wonder why things seem to take forever. God has us on a journey and the journey is long and hard. I want it to be over and done with. But, as I read this story I begin to understand that God's timing is flawless. He knows when things need to happen and he knows when we are ready.

Today, if you feel like you are walking through years of trouble, hold on. God's been timing things for thousands of years and he hasn't gotten it wrong yet.

I Can't But God Can

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Genesis 41:15-16 (NIV)

Here was Joseph, standing before Pharaoh, the ruler of the world. Can you imagine? You are brought from prison, bathed and suited up and taken before a king. I imagine that must have been a little nerve racking.  After all, Joseph knew that if Pharaoh wasn't pleased, he executed you.

And then Pharaoh said "I hear you interpret dreams." Do you think Joseph pondered if he should or shouldn't say yes? What if he interpreted them wrong? What if the interpretation didn't come true? Pharaoh would impale him on a pole like he did the Chief Baker.

Those are all the thoughts that would have gone through my head. But, not Joseph. 

Joseph was sure of who he was and who gave him the interpretations. He knew on his own he could not accomplish such a great task. He knew who God was and what God had done in his life. Joseph gave God the glory. 

In our lifetime, we probably will never be called before a King to interpret their dreams. But how often do people tell us what a great thing we did and we are tempted to take the credit for it? I know in my life, anything good that is done is because God did it. His hand is in everything and he deserves the glory. 

Over and over in the Bible we see the downfall of God's people happen when they stop looking at what God is doing and start believing that it's about them. It is never about us. It is always about God. I pray that, like Joseph, we will humbly remember to give God the glory as we say "I cannot do it but, God can."

A Minute In It - More Than Enough

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”
17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.
18 “Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children! Matthew 14:13-21 (NLT)

When you come across someone who needs help, what is your first emotion?
Why did Jesus tell his disciples that they should feed the crowds?
What was their first response?
What is your first response when you feel God calling you to do something big?
Do you believe that when God provides there is always more than enough?
Do you believe that God still works miracles today?