Category: Faithfulness

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Making Good Ground

I frequently refer to the parable that Jesus told about a farmer who went out to sow seed. Jesus, himself, said that if we don’t understand this parable we won’t be able to really understand any of the parables.

The sower sowed the seed on all kinds of ground. He didn’t just see the good soil and sow there but instead seed went on the hard ground, the rocky soil, the soil with weeds and thorns and also the good soil. Every kind of ground had the opportunity to be planted.

“A farmer went out to sow seed. 4 While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where there was not enough dirt. It grew very fast there, because the soil was not deep. 6 But when the sun rose, it burned the plants. The plants died because they did not have deep roots. 7 Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and stopped the good plants from growing. 8 But some of the seed fell on good ground. There it grew and made grain. Some plants made 100 times more grain, some 60 times more, and some 30 times more. 9 You people who hear me, listen!” Matthew 13:3-8 ERV

The same is true for us – the seed is the Word of God as Jesus said and the Word is available to all. We are the soil and it’s our responsibility to determine what kind of soil we will be. Frankly, I still have some thorns and weeds in my soil but am working daily to see that they are removed so the seed can grow and bring in a healthy harvest.

In the Old Testament we are given this admonition. “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12

It’s our job to break up the hard ground in our lives – we’re to pitch out the rocks and pull up the weeds so the seed has healthy soil to grow in.

Let God’s love soften the hard spots. Make good ground and watch the seed of God’s word produce a bountiful harvest.

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God’s Gratitude

This image popped up this morning and it seemed important enough to share.

Years ago, I made a transaction at our local bank. As part of my normal custom, I reviewed the receipt once I got in the truck. This day the receipt made me laugh but it also struck a chord in my heart.

“Thank you, Jesus”.

Of course, you probably understand that my teller was a young man named “Jesus”. But it made me wonder, what had I done that day that would make JESUS say thank you to me.

“Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!” Matthew 25:21 CEV

We’ve been left in charge of little things in God’s kingdom. Our sphere of influence is relatively small. Friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Spread out from there to the tellers at the bank, the clerks in the grocery store, the people at the service station and that is pretty much the sum and substance of our world.

But still, we have been left in charge of it. We have been commanded to go “into all the world”, our world, and preach the good news of God’s love and the sacrifice of Jesus.

“But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 CEV

We’ve been put in charge of loving God and loving people. This is our daily task. It’s our priority. We are ambassadors of God’s kingdom.

“What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:19-21 CEV

There was one other message on that receipt that struck home with me. “Enjoy the convenience of scheduling appointments online”.

There we have it. Wherever we are, whenever we need it, we can schedule an appointment with our Father, the Creator of the universe, and He will meet with us. He desires to meet us in our place of need, and we will hear Him say, “well done”.

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Balance Sheet

Today marks the 7th anniversary of Kristi’s Morning Devotional. Before that I was making daily postings on Facebook but a friend of mine, Tom Slater, told me I needed a blog and he developed it for me.

It has been a joy to share God’s word with you on this avenue. I am so humbled and blessed that it has touched so many lives.

This is that first posting. Somehow it seems very appropriate for today too. ‘”Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day working on bookkeeping. Evaluating some things and determining if they were financially profitable based on the time expended.

Have you ever put together a profit and loss statement? Listing your assests and liabilities can certainly be worthwhile in determining how you should spend your time and your money.

So let’s get down to the bottom line. What do you owe? That’s the question the Apostle Paul was addressing this morning as I read Romans 13.

‘8 You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands. 9 The law says, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not want what belongs to someone else.” All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” 10 Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.

11 I say this because you know that we live in an important time. Yes, it is now time for you to wake up from your sleep. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost finished. The day is almost here. So we should stop doing whatever belongs to darkness. We should prepare ourselves to fight evil with the weapons that belong to the light. 13 We should live in a right way, like people who belong to the day. We should not have wild parties or be drunk. We should not be involved in sexual sin or any kind of immoral behavior. We should not cause arguments and trouble or be jealous. 14 But be like the Lord Jesus Christ, so that when people see what you do, they will see Christ. Don’t think about how to satisfy the desires of your sinful self.” Romans 13:8-14 ERV

Owe no one anything…nothing except love!

The desire to live debt free is admirable and is one worth pursuing. An even greater goal is to live a life of loving people, not with a human selfish love but with the same love that Jesus shows us.

Let’s look at that bottom line again, the P&L Statement.

” For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36 KJV

Let love be your daily ambition and let your only debt be that of love.”

Thank you all for reading each day and thank you for loving those in your world the way Jesus has commanded us too.

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Just One Thing

The other day someone said to me, “You are so good at multi-tasking, I wish I were more like you”. Those words stopped me in my tracks. For years I was wife and mother, home-school teacher, homemaker, ministry administrator and Bible Study teacher.

I would make breakfast, get the kids ready for school, draw up a teaching lesson, design fliers, put in a load or two of laundry, get dinner in the crock pot and all of this was before lunch.

Multi-tasking became a swear word to me. I wanted to find my “one thing”.

Jesus told Martha that she got too busy with the things of “life” that she forgot too truly live. One thing is needful Jesus told her; her sister Mary had found it in listening to Jesus words instead of being busy with all the responsibilities of running a home.

“The Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42 but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:41-42 CEV

The Apostle Paul said he found that “one thing”.

“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.” Philippians 3:12-14 ERV

King David found that “one thing”.

“Even if an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid. Even if people attack me in war, I will trust in the Lord. 4 I ask only one thing from the LORD. This is what I want most: Let me live in the LORD’S house all my life, enjoying the LORD’S beauty and spending time in his palace. 5 He will protect me when I am in danger. He will hide me in his tent. He will take me up to his place of safety.” Psalm 37:3-5

Finding our “one thing” is what gives our life meaning and purpose and we will truly be blessed.

“What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” Matthew 6:33 ERV

Father, thank You for being our one thing. We rest and trust in You. You deserve to be our primary focus. You are the One who gives us everything we need and more. AMEN!

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Tiny Things Matter

This past weekend our oldest daughter and I flew to San Jose for a baby shower. Our oldest granddaughter is expecting her second child, another girl, who will be born in September.

On Saturday evening we sat in the living room separating baby clothes that had been stored away after her first daughter outgrew them. The clothes need to be freshened before the new baby arrives. We separated them into newborn, 0-3 months, and 3-6 months.

Tiny babies, tiny dreams, tiny faith all grow.

This morning, I was thanking the Lord for the way He had directed the small details for our flight home (that’s another story) and for all the little things He had led me through at work.

The other day I asked you, what do we bring to God that is too big for Him. The answer is nothing. But we get that same answer when we ask, what is too small to bring to our heavenly Father. Nothing!

Our God created everything we see and the things we can’t – atoms, neutrons, protons and even smaller. He is the God of details. The tiniest of things don’t escape His notice. He sees it all.

Jesus own disciples overlooked the small things. They felt Jesus was too important to be bothered with them.

“Late in the afternoon the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, ‘Send the crowd to the villages and farms around here. They need to find a place to stay and something to eat. There is nothing in this place. It’s like a desert!’

13 Jesus answered, ‘You give them something to eat.’

But they replied, ‘We have only five small loaves of bread and two fish. If we are going to feed all these people, we will have to go and buy food.’” Luke 9:12-14 CEV

Just a little boy’s lunch. What good is that among so many? But God is in the details of multiplication.

He’s also concerned about people who are often overlooked.

“Be careful. Don’t think these little children are not important. I tell you that these children have angels in heaven. And those angels are always with my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:10 ERV

Little children aren’t overlooked by the Father.

I’ve counselled different ones who were looking for their place in “ministry” to start in a children’s Sunday School class. Our Father has a heart for children, all children. They are a blessing from the Lord and their faith isn’t jaded, it’s innocent. Their hearts are good ground to plant the seeds of God’s word.

Jesus had just given his disciples a teaching on seed being planted in the ground. He said if it was planted in good soil, it would grow and produce a harvest. Even if we don’t know a lot of Scripture, if we just have SMALL mustard seed knowledge it will grow and produce a great harvest.

“Jesus told them another story: The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. 32 Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree. Birds even come and nest on its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32 CEV

From the tiniest of seeds, our faith will grow and our Father will be honored. Give God the tiny things in your life, they do matter!

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In the Storm

The Arizona thunderstorms are magnificent but can be frightening. The last week we had some powerful thunderstorms in the Valley- flashes of lightning, cracks of thunder, wind and hard rains. They all seem to travel around us so we weren’t in the eye of the storm, but we could see the effects driving in to town with flooded parks, carports that had been mangled and the reports of lightning caused fires in the desert.

I remember a few years ago when we lived in Rio Rico. The storms would come from Mexico and seemed to arrive in our community about 2 a.m. The lightning would light up our bedroom and the thunder would rattle the windows. Our little dog, Glory, would hide in the walk-in closet. I would count the seconds between the flashes and the thunderclap. It was epic and unnerving.

Have you noticed how there are times in life that the storms come and rob us of our peace and rest? It leaves us anxious and frightened. Sometimes wondering if we will survive such an event.

It’s important to know God’s word and His promises during those times so that we can continue to have peace in the midst of the storm.

“They were in trouble, so they called to the Lord for help, and he saved them from their troubles. 29 He stopped the storm and calmed the waves. 30 The sailors were happy that the sea became calm, and he led them safely to where they wanted to go.” Psalm 107:28-30 ERV

The Lord calmed the waves and stopped the storm and got them to where they were safe. Jesus was in the midst of a storm once and He slept through it. That is until the disciples woke him up during their panic.

“While they were sailing, Jesus slept. A big storm blew across the lake, and the boat began to fill with water. They were in danger. 24 The followers went to Jesus and woke him. They said, “Master! Master! We will drown!” Jesus got up. He gave a command to the wind and the waves. The wind stopped, and the lake became calm. 25 He said to his followers, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed. They said to each other, ‘What kind of man is this? He commands the wind and the water, and they obey him.’” Matthew 8:23-25 ERV

Our goal is to be like Jesus and to be able to “sleep” in the midst of the storm – knowing that the Lord has this handled. That’s what Peter did when he was beaten and thrown into prison – he slept. The angel that came to rescue him had to bump him to wake him. Peter was resting in the Lord. (Acts 12:7-16)

Paul and Silas were singing in the midst of their storm. Singing at midnight in prison after having been beaten and in the midst of an earthquake, they were singing. (Acts 16:16-31)

Sometimes the Lord speaks to our storm and it ceases. At other times, He has us stand and face it and He sends our deliverance.

“‘Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.26 Whoever hears these teachings of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.'” Matthew 7:24-26 ERV

When we stand on God’s word we can face the storm and be at peace!

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Wait – What For?

Sometimes I get up and know immediately what I’m supposed to share. Sometimes it comes while I’m sipping my coffee and just enjoying the quiet time the Lord and I share together. Then there are times like this morning when I wait.

I’m not good at waiting. I often get impatient in long lines, on hold, in crowds and I have a real problem with those pedestrian crossing lights. That was the example the Lord reminded me of this morning.

I’ve been known to push that button on the light pole several times just to make sure the timer was activated and knew I was waiting. I’ve also been known to cross the street while the little figure in red was still illuminated. Those lights were installed for my safety, to protect me from oncoming traffic.

So, this morning when I heard the Lord say wait, I should have realized that He was asking me to trust Him and waiting was for my benefit.

“ Lift up your eyes and see. Who has made these stars? It is the One Who leads them out by number. He calls them all by name. Because of the greatness of His strength, and because He is strong in power, not one of them is missing.

27 O Jacob and Israel, why do you say, “My way is hidden from the Lord. My God does not think about my cause”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The God Who lives forever is the Lord, the One Who made the ends of the earth. He will not become weak or tired. His understanding is too great for us to begin to know. 29 He gives strength to the weak. And He gives power to him who has little strength. 30 Even very young men get tired and become weak and strong young men trip and fall. 31 But they who wait upon the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weak. ” Isaiah 40:26-31 NLV

Why do I think that I need to rush ahead? Why do I feel the need to hurry? Why do I think I can accomplish anything in my own strength and power? Even those much younger than me get tired.

If I wait for the Lord, He will give me the strength I need. Waiting for Him and His timing keeps me safe.

“I patiently waited, Lord, for you to hear my prayer. You listened 2 and pulled me from a lonely pit full of mud and mire. You let me stand on a rock with my feet firm, 3 and you gave me a new song, a song of praise to you. Many will see this, and they will honor and trust you, the Lord God.” Psalm 40:1-3 CEV

Is the Lord telling you to wait? Then I encourage you to wait patiently; He will renew your strength and put you safely on a firm foundation.

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Facing Danger

Sometimes when I know a Bible story well, I can reread it casually and not learn a new lesson. However, before I started reading this morning I said “Lord, I want to see your lesson in this story as if it’s the first time I’m reading it”.

Go with me to Daniel, chapter 3.

In Daniel, chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that only Daniel could interrupt. It was about the king’s greatest and the subsequent fall of his empire. In his dream the king has seen a great statute with a gold head, which Daniel said was him and his kingdom.

At the beginning of chapter three, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered that golden statute to be crafted and all the subservient nations were commanded to come for its unveiling. The statue was ninety feet high and nine feet wide. The order was given that when the music began to play everyone was to bow down to the statute and worship the king.

Everyone did, except for three young Jewish officials. The king was furious. In fact, the Bible tells us his face was distorted with anger. Since these men were valued advisors the king gave them a second chance.

“Now if you are ready to get down on your knees and worship the object I have made when you hear the sound of the horns and harps and all kinds of music, very well. But if you will not worship, you will be thrown at once into the fire. And what god is able to save you from my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If we are thrown into the fire, our God Whom we serve is able to save us from it. And He will save us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the object of gold that you have set up.” Daniel 3:15-18 NLV

At this response the king became more furious and had the furnace heated seven times hotter. He had the men bound and thrown into the fire.

Pause for a moment and put yourself in their shoes. The words they spoke above were not gracious platitudes; they were the words of men who were willing to die for God. They were facing imminent death, but they refused to bow to anyone but God. Into the furnace they went.

“He said, ‘Look! I see four men loose and walking about in the fire without being hurt! And the fourth one looks like a son of the gods (or the Son of God)!'” Daniel 3:25 NLV

This takes me back to Psalm 23 and what King David said there, perhaps these three young Jewish men had read the writings of David:

“ Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me. ” Psalm 23:4 NLV

Seeing that these men were not consumed by the fire he ordered them out of the furnace. The Bible says they weren’t singed and they didn’t even smell like smoke. The king realized that the God they served was truly the Almighty God.

“Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He has sent His angel and saved His servants who put their trust in Him. They changed the king’s word and were ready to give up their lives instead of serving or worshiping any god except their own God. 29 So I now make a law…For there is no other god who is able to save in this way.” Daniel 3:28-29 NLV

I don’t imagine that any of us will face a fiery furnace but what this tells me is that there is no danger that we will face that God will not go through it with us.

Stand Strong – God is able to save!

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Who Is God?

I’ve enjoyed having the last couple of mornings to sleep in and days to do nothing but relax and soak in the beauty around me. But I’ve missed sharing with each of you.

We all have times when we need to pull aside and let our heavenly Father speak in His reassuring words, reminding us who He is and what He desires to do for us and in us.

I found you a peaceful place to sit and listen to His voice. Join me at the creek side and hear the Lord speak.

To Abraham: Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1

“I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1

To Moses: “And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.” Exodus 3:14

To Israel in the wilderness: “for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26

“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Exodus 20:2

To David: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46:10

To those who followed Him, Jesus said: “I am that bread of life.” John 6:48

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, ” John 10:9

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” John 11:25

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5

To the church: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

God the Father isn’t the I was; He is the great I AM!

We can spend time looking at the problems in our world, our society, our lives but I encourage you to look at the answer and not the problem. Look to the Father, He is the answer; He knows the way to go!

“Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God. 2 Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. 3 So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream—
a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.” Psalm 1:1-3 ERV

Who is God? He’s our loving Father and He is all we need!

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Greener Pastures

Living in rural areas it has been my privilege to see bands of sheep grazing in the fields. Sheep have healthy appetites and so they must be moved to new pastures on a regular basis.

“2-3 But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. 4 When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice…9 I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully. 11  I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep.” John 10:2-11 CEV

It’s a foolish sheep that would want to stay in a pasture once the grass has been grazed off. It’s a good shepherd who knows when it’s time to move to greener pastures. We had a good shepherd to follow.

“You are my hiding place!  You protect me from trouble, and you put songs in my heart because you have saved me. 8 You said to me, ‘I will point out the road that you should follow. I will be your teacher and watch over you.‘” Psalm 32:7-8 CEV

When we follow Christ, we can trust His leading. This morning, my Bible reading took me to the book of Daniel where I saw something in a new light.

“2  The Lord let Nebuchadnezzar capture Jehoiakim…One day the king ordered Ashpenaz, his highest palace official, to choose some young men from the royal family of Judah and from other leading Jewish families. 4 The king said, ‘They must be healthy, handsome, smart, wise, educated, and fit to serve in the royal palace. Teach them how to speak and write our language 5 and give them the same food and wine that I am served. Train them for three years, and then they can become court officials.’

8 Daniel made up his mind to eat and drink only what God had approved for his people to eat. And he asked the king’s chief official for permission not to eat the food and wine served in the royal palace…17 God made the four young men smart and wise. They read a lot of books and became well educated. Daniel could also tell the meaning of dreams and visions.18 At the end of the three-year period set by King Nebuchadnezzar, his chief palace official brought all the young men to him.19 The king interviewed them and discovered that none of the others were as outstanding as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they were given positions in the royal court.” Daniel 1 CEV

Most of us would not think that being taken into captivity was a leading to greener pastures but for Daniel and his friends it was. God elevated them to a place of authority and influence. He gave them favor and they were respected for their wisdom.

Further reading of the book of Daniel reveals multiple times that Daniel’s dependence on God opened the door for the Lord to do miracles and mighty works, prompting the kings he served to declare God’s might and power.

“King Darius then sent this message to all people of every nation and race in the world: ‘Greetings to all of you! 26 I command everyone in my kingdom to worship and honor the God of Daniel. He is the living God, the one who lives forever. His power and his kingdom
will never end. 27 He rescues people and sets them free by working great miracles.” Daniel 6:25-27 CEV

Even when we feel we have been thrown to the lions, if we are trusting God we will see we are in the greener pastures that He has prepared for us. Our focus should always be on following the Good Shepherd; He leads us to an abundant life.

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