Rindy's Devotional Tidbits
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The Spiritual Cafe is pleased to share her daily facebook thoughts. It is our hope that her reflections will be a service to you on your spiritual growth journey.
Week 51 Archives
Year 5; Day 352 His Gift of Grace
I am still thinking about the question, "If the only gift we received from God was His grace, would it be enough? Would we be satisfied...content not to expect anything more? If we had salvation and forgiveness of sins along with the hope (as in a certainty not yet happened) of eternal life, would we be satisfied? Or would we still expect more and question why? Grace is unmerited or undeserved favour. It has been explained using the acronym G(od's) R(iches) A(t) C(hrist's) E(xpense). Would I be content and at peace if none of my prayers were answered my way except for the forgiveness of my sins and the peace that can bring? If my life were nothing but a series of disappointments, trials, and hardships, could I still rejoice that I am never alone and He is by my side through it all? I am struck by the uniqueness and versatility of His grace. Whether we are quiet, little wallflowers or obnoxious, bombastic know-it-alls, His grace is sufficient. We will stand before God either lost or found, His or not. And it is His grace and our acceptance that determines it all. Who doesn't love a gift that is personal and suited just for them? God offers such a gift to us. I think I have not appreciated that enough. I want this and that. I question, maybe not His love, but certainly His timing. He has given me His presence, His Son, His Spirit, and eternal life. Christmas is a good time to re-evaluate and re-align priorities...to give thanks for His marvelous grace...available to all. Today is Monday. "But because of his great love for us...by grace you have been saved...he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4,5,7)
I am still thinking about the question, "If the only gift we received from God was His grace, would it be enough? Would we be satisfied...content not to expect anything more? If we had salvation and forgiveness of sins along with the hope (as in a certainty not yet happened) of eternal life, would we be satisfied? Or would we still expect more and question why? Grace is unmerited or undeserved favour. It has been explained using the acronym G(od's) R(iches) A(t) C(hrist's) E(xpense). Would I be content and at peace if none of my prayers were answered my way except for the forgiveness of my sins and the peace that can bring? If my life were nothing but a series of disappointments, trials, and hardships, could I still rejoice that I am never alone and He is by my side through it all? I am struck by the uniqueness and versatility of His grace. Whether we are quiet, little wallflowers or obnoxious, bombastic know-it-alls, His grace is sufficient. We will stand before God either lost or found, His or not. And it is His grace and our acceptance that determines it all. Who doesn't love a gift that is personal and suited just for them? God offers such a gift to us. I think I have not appreciated that enough. I want this and that. I question, maybe not His love, but certainly His timing. He has given me His presence, His Son, His Spirit, and eternal life. Christmas is a good time to re-evaluate and re-align priorities...to give thanks for His marvelous grace...available to all. Today is Monday. "But because of his great love for us...by grace you have been saved...he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4,5,7)
Year 5; Day 353 Forgetting and Remembering
I called my parents last night. Their cheerful voices warm the heart. I was telling them something and part way through totally forgot my point. I had no idea where I was going with my story! I hesitated, tried to recall, and flat couldn't remember. We all laughed and Dad welcomed me to the club. Funny how there are things you want to remember and can't and there are things you want to forget but they just stay there in your brain. And lots of times the things you want to forget are painful or tramatic or sad or full of strong emotion like anger, hate, or hurt. And they just won't go away. Imagine if God chose to remember everything we have done...every sin, every failure, every mistake, every rebellious thought, every selfish deed. What if, each time He looked at us, heard our prayers, thought of us, He only remembered our mistakes and missteps and misdeeds? Psalm 130 speaks to that very thought. "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?" (verse 3) Who indeed? But one of God's gifts was His Son. Christ atoned for those sins through His death and that forgiveness is ours to appropriate. "But with you there is forgiveness;..." (verse 4) And true forgiveness leads to a kind of forgetfulness. Maybe not that something happened but the hurt and anger and perhaps thirst for revenge is muted. We remember differently...with a peace that He will handle it all perfectly. God "forgets" our sins and "remembers" to forgive. Today is Tuesday. Oh, to be more like Him!
I called my parents last night. Their cheerful voices warm the heart. I was telling them something and part way through totally forgot my point. I had no idea where I was going with my story! I hesitated, tried to recall, and flat couldn't remember. We all laughed and Dad welcomed me to the club. Funny how there are things you want to remember and can't and there are things you want to forget but they just stay there in your brain. And lots of times the things you want to forget are painful or tramatic or sad or full of strong emotion like anger, hate, or hurt. And they just won't go away. Imagine if God chose to remember everything we have done...every sin, every failure, every mistake, every rebellious thought, every selfish deed. What if, each time He looked at us, heard our prayers, thought of us, He only remembered our mistakes and missteps and misdeeds? Psalm 130 speaks to that very thought. "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?" (verse 3) Who indeed? But one of God's gifts was His Son. Christ atoned for those sins through His death and that forgiveness is ours to appropriate. "But with you there is forgiveness;..." (verse 4) And true forgiveness leads to a kind of forgetfulness. Maybe not that something happened but the hurt and anger and perhaps thirst for revenge is muted. We remember differently...with a peace that He will handle it all perfectly. God "forgets" our sins and "remembers" to forgive. Today is Tuesday. Oh, to be more like Him!
Year 5; Day 354 Waiting Like a Watchman
For the last number of years I have asked the Lord to give me a theme word for the year. For several years it was "wait". I think the word is so important that one year just wasn't long enough. Much of life is made up of "waiting". Waiting in line. Waiting to go. Waiting to come back. Waiting to start. Waiting to finish. Often we think of waiting as passive or standing still or wasting time. But in Scripture "waiting" is not dead time. "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." (Psalm130:5,6) As the psalmist waits, he puts his hope in God's Word. So time spent "waiting" is also time spent in the Word reading, studying, meditating, applying. It is a time for increasing faith and that increases hope. "Waiting" on the Lord, with the Lord, and for the Lord is done with attitude. Which attitude depends on us. This psalmist is "waiting" "...more than watchmen wait for the morning." The night shift can seem so long, so dark, lonely. How eagerly a watchmen must look for the early morning light along the horizon. How steadfast is his gaze, how expectant, as the sky gets brighter and the sun finally starts to appear. How joyful as he knows his shift will soon be over and he can go home. Is that how we "wait"? With eagerness and expectation? Or is our "waiting" done with the same attitude as going to the dentist or cleaning the basement? Soon 2017 will be over. Do we eagerly "wait" for 2018 in anticipation of what the Lord has for us...what we can do for Him...how we can grow in Him? Or do we need a bit of an attitude adjustment? Today is Wednesday. I want my "waiting" to be productive and eager and expectant!
For the last number of years I have asked the Lord to give me a theme word for the year. For several years it was "wait". I think the word is so important that one year just wasn't long enough. Much of life is made up of "waiting". Waiting in line. Waiting to go. Waiting to come back. Waiting to start. Waiting to finish. Often we think of waiting as passive or standing still or wasting time. But in Scripture "waiting" is not dead time. "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." (Psalm130:5,6) As the psalmist waits, he puts his hope in God's Word. So time spent "waiting" is also time spent in the Word reading, studying, meditating, applying. It is a time for increasing faith and that increases hope. "Waiting" on the Lord, with the Lord, and for the Lord is done with attitude. Which attitude depends on us. This psalmist is "waiting" "...more than watchmen wait for the morning." The night shift can seem so long, so dark, lonely. How eagerly a watchmen must look for the early morning light along the horizon. How steadfast is his gaze, how expectant, as the sky gets brighter and the sun finally starts to appear. How joyful as he knows his shift will soon be over and he can go home. Is that how we "wait"? With eagerness and expectation? Or is our "waiting" done with the same attitude as going to the dentist or cleaning the basement? Soon 2017 will be over. Do we eagerly "wait" for 2018 in anticipation of what the Lord has for us...what we can do for Him...how we can grow in Him? Or do we need a bit of an attitude adjustment? Today is Wednesday. I want my "waiting" to be productive and eager and expectant!
Year 5; Day 355 Unrealistic Expectations, pt. 1
I read George Wood's commentary on Psalm 131 yesterday (A Psalm in Your Heart; Vol. 2) and felt a spark in my heart. It was triggered by a comment he made on a verse. Almost immediately I felt an actual physical reaction. The second half of verse 1 says, "...I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me." "Too wonderful" can also be translated as "too difficult" or "too high". Woods commented that the Psalmist had "arrived at the place of inner release. He's no longer holding on to unrealistic expectations...He's not focused on what he can't control, but the things he can." (p. 224) It was the phrase "unrealistic expectations" that pulsed in my mind and heart. Do you have any "unrealistic expectations"? Maybe it's a career choice that never happened and now time and circumstances make it nearly impossible. But you've held on to the dream and it has become weighted with disappointment and a sense of failure. Perhaps you have invested a lot of time and energy into a person or relationship that never seems to give back...but you keep at it thinking if you just tried harder it would be better...only it never is. Or maybe you have imagined yourself in a certain place or in a certain situation or with certain things and you're not...and never will be. Somewhere along the line the expectation and reality diverged instead of merged but the thinking never adjusted...never accepted...never adapted. And the expectation has become emotional baggage. Think about it and tomorrow I'll finish (?) relaying my experience. Today is Thursday. Try asking the Lord to bring to mind something that has become an "unrealistic expectation" for you. He will.
I read George Wood's commentary on Psalm 131 yesterday (A Psalm in Your Heart; Vol. 2) and felt a spark in my heart. It was triggered by a comment he made on a verse. Almost immediately I felt an actual physical reaction. The second half of verse 1 says, "...I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me." "Too wonderful" can also be translated as "too difficult" or "too high". Woods commented that the Psalmist had "arrived at the place of inner release. He's no longer holding on to unrealistic expectations...He's not focused on what he can't control, but the things he can." (p. 224) It was the phrase "unrealistic expectations" that pulsed in my mind and heart. Do you have any "unrealistic expectations"? Maybe it's a career choice that never happened and now time and circumstances make it nearly impossible. But you've held on to the dream and it has become weighted with disappointment and a sense of failure. Perhaps you have invested a lot of time and energy into a person or relationship that never seems to give back...but you keep at it thinking if you just tried harder it would be better...only it never is. Or maybe you have imagined yourself in a certain place or in a certain situation or with certain things and you're not...and never will be. Somewhere along the line the expectation and reality diverged instead of merged but the thinking never adjusted...never accepted...never adapted. And the expectation has become emotional baggage. Think about it and tomorrow I'll finish (?) relaying my experience. Today is Thursday. Try asking the Lord to bring to mind something that has become an "unrealistic expectation" for you. He will.
Year 5; Day 356 Unrealistic Expectations, pt. 2
(I am going to assume you read yesterday's post so I won't have to do a lot of summarizing.) When I read George Wood's comments on Psalm 131, his phrase "unrealistic expectations" pulsed in my mind. As I repeated the phrase, I almost immediately had a situation in my life come to mind. And I felt an inner voice whisper, "That is an unrealistic expectation. You can't make it happen no matter how hard you try." I felt almost like a literal weight just rolled away from me. There are some things we want or expect in life and we don't let go. And along the way they gather weight from disappointment, a sense of failure, and frustration. Often the fulfilment of the expectation is out of our control. Personal relationships take two, an opportunity must be presented, a circumstance changed. We can't control everything, even if our hearts and motives are good. So we get mentally and emotionally burdened down...the "optimistic expectation" ages into the "unrealistic expectation". And because it is so gradual, we may not realize the added weight we carry. I was amazed at the literal sense of release and relief I felt as I acknowledged my "unrealistic expectation". There are some things only God can bring about. Only He can reach some hearts. Only He can speak into some situations. Only He can change some circumstances. I felt my expectation get relabeled from "unrealistic" to "desired". I still would like my expectation to come about but it has gone from my hands to His...and it feels good. Today is Friday. "But I have stilled and quieted my soul...put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore." (Psalm 131:2,3) I am working on it...one expectation at a time.
(I am going to assume you read yesterday's post so I won't have to do a lot of summarizing.) When I read George Wood's comments on Psalm 131, his phrase "unrealistic expectations" pulsed in my mind. As I repeated the phrase, I almost immediately had a situation in my life come to mind. And I felt an inner voice whisper, "That is an unrealistic expectation. You can't make it happen no matter how hard you try." I felt almost like a literal weight just rolled away from me. There are some things we want or expect in life and we don't let go. And along the way they gather weight from disappointment, a sense of failure, and frustration. Often the fulfilment of the expectation is out of our control. Personal relationships take two, an opportunity must be presented, a circumstance changed. We can't control everything, even if our hearts and motives are good. So we get mentally and emotionally burdened down...the "optimistic expectation" ages into the "unrealistic expectation". And because it is so gradual, we may not realize the added weight we carry. I was amazed at the literal sense of release and relief I felt as I acknowledged my "unrealistic expectation". There are some things only God can bring about. Only He can reach some hearts. Only He can speak into some situations. Only He can change some circumstances. I felt my expectation get relabeled from "unrealistic" to "desired". I still would like my expectation to come about but it has gone from my hands to His...and it feels good. Today is Friday. "But I have stilled and quieted my soul...put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore." (Psalm 131:2,3) I am working on it...one expectation at a time.
Year 5; Day 357 Unrealistic Expectations, pt. 3
How do you know the difference between an unrealistic expectation and a goal that just needs some perseverance? Three things come to mind...time, personal responsibility, and source. If you have a genuine expectation or desire and as time passes it is no closer to becoming a reality then it needs an evaluation. Has it passed its time of relevancy? Has the dreaming become a habit? An expectation that has passed its prime? What about personal responsibility? Have I done my part in making my expectation a reality? Were there things I could have done and didn't, thus making the expectation less doable, feasible, possible? Where do our expectations come from? Is the source ourselves or has God put something into our hearts? If we are the source then time, common sense, and an honest evaluation should help us determine whether a desire is realistic or not. But if God is the source, then the criteria is different. Because regardless of how unrealistic a desire may seem, if it's from God, He will supply whatever is needed to bring it about. My dream of taking horseback riding lessons is no longer realistic. Arthritis, compressed discs, and an artificial hip have closed the door to all but an imaginary race on the back of the Black Stallion. My expectation of being slim and willowy are pretty much laughable now. I should have taken more personal responsibility to eat better and exercise more. But I still have a few expectations that continue to burn in my heart. God put them there and I believe they will come about. As the year winds down I feel a peace in my soul. I can put all my expectations in His hands and let Him direct me. Today is Saturday. "...for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." (Psalm 143:8)
How do you know the difference between an unrealistic expectation and a goal that just needs some perseverance? Three things come to mind...time, personal responsibility, and source. If you have a genuine expectation or desire and as time passes it is no closer to becoming a reality then it needs an evaluation. Has it passed its time of relevancy? Has the dreaming become a habit? An expectation that has passed its prime? What about personal responsibility? Have I done my part in making my expectation a reality? Were there things I could have done and didn't, thus making the expectation less doable, feasible, possible? Where do our expectations come from? Is the source ourselves or has God put something into our hearts? If we are the source then time, common sense, and an honest evaluation should help us determine whether a desire is realistic or not. But if God is the source, then the criteria is different. Because regardless of how unrealistic a desire may seem, if it's from God, He will supply whatever is needed to bring it about. My dream of taking horseback riding lessons is no longer realistic. Arthritis, compressed discs, and an artificial hip have closed the door to all but an imaginary race on the back of the Black Stallion. My expectation of being slim and willowy are pretty much laughable now. I should have taken more personal responsibility to eat better and exercise more. But I still have a few expectations that continue to burn in my heart. God put them there and I believe they will come about. As the year winds down I feel a peace in my soul. I can put all my expectations in His hands and let Him direct me. Today is Saturday. "...for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." (Psalm 143:8)
Year 5; Day 358 He Knows
Christmas Eve. Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem all those years ago. The two nights before they would have stayed somewhere along the way. When they finally arrived, there is no place for them. I doubt that is what they expected. Mary must have been so weary and uncomfortable. There were no "What to Expect When You're Pregnant" books available. Her relative Elizabeth wouldn't have been much help as her pregnancy was her first, as well. We have the benefit of hind sight. We know what happens. But in the moment, what must it have been like for this couple? Mary was only a teenager. She had a vision and a miraculous conception. Her baby is God in the flesh. How would you even comprehend what that means? Will He be born with a halo? Talk at six months? Automatically know everything? Have a tiny scepter in His hand? Did she have expectations? I can't fathom she didn't. But overnighting in a stable...I don't imagine that was one of them. If we have any age to us, most of us have learned that life is full of the unexpected...the unknown...the unforeseen. For us, anyway. But not to God. There is no unexpected with God. Is that not a tremendous comfort? Whatever we don't know, whatever gaps we have, He can fill in the blanks. He knows. He knows and so He can provide what is needed...strength, comfort, wisdom, direction, insight, whatever. I am grateful. Today is Sunday. "Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow..." (James 4:14) True...but my Lord does.
Christmas Eve. Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem all those years ago. The two nights before they would have stayed somewhere along the way. When they finally arrived, there is no place for them. I doubt that is what they expected. Mary must have been so weary and uncomfortable. There were no "What to Expect When You're Pregnant" books available. Her relative Elizabeth wouldn't have been much help as her pregnancy was her first, as well. We have the benefit of hind sight. We know what happens. But in the moment, what must it have been like for this couple? Mary was only a teenager. She had a vision and a miraculous conception. Her baby is God in the flesh. How would you even comprehend what that means? Will He be born with a halo? Talk at six months? Automatically know everything? Have a tiny scepter in His hand? Did she have expectations? I can't fathom she didn't. But overnighting in a stable...I don't imagine that was one of them. If we have any age to us, most of us have learned that life is full of the unexpected...the unknown...the unforeseen. For us, anyway. But not to God. There is no unexpected with God. Is that not a tremendous comfort? Whatever we don't know, whatever gaps we have, He can fill in the blanks. He knows. He knows and so He can provide what is needed...strength, comfort, wisdom, direction, insight, whatever. I am grateful. Today is Sunday. "Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow..." (James 4:14) True...but my Lord does.