A Green Thumb

Scripture:  Psalm 92

Yesterday I drove by the flower mart in town and I just had to stop. This is unusual for me because I do not have a green thumb. My mom, my sister and my aunts maintain beautiful greenery, but somehow I missed out on that gene. Once someone gave me a vine and told me vines were virtually impossible to kill. I did it. I killed a vine.

You may be wondering why I bothered to stop at the flower mart. Well, it was the 50% off sign that drew me in! By mid-June when the flowers are half-off I figure, what do I have to lose?

One plant I have come to love is the hosta. The hostas in our yard are so hearty that even I can’t kill them. I have even learned how to divide them every spring and transplant them to another area of my yard or give them away so that someone else can plant them in their yard.

I had to laugh this spring when a funny thing happened with my hostas. The day I was dividing them, I called a few people to ask if they wanted my extra plants. No one wanted them, so I had my son take them to the back yard and I forgot about them. A couple of weeks later a friend came over and complimented me on my hostas. She’s an avid gardener so I was feeling proud of myself as I told her how I divide them up each spring and usually have some left over.

She asked me what I did with the extra plants and I told her they were in the back yard. She wanted to look for them, and we found that my son had placed them on some cement blocks behind a shed. She said she’d take them and see if they’d grow in her yard. To my surprise, those forgotten hostas are now flourishing in her yard! It’s amazing so see those plants survive even when they’re transplanted weeks after being divided.

In my scripture reading today, I came across verses that talk about transplanting. Psalm 92:12-13 says,

“But the godly will flourish like palm trees

And grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.

For they are transplanted to the LORD’s own house.

They flourish in the courts of our God.”

Just like those hostas survived and thrived in their new home, someday we will not only live but flourish in heaven. I love the part of those verses that says that the godly will be transplanted into the LORD’s house. Oh, how I want to be uprooted and re-planted at the home of the Master Gardener! My hope lies in the fact that because I know Jesus, someday I will live with God and flourish in His courts!

Maybe in heaven I will finally have a green thumb!

Prayer:  God, thank you for the hope of heaven. Thank you that we can live with that hope if we accept Your Son Jesus as our Savior. Thank you for the promise of eternal life with You. I can’t wait to be transplanted someday from this sinful earth to the glorious home You’re preparing in heaven for those who love and serve You.

Obsessed with a Statue

Scripture:  2 Chronicles 29 & 30

My kids think I’m weird, but it’s not for reasons you may think. They think I’m weird because I’m a little obsessed with the Lincoln Memorial. We recently visited Washington, DC where I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I was surprised myself at how powerfully the statue of a man who lived nearly 150 years ago impacted me.

As I stood in awe of the huge sculpture, I thought about Abraham Lincoln and the life he led. He was, of course, the 16^th president of the United States. He was instrumental in the process of freeing slaves in America. But what struck me the most was his willingness to stand up for what he believed was right. He was a man of character – someone whose statue even evokes feelings of respect and admiration.

In 2 Chronicles there was a man who inspired similar feelings as I read about him this week. His name was King Hezekiah. This amazing man wasn’t afraid to blaze a new trail and he didn’t waste any time doing it! The Bible says in the first month of the first year of his rain, Hezekiah reopened and repaired the Temple of the LORD. He was bold enough to start his new job by implementing changes immediately! 

The people of Judah had abandoned the LORD and His dwelling place. King Hezekiah realized that the LORD’s anger had fallen on Judah and Jerusalem for this very reason. He desired to restore Judah to a right relationship with God.

Just like President Lincoln, King Hezekiah was a man of character who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He immediately made sure that the Temple of the Lord was cleansed and that the Levites were purified. He specifically commanded that a burnt offering and sin offering should be made for all of Israel.

As you read today’s passage, it’s exciting to watch the hearts of the people change as they follow Hezekiah’s lead in praising God. As the people physically give their offerings to God, a spiritual renewal evolves. The king and all the people bow down in worship as they praise the LORD with psalms. Their hearts become willing and open to God.

The next step King Hezekiah took was to re-institute celebrating the Passover. He sent runners throughout Israel and Judah imploring the people to submit to the Lord and return to Him. Scripture says that most of the people laughed at the runners and made fun of them. But to those who turned to God, Hezekiah offered a prayer, “May the LORD, who is good, pardon those who decide to follow the LORD .” Scripture then tells us that the LORD listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people.

I want to end with one last powerful verse, “Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people, and God heard their prayers from his holy dwelling in heaven” (2 Chron. 30:27). Is there anything more awesome than God hearing the prayers of His people from His holy dwelling place?

Thank God for men and women of character who stand up for what they know is right. Men like Abe Lincoln and King Hezekiah inspire us to be bold and courageous.

Now I’m going to go sit in my favorite chair, put on my favorite tall, black hat and read one of my favorite books about Abe Lincoln. I have no idea why my kids think I’m obsessed! J

Prayer:  LORD God, thank you for the records we have of people who have boldly followed You. Thank you for the inspiration they give to us. Please show us how we can be bold  for You today. May we recognize the opportunity to change our family, our town and even our world for Your glory. We want to make the most of the opportunities You place in our lives.

A Little Humor

Scripture:  Proverbs 30

If you think God doesn’t have a sense of humor, I’d encourage you to reconsider! I will offer a personal episode that happened yesterday as proof.

The “episode” took place on the tennis courts in our town. I had asked a high school girl to play tennis with me and we were able to squeeze onto the courts between lessons that were going on that day. We had played for about 15 minutes when it happened. As I lunged for a backhand, the outside of my shoe caught on the court and my ankle twisted.

I fell on my butt...

Awkwardly…

In front of the tennis coaches…

In utter embarrassment.

The smart thing to do would have been to go home and elevate my foot with an ice pack firmly around my swollen ankle. But, where’s the fun in that? I’d been pumped to play tennis and so I limped around the court for another half hour.

In front of all the people who watched me fall…

Who probably thought I was nuts…

And they were most likely right!

The truth is that I get injured often and if I sat out every time I fell or hurt myself, I may never actually do anything! I guess that’s just the risk you take when you like to play sports and you’re blessed with being accident prone. 

This morning as I read my devotions I laughed inwardly, telling myself there was no way God could relate the embarrassing story from yesterday with my scripture reading. Was I ever wrong. Allow me to share the second verse of the passage I read today.

“I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense.” (Proverbs 30:2)

The author of this Proverb, a man named Agur, perfectly explained how I felt about my own episode. I felt stupid that I’d fallen in front of everyone. If misery loves company than stupidity must love it too, because I felt comfort in the fact that Agur had the same feelings as me. He goes on to say that there is only One who has mastered human wisdom. Only one God that created each one of us uniquely, even those of us who are accident prone.

If I don’t laugh at myself, then who will? Don’t answer that question! Maybe I could find a lot of people to take that spot, but the point is that it’s important not to take ourselves too seriously. God created us to have a sense of humor. He has one and so should we!

Prayer:  Dear God, thank you for the gift of laughter. Sometimes I wish it didn’t come at my expense, but I thank You all the same. J Please help me to see the humor in life even in the pain. Thank you for how You made me – You made all of us with Your great might and awesome power.

The Tough Questions

Have you ever asked someone, “How does this outfit look on me?”

When I’m shopping for clothes, I want someone to give me an honest answer about how something looks on me. While I’d love it if they told me it looked great, I really do want them to be truthful. Ultimately, I don’t want to go home with an outfit I’ll never wear.

As we endure trials in life, it’s important that we have friends who will speak truthfully to us. Not just about clothes … but about the important stuff. The hard stuff. The messy stuff.

Friends who just tell us what we want to hear might be good for our ego, but they are not going to help us grow.

Proverbs 29:5

“To flatter friends

Is to lay a trap at their feet."

If you’re anything like me, you don’t like hearing that there are things in your life that could change. It’s hard for me to hear that I could have more patience with my kids or more grace with my husband. I don’t like hearing that I have things in my life to work on, but I need to listen when a friend is trying to give me advice to help me grow into the person God wants me to be.

Proverbs 25:12

“To one who listens, valid criticism

Is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry.”

What is valid criticism? I think I can explain what it’s not. It’s not someone wanting you to change because they don’t like who you are. It’s not someone trying to push their agenda on you. It’s not someone trying to change you out of jealousy.

Valid criticism comes from a true friend who loves God and has your best interests at heart. They want you to grow and maybe even change something in your life because they know that God is still working on you and they want to be part of the refining process. Valid criticism comes from someone you can trust and who has proven their friendship over time.

An important part of letting God refine you is being open to the help and advice of others. While we see things mainly from our own point of view, a trusted friend can offer valuable suggestions from a different perspective. Our job is to be open to receive that advice when it comes from a loving source.

Proverbs 28:23

“In the end, people appreciate honest criticism

Far more than flattery.”

When I ask a friend for sincere advice, I may secretly hope they tell me what I want to hear. But flattery is not what I’m really after. Recently I had a heart-to-heart talk with a close friend. I shared some things that I was struggling with in my life. She quietly listened to me and at the end she asked me one brief question.

“What are you going to do about it?”

Through this simple question, she showed me that she loves me enough not to let me whine and wallow. She was calling me to action, gently refining me.

 Proverbs 29:1

“Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism

will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.”

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for placing friends in our lives who love us enough to ask us the tough questions. May our hearts be open to listen to them. May we receive honest criticism from people who love us and care about us enough not to let us grow stagnant and bitter. We love You and want to continue to grow into the person You created us to be.

How do You Give?

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 31:1-13

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, “God loves a cheerful giver?” I wish it wasn’t the case, but when I think of this phrase, a distinct thought comes to mind. I envision these words coming from the lips of someone with a forced smile holding an offering plate in front of me.

While the words to this phrase are definitely true, giving cheerfully doesn’t always come easily. Depending on our current financial circumstances, how we were raised or how our church is structured, it can be a struggle to give with a cheerful heart.

I have a friend who told me that she gets frustrated with how it seems that her church is constantly asking for money. She feels that every time she goes to church they focus on money. Her church even started to call her at home to ask her when and how much she planned to donate. It’s hard to give cheerfully when you feel pressured and cornered.

I know others who feel they cannot give until their financial situation changes. They say that as soon as they start making more money, they plan to start tithing. Still others I know have told me that they grew up feeling like they had to give out of guilt and duty. They don’t like feeling this way, but it’s hard for them to give cheerfully when they can’t seem to break away from the past.

In 2 Chronicles 31, King Hezekiah dedicated himself to showing the people of Judah how to be cheerful givers. We can learn a lot about giving through this chapter as we look at specific ways the people of Judah gave to the LORD.

They gave out of their first share. I love this because it shows that they didn’t wait until they could afford to give, they gave immediately out of the first part of their harvest. They gave the first share of their grain, new wine, olive oil, honey and produce of their fields. I know of someone who writes their tithe check before any of the other bills they pay each month, which is similar to the people of Judah giving their first share.

They gave generously. This has huge significance to me because it shows they gave cheerfully, not begrudgingly. When we give generously, we most likely give more than is required. Verse 5 says, “They brought a large quantity.”

When my husband and I were first married, we asked a relative his opinion on whether we should tithe on our gross earnings or our net earnings. I’ll never forget his answer. He said, “Do you want to be blessed on the gross or the net?” I don’t think he was saying that we should give more to get blessed more, I think he was saying in his own way that God loves a cheerful, generous giver.

They gave faithfully. Verse 12 says, “The people faithfully brought all the tithes and gifts to the Temple.” It doesn’t say they brought their tithes when they felt like it or when they had some extra olive oil or honey. They gave faithfully, which I think can also mean consistently. Giving faithfully requires that we trust that God will meet our needs.

When King Hezekiah saw the huge piles of food and donations, he asked the priests and Levites, “Where did all this come from?”

The high priest replied, “Since the people began bringing in gifts to the LORD’s Temple, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare. The LORD has blessed his people, and all this is left over.” King Hezekiah was amazed and thanked the LORD and the people of Israel.

Prayer: LORD, I want to give generously. I want You to have control over my finances. Please show me what I need to do so that I can give generously and faithfully out of my first share. Show me specifically what that means in my life. I want to honor You in all areas of my life out of a cheerful heart. I love You and want to serve You wholeheartedly.

A Ray on the Graph

Scripture: Romans 8:28-39

Both of my kids have been learning about graphing this year in school. I've been learning, or I should say re-learning math as I help them with their school work. Last week I was reminded that a "ray" is a portion of a line that has a starting point but no ending point. As an example, we thought of the sun's rays that start at the sun but could go on forever.

Don't worry, I'm not going to talk about math much longer, even though I'm sure you're riveted by this mathematical lesson!

Here's the cool part about how this math concept relates to our daily walk with Christ. I was imagining a graph where the starting point was on the horizontal axis and every point on the graph kept moving up and to the right. For example, it would be like plotting (3,0), (4,1), (5,2) and so on.

Picture this graph that starts at one point and continually goes up and to the right. It's a ray that goes on forever.

Today I was reminded that our walk with God should resemble the ray on this graph. Romans 8:29 says that we should be conformed to the likeness of Christ. In other words, we should daily strive to move up one dot on the graph. Today we're at spot (3,0) and tomorrow we should grow closer to Christ and move to spot (4,1).

Sometimes I beat myself up because I want to be holy as Christ is holy, but it seems like an overwhelming goal! As I picture this graph with my life as a ray, picturing this steady climb toward holiness gives me relief. I don't have to become like Christ in one day, but I am responsible to grow closer to God each day.

Thanks for bearing with this math analogy. It's funny how God can use anything - even math - to guide our thoughts and reveal His purpose for our lives.

Prayer: Lord, I want to grow closer to you each day. I want to be holy as you are holy. I want to take steps each day to become more like you.

I Don’t Want to Slip

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 2:1-12

When I’m struggling in my life, I definitely depend on God. From that statement, you may think that I have it all together. On the contrary!

While it is true that I turn to God during tough times, it is also true that I tend to forget about God during the good times. I know that’s a horrible thing to write and an even worse thing to do.

I guess that’s why I related so well to 2 Chronicles 12:1, “But when (King) Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the LORD, and all Israel followed him in this sin.”

Well Mr. “R,” I can relate! I can empathize with the false sense of self-sufficiency that comes from thinking that the good things in your life come from you and not God. Been there!

When life is difficult, the most obvious place for me to turn is straight to God and His word. I cling to it for hope and sustenance.

But when life is going well, I don’t turn to God as dependently as I do when I’m struggling. During the good times, I can forget to do my devotions and I usually don’t pray without ceasing. Basically and in all brutal honesty, I let my relationship with God slip.

King Rehoboam and I have more in common than I’d like to admit, but there is a good ending to the king’s life. Scripture tells us that the king and the leaders of Israel humbled themselves and the LORD saw their change of heart. 2 Chronicles 12:12 says “Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD’s anger was turned away and he did not destroy him completely.”

The verse ends with an incredibly hopefully statement, “There were still some good things in the land of Judah.” Thank the Lord! I’m going to claim that for my life, too! Even though I mess up sometimes when life seems to hit a plateau, I need to keep a strong relationship with the Lord. “There will still be good things in the land of Minnesota!”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me even though I fail you sometimes. I am sorry for not clinging to you all of the time! I want to thank you for everything in my life. When things are going well, I want to give You all the praise and glory! When things are tough, I want to trust You all the more. Thank you for being a God who forgives.