Let Jesus Help You Out!

I will be adding a third day to the blog with a short devotion and some insights about my writing. Today we will be looking at the joy of letting Jesus help you in life as well as talking about how I write so that you can grow and have joy.

Scripture: Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Observation: As Jesus looked at the helpless and struggling that were sitting before him as he preached the Sermon on the Mount, he must have felt their great pains. They were worried about all the troubles that surrounded them. Here, He makes one of the greatest promises that we find in scripture. Seek a deep relationship with the Lord and God will take care of all the other things that you need. Be in worship and in bible study and prayer and let God take care of food and clothing. What a relief that promise is for the people who often didn’t know where their next meal was coming from.

Application: The promise is just as great for us as it was for the people back then. Seek the Lord and let Him take care of our needs. A child builds the relationship with their parents knowing that Mom and Dad will provide food, clothes, a home and all the other things they need. A child usually doesn’t worry where his/her next meal is coming from. How blessed we would be if we could have that kind of faith in God. Stay near God and don’t run away from home or spend long periods away from God and just expect that God has all your needs covered.

Prayer: Dear Lord, forgive me for the times that I worry and stop trusting you. Forgive me for the times that I miss church or don’t take time for prayer because I am too busy trying to provide for myself. You have an abundant supply of all that I need and love me enough to want to take care of my needs. Teach me to depend on you and to trust you rather than worry.

Writer’s Den: I am going to start a new day in this devotional blog which starts with a short devotion and contains some personal thoughts from me as a writer. I pray that you will enjoy these for every writer’s fear is that no one will read or care about the things that he writes.

What I want to speak about today is that the purpose of the blog and the books is to help you grow. We are in such a busy society that people don’t seem to have the time for serious bible study. My hope is that you will read the 32 devotions in the books and read the weekly devotion and bible study on this website and grow in your faith. Let God help you experience the joy that comes from getting to know Him better.

I have been busy writing a second book, “32 days with Christ’s Passion”. The book has 32 devotions and 12 bible studies that cover Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter. The devotions will help to answer questions like why did Jesus go to Gethsemane and why did He not answer the Jews, but spoke to Pilate. The devotions have depth and are meant for you to apply them to your life. The bible studies allow you to copy the student guide so you can share them with others and help them to grow. “Christ’s Passion” should be on Amazon before the end of September. 

Bible Insights: Psalm 137

Is it ever right to pray for harm on someone who hurt you or others? Does God expect us to forget what people have done to us as well as forgive them?

Bible Insight: Psalm 137 is one of the imprecatory psalms. (Others are 35, 58, 69,83 and 109) In these Psalms, God’s people ask for judgment on their enemies. Psalm 137 asks for God to punish the Edomites who cheered when the Babylonians captured the Jews. Even more shocking is the call for repayment against the Babylonians who seized their babies and dashed them against the rocks. Why God would allow such language in the scriptures is not hard to understand. His people were in pain and they were asking for justice. They did not want to take justice into their own hands lest they become as evil as the people they were asking God to punish. Better to let God deal with evil while they lived out their lives following His ways.

Evil is still all around us and God wants us to lay evil’s fate in His hands. It is still all right to pray that God deals with the shady politician or the next door neighbor who treats you badly. If we try to bring justice, we often become as evil as they are and get caught up in a spiral of evil where each person retaliates for the wrong that was done against them until it spirals out of control. I would make one addition to our prayers. Maybe we should pray for the Lord to change their heart with the gospel when He has broken them with the law. How nice it would be if that enemy could one day be a fellow Christian friend because God broke their spirit and then healed their heart.

This and That: The book, “32 days with Abraham” is out and is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats. I am thankful to all those who have let me know how the devotions are helping them. I have also heard of several who are going to use the free 12 study Bible study that is in the book for a small group in the fall. They like the advantage of being able to copy the student lessons for the members of the group so that only those who want to buy a book do so. That just warms my heart. The purpose of the book is to get people into the word of God and help them to get to know Abraham personally instead of just knowing him as a vague superman character in the Bible. If you want a sample of the book, just click here.

I am currently working on the second book which should be out in September. This book, “32 Days with Christ’s Passion” will have the same format of 32 devotions and 12 bible studies and cover Jesus’ life from Palm Sunday to Easter. The focus is to see that the cross was Jesus’ passion in life. He wanted to save us so much that He gladly devoted His life for that purpose. My hope is that if the book comes out this September, people can use the Bible studies and follow the devotions during lent. The 32 days of devotions could easily be covered in the time from Ash Wednesday to Easter.

Please feel free to comment below or on 32daysdevotions@gmail.com

Bible Insights: John 12

Who is the woman who anoints Jesus feet with costly oil? What would have led her to make that sacrifice for Jesus?

Bible Insight: The Bible tells us that it was Mary who anointed Jesus’ head and feet with expensive perfume. It was probably the Friday before Palm Sunday and Jesus had come to Bethany to stay with Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus as He celebrated the Passover. If we remember that Jesus had only recently raised Mary’s brother from the dead (John 11), her actions become clearer. Her act would make sense as a way of thanking Jesus for returning her brother to her. Most of us would want to thank someone who healed a close family member, Jesus had done even more than that.

Her actions remind us to take the time to thank the Lord for His blessings in our life. We don’t have to spend a million dollars or become a missionary to Africa. We simply need to use whatever resources we have at hand and then seize the moment to praise Jesus. Like Mary, there will be some who will not understand our thanks. Just take any criticism in stride and know that the Lord will praise your heartfelt gift of love. We are wanting to please Him and not others. Lift up your gift whether it is your voice to sing or your hands to serve someone else and let everyone know how great your God really is and what He has done for you.

This and That: This Friday, I will be honored to lead worship at the Ohio District LWML convention and to be their song leader on Saturday during the convention. One of the gifts the Lord has given me is a strong voice and an ability to play the piano. It will be an honor to lead all the women from across Ohio, West Virginia and Northern Kentucky who will be at this conference. I also thank all of the people who have bought the book on Abraham. The thirty-two devotions span Abraham’s life from his call to his death. The twelve devotions with leader’s guides are meant to help you understand some important moments in the life of Abraham. Those who buy the book will be able to copy the bible studies off for church or small group use. My prayer is that people will come to know the great love of God as they see how God raised up an ordinary man to be the patriarch that we know and love. The book is available at Amazon in print or on kindle. A free sample of the book is still available by clicking here. 

Bible Insights: Genesis 25

How many children did Abraham have? Was it 1, 2, 6 or 8 children? Why is this an important lesson for us as we think about the legacy that we leave?

Biblical Insight: The Bible mentions eight children born to Abraham. Most of us know about Ishmael and Isaac, but there are six more children born to Abraham and his second wife, Keturah (Genesis 25:1-4). Abraham was 137 years old when Sarah died (Genesis 23:1) and could have just retired from life at that point. By taking a new wife and having half a dozen children, it shows that Abraham had an active life during the last 38 years of his life. His life didn’t just stop just because Sarah was grown or Isaac was now a man.

We don’t have to retire from life just because we grow old. Our retirement income may allow us to take on a second career or to volunteer in the community in a way that we just couldn’t have done while we were still working. It can also mean for grandparents that they have the opportunity to have a larger part in mentoring and teaching their grandchildren. The time to think about what retirement is all about is five to ten years before we retire. That is one of the big reasons that I have begun the blog and am ready to publish my first new book in twenty years. I would like to be a writer in retirement. Starting now gives me several years to work into this second career and publish five to seven books before the time of retirement has come. What can you do for God and others with your retirement? Abraham shows us that there is no reason that our “golden years” need to be wasted away.

This and That: With the publishing of “32 days with Abraham” next month, I am considering a podcast of one of the chapters. This website has the capability of letting you download a podcast and get a feel for what the book is like. I am curious if anyone has thoughts about what that podcast should contain. If you have any thoughts, please write them to 32daysdevotions@gmail.com or make a comment in the comment section of this website. I would really like to hear from you. As for me, this coming Sunday is the retirement of a dear pastor friend. Paul and I have been friends for over 40 years and this Sunday is his retirement as pastor of a church in Kansas City. We see what he has in mind for his retirement.