April 21 ~ Romans 8:26-28
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
For me, this is one of the most comforting passages in the Bible. Often I crawl into bed at night and realize that I really did a poor job of praying during the day. I honestly didn’t stop and specifically tell God my burdens, my worries, my concerns. I didn’t take time to sit still and praise Him… and LISTEN for His voice.
The GOOD NEWS is that God heard me anyway! He knew when I read that prayer request on e-mail and heaved a sigh of concern over someone’s illness or need that I was asking for His help. He knew when I got a decent parking space at the store and muttered, “Thank you, Jesus,” that I was praising Him. He knew when I said to someone, “Isn’t this a beautiful day?” that I was grateful to Him for providing it. When I stopped and took a deep breath before answering a question from someone who was needing advice or direction, God knew that I was waiting for Him to give me the words.
I’m not saying we don’t need to find time to sit and talk to God. I’m certainly not saying that my prayer life – and that of many of us – couldn’t use an overhaul. But I am saying that God knows us… He KNOWS us! And He hears us and watches over EVERY detail of our lives, even when WE don’t know what we need for ourselves. That is amazing news. I am so comforted to know that God has my back… aren’t you?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 20 ~ Romans 6:19
I'm using this freedom language because it's easy to picture. You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Imagine a world with no structure. Imagine if we all just went to work or school when we pleased… stayed as long as we liked… came and went at will. Would anything ever get done? I have talked to several people who have retired or quit working to stay home, and almost all say, “I don’t get anything done… how did I ever work?” It seems that the structure of having a routine – somewhere we have to be at an appointed hour or for a certain schedule – helps us to plan our days and organize our time. Left to our own devices, some of us (and I am talking from experience here!) spend a lot of time just “piddling” at things! We look up at the clock and wonder where the day went, and sometimes we don’t have much to show for it!
That’s how it is for us in our spiritual lives. Surrendering to God may seem like we have signed on for a life of rules and regulations – and constrictive structure! But the truth is that the “structure” of living within God’s will gives us tremendous freedom… and a purpose! Without God, we wander around aimlessly from one sin to another, and NOTHING satisfies. We “think” we are free – doing as we please – but truly we aren’t. There is nothing free about this aimless living.
Our human nature makes us weak and unable to function without structure. God says, “I can fix this. I can give you structure and purpose AND freedom in the bargain… freedom from sin and a future filled with darkness and destruction – and hell.” Remember, Jesus has promised that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Don’t you want that? Don’t you want the freedom of a “spiritual schedule” and the healing and wholeness that comes with it? All you have to do is ask, and this freedom can be yours. What are you waiting for?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 19 ~ Acts 20:33-35
"I've never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I've done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You'll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, 'You're far happier giving than getting.'"
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
It just sends me “over the edge” to watch one of the many programs now on our dozens of TV channels and see people who are so greedy. I watched a woman on The Real Housewives of New York City purchase a $16,000 purse! I am not making this up – it was a birthday present from her husband – to go with her new Mercedes SUV. I am not stupid – I know there are actually purses that cost even more than $16,000. But really people, does anyone need to spend this kind of money on a purse? The very next day, I saw a friend of mine in Wal-Mart, and she was buying tissues for her son’s class at school after she discovered that his teacher had been buying them with her own money for several weeks. Let’s see – a new purse vs. enough tissues and/or classroom supplies to outfit several elementary schools for a whole year – which would make more sense and do more good?
I think of all of the extravagance and “stuff” we all have, while others are starving, homeless and helpless, and I wonder, “Have we gone mad?” Some argue that “God wants His children to be happy and blessed.” And He absolutely does! But no part of that necessarily includes exorbitant wealth, much less extraordinary waste and greed! I’m not saying we all need to sell everything we have and live in a tent, wearing only the clothes on our backs. But I am saying that we need to think long and hard about what we have and how we spend our money and our time. If we see someone in need, and instead of helping him/her, we help ourselves to more, we’ve missed the message of Jesus altogether. If we can’t spare any time and energy for those who need our help because we want it all for our own interests, we have not been paying attention to God’s word!
Some of the wealthiest men and women in the world have been some of the most generous and humble. They learned early – and well – the lesson that “it is better to give than to receive.” What about us? Do we work on behalf of the weak, or do we exploit them? Have we learned the lessons of our Master?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 18 ~ Mark 14:27-28
Jesus told them, "You're all going to feel that your world is falling apart and that it's my fault. There's a Scripture that says,
I will strike the shepherd;
The sheep will go helter-skelter.
"But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Many of us have experienced the loss of a loved one – a parent, a grandparent, a sibling… a good friend. It is human nature to feel “lost” afterward – to wonder how we will continue to live without this person. It is even natural to be angry with this person for dying – for leaving us. “If only you hadn’t left me, such-and-such would not have happened as it did.”
I had never really considered that the disciples might be angry with Jesus for dying on the cross. I had never thought about how their worlds surely DID fall apart afterward. After all, many of these men gave up everything – family, friends, their jobs and homes – to follow Jesus. What were they supposed to do now that He was gone? They may have also resented Him for not stopping all of this, which we all know He surely could have done.
But Jesus is telling them in this passage that He will lead the way for them. He will NOT desert them, even in death. While their frustrations, resentments and heartaches are all perfectly normal human reactions, He is encouraging them to keep the faith… to hold on and move ahead… to keep doing what He has taught them.
I believe there is a message for US in this passage. When we lose a loved one, we are allowed to grieve. We are allowed to be sad, frustrated, and yes – even momentarily lost and confused. But Jesus is leading us as surely as He led the disciples. He is going ahead of us and showing us the way just as much today as He did after His resurrection. We do not have to be afraid, confused, or devastated, because Jesus is always with us. He will not let us fall into a pit and wallow… He will give us direction. This is good news! This gives us hope and promise – and joy! “I will go ahead of you, leading the way…” He will… He does! Hallelujah!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 17 ~ Matthew 26:40-41
When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, "Can't you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don't wander into temptation without even knowing you're in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there's another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
We all know that feeling… when we are so sleepy that we absolutely cannot keep our eyes open. I sometimes sit down to watch a very interesting program on television – or worse yet, a good movie I’ve been anxious to see – only to wake up later and realize I either nodded off and missed it completely, or I have to back up the show and start over. It isn’t that I don’t want to watch the program/movie… but my eyelids droop and get heavy, and soon I am snoozing away. Thank goodness for DVR!
This may be excusable for movies or television… or long car rides and other things that lull us to sleep, but “falling asleep on the job” with Jesus is NOT acceptable or excusable. Let’s be honest… we’re all a bit on the lazy side when it comes to serving Jesus and staying “awake and alert,” aren’t we? Oh, sure… some of us are worse than others (and I lump myself in that category), but how often do we start out to study our Bible or spend some time in prayer, only to move on to something else rather quickly or let our mind wander to thoughts of other things? How often do we set in to be a Christian friend to someone, then after a few weeks or months at best, we drift away and move on to someone or something else? How often do we look back and see how far we have drifted away from God… and how much temptation and sin has crept into our lives and wonder when and how THAT happened?
Isn’t it time to truly wake up? Isn’t it time we quit being lazy, sleepy Christians and asked God for the strength and stamina to stand with Him consistently and serve Him above all else? Being a Christian is not about relaxing or dropping our guard. Being a Christian is about staying awake and alert and ready to do whatever God asks – whenever He needs us. Can’t we stick it out with Him for a single hour or more? Are you up for this?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 16 ~ Joel 3:9-11
Announce this to the godless nations:
Prepare for battle!
Soldiers at attention!
Present arms! Advance!
Turn your shovels into swords,
turn your hoes into spears.
Let the weak one throw out his chest
and say, "I'm tough, I'm a fighter."
Hurry up, pagans! Wherever you are, get a move on!
Get your act together.
Prepare to be
shattered by God!
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
How strong are you, spiritually? Are you strong enough to fight for God? Are you a fit soldier for His army? Because you see, we really are in a spiritual war. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Satan’s army is large, well-armed, and powerful. Open the newspaper, turn on the television… his tactics take “special-ops” to a whole new level!
But you know something? GOD’s army is stronger! Why? Because our Leader is stronger! Satan can NEVER defeat God. He can have more people, more weapons, more slick tricks… but GOD will still win in the end!
Knowing this… whose army do you want to serve? Who will be your General? The prophet Joel has told us… God will shatter the pagans! Why on earth would you want to be on the losing side? It doesn’t matter if you feel weak… God can strengthen you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know much scripture, God can help you learn more. It doesn’t matter if you feel inadequate to witness… let GOD give you the words. No person who is truly willing to serve in God’s army will be ill-equipped. The US Army may ask you to “Be all that you can be,” but in God’s army, you can “Be MORE than you could ever be on your own!” Is there any question Who should be your Leader?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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April 15 ~ Ezekiel 34:20-22
"'Therefore, God, the Master, says: I myself am stepping in and making things right between the plump sheep and the skinny sheep. Because you forced your way with shoulder and rump and butted at all the weaker animals with your horns till you scattered them all over the hills, I'll come in and save my dear flock, no longer let them be pushed around. I'll step in and set things right between one sheep and another.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever felt like you were pushed around? I’m not necessarily talking about being bullied, although that would qualify. I’m talking about when you felt like the whole world seemed against you – or at least not in your corner. For many, today is one of those days. Many Americans resent having to pay income taxes… and they feel like “the government” is “doing them wrong.” For whatever reason, many resent having to give back a portion of their income to keep this country functioning – and I’m sure you have your own opinion about this!
The point I want to make is that there are a lot of things we don’t like in life. And there are a lot of things that others don’t like in life… because of US! Sometimes WE are the” shoulder and rump” butting others who are weaker in some way. And God sees this. God sees when WE are being butted, and He sees when we butt others. And HE can set things right… if we let Him.
I’m not saying that God will fix it so you don’t have to pay income tax… but He can adjust your attitude and your insult about having to do so. And God can heal our country – if we will ask Him to do it, and listen as He guides us through the process. Evangelist Joel Osteen likes to say we can be victors or victims. I pray that you would ask God to help you become the former – and to set things right between you and others with whom you may have “butted heads or shoulders.”
©2009 Debbie Robus
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