Daily Devotional for November 7, 2016

Matthew 6:27-34
“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

​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 most of my life, I’ve kept “to-do” lists.  These range from lists of things I hope to accomplish each day to long-term goals…like “scan and organize all of our photos,” and maybe “write another book.”  I have “mental lists” of things I need to get done…people I owe a visit…books I would like to read, and more.  I used to really beat myself up when things did not get marked off the “short list” as planned.  I would get so frustrated and upset with myself when I got behind and projects stacked up undone. And I will admit, sometimes I still get a little bent out of shape when I see things that need to be accomplished…and I am not getting to them in a timely fashion.

But then I look at what IS getting done…a family who is nurtured…friends and loved ones who are encouraged…little things that fill my days and don’t seem to amount to much – but add up to a whole lot of “something!”  I see that God is giving me opportunities every day to live – not just muddle through the day.  I bought “vampire teeth” for the kids for Halloween with every intention of making this cute donut “face” that I saw on Pinterest.  But I got busy with helping in the classroom and attending the kids’ parties at school.  So they got a set of the teeth and no donut - and they could not have cared less!

I won’t say that I am “settling”…because I think as I become less uptight about whether the house is spotless and things are “just so,” I experience more of God’s abundance in many ways.  I know that life is short, and our chances to spend time with one another and truly live in the moment – and bask in God’s goodness – are fleeting.  We will blink, and our babies will be grown…we will be “over the hill!”…and a whole other generation will have left for heaven!  What will we have to show for our lives?  Will we have spent them worrying about tomorrow and all of the things on our lists?  Or will we have steeped ourselves in the things of God…His desires for how we fill our days…and the blessings that He has poured out on each of us?  You know what the right answers to these questions are…so what will you do about them?

Ask God to help you revamp your priorities.  Give HIM first place on your “to-do” list and let Him order the rest of the items.  Recognize God’s presence in even the little things of the day…and learn to truly appreciate all of His blessings.  Stop worrying so much…and start living a whole lot more!  I know I’m working on all of these things…what about you?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for October 17, 2016

Psalm 119:1-8
You’re blessed when you stay on course,
    walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow his directions,
    doing your best to find him.
That’s right—you don’t go off on your own;
    you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
    now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady,
    keeping to the course you set;
Then I’d never have any regrets
    in comparing my life with your counsel.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;
    I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I’m going to do what you tell me to do;
    don’t ever walk off and leave me.

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.

This morning, my husband pointed out a dead branch on a tree under the bluff in our back yard.  For as long as we have lived here, buzzards have perched on that branch.  We commented several times that one day, the branch was going to snap and take the birds with it!  I don’t know how this actually transpired, but the end of the branch is gone.  Greg said, “I guess you noticed that the branch broke…it happened about 2 weeks ago.”  I had not noticed.  I had also not noticed his new eye glasses…the ones he picked up at the eye care center last week!  Greg laughed and said, “There’s a devo in there somewhere!”  And he was right!

I get so caught up in my own world…in the things on my “to do” list…going here or there for the kids…what’s for dinner – and what’s on the grocery list…who I need to send a card…when I can fit in a workout…and a zillion other things that probably don’t really amount to a hill of beans.  And I neglect people right in front of me…namely my wonderful husband and our sweet little cat…as I check off other a myriad of things and the needs of others on my list.  It’s not that my own “family” is not important to me…or that I don’t love them…but I get sidetracked and distracted – and ultimately, they get pushed farther down the list!  And – bless them – they never complain!

Here’s the thing…we do this all the time with people – but especially with God.  We get sidetracked and distracted…and days/weeks/months go by without our so much as opening our Bibles or spending a few minutes in earnest prayer, short of a “God, please help me!” uttered in sheer distress.  We don’t notice the things that God does for us…the “broken branch” or the “new glasses” because we are so busy with our own agendas and juggling a dozen balls in the air – many of which are not “top shelf” priorities!

So we miss the beauty of a sunrise or sunset…or the amazing Hunter’s Moon that has illuminated our nights this week.  We wake up one day, and those closest to us have vanished.  They have either drifted away mentally, physically or emotionally…or they have grown up - or aged to a point where they can’t, or won’t, interact with us as they once did. Sadly, in some cases, they have even died and physically left us forever.  And we wonder…what happened?  How did we not spend our time more wisely?  Why didn’t we pay more attention?

This passage reminds us that we are blessed when we stay on course…when we maintain focus – first on God, and then on a prayerfully constructed “to-do" list!  There is no time like today to stop and re-order our lives…to get this right and ask God to organize our steps and help us maintain proper awareness of our surroundings and what is truly important.  Life IS short…and we don’t have a minute to waste!  God can help us prioritize and sort out the details so that we always stay on course. I’m asking Him to do this in my life…what about you?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for October 31, 2015

Luke 10:41-42
But the Lord said to her, “Martha, dear friend, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her!”

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

My mother once gave me a book titled, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World*.  The premise was that we spend a lot of time worrying…and most of it is about things that are either insignificant – or low priority! Certain “worries” are rites of passage and part of growing up…like the litany of stresses that compile “teenage angst.”  But those who, like me, have lived a few decades can probably look back on several events and circumstances and say, “I wasted far too much time on that!”

“Woulda, shoulda, coulda”…these are all natural sentiments that most of us have experienced.  “I wish I would have studied more”…”I should have spent more time with this person or that one”…”I could have made more of an effort to get to know Jesus better at a younger age – and saved myself some heartache!”  Regrets and worry are a natural part of the human psyche.

But hear the words of Jesus in these verses…and go back and read all of the story in Luke 10, if you need to refresh your memory.  Stop and take a good look at what is concerning you these days…then ask, “Is this really what matters most?”  Is it more important that we spend time on the things that express our love - and the love of Jesus – for others…or do we really need that latest gizmo or new outfit we spent hours shopping for?  When someone drops by for a visit, will you worry about how your house looks – or enjoy their company? 

When your favorite television program is interrupted by a phone call from a friend or loved one who wants to visit, will you be irritated – or attentive?  Will you read to a child – or spend an hour surfing social media?  Will you be so self-absorbed or concerned about keeping up appearances that you miss the beauty of a crisp fall day…a few minutes spent in strengthening and encouraging conversation with God… or even His gift of a few hours of much-needed rest and renewal?

Worry steals our energy, our time, and our joy.  Misplaced priorities rob us of God’s blessings – and our true purpose as Christian disciples.  Will you spend some time today seeking God’s will and direction for your life…and syncing your agenda with His?  I probably need to get this book out and read it again, because worry has a way of creeping into our lives in ways that we don’t even notice!  Will this be the day that you start becoming a “Mary in a Martha World?” - and learn to operate in what is really important? Don’t you think it should be?

©2015 Debbie Robus

* Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World - ©2000 Joanna Weaver - http://www.amazon.com/Having-Mary-Heart-Martha-World/dp/1578562589

Daily Devotional for February 2, 2015

1 Timothy 2:1-4
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
 
He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one...
 
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.
 
Like many people, I am a multi-tasker.  Most mornings, I eat my breakfast while “watching” the news and scrolling through messages on my computer and/or “reading” the daily newspaper.  I listen to television while I sew, iron and fold laundry, or cook dinner. And I will admit that, at best, I only see/hear about two-thirds of what I “view”.
 
There are some programs that I must sit and watch while I do nothing else, in order to catch everything that is said and done. Otherwise, I find myself backing up and viewing certain scenes again.  The “pause” and “rewind” buttons on the remote come in handy quite often as I attempt to do several things at once and keep up with what is being aired.
 
All of us are susceptible to constant distractions…and nowhere is this more evident than in our Spiritual lives.  The devil loves to get us off track…to fill our plates with all sorts of responsibilities and “noise” so that we have trouble finding time to be still and listen for the voice of God.  Before you know it…we have distanced ourselves so far from Him and filled in the gaps with other things…and we wonder what happened – and where God went!
 
The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy – and us – two things:  1) pray every way you know how, so that you keep the lines of communication with God open; and 2) pray for others…that each person would stay focused and on task, so that we are free to do the things that God has designed for us without the distractions and additional baggage from others.  This sounds like a selfish motive…but actually, it is quite the opposite.
 
We cannot be in full fellowship with God when we are distracted or trying to do too much at once.  When we take on the duties and drama of others, our own ministries are often diluted.  Yes, we are to care about those in our midst…to serve God by serving them and offering love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and more.  But God did not call us to be all things to all people.  He created a plan and a purpose for each of us.
 
So we must pray that each person does his/her part…in order that we might do ours.  There are no “pause” or “rewind” buttons for our faith.  We’re on “play” all the time.  Ask God to give you – and all of His children – focus and intention, so that we might be able to spread the Good News of Jesus with confidence and conviction. Find time to “be still and know God”…and discover what He really has to say.
 
©2015 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for June 26, 2014

Psalm 127:1-2
If God doesn’t build the house,
    the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city,
    the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
    and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
    giving rest to those he loves?

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.

I have started reading a Bible study guide written by Jen Hatmaker, called Make Over. This girl speaks my language!  In the first few days’ lessons, she talks about all of the “busyness” that fills our days…and she calls us to question why we do what we do…in the way that we do it.  She likens many of us to “dancing monkeys” who try to be all things to all people…”performers” of sorts who rise early and go to bed late – and work our fingers to the bone in between.  She asks the question, “Monkey, who are you dancing for?”*

This is a reasonable question.  And in light of today’s scripture passage from Psalm 127, I would like to add, “Who is your ‘supervisor’ on the job?”  If we are busy trying to do all of the things that we think will make us – and others – happy…and we fail to recognize God’s desires and/or His joy in helping us accomplish all that is necessary and important…we are going to end up bone tired, discouraged, defeated – and maybe even a little disgusted!

Hatmaker asks…”What if our value exists because God takes pleasure in us?”  More to the point of this scripture lesson, “What if we focused on pleasing God and asked Him to help us prioritize our days?”  So often, we are too busy trying to keep up with others – or what we perceive to be their expectations of us.  We put all kinds of demands on ourselves that are not of God’s making. So we build “shacks” rather than God-ordained “houses”…and we just as well have taken a nap instead.

Jen Hatmaker concludes that “God never asked for dancing monkeys.”  He also never told us we had to do this all on our own!  Isn’t it time to bring Him in on the design for your life…your daily “calendar”…the creation of your life’s “blueprint”?  Wouldn’t a little help with all of the burdens and challenges one faces in any given day be refreshing and restorative?  Are you ready to truly rest in the LORD and let Him shoulder the heavy stuff?  Isn’t this the perfect day to begin?

©2014 Debbie Robus

*http://jenhatmaker.com/books.htm