a heart after You: week 5 (final week)

Reading for today: Psalm 139

David was a man after God’s own heart. For the last few weeks, we have been looking at the stories of David to figure out what it means to have a heart after God.

It doesn’t mean that we are better than the average guy. It doesn’t mean that we have it all figured out. It doesn’t mean that we’ll always do the right thing. And if we screw up, it definitely doesn’t mean that we’ve lost our chance.

You see, having a heart after God’s own heart is simply seeking Him above all else. And when you seek God, He will be found and He will change your heart.

So that when you are facing giants, you hold onto Him. When you are in the middle of an I-don’t-know-what-to-do situation, you beg Him for guidance. When you are in the wrong, you listen to Him and you adjust back to His will. When you recognize His blessings, you dance for joy.

And if you break His heart by turning completely away from His will, His Spirit will allow your heart to break as well. He will humble you, and you will ask for forgiveness, which He will graciously give. And then you will understand what is at the heart of God – His mercy, His forgiveness, and His unbelievable love.

Dear God, Please give me a heart like yours. Teach me Your mercy, Your forgiveness and Your amazing love. Amen.

This week begins the season of Lent, what better way to learn of God’s heart than to study and meditate on the mercy, forgiveness, and love that God showed through His Son, Jesus.

This week, as we prepare, we will read through some of the Psalms of David.

Day 2 – Psalm 25:4-10

Day 3 – Psalm 37:3-6; 23-24

Day 4 – Psalm 86:1-12

Day 5 – Psalm 103:1-13

 

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a heart after You: week 3

Reading for today: Psalm 86:11-13

 

Abigail kneels before David by James Tissot

Hot-headed David grabbed his sword and called his 400 men to do the same. Without consulting God, David planned to bring down judgment on his worthless neighbor, Nabal. In the eyes of the world, he had every right to teach Nabal a lesson, but it was not the right that God had given him.

Thank God for Nabal’s discerning wife, Abigail. Her quick-headed thinking not only stopped David and his army from decimating her entire household, but she also saved David from bloodguilt.

Sometimes we stand at the intersection of God’s desires and our own. If we are so blessed to have someone intervene on our behalf, pay attention. Stop what you are doing, and thank God for his unsolicited guidance.

*Hint: As you chase after God’s heart, know that He is already chasing after yours.

Dear God, Thank you for putting people in my life who show me Your heart. Amen.

This week, let’s read David and Abigail’s full story.

Day 2 – I Samuel 25:1-13

Day 3 – I Samuel 25:14-31

Day 4 – I Samuel 25:32-42

Day 5 – Psalm 15

 

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Best Laid Plans

@anormanwalker

Reading for today: Acts 16:6-15

In general, our plans don’t always go as intended. Yet God is always directing us to the people, places, and circumstances he has planned for us.

For Paul, Silas, and Timothy, their plans to work in Asia were stopped more than once by the Holy Spirit. Not because their plans were bad, but because God’s plans were better. God had a very special woman and her family in mind. Lydia and her family were waiting to hear and ready to accept the amazing words that Paul and his friends had dedicated their lives to share.

Lydia and her purple cloth, “Purple Girl” photograph by Barry Perks

Some of us, like Paul and his friends, may be fortunate enough to glimpse God’s reasoning behind an unexpected or unwanted life-turn. Others of us can only trust that God has his best, our best, and others’ best in mind with each turn in the road.

My favorite moments, though, are the ones when I get to see the blessing. Every time that happens, I thank God for directing me when I would have otherwise walked away.

Recognize God’s directing. Life will become deeper and fuller as you learn to see the people, places, and circumstances around you as strategically positioned in time and space by God himself and for his better will.

Oh God, I want to want your will to be done. Give me trust. Give me wisdom. Give me strength. Guide me according to your best plans. Amen.

Day 2: Psalm 139

Day 3: Jeremiah 29:11-14; Psalm 138:8; Psalm 143:8

Day 4: Proverbs 19:21; Psalm 33:10-12

Day 5: John 10:3-4; James 1:5; Proverbs 3:5-6

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Runner’s Guide

Reading for today: Hebrews 12:1-11

The longest race I’ve ever run is a 25K, that’s about 15 ½ miles. When you are running a race that long, it is never called the “Fun Run” or the “Turkey Trot”, because it is not fun and you are not trotting. On the contrary, running a race that long, even for the seasoned runner, is very difficult and requires months of training.

But for most people who have accomplished a race of that magnitude, they know that the pain and preparation were worth it. Not only do they feel the immediate “runner’s high” (the flood of endorphins into the brain, causing feelings of euphoria*), but they also enjoy a long-lasting sense of pride in their accomplishment.

The author of Hebrews describes the Christian life as a long-distance race.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who or the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” ~Hebrews 12:1-2

by Runner’s World

That very long-distance sentence is packed with training tips for life.

1. Be encouraged because we are not alone in this race. We are surrounded by witnesses and fellow runners.
2. Sin and distractions slows us down. Get rid of them.
3. We are to run the race marked out for us. Not any other route.
4. Jesus is the rabbit, the pacesetter, and the one we follow. He is the one we look to for guidance because he is the one who calls us to run this race. He knows the route and he will lead us the whole way.
5. Jesus knows the joy or the euphoria waiting at the end because he has already run the race perfectly.

Racing is about convincing your body to do something that will hurt. Why? Because you know that in the end, it will be amazing. Likewise, walking with faith through this life requires discipline and sometimes pain, but it is ultimately for good, preparing us for eternal life.

Dear Jesus, Help us to run the race you have set before us. Lead us. Help us not to get lost, not to get sidetracked. Lead us to the finish line, which sometimes seems so far away. Amen.

Readings for this week:

Day 2 – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Day 3 – Philippians 3:8-14; 4:13

Day 4 – Proverbs 4:11-18

Day 5 – 2 Timothy 4:6-8

 

 

*Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/health/nutrition/27best.html?_r=0 on April 10, 2016

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Love in the Time of Barley: The Ruth Story

“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you” (Ruth 1:16-17).

(This week we will read the book of Ruth.)

The book of Ruth opens with the introduction of an Israelite woman named Naomi. Naomi, her husband, and two sons had moved from Israel to a foreign place (Moab) to escape a famine. While there, Naomi’s husband tragically died. Her sons married two Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. And after a time, both of Naomi’s sons died as well, leaving all three wives destitute.

Unable to take care of herself, Naomi prepared to return to her homeland. She graciously encouraged both Ruth and Orpah to return to their families to seek a better life. Orpah followed Naomi’s advice, but Ruth clung to her mother-in-law. The opening chapter concludes with Ruth’s resolve and the two of them traveling together to Naomi’s hometown, Bethlehem.

They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. Israel divided its year into two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. The barley harvest normally occurred at the end of the rainy season.

Naomi and Ruth were both literally and figuratively coming to the end a rainy season: a season that had initially left Naomi hurting, empty and bitter. Yet God was not fit to leave these women in such a state. He was about to bless them both immensely.

While gleaning in the barley fields as a pauper, Ruth met a man named Boaz. He owned the fields where she gleaned and took an interest in her. He kindheartedly made sure she was safe and asked his reapers to leave extra stalks for her to collect.

The story quickly develops into a selfless love story between Ruth and her “kinsman-redeemer,” Boaz. Ending with the couple’s engagement at the threshing floor for six measures of barley. Their marriage not only saved Ruth and Naomi from extreme poverty, but also continued the lineage that would eventually lead to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

I don’t know whether God causes rain to fall in our lives or if he just uses it. Regardless, whenever I have experienced a time of rain, whether it was a light drizzle or a torrential downpour, the experience has inevitably brought me closer to God. And as I arrive at the other side of a rainy season, I can look back and be grateful to God, because I know that if there had not been a change in weather, I would not be sitting in the center of God’s harvest.

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom he has called according to his plan.” Romans 8:28

Dear God, You know that _________________ is going on in my life. Give me peace. Give me help. Take me through this and lead me to the other side. Amen.

Let’s read Ruth’s story this week.

Day 2: Ruth 1

Day 3: Ruth 2

Day 4: Ruth 3

Day 5: Ruth 4

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New Year’s Goal

Reading for today: Matthew 2:1-12 (Click on the passage to read online.)

“…and they fell down and worshiped him” ~ Matthew 2:11

Retrieved from: roweig.deviantart.com

Just a few days ago my mother sat at her dining room table helping my frustrated son complete a maze. He was about to throw down his pencil when she calmly advised him saying, “Sometimes you need to start at the finish to understand where you need to go.”

In Matthew 2, a group of foreign scholars were trying to solve a puzzle. They had seen an astrological phenomenon appear in their skies and believed it would lead them to a king. They had only prophetic hints of where they could find this king. Some scholars believe they even traveled 900 miles, following this star. The journey was no doubt long and frustrating, especially as they arrived only to find themselves in the wrong city.

But as they fumbled their way through this puzzling journey, two things are very clear. The first is that the finish for them, the end-goal, was to worship the king – Jesus. They started with that goal in mind and worked backwards until the way became clear. The story of these international wise men begins and ends with worship in mind. In verse 2, they explain to King Herod, “We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” And then at the end in verse 11, upon finally seeing Jesus, the baby king, “they fell down and worshiped him.”

The second thing that is clear is that God was leading them to worship the king. The supernatural star that guided them had been foretold in Scripture (and possibly in foreign writings) hundreds of years prior to Jesus’ birth. Because of these prophetic writings, the wise men and the chief priests and scribes were able to understand where Jesus could be found. Not only did the foretold star appear, but it moved, leading the wise men. It stopped only as “it came to rest over the place where the child was” (verse 9). The place where they finally could worship the king.

As you begin this new year, make worshiping Jesus your goal. Make worship a daily journey, understanding that you will need God’s help along the way. Remember that God will lead you to worship because it is his goal for you as well.

Dear God, Thank you for calling us to worship you. Help us, guide us, and protect us as we make worship our daily goal. Amen.

This week, ponder what it means to worship God and the importance of making worship a part of your daily life. (Click on the passages to read online.)

Day 2: Psalm 95:1-7a

Day 3: Habakkuk 3:17-18

Day 4: Ephesians 5:14-21

Day 5: Psalm 150

 

*Special thanks to my mother, my father, and my husband, each of whom helped to create this week’s devotional.

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