Devotionals for the Heart: On Mercy

The Mercy Seat
A devotional by Mirachelle Canada

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” ~Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

Everyone knows what it means to have a bad day. The kind you wish you could wake up again and start over. I was having a couple of days that seemed to be turning into a bad week.

It started on Sunday with a 24 hour fast accompanied by a cleanse for a colonoscopy on Monday to rule out cancer, then a return to work on Tuesday to find my substitute didn’t follow my lesson plans. Later, my pharmacy was not able to fill my pain prescription because of lack of authorization. On Wednesday, I showed a brief film to inspire students and several feel asleep. Then a student decided to fiddle with, then jam the entrance/exit doors. Shortly after, I discovered that a pouch of important video cards I needed had mysteriously vanished. I’d had enough. I hung my head and cried.

To my relief, my GI doctor offered to give me medicine samples to tide me over. After retrieving said samples, I drove passed the sign for Dunkin Donuts that shined like a beacon. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why would I torture myself with a fat, glazy, carb-filled donut? Sometimes you just need to throw in the mercy towel and go for it. I dug into my purse, pulled out my wallet, and ordered the best-looking mint brownie donut on the menu. What followed was a glorious taste of satisfaction. If it helps you to judge me less, I did pray over my donut before I ate it.

Moments after my dessert escapade I was sitting at a traffic light imaging what Thursday would conjure. Starting with a viewing of security footage to find the culprit who snatch my valuable video cards, then the write ups of an incident report and a disciplinary referral and having to call home to give a parent bad news. It was a giant snowball of catastrophe that I couldn’t stop from plowing into me.

“This is crazy, Lord,” I said, picturing Jesus in my passenger seat. “I don’t need to put up with this continuous fight anymore. You are above all things, so I yield to you, Lord. I need your help!”

In the next instance, I looked into my pursue nestled in the passenger seat to retrieve some chewing gum to cleanse my donut laden pallet. That’s when I saw it and my mouth dropped open in wonder. There, directly in between some items near the top, and sticking straight up like a flag of surrender, was my video card pouch.

I have not earthly explanation for how it got there, and you’ll remember I had just dug through my purse for my wallet to purchase my donut. Even at work, my pursue is locked away in a cabinet. I believe how the pouch got into my pursue is an act of God’s mercy. My overworked guardian angel was more than happy to place such a token of God’s love and grace for me to find. 

It’s not the first time something like that has happened to me and I am sure it won’t be the last. God is faithful to us, even in the small things, and when we approach Him knowing He can help, we have only to throw up our hands in surrender, ask for His mercy, and wait for His answer. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, my results came back cancer free!

Are you in need of God’s mercy today? You can approach His throne with confidence and ask for it. Then, sit back and watch for His grace-filled answer.

~*~
Author Bio:

Mirachelle Canada is a writer, playwright, screenwriter and theatre director/producer from Northern Virginia. She teaches television production at C.D. Hylton Senior High School. 

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting from Regent University and is a member of Act One: Hollywood Film & Television Writing Program, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), ACFW Virginia Chapter, The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and Your Novel Blueprint.

Mirachelle is passionate about awakening creativity and the gifts of God in everyone. She is currently working on her first historical fiction novel set during WWII, inspired by her time studying theatre education in London, England.

In her spare time, she also writes and directs Christmas and Easter passion plays at Christ Chapel Assembly of God in Woodbridge, VA.

~*~
Connect with Mirachelle:
Website: www.mirachellecanada.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirachellecanada/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mirachelle77/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miracan

Devotionals for the Heart: Lessons on faith, fish and finding Jesus

Faith, Fish, and Finding Jesus
A devotional by Victoria Bylin

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.” –John 21:10-11 (NIV)

Not a word in the Bible is wasted. That’s why, when I read these verses at the end of John’s gospel, I’m curious about the number of fish. It’s 153. Not a 152 or 154. Not “about 150,” or any other estimate. There are 153 large fish in the net when the disciples haul it into the boat.

I did some research and found all sorts of theories about this number and what it means. Numbers in the Bible are important, and using even the simplest approach, 153 is rich with meaning because the number one stands for God, the number five is the number of grace and the number three stands for manifestation.

So the whole number “153” stands for God’s grace manifested. What a perfect summation of this story!

Let’s the set scene: It’s nearly dawn. Christ has been crucified and raised from the dead. Shortly before this incident, he revealed himself to the disciples, including doubting Thomas. But time has passed. He’s gone again, and the Holy Spirit won’t arrive until the Book of Acts.

Peter and the disciples go fishing, thus returning to the world they know. They cast their nets, but there’s not a fish to be found. There’s nothing but the dark water and darker sky. They don’t see Christ on the beach, a small fire blazing at His feet. I imagine Peter and his friends were broken and exhausted, confused, full of doubt, and questioning themselves.

Have you been there? I have.

But then they hear Jesus speak to them from the shore.

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” 

(John 21:5-6, NIV)

They cast the net over the side, and the next thing they know, the net is so full that they can’t haul it into the boat. Peter jumps over the side, swims and sloshes to the same Lord who he denied three times. The other disciples drag the net to the shore, where a charcoal fire is ablaze and fish are already cooking.

This is what I love about this story: Jesus didn’t need the disciples to bring in the fish. He was already cooking a meal for them. If he wanted, he could have made the fish jump into their boat. Instead, He lets the disciples participate in what He had already done. Can you imagine the joy of that catch? The excitement as they counted out exactly 153 large fish? The thrill of retelling that story over and over for decades to come?

We have that same privilege now.

God is all-sufficient. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He doesn’t need our flimsy efforts to feed the world and care for the poor, but he knows what a joy it is to give. He allows us to participate in His provision.

We have that opportunity every day. Maybe you give to a local food pantry or bring meals to someone fighting illness. Perhaps there’s a struggling single mom at work, and you pass along a gift card to a grocery store. The list of ways we can share is endless.

When Jesus filled the disciples’ net with 153 fish, it was only the beginning of the story. 

We’re blessed indeed to tell it every day with our own acts of charity. 

~*~
Author Bio:

Victoria Bylin is the author of 18 traditionally published romances. Known for tackling difficult subjects with great compassion, she delights in stories that shine the spotlight of God’s love on ordinary men and women facing realistic challenges.

Writing has always been a part of Victoria’s life. As a child, she wrote hundreds of letters and scribbled in journals. As an adult, she worked as a freelance journalist and editor before taking on the challenge of fiction.

She had one goal when she started her first novel: to finish a book-length manuscript, good or bad. That first effort will never see the light of day, but it led to a second manuscript and a sale to Harlequin Historical. Since then, she has written westerns and contemporary romances for both mainstream and Christian publishers, with Together With You winning the 2016 Inspirational Readers Choice Award for Best Contemporary.

Writing is a joy and a challenge for Victoria, but faith, friends, and family matter to her far more. She’s a wife, mom, proud grandmother, and a dog-mom to a wacky Jack Russell Terrier. Originally from California, she and her husband currently make their home in Lexington, Kentucky. 

When she’s not writing, Victoria enjoys long walks, travel, and dark chocolate.

~*~
Connect with Victoria:
Website: https://www.victoriabylin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Victoria.Bylin.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoriaBylin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/568102.Victoria_Bylin

Words of Faith: M. Simone's story about following God's lead

How to Follow God When You Don’t Know Where He’s Leading
A Words of Faith story by M. Simone Boyd

“Faith is following God when you don’t know where He’s leading.” That’s what my pastor said a few weeks ago in church. And I needed this reminder because I was growing weary of this writing journey.

You see, I took a big leap of faith in the fall of 2014. I left my good government job to write full time. But things haven’t been shaking out quite as I had planned.

By now, I thought I’d be a New York Times best-selling author.

By now, I thought I’d be sitting on Oprah’s couch telling her all about my plans to help heal families.

By now, I thought I’d be making at least a few thousand dollars a month as a writer.

But none of that has happened.

And I think it’s because God is more interested in the journey than the destination. Take the children of Israel, for example. Once they left Egypt it took 40 years to get the Promised Land. 40 years?!

But even when they were wandering in the wilderness, God was proving His faithfulness to them over and over again. Here are three lessons I’m learning as I try to follow God—even when I don’t know where He is leading:

Lesson #1: Look for God’s Protection

You probably know the story of the Exodus. Pharaoh didn’t let the Israelites exit without a fight, and even after they did leave, Pharaoh followed. But God used Pharaoh’s hard heart to demonstrate His protection. Listen to what Moses says as the Egyptian army approached:

“The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14 (NKJV)

Over the past year and a half, I have seen God’s protection time and again. Such as:

· He protected me and my husband from buying a house with termites.

· He’s protected me from job offers that would have taken me away from my mission.

· And He’s fought for me even when I didn’t know that He was doing so. 

Lesson #2: Look for God’s Provision 

God had to teach the Israelites how to rely on Him.

Prior to the Exodus, the Israelites relied on the Egyptians for food and shelter. That’s how Joseph’s brothers wound up in Egypt in the first place, they were starving and Egypt had food. And for 430 years, Egypt provided.

God had to re-teach them the lessons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—He was their sole provider. Provision came via manna in the morning and quail at night.

Personally, I’m struggling with this lesson.

I went from making six-figures a year to making just enough money to put gas in my tank. But the Lord is showing me, just how much trust I had in that job. He’s teaching me to:

· trust in Him

· walk by faith

· and to continue working…even when I don’t see the results.

It’s been a humbling experience. But not once have I been hungry. And every single month, I’ve made money as a professional writer—even if it was only pocket change.

Lesson #3: Look for God’s Guidance

From the moment the Israelites exited Egypt, God was their guide. He showed up as a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. They were never alone.

Neither are you and I.

Looking for His guidance is one of the places I’ve grown. Time and again, He’s closed one door and opened another. Just recently, my novel got rejected by a fancy New York publisher. So decided to go the self-publishing route. A few days later, a local printer wrote me and said they’d print 5,000 copies. For free.

Only God could do that. And I’m following Him, no matter where He leads me.

Reflection question: What lessons is God teaching you as you follow Him in faith? 

~*~

Author bio:

M. Simone Boyd quit her job as an energy analyst to research and write about what makes relationships thrive or die. 

She interviewed 10 Christian, Black men to get their thoughts on relationships and wrote a free guide based on their advice. Simone is the oldest of eight kids and married to her husband, Morris–an only child. 

Say "howdy" to her at: 
My Family Fantastic (blog)
Twitter: @msimoneboyd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myfamilyfantastic/

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