Devotionals for the Heart: God's Love

A Doggy Kind of Love
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

I’m not my dog’s Number One person—that role belongs to my husband, Matt, who I’m quite certain Captain believes hangs the moon in the sky. Still, it staggers me to experience the enthusiastic, passionate, and lavish love Captain holds for me.

We adopted our German Shepherd when he was about six weeks old in the summer of 2021, and it immediately began a time of intense learning for me. I’d never had a puppy before, and I often joke that if I knew going in how much work was required, I would have nixed the whole idea. Thank goodness my husband has had dogs his whole life and knew what he was doing. A lifelong cat mom accustomed to the independent I’ll-cuddle-with-you-when-I-feel-like-it feline way, I had no clue how much effort and interaction I was in for, from potty training to leash walking to not treating my favorite winter jacket like a chew toy.

But, oh, what joy it has been as well! No wonder everyone loves dogs so much—for now I can say I’ve become a true dog-lover, too.

What strikes me most is the fervent joy Captain has merely over being in our presence. If I walk in the door after work or even a ten-minute errand, he literally leaps in happiness, spinning around and around as if he’s saying, “You’re back! This is the best thing ever!”

If I’m working on my laptop on the couch while he’s sound asleep next to me, and I get up to go work at my desk for a while, he stirs himself awake, trots along at my heels, then settles himself right back down again at my feet. “Where you go, I follow, Mama,” he’s saying. I swear he did somersaults for me one afternoon when I picked him up at doggy daycare after a business trip.

My cats adore me, but it’s on far a different level—they show it best by blinking their eyes at me contentedly, or coming up for a quick head-nuzzle. It’s like they’re saying, “Heyyy…thanks for coming back,” a laid-back two on a scale of one to ten in excitement. But Captain? He’s a ten on the excitement scale. Maybe a twelve.

It reminds me a lot of the unexpected enthusiasm and love shown to the prodigal son in Luke 15. Also called the parable of the lost son, the story relates how this son took his inheritance early and then squandered it on wild living. Destitute, he eventually returned home in shame, hoping only to be his father’s hired servant. But to his astonishment, his father was overjoyed at his return and welcomed him home with open arms, celebration, and much honor. As Scripture tells us, “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for hm; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 NIV).

I can imagine this father, quite literally running toward his son, tears of joy streaming down his cheeks and laughter bubbling within his chest. “You’re home! My precious boy—I thought you were dead and gone forever!” I imagine him shouting. If he were Captain, he’d also be doing backflips and somersaults in glee, a dance of pure, unadulterated doggy love filled with fervor and zeal.

That’s how God loves us, in truth: so much that God chases us down, calls us back from the depths of the wilderness, forgives our sins and welcomes us home. So much that God sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, pay our sin-debt, and create a place for us in eternity with him forever. He loves us with the perfect, pure affection of a German Shepherd greeting his favorite people after a long time away.

I wonder: Do we love God back with that same fervor and zeal? Does that extraordinary love and gratitude fill our hearts and overflow in our actions, or do we tuck it down, keeping our emotions steady and our faith zipped in tight?

Today, I urge you to stop keeping your own feelings and love for the Lord buttoned up and socially “appropriate.” Instead, risk looking like a proverbial Jesus freak and let your passions ignite and explode when you worship, pray, and serve the Lord in your daily life. He loves us even better than a dog loves his master, and in honor of that, let’s love him well in return.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Lord, thank You for the incredible and exuberant love You have for us and for the relationship You invite us to experience with You. Help us be filled with joy and enthusiasm for this precious gift today and every day. In Jesus's Name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden.

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

Jessica has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: Life lessons on faith, love and loss of a dear puppy

Until We Meet Again
A devotional by Sarah Cole

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

–John 14:1-4 (NIV)

Tears streamed down my face as I drove past the veterinary clinic.

I said goodbye to my beloved dog Gigi a few days earlier, and her death left me wondering how I would survive.

For months, dementia made the dog I knew disappear. What remained was an imposter who wandered through the house unaware of my presence. One day I had a gut feeling she had little time left to live. God had been warning me for weeks as she became finicky, developed a cough, and no longer played fetch with her favorite ball. Her downward spiral felt like a death in the family, and my heart broke as I slowly lost pieces of the dog whom I loved more than life itself.

That evening I went upstairs to my office, and as usual, she followed me. As I got up to use the bathroom, I looked over at her and she had collapsed, her eyes gazing lifelessly back at me. I knew something tragic was happening and tried to get her to stand up, but she collapsed again, and I carried her limp body downstairs. Just then, a voice interrupted me, telling me not to seek expensive treatment and let her illness run its course. Surely that wasn’t God, I told myself.

The online veterinarian asked me for the color of Gigi’s gums. “Bubble gum pink,” I said. “Not the usual red color of gum disease.” She mentioned the words ‘blood loss’ and ‘congestive heart failure’ and told me to watch her breathing and call my vet the following morning. Until then I hadn’t entertained the thought of losing her at Christmastime, and God reminded me to savor each moment with her like it was our last.

The bond we have with our pets is a piece of Heaven and the reason it is so hard to say goodbye. Their unconditional love is just a glimpse of the overwhelming love Jesus Christ had for us when He came to rescue our lost and dying world. After He spent all night in the Garden of Gethsemane pleading with His Father to prevent His impending suffering, He went to the Cross anyway, because He loved us more than his own life, and He would rather die than spend eternity without us.

The thought of losing Gigi was unbearable, yet her quality of life had diminished, and her continued suffering was not an option. She gave me everything she had, so besides feeding her whipped cream and a McDonald’s hamburger, I would make the one decision she could not make for herself.

On the day I put her to sleep, life as I knew it was over, but I found comfort knowing that one day Jesus will tell her I am coming home. And with a twinkle in her eye, she will tear away from the pack, sprint across Heaven, and stand with Him to welcome me saying, “Mommy, what took you so long?”

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we are forever grateful to You for sending your Son Jesus to rescue us from the power of sin and death. Help us remember that when losses shake the foundations of our lives, Christ's death and resurrection carry the promise of eternal life for us and for those we have lost. In Jesus's Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Sarah Cole’s interest in writing began in grade school when her poem was published in the local paper. As she got older, her mother’s chronic illness inspired her to design a line of greeting cards.

Since then, she has written for her college newspaper and two community newspapers where she wrote restaurant reviews and articles for their “Best of” spread.

Her experience as an administrator in the marketing field gave her the opportunity to write ads for a local business journal.

After a 20-year detour and a three-year season of adversity, God reignited her passion to write. Two divine appointments later, the short story she wrote about her father appeared in the St. Paul Almanac, and a short story about her cocker spaniel Gigi was published in Guideposts (magazine) Mysterious Ways. She believes her adversity was worth the lessons God taught her.

During this year (2022) and the next (2023), Sarah’s devotionals will be published in The Secret Place by Judson Press, as well as David C. Cook’s Devotions and The Quiet Hour. To this day, she smiles, pinches herself and gives God all the glory.

When she’s not writing, Sarah enjoys watching cooking shows, designing cards and mugs, and taking day trips.

~*~
Connect with Sarah:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smittyc65
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@SarahCo45835279
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.cole.52

Devotionals for the Heart: Life lessons learned from a puppy named Halo

Bound to God
A devotional by Glynis Becker

“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” —Isaiah 58:11 (ESV)

We have a sweet rescue poodle named Halo. She’s been part of our family for the last seven years. She was a stray, so we have no idea where she came from, how old she is, or what her life was like before us.

For many years after we got her, when we went to put her on her leash to go for a walk, she would pull and jump and twist for blocks and blocks. (Her penchant for turning circles is what gave us the idea for her name.) She would wrap herself up in the leash and we’d have to stumble around her and stop every so often to untangle her. It was annoying, and funny, and sometimes a little dangerous. We would look at her and say with great affection, “Halo! Why can’t you just be normal? Why can’t you just walk with us?”

Now that she is older, her eyesight is starting to dim. She can’t see where she’s going quite as well, so when we put the leash on her, she isn’t quite as excited. We sometimes have to pull her along beside us. Because of her lowered energy level and partial blindness, she isn’t as comfortable walking in unfamiliar places. She is more easily scared. So these days we say, still with great affection, “Halo! Why can’t you just let us lead you? Trust us. We won’t let you get hurt.”

How like our walk with the Lord is this? When things are new and the days are filled with sunshine, we get excited to be on the path with Him. We let Him lead us in His way, full of passion for the Gospel, the Good News that Jesus Christ is Who He says He is. Passion for the lost, love for our fellow humans and a need to be close to Christ take over our lives and we’re happy to go where He wants us to.

But as the days get darker and we’ve been on this path longer and longer, sometimes we lose sight of the fact that the Lord is still leading us. The more we read the Bible and pray, we should learn that we need Him more, not less. We should learn that being tied to Him is the best place to be. But sometimes we need to be dragged into something new or different or uncomfortable. Or we wander “off the leash” and find our own kind of trouble.

Today I’m praying that I allow God to lead me wherever and to whatever He has for me. I don’t want to miss His call on my life because I’m too busy pulling at the leash.

This image makes me think of the classic hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” One line from the lyrics written by Robert Robinson says:

“O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,

Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee.”

I don’t want to be bound to anything that isn’t eternal. Only God’s grace, like in this hymn, can give me everything I need to walk with Him. That is what will lead me where He wants me to go.

Let’s pray: Dear Lord, bind me to You. No matter how hard I might push back, remind me that You know and want what is best for me. I want to love Your grace more than the things of the world. Help me trust that even if You lead me into something hard, you will never leave me to face it alone. Make my words be a light to others that will lead them to You as well. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Glynis Becker writes devotions and inspirational fiction, hoping someday to have a published novel on her resume.

She has co-written several screenplays, including the film Sinking Sand, available on DVD and digital streaming.

Glynis, whose childhood was spent all over the country as an Air Force brat, has called South Dakota home for many years, along with her husband and two teenage children.

When she’s not writing or reading, she is watching more television than she should and crocheting.

You can find her at www.glynisbecker.com.

Devotional by Mary Manners: Is Today Really Necessary?

Today, I'd like to re-post a favorite devotional written by Mary Manners! It's about persevering through the trails as you journey through life. I believe you will benefit from reading this devotional.

Meanwhile, please pray for Mary Manners and her family. They are going through a tough time and will appreciate your prayers. God knows the details. Just pray.

Enjoy the devotional!

~*~
Is Today Really Necessary?
A devotional written Mary Manners

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." ~James 1:2-4~

My dad has always been my hugest inspiration. Long ago, when I was barely a teenager in the early days of my middle school journey, I came home following a particularly rough day to find him sitting on the front porch waiting for me so he could ask about my day. I joined him on the concrete landing and he spent a good hour listening while I vented about the trials and tribulations of being a thirteen-year-old in a cruel, cruel world. I imagined he had no idea what I was going through, since he couldn't have possibly ever been as young as thirteen. Little did I know!

The next day, Dad came home with a small treasure for me—a poster with the most forlorn-looking bloodhound sitting in a washtub full of soap bubbles that had been dumped over his head. The caption read, "Was today really necessary?" 

Dad helped me mount the poster in a place of honor on my bedroom wall, and then we sat together and talked some more. That's when I began to understand the power of adversity in shaping who I am as well as my life's path.

Today, I use the trials of my life—both the small inconveniences that jab like bony fingers along my rib cage as well as the tsunamis that sweep through to wash away any semblance of sanity—to shape and mold my writing. Characters come alive when their story is infused with nuances of my personal trials. In daily tribulations I find a never-ending fount of inspiration. The passion to write the next story burns continuously inside me, and with every detour that comes my way I know that the round-about will lead to another exciting chapter.

My dad succumbed to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma thirteen years ago, but his memory is alive and well in the poster that has traveled with me through the decades. It now holds a place of honor on the wall across from my office desk. Each time I glance up to read the caption, I smile and think, "Yes, today is really necessary and thank you, God, for allowing me another breath, another test…and another chapter."

~*~

Author bio:

Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Lucky and Gus.

She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and Smoky Mountain sunsets.

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.

Devotional by Mary Manners: Is Today Really Necessary?

My dear writer friend Mary Manners pays her first visit to my blog today as our official devotional writer! As I mentioned in a previous post, Mary will contribute one devotional to the blog every month starting today! :)

Traditionally, the posts will be published on the last Monday of every month.

I hope you will enjoy visiting with Mary. She has a wealth of wonderful wisdom to share that I believe will encourage you in your journey through life. 

Enjoy! :)

~*~
Is Today Really Necessary?
A devotional written by Mary Manners

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."~James 1:2-4~

My dad has always been my hugest inspiration. Long ago, when I was barely a teenager in the early days of my middle school journey, I came home following a particularly rough day to find him sitting on the front porch waiting for me so he could ask about my day. I joined him on the concrete landing and he spent a good hour listening while I vented about the trials and tribulations of being a thirteen-year-old in a cruel, cruel world. I imagined he had no idea what I was going through, since he couldn't have possibly ever been as young as thirteen. Little did I know!

The next day, Dad came home with a small treasure for me--a poster with the most forlorn-looking bloodhound sitting in a washtub full of soap bubbles that had been dumped over his head. The caption read, "Was today really necessary?" 

Dad helped me mount the poster in a place of honor on my bedroom wall, and then we sat together and talked some more. That's when I began to understand the power of adversity in shaping who I am as well as my life's path.

Today, I use the trials of my life--both the small inconveniences that jab like bony fingers along my rib cage as well as the tsunamis that sweep through to wash away any semblance of sanity--to shape and mold my writing. Characters come alive when their story is infused with nuances of my personal trials. In daily tribulations I find a never-ending fount of inspiration. The passion to write the next story burns continuously inside me, and with every detour that comes my way I know that the round-about will lead to another exciting chapter.

My dad succumbed to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma thirteen years ago, but his memory is alive and well in the poster that has traveled with me through the decades. It now holds a place of honor on the wall across from my office desk. Each time I glance up to read the caption, I smile and think, "Yes, today is really necessary and thank you, God, for allowing me another breath, another test…and another chapter."

REFLECT: God is the master of the universe. He hears our every cry and knows the deepest desires of our hearts. His plan is for good, not to harm. Trust in this and carry on.

PRAY: Dear Lord, please help me to trust in Your will and Your plan for my life. Help me to be fearless in each trial and heartache that comes my way, knowing fully that you hold the paintbrush for the universe, and with each careful stroke You form the path of my existence.