Devotionals for the Heart: How to bear good fruit in God's Kingdom

Fruit Bearing in God’s Kingdom
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

—Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

This morning a friend sent me a video of her little granddaughter reciting Galatians 5:22-23. She couldn’t have been more than five or six years old, but she was perfectly at ease as she quoted God’s word without any coaching. It was a beautiful testimony of her family’s dependence on the Lord and their devotion to teaching their children to memorize Scripture.

That little girl’s testimony convicted me not just because she knew all the words, but because her sweet face was wreathed in smiles as she spoke. She was dancing as she remembered each part, and when she finished her joyful rendition, she looked up adoringly at her parents to make sure she had said it all perfectly.

It convicted me because I realized how seldom God’s fruit of the Spirit in me looks like that young child. And it made me wonder if anyone who knows me would even recognize me if my face was as radiant as the girl in the video appeared. Are the spiritual fruits that the Lord wants me to exhibit evident in my life?

Lately, I’d have to say maybe not.

Why do I let the cares and concerns of daily living defeat God’s invitation to live by the Spirit and to produce His fruit in my life? How do I become so overwhelmed with calendars and schedules that kindness and gentleness rush out of my relationships? What will it take to show me how to dance again in the eyes of my Heavenly Father simply because there is so much joy in His presence? When will I wake up and realize that there is beauty in faithfulness, peace in obedience, and self-control in His strength?

As the Old Testament psalmist asked, “How long, O Lord?” Psalm 13:1 (ESV).

So, instead of whining and complaining about having too much to do, my question to God now is, “Lord, how long do I need to exhibit Your spiritual fruit in my life?” Rhetorical questions like this one deserve only one answer, and the answer is always.

Does God want us to always share His fruit of the Spirit with those in the world around us? Absolutely! How can we do that? One word: obedience. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV) tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” It’s a great place to start.

Give thanks because our joints are hurting? Sure, and while we’re at it, let’s thank God for the physical therapist who is helping us to feel better. Thank Him for our meager paycheck? Of course! Thank Him for giving us a job.

Is practicing gratitude working for you yet? It is for me. Somehow life seems a little bit more hopeful. Maybe it feels a little more joyful. And maybe obedience is even showing me how to live closer to Christ. If this keeps up, I might turn into that little girl who loves learning God’s Word. My aching joints don’t ache quite as much when I’m dancing!

Whatever our circumstances, our thankful attitudes are steps of obedience to create loving, peaceful, joyful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled fruit for the Lord to multiply as He sees fit.

Jesus Christ, our Lord, cautions us about fruit-bearing in Matthew 21:18-22 (ESV). During the last few days before the crucifixion of Jesus and His resurrection, He and His disciples were walking one day when they came to a fig tree that was barren, with no fruit on it anywhere. Jesus says to the tree, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” (Matthew 21:19). That tree withered immediately at the rebuke of our Lord.

Let’s not be like that barren tree. In obedience, let us follow Jesus every day of our lives. May we have fruit to share with our brothers and sisters in this world so we can resemble that little girl who gazed up in adoration when she finished her verses. Our Father (God) sees and is glad when we follow Him genuinely.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord God, oh, how we need You! Please show us the places where You ask us to obey. Please forgive us for our gloomy outlooks and for our rebellion against You, too. Lord, we need Your spiritual face-lifts in our lives. Please let us please You, our Savior and our God. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “I Wanna Bear Fruit (the Fruit of the Spirit)” by CJ and Friends. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: How we should respond when we are suffering

Our Response to Suffering
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

—Psalm 50:14-15 (ESV)

All throughout Scripture, the Lord calls us to give Him thanks in everything.

We are to rejoice in Him, and that means to be glad in the provision of the Lord. That doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice when we first think of it, but what if God’s provision for us is something we don’t necessarily want?

The other night, a group of ladies and I were talking about the definitions of justice and mercy that God uses. We had to admit that we like God’s definition of mercy, but His justice isn’t quite so popular. We don’t always want some of the things the Lord hands to us. A job loss can really mess up our plans, but the loss of a loved one is even worse. And in our humanity, we don’t want either one.

A few weeks ago, a much-loved family member who lived alone had a fall and lay for hours on the floor before anyone found her. After a successful surgery, our family struggled to find a good rehabilitation center that could take her for physical therapy. One center looked very promising, but then the door closed.

Discouragement set in immediately. We kept searching, but no other options were available, and we didn’t know what to do. But the Lord says that we are to “rejoice always”, as the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (ESV). So, we started asking God what to do. Are we really going to rejoice and be thankful even when every option was a solid no? God is patient with us, thankfully. His directive was clear. We were to rejoice and that’s what we began to do.

As I began to pray, it was easy at first as I thought of all God’s goodness, but then my mind tried to get all tangled up in the requests for a suitable facility. There were tons of “what if” questions as I tried to second-guess the Lord about our dilemma.

Then another of God’s directives came to mind, almost like a dare! I was to offer thanksgiving and praise. Trying to be obedient, I praised Him for His provision, His character, and His powerful works throughout history. I even thanked Him for delivering the Israelites by parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22)! Then as the afternoon passed by, peace began to fill my entire being.

What joy we have experienced since that day! As it turns out, God had another plan all along, one much better for all of us, especially for our loved one. To us, His plan seemed impossible, but when has that ever stopped the Lord? We should know by now that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26 NIV).

Our family continues to rejoice in the goodness of God. We praise Him for His faithfulness. We marvel at His unending kindness. We thank Him for His peace.

When the storms of life break out in our world, we can choose how to respond to the Lord God Almighty. Our compassionate God is right there with us, and He understands and accepts our pain, confusion, and grief. Human suffering is God’s suffering, too. But none of it is ever wasted or for no logical reason. Our hope rests in our Lord who knows that pain will bring us closer to Him, if we’ll let Him use it. He wants us to grow to be more and more like Him.

Let’s Pray: 

Dear Lord, 

You know the experiences of every one of us, and You have complete understanding of all our pain. Thank You for sending Jesus, Your Son, to die for all the sins of the world. You sent Him to die in our place and free us from the justice we deserve. Instead, You give mercy. We praise you for this priceless gift, and we ask that You restore joy in us as we draw closer to You. 

In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “One Thing I Know” by Selah. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Goodness of God” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we need to have a child-like faith in God

A Child’s Faith in God
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”—Matthew 18:3 (ESV)

As the youngest of four girls, my childhood revolved around hand-me-downs. Most were clothes, which always came in handy, but my favorite relics were the dolls my sisters had outgrown and passed along.

The soft-bodied baby dolls were precious to me. They needed lots of feeding and burping and changing of their perfectly clean diapers. Little nightgowns were for sleeping, and for an outing they needed to put on hats and coats before they were bundled into the doll stroller to get some fresh air.

Playing dolls was so important to me that I even convinced the little boy next door to play “Pioneer Family” with me. We set up our “cabin” under some shade and then moved in the doll beds and highchair. Then, while I tended babies, he went to “provide food for the family” which entailed elaborate hunts for imaginary deer, a much more pleasurable pursuit for a young boy.

But all that play set the stage for maturity. Especially as I became a young mom, I loved holding our boys, tending to them, and watching them grow into their little jeans and T-shirts. They discovered any kind of ball game, and I watched hours of T-ball, Wiffle ball, and eventually, tennis as our children matured.

In God’s perfect wisdom, He created families where little kids could grow up, start new families, and then teach their children to grow into healthy, happy kids, teenagers, and young adults. It’s an amazing cycle of birth, growth, adulthood, and parenthood—complete renewal.

As we tend to the kids around us, the most important thing we teach them is to love God. The child-like faith of a little five-year-old is precious to behold. She trusts God to bring her alcoholic parent to Jesus Christ. Her innocent prayers are dear to her Father (God) in Heaven, and He hears her cry.

One of our then three-year-old granddaughters found a most curious bug crawling on the driveway and excitedly asked me to take a picture. That photo remains a favorite to this day. I didn’t know how to switch the camera to take a selfie, but she did, and right as I took her bug picture, she switched the view. Her look of fascination far surpassed the fantastic bug she’d found. The faith of the child with eyes wide with wonder is a breath of exhilarating air. This child found such delight in her find, and I found joy in her.

The apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV), “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

This is child-like faith, to savor the days of dollies and little bugs, imaginations and dreams. It is ours if we exercise the Lord’s patience with the children in our lives. The children in the “Pioneer Family” grew up to start their own families, teaching their own children and grandchildren about Jesus. The young bug watcher is now a dedicated animal and insect lover. And the little girl who prayed for her Daddy saw him come to know his Savior. It was almost 50 years of waiting, but the Lord was patient with them both.

This same child-like faith can be ours for all of life, as well. There are sacrifices to be made along the way, of course. Staying up all night battling mosquitoes became the preview of a meteor shower that set a teenager on a life-long quest to explore the great outdoors. His photographs grace my wall with the pages of the newest calendar he and his family created. Then there’s ascending a mountain you never thought you could climb, but the view from the top changes your whole perspective. And the joy of the Lord is in them both.

And sadly, we often miss out on so much because we want to control the outcomes of our lives. We want to make money, or we let age creep up on us, a ready excuse not to climb to the top of the hill. Perhaps our love for Jesus has grown old and cold. It takes the faith of a child to open our Bible and ask God what He wants to teach us today. And then it takes child-like faith to obey what our Savior tells us.

Jesus says in Matthew 19:14 (ESV), “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” He is calling to us, dear sisters and brothers, to embrace the faith of a child.

Let’s Pray: Lord, You have shown us the joy of children as we watch Your magnificent ways. Please teach us to wake up every morning with excitement and eagerness as we wonder what new thing You have in store for us. And then give us strength and courage to embrace a new day full of Your possibilities. In child-like faith, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “A Childlike Faith” by The Pfeifers. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: When Jesus Christ asks you the eternal question

The Eternal Question
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

—Matthew 16:15 (NIV)

Questions come at us all the time. How are you? How’s work? Are you dating anyone? How’s the spouse? What are you cooking for supper tonight?

Those are the generic, everyday questions we always hear. Then there are the seasonal questions: Where do you spend your holidays? Do you have any seasonal traditions? Do you travel during the winter or summer? Where do you like to go?

And there are also those very personal questions that we don’t share with just anyone. Do you love me? Do I love you? Will you marry me? Do I want a ring on my finger? Can I commit to marriage? Do you want to have children? Where do we want to live?

These are important questions that we all must answer sometime in life, and they change the direction of our careers, our spouses, and our families.

But there is another question that holds even greater importance. It changes the trajectory of our lives here on earth, and the rewards or consequences of our answers will be ours for all eternity. This momentous question sounds like a simple one: Who is Jesus Christ to you?

Ah, there it is. Who is Jesus? People have myriads of answers. He was a good man, a good teacher. Some might think He was a prophet, or somebody in the Bible they’ve heard about. In some hearts, Jesus is the one who makes us feel guilty when we hurt other people, or who makes us angry when we meet someone from church wo has an oh-so-righteous-holier-than-thou attitude. His name might be one we’ve only heard when someone is cursing. Some might say that Jesus doesn’t even exist. He’s just a fairy tale within the pages of the Bible.

Throughout my lifetime, I’ve heard all these answers, but my skeptical heart couldn’t really buy any of them. For me, it took years of digging into the Scripture and asking what seemed like thousands of questions before my real question about Jesus was answered.

Jesus is exactly who the Bible says He is. He is the long-awaited Messiah of the nation of Israel. He is the Savior of the world. He is the Prince of Peace. And there’s more! Jesus is the lover of my soul. He lifts my weary head. He forgives my sins. He is the Lord of my life. Jesus is God’s Son, and because I have believed that Jesus died for my sins and I have asked Him to forgive and save me from those sins, I’m also considered a member of the family of God.

There’s even more than all that! When Jesus Christ returns to earth to take His faithful followers home, I will be welcomed into God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom to live forever. My death won’t change anything but my address because the life I am living now is centered on Jesus. And that’s exactly what eternity promises.

There’s nothing in my life that has earned God’s favor. Just the opposite is true. I was sinful and rebellious toward God. Nothing could convince me that He is real and that all His promises are true until He opened my eyes to read the Bible and He gave me the ability to trust Him. His first gift to me was belief in Jesus. His second gift was His forgiveness of every sin. His third and lasting gift is His abundant life in Jesus Christ, right here on earth for now, and then forever in Heaven with Him.

So, each of us is faced with the question, “Who do you say Jesus is?”

Your eternity hinges on your answer. Which will you choose? Eternal salvation in Heaven with the Lord who loves you, or eternal damnation in hell without Jesus? Remember, dear one, eternity is just as real as Jesus is, and what we choose now determines either eternal life or eternal death.

Choose Life, Beloved. Choose Jesus.

Let’s Pray: Dear Jesus, I trust You, and I believe that You are the only way to be saved in your Kingdom. Please forgive my sins and accept me into Your family forever. Thank You, Lord. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Choose Life” by Big Tent Revival. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we need to learn how to number our days

Numbering Our Days
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

—Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

When God created us in His own image back in Genesis 1:27, He also designed us with an internal clock.

Only He knows the exact moment when our time on earth expires. We are clueless when we try to determine our life’s span, although many of us desperately try to figure it out, especially when we try to stave off death by taking any number of vitamins, special diets, or guaranteed exercise programs to postpone the inevitable.

But God isn’t interested in us scrambling around trying to number the days of our lives. He already sewed that up. In Psalm 90:12, God calls us to do more than just buy stock in the most recent Fountain of Youth. He calls us to make every one of our days count—for eternity.

Okay, that sounds daunting, right? We tally up the scores for our good days and our bad days, hoping that the good days will somehow counterbalance the bad ones. Then, maybe, our eternity will be in Heaven, and not in Hell. That will never work, but God has a plan.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to Earth in the form of a helpless baby and grew into a man, the Son of Man. He began to teach people about God, His Father. And because He is God, He never had days when He was bad. He went through His life only doing good—our sinless Savior.

Then the evil in people killed the Son of God—crucified Him, and then buried His lifeless body. But three days later, Jesus rose from that grave, defeating death and all the evil that tries to rule us. And because of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, we can accept His sacrifice for our own sins and believe in Him as our Savior. That decision leads us to not just good days, but the best days as we prepare for our life in Heaven with Him forever.

So, today counts, but with another question: “How?”

The possibilities are endless! Because we believe in Jesus as our Savior from sin, we are God’s children, His men and women. We read His Word, the Bible, and gain wisdom. We are just and kind to every person we meet. We respect the other eight billion human beings who share the planet with us. And we tell as many people as we can about the living Jesus who died for us so that we wouldn’t have to die eternally for the sins we’ve committed. We teach them to turn away from their sinful lives and to trust Jesus with their todays and their tomorrows.

Most of all, throughout each day, we are obedient to our Lord. He tells us to love God and to love all those eight billion image bearers of God. And not just like them, either. Jesus tells us we are to love them as much as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). And that is hard. So, we try to obey, and the Lord Jesus helps us to do it. We won’t ever be perfect at loving others as we love ourselves, but our honest attempts are what count. They make our days count.

And now for the best part: Our obedience leads to the ability of our hearts to gain more and more of God’s perfect wisdom. It grows more love, more kindness, more goodness, more of everything that creates connections between us. People draw close to new life in Jesus. And we have whole new families of people we may not know, but who share the love of Jesus with us. And our hearts grow fuller and richer with His love in us. These are the days that count, for today and for all eternity.

Let’s Pray: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your salvation. Thank You for Your wisdom. Please give us Your strength as we walk through our days and as we make them count—for You. It’s in Your Name we pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Teach Us to Number Our Days” by Marty Goetz. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Life lessons learned from traveling across Texas

Storehouses New and Old
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”—Matthew 13:52 (NIV)

As a young teenager, I had the opportunity to travel across the state of Texas by myself on a train! My boarding time was around 10:00 p.m. from Alpine, down near the Big Bend, and we finally arrived in Beaumont the next day. It was only about seventeen hours of travel, but it was an even longer journey of the heart.

When the sun came up that morning, we were still in the arid region of the state. Mesquite trees, greasewood, and sage were the only vegetation. It looked the same as my hometown of Van Horn, only flatter. I paid little attention to the view outside and took a little nap.

After a brief doze in the hot, dry air, I awoke to a sight never to be forgotten. The greenest trees I’d ever seen grew all along the great railway and there was no sign of an irrigation ditch, let alone a water hose. We even passed a school with a beautifully manicured lawn, and they weren’t even watering it! I couldn’t believe my eyes. As the miles rushed along, my face was glued to the scenery right outside my window. It was like racing through the Garden of Eden.

Later I grew up and moved away from my home in the desert, and eventually settled down in central Texas. The trees and grass and flowers flourish here, and I’m still amazed at the natural beauty of growing things in my backyard.

But part of me still longs for the scenes of my childhood. My heart cherishes the lessons I learned. Honesty and integrity. Helpfulness and neighborliness. A love of a challenge and, win or lose, good sportsmanship. A handshake is your word, and a promise made is a promise kept.

Added to that is the person I’ve become with the help of the Lord. A wife and mother. A teacher and mentor. A friend and confidante. A lover of God and a lover of the people He has created. And in my heart is something new, too. Joy and peace. Gentleness and kindness. Faith, hope, and love—the love of the Lord that is always more than any of us can imagine.

Both parts, the old and the new, come together more each day. The radiant sunsets that turn the desert hills a rosy pink are a favorite memory. And the plop of a fish on a misty morning lakeside brings a smile. The child who sat on the hot sand to sketch a picture of snow-capped peaks far to the western horizon is the same child in the woman who sits beneath a massive live oak to write a story of an imagined time. The old and the new. Both treasures of sweet moments that are to be cherished for a lifetime.

Granted, not every treasure is a pleasant one. The times of pain and suffering are also in the chest. But today is a time of rejoicing; it’s a day to remember and to bow in grateful adoration to the great God of Heaven and Earth. So, we reach deep into the storehouses of our days, and we give thanks to God who the Father of us all for giving both sorrow and beauty.

A remembered joy is to be shared. As we go through this day, let us give to others what has so freely been given to us. We pass along God’s provision, His patience, His tender mercy, and always, we love as He loves us—openly, joyfully, lavishly. I can only imagine God speaking to us like so: “Go,” He says to our hearts, “Go and teach My people to follow Me.” That is the message our Lord wants us to share.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, the God of all creation, we lift our storehouses to You. Please use them as You see fit and help us to love one another. In the great name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “The Maker” by Chris August. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: When the storms of life are actually a gift for us

The Gift of a Storm
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

—Matthew 28:20b (ESV)

All of us go through storms in life.

Some are physical storms—a rogue wildfire burns everything for miles, a tornado boils up from a thunderstorm, or a hurricane makes landfall days after it first came on the scene. Then there are sprained ankles right before a big game, or a sports season-ending tear in one of the tendons that knocks us flat and makes us sit on the sidelines while we watch others stay in the game and succeed.

There are also emotional storms—the coulda, woulda, shoulda storms over experiences that have hurt us and others, too. Guilt carries its own toll of pain and suffering that we tend to lodge deep within our hearts, sometimes forever.

Storms of life mark our time here on Earth with stress and distress. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that Jesus Christ has given all His children a precious gift—the Holy Spirit. And because of this priceless gift, we never have to face even a single one of life’s storms all alone.

One of the promises God gave concerning Jesus, the longed-for Messiah, is a name that characterizes who Jesus is—Immanuel. His name means “God with us”, according to Matthew 1:23 (ESV). The Holy Spirit, given to us by Christ, stands beside us through every turmoil, every disaster, every heartache in life. He is our Comforter who always provides peace on our often painful journeys.

But it’s hard, isn’t it? When a spouse walks away, or a family loses a child, or a parent receives an ominous “stage four” diagnosis, or maybe a season of utter despair and loneliness descends, there is still hope. Jesus, Immanuel, is with us.

During a recent storm of destructive tornadoes in our area, one of my friends in the path of the twister didn’t answer my texts. Rationalizing kicked in—maybe she was on vacation, maybe her family was visiting. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. But several hours later, she texted back. All day long, she’d been out in her neighborhood helping people she knew, along with complete strangers, who had suffered loss. All in the name of Jesus.

And that’s one of the most beautiful things about being God’s children, members of His eternal family. He allows us to be His hands and feet. My friend, led by God’s gentle Spirit, was out ministering to people who needed some help. Many of her friends had no idea where she was, but the Lord certainly did. He had to be smiling as He watched His lovely daughter doing what He does—pick up the broken pieces of life.

We who believe in Jesus have been given hearts of compassion and understanding. He gives helpful hands to meet the needs around us. With His Holy Spirit’s help, we can continue to follow our Savior in His work on Earth. And no matter what the storm is that boils around us, we can remain peaceful. With our eyes fixed on Jesus, the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), we can serve others with love and kindness, and we can point all who are hurting to the One who gives each one of us eternal hope in Jesus. All we have to do is ask Him for it.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your tender care of us. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. Please give us eyes to see and ears to hear the anguished cries of our sisters and brothers who are hurting from the pain of life’s storms. And please help us to minister to them and to point them to Your Son, Jesus Christ. It is in His precious name that we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: When you let God transform your heart and life

The Transformation
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”—2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Our home is almost 70 years old. It has been rewarding to carefully redo the inside while maintaining the history of its roots. The latest venture into remodeling was the final hold-out, the back bathroom.

Cramped, dark, and oh-so-tiny, the bathroom has served its purpose for all these years, untouched by a contractor’s hands. Efficiency was its strong point; it was possible to use all three facilities at once. Efficient, yes. Comfortable, not so much.

Enter Kenny and his wife. Their references were impeccable, and their former customers gave glowing reviews. We were hooked. And so the transformation of our tiny bathroom began…

First came demolition. In a little over a day, Kenny stripped all the old, worn-out fixtures and at least a ton of heavy tile and mortar out of the space. Then he expanded it to take in two unused closets that were just wasted spaces. Suddenly, the constricting feeling was gone. We weren’t closed in anymore because the bare studs outlined the new, expanded room.

With that job over, Kenny went to work on the foundation. Underneath the entire length of the floor joists, he placed new concrete piers and settled new beams firmly on top, attaching them to the original structure. Over the next few weeks, Kenny and his wife created an open, airy bathroom with tasteful (and utilitarian) details that make our home much more spacious. Beautiful design features include a glass-block window where my once-dying orchids now have a new lease on life.

Throughout this process of transformation, Kenny and his wife prayed for us and asked God to make their work a blessing for our home. The Lord has answered their prayers and ours as well. In place of a once forbidding space, we now have a lovely, quiet retreat.

The Lord works for us in the same way that Kenny and his wife did in our ancient bathroom.

First, He takes our shabby, run-down, sinful selves and then He introduces us to His Son, Jesus Christ, who takes down all the walls that our sinful hearts harbor. Stripping away all the “junk” of our old way of living, He builds a new foundation based on Him: His security, His strength, His hope, His love, His joy, and His forgiveness of our sins.

Next, He creates new capacity for us to love, to forgive, and to show grace and mercy toward others. Just like Kenny used wasted space to complete his design, God brings life out of the emptiness or our existence without Christ. He truly makes a whole new creation out of our dark and selfish lives.

With His finishing touches, God asks us to wait patiently for His completed work. Just as our bathroom wasn’t finished overnight, the Lord works tirelessly to make us new. He spends our whole lifetime helping us prepare to spend eternity with Him. And His work is always perfect, even though we don’t see it yet.

The Lord also has work for us to do here on Earth. He sends people on our path along the way. One of the most wonderful things about living for Jesus is to see other people begin to grow and blossom, just like the orchids in our window. This life Christ promises is called “abundant” in John 10:10, and that’s exactly what it is.

Our ugly little bathroom is now a beautiful place, thanks to our contractors. And in the same way, we also give thanks to the Lord for His lovely, transformative work in us, His children.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord God, thank You for forgiving all our sins and then making us new on the inside. Please continue to make us more and more like Your Son, Jesus. It is in His Name that we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “A Heart Like Yours” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here. 

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: A Mission from God for all Christ-followers

How to Tell the World about Jesus Christ
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”—Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)

Throughout the Bible, God gives His people jobs He wants them to do.

He begins in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, when He assigns Adam the job of tending the garden God made (Genesis 2:15). From there, Noah is commissioned to build an ark (Genesis 6:9-22). Later, God sends Moses to Egypt to lead His captive people to freedom in the Promised Land (Exodus 3:10). God’s message to work continues throughout the rest of His Word (The Holy Bible).

In the New Testament, God records the many miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is important to note that when Jesus is resurrected after His death on the Cross, God’s work continues in the lives of the followers of Jesus.

One of those followers of Jesus was a man named Paul, a well-educated Pharisee who initially persecuted the young church. After Paul met the risen Lord Jesus, he became a missionary who brought the message of salvation to the nations outside of Israel—the Gentile people.

Mission work is all about preaching the good news of Jesus, discipling believers in Jesus, and then equipping the new believers to also become missionaries. It was hard work. Even today, with airplanes, buses, and cars replacing Paul’s foot travel, missionary work is costly and time-consuming.

Paul was a tradesman who made tents to supplement his missionary journeys (Acts 18:3). All through the letters of Paul, he refers to his labor (1 Corinthians 4:12 and 1 Thessalonians 2:9). Paul knew and understood the value of hard work.

In today’s world, many pastors and missionaries are bi-vocational, just like Paul. They work in a career to tell people about Jesus, and they supplement their living expenses with a job doing something different. The work of Christians may look a little different from the tent-making of Paul, but the commitment to be useful sharing the gospel of Jesus is the same.

So, what is the work that the Lord asks us to do? Telling others about Jesus is our highest calling. And to work with our own hands is part of that calling. It is vital to our opportunities of meeting new people and sharing the hope we have in Jesus.

Here in my city, one of the restaurants is run by people who love the Lord. Their food is fresh, handmade, and always tasty. One of the most impactful things about their establishment is the walls. As you walk in the door, Bible verses are the first things you see. In beautiful hand-lettered script, the words of the Lord testify to His goodness. What started out as a restaurant known for its excellent bread also serves the Bread of Life—God’s Word.

The modern world jobs are myriad, and new job descriptions are being written every day to meet the needs of a growing global economy. But the job of Christians everywhere is to share about Jesus. Whether we are a corporate executive, a computer technician, a teacher, a bread baker, or a tent maker, the job we’ve been given enables us to draw people to our Lord and Savior. It doesn’t matter if it’s stencils on a wall of the workplace, or starting a lunchtime Bible study at work, it’s what the Lord puts in front of us to do.

We can work heartily because our work is for the delight of our Heavenly Father. We work for the King of Glory!

Let’s Pray: Lord Jesus, help us to take joy in the work You’ve allowed us to do. Please bless the people who will hear about Jesus as we go to work. Please help us to share Your love and Your salvation everywhere we go. Thank You, Lord. It is in Your Name we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “The Mission” (song) by Steve Green. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers.

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Learning how to trust God and walk by faith

How to Trust God and Walk by Faith
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” 

–Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB)

Because of some lower back issues, I’ve been going to physical therapy.

After several sessions, I’m much stronger and the pain is greatly decreased. During every appointment, my physical therapist (PT) continually works to increase mobility and to strengthen the weakness in my spine. He’s thoughtful and focused on his plan to help me get well.

One day my PT placed a long, stretchy exercise band around my waist. Facing him, I was told to walk backward as he held the other end of the band. Surprised by his request, I looked up in amazement, but he reassured me that he would watch where we were going. Gulping, I clutched the band around me with white knuckles and began to watch his face. We began to talk as we walked, and after a few steps, I let go of the bands that encircled me.

At first my steps were hesitant, but soon I was walking freely. Of course, walking backward isn’t something we like to do. We want to know where we’re going. We desperately want to avoid all obstacles. We are constantly vigilant for anything that might cause us pain.

Essentially, unfortunately, we walk in fear, not trust.

During that session, my strong sense of self-preservation was released as soon as I let go and let my PT guide me. This brother-in-Christ was taking good care of me, and as we walked, we began to compare it to our walk with the Lord.

God’s desire is for us to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). I didn’t need to see anything except my PT. My fingers gripping the band did not help me a bit, but as I focused on God’s care for me (portrayed in the humble form of a fellow believer) it gave me a glimpse of what faith and trust look like.

I don’t have to see what’s coming at me because God already knows all about it. I don’t have to see where my next step will take me because God already sees the best path for me.

We all know that trusting God isn’t easy. Fear and doubt want to creep into our minds. We’re much like the Apostle Peter when Jesus Christ walked on the water in the terrible storm. In faith, Peter stepped out of the boat. Everything was fine until he started looking around at the sea raging around him instead of the Lord’s face. Sinking, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30) Jesus did. And He will save the rest of us who are His frail, fearful children, too.

Life can sometimes be a complete mess. As we open our eyes each new day, we have no idea what’s coming our way. It might be a flood, a fire, a tornado, a bumpy relationship, a sudden job loss, or even the death of someone we love. We’re left reeling from the impact of these unexpected storms.

But we look up like Peter did, into the face of our Lord. God saw it before it happened, and He alone knows what’s best for us. Nothing happens behind His back or without His knowledge or permission. Our trust in Him gives us confidence to go on with life. He faithfully guides us over, under, and through every situation. We can let go and watch Him work His perfect plan for each life.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, You who reign Supreme on Earth and in Heaven, please open our eyes to see Your gracious care for us. Please increase our faith and allow us to trust in Your perfect plans. Thank You, Lord. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Walk by Faith” (2020 version) by Jeremy Camp. Listen to it here. *Note: This song is from the movie “I Still Believe” based on the true story of Jeremy Camp’s first wife. Watch the movie trailer here. Buy the book about this story too. The title is I Still Believe: A Memoir and it’s available wherever books are sold. Here’s the purchase link on Amazon.com.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: God wants to give you a good and perfect gift

God’s Good and Perfect Gift
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”—James 1:17 (ESV)

On the Friday before Easter, we remember the gift of salvation which God gave to us long ago.

His good and perfect gift was His Son—on a cross. His reason to give this lavish gift was simple: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV).

God’s gift wasn’t wrapped in pretty paper with a frilly bow on top. Instead, His present was covered in innocent blood with “Paid in Full” pounded into the palms of His hands with heavy iron spikes.

Yet, God says His gifts are good and perfect. He says they come straight from our Heavenly Father. He says that every one of His gifts have their source in the light of God’s presence. And if we look closely, we will see His perfect radiance in the gift of His Son, His perfect sacrifice for our sins.

One of our granddaughters wanted a watch for her birthday, so we ordered it for her. Delivery was delayed and she didn’t receive it when she expected it. She waited for many weeks, and when it finally arrived, she opened the box with a lot of pent-up excitement and anticipation. After charging and synching it to her phone, she eagerly showed us all the new capabilities she has with her new watch.

In a similar way, the promised Messiah came to us kind of like our granddaughter’s watch did. God pre-ordered the mission of Jesus numerous times in the Old Testament, but it was a long time for God’s people to wait. Then the New Testament begins with the illumination of a great star at Messiah’s birth (Matthew 2:2). After that momentous occasion, the gospel writers record the truth of the mission of Jesus—to bring salvation to people of all nations. How excited they must have been as the followers of Jesus went everywhere with Him to share the good news of God’s perfect gift.

But then Jesus was crucified.

Shock. Horror. Fear. Despair. It must have seemed impossible to accept that their Rabbi, their Master, was dead. They had believed He was from God and they had followed Him for three years. And now He was gone, and they feared for their lives.

But God wasn’t finished with His perfect gift. From the utter darkness that covered the earth at the death of Jesus on that Friday afternoon, to the early morning Light of God’s resurrection of His Son, the followers of Jesus were terrified and confused. But when Jesus rose again on that glorious Sunday morning, God’s good and perfect gift was revealed. Jesus Christ, God’s promised Messiah, conquered death, rose from the dead, and He is Alive!

Gone were the clouds of sorrow and hopelessness. The followers of Jesus discovered how to walk in the strength of their risen Lord. Fearlessly, they shared the glorious news of God’s gift. Their faith became rock-solid because now they knew Jesus was the Promised One, the precious gift from the “Father of lights.” They were able to boldly declare that the Lord God Almighty, the Giver of all good gifts, proclaims salvation for all who believe in His Son, and He is faithful to His promises.

So, we celebrate a despised and horrific cross because it leads us to an empty tomb. Our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ is our perfect gift for every day of our lives, both on earth today, and then in Heaven for all eternity. Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord!

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your good and perfect gift of Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for the Life and Light He brings to our lives, for His payment for our sins on His cross, and for Your promise of everlasting life to believers in Him. It’s all because of Your incredible gift of Your perfect Son, Jesus Christ. It’s in His name that we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Forever” by Kari Jobe. Listen it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Listening to God speak and sharing the Gospel

God’s Burning Bushes
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” –Exodus 3:1-2 (ESV)

The other day some of my friends and I gathered to pray and study the Bible.

We discussed the difficulty we often have with telling other people about Jesus Christ, especially those who do not know Christ. One of the ladies recalled the story of Moses and the burning bush, and how God caught the attention of Moses through a shrub. We all laughed when my friend said that there were lots of bushes in her front yard, and maybe God could use one of those to speak to our loved ones.

Her comment started me thinking. To my knowledge, God hasn’t been talking to anyone recently through a bush, so how does He plan to tell others about Jesus Christ in today’s world? It’s pretty evident that His plan is to use us—His children—His flawed, often mindless children. We have been given the task of sharing the gospel of Jesus with a world that has wandered far from the Lord.

Within our hearts, the Lord has placed the glorious news of salvation in Jesus, and we can’t keep it hidden from those around us who are lost and dying. For many of us, the task to share the gospel is daunting. We’re nervous about what people might think of us if we speak openly about God’s gift of salvation. We worry about how we’ll look, but that’s not how God sees it. This is not about us at all. It’s about telling others of the hope we have in this life, and in the next one—eternity in Heaven.

When Moses turns aside to see the bush that burned but wasn’t burned up, God spoke to a very ordinary shepherd. He told Moses to take off his sandals because the ground he was standing on was holy (Exodus 3:5). Then God commissions Moses. The man who had previously fled Egypt in fear of his life is commanded to go back and lead Israel out of their slavery into the land that God had promised them.

What God told Moses to do is exactly what He wants us to do. We who have met the Lord are to humble ourselves first, and then we can be used by God in naturally occurring ways to share the freedom we know through Jesus.

Our neighbors, friends, family, and even perfect strangers will be blessed by the life-giving news of our true God Who loves them and Who invites them to come into His family. He’s the One Who will forgive them and accept them as His own. Why are we waiting to share such amazing news of grace and mercy?

Maybe we don’t know how, or we’re afraid, or we’re too busy. We can always come up with our numerous excuses, but the Apostle Paul explains a simple way to share the gospel. He says it’s like the planting process. Sow the seed. Water. Let God bring the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:6). The seeds are the good words we use to help people recognize how much God loves them. When we tell someone we will pray for them and then do it, God is honored and people are drawn to Him. It may be a long time before they remember that prayer again, but they will remember, and we might even be blessed to hear their story one day.

Sow a few seeds of kindness and hope, or water a few drops of joy and gladness, and before long we will put our past fears and doubts behind us. We can walk in joyful expectation with the Lord, our Savior and our Friend, as we tell others about Him.

One of the most comforting parts of the burning bush story is that the bush burned, but it wasn’t consumed. As I grow older, I tend to pace myself more. But God has plans for us that aren’t all-consuming. He gives strength—His strength, and He gives us His Word to speak. Because He is our Lord, we really can do all things through Christ, and He will strengthen us (Philippians 4:13).

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, the God of Moses and of all creation, will You set us on fire for You? Please light the kindling and let us burn brightly with our love for Jesus, Your Son. It is in His great name that we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “I Am Not Ashamed” by Heritage Singers. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: The kind of love that only God can give to you

No Greater Love
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” 

–John 15:12-13 (ESV)

February. The month filled with hearts, flowers, and boxes of candy is upon us.

In our very modern world, we tend to believe that if we look a certain way, or say a particular phrase, or buy the most expensive gift for someone we care about that they will reciprocate and will love us back.

We call it “romantic”. We watch the sweet movies about a man and a woman who fall in love, and we shed a few happy tears when they finally kiss at the end.

Or maybe it’s the tender love stories we learned to enjoy when we were young. Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott started it for me. You can read the blurb on the cover of the book and are assured that the main characters will face hardships throughout the story, but true love will eventually rule the day.

Love is multi-faceted. We love our relatives differently than we love our best friends. We love our spouses and children in another way. We seldom talk about loving our neighbors, but we’re always ready to defend our favorite ice cream. “But I love Chocolate Chip,” we say. “It’s my favorite!”

Maybe we’ve trivialized the meaning of the word “love” so much that we don’t recognize real love when we see it. It could be that some of us entered a “love” relationship with a cute guy, or a hunk of an athlete, or the wealthy aristocrat who can whisk us away where our dreams of romance await. But that’s not always love.

Our Heavenly Father has a completely radical view of love. God’s version of love is His Son, Jesus Christ, on a cross, dying for the sins of the world (John 3:16). His sacrificial love is equal to our redemption. His love shelters us, cleanses us, and renews and motivates us.

Ultimately, God’s love makes it possible for us to find our true home in His heart. Walking in the forgiveness of our sins, we are given the opportunity to live the abundant life that Jesus promised in John 10:10.

God’s love is a different experience from the generic kind of love that the world has contrived.

God’s love is so pure and complete that His desire is for our hearts to be cleansed, and not for our gorgeous or good looks to be our only selling point. He wants us freed from the burden of our sin which often yanks us by a chain into sometimes disastrous choices. His plan for us is to learn how to truly love each other. And His example is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus agreed to embrace humility all the way to the cross. He carried the shame and embarrassment which we so richly deserve. He stepped into a chaotic world that was swirling in the depths of wicked ways, and in love, He laid down on a cross to let sinful men pound heavy nails into His sinless flesh.

That’s what love did.

And that’s not all God’s love did. Through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, God granted us another freedom—access to God Himself. We can call out to the Lord to save us, to help us, to love and care for us, and then we have the privilege of asking for strength to share His wonderful love with those around us. He hears all our prayers.

It all comes down to this: Do we love other people enough to tell them about the Lord? Do we allow His love to bubble up inside of us and spill out into our everyday interactions? Do we bless others with the joy He gives? And most importantly, do we really believe that God loves us? If so, then we will share the unfathomable love of our risen Savior with the people we meet.

It’s a true love story that’s worth sharing.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord God, the Creator of pure love, please open our eyes for opportunities to share Your good news of hope, of life, and of love to the people around us. Please give us overflowing hearts of gratitude for the miracle of Your love for us. Please bless us all with Your perfect Valentine, Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You, dear Father. It is in the wonderful name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “No Greater Love” by Rachael Lampa. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers.

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Vision

To See the Lord
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”– Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

Vision. We want to see things with our own eyes before we accept the truth. Even then, we are often quite skeptical about something that is hard to understand.

Other translations of the Bible offer the word revelation in place of the word vision. In modern days, the two words are closely related. We think of revelation as a personal message, while a vision is a personal image. Both ideas go hand-in-hand.

The sobering news is that when we stop seeing visions, or block revealed messages from the Lord, we begin to die a little inside. It’s a slow, painful loss of hope in God.

God’s Word (The Holy Bible), is full of instances where God reveals Himself to man. When we grow tired of hearing the world’s bleak news of the day, we can turn to our copy of God’s Word and stand beside the people who witnessed the very essence of God with their own eyes.

Starting in Genesis, God recorded Adam and Eve’s relationship with their Creator. Genesis 3 tells us that God walked in the Garden of Eden with them in the evening, but then they sinned, disobeyed His plan, and found themselves hiding from their God. He had shaped them both with His very own hands (Genesis 2) and had a personal interest in them. They walked and talked with Him in the Garden of Eden. What a joyful existence that must have been!

Then in Exodus 33:18-23, Moses, the great leader of God’s people, asked to see God’s glory. God agreed to his request with one exception: “You cannot see my face” (Exodus 33:20 ESV). What a far cry from the side-by-side relationship Adam and Eve used to enjoy! But God told Moses in Exodus 33:22 that as His glory passed by, God would hide Moses in the cleft of a rock, and protect him with His hand. In the very next verse (Exodus 33:23) God promised Moses that he could look at God’s back. What a holy God we see in this image! Moses, a simple human being, could not see God’s face and survive. But God graciously allowed him a brief glimpse of the God Moses followed, and Moses lived to tell about it.

Skipping ahead to the book of Isaiah who was a mighty prophet of God, we see a simple man who was given a most amazing vision from the Lord. Let’s read about it in Isaiah 6:1 (ESV): “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”

Then Isaiah reports in Isaiah 6:5 (ESV): “…Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

From there we move to the very last book of the Bible, where we have the privilege to stand beside the Apostle John, as he shares the revelation given to him on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9 ESV). John, like Adam and Eve, had walked and talked with the Lord Jesus, learning from Him about the Heavenly Father. Here, in Revelation, John describes what he saw and heard in Heaven as he was led by the Holy Spirit (Revelation 1:10). And as we read John’s words that were inspired by God, we, too, fall to our knees at the holiness of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But Jesus who walked the earth so many years earlier, reached out His hand to His beloved disciple to raise him to his feet. He tells him, “Fear not; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17b-18 ESV).

Oh, to hear God’s voice and to see His face! Until that day when we reach our heavenly home, we have the privilege of standing in the shoes of those who have gone before us. All we have to do is open our Bible. We can soak in the blessed visions and revelations God has recorded. And whether we have been granted a personal vision or not, we can all bask in the holiness of our living God who has conquered death and who gives life to all who seek His face.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, mighty God of Heaven and Earth, we worship You. Thank You for stirring us with visions and revelations about You and Your Son, Jesus Christ. It is in His Name that we bow to worship and to pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “He Hideth My Soul” (song) by BESY Choir. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Messiah

Jesus Christ: Our Ultimate Promise
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” –Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

The people of Israel had received the promise of their long-awaited Messiah from the prophet Isaiah well over 700 years before the infant Jesus Christ was ever placed in a feeding trough in Bethlehem. It was an inauspicious beginning for their eagerly anticipated King and was mostly overlooked in the history of God’s people. They had waited such a long time and they missed the child born to two poor, weary travelers in the middle of the night.

Even though many missed Christ’s birth, in today’s world, so many years later, it seems as though most people eagerly wait for December 25 to arrive. It’s a holiday, a day with friends and family, a day to open presents and drink lots of hot cocoa. But it’s so much more than that.

Right now, we enter the season we call Advent, the four weeks before Christmas when we consider not only the birth of Jesus Christ, but also His return. For some of us, it’s a time of quiet contemplation of the wonderful gift of our Savior, Jesus. Others experience a yearning in our heart to see our Savior return to Earth. And for others, it’s a deeply rooted longing to join our Jesus in Heaven, to live with Him for all eternity. For many others it’s all three, but they all involve one thing—waiting on God’s timing.

A few days ago, a dear family member and I were talking about Advent and what it means. We spoke of looking forward and looking back. We talked about waiting and the joys of seeing God’s promises fulfilled and those waiting to be fulfilled. Then she said, “It all depends on what we do while we’re waiting.” That struck a chord—do I practice active waiting?

Her comment sent me on a path of personal discovery. In the beauty and stillness of worship, do I remember to praise the Maker of Heaven and Earth as I thank Him for the promises He has brought to completion? While I long for His return, am I telling others about His first coming and the reason He came—to save us from sin? As I live every moment of the day, do I humbly obey my Lord and Savior when He says, “Follow Me?” (Matthew 16:24)

Do I? Or am I all tied up in my own agenda and miss all that God is showing me? So many times, the answer is yes. But, thankfully, our Father in Heaven is rich in forgiveness, and He wants so much more for me than my self-serving desires.

So, join me, followers of Jesus, as we walk through this Advent season together. Let’s make a deliberate choice to look back with reverent hearts to God’s miracle of a baby in a manger. Let’s look forward as we pray for the moment when our friends and loved ones accept Jesus as their Savior. Let’s spend our time ministering to the needs of the people around us. And when our Lord says, “Follow Me” into a place we’ve never even considered, let’s embrace His perfect plan and obey His loving invitation.

With joy we will watch. With hope we will wait. And we will live in humble obedience to our Lord and Savior. God’s promise of Messiah took many years to be fulfilled, and His prophecy about the return of Christ is what we still await. But in the meantime, we devote ourselves to praise, to thanksgiving, to petition, and to service whenever and wherever He directs, not just for one month out of the year, but for always.

The psalmist urges us to “be strong” and “wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14 ESV). The Apostle Paul encourages us to make the “best use of the time” that we have because “the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16 ESV). So, in the whirlwind of parties, concerts, get-togethers, and holiday traditions, let’s praise the Lord for our Savior, King Jesus, and then let’s wait expectantly for God’s promise of His return to take us home with Him.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord Jesus, You are our Promise, our only hope of Heaven. Thank You for coming to Earth to save us, and we rejoice that You’re coming again! Help us to follow You whole-heartedly wherever You lead us. We wait for You, Jesus! In Your precious, Holy Name we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Messiah” by Francesca Battistelli. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Plans

The Wonder of God’s Plans
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”—Isaiah 57:15 (ESV)

With my miniscule brain, it’s hard to wrap my mind around the vastness and immensity of the Lord God, the Creator of innumerable galaxies, and the Ruler of Heaven and Earth. I stand in awe at His work. I shake my head in wonder at His miracles. I can’t grasp the complexity and symmetry of the rotations of the sun, moon, stars, and planets, or of the beautiful progression of the seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Ever since the time God created our world, He continues to orchestrate it with a complete and perfect plan for every atom, every speck of dust, and every molecule of water and air. Each one provides balance and nurtures life on this earth. And even though we live here, we understand very little of all that we take for granted.

In Genesis, chapter one, the Lord explains the process of creation for us. God spoke, and light began to shine. At His word, water separated from the face of the formless void. His voice set the celestial worlds in orbit, and His authority created everything we see. In the next chapter of Genesis (chapter two), the creation of the first human is described. The Lord Most High bent down to scoop some clay He had made, and with it, He shaped a man in God’s own image—Adam.

From the immense nothingness around Him, God designed a perfect world and set it into motion. Then He took a humble clod of dirt to fashion the man who would bear the image of God for all the rest of us. Next, He breathed His own breath into Adam—the breath of life. To this day, we all continue to breathe God’s life into our own lungs. And even as misshapen and marred by sin as we are, we still carry the very imprint of God in our bodies.

And yet God had more plans. Even in the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God provided a way to bring His sin-sick, desolate children back to Himself. Just as Adam and his wife (Eve) tried to hide their sin from their Maker in Genesis, chapter three, so do we. We’ve mostly graduated from using fig leaves to much more elaborate disguises, but it’s still our sin that separates us from our holy Lord, and we’ll do anything to hide it.

Sounds hopeless, doesn’t it? Yet all through the Bible, God points us toward a relationship with Him. In Isaiah 57:15, He again reminds us that He doesn’t just dwell in loftiest heaven, He also dwells with us—the lowly in spirit and the contrite in heart! Because of Him we have hope!

So, don’t waste any more time, dear one! Whisper to our gracious Father in Heaven. He hears every word of your heart. Tell Him all about your troubles and let Him dwell with you while you cry. He promises He will stay with us (Matthew 28:20) and He will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4). His forgiveness delivers us from the agony of our sin (Colossians 1:13-14) and He rejoices over us in love and gladness as we turn back to Him (Zephaniah 3:17).

What peace and comfort are ours when we come humbly to Him—the Lord of Heaven and Earth!

Let’s Pray: Dear God, we praise Your Holy Name! You are amazing! Thank You for loving us, for comforting us, and for renewing us as we run to You for forgiveness. Please teach us how to rest in You, and how to trust You every moment of every day. Thank You, Lord! In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “The Maker” by Chris August. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com