Devotionals for the Heart: Our Plans

Releasing our plans to God
A devotional by Heidy De La Cruz

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” 

– Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

We all have plans, goals, and desires for our lives. We all want to succeed, and we have a vision of how our life will go. But life doesn't always go as planned. As a matter of fact, can you think of a time when things went right according to your plans?

Prior to getting engaged, I had not thought much about my wedding. I know some females dream of their wedding since they were little girls, but that wasn't me. I had been to plenty of beautiful weddings, but it wasn't until I got engaged that I really started to think about mine.

I'm not much of a party planner; it causes me too much anxiety. So I never gave it much thought about planning a wedding. I did know that there's a ton of small details that goes into planning a wedding, and it all seemed overwhelming to me. Then there is the money part; weddings are expensive! But before my husband, then fiancé, started planning our wedding, we prayed.

We would pray every day for our wedding, for the planning aspect, for the financial aspect, and we would pray that everything will turn out according to God's will for our life. It seemed like everything was working smoothly from day one, considering that we were planning this wedding in five months because I wanted to get married on my birthday, which is in February, and we got engaged in September.

As the days went by, we continued to pray and continued to plan – everything was working out according to plan. God provided the financial aspects, which was only His doing because I wanted to use credit cards right away, but my husband stopped me. There were a few things I started to worry about as the day approached. Like the wedding was on a Thursday, we had family flying in from out of town, the DJ was also part of the wedding party, my siblings went to school in the morning, the caterer was also a wedding guest … but at the end of the night, everything, absolutely everything turned out perfect!

People would ask me how the wedding planning was going if I was stressed out or worried, but because I prayed and left everything in God's hands, He worked everything out and we had minimal bumps along the way.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:3 (NIV), “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” and that is my testimony in regards to my wedding. From the very beginning, I prayed to God and released everything to Him, and He worked things out to His will. At the end of the night, it was the dream wedding I never knew I wanted.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, I know we have plans for our lives, but Your plans are far more significant than what we can ever imagine. Help me Lord, to always commit to You my plans first, and let you guide my steps. You work things out for my good. Remind me that You will make things happen in your time according to your plan for my life. In your name, I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Hello, my name is Heidy (Reynoso) De La Cruz. 

I am Dominican-American and I’m passionate about writing! I write poetry, encouraging blog posts about personal experiences and any message that God has stored in my heart. I am working on publishing my first poetry book.

First and foremost, I am a daughter of Jesus Christ. I am also a wife and a mother. I have my master’s degree in Healthcare Administration through Belhaven University’s online course. I have my bachelor’s degree in Science with the concentration of Psychology and Healthcare Administration.

I currently work in the medical field as a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist, and I’ve been in the medical field for the last six years. I love my career!

My hobbies include writing, reading, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, traveling, and spending time with my family.

~*~
Connect with Heidy:
Blog: https://heidyreynoso.wordpress.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidy.delacruz13/
Read my poetry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidyspoems/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heidyreynoso13
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heidyreynoso13

Devotionals for the Heart: Generosity

Giving our all—no holding back
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

When I was young, I was a major tightwad. I’d save my money in my piggy bank and, later, in my wallet and junior savings account.

“You should have used your money wisely,” I’d shrug when my little sister asked to borrow a few bucks because she’d frittered her cash away on bubble gum and dollar-store trinkets.

But later, my tight fist began to relax. My heart began to expand. I knew I really cared for someone when I’d take some of my hard-earned money and use it for them in some way, whether that was buying them a gift, treating them to lunch, or offering a loan. I started giving a dollar to the homeless guys who’d approach my car asking for a handout. I began to soften.

In His Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus told the crowds, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV).

Back then, before my heart began to soften, I guess my “treasure” was me. I didn’t trust God would provide. I thought it was up to me. I thought I had to make my own way, fill my own heart, take care of me because no one else would. Jessica came first, then everyone else.

But somewhere along the line, I began to realize I was not an island unto myself, to paraphrase the English poet John Donne. I was part of a family, a community, a town, a people. As my faith deepened, I realized my “family” was so much more than my mom and dad, my sister and grandparents—my family included all my brothers and sisters in Christ, those already believers and those not yet believers.

That understanding worked its seed of generosity into my heart, and my former tightwad status began to change, shift, transform, until it was gone like fog misting away on a warm autumn morning. I learned that to give without ever expecting anything in return was the real blessing.

In the Gospel of Mark, there’s a touching story about a widow who gave all she had—everything she had to live on—to God.

As the story goes, “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on’” (Mark 12:41-44).

Why did she do such a thing? Had she given up on life? Did she think her extravagant gift would attract attention?

I don’t think so. I think she gave because she loved God, and she knew He’d take care of her. I think she gave out of an abundance of the heart. She gave her all to God, no holding back.

Money comes and goes. People, jobs, lives, they all come and go. But God is forever. God has always been and will always be.

If you have a problem with being generous, take a good look inside and ask yourself whether you are storing up treasure on earth or in heaven. Ask yourself whether you are living for you or for the Lord.

Sometimes, the way we give can reveal the depth of love we feel for God and for others. Do you need a generosity reset?

~*~
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. She has a weekly YouTube devotional, too.

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: Hope for your heart in troubled times

Hope in Desperate Times
A devotional by Christa MacDonald

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)

How are you holding up these days?

As I write this, the world is in the midst of a pandemic. My husband has been furloughed from his job, and at mine, my staff has had their hours cut and the administration has let me know that I will likely be next.

Our family is facing the fear of illness and death as well as a financial disaster, just like so many others. Those are the plain facts. But it’s also spring, my favorite time of the year. I’m a gardener, so these weeks ahead of summer are all about preparing and working for the future. It’s hard not to be cynical and fearful of the days ahead right now. It has been a struggle to keep ahold of the joy this season usually brings.

Planting a garden is an act of hope. Every year I am amazed at what comes from the tiny seeds that I stick in the dirt, hoping for the best. I have trays of seedlings sitting next to me now, stacked on shelves in a window, straining towards the sun. That sight usually fills me with an expectant joy. But this week I had read too much of the news and started to feel hopeless, that the virus would eventually reach us no matter how hard we’re trying to keep it at bay and that I’d die before I could see them transplanted in the ground. I let fear take over completely and drag me down with it.

Normally, I’m a practical person, and when it comes to things that scare me I like as much information as possible so I can make the best decisions. Like so many others, I want to know what the worst is so I can prepare. Typically, I find some comfort in that. Not this time. It might be because I was already dealing with a number of crises in my extended family and stress has been my constant companion since November. Perhaps I burned through whatever reserves of calm and rationale I had. Hope is already an audacious thing in this broken world, and it seems impossible in times like these.

After days of struggling with flashes of panic and hopelessness, I realized where I went wrong in all of this. There’s no plan I can make, no human power I can access, no steps I can take to save myself or my family. I am not in control. But, if my control is an illusion, and if my strength is gone, that’s okay.

God is in control, God gives us the strength it takes to live, one day at a time, moment by moment. For those who place their faith in Jesus Christ, hope abounds. The real stuff, too, not wishes or dreams. Hope of Heaven, secure in the knowledge that this time of suffering is God’s will and whatever happens and however it ends it will be for the good of those that love Him.

We persevere, bringing the Gospel to the world around us, serving others as we are able in the time and place that He has given us. Not despairing, not tiring, but pressing on in hope.

~*~
Author Bio:

Christa MacDonald is a 2017 ACFW Carol Award finalist for contemporary Christian fiction.

A native New Englander, she was inspired by her travels through the north woods of Maine to write The Broken Trail, which would become the first in the Sweet River Redemption series published by Mountain Brook Ink.

Christa's writing focuses on the real-life challenges of the modern world, love’s sometimes crooked path, and the redemptive power of Grace.

When not working or writing Christa can be found ferrying her kids around, reading, or attempting something crafty.

She and her husband live with their three kids, two cats, and one dog along the coast of New England. Connect with Christa at www.christamacdonald.com.