Devotionals for the Heart: God's Invitation for You

Come

A devotional by Gail Kittleson

What a lovely word—come. This single syllable in the English language welcomes us, invites us to enter, to spend time with someone, to share another’s company. It also invites us to follow. 

In December, many of us have sung a favorite Christmas carol, “Oh come let us adore Him...” and I’ve been researching Biblical references with the word come. 

Psalm 100:4 (KJV) calls us to “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting...” 

Come and worship—this familiar call beckons us from our fears and daily trials, from our wanderings on life’s rugged byways. It provides an opportunity to lose ourselves in something bigger than us, something worthy, something that puts our sufferings into perspective. 

And then there’s Jesus’ call to follow him. He called men and women to do that throughout his ministry, and that following required a choice...many choices. As someone once said, “Lordship involves one big yes and a lot of little “Uh-huhs.”

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." ~Mark 8:34 (KJV)

Yes, this initial coming requires a choice. In choosing to come, we leave something behind at the same time. Sometimes this means—or at least feels like—sacrifice. But doesn’t every decision we make in life require choosing between alternatives? Why should this be any different? 

Jesus also issues another clear call to us. “Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, KJV).

What a wonderful promise. But this call may actually lead to more focused activity. With our need for inner rest being met by Him, we enjoy more energy to attend to our vocation, our ministry to this hurting world. 

But even in this call, we are given a choice. When our children are young enough, we force them to rest, but our heavenly parent isn’t pushy or forceful. He makes his wishes known, offers us his gifts, and waits for us to respond. 

Who wouldn’t accept an offer of rest? Human beings, that’s who! Unfortunately, our desire to please people, or to maintain control gets in the way come unto him. Sometimes, it seems preferable to work ourselves into a lather rather than rest in our Savior’s love. 

It takes a lot of trying, trying, trying before we finally get the message of working together with God. It’s like pedaling a bicycle built for two—that’s why it’s sometimes called the tandem bike. It only makes sense to put the partner with the greatest power in the front. 

May we often lift up this prayer: “Please teach us Lord, to come when you call.”

~*~
Author bio: 

When Gail Kittleson's not steeped in World War II research, drafting scenes, or deep in an edit of her 1940’s novels, she does a limited amount of editing for other authors. 

She also facilitates writing and creativity workshops, both in Iowa and Arizona, where she and her husband spend part of the winter in the amazing Ponderosa pine forest under the Mogollon Rim. 

Favorites: spending time with grandchildren, walking, reading, meeting new people, and hearing from readers who fall in love with her characters.  

Words of Faith: Davalynn's story about trust, thankfulness and two fists

Two-fisted Faith
A Words of Faith story written by Davalynn Spencer

TNT has been on my mind a lot lately—not Turner Network Television or trinitrotoluene, that explosive material with “convenient handling properties.”

I’m referring to a recent personal directive I received from the Lord with this handy acronym attached to aid in my short-term memory loss where spiritual life is concerned.

TNT = Trust and Thankfulness. Two-fisted marching orders.

I’m to walk through each day with Trust in one hand and Thankfulness in the other, regardless of what the day may bring. If I keep one in each hand, I can’t pick up worry or doubt or fear. It’s a simple decree that takes a load off my heart if I let it, much like a similar realization I had years ago in a hospital.

Evening slipped down the pale green walls of the room where our son lay following a motorcycle accident. I shifted in the stiff, plastic chair and watched Jake’s eighteen-year-old body fight to heal itself. And I was furious.

A week earlier Jake had wrecked a friend’s motorcycle on a gravel road near our home in southern Colorado. The friend never came to see him; neither did the boy’s parents. No phone calls, no cards. The disregard cut deeply and I clung to my anger as tenaciously as Jake clung to his life.

In the emergency room the night of the accident, Jake had cried out to his father and me to lift his head. “Just for a minute, Mom. Please, lift my head!” EMTs at the scene had taped him to a body board to stabilize his neck. Unknown to the ER doctors who refused to medicate him for fear of masking injuries or symptoms, the tape around Jake’s head pressed an open wound to the board. I longed to cut the tape and relieve his agony, but I knew it could result in paralysis. Due to summer thunderstorms that downed the Flight for Life helicopter, we waited three hours for a mobile trauma unit to arrive from the Pueblo, Colorado, hospital thirty-five miles away.

Gravel pitted Jake’s back, hips, and face. The accident had cost him his right eyebrow, fractured his skull, and shut down his kidneys. He was nauseous, delirious, and hateful—all common symptoms with a head injury, doctors said.

My husband and I took turns staying with him. We couldn’t leave him alone, and my anger festered. As I tried to sleep in the chair that night, Jesus spoke to me—not audibly, but undoubtedly.

“You have only two hands,” He said. “You cannot hang on to Jake and your anger and Me. Of which will you let go?”

God knew I was angry; He knew I hurt more than I had ever hurt. But He also knew that if I clung to the anger it would destroy me and maybe even my son.

Letting go of Jake was not an option, and I knew I’d never make it through the ordeal without God’s help. As I opened my fingers and symbolically reached for the Lord’s hand, the words of an old worship chorus from Psalm 3 became my unending prayer:

“Thou, O Lord, are a shield about me; 
you’re my glory, you’re the lifter of my head.”

Only God could keep Jake alive and heal his injuries, and He did exactly that. Jake recovered quickly, earlier than the neurosurgeon expected. The Lord indeed lifted his head—and mine from the death-like grip of anger.

Today as an author, I am intrigued by the poetic power of “three,” the trinity-like beauty of three images, metaphors, or examples. But God knows I need a two-fisted faith—something I can hold in each hand—and I praise Him for showing me the power of TNT.

Be anxious for nothing, 
but in everything by prayer and supplication, 
with thanksgiving, 
let your requests be made known to God; 
~Phil. 4:6 (NKJV)

~*~
Author bio: 

Award-winning author Davalynn Spencer writes bestselling inspirational Western romance and teaches writing at Pueblo Community College. 

Her novel, Romancing the Widow, won the 2015 Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award for inspirational Western fiction, and her recent release, The Cowboy's Bride, was an ECPA and Publisher's Weekly bestseller. 

Davalynn makes her home on Colorado's Front Range with a Queensland heeler named Blue and two mouse detectors, Annie and Oakley. 

Connect with Davalynn:

http://www.davalynnspencer.com

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDavalynnSpencer

http://twitter.com/davalynnspencer

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5051432.Davalynn_Spencer

http://pinterest.com/davalynnspencer/boards/

Time to Believe God

~*~
Dear friends,

Have you ever found yourself doubting the Word of God?

If you've been there, this song "Time to Believe," by Forever Jones is for you!

I've been thinking lately, God's Word (The Holy Bible) tells me, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). So why not put this promise into practice? It's so easy, I've found, to talk about all the great things having faith in God can do but when you're faced with a challenging situation, it's equally as easy to shrink back and resort to using your own strength and resources to solve the issue at hand. And usually when we rely on "number one" (yourself) to solve a problem or situation that's bigger than ourselves, we fail miserably!

So one of my "life resolutions" is to speak faith into situations! My grandparents used to say, "To receive, you must believe." The Bible supports their statement (read Matthew 21:22). If I want to lose weight and be in the best shape, I must believe that I can do so with faith that God will get me where to I need to be. If I want to run a marathon and cross the finish line in the top 10, I must believe that I can, with God's help, do it! If I want to land my dream job and make a positive, lasting impact on this world, then I must believe that if that's God's plan for me, it will happen. If I want to marry the man of my dreams, I must believe that he actually exists (ladies, we've all been there).

Now here's the key...you have to put work into it! Speaking faith into situations is only part of the process. The Bible says that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). We must speak faith and then trust God to work it out. While we're trusting God, we need to continue to work toward our goal!

We need to let God lead and follow His direction in every area of our lives.

So, if you're trying to achieve total fitness like me, remember it's a lifestyle change. Start a healthy eating plan and make a commitment to go to the gym and work out on a regular basis. If you're trying to run a marathon then start by running for a while in your community...each day, increase your endurance and time that you run...you may even want to have someone experienced in this area to train you for the marathon or practice running with a friend who's been there. If you're looking to land your dream job, then keep sending out your resumes to potential employers, network and pray for God's plan for your life to be revealed. And if you're waiting to meet the man of your dreams, keep praying and believe that God has a script for your true love story and you will not, with faith in what God has said (Jeremiah 29:11), miss it!

It's time to believe in what God said!

Blessings, 

Alexis

GOD Always Answers Prayer

Dear blog readers,

Happy Sabbath!

May this message from Dr. Robert Schuller inspire you to pray to God with renewed faith.

GOD Always Answers Prayer

When the idea is not right God says, "No."

No- when the idea is not the best.

No- when the idea is absolutely wrong.

No- when though it may help you, it could create problems for someone else.

When the time is not right, God says, "Slow."

What a catastrophe it would be if God answered every prayer at the snap of your fingers. Do you know what would happen? God would become your servant, not your master. Suddenly, God would be working for you instead of you working for God.

Remember: God's delays are not God's denials. God's timing is perfect. Patience is what we need in prayer.

When you are not right, God says, "Grow."

The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness.

The cautious person must grow courage.

The timid person must grow in confidence.

The dominating person must grow in sensitivity.

The critical person must grow in tolerance.

The negative person must grow in positive attitudes.
The pleasure-seeking person must grow in compassion for suffering people.

When everything is all right, God says, "Go."

Then miracles happen:

A hopeless alcoholic is set free!

A drug addict finds release!

A doubter becomes as a child in his belief.

Diseased tissue responds to treatment and healing begins.

The door to your dream suddenly swings open and there stands God saying, "Go!"

-- Written by Dr. Robert Schuller. 

~*~

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

-- Hebrews 11:1, New International Version(www.biblegateway.com)