Devotionals for the Heart: Letting go of "good" to receive God's best

A Better Inheritance
A devotional by Aubrey Taylor

“For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.” 

–Numbers 32:19 (ESV)

As the people of Israel neared the Promised Land, their thoughts began to turn to claiming their inheritance. Naturally, they had their own ideas about what best suited their needs.

Two tribes, Reuben and Gad, had a particularly large number of flocks. Before entering the Land, they saw a place that was well-suited to these needs. However, it lay on the east of the Jordan, outside of God’s promised inheritance for the entire nation of Israel—a land that already included space for these two tribes.

I can’t help but wonder what lay on the other side of the Jordan River, what parcels of land God had intended for these two tribes, as well as half of the tribe of Manasseh which also ended up settling east of the Jordan. I wonder if they ultimately missed out on something better. They were willing to take what looked good to them, and I’m sure it was good, but what awaited them on the other side of the Jordan? What did some of the other tribes end up enjoying that was originally meant to bless the people of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh?

Naturally, I also wonder, am I settling for something that looks good, or do I long to discover God’s best?

I don’t mean to say that we should sit idly and wait for God’s best, or that blooming where we are planted is bad. But in this life, we know nothing is ever permanent. While serving Him in the circumstances I currently find myself, am I also allowing myself to grow too content? Am I unwilling to consider anything that might disrupt the status quo? Have I decided what my inheritance will be, or am I continuing to seek Him, believing that there may be more He wants to do in and through my life?

Ultimately, it’s not just about allowing Him to direct my path in this life. Do I find such contentment and joy in this life that I forget about the life to come, where we will dwell with Him forever?

As I reflect on these things, I cannot allow myself to feel condemned. He knows that I tend to grow too content with the things around me, and that that carries a risk of complacency. But He is always there, lovingly and gently calling me to more.

Rewards and crowns await all of us in Heaven. We will lay those things back at His feet. Let us press on toward His very best in this life, so that we may have all the more to give back to Him when we see Him face to face.

Let’s Pray: Dear Jesus, I realize that there is always more to be done for Your Kingdom here and now. I pray that You will make my heart both thankful and sensitive: thankful for what You have given me, but not so content that I am unwilling to go farther with You if You call me to do so. Likewise, do not let me become so comfortable in this world that I am tempted to forget about the next. I want all that You have for me, both here and now, and in the life to come. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “The Best is Yet to Come” by Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

The only child of a single parent, Aubrey Taylor filled her younger years by creating characters and writing stories. This ended around age sixteen when music, friends and part-time jobs began to fill her time. After that came college, work, marriage, and children.

It wasn’t until the world was beginning to come out of the COVID pandemic that God led her back to her love for writing, coupled with a passion she’d always had for history. It was time to start a new adventure! Her current long-term project is Gott Mit Uns, a German-perspective 20th century historical fiction series.

Aubrey lives in Upstate New York with her husband and three children. She’s busy keeping the home, caring for her family, doing research for and writing her books.

Aubrey enjoys music and is involved with the worship ministry at her church as well as a German choral group. She also plays gigs occasionally with friends as a singer and acoustic guitarist. After all that, she finds time to sketch, craft, and hike.

She is a lover of Jesus Christ, The Holy Bible, history, German culture, tea, and cats.

Aubrey has a special heart for those who struggle with severe anxiety, depression and PTSD.

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Connect with Aubrey:
Website: https://www.aubreytaylorbooks.com
Blog: https://www.aubreytaylorbooks.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aubreytaylorbooks/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aubtaybooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubreytaylorbooks/

Summer Love: Interview with Laura Jackson, author of "Worth the Time"

Interview questions for Laura Jackson about her book, Worth the Time:

Alexis: What inspired the title “Worth the Time” for your story?

Laura: Lindsey, the main character, is the mean girl in the first book in the Waltham Academy series. Behind her catty attitude and conniving schemes is a girl who just wants to be noticed, a girl desperate for those she loves to have time for her. 

Alexis: Tell us about your story’s heroine Lindsey Hamilton. What makes her tick? What brings her great joy? What breaks her heart?

Laura: Lindsey is a girl in hiding. When she’s embarrassed and has her heart broken in front of her entire school, she’s determined not to ever be hurt again. She has built a cold fortress around herself, but like most people, she just wants to be noticed and loved.

Alexis: What is it about Lindsey that allows her to get whatever she wants? Would you say that she’s ruthless? Why or why not?

Laura: At the beginning of the novel, Lindsey is ruthless. She knows what she wants and uses her good looks and popularity to get what she wants. She has little regard to how her schemes affect anyone else.

Alexis: Who is Ellie Lansing and what role does she play in this story?

Laura: Ellie is the heroine in Worth the Wait, which is the first book in the series. She’s dating Dylan Grant, and Lindsey wants him. She also wants Ellie’s seemingly perfect life.

Alexis: Who is Dylan Grant and how did Lindsey steal him from Ellie? What does she need to do to keep him as her boyfriend?

Laura: Dylan Grant is the stereotypical popular guy in high school. To Ellie, he’s her childhood friend and long-time boyfriend. To Lindsey, he’s a status symbol. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot of Worth the Wait to say how Lindsey gets him, but once she has him, she realizes sometimes what we want isn’t what we need or expect.

Alexis: Snagging Dylan made Lindsey the most popular girl at Waltham Christian Academy but her heart is still empty. Why? 

Laura: Lindsey is a desperate girl—longing to be popular, to be accepted, to be noticed. But those things don’t fulfill us. Only Christ can, and like many of us, Lindsey struggles to see that.

Alexis: Who is the “real” Lindsey? What does it take for her to stop being fake, heal and become a whole person?

Laura: There’s a guy. Sutton. Lindsey has to complete volunteer hours, and Sutton works at Covington House, where Lindsey is serving. He’s the first guy who doesn’t fall for her, so he intrigues her. He’s a Christian like many at her school claim to be, but he’s different—his faith is real. Because she spends so much time being fake, Lindsey is desperate to cling to something real. 

Alexis: What role does faith in God play in this story? Explain how it affects the lives of your characters.

Laura: Sutton lives out his faith. He loves Christ and serves at Covington House out of that love while Lindsey is there because she won’t graduate without volunteer hours. Through her friendship with Sutton and her new relationship with the father she never knew, Lindsey learns that the One who created her not only loves her but also has time for her.

Alexis: What role does high school counselor Mrs. Santana play in turning Lindsey’s life around? Explain.

Laura: Mrs. Santana sees beyond Lindsey’s walls to notice the girl desperate to be loved. She uses Lindsey’s volunteer requirement to build a relationship. When her mom doesn’t have time for her, Lindsey turns to Mrs. Santana for advice.

Alexis: Who is Sutton McCoy and why does he have a bad first impression of Lindsey? Is his first impression his last? Explain.

Laura: Sutton McCoy works at Covington House, where Lindsey is required to volunteer. He sees her as another snobby girl forced to volunteer. Because he serves weekly, Sutton cares deeply about the kids who come to Covington House. He doesn’t want to see another person come into the kids’ lives just to walk away again. Luckily for Lindsey, his first impression isn’t his last. 

Alexis: Sutton’s been through trauma in his personal life. How do the effects of that trauma prevent him from pursuing a romantic relationship with Lindsey?

Laura: Sutton judges Lindsey some—he sees her as a pretty, popular cheerleader from a ritzy private school. What could she possibly know what it feels like to have lost a father at a young age and to have a mother battling drug addiction? So, first, that causes him to not even want to be friends. His past has also given him a strong desire to make something of himself, and he can’t be distracted with a flighty girl.

Alexis: What role does Lindsey’s biological father play in her life? How does he affect her character arc? Explain.

Laura: Lindsey always thought her dad walked away before she was born, which wasn’t true. When her biological father finds her and wants a relationship with her, Lindsey’s world is rocked. All these lies she’d told herself were no longer true, and she learns that maybe she didn’t need those walls to protect her heart after all.

Alexis: Why doesn’t Lindsey believe in a loving God? What makes her change her mind?

Laura: Our earthly fathers play a big role in how we see our heavenly father. It’s hard to imagine God as a loving father when your own father never wanted you. As Lindsey gets to know her father—as he pursues a relationship with her—she begins to see how much God loves her too.

Alexis: What was the most challenging aspect of writing this book? Why?

Laura: Lindsey was such a mean girl in book one that I struggled to convey her wounded heart. In my mind, I loved her because I knew her, but I worried readers wouldn’t see her like I did. In the beginning of the book, she’s broken and angry. She lashes out. I prayed readers would give her a chance because I do think Lindsey’s story is an example of the transformation that happens when Jesus comes into our lives.

Alexis: What do you want your readers to remember most about Worth the Time?

Laura: I want them to know that they are loved. The One who spoke and created galaxies not only loves us but pursues a relationship with us.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Laura! Would you like to share closing thoughts?

Laura: Thanks for having me!

~*~

Author Bio: 

Laura Jackson loves books—reading and writing them. 

A life-long reader, Laura studied English in college and taught 7th-grade language arts before earning her Master's degree and becoming a school librarian. 

Now, she spends her days sharing great books with kids and her evenings writing books about teenage girls discovering God and His plan for their lives.

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Blurb for Laura's book, Worth the Time:

Doesn't anyone feel she's worth their time?

Routinely ignored by her single mother, high school senior Lindsey Hamilton hides her loneliness behind a mask of flirtatious self-confidence that has many boys wrapped around her finger. However, during community service required for graduation, she meets a shy guy with a haunted past who barely gives her the time of day. Why doesn't he like her?

Then the father she thought had abandoned her before birth wants to meet, and she discovers everything she believed about him is a lie.

How will Lindsey learn to trust so she can realize that she has been loved all along?

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Buy Laura's book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

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Connect with Laura:
Facebook - https://facebook.com/laurajacksonwrites
Twitter - https://twitter.com/LauraJackson80
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ljack80/
Website - http://authorlaurajackson.blogspot.com

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below: 

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True Love Stories: Worth the Wait

A common scene in Christian circles is the scenario where a single Christian lady is approached by a wife-seeking Christian male who declares, "GOD told ME that YOU are my WIFE!"

Depending on the person, such a comment can make you or break you. If you've been praying to God for Him to send a spouse to you and a guy at church tells you this "news," you may or may not be happy to hear it. If you like him you're elated but if you don't like the man you're deflated. 

Luckily, if you have a good relationship with God--one where you are spending devotional time with Him in prayer and are living for Him every day--then you know His voice. God will give you wisdom to tell the difference between a man who's pursuing you from His heart vs. a man who wants you for the wrong reasons. So then you're not troubled by this common scenario because as they say when you "know" you "just know" who the person is that God has called you to spend the rest of your life with on this Earth. So clearly you can tell the counterfeit mate from the genuine, God-sent match for you to marry. 

Such is the case with the married couple in today's featured true love story. Natasha and Mario sought God before they sought each other. They knew the importance of being a complete person in their walk with the Lord and they embraced the practice of praying for their future spouse even before they met. So when God worked through a church lady named Karen to bring Natasha and Mario together, they "just knew" the timing was right.

Read the rest of this wonderful couple's true love story and be encouraged as they share their journey. 

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Worth the Wait
Natasha Broussard’s true love story

“Three years and seven months ago, Mario placed receiving a wife on the altar to God. It was the exact same time that I started praying for God to send me my husband…and approximately one week later, Mario and I met. Seven months later, we were married. God is and will always be our foundation!” 

~Mrs. Natasha Broussard

About four years ago, Mario was asked to record a devotional thought for his home church in Columbus, Ohio. After the recording, one of the church members (Karen) asked Mario if he was single, and stated that she had a single friend. She asked Mario to look at pictures of me on Facebook to see if he would at least be interested in giving me a call. Smiling at my pictures, he promised Karen that he would send me a message, in hopes of meeting me one day.

On Friday June 10 2010, I received this message from Mario:

“Hello! It was a pleasure hearing about you from Karen. Her description of you was intriguing, so I decided that I wanted to (at the very least) be associated with such a great person. Hope to hear from you.”

I wrote Mario back that same day because I, too, was intrigued. However, two weeks went by without a response from him. I had even went out on a limb and left him my number in the message.

One day while talking to Karen, she asked me if I had heard from Mario. I told her only once, and she suggested that if I ever saw him online, to just start a conversation and see if it lead anywhere. Although hesitant, one night I did see him online and we ended up “chatting” via Facebook for hours.

Circumstances kept us from talking on the phone that evening, but he called me the next afternoon. Not far into the conversation I said “God is going to do some amazing things with you – He has so much planned for you!” Mind you, I am saying this to a man who was nowhere near where he wanted to be in his life, so he laughed at me. But I felt the Holy Spirit when I spoke to Mario, and we had not even met face-to-face yet. We talked until I had to go to class that evening, and decided to meet each other the next day.

Mario met me at my apartment and all we could do was smile; it was such a sweet moment. Again, we spent hours talking. The next day, God told me that Mario was my husband. I had spent years praying and waiting for this, so it was almost hard to believe that my husband was finally here! But I did not tell Mario what God told me – I waited for him to hear it for himself. 

We saw each other almost every day after our first date, and soon after, we started dating officially. One afternoon we were at the State Fair, and Mario received a phone call that there was a position for him to take in Maryland. I was confused because I knew God had told me he was my husband, but now we found out that he would be moving 325 miles away!

Despite selfish disappointment, we were both excited for Mario’s transition, because this was a door that God opened. We stuffed his car with his belongings, and drove from Ohio to Maryland. Only a few hours after arriving, I had to catch a plane back to Ohio. Mario dropped me off at the airport, and we embraced each other, trying to hold back tears.

We spoke every day, making the best of our long distance relationship. About a month after Mario moved to Maryland, he called me and said “God told me that you are my wife!” The holidays were approaching and Mario came back to Ohio for winter break.

On January 3, 2011 Mario got on one knee, and held a sign that said, “Natasha, will you marry me?” I believe my response included approximately twenty YES’s! We knew we were supposed to be together and wanted to wed soon, despite being long distance, so we set a date. Soon after, I received a phone call that I was chosen for a job in Bethesda, Md. and that they wanted me to start one week after our set wedding date–this was confirmation from the Lord!

So on February 20, 2011 Mario and I married in Takoma Park, Md. 

Everything fell into place perfectly, because we let God take control. After the proposal, amazing friends paid for our wedding insisting that they wanted to be a part of our journey! We even received the Presidential Suite at a beautiful hotel in Washington, D.C. practically free of charge, for three nights after the wedding.

Mario and I want our story to be a testament to the fact that future spouses are worth the wait, and current spouses are worth the fight. The Lord gave us a series of confirmations throughout our journey, leading us to the altar together, which reassures us during our tough times. Although it has only been three years, we remain in the “honeymoon phase".

I hope that in thirty years, you will see that we have never left this spot!

~*~

Author bio: Mrs. Natasha Broussard graduated from Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio where she earned a Master of Science in Business Administration. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Management, with a minor in Accounting. 

Directly after high school, Natasha served in the U.S. Army for four years as a Unit Supply Specialist. Her duty assignments after training included Ft. Polk, La. and Yongsan, South Korea. After returning back to her hometown of Columbus, Ohio, she began working for the Defense Logistics Agency as an Inventory Management Specialist which was her position prior to moving to the Maryland area. 

Currently, Natasha works as the Branch Financial Manager for the Nuclear Weapons Surety Division located in Washington, D.C. Her short term goals include becoming a Certified Financial Planner, and owning her own agency to help others understand and manage their finances to a greater degree. 

Natasha and her husband of three years live in Silver Spring, Md. They enjoy outdoor activities and traveling.