Scripture: Genesis 1:1

God Creates.

In the beginning, God created… Genesis 1, Verse 1

Five simple words, separated by a comma. With so few words, the writer of the first book of the Bible begins with profound truth about God’s character.

The writer could have started by contemplating what God looked like, or where God lives. Aren’t these the first questions many of us had as children? 

Is God so big that He blocks galaxies from view, or so tiny He could be right in front of us and we wouldn’t even notice Him? Is God see-through or solid? Is God living up on a mountain, or does He have a mansion on the back side of the moon?

But the writer skipped these and went straight for character and action.

God created. Read that again. As slowly as two words can be read. 

God. Created.

Or to explain it with a little more detail: God did something, then suddenly it was something different and new and amazing and leaping, breathing, moving, fresh, alive! 

And with those few words the writer exclaimed not just what God DID but who God IS. God is creative. And because we are made in His image, the first thing we know about God is also the very first thing we know about us.

We are creative. 

You may be in a period of change, of uncertainty, of wondering what is next. But you also feel a deep call to be faithful to God in the process. To obey God’s voice speaking to your heart through the scriptures or through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. 

Now is the time to remember the first thing you know about God, and the first thing you know about yourself. You were created to be creative, to see new life come out of dust, to have ideas become reality, to watch broken and disconnected things become fresh and whole.

Today, let this be your prayer:

God of all creation, thank You for the gift of how You made me, unique from every other person born. Thank You for the gift of every living thing, and for the beauty I observe when I pause to feel a leaf, hear a bird’s song, or watch winter spring to life. As I breathe in I am reminded that it is Your breath and creativity that give me life. As I breathe out I am reminded that I also get to bring life to others. Thank You for the reminder that sometimes obeying You and taking the next right step starts with being aware that I am loved not for what I make or do, but simply because I am Your creation. Amen.

Scripture: James 1:2-3

Count It All Joy..Even When It’s Really Hard

This verse is often quoted to imply that when we are in the midst of trials, we need to be upbeat and put on a “brave face.” That is not what James intends here. As Christians, we sometimes have to face adversity. And it should grieve and trouble us. Even Jesus wept when confronted with the death of His friend Lazarus. 

Happiness is not what James is writing about. When you don’t hit any red lights on the drive home, that makes you happy. When you have your favorite dessert after dinner, that makes you happy. Happiness is indeed a gift from God, but happiness will not sustain us through the difficulties that come from living in a fallen world. We need joy.

Joy is an internal knowledge and hope that enables us to face trials. How can someone who receives a difficult diagnosis have joy? It is because they have an internal condition that comes from intimately knowing their Heavenly Father. It comes from having an understanding that life is more than just daily existence. It is the knowledge, not just a hope, that there is a greater inheritance waiting.

There is an entire channel now that rebroadcasts old sports games. Why would someone watch a game where they already know how it ends? That is precisely why they watch! They know how it ends. If you know that your team wins on the last play of the game, you no longer care about the turnovers, missed opportunities or stalled drives. Those things no longer matter because you know how the game ends.

We are living in the period between the beginning and the end! We are occupying the time after the period Moses wrote about in Genesis and before the time John tells us about in the book of Revelation. We know how Jesus’ story ends. Your room is already prepared in your Father’s mansion where we will wait on Jesus’ triumphant return. That is the joy that James writes about to his congregation. We know that we are so loved by a Father that he sent His one and only Son to redeem us by dying on a cross and we are now reconciled forever to a good and loving Father. 

Therefore, trials will come. There will be difficult times but be bold because you know how the story ends!

Father, we pray that when the fallen world brings trials that you will fix our eyes on Jesus. He is the hope that sustains us, not our own skills and abilities. Because God is a loving Father, He brings trials to teach us that Christ and His sacrifice is our only hope. Father continue to drive us repeatedly to the cross because it is when we experience trials that we know we truly belong to You!

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Why Do We Have To Ask? 

Adulthood throws many challenges our way. Adjusting to a new job, selling a business, raising two teens…all this change can be almost too much to bear. As followers of Christ, we know we’re supposed to pray and seek God’s guidance, but life is just so busy. God knows us through and through, so why do we have to ask for what He’s already aware of? He knows our cares, our pain and our sins. Why do we need to ask for peace, healing and forgiveness? 

Simply put, we are told to. First Thessalonians tells us to pray without ceasing (5:17). He didn’t provide us with much wiggle room. As forgiven children of God, we are called to hold open a line of communication between us and the Creator of the universe. What a big command! And also a beautiful opportunity. But how do we keep that line of communication open when distractions weigh us down?

Spend time with your heavenly Father in prayer. He will hear you! James 5:16 states the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. When we leave an open line of communication to our Heavenly Father, we show Him that we are reliant on His guidance in our lives. And it allows for us, as His children, to remember that He holds our lives in His hands.

Remove prideful behavior and thoughts. “I can do it on my own.” Sound familiar? More often than we’d probably like to admit, we rely on our own strength to guide us through life. But no part of our life is too small or too big for our Lord! He wants us to rely on Him, not on ourselves. When we pray, we’re recognizing His power and sovereignty over all things.

Do as Jesus did. If our goal is to continually become more like Him, we should mirror His behavior. After Jesus had finished a habitual session of prayer, He was asked to teach the disciples how to pray. Jesus’ response: “When you pray, say…” Not if, but when. In Gethsemane, Jesus cried out to God to take the cup of suffering from Him. If Jesus needed to call on the Lord, how much more do we? 

If you find yourself fretting, stop and pray! God will not mock or dismiss us. If we believe and ask in His name, we will receive His word in our lives (John 14:13). 

Dear Lord, forgive me for not coming to You with all my cares and requests. You love us and are faithful to hear our prayers. Overwhelm me with Your presence and peace and guide me in following Your will during all seasons of life.

Scripture: Romans 6:15-18

What is True Freedom?

What is obedience? What is freedom? These questions may seem like easy questions to answer. But dig down into them and you will find they are at the center of nearly every choice we make.

Oswald Chambers is quoted as saying, “If a child gives in to selfishness, he will find it to be the most enslaving tyranny on earth. …yield for one second to anything in the nature of lust, and although you may hate yourself for having yielded, you become enslaved to that thing.” He was basically restating what the Bible says in the verse above. “Offer yourselves to sin, and it is your last free act.”

Obedience is defined as “dutiful or submissive compliance to the commands of one in authority.” That might sound harsh to some. However, keep in mind that biblical obedience is obedience born out of more than just duty. Obedience is born out of love! Love for the Father and a humble submission to what Christ has done for us. Obedience alone, following the “rules” of Christianity, is not what the Christian life is about.

Living to obey rules won’t get you far. Living to love the Lord our God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your mind, in loving obedience, will bring you freedom like you have never experienced. It is a promise the Lord makes to His people – and that includes you!

Give thanks to the Lord that He provides us with structure to thrive as His people:

Dear God, You know our love and obedience is not perfect. We recognize that we will make mistakes. Please help the desire of our hearts to be moved towards an ever-increasing obedience because of our love for You, as You do Your good work in us and through us, so that we can find true freedom in You. Amen.

Scripture: Mark 6:50

The Winds of Change

Jesus’ comforting words came to the disciples in the midst of a terrible storm. Just before this (v. 48) the Lord tells us that “they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them.” Earlier that day, Jesus fed 20,000 people with a little boy’s lunch. It was a mountaintop experience! The disciples wanted to stay with Jesus, but He sent them away… out into a boat… in the dark of night with a storm approaching!

Have you ever wondered why He did that? Why does Jesus let us face such painful, difficult circumstances? “Does He really love us?” The disciples previously asked, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Jesus saved the disciples that night. And He is always faithful to us, too. But why does He allow us to suffer. And why can He seem so far away when we are crying out to Him? What could His purpose be? Why all the darkness and the tortuous pain? Does it mean that we are out of God’s will?

Were the disciples out of God’s will? I don’t think so. Jesus made them get in the boat! He wanted them to be there. Then, verse 52 strikes a new chord, “…for they [the disciples] did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”

When revisiting the story of the loaves and fish, it’s not obvious that the disciple’s hearts were hardened. But God is the only one who really knows our hearts!

He knows we cannot learn ALL of the lessons we need to learn when times are good. He knows exactly what we need! He works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28), even in experiences we would never choose for ourselves.

Pray this prayer to the Lord who knows and meets our needs:

Thank You, Lord! Thank You for the hard things. Thank You for loving us so much that You, too, suffered for our good. Please help us to respond to every circumstance of life the way You want us to. Make us more like You. We love You. Amen.

This devotion provided by Mike Hare of Compassion International, Staff Chaplain and Child Advocate

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:1-9

When Our Brook Dries Up

When we first meet Elijah, God tells him to hide from King Ahab in the Kerith Ravine. Elijah had just declared there would be no rain in Israel until he said so, and Ahab wasn’t a very forgiving ruler.

During his exile, Elijah drank from the brook in the ravine, and the ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and evening. We don’t know how long God had Elijah down there, but verse 7 tells us, “some time later, the brook dried up…” 

I don’t know if you’ve ever had a brook dry up on you. But it doesn’t always feel great. It happens when God’s provision stops coming from a particular direction. He was supplying your needs in one way, but then He stopped. He doesn’t always tell you why, but He’s giving you a signal. “It’s time to move on. I’ve got something new for you to do.”

Losing your brook can be frustrating. You were comfortable. Things were just beginning to work well. You were getting good at doing what you were doing. You were making plans to build a house near your brook so that you could stay there forever. Then…surprise! He took it away.

I think I know why God takes our brooks away. It’s because we like them too much.

When we get comfortable, we stop growing or having an impact on our environment. By drying up the brook, He forces us to search out His provision in another place.

What if Elijah had never left the brook? What if he had kicked the dirt and moaned to God about how much he liked and deserved the brook? What would have happened to the widow and her son? Who would have won the victory against Ahab’s prophets? Who would have passed the mantle to Elisha?

It doesn’t do much good to complain when God dries up our brook. It’s okay to be sad, but the sooner we get up and get moving, the sooner He can show us our next assignment.

Lord, help me to trust You when my brook dries up. Give me Your Holy Spirit to guide me toward obedience when I’d much rather stay in that comfy place You provided. And lead me to where you want me to be – I want to follow. Amen.

This devotion provided by Michael Kientz of Compassion International, Senior Learning and Development Specialist and Child Advocate

Scripture: Hebrews 5:8

Obedience When The World Swirls

I can’t be the only one who struggles to accept that we cannot change our difficult circumstances. Sure, we can make small changes to work harder or eat healthier, but most of life’s biggest trials are unbearably unavoidable. Instead of living obediently as Christ’s followers in the midst of that trial, we often find ourselves distracted, trying to control what’s around us. Rather than focusing on the Lord, we look to ourselves to solve life’s hardships.

Change is never easy. And sometimes, neither is obedience. Obedience literally cost Jesus His life! But through scripture we learn that it was because of Jesus’s humble obedience that “God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name that is above all other names” (Philippians 2:9).

Philippians 2 focuses on Jesus’s attitude, something that is often the most difficult aspect to conquering difficult times. “Why is this happening to me? When will this agony be over? I thought God loved me, but I don’t feel loved and this is not fair!” Yet, the Bible says Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered.

We need to learn what it means to obey, even when it’s hard. Really hard. It’s what gives us the opportunity to be more like Jesus, who embraced the change from being infinite as God to finite as man by having a humble attitude, even though he was the Son of God. Instead of asking the Lord to change our circumstances, ask for the Lord to change us. Trust that His plan is greater than anything we can fathom.

Jesus, teach me what it means to learn obedience and maintain the proper attitude in the process. Thank You for being my greatest example of this. Help me to cling to the One that never changes and to endure the seasons of change that I encounter. Through it all, thank You that I am Your child and I am not alone in this journey. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This devotion provided by Chuck Rosinski of Compassion International, Senior Sponsor Donor Relations Associate and Child Advocate

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1

Do We Have A Choice?

Believers really only have two choices amid seasons of trials and sorrows:

1. Become ever more reliant on and obedient to God. Or,

2. Become even more burdened and turn from God.

One of the most difficult seasons of my life followed after my wife was diagnosed with cancer. She was in and out of hospitals for years, many visits lasting months at a time. While struggling to juggle single parenting to my 2-year-old and caring for my sick wife, I remember asking God: “What else could go wrong?”

One morning, at my wife’s hospital bedside, I got a call from my mother sharing my father had died of a heart attack earlier that morning. I had my answer. 

Looking back, it’s easy to see how the Lord was preparing me for His good work. The burdens I carried made me stronger, made me appreciate what I had more, and ultimately drew me closer to the Lord. However, it’s much harder to see those things in the midst of the storm. 

These trials could have tempted me to walk away from my faith. We hear these comments all the time: “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?” or “How could God do this to me?” But the Lord’s answer was clear: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Take heart because Jesus has already overcome. And you can find peace in Him! What an amazing promise. We will not find lasting peace, happiness, joy, or even a good life here on earth. But we will find all those things and more through faith in Jesus Christ, who promises them for eternity. He will be our protector and place of refuge when difficult seasons come. He will watch over his children so that nothing separates us from Him.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). The Lord’s yoke is light, and He will never give you more than you can carry. When faced with seasons of trials and sorrows let us always remember to make the first and best choice, to turn to the Lord so that we may be healed.

Lord, help me to remember all the amazing promises You have made to me as Your child. Let my trials and sorrows here on earth draw me even closer to You, always straightening my faith and obedience toward You in all the seasons of my life. Amen.

This devotion provided by Wes Dean of Compassion International, Senior Network Systems Administrator and Child Advocate

Scripture: Proverbs 16:9

Trusting In His Plan

Some of us love change. We live for the thrill of it. Others find ourselves fighting panic when the mere idea floats across our minds. But if we’re honest, we all find change a little scary.

Certain changes feel better than others. The excitement of a new career opportunity is nothing like what we experience as we grieve the pain of a miscarriage … a layoff … a relationship that dead-ends and leaves us baffled.

No matter the change we face, stress usually travels with it hand in hand. And as humans, we handle stress by looking for a way to cope. Many of us handle change by using the “change management” approach. In other words, we ask ourselves how to ease the danger of the unknowns. How can we prepare for all possible outcomes? How do we game the system? How can we control this?

Proverbs 16:9 tells us “we can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Think of it. If the Lord knows every detail of what lies ahead – if our Father has good intentions toward us in the midst of it – then our task becomes less about knowing the outcome and more about knowing Him.

We need to figure out what it means to walk with our Lord through the haze of change. To practice knowing and embracing His presence as we navigate difficult situations.

 We do this by staying close to Him. This looks like a morning of prayer and surrender. It looks like scouring His word for the truth. Inviting others to witness our struggles – especially the heartbreaking ones. Wandering in nature. Being silent. Sitting with a counselor and opening ourselves to another’s wisdom.

When we seek to keep in step with the Spirit in the midst of change, we’re choosing to trust in our Lord and Savior. That He knows what’s best for us. That He has a plan. And that we can trust Him. God’s presence is not the passageway to our destination. He is the destination.

Father, I don’t know how all this turns out. You do. So teach me to simply be in Your presence. Come close and make me aware of Your guiding hand. Open the eyes of my heart to what You would have me see. Give me the courage to trust in Your goodness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 11:22

Following Him 

As a follower of Christ, it can be easy to say you know and understand what your role is as a Christian. However, there is a big difference between knowing about Christ and walking in obedience to Him. In order to follow Christ well, we are committed and called to be obedient to his commands. But this is easier said than done.

Maybe you are working through a broken relationship with a family member, spouse or friend. Maybe you’re facing challenges you have no control over, like losing someone you know and love, or a sickness or injury has affected you or someone you know. You may be adapting to a new job or season of life and find it’s more difficult than anticipated. Trials and circumstances like these can cloud our focus and distract us from the Lord and what His Holy Spirit is calling us to.

But that’s just it. That is the beauty of the gospel and why we need Jesus. He wants to be part of our lives! And because of that, we simply cannot do life on our own. When we are obedient to the Lord, His love and grace is put on display as we become more like Him. 

“Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him” (Deuteronomy 8:6).

Active obedience is trusting God at His word. Practically, this means that amid life’s trials, we stay obedient to what His word tells us to do, trusting that His ways are better than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). It looks like submission to the Holy Spirit’s work in our life to transform us into the image of Jesus.

When we are obedient, our obedience leads to the miracles of God and displays His faithfulness. The act of obedience is our way of showing God that we fully trust Him and that we are giving Him full control of our circumstances and life.

Obedience is a beautiful way of humbling ourselves before our Father and saying, “Lord in my obedience to you, I trust you with everything and have faith that in anything you call me to, that it is part of your purpose for my life.” In this, there is truly no better life to live than one in obedience to our God. 

Lord, I thank You that You have given me the opportunity to follow You and be obedient to You. I thank You for the love and grace You have for me. I thank You that through Your son, Jesus, I get to have a relationship with You and that You have called me Your child. Father, no matter what life brings in the highs and lows, would You help me to be obedient to You in everything that I do? Would Your word be written on my heart and would You help me to hear Your voice clearly?

I pray as I choose to obey You, You will increase my faith and trust in You. In Isaiah 55, you say, “my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts,” so Father give me strength to trust in Your plans and say “yes” to You, even when it is difficult. From every little thing I do, to every big decision that I make, would it be according to Your word so that You may be glorified in my life. Amen.

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him” (Psalm 128:1).