Devotional Times with a Difference

Some time ago, the question of my devotional time was on my mind. You see, I’ve never been one to sit down and actually read my bible at a set time during the day. 

Most of what I know was taught to me as a child at Sunday school, group Bible studies and through the sermons of faithful parents and ministers in the churches that I have worshipped in over the years. 

Setting aside a daily amount of time, for my own personal reading, has been met with limited success. 

I tried it once and found that like the disciples Mark 14:32-42, Matthew 26:36-46 and Luke 22:39-46 that I would just drop off to sleep. I have even on occasions used prayer to get myself back to sleep during the night. By using prayer, I mean I have started to pray knowing that because the devil doesn’t want me to pray, he will make sure I go back to sleep quickly.

It has been through the posts of other members of the Photo-a-day group and a message from a friend asking what devotional material I had that I started to wonder if I need to spend more time doing a “devotional”. I was mowing the lawn when this question arose. As I pushed and pulled the following thoughts went through my mind. 

I often do my best thinking while mowing. I had a conversation with God that when something like this.

“What is a devotional time?”  

“It is devoting time thinking, talking to and thinking about God and His word.”

When do you do that?

While I’m mowing and writing my stories each day!

The light went on! Oh wow, I am having a devotional time because now I am actually writing my own devotional each day.

So now I say Hello God, I want to talk to you while I'm doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, knitting and even making meals. I know that you can also teach me things in the midst of my busyness. What would you like to teach me today?

Things will be different at your place but God will listen and speak to you no matter where you are.

Flower like a Rose

It had been really dry for weeks. The ground was crying out for rain. Cracks were opening up at an alarming rate. The Rose garden had suffered accordingly as it hadn’t been given the attention that it should have. It seemed that there had just been a long list of jobs and events which pushed watering the garden a long way down the list of priorities.

Yet, one morning I looked out my kitchen window to see one bush covered in blooms.

Previously to this someone had remarked to my daughter on my strength and my ability to come through the other side of life’s storms. There were many days when I didn’t feel very strong. On other days, the stresses in my life threatened to swamp me. So, to have someone comment on my strength was surprising.

One thing I did know however, was that any strength that I had come from only one place, God. His Holy Spirit lived within me and it was the only way I got through each and every day.

Just like the Roses that had flowered in my garden, my strength is evidence that God is very powerful. In fact, my lack of attention could be paralleled to the stresses and troubles experienced by most of us.

Yet, when we soak ourselves in the care of the God who created us we will flower with a beauty that will tell the world just how powerful the Holy Spirit is that lives within us.  

We get these assurances when we read John 14:16-18.

^“16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

¹⁸ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

You may not think that you are flowering very well but remember that God dwells within you and sooner all later, maybe when life is at its hardest, you will see the evidence of God’s love and care.

Soak or Scrub

There is only one type of dishwasher in our house. Yes, is a very hands-on one! To get our dishes clean either myself or my husband have to fill the sink with water and start scrubbing. Someone recently tried to tell me how to do this job. They insisted that I didn’t soak my dishes long enough before I started to clean up. Now, I don’t mind soaking my dishes sometimes. You need to be careful not to soak them too long, otherwise, you have to empty the sink and replace the water because it has gone cold. I listened to the advice but thought that sometimes soaking can just be an excuse to put off getting our hands into the sink and start working.

As I reflected on this, I wondered if this isn’t a problem for us as Christians sometimes. Isn’t it easier to let things soak for a while? We might defend our lack of action by saying that we need to pray about an issue for longer. Yet, sometimes, like soaking the dishes, it would be of a greater profit for us to get in and do some hard scrubbing.

Psalm 14:23 says “In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.” This not only relates to our earthly work. Poverty is the result of not getting in and doing the things that need to be done. 

I believe that spiritual poverty is also a result of waiting too long to get our hands dirty working for the Lord.

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” Colossians 3:23.

So, please when it comes to working for the Lord, let’s all put on our gloves, put our hands in the sink and start scrubbing.

Green – The Colour of Hope

Isaiah 43: 16-19

Green is the colour of hope! This passage speaks of hope. As we welcome in a New Year many of us are looking for hope. Many have experienced grief, often during the closing weeks of the year that is closing. These and many other people are entering a wilderness that has to be undoubtedly navigated

.

As I thought about wildernesses, I found myself realising that there are at least two types that I know of. One is dry, barren and looks as if it goes on forever. Even in this type of wilderness we need a path to follow or else we will find ourselves going around and around in circles and getting nowhere. The other wilderness is overgrown with undergrowth that has to be hacked down in order to make progress with many hidden dangers lurking just out of sight.

We are reminded in verse 16 to forget what is old and behind us. So as we move into the new year let us look forward in hope as God makes a path for us to move forward.