Devotions

Celebration was such a sweet and encouraging time this year! I enjoyed the pieces of messages I heard (Georgia liked cheering on the speaker & we had to leave sometimes!) and am looking forward to listening to them again now that they’ve been posted on Abundant Grace’s website.

We brought home a Puritan Paperback by Thomas Watson, “The Godly Man’s Picture- Drawn with a Scripture Pencil”. I can read just one paragraph and be challenged with much to think on! Today, Watson encouraged me to “be so enamoured with piety as to embrace it heartily... and never leave off till you have got [godliness and the saint’s characteristics] stamped upon your own soul. This is the grand business that should swallow up your time and thoughts.”

According to the Bible, godliness is our wisdom. “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)

Lord, please help me to be consumed by a fear of You and a pursuit of godliness. I pray that I will embrace a life lived in reverence for You out of love for You in all the little things today. Thank you for Your Word and for solid teaching that helps us grow in our walks with You.

~ Allie Olsen

Devotions

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Our family recently got back from a trip to Washington, DC. It was the first time I had ever been in our nation’s capital, and it was an awesome experience. As I was looking at everything for the first time I couldn’t help to wonder what it was like hundreds of years ago. What might it had looked like during the fight for our independence? How many lives were lost for the fight for my freedom? I had so many thoughts going through my mind and was overwhelmed more than once with emotion.

I realized through it all how I take things for granted. I wonder if the people who work or live in and around Washington, DC ever get tired of seeing these great monuments. I wonder if after a while it’s like just another magnet on the fridge – you get so used to seeing it there and it blends in with everything else.

Our lives can become like that too. We get so used to doing things our way and we start our day and don’t take time to thank God for his many blessings. Life just starts to “blend in” and we get sidetracked and take things and people for granted.

I would encourage you today to take some time and thank God for his many blessings. Join me in asking Him to show you if there is anything in your life that you take for granted. ~ Sharlyn Eddy

Devotions

Maybe you've read biographies of heroic missionaries and they seem larger than life. Do you find yourself wondering,"Are these people for real?" Although rare, such individuals do exist and I'd like to introduce you to my friend and mentor, Ruby Thompson. I first met Ruby as I was entering college and even though she was more than half a century older than me she had a tremendous impact on my young Christian life. Already a widow, Ruby devoted her time to teaching several weekly Bible studies, interceding for others and helping younger women keep their eyes on the Savior. One thing was apparent about Ruby: she dearly loved and treasured the Word of God. She would often quote verses as she taught but even more surprisingly she would quote entire passages of Scripture. When she was younger she had memorized the entire book of the Gospel of John while on horseback! As the years went on she added the Book of Hebrews and other smaller books to her memory storehouse. Far from being a duty, her devotions were the foundation of years of fruitfulness. At her 100th birthday party someone asked her to share her favorite Bible passage. Her grandson held the large-print Bible for her and she began to read from her favorite Psalm. Somewhere along the way she closed her eyes and continued from memory those words long imprinted upon her heart and mind. She walked with her Lord and Savior for over a century and has since gone home to join her husband in heaven.

In the Gospels we see that the Pharisees were very familiar with the Scriptures. Yet Jesus was far from pleased with them. What made Ruby's experience different? I believe she truly understood the source of her salvation was Jesus's atoning death on the cross. She was not memorizing scripture to create righteousness but did it as a result of being clothed in the righteousness of Christ. As she walked with the Lord His Word was a source of strength, inspiration, guidance and even admonition. Rather than praying words of her own choosing she would pray God's Word back to Him and when she didn't know what to do she turned to the Word of God. Because it was stored up in her mind she could access it at any time, day or night or any place no matter what the circumstance. Long before mp3's or Cd's were invented she had her own "portable storage device": her memory!

Rather than be intimidated by her monumental achievements in memory work I hope you are inspired today to store away some of God's Word in your heart. Whether one verse or an entire book of the Bible it would have brought her great pleasure to know that her example inspired you to begin memorizing God's Word. As we sit daily at the Lord's feet may we follow her example and find our devotional time to truly be a delight, reaping much fruit as a result of our time in the Word. ~ Brenda Edwards

Devotions

Sweet Georgia Anne is already 2 weeks old! I am starting to adjust to the “new Mamma routine” which, as you all know, includes less sleep. Chris has been kind to take her in the morning around 6, so I have been “making up” for my missed sleep in the morning. It’s amazing what one solid hour of sleep can do for a tired Mamma! But this presents a new problem! The thing a new Mamma needs most desperately is the Lord! (Don’t we all!?!) Crazy post-partum hormones combined with little sleep and maintaining a “normal life” is taxing! I find my days full to the brim- and my “catch up sleep” squeezes out the precious time I used to spend in the Word early in the morning.

And yet I am so thankful for new and challenging seasons of life. They enable me to see a new aspect of God as I lean heavily on Him. His grace and tender love have become evident to me through these past few weeks.

Although I have not had my structured quiet times, I have never felt that God was far away. (That’s His sustaining grace!) He has spoken through messages I’ve listened to online and on CD and through worship and scripture memory songs we sing as a family. I’m seeing again that it is not what I am doing, it’s what He has done that allows our relationship to deepen both in the seasons of long and rich quiet times and in these weeks where I’m sustained by moments of whispered prayer! I’m jealous for the future when I, like Inez said last week, can see how “the bursting emotions of first love develop into the rich virtue of devotion.” And I’m so thankful for the varied seasons He has tailor-made for each of us to cultivate a deeper love for & dependence on Him! ~ Allie Olsen

Devotions

During the 1950s a popular love song by Phil Spector hit the airwaves with the lyrics, “To know, know, know you, is to love, love, love you . . .” A bit repetitive but I imagine the author repeated words in order to fill in the melody. Then again, he might have been on to something about the nature of love. The more I know you, the more I value and desire you.

In King David’s song, Psalm 103, he blesses the Lord who “made known his ways unto Moses and his acts unto the children of Israel.” The Israelites experienced the blessing and benefits of God’s miracles but Moses, whom God tucked into the cleft of a cliff, had more than miracles to behold – he also knew the ways of the Lord.

A speaker I once heard at a prayer seminar pointed out that the translation for the Hebrew word “know” implied an intimacy such as that between husband and wife. The Israelites knew what God could do, but Moses knew Him. Sounds like relationship, doesn’t it? I know what President Bush can do but I sure don’t know him personally! Yet the old murderer Moses spoke to God face to face and knew that he had found grace.

Devotions - the seeking of God’s face and truth repeatedly – develop devotion. In my times of personal communion with the Lord I do not experience miraculous acts but I do continually listen to the still small voice of the Lord and experience His wisdom, counsel, comfort, instruction, peace, and love…. After years of setting apart time, in my blue rocking chair, I have seen the bursting emotions of first love develop into the rich virtue of devotion. As with any relationship of depth, this kind of knowing has taken time. As you set time aside too, beloved sisters, I believe that you will find what I have found - that the more you know Him, the more you will “love, love, love” Him. ~ Inez Holger

Devotions - Keeping My Focus

Having a quiet time with the Lord is somewhat new to me. Over the years I have spent time with the Lord but it was never consistent and I thought as long as I said a few prayers and had quiet moments that I was doing good. Which really only shows my self centeredness and self reliance. As a wife and a mother of four children how could I not start my day with prayer? My independence from the Lord was a sign that I was far from Him.

Thankfully the Lord is merciful and kind and has more patience with me than I deserve. My focus needs to be on Him. If I can give the Lord a portion of my time each day how much better equipped will I be when things get hard? How can I get through a busy day filled with children, laundry, dishes, and all the little surprises that come my way? By keeping my focus on the One who can keep me from falling. “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—.” Jude 1:24 (NIV)

I want to leave you with a quote from the book titled Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper. My favorite story so far has to be about Lilias Trotter. She said: It is easy to find out whether our lives are focused, and if so, where the focus lies. Where do our thoughts settle when consciousness comes back in the morning? Where do they swing back when the pressure is off during the day?...Dare to have it out with God…and ask him to show you whether or not all is focused on Christ and His glory. How do we bring things to focus in the world of optics? Not by looking at the things to be dropped, but by looking at the one point that is to be brought out. Turn your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look and look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him. ~ Sharlyn Eddy

Devotions -

“I love you, O Lord, my strength.” -Psalm 18:1

The note in my study Bible says that “love” here is not the usual Hebrew word for love. It emphasizes intimacy, expressing David’s personal devotion to the Lord. What a sweet picture it brings on this Wednesday morning! As I take a few moments to reflect on my own personal devotion to the Lord, I ask myself… is my love for God, like David’s love here, one of intimacy and devotion?

David doesn’t just shallowly say he loves God. He continues in his praise to our Redeemer: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,and I am saved from my enemies.” (verses 2 & 3)

I desire to delight in the Lord. One way I can do this is in prayer and praise. We can use the Psalms as a springboard for our prayers- try it with this passage! This morning, this is what the first verse prompted me to pray. “I do love you, Lord. You are worthy of my love- and have proved yourself so in my life time and again. I can see your faithfulness in the Word (thank you for your Word!) but you don’t stop there!! You are so kind to me. So faithful and really patient to grow me up in knowledge of You and love for You and how to walk that all out. Thanks. And your Word says you are my strength. Please make that real to me today as I try to integrate the young children into our new school. I want our family life to be pleasing to You- help me not to put teaching and our schedule above loving my kiddos and training the children to know & love You. I think I’ll definitely need your strength to accomplish that!! When I’m physically done and when I’m emotionally spent… no, long before that… help me to turn to You and rely on You to be my strength!!”

I learn best & am most encouraged when I have an example, so I hope that’s helpful to you. Why don’t you take the next passage of Psalm I typed above and pray it? It’s such a wonderful way to prompt both prayer and praise. Our God… He’s so amazing. He even teaches us how to pray. He thought of everything, didn’t He?! ~ Allie Olsen