Seasons

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

When I begun my time at Potter's Field Ranch, I really struggled with leaving home. I wanted to embrace what the Lord had for me there at the ranch, and yet I was afraid that in so doing I would have to let go of my family. I was afraid that new relationships would replace the old, and I didn't want that to happen.

I realized that I am now grown up, my childhood is behind me, and I really grieved over that. I would think of memories of my childhood, and while I was very thankful for those memories, my heart would break because I would wish that those times had not ended. Like in Peter Pan, I wished that there was a Never Land, somewhere I could go where I would never have to grow older and move away from my family.

This was something that I believed the Lord had to work out in my life. I had to learn how to move away and let go.The Lord is so good and brought me through that time. I was so afraid that if I embraced what He had set before me, then I would lose my family. He showed me that nothing could ever, ever replace my family. I learned that I can readily form new relationships with the people whom He so lovingly places in my life, while still not losing that special relationship with my family. This may seem obvious and sound silly, and yet it was something that I really had to learn there at Potter's Field. I think so often we are trying to hold on so tightly to what we are afraid to lose that we are unable to receive what the Lord is so graciously trying to give us.

Tonight I read the above Scripture. It is a familiar passage, and yet one that the Lord is using to speak to me in this season of my life. There is a time for everything. A time to be a little girl, and a time to grow up and, in my case, move to Costa Rica for 6 months. In the midst of all of the seasons of life, in all of the changes, Jesus remains faithful and He never changes. There is a time for everything, and in everything God promises to work all things for my good if I love Him and am called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). Because of this promise, I can trust that even in the times of change, the times of hardship, good will come out of it. Things may not look good, they may not feel good, but I can trust that God is good and that He will be faithful to remember all of His promises to me.

If you read further in Ecclesiastes you will come to chapter 3 verse 11 where the writer says: "He has made everything beautiful in its time." I love this. There is a time for everything, and He has made everything beautiful in its time. This speaks to me of the fact that God's plan is perfect, and even though change is hard, God knows when that change needs to take place. God makes everything beautiful in its time, which means in every season He has a purpose and a plan. He is always, always working for our good and His glory, even when it doesn't feel like it.

I am so, so thankful that I can trust that God is good and is working for my good. I am so thankful that even though I may look wistfully back at past seasons in my life, I can trust that God knows best and knows when change needs to happen in order to make everything beautiful.


"Picture a piece of embroidery placed between you and God, with the right side up towards God. Man sees the loose, frayed ends; but God sees the pattern." Corrie Ten Boom

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Luke 17:10

“So you also, when you have done all that was commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.’” Luke 17:10

To me, this verse speaks of how the life of a servant is not some extraordinary thing, but rather one which all believers in Christ should lead.

When you serve Jesus and others, it is far too easy to feel as though you are something special. Especially here at Potter’s Field, it can be easy to feel as though we are giving up so much to serve Jesus and thus should earn some special blessing. This is not the case! Granted the Lord blesses obedience, and yet our obedience to come here is not some extraordinary thing, rather it is a response to God’s love for us. We need to stop thinking that we are giving such a huge sacrifice to Christ, and realize that our giving our lives to Him is simply what we are called as servants to do. He is so worthy of our lives, and we are so unworthy. Our serving Him is not some amazing thing, but rather what is expected of a follower of Jesus. It is also important to realize that the Lord has a different plan for each and everyone’s life. We should never feel as though we are serving Jesus more than another, because He has called us to serve in different capacities and locations. He may call some to Potter’s Field, He may call some to serve in the workplace, and He may call some to stay and serve at home. It is never about what the servant is doing, but rather the heart of the servant that’s doing it. The heart of the servant should always be one of humbleness and gratitude. Humbleness in that he knows all he offers to God is simply in response to all he has been given, and gratitude that he is even allowed to serve such an amazing God.

I feel so blessed and so blown away that the Lord has called me to be His servant. It makes me want to fall on my knees in worship when I think how He has chosen not only to save me by His grace, but to also use me by His grace. I want to daily serve Him with all of my heart, and to do it with humbleness and gratitude. I want to realize that anything I give Him is not some amazing sacrifice, but rather that which He deserves. He deserves so much more than I could ever give Him!

I love Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

My life of service to Jesus is not some extraordinary thing, but rather it is reasonable that I would live a life of service to Him in response to all that He has done for me.

Application: Today, I will pray and ask the Lord to help me to serve my family as I go home. I want to serve Jesus by serving my family.

Luke 17:9

“Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?” Luke 17:9

This verse is encouraging and convicting to me because it reminds me that I am not to serve the Lord for the praise and approval of men. This can be really challenging, and yet also really freeing.

There is such an entitlement mentality in our culture. Instead of people laying down their rights to serve the Lord, they often feel that they are entitled to so many things. Even when serving the Lord, we all too often feel entitled. We start getting a holier than thou attitude because we feel as though we are doing so much for the Lord. We start to feel entitled to things because, after all, we are so dedicated to Jesus and thus certainly deserve great blessings. These thoughts are full of self and pride, and yet many would probably confess to feeling this way from time to time. One of the things we may feel entitled to while serving Jesus is appreciation and thanks. We may work really hard serving Jesus by serving someone, and expect that person to express thanksgiving to us. I feel that the person we are serving should indeed be thankful, and yet I also feel that on our part we need to not expect that thanks to be given us. We need to make sure that in our hearts we are serving Jesus because we love Him and not serving someone because we want their approval and thanks.

Let’s face it. It can be really hard not to be thanked. It’s something so simple, and yet it bothers us so much. When I worked at Costco giving out samples, it really bothered me how many people would take a sample and not even say thank you. I understood that I was simply doing my job and that I didn’t buy the food with my own money, but to me it just seemed like common sense to say thank you when you are given free food. My parents raised me to always say please and thank you and I quickly found out that not everyone has been raised that way. Now, I still think that it is important to be polite and say please and thank you, but at the end of the day I went home knowing that my part was to simply be faithful to do my job regardless of if the customers thanked me or not. I didn’t stop serving the samples because they didn’t say thank you. If I did, I would have been in trouble, because it wasn’t about being thanked, it was about being faithful to do my job.

How does one serve the Lord wholeheartedly not longing for or expecting gratitude? I believe that how one does this is to live a life of thanksgiving yourself. It can be frustrating not being thanked, and yet when you decide to spend your life thanking Jesus for all He has done for you, then you won’t have time to focus on how you’re not being thanked. The truth is, you and I aren’t worthy. We aren’t worthy to be thanked and appreciated, but Jesus is. He is the only One worthy of praise and thanksgiving. I don’t want to waste my time feeling irritated that I’m not being thanked, because I don’t deserve it. I want to spend my time thanking the only One who does deserve it. I want to live a life of total service to Him, and I want my heart to be filled to overflowing with thanksgiving for all He has done for me. He is so, so faithful, and I want to thank and praise Him every day for His faithfulness.

Application: I want my life to be marked by thankfulness. Jesus has been so good to me and I want others to see His goodness in me. I don’t want to complain about things, because that doesn’t bring Him glory. Instead, I want to be filled with thanksgiving. Today I will ask someone on my team to keep me accountable to not complain. I will also spend time thanking Jesus for all He has done for me.  

Luke 17:8

“Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’?” Luke 17:8

We saw in the previous verse that a servant is not asked to come in and sit down when he has returned from a day of work, and now here we see that rather he is expected to continue on serving.  This again speaks to me of the fact that a servant has no rights.

A bondservant is a willing slave, one who has voluntarily given himself for life to his master. He is one who gives up his rights and lives a life of service to his master. I am a bondservant of Christ. I have accepted Jesus into my heart and thus I am no longer my own; I am His.

Too often we spend so much time clinging to our rights that we forget that Jesus, who is fully God, surrendered His rights and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us so that we might live. If He, who is fully God, willingly laid down His life out of love for me, I want to willingly lay down my life out of love for Him. Sacrifice comes from deep love, and I want to be so deeply in love with Jesus that I am willing to sacrifice all for the sake of serving Him.

In my last devotion I mentioned the first verse in the song “You Can Have Me”, by Sidewalk Prophets, and I think that the second verse and chorus also go really well with this devotion:

“If You’re all You claim to be, then I’m not losing anything. So I will crawl upon my knee, just to know the joy of suffering. I will love You enough to let go, Lord I give You my life, I give You my life! When did love become unmoving? When did love become unconsuming? Forgetting what the world has told me, Father of love, You can have me.”

It can be really hard to live the life of a servant, to give up all to follow hard after Jesus, and yet we must remember that it is so worth it. In the midst of the sacrifice, we must never forget why we are making that sacrifice, and most importantly, for whom we are making that sacrifice. Just like this song says, if Jesus is all He claims to be, which He is, then we really aren’t losing anything. Oh, in the moment it may feel like we’re losing a lot. We may feel as though we are losing everything we ever wanted, and yet we must remember that what we want is not necessarily the best, and that God loves us too much to want less than the best for us. He wants us to live a life of surrendered service not because He enjoys watching us suffer, but rather because He knows the joy that we will have when we live that life of service. I want to love Jesus enough to let go of everything else but Him. I want to love Him with my life, not just with my words. There is so much fellowship in suffering for Jesus – it is when we suffer for Him that we learn to really press into Him, and thus find sweet fellowship with Him. There is no greater joy than that which is found in fellowship with Jesus! I want my life to be one of sacrifice; even it means suffering, so that I might live in constant fellowship with Jesus.

Paul understood what it meant to lay down his rights in order that he might serve His king. In Acts 20:24 he wrote: “But I do not account my life of any value, nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” I don’t want to count my life as precious to myself, to hold onto it as if it were of value to me. My life is precious and valuable only when it is poured out as a sacrifice to Jesus. It is in death to myself that I truly find life. It is in sacrifice that I truly find joy.

It is important to realize that a life of sacrifice, service, and surrender is only made possible by Jesus. I can’t do it by myself. On my own I am full of sin and want nothing more than to live for myself. It is only by the power of Jesus and by His grace that I am able to lay my life down before Him. It is not me working hard so that I might please Him, it is Him working in me. My part is simply to trust and take Him at His Word.

Oh, Jesus, please give to me a servant’s heart. I pray that I would not count my life as precious to myself, but that I would daily sacrifice it to You.

Application: Today I will pray for grace to willingly lay down my rights, and to do it with joy.

Luke 17:7

“Will any of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’?” Luke 17:7

Jesus begins to teach the disciples what it truly means to be His servant. The answer to His rhetorical question in this verse is no, of course not. When a servant comes in from his work, he is not pampered and told to sit down; instead, we’ll see in the next verse, he is expected to continue serving.

To me, this verse speaks of how a servant has no rights. Many a people would feel that they deserve to relax after a long day’s work. Not so the servant. The servant not only willingly serves continually, but also looks for ways in which he might serve.

In pondering what it means to be a servant, I am reminded of the song “You Can Have Me” by Sidewalk Prophets. The lyrics are so powerful to me:

“If I saw You on the street, and You said ‘Come and follow Me’, but I had to give up everything, all I once held dear and all of my dreams. Would I love You enough to let go, or would my love run dry, when You asked for my life?”

I want to be Jesus’ servant, no matter the cost. The truth is, we sometimes don’t realize the things that are dear to us and how much we love our rights until we are asked to give them up. I want to love Jesus enough to give up everything for Him. I don’t want to look for ways I can take a break from serving Jesus, but rather look for ways I can serve Him. I want to be His faithful servant all the days of my life.

Application: I will pray that I would have a servant’s heart.

Luke 17:6

And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Luke 17:6

Faith like a grain of a mustard seed. I love this analogy because a mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, and yet Jesus said that we only need faith like a grain of a mustard seed to do extraordinary things. To me, this is a wonderful reminder of how intimately Jesus knows His children. He knows how doubtful we often are, and how for some strange reason faith seems to be hard for us. Indeed, there are so many times when I feel I must do more and try harder, and I forget that my life is to be one of faith, not one of works. To be sure, our good works are a fruit of our faith, but never the reverse. A verse that I need to be reminded of often is Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.”  All too often I find myself going about my day, thinking of everything I have to do, and as a result I am focused on my works and not on Jesus. I want to please Jesus each and every day, and to do this I must live by faith, because nothing I do apart from my faith in Him could ever bring Him pleasure.

Our faith needs to be in Jesus, not in faith itself. Jesus is the object of our faith. Faith itself doesn’t move mountains, heal the sick, or cause the hardened heart to soften – Jesus is the only One who is able. Jesus simply asks that we would have faith in Him to do these things. I believe that one reason Jesus wants us to have faith is simply because He wants us. In order for us to have faith in Him, we must first know Him. As my youth pastor once said, “It’s hard to trust someone you don’t know.” He said this speaking of our relationship with Jesus, and how if we want to really trust Him, we have to really know Him.

How thankful I am that Jesus beckons me to know and trust Him more and more each day! How thankful I am that it doesn’t take an extraordinary amount of faith, but simply a childlike faith. I can come to Him as my Heavenly Father and know that even though I am so faithless, He remains faithful. (2 Timothy 2:13) How thankful I am that He is so faithful to hear the desperate cry of my heart: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Application: I will ask the Lord to help me have a childlike faith, and to remember that my faith is in Him alone.

Jesus Is My Home

I love the song, “Hideaway”. If I had to choose my top favorite worship song, that would be it. I love the chorus: “You are my rest, You are my home, safe in Your arms, my Hideaway.”

These words so sweetly ministered to me when I first heard them in church years ago, and then when I was in Belize a couple years ago the Lord again used that song to encourage me.

While in Belize on a mission trip, I really struggled with being homesick. It didn’t really make sense to me, since I was only gone for about 9 days and I had been away from home and out of the country on other mission trips before that.

It was hard for me, and yet the Lord really used that struggle to teach me something. He taught me that He is my home. He used the song “Hideaway” to remind me of this. On that trip I was so tired and homesick, yet the Lord showed me that my rest and my home is in Him.

Home is where I belong, where I feel safe and secure. Home is where I am cared for and loved. Home is where my heart rejoices and finds rest.

When I write out that list of what home is, I really see that indeed Jesus is my home. He is where I belong. In Him I am safe and secure, cared for and loved. In Him my heart rejoices and finds rest.

I am so thankful that Jesus taught me this lesson. I believe that He knew that I needed to learn that lesson then if I was to become a missionary.

That’s not to say that I still don’t miss my earthly home and family. I miss them so much, and it’s been hard to be away from them. I can’t wait to spend ten days at home with my family. I want those days to go by incredibly slow; I want to cherish every moment with them.

Even if I’m thousands of miles away, nothing could ever take the place of my family. I will always carry them close to my heart. Next week I won’t be able to see my brother Nicholas since he lives across the country, but he still holds a very special place in my heart. No one or thing could ever change that.

Recognizing Jesus as my home does not make me love my family any less; rather it gives me the strength and comfort I need to be away from them.

Thank You, Jesus, for being my rest, my home, and for keeping me safe in Your arms. You are my Hideaway.

John 17:24

“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, too see My glory that You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” John 17: 24

This verse should fill every believer which such joy and comfort. How amazing it is that Jesus actually desires us to be with Him! The perfect One, the spotless Lamb, the Son of God, the Great I am, wants to be with me; a sinner. I am so thankful for what He accomplished on the cross so that I can be with Him. There is no way on my own that I am able to enter into His presence – it is only by His blood. Jesus has completed the work necessary to bring me into fellowship with Himself.

I am reminded of John 14:1-3 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told You that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Even before Jesus spoke these words, He knew the doubts and fears that would so often plague me. He knew the sleepless nights I would face because of my fears, He knew the tears I would cry because of my doubts. He knew all these things, and He also knew the remedy for my doubts and fears. The remedy is the assurance that I will one day be with Him in Heaven. He is preparing a place for me in Heaven, and what a sweet comfort that is to me. There are many doubts and fears that I face in this life, and yet I always need to go back to the words of Jesus, remembering that He calls me to believe and trust in Him, to take Him at His Word that He is preparing a place for me. On those sleepless nights when fears and anxieties swarm in my mind, I believe that Jesus longs for me to remember these words which He spoke in John 14; that He is preparing a place for me. “My child,” He sweetly whispers, “Fear not, for even as you lay here overwhelmed by fear, I am preparing a place for you beside Me. Nothing can take you from My perfect hand. Rest in the hope of heaven, rest in Me. Hold onto My words, and let them be a comfort to your troubled heart.”

I am so thankful that Jesus is preparing a place for me to be with Him in glory forever, and not only that, but He actually desires for me to be with Him forever. What a gracious and loving Savior!

Jesus, please remind me of these things daily. I am so prone to fear, so prone to doubt and anxiety. Please remind me of Your words in the gospel of John, and please help me to trust Your Word. I believe, please help my unbelief.

Application: Today I will ask the Lord to help me listen to His voice and not to my fears and anxieties.

John 17:23

“I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You have sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.” John 17:23

As Jesus continues His prayer we once again see Him express His desire for the unity of His disciples. I believe one of the reasons Jesus repeats His prayer for unity so often in this passage is because He knows how much of a struggle unity is for us. He knows that we believers desperately need all the prayers for unity we can get, because daily it is something with which we each wrestle. Another reason I believe He repeats Himself is because He wants us to really understand how important it is that we are unified. Unity is God’s deep desire for us, and thus it should be ours as well.  

Jesus desires for His followers to be perfectly one. In studying the previous verse, I realized how unity is only possible through Jesus. When hearing that we as believers are called to be perfectly one, it is easy to become discouraged and wonder how in the world that will ever come to be, and yet we needn’t be discouraged. As always, we simply need to take our eyes off of ourselves, realizing that it is not about us, but about Him in us. With man it is impossible to be perfectly united with his fellow brothers and sisters, and yet what is impossible with man is possible with God. Our part is surrendering to Jesus, dying to ourselves to that He might live in us.

As we continue on reading the verse, we again see that Jesus desires for us to be united that our unity might be a testimony to the world around us. As I said, unity is only possible when we are in Christ, and so when we are unified it points to Him.

I absolutely love the last part of this verse – “that You have sent me and loved them even as You loved Me.” What an encouraging statement! God has loved us even as He has loved His Son. This absolutely amazes me. I am so thankful that a perfect God loves me, such an imperfect person. I think it’s important to realize that just because God loves us does not mean that we are spared from pain and hurt in this life. I think so often it is easy to think, “If God loves me, why is this happening?” And yet we need not forget God’s Son, Jesus, whom He loves with all of His heart. God loves Jesus with all His heart, and yet Jesus endured the hardest trial of all; death on a cross. God, in His infinite love and wisdom, sent His Son to die for us. He knew how painful it would be, and yet He also knew that that was what needed to take place in order to complete His plan for salvation. You see, God loves Jesus with all of His heart, and yet Jesus endured much suffering, but His suffering was used for good, for the salvation of all who would believe on Him. The same is true with us, God loves us with all of His heart, and yet we still must endure suffering. We are not spared from the trials of this life, and yet we can be confident, that, since we love God and are called according to His purpose, all things will work together for good. (Rom. 8:28)

I am so thankful to know that God loves me with such an extravagant and amazing love. Even when I go through hard times, I can be comforted knowing that He loves me.

Application: Today I will thank God for loving me with such an extravagant love.

John 17:22

“The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one.” John 17:22

I read this verse yesterday morning and was thinking about it throughout the day. There are some days when I read the verses we are studying and it’s not too difficult for me interpret them, but this verse was a challenge for me.

What really stood out to me in this verse is the beginning of it –“The glory that You have given Me I have given to them.” This amazes me. The glory that God the Father gave Jesus His Son, has also been given to us. We who have Christ in us also have the hope of glory in us. Colossians 1:27 says: “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  We know that one day we shall see Jesus face to face and will then dwell in everlasting glory. I can’t wait! This reminds me of Romans 8:18 – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” What a comfort this is to me! There are many trials, disappointments, and hardships we face in this life. If one focuses on those things, it’s very easy to become discouraged. I am so thankful that we don’t have to focus on the trials, disappointments, and hardships, because while those things are very real, they are only temporary. How much better then is it to focus on the eternal! Our future glory is eternal and going back to Romans 8:18 we see that nothing we could ever go through is even worth comparing to the glory which awaits us. This should give us great motivation to press on through the valleys, and to press on with joy.

Jesus gave us the glory that was given to Him so that we may be one, just as He is one with His Father and the Holy Spirit. How does the glory which we are given relate to the unity to which we are called? I had a hard time connecting these things together. I believe that the glory which Jesus has given us is the driving force of our unity, that is, His glory in us is what makes us long for unity with our brothers and sisters. Jesus is our glory, He is the One for whom it is more than worth going through these present sufferings. He is not only the driving force of our unity, but He is also the One who even makes unity possible. It is only Jesus in us, who is our glory, who enables us to live in unity with our brothers and sisters. On our own we are absolutely unable to achieve unity; it is only by Jesus.

I am so thankful that Jesus chose to make me His daughter; He chose to reserve an inheritance of glory for me. He is my hope of glory. He not only chose to reveal His glory to be in the future, but each day He shows me His glory and is transforming me into His likeness. I am so amazed that Jesus has chosen to bless me so abundantly, and I long to live a life of thanksgiving to Him. He has asked that I be unified with my fellow believers, and I want to honor His request. I can only do this by His strength. On my own it is impossible, but the things which are impossible for man are possible with God.

Application: Today I will thank the Lord for being my hope of glory.

John 17:21

“that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” John 17:21

Jesus continues His prayer for His disciples. What was His prayer request for them? His prayer request was for unity, that His disciples may be one. This is still Jesus’ heart for His people today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and thus He still longs for His body to be united as one.

Why did Jesus pray for the unity of His disciples, when, in our eyes, there were probably many “more important” things for which He could have prayed for them? I believe He prayed for the disciples’ unity because He knew how much of a struggle this was for them, and not only that, but He also knew how much of a struggle this would be for every single person who would come to believe in Him.

It is really hard to live in unity with each other. Everyone has their own desires, their own plans, and their own struggles, thus in order to be in unity we must die to self so that we might life to Jesus. Jesus is the one Thing we all have in common, and thus to be united as brothers and sisters in Christ we must live for Him and not ourselves.

Why is unity so hard? Why is it such a struggle? Why isn’t easy to lay down my rights for my brothers and sisters?  I believe it is because the enemy is working so hard to destroy the unity of the church. Notice the last part of John 17:21 – “so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”  When believers are unified, it is a testimony of Jesus to a lost and dying world. Satan does not like this. He is doing everything he possibly can in order to prevent people to come to the saving grace of Jesus. It makes sense, then, that he works so hard to cause us to not be unified.

What a comfort to me to know that Jesus prayed for the unity of His followers. I want to daily die to myself for the sake of unity, for the sake of living a life pleasing to Jesus. How I long to live in unity with my brothers and sisters so that it would be a testimony of Jesus to the world around us!

Application: Today I will pray that there will be unity within our teams.

John 17:20

John 17:20 says, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word”. I believe that there are treasures in this verse from which we can glean. I love Jesus’ statement here, that He does not ask for these only (His present followers), but also for those who would come to believe in Him. I love this because this tells me that Jesus was not only praying for His disciples there, but He was also praying for me. He was praying for all who would believe in Him, and all means all. Every single believer is included in Jesus’ prayer. This should be a tremendous comfort to all believers. I am always so encouraged to know that people are praying for me, and what an encouragement to know that the King of kings and Lord of lords prays for me! In John 17:15 Jesus prayed, “I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.” Jesus is fully aware of the spiritual battle which takes place inside every believer’s heart, and He prayed for us concerning this. Sometimes I feel so weak and the battle is so hard for me, and I am so encouraged to know that Jesus prayed for me specifically concerning this.

It’s important that we also look at the second part of John 17:20. Jesus prayed for those who would come to believe in Him through the word of His disciples. This is really important because it reminds us of the power of the believer’s testimony. Jesus wants to use each and every believer’s testimony as a witness to the world. I want people to come to know Jesus through my words. I don’t want my words to be self focused, but rather to point to Jesus and to declare how amazingly gracious He has been to me. Today the Lord has reminded me of the lyrics of a song: “Your grace still amazes me, Your love is still a mystery, each day I fall on my knees, ‘cause Your grace still amazes me.” I am so amazed by the grace the Lord Jesus has lavished upon me, and continues to lavish upon me day after day. I am such a sinner, and yet He has blessed me so abundantly. To think that I am serving Him in ministry makes me feel so incredibly thankful. I am so thankful that Jesus is able to use me by His grace and has chosen to bless me. How can I keep Him to myself? This Jesus who loves me so faithfully, who forgives me so graciously, who blesses me so sweetly, longs to in the same way love, forgive, and bless everyone in this whole world. I want to declare Him to a lost and dying world around me. I want to live and speak in such a way that people would see the grace and goodness of the Lord in my life and would come to believe in Him.

Application: Today I will give thanks to Jesus for praying for me and for using me by His grace. I will pray that my life will point others to Him. 

Be Still

Ps. 23:1-2
"The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters."

My good Shepherd makes me lie down in green pastures. When I read verse 2, I picture Jesus smiling and saying, "Amen!" He knows He has to make me lie down. All too often I am running in circles, anxious and afraid with a long list of things to do, and it is then my Shepherd makes me lie down.
He knows how against my nature it is to rest, but as a loving Father He knows how much I need that rest. It may happen through a sharp rebuke of a loved one, a gentle whisper from His Word, or the encouragement of family, but one way or another Jesus is faithful to make me lie down.
He longs for me to rest in Him. Yes, to be faithful to my calling, but all the while resting in His perfect hand.

He leads me beside still waters. So often I take the noisy route, the route with sirens and horns, the route with train whistles and airplanes. I find myself getting lost in the noise and chaos of life, because instead of letting my faithful Shepherd lead me beside still waters, I have led myself on a busy street and have gotten stuck in traffic. The traffic of my anxious thoughts and fears, the traffic of my doubts and emotions, and because I am stuck in traffic, I can't get where He wants me. I am stuck.

It is then my heavenly Father gently yet firmly lays hold of me, picks me up, and carries me back to those still waters. Once beside those still waters, I wonder why in the world I ever thought it best to leave them. "Be still, My child", my Shepherd sweetly whispers, "Know that I am God. don't be afraid to stay by the still waters. This is where I want you, for it is in the stillness you hear My voice. It is in the stillness you remember My promises, and thus find strength to walk in My plans for you. Be still and know that I am God." 

Mark 8:38

In Mark 8:34-37 Jesus told His disciples that if they would come after Him, they must deny themselves, pick up their crosses, and follow Him. He also told them that the one who desires to save his life must first lose it. He asked them what profit there is in gaining the world and yet forfeiting your soul, and He also asked what a man could give in return for his soul. The answer to this last question, of course, is no earthly thing can a man give in return for his soul. There is nothing a man can do in and of himself for salvation. Jesus is the only One who can save the soul. It is only by believing in His finished work that one might be saved.

These last several verses have been pretty heavy. We have really discovered that Jesus doesn’t merely want a part of us, He wants our heart. There are so many who simply add Jesus to their life instead of making Him their life. This is not at all His heart for His people. He longs for an intimate and close relationship with His children, and this requires sacrifice. It required sacrifice on His part to even make the relationship possible, and now it requires sacrifice on our part to really live our lives for Him.

Now in verse 38, after Jesus calling His disciples to a life fully devoted to Him, He says: “For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His father with the holy angels.”

Let’s admit it. It’s easy to sit in the comfort of our home or church, surrounded by fellow believers, and think “I would never be ashamed of Jesus! I love talking about Him and praising His name!” But what about when you get to work and are around your coworkers with whom you want so much to be friends? How excited are you to talk about Him then? What about at those family gatherings on special occasions, when your loved ones are putting down Christians and the only time you hear God’s name is when it is used in vain? How bold and ready are you then to declare your love for Jesus?

I am so guilty of not speaking up for Jesus like I should. It’s much easier to simply enjoy the small talk at work, or to sit quietly at the dinner table at those family gatherings, but Jesus doesn’t call us to an easy life, does He? If you think He wants you to live an easy life, just go back and read Mark 8:34-37 again.  

I want my life to be marked by my unashamed love for Jesus. I want to love Him out loud no matter the cost, no matter what people may think of me.

I love Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Wow! The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. I don’t want to be ashamed of the good news of Jesus! I want to live my life in a way that always points to Him, and I don’t want to only point to Him, but to also not be afraid to speak of Him. I long for my loved ones and the whole world to come to know Jesus, and so I need to live in a way that daily declares Him. Jesus, please help me do this.

Application: Today I will pray that I would not shrink back from declaring Jesus, both in my words and in my actions. I will pray for boldness for Him. 

Mark 8:37

“For what can a man give in return for his soul?” Mark 8:37

In Mark 8:36 Jesus asks, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Now in verse 37 He asks yet another question, “For what can a man give in return for his soul?”

I believe that these two questions go hand in hand, that is, the question posed in verse 36 helps to explain and answer the question in verse 37. In looking at Jesus’ question in verse 36, I realized how important it is to pursue the things which are eternal. I saw how meaningless it is to possess great earthly riches and yet not have Christ. Now as I come to verse 37 I can’t help but tie these verses together. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” I believe that in these verses Jesus desperately wants His disciples to understand that there is absolutely no profit in being rich in this life if you are heading into an eternity without Him. After Jesus makes it clear that there is no profit in earthly riches if you are spiritually bankrupt, He then goes onto ask what a man can give in return for his soul. I believe that here Jesus is saying that there is no earthly thing you can give in return for your soul. It doesn’t matter if you are the richest man on this earth, because in the end those riches can never buy you eternal life. There is nothing that you can do or give to buy yourself eternal life with Christ.

I am so thankful that before the foundation of the world, Jesus already knew this truth. He knew that there would be nothing I could ever do or give to save my soul. He knew how desperately I would need to be bought back from sin; how desperately I would need a Savior. This reminds me of a quote: “If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.”

I am so thankful that God new my greatest need and He fulfilled that need in His Son, Jesus. God sent Jesus to die to pay the price for my sin, the price that I could never ever begin to pay. He raised Him to life again so that I could have eternal life. Jesus has paid the price for me, He has ransomed me, and He has redeemed me. I am eternally His.

Application: Today I will spend time thanking Jesus for redeeming me, and I will ask Him to remind me every day that I am His.

Mark 8:36

In Mark 8:36 Jesus asked a profound yet simple question, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”  To me this is echoing what He just said in verse 35, that in order to save your life you have to lose it. That is, you have to lose yourself and be fully surrendered to Him in order to truly find life.

What gain is there if I possess earthly treasures and yet have not the hope of heaven? I am heartbroken knowing that there are so many in this world who are living the “good” life and yet do not know Jesus. In the end, the “good” life will fade and they will find themselves in a lonely place and without hope; without Jesus. I would rather be dirt poor in this life and know Jesus and know I am going to be with Him for all of eternity than to be rich in the eyes of this world and without Christ.

In the end, nothing will matter except what we did for Jesus. Everything will fade, and yet our relationship with Jesus will last. James 1:11 says: “For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass, its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” I love this verse because it makes me long to live for that which will never fade away. Am I pursuing the things of this world, which will quickly fade away, or am I pursuing that which will last forever? Am I pursuing the things of me, or the things of Christ? Nothing else matters except that which I do for Jesus.

I have my dreams and my desires, except I want to not pursue my dreams and my desires, but to pursue Jesus’ dreams and desires for my life. In the end, my dreams and desires will fade away anyway, and so I want them to fade away right now because I want only to pursue Jesus’ dreams and desires for my life. I love the line from the song “Somewhere in the Middle” by Casting Crowns – “Will we trade our dreams for His, or are we caught in the middle?”I want to daily trade my dreams for His.  

I want to live pursuing Jesus’ desires for my life, which means living with a heart for the lost. I want my purpose in this life to be to know Jesus and to make Him known, because in the end nothing else will matter.

Jesus, please give me a greater burden for the lost. Please help me to be in prayer for them each and every day. Please help me to also lay aside my dreams and desires and to pursue only the things of You.

Application: Today I will again spend time praying for those I know who don’t know Jesus, as well as spend time in prayer laying down my desires so that I may live for Jesus’ desires and not my own.

Mark 8:35

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Mark 8:35

This verse reminds me of something Jim Elliot once said – “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Mark 8:35 and Jim Elliot’s quote are both very encouraging to me. I am encouraged by them because I am reminded that, as I surrender my life to Jesus each day, I am giving it for Him who won’t ever be taken away from me. Some may think me foolish to leave my family and want to become a missionary, and yet I know that this life the Lord has given me is not my own. I know that as tempting as it may be to go back home and life a “normal” life, that is not where the Lord wants me. I know that it is in losing my life for Christ, in dying to myself, that I truly find life, and life abundantly.

 It is so easy to feel as though I am giving so much to be here, and yet it is in giving my life to Jesus that I truly experience what it really is to live. There is so much joy in obedience.

I want to live each and every day with a heavenly mindset. Jesus won’t ever be taken away from me, and I want to live each day with that truth in mind. I want to live each day with Heaven in mind so that sacrifices in this present life will seem tiny in comparison to the glory that awaits me.

I want to give everything to love Jesus, because He gave everything to love me. When my days on this earth are ending, I want to be able to look back over my life and know that daily I lived my life by losing it for Jesus. How I long to hear my Savior speak those sweet words to me, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”!

Application: Today I will spend time in prayer once again laying my fears and anxieties upon the altar, so that I may lose my life and thus fully live it for Jesus.

Mark 8:34

 “And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples, He said to them, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.’” Mark 8:34

Jesus calls us to be fully abandoned to Him, to give up ourselves completely so that we might follow Him. This isn’t His call to a select few of His disciples, but rather a call to all of His disciples. This includes you and me.

I think it’s important to note that while this is Jesus’ call to all believers, the response to this call will mean something different for everyone. Some people may be called to overseas missions, some may be called to go to college, some may be called to working a full time job, and some may be called to stay at home with their family. The Lord has a specific plan and purpose for each one’s life and thus will lead us down different roads, and yet we all start from the same place – the cross. We start at this painful yet beautiful place, and it is here we realize just how much Jesus gave for us and in turn we become willing to give all for Him. It is at the cross that we have to lay down our pride, our fears, our anxieties, our insecurities, our desires, our hopes, our dreams, and our plans. We must lay these things down, and in order to lay these things down we must deny ourselves and instead choose Jesus. This can be an incredibly hard choice to make, and yet we have only to look to the cross and again we will see the height and depth of love with which our Savior loved us. As we kneel before that cross and see again His love we will find ourselves wanting to deny ourselves so that we might be able to fully love this One who so fully loved us. That is what this is all about. It is all about love – Jesus does not want His followers to deny themselves and follow Him out of duty, but out of love.

Daily I need to come to the cross and there again see the great love my Jesus has for me. As a result I will deny myself, take up my cross, and follow hard after Him, and I will do this in response to His love for me, not in guilt or obligation.

Jesus, thank You for denying Yourself to love me. Thank You for taking the cross that should have been mine and walking the hill to Calvary. May I follow in Your footsteps, never forgetting how much You gave, and never forgetting that love is the reason You denied Yourself and carried the cross.

Application: Today I will spend time thanking the Lord for His extravagant love, and I will ask Him to help me remember that love is always to be the motivation behind death to self. 

1 Corinthians 9:27

“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:27

In the previous verses, Paul was likening the Christian life to that of a race. While running this race, we need to be well nourished by the Word of God and practicing self control by not giving into the lies and temptations of the enemy which get us off course.

Now in verse 27 Paul tells us that he disciplines his body to keep it under control. I think of the word discipline, and how discipline is often thought of as something painful and hard, and yet discipline brings maturity and joy.

I want to live a disciplined life. An area of my life that I really need to be disciplined in is in my thought life. I often struggle with fear and anxiety, both of which are sin, and I need discipline in this area of my life.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 says: “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Many of my loved ones have often told me to take every thought captive, and even though I have heard this verse countless times, I am so thankful for each and every reminder  of it. It takes discipline to take every thought captive. This doesn’t just happen overnight. I have to daily wake up and choose to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and I have to continue choosing all throughout the day.

My Mom once told me the story of the two wolves – it’s an old Indian story. I sadly don’t have a copy of it and don’t remember it in it’s entirety, but in summary it’s a story of a battle between two wolves. An old grandfather tells his grandson that one wolf is bad, and one is good. The grandson asked his grandfather which one wins, and the grandfather simply said, “The one you feed.”

It has been many years since my Mom told me this story, but it has stuck with me. I want to feed the “good wolf” and starve the “bad”. It all comes back to God’s Word – I need to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. How do I this when so often I find myself bombarded by thoughts of fear and anxiety? I need to take those thoughts of fear and anxiety when they come and immediately surrender them to Jesus. I then need to meditate on the truth of His Word.

This takes discipline, but by disciplining myself in this I believe the result will be abundant joy.

Application: Today I will practice discipline by memorizing Psalm 1.

1 Corinthians 9:26

“So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.” 1 Corinthians 9:26

In the previous verses Paul wrote of having self-control as we run the race set before us. He also reminded us that we do not run this race for a prize that will fade, but for one that is everlasting. This should give us a great motivation to run the race well.

Now, here in verse 26 he says “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.”

Webster’s dictionary defines the word aimlessly as “having no aim or purpose”.  Paul writes that he does not run this race aimlessly – as having no purpose. He runs this race with a purpose.

I want to run my race with a purpose, because I do have a purpose. My purpose is Jesus. I want to fall more and more in love with Him each day, and I want to share Him with others. He is my everlasting Prize, my eternal Reward, and this Prize and Reward is far too great to keep to myself.

Before I mentioned a book I read by Francis Chan entitled, “Forgotten God”, and in that book he wrote about how people always seem to want to know the will of God for their lives. They are always so concerned with what God’s will for them is for the next ten years of their lives that they often miss what His will for them is for the next ten minutes. I want to live every moment focused on God’s purpose for me in that very moment, and not miss His purpose by focusing on what He might have for me tomorrow.

What a joy it is to know that I can wake up each and every day with a purpose. What a sweet blessing it is to wake up each morning and seek to know and love Jesus more and more, and share Him with others. That is my purpose. Jesus, please help me to fulfill Your purpose for me each and every day.

Application: Today I will ask the Lord to help me to live each moment to the fullest and with His purpose for me in mind.

1 Corinthians 9:25

“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” 1 Corinthians 9:25

Imagine an athlete training for a big race in which he will be. He no doubt has to be sure to have a balanced diet, and needs to refrain from junk food. He needs to be sure to drink plenty of water so that he will stay hydrated and not pass out in the middle of the race. He also will need to go on many hard, grueling, and tiresome practice runs to get his body into shape. All of this will require a great deal of discipline. No doubt there will be times when the athlete is tempted to eat that piece of pie, or have coffee instead of water, or sleep in instead of going on a run, but if he is really disciplined and dedicated to winning the race he will keep on pressing on and continue doing what needs to be done for his training. He will probably put the prize for which he is competing at the forefront of his mind, and so the thought of winning that prize can overpower the temptations.

This can be applied to the spiritual life as well. As I seek to run this race that is set before me, and run it well, I need to be careful of what I feed my spirit. My spirit needs nourishment just as much, if not more, as my physical body needs nourishment.  Where do I find this nourishment for my spirit? The Word of God. The Word of God is what gives my spirit the food which it so desperately needs. Often, my spirit craves “junk” food – the things of this world, but I need to be disciplined and say no to the temptations of the world and my flesh and run to God’s Word for nourishment. If I want to run this race well, I need to be feeding upon God’s Word. I don’t want to be feeding myself on my fears and anxieties, but instead I want to feed upon His truth. I need to keep my spirit hydrated, in shape, and nourished by the power of His Word. Just as the athlete keeps in mind the thought of winning a prize to help him keep pressing on, so too I need to keep in mind my Prize. My Prize is Jesus.

If the athlete is willing to be disciplined and put in so much effort for a prize that will fade, how much more should I be disciplined for the Prize that will never fade away? Jesus, please give me the grace to run this race with endurance. Please help me to be disciplined and to daily feed on the truth of Your Word, not the lies of this world. Jesus, running this race is hard, but You are so worth it, and You are my everlasting Prize.

Application: Today I will feed on the truth of God’s Word by memorizing at least 2 of the past weeks’ memory verses.  

1 Corinthians 9:24

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

As I run this race Jesus has set before me, I find there are two others also running closely beside me.

Fear and Anxiety are their names, and much to my dismay, they never seem to take a break.

Sometimes Fear and Anxiety speak softly to me, and other times they both yell at me, but no matter how they speak, their words always slow me down, and sometimes even get me off the race track completely.

It is during these times, when I listen to Fear and Anxiety, that I am tempted to quit the race, for I feel as though I will never win anyway.

But wait! All of a sudden I see a third Person. I look intently into His face and discover it is Jesus, and not only do I discover it is Jesus, I also find that when my eyes are fixed on Him, Fear and Anxiety seem to flee.

Now my eyes are upon Jesus, and I hear His sweet words whispered to me:

“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

I realize that He has always been whispering these words, but I couldn’t hear them because I was too focused on Fear and Anxiety.

Though there are still times I stumble and begin to let Fear and Anxiety run this race with me, I find that I have only to look back to Jesus and He’ll pick me back up. He is always faithful to give me the strength I need. He has already won the race, so I have only to follow in His footsteps, claiming His victory as my own.

Application: Today I will continue to lay down my fear and anxiety before Jesus and ask Him to help me keep my eyes on Him.

1 Corinthians 9:23

“I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” 1 Corinthians 9:23

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul writes about how he has given his rights. Now in verse 23 we see he did it all for the sake of the gospel – he did it all for Jesus.

This chapter is both encouraging and convicting to me. It is encouraging to read a letter from a man who was so devoted to his Lord, and it is convicting in that I am called to that same level of devotion.

Paul willingly gave up his rights. In verse 12 he said, “Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.” Paul was willing to go through anything for the sake of the gospel. He laid down his rights to be a servant of Jesus. How I long to follow in his footsteps!

It is hard to lay down my rights, to surrender all to follow Jesus where He leads. Sometimes it feels as though I’m giving up too much to be here at Potter’s Field, and sometimes I struggle with wanting to go home and live my life how I myself want to live it. I find myself encouraged, however, when I read the last part of verse 23 – “that I may share with them in its blessings.”

Even though it may be hard to give up my rights, that’s where the greatest blessings are found. The greatest blessings are found in obedient surrender. If I were to pick up my rights and carry them back home with me, I would miss out on the blessings the Lord has for me here. God would still accomplish His work in Costa Rica, because He doesn’t need me. It would be me who would miss out on all the blessings He has in store.

In reality, Christ gave up His rights for me and became the ultimate sacrifice, and so me giving up my rights and offering my life as a sacrifice pales in comparison.

Jesus, may I daily give up my rights and surrender my will to serve You wholeheartedly.

Application: Today I will pray to surrender my will and my rights to Jesus.

Ephesians 5:19

“addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” Ephesians 5:19

I long to spend my life singing and making melody to the Lord with my heart!

In Psalm 39 David said, “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it tell of Your faithfulness?”

I absolutely love this verse, because it makes me want to praise the Lord with all that I am, and it makes me want to spend my life declaring God’s faithfulness.

God has been so very good to me, even when life has been hard. He has proven His faithfulness to me time and time again. I long to live in such a way that declares His faithfulness. I long for my life to be a sweet praise song to Him.

To be sure, life is hard, and yet the Lord has given me every reason to sing. As the song by Chris Tomlin says, “How can I keep from singing?”

Even in the hardest of times, the Lord has given me every reason to sing. He loves me. He is faithful. He grace is sufficient. Jesus, may I continually sing praises to You in my heart, no matter what.

Application: Today I will memorize Lamentations 3:21-24

Ephesians 5:18

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

Oh, how I long to be filled with the Spirit every moment of every day! I long to live completely and utterly dependent upon Him.

Every day I sin an fall short, and I need the blood of Jesus to cover me and so I can be filled anew with His Spirit. I need to be emptied of myself so I can be filled with Him.

In John 14:26 Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

I desperately need the help and comfort of the Holy Spirit in my life. What a comfort it is when He brings to my mind the words of Jesus. I want to be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit so that I never miss a word He wants to speak to me.

I read a book about the Holy Spirit entitled “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan and in it he wrote about how the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and if our lives are comfortable, why would we need to experience the Comforter? This really ministered to me, especially since I read this when I was in Belize and going through a hard time.

Even now, it still really ministers to me, as it reminds me to not seek to live a comfortable life, but to seek the life in which I’ll most experience the Comforter.

Yesterday was one of those days that I found myself really homesick, and yet what a joy to know the Comforter walks beside me, and that each hardship is an opportunity to be filled anew with His comfort.

Jesus, please help me to remember these truths and apply them to my life, especially on the hard days.

Please continually fill me with Your Spirit.

Application:  I will pray to be filled with His Spirit and HIS comfort.

Ephesians 5:17

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:17

One might ask, “How can I know what the will of the Lord is?” Indeed, it seems as though believers are always asking this question.

While it is true the Lord has a calling on each individual’s life, it is also true that believers as a while need not look further than God’s word to discover His will.

For example, Ephesians 5:1-2 says: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

God’s will is that I would imitate Him, and that I would grow to become more and more like Him each day. He also calls me to walk in sacrificial love, as did Christ. I love the picture of Christ being a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. How I long to be like Christ, to also be a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, to be a sweet smelling aroma to Him.

Matthew 6:16 says: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

God’s will for me is to be a light to a lost and dying world around me. The Lord wishes none to perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

I may not know all that the Lord has planned for my life or all that He’s going to specifically call me to do, but I do know what He’s called me to do today. He has called me to imitate Him, to walk in love, to be a sweet sacrifice to Him, and to be a light.

Jesus, please give me the grace to follow hard after You in these things.

Application: Today I will pray that Jesus would help me to walk in love and not be irritable.

Ephesians 5:16

“Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16

In the previous verse Paul warned the Ephesians to walk wisely, and now he tells them to make the best use of their time. I believe that these two commands go hand in hand.

When I am walking in wisdom, one of the fruits of that will be making the best use of my time.

Every moment the Lord gives me is a gift, and I want to embrace each moment and use it for His glory.

I want to live each and every day with a missionary mindset, ready to share Jesus with others , using my time here on earth to proclaim His name.

Honestly, since I have been here at Potter’s Field it’s been hard for me to be away from everyone.

Don’t get me wrong, I love fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ, but I miss going to work and praying that the Lord would use me as a light there. My heart still aches to be with those I know and love who don’t know and love Jesus.

Even though I miss being able to be a witness at work, I can still make the best use of my time by praying for my coworkers, that they would come to Christ. I can make the best use of my time by being faithful to the work the Lord has called me to here, and by serving my brothers and sisters.

Lord Jesus, please help me to be faithful with the time You have given me.

Application: Today I will make a list of the names of my coworkers who don’t know Jesus and will spend time in prayer for them.

Ephesians 5:15

In Ephesians 5:8, Paul told the Ephesians to walk as children of light. He went onto say not to partake of that which is done in darkness, but rather expose the deeds of darkness. Ephesians 5:13-14 says: “But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you’.”

Now we come to verse 15:

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise.”

We saw in verses 13-14 all of our deeds will be exposed, the light of Christ will shine on us and reveal our actions. Because of this fact, we need to walk carefully and wisely.

When Christ shines His light on me, I want Him to find my already walking in His light, not walking in the darkness of my sin.

I am so thankful that I don’t have to walk alone. Jesus is right beside me every step of the way, giving me the grace to keep walking in His light.

How I long to walk in a way that pleases my Lord, a way that brings a smile to His face!

Psalm 85:13 “Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.”

I love this verse, and I pray that His footsteps would be my pathway.

Application: I will memorize Psalm 25:4-5 to encourage me to walk in His way.

Acts 2:46

“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.” Acts 2:46

In the previous verses we saw that the believers were devoted to the Lord, unified, and had giving hearts. Now in verse 26 we see that their hearts were glad.

This is a great picture to us believers of true joy. Joy is Jesus, others, you. Joy is putting myself last. The believers were devoted to Jesus, were serving each other in their giving of themselves, and thus they were glad.

 I want my life to be marked by my devotion to Jesus and my service to Him and to others. If someone were to look at my life, I want them to be able to clearly see my devotion to Jesus. It is when I’m devoted to Him that I find strength to serve, and it is in that serving I find joy.

Application: Today I will pray that the Lord will help me not be self focused. I will pray that He will help me not focus on my weaknesses and shortcomings, but instead on being devoted to Him and serving others.

Acts 2:45

“And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Acts 2:45

In this verse I see the giving and generous hearts of the believers. I see them giving up their possessions and belongings for the sake of others. Am I willing to give up what’s dear to me for the sake of others? Am I willing to give up my rights to serve others? Am I really a servant?

I have given my life to Christ, and so I am a bondservant of Christ. What is a bondservant?

A bondservant is a willing slave – someone who has willingly given up his rights to serve his master.

Daily I long to give up my rights to serve Jesus, and serving Jesus means serving others.

Jesus, please give me a servant’s heart. I pray that I wouldn’t hold onto my rights as though I am my own, but that I’d recognize I am Yours and thus willingly lay down my rights to serve You.

Application: Today I will pray that the Lord would work in me a servant’s heart, and that I would willingly serve my team.

Acts 2:44

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common.” Acts 2:44

We see here a beautiful picture of unity. This verse says that “all who believed were together”, and I believe that together doesn’t simply mean in the same room as one another, but means that their hearts were united.
Christ calls all believers everywhere to be unified in Him. In John 17:22-23 Jesus said in His prayer:

“The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You have loved Me."

Jesus deeply desires for His people to be unified, for the unity of His people is a testimony to a lost and dying world.

The enemy does all he can to break the unity of the church. We need to recognize that we are in a battle against the enemy and be willing to fight for unity.

Unity happens when self dies, because in our flesh we cannot be unified. It is only in the Spirit that we are united together as one.

Lord, help me to be selfless, to walk according to Your Spirit, and not according to my flesh. May there be unity in Your body.

Application: Today I will pray for unity specifically for my team who is going to Costa Rica.

Acts 2:43

“And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” Acts 2:43

In verse 42 we saw the believers’ devotion to the things of God, and now we see God working.

“Awe came upon every soul, and many signs were being done through the apostles.”

One of the definitions of awe is wonder. The people were filled with wonder as they were devoted to God and saw Him work through His apostles. I believe that there is a connection between our devotion to the Lord and our sense of awe of Him. God is always, always at work, whether we realize it or not, but I believe that it is when we are in close fellowship with our heavenly Father that our spiritual eyes are opened to His working in and around us.

When I am in close communion with Jesus, I find myself standing more and more in awe of Him. I am amazed and humbled by the ways He has worked in my life and by the ways He has shown His goodness to me.

I want to be deeply devoted to Jesus, to be a step closer to Him each new day, to stand in awe of who He is.

Application Today, to help me stand in awe of Him, I will journal about a time in my life I have experienced God’s faithfulness.

Acts 2:42

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42

 I love the word devoted – but what does it mean? I talk about doing my devotions, but why do I use that word?

In Webster’s dictionary, the definition for the word devote is: “to set apart; give; dedicate.”

I love that. I want to be fully devoted, fully given, and fully dedicated, to Jesus. I remember a time in my life where the Lord really ministered to me to be selflessly devoted to Him. Selflessly devoted. To be selflessly devoted to my heavenly Father and King…that is my longing. There is no greater joy than that which is found in complete devotion to Jesus.

Sunday is the day of the week I have decided to try to call my parents. I try to call other days as well if my schedule allows, but our phone date has been set for Sundays.  All throughout the week, I look forward to Sunday. If something comes up and our Sunday date doesn’t happen, I find myself terribly disappointed. I am devoted to my time with my Dad and Mom, as little as it may be.

That devotion comes not from a sense of obligation or duty, but from my love for them. I treasure the moments we get to talk because I love them so much.

That’s how I want my devotion to Jesus to be. I want to be devoted to Him because of my deep love for Him. I want to treasure my moments with Him. As I devote myself to Jesus and my time with Him, I will find myself becoming devoted to the things of Him, to the teaching of His Word, to fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ, and to communion.

Jesus, please work in me a heart that is totally, completely, and selflessly devoted to You in love.

Application: Today I will memorize Psalm 42:1-2

Philippians 2:9

“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above ever name.” Philippians 2:9

All week we have been seeing how Jesus humbled Himself and became a servant, and now we see that because He did those things, God exalted Him.

Humility always comes before exaltation. This is a reoccurring lesson throughout Scripture.

1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.”

James 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

I want to live a life marked by humility. It is a fact that if one exalts himself God will humble him, but if one humbles himself God will exalt him.

Lord, help me to be humble.

Application: Today I will ask the Lord to show me an area in my life where I have exalted myself and need to be humbled.

Philippians 2:8

“And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:8

This is what I am called to do, to be obedient even to death.

Jesus called me to come here to Potter’s Field, and in order for me to be obedient and come, I had to die to myself. Don’t get me wrong, my heart is for missions and deep inside I really did want to come, but I had my doubts and my fears.

I had to die to myself and surrender to Jesus and decide to walk in obedience.

As the time approached for me to leave, I was working a lot and grew to really love my job. I began to realize how hard it would be to give it up. Once again, I had to die to myself.

Since I’ve been here, the Lord has been growing me and stretching me. I really miss my family, and at times have wanted so badly to go home, yet daily Jesus calls me to die to myself and to walk in obedience.

Dying to self is hard, and more often than not it hurts, but it is so worth it. There is no greater blessing than that blessing which is found in obedience.

Application: Memorize Galatians 2:19-20

Philippians 2:7

“but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” Philippians 2:7

Jesus made Himself nothing. He became a servant. He who is God became a man.

This verse is such a challenge to me. Do I make myself nothing, am I a servant?

I am such a selfish human being, but how I long to be selfless!

Since being here at Potter’s Field, I have been convicted about emptying myself and serving others, about considering their interests higher than my own.

I love serving others, I really do, but I have found myself becoming so preoccupied with getting homework down, doing my treatments, and trying to get enough rest that I am sad to say I know I have missed many opportunities to serve.

Oh Lord, please help me to empty myself. I want to be Your servant. Please give me strength and show me how to manage everything while still serving you.

Application: Once again, today I will look for a way I can serve one of my sisters.

Philippians 2:6

“who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” Philippians 2:6

Jesus is God, and yet still He came to this earth to take on flesh. I am so thankful that Jesus loved me enough to become like me – yet was without sin.

I love the song, “Be Lifted Higher”. Some of the lyrics are: “Being in nature God, You still became a man. Humble and meek, washing our feet, though You had made each hand. Found to be so like us, and yet so different still. Counted the cost, died on the cross, gave up Your will.”

It is a humbling thought indeed, to think that Jesus, while still fully God, became fully man. He did it because of love. He laid aside His rights and His will to love me. What amazing love!

Am I willing to lay aside myself to love others? Do I cling to my rights, or am I willing to lay them down to serve others?

Christ became like me, and now I want to become like Him. I want to follow His example.

Application: Today I will pray that Jesus will show me ways to be a better servant.

Philippians 2:5

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5

In the verses preceding this verse we were told to “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” ( Philippians 2:3) and to “let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)

Now we are told to have the mind of Christ. What does Paul mean by this? I believe he means to take up the same humble attitude as Christ, to focus your mind on others and not yourself, to live sacrificially.

Christ is our ultimate example of this. We ought to follow His example. I want to die to myself so that I might for Christ, and in living for Him I then will serve others.

The theme of Paul’s letter to the Philippians is joy, and here in verses 3-8 we see how to have that joy…it is Jesus, others, you, it is emptying yourself, laying aside your rights, and having a servant’s heart. I want to have the heart and mind of Jesus. Lord, help me to selflessly serve You as You so selflessly served me.

Application: Tonight I will look for a way I can look not to my own interests but to the interests of others by serving one of my team members.