Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Hold On To Something!

 YouTube video devo  https://youtu.be/l60e0nnYokc


“Hold On To Something!”

Hebrews 10:23 NLT

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.

 

I think we all have had our fair share of hearing this phrase throughout our lives.  Maybe it was when we were outside with other people and the wind started blowing extremely hard.  Maybe it was when we were with someone walking across a bridge or walking down some rocks and we felt the surface begin to crumble below us.  We could come up with numerous scenarios in which there’s a situation we are not prepared for and something happens causing us to panic and grab something so we don’t fall and get injured.

 

There are a lot of unexpected things that come up in our lives that send us running for cover and searching for something or someone to help and protect us.  That’s how we are wired.  When we’re in danger, we immediately want to seek help and relief.  We want to hold on to something or someone. 

 

It’s so tempting to reach out and hold on to earthly things or other people for hope and comfort when life throws us curve balls and/or devastating circumstances.  While we definitely need each other in difficult times, we must always remember to first and foremost hold on to God and the hope we have in Him rather than putting our trust in other people or other things.  Again, we definitely need to support and lean on one another to encourage and, but we must never put our hope solely in people or things.  God must be our supreme source of hope. 

 

I know that through the years I’ve found myself holding out for hope in things of this world, and I still do!  I look for things that I think will hold me up and keep me safe and secure, but they all fail at one time or another.  People and things were never meant to complete us and keep us afloat like God can.  When we get scared in life, where do we run?  Who do we turn to?  What do we turn to?  We definitely get bombarded every day with marketing tips that persuade us to turn to anything and everything other than God. 

 

Instead of just holding on to something in life when we get scared, we must always remember that our hope comes from Christ alone and He is Who we need to hold on to.  God will keep His promises.  He will always help us when we reach out to Him.  When the ground beneath us shakes, we can trust and hope in Him, no matter what. 

 

What or who are we holding onto?  God or worldly things?

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Thankful For Simple Things

 Video Devo  https://youtu.be/8NSOuMNuAgc 


“Thankful For Simple Things”

Psalm 100:4 NIV

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

 

A little over 1 year ago on June 7, 2021, I underwent the process of a dental implant.  I’ve had numerous problems with this tooth and when my dentist tried to remove the bad crown to put another one on, I was sadly informed there wasn’t enough bone structure to do another crown.  At the time, it was very frustrating news.  He explained my options to me, but the only one that seemed the best was getting an implant.  I was told it would be a very long process. 

 

Got the tooth pulled, waited 4-6 months.  Then, got the post put in, waited another 4-6 months.  Got fitted for my final crown and waited another few weeks.  Finally, this past Friday, I got the final crown placed.  The kicker in all of this was that I wasn’t allowed to chew on my right side for an entire year.  At first, when I heard this news, I was really frustrated.  However, I got used to it and after a while it didn’t even bother me.  I just got accustomed to chewing on my left side.  After last Friday, I was so excited to finally chew on both sides.  As that happened, it reminded me of the simple blessing and pleasure of just being able to do that. 

 

I share this experience because as I was going through all of this in the past year, every time I was frustrated and wanted to chew on my right side, I thought of all the less fortunate people who are experiencing way worse problems than this.  I think of people who can’t even eat and need feeding tubes and what not.  Every time I got frustrated about it, God reminded me of how I need to thank him for the simple blessings and pleasures that I do have.  I was reminded that I still could at least eat whatever I wanted to, but just have to on the left side. 

 

It’s so good for us all to have these reminders when we get frustrated about little setbacks when others are experiencing so much worse.  It’s easy to get down and think we have nothing to be thankful for, when in reality, we have SO MUCH to be thankful for.  I hope this devotional serves as a simple reminder we need every day to be thankful for the little things we take for granted.  We need to be thankful for the abilities we have that some other people don’t have. 

 

Now, each day, as I chew on my right side, I am thankful after waiting a year to do so.  The waiting was challenging, but I got used to it and I just longed for the day I got my final crown.  I was so thankful and it’s reminding me each day to be thankful for the simple blessings and pleasures I have.  I don’t want to take these things for granted. 

 

Let us be thankful for the simple things. 

Monday, June 13, 2022

His Amazing, Unfailing Love

 YouTube Channel Intro Video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5essWJy_eA

“His Amazing, Unfailing Love”

Psalm 103:11-12 NLT

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.  He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

I often take for granted how very amazing God’s unfailing love proves to be in my life.  I tend to think so highly of other earthly people and things more often than I should.  I find myself becoming fascinated and in awe of so much this world offers and I am ashamed that so often my life shows little fascination and awe of Him. 

Why do we get so caught up and immersed into what this world offers and find ourselves less and less immersed into His Word and the amazing promises He has waiting for us?  It happens all too often.  We just tend to find so many things in this world great and amazing instead of focusing our appreciation and awe on Him Who saved us and gave His life for us.

There is no one else in this life with the same amazing and unfailing love.  No one can hold us like He can when life pulls us down.  People will fail us and let us down, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally.  I often find myself putting way too much faith and hope in the things of this world and in people rather than the One Who created me and wants the best for my life.

Father, forgive us when we look to the things of this world and other people as more amazing than You.  We often become so caught up in what we think is amazing and unfailing.  Lord, we want to become immersed more and more with You.  Thank You for forgiving us and removing our sins as far as the east is from the west.  Your love is truly amazing and unfailing.  We will never be able to fully comprehend how amazing You truly are.  We can never measure Your unfailing love and how great You are. 

I just wanted to share this prayer with all of you today and encourage us all to come to Him each day with gratitude for His amazing and unfailing love.  Let us work hard to not become more amazed by the things of this world rather than being amazed by Him and all He has done. 

I pray that we would make more effort to be aware and appreciative of what our Heavenly Father has done through His amazing and unfailing love.  He has never failed and never will!  That should bring us pure joy and amazement!  No one in the world could ever live up to that!  He and He alone will always be amazing and unfailing.   


Sunday, June 5, 2022

He Is Awesome, No Matter What

 “He Is Awesome, No Matter What”

Psalm 44:8 NLT

O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.

I know that I should give glory to God all day, every day, but there are days when I just don’t feel like doing that because life just gets discouraging and challenging.  There are days when I know I should be doing more for Him, but I just want to do my own thing and bury myself in my own selfish desires.  It’s often hard to know that you should be doing something you know is right, but you just don’t feel like doing it or just aren’t up to it.  This is just how life sometimes is.  It’s not that we don’t love God, but often we just don’t feel like praising Him because of what we are dealing with.

I have learned and continue to learn that no matter what I am dealing with or what I experience that is frustrating, it never changes how awesome and amazing God has been and continues to be.  I need to remember that no matter how I am feeling or what I experience that discourages me, I should still praise Him because He is always working in my life and that He deserves all the glory.

No matter what we deal with in life, He still deserves praise.  It’s often easy to sulk and mope because something or someone did put us in a bad mood, but we always have something to praise God for.  No matter what, He always deserves praise.  No matter what hardships or confusion life is throwing at me, there is always something I can praise God for. 

This psalm is great to remind us that we need to be giving glory to God all day long and praise His name because He is always working in some way in our lives.  He never stops working and never leaves our side. 

I know there are a lot of people out there going through some seriously difficult life circumstances right now and they need a lot of encouragement.  It’s easy for me to sulk and mope often times, but then I am reminded that there are always other people who are experiencing much more difficult things that I cannot comprehend.  Many of these people are probably still praising God even in their storms!  That gives me no reason to mope and sulk.  I need reminding to praise God and keep my eyes completely focused on Him.

I hope that no matter what you are experiencing today, this week, this month or this year, you will pull through, lift your head up and know that God is still working in and through your life to do wonderful things.  As hard as it might be to see and feel it, believe that He is and give praise to Him.

No matter what, nothing ever changes how awesome and amazing God is!