Devotional For Women Blog
The Kingdom of God is like a Merciful but also Holy King
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“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.” (Matthew 18:23)
Jesus continued to tell stories to explain the attributes of God and His kingdom. The man who owed the great debt begged the king for mercy and the king graciously forgave the debt. We wish the story ended there, but Jesus added another dimension to the parable.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.” (Matthew 18:28)
Instead of forgiving as he had been forgiven, he threw his fellow servant in jail until he could pay the debt. When the king heard, he swiftly called the servant in, condemned his actions and threw him into prison until he paid everything he owed.
God is merciful, but He is also holy. We cannot mock God by receiving His forgiveness and refusing to forgive others. Forgiveness reigns in His kingdom. Jesus tells another troublesome allegory.
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.” (Matthew 20:1)
The landowner continued to hire men throughout the day. To those hired first he promised a denarius; to the rest he said he would pay them as he saw fit. At the end of the day he paid all the workers the same – those who worked twelve hours and those who worked one.
Listen carefully to how he responded to the complaint of one hired first.
“I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:13-15)
God is generous, but He is also Sovereign. Arrogance – I worked harder – and envy – I want what he got – have no place in God’s kingdom.
Holy God, this is hard teaching. Help me to understand and accept the truth of Your kingdom. Amen.
Questions: Why are these parables difficult to accept? Why is it important to remember God’s holiness and sovereignty and not just His forgiveness and generosity?
Faith or Fear?
Learn how to chase out fear with our lesson “Dealing with Fear and Anxiety”
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16)
Karen laughed out loud and it felt good. Even the conversations at work felt like a relief from the worries that sapped strength from her soul these days. Worry is really just another word for fear. When we worry about our kids, our relationships, our finances or any number of things, we are actually living in fear. Fear can be paralyzing.
Fear displaces faith in our hearts. Faith is the assurance of God’s ability to give us help and strength and wisdom. When fear overrides our faith then we do not believe that our God is able.
Faith displaces fear. When we take each and every fear to God and give it into His hands, trusting Him to be our help and our strength, our faith displaces that fear. His peace comes in.
Oh, it doesn’t mean our problems all fade into the distance. It does mean however, that we will have the strength we need to face every challenge. It means that we can expect our almighty God to work within our circumstances in unexpected ways. It means we can be overcomers and more than just survivors.
The Bible tells us that God does not give us the spirit of fear. The temptation to have fear in the face of the unknown and uncertain is a normal reaction. Yet God tells us we can live beyond that and let our faith extinguish our fear.
Take whatever worry is plaguing your mind and heart today and identify the fear that it truly is. Then invite God to help you lift the shield of faith to extinguish that fear. He is able and He will do it!
Father God,
I thank you that You are more powerful than any of my circumstances. Today I ask You to increase my faith and to extinguish the fear that threatens to sap strength from my soul. Please help me to keep You in the center of my focus and not my fear. I lift up my shield of faith in the name of Jesus, amen.
Questions: Have you been giving into the spirit of fear? In what aspects of your life to you need to release fear and take on faith?
Unexpected Curves
Are you walking an unwanted road? Come talk to a mentor.
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)
This winter, I was driving down a back road and came upon an unexpected curve. Because the road was icy and I was going too fast, I went right off the road and into a bank of snow. Thankfully everything was okay and I didn’t have to tell my husband (except now he will know, ugh).
That curve caught me totally by surprise!
Life has a way of catching us by surprise, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s an unplanned pregnancy, a trip to the dentist, a spouse that has left, a broken down car, a job loss, an angry teen, or the loss of a close friend or family member. We can experience many unexpected turns in our lives. Some curves seem more irritating than anything else and others curves change our lives forever!
I have often found myself asking God, “Why are You allowing me to experience these turns in my life? Why did you not give me any warning signs? Why didn’t You straighten out the road so that I could avoid these turns? You’re God, You can do that!”
Years ago, I watched a friend of mine cope with an incredible unexpected curve in her life. One day while working she fell from a high platform and was paralyzed from the waist down. This tragedy would be devastating for anyone but for Beth I think it was even more overwhelming because she earned her living by using her legs – she was an athletic director. Beth is one of the most athletic people I know.
Talking with her one day, I asked her if she ever struggled with anger and bitterness towards God. Her answer didn’t surprise me because I know Beth, but it did amaze me. She said, “No, I know that this is His plan for my life and I’ve accepted that. But I want you to know that I’m looking forward to Heaven! I’ll have my legs back and you won’t be able to catch me!”
Beth has taken this unexpected curve in her life and embraced it. She has found her identity in Christ alone and she’s allowing God to use her in the place He as designed just for her. I’m becoming more and more convinced that life is a series of unexpected curves.
The real question is NOT “why did this happen to me?” or “why did You allow this in my life?” BUT, how am I going to choose to live my life through this unexpected curve? Will I let bitterness and anger invade my soul? Will I turn away from God? Will I refuse to see His goodness in the midst of the turn? Or will I embrace the pain and surrender my heart to God? Will I bow down to my Maker and acknowledge that He is God and I am not? Will I trust Him when I don’t understand?
Father, You see the road ahead all the way until I join You in Heaven. Remind me of your love and provision and don’t let me give in to anger when the curves of life catch me unaware. Amen.
Questions: How do you respond when your life takes an unexpected turn? Do you spend your time questioning His goodness or do you surrender to His will for your life? Will you embrace the unexpected curves in your life?
The Heart of the Matter
Is God at work in your life restoring your heart? Come talk to a mentor.
“Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.” (Proverbs 28:14)
Did you know that the month of February is “American Heart Month”? Cardiovascular disease claims the lives of nearly 500,000 American women a year. In an effort to raise awareness, the American Heart Association created a campaign to dismiss myths pertaining to heart disease. Prior, many believed heart disease was an “old man’s” disease. However, it is actually a number one killer amongst women. Unfortunately, even with all this awareness, many women remain in the dark regarding vital facts pertaining to heart disease.
Likewise, our spiritual hearts are in need of assessment and attention as well. In Jeremiah 17: 9-10 we read, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure…I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” It is crucial that we seek God on a regular basis regarding the condition of our hearts. It is unwise for us to lean on our own assessment. We must rely upon His Holy Spirit to probe, guide, and lead us into truth, knowledge, and revelation, which then will reveal the true condition of our hearts.
Several characteristics of an unregenerate heart is evil (Genesis 6:5) rebellious (Jeremiah 5:23), perverse (Proverbs 11:20), wicked (Proverbs 6:18), callous (Psalm 119:70), hard (Ephesians 4:18), dark (Romans 1:21), unrepentant (Romans 2:5), and far from God (Mark 7:6).
A regenerate heart is one that: cries out to God (Psalm 84:2), seeks God (Psalm 119:2, 10), loves the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:5, Mathew 22:37), praises the Lord (Psalm 9:1), rejoices in salvation (Psalm 13:5), is grateful to God (Colossians 3:16), obeys God’s law (Psalm 119:34), is pure (Mathew 5:8), is sincere (Hebrews 10:22), loves others (1 Peter 1:22).
Thankfully, God, our Great Physician, knows the condition of our hearts and offers a great exchange. In Ezekiel 11:19 we read, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” Through conviction, repentance, and correction our hearts become pleasing to God. As we seek to maintain a pure heart, live in obedience and uprightness, then we reap a healthier life in Christ, which brings honor and glory to God.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would search my heart. I do not desire a stubborn unreceptive heart. Holy Spirit, guide me into truth so I can dispel any falsehood. In Jesus name, Amen
Question: When was the last time you went to God for a heart checkup?
The Same God
Do you need to see God move in your situation today? We would love to pray for you.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
“…you are the helper of the fatherless” (Psalm 10:14b)
Read 2 Kings 4:1-7 (The Widow’s Oil)
She was desperate. A widow with two young boys, her husband had died leaving her with debts she could not pay. Oh, he had been a good man, even a religious man. And she had tried hard to make the payments. But today her purse was empty and her cupboard was bare. News had come to her that his creditor was demanding payment and was coming to take her two boys to work for him as slaves in order to pay off her husband’s debt.
In desperation she ran to the house of Elisha. He was a “holy man”, a prophet, a man set apart by God. He was the local minister of the day. He knew her husband from the religious community where they had worked together. The young widow cried out her anguish to Elisha. “My husband is dead,” she sobbed, “and you know he was a man that revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves”.
Elisha asked her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“I have nothing there at all”, she said, “except a little oil.”
Then Elisha told her to do a strange thing. He told her to “go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled put it to one side.”
Knowing the little oil she had in the house, this woman could have easily written this strange advice off as the impractical thoughts of a religious fanatic. But she didn’t. She had a faith of her own and a situation that truly needed a miracle. So off she went with her boys to collect jars. And not just a few! Can’t you just imagine the murmur in the neighborhood as this young mom and her boys knocked on door after door with the question, “May I borrow any spare jars you have?”
Then when they had plenty, when their table was covered and the ground around as well, Mom shut the door behind her and her sons. She reached up into the cupboard for the small bottle of oil and began to pour. One jar filled, then two, then three. The boys brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.
Imagine the excitement growing in that little home as each jar was filled from the small bottle. Imagine all the jars on the table full and the boys begin to lift the ones off the floor. Mom glanced into the little bottle. Still some oil in there! She smiled at her boys and they smiled back. The quiet excitement grew as they realized they were witness to a miracle, a private demonstration of God’s mercy and grace. It was a quiet miracle that could only happen because of the faith and obedience of a Mom who took the risk.
“Bring me another jar”, she said to her son. But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
In excitement the woman ran back to Elisha’s house and told Elisha what had happened. Words must have tumbled out on one another as she recounted the miracle. Elisha said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
How the neighborhood must have buzzed as mom and her boys lugged the jars down to the market and sold the oil. How faith must have grown in the hearts of the woman and her sons as the coins collected, jingled in her pocket. How grateful she must have been as she thankfully paid off the pursuing creditor.
How well she must have slept that night knowing she had a God who could do miracles. She had a God who cared about her and her two boys. Yes, she had a God who could be relied on. How thankful she must have been that she had taken the risk in collecting those jars when she knew she did not have oil to fill them. What a miracle they could have missed!
Imagine how she and her boys would recount the story over and over to one another in the years to come. God can be relied on! The God of yesterday is still the God of today. The widow’s God is still the same God that cares about you and your kids. He is still in the business of miracles. He still looks for hearts that will trust Him, hearts that will take the risk of believing and obeying.
Thank you, Lord God, that you are not only the God of yesterday but You remain the God of today. Help me to trust You with all of my heart. Amen.
Question: Do you need a miracle today? Ask God for His help. Find a Godly person to pray with you. Believe in Him, obey Him and watch Him work.
Do You Feel Forgotten?
Learn how to put your gifts into action with our free lesson “Living with Significance.”
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:6-8)
I love seasons especially when they involve the apple orchard. I see orchard workers laboring in the orchard throughout the year. In cold of winter when nobody even wants to go outside, they are out pruning, a task vital to the production of fruit in the summer. In the spring, the view of apple trees covered by blossoms is so beautiful. God has taught me many lessons watching the orchard throughout the year, especially about His gifts.
This past autumn, I got to do one of my favorite things – pick leftover apples from orchards around my house! While I was picking, I began to think of God and His kingdom. Now, you might be thinking, “why don’t the pickers pick all the apples from the tree?” Here’s the reason: the apples left behind are either too small or visually unsellable. They didn’t meet the standards of the market, but they are still good to eat!
Isn’t an apple to be eaten and not just looked at? I thought of the Kingdom of God, wondering how it would be if we were apples, and God has treated us like a picker in the orchard. Those big beautiful apples will be picked before any others and put on the shelf of successful ministries. But the small and odd shaped apples are left on the tree until they fall on the ground and rot. Even though they were still edible, there was no one to pick them and taste their flavor.
Have you ever wondered why some people get more ministry opportunities than you? You believe God has gifted you with something, but you don’t exactly know your calling. You might be in a ministry, but don’t feel like you are big enough, good enough or talented enough. You might be busy serving in your church but you feel forgotten because your ministry doesn’t seem as important as other people’s ministries. All of these questions, feelings and thoughts could end with the phrase “when I compare myself to others.”
Do you feel like an apple forgotten on the tree? Read Romans 12:6-8. You might feel so small and forgotten, but God certainly won’t forget about His creation. You are the apple of His eye! Remember, when He looks at you He says “Good!” You might feel like you are just “hanging on the tree” and not being used for His Kingdom, but you’ll never fall from His hand. He will never let you go! He will pick every apple from His Kingdom orchard, and there will be no leftovers!
Father, Show me the plans you have for me. Help me to see my gifts as you see them and be ready to act when you prompt me to. Amen.
Question: Are you feeling forgotten? Do you compare yourself to others? Ask God to show you where He wants to use you.
Be a Joseph
Discover practical ways to be a Joseph with our free lesson “Finding the Courage to Encourage”
“He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave.” (Psalm 105:16-17)
Famines come in many forms. We hear of the starving children in Africa, read about drought stricken areas where there is not enough water for crops, and see the ravages of natural disasters on the news. But there is another famine spreading here in this abundant and plentiful land in North America. It is a famine of faith.
So many people have lost faith. They have lost faith in their employer, lost faith in the government to rule prudently. Women and men lose faith in their relationships, parents lose faith in children who didn’t turn out the way they envisioned. All too often those around us see this chaotic world and ask, “Where is God? Does He exist? I thought He was supposed to be in control?”
The answer is – He does. He never left. He is right here. Even when the world is crumbling around you, He has a plan. He has a Joseph whom He has sent ahead. We just need to seek him out.
Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, was sent to Egypt. There he interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream and told him after years of abundance there would be years of lack so it would be wise to store up. Because of his smarts, charisma and God’s grace, he ended up being Pharaoh’s right hand man. When famine hit Israel, his father Jacob sent his brothers to Egypt to beg for grain. Guess who they were supposed to see?
If you are in a place and you feel God has blessed you abundantly- store up. Continue in prayer, Bible study and serving. Don’t take God for granted. Then, when bad times hit, your faith will be stronger. You will have the resources to see you through, as Joseph did. He never lost faith.
If you are in a bad time and your faith feels starved, look for the Joseph in your life. God is preparing someone or something as your relief. The thing is, you may have to humble yourself to receive it, just as Joseph’s brothers did.
It just may be that God will call you to be someone else’s Joseph – to be His messenger to them and to provide them with some of your faith to feed their hunger for truth. Even if they wronged you as Joseph’s brothers did, will you react in love?
We have what the world is starving to have – faith. Share the Bread of Life today and feed some souls. Give a smile to the down in the mouth and frazzled clerk behind the cash register. Open the door for someone who is laden down with bundles in their arms. Do a little something special for someone just because you love them. And above all else, pray.
Father, Help me to see your hand at work both in times of plenty and times of need. If I can help someone else, move my hands to do it. And if I need to accept your provision through the generosity of another, give me the strength to do that too. Amen.
Questions: Are you feeding on God’s Word, or are you starving for it? Will you ask God to reveal your Joseph, or how you can be a Joseph to someone else?
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Net
Are you ready to have your life count for Jesus anytime, anywhere, at any cost, to do anything?
“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous.” (Matthew 13:47-49)
Here Jesus provides a broader picture of the kingdom of Heaven. At the end of the age, not everyone will be admitted into His eternal kingdom. There will be a time of sorting, separating, or judging the good from the evil. He tells two other parables that expand on this principle: one about wheat and weeds (Matthew 13:24-30), the other about wise and foolish virgins waiting to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13).
The parable about the weeds reminds us we have an enemy. While God works to draw all men to Himself, the enemy corrupts and destroys those who listen to him. The story of the ten virgins demonstrates the need to be alert, ready and waiting for Christ’s return. When the bridegroom took a long time to come, the five foolish virgins ran out of oil for their lamps and had to leave to buy more. They returned too late. Shut out of the wedding banquet, their pleas could bring about no change of heart.
We can’t skip over this aspect of the kingdom simply because it makes us uncomfortable. Though God invites all to enter His kingdom, not all respond. He calls us to righteous living, to stand firm in the faith – though others around us may falter – and to always look forward to Christ’s return so that we will be ready.
Thank you Heavenly Father for calling me into Your kingdom. Give me the courage and strength I need to be faithful. Amen.
Questions: Is this part of the kingdom of God difficult to accept? Why or why not?
You Are Loved!
Does God send Valentines?
“…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)
February is the month when we celebrate love. The ads for hearts and flowers and chocolates are everywhere. Valentine’s day is often a hard day for those who have been disappointed in love. If you are feeling like you have lost out in love in this season of your life it will be easy to want to cringe to the background.
But know this … YOU are loved and treasured by the God of the Heavens! The insecurity that wants to settle into your heart is not His plan for you!
Jesus wants to anchor your soul and hold you securely so that in seasons of great love or in seasons when love is distant, you will stand with the strength and dignity He bestows on you!
Nothing, nothing, can separate you from the love Jesus has for you. Your own mistakes, your past, your loneliness, the injustices done to you are a result of choices made by yourself or others. Jesus’ love over-rides all that! He promises to redeem, to buy back the emptiness and the messes and to restore your heart to a wholeness that you never knew possible.
“…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)
Don’t give away your security and confidence today just because roses and chocolates don’t come to your door. The God of Heaven loves you and He has a plan for you. Stand tall in that love today. Let His strength and dignity crown you. Thank Him for it now.
Father God,
Thank you that even though I feel a little shaky today I do know that You love me. Thank you that nothing, even my own insecurities, can separate me from Your love. Grant me the strength and dignity to stand tall today and not to give my confidence away. My confidence is in You and I ask Your love to bathe my heart. I am loved by the God of Heaven. Thank you!! In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Question: What are some ways you can find security and confidence in God today?
My Bottle of Tears
Did you add to your bottle of tears today? We would love to pray for you.
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (Psalm 56:8, NLT)
I confess I’m a crier. I cry at movies, at baseball games when the national anthem is played, at graduations, weddings, and funerals. I cry when I hear a sad story, when someone else cries, when I share what God has done in my life, when I’m angry, and even when I laugh hard enough.
I hate the fact that I cry so easily. It can be incredibly embarrassing for one thing. And for another, it puts people in an awkward position. But crying can be a good thing! God created tears – it is in His design that we cry.
I love the Psalms because they give us beautiful pictures of what our intimate relationship with God is like. And Psalm 56:8 (NLT) gives us one of those snapshots of God’s tenderness with us when we are experiencing incredible sorrow in our life.
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (I’m sure I have a very BIG bottle!)
God not only keeps track of all our sorrows, hurts and heartaches, He has recorded them in His book. Every tear we’ve cried He has stored in our bottle, the one He keeps just for us.
I wonder, does my bottle have my name on it? Is it a special color? I wonder if God, my Father looks at my bottle full of tears and says, “Ah, that one is my daughter, Kristi’s! Her bottle of tears is so precious to me and I treasure each one. I am intimately acquainted with all her ways and I love her. When she has cried tears that no one sees, I have seen, I know and cherish each one because I cherish her.”
What a beautiful gentle picture this is of our God – a Father who tenderly collects our tears and holds them close to His heart.
Have you ever stopped to consider that God is keeping track of all your sorrows? He knows each one of them. He has seen you cry until you can’t cry any more. He has witnessed your heartache over a difficult child, a wayward spouse, a broken friendship, or the death of a loved one. He has seen your tears when you have cried all alone in the dark, not sure of where to turn or where to go. He has recorded each one in His book and collected your tears in the bottle He has just for you. How precious you are to Him!
Let the tears flow and know that your God cares for you intimately and with great passion!
Father, Thank you for seeing my tears and for the promise that I am never alone in my sorrow. Amen.
Question: We all experience tears and heartache in life. How do you reach out to your Savior in times of distress?
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What do you fear, and why? Is it holding you back from realizing your full potential?
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