The psalmist wrote, “It is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.”  Psalm 73:28

This has been an extraordinary year for hummingbirds. During my devotional time each morning, they arrive at the feeder full of sweetened water outside my window. I enjoy watching one of my favorites of God’s creatures as I await the sunrise.

One day I noticed that the hummingbirds did not arrive. The feeder was empty. In my busyness, I had forgotten to refill it. I was concerned that they had gone elsewhere. I quickly refilled the feeder, and within minutes it was again abuzz with hummingbirds enjoying the food and enjoying life as they drank and chased each other around my yard.

So it is with us and being nourished by studying the Bible. When we live in the life-giving nourishment of God’s word, we enjoy the satisfaction that only spiritual intimacy can bring. When this intimacy is absent from our lives because we have neglected our relationship with God, life seems empty and we long to experience again God’s presence. When we return and take in spiritual food, we can join others who seek relationship with our Creator.

Father God, thank you for providing the spiritual nourishment we desperately need and for placing within us the desire for it. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:15-16

It is human nature for us to gravitate toward people we can relate to. Think about most of your friends. You all share the same perspective on life and can identify with each other’s experiences. Whether it’s connecting with the depths of our pain or celebrating in our successes, we value the ability of others to understand what we are going through.

But no matter how great our friends are, they may not always be available when we need them. And sometimes, even with our closest friends, we still tend to hold back because we’re not sure if we can trust them with everything. We’re afraid of being judged or think that if we confess a sin, they’ll think less of us. But there is one person who we can always count on. Jesus is our most trustworthy friend. From our darkest secrets to our mountain-top experiences, we can share it all with him.

Christ’s time spent on earth allows us to share a deep connection with him. He understands our battles with temptation as well as our frustrations with isolation. We don’t have to deal with the issues of life alone because Jesus is able to sympathize and empathize with our weaknesses.

Don’t get flustered about your flaws or hammered about your hang-ups. Once we confess our struggles to Jesus, he will unload his strength and grace in our lives. Our all-access connection with him gives us the confidence we need to know that we can depend on him. Whenever we need him—he is there!

Lord, I am so thankful that you fully understand the struggles that I deal with in life. I place all of my sins at your feet knowing that I have total access to your grace. Help me to accept your forgiveness and live in confidence—because through my weaknesses, you are strong. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

After years of striving to walk with Christ, I arrived at a place in my spiritual journey where doubts and insecurities had become obstacles in my path. I found myself wondering if what I had believed all my life was in fact true. My mind and heart were full of questions like, “Is the Bible really the word of God?” and, “Does God really love me unconditionally?” I was desperate to believe again, but like the father in Mark 9:24 I had to accept that I needed the Lord’s help with my unbelief. All of my striving would not remove these roadblocks to my faith.

With a graduate degree, I had always relied on my ability to reason. However, feeling overwhelmed by doubt and confusion taught me a humbling lesson: There are some things that I just cannot figure out. Isn’t that what faith is all about — believing in something beyond our limited powers of observation and reason?  Like the father described in Mark 9, I had to become desperate enough to cry out, “Help my unbelief” (verse 24) — and in mercy, Christ has answered my cry.

Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your unconditional love for us, even when we struggle with unbelief. Help us to turn our doubts over to you, mindful of your grace and mercy. Amen.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Isaiah  53:3

No one is exempt from suffering. It’s just a matter of when and how. But no other area of life causes us to cry out to God like suffering does. When we are in the midst of unbearable circumstances, it can seem like God is so far away. Yet, he is usually the first person we call on to relieve us from the hurt and the pain.

While suffering commonly causes us to look for someone greater, it can also cause us to retreat. We often withdraw from others and try to handle our suffering in isolation. But God never intended for us to go through that alone. God cares for us so much that he paid the ultimate price just so he could be here for us and help us work through our pain.

You may be experiencing physical or emotional pain right now. But nothing compares to the ultimate suffering that Jesus experienced on the cross. Jesus experienced pain like none of us can imagine. He actually became sin and had to endure being separated from God.

Jesus knows first-hand what it is like to suffer alone. And he does not want you to have to experience that kind of pain. He overcame death so that we will never have to be separated from God. If you are going through some type of despair, talk to Jesus. Speak honestly with him and allow him to heal you from the inside out.

Lord, thank you for enduring the ultimate suffering so that I don’t have to suffer alone. I know that there is no pain that I can experience that you can’t heal. I find comfort in the fact that you are always there whenever I need you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

When the hour came, [Jesus] took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.  Luke 22:14

 When our son was young, we received a dinner invitation from friends. Assuming that the invitation included our son, we brought him with us. When we arrived, the host and hostess warmly welcomed us into their apartment. As we settled in, I noticed only four settings at the dinner table.

After a time of warm fellowship, our hostess invited all of us to the table. I noticed that she had added a setting. Quietly she had made room for our son. Although she had not included him in her invitation, as we had assumed, she wanted him to be included at the table. She never mentioned to us the error in our assumption.

Over the years since then, I have thought about how Jesus made room at the table for all of his disciples. He did not exclude from the table Judas, who would later betray him, or Peter, who would soon deny him three times. Instead, Jesus included all of the disciples in his Passover meal, knowing full well that later they would desert him in order to save their own lives. This helps me to see that if God made a place for all of them, then there is also a place at God’s table for you and me.

God of grace and glory, thank you for inviting and welcoming all of us to your table. Amen.

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”   Isaiah 6:8

Long ago I attended the funeral of, a man who at age 93, surely had to have been one of the oldest working journalist. Because of his senior status, John liked to say that he had a “license to reminisce.” He was especially grateful to still be involved in a profession that he loved. The minister at the funeral talked about John’s zest for living, saying that life for Ralph was never a spectator sport. He was a player.

When I joined my church, I asked myself, Will I be a player or a spectator? “Here am I. Send me,” we read in Isaiah. But saying yes to a call to discipleship can be hard, especially if it takes us out of our comfort zone. Saying no is easy. I wonder, What if God said no to us as many times as we say no to God?

Saying yes to God and being active in God’s work helps us grow spiritually. This doesn’t necessarily mean being seen and heard. All of us can serve in quiet and humble ways known only to God. We have many opportunities to do so. Discipleship means being a servant and, as Jesus showed us, putting others ahead of ourselves.  I’m trying to respond when I hear God’s call. It’s hard sometimes, heeding God’s voice. But when we do we receive great blessings.

God, help me to be a disciple who is not merely a spectator. Amen.

We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really isthe Savior of the world.   John 4:42

When we hear stories of how other people’s relationship with God helped them overcome adversity, it empowers us to persevere through our difficulties. And when God personally helps us to overcome our struggles, it causes our faith in him to be even stronger.

There is nothing like experiencing God first-hand in our lives. It is in those times when God speaks clearly and directly to us that we truly understand his love and faithfulness.  Maybe you know someone who has yet to discover the great benefits of a life yielded to the Savior. Or, you may have heard others talk about the awesome, life-changing power of Jesus Christ but have never experienced it for yourself. Take some time right now to invite him into your life.

Knowing Christ personally will literally transform you from the inside out. If you have a personal relationship with him, share your story with someone who doesn’t yet know the Savior, and encourage them to experience God first-hand. Let your life serve as a bold reminder that Christ really is the Light of the world so that others can be brought out of the darkness and have a new, brighter life with Jesus.

Lord, your lessons of love and kindness have taught me what I need to do to live a life that is pleasing to you. As I reflect on Jesus’ teachings today, help me to put your words into action. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”   John 15:5

I heard, the other day, a lady remark: “Two rose bushes in my garden are a true gift from God. They are planted close to the house, and I have a perfect view of them. I can see and enjoy these plants all the time, especially when they are in bloom.  A few days ago, in a bit of a rush, I cut a few flowers and placed them temporarily in a container with water. Several hours later, I decided to transfer them to a vase. Much to my dismay, two short-stemmed blooms were drooping and lifeless. I quickly noticed that the stems of these two roses did not reach the water level. Consequently, they did not look as fresh as the other ones with longer stems.”

I began to think about Jesus’ words in John 15:5: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” There are those among us who are fragile. They too are God’s children. We have a responsibility to care for them by offering the Living Water, Jesus Christ, through our love, witness, prayer, and wise counsel. When we help them to find this Water, these fragile ones can grow stronger and bear beautiful flowers, as they were meant to.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.  Mark 6:3

There is no doubt that Jesus was a phenomenal teacher. But sometimes it’s overlooked that Jesus had a non-ministry job as well. He was a carpenter, working in the rough and tough world of construction.

Jesus spent a great deal of time in the workplace, and people were always watching him. Many tried to trip him up, and they would even get angry when he wouldn’t buckle under the pressure. But Jesus was always able to handle the stress of the workplace without compromising his character.

Isn’t it amazing how a person can be a compromising employee one minute and an angelic church attendee the next? Unlike Jesus, a lot of us cannot resist the urge to compartmentalize our lives. We pull into the parking lot at work and leave our biblical principles in the car. Meanwhile, we take part in unethical decisions and compromising choices, thinking that it is somehow unrelated to our spiritual relationship.

We think that we can have our faith world in one corner and our work world in another corner. We divide our lives into segments and then make choices in one area and think that it doesn’t affect the other areas in our life. But God never intended for our lives to be fragmented. Life only works when we take our faith with us everywhere we go, so that no matter what, we can represent the good character of Christ.

Lord, thank you for your example of integrity. There will always be times when I will be pressured to compartmentalize my life, but I pray that you will remind me of Jesus’ example and help me to live out my faith in all areas of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  Philippians 2:5-7

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the tallest, most powerful players in professional basketball. His 7-foot, 325 pound body overpowers the biggest and strongest professional athletes in the game. But imagine what would happen if Shaq took his game to a pee-wee basketball league. I think it’s safe to say it would be a lopsided contest.

If you view Jesus as a Shaquille O’Neal presence in a pee-wee world, then you have the wrong idea of who our Savior was. Jesus did not face the challenges of this world as God. He faced them as a man. Some of you may be thinking, “Sure Jesus was sinless; he was God. If I were as powerful as God, I’d be able to resist sin, too!” But even though Jesus was God, he was also fully human. He was limited in his divinity, and he was not above everyday struggles.

The evil one tries to make us feel alone and isolated whenever we’re going through difficult times so that we don’t go to the one person who can help. But always remember that we can go to Jesus, because he’s been there and has experienced our pain. Through him, we will find the guidance we need to navigate the obstacles in our lives.

Lord, thank you for coming to this earth and living a very human life so that you could relate to the pressures I face every day. And I know that because of your life’s purpose, you are able to help me with any situation I may face. Help me learn to fully rely on you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.