Following Instruction

“I take joy in doing your will, my God,

for your instructions are written on my heart.”

Psalm 40:8


Whose vision are you living? Is it someone else’s vision, or one that God has given to you personally? Are you trying to live out someone else’s direction?

God has instruction for all of us. He speaks to us individually—writing dreams and visions on our hearts. They are meant just for us—tailored to suit our gifts and personality.

How will we know his direction unless we hear his voice and answer his call? It takes practice in stillness, expecting and listening. Many of us have poor listening skills and are not good at waiting to hear God speak. Yet his words are life, and following his instructions brings joy.

Just as the compass points us in the right direction, God shows us the right path we are to take. We only need to pay attention to the teacher and guide. He will never lead us astray.


Jesus, through patience and stillness, I will listen to your direction.

Look no further..it's all here.

"It is ironic how we stretch our imagination and seek extraterrestrial life forms with unique qualities in the dark vastness of space, when in essence they are amongst us in the light of day. Those mysterious life forms we call animals."  P.A. Rittler

This is a strange quote to find on a devotional blog, I know. You may be wondering what in the world it has to do with anything spiritual. Let me explain.

We took our grandchildren to the zoo the other day. Once again I saw strange and mysterious creatures, some are beyond my ability to describe. As I walked through and examined the variety of life forms, I was again struck with the awesomeness of a creative God. No human mind could ever contrive such intricate uniqueness in this world and beyond. We serve a Creator that knows how much we need to explore and seek. He has provided enough interest here to last a lifetime of discovery.

Psalm 111:4 (Amplified Bible)


"He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious, merciful, and full of loving compassion."

It was his pleasure to create this wondrous world for us. Sometimes it's best just to look in your own back yard before wandering beyond to satisfy your longing. Let us praise Him for his creative gifts.

Respect for Mary and Joseph

I sang a song in church a few weeks ago that was in Mary's point of view. I had to stop and remind myself that her situation was indeed unique and certainly different from the others in the stable that night. The other observers could admire, adore, worship and walk away. Mary and Joseph however were Jesus' parents - they had to stay and bear the burden of rearing the Son of God.

They knew Jesus would have a difficult road ahead. They could not afford all the dreams and hopes for their child as we do for ours. They could only love him from afar - knowing that Jesus was not really theirs to possess.

When I think of the sacrifice that Mary and Joseph made, it humbles me. Although many others in the bible made the ultimate sacrifice for Christ, his parents had a special heartbreak to endure. They did not choose - they were chosen. They did the job that God asked of them. Then slipped away into obscurity, losing their child to the world.

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord, let us also take heed of the example left to us by his parents. There are lessons in obedience and humility and sacrifice to be learned from these two figures in the manger.

Merry Christmas.

Science vs Revelation

 "Science is showing that you and I are crafted with astonishing precision so that we can, on occasion, peer into a spiritual world and know God. And rather than dispel the spiritual, science is cracking it open for all to see." Barbara Hagerty

I sometimes get discouraged at the efforts the world is making to erase God from the hearts and minds of people. We hear the negative theology shouted that man is his own creation, or that we are here by sheer accidents of nature.

The whisper of the enemy tells me that soon everyone will be convinced that God never existed at all. This is the lie of all lies.

The smarter man gets, the more likely he is to prove God does exists and that He alone is responsible for the galaxies and beyond. Man can't help it - he has a inborn need to discover. And the only real thing there is to discover is God. Behind and underneath everything is God - waiting to be exposed. It's only a matter of time before all the scientific maneuvering will make the crack that God will shine through.

We need never fear that "they" will win. We already know who holds the victory.

Whom do you fight and with what???

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age..."
Ephesians 6:11 & 12

I must admit that I have a hard time remembering this admonition. When people are in my face or I have been thwarted on every side when Im just trying to do good, I want to jump in and fight with someone.

But our fight is not with people, it's with the influences, powers and darkness of this crazy world we live in. Why do I continually take on battles that are not fought in the natural? And why do I not consistently put on the armor of God? Pride? Laziness?

We are distracted from out post by all the little battles in our lives when we should be standing guard where God has positioned us. What more can we ask? He gives us a commission, armor, ammunition and a cause for which to fight.

Let us answer the call to fight the right battles in the right way. Anything else is a waste of time and effort.

Can You Hear Him?

For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.  Romans 8:16




How does God speak to us? Can He speak to someone who hasn't received Him?
Do you remember as a child attaching a long string to 2 tin cans and using it as a telephone to your buddy?

Our connection to God is a Spirit to spirit one. The string that connects us to God is his Spirit living in us. He cannot speak to our flesh or our reason - they dont have God in them. But our spirit is indwelled with God's spirit when we commit to communion with Him - receiving Him into our life.

Our flesh and reason is under our command - we have the power through Christ to make them obey and come into line. But our spirit is the temple where God speaks. If we aren't in tune with our spirit, we won't be listening for his voice. We must find Him where He is and then listen.

Can you hear Him? Tighten up that string.

Are You Being Taught or Made?

"We are inclined to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching. In actual fact, it is to be turned into something even better than teaching, namely, character. The mountaintop is not meant to teach us anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a terrible trap in always asking, “What’s the use of this experience?” We can never measure spiritual matters in that way. The moments on the mountaintop are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God’s purpose."
Oswald Chambers/My Utmost For His Highest

What a profound statement this is. Many of us tend to think in terms of God teaching us rather than Him making us. Anyone can teach...only God can make.

My husband and I had a discussion last night about Christians who never do anything. By that I mean they are content to be saved and in their own little world without impacting those around them in any significant way. I find it hard to relate to people like that. There is so much to be done and so many opportunities to reach out and make a difference. If we are truly letting God make us into his image, how can we not do something?

Maybe my impact isn't as big as I would like it to be, but I cannot just sit on what I know. I don't want to just be taught, I want to be made.