The Power of Your Words

This may surprise you, but sarcasm comes naturally to me. My mom was always after me about it. “If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all.” That’s one of the reasons I tend to stay off of the Book of Faces after I post the day’s devotional. I do not trust myself to not get snarky. It’s just that – gosh – some people really deserve it.
But that’s the “old man” in me. That phrase comes from the Apostle Paul who wrote often about the tug of war between who we were before Christ and who we are to be in Christ. Even though our sin has been put to death by the Lord Jesus, our urges and desires remain until we are perfected. It is a life-long battle. For some, it may be drugs or alcohol or physical pleasure or materialism. But God has been working on my mouth for a long time for good reason.
Years ago I read in Isaiah, “I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand” (51:16). That verse grabbed my heart and I prayed that God would put His words in my mouth. The next day another verse came to life – very clear in its meaning and application for me: “If you utter worthy, not worthless words, you will be my spokesman” (Jer 15:19). Boom! I had a calling and a caution. I have bitten my tongue more than once – and failed to more than once.
Jesus said, “Men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matt 12:36). In the original Greek, that means idle words, useless words, lazy words, ineffective words. In other words, worthless words. So then, what are worthy words? Words that are productive, words that accomplish God’s good purposes, words that work hard for the good of others, words that edify. As Paul wrote, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Eph 4:29).
Solomon said, “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Prov. 18:21). Your words can do great harm or great good – you and I need to use them wisely and carefully. Beloved, let’s commit to speak only “apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov. 25:11)

Help Someone Find Heart

Joy – like most kids – parrots what she hears and copies what she sees, which is a huge wake-up call. I can always pinpoint who she has been spending time with the most by her attitude and personality. That’s not to say that I am always the model of sunshine and rainbows. On those days when she has pushed every button and stomped on my last nerve, I am not the paragon of patience. And it shows. In her.
Did you know that you have a great deal of influence on the people around you? I thought about that as I read in Deuteronomy this morning. Moses was retelling the story of Israel’s journey through the “vast and dreadful desert” (1:19) (There’s another devotional in the making.) to the Promised Land. When they reached the hill country of the Amorites, they sent twelve spies on ahead to scout out the land, discover the best route, and create a battle plan. They brought back glowing reports of the lush, fruitful vines – and terrifying reports of the people they would have to fight.
Moses reminded them of their rebellion – they refused to go on. Instead they “grumbled in [their] tents and said, ‘The Lord hates us; so He brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us.’” (1:27). Here’s what caught my attention: “Our brothers have made us lose heart” (1:28). Oh, what a telling statement. Even though Caleb and Joshua tried to encourage the people, ten of the twelve gave a negative, alarming report of giants versus grasshoppers. And the people soaked it all in.
Think about how the media always reports on crime and tragedies and crooked politicians and what is wrong in the world. Sure they may tack on a “feel-good” story at the end, but that does little to counteract all the discouragement they just dumped on us. Have you ever walked away from a news report feeling hopeful and positive? Me neither.
You and I are surrounded by family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow students, our children’s teachers, and the list goes on and on. We don’t want to be the reason they lose heart. We want to be conduits of encouragement, comfort, hope, peace, Joy, and love. Especially love. Beloved, here’s a challenge for you: ask God to use you today to encourage and build up at least one person. Let’s be the one who helps them find heart. I’m starting today with you.

And If He Does Not . . .

Three Hebrew youths stood before Nebuchadnezzar. They had refused to bow before the King’s statue even though every other official in Babylon had put their faces to the dirt in homage to ninety feet of gold. They knew that the penalty for their actions was certain death. But what the king was asking would compromise their devotion to the God of Israel. And they would not.
Nebuchadnezzar gave them one more chance to obey his edict and bow down. “But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace.” And he added an ironic punch line: “Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Dan 3:15).
“Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to rescue us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand.’” (v. 16-17). What confidence! What faith! I want a faith like that.
Yet – they gave room for God to be God. They said, “But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (v. 18). They believed and trusted God, but they did not demand God to act in their favor. And if He chose not to, they would not cease to worship Him, even to their dying breath.
Decisions are going to be made today that will greatly impact my family – especially someone I love with all my heart. I have prayed for God’s favor. and I am trusting Him for the outcome, believing He can “turn the heart of the king” (Prov 21:1). But if He does not . . .
I will still trust Him. I will still believe in His faithfulness. I will still worship and serve Him. I will still teach His Word. I will still give my heart and life to Him. I will still believe that He is good. Oh, it will hurt, but I will still declare that He is God – my God – and that His judgments are right. You see, in all my prayers I have prayed most earnestly for His will – His good, pleasing, and perfect will (Rom 12:2). And if His will is not my will – He is still God. My holy, heavenly Father. And hers.

Friend of God

When I see that I have a Facebook friend request, I get kind of excited that someone would want to be my friend. I wasn’t one of the popular kids growing up, My first name was Dorcas so I became “dork” and my last name was Beegle so I got hit with barks and howls when I walked in the classroom. I was the target of the school bullies every day – I was informed at lunch who was going to harass me after school as I waited for my mom to pick me up. I tried to hide, but they always found me. If homeschooling had been a thing in those days, I would have begged my mom for it. I was not invited to parties or sleepovers – I guess I became so good at being invisible that nobody noticed me. I’m so grateful that we’ve all grown up and many of my classmates and peers are dear friends today.  

Maybe that is why John 15:14-16 means so much to me. Jesus said, “You are my friends . . .” (v. 14). “You did not choose me, but I chose you . . .” (v. 16).  Chosen. Friend. I don’t know about you, but that speaks to my heart with such sweet tones. The context of these verses is Jesus’ command to obedience, something He expected – and still expects – from His friends. He said He has brought His friends – remember that’s also you and me – into His Kingdom business to produce holy, eternal fruit. It’s like the CEO giving you the office next to his and letting you in on the company secrets. You are not just one of the minions, you are his right-hand man. And there is much work to be done.

But wait – there’s more. Your Creator has an even better position for you. He wants you to be more than a friend, He wants to be Your Father.  That is why He sent His one and only Son to live and die on earth so that you could be His child. Maybe you’ve noticed that I always call you “Beloved” in these devotionals. That’s because it’s who you are in Christ. If you have repented of your sins and received Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are God’s beloved child, His son or daughter. Forever. Mind. Blown.

A Divine Appointment

It was a Sunday morning twelve years ago and we went to Waffle House for breakfast because we had to bug-bomb our house. We took a seat and waited for the server. And waited. And waited. If you’ve ever been to a Waffle House, you know service is always swift. We decided to leave after 15 minutes – it’s like we were invisible. We headed up the road to McDonalds, quickly placed our order, and sat down. A young man caught my eye, shivering in a corner of the restaurant. Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. “He’s cold and hungry – what are you going to do?”  

I approached and asked him if he was okay. He told me he had spent the night with a friend whose dad came home drunk and kicked him out at 4 in the morning. He had called his mom to come get him but she didn’t get off work until 9. I asked if I could buy him some breakfast. He was very grateful so we headed to the counter together. He asked for a small coffee and a muffin. I told the girl to give him a big breakfast and a large coffee instead. I sent my son out to the car to grab a jacket and sat him down at our table. He thanked me profusely with tears in his eyes. I put my hand on his shoulders and told him God had sent me there to help him. Then I looked him in the eye and said, “God loves you and sent His Son Jesus to die for you and save you and give you eternal life.” His mom drove up just then and the young man hugged and thanked me again and headed out the door.

I’m not bragging on myself. I’m piggybacking on yesterday’s devotional about God’s sovereign hand over all of the events of our lives. Think about it – He used bugs to get me out of my house that morning. I’m convinced He made us invisible to the staff at WH to get us to that exact McDonalds at that exact time to meet that particular young man. Remember Paul’s message to the Athenians in Acts 17? God determines the times and places that are set for us so that we can encounter Him.

Bugs and bad service. How like God to use the worst things to accomplish His good plans.  Beloved, always look for His hand in the good and the bad. You may be heading to a divine appointment.

Acts: When God Changes Your Plans

I had a plan for my life when I was much younger. The only part of my plan to come to reality was I got older. Proverbs 16:9 says “In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” I could have written that verse myself – you probably could have too. For sure Paul understood those words and lived them out. His life plan was to be a Pharisee – he was trained in Jewish law by the wise Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). But the Lord had other plans for him – “to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people Israel” (Acts 9:15). He interrupted his plans on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).

The Lord also interrupted his plans in Acts 16:1-10. Please read this passage and come back here.

After Paul brought Timothy on board his missionary team, he had plans to take the gospel into new territory. But Luke said that he and his companions had “been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia” (Acts 16:6). This was followed by another redirection as “the Spirit of Jesus” prevented them from entering Bithynia (v. 7). No additional details are given but as the passage unfolds, we learn why. God wanted Paul elsewhere. During the night Paul receives “a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’” (v. 9).

Here’s what the Holy Spirit is pointing out to me. First, when God saved me, He also claimed me as His own. It is His right to override my plans and send me in another direction. Secondly, His plans will always be better than mine. But here’s where I am being confronted and convicted. Paul didn’t complain. He didn’t whine about not getting to do what he wanted to do. He responded with immediate obedience. “After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (v. 10).

God is all about changing our plans and our direction. That is the Christian life in a nutshell. If He did not interrupt us, we would have no hope. I look back over my life, over my plans and see the foolishness and futility of them. I’m grateful He turned everything upside-down and inside-out. Beloved, are you still clinging to your plans, even as God has shown you a new direction? Lay them down and follow where He is leading you. The sweetest place you can ever be is in the center of His will.

Acts: Ministry is Tough

Oh, how fickle we humans can be. One day we love and the next we hate. One minute we agree and the next we draw swords. We believe – until someone tells us not to believe. James warned us not to be “blown and tossed by the wind like the waves of the sea” (Jas 1:6). That is the story in Acts chapter 14.

Paul and Barnabas are in Iconium where they present the gospel – “so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed” (v. 1). But those who refused to believe (not that they couldn’t believe, but that they refused to believe) turned the people against the Apostles and their message. That did not deter Paul and Barnabas. They “spent considerable time there speaking boldly for the Lord . . . (v. 3). When the opposition turned into a murder plot, they wisely fled to other cities and continued their work, “preaching the good news” everywhere they went (v. 7).

In Lystra, they healed a man who was lame from birth and the crowd declared them gods – a response they quickly denied.  They tried to turn their attention to “the living God” who had revealed Himself in nature and in His kind benevolence (vs. 15-17). Once again, a group of unbelieving Jews came and turned the Lystrans against Paul so that they stoned him and dragged his limp body out of the city.  But God was not done with His servant. Paul “got up and went back into the city” (v. 20) and continued to preach the good news of the Gospel.

At least three important lessons come out of this chapter – first that there will always be opposition to the Gospel. There will always be those who reject the claims of Christianity for themselves and do all they can to prevent others from believing. Second, our response must be the same as that of Paul and Barnabas: preach longer, louder, and bolder. And third, in this age of “rock-star preachers,” we must keep the focus on the message, not the messenger. When the Lystans tried to exalt P & B, they quickly stepped out of the spotlight and put God back in. The path of Christendom is littered with those who bought their own press and ruined their ministry.

One more thing – Paul declared, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (v. 22). If you are doing kingdom work, the devil has a bullseye painted on your back – and that should encourage you. You are right in the center of God’s will. And there is no better place to be, Beloved.

Acts: Tell Them About Jesus

The book of Acts highlights the moving of the Holy Spirit to bring the Church to life and growth. She is still a living, growing, entity, saved by the Son, infused by the Spirit, and called out to do the good work of the Father. Barnabas, the encourager, and Saul, the persecutor-turned-proclaimer were the first to be called and set apart to ministry. The church blessed them and sent them into the mission field. Please take a few minutes to read Acts 13.

The Spirit led them into Asia to a city called Pisidian Antioch. Paul (the name switch from Saul to Paul happens in verse 9) and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue where they were invited to share a “message of encouragement for the people” (v. 15). Paul began by touching on the history of Israel, particularly their disobedience to the Lord. He traced the descendants of Israel’s favorite King, David directly to Jesus and then shared the gospel, declaring that this Jesus was the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies of long ago. He told of His death, burial, and resurrection. He said that Jesus accomplished what the Law of Moses could not do – justify sinful people before a holy God.

The reaction of the people is typical of even our modern world. Some received the message and were hungry for God. Some hated the message and the messengers. Some believed and were saved. Some refused to believe and remained dead in their sins. What did our intrepid missionaries do? Paul and Barnabas went where God was working – to the Gentiles who “were glad and honored the word of the Lord” (v. 48). The ground was fertile in the Gentile community and they took the seeds of the gospel and sowed generously. If you’ve read this far you realize this isn’t my typical encouraging devotional. It’s a Bible lesson because “Everything that was written . . . was written to teach us.” This passage teaches us that the church’s priority is the gospel. Not social justice or programs or making people feel good in their sin. It is telling people about Jesus the Son of God and Savior of the world. It also tells us that not everyone is going to receive and believe our message. But someone will and we must be faithful to the call – even for one soul. Because the gospel is the word of encouragement the lost word needs. Weary, beloved servant of God – do not give up on your ministry. Sow the gospel wherever the Spirit takes you. God is faithful and much Joy awaits

Acts: The Damascus Road

Meanwhile . . . That word says so much in just nine letters. Meanwhile means things are happening all over the place – and in the book of Acts – they are all connected to the Kingdom of God. In chapter 8 Philip was carrying the gospel everywhere he went. In chapter 9 (please read Acts 9:1-19) the young Pharisee, Saul, who watched Stephen die for the gospel, was carrying hate everywhere he went. He despised this new upstart religion – called the Way – the followers of Jesus Christ who called Himself The Way (John 14:6). He deemed it sacrilegious and offensive to God and to Judaism. With the high priest’s approval, he was headed to Damascus to capture these men and women for prison and persecution. He was an enemy of the Church of Jesus Christ. But he thought he was doing God’s good work. He was about to find out otherwise.

A brilliant light stopped Saul in his tracks and his life changed drastically from that moment on.

I am teaching a Ladies’ Sunday School class and yesterday we were in Exodus 3, where God called Moses into service. It occurs to me just now how similar these two experiences are. Moses encountered God in the wilderness; Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. God appeared to Moses in the fire; Jesus appeared to Saul in a blinding light. God called out to Moses by name; Jesus did the same. Moses asked who was speaking as did Saul. God told Moses His name: I AM WHO I AM. Jesus answered Saul’s question, “I am Jesus.” Moses was called to deliver the Israelites from bondage. Saul was called “as a servant and as a witness” for Jesus and the gospel (Acts 26:16). Moses stood before Pharoah and delivered God’s message. Jesus said that Saul would “carry my name before Gentiles and their Kings . . .” (Acts 9:15).

I would never try to pigeonhole God or restrict Him to only do what He has always done. God is God and He can and will what He determines in accordance to His perfect plan. But I can’t help but wonder . . . Whom might God call next? Who will meet Him in an extraordinary way? Whom will He use for extraordinary Kingdom work? Is it me? Is it you? Could it be a child or grandchild? The possibilities and the power of God are endless. Are you looking for the Fire and the Light, Beloved? Are you ready to serve the Lord?

The Royal Priesthood of the Believer

I am in a group of believers who are writing – or “scribing” – our way through the Bible. Because we deal with smaller portions of Scripture and must slow down and pay attention to every word, we’re seeing things we would have normally missed on our fast-paced Bible-in-a-year plans. We’re nearing the end of Exodus this month and the people are building, weaving, hammering, and crafting all the elements of the Tabernacle.

Today’s text – Exodus 39:1-7 – is focused on making garments for Aaron, who served as the Lord’s high priest. These were “sacred garments” designed “to give him dignity and honor” as he went about his priestly duties (Ex 28:2). And they were a work of love and devotion. When the ancient craftsmen made the ephod, the apron-like garment worn over the robe and under the breast piece, the Scripture says, “they hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.  Can you imagine the amount of dedication and intricate work that required?

But that’s nothing compared to how God is working in you. Everything God does in your life has one aim, to conform you to the likeness of His Son (Rom 8:29). I admit, sometimes that work isn’t pleasant.  Lately, it feels like God is hammering away at me like the craftsmen hammered out that gold. You may feel that He has put you into a crucible for purifying silver over intense, prolonged heat. It might even seem that He has buried you underground like a seed. But the gold adds beauty to the garment, the purified silver reflects the Silversmith and the seed bursts forth from the ground to grow into a fruitful plant.

God has called you and me to be part of His royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:9)– not in the order of Aaron, but in the order of His Son, Jesus Christ. Like Aaron, we must be consecrated, cleansed, and made pure for this holy service. Aaron was washed with water and anointed with the blood of a bull. You and I are washed and anointed with the blood of the Lamb of God which cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn 1:7). Aaron received beautiful garments to wear; Christ gives us His own righteousness (2 Cor 5:21).

In the hammering and the heat and the darkness Beloved, consider this, God is not just weaving threads of His Son into your life, but making He is you into His very image.