Sunny&80The Roller Skating Unicorn (#jammed daily devo, day 304.)
Posted on October 31, 2018
October #jammed: Free Grace.
Day 304: We need to laugh a little…
My little roller skating unicorn tells us everything we need to know about this verse, today. When we seek Christ and walk with Him, we can relax in knowing that God’s got us. He’s not going to allow us to be snatched. The minute we believe in Christ as our Savior, we are sealed as His. The Spirit of God resides in us. It’s good news. Though this life may be serious and scary and waning …we look forward to falling into His arms in the end. Until then …we skate on, as individual as He made us to be …smiling all the way.
Father, Praise You for this special child, and the way she makes us smile. Thank You for her fiery spirit and fierce love. Bless her all the days of her life, Lord, and protect her …keep her safe …and guard her heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Skating,
Megs
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The Little Quarrels (#jammed daily devo, day 192)
Posted on July 11, 2018
July #jammed: Grace serves.
Day 192: One foot in.
“Give us a king to lead us.” 1 Samuel 8:6
God’s people never needed a king …they had God. They often failed to see how set a part they were always supposed to be. Samuel is fielding this request, and he tries his best to persuade the people otherwise. But, they would not be deterred. They really wanted a king like everyone else. They really wanted to be like everyone else.
A similar shortage of self-worth is played out on playgrounds every day. Childhood can be very much about who we fit in with unless we are on a mission to let it be otherwise. As parents, we can’t protect them from every setback and harsh word spoken, but helping them navigate through misunderstanding with kindness is key to keeping them set a part.
Just like Israel misconstrued, we shouldn’t assume that life within “that” group is so much easier. We don’t understand why they don’t ask us to play and try to change so that they will. It’s OK to admit. It’s human nature. In fact, that’s pride rearing it’s ugly head in warning.
When guiding kids through friendship, I believe with all of my heart that kindness and forgiveness come first …even if it leaves us feeling momentarily defenseless.
God is bigger. He tells us that He will defend us …fight our battles and be there for us. He hears our cries, and tells us to love above all else. Teaching children how loved they are for who they are, and how to hand friendship over to God in prayer, allows them the opportunity to trust their King, instead of looking for affirmation elsewhere.
Father, Praise You for parenthood. Thank You for leading and guiding us as parents, and as friends, ourselves. Forgive us for rising up in anger when we are wronged, and remind us to bring every situation to You first. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Friend-ing
Megs
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The Trampoline (#jammed daily devo, day 181)
Posted on June 30, 2018
June #jammed: Under the Blanket of Grace.
Day 181: The ups and downs…
“God can’t stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers.” Proverbs 15:8 (The Message)
Is there any sweeter sound than screaming kids jumping out all of their energy within the confines of screened-in walls?
Nah. It’s pretty glorious. Or it was, until my youngest daughter flew out of the part they forgot to zip up.
After campaigning for a trampoline for years, this was the first thing that happened. A kid flew out of it. My kid. And landed on her back …atop a wooden beam. By the hand of God’s protection she did not suffer anything more than a bruise …but our parental egos sure did!
Today’s verse really attacks the genuine fluctuations of the heart. Of our hearts. It challenges our intentions, and reminds us that they aren’t secret. It’s wise to be in constant patrol of our own motives. Our system will send us flying through a crack in God’s protective wall around us.
Jesus died so that grace could minimize the damage. Life is full of ups and downs and underlying agendas …times when a crash leaves us stunned and changed. Walking with Christ doesn’t make life easier, but it does begin to change our hearts. It does help us to work on our motives and agendas. To pray into and out of the craziness that spins through our minds. Jesus promises peace.
Father, Praise You for Peace. Thank You for allowing us to stop jumping …to recover from crashes …and refine our hearts by following Your Son. Forgive us for trying jump our way through hoops of our own conclusion, and bless us to know the difference between what we want, and what You say. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Jumping,
Megs
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The Journal (#jammed daily devo, day 177)
Posted on June 26, 2018
June #jammed: Under the Blanket of Grace.
Day 177: Accepting responsibility.
“Mom,” she whimpered, “everyone else’s journals are covered in stickers already.”
“Well, I write in it every time you give it to me,” I reassured her, “I love writing to you.”
“Why don’t you take it out of my bag and write in it more?” she demanded.
Typical. She forgets to put it on my desk, so logically it’s all my fault that it’s not been written in enough.
“ignored the shame of death.” When we are tempted to look around and blame, today’s verse is a helpful piece of our Savior’s character to savor. He chose to ignore the shame of His death on the cross. When we have to admit we are wrong or put our egos to death, that’s not the first emotion that we reach to embrace. We want to pitch blame! On someone …anyone!
“He focused on the joy that was set before Him.”
He knew that His obedient death on the cross meant a seat beside His Father’s throne in heaven. When we put our egos to death, shame does not have to rise up. Let the hope of Grace fill the gap between accepting responsibility for sin and accepting forgiveness from Him.
Even though I know I can pull it out of her bag whenever I want …and sometimes do …I really want my daughter to accept responsibility for her responsibilities while the risk and consequence is as low as a journal without as many stickers on it as her classmates.
She stubbornly argued for an hour about why it was my fault before moving on to why it was her dad’s fault, too.
Over and over as she dug her feet in and resisted acknowledging her lack of responsibility. The next morning, the journal was on my desk. And I wrote about half a dozen entries worth. Jesus not only forgives us, He blesses us with abundant love.
Father, Praise You for Jesus. Thank You for the opportunity to reflect upon His character as an example of how to handle ourselves. Forgive us for neglecting to acknowledge You sovereign hand in our situations. Strengthen us to follow Christ’s example. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Humility,
Megs
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The Little Gymnast (#jammed daily devo, day 176)
Posted on June 25, 2018
June #jammed: Under the Blanket of Grace.
Day 176: Resilience.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.” Micah 5:2
Every time she’s up on those bars my heart skips a beat. Brave little thing. Granted, there are coaches spotting her and basically holding on to her …but still …brave to try that. If my wiggly daughter ever slows down enough to concentrate, she may actually be skilled enough to accomplish something with that bravery out the mats. We’ll see.
It always amazes me -the big potential inside this little person.
This verse in Micah is describing a leader that will come out of a small place. The place is Bethlehem, and the leader is Jesus. Big potential inside a little place.
Ephrathah-The region in which Bethlehem was located.
ruler-Ultimately Christ, who will rule for God the Father.
origins . . . from of old -His beginnings were much earlier than his human birth.
from ancient times- Within history, and even from eternity. (NIV Notes)
When something seems too small to be possible, God is at work. That’s just the kind of work He loves the most. Just the kind of people He loves to use the most. The seemingly small. The unlikely.
We struggle with qualification when we fail to remember how great our God is.
Jesus wasn’t just born in Bethlehem on a whim, and His existence didn’t begin with His birth on earth. Nor do the plans God has for our lives begin when we are born …or we buy- in. Jesus died for us on the cross before we were even born. Began praying for us before we knew Him. Knows us now because He knew us then.
Our dreams lie in our willingness to believe …in Jesus.
Father, Praise You for Jesus’ humble birth in Bethlehem. Thank You for revealing so much of Your sweet character through those circumstances, and fulfilled prophesies. Forgive us for not trusting You and Your plan for our lives, and help us to believe and have faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Believing,
Megs
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