Sunny&80The Sugar Deficit (#jammed daily devo day 13)
Posted on January 13, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 13: Christ excites!
“I get a prize! I get a prize!” my six-year-old delighted.
Don’t judge now, but I may have an extensive system of bribery in place to ‘encourage’ good grades in school. For every 100%, my daughters stick their paper on the fridge and choose their earned prize from the ‘prize box.’
It work like a charm until Halloween …and she could no longer sit still long enough to listen to the directions, color in the lines, or write legibly.
“Lauren,” I reprimanded, “this is unacceptable.”
I glanced over at her, sitting on the couch cradling her giant purple bowl of Halloween candy in her lap ….uh. #momfail
Poor thing just couldn’t handle all that sugar.
The apostles were jumping out of their skin to share news of the empty tomb. Imagine the carnage at the cross. Our Savior sacrificed all dignity, power, and authority to come down off that cross for a crimson covering of our sin. That would be an event worth talking about. One that would hit all the local papers and beg of eye-witness accounts, but that’s not the what the apostles couldn’t shut up about.
Like kids hopped up on WAY too much candy for their weight ratio to process, they couldn’t keep it from exploding out of them if they tried. The cross took over everything else, and became the spark that lit life’s passion …Christ.
Father, You are powerful to come to our rescue through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Thank you for sustaining us with the energy to walk through life in faith. We confess that we crash when the sweetness of life wears off, and pray for renewed vigor in proclaiming Christ through all seasons of life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What’s the most sugar you’ve ever eaten and how did it make you feel? Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy
Megs
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The Faithful Decade (#jammed daily devo day 12)
Posted on January 12, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 12 Grace Covers Commitment.
The first decade of my marriage is a reflective milestone of faithful commitment. We’ve
survived the planting of the “treeline,” have disagreed about how to discipline two daughters, decided sell the boat, dropped to one income, built a house, and discovered Disney World.
Prayer has kept our marriage alive through the painful fights and agonizing “firsts.” Faith pulled us through economic meltdown, miraculously healed disease, and sad good-bye’s. Who knew a couple of Parrotheads from Ohio could be so happy vacationing in Michigan every summer? Only God.
“By nature gifts of grace cannot be earned (Rom 11:6), for a gift earned is the opposite of a gift of grace (4:4). Grace, Christ, and salvation are so connected that those who attempt to earn righteousness have ‘fallen away from the grace’ (Gal 5:4; cf. 2:21).” -Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary
God has dried the moss from my rocky past, making it impossible to slip back down. His grace placed me in a present that I might not have chosen had I been the one in charge, and overflowed my life with joy and love. Ten years ago, neither Jim nor I could have imagined this life …and we had big dreams.
Every time I’ve wanted to give up, I’ve given it to Him.
“Take it, Lord …I don’t know how to fix this.”
By simply letting go, we embrace the grace we were made to receive.
Father, Praise You for the perfect way You teach us to lean on You. Thank You for watching over us, hearing us, and helping us. We confess that we don’t always look to You first, and pray You will help us let go of more, and let grace cover what we can’t fix. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What do you need to let go of, so that God can cover it in grace? Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Giving Up…
Megs
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The Bling (#jammed daily devo day 11)
Posted on January 11, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 11: Wisdom always Matches.
“They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.” Proverbs 1:9
“…they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.” Proverbs 3:22
“She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you wth a glorious crown.” Proverbs 4:9
Outfits for the week are picked out on Sunday night. Mine is laid out the night before and my coffee is hot before alarms go off. I leave myself just enough time to hop into the car and make the allotted drive to wherever we’re going. There are no spare minutes to wait for slow moving daughters.
“Get your coat on, ” I inform.
“Get your coat on!!!” I plead.
“GET YOUR COAT ON.” I demand.
Wouldn’t it be easier to comply hastily to the first, cordial, request? Parents repeat themselves when something is important or urgent, and I believe God does, too.
The three verses in today’s devo all talk about a garland or necklace …adornments. Even Old Testament types valued some bling. Kings and those of stature wore them frequently, but I don’t think this message is reserved only for them. I believe the average folk of the day …the working class …the farmers …who dressed up only for special, “joyous” (NIV notes) occasions were included in the audience.
“They,” in today’s text, refers to all things wise. Those who follow wisdom “add beauty and honor to their lives.” (NIV notes)
The morning may be last place we want to cram in another task, but the repeated sentiments God leaves in His Word are worth enough for the alarm to sound with an extra five minutes to spare. A little wisdom compliments any outfit.
Father, You are powerful to instruct us with simple analogies, unwrapping the verses of Your Living Word like presents at Christmastime. Thank you for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, that brought all promise and precision of your grace to life. We confess not carving out a piece of our morning for You, and pray for the discipline to do so. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What phrase do you find yourself repeating? Share a moment when you felt like you didn’t fit in. Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Five Minutes!
Megs
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The Zoomies (#jammed daily devo day 10)
Posted on January 10, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 10: Set Pace with Grace:
“What, girl?” I asked my dog… “are you going to get it?”
Nosed pressed up against the door and ready to launch, our Golden-doodle hit the screen head on as I slid the glass door back.
“Hang on, Cherry,” I laughed, and as I opened the screen she shot out of the house and right to the tree. Barking in frustration as “the squirrel that torments her” climbed out of her reach, she settled for darting laps around the yard. Around and around she went, chasing absolutely nothing at all …at top speed.
When the solution we grab at escapes us, the tendency to steam in circles is tempting. I often to lose my “grace,” instead of looking up.
Zechariah means, “God has remembered.” There is no need to grasp at grace; God remembered us before we arrived. Approximately 500 years before Christ, God speaks though Zechariah in remembrance of His Son, crucified. For what? Grace.
When we seek Him in His Word first, the pace of grace sets the tune of our day …regardless of “what torments us.”
Father, You are powerful to set the tune and the pace of each day. Forgive us for trying to control what isn’t to be, and bless us to know the difference by seeking You in Your Word each day. In Jesus Name, Amen.
What is one way God connects with You through His Word? Share a moment when you felt like you didn’t fit in. Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Zooming,
Megs
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The Water Weight (#jammed daily devo day 9)
Posted on January 9, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 9: Retain the Christmas Spirit.
There’s a Christmas cactus on my desk that I fail to water most of the time. Miraculously,
it just celebrated it’s first birthday by sprouting beautiful pink flowers. I forgot about it most of the year, yet it retained enough water to survive.
Christmas overflows with the joy that Jesus’ feet trod into this earth. Though we leave the story as the decorations disappear, the babe’s promise is here. We can continue to kindle the magic of the Christmas story by reading God’s Story …Jesus is present from cover to cover.
He came here so we can come to God. Not just at Christmas, but for always. Stamina to weather life well abounds, when we water our souls with His Living Word.
Father, Praise Your grace! Thank you for Your Living Word, in which we can meet You each day for encouragement and guidance. Forgive us for packing the Christmas season out of our minds, and bless us with Spirit’s power to recall it throughout the year. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What is the most amazing thing you’ve been able to grow? Share a moment when you felt like you didn’t fit in. Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Watering,
Megs
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