Seeking Beauty

Day 44: Learning how to seek Beauty

Psalm 143:7-12

'Answer me quickly, Lord, my spirit fails; Do not hide Your face from me, Or I will be the same as those who go down to the pit. Let me hear Your faithfulness in the morning, For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. Save me, Lord, from my enemies; I take refuge in You. Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For the sake of Your name, Lord, revive me. In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. And in Your faithfulness, destroy my enemies, And eliminate all those who attack my soul, For I am Your servant.'

         Beauty is found when we choose to seek the Lord in all things. If you cannot tell, there is a significant amount of scripture that is instructing us to seek the Lord in the morning. This one does the same thing again. Yet, it also pleads with the Lord to answer quickly. We want quick healing, quick solutions, quick outcomes to so many aspects of our lives, yet often, we do not want to put in the work necessary to earn those quickly.

         Look at all the things in this scripture that are to lead us to healing and seeing God’s beauty at work in our lives.

1.     God’s faithfulness is heard in the morning

2.     Our trust is placed in Jesus

3.     Instructions are taught to us through God’s Word that illuminate our path

4.     We lift up our souls to the Lord through bearing our hearts and minds through prayer to God

5.     We seek comfort in God’s secret places by seeking refuge in Him

6.     We are taught how to submit to God’s will over our own, dying to self

7.     We submit to the Holy Spirit leading us on level ground not always climbing mountains and crawling out of valleys

8.     We desire the Lord to revive us and bring us new hope

9.     The Lord is a God of justice and will restore us up to Him in due time

10.  We are to serve Him and His Kingdom, not build our own

         This is a substantial list of things we must recognize and do on our own behalf for the Lord to work in our lives. Yes, it stems from faith first, but there is still work to be done on our part in the equation. If we want to see life from a different perspective, we must submit ourselves to doing things in a different way. What we don’t see is how much the Lord is already doing on our behalf every day. We cannot see the beauty and majesty of His work surrounding us because we have filled ourselves up with our worlds.

It has been said that we should get into God’s Word for 15 minutes, start somewhere, do something, which are all good as a start, but as we grow, we should quickly submit ourselves to the discipline of the Word and allow it to transform us in new ways. If you are starting here, excellent, just know there is a lot more to becoming a disciple of Christ as it is a disciplined life and cannot simply be accessed through a causal relationship with God.

Dear Heavenly Father,

         Thank You for today. Thank You for Your instruction and wisdom. Lord, I desire You to teach me the way in which I can see You at work all around me. I know I need to submit to Your will, and I am learning this daily. Please help me desire Your Word in my life every day and give me a passion for seeking You first every morning. Help me understand that our relationship is not causal and it is the most significant relationship in my life. You desire so much for me and want to show me how real You are. Help me place You as the ultimate priority and strengthen my desire to honor You Jesus. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Day 45: Beauty found in the Lord’s Temple

Psalms 27:4

'The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.’

         What we seek is what we see. Simple enough. So, why not seek the Lord’s house? Well, it is hard because we cannot see heaven. Plus, Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us and that He would come back and get us, with all these statements of fact, it is seemingly hard to see the things we are to seek, right?

         Well, I’m not sure I agree with the notion that it is hard to see the things we seek. I think we must seek the things we want to see. This is the major difference in learning to live a 359˚ of beauty lifestyle is learning to frame your mindset on the beauty given in any situation. This is one of the things that this scripture is pointing us to. We are to seek that which is perfect, which comes from the Lord.

         In learning how to heal the brokenness that resided deep within my soul, I had to seek God’s beauty. I adventured into the depths of the wilderness to find the Lord. The majesty and scale of creation helped me see His perfection on display all around me. I have been to enough places that allowed me to stand in awe of His creation, I can simply close my eyes and remember the beauty found in this world. Whenever I struggle, it is as simple as walking outside on a clear night and looking at the stars. To think, the Lord in all His power, spoke the stars into existence and He says He loves me? How can I not see beauty within creation?

         This is where we must delight in what we can see and leverage that for what we seek within every situation of our life. Most of the time it is as simple as asking God to reveal His beauty in the situation. We must take our focus off ourselves and place it on God. In doing so we are actively seeking the Lord’s perfections and meditating on Him, rather than focusing on what our perceived shortcomings are in any situation. Then, when we begin to see the beauty of the Lord’s work in our lives, we can better see what we seek. This clarity provides beauty.

Dear Heavenly Father,

         Thank You for granting me the ability to see You in creation all around me. I desire to seek Your Kingdom and will for my life. I trust in You explicitly and I know You have a plan for me. I want to see Your beauty in my life and I want to seek You in Your temple. Help me dwell in Your house Lord thinking about Your perfection. Help me meditate on Your Words for my life and help me see the beauty that surrounds everything. Lord, I know You can turn everything into something good. Many times I miss that as I get lost in my own feelings, but anchor me in Your goodness and grant me the ability to see Your beauty and glory. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Day 46: White rock with a new name on it

Revelation 2:17 NASB

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.”

         This is one of the most intimate verses in all of scripture because is it such a personal promise from the Lord. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit, and this is found in the book of Revelation, which is a controversial book because of how many people interpret it in different ways. Yet, it has amazing promises in it!

         I have traveled most of the North American West. In my travels I have encountered significant beauty, climbed mountains with my daughters, slept under the stars, and traveled places where few have been into the wilderness. Every time I go I have one thing I am always on the hunt for, regardless of where I am at. I am always looking for white rocks.

         I pick up small pocket-sized white rocks, large handheld ones, and I often look at the ones that are too massive to pick up. Each time I encounter a rock I wonder to myself, “What will my rock look like?” The truth is, I don’t know yet. The Lord has something special in mind, and He has it just for me. This is such a deep form of intimacy.

         This is very much like when you are in a close relationship and your significant other has a special name that only they call you, and no one else really knows about it. It is something just the two of you share kind of powerful. This promise is one of deep connection with the Lord and a very special gift that He intends on providing for us all at some point in our future.

         The white rock is also symbolic of an ancient custom of entry into an event of particular significance. It was like a special ticket that was given for guaranteed entry into the event. So the symbolism in this is the guaranteed entry into heaven where we will be granted a special name between us and the Creator of everything.  

         The beauty found in this scripture is beyond that of just a white rock, it also comes with the promise of restoration through the hidden manna. This has deep connections into the Old Testament that was ultimately meant to sustain God’s chosen people while they wondered in the desert for 40 years. This was their daily food supply in their lives. This is particularly interesting in that it is how we are listening to the Spirit- daily dying to ourselves and seeking God… The bread of life, which also echoes the Lord’s prayer in give us our daily bread…

Dear Heavenly Father,

         Thank You for today. Thank You for this intimate picture in Your scripture that has so many promises in it. You promise that if we can endure and listen to Your Spirit that we will ultimately be sustained by Your manna and You will permit our entry into heaven with a special white rock that contains a new name that only You and I will understand. This Father is so unique in all of scripture, and I love how Your heart is for me. I desire to seek You more. Your beauty and intimacy are unmatched in this world. Thank You for Jesus dying for my sins and thank You for the forgiveness you have already given me for my transgressions even now in my life. You are slowly changing my life to see You more clearly every day. Thank You for Jesus, Amen. 

Day 47: Modified behaviors

Ephesians 4:28-29 NASB

'If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.'

         One aspect of learning to see the beauty in life is how we choose to utilize our time and talents. Part of becoming a Christian is allowing scripture to change who we are. Part of learning how to see the beauty in everything you experience in life is how you approach every situation. Behavior modification becomes necessary to change who we are fundamentally.

         This is a very direct verse in addressing behavior modification. One thing a lot of us would probably say is that we are not thieves, so this does not really apply to us. However, what if we really are thieves and we do not realize it? How often do we catch ourselves doom scrolling on social media? How often do we compare ourselves to others? How often do we stop working with our hands on the task that God has given us to do and allow ourselves to steal the joy of others by putting their situation down?

         Probably too often… and what is the active counter to all these questions and ideas? We are to give generously to others in need. Take that time you would otherwise spend in the doom scroll and find a way to work with your hands to give back. If we started looking to serve our neighbors more, we would likely change the worlds around us to a more beautiful place.

         These comparison traps that we often fall prey to lead us to use language that puts others down and attempts to make us feel better. It is out of the bitterness of focusing on ourselves that mask the joy that God has given us when He gave us a new heart that He writes His Word upon. However, if we can learn to use our words to encourage others on a regular basis, we become good and helpful to everyone. This leads us to life filled with encouragement and offering hope to all those around us.

         Just the other day, I was walking along the hallway with a teacher, and we were discussing being noticed for our good work and positive influence on others. Praise was being offered to us in a large group setting, but the person I was walking with was telling me how they did not want that praise at all. They were fearful of the backlash from others. The words and thoughts of others were stealing the joy of being recognized in the moment. I gently encouraged this amazing educator that we were given the gift of recognition, and it is our job to use the light within us to encourage all those around us. It was our responsibility to not allow past trauma to hinder us in our pursuit of encouraging others to find their joy.

         This is what it means to find beauty in every situation; we have direct actions in all situations to be the light that God has called us to be, so that our words will be an encouragement to those that would choose to hear them. This is practical teaching in scripture that helps us open our minds and hearts to the work that God is doing in all situations of our lives.

Dear Life-Giving Father,

         Thank You for another day. Thank You for the practicality of Your Word. I did not realize where I had allowed myself to become a thief. I have been stealing the Joy that You have given me in my life. I have allowed things to creep into my life that have led me to speak harsh words towards others. I have also allowed past trauma to inform my present standing in my situations and alter my feelings about the moments I am experiencing. So, Lord, I need help today finding those moments and being honest with myself. I do not want to be a thief. I want to use the goodness You have given me to lift others and encourage them in this life. Use me to become a source of light in the lives of those I encounter today. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 

Day 48: Walk by Spirit

Galatians 5:16-17 NASB

'But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want. '

         Another key in seeking beauty in our lives is how we walk. We are called expressly to walk by the Spirit that would lead us to carry out God’s desires. This is essentially everyone’s struggle. We blame Satan for the temptations, but our flesh it the real enemy in most circumstances. This is because we are born into sin. Our flesh is corrupted from its original design. We are still made in the image of God, but in absolute terms, we all sin and fall short of the Glory of God.

         With the instructions in this verse leading us to walk by the Spirit, how do we practically live this out every day? The coolest part of this scripture is making sure we read it in full context, which I recommend you do because ultimately it tells us in verse 13-14 how we are to walk by the Spirit.

'For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” '

We are to walk in the Spirit by making sure we love our neighbors. This comes from the love we have from God first in our lives. Practically speaking, we must seek opportunities to walk by the Spirit by literally looking for opportunities to love our neighbors.

         Well then, who are our neighbors? For me, it is literally my neighbors.  I know almost all of them and try my best to love them where they are. I have a different depth of relationship with each one, but I work to take care of their needs where applicable. I spend time talking with them, and in the last year, I have begun teaching their children as I am a teacher in my closest school. This is the first time God has directly positioned my career to directly engage my immediate neighbors. If I truly believe that God has called us to love our neighbors, then the beauty I seek is found when I choose to love them.

         This reminds me of another scripture that explains so much: “The mind of a person plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9. When we remain open for our plans to change, we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit to those around us. When we are led by the Spirit to love those around us, we begin seeing God’s beauty surrounding us, simply because we no longer focus on ourselves… My plans have been many, but now I make them few, so that I feel like I have the capacity to love others in everything I do.

Dear Gracious Father,

         Thank You for another opportunity to learn from Your Word. You have provided much more direction than I ever thought was contained in scripture. It is full of more than just stories, but also practical wisdom. Thank You for beginning to show me how it all works. I desire to honor You Lord and I want my life to be given over to Your work. I admit, I have had many plans, some have worked out, others have failed. Yet now Lord, I want to walk by Your Spirit. I want to be led by You. Your word tells me that it will come when I seek opportunities to love my neighbors. Lord, please grant me the ability to love myself well, so I can also love my neighbors well. Help me measure my standard of care to that of which I would do for myself. I love You Jesus, help me love others with my walk today. Amen. 

Day 49: Perception vs Perspective

Luke 11:34-36 NLT

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”

         Understanding the differences between perception and perspective is a huge advantage in seeing God’s beauty in our lives. These two ideas are similar, but different enough that one is considered light and the other can quickly mislead you into trouble.

         Perception is our personal interpretation of the world around us. We spend so much time trying to convince everyone around us of what is right according to the way that we see things, feel things, and experience things. There is no advantage in our perception because it is often wrong. We experience the world from a singular perception. By itself, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but if allowed to run its course, it reveals our own selfishness very quickly. This is why perspective shifts are so much more powerful than how we perceive things.

         When we gain the ability to move away from our perception of things and into other’s perspectives, we gain the ability to become a healthy light in the world. The concept of the eye is the metaphor used by Jesus in this scripture to illustrate that is how we “see” the world around us. In understanding God’s perspective through careful application of His word, we are transformed and given the ability to “see” Him at work around us all the time. This is connected to how our perspective becomes the light for our whole body. A healthy eye to see other’s perspectives gives us significant power and insight to understand that which is around us.

         When we begin to “see” into others, we can then begin to love them as our neighbors because we know how to love them. By seeking to understand their perception of things, we change our perspective on things. Thus, we no longer live with the deceptive light leading us while we “think” we are good. So, this scripture provides a caution for us to check ourselves against, along with a perspective shift for us to follow. Jesus is calling us to alter our perspectives and get out of our perception of things.

         Ultimately, we must allow the “light”, which is God’s truths, to illuminate our whole body. When we let the true light in, everything that the light touches becomes light itself. (Ephesians 5:13). By altering our perspective, the power of Jesus to turn our lives into lights for others is immeasurable, thus helps us begin to “see” what I call the 359˚ of beauty of this life. When we walk with the light, we can love others so much better than when we walk in our own perception of the world around us.

Dear Light Giving Father,

         Thank You for the Light You are in our lives. I crave understanding, but I know I need to find a new perspective on how to live. You have given me the ability to read and study about how to shift from my perception of things to seeing other’s perspectives on things. Jesus, I pray You will continue to reveal any darkness in my life and allow Your light and truth to lead me to love others well. Lord, please allow Your radiance to become so evident in my life that others perceive Your love for them through my submittance to Your will. I love so many of my friends that do not know You like I do, and I want them to be with me in the Kingdom of heaven praising You, so grant me the ability to see where and how to love them as I would myself through changing my perspectives on things. Thank You Jesus for dying and giving me a soft heart, one flexible enough to allow the light to cover all darkness in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.

Day 50: Relief

1 Peter 2:19-20 NASB

“For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.”

         Okay, if you had made it to this point in these devotions, you have patiently endured unjust treatment! I’m kidding but THANK YOU! Thank you for your discipline! Thank you for trusting these to help guide your heart and transform your mind. God called me to do this as I patiently endured a time of deep isolation. I do not want credit or attention for it; I just want it to honor God. I deeply desire for you to love God and desire to honor Him in your life. I am praying for you as you read this. May God grant you the ability to discern His truth over anything that would be wrong in my interpretation or commentary. I pray this honors Jesus in all ways. Thank you for reading to this point… May God bless you with an ability to see His beauty surrounding you!

         There have been a vast many times I have felt like I have suffered for doing good. One of the hardest times in my life was patiently enduring as I watched my wife suffer in agony. I had absolutely nothing to offer her in moments of pure agony except my service to her heart and spirit. What many people don’t know about her journey is when her cancer had spread into her bones, they we essentially expanding at a rapid rate. She grew almost an inch in her final month of life due to the cancer expanding rapidly in her bone marrow. She had maxed out on morphine and because of her pain thresholds she was completely lucid and seemingly normal, until the morphine started wearing off.

         There were periods of time between pain med management where even clothing touching her skin was agonizing. Caring for her during this time was one of the most difficult seasons of doing good I have ever walked through. Her pain was detrimental to my emotional wellbeing as I couldn’t even hug her or hold her hand to offer her comfort. I struggled and never allowed anyone to see the depths of the hurt within my heart and mind as I watched cancer ruthlessly destroy my wife. I was helpless. Eventually, due to this prolonging agony, I started to secretly pray that God would remove her pain by rescuing her from the brokenness of her vessel. We were granted relief when we entered hospice care, and they switched her pain management meds.

         The ultimate relief came about 19 days after transitioning to hospice care when I presented my bride to the Lord and He graciously accepted her into His Kingdom. In the moments and days following her passing, I had peace and calm about me that I still feel to this day. Through the Holy Spirit I know that God was pleased with me. I felt the following phrase to my core and still do, “Good job son, you did what I called you to do, you died to yourself and served your bride.” I still feel this… very deeply… and I want to continue to do good. I want God to be please with me. I want God to be proud of me. I am beyond thankful He loves me enough to save me from myself.  

         Now, I seek to continue in the pursuit of doing good as I set myself aside to raise our children. I have had to set a lot of what I want to do aside to honor the marriage covenant I have that remains in raising my daughters. I assure you, there are many things I have experienced as a man that challenge me to have patient endurance as I navigate life with teenage girls in my house, but I would not change it for anything. Simply because I know God is pleased with the goodness, He has given me to pursue.

         Have patient endurance while doing good. God is please with you when you do.

Dear Father,

         Thank You for another day in Your house. I long to dwell in it forever. Lord, Your Word tells me to patiently endure the unjust treatment of this world. I want to honor You in all that I do. Please grant me the endurance that only comes from You. Help me persevere and run the race You have set before me. You are beyond gracious to me to be pleased with me at times in my life, but I want all my life to honor You. Help me submit myself to that process and align my will to Yours. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Day 51: Disbelief

Habakkuk 1:5

The Lord replied, Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.

         359˚ of beauty is about so much more than people realize. Yes, it is about see the beauty surrounding you in every moment, but it is a way in which walking through life that grants you the ability to see God in a way that goes beyond comprehension. All of scripture is leading us to understand that accessing God is as easy as believing in Jesus Christ. You must acknowledge your own sin nature, confess that Jesus is Lord, the only way to get to heaven, and then allow your belief in Jesus’ grace to change you throughout the rest of your life. The greatest change over time is in how you see God at work in and through your life.

         God is at work teaching us how to change our perspectives all the time. He desires that we acknowledge Him, but even more so, He desires that we express our gratitude in ALL things. This is clearly outlined in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

         In my life I have been amazed at all that God has done. Often, I think about my life in a retrospective way. For instance, 20 years ago, if you had told me that I would be a single father of two daughters teaching the next generation and writing devotionals about the goodness of God, I would have probably laughed or scoffed at you. I simply would not be able to believe the series of events that have had to transpire in my life for all that has happened to happen.  

         Conversely, looking back God has revealed to me His grace and provision in my life over the last 20 years in the most beautiful ways. I see threads of my life being woven together in the most intricate of ways that are forming the most beautiful tapestry that tells a story of God’s brilliance in a way that leads me to a singular focus, gratitude. The truth is, even now, I would not believe all that God is likely to do in my life going forward the next 20 years.

         Habakkuk was telling Israel this truth thousands of years ago and it still applies to our lives today. God is at work doing something in your life. If you look back at where you were and ask God to reveal His beauty throughout the years, you will begin to see His provision in guiding you to your present moment. If God can do all of this in your life, how much more is He capable of doing as you move forward in your life? How much of His beauty and grace can you already be thankful for, before it happens? How much can you praise Jesus for His provision in the next obstacle you face? How much can you be joyful, pray, and be thankful in ALL circumstances? I bet, if you were honest, really honest with yourself, you have a hard time believing all that God is at work doing in your life… this is where you need to ask Him to reveal His beauty in everything and then be thankful for ALL things.

Dear Life-Giving Father,

         Thank You Lord. When I look back on my life and I think about all that You have done for me, I am humbled in how much I see You at work in my life. Even in the moments where I failed and life got hard, because I did not see You, You were there. You were doing things You knew I would be skeptical of in my life. Lord, I want to look around me and be amazed at what You are doing in my life in the moments You give me every day. I want to see You and Your beauty surrounding my life. I want to praise You for all that You are doing, but I struggle, because all I see is what is in front of me. So Lord, heal my vision, so I can truly be joyful and thankful even when it hurts. May I see the beauty in the anguish of whatever I face, just like You did on the cross, knowing that it was what had to happen so that we could know each other like You originally intended in Your creation. The beauty of the choice You gave us in the garden is that we are being given the same choice now. I choose You over my own knowledge, control, and power. Lord, thank You for giving me the choice. In Jesus name, Amen.

Day 52: Eternal promises for present toil

Isaiah 65:22-24 NLT

Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

As always, please read all of Isaiah 65 because there is so much there that is amazingly promised to us for our endurance. This section serves as evidence of the restoration of believers into the original intent of the Garden of Eden, likely on such a larger scale than we could possibly dream of in our lifetimes.

         It is important to remind ourselves of the promises found in scripture. We often lose sight of the eternal mindset because all we know is the governance of time. God intentionally designed us to be ruled by time. The systems He established from the beginning were meant to create laws that He has never been subject to. We misplace our understanding of God in that we think things through with a linear predisposition, whereas God is not confined by our timeline.

         Why is this idea important? Understanding how God operates helps us understand how we can KNOW that there is significantly more beauty in every situation than we can possibly imagine. The last section of scripture in this selection is extremely powerful because we are living in that now and do not realize it. It says, “I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!”

         I know, you are likely thinking this is about the future promise of God’s provision. BUT what if it is NOW? Think about it, there are multiple points throughout the scriptures where the Lord tells us that God already knows what we need (See Matt 6:8; Matt. 6:31-32; Luke 12:30; Psalm 139:4). Therefore, we are living with these eternal promises now.

         The implications of this idea are significant in our understanding of how God is at work in our lives. This means that even in the worst of situations, He has a plan for us to prosper. We just do not feel it in the moment. Should we not trust God to continue the work in us He has started and will see through to completion? This is where understanding the nature of God helps us trust in the beauty that surrounds every moment. We often focus solely on the negative of whatever we are experiencing because our vision is beyond limited and structured in such a linear fashion. We are designed to focus on what is in front of us. We must ask to see all that surrounds us and learn how to be still enough to hear the still small whisper behind us telling us which way we should go. Our prayers are being answered well before we speak about them to the Lord, for He knows what we need. He still desires for us to ask Him because He desires a relationship with us. Therefore, we are living in the eternal promises amidst our current toil.

Dear Relational Father,

         Thank You that You hear us well in advance of any prayer we could pray. Thank You for the eternal promises that we are living in now. You are answering our prayers in ways that we could never possibly ever fully see. Lord, I want to glimpse the depth and width of Your love for me through the provision of Your hands. I know You stretched them out upon the cross, but I often fail to see the fullness of that beauty because of my limited sight and understanding. Jesus, I know You are answering my prayers even now while I ask you for a new vision and seek for you to reveal the beauty that You have surrounded me with. Thank You. Thank You for providing me with all I have been given, are being given, and will be given in the future through Your power Lord. I want this idea to become a reason for me to be joyful in all things and help me become content regardless of my circumstance. Let me understand this level of Your provision and be thankful for all that You are. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Day 53: Left or right?

Proverbs 4:23-27 NASB

'Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Rid yourself of a deceitful mouth And keep devious speech far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right or to the left; Turn your foot from evil.'

Proverbs 4:23-27 NLT

'Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.'

         Which way do I go? What is God’s will for my life? How will I know what to ask for? How do I pray? Is this the right job for me? Do I go back to school? What’s next? My children are gone, and I am an empty nester, what’s now? My spouse has passed; do I seek a new relationship? I just got a divorce, what do I do God? Is this next step right?

         Questions about the direction we are to go next often swirl in our minds and we become overwhelmed with all the possibilities. We fight uncertainty and fear with doubt and misdirection. Our words are often deceptive to ourselves as we attempt to persuade ourselves what is necessary and next in our lives. We convince ourselves that we know the best. We vent and spew frustration towards all who will listen and seek their advice for every detail of our lives. We react to life and often feel like we are always anxious to move forward quickly to the next thing that will fill us… but why? To win at the rat race of life and to feel relevant? Is it because we are a performance driven culture?

         Ultimately, we do all these things because we have not chosen to guard our heart above all else! Jeremiah told us in 17:9-10: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” Which is why God promised us a new heart in Ezekiel 36:26: “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Even God led Jeremiah to the promises of a new heart of belief in 24:6-7: “I will watch over and care for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.”

         Okay, but with my new heart I still have all these questions! I get it! Read Proverbs 4:23-27, for we have been commanded to guard our hearts. At the heart of who we are is our belief in the Lord. We are to guard our beliefs and not allow our thoughts to misguide us. “As in water a face reflects the face, So the heart of a person reflects the person.” -Proverbs 27:19. What all these scriptures are telling us to protect our hearts and listen to what God has done. Jesus Himself told us in Luke 6:45: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

         We guard by being cautious of what we even tell ourselves. The truth of all these scriptures is that God desires for us to write the truth and light of the scriptures on our hearts. To fix our eyes on the things that He has clearly put in front of us to focus on. When we have all these questions, we are searching for things outside of God to provide us the direction we should go, whereas God is in the voice behind us, telling us to turn left or right… “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”” Isaiah 30:21.

         We just never slow down enough or stop asking our questions long enough to hear his voice telling us which way to go. If you want answers, slow down, be still, guard your heart, and watch what you are telling yourself… God says he will guide and direct your steps… “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” - Proverbs 16:9 & “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” - Proverbs 19:21.

Dear Wise Father,

         Thank You for giving me a new heart that believes in You. Lord, I ask too many questions and don’t listen. I want so much, and I have even deceived myself with my many words. I have tried to convince myself that I know what your will is at times, and I fallen short more times than I can count. I want to know when to turn left and when to turn right, but I don’t slow down enough to hear you whispering to me. Jesus, I am sorry for what I had made our relationship. In my trauma and situations, I want to honor You and follow Your lead. I want to walk by Your Spirit. Lead me by still waters where my soul will be refreshed in You. Set my feet upon the path of rest in Your peace. You have already given me so much to be grateful for, but there is more You have in store for me if I will just listen. Lord, help me listen. In Jesus Christ power, amen. 

Day 54: Lessons remembered

Psalms 86:11-13

“Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.”

         One of the coolest things about our Lord and Savior is what all He has rescued us from. He loves us deeply. He is faithful to us in all things. If you pay attention to God’s Word you begin to realize there is a consistent theme that runs throughout the entire Bible. He is always consistent and true. He never changes. His message from the beginning was the same throughout and at the end. In our lives, to rely on something that constant is a place I need my anchor set…

         When it comes to teachers, there are a few that I remember. What I remember the most about them was either how naïve I thought they were, or how they made me feel as a student. Overall, there are very few “lessons” I remember because I was a rough and tumble boy growing up in the 80s and 90s. We were on the cutting edge of country meets personal computers era. So, growing up with rotary phones and pagers within the same household, one thing I learned was that change was the most consistent thing in my life. Even my teachers changed constantly.  

         I remember one time when we had the new “laser disc” technology in our TV rolling carts. My teacher had given me a job to queuing up the lesson videos each day. I did not really like her that much because I thought she was mean, so I would sabotage her lessons. As the “helper,” I was required to punch in the video number on the remote control. Well, I would intentionally punch in the wrong codes to watch the videos of what I thought would be funny. This went on for about two weeks until she caught on. She was persistent in allowing me to continue, trying to “teach” me how, but I was more persistent in being intentionally dumb. I’m not sure how much science my class learned that year in 5th grade! Ultimately, that teacher ended up telling my parents that I was a head case and would not amount to anything in my life…

         Now, not much is different as I am a teacher myself. I work with 5th grade students every day. To me, this is an absolute joy in my life, however, I know one thing to be true. My students will not remember my lessons, just like I don’t remember my teacher’s lessons. The lessons I teach will seep into their brains as background information that they may or may not realize they learned once upon a time. They will face a constant barrage of change throughout their lives. I suspect many of you are the same when you stop and take a moment to look back, you don’t remember much beyond what your teachers made you feel and possibly a few lessons scattered throughout your memories.

         This is where this scripture becomes truly beautiful. Our teacher, Jesus Christ, is the most consistent teacher we will ever encounter. His lessons can deliver to us the foundation in which we are to build our lives upon. Think about it for a moment. We are to stand in awe of Jesus, seeking Him with our whole heart, praising Him, bringing glory to His name, and grasp the idea of what He has saved us from… These are the truths in which we are to always anchor our lives in. His teaching is meant to truly transform our lives, and we can return to the lessons as many times as necessary because they are all written down. This is what a truly beautiful teacher looks like, their lessons have an eternal impact just like our Savior Jesus.

Dear Teaching Father,

         Thank You for teaching me Your ways. I praise Your name Jesus for all that You have shown me in my life. Thank You for providing me the lessons my heart needs in order to establish the foundations of Your truths in my life. I am beyond blessed to call You my teacher. Lord, I know You have significant lessons You desire me to learn throughout my life, but the one I pray I write into my essence is that You are the greatest teacher. You taught us how to lay down our lives to honor those we love. May we do the same in the ways You would instruct us to do. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Day 55: Poor and needy

Psalms 86:1-4

“Hear me, Lord and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.”

         How poor and needy are we really? Speaking for myself, in view of the world, I am neither poor nor needy. I have an abundance in all things and truly need nothing in terms of functioning things in life. Yet, this verse still applies to me in significant ways. I suspect it does for you too.

         We know that it was the anointed king David that wrote this Psalm, and it was likely written during one of the times that he was fleeing from either Saul or his son Absalom. Regardless of which one, as a king, the likelihood of not having basic needs met are not high, so essentially, most of the basic provisions of life for David were likely being met. This brings us to the true meaning of the scripture. David was not claiming he was poor and needy in a physical nature, but of the spiritual nature of being.

         David is acknowledging his overall state of being. He had an internal spiritual and emotional need that he needed the Lord to answer. If we are honest, we often find ourselves in the same place. This is where we need to do the same thing that David is doing in these verses. We need to call out to the Lord and remind ourselves of our true placement in the world and what we have claimed we are.

         David calls himself up just as much as he asks the Lord to help him. He reminds himself of what he believes in and trusts in his life. He is calling himself to remember who God is and that God is a god of mercy and joy. Sometimes, we need to do the same. We need to remind ourselves who God is and trust that he hears us in our greatest times of needs, or when we are poor in spirit and determination to keep going.

Dear Sustaining Father,

         Thank You that I can come to You in my times where I am poor in spirit and needed. You are a God of great provision and mercy. You replace my weaknesses with Your strengthens and have mercy upon me in multiple aspects of my life. Lord, I am faithful to You, even though I fail at times. I trust in Your Word and what You say I am. I know Your Word calls to me. I want to see You. Jesus, I long to know the fullness of Your heart and feel the joy that You supply become a well-spring of life in my daily walk. Let me talk to You all day and help me see You at work all around me everywhere I go. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Day 56: Terrible singing voice

Psalms 104:33-34 NIV

“I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.”

         Singing to the Lord is one of the most powerful acts that we can do. I serve in my local church, and I work primarily with the Men’s ministry. Each week, we have one to two songs that we sing as men. Where I sit and run our audio-visual stuff, I often get to hear the men singing as both individuals and as a group. I always find it enduring when a man that cannot carry any harmony chooses to sing out to the Lord. The man that knows his voice is not good at all but chooses to sing is a man that has my respect.

         When I was growing up, the few times I ever went to church were with my grandfather. We typically went to a Church of Christ church that had zero instruments, and we sang from an old hymnal. Each time I would go, I would see the song list posted on the wall of the chapel and I would pre-mark each one so I could turn there quickly, and I would read the words in the song, so I knew what they were ahead of time.

         When it came time to sing and the music director would come up to the pulpit, he would always blow into his pitch pipe harmonica a single note. Then the singing would start. Well, my grandfather had a loud booming voice, but it was never that good. I would giggle and laugh whenever my grandfather was particularly moved to sing louder. It was so bad that my grandmother had eventually moved them to sitting in the front row of the balcony to help to minimize her embarrassment. He would sing out praises to the Lord. I never really understood why he was so passionate about his time worshiping the Lord, when he was clearly not gifted with a halfway decent voice to sing praises with, but that isn’t the point of singing praises. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with our vanity.

         What I have since learned and admire is that every time I hear a man that cannot sing, singing praises to the Lord, I now understand why it is so important. First, when joined by numerous men that cannot sing, it can become a powerful movement of men worshiping, because it is not about the sound, it is about the heart behind the sound. Second, it is leadership of his family. He will praise because God has called us to praise and worship Him as evidenced in Ephesians 5:19, “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” Finally, it is what is right.

         My grandfather taught me through his worship and only now do I understand. He left a legacy that went beyond his booming voice. His influence allows me to not shy away from praising the Lord with my daughters. Recently, there was a season that I physically could not sing due to an upper respiratory infection that persisted for over two months, it was one of the most miserable seasons of my life, as I would try to sing and it sounded horrible and I would run out of air quickly. It never stopped me from trying, because to sing praises to the Lord is a powerful act of the heart. My girls would laugh and giggle at me like I did my grandfather, but I would not give up. Eventually, my voice came back and they stopped making so much fun of me.

         So, go praise the Lord with all your heart so that He may look down upon us and be pleased. Especially those of us that may not be able to sing well, because then He knows it is all about our hearts praising Him in worship!

Dear Listening Father,

         Thank You that You look down on us and hear us. Lord, I may be the most beautiful singer in all the world, or I may be the worst singer in all the world, regardless Lord, I know You hear my heart in worship. You feel when my spirit meditates on You. I praise You for Your works in my life and I seek to sing praises to You for all that You have done. May the beauty of all the world surround You with praise. Thank You Father for the gift of music. Thank You for the gift of Jesus, Amen. 

Day 57: Power of the Word

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

         God’s Word has significant power in our lives. At this point, you are probably learning the benefit of how it works in your daily walk. This verse is very powerful in it speaks directly to the power of God’s Word. On the surface this scripture is easy to interpret, but upon taking a deeper look, it will change how you view life, essentially altering your perspective.

         When something is alive and active we generally assume that it has the potential to create life. Overall, there are seven characteristics of how modern science considers something alive. It has to have organization, metabolism, homeostasis, growth and development, response to stimuli, reproduction, and adaptation. If we are to look at the effects of God’s Word on and in our lives, we can ultimately see all of these at work as we walk out our faith.

         The scripture then says that it is sharper than any double-edged sword and that it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joint and marrow. When you think of a knife, you know it is used to cut in a single direction and that is what most people think of when they think of this verse, however, a double-edged blade can cut in both directions. If you were to put your hand on the back of the blade, you would be cut. This is meant to illustrate that God’s Word is sharper and more dangerous than you would initially assume. God’s Word will break you. It will cut deep within you, revealing what is on the inside regardless of the way you read it. The process by which is penetrates us is meant to split us open all the way to the core of who we are.

         This process of opening us up is a challenge. What this devotional series is hoping to do is to develop an awareness of seeing God’s beauty. One of the greatest steps in becoming more aware of God is to understand what He says in His Word. When you allow it to penetrate deep within your soul it changes your heart at its core. This change then becomes the foundation for which you see the work of God surrounding you.

         When it changes you, you no longer have to be worried about how you perceive the world around you. Most people take this verse at face value and fail to read it in the full context of the scripture. The whole of the passage in Hebrews 4 is talking about entering God’s rest, His eternal rest and how we are to go about doing that. This particular scripture is essentially telling us to study the Word of God, which from what we know about John chapter 1:1-17 Jesus is the Word of God. Therefore, we must study the bible because it is the story of Jesus. In doing so, we allow the Word of God to transform us into new creations and no longer have to worry about the conditions of our hearts. It truly allows for the Word of God to change us at our core.

Dear Heart Penetrating Father,

         Thank You for Your Word that penetrates deep within my soul and opens my heart up for Your instructions. I must admit, I have never really thought about Your Word being dangerous, but the more I learn, it has the potential to uproot everything I have believed in my life. That is scary to me Lord. I do not want to change everything, as there are parts of my life that I like. I am prayerfully considering my words to You Father, I want to see Your beauty, I want to know Your voice, I want to honor and serve You, I want Your blessings, but I am not sure I want to admit the areas within my life that need the dangerous double-edged sword to cut through and open me up to change. So, Lord, be gentle with me and help me learn the benefits of being cut deep into my soul and heart. Help me see where Your beauty would be best in my life. I want to fully surrender to you all the parts of myself I think I am hiding. Thank You Jesus for seeing me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 58: Safe to share it all

Hebrews 4:13 NIV

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

         Once the Word of God transforms our hearts, we have a significant task to do. We often think we can hide things that happen in our lives from others and from God. We feel like the deepest parts of ourselves remain within us. We struggle with things that we can give over to the Lord. We fail to see the journey we are on because of our limited sight. This is where trust must come into our framework of thinking, and we must allow the clarity of understanding God to grant us the ability to shift out of our perceptions onto God’s perspective of loving others in all situations.

         Today’s scripture is directly following the double-edged sword scripture from yesterday. If God’s Word penetrates to our soul and instructs us, then we should accept it as the dangerous tool that it is. This means that it is God’s Word that lays everything uncovered and bare before the eyes of the Lord. With the correct application of God’s Word, everything becomes visible.

         The scripture teaches us that everything we are, including our thoughts and words, are known by the Lord before we even speak them. It says in Psalm 139: 1-4 “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.” (Read all of Psalm 139) If this is truly the case and it is, then we have nothing to hide from the Creator of the universe. Everything is already laid bare before Him. So, opening our minds up to what we are struggling with and our emotions towards God is safe.

         We can be safe within the loving arms of our God. I know I wrestled with feeling safe in the Lord after He received my bride into His eternal Kingdom. His Word was a weapon against the enemy and Jesus eventually helped me work through the process of enhancing my trust in Him more than I ever thought possible. There were times when I know the Word of God was my best defense in times of being attacked by things I could only identify as spiritual warfare. I was safe under the Word of God that is the defender of my soul.

        God’s Word is truly an adaptable sword that has been wielded to protect my life. Now, I know that I must bring the truth of everything I am directly to the Father through thanksgiving and prayer, because His Word has granted Jesus direct access to all that is within me. I simply submit to the process and share without hesitation. In doing so, nothing is hidden from Him and I significantly freer to pursue the desires of my heart with integrity, because I have a heart that God is directly writing His Word into it for my benefit.

Dear All Knowing Father,

         Thank You for everything You are. Thank You for searching me and knowing me. Lord, I desire to hide things from You at times in my life. I have hidden parts of myself from myself because I don’t know how to process them on my own. I do things I don’t want to do at times driven out of fear and uncertainty. Your Word has cut deep into me revealing the hidden parts of who I am to You. Please Lord help me understand why I would want to tackle all aspects of myself with You. Thank You for the grace You have given to me. I seek Your Word’s transformative power in my life. I want to see Your beauty surrounding me daily. In Jesus’ power, Amen.   

Day 59: The Nature of God’s compassion

Isaiah 30:18 NASB

“Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.”

         God’s Word has revealed a depth of transparency that is necessary for transformation in Jesus, but why would anyone want to be that transparent beyond the mere fact that He already knows all about us. If you continue reading Psalm 139 from yesterday’s devotion you will come to realize the depths of His power. When we become transparent with the Lord and begin to allow Him to rewrite and rewire the depths of our hearts and minds, we don’t initially like the process, because it reveals the pains and hurts deep within, and He begins to change us in ways we never expect.

         This is why the scripture from today is beyond important in our walk and understanding of why we are cut so deeply by the dangerous Word of God, only to realize the importance of God’s position in our lives. Yes, He sits on high and will judge us according to our deeds in Christ, but He wants so much more for us through such profound compassion and grace. YES, I agree that His salvation through Jesus is the most gracious aspect of our eternal existence, but more than that, He wants to give us the good desires of our hearts. The evidence throughout all of scripture points to this idea.

Psalm 20:4

“May He grant you your heart’s desire And fulfill your whole plan!”

Psalm 37:4-5

“Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”

Psalm 145:17-19

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways, And kind in all His works. The L ord is near to all who call on Him, To all who call on Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry for help and save them.”

John 15:7-8

“If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.”

1 John 5:13-15

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

All these scriptures point directly to a God sitting on high waiting to have compassion on us, if we seek Him wholeheartedly and take delight in who He is in our lives. This does NOT mean life will be easy or that prosperity will come to you just because you follow Jesus and you are seeking Him. The opposite of that is true, but what it does mean is that even in the most difficult of moments, God can and will give you a perspective that alters your perception of everything you are facing. The more you seek Him and ask Him to reveal His beauty, the more you activate the ability to see and feel the blessings of the Lord that sits waiting to have compassion for us.

Dear Compassionate Father,

         Thank You for so much today. I desire to be cut open by Your Word and laid out before You because of the promises in Your Word. Lord, look down upon me and have mercy for I am frail. Lord, heal the broken parts within me, mend my soul and help me long for Your presence in my life. Jesus, You are so incredible, that You would love me through all my sin and die for me. Lord, blessed be Your name. Thank You for the grace afforded to me. I accept the good and the bad and know that You are righteous in all Your ways and kind in all Your works. I know I am living in a fallen world, but Lord, You have saved me. Thank You Jesus, Amen. 

Day 60: How we are saved

Matthew 19:26

“And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””

         If you are reading this, you most likely are a skeptical person on some level. Why would I say this? Well, first, I am not sure I have met anyone before that had no doubt about things in their lives.  Second, at some point even in our walk with Jesus, you have likely said, this feels too good to be true. Third, upon any critical look at our own sin, you likely know how undeserving of Jesus’ forgiveness you are. The reasons can start stacking up to prove my point of how likely you are to be a skeptical person. I know this because I am this.

         I have experienced significant causes to be skeptical in various areas of my life, but in looking back, those areas have always manifested themselves with people. People’s interpretations of events have caused me to be a skeptic. There are very few people in my life that I would call right now and know that they would be there for me, yet so many people throughout the years have told me to just call if I needed anything. Upon placing that call, questions ensued that made me doubtful that I could truly call on them. In our own humanity, I am doubtful that many things remain possible in my life.

         This reveals the power within the scripture. While I am conscientious of my skepticism, I have learned that God is significantly different in my life than man. This scripture comes just after Jesus tells everyone that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven. The disciples become very astonished and asked, “Jesus who then can be saved?” Jesus’ response here is beautiful in that He directs our allegiance away from humanity unto back unto God. God is the only one with the power to save us. God is the only one where all things become possible.

         This saving power is what I am suggesting you tap into as a believer when I propose that you ask God to reveal His beauty in your storm. So many people are skeptical about redefining our perception to take on a perspective of seeing the Lord’s beauty. They have disbelief in that it is as easy as asking God to reveal His beauty. God’s Word is powerful enough to alter your skepticism. All things are possible with God, especially the revelation of His beauty in this world. Consider Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Here is scripture speaking of a similar theme that ALL things are possible with the Lord. So, asking for beauty in chaos- Yep it is possible to see it and be encouraged by the Lord Himself because He is good!

         Does Jesus have the power to save? – He does!

         Does Jesus have the power to do the impossible? – He does!

         Does Jesus have the power to overcome humanity? – He does!

         Does Jesus have the power to make beauty rise from ashes? – He does!

Does Jesus have the power to help us shift from our perception of things to his perspective of things? – He does!

         Does Jesus Love us and save us even though we have nothing to offer? – He does!

Jesus is above all things, and we must believe that all things are possible with Him. We must get past our skepticism and trust that God does the impossible.

Dear Father,

         Thank You for Your Word that clearly teaches me that all things are possible with You. Thank You for saving me from my own skepticism. Jesus, people have cause me to doubt You at times in my walk with You, and I am beginning to realize that I have seen You through my perception of people. Yet, You are not like the people that have led me to doubt. Lord, split my unbelief to its core and replace it with Your Word that says, “With God all things are possible!” I want with everything I have within me to truly live out this belief.  Thank You Father for sending Jesus, a part of Yourself to save me from myself. Thank You Jesus for committing to us the Holy Spirit as a helper to discern Biblical truth from human skepticism. Thank You Holy Spirit for leading me to this place where I can begin seeing beauty through every storm, all while knowing all things are possible with God. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Day 61: Seeking beauty is an eternal work

Psalm 111:3

“Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever.”

         Discipline is an interesting term. People interpret it in so many ways according to the context of which it is used. Definition wise it has several and a quick google search yielded the following generic results:

·       the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, with punishment or other undesired consequences for those failing to comply

o   controlled behavior resulting from training

o   activity or experience that provides mental or physical training

o   a system of rules of conduct

·       a branch of knowledge, typically one studied in higher education

·       punish or rebuke (someone) formally for an offense

·       train oneself to do something in a controlled and habitual way

This is important in the understanding that seeking God’s beauty can become a discipline in our life that will open our hearts and minds towards the infinite power of God. Discipline is so much more than what most people interpret it as being.

         Why am I talking about God’s splendor, majesty, and righteousness being associated with discipline. Well, we must train ourselves to focus on God’s splendor, majesty, and righteousness to be able to see the beauty that is being established in all situations. Context when studying biblical scripture is also a discipline to be well trained in. Take for instance the verses surround this verse and how they are framing the mind to look for the works (beauty) of the Lord.

Psalm 111:2-4

Great are the works of the Lord;
They are studied by all who delight in them.
Splendid and majestic is His work,
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has caused His wonders to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

This is not a coincidence in scripture that we would associate different scriptures with different aspects of our lives. Each Scripture is unique in that it is alive and active. Beauty can be revealed through the discipline of the Lord. We must “train” ourselves in how to seek the beauty within the context of every situation. Only when we begin to seek and study God’s splendor and majesty, can we see how amazingly gracious and compassionate the Lord is in our lives.

Dear Splendid Father,

         I desire to thank You Jesus for all that You have inclined my heart to seek within Your majesty. I have often made so much of my time with You about me and I have failed to remember the wonders that You have done in my life. I need to study more of Your works examining for the depth of beauty that each one contains for us. I need to study and take delight in focusing on You and seeking Your beauty manifesting itself in all my situations. Lord, please reveal to me today something specifically designed to reveal Your Glory and majesty, something I would find splendid. When that moment comes Father, may I see it and praise You for it! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Hey- read the rest of Psalm 111! It has some amazing things for us to DO to orient ourselves towards God’s beauty!!!

Day 62: He answers

Psalm 34:4 NASB

“I sought the Lord and He answered me, And rescued me from all my fears.”

         I have had many moments in my life where this has been true. On the daily, I am a very busy man. A typical day for me is filled to the max. I wake up around 4 am to start my day in the inner room. I spend time in prayer, God’s Word, and writing in my journal, or even writing devotions like these. That lasts until about 5:20 most mornings that I have obligations, then I am getting myself ready to face the day. Upon walking out of my bedroom in the morning around a quarter till 6, my day is no longer mine. I am greeted by my beautiful and wonderful daughters. We all sit together and pray, discuss a few things about our day, and then I am off to work by about five after six.

         As a schoolteacher, the moment you walk through the door of your building, your mind is on fire with all the things you need to do before your students arrive and you never get it all done. Your students arrive and you answer five thousand million questions before three in the afternoon. You do your best to keep order in the chaos and your sanity each moment, all while having to pee at the same time. Then I head to my next practice, meeting, appointment, training, or whatever else is a requirement that I must do next. If I am lucky, I get to go home and begin the long list of things in the home that I must accomplish. Most evenings we are not even home until after 6 at the minimum, and it is generally 8:30 before we get home at least half of the time.

         Upon getting home, I can sit with my daughters for a few minutes reflecting on their days. Eventually, after 9:30, I am finally able to go back into my room and finally have the last few minutes of my day to decompress. Often, I just sit on the edge of my bed wondering how I made it through the day. Somedays, I do not even have enough time in my schedule to have fear in my life… But I need rescue.

         Throughout my life I have learned to seek beauty by seeking the Lord daily. I have learned to be available to each piece that He would have me experience. Now, I seek Him first every day. It has made such a difference in my minute-by-minute walk with Jesus.  Jesus has rescued me from so much trauma, overthinking, chaos, my broken heart, even the busyness in my own life. I know that each and every moment is a moment to cherish and treasure as it can have the potential to reveal to me the majestic nature of our God who loves us. I sought Him and He has answered me with a purpose that propels me forward in this world to honor Him. You have the same opportunity. Seek Him first.

Dear Answering Father,

         Thank You for answering me. Lord, I do not always slow down enough to hear your small whisper, but I know You have answered me. I may not have encountered that answer yet, but I trust that the answer is present. Jesus, I am overwhelmingly thankful for Your grace as it has covered me with a peace that rescues me from my fears. I am thankful that You are so present and engaged in my life that You answer my prayers in the most beautiful ways. I am honored to be called your bride. There is so much to behold with You as our Lord. Thank You Jesus for making it all possible. In Jesus Christ name, Amen.  

Day 63: This is a long road

Isaiah 58:10 NASB

“You were tired out by the length of your road, Yet you did not say, ‘It is hopeless!’ You found renewed strength, therefore you did not faint.”

         Seeking beauty is exhausting… This world will exasperate you in trying to find the beauty that surrounds everything. We are constantly under attack from sin’s deceitfulness. We have these rectangles that we doom scroll on, ones located on the walls of most establishments, centrally located in our homes, practically within arm’s reach, all calling to us to highlight negative interactions at some level. Yes, they can be good, but it is such a subtle shift of our focus.

         If you are the encourager, you face a challenge every day with those that are around you sucking the life out of you with little renewing your spirit. You work to encourage everyone around you, and it feels like you are always climbing a mountain and the air is getting pretty thin. You keep going, but sometimes you wonder about the people that God has in your life. Are they ever going to change? It isn’t really that bad, is it? I just wish they were a little less… Why can’t they just see… How much longer must I put up with this??? God, hurry up and come back… However, is this the right attitude to treat God’s created children? Especially the ones’ that He wants a relationship with!

         I get it, the road is long and the journey to maintain positivity and seeking beauty is exhausting!!! However, it is never hopeless. So, where does our renewed strength come from? I’m glad you asked! First off, God Himself. His Word gives us the solutions to endurance, when we know we find God’s favor, I am encouraged…

1 Peter 2:19-20

“For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person endures grief when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”

Secondly, we are all meant to encourage one another!

Hebrews 3:12-13

“Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

We find favor from God for our endurance within our long roads. We know that our journey is not hopeless! We are also meant to encourage one another every day. This means that you keep pressing forward and find those that are encouragers to encourage. In doing so, they will be renewed as well as your own heart. This is key to preventing our fatigue from overwhelming our lives. We must learn who the people are that will encourage us and seek them out as we face the onslaught of negativity and sin nature in our world. Let us endure and not faint on this road of seeking beauty in our lives.

Dear Life-Giving Father,

         Thank You for sustaining me when I am weak and want to faint. Lord, this is not a hopeless struggle. You endured great hardship in Your life to secure eternity for me; I can endure these temporary trials in my life to praise You and see Your beauty surrounding me. Jesus, today I need an encourager to come along side of me in my daily walk, will You send someone or something my way to encourage me? Will You make it so clear that I know it is from You? Also, will You help me see today where I can encourage someone around me? I want to honor You in this daily. Grant me the ability to take up my cross today knowing it is not hopeless, but that it is an opportunity to see You are working in our lives Lord. Thank You Jesus, Amen. 

Day 64: Actions matter

Isaiah 61:3

“To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

         Actions matter. We all know that this is true in our lives. What we choose to do matters more than we could possibly understand each day. Choosing to read these everyday is a direct action, that will have direct outcomes in your life. This scripture offers alternative emotions for us to follow to lead us to seeing the Glory that can only be revealed by God, glory being analogous to beauty in our lives. However, just choosing a single scripture to focus on is something we often do that can cause us to miss the truth of intention in the scripture. If we were to take this in isolation, it is possible to think that emotions are easily replaced, whereas there is more than just replacing an emotion. God must work within us to see the outcomes of God’s power in our lives.

Isaiah 61:1-4

 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord anointed me To bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up the former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.

         In context, Isaiah was acknowledging a basic truth and speaking out of that truth to the people of Israel. The Holy Spirit was with him, and he was meant to proclaim what was possible with God offering a deep sense of hope and healing. The message of hope was what would bind up the brokenhearted, which is why it says that he was bringing the “good news” to those that would humble themselves enough to hear the message. Upon hearing this good news, they would be released from the enslaving grip that emotion and/or situation had on their lives. God would be a God of justice and that He would even the scales in this life, thus replacing each aspect within us with a new response or emotion, such as garland (praise) versus grief, joy versus mourning, and praise instead of a disheartened spirit.

         Upon these things being replaced by God Himself, we would be given a new purpose that would glorify Him. Each of those deep emotions giving deep roots to righteousness in the Lord Himself that would grant those that can act the power to rebuild and restore all that had been broken by the troubles caused by sin. Not just the consequences of their own sin, but the generational trauma passed down from multiple generations. Beauty can be restored by those that would submit unto the Lord and humble themselves to hear the good news and be changed by it. God’s good news acts a refiner of our emotions and situations if we would allow ourselves to change our perspective to that of a humble believer in the good news of the gospel. Actions matter.

Dear Refiner of Emotions,

         Father, You are so gracious to me. I am thankful for all that You are and how much You change me in each of my situations to give me a cloak of praise everywhere I go. Lord, my actions matter, not just my words. Let me be a person of deep action and conviction that would stand in righteousness in Your Kingdom Lord. You are a very praiseworthy creator, and I believe in Your good news and its refining capability. Lord, I desire the refining process, so that I will be able to see Your beauty manifested in my life, thus enabling me to proclaim the good news to all around me, hopefully leading to more souls that would believe in You. Thank You Jesus for making all possible. Amen. 

Day 65: Beauty revealed

1 Peter 3:3-4

“Your adornment must not be merely the external — braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or putting on apparel; but it should be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”

         Very rarely would I ever suggest that scripture be taken out of context of everything that is around it in God’s Word, and I am not doing that completely now, but this scripture is incredibly powerful for us in framing our mindset to seek beauty in this world. All we know is what we see and experience. This scripture is primarily directed towards women in context, but its implications far exceed isolating it to one gender. This is meant to define beauty in the eyes of the Lord.

         Upon carefully examining the scripture, one can see that beauty is not just about the outward appearance of things. It is the inner intention of the heart that informs us about beauty. This is huge in seeking beauty. I know I am guilty at times for only looking at the surface of things, instead of going deep. Going through the surface is how you encounter depth, you have to wade through the shallows to then find the depth below the surface.

         How do we encourage one another? Well, our gentle and quiet spirits can help us encourage one another. Some of the best people I know in my life, I would consider having a gentle and quiet spirit. Notice how the scripture says the imperishable quality is precious in the sight of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, we must learn to be of the same mind in that we are seeking God’s beauty in and through our quietness. Our hearts are where we live out the seeking 359˚ of beauty lifestyle is found. Consider this as the final proof that this verse applies to more than just women, but in universally applicable to us all.

Proverbs 27:19

“As in water a face reflects the face, So the heart of a person reflects the person.”

 Dear Beauty Seeking Father,

         Thank You for today. Let us not be a generation that rises in ourselves, but a generation that praises the beauty found in creation. Let us focus on the imperishable things in our lives that will make the most joy, and dwell in the safety of Your grace Lord. Beauty is not just an outward appearance but inward presence and stillness that You have called us into. Lord, as I learn to seek Your beauty help refine me through the process of studying God’s Word. Thank You for Your leadership and trust. I love You Jesus, Amen.