Daily devotion

Waiting on the Lord

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But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint! Isaiah 40:31 KJV

Waiting for the Lord is not like waiting for the train. The train might be late, or it might have left early and you missed it! But waiting for the Lord is a sure thing like waiting for Christmas. No matter what happens we know Christmas will definitely come. We wait expectantly and even eagerly sometimes start shopping August!

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God promises that no matter what else happens we can have wings like eagles and the power to run all the way to the end of the race. I don’t know about you but looking ahead to 2021 I need God’s strength more than ever! For those who like the video this please feel free to leave your comments and likes on my YouTube channel. May God bless each of you with His strength and power as you wait on Him!

Facing The Wilderness

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And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. Luke 4:1-2 ESV

Before Jesus began His public ministry, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be alone for forty days. Though most of us will never spend 40 days alone in the wilderness, God sometimes chooses times of isolation in our lives.

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These may be unexpected events which we could never have imagined or a sudden change in our health. But whatever the circumstance it is most important to remember that the value of our own wilderness experience lies not in what we are suffering but in what we are learning from the Holy Spirit. But no matter the testing or the wilderness, the most important thing is that in the quietness of our time alone, we learn to hear the voice of God for ourselves. Only He will lead us “not into temptation” and then maybe even tomorrow out of the wilderness and into the next chapter He has planned for our life!

Complaint Department Upstairs

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Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:46 ESV

I have a small confession to make – there are some days that I love to complain! I complain about the weather, my church, my kids and even my wife. Some nights as I lay my head on the pillow and replay the whiny remarks which I made, I wonder how I could have been so unkind and wish I had kept my lips sealed. Jesus on the other hand had no shortage of things to complain about. Think about it; on the worst day of his life, Jesus encouraged a thief; made sure His mother was taken care, forgave His enemies, and with his last breath trusted his life into the Father’s hands. How did He do that? What was His secret?

Some years ago, I was bringing a truckload of branches to our local landfill. As I pulled up to the entrance of the one-story weigh-in station I noticed a small sign by the side of the operator’s window that had an arrow pointed up stating, “Complaint department upstairs!”

But how can we be patient like Jesus when others mistreat or abuse us physically or verbally? The answer is in knowing where the complaint department is located. Telling our neighbors, our family or our enemies the way we feel doesn’t help. Remember those WWJD bracelets we used to wear in Sunday school? They asked the question; “What would Jesus do?” Well today’s verse reminds us of what Jesus did – He gave His life trusting God would work all things together for good. So maybe, just maybe if we stopped looking for the complaint department and started looking to invest in God’s trust fund, we might be amazed at what He could do today!