Daily Devotions.....Grace

These are the daily devotions my cousin Brooke wrote for us.  You will notice they spell out Grace.



A Guide

The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

When I was little I used to love to hunt with my dad. I would walk alongside him in the woods. One day, he gave me a compass and told me to walk through the woods, alone, and he would meet me at the other end. He showed me how to use the compass and left me alone. I was so scared!!! I successfully made my way out of the woods and met my dad at the end. It wasn’t until years later that I realized my dad was following along beside me in the field that ran adjacent to those woods. He was always near, keeping an eye on me. He provided me with the tools (a compass), but he never left my side.

Today, we are starting a journey.  And like my journey many years ago, we are given tools and a guide. Our guide is another father. Our Father, the Lord, our God. He has given us tools to help us along the way. He has given us His Word through the Bible and He has taught us to pray.

What are some other tools that have been given to us to help us with this journey? 

Friends? Prayer? Alyssa? A family member?

What sorts of things guided you to this trip? A calling from God, a gentle nudge from a friend, your mom wanting to spend time with you and build memories…

Whatever your reasons, ultimately it was God who guided you here. He knew this is where he wanted you. Just like my walk in the woods with my dad many years ago, God gently nudged you along, He provided the tools, and He promised to meet you at the end.

Risk

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.Jeremiah 29:11

I’m not a risk taker.  I like to play it safe. It comes from my dad’s side of the family. Alyssa didn’t get that gene. The active volcano Alyssa posted a picture of freaked me out. The plane ride freaked me out. Well, lots of things freak me out. I wonder if I were Peter on the boat during the storm and God said, “Come.” I think I would have said, “Could you please just throw a life jacket?” I hope not. I hope when God calls, I answer. No questions asked. But God did call. He called us on this trip. And yet most of us, including myself, still asked questions. Even though we know God says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6. 

I read this and remind myself daily.  Yet, perhaps it is that bit of fear that causes us to rely on God. It is He who gets us through. It is human nature to have fear, to question. This isn’t so bad. It reminds us that we need God. 

What were some of your fears? Who felt this was a big risk? 

It is at the edge of your comfort zone that you truly live. While climbing in Sedona, our family came to a very high natural bridge made of rock. It was suspended hundreds and hundreds of feet above ground. I didn’t want to go across, but I did. I did because the man who crossed the bridge of me had a t-shirt on that said, “Live it because I said so-God.” Yes, sometimes God tells us to Live it! And we do

Action

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 

Isaiah 60:1

I recently read a book called Love Does. The author Bob Goff said instead of a Bible study, he’d like to join a group called a Bible doing. What good is studying the Bible if you don’t do anything? You need to take action. 

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14-17 

We enter heaven because of God’s grace. Not because of our deeds, but God does not want us to become complacent. We are called to action. Kinda like Nike’s motto “Just do it.”  The Bible captured thisconcept first though with Arise and Shine.

This is how my mom greeted me every morning, “Rise and Shine.” As I teenager, it annoyed me. Now I miss it. Tremendously. 

We each shine a light. And this week, we are called to action. We are called to arise. 

Yet, keep in mind that the people of Guatemala are also shining a light. Poverty does not dim a light. Perhaps our light is shining brighter because something we have witnessed here. 

What has surprised you about the people of this country? How do they shine their light? 

Change

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

If you are here, you have it in you to change the world. You want to make a difference. You are already different from many people back home who would never do something like this.

We stepped out to change the lives of others, but many of us have found our lives changed as well. Our minds are renewed. We are already looking at the world differently. We are forever changed.

Most people don’t like change. Yet, it is through change that we often find God’s love. We need to be shook up a little bit before we become too comfortable. Too complacent. 

How have you been changed so far? What changes will you make when you return?   

Endurance

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

We have a few runners in this group.  Some of you have run half marathons or even full ones. You amaze me. Your endurance is envied. You persist even when times are tough.  I want to be like you. I may even start running. Probably not. 

Even if you aren’t a runner, we have all endured hard work this week. Our physical labor is complete. Yet, our work is never done. We must continue God’s work even when we return. God didn’t just call us to build a home in Guatemala. He called us to shine a light. To bring others hope.  To share His word. To bring people to know Him.  To extend grace.

In what ways will you carry on your mission when you return home? What lessons will you bring back? 

Guide, Risk, Arise, Change, Endurance 

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Grace

“God’s grace has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you.” – Max Lucado

I wrote all the other devotionals before the trip. Now we are back, and I feel like the above quote describes my feelings and emotions upon my return. I feel a little “turned upside down.” In a good way. 

Alyssa wrote somewhere that the people of Guatemala took a piece of our heart. For that, I am thankful as it doesn’t seem like a forever good-bye. And I know the people we met are now carried in our hearts. Forever with us. 

A beautiful verse: The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. Acts 28:2

These beautiful people who gave us just as much as we gave them. 

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What is something the people of Guatemala have that you don’t? Is there a need of your own that God is trying to reveal to you? - A sense of community? A slow down kinda mentality? A greater willingness to share with your neighbors?