Weekly Devotional:
Devotional Week of September 7th
Freedom to Surrender
By Johanna McKim
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. “What comes to mind when you think of the word surrender? Is it quitting? Is it weakness?
Society often teaches us that surrendering means loss. We often see the act of surrendering played out in popular movies. Can you picture in your mind a movie scene where two men are sword fighting until one is pinned by the sword with no escape and surrender is his only option to live? Can you picture a scene where, after months of war and nonstop fighting, a general surrenders his army in hopes to save the few lives remaining? Or what about a scene where the surrender is subtle and it’s a woman who has given up on trying to get out of a toxic relationship?
We’ve all seen various acts of surrender like these. In these scenarios, surrender meant giving up and giving in. Their surrender meant turning over what they had been working so hard for and letting someone else take the reward. Their surrender meant letting go of any control they had. Their surrender looked like a hard, heavy sacrifice.
But what if surrendering could instead feel like freedom? What if we could gain instead of lose? What if we could lighten our load and our burdens?
Friend, I’m here to tell you, it's all possible when we surrender to God.
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
When we surrender to God and take upon His yoke, we become connected to God. We become led by the One who has all the answers. We follow His will and His way and not our own. And soon, we find that when we are no longer striving, fighting, and trying to control our situation, we gain!
We gain freedom. We gain focus, clarity, peace, and wholeness. So, how exactly do we do this?
Jesus says to “come,” “take,” and “learn.”
So, step one is simply to “come.” Come and bring Him your burdens. Come and be with Him. Rest in Him. Just like a child who goes to a parent for comfort, we can go to our Father and sit as His feet, letting His presence bring peace to our anxious hearts.
Next, He asks us to “take.” Specifically, He requests, “take my yoke upon you.”
Taking this yoke means submitting to God and surrendering our will for His. It may require us to truly examine our hearts and give up things that impede our relationship with Him.
Another verse where Jesus asks us to “take” in order to gain is Mark 8:34-35 where Jesus says, “‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and the gospel will save it.’”
By taking up the cross, or taking up His yoke, we are choosing to remain tethered to His mission. We are choosing to let go of the easy and comfortable and make the gospel our desire. And by letting go of our own agenda, we gain so many gifts from God: the gift of salvation, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the gift of his presence and direction in our lives.
Lastly, He asks us to “learn” from Him.
In time spent with Jesus we learn that He is “gentle and humble in heart.” We all want to be with someone who is kind, fair, and loves us unconditionally. The more we are around Jesus, learning from Him and allowing Him to equip us, the more His character should begin to be reflected in us. The more time we give to learn from Jesus, the more clarity we gain and the more whole we become.
The only surrender in life where we will experience true freedom, is the freedom that comes from surrendering our lives to God.
Verse to Meditate On:
Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Prayer:
Father God, You are so good to us. Thank you for taking our burdens and allowing us to experience freedom when we surrender our lives to you. Thank you for showing us your gentle ways and allowing us to find rest in you. We pray that you would help us to surrender the things that disconnect us from you and help us to remain yoked to you.
Practice:
Choose one day and spend some time journaling through your response to the following questions...
In what ways do you feel God calling you to surrender? Is that easy or difficult for you? What feelings do you relate with surrendering? Be honest and identify your feelings to yourself and to God. Ask God to give you a heart willing to surrender to him.
Worship:
Wind Of Love (Feat. Maryanne J. George) [Official Lyric Video] | Joe L Barnes
https://youtu.be/RLj-Gne34BU?si=eRMkiyeu4wbztoCg
Weekly Devotional:
Devotional Week of September 1st
An excerpt from
A Liturgy for the Laborers of Community: From every Moment Holy
“We offer to you, O God, these things:
Our dreams, our plans, our vision.
Shape them as You will.
Our moments and our gifts.
May they be invested toward
bright, eternal ends.
Richly bless the work before us, Father.
Shepherd us well lest we grow enamored
of our own accomplishment
or entrenched in old habit.
Instead let us listen for your voice,
our hearts ever open to the quiet beckonings
of Your Spirit in this endeavor.
Let us in true humility and poverty of
spirit remain ever ready to move at the
impulse of your love in paths of your design.
You alone, O God,
by your gracious and life-giving Spirit
have power to knit our imperfect hearts,
our weaknesses, our strengths,
our stories, and our gifts, one to another.
Unite your people and multiply
our meager offerings, O Lord,
that all might resound to Your glory.
May our acts of service and creation,
frail and wanting as they are,
be met and multiplied by the mysterious
workings of Your Spirit
who weaves all things together
toward a redemption more good and glorious
than we yet have eyes to see,
or courage to hope for.
May our love and our labors
now echo your love and
your labors, O Lord.
Let all that we do here,
in these our brief lives,
in this our brief moment to love,
in this the work you have ordained
for this community,
flower in winsome
and beautiful foretaste
of greater glories yet to come.
O Spirit of God,
now shape our hearts.
O Spirit of God,
now guide our hands.
O Spirit of God,
now build Your kingdom among us.
Amen.”
Verse to Meditate On:
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Prayer:
God, thank you of the plan and purpose you have for our lives. Thank you for the invitation to partner with you in your kingdom work here on this earth. Bless the work of our hands. may it bring glory and honor to you. Amen.
Practice:
Take a few minutes today and just rest. Sit quietly and remind yourself that God is in control, working when you are not. Thank him for his provision and his good plan for you and for the world.
Worship:
Phil Wickham What An Awesome God
https://youtu.be/1AnSHYjQ3tc?si=xeqR7t5zlr7uMLqx
Weekly Devotional:
Devotional Week of August 24th
By Robin Klebba
At work yesterday, one of my coworkers came into the kitchen where I was baking at our workplace. She was hankering for a snack, and, with brownies sitting on the counter and ice cream in the freezer, it was a bit of a no-brainer: brownie sundae for the win!
As she warmed the brownie and grabbed a bowl, she dreamed aloud of the one missing ingredient to, literally, top it all off: pecans!
Looking down, I realized I had a bag of pecans in front of me for one of the breads I was making.
To both of our surprise and joy, I exclaimed: "I have pecans!"
We both grinned like little kids as she walked out the door, her sundae perfectly complete.
There are times, actually most of the times, I don't understand the allowances of God.
The house that burns down in the night
When the miscarriage happens
The unforeseen and terminal diagnosis
The pastor you loved who cheats on his wife
A cancelled vacation
The friend who turns on you
Your child, for another year, getting bullied
These things all hold grief and horror and are just plain NOT good.
So many times I have gone 'round and 'round with the Lord asking Him, "Why did you allow*** this to happen?"
***Please note I say "allow." God isn't the generator of evil; He can't be. That goes against His nature. He is love and in Him there can't be evil (1 John 1:5).***
And you know what? It's ok to not understand. God even says we won't to the prophet Isaiah:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Now you may be thinking, "Ok, Robin, that's not very comforting!"
To which I would reply, "You're right."
...But now I'll tell you some good news:
Understanding His allowances is DIFFERENT than understanding His heart.
His heart is to give you pecans to top off your perfect sundae.
Instinctually and full of joy, so pleased that you asked Him.
And even more so, His heart is to give you more of Himself. Jesus spoke to His followers about prayer as recorded in Luke's gospel:
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more (emphasis my own) will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Let me end by posting a video from artist Leanna Crawford. My favorite stanza in the song currently is this:
"When I'm walking back guilty from the places I go
With no hesitation, He welcomes me home
He's not afraid to get mud on His robe
That's just how Jesus is"
Jesus is the God who runs to the prodigal, who doesn't ask questions but throws a party, and who all the time was keeping His eyes on the road for a glimpse of our turning to come back home.
His heart is ALWAYS full of love toward you and me. It's just Who He is.
Verse to Meditate On:
Luke 11:11-13
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Prayer:
Jesus, thank you. Thank you for having good in mind even when and even if I don't ever see it. Thank you for having a heart always full of love for all of us. Thank you for getting deep down into the dirt, both when you made us and when you will also eventually raise us...yes, our whole lives long. Help us to release what we don't understand and give us just enough faith to yet follow you today. Amen.
Practice:
Take a few minutes to listen to Leanna Crawford's song "Jesus is" (click here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LvVnDtO57w). After listening, respond to God with what is filling your heart. I promise, He wants to hear from you.
Worship:
Leanna Crawford: "Jesus is" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LvVnDtO57w
Weekly Devotional:
Devotional Week of August 17th
By Bobbie Schaeperkoetter
It may not seem like it in the heart of the day, but summer is winding its’ way to a close. Back to school rhythms are starting for many families and that means change. Not all of us love and appreciate change. A friend of mine summed it up rather simply in a text she sent me last night that read, “Praying for you tonight. New is hard.”
I feel that in the core of my being today as the reality of taking my son to college sets in. New is hard. My tear-stained cheeks today are evidence that reality is true. Another reality also exists, though. Change is an inevitable part of life. Every living thing is in the process of changing. It’s absolutely impossible to just stay the same. If we want to grow, we have to be willing to embrace change. We have to be willing to push into the new as hard as it might be.
You may not be experiencing the same kind of change that I am experiencing, but I know many of you are looking into a season of new that feels hard in its own way. Some of you reached out for prayer during the night of worship and asked us to pray with you for the changes you’re walking through right now. Some of you even begged God not to allow the changes that you’re facing.
Here’s something I truly believe about these seasons where change hurts: you don’t have to face it alone. We can share the hard with God. He longs to meet us in the midst of the changes going on in our lives and use it for our good and for his glory. God may not stop the change from happening, but he can use the hard seasons to transform us from the inside out as we lean into his presence, his purpose, and his power.
Not only can we share the hard with God, but we can also share the hard with other sisters in Christ and receive the help that comes when they share our burdens with us. I had a friend send my son and I each a prayer on moving day. Several friends sent me texts to share encouragement and support because I had reached out and let them know this new season was hard for me.
Sister, my friend was right. New is hard, but change is an inevitable part of life. Don’t go through it alone. Invite God in. Lean into his presence, his purpose, and his power. Cling to this promise from God found in the book of Isaiah- “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV
Be vulnerable and brave enough to reach out and invite others into the hard with you. Share your burdens with people who you can trust to support and encourage you. Walk out Galatians 6:2 as you “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
If you need someone to remind you that God is with you or to shoulder your burdens with you; please reach out. We’d love to pray with you and for you! New is hard and this is a season of new for many of our sisters. Don’t face it alone.
Verse to Meditate On:
Isaiah 41:10 NIV
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Prayer:
God, change is an inevitable part of life but the new is often hard. Yet, we know you are with us. We know you’re working in the midst of everything we face. Help us to turn to you and to invite you into all that we’re thinking, feeling, and experiencing. Help us to be brave and vulnerable enough to invite in trusted sisters in Christ. Use the change to draw us closer to you and closer to one another. Transform us even in the middle of the hard. Amen.
Practice:
Reach out to a friend this week and share a challenge that you are facing. Ask them to pray for you.
Worship:
I Belong to Jesus by Bethel Music https://youtu.be/hgRxjHLRfw0?si=zmHLHB0snBNtOw4V
Weekly Devotional:
Devotional Week of August 3rd
By Robin Klebba
One of my favorite things to do when beachside is search for shells; my favorites are colorful and curlicued.
On my most recent trip, shells were plentiful albeit difficult to locate intact ones let alone my beautiful favorites.
One of the days, we snorkeled and it is then I made a startling discovery: there were hundreds of these preferred shells in the channel connecting ocean to inlet.
But. They were all occupied!
My joy at discovery quickly turned to disappointment. After all, I wasn't about to try to pull the little hermit crab out. However, I did feel a small amount of anger that all of these creatures were (eh hem) stealing all the good shells!
It's comical how territorial I became over those shells! Permission to laugh. 😉
As I have thought back on this experience, you want to know what comes to my mind?
Faith.
Faith is a lot like a hermit crab's shell.
It's what keeps her safe
It's a bit beat up and barnacled
It's lived in (has feet)
It's become the most obvious part of her
Perhaps, more accurately said, I *hope* my faith is like a hermit crab's shell.
Don't you?
In this life of following Jesus, faith is what protects us through the storms.
When family betrays or friends forsake, faith is believing that Jesus never has or will.
When the devil keeps drilling us with fiery darts of doubt and lies, faith is clinging to Jesus being the Way and Truth and Life.
When our minds convince us that there is nothing good in life or in us, faith is remembering God made us with precision and purpose.
Faith, real faith, isn't flawless and easy on the eyes. No way. The apostle Paul likened faith to a shield for battle. There's gonna be dents, nicks, and perhaps even blood. Like those hermit crab shells, faith is a bit beat up and barnacled.
Faith has FEET, ya'll! Our faith is meant to be lived in! It fills our lives with purpose, intention, and daily living. Our faith was never designed to be formed and then kept on a shelf like a decorative item to be displayed and praised.
Wasn't that what I had been striving for in my shell search? I wanted something pretty to keep. To display and post about. To marvel at and feel pretty good about my finding.
And then, shortly after, be left to gather dust. May that never be with us!
What I love the most? That faith ought to be our defining characteristic, the tangible and intangible thing that others notice. And when they notice, we can proudly share about the One who plumb changed us. Who carried us through storms, Who loves us despite our flaws, and Who came and died and rose again for all of us, including them. Especially for them! His whole mission was to find and save the lost!
Faith gives us the ability to be seen so that we might be a neon-blinking sign for the goodness of God.
Verse to Meditate On:
I Peter 5:8-10
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Prayer:
Thank you, God, for the beauty of this world and its constant reminders of YOUR goodness and mercy to all of us. Your creativity is just astounding! Your attention to detail reminds me how highly intelligent You are; Your ways and thoughts transcend my understanding. Thank you for being this way. Because of Who You are and how You are, I can believe You, trust You, and discover who You made me to both be and become. Ah, Your works are wonderful, myself included. Point others to us so that we might point them back to You. Amen.
Practice:
(Take about 10 minutes to do this exercise)
First, find a quiet spot where you can be alone (your car, your bathroom, your couch late or early in the day).
Second, close your eyes.
Third, ask God to show you what your faith looks like. Perhaps shells and barnacles will come to mind, but perhaps something (a word, an image, an idea, a person, etc.) else will come to mind. Sit with that for several minutes. Then ask God to show you what He would like your faith to become. Once several minutes have passed (or when you're ready), open your eyes.
Worship:
There’s Nothing That Our God Can’t Do
Weekly Devotional:
Devotional Week of July 27
By Bobbie Schaeperkoetter
As I climbed in bed last night, I asked the Lord to bring to my mind a verse that I might meditate on as I laid there waiting for sleep to come. The verse that that whispered in my thoughts was Lamentations 3: 22-24 CSB. It says, “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! I say, “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in him.”
I spent some time just letting my mind wander back and forth over those words. I know there are many people right now who are in a season of lament. Some are facing challenging situations, a concerning medical diagnoses, strained relationships, financial uncertainty, or anxiety about their future. My heart can ache at the heaviness we experience in this world. Yet, at the same time, I can cling to the peace that passes understanding and turn my heart and mind to gratitude for God’s presence, purpose, and power at work in this world.
Here’s the truth, sweet sister. In this life we will have trials. Jesus told us this in John 16:33-34 CSB when he said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
It is no surprise to God. We live in a world that has been tainted by the permeating disease of sin. We live in a world that experiences brokenness, pain, and heartache. Everything in all of creation feels the effects.
But God is not a created being. He is the Creator, the One who has existed from the beginning. He has not been touched by sin’s devastation. In fact, he is the only one with the authority to completely overcome it!
John 1:1-4 CSB says this about Jesus, calling him the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.”
Sister, I do not know what burden you’re facing right now. I don’t know how the brokenness in this world has affected you. I’m not sure what pain or heartache you have experienced in your life. If I were physically there with you right now, I’d want to look into your eyes and remind you of these promises.
God is good. Even in the midst of all of the mess. He is with you. He is for you. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He will not fail you. You can endure even this because of his loving faithfulness to you. His mercy never ends. Even when it hurts, he is here. Even when it doesn’t feel good, he is good. Even now, he is enough.
Sister, Hang on to hope. You are not alone. God is with you and so are we. This is a praying sisterhood. Reply to this email and you will be wrapped in prayer.
If you’re reading this and this isn’t the season you find yourself in, take a moment to lift up someone else. Pray for the friend you know who is experiencing a hard season. Also, pray for the friend you don’t know. Ask God to meet the needs of the women reading this email who are hurting.
No matter where you find yourself, the words of Lamentations can be a powerful agent of peace and hope for you and for the one you might be praying for.
Verse to Meditate On:
Lamentations 3: 22-24 CSB
“Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! I say, “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in him.”
Prayer:
Take some time to pray over the friend that you know is experiencing a hard season. Then take some time to prayer over the person who might be reading this email who needs to see God’s loving presence, power, and provision in their life.
Practice:
Reach out to a friend this week and just remind them that they aren’t alone. Ask how you can be praying for them.
Worship:
Your Presence Changes Everything by BattleCreek Worship https://youtu.be/rySgjBoxygo?si=nJkbLtKJxqpG_Pmt
