Not too long ago, I was cutting the grass in our back yard. It is easier to cut the front yard because there are very few obstacles. It does not require you to think or even pay much attention. But the back yard requires special attention. There are hidden recesses that can get you at any time. They have been secretly dug by someone special. The grass grows over these recesses so you don’t even know they are there until – bam! – there you are. These are, of course, holes dug by Leo as he was trying to dig up a worm or catch a bug that had fallen. I am usually good at navigating my way. The holes are usually just minor and may knock me around a little. This one, though, was unexpectedly large. There was no getting out of it. My tire was spinning and there was no traction. I was “all in” this time. So I had Wendy to come get on the lawn mower so I could push and reach enough grass to gain traction. It wasn’t a huge task, just took some reconfiguring to get out.
But too often in life, I feel like I am stuck with my wheels turning and I don’t ask for help. I decide I can do it myself. I spin and spin, hoping that it will make a difference. In the end, I make the hole deeper and I am in more of a mess. My life becomes a giant hole I have dug for myself when I was just trying to move forward. And I am stuck. At some point, I realize that I am so stuck, my wheels are freely turning in the air, and I am never going to go anywhere if I don’t ask for some help. Life becomes too much and I just have to reach out and seek some assistance.
It is during these times I am so grateful for a loving wife and a wonderful family. I am gifted with my mother, my grandmother, and so many others that love and support me. We are there to help each other get out of the places we get stuck. When the task becomes too much for us, we band together. We look after each other. We pray for each other. And we just keep pushing. Sometimes all we need is one good push and we are off and running again.
It is also a gift to know that we can seek God together. We don’t always understand why things happen the way they do. We don’t get what is going on. We may not know why we are stuck. None of that really matters. It matters that we seek the Lord and his guidance. In the end, he ultimately is the one who gives the biggest encouragement. He gets us “unstuck” and moving in the direction we were created. And for that, I am most grateful.
Focus Scripture:
1 Corinthians 3:8-9
8 The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. 9 For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
My friend, Margaret, is working on crocheting a large blanket for me. She does this as part of a ministry that helps beautiful people in another country. I have seen her creations – the different stitches, designs, colors – and I am amazed. For me, she is putting together one that is orange and black – my alma mater colors (and orange is my absolute favorite color too). When I first mentioned the blanket, we sat down and looked at all the stitching options. One spoke to me right away. It was exactly what I had envisioned. And then, she began. She brought it for me to see as she began so I could get an idea of what it would actually look like. It just made me even more excited. And now, just a few short weeks later, it is almost complete.
My Dad always loved Psalm 139, so I will often go back and read it. There are so many “nuggets” as he would call them. These are hidden treasures in this scripture that God is speaking to us. Today’s nugget was God has knit us together. That may not sound like a big deal. But as I have watched Margaret create this blanket for me, this scripture seems to come to life. It has taken on a new meaning. With so many different patterns, stitches, colors, and varieties, God is knitting us together just the way he wants. That is beautiful. We are put together in perfection because God sees us as someone special – we are a wonderful, beautiful creation. He watches us being born, he watches us grow and develop and he loves on us as we seek to find our way – and ultimately the way he has for us.
I can’t help but feel assured that even in my mess, despite my struggles, in the middle of my confusion, God is creating. God continues to love me, take care of me, shape and form me until I am his completed creation. He feels the same about you. You are his beautifully knit creation too. May God remind you of just how wonderful you are today. And may we give thanks.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 139:13-14
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
It’s a new day filled with new opportunities and new joys. Sure, there are new challenges to be conquered and new obstacles. But there is hope in this new day. There is peace in this new day. There is joy that is coming. There is still kindness to shared and love to be given. There is good in this new day, it is here.
That may sound a bit optimistic. It may sound like I am reaching a bit far. But if we start our day dreading what is coming, we see the dread. If we begin our day with all the problems we must face, we will see only problems. There is good in this day. It may be small glimpses of good. But there is always good. There is hope in this new day that is filled with opportunities for so much more. We can choose to see our problems that are ahead or we can choose to see the good.
I am not saying this day will be the best day ever – although, it is not out of the question. You never know what good awaits. But I am saying that we should be looking for all that God is doing in our lives. Our day may actually get better. Our day may improve when we see that God has not left us and there is joy in this day. Our day may show a glimmer of hope when we realize we are not in this alone. Our day may shine bright when we choose to love others and share kindness. Good actually does await. It really depends on you. God is already doing his work. Will you choose to see it?
May you see the good. May you see the glimmers of hope. May you experience the joys that await in this brand new day. So much awaits. May we live looking for God in this new day.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. 8 It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
Our dog, Leo, is spoiled. That is probably an understatement. Everyone that spends time with Leo gives him something. He is cute and sweet so it is hard to resist giving him something extra. We always say that Leo is living his best life. He is treated like the king in our household. He’s pretty sure he is the king. The deal with Leo is that he is lovable. He doesn’t mind curling up next to you and sitting with you when you are having a rough time. He doesn’t ask for too much and he will be glad to just love us even when we aren’t that lovable.
It really is easy to love those that are just lovable. Those people that bring joy when you are around make you want to love them. You want to do things for them. You want to go the extra mile because you feel like they are just worth it. It happens to us all. We need those lovable people in our lives and we will do whatever to help them. But we are also called to love the un-lovable. We are given directives to love the grumpy, hateful, rude folks. We are told to love those that don’t look like us or act like us or believe like us. We are challenged to reach outside of our circle and love those that we would never consider even carrying on a conversation. Those are the people we are to love.
That’s really the rub for most of us. To love someone means we cannot simply avoid them. We cannot ignore them. We cannot pretend they don’t exist. They do and those are the people we are to love. We are looking at those that we are sent to care and nurture.
Maybe it begins with seeing them again for the first time. Maybe we start by seeing them as God’s creations…as God’s beautifully and wonderfully created children…as people that are loved by an amazing God just like us…as people that actually aren’t that different from us if we really tried to get to know them. Maybe we begin to see them with a whole new vision – a vision given to us by God – to see the heart rather than the exterior. Maybe today we simply begin with seeing God in others. That may be just the place to begin.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 139:16
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
For something to be abounding, it has to be abundant and extraordinarily plentiful. There has to be so much of it that the quantity cannot be counted. The beginning and the end cannot be comprehended. Some of our closets look like we are trying to define abounding in our stuff. Sometimes we work as though we want to abound in money. Yet, in all too many cases, we are abounding in stress and anxiety, worry and fear. This is not what God has provided. God has so much more for us, but it is not found in possessions or accumulations. There is so much more than all of this.
Several times in the Bible, God is described as abounding in steadfast love. That has captured my attention. His love is overwhelmingly abundant. His love is so plentiful that I cannot equate it. I cannot see the beginning or the end of it. Everywhere I look and everywhere I go, his love is there. His love calls me from the depths of despair and showers me in the mountains of praise. His love is abounding. And his love is steadfast. To be steadfast is immovable, consistent, and enduring. So we have been given a love that is not only abounding, but also is with us and not changed by us. Since we didn’t earn it, all we can do is welcome it. We welcome God’s overwhelming, extraordinarily plentiful, immovable love into our lives. We are loved beyond our comprehension.
It does not mean I always feel his love. It does not mean I will ever understand it. It does not mean that there will not be suffering or difficulties or tragedies. What it does mean is that in spite of all those things, God’s love is with us. What it means is that those things do not hinder or change God’s love. If God’s love is truly abounding and steadfast, our problems do not squash it. Our issues do not diminish it. Our hurts and pains do not dismiss it. We are given God’s amazing love because that is who God is. Maybe it is simply time we welcome this love into our lives. May this abounding, steadfast love change you – and may you share it. God’s love can do it.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 86:1-7
1 Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; 3 be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long. 4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. 6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication. 7 In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
I didn’t realize I needed a guard. I am not famous. I don’t have a lot. I am not in high demand. Why would I need a guard? I don’t need the type of guard you may be thinking. I need the type of guard that Psalmist prayed to receive. I need a particular type of guard that would make me more like Christ. I need the type of guard that would help me to be kind and loving and thoughtful. What type of guard is it? The Psalmist asked God, “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” That I could definitely use.
I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to think before I speak. That is why I prefer to write. It helps me to filter my thoughts, hopefully with some love and compassion added in. I am able to consider what God has for me to say rather than just what I am thinking. That’s an important component – what God would have me to say. Can you imagine a guard over our mouths and God keeping watch of the door of our lips? As I get ready to speak, I can imagine losing my voice. I can just imagine not being able to make a full sentence. I would definitely say a lot less! There could be some definite advantages.
Maybe a guard is just what we need. But we need a guard over our keyboard and phone as well. We need a guard over our thoughts. We need a guard to keep us from posting hateful things or speaking malice. We need a guard to filter the things we think are so important but are really just judgmental. We need a guard to slap our hands or shut our mouths before we spew anything that is not pleasing to God. I could use a guard. Maybe I listen to God today – he may already have set that guard if I would just listen. Set the guard, Lord…Set the guard.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 141:1-3
I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you. 2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
I had been putting it off. I basically just avoided it at all costs. I’m super busy so it isn’t too difficult to justify not doing it. And it has been so hot that it was the push I needed to ignore it. Today, though, was the day. It was the day to work in the yard and pull the weeds. As much as I love being outdoors, pulling weeds may be my least favorite part of yard work. To give you an idea of how long I had waited, the weeds had taken over everything including the patio. It was bad enough that even Wendy noticed it was time to get it done. Wendy doesn’t go outside except for the trash. She wanted to know when I would take care of it. The was the final indication that it had gotten way out of control. So I got it done today.
I started with the weed-eater. That worked for a while. It knocked the major parts down. It couldn’t get it all. I almost let that be it. It already looked so much better, what would a few weeds matter? But, I could hear my mother’s voice in my ear. She taught me to do the difficult parts, it makes it worth it in the end. And she was working in her own yard next door (showing me up, nonetheless) so I kept going. But something interesting happened today. Something I can’t remember happening before when I have pulled the weeds. I found life. Life actually existed among the weeds.
There were worms and bugs crawling about as I had disturbed their cover. They had to find other places to rest. I found little flowers that would not have been detected when walking by. They were so very small that they would go unnoticed even if there were no weeds. Because I was on my knees pulling the weeds so close, I had the joy of finding these beauties. This all made me smile. It did my heart good to know that even in the middle of a mess, God had placed beauty and life. Even when it seemed as nothing existed except large ugly weeds, there was life hiding, waiting to be found.
Our lives can seem full of weeds, it can be difficult to imagine there is still any life left. When nothing seems to be going right, there is actually beauty down deep. There are joys that are hidden, waiting to be discovered. Sometimes we have to get involved and take the weeds out. We might just find so much more than we thought could ever exist. God has given you joys unspeakable – even among the weeds. May you find life and beauty today. It is waiting to be discovered.
Focus Scripture:
3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
At some point, it seems we gain a sense of confidence about the things we know. We develop a knowledge base and choose to become satisfied with our current state. It is almost as if we cut off our ability to learn and to grow because we feel like we have matured to the point that we no longer need it. We become confident, maybe overly confident, about the things that we know and do not allow any other information to be considered. We know what we know and we become stuck in this. Anything that challenges what we know, we dismiss or become angry. We defend what we know with all our might. And, in turn, we lose the ability to listen, grow and learn. This seems to especially happen with our faith. And the chances of it happening seem to grow exponentially if we were raised in church. We become less willing to hear and learn and dismiss anything that doesn’t coincide with what we think we know. We look for people that think like us and dismiss all else. What happens, though, is we grow stagnant. When we are not learning and growing, we become stuck and unable to live out our faith. We can even become frustrated and angry. We are no longer teachable.
An easy example of this is when we look at scriptures we have heard over and over again. We have heard them taught every way you might can imagine. For instance, the parable of the prodigal son is one. This has been taught from a thousand different angles. So when this becomes the scripture for us to read or we hear a message about it, we can begin to tune out. We can turn off the switch and go into autopilot because we know the answers – or at least we think we do. If we do decide to listen and something is unusual that we hear, we just dismiss the entire message. We are not growing and we are not teachable because we have decided we know it all.
But that really isn’t how God’s Word works. This isn’t really how the Christian faith is to be lived out. This isn’t why God has given us this guide we know as the Bible. It isn’t so that we can look at it and memorize it and quote it but not live it. It isn’t so that we can use it to judge others or beat others over the head with facts we aren’t even willing to accept ourselves. It isn’t so that we take this Word and decide one way of looking at it and stop growing. We are given God’s Word that speaks to us where we are. If we believe that the Word is alive and active, then we cannot know it all. It requires us to be teachable, all the time. It means we are never an expert. We never have all the answers. It forces us to listen, even when we think we know it all. God gave us this Word so we could become more like him – not more confident in who we think we are.
If we are going to be teachable at all times, it means we must be willing to listen – really listen. Listening requires active tuning in without trying to answer all the questions. It means keeping our mouths closed and minds open because we do not know it all. We do not have all the answers. And that is hard – especially when we have grown up studying the Word. But since we are not God, there is still so much to learn.
Today’s scripture is Romans 13:8-14.
In this scripture, Paul is teaching what it means to live in the way of Christ. He is challenging believers to wake up – to pay attention – to listen to the direction of Christ. He is pushing them to go beyond where they already are and not to become stagnant in their faith. Don’t stay in one place, stuck in your beliefs. Grow and stretch – and these words certainly do stretch us.
Romans 13:8-14
13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
13:9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
13:11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;
13:12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;
13:13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.
13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Love one another. It seems so simple. It is written so many times in the Bible that we could identify this as one of the major themes. Jesus said that to love God and to love others is central to it all. We know that we are to love our neighbor. And so, when we hear this again, we could easily hear…blah, blah, blah. It could be like the teacher on Charlie Brown – wank, wank, wank. We tune out all the rest because we think we have it. We feel sure, because we have heard it so often, that we understand it. Yet, I wonder if we are living it. Understanding it, hearing it, knowing it is completely different than living it.
That may be why God has it so many times in his Word. This may be why the Bible repeats it and there are stories of it over and over again. God taught it, Jesus lived it, but do we? Do we really get it? Do we really love our neighbor? Do we really live honorably? Do we live without quarreling and jealousy? Do we live without hatred and meanness? Do we live without judgment and name calling? I don’t think so. I think that even after all the lessons, we still don’t get it. And it could be because we aren’t willing to hear it any longer. It could be that we have decided that we know it all and cut all the rest off. It could be that we are no longer teachable. And that should scare us.
Loving our neighbor requires us to love without judgment. If we only love those that look like us and believe like us and act like us, we haven’t really done anything. If we gang up together with other people that are just like us, we look like the enforcement rather than love. Jesus constantly went to those who were different, who were not accepted, who were the least – and brought them love. He tried to love the religious people but they were often so stuck in their own worlds that they could not understand what love really looked like. Have we become the religious people? Are we so determined that we are right that we cannot reach out to others? Have we become an exclusive club rather than a welcoming home for those that are weary? Have we decided who belongs rather than showing the love of Christ to all?
I’m not sure we reach many people with God’s love when we become forceful or hateful or malicious. I’m not sure we set a good example when we look like we know everything and everyone else is simply stupid. I’m not sure that approach solves anything. And it could make us a bit overconfident about the things we think we know.
The challenge really becomes – what does it really look like to love our neighbor? And I think it looks differently than we imagine. I don’t think it only means to love those who look, think, believe or act like us. I think it means exactly the opposite. And that may be the greatest challenge of all.
Who do you ask for directions? Some of us would drive for days before we would ask anyone. Some would ask anyone we saw – no matter who they were. When we are lost, we might become more willing to ask. There are always those who are “never lost” even when they have no idea where they are. Surely the next turn will reveal the right path, we tell ourselves.
We often seek direction in all the wrong places, though. If someone is asking me for directions, for instance, they are likely to get a look of confusion. I am not the one to ask how to get somewhere. I will always do my best to get help, though. I will not lead you the wrong way. I have no trouble admitting I have no idea. And there are those that just have the gift of knowing which direction is best and guiding in just the right way. I am thankful for those people.
Today, though, I want to think about our direction in life. We listen to others about what we should do, where we should be, and how we should do things. We measure success by others expectations. We allow other people to tell us how we are doing and what we should do differently. We don’t always consider the value of their input. We just accept it.
What if we measure ourselves by different standards? What if we, instead, used a reliable guide to determine our success? What if we listened to an authority that has been proven right over and over again? What if I told you we have access to this authority at any time and any place? We have the Bible and the example of Jesus. We have this amazing resource we can draw direction, but we instead listen to people around us that have no clue. We have an example of how to live peaceably but we choose to do it our own way. We have the guide on how to love, but we allow others to tell us the right way to love. Why? We do it because those voices are loudest. We do this because those around us are always in our path trying to direct us. What if we put the Bible in our path more often? What if we sought the direction of God rather than the direction of other people? We might find we are on the better path. We might find we aren’t lost as much. We might even find the way of love. It is certainly worth the effort. Guide us, God. Guide us.
Focus Scripture:
John 16:13-14
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
In a world where we can have anything brought to us in less than a couple of days, we do not adjust well to slow. When a line is slow at the store, we are not happy. When traffic is slow, we are ready to take another route. When people drive slow or talk slow or walk slow, we are ready to move around them in whatever way we can. Sometimes I look over at people that are driving slow and they look terrified, like they are doing the best they can just to not get clobbered. We don’t do slow. Yet, how much of our progress comes slowly? How many of the most valuable things come to us when we take our time and energy? We often want to avoid those things though. Or we want an easy solution. If it can’t be fast, we aren’t interested.
Think about healthy eating, for instance. When we begin to switch to a better way of eating, we do not lose weight right away. We hit plateaus. We have times when we don’t lose any weight. We may feel better, but we want to lose weight when we want at the rate we want. If we don’t, it must not be working. We forget that it took time to put on the weight and it takes time to come back off. Or how about exercise? I really love to run. I have run for years. But if I don’t train regularly, I can’t run the distance. Running long distances takes many practice miles. It takes effort to get out there when I don’t feel like it. I have to endure the training all along the way if I want to achieve my ultimate goal. Those times aren’t always fun. It is slow progress. Sometimes it feels gruelingly slow. But it comes. It is like that when we want to learn a new trade or we want to begin a new career. It is a slow progression before we are up and running at full speed. It is slow, methodical training.
When we think of our spiritual lives, there is slow progression here as well. We aren’t automatically more like Christ. We are not all of a sudden doing what we were created to do. We do not reach our peak on the second day. It takes time. It takes consistent effort. It takes listening to God and continually coming back again. It takes a constant refocus to become more and more like a disciple. It is slow but it is beautiful.
What are we trying to rush along that will just take time? Why are we trying to find shortcuts to things which are found with time and effort? What can we do differently to have a daily, constant focus on being more like Christ? What is it that we can do slowly to grow and learn? Slow just might be the way.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 119:73-77
73 Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. 74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. 75 I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness you have humbled me. 76 Let your steadfast love become my comfort according to your promise to your servant. 77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 
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