It isn’t always easy to seek the good. It is much easier to find the negative, the hurt, the difficulties. Pain is a steady reminder. The lack of pain we tend to ignore. We are aware when things are not going the way we would want them to go. We are afraid when we seem to have lost our footing. But when do we seek the good?
It seems to take more focus and attention to seek the good. We may be grateful things are going well. We may realize there is a lack of pain or fear. But mostly, we just go on with our daily lives – ignoring the good which surrounds us. It is so easy to do when we don’t constantly seek out the good. When the good is what we desire, we can forget to be thankful when it does happen. Since distress provides such hyper awareness, it could be we become lulled when the distress is gone. What if we made it a point to actually seek the good?
I admit this isn’t always easy. It can seem false. We can become so accustomed to our daily lives finding the good can feel impossible. We may have a tendency to just make up things so we can say we did it. But God has provided so many good things all around us. He has showered us with goodness. It may be we just haven’t spent the time or effort to seek it.
Today, seek the good. God has provided it. We simply need to recognize it.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 122:9
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
Things rarely turn out like we think they will. If nothing else, this past year has taught us this fact. We have so many events we mark in life. We mark anniversaries, birthdays, holidays and celebrations. We mark major events in our history. We remember during memorial day and veterans day, 4th of July and labor day. We remember tragic events such as 9/11. And in church life, we remember beautiful events such as Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. But this week marked yet another event. It was the one year anniversary of this virus we are facing being called a pandemic. It changed everything. And here we are, a year later, still trying to move forward in some way, shape and form. So it goes without saying that life doesn’t always turn out like we think it will or how we plan.
Today’s scripture is familiar. It is so familiar, in fact, that we tend to skip right to the part we know and forget what led us to it. We don’t think about the conversation which led to the outcome. We do this with scriptures we know – often without even thinking about it. We skip right to the “good parts” and forget what led this to be a part of a conversation. So today, we will spend a moment listening in on a conversation. It is a surprising conversation if you consider what all is going on. This was most unexpected.
It is dark, under the cover of night. No one knows he is there. He has snuck away, for whatever reason he needed to know. He had something gnawing deep inside him. There were unanswered questions. He had heard this teacher. He had been watching him from the sidelines. His fellow colleagues wanted this teacher to just stop. But he was intrigued. There was something about him. He couldn’t put his finger on it but this wasn’t just a fad, a trend of someone that simply needed to be silenced. There was something about the teaching. It was different. So as not to seem obvious, he comes in the dark of night – where he can ask the questions directly. And what he hears, he doesn’t expect. But then, when we ask Jesus questions…he rarely answers us like we think or expect.
John 3:1-18
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus[a] by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”[b]4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.[c]7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You[d] must be born from above.’[e]8 The wind[f] blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you[g] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[h] 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.[i]
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Nicodemus – a leader of the Jews – comes to Jesus. Again, he gets there is something unique, very different about Jesus. He doesn’t so much ask a question but makes a statement. Jesus has come from God – the signs are apparent. If you want to see the kingdom of God – do you want to see – do you really want to experience the kingdom? Because if you do, you are to be born from above. How confusing must this have been?
To be born is to be created, birthed, a fresh new start. It is a beginning. So to start again seems not just odd, but impossible. So we can relate – someone can’t actually physically be born again. It just isn’t possible. So what is the deal? What is Jesus trying to say? This birth is a spiritual one. It is not an actual physical birth but one in which we get a new start, a fresh beginning, we become a new creation in God.
Jesus tells Nicodemus he should be getting this – and this is not to insult him or to belittle him. This is to say…it’s in the Word you know…it is part of the life you have taught and led. This is not new information if you really get what God has told you all along. This should not be a surprise because you really do get the Scriptures. This is your specialty.
And here is the deal…this is a part of God’s love story to Nicodemus. It is that God so loved Nicodemus that this renewal, this new birth, this impossible becomes possible. Nicodemus doesn’t have to understand it all. He simply has to trust – God’s story is big and wide and full of amazing love. The most astounding part of this story is it also applies to us – to you and to me. For God so loved… that’s how the verse begins, right? That is the scripture we know. That is the word we believe. This is what we have taken in. God loves. It is not because of us – our accolades or accomplishments. It is not because we have earned it or deserve it. It isn’t because there is something unique about us that God only does this for us. It is because God loves. And when God loves, God loves big – real big. God loves so big that he loves the world, the whole world, his wonderful, beautiful stained creation. He loves it all – gnats and flies, trees and mountains, flowers and weeds – and you and me. That’s the most amazing part of this all – God loves us. Because he loves us, Jesus. To believe is to become a part of the kingdom. To believe is to have a place at the table. To believe is to know that we are loved even when we feel quite unlovable.
That’s the hard part of it all, I think. We believe in God. We believe in Jesus. But to believe we are loved – that’s the hard part sometimes. We love conditionally in our lives. We can’t help it. We are human. So we love when…we love until…we love if. We love with a condition. God just loves. His love is so overwhelming we can’t understand it. His love washes over us when we feel so dry and parched. His love fills our every need when we are so empty. His love sets us free when we feel imprisoned and held down. God’s love is redemptive. It is a renewal. God’s love changes EVERYTHING.
That’s the story of the whole Bible – God’s love changes everything. God created. God redeems. God renews. God inspires and instills. God so loved – Jesus. It is the story of Christmas, it is the story of Easter, it is the story which fills the pages of this story we call the Bible. It is the story which fills our lives – whether we recognize it or not. God is LOVE. And God’s love is powerful – it changes things…and it changes us.
When we realize just how much we are loved, we are forever changed. We can’t help it. We have a love which is so poured into us it is overflowing. When Jesus challenges us to the hard things – and he really does that in nearly every verse and teaching – he is doing it with the knowledge that we have all we need to do it – and all we need is God’s love. That’s the foundation. It is not only the beginning, it is the necessary, required part of it all. If we don’t do what we do with love, it is useless and void. But when we do things with great love, God does amazing things with it. We are changed.
But let’s be honest. We don’t always feel all that changed, do we? Things don’t go as we expect. To be loved doesn’t mean we walk through this life as though we are living in some utopia of perfection. We mess up. We say mean things. We do wrong things. We hurt ourselves and others. We forget we are loved. We walk in directions we clearly should not. Life happens and it isn’t always good. Nicodemus walked away that day with a teaching – but it doesn’t say he immediately got it. We do know it changed him. But he went back to his life. He had been given a glimpse of the light but was not ready to live in it completely. It was just the beginning for him.
God’s love isn’t conditional on us – on who we are. He doesn’t stop loving us because we act ridiculous. He doesn’t stop loving us when we clearly make bad decisions. He loves us through it all. It simply takes us recognizing it. When God opens our eyes to his love, our heart begins to open as well. When we experience his love, the shell of our insecurities begins to crack. God so loved…and God so loves you.No matter where you may find yourself this day, hear this – God loves you. May you feel his redemptive power overtake you, overwhelm you, and begin to change you. May you experience his love in a new and amazing way. Also remember this…God loves you…but he also loves the person you hate. May he change our hearts to live in his love in a way that is life changing for us – and for others. May we love like him – love big and wide and open. For God so loved…even our enemies. May God show love through you and me today.
I woke up this morning to a pretty incredible surprise. I walked right by it the first time – I account this to the fact I had not consumed coffee yet. As I let Leo back into the house, it was right there – so bright and beautiful before me. It took me by such surprise.
Before the winter, our sweet friend Gale had left me with a flower pot with a plant in it. She knows how much I enjoy flowers and plants and the outdoors. She was moving and gifted this to us. I watered it and took care of it. But I must be honest – I thought I had killed it. It had no green anymore and just looked pitiful. When winter came, I brought it inside. I continued to look after it, even though it really had no signs of life. Leo was the only one to find it fascinating so I had to put it in a stand – out of his immediate reach. At some point over the last couple of months, it began to have little stems spring up. They looked promising and I was overjoyed I had not completely ruined it yet. It has continued to grow and develop buds on the ends of the stems. I had no idea what the blooms looked like, when they bloomed or what to expect. Last night, as we were fixing dinner, I pointed the plant out to Wendy. One of the blossoms looked as though it would open in the next few days or weeks. We decided we would send Gale a message the next day. I woke up this morning to the biggest, most beautiful bloom. I was shocked and amazed and overjoyed.
The Bloom
This may not sound like much to you – but for me, this was a gift I had not expected. It was a joyful surprise and reminded me of God’s goodness. The verse for today – which I have used several times just because of its meaning – immediately came to mind. God’s mercies are new every day. We just don’t always see them. We walk by them. We give up when we feel all is lost. It may be God is working beneath the surface to produce something pretty amazing. We simply have to watch, be patient, and wake up to God’s mercies. If we pay attention, they may just take our breath away. It sure did mine.
Focus Scripture:
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
This Photo included in today’s Devotion is captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
I am not a great singer. If I am honest, I am not really even a good singer. But I love music. I cannot begin to describe the way music moves and flows through our lives. There are so many times a song will become our words, a tune become the cries of our hearts. Music is definitely a gift from God.
It is no wonder the Psalmist in Psalm 100 writes and sings of making a joyful noise to the Lord. We are reminded to enter God’s presence with singing. There are no try outs for this choir. There are no specifications. You don’t need to be able to read music or know what a G sounds like. You only need to come into God’s presence with singing – full out, all you.
We may find when we are in distress, songs become our prayers. We sing the words our hearts cannot speak. We hum a tune of a familiar hymn which carries us back to a time of joy. We hear the exclamation of God’s creation singing to him in their own way and their own songs.
While we may detect if someone is way off key and even may distort our face at the lack of musical talent, God doesn’t. He welcomes our songs. He welcomes us to pour out our hearts with singing. He doesn’t score us based on our talents. He invites us based on our willingness to come into his presence.
Come into God’s presence with singing. May a tune fill your heart today. May your prayer be filled with a song. Sing to the Lord, he loves to hear us sing.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 100:1-2
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
We may not always feel like we belong. We can feel out of place, like we are searching for a home. It may be we feel like we are the odd person out. We don’t quite fit in with everyone else. We can feel like we are sticking out like a sore thumb. Sometimes we conform to fit in – try to act like everyone else. Other times, we may go the exact opposite way so we appear even more unique. Some of us would rather shrink into the background and go unnoticed if at all possible.
Here’s the amazing part – we already belong in God’s kingdom. We are already a part of his big, loving family. Because he made us, we are unique – and that is good. He made us just the way we are and loves us immensely. We do not have to become someone else for God to love us or for us to have a place in the family. He has a place for you and me, just the way we are.
Sure, we have things we need to work on- we are not always kind, loving, peaceful, and joyful. But those are things we work on to become more like Christ. Who we are, at the very core of who we are – is good enough. Who we truly are when all the mess of this world is stripped away is exactly the person God loves. We don’t have to buy things to impress God. We don’t have to pretend to be someone we are not. We simply are loved.
I am grateful he made each of us so unique. We bring special gifts and talents, personalities and surprises. We offer something to the family – a specialty made by a God who loves us. We already belong. Today, may we celebrate that God loves us, just the way we are. No pretending needed. No show required. It is good to belong. It is good to be loved.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 100:3
3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
Gossip tends to spread like wildfire. People cling to it and then dish it as they go. Most of the time, it is without regard to the others involved. Sometimes it is disguised as prayer requests. But it is always hurtful and unnecessary.
What if we were this addicted to praise and thanksgiving? What might it look like for us to be excited to hear how good God has been to someone? How might we live differently if we sought the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living? It might change our outlook on pretty much everything. Gossip is good for nothing but praise and thanksgiving to God is life giving.
We choose what we speak. We choose what we let come out of our mouths. We choose what we let into our hearts and we choose what we listen to and to whom we listen. These are our choices. Our choices make a difference. In today’s focus scripture, the Psalmist is encouraging the redeemed to speak about it. Giving thanks to God and recognizing his steadfast love is worth sharing. Understanding how God has brought us so far despite ourselves is praise invoking. When we begin to sense how God is redeeming us, remaking us, and renewing us, how can we not give praise?
We choose what we speak. We choose what we spread. We choose what we listen to and what is shared. Since we choose, may we choose praise. May we choose thanksgiving. May we choose love. There really is no good reason for gossip. There are infinite reasons for thanks. Let the redeemed say so…
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 107:1-2
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
This winter season seems to mimic how it feels to grieve. The nights can feel so dark and lonely – and so very long. The days seem to be filled with tears which flow unexpectedly. We can feel like the heavy clouds of rain just waiting to burst open. There are glimpses of sunshine, though they do not appear nearly enough. There are days of relief where all begins to find a rhythm of its own. And then those days are interrupted by snow or lightning or other strange occurrences. It is a crazy time filled with challenges sprinkled with speckles of hope.
If you find yourself struggling a little more this winter, know that you are not alone. Winter can be difficult all by itself. The short days can make most anyone beg for a little sunshine. Then, there is grief you are dealing with, to add to the challenges. For some, night time is the most difficult. It is when you notice the absence of the one you love. It is when you are in the bed alone or sitting in the living room alone. It becomes an endless cycle of challenges just to keep going. And this year, we deal with even more. As we fight this pandemic, we sense we are more alone than ever. The normal tasks we would do to break up the monotony are changed. We do not linger in a store or just stop by for a visit with a friend. We do not sit down at a restaurant for coffee as we once did. We have to be cautious. Cautious can also mean lonely.
These are all valid feelings. These are challenges many are facing right now. While there are no quick and easy answers, there is hope. There is something beautiful in the making. This is not the end. Winter has a purpose.
Know that winter will not last forever. It may seem like forever, but it isn’t. Spring is just around the corner. Take heart, the sun is coming up a little earlier and going down a little later. It is a excruciatingly slow process, but a meaningful one. Winter is a time for the earth to be dormant. It is a time of retreat. It is a time when the earth rests and is fed, preparing for a time of blooming and production. Trees which looks so bare are actually being prepared to blossom. Seedlings low in the ground are being nurtured so they can spring up and produce bountiful flowers and crops. A cycle of goodness is in the works, even when we do not recognize it.
You may feel pretty dormant yourself right now. This may be the time when you rest. This may be the time when you are being renewed. It is often painful. It can feel like you are being stripped bare of all your security. It can feel as though you are all alone. But Spring is coming. There are still joys ahead to be experienced. While the blossoms may look different, they are still beautiful. You are being loved and held by an Almighty God who has promised to not leave you, especially in your grief and fears. Hold on, there is better still to come.
Winter is not the end, but a time to begin again. Know you are not alone. You do not face these fears alone. You do not struggle alone. While all of our fears, struggles and grief journeys look different, we all travel. Sometimes the path gives us hope and peace. Sometimes the path is filled with storms and hills. And sometimes, we simply get to hide in the shelter of the Almighty until we are ready to travel again. Travel well, my friends. Spring is coming.
I am not always good at remembering. When someone tells me something, I think it will be easy to remember what they said. But time and time again, I am proven wrong. I have often forgotten before they have walked away. So, I do things to help me remember. I write notes as reminders. If I am in a central place, that is good. If not, there is no telling where that note will end up or if I will remember I had the note. I sometimes tell other people to help me remember. That works if the other person has a better memory than me. Otherwise, this can easily fail. I have tried repeating it over and over and over. This can work if I only have to remember something for a short period of time. I can’t go around repeating the same thing all day, that’s unproductive and a little weird. I even set reminders on my phone so they alert me. You can see I try as many tactics as I can to help me remember. Sometimes it works.
Today’s focus scripture is about remembering something super important. It is so important that God has given us instructions on how to remember. He has given us tools to help us keep this at the forefront of our minds – literally. This is just that important. He does not want us to forget – ever. We lose more than the thought if we forget this. We lose ourselves.
We are to remember: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Loving God and God alone is so very important that God teaches repetition. He wants these words implanted in our hearts. He wants them to become a part of who we are and how we live. He wants these words to be the foundation for which all other is built.
How important are these words to you? It may help if we begin to make these words central in our lives – so we never, ever forget.
Focus Scripture:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
In times gone by, a handshake would seal a deal. It was an agreement between two people that was binding. Of course, that is not applicable today. We have paperwork…and more paperwork…and still, more paperwork. We have paperwork to explain the paperwork – and few people understand any of it. All of this is done so that people feel more secure about the deal being made. Then there are loopholes to get around the mounds of paperwork. So new paperwork is added to take care of the loopholes. It is a vicious cycle just to secure something, to have it firm and lasting.
Thankfully God doesn’t need paperwork or anyone to work up any deals for him. He has established and is firm in his promises. What he says he means. It is something we can count on. It may not always be what we want. It may not always be the outcome we would choose. But ultimately, God is always faithful.
The Psalmist in today’s focus scripture reminds us of this very fact. He sings of God’s steadfast love. He proclaims God’s faithfulness. He declares that God’s steadfast love is established forever. And God’s faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. In other words, we can count on it because it is written over all the earth. Just look around, God’s promises are firm and visible. God is who he says is and he will do what he says he will do. That doesn’t need paperwork. It simply needs trust.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 89:1-2
I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations. 2 I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
We are taught to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. In other words, love God with our everything. We are also taught to love our neighbor as ourselves. That teaches we are to love ourselves (we are, after all, made in the image of God). It also teaches we are to love others. Our love for ourselves and others, of course, stems from our love for God. No fruit is produced apart from God. No true love is shared when God is not the singular focus.
Loving God makes us not only better servants, but better parents, children, spouses, employees and so much more. We are better because of our focused love for God. All things spring out of this. But it is hard to keep this singular focus. So many things vie for our attention. There are so many things which call for our loyalty. Options abound of what we can give our hearts. Yet, loving God has to be it. It must be our guiding light in life. When it is, all things work together.
Love the Lord our God is more than a set of words strung together. It is a declaration to the One who rescues and redeems us. It is not an idea but a practice. It is not a saying but a way of life. To love God changes everything. He already loves us. He could not love us any more than he already does. We are not trying to earn his love. We couldn’t if we wanted to. We are called to love him. That is the focus. This is the goal.
Love the Lord our God with an undivided heart. Giving God our all is the focus. May it be so.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 86:11-13
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. 12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
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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