There’s No Need to Fear the Middle Moments When We Personally Know “The Last”

If we were reading a book or watching a movie & knew beforehand the beginning & the end, the middle parts wouldn’t matter as much because we’d be certain of the outcome.

I was reminded 2xs today that Jesus IS the Alpha & Omega. He IS the First & the Last, Beginning & End.

He is the One Who IS, WAS & IS STILL to come-the Almighty One!

The life we’re granted this side of heaven is filled with twists & turns, oftentimes better & sometimes more harrowing or sorrowful than any movie we’ve seen. I’m kinda comforted that we will never fully comprehend the meaning of the mystery until we reach our last day & finally get to meet our Maker!

John wrote about His face to face encounter with Jesus in the book of Revelation. The visual is so stunning that John falls to his face as if he were dead!

As I read what happens next, it felt like a beautiful reminder worth repeating. When all seems lost &  we feel as if we could fall to our knees dead, our Savior sees us! And not only does He see us, He lays His right hand upon us, just like He did John, & tenderly whispers the very same words:

“Don’t be afraid! I am the First & the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look-I am alive forever & ever! I hold the keys of death & the grave.”

From the moment we are born until the very last, when we face the grave, we can be confident of this: the annals of our lives are penned by our personal Savior Who died for us so that we need not fear the end! He holds the keys that unlock death-this side of heaven AND the other!

If we are lacking life in any area this morning, our Alpha & Omega holds the keys to life! He conquered death so that we might too! 👉🏽sadness, depression, hopelessness, bitterness,  anger, unforgiveness...He can free us from all death here on earth as He will in heaven!

Father, thank You that Your Word sustains the weary. We praise you for penning each part of our lives while also giving us the freedom to follow-or not! It’s such a mystery to me!

Even though we might be walking through murky, middle-moments, we can be confident that our Omega Who conquered death IS the last part of our story on earth while our Alpha ushers us into life eternal!

#OneYearBible #peace

December 9th One Year Bible Readings

💡JOEL 1:1-3:21

💡REVELATION 1:1-20

💡PSALM 128:1-6

💡PROVERBS 29:18

What are You Building & Does it Rob You of Rest?

Have you ever learned something or received fresh revelation about something only to seemingly unlearn it when new circumstances arise?

That question surfaced as I read Psalm 127 today. King Solomon writes,

“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.

Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat,

for God gives rest to his loved ones.”

My dad says you can tell the success of a city by the # of booms in the sky. I wonder if we can tell personal success by our quality of rest?

My husband & I are in new positions with the same company & we’re so grateful! The new position requires an hour commute each way so our day begins at 4am & we usually arrive home around 6pm. It’s a loooomg day of togetherness & I’m quickly finding that the less pressing things, (like actually spending time with my husband AS my husband) has slid to the back burner of priorities.

I KNOW the importance of work-life balance & I KNOW the truth of Psalm 127, but sometimes we just need to be reminded of what we already know 🙃

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to build anything or guard anything that the Lord has not created.

The new positions & pay are lovely, they are providing for our family. Anytime we continually focus on the provision instead of the will of the Provider, however, we quickly find ourselves working tirelessly & lacking rest.

God promises rest to His loved ones. Rest might look different for all of us...time with loved ones, taking an actual lunch break or maybe making more time for sleep! 😂

Father, You are the Good Giver of ALL things. Reveal to us this morning if there is anything we are trying to build apart from You. Show us if we are trying to guard something that You didn’t build. We want to live a life of Divine purpose & that does not include anxiously working for anything. Thank you for giving us what only You can provide, rest from our troubles & burdens because, Jesus, You promise to bear them all. We simply need to entrust them to You & allow Your rest to settle in their absence.

#OneYearBible #rest

December 8th One Year Bible Readings

💡Hosea 10:1-14:9

💡Jude 1:1-25

💡Psalm 127:1-5

💡Proverbs 29:15-17

Happiness is Founded on Happenings, but True Joy is Grace Recognized

This is the 1st holiday season I feel sorrow. Like not just a passing disappointment, but a deep grieving within. Each time someone asks how Thanksgiving was, a new-found empathy for the hurting arises. Thanksgiving was AMAZING as we spent it with close friends & at the same time, my heart ached that our entire family wasn’t together.

I recently spoke with a young gal about this & she said, “It reminds me about the difference between happiness & joy. My grandma used to say {something like}, ‘Happiness is founded on happenings, but joy, true joy is everlasting.’”

So amazing, right?

Today, I read a verse that penned the deepest desire of my heart:

“I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.”

The word “joy” comes from a root word that means, “grace recognized.” It’s the discerning awareness of God’s grace & favor, & thus, our Source of joy.

Psalm 126:5-6 were cornerstone parenting promises for me. Every time a hardship would arise, I’d remind myself that, “those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.”

Planting seeds is trying work & waiting for the harvest can feel like eternity. But when it’s harvest time? Farmers work with shouts of joy from sun up to sun down to gather every last bit.

What do you do when the harvest is long in the making? The rest of the verse acknowledges this- they weep as they plant their seed, but weeping must not hinder the sowing, nor does it deter us from joy.

Why? Because true joy isn’t based on circumstantial happenings. Joy is the deep recognition that we all deserve death & it’s only by God’s grace that salvation is ours!

When we remember the Source of our joy, we’re reminded of the foundational why behind our call to plant. We may weep as we go, but Jesus said, “blessed are those that mourn for they shall be comforted.”

Father, the beginnings of Your mercy & grace encourage us to pray for the completion of them! We may weep as we plant the seed & feel sorrow as we await the harvest of healing or provision, but our joy is found in the fullness of Your Presence. We seek Your face & praise You that regardless of WHAT we face, we choose to face You, our Source of joy!!

#OneYearBible

December 7th One Year Bible Readings

💡HOSEA 6:1-9:17

💡3 JOHN 1:1-15

💡PSALM 126:1-6

💡PROVERBS 29:12-14