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“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 Olives, tea bags, and diamonds--whatever do they have in common? Think about that for a minute, and I’ll bet you’ll figure it out! To most, olives are delicious, but possibly used even more widely is that product derived from olives—olive oil. The oil, used for many things (medicines, cosmetics, soaps) is especially great for cooking as it contains many health benefits, such as good fats and antioxidants. However, to get that precious oil, olives must be ground, crushed, pressed, and decanted.1 We can smell the tea leaf, and it does have some aroma; but to make it really aromatic and useful, it must be placed in boiling water. It is that process which brings out the marvelous flavors and in some instances health benefits. Visualize yourself at your kitchen table, smelling your tea as it brews, then taste as you drink: peppermint, lemon, jasmine, spice, licorice, etc. So good…so uplifting…so healing! Then there are diamonds—so treasured by the world. Who would have thought that once they were mere lumps of coal until they were placed under intense heat and pressure; some beauties form in mere months, while others take many years. You get it now, don’t you? Olives, tea, diamonds—all must be pressed in one way or another to produce an even greater product. The same is true for you and me; when we are pressed, we can become ever better...ever purer… and more useful in God’s kingdom! Though our God is a God of life, light, and love, our enemy is not! Therefore, living in a fallen world, we not only will experience beautiful moments, but also trying, difficult, and often painful times. Satan would use those for our downfall—for doubting our good and gracious Father—yet our Father would turn those times of pressure around 180 degrees so that they would end up refining us; we may be hard pressed, but we are not destroyed! When we allow God to work within us, our tough times can cause us to become better people--people who understand and empathize with others in their suffering; then we can serve those who need us and help them through their times of sadness, grief, and despair. In so doing, we become strong servants of Christ, and we glorify our magnificent God. How does our refining take place? How can the bad in our lives be turned to good? It all depends on our response to those testing times we face. Will we respond in bitterness and despair, turning away from God; or will we, in faith, trust Him to lead us through the valley of the shadow of death to His merciful peace and comfort? Will we trust in Him to accomplish His will for our lives, no matter what that may be? If we are willing to do this, whether it takes months or years, as in the case of diamonds, we will be refined; our lives will emerge from boiling waters to become testimonies to our faithful and loving God who is with us at all times, changing our weakness to strength and the ordinary into the extraordinary. 1. https://olivadelsur.com/en/blog/how-olive-oil-is-made-b110.html#an3 VERSES 2 Peter 1:2 “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” Psalm 71:5 “O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.” Deuteronomy 31:7-8 “Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors He would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Joshua 1:9 “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as I pray to You this morning, I would ask You to forgive me all my sins and listen to my entreaty: help me face and endure any refining You know is required in my life to become the woman you mean me to be. Let my faith and trust in You ever prevail, and therefore let my every response to You be, “Yes, LORD,” no matter the circumstance. Then use me, Lord, to serve others as they endure hardships. LORD GOD, truly, You are a promise keeper, and You have promised to be with me through all times, the good and the bad. Thank you for Your incomprehensible care and agape love for me! SONG: “Make Me a Servant” Make me a servant Humble and meek Lord let me lift up Those who are weak And may the prayer Of my heart always be Make me a servant Make me a servant Make me a servant today DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! “But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love. I will praise you forever, O God, for what You have done. I will trust in Your good name in the presence of your faithful people.”
Psalm 52:8-9 I picture in my mind David, pursued by Saul, betrayed by Doeg the Edomite, studying his bleak surroundings in the dry, stony hills of the desert of Judah when suddenly he spots an olive tree! This may or may not have happened, but the point is that David knows olive trees, and he concludes his psalm with beautiful and encouraging truth. He is like an olive tree! Why an olive tree? What is so special about it? Here are some amazing facts:
Let us be like David, always trusting in God’s unfailing love…remembering His provision throughout our lives…and always praising God forever! Let us be olive trees, for when we fear the Lord …are respectful and in awe of Him…we will grow like they do and will be blessed! “How joyful are those who fear the Lord, all who follow His ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.” Psalm 128:1-3 Note: Information on the olive tree taken from https://ww2.odu.edu/~lmusselm/plant/bible/olive.php VERSES: Hosea 14:6 “Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon.” Psalm 52:8 “ But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.” Romans 11:17-20 “But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. ‘Well,’ you may say, ‘those branches were broken off to make room for me.’ Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.” PRAYER: “Father God, make me an olive tree—an evergreen You can use all the days of my life. May the fruit I grow be the sharing of Your Good News with others—that is my heart’s desire! And, Father, please continue to daily renew and fill me with Your Holy Spirit so my roots in You will never stagnate, but continue growing through every situation in life—through times that seem barren and through times of rich, fertile soil. In You, Almighty God, I fully place my trust, praising Your holy name; and may I, as David, thrive in Your house forever! DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! Psalm 52:1-3 “Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior? Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever? All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you’re an expert at telling lies. You love evil more than good and lies more than truth.”
Do you know the story of the evil Doeg, who was Saul’s chief herdsman (1 Samuel 21:7)? “Doeg was an Edomite, not a Hebrew. Israel had been at war with Edom, so Doeg may have entered Saul’s service as either a captive or a traitor to his people.” (1 Samuel 14:47)1 Neither of these are good options, are they? And talk about a person like this being at the right place (the temple at Nob) at the wrong time (David was there, fleeing Saul)—this was Doeg! Doeg had been detained at Nob (we aren’t certain why), and while there, he overheard David speaking to Ahimelech, the chief priest. In an attempt to save his own and his warriors' lives, David lied to Ahimelech, saying that he, David, had been sent by King Saul on a private matter; that he needed food for himself and his men whom he would meet later at an appointed spot; and that he needed a weapon, as he had left on his mission so hurriedly, he’d not had the time to arm himself. Ahimelech, who had no regular bread, instead gave David holy bread which was meant solely for God’s priests. His reasoning? Ahimelech knew David’s reputation—that he was faithful to Saul, captain of Saul’s bodyguard, and an honored member of Saul’s household. He knew that love and compassion always should supersede Mosaic law, and in his heart, Abimelech knew that David’s life was worth saving! Ahimelech, then, in addition to food, provided David with Goliath’s sword. Saul was paranoid; he believed David, his own son, Jonathan, and the priests were conspiring to kill him. As Saul interrogated his officers about this, Doeg, who unfortunately was present, told Saul what had transpired between Ahimelech and David at Nob, purposely leaving out David’s story about being on a secret mission for Saul. This sin of omission effectively affirmed in Saul's mind his conspiracy theory. He became outraged and called for Ahimelech and all his family to come before him. Not listening to Ahimelech’s explanation for aiding David, Saul demanded his bodyguards kill Ahimelech and his entire family. The guards refused to do so, but not the evil Doeg. He killed all eighty-five of the priests, then went to Nob and wiped out the town—men, women, children, babies, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. (1 Sam. 22:18-19) About all of this, Doeg boasted! David, in Psalm 52, points out how misled Doeg was to gloat: “But God will strike you down once and for all. He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will see it and be amazed. They will laugh and say, ‘Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.’” Psalm 52:5-7 What does all this mean for me and you today? What can we learn?
1. https://www.gotquestions.org/Doeg-the-Edomite.html VERSES: Psalm 37:28 “For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed ; the offspring of the wicked will perish.” Psalm 37:8-9 “Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.” 1 John 4:4 “…you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those (evil) people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me…” Luke 6:1-4 “One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, His disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain. But some Pharisees said, ‘Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?’ Jesus replied, ‘Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.’ And Jesus added, ‘The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.’” PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as I see evil in our world and my soul cries out with grief, I ask You to daily remind me that You are my rock and that You promised to be with me always…leading, guiding, and protecting. I now choose, as David wrote, to fully and completely trust in You—Your will for me and Your plan for end times, whether they be soon or late. You are GOOD, You are HOLY…You are ALMIGHTY GOD! I place myself in Your arms of unfailing love, and I praise Your name forever! DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! Matthew 13:5 “Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died.”
Roots—we know how vitally important they are. With water, oxygen, and well-tilled soil, they grow well and deep, with one of the strongest of all roots being the taproot. Just think of the strength in those pesky dandelions! Let’s compare our faith in Jesus Christ to a taproot. Without a deep root in Him, and without a loving obedience to His commands, it is possible for our faith to wilt under times of stress and trial, and we may become unable to stand firm in difficult times of challenge against all we have been taught and know to be true. What does a taproot require to grow well and deep? Water, oxygen, and good soil. Our faith also has essentials to enable growth: God’s Word, prayer, and an open heart.
Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psalm 1:1-3 Also, we will not be fearful in an America so unlike the one we knew in the past or in a world we see changing before our very eyes: “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8 Let God be our one and only focus! It is only in Him that life lies, so let us call upon Him to deepen and, if needed, regenerate our taproot of faith in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us remember to turn all worries and fears over to Him, having full confidence in the One who saved us; and let us never forget that when we are planted in Christ and He dwells within our hearts, His love will fill us so completely that we will be vividly green with life and able to give strong witness to those who need Him. Faith in Christ makes us strong, and with Him, we need never wither under the hot sun! “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 VERSES: Colossians 2:6-7 “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Ephesians 3:16-19 “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” PRAYER: Father God, hear my prayer today, asking You to strengthen my faith each moment of each day. Let me always remember Your promise that because I have chosen Jesus as my Savior, nothing will ever snatch me from Your hand. You are faithful, You are strength itself, and in You, I choose never to fear. May my taproot of faith daily grow in You from reading Your Word, prayer, and opening my heart to all you reveal. Thank you for being my God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the only true God! Amen. DISCLAIMER: Just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! To orthodox churches and some protestant congregations, today is known as Ash Wednesday, a day marking a forty day period before Easter Sunday known as Lent. During this time, congregants are asked to pray and fast in remembrance of Jesus’ forty days of fasting in the desert while being tempted by Satan; they are to dwell on Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection. You won’t find the term Lent in the Bible, but we do find much about fasting and repentance!
No matter our beliefs, it is always good to focus on Jesus—His life, ministry, sacrifice, burial, death, and resurrection. It is also always good for us to set aside a time to examine ourselves, asking God to reveal to us any sinful thoughts, words, or actions from which we can repent. Jesus paid too great a price for our salvation to never give thought to all He did for us and to ask His forgiveness of our sins. Today may be a good day for all of us to once again meditate on our Savior’s life—how He grew as a child in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and all the people (Luke 2:52); how He grew to be a man who loved with compassion, mercy, and grace the crowds who came to Him for healing and instruction; and how He confronted with passion false leaders who attempted to lead people away from the truth of who He was and the Good News of the Gospel—that we are saved by faith, not by works. Today is a very good day to focus on the meaning of true love, the love of our Savior, who died for us while we were yet sinners. It is a good day to pray, “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” Psalm 51:7-10 VERSES Romans 5:8 “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” 1 John 1:9 “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” PRAYER: Jesus, as the song says, “You are my all in all!” It is hard to realize that You love me--yes ME—so much that You suffered ignorance, abuse, pain, abandonment, torture, and death—more than I can ever imagine—to save me…to say, “Come, believe in Me and become your Father God’s child. Let Him hold you in His presence and in His LOVE, both now and forever.” I can never have words enough or correct enough or elaborate enough or songs or melodies enough to express my thanks. What do I have? I have YOU!! I would therefore ask You to help my every heartbeat be Yours; I would ask You to live in me completely, each and every moment, so I may live for You! May Your holy name be praised and blessed forever, my God! SONG: “You Are My All in All” by Nichole Nordeman You are my strength when I am weak You are the treasure that I seek You are my all in all Seeking You as a precious jewel Lord, to give up I'd be a fool You are my all in all Taking my sin, my cross, my shame Rising again I bless Your name You are my all in all When I fall down You pick me up When I am dry You fill my cup You are my all in all Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name You are my strength when I am weak You are the treasure that I seek You are my all in all Seeking You as a precious jewel Lord, to give up I'd be a fool You are my all in all Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Worthy is Your name DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! |
Author Candice Mary Thomas writes about loving God and loving people! Coming to Christ at age 32 and now in her 70's, Candice knows what a difference it makes living with or without Christ as one's personal Savior. Archives
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