Mountain Climbing

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5

[NOTE: I originally wrote this devotional several years ago. I came across it again this morning when I was scrolling through my old cancer support group devotionals looking for one to share with you this week. As I read through it I realized that today, October 14th, is the anniversary of my first chemo infusion 26 years ago. This is not a date that is on my radar any longer but for some reason it is the date that God brought to my attention today.]

I have been going through a season of emotional challenges that have left me feeling off balance. I’ve been slogging through the Word daily but struggling to dig deeper than the surface. I am thankful that no matter how I’m feeling or how little I put into my devotional time, the Word ALWAYS speaks to me. It is the one thing that has kept me putting one foot in front of the other.

Throughout this month I was reminded about the time when God met me at the bottom of a very deep dark pit. The night after I found out that I had cancer on August 8, 2000.

The cancer diagnosis season can be longer than we wish it to be. August 8th was the day I had my biopsy and was told that it looked like I had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma instead of Hodgkin’s Disease. The difference? One was considered a fatal disease that mostly older people got. The other more treatable with a higher survival rate. It took two weeks before I got the official pathology report that confirmed what the surgeon saw. It took two months of tests to figure out what flavor of NHL I had. Two months of blood work, CT and PET scans and a bone marrow biopsy. All during a time when PET scans were not the norm. The only facility that had a PET scan machine was the UW. Oh, and insurance wouldn’t pay for it until it was approved by the UW. It took me a month of calling the UW and my insurance company trying to be the middle man when the two entities couldn’t figure out how to connect to each other. No connection = no scan = delayed treatment.

I eventually got it done (learning to be my own advocate) and got scheduled for my first treatment on October 14, 2000. I know the exact date because the night before I read through the above passage in Psalm 103 focusing on verses 3 & 4, “who heals all your diseases, who delivers your life from the Pit”. Next to this chapter I wrote, “Another reminder of God’s healing power”. At this point I had no idea if God would heal me from my disease. I knew a 32% survival rate was not that great of a survival rate. I knew many with my disease at this time in history did not survive past 7 years. I knew my cancer would probably come back in 2 years and be resistant to traditional chemotherapy. The odds didn’t seem to be in my favor.

The night before my first treatment was the night God reminded me of how He met me at the bottom of my dark pit back in August. He also reminded me that I had a 100% survival rate IN Him. 

Further down in this chapter He reminded me that we were going to climb this mountain together, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (verses 11-14).

God is able to help us climb our mountains because He knows us intimately, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139:13-15).

We will not be immune to the challenges of mountain climbing. In fact, He guarantees we will have to face challenging mountains. The good news is that He promises He will provide us with perfect peace as we climb. John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world.” The AMP translation says, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world. [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]”

Tribulations and perfect peace can co-exist. Why? Because we can claim victory over them because Christ is the victor over all things. No challenging mountain is unconquerable with Christ. Let us go back to Psalm 103:19 to glean this exact truth, “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all” (NASB). 

This doesn’t mean that mountain climbing is easy. We will face crevasses and struggle to find a good hand or foot hold to pull us up higher. Regardless of these things God will remain faithful to open our eyes to see the path before us one hand and foot hold at a time. I pray that God will show you the wait up the mountain this week. 

Our song for this week: You Will Make A Way. 

Embrace Your Calling

“He led his people out like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness. ⁵³ He led them safely, and they were not afraid; but the sea covered their enemies. ⁵⁴ He brought them to his holy territory, to the mountain his right hand acquired.” Psalm 78:52-54

Has God ever placed you in a position that you didn’t really expect or want to be in? I remember when God called me to start a cancer support group and how I evaded Him for months. I didn’t want to lead anything thank you. It wasn’t in my wheelhouse so there isn’t a point to doing it. When God begins to show you His calling He’ll make sure you understand it’s what you need to do. Within this months of denying Him I had five lovely ladies be diagnosed with cancer. If that isn’t the door opening wider I don’t know what is.

I took a much needed season of rest from cancer support. My ladies were NEVER a burden but after 12 years I need time off from suffering. I never intended to return to cancer support but two years later the same thing is happening . . . ladies within my church are being diagnosed with cancer. I spent many months telling the Lord that I’m still needing to be in a season of rest. That I wasn’t ready to get back into all things suffering. It was at this time that the Lord led me to the story of Mojtaba Hosseini. This Hosseini was mentioned in my devotional. Nicky Gumbel said of him, “He is a young pastor who was imprisoned, aged 20, for running house churches in Iran. He was imprisoned alongside murderers and drug dealers. He spent long periods in solitary confinement, not knowing if or when he would be released. Mojtaba felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to share the good news of Jesus. So when the opportunity arose, he began sharing his testimony and the gospel with the other prisoners, proclaiming, ‘Jesus is alive.’ He said, ‘It doesn’t matter what situation I’m in. I can work in God’s kingdom wherever he places me. And at that time God placed me among the prisoners.'”

Okay, so here’s the thing, cancer support is NOTHING like being imprisoned alongside murderers and drug dealers. It’s nothing like being in solitary confinement. I’m balking at helping women dealing with cancer because I’m tired of seeing people I love suffer.

God planted Hosseini in the ministry He had chosen. It was unfair that he was imprisoned for running house churches. But look at where God had him . . . . he was in a place where he couldn’t be imprisoned again for sharing the Gospel message. In many ways he was safer sharing Jesus in prison than he was outside of prison.

Have you felt the calling to start or be a part of a ministry? Is fear of the unknown or lack of knowledge holding you back like it did me? My cancer support ministry is a very different from Hosseini’s in that many of the women who come understand that it is a biblically based support group. Many are Christ followers but some haven’t been and were able to hear about Jesus. I think of all the people out in the world who don’t know Jesus. They need us to be willing to be the hands of feet of Jesus in any way the Lord is calling us to be.

Something Nicky Gumbel said in today’s devotional that stood out to me, “You will never fully understand the good news of the gospel until you understand why you needed rescuing.” People need to understand why they need rescuing. And the only way that can happen is through us showing them the way to safety. I think of our scripture passage for today in Psalm 78. The verses before verses 52-54 give us an accounting of the rebellion of God’s people and all God did to redeem them (verses 40-51).

Within these verses we see that rebellion is the nature of sin. The people rebelled against God multiple times (verses 40-41). We also see how the consequences of sin grieves God and eventually leads to death (verses 40, 49 & 50). And yet God came to their rescue time and time again (verses 42, 52 & 53). Those of us who know Jesus fully understand why we needed rescuing. It is the reason why we can share the Gospel message with others. Nicky Gumbel said another thing that stood out to me, “Do not waste a single day of the precious life God has given you. Whatever you are called to do, however difficult your circumstances, you can enjoy your calling and complete the task with joy.”

My life will never be free from cancer so why waste a single minute of it not supporting others who are dealing with cancer? As soon as I gave in an inch and started laying out a plan for a new group EVERYTHING fell into place from the name to the scripture passage of said group. Once I did that I reached out to a few trusted friends to ask for prayer for wisdom in what I need to do with this new thought. Little by little the Lord continues to lead me back into cancer support and has even given me a desire to restart a new group. As soon as this desire grew so did the women I knew who needed the support group. I now feel some excitement at getting back to what I know is my calling.

What has God brought into your life that He can use for not only His glory but also to reach out to people who need rescuing?

The Name of Jesus

“For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—¹¹ and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

Life, for me, is part amazing and part disheartening. I have a great life surrounded by loved ones and friends. I attend a church that has become like home to me. But I’m still struggling and greatly heavy hearted with what’s going on around the world and in our own country. The other day I was talking with a friend about a situation she was dealing with and the power of the name of Jesus came up. The next morning before I spend time with Jesus I listened to the song, “I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle. The lyrics reminded me of the conversation with my friend.

I did a little bit of scripture searching on the name of Jesus and came across the scripture passage in Philippians 2. We see from this passage that the name of Jesus is powerful. God highly exalted Jesus above every name so that nothing, no one, no power or situation surpasses Jesus. He is the focus of our salvation, obedience and worship. His name demands that everyone be in submission to Him and His lordship. This includes leaders, kings, all nations and peoples. It also includes the demonic world (‘under the earth’). No one is able to resist His final supremacy as we will acknowledge His authority.

The chorus to ‘I Speak Jesus’ says:

Your name is power
Your name is healing
Your name is life
Break every stronghold
Shine through the shadows
Burn like the fire

His name is powerful to break every stronghold (Psalm 9:9), to shine through the darkest shadows of our trials (John 1:1-4), heals our brokenness (Psalm 34:18), and gives us new life (Romans 6:23).

I want to encourage you with this song if you are in a place of struggling: I Speak Jesus.

Click HERE if you want to know more about Jesus.

Inactivity

“So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27 (AMP)

I originally wrote this a year ago and am just now updating it in September of 2026. I wrote this post back when I was deep into questioning why we believe what we believe politically and how my faith fit into it. It has been a long confusing year for me struggling with my own feelings towards the state of our government and how I should respond to it biblically. In the past year I have realized the importance of following one God and not allow the small gods of this world to dictate to me what I should believe. The divide Satan started decades ago has become so wide that no one wants to build a bridge to close the division. With that said I’ll go ahead and jump into what I was struggling with and the conclusion that came from my time in God’s Word.

This morning as I was reading through Haggai I was convicted about one thing – my own inactivity. Haggai was a prophet who encouraged the Israelites to rebuild the temple. It is believed that he may have witnessed the original temple being destroyed. King Cyrus issued a degree that the captive Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. It is estimated that 50,000 Jews did make the long journey home and built the foundation of the temple within two years. This caused the nations around them to become concerned about what would happen on a political and religious level and took action to stop the rebuilding. It wasn’t until King Darius that they were encouraged to start working on the project again.

The introduction section of my bible says of this book, “The Jews were more to blame for their inactivity than their opponents, and Haggai tried to arouse them from their lethargy.”

As a Christ follower, I can look back from the 80’s to now and see where my heart attitude became elitist as well as lethargic. My 20’s were spent during the Promise Keeper, Rush Limbaugh and purity culture movements. All movements that, in the end, I see encouraged the ‘them verses us’ mentality. Movements that encouraged us to not have anything to do with those outside of our faith because we might be influenced by their sin (as if we weren’t sinners ourselves). Movements that also taught us that it is okay to judge those who don’t know Christ as their Savior (judgement that rests in the Lord’s hands and not our own). In my opinion, this created a Christian bubble that shut the world out in a way that I do not believe Jesus intended.

These movements closed doors and created a big divide between those within and outside of Christ. Instead of stepping outside of the bubble as Jesus would have done, we created an environment that was unloving towards the people Jesus would have reached out to. We saw them as bigger sinners than ourselves. We saw them as people to avoid and fight against (the enemy). This has only led to these communities of people outside of Christ to fight in a louder and bolder voice. Decades later, I can see why Trump’s MAGA movement took off. The divide Satan has cultivated (and Christ followers helped build . . . including myself) has created a society that has been in a spiritual decline. Trump fed into the fear of what that meant to the future of our country. We’ve been inactive so long that the MAGA movement gave many a direction to help stop this spiritual decline.

Here’s the thing, like the Jews in Haggai’s time, we share in the responsibility of what has become of our society. Some, like me, have been spiritually inactive outside of the church bubble. Following a movement that is not Christ centered and started as a manipulating campaign tool is not the way to become spiritually active once again. This is not the foundation we should stand upon.

We need to take our stand upon the truth of God’s Word. This is where I have felt convicted and probably why I have voiced my opinion about the current political culture in recent years. I see a need for myself to change but also for Christ followers to not fall for Satan’s lies that one man and political party can save our country.

We see from our passage in Genesis that God created man in His image. This includes those who do not yet know Him. They just haven’t repented of their sin and accepted Him as their Lord and Savior.

God’s purpose for every person, regardless of who they are, what they do or how they live, is to redeem everyone and bring them into full restoration. “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

God knew us from the day we were formed, “For You formed my innermost parts; You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was being formed in secret, And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].” Psalm 139:13-16

God desires us to become new creations leaving our old lives behind. He knows we are broken and hurting. He knows we’ve made mistakes and yet, He desires us to be restored to Himself, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].” 2 Corinthians 5:17

We know God desires this restoration because of what He did through His Son, Jesus, “But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Those of us who know Him as our Savior know what it means to live a life free of condemnation. We know what it means to be loved and cared for. If we know this, then why do we withhold this information from those who don’t? “For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another. For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].’ But if you bite and devour one another [in bickering and strife], watch out that you [along with your entire fellowship] are not consumed by one another.” Galatians 5:13-15

I’m calling all Christ followers to take this time leading up to our midterm elections seriously seeking the truth of God’s Word. Allow it to lead you as you prepare to vote. Don’t allow any propaganda, government leader or evangelical leader to derail you from the Truth. The end goal is not nationalism it’s the good news of the Gospel message.

When you read any verses Christian Nationalists use, read them in the scope of the Bible. Who was the author, who were the recipients, what was going on in history at the time the book was written and how does it fit into the overall scope of the whole bible?

Do allow the Truth of God’s Word to light a fire in your heart for Jesus and reflect Him. To treat others as He asks us to treat them. To fight and protect those in need. And lastly, allow it to bring your heart out of inactivity. God built the foundation and we are the ones who continue to work alongside Him to bring others to find sure footing on His foundation.

If you don’t know Jesus please click HERE. Read through the scripture passage to see what He did for you.

Break Up Unplowed Ground

“Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap unfailing love. Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves, for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers deliverance on you.” Hosea 10:12 (NET)

As I was digging deeper into this verse I came across something that I feel I need to work on – keeping my ground plowed.

Other translations say ‘fallowed ground’ instead of unplowed ground. The definition of ‘fallowed’ is, “left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season” and “undeveloped but potentially useful”. Fallow is also an old English word for plowing. Some farmers practiced leaving fields unplowed in rotation. This allowed the ground to rest and regain nutrients that were used through over-planting.

In many instances the Lord is rebuking the Israelites for preparing their soil but leaving it unused. Instead of using it they were choosing to plant their seeds in ground that was filled with weeds and thorns. Spiritually speaking, we need to be good stewards of our spiritual ground. We need to cultivate it in the Lord and not choose to cultivate in the world’s ideologies, philosophies and pleasures.

I am left questioning what my spiritual ground is like? I am good at breaking it up every morning and planting seeds from my time in the Word. But I admit that I have a tendency to seek other ground to plant my spiritual seeds. Ground that will grow my spiritual seeds amongst the weeds and thorns of this world. Ground that will weaken me, open my heart to half truths or even infiltrate my heart with wrong thinking.

Breaking up our fallowed ground isn’t a pleasant experience. Sometimes the blade of truth hurts when it cuts into our spiritual soil. But this is the only way we can turn our soil into soil that is ready to receive biblical truth. It only when we do this that we are able to see that we need to seek the Lord. The Bible Hub says that we need to:

• Seek intentionally—set apart time, space, and attention (Psalm 105:4).

• Seek continually—make pursuit of God the first priority, not the last resort (Matthew 6:33).

• Seek expectantly—He promises to be found by those who seek Him with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

How do we seek intentionally, continually and expectantly?

We seek the Lord first and foremost, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

We read and study the Bible, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

We renew our mind in Christ and not the world, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2).

We submit to God, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

We don’t lean on our own understanding, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

I want to leave this thought with you today: What does your spiritual ground look like? Has it been left hardened and resistant to God’s plowing? Or have you allowed God to break it up through feeding yourself spiritually?

Seed Habit

“He presented another parable to them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.'” Matthew 13:31-32

Since I’m not much of a gardener I don’t have much experience with growing things from seeds. Even so, I do understand the concept and have grown a few things from seeds when I was a child and again when I had young children. What always amazes me about seeds is how tiny they are when they’re planted. It’s hard to imagine that a tiny little seed will soon become a beautiful flower.

Our spiritual lives are like seeds. We don’t start off being a beautiful spiritual flower. It takes time to cultivate our souls so we can gain nutrients and grow into who God intends us to be. Not too long ago I listened to a podcast episode with Hanna Seymour called, ‘Can I start Small Habits To Grow Big Faith?’ (https://www.jenniferrothschild.com/start-small-habits-grow-big-faith-hanna-seymour/). I loved what she had to say about building spiritual growth as a seed habit. How important it is to constantly practice building on spiritual habits of reading, studying and memorizing the Bible.

She told a story about Billy Graham who kept open bibles in almost every room of his house. This way he could walk into any room and stop to read for a few minutes from whatever page of the Bible was open. His grandson once asked, “Granddad, what could you possibly be getting from the Bible in that short amount of time?” Billy Graham answered, “I sip on the Word of God all day long.”

Hanna Seymour says that we need to sip on the Word of God. She goes on to say, “So if you have never cultivated a daily habit of opening your Bible — and I genuinely mean that, just opening your Bible — then maybe your seed habit is, if you’re a coffee drinker, you leave an open Bible next to your coffee machine. I recommend turning to that book of Philippians. It’s probably my favorite book to come back to. And when you press start on your coffee machine, start Philippians 1:1. Read a few verses. Go do, you know, whatever you normally do, come back, fill up your cup, maybe you read a few more verses. But that is the tiniest seed habit that we can start.”

She also talked about Biblical solitude. How it’s not just being alone with God but being alone in silence with God. I struggle with silence probably because part of my dyslexia makes it sometimes hard to shut my brain off. But mostly, I’ve never built a seed habit of being totally silent before the Lord. I do have a good habit of spending every morning with Him reading and praying but never just sitting in silence.

“Biblical solitude is being alone with God. Solitude is not just about being alone and being in silence. It’s about being aware of God’s presence, that he is with you. And a lot of times solitude is an umbrella habit, meaning we do other things. You know, I’ll say I have time of solitude in the morning. Well, usually I’ve got my Bible open and I’m probably praying in that pocket of solitude.”

The one thing she pointed out was to, “Make it small. Make it easy. Make it fit into your day!” In other words, fit these small spiritual disciplines into your daily routine. Hers was read a little from the Bible while waiting for her coffee to brew. Seed habits are habits that start with minimal time requirement and fit into your current season of life. In time, this habit will grow and produce a beautiful spiritual tree that is daily nourished by the Lord.

My new seed habit that I’m working on is being silent before the Lord. So far 1 minute is all I can do before my mind starts to wander.

What spiritual seed habits will you start this week? Remember, it should be small, easy and fit into your day.

Above the Heavens

“My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” Psalm 108:1-5

I love it when the Lord brings life to His Word. This morning while I was waiting for my tea kettle to warm up I decided to run what little garbage we had left over in the kitchen out to the garbage can before the garbage truck came. As I was walking to the curb I looked up into clear dark sky and noticed all the beautiful stars. I eventually got my tea and settled into my comfortably chair in my office to start my day with the Lord. The first scripture passage I read was Psalm 108 which included the above verses about God’s steadfast love being so great it reaches above the heavens.

As I read this passage I was reminded about the beautiful stars I just saw. It also reminded me about the first and only time I saw the Milky Way Galaxy. As I lay on the ground looking up at it I began to feel very small compared to the vastness of the universe. And yet, here I read in this scripture passage that I am not so small that God’s love and faithfulness can’t reach me. His love is greater and higher than the heavens. His faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. His glory is over the whole earth!

The Third Day song, “Your Love Oh Lord”, came to mind:

“Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean’s tide
I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings”

I immediately grabbed my iPods (I’m up so early that I didn’t want to wake the hubby) and listened to this song. It is a song I want to share with you so you can worship the Lord today. Take the time to thank Him for His steadfast love and faithfulness.

https://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=90BC21NU

God’s Grace is Enough

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

I took this picture on the way home from Spokane the day after the fires started. Halfway home we got stuck in a 2 hour delay waiting to go over the Columbia River. As we inched our way closer to the bridge I noticed this tree in the middle of the hill. I was struck by how green it was compared to the dried out land it resided upon and the smoke filled air around it. Despite its surroundings this tree was finding a way to survive its harsh environment. 

There have been times in my life where I haven’t fully understood and still struggle with understanding that God’s grace is enough for me. Many of these times are when I’m going through challenging seasons. Seasons where I’m not sure I can survive intact. Seasons that feel hopeless and exhausting. This morning, Nicky Gumbel, the author of my devotional, said something that stood out to me, “His [God’s] grace is not only amazing; it is ‘sufficient’. It is enough.”

‘It is enough’ . . . For some reason the word, ‘enough’, made more sense than the word, ‘sufficient’. They really mean the same thing. Sufficient is defined as: “having or providing as much as is needed: ENOUGH.” Enough is defined as, “equal to what is needed” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). God’s grace is enough for us. Yet, I know this is hard to grasp when we’re deeply struggling. How can God’s grace be enough or sufficient for us when He’s allowing us to continue to struggle?

Let’s take a look at the verses before our focus scripture passage to see how this is possible. Paul writes in verses 7b-8, “Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. ⁸ Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me.”

Paul prayed three times for God to remove this ‘thorn in the flesh’ of his and God refused to do so. Have you ever felt like Paul begging the Lord to remove you from your challenging season? I know I’ve felt this way. I prayed countless times for the Lord to heal me of my first cancer so I wouldn’t have to go through treatment. I prayed this before each diagnostic test leading up to treatment praying that the scans or bloodwork would show that there would be no sign of cancer. A miracle healing!

Wouldn’t that have been amazing? But it isn’t what happened. Each prayer seemed to go unanswered in the way I wanted it to be answered. I didn’t want to go through the challenges of treatment. To fill my body with toxic medication that would strip me of my hair, strength and health. It truly felt like cancer was my own flesh thorn and it was apparent that God had chosen to leave it where it was. I wrestled with this throughout that challenging year. I grieved for my health, my hair, feeling sick and unable to care for my children the week after my infusions. I was often angry and resentful that it seemed as if God was choosing for me to experience things I didn’t want in my life.

Something interesting happened to me that year. God showed me who He was in an amazing way. He didn’t release me through a miracle healing but He showed up for me every day. He was with me in when I struggled with my darkest fears. He was with me in the infusion chair as the nurses hooked me up to toxins that would make me sick and forever change my body. He counted every lost hair on my head. In time I stopped fighting the path He wanted me on and accepted it as His plan. Once I released my control on what I wanted I experienced a supernatural peace that I’ve never experienced before.

His grace was enough for me.

His grace was enough for me when a different cancer flesh thorn returned 20 years later. I did pray for healing but I also knew that God doesn’t always heal in miraculous ways. Sometimes He heals through treatments I would rather avoid. As soon as I was told I had cancer I immediately felt that supernatural peace flow over me. I didn’t fight it or strive for that miracle healing. This doesn’t mean I didn’t cry and go through the grieving process. I wasn’t happy camper knowing I had to battle another cancer. But I knew God’s grace was enough for me the first time and would be enough for me the second time.  

My flesh thorn may be different than yours but the emotions these flesh thorns bring into our lives are similar. Nicky Gumbel pointed something out to me that I never thought of before. He said, “Dr Paula Gooder, who wrote her PhD thesis on these verses, says that there are at least thirty-six theories about what the thorn in Paul’s flesh could be. The fact that we do not know what it is enables us all to identify with Paul.“ I take comfort in knowing that God, through Paul’s experience, understands what I went through. Paul’s suffering and not being healed makes his words (which are really God’s Word) more impactful. I’m not sure my life would have been changed like it has been had I been miraculously healed. I don’t know if I would have developed a more intimate relationship with God had I been miraculously healed. I don’t know if I would rely upon God as much had I been miraculously healed. My cancers make me reliant on God in a way that I didn’t realize I needed.

I don’t need to strive and control my cancer flesh thorn because God’s grace is enough. This isn’t to say that I don’t struggle, feel fearful, angry and frustrated over it. I maintain my health and keep up with follow up tests and appointments to make sure there is still no evidence of disease. But I’m also realistic in knowing that the cancer very well may come back. That thought keeps me striving not for my own understanding or reliance or the wisdom of human understanding. Rather it keeps me striving for an eternal focus and hope in the future God has already planned for me.

Again, this isn’t easy especially when suffering is involved. It’s hard when life isn’t fair and you know your life may end before you desire it to end or be filled with challenges. But one thing I know and have experienced because of my flesh thorn is that God’s grace is always enough even if I can’t feel or see it in the moment. God’s grace is ever present. It is sufficient to meet our needs today and the river that flows from this grace will never run dry. It will meet us in our most vulnerable moment in ways that we can never imagine. When I researched this verse I came across a good summary from The Bible Hub, “Jesus told Paul—and tells us—that His grace already matches every need. Our weaknesses are not obstacles; they are openings for Christ’s perfected power.“

Jesus promises that His, “grace is sufficient for you.”

Smell of Sheep

“He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; ⁷¹ from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. ⁷² With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” Psalm 78:70-72

This morning something a quote by Pope Francis to the spiritual leaders of the church stood out to me during my devotional reading on the passage above. He said they were to ‘be shepherds living with the smell of the sheep’. What it means to be a shepherd living with the smell of sheep?

I think before we jump ahead to the scripture passage of my focus today we need to first look into the rest of Psalm 78. Palms 78 reminds us of the history of the Israelites. How God called for them to not repeat their past history of disobedience and following after other gods. It goes on to list several ways that they disobeyed and how God was merciful to them. It a nutshell, it is a spiritual lesson plan provided to future generations: how faith, forgetfulness and redemption plays out in all our lives.

We know that God chose David to be the shepherd over His people. But before he became King he was a shepherd boy who tended his father’s sheep. This first job of his was the perfect job for preparing him to be King. I did a little research into a shepherd boy’s job and discovered that it’s a job we can pull a lot of spiritual insights out of. All the shepherding information I got is from Ancient Hebrew Research Center.

According to this website, shepherding was the task of youngest boy in the family. It seems as if this was the less important role compared to all the other roles of earning an education and managing the land. Shepherding was a physically demanding job that involved long hours. Because the shepherd boy was required to live among the sheep he spent many hours in isolation. At the same time the shepherd boy learned to be responsible and gained knowledge in the care of livestock.

A shepherd had many tools to use to do his job well:

Garments: Shepherds worse a “simple tunic of cotton that is girded around his body by a leathern girdle, and his outer garment, called aba, is often of camel’s hair.” This outer garment kept him warm and could be used as a blanket.

Bag: A shepherd carried a bag which was made of dried skin. Within this bag he would carry his food. David placed his five smooth stones in his own bag when he prepared to battle Goliath.

Rod: The shepherd’s rod was used for protection as well as to count and inspect the sheep.

Staff: The shepherd’s staff was a stick that was about five to six feet long. It was often used like a walking stick as well as for handling and protecting the sheep.

Sling: The sling was used to defend against robbers and wild animals. It could also be used to throw stones alongside sheep to startle them when they were wandering off or going in the wrong direction. David used his sling to kill Goliath.

Flute: The shepherd’s flute was, “A dual-piped flute of reed is generally carried by the Arab shepherd. It is true that minor strains of music come from this flute, but the heart of the shepherd is stirred, and the sheep of the flock are refreshed by the invigorating music that comes from this simple instrument.”

A shepherd’s job was to care and provide for his sheep:

Food: During the springtime he would graze the sheep in the green pastures near his home. We know that harvesters were to leave whatever leftover grain lying around from their harvest to feed the poor. What I didn’t know is that after the poor gathered what they needed that the shepherds were allowed to bring their flocks in to feed off of whatever was left over. In the winter the shepherd was responsible for finding food by going out and cutting down green leaved branches or twigs. Another interesting fact is that if their flock was small they would stable them within their house.

Water: Since sheep are afraid of drinking water out of streams that move quickly, a shepherd would keep an eye out for pools of water. This would be a quiet place for anxious sheep to drink. When the water was dried up in the summer, the shepherd would use wells. This means that they’d have to spend time removing large rocks that covered the well before taking pail after pail of water out to water their sheep.

The Sheepfold: Sheep folds were a fenced in area with only one entrance that the shepherd could guard. They would often have to build temporary folds when they were far away from home. Folds built out of rude bowers and tangled thorn bushes.

This information was really good in helping remind me of my own sheep-ness and how to treat my fellow sheep.

We are all like sheep. No one is immune to being like a sheep who is prone to wander and in need of constant care. Jesus knew this about us and said in Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus is our Good Shepherd and said:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

“So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7).

This last truth about Jesus our Good Shepherd is one I feel is important for my devotional thought today, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16).

Jesus knows there are other sheep in this world who don’t know Him. He desires to bring them into His sheep fold so they can enjoy living under His care. This is why we should be sheep that draw other sheep to the Good Shepherd. In many ways we are also little shepherds who should take the time to live amongst the sheep living without a sheep fold. Sheep who are following after unworthy and untrustworthy shepherds who are leading them to false green pastures and towards waters that seem still on top but have a riptide current below.

In order to lead other sheep to the sheep fold of Jesus we can’t separate ourselves from the sheep that don’t smell or live like we do. We need to be the hands and feet of Jesus by showing them where the true still waters and green pastures can be found. We need to be a part of their lives and spend time with them to show them who Jesus is and eventually how to find spiritual food. 

In order to live amongst sheep that are different than us we must be spiritually prepared. We need to have the security of knowing God’s Word. It is His Word that we carry in our spiritual bag so we can take in spiritual nourishment on a daily basis. We use what we learn from God’s Word to gain spiritual tools to defend ourselves against Satan’s attacks. We worship the Lord to not only praise and thank Him but to refresh our soul.

We may be the only ones who can reach certain sheep. If we don’t spend time with them then how will they get to know who the Good Shepherd is? I think of Paul, whom God called to share the Gospel message of Jesus to the Gentiles (people who were not Jewish) and how Jewish leaders and people tried to prevent him from doing so in Acts 22. Paul was persecuted because he was witnessing to the Gentiles. What if Paul had not reached out to the Gentiles? Anyone who has isn’t of Jewish heritage wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn about Jesus. Paul’s willingness to live amongst the lost sheep changed the course of history including my own history.

My prayer this week is that we wouldn’t forget how faith, forgetfulness and redemption has played a roll in our own lives. To take what we know and share these things with those who don’t know Jesus. I pray that we’ll love and care for others like Jesus does. To be willing to protect them from the wolves of this world. Let us widen our sheep fold!

Life Giving Thoughts

“We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God, In the midst of Your temple.” Psalm 48:9

The Lord has been working on my thought life the past year. Teaching me to uproot untrue thoughts and replanting them with His Word. Today I focused on God’s love or His conditional covenant love for us.

Lovingkindness in this verse is translated to the Greek word hesed. The BibleHub helped me understand this word, “The Hebrew word ‘חֶסֶד’ (hesed) is often rendered in English as ‘loving devotion,’ ‘steadfast love,’ ‘mercy,’ or ‘kindness.’ In the Berean Standard Bible, ‘hesed’ is frequently translated as ‘loving devotion’ (for instance, Psalm 136:1, ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever.’). The term encompasses the ideas of enduring commitment, covenant loyalty, benevolence, and deep compassion. Rather than being limited to emotional kindness or favor, ‘hesed’ indicates a dependable, faithful, and often sacrificial love-one that persists despite circumstances. It implies the unwavering reliability and gracious action of the one who shows “hesed,” most prominently illustrated by God’s covenant faithfulness toward His people.”

I am often felt discouraged as I watch the world twist this idea of God’s love or even love between two people. That is why I was thankful for the reminder that God’s love for me is faithful, dependable, unwavering, steadfast, sacrificial and kind. The love of our majestic and almighty God will never change even if our circumstances change. It is a love that we can always come back to if we choose to wander far from Him. It is a love that is full of forgiveness when we ask for His forgiveness.

This verse tells us that God is in our mist in His temple. This was important in the Old Testament because it was the one place people could go to be in the presence of God. This was a substitute for the Garden of Eden where God was very much present with Adam and Eve. But sin broke that closeness and placed a divide between man and God. We see in Psalm 48 that God is creating something beautiful out of man’s rebellion. He is providing for the people to be near Him once again. It is where the people could find God.

I am thankful that we are in the history of redemption. Dane C. Ortlund explains it better than I could, “. . . the building of the temple, so represented God’s presence that they could vertically be called God. Consider where you and I are now in the redemptive history. God came to earth in the person of His Son, who called himself the temple (John 2:19-22) and who said that believing sinners are united to him and become part of this temple (Ephesians 2:19-22) . . . God does not simply dwell among you, in some special building. He dwells in you. He could not be closer. You are never alone” (Taken from ‘In The Lord I Take Refuge’ devotional page 135-136).

In many ways thoughts are like choosing life and death. When I choose to dwell in the midst of untruths I’m choosing to walk down a path that leads to negative thoughts (shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, sadness, unworthiness, anger . . . . . ). But if I choose to uproot those untruth weeds and replant them with the truth of God’s Word I am choosing to walk down the path that leads to life (joy, peace, grace, salvation, forgiveness, security . . . . ). It is a path that reminds me of who God is and how He has provided a way for me to experience every good thing that comes from having Jesus as my Lord and Savior. This doesn’t mean bad things don’t happen. Or that I don’t experience those negative thoughts. What it does mean is that I take action to build habits of changing those thoughts quickly by running to the feet of Jesus.

Moses told the Israelites the same thing before his death in Deuteronomy 30:11-30. He reminded them that His Word (commandments) are in the hearts of the people and they should be obeyed, “But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it” (verse 14). He encourages them to walk in the ways God calls them to walk and to love God, “If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it” (verse 16). He also warns them what happens if they choose to disobey Him, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days” (verses 19-20).

Nicky Gumbel says of this, “This choice starts with your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Each day, choose life-giving thoughts.”

Today, we don’t have to go to church to feel God’s presence. I’m not suggesting that we stop going to church because corporate worship is vital to our spiritual health. But because of what Jesus did for us at the cross we can now feel His presence with us every moment of the day and night. All we do is have to cry out to Him and He’ll remind us that He is with us.

How are you going to choose life giving thoughts today?