Success!
Commitment
“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
(Proverbs 16:3)
If any of you reading this devotional have worked in education or mentored young people, you’re probably familiar with the feeling of discouragement that comes from pouring into a young person (or in my case, a student) and seeing what appears to be the fruit of all your labor shriveling up.
For me, to name just a few memories, it looked like working closely with a student the entire year to help them get a passing grade only for them to give up the last few weeks of school and fail my class. One time it was coaching a student through frequent instances of poor classroom behavior only for there to be no obvious improvement the entire school year. Another time I built a strong relationship with a student that broke down when I held them accountable for poor behavior or a poor choice they made because they couldn’t handle constructive criticism. Another time it looked like helping a student (whose environment largely set them up for failure) begin to flourish in their academics only for them to do drugs at school one day and get expelled, with their choices taking them beyond my sphere of influence where I could no longer support them.
It’s times like this when Proverbs 16:3 gently reminds me that even if I get horribly discouraged by my efforts to help students flourish, I can rest in God’s sovereign plan for each and every student I feel I couldn’t reach or that committed self-sabotage. Maybe I couldn’t personally help them change or maybe I can’t see the impact I made on them, but that doesn’t mean I should stop trying, because God is beside me through all my “failures,” working, moving and guiding.
This is also when I have to remember the valuable but hard lesson that as a teacher, sometimes I’m not even planting seeds with my students, I’m really just preparing the soil for them. The wonderful thing about being a Christian is that I can rest in a bigger plan outside my own efforts, and trust that God is working even when all I can see looks like a hot mess or complete failure. I am so grateful to be reminded that what we see is not the whole story!
Ashley Carr
High School Teacher
He Who Weighs My Inmost Being
Proverbs 16:2
Recently I’ve heard a question float around my circle of peers. “Would you rather be well known or known well?” It’s a deep enough question to warrant personal consideration. Given the rampancy of social media within my generation, the ability to connect with as many people as you want has never been easier. However, convenience often breeds shallow relationships. For many of my friends, it’s very easy to be “well known,” that is to be known by a wide pool of people. On the other hand, I’ve seen so many people my age, including myself, struggle with a deeper sense of intimacy. We long for deeper connection, yet cannot get past the “hey-how’s-it-goings” with our acquaintances. The deepest parts of our hearts cry for attention, yet rarely receive such care. There is someone who gives such care, should we receive it, the God who weighs my inmost being.
“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.” Proverbs 16:2 (ESV)
Many of us have read at least some of King Solomon’s collection of proverbs. We’ve experienced how his words have led countless children of God to a life of wisdom and deeper understanding of our Lord. Here, we learn a great duality between God and man. We all make plans. We all try to do things the right way. God, on the other hand, sees our hearts. Our God provides the attention to our souls that we long so deeply for. In our Heavenly Father, we find the purest satisfaction of being fully seen and fully known. He alone looks into the deepest parts of us, acknowledging us in a way no one else can. Have you ever wished in times of heartbreak and isolation to be embraced in the arms of a warm friend? Have you ever hoped someone would celebrate your biggest victories with you? Have you ever wanted someone to burn with the same passion to avenge the deep suffering and pain you’ve seen or felt? Our God, YHWH, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, three in one, He is there, feeling, rejoicing, and enduring it with and within you. Before you came into the world, He knew you. He knows you now, better than anyone else does. (Jeremiah 1:5)
I must warn you though, to receive the full attention of God is to also receive His full judgment. He weighs our spirit, meaning not only does He acknowledge you, but He determines your moral standing before Him. As our loving Creator and perfect judge, He is entitled to that. Not everyone is willing to accept that, but here is the truth.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV)
We will all stand bare before our creator at some point, with nothing but our deeds to prove our innocence or guilt. Our works will either withstand fire or be burnt up in condemnation. None of it will save us, though. None of it will catch up to the extent we’ve strayed from God. There is no amount of work that a man can boast of that can save him. Thankfully, our God is just. He does not judge as we judge. His ways are higher. He proves this by His grace in Jesus. Though I am convicted before the Judge, my sentence is mercy and blessing. The reimbursements for my worst offenses are the finest clothes, a ring on my finger, and a warm embrace. I am seen, I am judged and I stand condemned. Nevertheless, I am held. It is truly an immeasurable, incomparable joy to be known and known well by the One who weighs my inmost being. Amen.
Jared Benjamin Graf
Young Adults Intern
There’s Two Sides to Every Story
There are two sides to every story. It’s just a fact. But it’s not about “sides”, it would be more accurately stated as “there are two perspectives to every story.” When we are angry with someone, or when we are really in pursuit of a result, this fact can be really frustrating. We want our way, or our outcome because in our perspective it is what is good or right. We may say or state something as a fact because through our eyes it is a fact. But many times we are seeing things from our own version of reality. Seeing things from someone else’s perspective can actually cause us to see something different and give us much more insight.
Many times as parents or adults we lay down a decision. It makes sense, we are usually in charge and we have the insight to make a well-informed choice. Believe it or not, when our kids were little and we were discussing a decision in regards to them, we would encourage them to share their perspectives with us. They had to be respectful as they shared, but they were given the opportunity to speak into what was happening in regards to them. There were definitely multiple times their perspective was eye-opening and contributed to the final decision.
Proverbs 16:2a says, “all the ways of man are pure in his own eyes,” Can we take a moment and acknowledge the verse that says “pure in our own eyes”. Our own limited perspective is what we are seeing things through. But we are human and have limits. That means that we can’t see what God sees. We have a limited and short perspective in light of eternity. Our heavenly Father has a much bigger, eternal, and perfect perspective. As we live life and view it through our lens we are seeing through foggy glasses at best, and that is why we must trust the direction and decision of our heavenly Father.
We may have good intentions or insight about something, but our hearts are limited and we battle sin and that condition of our humanness taints what we see and do. So when we step out, we must be willing to allow God to have His perfect way because He sees what we cannot. He sees where our limited perspective is lacking. When we are prideful and not willing to accept God’s direction and leading we are set for ruin and for missing out on His perfect plan.
God uses a variety of ways to help us see another side of the story. He uses His word to show us the verse we need to read. He uses the people in our lives to speak into a circumstance. He uses a situation to reveal to us a new way or direction.
My hope is that we will always be willing to see all sides or perspectives to a story so we don’t miss out on God’s blessing in our lives.
Blessings as you love and serve with great purpose,
Bonnie Nichols
Women’s Ministry Specialist
Plans
"To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue." Proverbs 16:1
Upon looking up the meaning of the last part of this verse, I found it simply means that God has the final say. This reminded me of the passage in James…
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
James 4:13-15
If the stuff you want to do, the stuff you dream about, doesn’t line up with God’s plan; you’re wasting your effort and time. When your hope is met with a “no”, hope takes a hit and your ambition wavers. One might say to seek his “yes” first and go from there.
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
Proverbs 13:12
The Lord doesn’t have to tell us his plans, in fact he often doesn’t tell us at all. Instead of us waiting around for a miraculous sign, we are to step out in faith knowing the Lord is on our side. He is our good Father and based on our growing knowledge of who he is, we can have hope and confidence.
Ultimately, human ambition says, ”I want more”. Godly ambition says, I want more of what God has for me. We tend to believe God has less for us than we could get ourselves. Insidious lies, indeed! God’s plan is often different from our original plans, but it’s guaranteed to be infinitely better.
Jonathan Duncan
Heart Words
Matthew 12:33-37
Have you ever said something and as the words came out of your mouth, you wished you could put them right back in? Sometimes it is a joke that maybe you should not have said, maybe something hurtful to someone else, or an unintentional comment that just slipped out. Whatever the reason, our words matter, they matter to the people around us and Jesus teaches us how important our words are. Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:34 that “...the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” When we understand our words are a reflection of our heart, our use of language changes.
I remember thinking in junior high cussing was cool. They said words in movies and older kids I looked up to would cuss, so I thought cussing must be needed. Fortunately, I had some great junior high leaders who helped me realize my words and my heart were tied together. They lived and spoke in a manner that did not reflect vipers, but reflected Jesus.
When we take time to walk with Jesus we see how what is stored up in our hearts flows out of our mouths. So, here is a question to think about for a moment, what is stored up in your heart?
I spoke to a friend the other day who told me how he came down on his son too harshly and as we talked, he told me he was raised in the same way and he didn't like it. He did not mean for the words to cut his son deeply, but they did. In that moment, the hurt he had from his childhood came out. The same day I also witnessed a few people enjoying the bond of friendship and how their encouragement built each other up.
So what is stored up in your heart? What do you need to confess and let go of, what do you need to weed out that has taken root, what do you need more of, what fills up your heart with love and grace? All these things matter and I want to encourage you to take a few minutes today to think about your answers. Where you need help definitely go to God, he loves you. We are here as well, just let us know and we are happy to talk and pray.
Pastor Jeremy
Silent Wisdom
“It’s hard to listen when you’re the one doing the speaking.” This statement may seem simple, yet its truth is profoundly deep. Speaking does not only mean verbally uttering words. Have you ever been so passionate about what you want to say that you completely ignore the person who is speaking while you formulate your next point in your head; ready to wow your audience, only to find that while you were planning your speech, you completely missed the point of what the speaker was saying? I think we’ve all been there.
Proverbs 17:27-28 says, “The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” James reiterates this message in chapter 1, verses 19-20 of his book, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
Staying quiet and knowing when to speak, both correlate to wisdom and refraining from anger. Getting angry, or being “passionate” does not bring about the righteousness of God. More than likely it will just irritate the other person to the point of totally tuning us out. The Psalmist communicates that even a fool can be wise when he holds his tongue! According to author Paul Tripp, “Foolishness is a rejection of our basic nature as human beings. We were never created to be our own source of wisdom. We were designed to be revelation receivers, dependent on the truths God would teach us, and applying those truths to our lives. We were created to base our interpretations, choices, and behavior on his wisdom.” Could it be in our silence, and when we refrain from jumping in with our own grand solutions, God is patiently saying, “Listen to me. I have so much guidance and wisdom I long for you to receive… but you must listen.”
Sometimes words are beneficial, but what if instead, we offered them in the form of a question rather than a statement? We may act as if a friend, co-worker, child or spouse needs our wisdom and expertise. Yet if we genuinely desire what is best for those we love, helping them discover truth through a question that prompts them to hear God’s voice for themselves could go far beyond any quippy, wise statement we may offer.
What wisdom is God offering to you today? Do you need to say less? Listen more? Ask questions rather than make statements? Wisdom awaits. It is our choice whether or not to receive.
Lynette Fuson
Care & Counseling Director
Deep Impact
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
Speak Life
When I started teaching, during the school week I lived with dear friends who opened their home to me so I could save on rent. While living there, I remember getting up for my first day of teaching; I barely slept the night before, and was a hot mess of nerves as I got ready to meet my students for the first time. I kept fighting thoughts like, “They’re going to eat me alive. Today is going to be awful. I’m going to fail miserably.”
I came down the stairs, shaky and sick to my stomach, to find my friends’ mom, Rowyda, having her quiet time in the living room. She came up to me with some scratch paper she’d written on and said, “I felt God wanted me to tell you this. You’re going to do great today!”
I looked at the paper as my hand shook, and read, “I have prepared you, my daughter–trust me!” I can’t remember at the time if I cried, but just recalling the comfort of those words as I write this seven years later brings tears to my eyes. I didn’t stop being afraid, and things didn’t get magically easier, but what Rowyda wrote to me from God that day comforted me so much, that words still can’t describe how life-giving they were to me. It was exactly what I needed to hear, and that day, Rowyda infused me with life in a way I’ll never forget.
I’m sure if I asked you to share a moment in your life when someone spoke a word over you, you could think in an instant of a word you’ll never forget because it was so formative to you. Maybe it changed the trajectory of your entire life, or sealed a crucial decision or cemented a way of seeing yourself. The unfortunate truth is that probably many of you have words spoken that you’ll never forget because of how hurtful they were. I have a friend from college who says he can’t cry in public to this day because his father told him (just once!), “Men don’t cry.”
We can all remember times in our life when people spoke life–or death–over us. Words that set us off to succeed and flourish or words that tore us down so we couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. Let us never underestimate the power of our words, and speak life, dear brothers and sisters!
Ashley Carr
High School Teacher
The Whisper
“God spoke the universe into existence with four words “Let there be light.” His first recorded words! Without light, there is nothing, no vision, no food, no health, no energy! Light is the alpha and omega of everything, including you.” (Paraphrased from “Whisper” by Mark Batterson) Those four words spoken in the beginning are still creating galaxies on the outer edges of the universe. God revealed himself first as Creator with His all-powerful, and all-loving voice. Creation is God’s masterpiece and the brush He used was a whisper of four words.
I think we can all agree that God’s words are powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword…as we’re told in Hebrews 4:12, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (NIV)
But God gave us a voice too, and for what purpose? Ephesians 4:12 tells us it is so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (NIV)
Our voices are unique to us, and God is creative in how he wants us to use them to advance his kingdom. Our voice is a gift not based on our merit, but for God’s purposes. Your voice is powerful. It can be used for good or for evil. Be strategic with it. Pray for God’s wisdom and discernment in situations where your words can make a difference.
I love this verse from Psalm 19 that the Lord gave to me in a song this morning. Verse 14 in the NIV says, May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock, and my Redeemer. The ESV and others say “acceptable” but I love the idea that I can please the Lord, my Rock, and Redeemer, with my words and the meditation of my heart. The opposite can also be true, and that is a hard reality that I need to be reminded of even as I write this.
Let’s pray that our words come from clean hearts and reflect God's love, mercy, and grace. May all we say and do bring Him honor and glory. Amen.
Deb Hill
