ZECHARIAH: Words to Remember

God’s people faced a daunting task . . . rebuilding the temple.  Their resources were limited, and their motivation waned.  We can relate, as we’ve faced challenges that seem impossible.  Such was the challenge of the Israelites.  They looked forward to the coming of the Messiah and had an earnest desire to be ready.  The job however, was too difficult.

God gave Zechariah perfect words to motivate them, and in those same words we find hope for today: “This is the word of the Lord: . . . ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).

There is nothing we face, nor imagine ever facing, for which these words of the Lord do not apply.  They are ours to remember every day, no matter what.

From Women of Faith Devotional Bible.  Copyright © 2003 (Thomas Nelson, Inc.)  Used by permission.

MALACHI: The Final Prophet

God’s message to His people throughout the Old Testament is punctuated by doom and gloom.  While He consistently encouraged and imparted hope, we become painfully aware that words weren’t working. What His people could not have comprehended was that the next word He spoke to them would be the living Word, His own Son, born of the Father and one with the Father.

Malachi, the final prophet, wrote the last book in the Old Testament confronting the indifference and cynicism of His day.  There is a sense he knows all will be right, but we know what he could not have known: The next time God spoke to His people, it would be a message of grace through His only begotten Son.

From Women of Faith Devotional Bible.  Copyright © 2003 (Thomas Nelson, Inc.)  Used by permission.

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;

He chastens and hastens His will to make known.

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,

Sing praises to His name; He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,

Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;

So from the beginning the fight we were winning;

Thou, Lord, was at our side, all glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,

And pray that Thou still our Defender wilt be.

Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;

Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

(Anonymous Dutch Hymn)

Right about now families and friends across the U.S. (and beyond) are making plans to gather together and celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday (November 28). If you haven’t already, this would be a good time to start listing all the things you have to be thankful for. Write them down and post the list where you can see it. We so easily forget our blessings; it helps to have a reminder. If you...

MICAH: Simple Instructions

The prophets declared doom unendingly.  We don’t know if anyone ever asked, “What exactly does God want from us?”  Had that question been posed then or if it is today, Micah is a great place to go for the answer.  He gives it to us in Micah 6:8“.  He has shown you…what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Those are fairly simple instructions, but absolutely impossible to do unless God Himself empowers us, which is what He does through the ministry of His Holy Spirit.  What a great God we serve!  He tells us what to do then enables us to do it.

From Women of Faith Devotional Bible.  Copyright © 2003 (Thomas Nelson, Inc.)  Used by permission.

The Bible provides us with good examples of folks who patiently persevered, working in the background until they were called center stage to strut their stuff. Why, Moses was so far offstage, it took a burning bush to get him to move in the right direction. Joseph was thrown in prison. He used that time to prepare for God’s call. David was out in the field watching the sheep and learning how to take on lions, tigers, and bears when Samuel came calling to anoint David king.

Gideon was threshing wheat on his farm when an angel popped in for a little visit and an assignment to lead the Israelite army. James and John were fishing when Jesus called them to fish for men.

Moses, David, Gideon, James, and John all remind us that we should go about the business God has appointed for us today—whether that’s tossing out our chipped china saucers, puzzling over a long-lost process (like remembering how to cook), or tending the garden.

The Lord is perfectly capable of finding...

Conflict is inevitable in personal relationships. It is humanly impossible to live in total harmony with others at all times. Jesus told his disciples how to settle disputes between believers (Matthew 18:15–20). Paul resolved his conflict with John Mark, which had developed between the first and second missionary journeys (Acts 15:36–41). John warned Christians not to hate each other (1 John 4:20–21).

The Bible offers several steps to resolving conflict and settling disagreements among people:

1. Scripture admonishes the believer to face the conflict—acknowledge its existence and accept its impact. Christ advised his disciples to go immediately and directly to the person and discuss the grievance (Matthew 18:15). Others should be enlisted to mediate the conflict only if the conflict cannot be resolved one-to-one (Matthew 18:16–17).
2. Scripture instructs the believer to forgive the conflict—to put the disagreement behind and move ahead in harmony once...

Women of Faith - MARK: a Lesson in Focus

His Gospel and his story-telling ability are among my favorites.  Again and again in the Gospel of Mark, he uses the word immediately.  Mark was clearly fascinated by the Man, Christ Jesus.  He paid careful attention to how He lived, what He did, and what was important to Him.  Mark watched Him closely and wrote it all down.  He focused on the Savior as a servant.  We benefit today from his detailed account of the miraculous and marvelous life of our Savior.

From Women of Faith Devotional Bible. Copyright © 2003 (Thomas Nelson, Inc.) Used by permission.

The words of a gossip are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.  Proverbs 18:7-8

This has been difficult to write as I can be a guilty party in gossiping.  I often participate in these harmful conversations with good intentions of understanding a friendship, out of care, or maybe even to vent.  At some point my humanness gets the best of me and I’m not able to control my tongue and pride.

My conversations become prideful by allowing myself to feel more of a wife, mother, friend, or colleague. Or I can feel like the more trusted friend because I was the first to know about something intimate. Or perhaps I just want to be seen as “right” by telling my side of the story. I’m sure there are many other examples. (In our church circles you can even occasionally see this in the guise of praying for each other, having the appearance of godliness in our gossip.)

It’s all a snare. There are many verses on the dangers of...

Faith in God

Here’s a secret: mommy’s beds are powerful. When my kids snuggled in bed with me, colds were cured, bad days got better, tears dried up, and no creepy thing or bump in the night stood a chance! For my kids, life was right in my presence.

Sisters, life is right when we snuggle in God’s presence, too Moses understood this power principle better than anyone; in Exodus 33:15, he said to the Lord, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” In essence, Moses was saying to God: “Daddy, we don’t feel safe without you and we aren’t going to do life without you.” He flat-out refused to leave God’s presence. And so should we.

In our day-to-day lives as women, we feel we have to have the answers, we have to manage our homes, we have to take care of everyone’s needs and, honestly, it’s just too easy to forget that we are God’s child. Moses didn’t forget that there is safety, provision,...