Today’s Truth

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

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Isn’t it something how we may think we understand a certain truth or concept and then God drives it deeper into our souls? He is profoundly wise in the way that He teaches us the secrets of the Kingdom. He unveils truth to the degree that we’re ready to receive it, believe it, and walk in it.

I’ve recently begun to understand—on a deeper level—that though God cares about my choices, He does not owe me the outcome that I expect to result from my choices. Plain and simple, He is my master. He decides how my life will go. My efforts (in every area of life) are an offering to the Lord. They’re not a factor in an equation that guarantees a certain outcome.

Whatever we do, we must do it as unto God, trusting Him to take our offering and multiply it according to the need of the moment and according to His perfect will in His perfect time. Outcomes are in His hands.

People (including our children, spouses, friends, bosses, etc.), have a free will to choose as they will. And God, in His sovereignty works all things together for the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).

Once the offering (of raising our kids, loving our spouses, serving our bosses, etc.) leaves our hands, we must remember that we cannot control the outcome. But we can rest and trust knowing that God treasures every seed we sow, every offering we bring, and every prayer that we pray.

When we even begin to think that our efforts guarantee a certain outcome in the lives of others, we put ourselves above God, for even He does not exert His will in another’s life without their invitation.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Outcomes and Offerings →

Today’s Truth

The LORD is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul.

Psalm 23:1-3

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We once had an Australian cattle dog named Dallas. Australian cattle dogs are extremely loyal to a master of their choice. Dallas chose our son Jered to be his master. When Jered came home from school each day, Dallas would greet him at the door and follow him wherever he went. If Jered did homework in his room, Dallas curled under the desk. When Jered ran an errand, Dallas rode shotgun. Dallas instinctively knew that the only place he would find genuine rest was at the feet of his master. The same is true in our lives. But … I am not very good at this rest thing.

Life is so daily and often filled with uncertainty, a reality that can make me very nervous. I want to know what the plan is and how that plan is going to be implemented. Details! I need details!

Instead, God calls me to leave the details up to Him and rest. I don’t want to rest. When I rest, I feel guilty. I have places to go, people to see, and important things to do.

But I hear the quiet whisper of the One who knows me best and loves me most, “Mary, it is time to rest.” I have tried to ignore that whisper more times than I care to admit, but it is only a temporary maneuver on my part.

The Lord is my Shepherd and is well acquainted with the antics of stubborn sheep like me. He will lovingly make me lie down in green pastures and firmly lead me beside quiet waters. Why? He wants to refresh my soul. He wants me to experience the peace that can only be found at His feet.

Rest is not really an option. It is a spiritual discipline that we need to make a spiritual habit in our life.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Will You Please Give It a Rest? →

Today’s Truth

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

1 Peter 5:6

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In my spare time I help coach our high school volleyball team. Let me rephrase that, because I do not have spare time. Three months a year I choose to invest daily in the lives of young female athletes who play volleyball at the high school where my children attend.

One of the games we play in practice is called Queen of the Court, the goal of which is simple: gain and keep the lead. Dominate. Be the best and protect your turf at all costs. Serve more aggressively, pass more accurately, set more strategically, and hit harder than your opponents. It is a fast-paced drill of skill where only the strong survive.

My life sometimes feels like a game of Queen of the Court.

I strive, set goals, create a game plan, and execute the strategy. I long to be my best (a good thing), but at times my goal changes from wanting to experience all of God’s best for me to wanting to be THE best (not so good). Look at me, everyone! Check out my people, my position, my possessions, my trophies-of-greatness…

I have to check my heart.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Should You Strive For Greatness? →

Today’s Truth

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

Proverbs 11:3

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On a recent flight, I was thumbing through a magazine someone left behind when the title of an article caught my eye. “Image is everything” the author declared. For a few seconds, I found myself actually agreeing with the author’s statement.

And then the Holy Spirit whispered, “Attitude check!” I knew what that meant. I needed to straighten up and pay attention because something was wrong. And then I saw it – the subtle lie expertly hidden in the seemingly benign words. It was from the pit and smelled like smoke!

As followers of Christ, we sometimes focus on developing and presenting the right image while neglecting the spiritual discipline of integrity. What we wear, how we look, the people we know, or even how big we can grow our ministry platform gets in the way of loving God, serving God, and becoming more like God.

Oh, friend, Satan is one sneaky dude! But remember that he is the Father of lies. It is his native language, and he speaks it well. Do not miss these two very important truths about integrity.

Our public lives are only as authentic as our private lives.

Image is who and what people think we are, while integrity is who and what we really are.

Billy Graham once said, “Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, all is lost.”

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Attitude Check →

Today’s Truth

As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

2 Chronicles 20:22

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They were surrounded, outnumbered. Anyone could see it was only a matter of time.

A “vast army” closed the distance on God’s people. A cloud of dust swirled, kicked up by the boots of a thousand of angry warriors. White with fear, witnesses ran to King Jehoshaphat with warning.

The news no doubt caused parents to pull children closer and whisper about ways of escape. The Bible said even King Jehoshaphat—a warrior himself—was “alarmed.” Even so, rather than rouse his generals and arm his men, Jehoshaphat turned his face to God and prayed.

“‘O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.’” (2 Chronicles 20:6, 12)

For years I’ve marveled at Jehoshaphat’s immediate response in crisis. I’m a “get it done” girl. When faced with a problem, I get right to work, try to fix it, resolve it, and make the problem go away. But pray? Sometimes prayer feels too flimsy for a real life crisis.

Jehoshaphat knew otherwise. The best preparation he could make was of the praying kind. Thus, he called men, women and children to circle up. There wasn’t much time, but there was time enough to pray. Food was refused and knees were bent, until God spoke. And He did speak:

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s … You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.” (vs. 15, 17)

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – A Joyful Offense →

Today’s Truth

Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’

John 8:10

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A four-year-old girl was overheard reciting the Lord’s Prayer, “and forgive us our trash baskets, as we forgive those who pass trash against us.” When I first heard that story, I smiled. Then I thought of a conversation I had had recently with a girlfriend.

She is a Christian friend. But though she has “emptied her trash basket” of sin before the Lord in sincere repentance, she has not emptied it of self-condemnation. Not completely. She holds the trash basket lid on tightly.

She is haunted by shame. Haunted by mistakes that are no longer remembered by a holy God. Haunted by sins that have been cast as far as the east is from the west.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. (Psalm 103:11-13)

These memories haunt her regularly like a spine-chilling horror film monster. As much as she would like to move forward in forgiveness, she just can’t find the courage to scare the monster away.

In the New Testament book of John, chapter 8, we meet a woman caught in the act of adultery. The legalistic teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought her before Jesus. They publicly humiliated her in front of all the town’s people, saying to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (John 8:4-5)

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – When Mercy Meets Messy →

Today’s Truth

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Proverbs 4:25–27

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Girl, please believe me when I tell you that I really didn’t mean to do it. Even saying it out loud feels a combination of mortifying and wholly embarrassing. It was just one quick glance sideways that ended up monopolizing my entire flight with something fruitless.

From the moment I sat down in 18C, my eyelids felt heavy. I’m pretty sure I was asleep before the plane even lifted into the air. The lady beside me had seemed friendly enough; she smiled and obliged easily when she had to move so that I could access the window seat. She didn’t say anything, and I was so tired from a week of travel that I didn’t have much to offer by way of conversation right then either. I just needed a quick nap so that I could make it through the rest of the day.

I think I slept for maybe 30 minutes of the two and a half hour flight, and when I woke up, the woman beside me was holding two hearing aids in one hand and an iPad propped straight upwards in the other. It was silent on the plane and I could only hear the constant hum of the engines on either side.

I don’t know why it matters, but I am always a little curious about what the person next to me is reading. Usually with a hard copy of a book it’s easy to get an idea if it’s a John Grisham, Nicolas Sparks, or James Dobson type book. Covers and titles are helpful little tools to get a quick snapshot of another person. It’s a window into their interest and sometimes even to their soul. I like people, and the books we read often speak to pieces of the people that we are.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Someone Else’s Story →

Today’s Truth

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort!

2 Corinthians 1:3

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Tears streamed down my face as I held our seven-year-old grandson, watching him sleep. “Mimi, please lay down with me. Let’s snuggle. I’m so cold,” he asked. I would do anything for this child. He has my heart.

The beeping machines recorded his heart rate, oxygen level … and other vital statistics that simply underscored how sick Justus was. His temperature had risen to 106 but now hovered around 104. The lymph glands in his neck continued to swell to the point that he could not turn his head or open his mouth. Test results confirmed the fact that he had a bacterial infection and a viral infection.

I heard him scream as they tried to draw blood. I held his head when he threw up after trying to take medicine he desperately needed but couldn’t swallow. Our daughter and son-in-law had been by his side day and night and were absolutely exhausted. The doctors kept running tests, trying to identify the specific bacteria causing the infection so they could target it with the right antibiotic.

He had been in the hospital for days … with no answer. The doctors said it was just a matter of time until they found that answer. I. Wanted. It. Now.

And I was angry. God and I had gone a few rounds about the whole situation.

Oh, I know and teach truly believe that trials and hard times are for our good. I am well acquainted with pain and darkness. It is one thing for me to battle the pit of depression or deal with physical pain every minute of every day, but it is a game changer to watch my seven-year-old grandson handle pain and darkness with courage and sheer grace.

I am in awe.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – God’s Got You →

Today’s Truth

The LORD has made the heavens His throne; from there He rules over everything

Psalm 103:19

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I don’t know about you, but my emotions have been all over the board about this upcoming Presidential election. It is so easy to fall into the ravine of worry, anxiety, and outright fear. So let’s just talk about it a minute.

During one of my “less than trusting” days, God reminded me that He is still in control. Yes, God does give us the risky gift of choice, but He is still sovereign and sitting on His throne.

God reminded me of King Cyrus. Jeremiah prophesied that the Babylonians would take the rebellious Israelites captive for seventy years. Years later, that’s exactly what happened. Jerusalem was destroyed and the Israelites were taken captive for seventy years.

Jeremiah also prophesied that God would raise up a Persian King named Cyrus who would conquer the Babylonians and set the Israelites free. One hundred and fifty years later, that’s exactly what happened. The prophet even called him by name … Cyrus. Amazing! In 539 B.C. King Cyrus decreed that the Israelites could return to their homeland and rebuild the temple.

Stay with me.

Here’s the prophesy: “This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him . . . ‘I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me’” (Isaiah 45:1, 4; see also 41:2-25; 42:6). About His sovereignty over all nations, God says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please” (Isaiah 44:28).

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Why I’m Not Worried About the Election →

Today’s Truth

While He was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!’

Matthew 17:5

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It looked like an impossible task – a no way, no how kind of thing. I had no time, waning skills and hardly a resource to actually make it happen.

After all, I am not a star candidate. My follow-through record is usually pretty poor, my attitude often defeated and my belief in myself is hardly at mountaintop levels. How could I actually follow through on what I knew God wanted me to do?

Everything in me wanted to tell God to check the earth for another holy roller and remind Him that He had picked the wrong gal.

And, I nearly did.

I would have if it wasn’t for the other “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) I couldn’t seem to shake (despite my best efforts) to ignore. The one that whispered, “With me, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). You can’t, but I can. Where there is my will, there is a way.”

His Word broke through my hard exterior, to speak life to my interior, asking: Will you choose to believe that I can do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask, think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) or will you believe I can’t?

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – You Really Can Do It With God →

Today’s Truth

I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.

Isaiah 49:15-16

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Have you ever felt alone, scared, angry, confused, and hurt all at the same time? Ever felt like running away from a difficult situation? I have. There was a time when I wanted to run—hard and fast—from life as I knew it.

I was a young mom with three babies that had been born within three and a half years. (A maternal trifecta!) Then, to everybody’s surprise, my husband got a promotion that moved our seedling family across the country to a place where we didn’t know anybody.

I jokingly refer to that time as the “blurry era.” I had two babies in diapers that carried around their blankies, and one “big boy” who was potty training and struggling to say goodbye to his binky. There was always a diaper to change, a mouth to feed, or a mess to clean up.

My days were a blur and my emotions were overloaded.

I was tired 24/7.

Each day, my husband Brad wore a suit, smelled of cologne, and drove to a sleek metropolitan high rise. I wore sweats, smelled of either throw up, baby food, or formula, and stayed home with three little humans who constantly cried, ate, played, made a mess, or slept (but never at the same time).

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – When Life is Blurry →

Today’s Truth

When Jesus saw her, He called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’

Luke 13:12

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Have you ever wondered if God even knows your name? Have you doubted His concern about what you are going through? Have you felt totally alone and worthless? I have. I can really relate to the woman described in Luke 13. Oh, our problems may not be exactly the same, but the feelings and emotions are – and so is the answer.

Jesus knew this woman. He knew she had been sick for 18 long years and that she had tried everything to be healed. He knew – but He looked past her pain and saw who she really was. He could have called her by name, but instead He said, “Woman.” Jesus included her whole identity in that name – her past, present and future. He knew every detail of her life, and He loved her. And just as He loved this broken woman, He loves you.

This woman had been assigned an identity by the relentless illness that plagued her body. Anyone who knew her identified her by that illness. I imagine she felt unwanted and unloved – like a nobody. But when Jesus saw her, He looked at her through different eyes and called her to Himself. With one word from Him, everything changed. All of a sudden, she was somebody.

There she stood, sick and in pain to the point that she was completely doubled over. Imagine what she felt when she realized that Jesus was talking to her. He was calling her – an outcast. And when she heard His voice, she heard the voice of love.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – From a Nobody to a Somebody →

Today’s Truth

Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Psalm 34:5

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If you’ve been around Christian believers for any length of time then you have probably heard people talking about their “life verse.” Having a life verse isn’t a Biblical mandate and it doesn’t make anyone sprout wings of holiness, but it’s a thing. A thing that often redirects us to God’s Word. Which is always good.

Back in the day of Joshua, the people of Israel were led through the Jordan River when the Lord made a miraculous way. After they reached the other side safely, God told the leaders to go back into the water and gather 12 large stones, one to represent each tribe, and to place them by the water’s edge. The stones became a visual reminder of the deliverance that they’d experienced at the hands of God.

Life verses are a remembrance stone of sorts. They are usually a verse that reminds people of Biblical promises or of a special time in their lives when they experienced the powerful presence of God. Sometimes a life verse is a scripture that reminds us not to worry, like Philippians 4:6 – or verses that reminds us of God’s inseparable love, like Romans 8:37-39.

I have more than one life verse {overachiever alert.} One is Psalm 105:4, because it instructs my heart of what is most important. “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.” Love it. I need to remind my heart of which direction it should face.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Put It In Re-verse →

Today’s Truth

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Philippians 4:12

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I once heard a story that offers a great prescription for joy. A young believer came to a man who had followed Christ for many years with the complaint that he had lost his joy. The older and wiser Christian responded, “Go do something for someone else. Repeat that act of kindness nine times. Then you will find joy.”

When we develop the habit of looking for a need and then meeting that need, we will experience joy as never before. Many times, instead of looking for a need, we look the other way.

One of the most amazing paradoxes in the Christian life is that the more we give, the more we receive. We simply cannot out-give God!

In Luke 6:38 we find an amazing promise, “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small – it will be used to measure what is given back to you.”

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Learning to Give Joy Away Part 2 →

Today’s Truth

The prospect of the righteous is joy.

Proverbs 10:28

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We all want to live a joy-filled life – right? But it seems that everyone has their own definition of joy and their own plan for how to experience joy.

A pastor told the story of a lesson he learned when he casually wished one of his older church members a good day. The man remarked, “They’re all good days, Pastor. It’s what we put in them that determines the amount of joy we experience.”

Joy is the deeply rooted confidence that God is in control. When our life is under the control of God, priorities fall into place, life is simpler, and we can experience true joy.

Proverbs 10:28 tells us, “The prospect of the righteous is joy.” In this verse the word “prospect” means to view or to anticipate. The word “righteous” refers to those who have given their lives to Jesus Christ – fully devoted followers of God. To experience joy, God must be the Lord or the boss of our life. As our Lord, He produces joy in us and funnels that joy through us into the lives of others.

Over the next two days, we will examine the life of Paul and the letter he wrote to the church at Philippi. Paul was a simple man, but one who profoundly understood and experienced joy in its truest sense. Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi while he was experiencing brutal circumstances that were anything but joyful. He was in prison, awaiting trial, and facing his own execution. Paul was old, alone, almost blind and in poor health, having suffered severe and constant physical abuse because of his faith in God.

To me, Paul had no earthly reason to be joyful. But here’s the deal. Joy is not an earthly treasure. Joy is a heavenly gift from a loving Father who is committed to the joy of His children. Joy is a “God-thing.”

I love the story of the little girl who misquoted her favorite Bible verse, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever-laughing life.” Exactly! Jesus not only came to give us eternal life, but He also came to give us a life saturated with joy here on earth.

If you are like me, there are many times when I look at myself and wonder how God could possibly love me and why my joy is so important to Him. That thought just rocks my world because He does love me and He does want me to live a life filled with His joy. And He loves you the same way. Why?

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Be a Joy-Giver Part 1 →

Today’s Truth

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

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I can be pretty wimpy sometimes. I thrive on routine, and I don’t like change. Which means I have a difficult time dealing with trials as well. Often times I just simply shut down.

But recently I faced a situation I couldn’t wimp out on. I found out I was pregnant just three months after a traumatizing miscarriage. I was so unbelievably thankful for a baby I could hopefully hold earth side. However, this time I faced different complications, and the news that my baby could likely have disabilities. I found myself driving to a specialist every few weeks, feeling terrified all the time, and honestly, barely functioning.

It all felt like way too much, and I let it completely debilitate me. I didn’t face it with faith, praying and hoping in the Lord. Instead, I worried, and lost sleep, and let everything around me crumble. Yes, I prayed often for the health of my baby, but I didn’t let my faith lead me, I let fear rule my thoughts instead.

And at 29 weeks, after several long months of panic, I was told my baby was 100% healthy.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – When Fear Rules Your Thoughts →