Daily Devotions

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In Days to Come

In days to come, as you walk before God Most High in the light of His Word and trust in Him, may our beneficent Father grant you good times, happy Walkingthrucurtaintimes and times of celebration. May you look to the future expecting to see the goodness of God in your life and the lives of your family. Don’t be defeated by what appears to be on the horizon. Don’t be disheartened by rumors and every story that finds flight on the fancy of someone’s fears or imagination. May our merciful Father God send delightful surprises your way and grant you good times, happy times and times of celebration.  (2Chron.6:41b, Msg) “…let your holy people celebrate goodness…”  We are praying you discover daily God’s goodness working in your life.


 

A Year With Different Conversation

talkfamilypositiveMay your home be filled with different conversation in the year to come—different because you are no longer discussing threats and defeats but hopes and victories.
“Answer my prayers, O True God, the righteous, who makes me right.  I was hopelessly surrounded, and You rescued me.  Once again hear me; hide me in Your favor;  bring victory in defeat and hope in hopelessness.” (Ps.4:1, The Voice)


 

Live Full Lives

0Let us live more than a mere semblance of life, more than a reasonable facsimile thereof. In this coming year, let us rise to the heights that our Lord invites us to and live full lives.
”Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.” (Eph.3:19, Msg)


 

God’s Good Will Touching Earth

miraclebethlehemstarMiracles are begun in grace and perfected in glory.  They start with God’s supernatural enabling and come to complete manifestation through His intent and purpose and timing.  As I wait on God, I shall continue to pray for miracles this Christmas season because the coming of the Christ is still in effect as well as God’s goodwill toward men.  May His presence and power and purpose and timing change your life as His goodwill touches the earth again.
(This is the last excerpt from Kathy Gabler’s article “Christmas Miracles“ taken from Volume 20 Issue 6 of SEEC Magazine.)


 

Extraordinary All Year Long

The Christmas events were extraordinary. Angels were active and interactive with the characters in the event. Persons of high rank got personally angelshepherdsinvolved at great expense. Individuals of lowly birth and lowly means played as important a role as those of higher caste. Divine intervention and protection and wisdom kept the characters in pace and in place. Signs and wonders served to help the characters get into position at just the right time to be supply for Mary and Joseph and the Little One they were privileged to raise up for the saving of a nation.
Let us do far more than delight in the extraordinary events of the Christmas Advent. Let us consider them as that which was initiated to become the ordinary, all year long, for those who would embrace this Extraordinary One born in such an extraordinary way.
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.” (Lk 2:20, Amp)


 

God Working Behind the Scenes

handpullcurtainWaiting on God involves continuing to do what we were born to do instead of deciding to be still and silent in a puddle of disappointment. For the record, I did get past my disinclination to encourage people like Marty had asked me to that Sunday morning and, before midnight, I got two phone calls with reports of undeniable supernatural interventions.  I did not hear about them before Christmas like I had prayed, but both had happened the week before Christmas!  One was financial and one was a granddaughter coming to an incredible God-turn in her life.  I remembered the word of wisdom that started the financial miracle and I knew about that grandmother’s prayer vigil for that particular granddaughter.  So, I realized  before either miracle, there had been a “working of miracles” behind the scenes before anyone saw the actual miracle.
(This is the eighth excerpt from Kathy Gabler’s article “Christmas Miracles“ taken from Volume 20 Issue 6 of SEEC Magazine.)


 

 

Straining or Believing

strainbrainI’m not talking about waiting to the point of a brain strain by trying to “believe” so Tinkerbell’s light will stay on.  As a child I watched the Disney movie, Peter Pan.  In the scene where the fairy’s light of life would go out forever if the audience didn’t “believe,” I felt the challenge and did my part.  Unfortunately, that contaminated my definition of faith and believing and made it a matter of strain and feelings and human achievement.  Waiting on God is about believing God is aware of every part of our lives and refusing to doubt that He is both willing and planning to show Himself powerfully faithful. 
(This is the seventh excerpt from Kathy Gabler’s article “Christmas Miracles“ taken from Volume 20 Issue 6 of SEEC Magazine.)


 

Wait on God

Instead of picking a point to throw our hands up and quit, I’m thinking it might be wiser to expect God to be God and to wait on Him.  Psalm 25 says, I mansitlookupwill wait on God .  That means I will gather all my expectations and twist them into a strong cord and hold on to my confidence that God will have the last word on all matters that concern me.  It also means that I will trudge through disappointment and delays until I get to His results.  That is simple truth that sometimes seems extremely complex to live just because life is so daily.  It is a daily challenge to wait on God and wake up to face sameness without flinching and to outwit reasoning that demands we “get real” and find a livable acre this side of a miracle.  Stress sniffs us out daily when we are waiting on God, and if it gets a grip, it will drag us into emotional fatigue that can lead to weariness in our attitude.  The word says not to be weary in well doing.  Waiting on our faithful God is “well doing,” but if we get snared in weariness, we are liable to faint and miss our awaited God outcome (Gal 6:9).
(This is the sixth excerpt from Kathy Gabler’s article “Christmas Miracles“ taken from Volume 20 Issue 6 of SEEC Magazine.)


 

Miracles Can Require Process

Miracles can require process, like Lazarus.  Dying was part of the process of his miracle!  In John 11, Some thought  “Jesus wept” because He was lazarusraisedgrieving over His friend, but I believe Jesus was weeping over their pain that misunderstanding caused during the process they were experiencing.  He had already said that the result of Lazarus’ sickness would not be death (vs. 4).  When Jesus got to the tomb, He got angry.  Again, I believe He was upset because they were not AWARE that a PROCESS means God is working on a much bigger project than just the lightening moment we need.  They did not know that the resurrection of Lazarus was a demonstration to convince hearts that Jesus was the Christ sent by God as well as a prophetic sign of His own resurrection to come.  Step by step, the resurrection of Lazarus was a crucial miracle that fulfilled a much bigger purpose than the personal need.
(This is the fifth excerpt from Kathy Gabler’s article “Christmas Miracles“ taken from Volume 20 Issue 6 of SEEC Magazine.)


 

Miracles Can Require Perseverance

womanissueblood
Miracles can require perseverance.  The woman with the issue of blood had at least five justifiable reasons to give up and die: her culture, her gender, her strength, her experience and the odds against success in actually reaching Jesus, but she pushed on.  Her moment of relief was only one part of that miracle.