Devotionals

Does it ever feel fake? Does it ever seem like it’s all made up to make us feel better, to give us warm fuzzies? Or, on the flip side, does it ever feel like YOU are the fake one, pretending to go through life “seeking God’s will,” knowing deep down that your personal will prevails?
Many of us have grown up hearing all the right words and repeating all of the right phrases. “Not my will, but Yours.” “Take over my life and be in control.” “I only want to serve You.” Perhaps I am being too honest and maybe I’m the only one who feels this way, but all too often, it has become nothing more than mere habit – words that seem to bounce off the ceiling and hit me with the reminder that I am still holding on to the reigns. Sure, I can convince myself, after time and again of saying the words, that I am giving up the control to the Lord, but am I, really?
Maybe you can relate – Where should I live? Who should I see? Should I take the job? When big and small decisions meet us, and I seek the Lord for His guidance, I can make a decision knowing that I have His blessing. Maybe. But sometimes it seems as though the decisions that I make when seeking His will turn out a flop. That certainly couldn’t have been what the Lord wanted for me!
So it’s back to square one. Does God simply want me to make up my own mind, allowing Him to bless me and use me wherever I find myself? Or does He truly care about the small and big details? Morris Venden, in his book “How to Know God’s Will in Your Life,” sheds some insight into the subject. “You must have no will of your own in the given matter. If your own will is in control, it will be of no value to you to know the will of God, for you won’t be willing to accept it (18.) At first read, it may seem as though this means that we are to be indifferent, blank creatures with no desires. No. Rather, this simply means that our own desires and wants are not in control. They are simply feelings that go no farther than that. The much greater driving force, the one that truly prevails, is simply coming to Christ with the pure desire to serve Him.
Sometimes, serving Him may coincide with our preferences. Other times, it may not. Either way, it will bring us the true fulfillment that He longs to give us.
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” – John 15:9. Who better to go to than the only One who loves us with a pure, truly unconditional love? Who better than the one who wants to give us an abundant life?
Yes, sometimes it feels fake to me. All too often it feels as though I ultimately decide what I want anyway. But maybe that’s because I am seeking God’s stamp of approval on what I already know I want. Maybe it’s because I still have a will that prevails – one that is stronger than my will to serve Him.
Ask Him to remove to the backdrop anything that is keeping you from knowing and following His plan for you. May it be our first desire to serve Him.

It’s perfect. Clam, serene, romantic. Simple, complex, and refreshing. Quiet, peaceful, relaxing. What could be better than enjoying this small northern cove in Newfoundland. The ocean cove is calm enough to see a clear mirror image of the abundance of evergreens and creative rocks that dot the shoreline. The seagulls are seemingly of a different breed, sounding almost tuneful. The breeze glides over the ocean and envelops the body, hugging it with a touch of gentle chill. The wild blueberries and raspberries excitedly grow on the sides of the rarely travelled dirt roads, begging to be picked and enjoyed for the tiny bursts of flavour they offer. It all combines to create a package only a small step from the perfection of Eden.

“He has made everything beautiful...” -Ecclesiastes 3:11a

At first glance, many things, ideas, and people sound so much better than our own boring, busy, or stressful lives. If only my life was like it used to be. If only I had what they have. I would be so much happier if my life was all together like theirs. Maybe if I was prettier or smarter, I would be content like she is. If only....

The other man’s grass is always greener. It’s inevitable. We come to Newfoundland for two weeks. We conveniently plan our trip around the yearly 3 weeks that aren’t threatened by snot-lawn icebergs, rain storms, and moose attacks. We bring our wide array of toys, allowing us the privileges only outsiders are given. We buy well-rounded groceries from far away without going into debt. We leave the wood stove untouched and are charmed by the primitiveness of no insulation. But what is life really like? What do the neighbours experience? How do they buy groceries when the nearest employment is 50 km away and they don’t own a car? I can only imagine the 9 months of cold, waking up to the no-longer-gentle chill of the ocean wind, seeping through the cracks and finding its way to the deepest corners of the house. What would it be like to teach your small children to start the fire every morning as they shiver and their lips turn blue? And finally, how would it feel for a teenager’s best friend to be engaged to her aunt’s current husband? Behind the scenes, things are a little different.

Imagine what life would offer if we relaxed and allowed God to give us the blessings that He knows are best for us? As model of a perfect parent, He knows better what we need than we do. He knows what will make us grown, make us smile, and give us peace. He longs to fill the void that we try to fill by fabricating an existence as manufactured as the seemingly perfect Jones family.
He gave each one of us talents, personalities and characteristics to be used in specific ways to love Him. So you are afraid of preaching in public? Ask Him how He can use your passion for children to His glory. Or maybe you feel like you are far too tired and busy to carve out any more time for Him like those at church seem to be able to do. Ask Him how He can use your experience to befriend others who are struggling with the same things. Whatever your situation, Christ wants to turn it to an angle that with bring honour and glory to Him.

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might...” –Ecclesiastes 9:10

Life may not be forever easy or constantly filled with fun and games, but rest assured, knowing that He has a perfect plan tailored specifically for who He created you to be. Sit back, relax, and allow Him to build the life that He knows you will fit in just right.
“in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” -1 Thessalonians 5:18

Your own personal testimony is probably you most powerful witnessing tool. God has gifted some with preaching or prophesying, but for everyone else, telling others what God has done in your life is a great way to lead them into a friendship Christ. Think about it. It is an easy and non intrusive way to share with just about anyone the love of Jesus. Not only that, people would much prefer to hear about the great things God has done in and through you than a bunch of theology or what they should do.

What could be more exciting than how God has given you life? What could be more captivating than the story of how God changed you from the inside out giving you confidence, hope, joy, and a love beyond anything you have felt before?

This is the type of witnessing that draws people to Jesus because they see in you what they want.

If you don’t feel your story is great then it is probably time to start spending time with God in His Word getting to know Him better. Everyone whose life has been changed by Christ has a great story. Everyone who has a vital relationship with Christ can testify of his character just by telling what He has done in their lives.

So next time someone asks why you are so happy tell them the story of how God has changed your life. If someone comes to you with a problem don’t tell them what they need to do, tell them what has worked for you – the love of Jesus.

We know that God is huge. So huge He created this world. Not only did He create this world but the whole universe and all the galaxies beyond our own. With such a huge God you would think it is impossible to ignore Him but we often do.

It seems like most people in today’s world ignore God. Why people ignore God is not the topic for today. What happens when people ignore God is the focus of this devotional. Because God is love and not at all controlling He gives His children a choice of spending time with Him or not. Unhappiness doesn’t come from ignoring God but happiness does come from spending time with God. What I mean is if you are unhappy and spend some good quality time with God you will find happiness, but there are people who don’t spend any time with God who are also very happy. So ignoring God doesn’t create unhappiness but spending time with God does create happiness. And the happiness that comes from God is the best happiness possible.

What about inner peace? If we ignore God will we not be able to have peace within? There are people all around us who have found peace in yoga or other religions. Spirituality in just about any form can bring inner peace. So ignoring God doesn’t mean we are bound for a life of stress; but spending time with God will definitely bring peace. And the peace that comes from God is the most meaningful peace of all.

God is love. But strangely even though God is love, if we ignore God we can still love others and feel other’s love for us. We don’t need to be spending time with God on a daily basis to experience love. Most Japanese people claim no religion, Buddhism, or Shinto and many of them have a strong love and respect for their families. So why do we need God’s love if we can experience it elsewhere? Because no love is deeper and more fulfilling than God’s love. And the love that comes from God is available every day.

When we ignore God He misses us. God wants us to spend time with Him more than anything. He wants us to have faith in Him. He wants us to believe in Him. He wants to give us eternal live. People who ignore God are basically saying they either don’t care about or don't believe in everlasting life with the Creator. But those who faithfully spend time with God get to experience the best happiness possible, the most meaningful peace of all, the deepest and most fulfilling love available, and as a bonus gift - everlasting life.

1 John 3:2 – Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

The thick, tangled web of colourful lines jumped out at me on my already well-worn map. Thankfully, each train line was clearly labeled. Unfortunately, it was all in Japanese. I was somewhere in the middle of the mesh of train tracks covering the crowded city. I wasn’t particularly lost. I knew that my location was somewhere on that map – somewhere in the middle of the city’s 40 million people.

I was a Tokyo train system rookie, beginning a new job teaching English at a high school. The name of the high school, the district it was in, and a time to report to duty were my clues for the day. I began the day armed with a map, strapped to a watch, and plastered with mock bravery. The task was daunting. I have trouble finding my way to the grocery store at home, let alone what was ahead.

I didn’t know they way.

I made sure to take each step carefully. I knew that if I made one wrong train transfer I would risk staying in Tokyo for the rest of my life. At each train platform, I carefully checked all signs and tried to the read a language I didn’t know so that I would be less unsure that I was going the wrong way.

By the third transfer, I was starting to feel more confident. Once again, I checked the overhead flashing signs and felt a little bit sure that I should go down the second set of stairs on the left and wait for the train to come on the right hand side. I fished out another ticket and put it through the gate, which promptly opened and gobbled me up into a deeper piece in the mixed up puzzle. The kind train ticket agent smiled at my cautious demeanor.

I started to walk toward the stairs when I stopped dead in my tracks.

A horrific news story was becoming my reality. Hundreds of Japanese men, women, and children sprinted up the stairs that I was apparently supposed to descend and violently pushed their way past me and bottlenecked at the gate I had just passed through to go to the other side. Clearly, I was headed in the wrong direction! Knowing that I didn’t have much time to spare, I did a quick sweep of the faces and decided that the fear penetrating their eyes meant that something was gravely wrong.

It was then that I realized what I was facing. A train bomb. Or, at best, a threat. Why else would so many people be running away? Making a quick decision, I knew that my parents passed me on a good brain and that I needed to use it. Run! Spinning around in the direction I just came, I joined in the crowd in pushing through the gate. All I knew is that I need to flee. I couldn’t perish on my first attempt at the train system.

I exited the entrance to be quickly stopped by the kind little train man. He looked at my map, found the circled destination point and pointed to the second set of stairs on the left. By this time, the crowd had dispersed and things were calm again.

That brain that my parents gave me…well, I had to use it again. This time, however, I used it to realize that there was no bomb, no gunmen, and no threats. The crowd was simply running in unison to catch a train. Japanese people can sure move quickly.

The kind man tried to explain, in broken yet impressive English, what I should do to find my destination. I bowed in thanks and headed on my way, my pulse slowing to normal and the accumulated sweat starting to drop off my face.

“Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” - Matthew 8:19

Who do we follow? The crowds are rushing. Are they rushing to where you want to go?

“And He said to him, ‘”Follow Me.’” -Matthew 9:9

It’s easy to follow what the world is doing. It looks like fun. They’re all going there. They look like they’re in a hurry – I’d better join them! But Christ is calling us to a higher place – a place where He will lead us home to true safety.

“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” - Mark 8:34

It may seem like obeying the unwritten rules of the today’s society is the safest thing to do, but Jesus reminds us that following our own instincts over His leading will lead to ultimate destruction.

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” - Mark 8:35

The little train man was right. In the midst of chaos, he knew where I needed to go. In the middle of confusion, he was there to lead me.

In the midst of a world that rushes the wrong way, let us listen to our Master.

May we deny ourselves and allow Him to lead us home.

He knows the way.