Author: David LaFrance

Today’s Readings: Isaiah 1-3, Psalm 9, and Matthew 22

At the center of it all is God. Sometimes, this realization is not my reality, and my life shows it.  As the earthly world speaks to us daily, we can lose direction and go a path we think is right based on a temporary feal. We believe this is right, or we can look for a shortcut to move at the pace we wish our lives would go.

This reminds me of the maps I use on my phone. When I drag to where I think I want to go, I can lose touch with where I need to start, where God desires our lives. I have needed to hit the re-center button many times in my life. As I travel through the hills and valleys, I need always to keep God at the center of my journey.

Today, Isaiah reminds us that no matter how off course you have been, He is still next to you, ready to re-center your life. When life has you feeling a little lost, find direction in Him.

18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land;
²⁰ but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

When we venture off course, an obstacle usually gets in the way, or we want to get there quicker than what was provided.  We make our own decisions by speeding, changing routes, or doing whatever we need to reach our desired destination. I’m reminded that our journies are never alone.  We find life and hope in Him alone.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Reading Matthew 22 humbles me. It reminds me that I need to stay centered in all things with Him.

²⁹ Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Lord, help me trust Your presence, Your love, Your Forgiveness, and the direction You have for my life. Help me be centered on You.  Amen

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.

Reading through Ecclesiastes, you will find all the pleasures available to all of us.  I can find myself spending a lifetime if I’m not aware of chasing them.  What are you after today? Am I chasing the pleasure that offers moments of happiness or chasing an eternal Kingdom with Him?

“Pleasures are meaningless” is a phrase that appears in the Bible in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. Remember the following lines:

“I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless”

“I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them”

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil”

“I saw what I had worked so hard to get. And nothing had any meaning. It was like chasing the wind. Nothing was gained on this earth”

Today’s Readings: Ecclesiastes 1-3, Psalms 45, 2 Timothy 1

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Jennifer is great at packing.  With three kids and many activities there are season where we have lived out of suitcases. The time it takes to get all the things prepared I often underestimate and leave many things behind.  Being prepared is present on trips to the pool, school, and everywhere in between.  In today’s reading from 1 Thesselonian 5 there is a reminder that the rapture will occur quickly, catching the unbelieving world unprepared.  I often pray and very thankful for words like these that help me to remember the watchfulness we need to have, how we need to conduct ourselves, and simple instructions to our daily lives that we need to listen to and pray on daily.

Watchfulness
Believers should be awake and sober, and not like others who are asleep.

Duties to others
Believers should comfort one another and do good to everyone, not just other Christians.

Practical instructions
Believers should be peaceful, hardworking, and forgiving, and should pray constantly and maintain an attitude of joyfulness.

Christ is coming again, I’ll admit that I take this for granted too often and think I have another day.  Today’s a great day to rejoice, pray, and give praise to our Lord trusting His will for our lives.

My mom and dad were married multiple times before having me and my two younger sisters.  They would go on to separate from each other, and both went their separate ways when I was in 4th grade.  I can think of various memories that included making adulterous and lustful decisions along the way.  This is what we knew as kids.  As I grew older, I would make the same mistakes with young relationships.  I’m sure there are multiple labels you could give to these poor choices growing up.  I vowed not to be like this but still struggled.

This sinful behavior changed when I started an honest and genuine walk with the Lord. I had already felt the consequences of my decisions and knew that God has bigger plans for us when we choose to follow.

Today’s passages are Proverbs 6-7,  Psalm 6, and Romans 11

As I read through the verses of the day, I thought about how Proverbs can provide a written description of purity, take a young, misguided boy, and help him keep them as a treasure to lean on when struggling.

Proverbs 6

16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

My son, keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,

The prescription for our life of sin is to know and obey the words of God. Take His words and cherish them as if He were speaking personally to each one of us face to face. We need to keep His word closer than any of our pride possessions. Even though our sins are forgiven only through Him, we can feel the impact of scare tissue from the sin.  Making sinful choices ignores tomorrow’s consequences by emphasizing today’s delights.  I pray for us all and remember His closeness when we are tempted by sin today.

Have a blessed and obedient day!

Today’s Readings 2 Samuel 15-17, Psalm 3, 63, Romans 1

In today’s readings, you will read about the rebellion of David’s son Absalom.  God had forgiven David for his sins but did not cancel the consequences of his sin.  Why did Absalom go against his father? Why did Absalom constantly take bad advice from others?

2 Samuel 15:4 Moreover, Absalom would say, ‘Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice.’

While parenting a teenage son, I can reflect on the many sins that I have been forgiven for. I pray for my son to see and learn from my example that we can all experience forgiveness when we turn our lives over to God. It’s not saying sins will never happen again, but we can experience His love that will never go away.  As humans, we can be prone to the sins of our adults in our lives. We need to be aware and seek Him always.

Psalm 3 happens to be the Psalm written when David was fleeing from his son. David confidently trusted God for protection and peace. Many of my reflection moments and scripture reading time can happen in the morning. Prayers can come in the middle of the night when I wake and have questions that I can reach out to God for His answers.

3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift [2] up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

These sleepless nights are covered by the Lord. This is also read in Psalm 63. Instead of tossing and turning in bed, David turned to the Lord in confidence.

6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.

Lord we know that in our moments of uncertainity we can trust in Your future for our lives and our childrens’. We can learn from David about His peace and trust we can always have in You!

2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied.

Have you ever been in a transition in life? A new house, job, marriage, or child? All of these experiences involve a learning curve. Some right choices and often many wrong decisions are involved as well. Today, as I read the questions Paul asked the twelve disciples, their answers were transitional. They still followed the old law and did not understand what Jesus had promised once they truly believed.  In my faith journey, there was a time when I thought I had to earn His love and that there would be things I would need to cut out of my life for our Lord to consider me.  Wow! How wrong.  Our Lord has a love for us that He has always had.  The disciples here thought they would receive the Holy Spirit once they had arrived at a certain spiritual point in their lives.

Paul told them He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”  verse 4

We all need that. That’s all that we, as believers, have to tell others about! Believe in Him! God gives us the Holy Spirit to be with us in His fullness permanently, personally, and indwelling from the moment of our salvation.

Here are a few additional verses that we can share about His promise.

• Romans 8:9 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 6:19 19You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
• Ezekial 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
• 2 Corinthians 6:16 For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:“I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God,
  and they will be my people.

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Yes!