Hmm …

June 23

Husbands, love your wives … and the wife must respect the husband.

Ephesians 5:25, 33

Most evenings found Mark and Tina reading. One would invariably come across

something interesting enough to share, and would utter a soft “Hmm … ” It was an

invitation to listen; it meant “I really want to share this with you! Are you interested?”

The Hmm hadn’t always been endearing. It had initially been viewed as an

inconsiderate interruption. Yet over time, they grew fond of these moments

of sharing. It promoted laughter, and strengthened their relationship. 

The “Hmm … ” had taught them to be considerate of each other; to place the other’s

needs above their own. It became a tender, affectionate bonding that strengthened their marriage.

Their now positive response to the “Hmm … ” was a result of learning to be

unselfish. They had discovered that their willingness to put the other first paid

huge rewards in maturing their love. Over the years God used the “Hmm … ” to

teach them the importance of validation through attentive listening.

So tonight, when Mark heard Tina’s soft, “Hmm … ” he grinned, inserted

his bookmark, laid the book aside, and turning toward Tina with a knowing

grin, said, “Okay, what?”

Tina, now the center of Mark’s world, smiled brightly, as if to say, “I knew

you loved me,” and began to relate what had elicited her discreet interruption.

h

God made men and women different: women naturally love; men naturally

respect. Doing the opposite does not come naturally; we must be taught.

If we want deep, long-lasting relationships, we will do as God commands

in today’s text. Through submitting to God’s wisdom we learn the importance

of honor above self.

When we begin to genuinely enjoy finding out what interests each other,

instead of selfishly looking at these opportunities as inconsiderate interrup-

tions, we grow and mature spiritually.

Our spouse is to be held in high esteem. When we dismiss their “Hmm … ”

as insignificant they hear, “You do not matter to me right now. Please wait until

I am no longer busy before you bother me again.”

1Corintians 13:4–7 says, “Love is patient, love is kind … it is not self-seeking … it

always protects.” This then, is how we are to respond to each other’s “Hmm …”

Prayer

“Help me place my spouse’s need for validation above my

need for undisturbed peace. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Too Tired

June 22

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily

entangles.

Hebrews 12:1

As Trey rolled over, he was trying to decide whether to stay home or go church

this morning. I don’t feel so good was his initial thought. The truth was he was

just tired, and it would be easier to stay home.

Lying in bed, he remembered what had happened the last time he’d stayed

home. “You missed an awesome service, honey!” Marla had told him. She’d

come home all pumped up, sharing how the pastor had deviated from his origi-

nal sermon.

He’d preached a powerful message on living for God, giving an alter call

at the conclusion. “Bring all your needs to the Lord,” he’d urged. And they had.

Three people had received Jesus Christ as their Savior; one woman had been

healed of breast cancer, and two teens were set free from addiction! Trey had

kicked himself for three days after missing out on the God encounter, as he’d

labeled it.

Well, he thought, I’m not gonna kick myself again! And getting out of bed,

he smiled, realizing he wasn’t all that tired anyway.

h

Tired isn’t a good reason to miss church; it’s an excuse; one Satan gives us to use

to stay home. And church isn’t about showing up to fill a pew because it makes

us look good. It’s about a relationship with Jesus Christ … our relationship.

Following Jesus isn’t always easy. It is necessary to discipline ourselves to

push through and gain a new level in our relationship with Christ.

Satan fears our walk with God, and he’ll use something as simple as our

weariness to derail that relationship. When he whispers, “You’re just too tired;

it’s okay to stay in bed,” simply ask yourself, “If this were a football game, a

movie, or some other social event I enjoy, would I go?

Tell Satan to go to hell; you don’t want his input and then throw off the

covers and get moving in the right direction!

Prayer

“Help me not be lazy when it comes to our relationship,

Lord. Help me to never allow myself to be too tired

to join You in church. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Who’s Spirit Is Showing?

June 21

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is

from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

1 Corinthians 2:12

It was like watching an aerial dogfight. As soon as one gained the upper hand,

another attacked from a different quadrant of the sky. Hovering near their food

source, little wings beating one thousand times a second, the hummingbirds

defended their territory. Time and again they would hover over the feeder, dip-

ping their beaks into the little yellow flower.

If alone, they would take the perch while eating. Whether they stayed

there was determined by which of their neighbors showed up.

Catching them on film had become a challenge. Trying to capture their

acrobatic antics had become as entertaining as reading or watching TV, even to

the point of naming them.

Skinny had become our favorite. We found ourselves rooting for her,

watching her fend off all comers. As her name would imply, she was of slender

build, about half the size of most of the birds who visited our feeder. Yet she

possessed a fierceness the others didn’t. Only one bird challenged her belief

that she was boss—a ruby-throated male named Ralph. Yet even Ralph gave

ground when Skinny pushed the fight.

h

Regrettably, the same traits displayed by these tiny, feathered helicopters are

present in the church. We fight and bicker over denominational issues, proud

that we have it all figured out! And in doing so, good-willed people place pride

ahead of grace.

As much as I loved to watch Skinny triumph, I had to admit that she was

selfish, narrow-minded, and domineering. She didn’t need to expend this nega-

tive energy. There was plenty of food if she would only share. But she couldn’t

seem to put aside her domineering attitude. There was an incessant animosity

that would not be denied.

We were given God’s Holy Spirit that we might learn to be gentle in grace,

showing others a true reflection of Christ. Yet to our disgrace, there are times

when there are no signs of His presence.

Prayer

“Lord, forgive my petty attitude. May You find me willing

to overlook inconsequential differences and ready to build

bridges instead of burning them. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Fully Awake

June 20

But when they became fully awake, they saw his glory.

Luke 9:32

Slowly, over a period of minutes, if not hours—I can’t honestly tell you which it

was—awareness pushed its way to the surface. Understanding began to replace

uncertainty. I was in the hospital and had just undergone major surgery, and

the only reason I knew that was because that’s what my recovery nurse told

me each time I awakened to ask, “Where am I?” Then back to sleep, wake up a

while later, and do it all over again until I could finally fend off the weariness

and apathy the anesthesia was causing. The same medication that helped me

endure surgery conspired to rob me of coherent thought.

Years after the accident I still remember how thick the confusion was,

trying to figure out where I was, why I was in this shape—whatever shape this

was—and why I couldn’t maintain consciousness for more than a few seconds

at a time.

When released from the hospital four days later, I was still suffering from

the sluggish behavior brought on by the anesthesia. It was more than a week

before I felt fully awake and in control of all my faculties, completely free of

the effects of the drugs.

h

Scripture describes Peter, James, and John as “very sleepy” and that until they

became “fully awake,” they could not see what was taking place. They had not

noticed the transfiguration of Jesus, nor had they discovered the presence of

Moses and Elijah! It wasn’t until the heaviness of sleep was washed away that

events began to register.

What a perfect picture of the veil of deception Satan uses. Until we

become fully awake to Jesus Christ, we cannot sense His glory or realize our

potential for His kingdom. Satan wants to keep us asleep and constantly seeks

to administer anesthesia through temptation. When we give into temptation,

we become lethargic and apathetic to the cause of Christ. We must remain

vigilant so we do not fall back to sleep, becoming indistinguishable from the

world. We have a choice of whether to fight for complete awareness or be con-

tent to sleepwalk our way through life.

Prayer

“Awaken me fully, Lord, that I may be set free

from the veil of spiritual slumber. Amen.”

 Cleansed in Surrender

June 19

“Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything, and

followed him.

Luke 5:27–28

He waved good-bye to his little girl as his estranged wife drove away. As her

SUV vanished from sight, his shoulders sagged and his head fell toward his

chest. The weight of his circumstances settled heavily as he sensed his world

crumbling.

He’d brought this upon himself, but that didn’t make the heartache any

less painful. They’d been through this before: him getting drunk and losing

control, she taking their daughter and staying at her sister’s for a few days. Then

her resolve would melt under his charismatic charm, and they would live in

fragility, awaiting the next incident. Until now. 

He had crossed a line even she wouldn’t tolerate. This was the final good-bye. Children’s services and attorneys would determine how often he would or wouldn’t see his daughter now.

It didn’t take a psychologist to see his regret was genuine; he was truly

sorry for his actions. But previous pain hadn’t been enough to bring about

lasting change. Turning back into his now empty house, he realized it was no

longer a home.

As his wife’s parting words echoed in his head, he fell to his knees seek-

ing God’s intervention. “If you would give God as much attention as you give

that bottle, He could show you who you truly are. Unless you give Him control,

you’ll always struggle with alcohol.”

h

To worry and heartache, we give consideration; pain we mostly obey. And

yet, even agonizing pain sometimes isn’t enough of a motivator to rid us of

unwanted behavior. For that there is only one cure: the love and grace of Jesus

Christ.

Matthew (Levi) was a tax collector, a publican, one of the vilest of sin-

ners, taxing unscrupulously every person coming to Capernaum. Because of his

Roman licensure, Matthew was considered a traitor by the Jews. When Jesus

showed up, he must have felt so dirty. But when the Master said, “Follow Me,”

the cleansing was complete and immediate. Matthew was changed forever.

There is nothing that does not fall under the grace of our Savior. His

simple forgiveness comes in one two-word supplication: “Follow Me.” It only

requires our surrender. He promises to do the cleansing.

Prayer

“Help me, Lord! Amen.”

 Give Thanks

June 18

You are my God, and I will give you thanks.

Psalm 118:28

Hurricane Ike made his presence felt in the Ohio Valley. Four hours of sev-

enty- to eighty-miles-per-hour wind gusts had resulted in widespread power

outages and property damage across much of the Great Lakes Region. They

had expected torrential rain, but high winds had come in its place. And now

some two million homes across Ohio alone were without power.

Ralph had faired better than most, but he had sustained damage none-theless. 

He felt that having to clean up tree limbs and debris was nothing compared to the 

problems faced by those along the Texas-Louisiana coast, especially those on 

Galveston Island, where there had been loss of life and catastrophic destruction.

Ralph’s compassionate heart battled a sense of guilt regarding his anxiety

over the fuel cost of the generator keeping him and two of his neighbors up

and running.

Many who hadn’t lost anything except power openly complained about the

high cost of fuel to run their generators. Ralph tried to understand their com-

plaints, but it was a struggle. He realized how blessed he was to have weathered

the storm. And to that end, he continually gave thanks to God.

h

Finding something to grumble about is easy. And sadly it comes a bit too natu-

rally to a self-indulgent mind-set.

In a world filled with death and destruction, our hearts can become bur-

dened to the point we see only the negative. Instead of a thankful heart for

making it through the storm, we find ourselves asking God, “Why did You let

this happen?”

Having a sense of entitlement can easily cause us to complain at the slight-

est inconvenience instead of declaring our gratitude for the things we do have.

Developing a grateful heart by giving thanks requires conscious effort if

we’re not used to looking on the brighter side of life. But it pays dividends.

Praising our Creator brings encouragement to our soul. There is much

good in our lives, and our attitude and mood improve when we acknowledge it.

Learning to praise God through adversity changes us. It lifts us from discour-

agement to enlightenment.

Prayer

“When I get sidetracked by life, Lord, help me remember what’s

important and where to focus my attention. Help me learn

to be grateful more often than not. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 I Trust You

June 17

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches

in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

They had paid what they could; yet four hundred fifty dollars of debt remained.

As their son secretly listened, they lifted this need together before the Lord.

The next evening, the pastor and his family headed for the small country

church where he’d been filling in during the last month. He’d been preaching

there on Sunday evenings so he could preach at his own three-church circuit

on Sunday mornings.

Following the service, one of the elders pulled the pastor aside, hand-

ing him an envelope, “We collected a love offering before you came tonight.

It’s not much, but we’d like you to have it. We sure appreciate your filling in

while Pastor Johnson was gone.” As the pastor stood at the back of the church

saying goodnight to people as they left, a grizzled old man with a gruff voice

and a sharp wit approached. He shook the pastor’s hand and winked, pressing

something into it, saying, “Young man, you’re a blessing, but I won’t tell anyone

if you don’t!”

Opening the envelope upon returning home, the young couple found

$449.50. It was then the pastor remembered the old man’s handshake. Reach-

ing in his pocket, he pulled out a fifty-cent piece, bringing the total to four

hundred fifty dollars.

h

Trusting God for everything comes by experience. It’s not automatic, and it

requires development. Retrospect causes us to shake our heads, wondering how

we could have ever doubted.

The young pastor and his wife would live to experience many more bless-

ings in ways they couldn’t quite comprehend. That’s how a big God does

things—in little, intimate ways. We remember it when He stoops low enough

that we feel His breath on our face. That’s when we learn about faith and trust.

The God who moves mountains moves people to action and, in turn, moves

us to trust Him. Divine moments are just that—divine. Learning to recognize

them as such comes with experience.

Prayer

“Precious Father, teach me to trust You for everything

in my life. Help me to know the difference between

wants and needs and use me to help You meet those

needs in others’ lives. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”