Author: Amy Krigbaum

Worship X Day 13 Let Them Praise!

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 148
Psalm 149
Psalm 150
Ephesians 5:18-21
Hebrews 13:15-19

Worship X, Day 13

Have you thought about all the noise around us?

All the dogs in the neighborhood won’t stop barking.
The ocean waves are so peaceful.
The whispering wind sounds so calming.

Sometimes we create the noise, with TV or fans running. When the electricity goes out, the sound of silence is deafening and eerie. Without the TV, appliances, or heat/air conditioning running, we hear the natural sounds of creation, sounds of wind or rain or animals creeping. Live on or near a farm? Cows, chickens, horses, sheep…it’s a pretty noisy place.

Is it really just noise? Or is it praises to the Lord?

The book of Psalms has many chapters on praising the Lord. Today, we’ll begin our study with Psalm 148, which makes a transition from hearing and seeing God’s mighty works to the response of His creation to His works.

As we read this chapter, we see and hear all creation praising the Lord.
“Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise Him from the heights.
Praise Him, all his angels;
praiseHim, all his heavenly armies.
Praise Him, sun and moon;
praise Him, all you shining stars.”
(Psalm 148:1-3)

Weather (verse 8), plants (verse 9), animals (verse 10), and people (verse 11) all giving God praise. Everything on this planet and in the universe was created to praise God.

In Psalm 149, the psalmist shifts to more personal praise of the Lord as our Redeemer, the One who brings justice and victory for His people.

“Let Israel celebrate its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to Him with tambourine and lyre.
For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He adorns the humble with salvation.”
(Psalm 149:2-4)

Finally, Psalm 150 calls humans to praise the Lord with zeal through instruments and song.
“Praise Him with the blast of a ram’s horn;
praise Him with harp and lyre.
Praise Him with tambourine and dance;
praise Him with strings and flute.
Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
praise Him with clashing cymbals.”
(Psalm 150:3-5)

Have you ever heard a band or orchestra warming up, playing random notes?
Or listened to someone who is learning to play a musical instrument?

It isn’t exactly music to our ears, but after much practice and working with the conductor, it can create a beautiful song. Reassuringly (for those of us who can’t carry a tune in a bucket), the sound itself isn’t important to God; rather, He sees and hears a masterpiece when our hearts overflow in praise to Him!

If we take all of these psalms and put them together, we get more than just a choir or an orchestra. The entire universe is working together to praise the Lord, our God of creation, of glory, and of redemption.

My husband is the music minister at our church. Each week, he, along with other worship leaders throughout the whole earth, faithfully prepare to lead God’s people in His praise.  Some have big groups, some have smaller teams, but they work together to create a chorus of praise that echoes around the world.

Take that one step further. Add the living things outside church. We don’t bring our pets and plants into a worship service, but they praise the Lord each and every day. Each one has their part to play in a symphony God creates. Each one alone may not sound like much, but imagine putting it all together. I’ll give you a moment to try and do that . . .

Can you imagine? Do you hear the ocean roar and the stars sing?
Do you hear the dog barking and the orchestra playing praise to the Creator?
Do you hear singing and all creation declaring the wonder of our God?!

In our ears, it may sound more like a mess…but to God, it’s a beautiful symphony of praise!

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Wilderness Day 11 Lost, Alone, Forgotten

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 37:1-11
Genesis 39:21-23
Genesis 50:21-23
Psalm 94:17-19
Matthew 28:16-20

Wilderness, Day 11

Lost, alone, and forgotten.
Discouraged, hurt, and betrayed.
We all experience these along our journeys.

These feelings were all too familiar to another wilderness wanderer, Joseph. Great-grandson of the Hebrew patriarch, Abraham, Joseph was one of 12 sons. More specifically, Joseph was his father’s favorite son, a fact which did little to endear him to his brothers.

Joseph was further divided against his brothers by his special gift of dreams.
Dreams centering on his older brothers, and even parents, serving him. (Genesis 37:1-11) Dreams he enthusiastically shared with his family, without forethought, wisdom, or humility. You see, Joseph wasn’t perfect. Today, we would call him immature or even a brat. Finally, the family dysfunction reached a point where, embittered with hatred against Joseph, his brothers sold him as a slave. (Genesis 37:12-36)

Purchased by a rich Egyptian, Joseph was betrayed, alone, and forgotten. I’m sure Joseph wondered, “Why?” Why the dreams? Why the hatred? Why the pain? Similarly, when we are in our own wilderness, we may ask God, “Why?”

Sometimes, there may be an obvious answer, and we can use that understanding to help us learn, or navigate our way through the trial.

Other times, however, our “why”s are met with silence.
Wrestling with the unknown becomes a part of our wilderness story.

For Joseph, no clear answer was forthcoming.
Yet he continued to cling to God.

In Egypt, “The Lord was with Joseph [. . . and] Joseph found favor with his master.” (Genesis 39:2-4) Unfortunately, this same master would ultimately imprison Joseph for a crime he didn’t commit. (Genesis 39:3-20)

Even in prison, “the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison warden” (Genesis 39:21), and soon, all prisoners were under Joseph’s authority. Still, this wasn’t enough to earn his release; he was trapped, with no way out.

Ironically, the same supernatural gift that first thrust Joseph into the wilderness would be the means of his freedom. While in prison, a series of God-empowered dream interpretations took Joseph from the lowest position in Egypt to second-in-command. (Genesis 40, 41) In his new role, Joseph was tasked with storing enough crops to feed the entire country during a subsequent famine. (Genesis 41:46-57)

The famine was the final step in the fulfillment of Joseph’s boyhood dreams, as his brothers found themselves bowing before him with requests for food to sustain their families. (Genesis 42:5-6)

In this moment, possessing all the power to exact revenge and presented with the perfect opportunity to wield it, we see the work of wilderness time in Joseph’s heart.

He extended forgiveness to his family.

“But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result–the salvation of many people. Therefore, don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (Genesis 50:19-21)

At last, Joseph understood the answer to all the “why”s.

Why the dreams?
Why the slavery?
Why the prison?
So Joseph would be in the right place, at the appointed time. God crafted every step to position Joseph in Egypt, at the palace, before the famine, to save many lives.

The nice thing about Joseph’s story is we already know the ending. But, when Joseph was bound to other slaves, stumbling through desert sands on the way to Egypt, he didn’t understand what was happening, or why. He was deep in the wilderness of the unknown.

Our future is unknown to us. We will have wilderness seasons like Joseph. We may not be sold into slavery or tossed in prison, but we will feel lost, alone, and forgotten.
Yet Joseph’s story reminds us God has not forgotten us.

Psalm 94:17-19 declares God’s love is unfailing and He brings us joy. Our circumstances do not define us. We are God’s, and He has not left us alone.

In Matthew 28:20, Jesus concludes the Great Commission by promising, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We may feel left alone in this world by those around us, but the Lord is always with us.

We are not lost; He is leading us.
We are not alone; He is with us.
We are not forgotten; He is working in us and through us.

Wilderness Wanderer, though we may not understand all the “why”s right now, we can hear Joseph’s heart echo across the generations . . . cling to faith . . . find joy . . . embrace hope . . . for God is with us, and He is working out His plan. Even in the wilderness.

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Worship VIII Day 10 Christ Be Magnified

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 148
Matthew 16:24-28
Daniel 3
Daniel 6

Worship VIII, Day 10

I love music. It is one way I truly connect with God. Often, I’ll find myself mindlessly singing a song and, once I tune in, realize God placed it in my heart. Whether the song is from church, the radio, or simply my memory, it lifts my spirit as I sing His praises.

“Christ be Magnified” is a song I love to hold in my heart.

“Were creation suddenly articulate
With a thousand tongues to lift one cry
Then from north to south and east to west
We’d hear ‘Christ be magnified!’

Were the whole earth echoing His eminence
His name would burst from sea and sky
From rivers to the mountain tops
We’d hear ‘Christ be magnified!’”

Have you ever stood on a mountain top, or on a beach with pounding waves, and been moved to praise to the Lord? Undeniably, immersion in God’s wondrous creation stirs up praise within us!

Imagine all of creation longing to shout and sing in praise of its Creator!
In fact, Luke 19:40 declares if man is silent, the very rocks will cry out.
And Psalm 148 details every part of creation glorifying God.

“When every creature finds its inmost melody
And every human heart its native cry
O then in one enraptured hymn of praise
We’ll sing ‘Christ be magnified!’”

We are God’s finest creation.
We are not the mountain top or the sandy beaches; no, we are made in God’s own image.
We possess the ability to lift His name above all other names.

“O! Christ be magnified!
Let His praise arise
Christ be magnified in me
O! Christ be magnified!
From the altar of my life
Christ be magnified in me”

Let’s consider that last line, is Christ magnified from the “altar” of our lives?
Do we magnify Him by sacrificing our wants and desires?
By leaving behind our sin and our own ways?
By pursuing true surrender?

That one hits hard. It’s easy to say the words “Christ be magnified.”
But, when we slow down and take honest inventory, do we really embrace surrender?
Or just sing pretty words?
True surrender requires us to lay down our leadership of our own lives;
only then can Christ be magnified in us. (Matthew 16:24-25)

“I won’t bow to idols, I’ll stand strong and worship You
And if it puts me in the fire, I’ll rejoice because You’re there, too”

This stanza reminds me of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Like these faithful men, how can we magnify God in the unexpected, hard times?
When we face hurt or loss or rejection?
When we encounter financial hardship, or physical illness?
When the future is unclear, and the way forward asks us to risk everything?

When we surrender to God’s leadership in the hard things, choosing the way of grace, the way of endurance and faith and sacrifice, we learn He is Emmanuel, God with us . . . even in the fire.

“I won’t be formed by feelings, I hold fast to what is true
If the cross brings transformation then I’ll be crucified with You
‘Cause death is just the doorway into resurrection life
And if I join You in Your suffering then I’ll join You when You rise
And when You return in glory with all the angels and the saints
My heart will still be singing and my song will be the same”

In our world, death seems final and fearsome. It’s an unknown. But for believers, death carries a different meaning. 2 Corinthians 5:8 reassures us “we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” As the song says, death is a doorway from one life to another. Are we willing to walk with the Lord and suffer with Him, even in death?

Whether we face literal death as penalty for faith, or the daily choice to embrace the death of our own wills and sin-filled natures, may our earthly lives testify to the transforming power of our God.

May we look forward, with hope and anticipation,
to the day we stand before Him in the fullness of His glory,
still declaring, “O! Christ be magnified!”


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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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Reveal Day 8 Sudden Peace

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 1:26-38
Matthew 1:18-25
Luke 2:8-14

Reveal, Day 8

Quiet. Tranquil. Calm.

Pandemic.
Riots.
Murder Hornets.
Politics.

When I think of the word “peace,” I think of its absence in the past year.

For the first time in my life, I can actually say that pretty much the whole world understands what the person next door is going through.
Chaos has been the shared experience of 2020.

But chaos is not new;
the world has been in chaos since man’s first sin.
(Genesis 3:1-24)

Fear follows closely on the heels of chaos as we struggle to navigate this broken world in which we live. Fear of the unknown. Fear of disease. Fear of man.

Yet, the Bible urges us to live unafraid:

“Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; He will not leave you or abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

We do not need to fear the unknown, disease, or man.
God has already gone before us.
No amount of chaos surprises Him.

I know. It sounds impossible. During this chaos of Covid-19, I personally allowed the news and the opinions or dire predictions of others to spiral me into panic.

Is it safe to leave the house?
Should I start doing grocery pickup?
Should I order everything online and just have it brought to the house?
What about staying home?
Should I go to church?
Is it ok to see family?
What if I want to go to the park? Is that ok?
Will I die?
What if . . . ? What if . . . ? What if . . . ?

But God.

Peace. 

Uttering simple words, “but God,” brought sudden peace to my heart, just as He promised in John 16:33.

“I have told you these things so that in me, you may have peace.
You will have suffering in this world.
Be courageous! I have overcome the world.”

The world wants peace.
The world wants no disease, no hate, no chaos, but true peace will never happen here.
Yet, in our hearts, we long for a kind of peace the world cannot give; it’s only found in God.

As we step into the Christmas season, we hear stories of Mary and Joseph and the night Jesus was born.

Was the world at peace?
No.  

God was silent for hundreds of years. Israel was under Roman rule. The corrupt religious leaders oppressed the people. Israel awaited the promised Messiah, the One whom God said would bring peace. They were expecting a peace in the world, a peace of circumstance. No more chaos, disease, or corrupt leaders. They could not foresee or understand Jesus would bring peace with God, a peace transcending circumstance.

When Mary was approached by Gabriel, the world around her was full of chaos. The angel’s announcement certainly brought confusion, possibly threatening her one source of earthly stability, her engagement to Joseph and the secure future it promised.

But the angel said, “Do not be afraid.”

And in the midst of chaos, sudden peace.

Like Mary, Joseph lived in a world of chaos but was secure in their relationship. Until Mary told him the news she was expecting a baby. (Matthew 1:18-25)
Confusion. Hurt. Questions.
The law said, “Divorce her,”

but the angel said, “Do not be afraid.”

And in the midst of chaos, sudden peace.

The shepherds took refuge in a quiet, hillside night from the chaos of the city during census. Shepherds were lowly in society, the people no one cared about, yet they were the first to learn of Jesus’ birth! The angel’s proclamation sparks immediate fear (Luke 2:8-14),

but then he says, “Do not be afraid.”

And in the midst of chaos, sudden peace.

Each person in the Christmas story experienced fear.
Fear on the outside, fear on the inside.
They each felt the ache for peace.
Peace in the world and peace in their hearts.
“Do not be afraid.”

Peace.

When Jesus was born, the chaos of the world did not end. Yet each person in the story found peace. It was a peace inside, a peace in their hearts.

Desperation for peace in the world’s circumstances is an outward need, reflecting our desperate need for spiritual peace. In the midst of the chaos, we can still have peace inside if we search for the One who IS peace and GIVES peace. The same Jesus who calmed the storm on the waves by simply speaking, “Peace! Be still.” (Matthew 4:35-41) When we seek Him in chaos, He speaks, “Peace! Be still!” to the storm raging within us.

We may not see a physical change.
The diagnosis doesn’t change.
The people around us may not have a new attitude.

We change.
His peace, which passes all understanding, is inside us, calming our hearts.
(Philippians 4:6-7)

We hear God speak simple words, “Do not be afraid.”

And in the midst of chaos, sudden peace.

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He Day 13 El Olam

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 90:1-4
Exodus 3:1-15
John 8:48-59
Revelation 4:1-11
Isaiah 40:28-31

He, Day 13

Have you ever studied the names of God? Learning about His names gives added meaning to our relationship with God in profound, breathtaking ways.

But honestly, friends, it took me a hot second to come to this understanding. In fact, I have struggled with this particular study.  Perhaps it was because I was trying to define “everlasting” in terms that make sense to our time-bound minds, or maybe I wasn’t grasping the whole meaning of the name El Olam, “Everlasting God.”

I turned in one version of the study that I honestly didn’t like, crying because I couldn’t put into words what I knew needed to be said. I knew if the study wasn’t making sense to me, it wouldn’t make sense to those who would read it.

But this week in chapel, God put me right where He needed me to embrace a whole new meaning to His name.

El Olam, “Everlasting God.”
Everlasting calls to mind words like:
For a long time
Always
Forever
Never-ending

Hebrews 13:8 declares, “God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Additionally, Revelation 1:8 reminds us He is the “Alpha and Omega [. . .] the One who is, who was, and who is to come.”

In Psalm 90:2, everlasting is described as “from eternity to eternity, You are God.”

In first grade, my teacher wanted us to consider how God is without beginning and He will always be. For a first grader, existence beyond the bounds of time is pretty tough to comprehend. Well, for an adult, it’s hard to comprehend!

We all have our beginning, a moment in time where we became who we are (Psalm 139:13-16). But God is without a beginning; He has simply always been.

For me, the never-ending is significantly easier to understand than never beginning. While everything on earth ends, all will live eternally somewhere. If we believe in God, we’ll spend eternity in Heaven with Him.

Eternity is a long time. Even thinking about it, you can see how I put the constraints of time in the thoughts. But to God, eternity is all the same, a great oneness (2 Peter 3:8-9). He has always existed and He will never cease to exist.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites called God Yahweh, which means “I am.” Yahweh is the most important name of God, in that it encompasses all of who God is. When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, God gave Moses a new insight into who He is.

“I Am who I Am […] the Lord, the God of your fathers.” (Exodus 3:14-15)

“I Am who I Am” could also be translated “I will be who I will be and I will continue to be.”
I am the LORD, Yahweh, forever, changeless God.

What does this mean for us in our lifetime?

The same as it did for Moses. The God whom we turned against in our sin, sent Jesus to cover the debt of our sinfulness. In John 8:58, Jesus says, “before Abraham was, I Am.”
I am the LORD, Yahweh, forever God.
Our Savior is the same eternal God we read about in Exodus, Psalms, and Revelation.
Our everlasting Savior is the same “I Am” today.

Our forever God is forever:
Dependable
Trustworthy
Consistent
Faithful
Good
Love

With time, comes change in our physical, linear world. The seasons change. We see physical change throughout our life. Finances change. Circumstances change.

But God does not, nor will He ever, change.

His character does not change.

His Word does not change.

Isaiah 40:28-31 reminds us of our everlasting God. God doesn’t change; therefore we find strength in Him. When we are left feeling bereft, frightened, or confused by the shifting, time-locked world around us, we can look to our everlasting God.

We can share in His hope, always.

We can share in His peace and His joy, always.

We can share in the unending assurance of His presence, His care, and His provision.
Always.

He holds all from before time began and will hold all when time ceases.
He was, and is, and is to come.
He is everlasting.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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Shielded Day 1 Shielded By The Unstoppable

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 6:10-11
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Isaiah 40:30-31
2 Timothy 2:3-4

Shielded, Day 1

The last few weeks have been up and down in waves.
I’ve been grumpy and my patience has been tested.
Why? 

I could say the students in my class are getting on my nerves because they’re excited about upcoming activities. I could say it’s because friends and family are irritating me.  I could say it’s because some family members’ health has me concerned.

These triggers are part of the human experience, but they aren’t why I’ve been in a slump. It didn’t take long for me to review the last few weeks and realize, I have not been putting on my God-given armor. 

I’ve slacked off.
I haven’t been in the Word.
I haven’t been taking time to grow in my walk with the Lord.

I don’t share this because I want your sympathy. I share this because surely, at some point, we’ve all experienced missing armor, manifesting in attitudes and actions. Therefore, I share this because I want to encourage you.

Ephesians 6:10-11 speaks to believers about putting on the special armor God gives us to use in our fight against the enemy.  The situations I described above are external. What was really happening?  I let my guard down and the enemy attacked.  He attacked my heart and my thoughts, and without my armor to defend me, he buried me in a big mess of trouble.

We are at war every day in this world.

We tend to focus on the outside, what we see around us. We get angry with family and friends. We get disproportionately upset at minor frustrations, like an unexpected schedule change.

But this isn’t a war of the physical world.
There is a different war raging.
This war is invisible, in the spiritual realm.

While unseen, our enemy is real and ruthless. 1 Peter 5:8 calls him a “lion seeking who he can devour.” God not only warns us about him, but gives us the necessary weapons to fight him. When we believe and accept God’s gift of salvation, we receive both eternal life and an impenetrable suit of armor. We become soldiers of Jesus Christ, called and equipped by God to enter the fight against sin and Satan.

However, our armor isn’t given to us so God can leave us alone on the battlefield. He knows we cannot win this war in our own strength.

Therefore, our armor is covered in God’s power and strength.

God is with us at all times
and, clothed in His armor,
we can access His power to fight the evil forces in the unseen realm.

2 Corinthians 6:7 declares we have the power of God in us.

This truth is reflected in Jeremy Camp’s song, Same Power:
“The same power that rose Jesus from the grave, lives IN us!”

Satan cannot take this power from us,
but he will try to keep us from using it.  

Leaving our armor behind gives him the opportunity to strike us.
He wants us to be apathetic and complacent.
He wants us to get lost in “what ifs” and doubt God.

He wants us to forget we have the power of God living inside us and can be victorious, even in our weakest moments. Our enemy is a crafty adversary, tailoring his attacks to take advantage of our deepest vulnerabilities.

Peering into our darkest insecurities, he draws arrow to bow.

Zing. The arrow flies.  “You’re not good enough.”

Zing. “You’re comfortable, no reason to do anything new.”

Again. “You’ll be crushed if something bad happens because of this decision.”

And again. “God will never forgive you for _______.”

And again. “You can’t.”

If our armor is laying in a heap, rusted and dusty, we are defenseless against the onslaught. Satan’s accusations demolish us.

But if our armor is in place, well-fitted and consistently maintained, we are shielded by the unstoppable power of God. His power is able to deflect Satan’s lies, to topple his strongholds.

Not good enough?
God says our adequacy and worth are bound up in and defined by Him alone. (2 Corinthians 3:5)

Tempted to stay safe and comfortable?
God urges us to walk with courage and strength into new callings. (Joshua 1:1-9)

Paralyzed by fear of unforeseen consequences?
God assures us He will be with us, no matter what the future holds. (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Strangled by shame?
God heaves condemnation from our shoulders and nails it to the cross. (Romans 8:1-2)

Just. Can’t?
God declares in Him, we can. (Philippians 4:13)

Every thrust of our swords and clang of our shields moves us away from the devil and toward God Himself.

I haven’t been responsible and active about my armor lately.
I’ve become comfortable and lazy.
Exactly what Satan wants.

What about you?  
Are the external happenings in your life a result of setting down your armor and walking away from the fight?

It’s easy to get comfortable in our daily routines and forget our time with God.
Join me today.
Let’s steep ourselves in His Word, His presence, and His power.

Sleeping warrior, awake.
Settle your armor into place.
The battle cry has sounded.

It’s time to fight.

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Esther Day 3 Trash Or Treasure

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Esther 2
Isaiah 49:15-16       
Isaiah 61:1-4
Matthew 10:29-31
1 Peter 3:1-6

Esther, Day 3

Ugh, another red dot…at my age?

I spent an hour doing my hair today and no one noticed.

My clothes won’t fit; I need to go to the gym.

We’ve all had those times of looking in the mirror and not liking what we see.
It doesn’t take much looking around to discover the world has dragged us into a place where beauty is necessary to survive. 

Television commercials, magazines, billboards, and even friends and family sell us on the necessity of beauty. Buy this product, eat this food, go to the gym, wear this outfit; the taglines scream from everywhere.

We must have that make-up, that membership, and those clothes. We buy new clothes and use a new beauty treatment only to watch the trend fade.

The world has tossed women to a pack of wolves by defining what is beautiful by what is fleeting.  It feels as if we’re always on the stage of the beauty pageant, waiting to hear where we stand.  First, runner up, less than perfect, or worse…last.
Undesirable, unwanted, and unworthy.

Beth Moore, a fellow champion for women to be esteemed with the value God ordains, shares transparently on how tough it is to be a woman. It is tough living in a world where beauty is valued by status.  It is tough living in a world where beauty is treated as something you are entitled to or something you earn.   It is tough to fight against the need to be beautiful instead of being the woman God wants us to be.

This fight to be beautiful isn’t new.
The need to stand above the rest, be noticed, and valued are battles women have waged for centuries. In this chapter of Esther, we find a king looking to replace his banished queen.

He didn’t walk the city and randomly select a pretty face or a hardworking handmaiden. Neither did he scour the synagogues to find a woman of noble character.  This decision was intentional and calculated, hinging on one criteria, his enjoyment of her appearance.
And he wanted the very best.
The king ordered all eligible maidens to the palace to begin eliminating “lesser beauties”. He designed his own beauty pageant where he would win first prize of the prettiest body, while she lost, being valued on gorgeousness alone.

One year of beauty treatments and special dietary regimes were implemented to smooth rough skin, clear imperfections, and fatten scrawny bodies. These ladies’ appearances were the result of real, regular everyday living, just like us.  The arid climate and sun exposure led to dry skin and tan lines instead of the preferred pale complexion and supple flesh. Arms strengthened from everyday workloads and thin figures resulting from low food supply weren’t signs of beauty in this culture, but of poverty.

Where real life was evident, ‘beauty’ was applied.

After all these treatments, they chose clothing and jewelry to impress the king.  Each woman visited the king for a single night. After their one-night-stand, they were sent away, not just from the king, but from the other women….and men.

Sexually soiled, they were now unclean. Whatever life and family they had known and loved before this night was now forever lost. Most ladies would never return home after this disgrace because they had no chance of marriage.  The fate of these women was worse than being last in a beauty pageant.
Their dignity had been stolen as they were tossed out, discarded like trash.

Doesn’t this ancient dichotomy feel well-fitted to today’s message?
Either apply the beauty and win the comparison pageant, or be tossed aside as trash.

For Esther, the Lord used her beauty and her heart to win not only the favor of the King, but of the people around her as well. Esther’s outward beauty was enhanced by her kind and gentle heart; a ‘treatment’ no Persian aesthetician could touch.

Though Esther was chosen as queen, she wasn’t treated much better than the other woman.  She had no rights other than the title, “Queen of Persia”.  She was also Jewish, a people who had largely forgotten about their God as they blended with culture around them, and who probably also felt cast off from Him in the years since they’d been exiled in Persia.

Maybe you’re in a place of forgotten and unwanted too.
Transparently, I’m single and have never married; I’m tired of counting how many times I’ve been rejected and labeled “not worth it”.  Someone here knows the sting of feeling undesirable when a husband walks out to find a younger version of beautiful.  Or maybe you’ve worked hard for a promotion, only to be overlooked by someone “better qualified.”

The appearance of ‘beauty’ comes in many shades, and often, if we aren’t cultivating the beauty of our hearts first, we become a casualty of ‘cast off’.

God does not treat us this way! 
We are not pushed onto a stage while God inspects every inch of us, exasperated by our imperfection. He will not toss us aside like trash, because we aren’t.

When God looks for beauty, He’s looking on the inside. (I Samuel 16:7)
He takes our brokenness and makes it beautiful. (Isaiah 61:3)
God doesn’t forget those the world has forgotten. (Isaiah 49:15-16)
We hear “not good enough” or “not valuable”, but God says we are more important than sparrows.  (Matthew 10:29-31)
He sent His Son to save us from our sin because He made us for being treasured.

“The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession…” 
(Deuteronomy 7:6)

When the world judges us for what we are, remember WHOSE we are!
Remember you are a beautiful treasure!

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Relentless Day 8 Relentless Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Judges 6:19-7:1
Matthew 26:69-75
John 21:15-18
Jonah 3:10-4:11

Relentless, Day 8

Determined. Unstoppable. Persistent. Relentless.

Those words describe God’s love towards us.
He is determined. He is unstoppable. He is persistent. He is relentless.

In our weakness, He is still relentless.
In our doubt, He still pursues.
In our failings, our running away, and our questions, He still gives chase.

I’ve often questioned God’s love. 
“Maybe this has happened because I messed up and God is punishing me.”
“God is proving to me that I don’t measure up.”

I’ve run from Him in anger. 
I felt God failed me, so I went the other way.

I have failed to follow Him. 
In my pain, I’ve focused on my hurt and my situation, choosing to ignore the truth about God.

Yet.
He still relentlessly loves.

How do I know?
The easy answer is “The Bible tells me so.”
It does say how much God loves us, but even better,
it tells stories of those who questioned, failed, and ran.

Of whom, Gideon is one.
His story is full of adventure as a “nothing” became one of God’s great warriors. One weak man is lavishly loved as a result of God’s relentless pursuit!

Gideon’s story unfolds while his people were being punished for their continued rebellion against God. False gods and lies were everywhere. His own father had built idols to the pagan god Baal. He had grown up hearing about this all-powerful God, but had never seen Him do much, if anything, in his own lifetime.

As Gideon was working, doing his ordinary low-honor job of threshing wheat, an angel appeared telling him he would save Israel from their oppressive enemy.
Gideon started asking a bunch of questions, kind of like we do sometimes.

How?
Why me?

Then Gideon asks for a sign.
To which, God responds with three signs, proving He is God and His word is trustworthy.

I’ve heard the debates.
Gideon shouldn’t have questioned God.
He shouldn’t have asked Him to prove Himself with the fleece (again!).

But see our God?!
Did God walk away from Gideon saying, “Oh forget it, I’ll get someone else.”
Or
“You are too weak for this, never mind.”
No.
He answered the questions, He gave the sign.
God met Gideon where he was!

Today, His sign is His Word and His confirmation the transformed lives of ordinary people who have taken Him at His word, trusted His faithfulness, and seen the incredible!

Many times, I’ve questioned God.
Recently, I was at a loss, confused and questioning everything, but I knew His Word was the medium He used to speak.  I randomly opened my Bible to Psalm 94 and His voice faithfully spoke:
“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheers my soul.” (verse 19)
“But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.”  (verse 22)

Did God get mad and turn His back?
No, He reminded me Who He is.

Gideon had never heard God speak or seen His miraculous works.
His faith was weak.

The Lord called Gideon to do two jobs, tear down his father’s idols and save Israel. God miraculously showed Himself to Gideon by burning up Gideon’s offering sitting on a rock and covered in broth. He experienced God firsthand, so he obeyed and tore down the idols.

Again, God proved Himself with Gideon’s fleece, once being wet and once being dry.
Gideon’s encounter with the Almighty, gave him the faith he needed to go off to war and defeat his enemies in the face of insurmountable odds stacked high against him.
Each time God showed Himself, the stronger Gideon’s faith grew.
The easier it became to follow without question.

I am like Gideon, my faith grows as I see God working in the living testimonies around me and speaking actively through His Word.
The more I choose to trust Him, the easier I follow without hesitation.

I’ve questioned.
I’ve run.
I’ve failed.
Holding onto lies, believing God has failed me, I might decide not to open my Bible or worship as I could.  I isolate myself from others because of the hurt I believe God caused.

But His grace found me in in the pit!
“He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.”
(Psalm 40:2)

God did not let Gideon go, desert him, or turn His back in anger, neither will He do for us! His unending love will never end, always giving chase.

He is Determined.
He is Unstoppable.
He is Persistent.
He is Relentless Love!

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Kaleidoscope Day 10 Un-Annoyed

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 50:15-21
Matthew 5:43-48
I Peter 1:3-4

Kaleidoscope, Day 10

“Is it just me, or is it loud in here?”
I find myself saying this when my students’ noise is louder than usual.
But sometimes, it really is just me.

“I can’t believe he did that!”
“I can’t believe she said that!”
I’ve heard myself say this too.
Maybe my feelings were hurt by another’s actions, but sometimes, if I’m honest, I’m looking for a reason to be upset.

Irritations, annoyances, and hurtful actions are often found staring us in the face. Maybe they show up as a family member pushes our buttons.  Or perhaps it’s a constantly nagging voice, seemingly relentless to attack you.

But the Lord’s voice rises above them, “Love is not irritable or resentful”.
His is a precious voice to me because I know I’ve lived in the land of Irritable and Resentful.
I took up residency there for several years.

Looking back, I was a grouch with a sour disposition.
Anything could set me off.
I could “hold it” until I was alone, but catch me at a bad time, and you might get an earful.

The Lord’s voice whispered this passage, and my heart knew I needed His truth to move me out of Irritable and Resentful.

Other translations say, “Love is not easily provoked” or “Love is not easily angered.”  
That isn’t to say we don’t have hurt feelings, however, it’s a call to consider our response to those feelings.  How quickly do we pick up anger, harsh tones, or sharp words?

I know I’ve regretted my harsh choices; Moses did too.
In Numbers 20:2-13, Moses was a little, well, maybe a lot, irritated.
The people were fighting and complaining (again). There was no water in Maribah.
God, their constant Provider, instructed Moses to speak to the rock and water would come.
But Moses didn’t choose his response well and gave his feelings full reign.
Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses hit it with his staff, choosing his way over the Lord’s.

We may say it wasn’t Moses’ fault, it was the Israelites’ complaining.
But the Israelites didn’t hit the rock, Moses did.
Moses had a choice.
And he chose to live and act from the land of Irritated and Resentful.

When it comes to resentment, other translations say,
“Thinks no evil”, “Does not hold a grudge”, or “Keeps no record of wrong”.
What does this look like in real life?
Do you dwell on the hurt that happened, repeating every detail over and over until YOU have decided what the other person was thinking/saying/doing?
It’s easy to find fault, judge from our perspective, and look for the bad.
I’m guilty.

So was Esau.
Genesis 27 tells the story of Esau and his grudge towards Jacob for stealing his Birthright and tricking him out of his Blessing.  A birthright, usually given to the firstborn son, is our modern-day family inheritance. A blessing could be given to any son, but the oldest, holder of the birthright, usually received a greater blessing.
Jacob, the younger son, had finagled his way to win both of these.
Esau despised his brother for stealing what was intended for him.
Esau held onto resentment, had evil thoughts toward Jacob, and nurtured hatred towards his brother with a desire to kill him. Justified or not, Esau chose to live in the land of Irritable and Resentful for much of his life.

I Corinthians 13:1-3 beautifully defines love, but it also provides a definition of the opposite of love by replacing “love” with “irritable and resentful”.
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, and am irritable and resentful,
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and I have all faith,
so as to remove mountains, but I am irritable and resentful, I am nothing.
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but I am irritable and resentful,
 I gain nothing.”

Ouch, when I read it like that, it makes me want to love others better!

Both irritation and resentment grow over time. When someone says or does something a little irritating or a little hurtful, we might easily let it go.
But if the offense repeats again and again, it becomes easier to dwell on it for longer periods.
We might even gossip about it.
Before we know it, we get snappy and mad.
Like Esau and Moses, when we allow resentment and irritation to grow, it becomes easy to let our feelings control our actions.

Love is the opposite of allowing life’s irritations and hurts to control our lives.
Love calls us out of the land of Irritable and Resentful.

Hannah had good reason to be irritated as someone in her life constantly provoked her. (I Samuel 1:6)
The Lord calls out, “Love is not easily irritated….love is patient.”
While our insides may scream frustration, Hannah modeled an example for us we can all learn from.
She prayed in the middle of her distress. (1 Samuel 1:10)

Joseph had every reason to hold a grudge as his brothers hated him, plotting to kill him.  (Genesis 37:18-20) Eventually, as God moved in Joseph’s life, Joseph chose forgiveness for his brothers instead of retaliation. God’s love changed Joseph because His love doesn’t live in the land of Irritable and Resentful. If God’s love lived there, none of us could stand before Him as we have all sinned against Him!

God calls us to love just as He loves when He laid down His life for us, even while we were His enemies.
His love abides in the land of Gentle, Kind, and Good.
His love forgives, even in the face of irritation.
His love intentionally chooses un-annoyed.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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