Devotionals
-
Blessed to Be a Blessing
This year I decided to read through the Old Testament while I finish studying Philippians. I haven’t spent much time in the Old Testament recently, so it’s been great to read the familiar Bible stories and get new looks into the truths they contain. Right now, I’m in the story of Abraham. What a unique life he had! And what a lot of faith there is in his story. Truly, he got to see God do great things with and through him. However, what God did for Abraham wasn’t only for Abraham, or even the nation of Israel. God blessed Abraham so that Abraham could be a blessing. “And I…
-
Give God the Pen
A new year. A new planner. A new journal, its blank pages just waiting to be filled with the future. An unknown future that spreads out before us. Some of us face it with anticipation, others with apprehension. Whether happy or difficult, more chapters in the book of our life will be written in 2022. I wonder, though, how we are approaching these blank pages? Are we tightly gripping the pen of control, straining to write our story with our limited knowledge of the future? Or do we willingly relinquish control of our lives into the hands of the only One Who knows what is ahead? Remember the former things…
-
Christmas Meditations
Hello to all of my readers! Today I am so excited to be able to introduce a guest writer–the very first on Upheld by His Grace. This guest writer is a wife, mama, one of my very best friends, and…my older sister! She wrote these thoughts several years ago while expecting her first little one. Thank you so much for sharing, Emily! This year at Christmas, as I wait for the birth of my first child, only a few weeks away, the familiar story of Jesus’ birth takes on new meaning to me. I feel a new understanding and appreciation for Mary, the woman God chose to be the vessel…
-
When God Says No
You’ve prayed for something, over and over again. You’ve sought to follow the Lord and be submitted to His will. Maybe it looks as if the desired gift is almost within your grasp. Hard as it may be, you’ve tried not to desire this blessing more than you desire the Lord, and to keep your focus on Him and your longings on the altar. And then, finally, you receive the answer to your prayers, and you step back in grief and disappointment. God says “No.” My guess is that you’ve been here at some point (or maybe several!) in your life. A time when, instead of the “yes” answer you…
-
Bloom in the Snow
Temperatures here in New York have been dipping into the 30’s at night and struggling into the upper 40’s during the day–sometimes! Everything is either brown or brown with a scattered coating of white. So I could hardly believe my eyes the other day when my mom called my attention to the concrete planter on our front step. For Mother’s day, my older sister had given my mom gerbera daisies, which bloomed all summer long and then died (or so we thought) when the frost hit. But there, hiding beneath the broad leaves that were still in the planter, its petals drooping and its head hung low, was a yellow…
-
Give Him More
“By and by, when I look on His face, I’ll wish I had given Him more.” So goes the song that I remember noticing as a little girl, and even then, I was challenged by those words. They make me think of the day when I will stand before Jesus and finally, fully understand what it cost Him to redeem me. I will see His nail-pierced hands and know that they were pierced for me. Will regret and shame fill my heart, or will I be able to fall on my knees and rejoice that I spent my life in whole-hearted service to my Savior? Oh, this world we live…
-
Feelings or Faith
When you feel… Alone or forsaken—remember that Jesus is always with you. Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Afraid—remember that Jesus tells you to fear not, because He is by your side. Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Discouraged—remember that with God, all things are possible. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through…
-
This Is the Time to Stand
Do you ever feel discouraged at all that is going on around us? Do you ever wonder how we’re supposed to live for Christ in a culture where to do so is not only unpopular but becoming increasingly difficult? Do you ever get just a bit scared at the thought of all that we may be facing? I know I have. But the word of God reminds us that it is “for such a time as this” that we are on this earth. I’m not saying that we’re facing persecution here in the U.S. or that we’re going to anytime real soon, although of course that is possible. But it’s…
-
The Gifts of His Grace
Sometimes, especially around this time of year, I just like to step back and review the workings of God in my life. As we approach Thanksgiving, I begin to think about the many ways in which He has been gracious to me. Somedays, the realization hits me so strongly: I am blessed. Unfortunately, my focus isn’t always on the blessings. Life has hard things, too—and this year has been no exception. Repeatedly, God has brought to my attention the need to accept His grace in walking through it all. The grace is there—freely offered and always sufficient. But the choice is mine whether I will accept it. When I surrender…
