Who's the Fairest of Them All?

Mirror! Mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?

We live in a Mirror! Mirror! world – a world of selfies, Instagram and Facebook; a world of images fixed, filtered, and fake. And yet we believe the lie that everyone is perfect – everyone except ourselves. We do what Queen Narcissa did. We compare. We look to the left and to the right, and hold up the measuring stick. How do we compare? Am I like that girl? Am I better or worse? Do I have what she has? Do I have more or less? And as the reaches of social media grow, our measuring sticks grow – more demanding.

The stress is real. Let’s face it. You cannot constantly look at other people’s filtered and fake lives and continue to think that your own imperfect life is good. Even when we know that what we are seeing is not the whole truth, we still believe the lie. We still pull out the measuring stick and begin to compare. But comparing is despairing, and we end up feeling like we are not the fairest of them all. We end up feeling anxious, depressed, rejected, lonely, hostile, covetous, and even slanderous. Obviously, there is a huge problem with all this measuring, and the problem is that we have forgotten God’s word.

Do you know the account of how David was chosen to be king? God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king, but He didn’t tell Samuel which son it would be. When Jesse’s first son walked up, Samuel knew he was the one. Tall. Good looking. Strong. Surely he is the one, thought Samuel. God quickly corrected him: “Do not consider his appearance . . . Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). What is important to the LORD is not how we compare to others. He wants a heart for Him, not perfect looks. The fact that we would look to those around us and compare ourselves is an indication that we are not looking fervently to the LORD.

I recently visited with an old friend, and I found myself doing the comparison. She is a world traveling business executive. I am a middle school teacher. There were a lot of ways for me to not measure up. She is also very articulate, and I often found myself sounding silly and unable to defend my points on certain topics. “I can’t even talk with style. How do I think I can write? Why do I think anyone will even want to read what I have to say?” I began to think. And then my thoughts went this way: “Maybe I am just wasting my time writing. I think I will just stop. No one cares anyway.” There it was – the shame of not measuring up. That is where all of this comparing leaves us – in shame.

The shame of not as beautiful, not as thin, not as young, not as fashionable, not as loved, not good enough. The shame of remember what you did, remember what you are not. Shame is the reason we feel overwhelmed and underachieved. When we look to everyone else with covetous eyes, we fall victim to shame. But God’s word tells us: “Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame” (Psalm 34:5). The world wants to shame us. The LORD wants to lift us up, make us radiant. We need to stop listening to the lies, and start listening to God’s truth.

Every lie you believe can be countered by God’s truth. Feeling not so pretty? Did you know we are beautiful in our gentle spirits and when we bring the Gospel? (1 Peter 3:4 and Romans 10:15). Feeling unimportant as you grow older? God’s word tells us we have wisdom and faithful instruction to share (Proverbs 31:26). Feeling like you don’t have what others have? The truth is that giving from the heart is more important than having (Luke 21:2-4). We are infinitely loved by God (Psalm 100:5). We are made perfect in Christ (Ephesians 5:27). We are forgiven (Psalm 103:12). We reflect God’s glory, compassion, humility, strength, and dignity when we clothe ourselves in Christ (Romans 13:14, Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 5:5, Proverbs 31:25). The truth is that when we seek to reflect the world around us, we will always fall short. When we seek to reflect our LORD, we will be radiant and full of joy.

What I realized after comparing myself to my friend is that those lies I felt were the enemy’s tactics to stop me. The enemy does not want me to share the glory of the LORD with anyone. He doesn’t want me to reach out to others. If he can keep me pushed down and feeling shamed, then I will not be shouting God’s praises. If he can silence me, then someone may not hear the encouraging word that will bring them to Christ. Oh! This is exactly the place the enemy would like me dwell. Maybe you are feeling the same way, believing the same kind of lies. Don’t. Look to the LORD!

I love the encouraging words of Isaiah. He says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you, but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you . . . Lift up your eyes and look about you . . . Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy . . .” (Isaiah 60:1,2,4-5). Time and again, God’s word tells us to look unto Him and we will be radiant and full of joy. That’s what I want for me. That’s what I want for you. Let’s do this together.


Dear LORD, You are beautiful. You are radiant. You are full of truth. Forgive us for attempting to find our worth in ourselves and in the world around us. Help us to look to You, for it is then that we will reflect Your glory and shine Your light for others to see. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Bread for Life

Last week I talked about manna and the Lord’s daily provision through this unusual substance. The Israelites were encouraged to gather as much as they needed. It is a physical picture of the spiritual presence of the Lord in our own lives. We need Him daily, and we can gather as much as we need. But this is not where this comparison stops. Bread is used as a symbol all over the Bible.

One place bread shows up is in the story of David and Saul. After Saul tries to kill David, the starving, would-be king flees to the temple at Nob where he asks the priest for five loaves of bread. All the priest has is consecrated bread – bread left on the altar of God as an offering. The priests called it the Bread of Presence, or Showbread. It represents God’s presence with His people and His provision for them (1 Samuel 21:1-6).

This consecrated bread is placed fresh on the altar each Sabbath. There are twelve loaves, one for each tribe of Israel (Leviticus 24:8-9). This bread is not meant as food for God, but as an offering of thanksgiving for God’s faithful provision. Generally, the priests would eat this bread, but in David’s time of need, it is given to him.

We see bread in Luke 11:2-5 when Jesus teaches us how to pray. Verse 3 says, “Give us each day our daily bread.” “God, give us food each day” is surely what I thought Jesus was saying. Maybe you did too. Yes, it does mean physical “food,” but it also spiritually means His daily presence. Jesus specifically reminds us, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). We need the physical and the spiritual to be healthy. Both of these references harken back to manna and our need for God’s daily presence and provision.

Jesus shows this same symbolism when he says, “I am the bread of life.” After feeding the five thousand with five small barley loaves and two small fish, Jesus retreats to the other side of the lake. The next day many follow him there. They want a sign: “What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘[Moses] gave them bread from heaven to eat”. Jesus quickly let them know it was the Father who gave them manna, not Moses. He reminds them those men died, but the one who eats the “true bread” will live. Then Jesus says, “I am the bread of life . . . I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6: 30-32, 48-51). They wanted a sign that day, but their sign would not come until later when Jesus gave his life on the cross so that they might live.

At the last supper, Jesus uses a specific piece of bread to further the disciple’s understanding of how he is the bread of life. The Passover meal uses unleavened bread to symbolize being without sin. There is one piece of unleavened bread that is broken at the beginning of the meal. Part of this broken bread is put back on the table, but the other part is wrapped in a cloth and hidden until later. At the appropriate time, this hidden piece of bread is found and returned to the table. This particular piece of bread is called the “afikomen,” which is Greek for “the coming one.” The afikomen is a clear picture of the Messiah, who was broken, wrapped and hidden in a tomb, and on the third day returned to us. Not surprisingly, this piece of bread is brought out at the third cup of wine in the Passover meal – the cup that represents redemption. That night at the Last Supper, Christ holds up the afikomen and says, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). This unleavened, broken, hidden-but-returned piece of bread points to Jesus, “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). When we take the bread during the Lord’s Supper, we should remember these things.

God’s word continually uses bread as a symbol of His provision for our spiritual and physical needs, as a symbol of His presence with us. Just like we need food daily, we need Him daily, and He is readily available. I love the sweet invitation in Isaiah 55:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.”

These same words echo in Revelation 22. Come, whoever wishes . . . Our Heavenly Father gives an invitation to come daily and fill up on His goodness, His life. He gives abundantly more than we could ever imagine. He gives us His presence, His spirit, and life through His son, Jesus Christ. If you have been feeling empty but can’t figure out why, it is very possible that you are hungry for the bread of life? Don’t wait. Take the LORD up on His sweet invitation, on the bread of life already prepared for you. There is plenty. Gather as much as you need!

Dear LORD, You are amazing! I am totally thrilled by you. Thank you for your daily presence. Thank you for promising me daily bread and offering as much as I need. I do need you – sometimes more than I know. Sometimes I am starving for Your presence and yet I don’t seek You. I seek the monotony of things that do not fill me up. You are the One who satisfies. Remind me LORD that I need You daily. Thank You for Your unfailing love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Gather As Much As You Need

I love bread! I grew up in a bread family. Mom always had some kind of tasty rolls or biscuits, homemade yeast bread, sourdough pancakes, or the ever-loved cinnamon rolls – that I watched rise in a covered bowl as I longed for their sweet goodness. No wonder bread is my weakness. No wonder I began to notice bread in the Bible.

For some reason, I’ve always thought of manna as bread. I’m not sure why. Manna literally means, “What is it?” It was that strange substance provided by God to sustain the Israelites in the desert. I suspect it was perfectly nutritious – God’s little nutrition bar. That would be just the kind of thing God would do. Every morning it was there. They never had to worry. They could boil it. They could bake it. But, they couldn’t keep it. When kept till the next day, it grew maggots and began to stink. Except on the Sabbath! Can you imagine? It didn’t go bad on the Sabbath! God is amazing!

God provided for the Israelites. He told them through Moses, “Each one is to gather as much as he needs” (Exodus 16:16). God provided exactly what they needed for that day. They couldn’t store it up and stockpile it – just in case God took a day off in the middle of the week. They were forced to rely on Him every day.

This idea so speaks to me. It’s like my finances – the money isn’t always there ahead of time, but somehow the Lord provides. It’s like the time my husband lost his job – the Lord provided work until something just right arrived. It’s like the strength I need daily to deal with aging parents, growing kids, and the steady demands of the to-do list – the Lord gives me what I need each day.

The Israelites ate manna for 40 years until they entered the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Each day God provided for them until they arrived in the place of plenty. I know He will do the same for me. No matter how barren things might look around me, my God’s hand is upon me. I am reminded that “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided” (Genesis 22:14). I will take Him at His word, for God is faithful. I hope you will do the same. Together, let’s give God praise for the things He has provided. Let’s shout our thanksgivings. Let’s enjoy His manna every day of our lives!

Thank You, LORD, for faithfully providing the things I need. Help me to be obedient with what you’ve given me. Help me to always remember the manna you give to me – gifts to sustain me in the desert and never take them for granted. I praise You and thank You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Finding His Faithfulness in Spring

Are you heavy-burdened? Is the weight of the world resting on your shoulders? Step outside. God’s renewal is on display all around you. Spring is unfolding. Look! The trees are first. Golden ornaments transform into tender green leaves. Bright grass pushes through dark earth. Colorful flowers unfurl revealing sweet scents and delicate blooms.

Listen! Birds herald the morn with songs of praise. Each one awakens and sings for joy. Those sweet moments just before sunrise are a symphony announcing the break of day, the chance to begin again. The air is liquid with sound. The birds sing before the darkness is chased away. They sing knowing the sun will rise. Do you hear the hope?

Feel! The sun warms your skin, breaking the chill of winter. The breeze lifts around you softly wrapping you in its presence. The warmth lets you know, you too can grow in His care, casting aside the shell of burden, and stretching your arms toward His light.

Taste! Honeysuckle clings to the vine with one drop of sweet nectar to tickle your tongue. Berries – ripe, shiny, sweet – hold the flavor of spring, the promise of the sweetness of our Lord: “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8)

Smell! Warm, fragrance-filled air overtakes your senses. Like an offering to the Lord, the aroma floats on the breeze, lifts toward heaven. Glorious! It is more than just spring. It is a display of His majesty, His power, His creativity. It is a display of His faithfulness – a faithfulness that promises new life in the world and inside each of us. We should stop and “consider the wondrous works of God” and worship Him (Job 37:14).

But how often do we neglect this? How often do we walk right past His glorious gifts of spring and never notice the details? We are busy, so we hurry along. We are stressed, so we focus on our troubles. We are discouraged so we try to find approval from the glow of our screens. We are empty so we tether ourselves to the constant scroll of monotony trying to fill the void. We have forgotten that the void can only be filled with our LORD. So let’s loosen our chains of busyness and stress, go outside, and fill our senses with the goodness of God. The hope and the promises of spring surround us in Christ. A new life. A new name. A new beginning. He can take your broken, your weary, your wounded, your dormant, and make it new again. Give it to Him. Lay your burdens down at His cross. Let Christ transform that wintry thing inside you. Little by little you will begin to see it spring to life.

Dear Lord, Thank You for the sweet reminder of Your love found in spring. It is such a beautiful picture of what You can and will do for us when we confess, repent, and give our hearts to You. Thank You for the hope of renewal it offers. Your faithfulness cannot be matched! Help me to cling to these promises when life feels overwhelming. Give me strength to persevere knowing that Your spring is on the way. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Whatever!

“Whatever!” I read the word and had to stop. I could hear the echoes of someone with sass saying, “What-ever!” That wasn’t what this “whatever” meant. This was humble and honest. This whatever meant anything or even everything. I found it in the story of David, and it made me stop and consider my Jesus.

David had been anointed, but was not yet king. He knew Saul, the current king, was threatened by this, therefore he was fearful for his life. As David confided in his friend, Jonathan reassured him, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you” (1Samuel 20:4). Some people might say this, but they don’t necessarily mean anything or everything. Jonathan meant it – right down to giving his life.

Surely, it was an unlikely friendship. Jonathan was heir to the throne, and David was the God-ordained king. By all rights, Jonathan should have seen David as a threat. David was a shepherd, a servant. He had no cultural rights to expect Jonathan to serve him. Their roles were reversed. Jonathan, the would-be king, was willing to serve David, the anointed king. And yet, Jonathan held no ill-will. He was not mad. He was not jealous. He did not seek to destroy David. In fact, they were best friends. Jonathan “loved him as he loved himself,” the Bible tells us (1 Samuel 20:17). He was willing to do “whatever” to serve David.

This is a perfect picture of the choice we have in Jesus Christ. The world tells us to serve ourselves, be our own kings. We do what we want, what pleases us. We look out for #1. It’s all about us. After all, we deserve the best, right? That free-will has been given to us. But Jesus is our rightful God-ordained king, so there is a dichotomy in our being. Like Jonathan, we are in a place where we have to make a decision: Will we serve ourselves, or will we serve Christ?

Jonathan’s words made me reflect on my attitude toward Christ. Do I feel this way about my Lord and Savior? Would I say to Him, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you?” Whatever. Money. Time. Words. Deeds. Work. Sacrifice. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for You? Is that my heart-felt oath to my Lord?

My attitude is short-sighted compared to the all-encompassing “whatever” offered by Jonathan. “Whatever” is huge! How often do I just do what needs to be done, never going beyond, and never considering my Lord? How often do I say something to someone, or about someone, and I never consider how my words might honor the Lord? How often do I grouch and complain about doing things the Lord has entrusted to me alone, and I never consider that I’m being ungrateful to Him? How often is my “whatever” really small compared to my LORD?

Sometimes the “whatever” God is requiring of us is difficult. Maybe your “whatever” is walking through a season of hardship. Maybe you’ve been called to serve the Lord in some way. Maybe you know it is time to overcome an imprisoning sin-pattern. Giving “whatever” to the Lord will require attention, focus, and purposeful actions. It won’t happen accidentally or by default. Giving “whatever” will require an override of our self-will. It will require that we think about things daily, hourly, all the time. That’s not easy. But here’s the thing: our God is all about helping us get it right. He is a God who brings renewal and sanctification. He brings light into the dark places of our hearts. All we have to do is give it to Him. He won’t leave us to figure it out alone. He will come and guide us with His gentle Spirit. I don’t know about you, but I want to do “whatever” right. I want to say, “Come, Lord Jesus. Come and broaden my 'whatever.' I want to glorify You!”

Dear LORD, Thank you for Your patient instruction and for Your revealing light. Broaden my “whatever” so that I might accomplish what You’ve set before me, to Your glory. I ask this in Jesus’s name, Amen!

Other “whatever” verses:

Proverbs 16:3 - “Commit to the LORD whatever you do and He will establish your plans.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 -“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Colossians 3:17 -“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the LORD Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Colossians 3:23 - “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

Learn to Trust, Not Control

As soon as I finished writing the words in my prayer journal, I knew they were a lie: “Forgive me for secluding parts of my life from You and for keeping the Holy Spirit out. Forgive me for not giving You my whole heart.” These words scare me. I don’t really want to give all of my heart to the Lord. What would that require of me? I feel like Smeagol holding on to his Precious. But why? Why do I clutch at things that are better off in my Lord’s sweet hands?

Is it control? I do like control. Without my lists, plans, and routines, I feel reckless. Control makes me comfortable. Control makes me feel that I can manipulate a situation in the direction I want it to go. But control gives a false sense of power. My frenzied attempts to control a situation do not make me “in control” of the final outcome.

Deep down, I know . . . there is something else lurking in my uneasiness. When I push these thoughts aside, I know what it is. Trust. I do not trust my Lord. What if the Lord doesn’t do what I want? What if He has something difficult in store? What if He demands something I can’t do or don’t want to give? What if life isn’t good? What if . . .? I know it is the “What ifs” that scare me. But my “What ifs” imply the Lord does not want good for me. Is that how I really feel: The Lord wants bad things for me? This is not the truth!

Romans 8: 31-32 rings in my ears: “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” These words are the truth, not my “What ifs.” The gracious giving God who sent His own son to come and rescue me from a pit of sin and death would not harbor ill-intent for me. He has no desire to harm me or set me up for failure. His desire is that I will walk with Him and learn to trust Him above all else. He has what is best for me, even if I don’t understand it at the time. He is trustworthy!

I am the one that can’t be trusted! I don’t follow through. I walk away. I ignore. I put off till later. I would never build this kind of trust with my family or friends. So why do I ignore my Lord? I am the untrustworthy one! But how do I change?

The first step is adjusting my view. Sometimes I view my Lord in some lofty place, far removed, governing over everyone. This makes me feel alone and causes me to act on my own, sometimes in fear. I must remember who I am in Him. As a Child of God, He has sought me out and redeemed me through Jesus Christ. He is not far away but near. The second step is remembering that His intentions are good. No matter what comes my way or what He asks me to do, I should not fear because I have His love and “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear . . .” (1 John 4:18). I need to learn to trust in His love, not in my ability to control. The third step is to remember all the good things my Lord has already done for me. When fear makes me clutch tighter to the things I think I can manipulate, that should be my cue to rest in His proven trustworthiness. These things will help me to trust in His love, then step out with confidence.

Dear Lord, I want to trust You, even in the most confusing times. Help me to stop racing to control what is not in my power to determine. Help me to never forget who I am in You: chosen, redeemed, loved, protected, child of the Most High God. I want that perfect love that drives out fear. Please help me! In Jesus’s name, Amen!

Moved By the Spirit Wind

It rained last night, so as I sit on my porch this morning the world around me seems new and clean. Little drops of rain still clinging to green leaves surround me in glittering golden light. It dazzles like diamonds. The breeze intermittently blows – sometimes swaying the palm fronds of my potted plant, sometimes caressing my face. The breeze is fascinating. You cannot see it, but you know it is there. Thoughts of the wind and the Holy Spirit are rolling through my mind.

Jesus met with Nicodemus one night. Nicodemus had questions he wanted Jesus to answer, maybe without the scrutiny of the other Pharisees. Jesus told Nicodemus of a kingdom one cannot see unless he is born of the Spirit. Jesus said, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3: 8). Truly, we cannot see the Spirit, but we can see how He moves around us and through us. We can tell the Spirit is there because of a person’s actions, their words, their attitudes, the way they live their lives. The Spirit moves people in different directions than the flow of the world. Can you look at your own life and see how the Spirit moves you? Maybe, like me, you see some places you need to open up to Him and allow Him the freedom to move you.

There is a river birch beside my porch. As I sit here this morning it is mostly still. But way at the top of the tree, there is this one little leaf flickering back and forth with all its might. It catches my eye as it rotates because no other leaf is stirring. Why that one? Where is the breeze that it only moves that one little leaf? The wind is mysterious. Maybe it is the way the leaf is positioned on the tree. It makes me think of myself. Am I positioning myself to be moved by the Holy Spirit? I want to be. All around me there are people who do not know my Jesus. All around me there are opportunities to move differently than the world. I want to be like the lone leaf showing that the Spirit is here, flickering with the light of truth, pointing the way to Christ. I want people to know what Nicodemus learned that night: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3: 16-17).

Sometimes we focus on the world and we forget to be still and look for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are easily distracted. But for those who believe and belong to Christ, one day the veil will be lifted from our eyes and we will see clearly what the Spirit has been doing all along. And like the Casting Crowns song says, we will know we were moved by the “Spirit Wind.” So stay focused on Him, follow where His Spirit leads you, and watch as He moves. You won’t be disappointed! But most importantly, you will pointing the way to Christ.

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for secluding parts of my life and keeping the Holy Spirit out. Help me to overcome this tendency. Come into my heart and move me so that I can make more of Jesus to the world around me. Breathe Your Spirit Wind into my dry bones and give me strength and passion to do Your work. Thank You! In Jesus’ name, Amen!