Category: Devotionals

Worthy of His love

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Reflections based on Ephesians 1:3–8.

‘In love he predestined us for adoption’ (vv4–5)

Our society is always pushing us to do more, achieve more, be more – and listening to its messages can erode our sense of self-worth. On top of that, many of us have experienced isolation, deep losses and difficulty with concentration this year. This can cause us to feel unloved and unworthy. I know that struggling with a sense of low self-esteem is hugely difficult, and I certainly don’t want to belittle what some of you may have been through as a result.

REMINDING OURSELVES OF TRUTH

My intention in writing is to encourage each one of us to remind ourselves of who God says we are. In order to counteract the negative pressure, we need to continually soak ourselves in truth. So let’s look at who God says we are – and why – in this passage.

Firstly, God chose us to be His ‘before the creation of the world’ (v4). We aren’t worthy in and of ourselves, but because God chose to make us ‘holy and blameless in his sight’ through the sacrifice of Jesus (v4). Why did God do this? Verse five gives us the answer ‘in accordance with his pleasure and will’. Just let that truth soak into you: you are worthy of His love through Jesus, and it gives God great pleasure to love you!

LOVING OURSELVES ISN’T SELFISH

I know that the Church can have a tendency to be affected by the culture around it. As a result, some are concerned that churches in the West are becoming too ‘I’ centred. I understand that, and think there is some truth to it. But knowing our sense of worth, as it is found in Jesus, and learning to love ourselves as God loves us, isn’t a selfish thing. In Matthew 22:38 Jesus said that each one of us should ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. In order to do this, we need to learn to accept the worth that God gives to us. If you particularly struggle with this, I pray that you are able to take a step closer to acceptance of yourself today.

Prayer: Thank You Lord for the reminder that You find me worthy of Your love – and that I am to love myself too. Help me to do that today. Amen.

If you would like to read more about how we can struggle with our sense of self-worth, this interview with Anne le Tissier contains some helpful truths.

If you know loving yourself is something you find really difficult, I invite you to take a look at Insight into Self-acceptance as you may find it helpful.

Precious to Him

Photo by Jonny Lew from Pexels
Photo by Jonny Lew from Pexels

For reflection: Isaiah 43:1–7.

‘you are precious and honoured in my sight’ (v4)

It’s time to pause and remember just how precious you are to God. Many scriptures speak of His great love for us, but one that I come back to time and time again is Isaiah 43. In moments of stress, fear and weariness it is wonderful to be able to read in God’s word: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine’ (v1). That works on my soul like a soothing balm.

I know it is important not to take verses out of context, and this chapter was written to Israel while captive in Babylon to reassure them of His restoration. However, God’s word is ‘alive and active’ (Hebrews 4:12) and has much to say to us corporately and individually today.

We are in a time of restriction – and of great fear. There is so much death and destruction all around us, and many of us are feeling worn out. There are concerns about the future, how long it will be before we can meet with family and friends again – and how many more will be affected by Covid-19. How reassuring to be reminded that, even in the midst of all these difficulties, our God is with us: ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you’ (v2). Although our circumstances are hard right now, it is so important to focus on God and His presence with us.

Speaking truth to ourselves is so important – particularly in these days. It shifts our gaze and changes our perspective. There is no better place to find truth than in the Bible, so set aside time over the next few days to look up Bible verses that speak to you about how much God loves you. You might find it helpful to write them out and post them around your house, and pick a few to memorise over the coming days. Here’s one more to get you started, which you could use as a prayer: ‘keep me as the apple of your eye’ (Psa. 17:8). 

Child of God

Reflections based on John 1:9–13.

‘Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God’ (v12).

We have already looked at how God created not only the universe, but us too – and He took great care with each individual. It is important to remember that He is behind all our natural talents and gifts too. Before we start to look at ourselves and begin to feel even a whiff of pride, we should remember that without God ‘nothing was made that has been made’ (v3). Everything in creation is down to Him – us included. The basis for our sense of self, therefore, should be rooted only in Him.

Yes, we are each valuable and unique – but only in and through Him. I find that comforting, as it makes the idea of comparing ourselves to others a little foolish (although it is still something I so easily fall into doing).

Before the creation of time, God’s plan for salvation was at work too; to send Jesus, ‘the true light’, into the world. With His sacrifice, and our belief in Him, we have the right to call ourselves children of God; faith in His saving grace is all it takes to be adopted into His family.

If you have never asked Jesus to forgive your sins, dwell in your heart and change you from the inside out to be more like Him, can I urge you to do so today! And, if you have, remind yourself that, however you feel about yourself right now, and however you are treated by those around you, you are a child of the living God, the most powerful and loving being in the universe. How privileged you are to be able to call yourself His child!

Here is how John puts it in 1 John 3:1: ‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!’

Prayer: I thank You that everything I am is because of You. Since believing in You, I have been adopted into Your family and can call myself Your child. Amen!

Made in the image of God

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Reflections based on Psalm 139:1–16.

‘I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made’ (v14)

So many of us can have trouble accepting ourselves for who we are. Our bodies in particular come under such scrutiny, often because of the huge amount of unhelpful messages we are bombarded with by society (in the form of ads, magazines, Facebook etc). We need to stop and remind ourselves regularly that we were created by God – and Genesis tells us that we are actually made in His image! 

I find this psalm so comforting – but also challenging. God is ever there; surrounding us at all times. But how often do we forget, when we are moaning that we’ve put on too much weight, or aren’t as attractive as one of the other women in church/work/at the school gate, that God formed us in our mothers’ wombs, and knew exactly what we would be like.

As we saw, God is most concerned with inner rather than outer appearance – and yet He still took the time to lovingly put our bodies together.

If you have ever spent any time looking in detail at the biology behind the human body, it is nothing short of miraculous. When I was pregnant with our children I used to read The Rough Guide to Pregnancy out to my husband. We would be amazed at the entries, which said things like, ‘this week your baby is growing fingernails’. God’s design for humans is mind-blowing! 

We are going to spend some time over the next few weeks looking at who God says we are, and how those truths should be feeding our sense of self. I wanted to start with the amazing truth that God, the creator of the universe, also decided, before the creation of the world, to create you and me. Isn’t that incredible?!

Prayer: Lord I’m sorry that I can spend time fixating on the parts of my body that I don’t like rather than thanking You for creating me. I am ‘wonderfully made’! Amen.

A healthy sense of self

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Reflections based on 1 Samuel 16:1–13.

‘People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’ (v7)

As our children have just started a new term, I’ve decided it is a good time to start a new series of devotions (particularly after a bit of a break over the summer). So much has been shaken this year – including, for many of us, our sense of self. With much of our freedom limited for months, and many of us affected personally by Covid, we may feel quite different than we did at the start of the year. We listened to our son’s new headmaster give his ‘welcome back to school’ address last night; he recognised that the pupils will have been changed by lockdown – and that their personalities may be somewhat different too.

Whether we are going back to school or our workplace, starting a new school, as our son is, or simply trying to regain a sense of routine, embracing the challenges as well as the opportunities can be harder when we aren’t sure how to live out of a sense of who we truly are as Christians day by day. Too often we can live out of a warped sense of self, allowing those around us, or our circumstances, to influence who we are. We can struggle with our identity when, ultimately, it can only be found in Jesus. 

Part of stepping into who we are is learning to walk into the freedom already won for us, but the other part is about discipline and learning to cultivate the positive qualities of our new selves along with the help of the Holy Spirit.

So where does our sense of self come from? What we do, from what those around us think of us? What we think of ourselves? How do we measure ourselves? Is our first port of call to go to God and His Word to see what He says about us – or do we rely on what society is telling us and what it says we should be like?

I love the reminder that 1 Samuel gives us. God had told Samuel to go to the house of Jesse, as he would find the next king of Israel there. But his expectation of what the king would look like caused God to remind him that what is most important is what is going on inside a person – not their outer appearance. As we start this study on ‘self’, let’s not forget that the way we judge ourselves is so often different to the way God judges. He is most concerned about our spiritual wellbeing and about us coming into the fullness of what it means to be ‘new creations’ in Jesus.

Prayer: Thank You Lord that to understand who I truly am, I need only look to You. Help me, through the coming days, to learn to see myself as You see me. Amen.

Time for…tears

Reflections based on Psalm 56:8 (NLT):

You keep track of all my sorrows. 
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.

I know that I haven’t been posting as regularly recently and I do apologise for that. I have needed a bit of space, which is hard to come by with the kids on school holiday. My weekly devotionals are normally based on Bible study notes that have already been published – this series has gone way beyond that, but I have felt it important to stay with the subject matter.

The time I spent sorting through mum’s things was a time of sadness but also laughter. We were able to reminisce as we sorted, and I was so glad that happened. But it was also a time characterised by a lack of time to process what was going on. I had half an hour one morning when I sat and read through some of the cards and letters mum and I had sent to one another, which I found with her Bibles, and had a little cry but, apart from that, there wasn’t much breathing space.

As a result, I have found myself crying at quite random events since I came home. I’m sure the lack of sleep during the recent heatwave hasn’t helped, but minor difficulties have left me in floods of tears. I’ve also been so much more aware of the fragility of our humanity, as well as my desperate desire to see my dad come to know his maker and our children to know God more deeply and intimately. Sometimes the pain of those desires is overwhelming.

One moment, when I was getting more and more frustrated at not being able to find something in our currently rather messy home, and ended up in tears (yet again), two members of our household exclaimed: “You don’t need to cry about it!”

I came away feeling even worse about myself, but then I remembered the above verse, which meant so much to me when I was writing my latest 30-day devotional on Disappointment and Loss. God had led me to it time and time again when I went to him with my questions and my sadness. 

I don’t understand why my mum suffered physical pain for so much of her life, or why she died exactly when she did. I also don’t understand why she cried so many tears of longing over my dad’s salvation but never saw the fruition of a promise spoken to her more than 30 years ago that she prayed faithfully into day after day.

I don’t understand why the world has been hit by this pandemic, or why we are seeing so many ongoing natural and manmade disasters that are causing immense suffering (although I do know many of our collective lifestyle choices have impacted the globe in horrendous ways). But what I do know is that God sees our pain, and he collects every single tear. While my family may not have understood my latest tearful outburst (and I don’t fully either), God did, and he lovingly recorded every single tear. And while I don’t fully comprehend why he does so, I do know that he cares for us tenderly and knows that we need an outlet for our pain and sorrow. 

Reflection: There has been so much loss and sorrow in the world this year. Have you given yourself time and space to process your own response before God? Could it be that he is lovingly inviting you to shed some tears before him?

Time to…let go

I have been thinking about Ecclesiastes 3, which talks about there being a ‘time for everything’, including death. But there is also ‘a time to keep and a time to throw away’ (v6) and that is what I am facing right now. 

While I know many people utilised the time during lockdown to blitz rooms in their homes that had become overfull with unnecessary clutter, our lockdown was more manic than our life is usually. And, as my husband is deep into DIY in our bathroom currently, we are not sorting through and throwing away anything – apart from damp and rotten wood, tiles and an old shower!

No, this time to keep and throw away is related to the earlier verse: ‘a time to be born and a time to die’ (v2). Although my mum died back in February, this is the first opportunity there has been to go and stay with my dad, so that I can help him sort through mum’s things.

I am sure there will be a mixture of emotions felt over the next few days and, while we may hold on to some things for sentimental reasons, in order to remember mum well, we will also need to make practical decisions and get rid of items that none of us can utilise.

As I’ve been thinking about going away, I’ve realised that this is the next stage in my grieving journey. It will necessitate another layer of letting go, as we package up clothes to take to charity shops. It will feel like losing another part of mum, and I know I will find it really hard. I hope I’ll be gentle on myself, and walk this next path with Jesus as I know he will be close by.

But I also think there is a letting go that most of us need to do in this time, as we are easing out of lockdown. We need to let go of the pressure we may be putting on ourselves to ensure things go back to ‘normal’ quickly – whatever normal was. 

We need to let go of the frustration we may feel because 2020 has certainly not been as we envisaged or hoped. Whatever control we thought we had over our lives has been shown up for what it really was – an illusion. Some of us will be struggling with that intensely. Perhaps it’s time to let go of the struggle and move towards acceptance…

Lockdown has also brought the best out in some people – but the worst in others. It may be that we’ve been on the receiving end of some of the worst. Perhaps it is time to let go of the pain that has been inflicted and any unforgiveness that has arisen in our own hearts as a result.

Reflection: Take some time before God to ask him whether there is anything that you need to let go of. You might want to bring those things before him and, in a symbolic act, when you are ready place your palms downwards to show that you are letting them go, out of your grasp. Then, again when you are ready, perhaps you could turn your palms upwards to receive whatever it is that God has for you today.

Time for a fresh start?

Reflections based on John 21:15–22.

This interaction between Peter and Jesus is one that always causes a heart response in me, because it beautifully reveals how God restores us.

This was the first time that Peter had spoken one on one with Jesus since the resurrection – and since that horrifying day when he had disowned him, and then watched him die an agonising death. Peter had been so sure of himself, so sure that he would stand by Jesus no matter what (see Mark 14) and yet Jesus knew that Peter would deny him three times.

How all of that must have played heavily on Peter’s mind, even after Jesus appeared, resurrected, to them all. He must have felt that he had blown it and yet what does Jesus do in this interaction between them? In a beautiful display of forgiveness and reinstatement, he asks Peter three times: ‘do you love me?’ By the third time, Peter was feeling hurt and yet, although tough at the time, those three questions were for the three denials. Jesus was bringing restoration. As I explain in my book Taking Off the Mask:

‘The first two times, the Greek word he [Jesus] uses for love is agape, which means self-sacrificial love. The first time it is in the context of the group; the second he is focusing on just Peter. The third time the word Jesus uses is phileis, from the word philos, which means beloved or friend. Here Jesus is talking about brotherly affection. I believe, through this process, he is asking Peter to both confront his past mistakes and look honestly at what his true feelings and motivations are. Jesus uses this to redeem Peter and charges him with the task of looking after the church: ‘feed my sheep’ (v.17)’

It may be that during this time of lockdown you have struggled in certain areas. Being in close quarters with family has certainly brought out the best, but also the worst, in all of us in my household, and I know we’ve had to learn to apologise to one another quickly. We have found, as time has gone on, that patience has worn thinner and we have been less gracious towards one another. We have had to recognise our mistakes and bring peace and restoration to our relationships.

One of the things I think God has been stirring in many of us is the necessity of looking at our usual priorities. Do our lives need recalibrating in any way? Are there practises that we need to discard, and new ones we need to put into place going forward?

And what about our motivations? We watched on in horror at the murder of George Floyd, but many of us have since been learning that not being racist is not enough – we must show that we are anti-racist and stand in unity with one another. We need to search our hearts for our own wrong attitudes and actions, and be quick to repentance.

How reassuring it is that we serve a God whose mercies are new every morning, who remains faithful and true – and who provides us with a fresh start when we need one.

Time to be honest

‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour:  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up’ (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10).

Today I have enjoyed my monthly catch up with three other writers. We take time out to ask each other how we are generally, and how our writing is going. There was a common theme in our conversation, which I have noticed with other interactions I’ve had in recent days – we’ve had good days and bad days.

It was a breath of fresh air for me, as I have had a little run of harder days. We each need to remind ourselves that we all have our ups and downs, rather than feeling like a failure on the down days.

Particularly during this time of ongoing crisis, which continues alongside the monotony of being stuck indoors, there are days when we just don’t seem ourselves. It is OK to admit that – both to ourselves and to others.

I love the sense of being there for one another when we fall down, which is described so well in the Ecclesiastes verses. Last week I had what I would describe as a complete meltdown – everything seemed too much: work, family, church, relationships. I felt like I was totally spent and yet was still being pulled in every different direction possible.

Firstly, I needed to voice how I felt to God, and then to my husband. That helped. But I had a catch up chat booked in the same night with my close friends, and I struggled to decide whether I should share the same information with them, as they are in the church we lead. And yet, as soon as I did, I felt something lift.

Afterwards, I worried that I had overburdened them, although we had each shared honestly about our struggles as well as our joys. But I hadn’t. It highlighted to me, once again, that we are meant to live in relationship with others. We need each other, and in this time of isolation we need to find ways to be honest with those we trust about how we are coping, or not coping.

When one of us feels like we have fallen down, those around us can hold out a metaphorical hand to pull us back up. And we can do the same back to our friends when they need help and encouragement. Let’s not be too proud, ashamed or fearful to be honest with the people we trust. While it might be more difficult in this time of social distancing, we can still find ways to support one another.

Prayer: Thank You Lord that You have created us for relationship. Help me to remember that You long for me to be honest with You, but also that my friends and family are often Your hands and feet, helping to support me in practical ways. Help me to be the same for them, even during this challenging time.

Waiting well

Reflections based on Luke 2:21–40.

‘He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him’ (v25).

In Luke 2, we read about Mary and Joseph taking the baby Jesus to be presented to God at the Temple. Inside the Templeare two elderly servants of God – Simeon, a devout, righteous man, and Anna the prophetess, aged 84, who had been widowed after only seven years of marriage. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would see the Messiah before he died. I wonder what his expectations had been before that day – I can’t imagine that he had envisaged a young baby born to a poor couple.

It was vital that Simeon heard the prompting of the Holy Spirit, both in leading him to the Temple on that particular day at that specific time, and also in recognising who Jesus truly was. How much time must he have spent in preparation for that day? In prayer, waiting on God, listening to His voice? Did he wait patiently? Did years pass uneventfully before God prompted him on that day? We are not given such details.

And, for Anna, the pain of losing her husband so early on in her marriage must have been excruciating. The details we are given of her really challenge me – right from that moment up until the age of 84, she spent each day worshipping, praying and fasting. Both were faithful in their waiting, and it took many years for them to reach this moment of joyful recognition of their Saviour.

Whatever age you are, God wants you to hear His voice. If He makes a promise to you a period of waiting may be involved, and the answer may not come in the way you expect.

Perhaps, like me, you’ve become quite tired of the lockdown: the endless monotony of days stuck at home, juggling work with ensuring the kids are doing their school work too. Evenings are then taken up with zoom meetings and FaceTime, as well as preparation for church meetings. Life actually seems to be more intense and busy than usual, with little space to process what is going on. The cry of my heart has been, in recent days, ‘How much longer, Lord?’ As well as, if I’m being totally honest, ‘I’ve had enough – I can’t do this anymore!’ For some of you, a similar cry will have gone up, but for very different reasons. Perhaps you have spent lockdown alone, and are desperate to see people in the flesh again. Or maybe you are a key worker, pouring yourself out daily for those around you, but tired to your bones and in need of proper, extended rest.

I know that God is moving in this intensely difficult time, and that the waiting, however painful, is not being wasted. There is so much we don’t understand, but many of us are re-evaluating, having been stripped of what usually brings us security. We don’t like what we are seeing all around us, our hearts are bleeding for the huge losses and resulting heartbreak, but God is at work even in the midst of this horrific crisis. There seems to be a new hunger for prayer – but, alongside that, some of us are having to try and find new ways of connecting with God as we don’t have the same opportunities that we used to. For others, a kind of stagnation has taken place, as we struggle to find the impetus for anything, let alone prayer.

Please know that, whatever stage you are at, you are not alone. There will be others feeling like you do. And God hasn’t left you, however it feels right now. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been at times for both Simeon and Anna to keep on going, keep on holding on to the promises God had whispered to their souls. And yet the joy of that day, when they finally saw Him, the Saviour of their souls!

My prayer for each of us is that we will remain faithful as the lockdown and the necessary waiting get harder, that we will hear God’s voice and notice the prompting of His Spirit. While our world seems to have changed almost beyond recognition, thank God that He remains the same yesterday, today and forever…