Climbing the Scramble Ladder

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. -Ephesians 5:15-16

I've been distracted this week by the silliest thing. It's a computer game called Scramble. Letters are placed in a 5x5 grid, and you have three minutes to find as many words inside the grid as possible. It's a part of the Facebook web page, so many of my friends have been playing the game as well. I can see their scores on the side of my computer screen, and each time I beat one of their scores, my pictures moves up the ladder.

I'm currently in second place behind my friend, Rachel, who has 220 points compared to my 162 points. Man has it brought out the competitive nature in me! Every free moment this week, I've been hunched over my computer typing away, desperately trying to beat Rachel's score. I knew I was in trouble when I closed my eyes to go to bed, and all I could see was the Scramble board.

It hit me how bad this addiction had become when my five-year-old daughter walked by me sitting at the kitchen table, looked at my laptop screen with a critical eye and said, "Oh good, you aren't playing that STUPID game!" Ouch!

If I died tonight, my tombstone could read, "Here lies Becky. She played Scramble. Over and over and over again." : )

Seriously, is that the legacy I want to leave? There is nothing wrong with a little entertainment now and then, but there is something wrong with placing such high priority on such a trivial thing. I'm coming to the end of my week feeling so far away from God, so spiritually blah, and so disconnected. And no wonder! Instead of quiet times this week, I played Scramble. "God, I'll be right there. I know you want to spend some time with me. Just one more round!"

How easily my attention can be shifted away from what matters. I'm so thankful for a new week, with a fresh start, and an opportunity to prioritize my life wisely.

Personal Application:

Who or what has had your focus this week?

How easily little distractions can move in, shifting our focus, and sending our hearts and minds on spiritual detours. If something has taken your eyes off of Jesus this week, confess it now, and ask Him to help you prioritize your life according to His priorities for you.


Father,
It is so easy to become distracted and dulled by the things of this world. So many things compete for my attention, taking my eyes off of those that have eternal value. Please reveal to me where my priorities and thoughts have shifted off course. I want to be in the center of your will. Help me to choose wisely how to spend my time and my mental energy so I can be effective for your Kingdom and able to hear your still, small voice.

In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen


More of God's Word:

1. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. -Colossians 3:2 (NIV)
2. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. -Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

Love,

Bless Not Impress

Most days, I'm a soft-spoken, sane woman, but oh, if you could see the tizzy I get into when I'm getting ready for guests to arrive. My poor kids watch me morph from their loving mommy, into Helga, the Housecleaning Nazi Mama.

"Hurry up. They're going to be here in TWO HOURS!! Don't you realize we only have TWO HOURS to make this place PERFECT before ________ gets here? Why are you just standing there. Clean, people, clean!!!!"

While I dream of a Norman Rockwell scene, my kids run for cover. I envision our guests walking into a perfectly clean home as wonderful smells greet them from the kitchen. In my fantasy, a fire crackles in the fireplace, and soft music plays in the background.

In reality, the clock ticks closer and closer to their arrival, and Norman never shows up.

During one of these tizzies, God gave me a little "talking to." I was expecting a big group of friends to come over for dinner after the Saturday night service, so I skipped church to get ready for their arrival. I was in the middle of a mad dash cooking and cleaning frenzy when I heard His voice whisper to my heart, "Becky, I don't want you to impress these people. I want you to bless them."

I was busted. I knew where my focus was, and it wasn't on blessing anyone. It was all about impressing. The Windex, the vacuuming, the yelling at my kids, the running around like a chicken with my head cut off- it was all about making ME look good.

"Bless Not Impress" became a little mantra for me. I still slip into tizzy mode on occasion, but I try to stop and pray that my focus will be taken off of myself and on to the people I'm about to see. This works for social situations other than hospitality as well. When I'm nervous about meeting new people at my husband's work Christmas party, or if I run into an old friend from the past. Instead of allowing feelings of insecurity to rule, I say to myself, "Bless Not Impress." That little saying reminds me to look people in the eye, to ask questions, and to get beyond facades. It is a simple way to remember to look off me and to see people instead of the fingerprints on my refrigerator door.

As we move into this holiday season, lets remember to "Bless Not Impress" the people Jesus sends our way.

Have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

Love,

Preparing for Thanksgiving

From the Word:

Click here and read Psalm 103

Key Verse:
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits -Psalm 103:2

Each day this week, as I cleaned my kitchen, I set my laptop on the counter and listened to Family Life Today's daily broadcast. They were featuring Barbara Rainey's book, Thanksgiving, A Time to Remember, and played excerpts from a new audio version of the book. The narrator sounded like he was one of the Pilgrims, and I was drawn into the story.

It surprised me how little I actually knew about the history of the Pilgrims and the first celebrations of Thanksgiving. What about you? Do you remember the date the Pilgrim's landed on Plymouth Rock? Ever heard of Squanto? A few tidbits from my second grade Thanksgiving school program came back to me as I listened, but a lot of it, especially things of spiritual significance, were new to me.

I ended my week of listening inspired by the Pilgrim's desire to be grateful in the midst of such hardship. I want to be more spiritually prepared for Thanksgiving this year. So often, I get distracted by the practical preparation I have to do for company coming, the cooking, the family, Macy's parade, football, planning out my route for the big shopping day, etc. Thanksgiving usually comes and goes, and I forget to really truly give thanks. God gets left out of a celebration where He was supposed to be the guest of honor.

Not this year. I want to start now getting my heart ready to worship Him on November 27th in a special way. I want to be intentional about truly allowing him to be the guest of honor in my home and to do a better job of pointing my family's hearts toward gratitude.

Personal Application:

Click here to link to Family Life Today's series on Thanksgiving. Find some time this week to listen as a way of preparing your heart for the upcoming holiday.

In what ways can you plan ahead so your heart is focused on gratitude toward God and His many blessings this Thanksgiving? What obstacles can you see rising up to distract you? (tense family relationships, lots of work to do that day, loneliness?) Begin praying now that God would do a special work in your heart to make this year different.

How can you be intentional about directing your family's focus to true thanksgiving?

These are uncertain times in our country. In the midst of uncertainty and insecurity, there is no better time to stop and thank God for His provisions and to be reminded that our security is in Him.

More of God's Word:

1. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. - Philippians 4:6

2. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night. For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. - Psalm 92:1-2, 4 (NKJV)

3. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. - Psalm 100:3-5 (NKJV)

Father,

Please begin even now to prepare my heart for Thanksgiving. Show me how to prepare for the day and how to be intentional about making this a spiritually significant holiday for my family. Prevent me from being distracted, but instead make me fully focused on you, thanking you for your goodness toward me. Beyond this day, make me a woman who's heart is full of gratitude.

In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen

God bless you this week! I'd love to hear from you if you'd like to leave me a comment, but as always remember the comments are visible to anyone reading this blog.

Love,

Knock, Knock. It's Temptation!

From the Word

Click here and read Hebrews 4:14-16

Key Verse:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
– Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)

Recently, I watched Saturday morning cartoons with my daughter. We watched Larry Boy, the superhero cucumber from Veggie Tales. In this episode, Larry is working out while his distracted butler watches TV. Attempting to lift more than he is able, he drops the weight bar on his chest. Instead of coming to his rescue, the butler continues watching TV, half-heartedly encouraging Larry to just give it some more “oompf.”

As the cartoon shifted to the next scene, my daughter shouted out, “Look, Mommy. She’s the baaaddd apple.” Sure enough, a malevolent looking apple appeared on the screen singing in a sultry voice, “Knock, knock! Who’s there? It’s Temptation!”

I would never have guessed the Holy Spirit would choose to use a Veggie Tales episode to teach me something about my own life. I wish I had listened better to His still small voice, but instead I ruffled Amy’s hair, told her to enjoy the cartoon and went downstairs to the kitchen. Ignoring the big breakfast I had just eaten, I grabbed two jumbo chocolate chip cookies, downing them in record speed. The whole time the little song from the cartoon rang through my head, “Knock, knock, who’s there? It’s Temptation!” Guilt filled me as I realized another failure at what feels like a never-ending battle. I stood in the kitchen, hating myself for giving in to Temptation’s knock once AGAIN.

I know I am not alone. In this case my issue was overeating, but I have prayed with women in our church facing a multitude of addictions and temptations. We can all fill in our own blanks. The battle remains the same. Beating temptation can feel like the weight Larry Boy was trying to lift. Our well-meaning friends and family members tell us to just try harder, but we know the weight of the temptation is too heavy for us even if we give it all the “oompf” we can muster.

There is good news! Jesus knows! In the New Living Translation, our key verse reads like this: “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Instead of beating ourselves up or living in defeat, we must run to Jesus. He understands, and He alone can give us the power to beat it. It isn’t “oompf” we need. Our own hard work will fall short. It takes an attitude of surrender, saying to Him, “I can’t do this. Help.” The battles will be won by His strength, not ours. He can lift the weight off our chest with his little finger.

Personal Application:
How do you typically handle temptation? What about failures?

Consider this:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein

Take some time to pray about the specific areas of your life where you face ongoing temptation. Look at your typical response to temptation and failure. Instead of just resolving to try harder, ask Jesus to show you a new way and to help you develop a new plan for victory in your personal areas of temptation. Ask Him to reveal to you where you need to make changes in your lifestyle to be in His will. Don’t continue to keep doing the same thing when it isn’t working. Stop relying on your own strength. If victory over temptation is dependent on our own strength and inner resolve, we are doomed. We will always eventually run out of our own ability.

More of God’s Word:
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NLT)

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
–1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
-Romans 7:24-25 (NLT)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
- Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)


Dear Lord,
I am so grateful You understand and care about my personal struggles. There is no temptation I face greater than Your power. Please deliver me from this and train me to flee when temptation knocks. Thank You that I can run to You instead of trying to win this on my own. Remind me to apply this truth every time I am faced with temptation. Provide the way out and give me the strength to choose the right way. Be the strength I need to be victorious over the knock of temptation.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen


I’d love to hear from you. You can leave a comment in response to this devotion below. Please remember that other people will be able to read your comments. God bless your week.

Love,