Devotions

What to Do When God Says No

Megan Breedlove April 14, 2014 No Comments

Vertical No The other day, Timmy and I had what I think was an actual conversation. Sort of, anyway. It went like this:

Timmy: “Want more snack.”

Me: “Sorry, there isn’t any more.”

Timmy: “Want more snack.”

Me: “It’s all gone.”

Timmy: “Want more snack.”

Me: “You can’t have anymore. It’s. All. Gone.”

Timmy: “Waaaaaaaaaah!”

Seriously, that was how it went. It was like my words just weren’t registering with him, or maybe were irrelevant. Timmy simply kept repeating his request, again and again, despite my having said no the first few times.

Until finally he gave up and had a fit about it.

I was struck by the parallels between Timmy’s approach to me and our approach to God sometimes. God tells us we can’t have something for whatever reason, and we keep pleading for it. We keep begging for something we should know is not good for us because God has already said no.

Sometimes, though, we go beyond what Timmy did—the pleading. We simply decide to take what we want despite the fact God doesn’t mean for us to have it. Or perhaps we keep engaging in it, never mind the truth that God’s Word tells us we shouldn’t.

We simply don’t want to accept God’s “no”.

The response I wanted from Timmy was quite different. I wanted him to accept the fact that I’d said no and stop asking. I wanted him to move on to something else.

It’s the same response God wants from us. When He has said no to something, He wants us to accept His answer, stop asking, and move on.

Yes, we may be disappointed at His “no”. That’s okay. What’s not okay is to keep begging for something or engaging in a particular behavior when He has clearly said “no”.

That person we want to be in a relationship with? If God has said no, it’s time to move on and find someone else.

That way we want to act, but we know it doesn’t please God? Stop acting that way, and act the way He meant for us to.

Those circumstances we want to change, when God has said that for right now, they are what He wants for us? We stop asking Him to change them and start asking Him to change our ability to live with them.

True, when we don’t know God’s answer, we should keep asking. The Bible commands us to do that. But when God has said no, we accept it and move on, knowing that He has something better in store for us—whether that be pleasing circumstances or simply a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him.

Are you still stuck asking for what you can’t have? Or are you ready to accept what God wants you to have?

Isaiah 55:8— “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. (NIV)

When Life Drags You Down

Megan Breedlove April 7, 2014 No Comments

Resurrection Cross Maybe your husband just lost his job. Maybe you just lost yours. Maybe you’re struggling with discipline problems with your children. Maybe you’ve recently lost someone you love.

Whatever the details of the circumstances that are dragging you down, you know how it feels to feel like you just might go under.

Martha of Bethany would have identified with you. In John 11, we find out that Martha’s beloved brother has died. Worse than that, Jesus—whom Martha believed loved them all—had for some inexplicable reason shown up too late to be of any help. Too late for even the funeral.

When Jesus finally arrives, Martha confronts Him about this: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!” she says (v. 21). Then she goes on to plead with Him in v. 22, “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” In other words, she’s saying, “You could have done something, but you didn’t. Yet even now, I know you can still do something about this if you’ll just do it!”

Have you ever felt that way? That Jesus showed up too late? That He could easily have fixed your circumstances if He had just decided to? I think we all have. That’s why we identify with Martha’s desperate words.

As far as we know, Jesus never does tell Martha why He didn’t prevent her brother from dying, just as He doesn’t always tell us why He allowed things to happen to us that grieve us. But He does tell her that her brother will rise again.

“I know he’ll rise again eventually,” she says (my paraphrase). Then Jesus goes on to reassure her that yes, Lazarus will eventually rise at the resurrection of the dead that Jesus will perform at the last day. But He offers her far more than that as comfort. Listen to His words: “I am the resurrection and the life,” he says (emphasis mine).

It’s the same answer He gives us. “Yes, you have hope in the future that things will be better,” He tells us. “But for now, in the in-between time, I am your life.” In other words, Jesus is telling us that our life consists not in the perfection of our circumstances, but in the fact that Jesus Himself is our life, and He is always available no matter what else is going on.

It’s beautiful, and a better answer than we could have ever hoped for. You see, sometimes—perhaps even often—circumstances will not be to our liking. We will be dissatisfied. Discontent. Maybe even grieved. And in those times—in the times before Jesus comes back to take us to heaven and make everything perfect—we need hope. We need to know that we have life now, that there is more to life than just struggling through disappointment or tragedy. Life can be abundant, even in the midst of tragic circumstances.

That’s because even when we’re suffering—perhaps especially when we’re suffering—we can know Jesus. We can be in intimate relationship with Him despite, or perhaps because of, whatever else is going on. He is our life, and He will see us through.

Circumstances won’t do it. They can’t. They were never meant for that job. So when circumstances are going well, we should rejoice even as we remember that Jesus is still the one carrying us through. And when they’re not—when tragedy or disillusionment has struck—we must remember that our life consists of far more than praying desperately for circumstances to be perfect.

He is our life, and knowing Him is possible even in the midst of circumstances we never wanted.

John 11:17-44—Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” (verse 25)

You Can Do More Than You Think

Megan Breedlove March 31, 2014 No Comments

The house was peacefully quiet. Timmy was taking a nap—or so I thought—and two of my daughters (the only other kids home at the time) were playing with a friend. I was sitting on the couch in the living room working on a cross stitch project when my daughters and their friend walked into the living room…followed by Timmy.

“Who got Timmy out of his crib?” I asked. No one said anything, so I asked each girl individually. Each denied it. Gradually, I came to the only possible conclusion: Timmy had gotten himself out of the crib.

It was the first of many such escapes that Timmy engineered. Apparently, he was easily able to climb out of his crib whenever he wanted to.

In thinking about it, I realized that Timmy had probably been able to climb out of his crib for awhile now. The only thing keeping him there may not have been his inability to get out, but his mistaken assumption that he was unable to do so.

You and I have mistaken assumptions about our abilities too. We’re able to do so much more than we realize—we just don’t try, so we never find out. We look at the obstacles in front of us and think, I can’t overcome that, so I won’t even try.

In reality, however, with God’s strength, we can do anything He calls us to do. That’s because when He calls us, He also equips us not only with the abilities and talents we already have, but with His strength and wisdom.

Precious mom, is there an area in your life where God’s calling you to step out in faith, but you’re not obeying because you think you can’t? Moses would have identified with you. When God called him to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, Moses protested, citing his lack of speaking ability.

What excuse are you using for not doing what God has called you to do? Do you think you don’t have the ability to do what He’s asking? Do you protest that you don’t know how?

It’s true that you may need to develop certain abilities. You may also need to learn how to do what He’s asking. But the fact that you can’t or don’t know how to do it now is no excuse for remaining stuck in the crib. God will honor your efforts to get out and do whatever it is He’s calling you to do. You may be unable by yourself, but with Him, you are more than able.

Don’t let any potential obstacles make you think you can’t be successful at what God wants you to do. God can either remove the obstacles, or He can enable you to get over them, just like He enabled Timmy to get out of his crib. What seems like a huge obstacle to you is nothing more than a pebble to God. If He wants you to get past that obstacle, He will make a way.

But you have to be willing to take that first step.

Philippians 4:13—I can do all things through him who gives me strength. (ESV)

Being Thankful in Tough Times

Megan Breedlove March 24, 2014 No Comments

raindrops on windshield Several years ago, Lindsey appointed herself my “company girl”. This means she accompanies me whenever I go somewhere (at least, any time she’s allowed to) and keeps me company on the trip. It doesn’t matter to her what we do; she just likes being together.

Two days ago, my company girl and I were on our way to do some errands. Our first stop was to be a local department store. As we drove down the road the store is on, small raindrops began hitting the windshield. Oh no, I thought. Now we’re going to get wet trying to get into the store. What if it starts raining harder? Then we’ll get really wet. And I can’t run as fast when I have Lindsey with me.

Out loud, I said, “Oh, no! It’s raining.”

Lindsey glanced at the raindrops dotting our windshield and said, with a smile, “Yay! We’re going to get wet!”

The exact same circumstance happened to both of us: rain. The difference came in our attitudes. I saw the rain as an inconvenience; Lindsey saw it as fun.

So much of our quality of life results from the way we look at things and the perspective we choose to have. I said choose to have, because while we may not be able to choose our circumstances sometimes, we can always choose our attitudes in response.

I could have chosen a different perspective. I could have seen the rain and thought about what fun it would be to run through the rain together with a girl who loves to get wet, laughing and giggling all the way. Instead, I chose a perspective that brought me down instead of lifting me up.

Fortunately, I didn’t bring Lindsey down. She chose the “joy” perspective. What I saw as an inconvenience, she saw as the chance to have a great time.

I wonder what difference it would make in our lives as moms if we were to practice seeing the positive side of things instead of the negative? Would our homes be more peaceful? Would our relationships with our husband (if we’re married) and children be more fulfilling? Would our relationship with God be more joyful and Spirit-filled?

I’m not suggesting that everything in life that happens to us will bring joy. But I am saying that even in the worst of circumstances, we can find good that is happening despite those circumstances. And I’m urging all of us—starting with myself—to realize that so many things in our day-to-day lives could be so much different if we were to look on the bright side of things instead of the negative.

I’ll bet this new, positive perspective would please God, too. After all, we’re commanded to give thanks in the midst of every circumstance, and we’re told that it’s God’s will for us.

Does this mean that we’re supposed to deny our negative feelings? No. We need to take those to God and let Him help us deal with those. He desires truth from us, including in our emotional lives. So God’s command doesn’t mean we’re supposed to pretend like everything is just fine. But it does mean that, no matter what, we’re supposed to find something to be thankful about.

Discouraged that your house is a mess? (Believe me, I totally get this one.) Instead of focusing on the discouragement, you could choose to spend your emotional energy being thankful you have children.

Frustrated that your husband works long hours? Instead of focusing on the inconvenience that this makes for you, you could deliberately choose to be thankful that your husband’s long hours mean that he has a job that helps to provide for you and your family.

Irritated that you’ve told your children the same thing a thousand times, and they still don’t get it? Try turning your irritation into thankfulness to God that He doesn’t give up on you when you don’t get it the first several times either.

See what I mean? Same circumstances, different attitude.

And sometimes, your attitude makes all the difference in the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:18—Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Yay, Daddy!

Megan Breedlove March 17, 2014 No Comments

Clapping hands It was a cool, overcast Sunday afternoon. Phil and I and the kids were in the minivan on the way back from Phil’s parents’ house. The four older kids were playing their DS’s or reading, Phil was driving, and I was working on a cross stitch project (there will be a devotion about it later). Timmy was sitting peacefully strapped into his seat watching the world go by. All was quiet, until….

“Yay, Daddy!” Timmy shouted, clapping. “Yay, Daddy!”I turned and looked at him, surprised by this out-of-the blue enthusiasm. Timmy grinned. “Yay, Daddy!” he repeated, continuing to clap.

“Thank you, Timmy,” Phil said.

Timmy shouted again, “Yay, Daddy!”

Several times, Timmy repeated his cheer for Daddy, clapping enthusiastically. It didn’t seem to have been brought on by anything in particular except Timmy’s general good mood. But my husband enjoyed hearing it, and I did, too.

God feels the same way when He hears us praising Him, I realized. Especially when it’s not due to anything in particular except the overflow of our heart.

Often, we spend the majority of our time talking to God in asking Him for things. It’s not bad to ask God for what we need and desire; the problem comes in when we do so to the exclusion of praising Him for His marvelous attributes and actions. Hardly ever do we (even figuratively speaking) clap and say, “Yay, God!”

Yet repeatedly in Scripture we are exhorted to praise God with abandon (see many of the Psalms). We’re even told that God has ordained praise from the mouths of children and nursing infants (see Matthew 21:16). Why are we to praise Him? Why has He ordained for us to do so? Not only because we need to be reminded of how wonderful He is, but also because He loves to hear it.

You know how you feel when your children say, “You’re the greatest mommy in the whole world!” Well, God loves hearing it when we tell Him how great He is! And not just when He’s just granted a request, but any time. For no reason at all other than just because.

How much time do you spend praising God? If your answer is “Not very much,” then wouldn’t you love to bring gladness to God’s heart by praising Him? Don’t you want to bring joy to your Father by telling Him how wonderful He is?Why not tell Him right now?

Psalm 150:2—Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! (ESV)

Making It Look Easy

Megan Breedlove March 10, 2014 No Comments

It’s not that Ellie doesn’t have a regular bedtime, or a regular bedtime routine. It’s not that she doesn’t have enough hours available to her for sleep. It’s just that sometimes, she doesn’t sleep well, and she winds up going through the next day tired.

We were discussing exactly this on the way home from church yesterday afternoon. “Kenny’s the one who’s good at sleeping,” Ellie said, referring to the fact that her brother never has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.

“Yes, but when he was a baby, he was a terrible sleeper,” I said.

“Yeah, but not anymore,” Ellie said. “He makes sleeping look easy.”

I have to admit that I chuckled out loud. Sleeping is easy, I thought to myself. But then I realized that Ellie doesn’t experience it that way at all. Sleeping, though easy for Kenny, is not easy for her. That doesn’t mean Ellie should stop trying to sleep.

In a similar vein, I have friends who are great at things like cooking or making stuff you see on Pinterest. I’m not. I’m simply not that talented in those areas. What’s easy for them is not easy for me. That doesn’t mean that I have to stop making my kids’ birthday cakes (which I enjoy) just because there are people who are better at that kind of thing than I am.

God, in His infinite wisdom, has made us all different. We all have different skills and abilities, strengths and weaknesses. He has portioned these out to each of us as He determined best and necessary for His perfect plans. Yet too often, we spend our time wishing we had gifts someone else had instead of developing the ones we do have, or giving up in one area just because there’s someone in the world who can do better.

But we are not to despise the gifts God has given us. Instead, we are commanded to make use of them. He has given them to us for a reason, and that reason is in accordance with the plans He has for us. We will never fully be who God wants us to be if we spend our time comparing ourselves to others and becoming either prideful or discouraged.

You see, God doesn’t count one gift better than another. He doesn’t love one mom more just because she can sing solos in church and you can’t. He doesn’t prefer one mom over another because she throws picture-perfect birthday parties and I don’t. After all, He was the One who gave our gifts to us, and God doesn’t give substandard gifts. In other words, He gave us the gifts we have because they are valuable to Him and He wants us to use them for His Kingdom.

When we don’t use our gifts—when we decide not to use them because someone has a greater gift, or because we didn’t get the gift we wanted—God is not pleased. He wants our gifts used by us. That’s why He gave them to us. So just because another mom is better at something than you are, or just because another mom has a gift you don’t, is no reason you shouldn’t be content with your gifts and develop them to the fullest. After all, God is pleased with them, so you should be, too.

Romans 12:6—Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.

No Clue

Megan Breedlove March 3, 2014 No Comments

I remember my mom’s taking me to the park when I was a little girl. We went often, because I absolutely loved it. Going to the park is one of my favorite memories of childhood. Now that I have children of my own, I take them to the park, and they love it as much as I always did.

The most recent time we went to a nearby park, Timmy surprised me. Instead of wanting to spend all his time on the swings, he decided to run around exploring the park and the play equipment. I let him roam free and followed a few steps behind, far enough away that he could feel like he was on his own, yet close enough I could step in if I needed to.

That’s because while the park is fun, there are dangers involved. A little guy like Timmy, who at the time was not quite two, is almost completely unaware of the bad things that could happen. He could fall down. He could walk too close to the front of the swings and get knocked over by a child who couldn’t stop in time. He could fall off a piece of equipment. Worse yet, an adult might pose a threat.

So, though I don’t like to think about these things, I followed close behind Timmy in case one of them actually happened. Because it was possible. Even though Timmy had no clue, I did. So I protected him.

In the same way—though far more perfectly—God protects us from a host of dangers of which we’re unaware. He does this primarily in two ways: by sticking close to us, and by warning us away from danger areas.

Just as I wouldn’t have let Timmy wander to close to the creek running through the park, God warns us away from people, situations, and places He knows are dangerous. If we insist on pushing past His boundaries, we are foolishly heading into danger. Likewise, in the same way that I stuck close to Timmy, God always stays close to us. He’s always right there with us to protect us from dangers we may not even be aware we need protecting from. As we roam freely (within the boundaries He’s laid out for us) and play to our heart’s content, God stays by our side in case we need Him.

Timmy didn’t need to be made aware of all the dangers; it was sufficient for him to go on his merry way within the appropriate boundaries I’d set for him. You and I don’t need to know all the dangers we’re being protected from; we just need to trust God that if He says “Stop!” there’s a perfect reason for it, and to obey His directions.

It’s fun following a little kid around at a park. But it’s even more fun being the little kid who gets to play. That’s what you and I are: God’s children. We’re the ones getting to have fun while God stays watchful and makes sure nothing outside His will happens to us.

The next time you take your kids to the park, think not only about how you protect them, but about God’s protection of you. Thank Him for what He’s protecting you from right this minute, whether you know the danger or not. Thank Him that He’s always on duty so you can play. And thank Him that He knows exactly the right boundaries to prescribe—boundaries that won’t keep you away from fun, but will instead provide you the largest, best space in which to play freely.

What an amazing God we have!

Psalm 121:4—Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

In Between

Megan Breedlove February 24, 2014 No Comments

I love the Olympics. To me, there’s something really special about the world putting aside its differences for two weeks and each country sending its best athletes to compete. If you’re an athlete, there’s really no higher honor than having an Olympic medal—especially the gold—draped around your neck.

Athletes from all over the world work, prepare, and strive for three years and fifty weeks before converging on one location where everything they’ve done will come down to a few moments in time as they compete for the coveted gold medal and the title of Olympic Champion.

These athletes don’t wake up the week before the Olympic Games and decide to compete. They have spent the better part of their lives preparing for a few-minute shot at greatness. Take, for example, ladies’ figure skating and the long program. Years of preparation leads up to a mere four minutes on the ice. Years of preparation for a four-minute chance at glory.

I imagine there are times when even the best athletes wake up and think, “I don’t want to go to practice. I’d rather stay in bed.” Likewise, there must be times when they don’t feel well, or have other things they’d rather be doing. Yet the successful athlete learns to make training a priority. Those who don’t, don’t win the Olympics.

You and I would do equally well to make our spiritual training a priority—to be willing to put in the time training in anticipation of those times we’re going to be tested. In those times, we’ll have to rely on our training. But if we haven’t been training, we’ll have very little to rely on.

The “big” moments in our spiritual lives may not come often. Those moments or periods of time when we feel stretched to the limit may not happen every day. But we’d be wise to prepare for them. Otherwise, the times of testing or temptation will come, and we won’t be ready.

Have you ever thought about what you want to happen when the rubber meets the road? In other words, when your faith is tested, or you’re tempted, what do you want to happen? Do you want to wind up standing on the podium with a medal around your neck, or do you want to be disqualified in the first round?

Of course you don’t want to be disqualified, and neither do I. But failure to train properly may very well mean that when the hard times come, we fail. Yes, we can always fall back on God. He will never leave us nor forsake us. But it’s taking Him for granted in the worst way to ignore Him for four years and then expect Him to be there for us for our four-minute effort and to help us win.

What are you doing now to prepare for the trials that will come your way? Jesus guaranteed that we would face trials—every one of us. What are you doing now to be ready then?

1 Corinthians 9:27—But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

#1 Mom

Distorted

Megan Breedlove February 17, 2014 No Comments

feet distorted by water I sat in the warmth of the hot tub, letting the heat and bubbles relax me. I was watching 6-year-old Jessica, who was in the adjacent pool, just to make sure she didn’t need me. But the pool was chillier than I preferred, so I watched from the hot tub.

Jessica and I were there on a “hotel night”, which Jessica had chosen to pay for with the birthday money she had recently received (she loves hotels). She paid for the room, and I took her out to supper and let her choose our activities. She got to spend one-on-one time with Mom doing whatever she wanted, and her birthday money was put to good use making great memories.

Jessica called me to join her in the pool. I stood up in the hot tub, walking slowly toward the other side. Then, for some reason, I glanced down through the clear water at my foot. At that distance, and through the water, it looked elongated. Wider. Distorted.

And I thought about how our views of ourselves are equally distorted when we look at ourselves through the wrong lens.

As human beings, we’re wired to desire a deep sense of self-worth. It’s the way God made us. We all have this hole in us that we long to have filled. And that’s okay. The problem comes when we seek an indication of our worth through the lens of others’ opinion of us.

That’s because it’s a distorted lens. Other people are mere human beings, so even the most loving of them cannot fully reflect our worth to us. Then there are those whose lens is even more distorted—those who don’t love us but should, or those who, for whatever reason, don’t think we’re worth much.

If we take our cues from human beings, the best-case scenario is that we fail to fully appreciate how valuable we truly are. The worst-case scenario is that we learn that we’re worthless and unlovable.

I spent many years of my life believing just that, because I was looking through the lens of certain other people’s views of me. In my head, I knew that God loved me, but I didn’t really “get it” that He loved me passionately. I thought it was just a “God so loved the world, and I’m part of the world, so He has to love me too” kind of love. I had some people in my life who did love me, but I couldn’t really absorb their love, because deep down, I believed I was worthless and unlovable.

It took me most of my life to begin looking at myself through the lens of what God says about me rather than what others say. When I did, I discovered an incredible truth: what God says about me is far more than what I had ever hoped others would say.

God says that I am an amazingly incredible creation of His. Not just mediocre; not even merely great. No, He says I’m marvelous! The God of all creation, who created everything there is out of His vast imagination, says I am wonderful!

Yes, He knows that I’m a sinner. But He still calls me wonderful. He doesn’t hold my past sins over my head and berate me with them. He says He has removed them from me as far as the east is from the west, and now, I am righteous and forgiven!

God even dances and sings over me (see Zeph. 3:17, below). Elsewhere in the Bible, I’m told He loves me madly and passionately, and He has committed Himself never to abandon me or leave me in the lurch.

I know it can be hard to absorb these truths when our hearts have been deeply wounded by fellow human beings. But once I began thinking about them and meditating on them, somehow, the Spirit of God ministered to my heart and helped me begin to be able to absorb His love and truly believe the words I had formerly only believed with my head.

Precious mom, He’s longing to do the same in your heart, mind, and life too. He wants you to know how amazing you are. How wonderful. How beloved.

Maybe He’ll use family or friends to minister to you; maybe He’ll use a trusted religious adviser or counselor. Maybe He’ll use all of these. But you can be sure that He will commit Himself to reaching deeply and gently into your tender soul and beginning to minister comfort and healing to you.

Are you ready to take the first step? Ask Him to heal you in the way only He can. He longs to bring healing to your soul. And Scripture tells us that if we ask Him anything according to His will, He will do it.

So ask, precious mom. Ask…and let the healing begin.

1 John 5:14-15—And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (ESV)

Zephaniah 3:17—The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (ESV)

Psalm 139:14—I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (ESV)

Psalm 103:12—As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (ESV)

Imperfection

Megan Breedlove February 10, 2014 No Comments

I always enjoy making my children’s birthday cakes. I love the creative process, and I love their enthusiastic reactions to my creations. Even when a cake doesn’t turn out perfectly, it usually turns out pretty well, a cake I can be proud of.

That’s why it’s difficult for me to let my children help decorate cakes. When Jessica asked if she could help decorate the cake and cupcakes for her recent party, I’ll admit that I hesitated before saying yes. I could do better, I thought.

The point, of course, is not who decorates better, so of course I let Jessica (and Lindsey) help. I told them they could decorate the cupcakes, and I would do the cake. They set to work cheerfully and enthusiastically, slathering blue frosting on the cupcakes and applying sugar and sprinkles. Hiding in the kitchen with Phil, I watched them at work at the dining room table.

The blue frosting wasn’t even. The sprinkles weren’t even. The cupcakes looked like two little girls were decorating them. (What if someone thinks I decorated them? I wondered briefly.) “It’s hard for me to let them do it so imperfectly,” I said to Phil.

And then I thought to myself, I wonder if this is how God felt when He entrusted the spread of the gospel to mere human beings?

God had an important message He wanted—and still wants—to get out to the world. He’s a far better communicator than we are and could have done a fantastic job of spreading His message all by Himself. Yet He chose to entrust it to imperfect human beings who couldn’t do it as well as He could.

Beginning with the apostles and continuing down through history to you and me, God has chosen fallible men and women to proclaim His message—the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. He didn’t have to let us help. He could have written it in the sky, or implanted it in the hearts and minds of human beings, or done some other miraculous thing far beyond what we can do. Yet He granted us the privilege of partnering with Him in His work.

Beginning in our homes with our children, God has called us to partner with Him in introducing others to Him and helping them know Him. He wants us to have the same attitude about doing His work that Jessica and Lindsey had about doing the cupcakes—enthusiastic participation to the best of our ability.

What are you doing in your home (and elsewhere) to participate with God in making His good news known? Do you have family devotions? Do you talk about God with your children, or with others? Are you at least doing something to share the gospel with those God has put within your reach?

Help Him by decorating the cupcakes. Don’t just make Him do it all Himself. It’s not only a command, it’s also a privilege that we’ve been allowed to help Him. Let’s take Him up on it.

Matthew 28:19-20—Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Devotions

What to Do When God Says No

When Life Drags You Down

You Can Do More Than You Think

Being Thankful in Tough Times

Yay, Daddy!

Making It Look Easy

No Clue

In Between

Distorted

You Missed

Priorities

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