Category: Daily Devotionals

I’m Never Sorry I Trusted Him

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O Lord.  Psalm 119:52

On a bad day, it’s hard to believe that God is working behind the scenes and is as faithful as He promised.  I must take my narrow lens that focuses on this moment and widen it to include the testimonies of the saints from across the ages.  Would any say, at the end of their lives, that God had failed them?  Would any say that their trust in Yahweh was foolish?  Would any say that God hadn’t been faithful to all of His promises?

When any of us looks behind us, we have the beauty of hindsight.  We recognize God’s fingerprints even though, at an earlier time, they were indiscernible.  Our circumstances invited us to indict God and give him a guilty verdict but time corrected our perspective.

The longer I walk with Jesus, the more stories I accumulate of His faithfulness.  My life’s story reads like a long love saga.  As I review the crises, the disappointments, the desperate moments, I can see that God’s love was manifested in so many ways.  His care for me was tender.  His sovereignty had no fractures. His strength bore my many questions.  His understanding trumped my painful accusations.  His plan prevailed inspire of my detours.  This kind of review builds my confidence for today’s challenges.

If there was never a saint who trusted God and was sorry, then why should I think I’d be the first?  For all time, He has been faithful.  In every place my heart currently faints, I dig my heels in kingdom soil.  I remain resolute in the goodness of my Father.

I love our history, the story of You hovering over me.  I live in the truth of our memories.  Amen

Thorns of Worry

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. Matthew 13:7, 22

 Georgia is my home and though I’m a New England girl, I’ve been struck by how fast things grow here. That includes weeds. Leave some weeds long enough and they can become quite pretty, confusing the novice gardener. Weeds blend in and will take over the landscape. So it is with spiritual weeds.  Grown and tolerated over time, they choke out the possibility of good growth. The Word comes in strength and beauty but, almost instantly, its effectiveness is rendered powerless because of weeds. One kind Jesus identifies is the cares of this world.

Worries crowd out my ability to hear the Word of God. Historically, I come from a line of worriers. My grandmother lived wringing her hands, literally, in her favorite chair. I’ve been taught, by example, to obsess over fears, to turn them around in my hands in every possible configuration until I find a solution. Weighed down by the impossibilities, I work myself up into a panic. How can I be still to hear God’s voice? I have too many cares and I lack the ability to concentrate.

As someone who used to live with panic attacks, I can give this advice. Weed when weeds are small! When anxious thoughts occur, grab them and kill them with the promises of God. The apostle Paul called it ‘taking every thought captive.’ I remember that fear is Satan’s biggest tactic.

Weeds of anxiety, fed over time, become strongholds. I develop a mindset of anxiety where, by default, my first response to any bad news is fear. I feed the beast without even making a conscious choice. Is the Word powerful enough to re-wire the way my brain works? Oh, yes. Can it demolish a toxic mindset and build a new one? Absolutely. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  2 Cor. 10:5 The word for arguments is ‘logismos’ or logic. It’s the way I’ve learned to think and process. Paul wanted believers to be assured that the Word of God is a weapon that demolishes hopeless mindsets, fearful mindsets, and even cynical mindsets.

As any of us look back at who we were twenty years ago, may we be able to say of ourselves “To the glory of God, I no longer think the way I used to think. In fact, I can’t even get in my own skin anymore. My thoughts can’t travel those old paths.” Whether pleasures or cares, may neither be the culprit that smothers the stunning landscape of spiritual gardening.

I don’t think I still fully grasp the power of Your seeds. Enlarge my view of spiritual transformation starting now. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Can God Be Ashamed Of Me?

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

They [strangers and aliens] desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.  Hebrews 11:16

Shame is a powerful catalyst.  Volumes of books have been written about it.  Countless hours of counseling have been dedicated to those who live under the curse of it.  I’ve had a decade or two when it plagued me badly.  Shame tempts us to hide our true selves from others and from God. While the thought of this is tragic, there’s an even more disturbing thing to consider. Can God be ashamed of me?

I won’t wait any further to answer it.  He is not ashamed.  Let that sink in if you’ve always feared He is embarrassed by you or something you’ve done.  On the days I sin, He does not change His mind about me. I have been declared forgiven and before Him, I am righteous.  Though I will stumble and fall, though I will grieve His heart many times before I die, I still walk in the perfection imputed to me after the death of Jesus.  God continues to build a city for those He has redeemed through the blood of the Lamb.  The hammer never falters when He sees me make bad choices.  The Father never winces and wonders if He should change His mind about the promises He’s made to forgive me and call me His own.  Construction continues without interruptions and without a trace of regret.  Covenant love rules the present, and the future, no matter what failures unfold.

One of my very favorite scriptures is Psalm 34:5. Those who look to Him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame.  Not all faces without shame are radiant.  They may be stoic and just plain unreadable.  But God’s radical love gives more than enough reasons for eyes to shine and for faces to reveal the overwhelming joy of sins forgiven and the anticipation of eternity in God’s presence.

All of this makes me examine the times I was reticent to openly declare that You are my Lord and Savior.  Forgive me.  Amen

The Many Chambers of a Refuge

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

Come, my people, enter your inner rooms, and lock your doors behind you.  Hide for just a brief moment until the indignation passes over.  Isaiah 26:20

When I am outside the safety of my home, there will be exposure and, oftentimes, danger.  I’ve been out walking when a thunderstorm comes out of nowhere.  There was a rush to get home.  I’ve been out in the middle of the lake when unexpected bad weather descended.  There was a rush to get to port.  I’ve been in an airport when there was a lockdown.  There was an urgency to find inconspicuous places of safety.

God tells His people that, in this world, there will be times of trouble.  There will also be times of judgement.  What should God’s children do in the middle of it?  Retreat into physical and spiritual safety until they pass.

  • The Israelites stayed inside their homes while the death angel ravaged the land of Egypt.
  • Rahab, having declared her spiritual allegiance to the God of Israel, nestled in place while Jericho was being destroyed all around her.
  • Noah took shelter in the ark when the floodwaters rose.

These safe harbors can be physical places like the security of a sanctified home but they are also spiritual places of refuge.  Throughout COVID, we are sheltering in place but God’s people are also sheltering their souls in God.  Jesus’ name is a strong tower and those who run to Him are safe.  My spirit, the place where the Spirit of God resides, has many rooms. I find that it is expansive the more time I spend there in prayer.  How could I begin to explore the depths of His dwelling place!

Every promise is a place of shelter.  Every righteous character trait of Jesus is a place to hide.  Every whispered assurance of love is a sanctuary and like the cavernous cathedrals across this world, His voice echoes through the chambers of my soul.

The stuff of this world drives me to safety and I am to live there until the trouble is over.  While there may be a respite coming from COVID, there will only be something else to take its place.  Until Jesus comes, sin will reign upon the earth and its bedfellows will besiege earth’s inhabitants.  Disease, broken promises, skewed power plays, loss, death.  As a child of God, I must learn to hide in the Rock of Ages.  “Show me your glory” must be my theme song and heart’s desire.

Seeing the glory of God in prayer puts iron in my soul.  Basking in His perfection defers my hope until a future day when God will make all things new.

Lord, until then, hide me.  My song of joy is sung to You only.  Amen

If They Could Only See Jesus In Me, Then . . .

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen2 Comments

But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. John 12:37 

My husband, Ron, is a seasoned Bible teacher. At the conclusion of almost every lesson, he prays for everyone before they leave. “Lord, help others see Jesus in us this week.” Now, he’s praying this with his eyes wide open, knowing the possible outcomes of what happens when unbelievers encounter Jesus in a believer. They are either warmed and move closer to Jesus or they are repelled and reject Him.

I do well to remember this as I’ve often possessed magical thinking. I’ve believed that if people could just see Jesus in me, they would love Him and want Him in their lives. But when Jesus was here in the flesh, John revealed that the opposite is true. When someone comes into contact with the Light of the world, the majority is offended by holiness. They feel exposed. Unclean. And then, angry.

This is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. John 3:19-20

Should I pray for others to see Jesus in me? Yes. I’m told to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led. My life’s purpose is to glorify my Father in heaven by the way I live. But I should also be aware that if someone sees Jesus and feels the impact, and they are an unbeliever, I shouldn’t be surprised by a combustible reaction. The very presence of Light in me will be felt by children of darkness. The more oppressed the person, the more violent will be his reaction to me. A simple business exchange at the dry cleaners, grocery store, restaurant, can become contentious because there is a ‘darkness and light’ undercurrent happening. Often, what we chalk up to a mysterious ‘rub’ is really two kingdoms colliding and giving off sparks.

The more I am Your image bearer, the more I will be despised. Just like You. Re-align my expectations. Amen

A Garment And Wings

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

He asked her, “Who are you?” She answered, “I’m only Ruth, your servant. Spread the edge of your garment over your servant, because you are my related redeemer.”  Ruth 3:9

God never meant for any of us to live in the center of tragedy.  It goes against the very reason we were created; to worship God and to behold His glory.  To go down to the deep, away from the heights of God’s glory, is to subject our soul to dark plots and despair.  If our eyes focus on nothing but sad things, how can know joy in the midst of pain?

I’ve been feasting on the beautiful love story in the book of Ruth.  Her life had taken some dark turns and loss had become her companion.  With no husband, no heritage, no children, and living in a land as the most vulnerable of widows, she looked up from her circumstances long enough to to cry out to the one who could redeem her story.  She approached Boaz in an outrageous moment, as he was sleeping on the threshing floor to protect his store of grain from being robbed.  She startled him, and then proceeded to ask him to spread the edge of his garment over her.  Symbolically, it was an intimate request.  To be under His garment, his tallit, was to be united to him in covenant love.  In Hebrew, the account reads like this ~ ‘she pulled his wing over her.’ The four corners of a Jewish man’s tallit symbolizes being under God’s wings.

Jesus’ tallit, his shawl and outer garment, was touched by many who were sick and they became well.  He spread his garment over Jairus’ daughter and raised her from the dead.  The woman with the issue of blood, a woman who was ceremonially unclean, entered the crowd in an attempt to just touch the fringe of Jesus’ tallit. In doing so, Jesus felt spiritual power go out of Him and the woman was healed.

These days, it’s easy to be pulled into hopelessness.  We may grieve but we don’t  grieve without hope.  We can not rehearse the days’ events until they overwhelm us because God’s tallit beckons.  He lifts us up out of the shadows and hides us under His wings where there is protection, perspective, and healing.  Near to Glory Himself, our story is being transformed into a narrative of redemption.

David said, “When my heart is overwhelmed, I shall cry to You from the end of the earth; lead me to the cliff that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower against the enemy.  I shall stay in Your tent forever: I shall trust in the cover of Your wings.”  Psalm 61

There is an invitation to dwell in God’s tent, in the cover of His wings.  In doing so, we are lifted out of tortuous thoughts to praise our Healer and Redeemer.  He lifts us up to the cliffs, away from the carnage of the valley, where the billows of His wings descend upon the shoulders of the afflicted.  The cacophony of this world gone awry subsides. A holy calm invades to drown out the storm.

I am under Your wings, listening to the music of Your promises.  Amen

 

The Spiritual Gifting of Jesus

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.  Luke 4:1

And so began Jesus ministry.  After His baptism, He emerged from the water full of the Spirit and went into the wilderness for testing.  

There are things I often wonder.  Did Jesus have an edge over the rest of us as He functioned in ministry?  There are reasons I suspect this is true.  He came from the Father and perhaps had memory of their relationship and how the kingdom worked. He was perfect and, because of that, sin did not bring its bedfellow called deception. He had clarity the likes we’ve never experienced.  He could hear God perfectly and discern each situation with pinpoint accuracy. 

I consider the times He knew people’s thoughts before they spoke.  In the book of John, He said that ‘He trusted no one for He knew their hearts.’  If He was never fooled by anyone, then He must have known them through and through, unlike us.  He was the discerner of thoughts and read them like a book.  

He might also have had foreknowledge of everything that was going to happen next.  When He said that He ‘must needs’ go to Samaria, maybe He knew exactly who was coming to the well, her name, her story, and her ultimate conversion.  Perhaps there was no suspense as He sat on the side of the well and waited for her arrival.  

He did know that Peter was going to betray Him while in the upper room but perhaps He also knew that their relationship would be restored on a beach after His resurrection.  This is probable because Jesus also predicted Peter’s crucifixion.   

Yes, Jesus was God-man.  He was tempted like us.  He hurt like us.  But the spiritual gifts that defined Him were not similar to ours.  He was God – and possessed the mind of God – even though He was man and subjected to many of the physical and emotional limits of man.  

Nonetheless, powerful moments in Jesus’ life invite us to ponder them once again.  What have we missed?  And how will these new discoveries change how we see Jesus and ourselves?   

I think I know You well, Jesus.  But how could I?  You are vast beyond measure.  Surprise me and I will be humbled to worship.  Amen

Satan Will Use God’s Word Against Me

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

Hold not your peace, oh God of my praise. Psalms 109:1

Has the Word of God ever tormented you? Conviction is one thing; torment is altogether different. God is not a tormentor and yet, when it’s the Word of God that appears to eat at my soul, it can do tricks on my spiritual view of God. He becomes a tease.

 I need to know that Satan is cunning. Paul warned me. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Cor. 11:3   The Word, rightly revealed, brings me closer to Jesus. My appetite for Him increases and I can’t help myself from drawing nearer. But Satan will quote scripture (as he did to Jesus) and weave truths together in a way that triggers my issues. How will I know that it’s him working against me rather than the Spirit of God convicting me? I will be led astray from my devotion to Christ. I will find myself backing up, growing shy, beginning to feel distrustful of God’s love for me. I’ll give you an example.

Up until my early forties, Satan did a number on me through hooking two spiritual truths together. 1. God loves me just the way I am – enough to come and die for me. And, 2.) God’s will for my life is that I grow to become more like His Son. Combine those and it’s deadly. How can God love me just like I am if He wants me to spend my whole life changing to become like Jesus? Feeling continually inadequate, I feared drawing close to Him. I could only trust His love if I felt I was acting Christlike. See the trap?

Where are you stuck in your relationship with Christ? Where are you shy of Him? Over what do you back up rather than move closer? Find the answer to those questions and I’ll guarantee that God’s Words have been used against you. The devil knows scripture better than any of us and is not above quoting it out of context. We could be paranoid and say that we’re helpless against such craftiness but we must remember that we have the Spirit of God inside to guide each of us into the way of truth. When I identify feelings of torment, I know to go hunting for the lies that caused it.

Lord, I don’t know who this devotional is for today. Reveal the mis-used scriptures and set the captives free. In Jesus name, Amen

The Object of Someone’s Wrath

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen2 Comments

Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? Psalm 90:11

Many live as the object of someone’s wrath. Through no fault of their own, they share the same last name with someone who harbors rage over the ways their life has failed to deliver what they think they deserved. As the list of offenses pile up, so does their anger. The reservoir is full and it just takes the mildest of annoyances to cause an overflow. When I think about an explosive person, I picture them as having no elastic left in the rubber band of their patience. It has already been stretched out by stuff prior to a present day encounter. It just takes something minor for the band to snap.

If you’ve lived long enough as the object of someone’s wrath, these things are probably true of you:

  • You assume that you’re the problem. Angry people are skilled at blame shifting.
  • You suffer from extreme anxiety. You never know what is going to cause an explosion.
  • You cease to become yourself. A life of appeasement is your insurance policy against outbreaks.
  • You hate yourself for being weak. But you fail to see that what appears as weakness is often prudence to ensure survival.

While implementing spiritual coping skills is the topic of another devotional, there is something far more pressing to talk about. If I am a child of God, I was once the object of God’s wrath. Now that is terrifying. I could do nothing right. My sin marked me. I couldn’t fix it. Only Jesus could. His wrath condemned me to an eternal place of wrath. But hell was not created for me.

Paul said it like this ~ We were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us . . . Eph. 2:3-4 Never has there been a transition in scripture more beautiful than this. “But God. . .” Because Jesus took the wrath God had stored up for me upon Himself, I am now under His favor. When the heavens open, the light of God’s radiance pours down on me. I can stand tall, cast off the shame, and look up confidently for reassurances of God’s love.

Now the real tragedy is this ~ many of God’s children act as though God is still angry with them. The news from the soapbox of this ministry today is broadcasted loud and clear. God is not mad at you.

I am loved with Your everlasting love. In Your name, I silence the mouth of the enemy who tells me something is still wrong with our relationship. Amen

The Compliant Person and Regret

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

Oh, how I love your law!  It is my meditation all the day.  Psalm 119:97

I will value something more if I’ve suffered from the want of it.  If I lived much of my life without the daily revelation that comes through a relationship with God and His Word, then I will embrace it now with intense passion.  The contrast between how desperate I was without the words of Jesus compared to what it’s like to live now with His presence and guidance will be stark.  I’m not speaking hypothetically here.  I’m speaking from experience.

But some who know me say, “Wait!  You’ve been a Christian since you were seven years old.  What do you mean you didn’t know the joy of following God’s ways?” I will tell you that it might have appeared I did.  But I took the paths other Christians prescribed for me.  I was a compliant person and when put me in the company of strong willed visionaries, I caved to fit in.  I wanted acceptance more than I wanted to know the joy of pioneering my way with God.

For the first 40+ years of my life, I lived by other people’s rudder.  When faced with any challenge, I asked those around me, “What would you do?” It seemed there was always a plethora of answers to follow.  Most were given with good intentions and with firm conviction.  Not knowing how to really hear God’s Spirit speak to me, I felt I needed their direction and chose to always trust it.  While some advice was solid, much of it was not.  Over time, I harbored bad feelings toward those whose advice led me astray.  I also punished myself for being so weak as to listen to them.  There was no winning, no peace.  Regrets buried me.  I had to work my way through the mire of disappointments to find the sovereignty of God.  He has more than redeemed it all as I’m writing this.

Do I echo David’s words and proclaim my love for His personalized instruction in scripture?  Oh yes!  Have I turned into a lone ranger who never asks others for counsel?  No.  It’s just that now I have a place to go to weigh their words.  God will confirm the validity of their input or direct me to go a different way.  His law is life and throughout my day, I have the absolute joy of being utterly preoccupied with it.

I am only compliant to Your Spirit, the place where my independence melts away.  Amen

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