“When we would have any great things to be accomplished, the best policy is to work by an engine which the world sees nothing of.” – John Preston

When we can’t reach something, where do we usually turn?

To someone who’s taller. Or closer.

To someone whose arm is not too short.

Prayer is asking God to reach for something outside our grasp.

To move where we can’t.

To touch where we are incapable.

To act where all we can do is watch.

Prayer is coming to the One whose arm is never too short.

The God we approach in prayer is a God sitting on a throne—high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1). Yet our Father who sees in secret and hears in secret and is present with us in secret (Matthew 6).

Prayer is seeking the hand of a God who can move in men’s hearts. Heal the bruised. Touch where we can’t. And protect where we would only crumble.

•         We pray to a God who is mighty in our midst (Zephaniah 3:17).
•         To a God who shows Himself strong on our behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9).
•         To the One who is our only hope and our only trust (Psalm 71:5).

We pray to a God who has a mighty, outstretched arm.

It is nothing for our God to work, to reach, to move (2 Chronicles 14:11)

It is nothing for Him to answer our prayers.

His arm is never too short, and His hand can reach even the tiniest trouble.

Pray. And watch God reach His mighty hand long and strong where we never could.

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;
Nor his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1

By Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

The post How to Convince Your Heart that His Arm is Not Too Short can be found at Thoughts about God.

Six days before His death, Jesus went to the village of those who loved Him most.
It was His last Sabbath; the first day of His last week on this earth.
And He chose to spend it with those He loved.

Simon, the Leper (whom Jesus healed) held a supper for Him in His honor.
Simon knew the threat that hung over Jesus’ head.
He knew the religious leaders’ instructions that if anyone knew where He was, they were to report it.
He knew the danger of numbering Himself with Jesus.

But he expressed his love for Jesus anyway.
By honoring Him publicly. . .and boldly.

True to form, Martha served.
The words “Martha served” were a fitting addition to the description of this entire scene.

She was serving the Lord for the two most important reasons:
Love for Christ.
And to Honor HIM.

Martha was loving Him with pure, selfless service.

“Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him” — a living example of the power of God.

We have no word of anything Lazarus said.
But we don’t need one.
His life was testimony enough.

He loved Christ by simply BEING. . . a man “who had been dead, whom [Jesus] raised from the dead.” (John 12:1)

But Mary topped all the love in the room with a love that couldn’t be missed.
She anointed the Lord.
And the odour from the ointment filled the room.

Jesus called it a “good work.”

And, again, Mary had “chosen the good part.”

It didn’t matter that Jesus was anointed for His burial at this point in the week.
It didn’t add anything to the ‘work’ HE was about to do.

The Lord didn’t need this anointing.
And it had no meritorious nature in it for Mary.

But Jesus praised her work. . . because of the love that was behind it.

“God, needing nothing, considers in our works ONLY the love that accompanies them.” – Brother Lawrence

Mary received the praise of Jesus because of the love that accompanied her ‘work.’

And her sacrificial act of love was recorded as a memorial to her.
And it is still mentioned today.

Four people expressed their love for Jesus.
In their own unique way.
And without saying a word.

And what we’re to remember the most about these individuals is . . .
What they did to honor Him at that supper.
What they did to show their love and devotion to Him.

The same thing He wants others to remember about you and me.

by Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Where Do Your Works Come From?

God Works for the Good

The Blessings of God

The post Love Works can be found at Thoughts about God.

What is the best Christmas present you’ve ever received?

When I was younger, it was anything Strawberry Shortcake. For a while, I was all about gift cards. This year, the Lord keeps reminding me of something He already gave.

“Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given.“ (Isaiah 9:6)

Unto us.

These two words are repeated over and over in Handel’s song, “For unto us a Child is Born.” Two nights ago, I enjoyed listening to the St. Louis Symphony and choir perform his masterful piece, Messiah.  I had never noticed how much Handel emphasized those two little words in that song.

Unto us.

When God the Father sent His son, He sent a gift to us. Jesus wasn’t placed in a manger because He was itching to know what it was like to be a baby. He didn’t beg His Father to let Him come to earth to go fishing or to build things in a carpenter shop.

God gave His Son to us.

He was born. He was given. Isaiah said.

Unto us.

The best gifts are the ones that say, “I noticed you could use one of these.” Or, “I’ve taken the time to get to know you, and I knew you would love this.”

When God gave His Son, He was saying these very same things.

He knew we needed His Son to rescue us from ourselves and from our sin; to bridge the gap between a holy God and our unworthiness. God knew we needed a mediator, a man whose blood would be the only sacrifice sufficient to cover our sin and give us access to our God in heaven.

He knew we needed Jesus, so “Unto us a child is born.”

God loved His Son. He loved the world. And He so loved the world, He gave His Son (John 3:16). He knew that once we believed on Him, we would love Him, too.

God knows us so well, He wanted to give us the best gift He could think of, so “Unto us a son is given.”

While the world tells Santa what they want for Christmas, we can thank the Lord for what He already gave.

God gave His Son.

Unto us.

“There is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior.“ (Luke 2:11)

By Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

MORE CHRISTMAS CONTENT

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

The post What God Already Gave: His Son can be found at Thoughts about God.

Of all the questions we ask in life, the “What if. . . ?”questions seem to be the most popular.  What if this happens?  What if that doesn’t happen?  What if so-and-so doesn’t come through on his promise?  What if she were to do such-and-such. . . .What if. . .?  “What if” questions rarely have answers.  But we tend to ask them anyway.

The disciples did the same thing.  They begged for unattainable answers to complicated questions.  Jesus explained to His followers how unprofitable this questioning is.  To be free from anxiety involves asking a completely different set of questions—questions with simple answers.

See if you can answer the same questions He asked His disciples:

•    Aren’t your life and your body more important than food and clothing? (Matthew 6:25)
•    The birds of the air are fed by your heavenly Father.  Aren’t you more valuable to Him than they are? (Matthew 6:26)
•    Which of you by worrying can add to your height or your life span? (Matthew 6:27)
•    If God clothes the momentary grass of the field with such beauty, won’t He provide your needs in greater abundance? (Matthew 6:30)

The disciples knew the answers to these questions.   And so do we.

We are all prone to ask the complicated “what if” questions, when we should be dwelling on what we already know.   The simple, unchangeable truth will turn our focus away from our cares to the God who cares.  Let’s not unnecessarily carry them on our own.

Suggested reading: Matthew 6:25-34

by Bethany Hayes
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• What We Do Know?
• This is How We Know Love
• How Well Do You Know Jesus?

The post What If. . .? can be found at Thoughts about God.

“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:11 (NKJV)

Have you ever used this reply when asked about your future plans, “Well, nothing’s set in stone.”  This is the equivalent of saying, “Not yet. But I have some ideas.”  Or “I’ve started to make arrangements, but there’s still a lot to do.”  This statement could even mean, “I’ve made some plans, but we’ll see what happens.” We can formulate our intentions and have a strategy, but to “set them in stone” is another story.

Often, plans being formulated by those in authority are troublesome. Some proposals aren’t set in stone. But they are being devised, and it seems they are headed for stone.  Our thoughts can be overwhelmed by the upsetting news reports.  But turned to the rightful Ruler of the universe, we can find this comfort: “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.” (Psalm 33:10)

For centuries, man has laid down counsels. He has mapped out intentions.  Some propositions he would have called, “set in stone.” But history confirms that, though plans are devised and carried out, eventually they are brought to nothing. New counsels form. But they also come and go, are worked out and defeated. In fact, every nation that has ever existed has been involved in this same cycle: plans devised, carried out, eventually foiled.

If the Lord thwarts the plans of nations, defeats counsels, sets up new governments, and puts down others, what about His own intentions? “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” (Psalm 33:11)  When God made His plans, He set them in stone. And that is where they have been for centuries.

Maybe that’s why Jesus said, “See that you are not troubled.” (Matthew 24:6)

by Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• The Plans
• Big, Big Plans
• The Plans I Have for You

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post Set in Stone can be found at Thoughts about God.

While sitting by the gulf in Northwest Florida, I watched as three sandpipers scurried by. There was something special about one of them. He had one leg and one little stump.

One leg or two, he could still soar. But to walk through the everyday ins and outs of life, to live with an unchangeable circumstance day after day, to survive one-legged in a two-legged world, took courage and determination.  For him, living life was an effort foreign to the others.

None of these things stopped this little sandpiper. He hopped alongside the others, determined to survive in this two-legged world. His was a one-legged life, but he made it work.

When he hopped by, I almost missed him. I almost missed his silent courage and seemingly effortless determination. I almost missed this tiny reminder that obstacles can be overcome and hurdles produce courage.

Sometimes, life seems like a one-legged journey in a two-legged world: off-balance, too much effort, a hindered hop from one hurdle to another.

But life doesn’t have to stop just because it’s hard.

This one-legged sandpiper kept going.

Is there anything stopping us?

Hebrews 12:1b-2a–“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (NKJV)

Lord, Thank You for the hurdles of life; the hard things day by day that keep us turned Your direction.  Help us not to cave into our circumstances, but to see them as opportunities to run the race with an endurance that only comes from keeping our eyes fixed on You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

by Bethany Hayes
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Grace to Keep Going

Keeping It Together In the Midst of Chaos

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post Lessons from a One-Legged Sandpiper can be found at Thoughts about God.

“You are not your own. For you were bought at a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NKJV)

Sitting in a Shari’s booth the other day with a friend, I looked outside as someone’s car alarm was blaring incessantly.  I wondered what was taking the guy in the backseat so long to turn it off.  (This happens to me frequently.  It’s embarrassing!)

Suddenly the “guy in the backseat” took off running, carrying something close to his chest. The car alarm continued to blare in front of a whole line of onlookers watching from their booths.

Just as he jumped into a waiting car, someone in the restaurant cried, “Call the cops!” and the car reeled away in a mad escape.

I had just witnessed a burglary.

Burglary.

Just the word sounds evil, dirty;  like something I would never do.
I would never take something that belonged to someone else.  And certainly not in front of curious onlookers trying to enjoy a meal!

Then, I read in Scripture that I am not my own.  I don’t belong to myself.  I am God’s.

If my life is not my own, what kind of theft am I committing when I make decisions without Him in mind?  Without considering if my decisions would reflect His ownership over me, or mine?

This would be “Grand Theft,” because we’ve been bought with a price far greater than we could have paid.

Belonging to the Lord is true freedom, and He is a careful Guardian. We don’t need to take what belongs to Him into our own hands and do whatever we think is better.

What kind of lives would we live in secret and in front of onlookers if we remembered that our lives are not our own?

They are either His. . .

Or Stolen.

by Bethany Hayes
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• Our Mistakes Do Not Define Us –  by Laura Rath
• God Will Not Waste Your Life – by Claire Colvin
• Our Interests and God’s Will – by Daniel Forster

The post Grand Theft can be found at Thoughts about God.

If someone were to ask you the question, “Who was the greatest person who ever lived?” what would be your answer?

Moses?  King David? The Apostle Paul?  Abraham Lincoln?

What about. . . .John the Baptist?

Jesus said, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11:11)

But why?

Why was John the Baptist considered the greatest person who ever lived?

He wasn’t the son of a king.  He was the son of a common, elderly couple.
He was despised by many and eventually decapitated.
He lived in isolation.
He fearlessly rebuked the people for sin.
He lived a separate way of life.
He didn’t even become a priest (like his father).

But when his miraculous birth was announced, Gabriel told Zacharias he would be “great in the eyes of the Lord.”

John would be the promised prophet who would prepare the way for the life and ministry of the Messiah.  He would point many to Christ.

But Gabriel also said he would be filled with the Holy Spirit, “even from his mother’s womb.”  God’s Spirit would be in total control of his life.

Others would have a huge influence – his godly mother and a wicked woman who arranged his death.

But the greatest influence on his life would be that of the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist became “great,” because of who GOD made him to be.

But listen to what Jesus said next:

“Not withstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”  Matthew 11:1

Because greatness isn’t determined by. . .

What kind of human influences we’ve had in our lives, or haven’t had.
Who our family was, or wasn’t.
What we did for the Lord, or what we didn’t do.

True greatness is determined by what GOD has done in our lives.

It doesn’t matter whether we’re called . . .
“the least“,
“greater than”, or
“the greatest“.

If we’re seeking to be filled with His Spirit – letting HIM have total control – we’re considered “great in the eyes of the Lord.”

“GREAT” . . . .because of what God is making us to be.

by Bethany Hayes
used be permission

FURTHER READING

•   The Exceeding Greatness of His Power by Andrew Murray

•  To Whom Will You Compare God? –  by Darren Hewer

•  Your Worth and Glory – by Sylvia and Elizabeth Gunter

•  Did You Know You’re Someone Special? – by Elfrieda Nikkel

RECEIVE These Devotionals Daily by email:  FOLLOW THIS Link to Subscribe

The post What is Greatness? can be found at Thoughts about God.

Sometimes life throws curve balls, hands us difficult decisions, and asks us to deal with complicated relationships.

We want to respond Biblically and choose wisely. We search the Scriptures. We pray.

But if you’re like me, sometimes you just want to pick up the phone and let God tell you what to do.

I’ve recently concluded that if I could pick up my phone and ask God for advice, He would always give me the same answer.

Whether it’s a major decision, a tough relationship, the need to respond properly to the various curve balls that come, His answer would always be the same.

I believe this, because so much of Scripture is centered around this answer.

Those who were under the law knew what God wanted of them. He spelled it out plainly in several books of the Old Testament.

Those of us who are no longer under the law are told how all those books of rules can be summarized (Romans 13:19):

• Love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. This command summarizes the first five commandments.
• Love your neighbor as yourself. This command summarizes the last five commandments.

Everything God expected of His people came down to these two commands.

If this is all God really asks of us, couldn’t we apply this desire of His to every area of our lives?

If I had a major decision to make and I called God on the phone, I think His answer would be:

• Which decision would increase your love for Me and help you grow in your love for others?

If I had a relationship I was struggling with and I asked Him for advice, I think He would say:

• How can you demonstrate that you love Me with everything in you and that you want to love that person to the max?

If a curve ball came my way and I wanted to respond properly, I think He would tell me:

• What response would come from your deep love for Me and your desire to love others as yourself?

God lets us make decisions, handle difficult relationships, and respond to curve balls.

But if He were to tell us what to do in each of these cases, it would always be grounded on these two principles.

Love the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.

Love others as yourself.

I believe this is what He would say.

If God were to answer your phone call.

“There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31

By Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

•   Chosen Love

•  Keep Yourselves in God’s Love

• Keep Yourself in God’s Love

The post If God Were to Answer Your Phone Call can be found at Thoughts about God.

GOD IS SATISFIED

We stand confused.
He is not.

Circumstances spin out of control.
He’s right on schedule.

Life aches.
He has a purpose.

We fret.
He is calm.

God is not pacing the floors, wondering what’s going on, biting His fingernails, or dissatisfied with our lives and the world in general.

He is often grieved, I’m sure. But He’s never surprised. Never caught off guard. Never strategizing to see how He’s going to smooth out what’s been made crooked now.

His perspective is different from ours.

His ways are higher.  God’s at peace.

And He’s satisfied.

One Puritan writer explained it this way.

Our lives seem like a jagged race—a fretful sprint from pillar to post. But at the end of the race, we will turn around and look back.

And all we’ll see is a straight line.

God is satisfied.

Rest in this peace-giving truth.

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this” . . . ‘Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret.” (John 13:7; Psalm 37:7)

By Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING:

Why Worry Yourself Sick? – by Muriel Larson
Dealing with Inner Turmoil By Dr. Henry Brandt
Up from Depression
Struggling with Depression – Merri Ellen Giesbrecht tells her depression story and her story of hope

SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL: FOLLOW THIS LINK

The post God is Satisfied can be found at Thoughts about God.