A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.

The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.

Proverbs 24:3-5

As kids head back to school, it’s worth reminding ourselves what school is, and what it isn’t. In law school we read many school-related cases. The Supreme Court determined that free public education was necessary to create good citizens for our country. Later, the Supreme Court decided that our country was not a ‘Christian nation’ when it created ‘Separation of Church and State.’ The exclamation point on that was the removal of prayer from public schools. Love it or hate it, this is the reality we live in.

Our public schools teach many important subjects that will help students become good citizens: reading, math, social studies, physical education, music, art, etc. But here’s what they DON’T teach: the Fear of the Lord. “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Proverbs 1:7) Schools can impart knowledge, but wisdom comes from God with a focus on making Christlike disciples. James 3:17 explains what godly wisdom is:

First, godly wisdom is pure. Our world might promote envy and selfish ambition, but godly wisdom has a pure motive which involves doing what is best for others.

Second, it is peace-loving. Selfishness and greed can start a war or tear a family apart, but God's wisdom values peace over getting our way.

Third, it is gentle. Gentleness is having strength and power but having them under control so that when we have the opportunity to hurt or take advantage of somebody, we won't.

Fourth, it is submissive. Being willing to yield to others means being willing to listen and to learn. To be submissive is to be humble and teachable, not a doormat to be walked over, but meek, so that your strength is guided and submitted to God.

Fifth, it is full of mercy. Mercy means not only forgiving those who wrong us, but also being willing in our hearts to help them.

Sixth, it is full of good fruit. Jesus taught us to judge a tree by its fruit. We cannot fake the Fruits of the Spirit – they are the result of having the Holy Spirit live within us and teach us.

Seventh, it shows no favoritism. Those who live by worldly wisdom cannot be impartial because they are always trying to please themselves or someone else, but those who live by God's wisdom are impartial and authentic.

Eighth, it's sincere. A sincere person is genuine, not wearing a mask and not a hypocrite. A sincere person is trustworthy and faithful.

Teachers do a very hard and admirable job of molding young minds into good citizens. But it is up to us to mold young hearts to be Christ-followers. A heart submitted to God controls itself. A heart submitted to God puts others’ welfare first. A heart submitted to God lives for Him, to please Him, not itself. God’s wisdom is the True knowledge. Make time to teach God’s wisdom to the children you influence, and to develop it in yourself. Image what the world could look like if we all lived out these lessons!

PRAYER: Lord, place Your hand of protection over all the schools, students, teachers and staff. Give an extra dose of perseverance to God-loving teachers who do their best to exhibit Your wisdom every day in their classrooms. Help me also display Your wisdom in my life, in all that I do, and to all that I interact with. Amen.

Blessings,

Jen

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:30-31)

It’s a strange time in our country now. There are many notions of gender and gender roles flying around. As a kid growing up in the 70’s I was surrounded by women’s empowerment. We were the generation that could “bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan.”

My mother was one of the few moms that stayed home with the kids. By the time I made that choice it was actually frowned upon.

By the time my kids reached adulthood, they were repeating what they heard in college and on social media: that Christians believed in the subjugation of women. They suggested that to get married, stay home and raise children was wasting a woman’s true potential for happiness in life.

To me, however, a strong, independent woman who is entrepreneurial, nurtures her family, has compassion for the needy, speaks with wisdom, is resourceful, radiates inner beauty and exhibits a love for the Lord, is a woman who is definitely reaching her potential. That is the woman who is described in Proverbs 31:10-31, a chapter that celebrates the value of a wife and mother – a value beyond rubies!

I definitely recommend you read the whole thing, but here are some of the highlights:

Entrepreneurial – she is forward thinking as she combines her creativity, skills and hard work to make a profit. (vs 13-19)

Homemaker – she runs her household wisely and nurtures her family. She makes winter garments, bedspreads and fine clothes. (vs 12,14-15, 21-22, 27)

Service – she serves the poor and needy and helps with charitable endeavors. (v 20)

Dignified – she has inner strength, and she knows when to hold her tongue and when to speak. And when she does, she gives wise and kind advice. (v 26)

Resourceful – she is ingenious about getting the most out of what she has, and she saves and makes plans for the future. (vs 21,24,25)

Inner Beauty – she doesn’t rely on charm or good looks, but instead radiates an inner beauty that comes from her deep faith. (vs 30)

Righteous – she is praised for her virtue, her love of the Lord and her desire to serve Him. (vs 10,29,30-31)

This is not a picture of a woman who is a slave to her husband or weighed down by family life. She runs the household, earns money, gives to the poor, is respected in the community, gives wise counsel and keeps plenty busy while looking good and praising the Lord.

Personally, I have met many of these women at our church. I’m not so sure our church or the community could function without them. They don’t all stay-at-home, they don’t all have husbands or children, and they certainly don’t all wear purple, but they do all radiate an inner beauty that is impossible to miss.

I can’t say where our culture is headed, and I certainly can’t speak for all women. But when I became a Christian as an adult, I looked for guidance as to how to live a godly life as a woman, a wife and a mom. The advice I found in the Bible, particularly in Proverbs 31, has served me well and led to a full and fulfilling life. I have found that God cherishes women and elevated their status and value despite the reality of a patriarchal world culture for most of history.

But beyond that, God values and cherishes all people - male, female, non-binary, all races, all ages, all nationalities, all identities. He has given us His Son to make salvation open to every single person on the planet, and He has given us His Word to help us find Him and to learn how to live in a way that will bring us the most purpose, the most joy, the most fulfillment, and bring Him the most glory. The choice to embrace or ignore all that is up to us.

Blessings,

Jen

The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

(Judges 6:12, 15-16)

I have led much of my life ruled by fear: fear of failure, fear of success, fear of embarrassment, fear of disappointing others, fear of rejection, etc. This fear has led to some very self-limiting beliefs.

A self-limiting belief is a state of mind or belief about yourself that restricts you in some way. These beliefs are often false accusations you make about yourself that can cause a number of negative results. “I can’t speak in public.” “I’m too old to get in shape.” “I could never go back and get my degree.” “I can’t be a missionary.” “I can’t write a devotional.” 😉

This is the battlefield of the mind where our past experiences and associations mix with lies from Satan and others in our lives to form false narratives and self-limiting beliefs that keep us from living the full, abundant life that God has called us to. Satan is delighted with this because it keeps us on the sidelines of our own lives, never being all we can be. But an important part of our salvation is being made ‘whole’ which includes living our best lives as the best version ourselves living up to our highest potential for the glory of God.

So many times Christians hear people criticize the Bible for being ancient and irrelevant. However, digging deeper you can find inspirational stories of average people overcoming fear, depression, self-doubt and all kinds of limitations to do amazing feats for God because they moved into the realm of belief.

No self-limiting belief can stand in the face of Almighty God. “Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”” (Luke 18:27) “For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)

So, the next time you face God’s vision for your future and hear your script recite the familiar excuses, or hear Satan whispering the self-limiting lies, just remember...

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ (3 times!)
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
Mary Magdalene was promiscuous
the Samaritan woman was divorced (more than once...)
Zacchaeus was too short
Paul was too religious
Timothy had stomach problems...
AND
Lazarus was dead!

(unknown author)

So, no more excuses! No more self-limiting beliefs. No more believing the accusations of Satan. Cling to the promises of God. God created you for a purpose. He created good works for you to do. God can use you to your full potential, which only He knows. And remember, in the end it’s not about you. You aren't the message; you are just the messenger.

Don’t stop believing,

Jen

I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you.
I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word.

(Psalm 119:11,15-16)

You know the old saying, “You are what you eat.” It turns out it’s totally true. Every nutrient in your food is stored as energy or used to replace dying cells, so that in about 7-10 years you have a brand new you! That cheeseburger didn’t just go to your thighs, it BECAME your thighs!

If this is true physically, it’s even more true about what you consume spiritually. There’s a cute Christian kids’ song that goes:

Oh, be careful, little eyes (ears), what you see (hear),
Oh, be careful, little eyes (ears), what you see (hear).
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little eyes (ears), what you see (hear).

And wow, is that true. From birth, our brain creates millions of neural pathways. Neural pathways are groups of nerve fibers that connect neurons in the brain, allowing signals to be sent between different parts of the brain and nervous system. These pathways are essential for many functions, including learning, forming habits, how we experience emotions and sensations, and interacting with others. The more we use a particular pathway, the more automatic it becomes until you’re arriving at your driveway, and you can’t remember the drive home.

This is terrific for everyday actions and things we need to constantly remember, but it becomes difficult when the pathway is a bad habit, a bad memory, or a negative association. Retraining our brain is possible, but it’s definitely a challenge. One helpful way is by using daily affirmations, or motivational words or phrases to stop us going down the same old paths – “Just Do It,” “One Day at a Time,” “My past doesn’t control my future,” etc.

It’s the same with our souls. If we fill our souls with negative news, constant criticism, books, shows and advertisements promoting greed, selfishness, laziness, lust and worse, we are going to have a sick spiritual condition. We’re the temple of the Holy Spirit, so imagine how starved for goodness He would feel. Instead we must do like the Psalmist and “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:1-2) That’s a command from us to our soul telling it to bless or praise the Lord, even if we aren’t really feeling like it.

“Mindset” is a hot topic these days. A mindset is a collection of a person's attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about themselves, culture, values, philosophy, and more. Mindsets can determine a person's behavior, outlook, and mental attitude. A good, positive mindset is invaluable as an athlete, but it’s every bit as useful for us as we seek to turn our hearts and minds to Jesus every day, and away from worldly distractions screaming for our attention. Luckily, our User’s Manual, the Bible, has some helpful mindset advice:

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.” (Hebrews 3:1)

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)  

“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

“Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4:23-24)

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8) 

How to keep your focus on things above? Daily effort – but the effort doesn’t have to be difficult or unpleasant. Read a couple chapters in the Bible daily. Switch your radio to a Christian music or teaching station. Trade out some of your paperbacks for Christian teaching or fiction. Click the TV channel over to a Christian network occasionally. Check out Christian music, teaching, comedy or entertainment on-line. Join a small group for study and accountability. Get into a Bible study. Come to church! Take on a job at church (there’s plenty). Pray from our weekly prayer list. Find a mission that speaks to your heart and devote some time to it weekly. Keep reading these Devotionals.😉 The only limit to the ideas is your imagination!

Happy meditating, thinking and delighting,

Jen

But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.  Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

 Mark 4:37-40

God is a friend we can trust! That is our Bible point for this week at VBS. And it’s oh, so true. But do we? Do we really?

I’m trying to watch the news again. It’s hard because I want actual news about what’s going on all over the world, not just in Washington, DC.  Well, spoiler alert, A LOT is going on around the world. And most of it is shocking, troubling and unnerving. But ALL of it is out of our control – totally and completely out of our control.

I’m pretty laid back, and I don’t much need to be in control. But I do have an aversion to thrill rides that lift you up and drop you down in a free-fall for a random number of stories for a random number of times. That’s the aptly named Tower of Terror. And lately the news is giving me that same sort of woozy feeling. HOWEVER, I know that God is not in Heaven watching the news and wringing His hands. I’m sure our behavior is grieving His heart, but it is not a surprise. He knows the whole story of history, and He wrote the book on it!

Jesus gave us the perfect object lesson when He took a little boat ride and tried to squeeze in a nap after a long day teaching huge crowds. His crew of seasoned fisherman were well acquainted with storms on the sea. But notice that when THIS storm came up, they were on the Tower of Terror, rising up and falling down, only with gallons of water pouring in. In fact, it was so bad that they didn’t cry out to Jesus for help. They were already convinced they were goners. They shouted, “Don’t you care that we’re GOING to drown?!”

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like some of my prayers. “Hey, Lord, don’t you see what’s happening down here? I thought we were pals. Are you really going to let me (fail, suffer, die, be sick, go bankrupt, grieve, etc.)?!”

All of those storms of life happening, just like the storm surrounding Jesus’ boat – terrifying, dangerous, and completely out of our control. “God! Where ARE You?!” “Oh, you’re right here in the boat with us…chillaxing on a cushion. What?!?”

And with a word, the storm stops, the waves calm, and Jesus looks at us and says “Why were you so afraid? Didn’t I tell you I’ve got your back?” Well, that’s a paraphrase, but God DOES have our backs. God is a friend we can trust. And Jesus is a friend who loves at all times, in any kind of weather, fair or foul.

Now, God, in His wisdom, doesn’t always calm the storm. But He can calm the storm in us, and give us peace or comfort, or discernment. And no matter how bad the storm might be, He’s always in the boat with us.

PRAYER: Lord, give me the strength to hand over my fears to You, and find true, abiding peace in the midst of life’s storms, no matter how scary, knowing that even if I have to go through them, you will be with me. Help me to remember that it’s not about me, and to just trust and obey. Amen.

Your all-weather friend,

Jen