There Is Never Anything On But Reruns.
Day 1
Read Psalm 37:1-11
Delight is a word that we do not use much anymore. What does it even mean? The dictionary says, “please (someone) greatly” as a verb or as a noun, “great pleasure”. What delights you? What are you finding pleasure in? With a quick internet search, I found several Bible verses that use the word delight. One being Psalm 37:4a. It states, “Delight yourself in the Lord,”. God wants us to find pleasure in Him, in His commands (Psalm 112:1), and in the Sabbath (Isaiah 58: 13-14). Do we? How many of us look at our Christian walk as drudgery? “I have to read the Bible. I have to do what it says and keep His commands.” God does not want us to look at Him or His word with a “have to” mentality. Would you rather someone spend time with you because they felt like they had to or because they wanted to? Or what about getting you a gift because they had to versus wanting to? We all want someone to want to spend time with us or buy us a gift because they wanted to. We do not want others to do things out of obligation. God is the same. He wants us to delight in Him and His word. He wants a relationship with us! The next time you open your Bible say, “I get to read God’s word. I get to spend time with my Creator and my Father.” See if one little word change, get to instead of have to, changes your perspective. God wants us to delight in Him!
Are you delighting in God and His word and how or how not do you notice this?
Consider sharing some of this on the app so others can benefit from
**Written by Michael Brittenham
Delight is a word that we do not use much anymore. What does it even mean? The dictionary says, “please (someone) greatly” as a verb or as a noun, “great pleasure”. What delights you? What are you finding pleasure in? With a quick internet search, I found several Bible verses that use the word delight. One being Psalm 37:4a. It states, “Delight yourself in the Lord,”. God wants us to find pleasure in Him, in His commands (Psalm 112:1), and in the Sabbath (Isaiah 58: 13-14). Do we? How many of us look at our Christian walk as drudgery? “I have to read the Bible. I have to do what it says and keep His commands.” God does not want us to look at Him or His word with a “have to” mentality. Would you rather someone spend time with you because they felt like they had to or because they wanted to? Or what about getting you a gift because they had to versus wanting to? We all want someone to want to spend time with us or buy us a gift because they wanted to. We do not want others to do things out of obligation. God is the same. He wants us to delight in Him and His word. He wants a relationship with us! The next time you open your Bible say, “I get to read God’s word. I get to spend time with my Creator and my Father.” See if one little word change, get to instead of have to, changes your perspective. God wants us to delight in Him!
Are you delighting in God and His word and how or how not do you notice this?
Consider sharing some of this on the app so others can benefit from
**Written by Michael Brittenham
Day 2
Read Psalm 46
Toddlers are some of the most mobile creatures on the face of the earth. If you’ve ever been responsible for the safety of a toddler, you will understand. If not you’ve probably shook your head watching some poor dad try to wrangle his overly active young child while they do anything but what he wants them to do. Yet when they are scared or don’t want to do something they won’t move. The same dad who couldn’t keep up either has to drag them along or pick them up and carry them.
I get the sense this is an accurate image of our relationship with God. When we should be moving, we are paralyzed with fear and doubt and when He wants us to be still, we are frantically scurrying about. Yes, we have a great commission, and we are to live our lives as Kingdom citizens telling others about Jesus. What we can’t forget in all this activity is that we are also called to “be still and know that I am God”. God doesn’t need us to exalt Him, that will happen with or without us. He also doesn’t need us to defend Him. Simply be still and let Him show His power for His glory.
Where are you working hard and frustrated in life when God wants you to simply be still?
When we are still, what do we learn about God and ourselves?
Do you need to be still and rest in God’s word?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
**Written by Michael Brittenham
Toddlers are some of the most mobile creatures on the face of the earth. If you’ve ever been responsible for the safety of a toddler, you will understand. If not you’ve probably shook your head watching some poor dad try to wrangle his overly active young child while they do anything but what he wants them to do. Yet when they are scared or don’t want to do something they won’t move. The same dad who couldn’t keep up either has to drag them along or pick them up and carry them.
I get the sense this is an accurate image of our relationship with God. When we should be moving, we are paralyzed with fear and doubt and when He wants us to be still, we are frantically scurrying about. Yes, we have a great commission, and we are to live our lives as Kingdom citizens telling others about Jesus. What we can’t forget in all this activity is that we are also called to “be still and know that I am God”. God doesn’t need us to exalt Him, that will happen with or without us. He also doesn’t need us to defend Him. Simply be still and let Him show His power for His glory.
Where are you working hard and frustrated in life when God wants you to simply be still?
When we are still, what do we learn about God and ourselves?
Do you need to be still and rest in God’s word?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
**Written by Michael Brittenham
Day 3
Read James 1:2-12
Fret is an interesting word, and one we don’t use much anymore. It conveys the idea of action without useful results. I think of someone wringing their hands in worry. For me personally, I think the word fret describes how I feel after too much scrolling on social media and too much dwelling on the negative news. It feels overwhelming and not only do I start to get anxious about it but, over time, I find I start wondering if God is even paying attention. This leads to doubts and more worry and… Well, you can see how this quickly spirals out of control. Psalm 37:8 captures it perfectly, “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” Not “it can” or “it might”, “it tends ONLY to evil”. Very strong words.
James has great wisdom in this area which also ties to the idea that being still and fretting are opposites of one another. We are to count our trials as a source of joy. This seems crazy but when you read on to the results of those trials you see how our trials help develop in us traits and characteristics that make us more like Christ. One of those traits is steadfastness which I like to think of as standing fast, or maybe better said standing firm. It’s interesting that when you stand firm, you will also be still. When I get stressed and anxious I imagine a rock in a stream bed. It sits unmoved while the water rages around it. Over time what we see as disorder and chaos has turned what was once a rough rock into a smooth beautiful stone that the turbulent waters can no longer get a hold on to disturb it. That for me is the end result of not fretting.
What are you fretting about that you need to hand over to God?
Can you think of a time in your life which felt like a storm but you can clearly see now where it polished off your rough edges?
Is there a part of your story that, while hard, has equipped you to bless others?
**Written by Katie Brittenham
Fret is an interesting word, and one we don’t use much anymore. It conveys the idea of action without useful results. I think of someone wringing their hands in worry. For me personally, I think the word fret describes how I feel after too much scrolling on social media and too much dwelling on the negative news. It feels overwhelming and not only do I start to get anxious about it but, over time, I find I start wondering if God is even paying attention. This leads to doubts and more worry and… Well, you can see how this quickly spirals out of control. Psalm 37:8 captures it perfectly, “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” Not “it can” or “it might”, “it tends ONLY to evil”. Very strong words.
James has great wisdom in this area which also ties to the idea that being still and fretting are opposites of one another. We are to count our trials as a source of joy. This seems crazy but when you read on to the results of those trials you see how our trials help develop in us traits and characteristics that make us more like Christ. One of those traits is steadfastness which I like to think of as standing fast, or maybe better said standing firm. It’s interesting that when you stand firm, you will also be still. When I get stressed and anxious I imagine a rock in a stream bed. It sits unmoved while the water rages around it. Over time what we see as disorder and chaos has turned what was once a rough rock into a smooth beautiful stone that the turbulent waters can no longer get a hold on to disturb it. That for me is the end result of not fretting.
What are you fretting about that you need to hand over to God?
Can you think of a time in your life which felt like a storm but you can clearly see now where it polished off your rough edges?
Is there a part of your story that, while hard, has equipped you to bless others?
**Written by Katie Brittenham
Day 4
Read Psalm 73
Oh, come on! Don’t read that Psalm like it is not that relevant to you and that you have escaped all of those feelings. You are going to pretend like this was written by someone that is further off their rocker than you or has it less put together than you? It is a rant and it feels so uncomfortable to sit and read or listen to people go to these places, but the writer slowly works it out. It is not like the first half of this Psalm is a man of no faith and then he gets to the end of the Psalm and becomes a man of faith. He is the same man when he starts writing that he is when he finishes. Faith is sometimes a wrestling match between feelings and understandings that is played out best in front of God. It is not like we are hiding from him in these struggles and He is waiting on the outside of that private room, not interested in facing us until we get a few things nailed down. So sit down and work through those feelings that you are afraid to reveal. Do the work of bringing feelings and struggles in your mind into the light of theology and be reminded of what you “know.”
How have you wrestled through the feeling of the first verses like the Psalmist here?
Do you tend to hide these doubts and feelings or are you comfortable with God seeing them worked out in you?
What are you struggling with right now that needs to be a prayer?
Why not share those parts that are not too private on the app with others following these devotions?
Oh, come on! Don’t read that Psalm like it is not that relevant to you and that you have escaped all of those feelings. You are going to pretend like this was written by someone that is further off their rocker than you or has it less put together than you? It is a rant and it feels so uncomfortable to sit and read or listen to people go to these places, but the writer slowly works it out. It is not like the first half of this Psalm is a man of no faith and then he gets to the end of the Psalm and becomes a man of faith. He is the same man when he starts writing that he is when he finishes. Faith is sometimes a wrestling match between feelings and understandings that is played out best in front of God. It is not like we are hiding from him in these struggles and He is waiting on the outside of that private room, not interested in facing us until we get a few things nailed down. So sit down and work through those feelings that you are afraid to reveal. Do the work of bringing feelings and struggles in your mind into the light of theology and be reminded of what you “know.”
How have you wrestled through the feeling of the first verses like the Psalmist here?
Do you tend to hide these doubts and feelings or are you comfortable with God seeing them worked out in you?
What are you struggling with right now that needs to be a prayer?
Why not share those parts that are not too private on the app with others following these devotions?
Day 5
Read 1 Timothy 6:1-12
Do you know when the absolute most convicting time to talk about contentment is? For me, it is when you are barreling to the end of the summer. It is then that I realize the unreached dreams for what it was going to be like and how much of a break it was going to seem like. It hasn’t been a bad summer, my life is rarely ever “bad.” I find myself cushioned in with so much that a proper perspective reveals a whole lot of ridiculousness in my discontent that most probably don’t experience. What I am trying to say is that these verses hit close to home. Too close.
To pacify that struggle, I read quickly over the part about struggling to be rich. My definition of rich is all of the levels that are beyond what I am. So a teaching to the rich, which I am clearly not, is easy to take, because it is about someone else. Then I go to Jamaica on a mission trip and get that reminder that I always need, that I am in the top of riches in the world. It would do me good to sit and think about how much of my struggles are a result of my discontentment more than anything.
Do you see the lack of contentment in your life?
Why do we not consider ourselves as people that fit the bill of these verses, people that are pursuing money?
How can we be different in this regard? It can’t be as simple as stop doing that…or we would have.
How does this become your prayer today?
Do you know when the absolute most convicting time to talk about contentment is? For me, it is when you are barreling to the end of the summer. It is then that I realize the unreached dreams for what it was going to be like and how much of a break it was going to seem like. It hasn’t been a bad summer, my life is rarely ever “bad.” I find myself cushioned in with so much that a proper perspective reveals a whole lot of ridiculousness in my discontent that most probably don’t experience. What I am trying to say is that these verses hit close to home. Too close.
To pacify that struggle, I read quickly over the part about struggling to be rich. My definition of rich is all of the levels that are beyond what I am. So a teaching to the rich, which I am clearly not, is easy to take, because it is about someone else. Then I go to Jamaica on a mission trip and get that reminder that I always need, that I am in the top of riches in the world. It would do me good to sit and think about how much of my struggles are a result of my discontentment more than anything.
Do you see the lack of contentment in your life?
Why do we not consider ourselves as people that fit the bill of these verses, people that are pursuing money?
How can we be different in this regard? It can’t be as simple as stop doing that…or we would have.
How does this become your prayer today?
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