Devotionals
Seek First: Resting in God’s Faithful Provision
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33 (CSB)
Years ago, the Lord called me to rebuild everything in my life from scratch. As bills added up, I found myself discouraged at the slowness of God’s provision. I thought I was moving into a promised land like in Exodus 3:8, "a land flowing with milk and honey" (CSB). But it felt more like a wilderness.
With every step, I asked the Lord, You’ve got me, right? Where’s that milk and honey? I wanted to start making the way myself instead of trusting Him.
The Spirit Whispers Truth When I Forget Who I Am
“The women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel.’” Ruth 4:14 (CSB)
The past few years have been hard, filled with some of life’s most challenging transitions. One particular therapy session was heavy as I came up against my lack of faith, my need to control, and my difficulty with letting go and trusting God. In my heart, I was shaming myself, wondering who wants me … like this.
Honored and Chosen by God
“Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?” Luke 1:43 (NLT)
One of my favorite paintings is Visitation, created by Mariotto Albertinelli in 1503. It depicts the story of Mary the mother of Jesus visiting her older cousin, Elizabeth, who was John the Baptist's mother and a descendant of the high priest Aaron. Rich with theology, the painting reminds me that these women, both recipients of a miracle, were honored and chosen by God for high and holy purposes.
Embracing Peace Amid Chaos
“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 4:39-40 (NLT)
A month after I moved to a new city, Hurricane Beryl came through with vicious winds and rain, waking me from my sleep. The power flickered off and on every 30 minutes or so until it stayed off for the next 36 hours.
Get to Jesus by Any Means Necessary
“And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.” Luke 5:25 (NLT)
Growing up in a military and football family, I had the phrase “make a hole” ingrained in my mind from all the war movies Daddy watched and all the peewee and high school football games my brothers played. The Navy kid in me knows when someone is running toward you and tells you to “make a hole,” it means, “Get out of the way!”
Proclaiming Jesus by Serving With Joy
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” — 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)
My strong belief in serving others is a quality I learned from my mother.
When I was young, I remember a time my mother pulled up to a stoplight as I rode in the car with her, and I watched her give to a person standing beside the road. “This is my good deed for the day,” she said. Her example set an expectation to do good daily.
The Blessing of Leftovers
“After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.’” — John 6:12 (NLT)
The notification on my phone said I had a new message in my “bestie” group chat. The text read, “Shala, this cake is gonna be big. I may need you to come pick up some leftovers!”
This SOS message required only one reply from me: a GIF that said, “I’m in!”
Thank God for leftovers, right?
His Banner Over Me is Love
“In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.’” Luke 5:12 (NLT)
When I was a kid in Super Church, as our children’s ministry was called, we sang a song that went, “The Lord is mine and I am His; His banner over me is love!”
Maybe you sang this song, too, if you grew up in church. Maybe you still know the hand motions accompanying it and would happily give us a full demonstration — and to that, I say, “Let’s do it!”
But to be honest … I was 40 years old when I had to ask Google what “His banner over me is love” actually means.