A "Tax Day" Devotional

Are You Taxed Out?

Definiton: Tax, n. A burdensome or excessive demand; a strain.

 

Is this you, my friend? If you were to write a tax letter to the Lord instead of the IRS, would it be similar to this?

April 15th, 2010

Dear Lord,

I’m tired. I’m drained. I’m burdened. All the things I don’t want to be as a Christian.
I am, though.

What an awkward day for me to realize this, but…I’m overtaxed.

Could you…wait, I know You can…

…Would You please give me a tax break? Just long enough for me to come up for air? I don’t mean to beg, but please?

I do love You, Lord. I do. I have only good intentions, but I’m weary, Lord.

Hangin’ by a hair,
Your child

PS. 
I know You already know this, but the thought of no new taxes would really bring peace of mind to me right now.


April 15th, 2010

Dear child,

Yes. My tax breaks are always available for you. Listen to what I’ve written.*
 

“The Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.”

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;  
He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart, 
and you will find rest for your souls.”

“Do you not know? 
The LORD is the everlasting God…He will not grow tired or weary, 
and His understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. 
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, 
they will walk and not be faint.”

So…yea. This was written for you, my precious child. For this tax day, and every other moment too.

Holding you tight,
Your Daddy
 
PS. 
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” **

*Deuteronomy 30:14, 31:8, Matthew 11:28-29, Isaiah 40:28-31
** John 16:33

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, 
who daily bears our burdens. Selah"
Psalm 68:19

Shot for the Soul

This is the time of year I get reeeeally burned out. I’m ready for the research papers, the end-of-year school projects, the extra activities, everything—to come to a screeching halt. You may be in a completely different season of life than me, but I’m certain whether you are a student, a working professional, an empty nester, or …, in some way this message applies to you.

I read a story to my daughter last week about Leonardo Da Vinci*, how sometimes he would work on a painting or an invention for several years, only to struggle with finishing it out (though often he did, thank goodness). He loved creating and imagining, building the plans, then lacked the drive to complete them. Most of the time, his desire to finish was based on how enormous he imagined the idea to be in terms of impact and renown. Wow, oh wow, could I relate to that personality flaw.

When I came across this version of the popular Hebrews 12 verse today, it grabbed the ear of my heart and held on for a good while:

Hebrews 12:1-3 (The Message)
“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”

Several things jumped out at me here. “Never quit” as a result of “extra spiritual fat.”  The NIV says, “everything that hinders.” Pretty loose interpretation here, but how necessary. What spiritual activities do you engage in that are extra? Mere fluff? What are some of the things you do out of compulsion or legalism or self-righteousness or pride? Hmmm.

“No parasitic sins.”  These are not the ones committed accidentally. These are the ones that are eating away at you, infecting you from having your best run ever.

“Study how He did it.”  Gotta spend time studying. How did Jesus endure everything He had to endure to get through this life completing His mission? Was He always the first one to sign up for the next availability of service in the temple? Did He stop to meet every person’s need? What did He do, and how does that apply today?

“Because He never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—He could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever.”  Thought about where you’re headed lately? Thought about those who might not go along to Heaven with you because you’re too busy to love them or serve them or talk about Jesus to them? Do you let others’ opinions weigh you down? Do your earthly circumstances consume you, keeping you from seeing your future reality? Was His sight on earthly renown or eternal placement?

“When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”  Wowzer. This is where reflection, praise and thanksgiving come in. Notice it doesn’t say to go over your own story. It says to go over HIS. Look at what HE faced. Look at what HE endured. Stop, look. Listen. Prepare for a jolt of java-like determination to get you going again.

I don’t know about you, friends, but this worked for me. I’m not only ready to finish out my kids’ school year without having a meltdown, I’m also ready to tackle some other unfinished projects around the house. More than anything, I’m determined to lean in to get to know my Savior better. It is my relationship with Him that matters most. I want to learn His way of reacting to situations, His way of dealing with stupid questions, His way of dealing with Holier-than-Thous. I need to know what kinds of opportunities were important to Him, what kind of people caught His attention. HOW He handled the stress, the insults, the publicity. His mission. And the only way to do that is by fixing our eyes on Jesus first and foremost.

Where are you with all of this? 

I long for all of us to have His adrenaline shot into our souls, to examine our priorities, our sin struggles, our relationship with Jesus. I pray for all of us to finish strong…blameless, and to take at least one or two souls with us to our final destination. All of this so that we can have an “exhilarating finish, in and with God.” 

And may He receive glory and honor and praise, for it is all in His name we live and move and breathe. Amen.


* source: Leonardo DaVinci by Diane Stanley

RUN!!!

Have any phrases that repeat themselves over and over in your mind? I have many. One that comes up a LOT is the line from the movie Forrest Gump which his friend Jenny says every time he’s in trouble. “Run, Forrest, Run!”

Often, when I think of running in the spiritual sense, I picture resisting evil or fleeing for cover or safety when I’m in trouble. Verses like these come to my mind:

“…they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31b

“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance…”  Hebrews 12:1b

In other words..."Run, Laura, Run!"
I’ve become a pretty strong runner spiritually, even though sometimes I sprint in the wrong direction, forcing the Lord to help me out of the woods. But lately, He's reminded me to race with a different end in mind.

My friends regularly get a chuckle out of the fact that I call myself a female David. “I’m Davidia,” I’ll joke with them. That could seem like I’m bragging, because after all David is known as the man “after God’s own heart.” But that’s not the part of David's character I'm referring to. I’m talking about his high highs and his low lows. I mean, is there anyone else in the Bible that expresses his gut feelings—praise ones or depressed ones—to the Lord so vulnerably and vehemently? When it’s praise time, the goin’ is good. But when it’s down in the dirt time, it ain’t so pretty. (Bear in mind, though, that David almost always praised the Lord even in the midst of his low moments…this is not a quality of his that I’ve mastered yet).

It’s no wonder I run to the Psalms whenever I need company with my mood swings. Sometimes, Depression surfaces from somewhere within me, and I know I need to run fast and hard from it. The Lord is teaching me, though, that it’s not really about what I’m running FROM, it’s about who I’m running TO. 

I’m not running from my depression, I’m running to the Maker of joy. 

I’m not running from temptation, I’m running to the God of righteousness. 

I’m not running from my own personal prison. I’m running to the One who set me free.

“I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32

"Run, Laura, Run!"
How about you? Are you running from or to?

At one point in the movie that I mentioned above, Jenny says something to Forrest as she is getting ready to hitch a ride away from him and her problems for the dozenth time. “Listen. you promise me something, okay?” she begs. “Just if you’re ever in trouble, don’t try to be brave. You just run, OK? Just run away.”

Amen, Jenny. I couldn’t agree more in the context of this message. It’s not about us being brave enough. It’s about Him being strong in our weakness, for “God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.” (1st Corinthians 1:25b) So, just run, okay?

Run to Righteousness. 

Run to Joy. 

Run to Forgiveness. 

Run to Truth. 

Run to Grace. 

Run to the Lord.

Run, Believer, Run!

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; 

the righteous run to it and are safe.” 

Prov. 18:10

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All Scriptures are taken from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
Quotes from Forrest Gump were taken from imdb.com.

If You Want To Change The World, Pick Up Your Pen

I came across a verse at the Supernatural Living blog yesterday for Word-Filled Wednesday. For some reason, it struck me and stayed with me all day.

"Write down the revelation..." 

Habakkuk 2:2b

Of course there's more words surrounding that verse, and I don't want to take it out of context, but it reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:

"If you want to change the world, pick up your pen."
Martin Luther

Think about it, the power of the written word has changed the world, and it has changed you and me. The Word of God is the most influential of all, and the list goes down the chain from there.

But it got me to thinking, what revelation do I need to write down? Sights and sounds and situations bring new revelations all the time. Beyond that, how could I influence my world by picking up my pen? Pen is figurative, but go with me.

~ Pause.

How does this apply to you?

Perhaps you need to write that book you've been putting off writing.
Maybe you are feeling led to be more purposeful with your blog.
Could you make a huge difference by getting on the floor and drawing a picture with your child?
Do you need to send a letter to that Senator? that Superintendent? that newspaper?
It might be time to pull the "thank you" or "thinking of you" cards out of the drawer.
And way outside the box: could your Facebook use a facelift by making a difference with your words there? Perhaps send some Scriptures a-twittering and see where they land.

With your pen, you can write "Great job at the presentation" to your employee, or "I'm praying for you" in your child's lunchbox. You can raise support for a cause or remind your spouse how much he/she means to you. You can draw a gospel presentation on a napkin at the coffee shop or loan a pen to the person next to you in church.

Whatever you do, please don't leave His pen behind your ear...

~ Ponder

Has God laid anything on your heart to write lately?
Do you have a revelation burning that God wants you to share?
Are you faithful to share the most important Word of all? 

Isaiah 55:11: "so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

~ Praise

Father in Heaven, Thank You for Your Word, especially the Word made flesh, that lived among us and then chose to die for our sins. We praise You for giving us the Bible, to study, to hide in our hearts, and to share with others. And Lord, we long to be faithful to use our own words--speaking ones, writing ones, thinking ones--to make a difference in this world, big and small and in-between. Show us what You want us to write or draw or teach through our pens, God. And we pray it all in Jesus' name, Amen.

 

***I hope you'll go by the Internet Cafe tomorrow and see what God laid on my heart to write about bikinis, (cough), I mean about appearances. I pray it is just the revelation you need for your soul this week.

He Will Do That...

It's 23-Acre Woods Word-Filled Wednesday!

What has God called you to?
What are the purposes He has laid on your heart?


If He's called you to the mission field,
If He's called you to serve in your church,

If He's called you to be a stay at home mom,
If He's called you to evangelize in your workplace,

If He's called you to availability,
Or mentoring,
Or waiting,
Or praying,
Or taking in the poor,
Or using your gifts and talents,

Surrender.

Listen.

Wait.

Trust.

Because...

Lord Jesus, You are faithful, and You are committed. You love us and have our perfect best in mind. Help us this day to deny whatever distracts us from You and be attentive and faithful to Your call. Whatever it is, Lord, we long to obey. We trust You, for it is in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Would you like to see more Truth-filled Scripture pictures? Then hike on over to: