God's Box of Chocolates--A Valentine's Day Devotional

Guest author: LauraLee Shaw  

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Everywhere I look near Valentine's Day, there's chocolate: boxes of chocolate in all the stores, chocolate on tv promising to be the only love you need, chocolate Girl Scout cookies--CHOCOLATE! I even saw chocolate Altoid breath mints in the grocery checkout aisle the other day! I think that's what led me to remember the famous quote from Forrest Gump: "Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get." (I even remembered it with his accent.)

In reality, that phrase can be true in many ways. We wake up every morning completely unsure of what the day may hold for us. We've made our plans. Sometimes they even happen the way we make them. But we never know for sure, do we?

The days that come with caramel in the middle are my favorite. The ones with the strawberry goo are just so so--but the ones with coconut--YUCK! I'd rather go back to bed. Then there are the days where tragedy or difficult times come out of nowhere, and the chocolate sits in the pantry untouched...there's no sweetness to be had in those moments, it seems.

God knows that life, as it pertains to circumstances, is uncertain for us. That's why He comforts us and reminds us so many times that He is our constant companion, our steadfast friend, our consistently loving God and Savior. He doesn't keep promises the way we do:

"When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they'll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee His promises, He gave His word, a rock-solid guarantee--God can't break His word. And because His word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable." (Heb. 6:16-18, the Message)

You see, no matter what chocolate we are "in the middle of" right now, He is there--with the certainty of His promise today as well as His hope of heaven in the future. Listen to how the verse above continues to encourage us: (vs.19-20)

"We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up His permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek."

I love the visual picture of grabbing on to Him with both hands as He runs ahead of me to the Father. That makes me able to get up today and praise Him for whatever comes my way. This faith, this confidence, this hope is our unbreakable spiritual lifeline--HIS love for us no matter what, when, how or why. Let's binge on His priceless box of chocolates today...the sweetest and most satisfying of them all.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."
Psalm 34:8

LauraLee Shaw is a disciple of Jesus Christ disguised as a wife, mom, writer & speaker. She is a contributing author to "Women of Passions," and a writer for "Internet Cafe Devotions." You can visit LauraLee at
http://faithcoloredglasses.com
http://facebook.com/FaithColoredGlasses

Promise for Today - Standing and Staring

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven?"
Acts 1:11a NLT

How often do we do the same thing? Jesus had just told them to go be witnesses of Him, and then He left... and left them staring into an empty sky. It was angels who came and asked why they were still standing there...

Well, I'm no angel, but I will ask: how long are we going to stand and stare - completely devoid of forward motion - and not do what He's told us to do?!? What is it He's asked you to do? 

This is the Book of Acts... The time is getting shorter every day.

Prayer:

Father,
         Unstop our ears to hear Your still, small voice. Fine-tune our hearts to first-time obedience. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friends' Fave - To the Endth Degree

He [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1st John 2:2 ESV

The true expression is actually 'to the nth degree'... meaning to the absolute most. Limitless. Immeasurable. Unfathomable.

According to the dictionary, the expression 'to the nth degree' comes from mathematics, where to the nth means “to any required power” (n standing for any number).

When I read our Promise for Today, it hit me on a new level about how wide, how deep Christ's love for us was/IS to be the payment for us - to forgive ALL the sins of the whole world. Think about that. Seriously... the whole world - everyone - for how many years? And according to Matthew 28:20, ASV, Jesus promised, "...and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

To any required power - that's love to the "endth" degree!

Prayer:

Father,
           We pray as Paul prayed for the Ephesians, For this reason I bow my knees to You, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that You would grant us, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might through Your Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith; that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that we may be filled with all the fullness of You, O God. Now to You who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to You be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Doubting

How I love you, Lord! You are my defender. The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe. I call to the Lord, and he saves me from my enemies. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 18:1-3 Good News Translation

The enemy of our souls is always trying to defeat us, demean us, distract us, trying to get us to be disappointed in God our Lord. And when we try to be strong, fighting in our own strength, we lose. And when we lose, it just seems to reaffirm satan's lies.

We've talked before about what standards we use to conduct ourselves. For Christians, the ultimate standard IS the Word of God, the Bible. It is applicable for every situation, every circumstance, in other words, for EVERYTHING.

If you find yourself in tough circumstances right now, you can praise your way out of them by praying His Word back to Him. Isaiah 61:3 tells us to put on the garment of praise to overcome the spirit of heaviness. Charge the atmosphere, proclaiming His goodness to you and for you. A plethora of declarations is readily available in David's psalms. Avail yourself of them. His Truth wins out over the facts every time.

Prayer:

Father,
           I will sing to You as long as I live; I will sing praise to You while I have my being. I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings, I sing for joy. You, Lord, are my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in You, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song, I shall thank You and lift You higher. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Be Encouraged

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

Today marks the 5th anniversary of my eldest brother's death. You know we prayed, but Ron died anyway. We didn't understand, and still don't. However, there is much in this lifetime that we will never understand. The only hope we have is found in God's written Word, the Bible. It is the only Truth that does not change.

Our Promise for Today speaks to what everyone who chooses to follow God faces at some point - trust and choices. We all have decisions to make, and yet this particular proverb clearly states that we should not trust our own thinking or reasoning. Remember, we are to trust God's Truth OVER the facts!

Here are a couple of Truths we DO know.
1. God promised to NEVER leave us or forsake us. Deuteronomy 31
2. The gift of God is eternal life. Romans 6:23

The Bible also tells us that we live in a fallen world and we will all die. When we know Christ, we don't have to be afraid, for we have the assurance of heaven because of what Jesus Christ did for us. 1st Thessalonians 4:15-18, NIV, reads, "15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

And then he says, "Therefore, encourage one another with these words." 

Be encouraged.

Prayer:

Father,
          Build a hedge of protection around our minds and hearts so that satan cannot defeat or discourage those who pray for healing. Anoint us with fresh fire! Let the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead, rise up in us with renewed fervor to make us passionate, fervent prayer warriors! Help us to realize the end result is not up to us, but trusting You in it is. Help us, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Toay - My Job is____________

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.

James 4:11 NLT

Most job positions are posted with an overview of the tasks and duties that are required; education, skill sets, particular levels of education, and any physical requirements. Some include a very clear, very precise description. You've probably read some: proficiency in certain software, or must be able to lift 20-50 pounds, must be able to stand for 8 hours. Must be able to sit for long periods. Must be able to... You get the idea.

What do you do if there isn't a clear job description? What if there is no employee orientation and no employee handbook to guide you? Sometimes in the corporate world, it seems as though there are policies and procedures governing everything. In smaller companies, it may be more of a relaxed, family atmosphere. Although, as we all know, not all families are relaxed. Regardless, there are rules that are pertinent to the roles being fulfilled.

When we are accepted into the family of God, we begin work for a king, and not just any king, but The King of kings. We have a comprehensive handbook to guide us. All expectations are clearly defined. 

One of the things God makes abundantly clear from the beginning to the end is:
[Jesus speaking] "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged." That's clear, isn't it?
Jesus continues, "Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you." Clear?
"Forgive others, and you will be forgiven." Are there any questions about that?
Luke 6:37 NLT.

Judging others is not my job. Condemning them is not my job, either. Forgiving others, loving them, helping them, serving - that's all part of who and what we are to be in God's kingdom. It's in our guidebook (the Bible!). Every aspect clearly defined. Reading it, studying it, knowing it, and living our lives accordingly, that IS our job.

Prayer:

Father,
           Give us understanding and wisdom when we read Your Word. Help us to live and succeed according to its precepts. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - The Difference

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Psalm 11:3 KJV

I like reading different versions and translations of the Word of God because sometimes they say it so differently that I am able to understand the BIG picture of it all. This same text for today in the New Living Translation reads, "The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?" And I love it in The Message, "The bottom's dropped out of the country; good people don't have a chance..." Hmmm. I heard that line at the office just the other day.

I remember a conversation I had with a young woman years ago. She believes in God, but she has not yet embraced the Word as her standard for living. She wanted to justify her actions and beliefs by what was happening in the world system. It seemed right. The infamous 'Everyone else thinks it's okay.' 'There's no law against it.'

Well, actually there is... It's just not in the book of law that she's been reading.

Society (and its lawmakers) will go to unbelievable lengths to justify their actions, even so far as to enact laws that say what they're doing is okay. For those fools (that's what Scripture calls them) who say, 'There is no God,' it's almost understandable. However, for those who say, 'We believe in God' and yet still embrace what is clearly opposed to His Word, it's unbelievable... or is it?

Pastor Alan Neel said something a few years back that really stuck in my heart. He said, "We've spent the last 30 years making believers out of people. Nowhere in the Word of God does it say go and make believers. It says go and make disciples."

What's the difference? James 2:19 reads, "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror."

What difference does it make how many laws are passed to say something is okay if the Word of God says it's sin? What difference does it make if everyone is doing it if the Word says it's sin?

I'm going to reiterate what I said to that young lady years ago. I don't care how many rules and regulations and laws are presented, passed and posted on the books. There's only one Book of Law that doesn't change. Only one whose standards and truths remain. Immoveable, unshakeable. Only one that has stood the test of time since the beginning of time...and remains. If the Bible says it's sin, it's sin.

What does the Word say about what's going on in the world? Read further in Psalm 11, The Message, "God hasn't moved to the mountains; his holy address hasn't changed. He's in charge, as always... and at the end of the chapter, God's business is putting things right; he loves getting the lines straight, setting us straight."

Setting us straight. Making the difference between believers and disciples. What's your standard? That's the difference.

Prayer:

Father,
           We look to You - the Author and Finisher of our faith. Make our paths straight. Lead us in the paths of righteousness for Your Name's sake, according to Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.