Corona Devo 1120

The other day the forecast was calling for rain and I tucked a garbage bag in my daughter’s soccer backpack so that she could pull the garbage bag over her bag if the rains came.  Which they did.

“Thank you so much for the bag—it saved my soccer stuff!!”, she chirped after practice as she hopped soggily into the car. 

“See what I did there?” I told her in reference to the garbage bag.  “I love you, and I was thinking ahead to bless you.

The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.  ~Proverbs 27:12

Similarly, her class had to give presentations this week in school, and she told me about one boy who was physically shaking and in tears before giving his speech.  Public speaking is scarier than a haunted house for most people. 

I thought back to her elementary grades and how she fought me (hard) when I insisted that she would participate in the speech meet competitions that most Christian primary schools hold for students--memorizing Scripture or poetry and then reciting it in front of judges and spectators. 

And in my heart (this week), I thought “See what I did there?... I love you, and I was thinking ahead to bless you”, because (now) speaking in front of people doesn’t faze her.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  ~Hebrews 12:11

Those are trivial examples, but the same can be said for things like exercise and eating well: See what we did there?...If we take care of our bodies, we will be healthier and live longer lives.  By doing these things, we are loving ourselves and thinking ahead to bless our lives.

Or do you not know that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, who you have from God.  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.  ~I Corinthians 6:19-20

But the more I learn about and get to know our Heavenly Father, the more I realize that this (“See what I did there?... I love you, and I was thinking ahead to bless you”) is His very philosophy for us.  He has rules (The Bible) and good plans for us because He loves us and wants the best for us.   (“For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you a hope and a future.”  ~Jeremiah 29:11)

The biggest example of this was His sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross for us and our sins.  Without that (horrendous) act, we would not have payment/propitiation/sacrifice for our sins (which are many).  But WITH that (sacrificial/miraculous/holy) act…we have eternal life with our Lord in Heaven.

See what God did there?...He loves us and He was thinking ahead to bless us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  ~John 3:16

And on smaller, day-to-day levels, we can see the beautiful “rear-view mirror” love of God, proven over and over.  If we look back, sometimes we can see how He was orchestrating today’s blessing/joy/tenderness/strength as a result of yesterday’s  events/obedience/investment/trial. 

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  ~Hebrews 12:11

A couple months ago, soccer took our family (willingly) out-of-state to Florida.  We watched our daughter play soccer, but we also purposed to visit four different groups of family members during that long weekend.  One of which was my aunt in a nursing home.  We hugged and reminisced.  We laughed and we loved.  We spent time all together, and the love was palpable.  She lamented to me before we left that she felt terrible that she could not “get out” to go to church.  I reassured her that God knew her heart and He loved her, and that she could always “be” with Him right in her facility—she didn’t need to go to a special building.  We prayed all together and she was still waving when the door closed.  “See you next time”, I said.

Today I attended her funeral.  

As I contemplated things, I realized that the Lord had graciously allowed my family and I to say good-bye to her.  And I felt Him whisper into my heart, “See what I did there?...I love you and I was thinking ahead to bless you.”

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  ~James 1:27

God loves us so much.  So very much that He has charted our today in order to affect and prepare us for our tomorrow.  

Hard to believe, isn’t it?  But not hard to receive. 

Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.  ~Matthew 7:7

If we will live for God today, tomorrow we might catch a glimpse of how He was working. 

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.  ~Psalm 139:5

See what I did there?...I love you and I was thinking ahead to bless you.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com