Day 29 - He Knows

Day 29
Job 11-13, James 4

We are wide-open books to God. We may be able to cover things up to the people around us, but God will always know the things we do, what we say, think, and the motives of our hearts. Zophar made this point - although very wrongly Job's case, he was correct in this fact. People can deceive us and we can surely deceive people, but if God could tell us the thoughts of everyone, it would be scary indeed.

Why do we hide our motives from people when God can see right through them? Why not trying to be pure all the way through, so you are genuine and authentic? Job knows how authentic he has been, and wants to argue his case with God. The only thing Job is forgetting is that God already knows his inside and out. He knows his heart and knows what is going to happen. Job and his friends don't know what lies ahead. One thing that Job reminds us of though is that God's wisdom is the best wisdom.

We can trust that God's plans will far-exceed our own. We plan and plan and plan and think we have life all laid out ahead of us, but we are reminded in James that our lives are here today, but could easily be gone tomorrow. We fight for what we want, but forget to get God involved, in asking Him for His ideas and His plans.

How often are you convinced you will reach a certain goal? I don't think there is anything wrong with goal-setting; in fact, I believe it is a healthy thing to do. However, when you set goals without taking God's plans into consideration, you may end up crushed temporarily. Having a heart that is open to God's timing and God's leading will ensure you are brought to your knees in the amazing work He can do in and through you!

Remember that God knows everything. He knows you inside and out. He knows your heart and it's motives. He knows what lies ahead of you. When you begin to try and hide things from God, you will be harshly mistaken one day in thinking you can, and when you set goals outside of His plans for you, you may end up crushed rather than see the amazing things He can do that will far-exceed your plans! Give it to Him, because He knows you and He knows what lies ahead.

Day 5: Where's Your Worth?

Day 5
Genesis 10-12, John 4

I think we all struggle with "worth" at times. We search desperately for where it comes from and even place it in things that will never satisfy us fully. Today, we read many instances of this.
After the flood, people came together to build a tower as high as the heavens to be "great". There is nothing wrong with this achievement, or achievements in general, but in reality - who is it placing the spotlight on? When we pour our lives into our collections, our medals, our trophies, our networking, etc., we do those things to feel good about ourselves, and be "important" or "achieve". Again, nothing wrong with these things - I myself like to collect things from places I go because I'm a nerd and think it's cool to have. BUT, when we place that glory on ourselves, rather than building up a life pointed back to Christ, we become like the people building the tower. Like those people, however, God has a way of mixing things up at times to change our perspective.

It's interesting that the story of Abraham (Abram) begins shortly after the Tower of Babel in Genesis. Abraham had an opposite way of glory, in that he followed God's command to leave his homeland and go the path God wanted of him. We see however, when Abram takes matters into his own hands in Egypt, things go a little haywire.
Abraham, as we'll continue to read, was truly a man who placed his worth and direction in the Lord.

In John, we read about another matter of "worth" when Jesus comes to a Samaritan woman and speaks to her. This is very unlikely in this time, as Jews and Samaritans didn't speak, as you gathered from your reading. Not to mention this woman had had 5 husbands and was living with a man, unmarried. Yet Jesus shares with her the Good News of eternal living water. She is so excited, she tells her village about the "Man Who knew everything she had done". This draws more people to hear Jesus and believe. This woman was able to bring people to Jesus, despite her circumstances. Where then is her worth?

When we place our worth in people, things, achievements, etc., we are at a loss of a truly wonderful feeling of eternal security in Jesus. We can have those things and achievements, but they should never be our ultimate goal. Jesus can take your circumstance and make it something so useful and great for His mission. Don't ever throw in the towel of who you are because He has great plans for you!

Day 1 - In the Beginning

It's been too long since I've updated my In the Word blog! Motherhood sure pulls you time away, but this year, as we dive into a new one, I'm hoping to dive back into the Word more. I might not update everyday here, but I will be hopefully reading! So, here we go!

Day 1
Genesis 1-3, John 1

I find it ironic that today's readings begin with "In the beginning". Both John and Genesis have a "new" sort of feeling. Each year I dive back into the Word after failing at about 1 Kings, I realize that this IS a new beginning. Every day is a new one. We have a new year, a new day, a new hour, to start fresh all the time. God is so gracious to us in always being open to us when we fall and fall and fall again.
In John today, we read about how timeless God is! We are reminded right off the bat that He's been here since the beginning and His Word is always relevant. John the Baptist proclaims to the people that He is indeed Christ, and He is coming!
This year, we need to cling to our "true light" (John 1:9), proclaiming the good news of His coming an His coming again! John the Baptist was very bold in letting everyone know.
In Genesis, we read about how God made everything in the beginning. He made US in His own image, above all else on earth. But, as human nature would have it, we slipped up and did exactly what we were told not to do, and that perfection in the world was ruined because a serpent came along and tempted.
This isn't only true back in the beginning, but we need to be on our guard that Satan is lurking and seeking any foothold he can get in your life. He will find ways to make you slip and fall, but God can always pick us up again. Guard yourself from Satan's grasp and cling to your Light!
As John 1 wraps up, Jesus calls His first disciples. All a bunch of normal guys, who were eager to follow. When Jesus calls you this year, are you going to follow Him?

We have this amazing God...Who set the stars in their place, created the beautiful plants of the earth, and made YOU in His image. He loves us so much, that He is always walking with us. He is timeless. He is calling you to be on His team. This is a new year, filled with new opportunities, and new ways to experience Him. Shine His light, and shine it proudly, for there is no time like now to proclaim Him in your life!

Day 5: The True Source

Reading: Psalm 4:1-8

True security is only found in God, and yet we continue to try and fill our lives with peace and happiness through success and possessions. This Psalm is filled with David questioning why people look to other things for their security. Even though David faces continual hardship, we see that he remains confident that God will hear him the instant he calls out to Him, because his heart is filled with joy from the Lord. When we try to solve our problems with things and success, we will find ourselves falling again and again, and the cycle will continue into a downward spiral. Until we finally realize that peace and security only come from God, we will find it quite miserable to cope with the life that is thrown at us. What are you chasing after and what is the center of your life? Perhaps the heartaches you carry are the center.

What do you chase in this life, other than God?


How can chasing after God and His mission for your life make things less complicated?



Reading: Matthew 4:23-5:20

Where are you finding the ultimate happiness? Many people will find it in money, fame, experiences, drugs, possessions, looks, men, women, etc. but we read in the sermon on the mount that Jesus says He is the only true hope and happiness. God blesses all who mourn, all who are poor, all who are humble, all who hunger for justice, all who are merciful, all who have pure hearts, all who work for peace, and even all who are persecuted and mocked in His name. Seems pretty backwards from our get all you want now society. We live in a world that glorifies sex, violence, immediate gratification, gadgets, technology, and money. Yet in Matthew, we are told that Jesus blesses the poor, the pure and the humble. So which of these do we follow? Something that will leave you longing for more later? Or the One, true happiness that will leave you with unimaginable, eternal rewards?

 What makes it so hard to put God first in our society?



How do you think people would react in today's society to the Beatitudes? 



Reading: Genesis 9:18-11:9

There is something about created names for ourselves in life. Success and being remembered for greatness are big in today's world, but we read that God wants us to strive to glorify His Name and His honor. In the case with the tower of Babel, we read that the people wanted to build a mighty tower so that they may be remembered and glorified. When we strive for success for our own name and miss the point of where our true success and name come from, we will fail and find ourselves empty in the end. Only God can grant such success in our lives, and we are to glorify Him for our success.
One of my favorite artists of all time is Christian hip-hop artist, Lecrae. I find his words to be blunt and just what our world needs in a country that is losing it's bravery and value in Christianity and in Jesus. For a country that is the safest and is the most free for attending church and sharing faith, we are surely the most fearful. Lecrae doesn't care what people think of his words. Take these lyrics into consideration as we look into today's topic:

 "He (Satan) lies to us all, told Adam he could ball
'Why you following God when you could have it all?"
I tell you what's better, or better yet, worse-
Chasing your own glory, while doing the Lord's work
So holla if it hurts, but we were made for greater
Our greatest satisfaction is making His Name famous..."

Though we might hear the lie that we can have it all without God in this world, the truth is with the world, we will never have it all.

What are you chasing in this life that you believe will fill you up?


What lies does the media try to sell us that isn't biblically accurate?



There are so many lies we can buy into in this world. Media is full of them, and even though we believe they will fill us up whole, the truth is, we are left unsatisfied in the end. The only consistent security and happiness in our lives comes from God.

Day 1: New Beginnings

Congrats on setting a goal to dive into God's Word this year! The best part about this is that it doesn't matter where you've been and where you're coming from, but that you are here now, and striving to learn more about this Bible thing. Today's topic couldn't be more fitting for each of you here. We all have a past, and we all begin new, each and everyday. Hopefully we can all relate to the readings today, and find comfort in them. With that said, are you ready to get this new journey in the Word started?

Reading: Psalm 1:1-6

One thing you may already know about Psalms is that it is a book of poetry. However, we can learn much from the words it gives, and from the feelings of those who contributed to this book. Today, we can be encouraged in knowing that this path of striving to follow God is full of hope. And, we can definitely be reassured that following what is wicked and evil in life will lead us to what we ultimately are chasing- destruction. Depending on what we do, those things will lead us down the path we set before ourselves.

What do you want to chase after in this new year? This new week? This new day?



How will you accomplish that, according to today's reading from Psalm?


Reading: Matthew 1:1-25

This year, and the rest of our lives actually, let's focus on Jesus. The book of Matthew opens up with the genealogy of Jesus, which may seem boring and make you wonder why go into it, but as you learn more about the history and the pasts of the people in Jesus' line, you'll see that they are no different than you and me. In fact, many have quite a messed up past, but God still used them to bring about the greatest gift of all. No matter what your yesterday looks like and what things creep back into your life from your past, remember that God can still use you to do miraculous things. Joseph stuck by Mary's side when he saw that this baby was going to be a wonderful act of God.

What things from your past haunt you? How do they hinder you from starting new today?

What can we learn from the line Jesus came from? How do we remember that God has big picture plans for us in the midst of a scary past?



Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:17

We see the theme of beginnings here in the beginning of the Bible. God made all of these beautiful things around us to enjoy and to take care of. All of them He said are good. Yet when He created us, He created us in His image and said it was very good. Many times we may find ourselves depressed and feeling worthless, but this reading alone proves that God values you deeply. He put humans above all other creation and sees us higher than them. We can value ourselves because God values us highly. He gave us free will and allows us to make decisions for ourselves. Today, you face a new beginning, filled with many decisions.

How can you value yourself as God values you?


What decisions can you make today to help you grow deeper in Him and help prove how much you value yourself?




Today marks a new beginning. Whether you're checking out this plan January 1 or middle of July, you are starting new today. Everyday is a new beginning, and God gives you the choice as to what you can do with those opportunities. We all screw up and fall (as we'll read about more tomorrow), but keep starting new in Him everyday, longing for His endless mercy and love.