Hindsight Gives Us Insight Into God's Plans and Purposes for Our Life

In fifth grade, my teacher asked me to write a speech to give at a school assembly because he felt I was a good communicator for a ten-year-old. In high school, I was chosen to be the editor of my high school newspaper. When I became a Christian in my early twenties, I started writing newsletters, Bible studies, and evangelistic tracts. 

When I went to seminary, I was one of those few students who enjoyed essay exams. I also wrote an overview of the Bible for one of my classes and later used it for evangelistic seminars in Budapest, Hungary.

In 2011, I experienced a deep sorrow in my life, and I knew I'd be deeply depressed if I didn't focus on God's Word. That's when Bible Love Notes was born, and I learned how to write God's truth concisely in one-minute devotions.

In February 2023, Wisdom for Life will be published, my first book of 100 one-minute devotions based on Psalms and Proverbs. 

I didn't realize it when I wrote that fifth-grade speech, but it was the first of many things God used to prepare me for my present ministry.

God has used good experiences and bad experiences to teach me things I needed to learn (Romans 8:28). 

So let me encourage you: even if you can't see it at this point in your life, rest assured that you are "God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for [you] to do" (Ephesians 2:10).

💙💙💙💙

If you enjoy Bible Love Notes, I hope you will pre-order the Bible Love Notes devotional book Wisdom for Life. It's an attractive 5"x7" hardcover devotional, a perfect size to carry with your Bible or tuck into your purse or backpack. It features 100 one-minute devotions based on Psalms and Proverbs. In addition, each devotion has a "For Further Thought" section with suggestions and questions for those who want to dig deeper. 

Bible Love Notes has never run ads or taken donations. We gladly cover the costs for our blog because we feel God has called us to do it. We also feel like God's hand was in the publishing of this book (see A Bible Love Notes Book in 2023). We pray that many of you will pre-order it because pre-orders greatly help in getting the word out—and getting the Word out!

If you want to read a few of the devotions before purchasing it, you can read the first 4 devotions by clicking "look inside" on Amazon or Lifeway Publishing. 

Be sure to visit the Wisdom for Life landing page Here. It shows you all the places you can order the book, and it's the site where you can download the free bonus: Two Bible studies that add additional insights to the devotions in the book.

Bible Love Notes

Taking Bold Steps to Fulfill God's Purposes

Before we come to the Lord, He reminds us to "count the cost." The Christian life is not about ease and prosperity. It requires our full devotion (Luke 14:25-34).

God wants us to live our lives differently than the world around us, pursuing His purposes, not our own (Matthew 5:16; Matthew 6:33).

Years ago, I read missionary biographies with my granddaughter, and we were both surprised how much these true stories strengthened our faith.

They helped us realize that very ordinary people had taken bold steps to fulfill God's purposes in their lives (2 Corinthians 12:9). They had a heart for the unsaved world (Matthew 9:37), and they understood that the challenges of their present life were small compared to the joys of eternity with the Lord (2 Corinthians 4:17). 

We shouldn't compare our lives with other Christians because God has designed each of us for specific purposes (Galatians 6:4-5; Ephesians 2:10). But God wants us to be inspired and motivated by the faithfulness of others.

So each day let's pray that we will be open and sensitive to His leading, and let's take bold steps to fulfill His purposes for our day, our week, our month, our year, and our lives.
------------------------

For scriptural inspiration and suggestions, see today's Bite Size Bible Study—Challenging Ourselves.👣
---------------------

Why not add some more of God's Word to your schedule by having a 1-minute devotion like this one delivered to your email each weekday. Sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

 

Bible Love Notes

Alone in a Foreign Land, Lillian Found Herself Caring for an Orphaned Baby Girl

Lillian had been asked to visit a young mother who was close to death. When she got there, the mother handed Lillian her small baby daughter and whispered, "Please take her." Moments later the mother was dead.

Twenty-three-year-old Lillian Trasher had only been in Egypt three months when she became the guardian of baby Fareida. Because Fareida was sickly, her extended family had planned to drown her if Lillian hadn't agreed to take her.

Sadly, Lillian's mission group refused to have a baby in their mission house. So, with no other options available, Lillian became a single mother alone in a foreign land. 

She soon discovered, however, that as she daily cared for baby Fareida, Jesus daily cared for her. 

Living on faith alone, Lillian eventually became known as "the Nile Mother," caring for 10,000 orphans, widows, homeless, and blind Egyptians during her fifty-year ministry. 

When asked her secret, Lillian replied, "There isn't any secret. I just stayed! I did not quit. I stayed with the work God gave me." 

Whatever God asks us to do, whether in our family, our job, our community, or our world, let's stay with it.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Source: Lillian Trasher, the Greatest Wonder in Egypt, Janet and Geoff Benge, YWAM publishing. While I recommend this book in the series, I do not recommend the book in the series called "Lottie Moon, Giving Her All for China." Lottie Moon's family had a large plantation and they were slave owners, but the book presents them as victims of the Civil War. I wrote YWAM about my concerns, and they made it clear that they were comfortable with the book.

I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for

 Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word. To find out more see 10 Reasons Why You'll Love Wisdom for Life. I also encourage you to sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet offering quiet time encouragement. Find out more HERE.

 

Bible Love Notes

A Proverbial Mistake

I used to misuse proverbs. I'd quote them indiscriminately as promises of God.

This is a common misunderstanding and one reason we Christians need to better understand God's Word if we are going to use it properly (2 Timothy 2:15).

The book of Proverbs explains its purpose in 1:1-6 as a collection of wise sayings to give wisdom and instruction, "for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise."

The book of Proverbs is God's Word, so we must trust this explanation of its purpose and not go beyond it. 

Some proverbs are promises, but only those which are also found as promises in the New Testament. For example, Proverbs 3:5-6 says trusting the Lord will keep us in His will, on His path. That's a promise (Romans 8:14; Romans 12:1-2).

But many proverbs are not promises. Instead, they are wise sayings. For example, Proverbs 10:27 says, "The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short." 

A godly life is better for our health and well-being, but some wicked people live long lives and some godly people die young.

Why is this important to understand? Because randomly using proverbs as promises is misleading and confusing, and it makes God's Word sound unreliable.

💙 Beyond 1-minute for those who want more 💙

For some examples of misused proverbs:

Proverbs 23:7 Does Not Mean We Become What We Think 

Let's Quit Claiming That Good Parents Are Promised Good Children

Check out these articles most of which address the misuse of Proverbs 22:6.

James W. Mohler of Biola University

Got Questions Ministry
 

Focus on the Family
 

John Piper Ministries

 

Richard Pratt of R.C. Sproul Ministries

Bible Love Notes

What Do You Esteem? The Good or the Great?

"Goodness is possible to all, greatness to a few...yet all men desire to be great, and only a few desire to be good." A.W. Tozer 

Have you ever considered this truth? Only a few people can choose to be great or famous, but everyone can choose to be good.

Sadly, our culture honors greatness, popularity, and fame far more than it honors goodness, honesty, humility, and integrity. That's why some of the most popular movie stars, music artists, and sports celebrities are rude, boastful, and immoral.

It happens in the church as well when Christians esteem popular pastors, authors, and Christian musicians even when they lack integrity.

In James 2:1-8 we discover that this was also a problem in the early church. They were favoring rich people, even when those rich people slandered the name of Christ. James wrote:

"Doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?" (verse 4) 

This passage not only rebukes prejudice, it also refutes "prosperity teachers" who claim wealth is a proof of faith:

"Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith?" (verse 5)

It's part of our fallen human nature to value the wrong things. That's why Ephesians 4:22-23 tells us to "throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception" and "let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes."

Let's daily renew our thoughts and attitudes in God's Word (Hebrews 4:12).

------------------

For more insights and encouragement about this subject:

Following Godly Examples: This 1-minute devotion asks an important question.

5 Principles Christians Use When Choosing Friends: Christians shouldn't choose friends like non-Christians choose them. This 1-minute devotion explains.

Bible Love Notes

Hermeneutics—a Word About the Word

Hermeneutics is a theological word referring to methods used to interpret the true meaning of Scripture passages.

It's part of "correctly handling" God's Word.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."  2 Timothy 2:15

Understanding the word hermeneutics isn't important, but correctly understanding God's Word is extremely important. 

The Bible contains figures of speech (hyperbole, simile, personification, metaphor, and poetic language). But it's more than a poetry book.

It contains reliable history, but it's more than a history book. 

It contains interesting narratives, but it's more than a non-fiction novel. 

It contains principles, commands and guidance, but it's more than an instruction manual. 

It's all of these things combined and more. It's God's Word.

A single verse can change a life, but we need to accurately handle the verses so we don't assign meaning that is not present and we don't miss meaning that is present.

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 
------------------- 

If you'd like to improve your knowledge of God's Word, check out these 1-minute devotions:

💙 5 Practical Ways to Hide God's Word in Your Heart

💙 Dwelling on Scripture

💙 5 Ideas for Studying the Bible

 

Bible Love Notes

Against the Odds: Mary Slessor in Africa

Her father was a drunk who couldn't keep a job.

They lived in a slum.

Her brothers died young.

Eleven-year-old Mary Slessor was forced to work alongside her mother at the local mill in order to put food on the table. Mary's happiest moments were spent at church, and she often dreamed of being a missionary. 

When Mary's younger sister started earning a wage to help pay the family bills, Mrs. Slessor encouraged Mary to apply to a mission board. 

So in 1876, 28-year-old Mary, a self-educated mill worker, headed for Africa. At that time in history, Africa was known as "the white man's grave" because it was an extremely difficult place to live. It seemed unlikely that this small, red-haired, fair-skinned Scottish woman would survive. 

But Mary's early life had prepared her for the disease, danger, and difficulty of ministry in Africa. For 39 years she thrived in conditions too difficult for other missionaries and effectively shared Christ with thousands of Africans.

Sometimes we think a difficult childhood ruins a life, but God is in the business of using bad for good (Romans 8:28). 

God can use the difficult parts of your life too. Will you let Him? 
💙💙💙💙💙
Let your Spanish-speaking friends know that they can read this and other Bible Love Notes in Spanish: Contra todo pronóstico: Mary Slessor en África. 

For more Romans 8:28 stories: 

 

Learning a Hard But Important Lesson: It's not as dramatic as Mary Slessor's story, but God taught me some things when I fell off my scooter a few years ago.

 

 

Do You Believe It? We often quote Romans 8:28, but do we believe it? This 1-minute devotion encourages us to believe. 

Source: Mary Slessor, Forward into Calabar, Janet and Geoff Benge, YWAM publishing 

While I recommend this book in the series, I do not recommend the book in the series called "Lottie Moon, Giving Her All for China." Lottie Moon's family had a large plantation and they were slave owners, but the book presents them as victims of the Civil War. I wrote YWAM about my concerns, and they made it clear that they were comfortable with the book.

I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for

 Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word. To find out more see 10 Reasons Why You'll Love Wisdom for Life. I also encourage you to sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet offering quiet time encouragement. Find out more HERE.

 

Bible Love Notes

T.G.I.G.F. - Thank God It's Good Friday

Christ's incredible sacrifice on Good Friday...

For thousands of years, one Friday has been called “good” above all others. 

What's so good about Good Friday?

• Soldiers flogged our sinless Lord with bits of bone and metal attached to leather straps until he was hardly recognizable as a man (Isaiah 52:14).
• They mocked him and stuck large thorns into his bleeding scalp.
• They forced him to carry a 90-pound wooden cross against his torn flesh.
• They drove 6 inch nails into his wrists and feet and hung him on a cross.
• He had to scrape his torn flesh up the splintered cross to catch each breath...for six hours…until He died.

And why are these horrible things good?

Jesus did this for you and me…died for your sins and mine…gave us our only escape from death and hell.

Let’s rejoice in that wonder! T.G.I.G.F.

Christ's resurrection is worth celebrating every day of the year!!

"Good" cannot begin to describe the wonder of Good Friday.

The story of Good Friday is found in Matthew 27:26-56.
----------------------

I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. And find out about the two free Bible studies with purchase HERE.

 

Bible Love Notes

The Crux of Sin: SELF

When Jesus tells us to take up our cross in Luke 9:23-24, He immediately adds, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it."

Our fallen human nature loves concepts like:

• Self-indulgence
• Self-esteem
• Believing we're worth it
  
• Doing things our way

The Bible commands (Matthew 16:24-27):(1)

• Self-denial
• Self-sacrifice
• Believing God's worth it
• Doing things God's way

We rarely realize how strongly we're influenced by the world and our selfish human nature. I confess I often prefer self-esteem over God-esteem and self-interest over self-denial.

But then I remember the One who not only carried the cross but died on it for me.

Let's ask God to help us be true disciples, true cross-carriers. Imagine the impact we could have on our world if we did this!
--------------
I encourage you to read this 1-minute devotion about self-esteem because self-esteem philosophies encourage us not to deny ourselves:
Low Self-Esteem and Inflated Self-Esteem Have the Same Cure.

And this 1-minute devotion helps us see the loss we suffer when we live our lives selfishly: Don't Settle for a Bite of Fruit.

(1) Matthew 16:24-27: Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done."

💙💙💙

I also encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word: Wisdom for Life. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. And find out about the two free Bible studies with purchase HERE. You can read the first 4 devotions in the book by clicking "look inside" on Lifeway or Amazon.

 

I also encourage you to sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

Bible Love Notes

The Crux of the Matter

We apologize for this extra step, but this devotion from 2014 was updated and is now located at the link below.

We pray that this devotion will encourage you!

The Crux of the Matter

Judging Ourselves Biblically Without Comparison

Scripture warns against comparison.

It's easy to feel good about ourselves if we compare ourselves to someone less godly. And it's easy to feel bad about ourselves if we compare ourselves to someone more godly. 

Sadly, we tend toward pride, not humility, and Paul addresses this in 2 Corinthians 10:12: "When [people] measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

So how should we judge ourselves? How do we avoid comparison and self-righteousness?

Galatians 6:4 answers this question:

"Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else." 

We humbly admit our weaknesses and sins, seeking God's help. We thank God for our skills and strengths without bragging. And we judge ourselves as God judges us: by our faithfulness to His purposes for our lives. 

At the end of our lives, we want to be able to say what Paul said: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).   

Faithfulness to God's purposes is what matters (1 Corinthians 4:2-4; Luke 12:35-48). Are you being faithful to God's specific plans for your life (Ephesians 2:10)?

------------------------------
I encourage you to check out today's Bite Size Bible Study for more on this important subject.

And the following 1-minute devotion can provide additional encouragement.

 

Why We Are Clay Jars: This 1-minute devotion explains why we are like "clay jars" and offers five ways we display the "treasure within us."

 

"Dead" People Have New Purposes: One aspect of dying to ourselves is the idea of our selfish life purposes. This 1-minute devotion explores what this means by unpacking three wonderful promises. 

"Works" Is Not a Dirty Word: There is a huge misunderstanding about the way "works" relate to genuine faith. This 1-minute devotion offers multiple Bible verses to set things straight.

Bible Love Notes

Don't Say "God Loves Me Just the Way I Am"

"The whole method of God in salvation proceeds on the assumption that men can be changed." A.W. Tozer 

I always cringe a bit when I hear someone say "God loves me just the way I am." 

I totally agree that no matter how bad we are, God invites us to follow Him and become His child.

But He doesn't love us just the way we are. 

His purpose in saving us is to make us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). And Scripture defines new creation people as those who no longer "live for themselves but for him who died for them" (2 Corinthians 5:15). 

When Christ saved us, we were dead men walking, lost, depraved, slaves to sin. And after we're saved, we still have some of that dead man in us (Ephesians 4:22-24). 

That's why huge portions of Scripture are devoted to changing the person we are to the person we can be in Christ. 

Why not read and pray through Ephesians 4 today.

It's a good reminder that we shouldn't be content being "just the way we are."

💛💛💛

I encourage you to read the 1-minute devotions Is Your Heart Christ's Home? and Romans 12:1-2: Grateful and Transforming.

 

 

 

Bible Love Notes

3 Ways to Maintain a Proper Perspective in Our Relationships

A few years ago, a friend and I dealt with some old problems. 

We've had a good relationship for years, but we'd never worked through some troubling issues from our past. 

Perhaps our greatest surprise was the way each of us had remembered the details that made us look good and forgotten the details that made us look bad. 

It was healing to confess our sins to each other and ask forgiveness. 

Scripture says "the heart is deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9). 

That's why Christians need a "heart transplant" ( Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26).

But that doesn't mean we Christians automatically see everything from the right perspective. 

To maintain a proper perspective in our relationships we must:
1. Honestly examine our actions (1 John 1:8).
2. Humbly confess our sins (1 John 1:9).
3. Press on to know Christ better (Philippians 3:12). 

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." James 5:16 

Do any of your relationships need attention and healing?

💙💙💙💙💙

For a look at the wrong way and right way for handling disagreements, see Self-Righteous Silence. I also recommend Talk or Give Up which explains three reasons some people have relationship problems.

Bible Love Notes

Written Proof: The Importance God Places on Repentance

Recently I witnessed an exchange, where one woman accused another of something she hadn't done. 

Even though the accused women had written proof of her innocence, the accuser wouldn't back down. She wasn't going to admit she'd been wrong. 

Ever since Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent, fallen mankind has damaged relationships with stubborn self-justification. 

It's our natural tendency to justify ourselves even if the evidence proves us wrong. But we Christians should be different. We should lead the way in admitting our mistakes and confessing our sins. 

We have "written proof" of the importance God places on repentance:

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."  1 John 1:8-10

Each day we should be asking God if we've been defending ourselves when we should have been confessing our sins. And next time we're confronted with a sin or even a mistake, let's stop, think, and honestly confess everything we've done wrong. 
--------------------
These 1-minute devotions will also bless you and help you apply principles of repentance to your life:
How to Say "I'm Sorry"
What to Do When We Blow It
6 Characteristics of Sincere Repentance

Bible Love Notes

You Won't Have to Eat Your Words If You Listen to Jesus

Americans are increasingly concerned about what we put into our mouths, as we should be. Unhealthy foods can cause serious health problems.

Unfortunately, we're more often concerned with what goes into our mouths than what comes out of them.

Jesus said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them [because] the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart.” Matthew 15:10-11 & 18

Have you ever had to "eat your words" - retract what you said because it was wrong or unkind?

We can avoid this problem if our hearts are feeding on God's Word and we're obeying commands such as this one:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29

If we are "eating" God's Word (Matthew 4:4), we won't need to eat our words!

Like the psalmist, let's pray this prayer: "Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3

💙💙💙💙💙


Why not check out Bite Size Bible Study's 5-minute study on this devotion and learn what specific things the Bible says about speech.

 

Additional resources: 

💬 6 Rules of Speech: Developing Godly Speech Patterns. 

😲 Name-Calling Is for Losers. 

A collection of 1-minute devotions about our words: Christian Speech.

 

 

Bible Love Notes