Category: Daily Devotionals

Posted on

Portraits of Grace – Emily Knight

Who am I? I am a Bus Kid! I started riding a bus to church at age six. I currently serve as a teacher at Mount Hebron Christian Academy, a missions school outside of Monterrey, Mexico. My pastor is Jonathan Ashcraft, a third generation missionary. This July I will officially join the Ashcraft family when Tommy Ashcraft and I will be married. 

I am a Bus Kid. I started riding a bus to church at age six. My parents were eventually reached through the bus ministry and began attending church regularly and growing in the Lord. When I entered third grade my parents enrolled me in the Christian school.  Although I was baptized when I was younger, I never truly understood or had a personal relationship with the Lord until age thirteen.

After high school, I went to Hyles Anderson College to become a Christian school teacher. After a few years of teaching in a small school in rural Ohio, God led me to move to Toledo where I attended Lewis Avenue Baptist Church in Temperance, Michigan. For reasons known only to the Lord, the Pastor had inadvertently hired two people for the same position. The other teacher was given the job, but I knew it was the Lord’s will for me to be in that church. I prayed for and found a secular job the same day. 

My second week there I joined a bus route and shortly thereafter gained a young teenaged bus girl as a worker. Little did we know then just how perfectly intertwined our lives would become. I gave my all to the children and youth God allowed me to reach in my seven years there. I grew to love many of those kids like I hoped I would love my own children had I had any. But one, Jenny, became extra special.  Jenny genuinely wanted to do right. I don’t remember her ever saying, “Why? What’s wrong with that?” Rather, her questions were more along the lines of “How can I do more for God?” She respected and honored me as she did her Mom who did not attend church. She sought advice and spiritual counsel and followed it.

Shortly before Jenny left for Hyles Anderson College, God led me to move to a school in Arkansas and resume my teaching. At this point it had become clear that Jenny was the reason God had moved me to Toledo at all. Soon Jenny met and married a wonderful young man, Jonathan Ashcraft. Even before they had children, they approached me about joining their ministry and becoming the teacher for their children and others of their ministry.

The portrait of grace I am attempting to paint with this story is that of faithfulness. Throughout this entire narrative is the thread of God’s faithfulness. He has been good to me throughout my story. In every step I have simply trusted and obeyed.

I influenced numerous young people throughout my many years in the bus ministry. God gave me one to return tangible gratitude. God gave me one who wanted me to love and teach her children as I had her. God gave me one who has made me feel truly appreciated. God gave me one who loved me back as her own family. Every good gift and wonderful blessing I am experiencing in this stage of my life is a direct result of my faithfulness to God’s plan, specifically service in the bus ministry.

I would not change one decision. I would not trade one valley. I would not skip one season of heartache or discouragement. So, friend, if I could say one thing to encourage you today, it would be: “Keep trusting God.”  Know that you serve an all-knowing, all-wise, and    all-for-your-good God. There were many times, as I am sure you have also faced, when my path seemed dark and my life seemed  pointless; but I kept trusting. I believed God had only my good in mind. He used me to bring much good to others, but he has brought so much to me because of my faithfulness to Him.

There is no way to compare the blessings God has in store for us to the comforts or relationships He asks us to yield to Him. God is good. God is faithful. Keep trusting and keep obeying.

{The story of Jenny’s teen years is available on Amazon and Kindle, coming soon in Spanish: “Where’s the Next Jenny?”}

Posted on

Portraits of Grace – Robin Wood

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” II Peter 3:18

I am a housewife of 31 years with 2 children, 3 grandchildren and 1 on the way. I have been saved for 37 years; the end of May will be 38. I love the Lord and strive to live my life to be a blessing and a help to others. Here is my testimony of grace.

I am the third of four children and the only girl. I grew up going to a United Methodist Church. My mom took us to church only on Sunday morning. Somewhere around the age of 10 I asked my mom how you get to   heaven. Her reply, “be good enough”. I went on my merry way thinking, ‘I can be good’. Only I was not good.

One day, at the age of 14, a friend of mine at school, during lunch, asked if he could read in the Bible to me. I didn’t want to be rude so I said, sure. I could not tell you what he read, though I’m pretty sure it was in Romans, for as soon as he started reading the Lord smote my heart with conviction. Over and over in my mind were going these words “you are not good enough to go to heaven”. (Romans 3:10-12,) When he was done reading he asked if I wanted to pray. Of course I didn’t want to pray; not in a lunch room full of kids. So I politely told him, “No”. The Lord didn’t leave me alone though. I’m not exactly sure what day it was, Thursday or  Friday, but the words ‘you are not good enough to go to heaven’ just kept playing over and over in my mind over the weekend.

On Monday night was our high school graduation. I being in the band was sitting on the field with the band when the Lord came right beside me and said, “You are not good enough to go to heaven. You are going to hell!” That kept playing over and over in my mind. How miserable I was! I knew that hell is where I deserved to go. As soon as I got home that night I got down beside my bed and called on the Lord, trusting that He was the way to heaven. What a peace and a change came over me that night. How the Lord worked to save me.

Not only did He save my soul, but He worked and saved me from false doctrine (it would take up too much space to tell about that part) and guided me to an Independent Bible Believing Baptist Church, where I met my husband. After 6 years of marriage the Lord moved us to another state where we could be part of a church where my husband’s cousin is the pastor. We have grown so much in this church and have learned so much more on growing in grace (2 Peter 3:18). I thank the Lord for His saving, changing, and keeping grace!

Posted on

Portraits of Grace – Sarah Jane Conaway

“A Testimonial on God’s Grace”

I am currently a missionary in Mexico. From 1978 till December 1993 Ron and I and our 3 sons, were missionaries to    Papua New Guinea. In January 1995 we began our Mexican ministry. I have written 2 books and plan to write more. To stay informed about my books, I have a Facebook page – Declare His Glory. I, also, have an author page on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/author/sarahjane.

This is only one occasion of the Grace of God on my life. It began on January 4, 2005 when my husband, our son, Eric & I were preparing to make a trip to Texas from Mexico. We needed to tell someone that Eric was going with us. We stopped by a church member’s house. Eric and I went inside. Ron was sick and stayed in the van.

Jenny, a twelve year old, heard Bro. Ron calling me. I went to the door and saw my husband fall backward in the van. I ran out to him. Eric was immediately behind me. We had to pull him out of the van onto the sidewalk to do CPR. I began the procedure. I fully expected it to work. As time passed I could see changes in his skin color. I could hear others screaming and crying. I couldn’t join them. I had to give attention to my husband and draw from my nursing experience. He had  tachycardia and really needed to be shocked. A doctor arrived after I had done CPR on Ron for 20 minutes. The doctor checked Ron and looked at me and said, “Lo siento mucho, senora.” (I am so sorry, ma’am.)

What was I going to do? For 35 ½ years I had been with this man in marriage and ministry. I felt like collapsing, but I  couldn’t. There were church members and friends going crazy. I had to be strong for them. Someone standing behind me asked, “Are you leaving now?” I assumed they meant leaving our ministry in Mexico. I don’t remember answering them. I felt like screaming, “Don’t ask me that! I don’t know anything right now.”

Later, I told Eric what happened. He answered, “Mama, I am a preacher and missionary, too!” Thank you, son! That was one decision that I didn’t have to make!

God’s sustaining grace continues to help me through life without my husband. I still love him and miss him, but praise the Lord, God is always with me. I feel His presence with me constantly. I trust in the LORD with all my heart; and lean not unto my own understanding. In all my ways I acknowledge him, and He directs my paths.

To someone who has suffered loss, trust Jesus completely. He understands your heartache. He wants to be close to you and comfort you. Don’t try to understand everything. We can’t. Leave it in God’s hands. He understands! He cares!

by Sarah Jane Conaway
www.auntjane.ws
author

Posted on

Portraits of Grace – Rebekah Bursell Chacon

“God’s Sustaining Grace”

    My name is Rebekah Bursell Chacon. I am a missionary kid from Alaska who now serves as a missionary, alongside my Peruvian husband, in Peru. You can visit our FB page The Chacon Family and see what we are about and doing. I am a  mama to two active little boys and am expecting a third bundle of joy in October. It is for that reason I am writing this devotional.

     Missionary life, like any life, has its exciting moments. One of our exciting moments was when we hit 100% support and bought tickets to Peru! The goal we had been sharing for 3 years had finally become a reality! Soon after we moved to the city where we were going to live and work. My husband began working on building our home. The dream was alive! 

     Often however, those wonderful dreams cause us to forget the difficult reality that we live in a sin-cursed world and things will not always be shiny and sparkly. Sometimes the dust and daily grind and overflowing sink and endless laundry cloud out those dreams. Sometimes being a stay-at-home-mom becomes frustrating because “all” you do is stay at home. Sometimes the dream loses its sparkle. But God’s grace is greater. 

     The most difficult time for me began with the most exciting possibility. I had been feeling lousy for a week or so: little energy, easily frustrated, upset tummy. I finally decided to take a pregnancy test. It was positive!! God has blessed us with another baby! Just like my other pregnancies, I feel tired. Unlike my other pregnancies, almost everything I eat gives me indigestion. 

     Trying to keep up with housework and two little energetic boys has become a very challenging task. The housework     became overwhelming. Keeping the boys from fussing was harder with less energy. The heat makes me tired. The rainy days make me sleepy. The shiny sparkly dream is gone, and a tired, sleepless reality has taken its place. But in that tired reality God has been able to show me things about myself and, more importantly, about Himself.

     First I need to stop trying to do it all myself. Confidence is great when it is rooted in Christ. I need to admit my inability to do it all. I need to cast my cares on Him each moment. I need to depend on His strength, instead of making it through each hour while thinking, “It’s almost bedtime.”

     Second I need to refocus. Phil 4:8 needs to become a reality. I do not always think on things that are true, honest, pure, and lovely. God showed me that His Word needs to take over my mind. My untrue thoughts suck away any extra energy I have. 

     I often catch myself thinking about how unfair things are for ME. But a Godly woman does not focus on herself, she serves selflessly. Recently I’ve been reading to my boys about how Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. He their Creator, knelt and washed their feet. I, a simple fellow-human, can do no less. 

     The Lord has also brought to mind many times that this world is not my home. If things never change and the shiny dream fades away forever, it will actually be okay because He’s got something SO much better ahead for me. If I get so focused on making this my best life, I’m not living with eternity in mind. Col. 3:2 tells us to set our affection on things above, not on this earth. He wants my affections. He wants to be my passion. He wants to be the most important. 

     I thank Him for this difficult time. It’s not over, but His grace is sufficient, and His plan is perfect. He’s working on me and molding me and for that I am so grateful.

Posted on

Portraits of Grace – Terri Shuerger

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10

     I am 53 years old, and I have been married for 35 years to the best husband God ever made! (sorry, girls!) I have 2 sons who are 31 and 33; 3 beautiful granddaughters, and another grand on the way! I am a First Generation Christian. I was raised in a nominally Catholic home, but got saved when I was 20 while we were stationed in Madrid, Spain. We were called into Full-Time Service in 1991, and for the last 20 years, have served as Church-Planters in Zacatecas, Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona.

     I would like to speak to you about the Grace of God that is present even when we are unaware. When I was 9, my    parents divorced. I was an only child. Ultimately, my dad was awarded custody of me due to abandonment/neglect issues concerning my mother. It was not long before I began to be sexually abused by my father. This continued off and on until I was 15, at which time I was considering suicide. It was during this time that I met my now-husband. A few months later, in hopelessness, I called my mom and asked her if she would come and get me. After I told her what had been going on, she accused me of lying. I was crushed, and seemingly abandoned again. She took me back to my dad’s house to get my things. She also sought counseling for me. I was eventually referred to a group called Daughters United; for girls who had been sexually abused. It is during this time that the Grace of God was actively at work in my life, yet I didn’t know it until almost 15 years later.

     Let me jump ahead and give you the retrospective; when my sons reached the ages when my abuse had begun, I     became overwhelmed with feelings of anger, resentment, and hatred towards my father, “How COULD you?! I was just a little girl!!” I became eaten up with these sinful emotions. Then, a sister in the Lord gave me a workbook for victims of abuse. I began to do the study, then one day the question came, Where was God during your abuse? I was floored. HE had let this happen to me! Why?! Where was He when a little girl who had been abandoned by everyone else in her life   needed Him?! I became angry at God! Then, slowly, but surely, the Light began to dawn; He WAS there! I had felt Him in my room when I asked to die; I believe His angels took me in their arms and carried me safely over the threshold of death (being unsaved, I would have gone straight to Hell, otherwise).

     Then, He brought me to Daughters United where I learned strategies to survive the abuse and neglect that I had suffered my whole life. But, more importantly, He had brought my 16 year-old boyfriend who drove me to the Daughters United meetings 2x/week, and waited in his car for me; he never asked me any questions. He was just there; quietly,   patiently waiting for me. When I looked back and saw that the arms God had used to sustain me in that awful time were the arms of my husband, I was brought to my knees with thankfulness at the mighty and wondrous grace of God! He had never left me! Even in my unsaved state, He had sent a pair of loving arms to hold me, to comfort me, to be there in the darkness! (Isaiah 41:10)

Posted on

A Faithful Written Accounting

“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” I Corinthians 4:2

Yesterday, we found that a steward is faithful in his current expenses by writing them down … keeping a record of them. How would the master feel if he came and the steward had nothing to show for his accounting? The steward would have nothing to show for what had come in and what had gone out … or where it went or where it came from. That is not a very faithful accounting, my friend! We will need to do better than that.

Personal finances not only involve faithfulness, but they also involve discipline. We will be looking at that more later. It is amazing to see how our faithfulness in one area can also affect our faithfulness in another area. If we are not faithful in our personal finances, we will not be faithful in our churches finances.

If our employer has not learned how to give a faithful accounting in his personal finances, he will not be able to give a faithful accounting in his business finances, which will bring the ruin (closure) of his business. I have seen this over and over again. So, it is very important to master your faithfulness in this “small” area because it will have a profound effect on the other areas of your life as well.

I trust that you took time to write down every expense that you have into a monthly expense format. Today you will now add your monthly income to that same paper. These two together, your expenses matched up to your income, make up a budget.  A budget is not where you simply write down every month what you project your expenses to be. No, my friend, it is much more than that! It involves now matching up those expenses with your income. This is where the rubber meets the road!

So, how is it looking? Do you have more income than expenses? Or more expenses than income? If you follow the #debtfreecommunity at all, you will see the phrase “living paycheck to paycheck” quite often. What are they saying? Well, what they are really saying is that they are barely making enough income to pay for their expenses. Others “have more month than they do paycheck” aka they cannot even make it to the end of the month before they run out of money. Either scenario is not a pleasant place to be and brings with it a truckload of stress … take it from someone who knows! Well, do not despair!

Through following these biblical financial principles, you will make it through that endless tunnel of darkness! You will come out the other end living in the light of God’s blessings from your obedience.

Spiritual Principle #4: Some people disregard the importance of a zero balance budget … EVERY penny accounted for. One day we will be standing before a righteous and holy God and will be giving an accounting for EVERY thing that we have ever done or not done. Do you think that He will require any less faithfulness in our personal finances … of which He owns?

Posted on

Faithful in our Present Finances

“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” I Corinthians 4:2

We have seen that a steward is one who is accountable to his master for his past, his present and his future stewardship. For the past couple of days, we have talked about our past debts and also the importance of getting to the root of our financial problems, which have stems into our past. If the root problem(s) are not dug up and disposed of, the present and the future will continue to be a problem. So, I trust that you have taken time into at least seeking God’s wisdom and letting His truth reveal what those root problems are. You will NOT regret it!

Today I want us to now move into the present. Our verse reminds us that we are to be faithful in our stewardship. How can this take place? How does faithfulness occur? Well, I do guarantee one thing and that it does not happen by chance. If we treated our jobs like we do our finances, we would not have a job. Faithfulness in a job comes with structure. It comes with outlined procedures. But, yet, it comes with its rewards as well.

So, how are you and I going to be able to be faithful in our present finances? We need structure. We need some procedures laid out for us to follow. When we follow those, that is when we will be rewarded. I follow a number of Instagram accounts of those in what is called the #debtfreecommunity. I have noticed an interesting thing. I have noticed that it does not matter how much money a person makes, if they are not faithful in their finances, they can accumulate some horrendous debt! I do not know if that makes you feel any better with your minimum wage job or not, but it should.

God requires us to be faithful in our finances whether we are rich or poor.

So, here is the question … how faithful are you in your present finances (with your daily living expenses)? I would wager a guess that they are not as good as you would like them or you would not be reading this devotion on biblical finances, correct? There is room for improvement to be found for all of us. Do you not agree?

Today you will drag out that pen and a clean sheet paper again and you will write down every current expense that you have … EVERYTHING … dog grooming, coffee runs, manicures and pedicures, subscriptions, etc! If you pay it quarterly, divide it by 3 and find out what your monthly expense is. If it is bi-yearly or yearly, divide it accordingly. This shows you what your current expenses are for each month. See, that was not so bad after all, was it? Well, tomorrow will bring a little more heat on as the rubber really meets the road. But hang in there! You can do this!

Stewardship Principle #3: If we are not faithful with our present everyday expenses, our finances can get messed up in a hurry and we can quickly end up with some astronomical debt before we know it. It is much easier to stay out of debt than to get out of debt … and it begins with getting your daily expenses in writing.

Posted on

Digging Up the Roots

“And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord … if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” Luke 19:8

Yesterday we briefly looked at the accountability of the steward. Every steward will give an accounting to his master. Every person on earth will also give an account to the Lord for how they have handled the money and possessions that God has given them. I encouraged each of you yesterday to sit down and write an accounting of your past. If you have not done so, I highly recommend doing it now. The healing that you so desire in your finances begins here … in your past.

If there are ANY bills or financial agreements that you have made to anyone in the past and you have not paid them, you still owe them. If you refuse to pay them, make excuses about them, lie about them, or deny that you owe them, all you are doing is allowing that sin to fester. It will not stay hidden forever. It will come out and most likely at a very inopportune time. Do not hide your head in the sand any longer and think that things will get better. They will not. Please seek God’s forgiveness and then like Zacchaeus make things right … restore (pay) what you owe.

I know this is a very daunting place to be, especially if you struggle with your finances, because a lot of the problem lies in your past … bills that you have let accumulate, bills that you have ignored (with thoughts and hopes that they will magically disappear … they do not), misuse of credit (i.e. student loan debt and credit card debt), insanely high interest and penalties, etc. Do not despair.

There is light at the end of the tunnel … even though the tunnel is very long and you cannot see the end yet.

I hate to throw too many tough things at you that are hard to swallow, but I really feel that there is another issue that needs to be addressed here before we go further … and that is the ROOT issue of your financial problems.

Yes, every problem has a root and until you discover what it is and dig it up lock, stock, and barrel, you will never gain victory in your finances. What is it? I do not know. Each person is different. It could be overspending, discontentment, unwise choices, not budgeting, not tithing, trying to fill a void in your life, dishonesty, and the list is endless.

What is the root cause of your financial problems? You may know or you may not know. If you do not know, you need to be on your knees right now seeking God’s wisdom. Ask Him to show you. He will … so be prepared! When Zacchaeus met Jesus that day on the road to Jericho, God made a change in his life. Are you needing a change in your life? Let God help you by showing you where your problems began … where the roots lie in your finances.

Stewardship Principle #2: Dealing with the past is an important part of your financial healing. Paying those that you owe is an important place to start. But, without fail, you are going to have to address the root cause of your financial problems too. Do not let them mar your present and your future. Dig them up!

Posted on

Who is a Steward?

“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” I Corinthians 4:2

Today I am trusting to lay a foundation for us to build upon this month as we talk about biblical finances … from the standpoint or eyes of a steward. So, to begin, what is a steward or who is a steward? A steward is one who has been given the responsibility, accountability, or management of another man’s property.

Psalm 24:1 tells us that, “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” So, who owns the earth? The Lord. Who owns all that is in the earth? The Lord. Who owns us? The Lord. Who owns all that we have and more specifically our money and possessions? The Lord. So, if the Lord owns our money and our possessions, then we are just stewards of them, are we not?

The principle of stewardship (how a steward handles that which he has been entrusted with) can be found in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Did you notice that the servants (stewards) were all given different amounts of talents? Not all of us will have the same amount of money. Not all of us will have the same amount of income (salary). But, EACH of us are responsible … and accountable … for EVERY penny that the Lord allows us, his stewards, to have. Not only are they responsible for what they currently have, but they are responsible for their past and their future.

How did stewards keep an accounting for their masters? Did they just do it in their heads? Did they write it down or record is somewhere? What did they do? Well, I can assure you that their master wanted to see it in writing. Why the importance of writing it down? Well, for starters, there is less likelihood of lying. Secondly, there is less likelihood of forgetting. Thirdly, there is less likelihood of mismanagement or lack of management.

The same goes for your family’s finances. You need to write them down. In fact, you need to start with ALL debts from the past that have not been paid … a cell phone bill or whatever bill … even if it was from 10 years ago or to a family member, you still are accountable to God for it. Remember that all of your money is God’s and if you cheat someone of money, you are cheating God Himself. Until you are honest and open toward God and man, God will not bless your finances.

You and I are accountable to God for EVERY sin that we commit … whether a sin of commission or a sin of omission. Am I not correct? Therefore, you and I are accountable to God for EVERY penny that He has allowed us to have … from our past to our present and even into our future. Stewardship Principle #1: All that you have is God’s … your life, your family, your job, your possessions, and your money. A steward is accountable for every penny … past, present, and future. Start with your past … make it right with God!