All I need today is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus. But if we’re being honest, it’s something we could all use everyday. Coffee & Jesus are devotions and words of encouragement posted [almost] every Saturday. Everyone looks forward to the weekend, myself included. Sometimes we have a great week and other times it’s quite the struggle to make it through. I pray that my words and the Word of God meet you just where you are and lift you up — so that your week ends on a high note and sets a tone for the week to come.
| Coffee & Jesus |
Life is so busy and without realizing it somewhere along the way our priorities got a little mixed up. When our relationship with Jesus Christ use to be #1, it’s now fallen behind. Behind work, behind family time, behind friends, behind social media, etc. Instead of making time to pursue our Creator, we push it aside for a ‘later’ that never happens.
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“..In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing petty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him..” p h i l l i p i a n s 4 : 1 2 – 1 3
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Having Jesus is always better. Whether you’re beaming with joy or so burdened by the weight of the world – turn to Jesus. Whether you’ve got fire in your soul or are struggling to find fullness in life – the a n s w e r is Jesus. I find that when I have the best of days – when absolutely everything works out perfectly, it’s not a product of who I am and what I do, but it’s a result of who Jesus is. Even when I have a miserable day – Jesus still wins. Our hearts long for something more, something much greater than we can find in this world. We spend so much time filling this void with worldly things and all the while Jesus is just waiting ever so patiently for you to stop for a moment, take a step back and realize that all you really need is Him. You can find everything you need with Jesus. He is what our hearts ache for, and He is the only one that can satisfy that thirst for something more. Sometimes I find myself just needing to say His name and I find clarity of mind, I’m overwhelmed by His peace, and filled with His great strength. He is enough – always enough. Seek Him for all the answers you need – He’s waiting for you.
| Coffee & Jesus |
Two nights ago, I found myself in a room surrounded by women I met not moments before and we were about to dive in deep talking about Jesus and love and love languages and all that good stuff. Does anyone else find that a little strange? To gather around a group people you barely know and talk about something so intimate as your relationship with the Lord and what love looks like to you? I mean, I definitely did. There was a little anxiousness that came with that, but also excitement because, although difficult, I knew that was how I was suppose to be spending my Thursday night. God’s super cool in that way. Regardless of our ability to see beyond the situation and to see how each little piece fits together, he orchestrates these opportunities to engage in fellowship with others solely to benefit us. He creates these opportunities to grow and stretch us beyond our comfort zones. And most importantly, He creates the right circumstance [daily] where we have the opportunity to invite him into each and every moment.
So, because of the way God’s hand was on the circumstances surrounding that night, I was able to meet some really sweet, Christ-loving women and engage in discussion about love languages — how we love best, how we like to be shown love [which are typically the same], how God speaks through our love languages, and how we can always work on loving others better according to their specific love language. Looking back on that night, I already have a glimpse into how God is going to not only use our group dates for the purpose of driving each of us closer to Him, but how He is going to use each one of us to impact one another. It’s impossible to know that God is at work in our lives and feel His presence, yet not acknowledge how deeply He loves us and recognize how His love radiates in those moments.
As I’ve been reflecting on all of what took place the other night, this song just keeps playing over and over again in my mind:
oh the deep, deep love of Jesus
vast, unmeasured, b o u n d l e s s, free
rolling as a m i g h t y ocean
in its f u l l n e s s over me // Audrey Assad
reminding me of how God loves us exactly the way we need to be loved. He speaks your love language fluently. I am convinced that because of this, when we listen to God in our love language, we experience His love most intimately and fiercely. We’re able to see more clearly how the love of Christ is present in every moment and how His hands perfectly orchestrate those moments and opportunities for us. And we can rest in those situations knowing that they were perfectly arranged by a God who loves so fiercely.
| Coffee & Jesus |
Waves of grief for the past few weeks. Over our community. Over the lives of friends and families. Over our nation. I’m heavy hearted looking around and seeing all the hurt that this world brings; all the pain that is imprinted on each one of our lives. For the girl who lost her dog yesterday. For the family who lost a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a friend in the car accident two weeks ago. For all the ugliness online and hateful remarks made to others on a daily basis. For the friend who lost a friend. For those who seem to have to say goodbye over and over again.
And so, this morning I sort through my emotions and remember where my help – where my peace – where my comfort comes from: the One who knows the name of every single person who grieves today; the One who made the heavens and the earth, yet still holds your heart so dear. I’ve been kind of stuck on this verse this morning and it reminded me of what I truly need today: to come boldly before Grace instead of coming boldly to my own conclusions.
If you don’t know where to carry your grief today, come boldly to receive mercy and to find help in a time of need. Seek the One who knows all the answers that we don’t need to know or understand. Memorize this with me.
| Coffee & Jesus |
Right now marks the beginning of a new day; a new month; a new page; a new beginning. I feel like sometimes we cloud our thoughts and feelings with the ways of this world forgetting Truth and grasping onto lies. And it’s hard to get out of that rut sometimes with so much going against you. But each new day brings the opportunity to start it off right. To start with Truth. To start it with Jesus and to carry on throughout the day with Him. The second I invite God into a moment His light reflects off of every thought and movement I make. His love fully embraces me. It’s this feeling in my bones that I can’t rid myself of; a feeling that goes against every fiber of this world. It’s a feeling that amongst the destruction, chaos and hurt of this world that everything is okay. It is God’s goodness. It is His love. It is His presence. Running like a river and overflowing my heart with His incredible ability to make everything so so good – even when it seems impossible. Choose to start with Jesus and to bring Him into every moment.
| Coffee & Jesus |
I know this daring woman with the most a u d a c i o u s faith. She chose hope over hiding – faith over fear. Despite the power of shame that kept her hiding at one time, she chose to seek the One who would heal her. She was willing to take that risk to reach for Jesus and because of her b o l d n e s s in that moment, she receive far greater than she could have ever hoped for.
Jewish laws concerning physical health and hygiene were established to protect the people, however, they became something the culture used to judge. For years, this woman had been unclean defined by the law. The culture’s response to her situation cast shame upon her. This condition had defined every second of every day of her life.
She learned that Jesus was in her town – and then hope sparked. She had heard about the miracles that Jesus preformed and His great power. The hope she had was driven by her desire to be freed from shame. According to Mark 5:29, she thought that if she were to just touch His garments, then she would be healed. Oh, how audacious and s t e a d f a s t her faith is! She was willing to risk everything because of her faith. It amazes me every time I read this passage of scripture just how much faith this woman had. How little is our faith when it comes to physical healing or anything for that matter.
With everything at risk, she touched His garment anyway and was instantly healed just as she had believed she would. This did not go unnoticed though. Jesus immediately stopped, turned around, and ask, “Who touched my clothes?”
Courageously and with great integrity, she told Him the whole truth. What boldness. What faithfulness. She was in complete awe of her healing, but knew that coming forward with this truth would bring disgrace upon her from family, friends, and community members. But with gratefulness, she moved toward Jesus, falling at His feet.
Now, this is my favorite part of the account given here in Mark 5. He could have been ashamed of her for touching His garment, which by the way, only immediate family members were allowed to do because of the importance of this specific garment. He could have been angry or upset. But He responded with love.
“34 Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
He calls her daughter. With that, he gave her value and dignity. He called her family. He not only lifted the shame from her that she kept for so many years because of societal views, but He lifted the shame of her own lack of worth.
I love this account so much because you can take so many things away from it. Here lies an example of steadfast, bold faith. An example of the good that comes out of taking risks in faith. An example of the unconditional love of Christ. Oh, how sweet that love is and its power to change you forever.
| Coffee & Jesus |
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 // Oh, how sweet that is.
| Coffee & Jesus|
{The presence of God does not restrict itself to respect our limits. It is not discretionary or prejudiced and cannot be contained.}
I feel like so often, we form this misconception of the Lord’s presence — that it is restricted to a certain time or place. We put our perception of and limited understanding of God himself into this perfect cookie-cutter box thinking that He should act, speak, and reveal himself to us in a certain way and at a specific time. We place these conditions, so to speak, on how we imagine God to intercede in our lives that almost become a self-created barrier between us and His presence. In return, we end up missing opportunities to intimately connect with Him.
Disclaimer: God is present with His whole being – infinitely & unlimited.
In Psalm 139, David lays down this doctrine of the omnipresence of God saying, “7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”
He shows up. He intercedes our lives. His love penetrates through those barriers. We have to rid ourselves of pre-assumptions and wholly trust that if we invite God to show up in our lives He will make His presence known. Choose to see Jesus everywhere — in non-ideal circumstances, in the beaming smile of a child, joyous laughter, a helping hand, etc. — see the blazing glory of Jesus in everyone and everything.
| Coffee & Jesus|
When I admit my inadequacy, I invite God’s power in to strengthen me.. wow. Could we actually be getting in the way of the work of God? This morning I read Hebrews 13 : 20, 21 over and over again – meditating on the written truths and this thought kept running through my head. My God is a God of p e a c e. He is the g r e a t shepherd of the sheep. God has chosen you; he c a l l s and e q u i p s you for something bigger and greater than you can even begin to understand. Too often, we get all caught up in what we can or cannot do, rather than relying on the s t r e n g t h of the Lord. When we have doubt in ourselves, we also have doubt in the Lord. But, when we acknowledge what we are incapable of, and rely on the Lord, we invite God’s p o w e r in to surpass our doubts and strengthen us. We, then, become capable of doing what the Lord has called us to do, through Him. // Lord, the calling you’ve laid before me is far too great. Still, I will obey. I will trust that you go before me.
Reckless Abandon. 