Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

As I talk with various friends I realize how much we each have to do and what a huge calling we all have together to bring others into the Kingdom of God. How are we going to get it all done with the time we have on a daily basis and the time we each have on earth? I think only by fixing our eyes on Jesus and purpose in our hearts to finish our race—daily. We must never lose sight of the biggest picture—to bring people to the Kingdom of God, to give God the glory in all we do, to help and love each other as Jesus loves us. Today I want to encourage you to finish your race by sharing this devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women. Enjoy!

Finish Your Race by Keeping Your Eyes on Jesus
# 228

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.

Jesus endured His own race here on earth. He “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame” (v. 2 KJV). Jesus’ reward for finishing His race is all of us living eternally in heaven with Him. Now, He is our helper during our race. He is the author and finisher of our faith, from the moment we start our race until we finish.

Don’t give up running your race at work and at home despite the suffering, the circumstances, or whatever situation you are going through. Cling to Jesus and He will help you continue the race. When you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus only, everything else will seem small. You will have the strength to fight, to get up, and finish your race. “For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race” (Hebrews 11:40 NLT). “Them” in this passage refers to our fathers in the faith—what they started, we have to finish. They finished their race. Now we must finish ours so they can receive their prize together with us.

In order to finish our race, we also have to strip ourselves from sin and things of this world that are slowing our progress. We cannot afford the weight of sin on our lives. We must finish our race!

Remember God's Promises from His Word

During a conversation with a friend this week, I was reminded of one of the biggest promises that God gave us: Philippians 4:19 (KJV), But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. The problem was, I could only remember the verse and not where it was in the Bible. I was sad to think that I was forgetting where to find this important verse in the Bible so I purposed myself to find it.

This situation made me reflect that I must not be thinking or sharing about God’s Word often enough. If I were, I would have these important promises in my heart and my mind ready to be shared with others. Today, I want to encourage you to read your Bible and choose your favorite verses. I downloaded an app to my iPhone that allows me to bookmark my favorite verses.

The devotional I chose today from my book, Devotions for Working Women, reminds us of this important promise so we keep it close to our hearts. Enjoy!

God Shall Supply All Your Needs
# 114

Philippians 4:19 (NLT)
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

In this verse, Paul thanks the Philippians for helping him during his time of need. He assures them that the same God who takes care of him will also take care of them. God knows our needs, but He wants us to ask Him to meet those needs. When we ask Him, we allow Him to meet every one of our needs according to His riches in glory (abundant supply) given to us and made available to us because of what Jesus did for us.

We have many needs in our lives and on a daily basis. But we usually only ask Him for the big things such as finances, a house, a car, or a job. We forget the other things like rest, peace, joy, or wisdom, among others. What we consider smaller things, or not as important, are indeed needed for our success in life.

If you are tired, ask God to give you rest. If you are worried, ask Him for peace. If you are sad, ask Him for joy. If you don’t know what to do on a certain situation, ask Him for wisdom. God is rich in every way, and He is waiting for you to ask Him so He can give you what you need. Ask Him in faith believing in your heart that He will come through for you. Because He will.

God's Glory and His Love

This week I had the opportunity to speak at a college in MN as part of the Executive Forum with the Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) team. There were several student leaders present from various areas such as sports and clubs. At the end of the dinner, five students came to know the Lord. I don’t dare take the credit for that but I am so blessed that the Lord gave me the opportunity to speak into the lives of young adults and see the power of God changing lives.

Today I want to share a passage from John 13:31-35 (NLT) that reminds us of God’s glory and to love one another: As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me. And God will bring me into my glory very soon. Dear Children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, you cannot come to me—just as I told the Jewish leaders. So now I am giving you a new commandment; Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

God’s glory has been in my heart lately. Everything we do must be for the glory of God not for our glory, not for our company’s glory, not for anyone’s or anything’s glory… only for God’s. During my time with the students I reminded them that as they become successful in their careers and achieve great things in their lives, to not forget God then. It is easier to seek God when we are broken, when there is nothing left, and when we are at the end of our rope. But when there is much success—either financial, with relationships, fame, reputation, etc.—then we don’t seem to need God very much. We tend to forget He exists. It is in those moments we must seek God to keep us humble and thankful. We must not forget that if it wasn’t for Him, we would not be successful to begin with.

The other part of the verse above reminds us to love each other as Jesus loves us. Our love for each other in the community, at home, in the workplace, and everywhere we go will show the world that we are different—that we are His disciples. I want to get to that point—to love everyone with the love of God—just because God created them. I encourage you to do the same.

Let's Glorify God

Yesterday I had a conversation with a friend who wants to bring together Christian business leaders so we can get recharged and share God back in the workplace. He reminded me that we are all here to give glory to God. Something we tend to forget when we get busy doing our daily jobs. Today I want to share one of the devotionals from my book Devotions from Working Women that also reminds us that we were created to glorify God in all we do. Let’s find ways that we can do that on a daily basis. Enjoy!

We Were Created by God’s Power and to Glorify Him
# 296

Romans 11:36 (NLT)
For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen.

God created every one of us by His power. He has given us everything we have and made us who we are in Christ—one of God’s beloved children. We must not forget that. When this revelation is present in our lives, we feel confident and know we can do all things through Christ, the One who strengthens us.

Thank God every day for your life, your family, your job, and for all the gifts He has given to you. The purpose of everything He created is intended to bring glory to Him. You were created to glorify God with your life and in all you do. This includes your workplace.

Plan and Trust God

One of the things I’m working on this year is to identify the areas where God wants me to focus my energy, time, talent, and treasure. I want to help and fulfill the calling of God in my life but sometimes there is so much to do, so much need wherever we go, that it is difficult to focus on one or two key areas. I have spent a lot of time in prayer seeking God to help me choose. There will be doors of opportunity that open up but it’s not the right time to go through them. They are not wrong, but the timing is simply not right yet. There will be other doors that will open that are not right for us to go through. Yet there are other doors that will open up that are both right for us and it is the right time for us to pursue. Having the discernment to choose is crucial to doing the will of God in our lives. Having peace in our hearts is one of the key indicators to choose the right path.

In the meantime, however, we should continue to plan and go with our hearts then we let God take control of our plans. I always plan and ask God to change things according to what He wants for me and for the work of His Kingdom. Today I want to share this devotional with you about planning your future from my book, Devotions for Working Women. We should not be afraid of planning but we should always be willing to make changes and go with God’s flow. We need to be at His disposal and do His work even when we feel we may be out of our element or feel inadequate. Enjoy!

Don’t Be Afraid to Plan
# 343
Proverbs 3:21-22 (NLT)
My child, don’t lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them, for they fill you with life and bring you honor and respect.

Many Christians nowadays don’t plan for the future, thinking Jesus is coming soon. They view planning and preparing as lack of faith. But that mind-set is not wise. We are to live our lives as if Jesus is coming today, spiritually speaking. Until He comes, we are to occupy, multiply, have dominium of, and steward God’s creation. The Bible says to not lose sight of good planning and insight, for they will fill us with life. When we don’t plan, we are choosing to let things happen in our lives and lose control. We are to plan good plans with God’s wisdom and guidance. Lack of planning brings uncertainty and fear. Planning brings peace, certainty, security, honor, and respect.
If you are a planner, those who watch you will see you as a wise person. Then you’ll have an opportunity to share your wisdom and where it comes from. Proverbs 2:11 (NLT) says, “Wise planning will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.” “You can lie down without fear and enjoy pleasant dreams” (Proverbs 3:24 NLT).

By planning all aspects of your life, you take control of your life and responsibility for your actions. But it also means you choose to give that control to God and let Him guide you. With God as part of your planning, you can’t go wrong because you have God’s will for you as your plan. And even though the enemy may try to change and confuse those plans, the Lord will give you wisdom “and you will know how to find the right course of action every time” (Proverbs 2:9 NLT).
Don’t be afraid to plan. Ask God for the wisdom to help you. Plan your life with the main purpose of bringing glory to Him.

Salvation - An Eternal Choice

This week I would like to encourage you to pray—and continue to pray—consistently for your unsaved friends and family members. I truly believe God does hear our prayers—especially about those we want to add to His Kingdom. Jesus already did all the work that needs to be done. Now the person has to make the decision and choose Christ in order to be saved. Our prayers simply help that person make that decision. Our prayers allow their hearts to be softened. Our prayers also soften our own hearts toward those people we love so we don’t get inpatient with them while we wait for them to make their eternal decision. We know the answer. We have the answer… but each person has to see it for themselves and then choose it. The devotional I chose for today from my book Devotions for Working Women explains it well.

Jesus Did It All
#125
Isaiah 53:3 (NLT)
He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.

Do you know the man the prophet Isaiah is talking about? His name is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Since we humans messed up and gave Satan control over this earth, God came up with a plan to bring us back to Him. It is the plan of salvation God gave to Jesus to fulfill when He was on this earth. It is a simple plan that humans complicated. God sent His only begotten Son to save us and for all who believe to have everlasting life. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we accept salvation. We restore our fellowship with God the Father.

The following verses complete the story. “Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we may have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they lead him away to his death…But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief… He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins” (vv. 4-11). If you haven’t given your life to Jesus yet, it is never too late. Today is your day!

Give Freely

It is easy each year as we get raises at work through our jobs to continue to increase our lifestyles to accommodate the new income. However, there should be a point in our lives where the income is enough and we can choose to not spend more but to give more. There is joy in the act of giving and we should all practice doing it more. Sometimes giving of ourselves such as our talent, our time, and our love, has more value than simply giving money. We should practice that kind of giving as well at home, at work, and in the community we live in. Today I want to encourage you to give freely of the gifts that God has given you. Even though when we give to others they are blessed by the gift, there is a special blessing God gives the giver that you can only experience it by doing it. Enjoy today’s devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women.

Give Freely and God Will Bless You
#230
Deuteronomy 15:10 (NLT)
Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

As Christian women in the workplace, we must set an example of a giving people. In this verse, God is instructing the Israelites to give to their own people in need and to people from other nations as well. If someone needed something, they were to give gladly and not with a bad attitude. Verse 8 tells us to “Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need.”

The Bible says there will always be people in need around us. When God blesses us with resources, we are to share them with others. In the workplace, we have the opportunity to share our resources of time, knowledge, and experience with other people. We must not become so busy with our own work that we miss those opportunities. If we help others, God will bless us in everything we do. That is a great promise and incentive for all of us to help each other.

Trip to Nicaragua with Opportunity International

Today I want to follow up with my previous blog where I shared about my trip with Opportunity International (OI) to Nicaragua in December, 2012. I went with two co-workers from the bank and five other people. The purpose of the trip was to learn about the micro lending and economic development program that OI has in Nicaragua. Today I want to share with you the pictures that captured our journey through the inner cities and rural areas of Managua, Granada, and Masaya in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua is the second poorest country (after Haiti) in the American Continent. About 85% of the clients that OI works with are women and, a great majority, are single mothers. Below are two links. The first one is a link to the journal that tells the story of our trip in detail – every visit we made and the personal story of each farmer, business entrepreneur, and communities. We visited 17 places in three days so we had the opportunity to see how the program works and how it is impacting the poor in Nicaragua to bring them to self-sustainability and now improving their communities. The second link is to a slide presentation with captions so you know what pictures go with the visits we made.

Please join me in this journey to help the poor in Nicaragua. Opportunity International is a Christian organization that not only helps the poor be self-sustainable but also brings the Gospel to the people plus teaches them agricultural and business techniques to their clients. It is the whole package and we are seeing results. You can visit Opportunity International’s website also at www.opportunity.org

Happy New Year!

Well, this year is almost done and gone! It is always a good time to reflect on what we all did, what we accomplished, and how were our lives changed in the past year. For me, it was very hard year at work because of growing pains at the bank, but it’s all good. I survived the year! Now, I am looking forward to 2013 and what it has in store for the bank. On the personal side, the highlight of my year was my trip to Nicaragua with Opportunity International. I now have new hope on how to help the poor be self-sustainable and improve their lives.

I wish you all the best in the New Year and hope that you will find your calling to help others. Don’t forget to always hang on to God. He will guide you every step of the way through your life’s journey.

Keep God at the Top of Your Priorities
#6
1 John 5:21 (NLT)
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

The King James Version of this verse says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” With so many things this world offers us, we have to be careful and guard our hearts at all times from things that have the potential of taking God’s place in our hearts. We all have desires and dreams we want to pursue in our lives. Most of them are placed by God in us. However, even when those desires and dreams are from God, we have to be careful they don’t occupy our entire life. These dreams can become our idols if that’s what we pursue day and night and if we spend all of our resources on them. Things that can move us away from God are not only natural things such as money, success, fame, popularity, hobbies, or even our children; they can be also our desires, dreams, and our idols (including people we idolize). In other words, anything that takes priority over God in our lives can become our idol.

To refocus, always go back to the Word. Matthew 6:33 (KJV) says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” The key is to put God first in your life. Everything else falls into place after Him.

My Trip to Nicaragua

I want to share with you about a trip I just took to Nicaragua with Opportunity International. They are a Christian non-profit organization that works with the poor in more than 30 countries. They provide micro financing to entrepreneurs and also have created an economic development program to help the poor obtain self-sustainability and improve their communities. I am working on writing the journal that documents our entire trip to Nicaragua. I went with seven other people, two are OI workers, and the others are business people whose hearts are to help the poor.

After taking this trip and seeing firsthand how these programs truly help restore people’s dignity and self-worth, I am convinced there is a better way to give than what we’ve been doing most of our lives. When we give to the poor without teaching them the tools to improve their lives and to become self-sustainable, we may be doing them a disservice after all.

Stay on Your Path

Many times we get frustrated at work and would like to just walk away and quit. But we need to think things through and hear from God to see what He wants us to do. Sometimes we need to get through some situations in order to grow and need to stay on the path that God has set before us. Today I want to share with you a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that encourages us to stay on our path. Enjoy!

Stay On Your Path
#250
Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (NLT)
You must obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following his instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

I believe the words of encouragement Moses told the people of Israel still apply to us today. If we break down this verse into smaller pieces, we can see the first thing to do is to stay on the path. This means don’t divert to the right or to the left. Don’t look back either, only move forward on the path “that the Lord your God,” not anybody else, not your parents, not your spouse, not your boss, or your friends, has “commanded” you. God commands a path for each one of us that we must follow and obey.

It is also important to know that God is into details, as verse 32 clearly states. His path for each person is very detailed—to our every moment here on earth. The key is for us to know the details of His plan and then to obey and act in faith on every detail and step He asks us to do.

We all miss details on a daily basis because we are human. But, that’s okay. God is merciful, and He helps us through the Holy Spirit and forgives us when we repent from our heart.

Even in this messed up world, there is a Promised Land for you that you can only enter with God’s direction and protection and by your faith and obedience. Your ideal job is part of your Promised Land. Don’t give up. Stay on your path.

Let's Not Worry about Tomorrow

There are times in our lives when we need to make decisions based on the choices and opportunities we have at the time. Each choice we make has consequences and, therefore, we must choose carefully. But how do we know which way to go? What if both choices look good for us? Today I want to share with you one of the devotionals from my book, Devotions for Working Women, that encourages us to not worry about tomorrow. We must trust God and that He has a plan for us. We must trust that His Holy Spirit is within us to make the right choice with the information we have at hand. Then, we have to leave the situation in His hands and not worry about tomorrow for He will help us then too.

Don’t Worry about Tomorrow
#301
Matthew 6:34 (Weymouth)
Do not be anxious, therefore, about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own anxieties. Enough for each day is its own trouble.

Do you worry about tomorrow? Do you worry about losing your job? Did you know that worry is the opposite of faith? Fear and worry rob us of God’s peace and rest. In His Word, God tells us to not worry. In fact, He commands us not to worry. Why? Because worry shows lack of faith and trust in Him. When we worry, we are telling God that what He says in His Word doesn’t work, so we are coming up with a better solution ourselves.

Did you know that God has feelings? God, as a Father, gave up His only Son and sacrificed Him so we may have life. By worrying, we are saying that what Jesus did was not worth it to us and that hurts God. Yet He doesn’t keep track of hurts, and He forgives us on a daily basis.
God gives us grace for one day at a time. Each day has its troubles—sometimes big and other times small—either way, we must confront and resolve each one.

Therefore, don’t worry about the future. Give it to the Lord. Work hard today and know that He is in charge and in control of your life.

Do What's Right - Forgive

It is easy to get hurt by others. But we must always remember to do what’s right—forgive them. Jesus has forgiven us countless times and we must do the same: forgive those who offend us, every time. It is very hard but we have to learn to do it so our hearts stay clean from resentment. Today I want to share a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women about doing the right thing—always.

To Be Happy We Need to Be Just and Do What’s Right
# 77
Psalm 106:3 (NLT)
Happy are those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.

God is just and fair. He is also no respecter of persons. If any person loves Him and accepts Jesus as Savior, that person will be saved no matter what color, race, or age he or she is, or what background he or she has. He also expects us to walk in love, and part of that is being just with others (all people). We cannot favor some people over others if we are to imitate Him.

Every person wants to be happy. Well, the Bible tells us right here how to be happy: be just with others and always do the right thing. Notice that it says always, not sometimes, and not to some people only. Doing what is right always is a lifestyle. It is a decision we make on a daily basis. We can only know what the right thing to do is all the time when we are in constant communication with God.

In the workplace, you will have daily opportunities to deal justly with others and always do what is right. If you are in management, be fair to all your employees. If you are in sales, be fair to all your customers—and always do what’s right.

We Produce Fruit

As the year end approaches, for some reason, busyness creeps into our lives. When we allow ourselves to be so busy we don’t spend time with the Lord to get refreshed and then our behavior changes. I call our behavior the fruit we produce in our lives. Today I want to share a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that reminds us to check the fruit we produce on a daily basis. I hope this helps you as it helped me today.

What Kind of Fruit Are You Producing?
# 86
Matthew 7:17 (NLT)
A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit.

The Bible warns us about false prophets who look like sheep but are really wolves. It teaches us we will know and identify them by observing how they act—by their fruit.

Verse 20 tells us, “the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.” Even though these verses refer to false prophets, we can also apply the same principle to our daily lives. The question today is: what kind of fruit are you producing in your life?

I examine myself often to see what kind of fruit I’m producing. I find the results very predictable. When I’m not spending enough time with the Lord and I allow the busyness of life to overtake me, my fruit is not good. In those times, I produce fruits of anger, short temper, impatience, irritability, and unhappiness, to name a few. On the other hand, when I spend time with the Lord, water my tree with His Word, mediate on Him, and obey what He asks me to do, I produce good fruit. Instead of anger and short temper, I have compassion. Instead of impatience, irritability, and unhappiness, there is grace, contentment, patience, and happiness. I also produce fruit of peace amongst the people I’m around.

Therefore, don’t let the busyness of life with the work demands and family commitments rob you of spending time with the Lord. It is the only way you will produce good fruit and help those around you. Remember, the fruit you produce is for others to partake of.

Let's Use All Our Gifts

This week one of my employees asked me to help him discover his gifts so he can start using them all. I thought it was a great opportunity to remind all of us about the many gifts that God gave us and for us to find ways to use them all. Today’s devotional encourages us to discover and use all our gifts both in the workplace as well as outside of work. Enjoy!

If You Use Your Gifts, More Will Be Given to You
#184
Matthew 25:29 (NLT)
To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.

God gave each one of us gifts we must discover, treasure, and develop. Our goal should be to use each one of the gifts and talents God gave us at some point during our lifetime.

How do you discover, use, and manage every gift? First, you discover what your gifts are by asking God to reveal them to you. You, of course, need to listen to His answer. Then, ask Him what His priority is for your gifts to be used for His Kingdom. Go with the desires of your heart. They are one of His ways to reveal His gifts in you. Plan, prioritize, and develop your gifts. The Lord will give you opportunities to use every one of them.

In the workplace you will have the opportunity to use several of your gifts. If you have the gift of leadership, use it to lead people. If you have the gift of organization, use it to organize your job and help others get organized. If you speak another language, use it to reach people in that community. Because you will go through different stages in your life, you may not be able to use some gifts right now. Don’t forget about them. At some point in your life, later on, God will need you to use them. The more you use what God has given you, the more responsibilities and gifts He will give you. Don’t be like the unfaithful servant so that “even what little they have will be taken away.” Instead, use all of the gifts He gave you and expect to receive even more.

Trust God Only

Today I was reading this devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women about putting our trust in God and not in humans and want to share it with you. We need to continually remind ourselves that it is God the one who can do something about our situations or challenges, not people. When we trust Him, He comes through for us.

Don’t Put Your Trust in Humans
# 300
Isaiah 2:22 (NLT)
Stop putting your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. How can they be of help to anyone?

It is sad to see how people trust men more than God in many, if not all, areas of their lives. In today’s job market, we cannot trust other people or companies to provide us a job for life. It simply doesn’t work that way anymore. Companies are bought and sold as an everyday occurrence with little thought of the employees’ well-being. It is a look out for yourself environment. Our only source for a job is God. He is the only one we can trust to provide and meet every need in our lives—including our jobs.

It is unhealthy for a leader to promise job security for their employees and say they will never be fired. This is a manipulative and controlling tactic that creates a dependency on the employer from the employee’s part. In that environment, employees don’t have an incentive to improve their performance, and they get lazy. The company ends up with unmotivated employees causing productivity to decline. Those same employees become deadweight employees who can’t be fired because the leader doesn’t want to break his promise. At the same time, it creates a false sense of loyalty on the employee’s part. They think they can’t leave the company because they are not being loyal to their leader. It is a lose-lose situation in every way.

We are to be loyal and trust God only to provide for our job security, not trust a man, or a company. We are to obey God and go where He wants us to go. We are to do our best and be the best employee we can wherever God places us.

Spend Time with God

Last week I shared with you that I was missing spending time with the Lord and how important it is for me so I can get refreshed and renewed in Him. Today, I want to encourage you to make the time, make the commitment to be with your Creator. He will multiply your time back and will help you get everything you need to do get done. I want to share this devotional with you from my book Devotions for Working Women that encourages us to get to know God at a deeper level. Enjoy!

Deeper Knowledge Comes with Time Alone with the Lord
#341
Mark 4:33-34 (NLT)

He used many such stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they were able to understand. In fact, in his public teaching he taught only with parables, but afterward when he was alone with his disciples, he explained the meaning to them.

The Bible tells us Jesus taught the things of God through parables. Why? Because He could only teach as much as the people were able to receive and therefore understand. God is too deep for us to fully comprehend His things or Himself with our human minds. We first must have an open mind and heart to receive His teachings and understand them in our hearts through our spirit. The Lord takes us one step at a time in His knowledge, one layer of revelation at a time. As we grow, He reveals Himself to us a little more. It is a life-long process until we join Him in heaven.

We should notice, however, that when Jesus was alone with his disciples, He explained the deeper meaning of His teachings. As the disciples walked with Jesus, they drew closer to Him and were able to understand deeper things of God’s Kingdom. The same applies to us today. The only way God can teach, reveal, and entrust us with more knowledge is by us spending time with Him—alone, with no worldly distractions, and with our attention fixed only on Him.

Set aside time from your busy schedule to meet with the Lord, just you and Him, alone. He is faithful and will not only be there waiting for you every time but will also make sure you don’t get behind in any of your other responsibilities. He will multiply your time.

Are You Running on Empty?

How do you encourage others when you yourself need encouragement? These past few weeks I felt a little low, which is very unusual for me. I kept asking myself why I was feeling that way and I finally realized it was because I had not been spending enough time with the Lord. I schedule time with God weekly with no agenda, just to pray and listen to what He has to say to me. This is a time of reflection, thinking about what God wants me to do with my life, replenishing my spirit, and getting filled with His Spirit again. Without prayer in my life, I am depleted. I end up empty with nothing left to give to others.

When I am worn-out (or running low on fuel), my daily work seems like a mountain to be climbed on a daily basis. The tasks at home seem burdensome and tiring. Even working out, which I love to do and that helps me relief stress, feels like I’m running a marathon without preparation. All of those feelings change when I spend time with the Lord. He is my true source of inspiration, strength, grace, and everything I need to fulfill the calling He gave me in this life.

Today, I want to share with you a devotional from my book Devotions for Working Women that encourages us to seek God as our only source of strength. Enjoy!

Only God Is Our Source of Strength
# 129

Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

God is our source of strength; nothing, or nobody else, can give us that—only Him. These days we have so much to do, so many priorities, that some days we don’t know where to start. That’s when we run to our source, the Lord. First, we ask Him to refocus us and realign our true priorities. Once we are on track again, we ask for the grace and the strength to do what He has called us to do.

God has a big plan for each of us; however, He doesn’t expect us to do it all at once. He takes us one step at a time—from the big picture to the daily tasks—to accomplish His vision for us. We can do all the things He has called us to do through Christ because He gives us the strength we need on a daily basis.

What Is Your Inheritance?

I have been thinking about the inheritance we all leave our children and what we may receive from our parents and I thought this devotional encourages us to think of inheritance in a whole different way. This devotional is from my book Devotions for Working Women. Enjoy!

God Is Our Inheritance
#111
Psalm 16:5 (NLT)
Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.

When we think of inheritance, we immediately think of millions of dollars a distant relative left us. In reality, very few people leave a substantial inheritance to their families. Some parents, unfortunately, only leave debt and problems to their children.

One of God’s promises to us is that He will bless us enough to leave an inheritance to our children’s children. But in this verse, David wasn’t talking about a worldly inheritance. He is referring to God Himself being David’s inheritance.

God, as our inheritance, is all we need because He is and has everything we could ever need in this life and in eternity with Him. He is our source of refreshing and fulfillment. His cup is where we go to get ours filled up. He guards all He gives us, including our lives.

Therefore, receive God as your inheritance and you will never need or want anybody else’s.

How to Prepare for Job Loss

Today I heard of another bank that was shut down by regulators and I’m sure more people will lose their jobs as a result of it. Therefore, I thought it was appropriate to share with you the devotional from my book, Devotions for Working Women, that encourages us to be prepared if we lose our job. There are several ways to get prepared and we need to focus on all of them at the same time. We need to always prepare by keeping our skills and knowledge of our industry up to date, we should keep in touch with our network of friends and colleagues so they can connect us to new opportunities, and, most importantly, we need to stay connected with God. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is crucial for when we go through life events such as losing our jobs. Jesus will be there for us to encourage us, give us new ideas, and provide the help we need to move on.

How to Be Prepared if You Ever Lose Your Job
# 231

Matthew 7:24 (NLT)
Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.

Because of the times we live in, job security is unpredictable. The companies we now work for may not be here tomorrow. Therefore, we need to be prepared to move on if we lose our jobs. There are things we can do to prepare for the unexpected. Some of those things are to keep our resumes updated, continue our education, always learn new things, and refine our skills.

Keep your contacts and network active at all times. Know your skills, your talents, and gifts so you can improve and develop them. They are assets that will help you get a new job.

Preparing is important and necessary; however, no matter how ready we may be, if we are not planted on the solid Rock, Jesus, when things happen it will be very difficult to recover. It is like building our house’s foundation on solid rock. When the storms come, the house will not be moved or destroyed. We need to put our trust in Him alone. Only then will we overcome any situation the world may bring to us—including losing our jobs.