I’ve heard it said that the most boring parts of the Bible are the “begats”: “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son… and called his name Seth… And Seth… begat Enos… And Enos… begat Cainan…” etc., etc., etc. (Genesis chapter 5) Then there are more boring lists of names throughout the Old Testament history books, ancient people we don’t know who fought with David, built the tabernacle, or served in the worship of the Lord. When we are diligently reading through the Bible, admittedly, it’s tough not to yield to the temptation to skip these chapters so we can get to the good parts.
Let me challenge you by saying, “Not so fast.” Since “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable…” Second Timothy 3:16 (NKJ), consider that God had a reason for moving His authors to include these lists. For example, First Chronicles chapter 26 tells us of the gatekeepers and the men over the treasuries of dedicated things in the tabernacle. From time to time, certain men were not only named, but were given descriptions.
• Of Obed-Edom, it is said that “God blessed him. (verses 4-5)
• Of Shemaiah, Obed-Edom’s firstborn and his line, it is said “they were men of great ability.” (verse 6)
• Then again of all Obed-Edom’s family the passage proclaims they were “able men with strength for the work.” (verse 8)
• Zechariah the gatekeeper was known as “a wise counselor.” (verse 14)
• The Hebonites are called “capable men.” (verse 31)

Blessed, having great ability, displaying strength for the work, wise, capable: these are all amazing, complimentary descriptors. Skipping over the chapters containing all those names would have caused us to miss the fact that our names can cause God to have good things to say about us. What’s in a name? When our name comes up before God, is there anything associated with it that would cause God to single us out and describe us in a positive way? I am certainly hoping that when God thinks of my name, Sharon, He readily adds a positive comment like “Sharon, a woman who lives out the life I purposed for her”; or “Sharon, producer of work that glorifies Me.”
But we don’t have to guess about what God adds to our names. He has said of us, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people… called… out of darkness into His marvelous light… the people of God… (those who have) obtained mercy” First Peter 2:9 (NKJ). Do what I did: place your name in front of each of those phrases for an immediate uplift:
• Sharon, part of a chosen generation
• Sharon, one of a royal priesthood
• Sharon, a member of a holy nation
• Sharon, God’s own special person
• Sharon, called out of darkness into His marvelous light
• Sharon, a woman of God
• Sharon, having obtained mercy

What’s in a name? Since our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, all God has said about us, is true of us. Worship God today as the One who has named us and who speaks well of us when He thinks of His children.
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©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,
Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children
available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),
at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk
Also still available:
Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame
from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

Sometimes it feels as though the Lord is not answering our prayers; however, when we say that, we usually mean we prayed but didn’t get what we wanted. We were expecting a yes answer when God has other options besides the affirmative.
At times, God says, “No.” When Cain took an offering to God in Genesis 4:4-5,
“the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.” In essence, God told Cain, “No, what you’re bringing Me is incorrect.” God also said no to Jesus. When our Lord knew He was about to face the excruciating crucifixion, He asked God for an out. Matthew 26:39 tells us Jesus “fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (NJK). We know that God said no to this request, and that’s why we have our salvation today.
At other times, God puts a hold on our requests with a “not yet” answer. King David wanted to build a house for the Lord, but God told him “not yet.” Solomon, David’s son, would be the one to build the temple. (See I Chronicles 28:1-6)
The thing to remember about prayer is that its main purpose is not about collecting; it’s about connecting. Prayer is conversation with God and the ultimate goal is supposed to be about strengthening our relationship with Him. God wants to be more to us than a Sugar Daddy or a Deep Pocket. In fact, we complain about people who just throw money at their issues rather than roll their sleeves up and do the hard, personal involvement work of actually making things better. Why do we expect of God what we don’t even approve of in people?
We will get yes answers from God only when we pray according to His will. First John 5:14-15 clearly says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (NKJ). The question is: how do we know we’re praying according to His will? We can hedge our bets by knowing His Word well enough to know what to ask and what not to ask; however, sometimes we don’t know. Cain thought his offering was great. David thought building God a temple was a good idea. Jesus wanted to avoid all that coming pain. All three of these men did what we have to do: ask God and find out what He’s going to say. We’ll know we’ve hit the mark on God’s will when God says, “Yes.” But no matter whether He says yes, no, or not yet, we can be excited that God is talking to us.
Worship God today for being the prayer-answer-er.
____________________________
©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,
Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children
available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),
at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk
Also still available:
Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame
from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

It’s true that the Bible is a history book—it’s “His” story, the story of our Lord Jesus. From the opening creation account in Genesis when God the Father spoke God the Son (the Word) into action and the Spirit hovered over the deep, we have seen the second person of the Trinity, Jesus, in the narrative. As the old saying goes, “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.” God’s chosen people led to His choosing of anyone who would accept His Son. The tabernacle and temple sacrifices were precursors to the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us on the Cross.
All the way to John’s Revelation we see Jesus. In Revelation chapter 22, the very last chapter of the whole Bible, Jesus identifies Himself as “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last… the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” Revelation 22:13 and 16 (NKJ).
So since the whole Bible is the story of Jesus, today’s encouragement is to find Jesus whenever we read the pages of Holy Writ. Philip is our example. In Acts chapter 8, we read of a time when the angel of the Lord instructed him to go through the desert on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. On that road, Philip ran into an Ethiopian eunuch who just happened to be reading writings by the prophet Isaiah. The man didn’t understand what he was reading, and Philip “opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” Acts 8:35.
As we read Scripture, we must keep in mind that the words are His story and are not only for us. His story and His words were meant to be shared, so we ought to be able to start anywhere in the Book and “preach Jesus.” Worship God today for revealing Himself to us through His Son Jesus and all through His book, the Bible.
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©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,
Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children
available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),
at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk
Also still available:
Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame
from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

Lots of us Christians desire to do or build something grand for God (that is, if we can ever get our wits about us and stop worrying about our own problems). At the least, we want to build a life and family that honors God, and leave a legacy pointing the way to Him for those who come after us. David was no different. Once the great king was settled in his own house, he came up with the grand idea to build a house for God. It seemed like a very humble aspiration. “Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under tent curtains’” First Chronicles 17:1 (NKJ).
God had other plans and flipped the script. In essence, God replied to David’s desire by telling him He never asked for a house. Instead, He told David, “Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build you a house. And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever” First Chronicles 17:10-14.
Perhaps David was thinking of this incident when he penned Psalm 116:12 and asked, “What shall I render to the Lord, for all His benefits toward me?” There is no grand thing we can do or build for God. He has a corner on the market for doing grand things: parting the Red Sea, crumbling the walls of Jericho, raising Jesus from the dead, creation—just to name a few. Isn’t it just amazing to realize that it is God who wants to build for us? If we plan to build anything for God, may it be our trust, our love, and our obedience to Him. Worship God today for being the gracious builder of our lives, families, and legacy.
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©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,
Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children
available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),
at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk
Also still available:
Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame
from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

When the beggar at the temple was healed in Acts chapter three, the people who knew him as that cripple guy were naturally “filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him” Acts 3:10 (NKJ). Peter observed the people’s reaction and commented, “Why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power of godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham… glorified His Servant Jesus… And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” Acts 3:12-16.
Lots of times we may feel weak or may even be disabled in a variety of ways. Maybe we’ve come to the end of our rope with a certain problem, we’re out of options, or have exhausted all our visible resources. All that’s left to do is look up because we’re down as low as we can go. The encouragement of this story is the assurance that faith in the name of Jesus is still powerful today. Faith in the name of Jesus makes us strong and gives us perfect soundness just as it did for the cripple man. Look up. Worship God today for being the strengthener we all need.
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©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,
Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children
available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),
at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk
Also still available:
Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame
from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

In Acts chapter two, we read the first sermon delivered after Christ’s resurrection. Peter told the people that Jesus had been sent by God and they were the ones who killed Him; however, God had raised Jesus from the dead. Peter then wrapped up his sermon by acknowledging that Jesus (whom they had killed but God has raised) was “both Lord and Christ” Acts 2:36 (NKJ).
The effect of this sermon shows us what the appropriate response should be to the truth. “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’” Acts 2:37
Peter responded to the people listening to him by saying they needed to “repent” and “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” and went on to say that they would “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Peter further told them that the gift of the Holy Spirit was a promise given “to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” Acts 2:38-39.
Just think of how Peter’s audience must have felt. After hearing of the heinous part they played in assassinating God’s chosen One, there was nothing left to do except lay themselves at the mercy of the God against whom they had sinned. To their amazement, they then heard not only that God would forgive them, but also had already supplied them with a wonderful gift designed to help them move on from guilt to live in His glory. The obvious response followed. “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” Acts 2:41.
Whenever we hear the truth of God’s word, our response should be one of instantaneous action too. In other words, when God says, “Jump,” our reaction should immediately be to start jumping as we ask, “How high?” If we hear a word and don’t know what we should do, ask the preacher or a mature Christian to lead you to the Bible’s answer. Let’s worship God today for being the illuminator and forgiver of our failures, as well as the supplier of the power to overcome them.
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©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,
Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children
available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),
at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk
Also still available:
Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame
from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

Who’s Preaching?
Ever since the Day of Pentecost spoken of in Acts chapter two, God has been dealing with His people through the organism of the Church – the Bride of Christ. On the morning of that day, God endued His followers (the 120 in the upper room) with power from on high “and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” Acts 2:4 (NKJ). Not accidentally, representatives from all over the world—“from every nation under heaven”—were in town at that precise moment, and God used the timing and the tongues so that “everyone heard… in his own language… the wonderful works of God” Acts 2:6 and 11.
Then Peter took center stage and delivered the Church’s first sermon. Interestingly, to introduce his message, he chose to quote a passage from the book of Joel that should have immediately cleared up an issue that has plagued and even divided the Church for centuries: women preachers. The Joel passage Peter quoted says:

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18, for the cross reference, see Joel 2:27-28.)

Obviously, “daughters” and “maidservants” are women. The word “prophesy” here comes from the Greek word that means not only to predict, but to speak or write by divine inspiration. So in a very real sense, a woman in tune with the Spirit of God today who has been given and is exhibiting the gift of interpretation of Scripture, can technically be known as a “prophetess.”
There is no need to shy away from the titles God has no problem conferring on His gifted children. Throughout the Old Testament, and as we now see here at the beginning of the Church age, prophetesses are mentioned unapologetically. Sadly, churches that refuse to allow women to preach are missing out on hearing the Word of God from these gifted vessels just because the mouthpiece is wearing lipstick.
This is not an argument defending women taking up the role of pastor of a church because that’s a separate issue. A woman need not be the pastor of the local church body to deliver God’s word to God’s people. However, we can look at the above-mentioned passages and others throughout Scripture that affirm the gift of prophecy being bestowed upon women. And since by definition, prophecy is a speaking gift, there should be audiences to hear the messages that are written or spoken. Let’s worship God today for being the equal-opportunity bestower of gifts that He has shown Himself to be.
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©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,
Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children
available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),
at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk
Also still available:
Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame
from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

#HeartForTheWord

We often beat ourselves up because we make foolish decisions. It’s true that we ought not be proud of the stupid stuff we decide to do; however, the Bible helps us gain some perspective regarding those times when we blow it.

Judges chapter 11 relates the story of Jephthah. Although he was “a mighty man of valor,” his parentage caused him to be looked down upon. He was the son of a harlot, and the sons of his father’s wife “drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman” Judges 11:2 (NKJ). Being well aware that his well-being was in danger, Jephthah packed up and got out of Dodge. When he settled into his new digs in the land of Tob, he started using his might for evil, and “worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him” Judges 11:3.

As usual, what goes around comes around, and in the process of time, Jephthah’s brothers found themselves facing some folks who wanted to war against them. They needed the help of a mighty man of valor and happened to know one: Jephthah. When they approached him, Jephthah said, “Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” The elders answered, “That is why we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead” Judges 11:7-8. Jephthah accepted their rather weak apology and went on to lead them to victory.

Several foolish decisions were made in this story. First, Jephthah’s brothers never should have kicked him out in the first place. All children are gifts from God and it’s not our place to punish a child because of how that child came into the world. Second, when he moved away, Jephthah’s choice of vocation and friends was foolish. Scripture clearly states that he was a mighty man of valor, yet he chose for a time to misuse his strength by raiding instead of aiding in his new land. Our strengths are gifts to us from God and ought only to be used for His glory.

Regardless of the foolish decisions that were made by both parties, the smart and gracious decision to reconcile led to victory. Jephthah returned to his home and “the people made him head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in Mizpah” Judges 11:11. Then after negotiations failed with the enemy, “Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands. And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim,[a] with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel” Judges 11:32-33.

God can and will still bless us after we’ve made foolish decisions when we turn back to Him. This knowledge, however, should not make us careless. Every foolish decision has its consequences that could result in severe physical, emotional, and psychological harm. Still know that as imperfect people, we will mess up, but we can be thankful that all our foolish decisions are neither fatal nor final. Worship God today for being the Redeemer, not only of our souls, but also of our stupidity.

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©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release,

Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children

available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),

 at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk

Also still available:

Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame

from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)

#HeartForTheWord

Luke chapter 16 records an interesting story that Jesus told His disciples about a money manager who was about to get fired from his job. The guy’s boss had been told that this particular employee was wasting his goods. When the guy found out, he went about shrewdly handling his boss’s business so that by the time the boss got ready to fire him, the guy had gotten his act together. Still being considered an “unjust steward,” his boss still commended him for being slick. Jesus ends that part of the story, not telling us we should be sly and cagey, but by making the point that we do have to keep our eyes open when dealing with a world that doesn’t honor God. “For the sons of this world,” He says, “are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light” Luke 16:8 (NKJ).

Jesus moves on from this story to teach about how we ought to view and handle money and responsibility. We are to be “faithful in what is least,” and then we can be trusted to be “faithful also in much” Luke 16:10. He also says that we cannot “serve two masters,” because we’ll love one and despise the other. We cannot serve both God and money (Luke 16:13).

Listening in on this conversation were the Pharisees who loved money. Of course, this discussion rubbed them the wrong way so they took Jesus to task. As always, Jesus had a comeback ready for them. He said, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” Luke 16:15. The religious leaders, the ones who were expected to put God first and all else second, were guilty of loving money more than they loved God. They were in error in their thinking because they justified their rush for the dollar (or denarii or shekels in their case) as something spiritual.

Jesus is not saying that we don’t need money. He is warning us, though, to keep our hearts right about money. We are to see money—and indeed everything else in life—as God sees it. “For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

The society in which we live sees lots of things differently than God sees them. Do we have the guts to stand on and defend God’s views when confronted by the opposite view on any subject? Do we even know what God’s views are on contemporary topics such as the use of money, how to spend our time, sex and sexuality, health issues, the environment, child rearing, etc.? “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” James 1:5 (NKJ). Worship God today for being the Wisdom-giver who can and will let us know how to see things His way.

____________________________

©2014 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Pick up a copy of Sharon’s newest release, Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387), at bookstores, and on all major online book buying sites.

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk (Preview)

Also still available: Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame

from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)