It's A Promise

“He said, 'While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.'”

~2 Samuel 12:22-23

In the above verse, King David’s infant son with Bathsheba had fallen ill. For a week, David lay on the floor fasting and praying for the Lord to heal the baby, but that didn’t happen. The child died. David got up, washed and dressed, and ate a meal. His servants were aghast. In those days, the custom was to fast after death, but David had it right. He prayed and fasted for his son, hoping the Lord would heal him but when that didn’t happen, David’s attitude changed. He knew his son had gone to be with the Lord—“I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

Loss is something we all experience. We know our grandparents are going to die, followed by our parents and various aunts, uncles and other relatives. But the loss of a child throws our entire view of life off kilter. Our children and grandchildren are supposed to follow us in death, not precede us. When someone experiences the death of their child or grandchild, everything changes. Life, God, breathing, getting through each day… everything is now a huge question mark and answers aren't easy to come by.

When my daughter, Cassandra died at age sixteen, I thought my world had ended. Taking a breath was difficult and just getting up in the morning was a chore, which was strange because I thought I would never sleep again. But I had other children to take care of, to try and explain the loss to, and a husband to take care of. While I was vocal with my feelings and cried often over our loss, Cassandra's father was the opposite. He didn't cry, he didn't talk about her, and in fact, he didn't want to talk about anything. I know he felt guilty because, as a man, he felt as if he should have been able to protect her. I understood his feelings logically, but not emotionally. But I think of David’s words often—I shall go to her, but she will not return to me. This is a promise of being reunited with the ones we love when we get to Heaven and I cling to that.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:3-9).”

Read Luke 1-5

 ©2018 Marie McGaha

Use Your Sword

"Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” ~2 Chronicles 20:15(b)

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” ~2 Chronicles 20:17

In this chapter of 2 Chronicles, Judah began to have revival and turn back to God but came under attack from the Ammonites and Moabites. They were afraid and prayed for God’s intervention, and God answered their prayer. The Lord fought their battle and the enemy was defeated. Our lives can be like that too. When we seek God in a deeper way, God’s enemy and ours, satan, will come against us in an all-out assault to keep us from fulfilling God’s plan in our lives. It can be turmoil in our marriages, our jobs, with our kids, our finances, anything that can affect us to the point we take our eyes off God and try to manage things on our own. When we allow our focus to be taken off God and toward the problems we face, that’s when we lose the battle.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:12-13).”

No matter what goes on in our lives with our loved ones, our jobs, co-workers, friends, church members, or anyone else, they are not the ones we are battling. They may be the ones the enemy uses to derail us, but the one we are battling is satan himself. We defeat him by drawing nearer to God, using the weapons He has given us, which is His very Word. The Word of God, the Bible, is our sword. When we study God’s Word and know how to use it, we can stand against any storm that threatens us. Jesus Christ has given us the victory and will fight our battles for us while we fight them on our knees in prayer.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).”

Read Mark 11-16

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Get Some Sleep

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

~Psalm 91:1-2

I got up late this morning. I’m usually an early riser but every now and then it catches up with me and I sleep a little longer than usual. Having dogs get me up at midnight so they can go out doesn’t help. I remember when I was a teen and how I hated getting up in the mornings, and then in my twenties, I just wanted to stay up and party all the time. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” was a popular saying. Now, I wish I could have all those nights back! Sleep is from the Lord. We all need rest, it’s how we recharge and continue. It gives us a physical and mental reboot. And our dreams allow us to work out problems and deal with life.

“You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety (Psalm 4:7-8).”

When you go to sleep tonight, meditate on scripture, say your prayers and tell the Lord how much you appreciate the fact he watches over you and allows you to have a good night’s sleep.

“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me (Psalm 3:5).”

“If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. (Proverbs 3:24).”

Read Mark 6-10

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Better Than Sacrifice

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So, he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.”

~Jonah 1:1-3

We all want to hear from the Lord, but what happens when the Lord tells us something we aren’t expecting, or something we really don’t want to do? We want God’s blessings, but we don’t want those blessings to come at a price. In Jonah’s case, he was told to go to Nineveh and tell the people they were going to be destroyed if they didn’t change their ways. I can imagine his panic. He must tell an entire city that God charged him with the task of foretelling their future. He probably thought he’d be ridiculed at the least, and probably stoned to death for being so presumptuous as to say God talked to him. So, he ran. Exodus 3 tells the story of Moses, who was told by God to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the Israelites go. After 400 years of captivity, an 80-year-old man is told by God to face off with the most powerful man in the land—I’m sure Moses must have been terrified. In verse 11, we read his reply—But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Gideon was another man called by the Lord to rescue the children of Israel, and in Judges 6:15, he replied, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” Yet, Jonah, Moses and Gideon all have one thing in common, they did what God told them to do and they were successful.

“And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams’ (1 Samuel 15:22).”

We might not always like what the Lord tells us to do but obeying His voice will determine our future. What God says to do, we must do, whether it’s changing jobs, moving to another town or state, or preaching His word. Whatever it might be that God tasks us with can be scary and cause doubt in our hearts, but obeying God despite our fears will bring the greatest blessings.

Read Mark 1-5

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Not Good Enough For Heaven

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to Him a child, He put Him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

~Matthew 18:1-2

My grandchildren believe Jesus watches over them and hears everything they say. They have no doubt they will go to Heaven when they die. In fact, my granddaughter, Meagan, told me, “Nana, I don’t care if I die because I know I’ll go to Heaven and be with Jesus.” Her brother, Dax, replied, “Me either because we don’t really die, we just float up to Heaven and live forever.” They are absolutely sure of their final destination. I think it’s this kind of surety that Jesus was talking about in the above verse. My grandchildren’s faith overwhelms me at times because mine sometimes wavers. Sometimes I feel that I’m not doing enough to be in Christ’s presence. I’m not reading the Bible enough, I’m not praying long enough, I’m not watching enough Christian shows on TV… I am not good enough for Heaven.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasur-able riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:4-10).”

Being “good enough” is something we invented, not God. My grand-daughter had done something her mother disapproved of, and her mother said, “Meagan, I always love you, but I don’t like it when you act like that.” Meagan looked at her mother and replied, “Jesus loves me no matter how I act. Mommy, you should be more like Jesus.” The wisdom in that sentence was far beyond Meagan’s four years of life but I couldn’t have said it better myself. Jesus loves us no matter what. We are His work-manship, created by Him and for Him. We cannot earn God’s love because we already have it. What we must do is accept that love the way a child does—without doubt, without wavering, without fear. Salvation is a gift from God and gifts are given freely. All we have to do is accept it.

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor princi-palities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).”

Read Matthew 21-25; Weekend Reading Matthew 26-28

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Purity & Modesty

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”

~Titus 2:11-12

Purity and modesty seem irrelevant in today’s society. Both men & women wear less clothes in public than what was once worn in private. Appearing scantily clad or even nude in magazines and on TV is the norm for models & actors these days. And what performers are doing on stage these days would’ve gotten them arrested 50 years ago!

Our lives are inundated with a perverted idea of ‘sexy’, and our children are exposed to it from a very early age. But this idea of dressing and behaving in a way that entices and invites is not part of God’s plan.

As people of God, we are to model decency, modesty, and purity in our lives, in dress and in actions. From the way we dress to the way we speak, we are to model Jesus for the world to see. After all, if we look like the world and talk like the world and act like the world, how will the world see Christianity as anything different than everything else in the world?

Unless there is true conversion of the heart, there cannot be conversion of life. We cannot be Christians by words only; Christianity involves our entire being. It is a complete change from our old lives into a brand new being, much like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

1 Peter 1:14 tells us “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance…”

Read Matthew 16-20

Shine His Light - Daily Devotional by Marie McGaha 

Narrated by Christy Diachenko

Coming to Audible Spring 2019

Don't Grow Weary

“Now therefore, if I have found favor in Your sight, please show me now Your ways, that I may know You in order to find favor in Your sight. Consider too that this nation is Your people.” And He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  And he said to Him, “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”

~Exodus 33:13-15

The Lord called Moses to free the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, and during this time, he also saw the Lord move in mighty ways. From the parting of the Red Sea to the cloud covering during the day and the pillar of fire at night, from water coming out of the rock to manna from Heaven, Moses saw God move in the lives of His people in ways that must’ve left him awestruck. Moses was a humble man (Numbers 12:3), and it was his humility that made him the perfect man for the job of leading the children of Israel to the promised land. Moses was also faithful, and no matter what happened along the journey, he did not waver from believing God was who He said He was, or that God was going to complete what He promised to do. The journey took forty years across the desert, with thousands of whining people complaining and blaming Moses for their plight, yet Moses remained steadfast in his faith in God. Moses knew that no matter what happened, as long as God was with him, everything would be all right.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).”

I’m sure over the forty years Moses led the Israelites through the desert, there were times he wanted to give up. There were probably times he doubted God’s wisdom at saving the people he led, and there were probably times he considered sneaking off in the darkness and leaving them to figure it out for themselves. Sometimes life is like that, no matter what we do, it feels like we are just spinning our wheels, getting nowhere and not making a dent. No one listens, no one cares, so what’s the use of trying? We all feel that way from time to time and it can be frustrating. But no matter what life looks like right now, we cannot see tomorrow. We don’t know how things will turn out next year or in ten years, but God does. Moses was eighty years old when he faced off with Pharaoh. I’m sure when he was seventy, he never imagined that’s what he’d be doing in ten years. Our perseverance is important to God. Our patience is important to God. And our humility is important to God. When we say we belong to God and have turned our lives over to Him, we just might have to prove it in ways we never imagined.

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:1-6).”

Read Matthew 11-15

©2018 Marie McGaha