Testimonial Devotions
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December 28, 2009
My best friend is expecting her first child, a baby boy, in the spring. She shared some digital photos of the baby from the ultrasound. It was beautiful to see all the intricacies of this little unborn child. His hands, feet, fingers, toes, face and cute little nose were all visible in the photo. God is designing this precious creation, and I saw a view inside His masterpiece.
God has created each one of us in a particular and unique way. It is amazing to think about how much time we put into figuring out what is wrong with us and what we want to change, when God put so much time into creating each line, shape, and form with an exact purpose. Psalm 139 depicts a vivid illustration of us being portrayed as God’s design.
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you (Psalm 139: 13-18).”
Like a needle sewing thread, God has specifically designed us as His beautiful work of art. He knows every hair on our head and thought on our minds. When I saw this picture of the unborn child, it reminded me that God is with us from the day of conception and is already hard at work. No matter how many flaws or disappointments we tend to always find in ourselves, they weren’t seen as that to God. We are beautiful to Him, and we should feel complete and worthy to come from His creation.
“Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand (Isaiah 64:8).”
September 14, 2009
It was eight o’clock at night and I started up my car to drive home from my grandmother’s house. I looked beside me in the passenger’s seat and saw her laundry basket filled of dirty clothes. It was filled with socks, nightgowns and robes. I normally do not like to look at laundry. In fact, it’s typical that I will dread doing the laundry just like most people will feel. However, for some reason, I became emotional while looking at this basket of laundry. This basket reminded me of how much I enjoyed doing this work for my grandmother. I am actually excited to do her laundry whenever I get the chance. As strange as it sounds, I look forward to gathering up her clothes, making them nice and clean, and returning them to her with a clean fresh scent.
This experience really helped me understand the concept of works and how it is important in our relationship with God. We should not do works, because we feel like we have to in order to earn our salvation. It is written, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).” We are not saved with works, but we have been made to work for Him. As believers, we are working for Him out of love. We do not need to live in fear as we wonder if we have earned God’s love and have done enough to be saved. Works are a way that we can show our love to God and strengthen our relationship with Him.
As a child, I was not able to see my grandmother as frequently as I am able to now. I am blessed to see her because I live close to her and will schedule the time to make a visit. My grandmother is touched when I am able to help her and do her chores. However, this does not make her love me any more than she did before. I believe my grandmother loved me before I began to help her. The important thing to gather is that it has strengthened my relationship with her. I know that I do not have to do a single thing to earn her love. Although, I cannot help but do these things for her because I know that it shows her that I care and keeps our relationship alive. James 2:26 tells us, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” If we want our faith to grow and our relationship with God to be healthy, we need to keep it going and bring it to life. I truly feel that this is what God yearns from us. He wants us to understand His indescribable love. How will you keep your faith from fading?
July 14, 2009
Imagine you are riding in a small boat. Waves are tossing and turning around you. The boat rocks you up and down. Lightning strikes and heavy amounts of water come crashing into the boat. You are drenched. The waves do not seem to settle down. You panic and yell, “Please help me!” This is how the apostles felt when they were riding along the Sea of Galilee in a boat that experienced much turmoil along their journey.
I love to use guided imagery when I am studying scripture. When I use this technique, I close my eyes and try to visualize each verse from the passage. Finding imagery in Mark 4: 35-41 depicts how powerful and protective our Savior can be. To see his power, it is beneficial to compare the description of the sea with the description of Jesus. The sea is characterized as being “furious” and its “waves breaking over the boat (4:37).” Jesus is riding in this very boat. By judging his behavior, it is evident that he can conquer the storm. He is described as “sleeping on a cushion” in a boat that is swamped (4:38). Jesus has power over the storm, because he does not allow it to phase him. Furthermore, he actually calms it by his authority. After the apostles wake him, Jesus rises and says “Quiet! Be still (4:39)!” The apostles are left amazed.
As I visualize this passage, I am reminded that there is nothing on earth that Jesus has not conquered. He has overcome the world. Also, it inspires me to be strong and steady just like him in a scary situation. We may not have the power to calm nature, but we can learn from his example to be still in our own “storms.” In our world that currently seems to be filled with bad news, there are many opportunities to witness to others as we choose to stay calm.
I close my eyes and imagine myself holding onto Jesus in that rocky boat. He is soundly sleeping and his heart is at an even rate. He is not stirred or shaken. The closer we feel to Jesus, I think the closer we become to growing in his likeness. I want to have that part of him in my life. The part that calms me down and allows me to feel the power and love of Jesus no matter what surrounds me in life.
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I am twenty-five years old and live in Gilbert, Arizona. I am married to Justin Taylor and attend Lakeshore Bible Church in Tempe. I am a follower of Christ, which is my first profession. However, for a living, I am a special needs worker. I help children with disabilities and offer support to their families. I have a new found passion for writing about experiences,which have increased my understanding of God's awesome presence in our everyday lives.
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