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This is the Express Lane?

In the Word

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2).

Of the Word

Holding five items, you scan the store’s crowded check-out lanes and strategically plot your choices. An express lane opens! You triumphantly out-maneuver several shoppers and become the second one in line. Only then you notice the brimming cart ahead of you — the thrill of victory becomes the agony of defeat. Although tempted to count aloud the woman’s items, you ponder the options. What if … she is a single mom, rushing to purchase needed groceries before picking up children at daycare? What if … you prayed for her instead of grumbling? What if … you prayed for the tired-looking cashier, or the upset people behind you, or those who cannot afford to buy even five items?

Continue steadfastly in prayer, … (Colossians 4:2a). We often overlook opportunities to pray. Sitting at a long traffic light gives us time to pray for family and friends. Delayed by the after school surge of walkers and bicyclists, we can pray for students and teachers. Thank God for the possibilities to be in prayer for others. They are not interruptions. They are invitations to be in conversation with Him.

Walking with my Lord

Lord, thank You for the many opportunities You give me each day of my life to continue steadfastly in prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: From Quiet Times to Noisy Love. Jan Struck, author. 2/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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In All Things

In the Word

I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

Of the Word

Meeting a friend to exercise early each morning had seemed a great idea during the summer. As the daylight decreased, it got more and more difficult. If only the crack of dawn came at noon, it would be manageable. “I just don’t have the strength!” became the daily excuse.

Christians know exactly where to turn in times of crisis. We believe God alone has the power to change our situation; we alone can do nothing. We forget He is the Lord of our entire life, even the average times. The apostle Paul stated firmly, I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). Those “things” include our routine struggles to serve Him and do His will. God is our strength at all times.

We do not need to evaluate the worth of our concerns. The Holy Spirit welcomes our prayers to help us make healthy lifestyle choices or refrain from participating in office gossip or use our computer time wisely. He wants us to seek and trust His guidance in our every weakness. He is the God of every faltering step in our walk of faith.

Walking with my Lord

Lord, may I always acknowledge You as the only source of strength in my everyday, ordinary life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: From Quiet Times to Noisy Love. Jan Struck, author. 1/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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Sarah — God’s Time or Mine?

In the Word

(Sarah’s Story: Genesis 17:15–21)

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” … God said, “ … Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac” (Genesis 17: 17, 19a).

Of the Word

Have you ever prayed long and hard for something you believed was good and right for you? How long did you pray? A week? A month? A year?

Can you imagine praying for decades? When Abraham and Sarah were young, they prayed for a child. God answered, “Wait.” They waited. They prayed. Years passed, and — humanly speaking — Sarah’s child-bearing years were over.

But finally it was time for God’s “Yes!” In His time — not Abraham’s, not Sarah’s — God gave them the son they had longed for.

Sarah’s story is much like women’s stories today. Ups and downs; joys and frustrations. God asked Sarah and He also asks us, “Is anything too hard for Me?” A faithful heart knows that God is all powerful. A faithful heart asks to be able to wait for His timing and His answers.

Walking with my Lord

Dear Lord, I am sometimes impatient, frustrated, and fearful. Forgive me and fill me with Your love, Your power, Your strength. Give me faith to trust Your timing for my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Daughters of the King. Marcia Gomulka and Myrna Lou Meyer, authors. 3/34 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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Hagar — Caught in a Triangle of Trouble

In the Word

(Hagar’s Story: Genesis 16:1–16; 21:8–21)

And the angel of the Lord said to her [Hagar], “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction” (Genesis 16:11).

Of the Word

Interfering with God’s plan produced nothing but discord in Hagar’s life. While both were advanced in age, God had promised Abraham and Sarah a child. Tired of waiting, Sarah gave her slave Hagar to Abraham as a wife with no objection from Abraham. When Hagar became pregnant she treated Sarah with contempt. Sparks began to fly between them. None of the characters in this plot are innocent. Instead of waiting for God, Sarah devised her own plan. When Hagar became pregnant, she forgot her status as slave and was contentious toward Sarah. Being spiritual head of the household, Abraham should not have agreed to Sarah’s scheming in the first place.

In some situations we may have acted as Sarah, Hagar, or Abraham did. Triangles of trouble do come our way. They happen in families, between coworkers and supervisors, and sadly, even in church. So what do we do when we’re caught in the middle?

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, … as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:31–32).

Walking with my Lord

By Your example, Lord, help me be kind to all You have put on my path. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Daughters of the King. Marcia Gomulka and Myrna Lou Meyer, authors. 2/34 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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Eve — Who Do You Trust?

In the Word

(Eve’s Story: Genesis 2:18 – 3:24)

He [the serpent] said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1b).

Of the Word

“Sell now! Top prices for gold!” “Did your dad really say you had to be home by midnight?” “Lose 20 pounds in 20 days or your money back!” Who can you trust?

It began in the Garden of Eden when Satan talked to Eve — and she listened. Adam and Eve, the perfect human beings God created, chose Satan’s words over God’s words. When they listened to Satan, they lost sight of God.

Sin followed sin; and ever since that fateful day, sin has been part of our world. Temptations of all shapes and sizes surround us, but we can look to the Lord for truth and power. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7a). Only He gives us strength to defy Satan and refute his lies.

Walking with my Lord

Dear Father in heaven, temptations come at me from every direction. Give me strength and courage to reject Satan. Help me choose what is good and right in Your sight. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Daughters of the King. Marcia Gomulka and Myrna Lou Meyer, authors. 1/34 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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A Sweet Tooth Craving

In the Word

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103).

Of the Word

Cravings — we hear of all sorts of unusual cravings pregnant women experience. Mixing ice cream and pickles or chicken and jelly are some of the more unique ones. Me? I developed a sweet tooth during my pregnancy.

I know I’m not alone when it comes to having a sweet tooth. The prophet Ezekiel and the apostle John each had one. They fed their sweet tooth with something more unusual than pickles and ice cream. God commanded them to eat scrolls! (See Ezekiel 3:1–3, Revelation 10:8–10.) The bizarre thing — aside from actually eating the scrolls — was they tasted like honey to them.

Perhaps just as bizarre is the fact that God would like us to do the same thing! Not by ripping pages from our Bibles and eating them, but by craving the sweet, nourishing message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A craving for ice cream or chocolate can’t be satisfied with celery just as a craving for God’s Word isn’t satisfied by any other means. But unlike the other sweet tooth cravings, this is one indulgence we can afford to splurge on day after day.

Walking with my Lord

Thank You, God, for the sweet message of salvation found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Love, Laughter, and Lullabies. DCE Amanda Stacy, author. 3/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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Handmade

In the Word

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13–14a).

Of the Word

One of my daughter’s favorite songs to sing with me is “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” I like to add the prefix “God made Ella” to the song. As an infant she enjoyed my voice and my touch. Now, as she nears toddlerhood, she enjoys pointing to her body parts all by herself.

The psalmist is clear that each of his tendons, muscles, and bones were put together by God’s own hands. We are all wonderfully handmade by God, and because of that we each have great value. In fact, God loved what He made so much that a lofty price was paid to buy us back from eternal death: His Son’s own life! God works to sustain us in this earthly life through all of the good gifts He gives to us each day.

What a privilege we have to share this Good News with our children — God the Father created them, God the Son redeemed them, and God the Holy Spirit sanctifies them. Praise God for the works of love He has done in our lives and in the lives of those most precious to us.

Walking with my Lord

Dear Lord, enable me, through Your Holy Spirit, to share the wonderful works of love You have accomplished for all of Your children. In Jesus’ blessed name I pray. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Love, Laughter, and Lullabies. DCE Amanda Stacy, author. 2/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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