Time Out! Devotions

Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. Psalms 31:5 (NKJV)

When was the last time you put your trust in someone or something, only to be let down? Was it a product that was advertised as being the answer to all your problems…but when you got it home and put it to the test it was a total bust? Or perhaps it was a person who promised up one side and down the other to do something for you…but in your moment of need, he or she didn’t come through.

We all know what that’s like. At one time or another, we’ve all had that sinking realization that we were wrong to invest our confidence in that thing or that person. They were fake and phony. They let us down. We had an impression of them, an impression that wasn’t…emet.

What? Emet is the Hebrew word that represents the trueness of God, His certainty and dependability. It’s that component of His character that never leaves us with that sinking feeling the way products and people do. Emet points to the fact that God is always as good as advertised, always capable and faithful to come through in the clutch. It means He will always follow through on what He’s promised. Every single time. Without exception.

Many have become disillusioned or disappointed with life because they were promised one thing and got something else. In some cases, they were even let down by something or someone who was supposed to represent God. And the result is that they’ve written the whole “God thing” off as fake and phony.

If that’s you, it’s time to know God for who He truly is. It’s time to know Him as El-emet, the God of truth, who can be completely trusted with every aspect of your existence.

Think about it…

What does this passage reveal to me about God?

What does this passage reveal to me about myself?

Based on this, what changes do I need to make?

What is my prayer for today?

(the Active Word devotional by Pastor Bob Coy from Christianity.com)

(devotional by Rebecca Ondov from OurPrayer.org)

Jesus answered and said to him, “. . . We will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23 (NKJV)

I jogged to my car, dragging God with me as I zipped through my daily prayers. Bless Mom and Dad, I prayed, and down the list I went. Then my mind skipped to the errands I needed to run before my friend Autumn and her seven-year-old daughter Carissa arrived for a sleepover. God, I’ll catch some time with You this afternoon.

Afternoon melted into evening and before I knew it, Autumn and Carissa were knocking on my door. My golden retriever puppy Sunrise bounded after Carissa, who ran away squealing in delight. The two tumbled on the lawn until dinner, and afterward they were at it again. We popped corn; Carissa shared hers with Sunrise. When we snuggled into blankets and turned on Anne of Green Gables, Carissa wanted Sunrise next to her.

During a break in the movie, Carissa tugged on my pant leg, “Rebecca, where does Sunrise sleep?” she asked.

“In my walk-in closet.”

“Do you think I could sleep with her?”

Autumn nodded, so after the movie I laid pillows on the floor next to Sunrise’s bed and tucked Carissa into a sleeping bag. As I glanced over at my prayer chair, I remembered my broken promise. Oh, God, I never did get back to You!

I looked into the closet at Carissa snuggling next to Sunrise. God, that’s what I want to be—passionate about being with You. Please be with me everywhere I go.

Thank You, Lord, for the comfort of Your friendship.

(by Max Lucado from UpWords Ministry)

Water. All Noah can see is water. The evening sun sinks into it. The clouds are reflected in it. His boat is surrounded by it. Water. Water to the north. Water to the south. Water to the east. Water to the west. Water.

He sent a raven on a scouting mission; it never returned. He sent a dove. It came back shivering and spent, having found no place to roost. Then, just this morning, he tried again. With a prayer he let it go and watched until the bird was no bigger than a speck on a window.

All day he looked for the dove’s return.

Now the sun is setting, and the sky is darkening, and he has come to look one final time, but all he sees is water. Water to the north. Water to the south. Water to the east. Water to the …

You know the feeling. You have stood where Noah stood. You’ve known your share of floods. Flooded by sorrow at the cemetery, stress at the office, anger at the disability in your body or the inability of your spouse. You’ve seen the floodwater rise, and you’ve likely seen the sun set on your hopes as well. You’ve been on Noah’s boat.

And you’ve needed what Noah needed; you’ve needed some hope. You’re not asking for a helicopter rescue, but the sound of one would be nice. Hope doesn’t promise an instant solution but rather the possibility of an eventual one. Sometimes all we need is a little hope.

That’s all Noah needed. And that’s all Noah received.

Here is how the Bible describes the moment: “When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!” (Gen. 8:11 NIV).

An olive leaf. Noah would have been happy to have the bird but to have the leaf! This leaf was more than foliage; this was promise. The bird brought more than a piece of a tree; it brought hope. For isn’t that what hope is? Hope is an olive leaf—evidence of dry land after a flood. Proof to the dreamer that dreaming is worth the risk.

Don’t we love the olive leaves of life?
“It appears the cancer may be in remission.”
“I can help you with those finances.”
“We’ll get through this together.”
What’s more, don’t we love the doves that bring them?
Perhaps that’s the reason so many loved Jesus.

To all the Noahs of the world, to all who search the horizon for a fleck of hope, he proclaims, “Yes!” And he comes. He comes as a dove. He comes bearing fruit from a distant land, from our future home. He comes with a leaf of hope.

Have you received yours? Don’t think your ark is too isolated. Don’t think your flood is too wide. Receive his hope, won’t you? Receive it because you need it. Receive it so you can share it.

Love always hopes. “Love … bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4–7 NKJV, emphasis mine).

From A Love Worth Giving
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2002) Max Lucado

You and I have the privilege to do for others what God does for us. How do we show people that we believe in them?

Show up. Nothing takes the place of your presence. Letters are nice. Phone calls are special, but being there in the flesh sends a message.

Do you believe in your kids? Then show up. Show up at their games. Show up at their plays. Show up at their recitals. It may not be possible to make each one, but it’s sure worth the effort. Do you believe in your friends? Then show up. Show up at their graduations and weddings. Spend time with them. You want to bring out the best in someone? Then show up.

Listen up. You don’t have to speak to encourage. The Bible says, “It is best to listen much, speak little” (James 1:19 TLB). We tend to speak much and listen little. There is a time to speak. But there is also a time to be quiet. That’s what my father did. Dropping a fly ball may not be a big deal to most people, but if you are thirteen years old and have aspirations of the big leagues, it is a big deal. Not only was it my second error of the game, it allowed the winning run to score.

I didn’t even go back to the dugout. I turned around in the middle of left field and climbed over the fence. I was halfway home when my dad found me. He didn’t say a word. Just pulled over to the side of the road, leaned across the seat, and opened the passenger door. We didn’t speak. We didn’t need to. We both knew the world had come to an end. When we got home, I went straight to my room, and he went straight to the kitchen. Presently he appeared in front of me with cookies and milk. He took a seat on the bed, and we broke bread together. Somewhere in the dunking of the cookies I began to realize that life and my father’s love would go on. In the economy of male adolescence, if you love the guy who drops the ball, then you really love him. My skill as a baseball player didn’t improve, but my confidence in Dad’s love did. Dad never said a word. But he did show up. He did listen up. To bring out the best in others, do the same, and then, when appropriate:

Speak up.

You have the power to change someone’s life simply by the words that you speak. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV). That’s why Paul urges you and me to be careful. “When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger” (Ephesians 4:29).

Earlier I gave you a test for love. There’s also a test for the tongue. Before you speak, ask: Will what I’m about to say help others become stronger? You have the ability, with your words, to make a person stronger. Your words are to their soul what a vitamin is to their body. If you had food and saw someone starving, would you not share it? If you had water and saw someone dying of thirst, would you not give it? Of course you would. Then won’t you do the same for their hearts? Your words are food and water! Do not withhold encouragement from the discouraged. Do not keep affirmation from the beaten down! Speak words that make people stronger. Believe in them as God has believed in you.

From A Love Worth Giving
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2002) Max Lucado