Feb 11, 2026 – Relationship
I did it again. I let current (sad and frustrating) events on TV delay my time with God this morning. He tells us to protect our time with Him (see Matthew 6:6 and Psalm 91:1) and to have discipline (see Hebrews 12:11, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 Cor. 9:27, and Proverbs 25:28), but curiosity (and caring) draws us away. He misses us when we rush past Him, but what we miss has far greater impact on our lives in the moment and in the long term.
Simpson encourages, “Let us set our faces toward the sunrising and use the clouds that come, to make rainbows. Not much longer shall we have the glorious opportunity to rejoice in tribulation, and learn patience. In heaven we shall have nothing to teach long-suffering. If we do not learn it here, we shall be without our brightest crown forever, and wish ourselves back for a little while, in the very circumstances of which we are now trying so hard to get rid.” The verse for today: “Strengthened with all might unto patience” (Col. i. 11).
JC – “My Peace is like a shaft of golden Light shining on you continuously. During days of bright sunshine, it may blend in with your surroundings. On darker days, My Peace stands out in sharp contrast to your circumstances…. I am training you to practice Peace that overpowers darkness.” See John 1:4-5 and Hebrews 12:3.
Max points out, “What is small to you may be huge to someone else.” 1 Peter 5:14 – “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
JA – “BE JOYFUL ALWAYS; pray continually. The way to rejoice at all times is to find moment-by-moment pleasure in your relationship with Me – the Lover of your soul…. Give thanks in all circumstances. There is immense Power in praying, ‘Thank You, Jesus’…. I encourage you to praise Me for every good thing…. adds sparkle to your blessings…. When you are feeling sad or discouraged, it is still a good time to thank Me. This demonstrates your trust in Me and brightens your perspective…. strengthens your relationship with Me and helps you live more joyfully!”
Prevail #42 – Joshua 24: 14-15 – “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly…. Choose today whom you will serve….” Larson shares this very valid perspective, “It’s been said that part-time Christians are some of the most miserable people on the planet…. Yet what joy awaits us when we trust completely in Him! His will for us is our best-case scenario! …Are you all in? If not, what’s holding you back?”
I promise, I really promise, (and you may already know) that if you lean in and open your heart and mind to God, He will meet you there and bless you with understanding and guidance. Even just a quick prayer before you get out of bed, “Go before me today, Lord” invites Him into your circumstances. A quick read in a devotion book or a selection of Bible verses sensitizes you to His power and comfort and may leave you wanting more. As you spend more time with Him, just as with a human relationship, you will learn more about Him and whether the friendship is one you want to nurture and develop. I again promise, even if the time spent waxes and wanes, if you are truly open to Him, you will find yourself making more time for Him and reaching out to Him throughout the day even with just quick thank Yous and “was that You, Lord” and “I heard You, wow.”
Larson presses further, “And if you’d say you’re all in, I’d say, go deeper still. Plumb the depths of His Love, stand more firmly on His promises, and linger longer in His presence. May the generations that come after you benefit greatly from your faithfulness.”
Power is entitled, “Don’t Miss the Miracle.” THAT is the basis of why nurturing relationships is so important. What we miss when we distance ourselves from God, people, and experiences, shapes our perspectives. Joyce writes today from the last verses of Luke when Martha (working to serve her guests) judges Mary (sitting amongst the guests listening to Jesus) as she points out, “You will not enjoy the present moment and the gifts it contains if you don’t have a balanced attitude toward work…. Jesus said Mary made the better choice.”
As I look at all of the unfinished projects around here (specifically, right now, our taxes), and bathrooms needing attention, and the piles of things in many places that need to relocate to many other places, I feel comforted that the time I spend with God, and with other people, is more important than creating a show house for visits with God and other people. Joyce’s closing thought on this is, “Jesus wants you to work hard, but He also wants you to be wise enough to realize when you should stop all activity and not miss the miracle of the moment.” I do think I could work a little harder on all of the things that need attention, just sayin’. There’s a good book related to this question of balance, originally written in 2000, by Joanna Weaver: Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.
Streams – Joshua 3:13 – “As soon as the priests… set foot in the Jordan, its waters… will be cut off.” Cowman, through the writings in Evening Thoughts, points out that, “We must learn to take God at His word and walk straight ahead in obedience, even when we can see no way to go forward. The reason we are so often sidetracked by difficulties is that we expect to see barriers removed before we even pass through them.” I can understand why most of the Israelites might have hesitated at the shores of the Jordan River. Think, like them, back to the Red Sea 40 years prior when they did “pass through” the walls of water on dry land. Why wouldn’t they think that that’s how God handles bodies of water? We have likely heard, from many sources throughout our faith journey, that God doesn’t always do the same thing in similar situations, but they didn’t know that or hadn’t experienced it or didn’t remember if they did know. In immediate situations of crisis, our memories aren’t always that great, unless we are stayed on Christ and consistent in our relationship with Him so that we can hear His voice and guidance even in stressful situations, sort of how we say things like, “My mother would say….”
Utmost is entitled, “Is Your Hope in God Faint and Dying?” I really bet that that is exactly what was happening at the shores of the Jordan. There were likely grumblings saying we asked Him to help us get across but the water is still there and where are the walls of water and the dry land? Chambers is writing again about imagination when he asks, “Is your imagination stayed on God or is it starved?” I believe it probably took a lot of imagination to trust Moses and to believe what they were seeing when the walls of water rose before them. Wouldn’t we all think we could rest on that miracle for the next one we need? Do we need to imagine anything like putting our feet in the water for the way to be made clear? The point is, it’s not about us. It’s about our relationship with and faith in God so that He can make the way clear to us.
Chambers continues, “If you have never used your imagination to put yourself before God, begin to do it now. [put your feet in the water maybe?] It is no use waiting for God to come; you must put your imagination away from the face of idols and look unto Him and be saved. Imagination is the greatest gift God has given us, and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. If you have been bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, it will be one of the greatest assets to faith when the time of trial comes, because your faith and the Spirit of God will work together…. Remember Whose you are and Whom you serve. Provoke yourself by recollection, and your affection for God will increase tenfold… and your hope will be inexpressibly bright.”
