Category: Getting older

All the Way My Savior Leads Me – Deuteronomy 1-2 – 2025 Day 196

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Read through the Bible: Proverbs 15; Deuteronomy 1-2

I think there’s something incredibly powerful in true stories. Reading the biographies of Christian brothers and sisters like Hudson Taylor, Gladys Aylward, and Corrie Ten Boom is both inspiring and convicting. It reminds me that God is real, that He is on His throne, that He hears and answers prayers, and that He loves His children. I would highly recommend to you and your family the Christian Heroes books written by the married team, Janet and Geoff Benge. I’ve read at least a dozen of their books and loved every one. In fact, I recently discovered that my local library has several of their Christian biographies available on audiobook. Hooray! Did you know I absolutely love listening to audiobooks?

After homeschooling for 23 years, I recognize the great value there is in learning the history of America and other countries around the world. We have been immensely blessed by all four of Linda Hobar’s Mystery of History series, as well as the Notgrass family’s fantastic series of history books.

This summer as I look toward my first year in over two decades of not reading a history book on the couch with my children, I want to remember how important it is to know the history of the Bible, not merely so my children and I might be able to answer Bible trivia questions, but that we might learn from those who went before us. May we better know who our God is, that we might love Him more, and may we remember how easy it is to go astray, like 1 Corinthians 10:11-12 says, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

So, here are a few of my takeaways from Deuteronomy 1-2:

  1. God made a way for His people to enter the Promised Land, but they had to take action, obeying Him, going in and taking possession of the land. (Deuteronomy 1:8) I have found in my own life that the Lord has prepared me and my circumstances to accomplish His purposes, but that doesn’t make me exempt from taking the necessary steps of obedience to achieve them.
  2. Moses was a fabulous leader and man of God but even he needed other people to partner with him in leading the Israelites. (Deuteronomy 1:9-18)
  3. Even when we get to see first-hand the Lord working before our very eyes, we can forget His love and provision for us. We must be careful to remind ourselves again and again of His faithfulness. Deuteronomy 2:7, “For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”

What about you? What do you want to remember from today’s reading? Write it down in a journal, or leave a comment below. Remember: Writing helps remembering.

Heavenly Father, You are as real and powerful and faithful today as You were thousands of years ago. You cared for and provided for Your Hebrew children, and You care for and provide for me. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your guidance. Thank You for the nourishing food and clean water and safe shelter that You have given to me. Even when the way seems dark and I feel alone, I can trust that every day of my life You have been with me and I have lacked for nothing. I am grateful. For the glory and majesty of Your Name I pray. Amen.

All the Way my Savior Leads Me

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To live is Christ. To die is gain – Philippians 1 – 2025 Day 191

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 10; Philippians 1

“To live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Philippians 1:21 ESV

To live is Christ. To die is gain.

The world shouts, “Pursue riches. Pursue fame. Pursue power and beauty and praise. Take it easy. Enjoy life. You do you. Do what makes you happy. YOLO.”

But the Lord cries, “Pursue what makes for peace and building others up. (Romans 14:19) Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:11) Work hard. Enjoy Me. Be conformed to My likeness. Do what makes Me happy. YOLO.”

Whose voice am I listening to?

Oh, Heavenly Father, I only live once. It has been appointed for me to one day die and to stand before Your throne. Teach me to number my days that I might have a heart of wisdom. Give me the humility I need to count others more significant than myself, to look out for the interests of others. Make my faith firm and unwavering, that I can utter these words with complete conviction, “To live is Christ. To die is gain.” In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain, the One who is Worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Amen.

See: Hebrews 9:27, Psalm 90:12, Revelation 5:12

My Worth is Not in What I Own (with Chinese subtitles) – Keith and Kristyn Getty
What does Paul mean by “To Live is Christ but to Die is Gain?” – Drive Thru History

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Which Tent are You Serving? – Hebrews 13 – 2025 Day 167

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 135; Hebrews 13

We have an altar from which those who worship at the tabernacle do not have a right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify the people by his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing his disgrace. For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.

Hebrews 13:10-14 CSB

Let’s not rush past these verses without asking ourselves some transformational questions?

  • Am I living for this earthly body, this corruptible, temporary tent, or am I living for that eternal tabernacle in the heavens where Jesus is already seated at the right hand of God?
  • Am I willing to go to Him outside the camp and bear the same disgrace that He bore in my place, or am I ashamed of the gospel and unwilling to endure the disdain that the world has for the Name of Christ?
  • Am I seeking the praise of man, the accolades of this earthly city, or am I seeking the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” that my Father will one day welcome me with when I pass from the temporary to the eternal?

Ask yourself,
“Is what I’m living for
worth Christ dying for?”

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, in our hearts we know the right answers to these questions, but so often we lack the strength to do what we know that we ought. Please strengthen our weak knees and make straight the paths that You want us to walk. We do love You, Lord, but so often it is not with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. We are at best half-hearted followers. Oh, but Father, we want to give You our whole hearts. Please, do it in us. Pierce our hearts with the truth of Your word and help us to see our sin, so that we can be faithful to cast it off and put on Christ. We love you, Lord. It is in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, our Savior that we pray. Amen.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT TODAY’S VIDEO PODCAST ON YOUTUBE.

I Love You, Lord – Kathryn Scott

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The Lord’s Discipline – Hebrews 12 – 2025 Day 166

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 134; Hebrews 12

After hobbling around in a walking boot for six weeks, I was so tired of it. I wanted to throw it straight in the trash. I felt like it was hindering me and making me weak, when actually it was helping me heal properly.

It’s like the Lord’s discipline. The Lord is a good Father, a perfect Father. He wants for our good. He wants to teach us and train us. He wants to “raise us up right,” and that means that He is diligently working to conform us into the image of His Son.

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

Hebrews 12:11-13 ESV

I don’t want to be left lame. I don’t want to be left weak. I don’t want to have to walk the crooked path. No. I don’t. I need the Lord’s discipline – and so do you.

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for making me Your daughter. It’s so good to be Your daughter. Thank You that You are not punishing me as Your enemy, but disciplining me as Your daughter. You want for my good. You want to make me straight and strong, and You want to teach me to walk on the straight paths. Help me to give thanks in all circumstances and to trust that the path You have me on is Your will for me in Christ Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith and the Savior of my soul. For it is in His holy name that I pray. Amen

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT TODAY’S VIDEO PODCAST ON YOUTUBE.

Holy, Holy, Holy (We Bow Before Thee) – Shane and Shane

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How can I Endure? – Hebrews 11-12 – 2025 Day 165

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 133; Hebrews 11:32-12:28

I hope you read Hebrews 11 immediately before reading Hebrews 12, because of that critical first word of Hebrews 12, “Therefore.”

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV
  • Why do we remember all those men and women of faith who went before us, men and women who didn’t ever receive what they were promised, what they were hoping for?
  • Why do we cast off sin and all those other not-so-helpful things that are holding us back in this race?
  • Why do we consider Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, the One who endured such hostility?

So that we can keep going, running the race without fainting from weariness or lack of strength. Remember those saints. Remember Jesus. Cast off sin and selfishness and pride and cling to your faith.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us the example of the suffering saints and the suffering savior. Help us to suffer well. Help us to endure when race of life feels long and hard and lonely. Make us a reflection of Christ, remembering our children, our neighbors, our fellow church members are watching us. For Your glory and honor we pray, Amen.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT TODAY’S VIDEO PODCAST ON YOUTUBE.

I am a Christian – Hudson Harmony Band

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Looking Forward to Heaven – Hebrews 9 – 2025 Day 162

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 129; Hebrews 9

For several years, I have been teaching English classes online using The Beginners Bible. I remember one year when I taught the last class, reading the last story, the story of John’s vision of heaven. One of my students wondered if heaven would be boring, if we’d all just be sitting around on clouds singing and playing harps. We had a great discussion about how glorious and good heaven will be. I promised him that he wouldn’t be bored, and I sent his mom a link to another wonderful book, perfect for parents and kids alike, Heaven for Kids by Randy Alcorn.

More recently, I spent 18 weeks leading the youth through a study of the book of Revelation with our local Community Bible Study group. As part of that study, we memorized Revelation 21:1-8 about the glories of the new heaven and the new earth.

So, those things returned to my mind, when I read Hebrews 9.

For Christ has entered,
not into holy places made with hands,
which are copies of the true things,
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Hebrews 9:24 ESV

Jesus is there now, at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, and that fact alone is enough to make me long to go – which then reminded me of this quote from John Piper

“The critical question for our generation—and for every generation— is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?”

John Piper

Our Father in Heaven, what an honor it is to pray to You, to know that You hear our prayers while we are here on earth, and what an even greater honor to know that Jesus is interceding on our behalf. We look forward to seeing You face to face, to sitting at Your feet and at least beholding Your glory. We pray that You will draw our loved ones to Your side, that we can worship You side-by-side with those we love. In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT TODAY’S VIDEO PODCAST ON YOUTUBE.

Heaven is a Wonderful Place – Psalty

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The Year of Jubilee – Leviticus 25-27 – 2025 Day 153

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 119:161-176, Leviticus 25-27

“And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.”

Leviticus 25:10 ESV

My parents bought the house I was raised in when my sister was three and I was just a baby. They sold it when I got married.

I hadn’t been back to visit my hometown in almost two decades, but shortly after turning fifty, I had the opportunity to go back. Some of my neighbor’s homes had a fresh layer of paint, and the state capital building’s dome had a fresh layer of gold leaf, but underneath not much had changed.

The skywalks connecting the downtown buildings still shielded pedestrians from the Iowa cold. Huge piles of snow still rested in the corners of parking lots. The familiar Arby’s sign still stood beside East 14th street.

It was good to go back and remember what things used to look like, because it helped me remember how greatly other things in my life have changed since I grew up in that big old white house.

  • God has blessed me with four children on earth and two more in heaven.
  • I’ve lived in five different houses and three different states.
  • I’ve written books and recorded videos and shared the gospel with hundreds of people.
  • I’ve traveled to China and Hungary and Russia and Mexico.
  • My oldest two children have gotten married.
  • I’ve become a grandmother.
  • And more important than any of these incredible things, God has given me Himself. He has saved me and transformed me from an evangelical atheist to an evangelical Christian.
50 years

I remember when I celebrated my own year of Jubilee. Fifty trips around the sun. My year of Jubilee was hard in many ways. I was diagnosed with kyphosis and osteoporosis. I began seeing a physical therapist to help my posture, and I suffered my first broken bone – a stress fracture in my right foot.

But it was also very good. Trials bring growth. I’m learning that secret of contentment – that Jesus is my strength and that I need to rest in Him. I’m learning to lean on Jesus – rather than trying to do it all on my own. I’m learning to be faithful. I’m learning that my worth is not in what I do, but in who I am and who I belong to.

Have you celebrated your year of Jubilee yet? Jubilee or not, what would you like to learn this year? I’d love to hear from you. Please leave me a comment.

Heavenly Father, A Jubilee is no celebration without You. Help us to fix our eyes on You, the author and perfector of our faith. Help us to remember who we used to be – so that we can have hearts of gratitude for all that You have done. Help us, though, to remember who You ALWAYS are. Your grace is always with us. You are always good and You are always kind and Your goodness is everlasting. All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been good. All my life I will sing of the mercies of God. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

King of my Heart / Goodness of God
by Caleb and Kelsey

Everyone Whose Heart Stirs Them – Exodus 35 – 2025 Day 136

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Read through the Bible in Two Years: Psalm 106, Exodus 35

“All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.”

Exodus 35:29 ESV

God had called Bezalel and Oholiab by name, giving them special skills and abilities to craft the beautiful tabernacle for the worship of the Lord, yet God also had a purpose for the entire congregation. Every man and every woman in the whole nation, everyone whose heart stirred them, everyone whose spirit moved them, were invited to contribute to the creation of the tabernacle.

Do you have some blue, purple, or scarlet yarn? How about some rams’ skins or goats’ skins, goats’ hair or fine linen? God needs you.

Do you have anything made of bronze, silver, or gold? How about some stones, spices, or oils? God needs you.

They didn’t have to have
any particular skills.
They just needed to have
willing hearts.

What do you have to offer Him? A house? A job? An education? A child? A marriage? These are all gifts from Him, and He can use them all. Are you willing?

Heavenly Father, every hour of every day is a gift from You. My life is a gift, but so is my stuff. Every piece of furniture, every article of clothing. Every room in my house. Every child around my table. My husband sitting next to me. I offer them back to You. Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Stir my heart. Move my spirit. For Your glory and praise. Amen.

My Worth is Not in What I Own –
Keith and Kristyn Getty
Take my Life and Let it Be – Norton Hall

Life is Short – Job 20 – 2025 Day 70

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Job 20, Psalm 38

Do you not know this from of old,
since man was placed on earth, that the exulting of the wicked
is short,
and the joy of the godless
but for a moment?
Though his height mount up
to the heavens,
and his head reach to the clouds, he will perish forever
like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

Job 20:4-7 ESV

Heavenly Father, remind me how fleeting the treasures and pleasures of this world are! They’re all going to burn up. I can’t take them with me.

But you remain. Your word remains. The treasures stored up in heaven, the work done for you, for your kingdom, for your name and glory, they will remain. Teach me to number my days that I may have a heart of wisdom.

In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen

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Take My Life and Let it Be

Your Life is Not Your Own. Thoughts from the Life of Joseph – 2025 Day 57 (Genesis 49-50)

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Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 25, Genesis 49-50

His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.”

Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Genesis 50:18-21 ESV

Joseph understood that his life was not his own. He recognized that his life was too be lived in service to his fellow man and his God. Whether refusing the advanced of his boss’s wife, interpreting dreams, obeying his father, or providing for the needs of the Egyptians or the brothers who has sold him into slavery, his life was lived as an offering back to God. Can we say the same?

Is your body “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”? (Romans 12:2 ESV)

Do you see your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have received from God, such that “you are not your own,” … that you will live to “glorify God in your body”? (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV)

If your answer is “no,” let me make two simple, but not simple, suggestions:

  1. You can’t live what you don’t believe. If you don’t believe God’s Word … if you don’t believe that Jesus is the perfect, sinless God-man, the spotless Lamb who died for your sins and was raised to life again … if you don’t believe that God is good and all-knowing and all-powerful over all things, then you won’t be able to trust God enough to surrender your life to Him. Start there. Start by simply reading His Word each day, while asking Him to help you in your unbelief.
  2. You can’t give what you don’t have. If you don’t belong to God, if you’re not filled with His Holy Spirit, then you simply don’t have the power to live for Him. Surrender your life now to God. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn away from your sins and follow Him with an obedient spirit. Ask Him to change you from the inside out and fill you with His Spirit.

Please pray with me.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You for coming after me while I was lost in my own sins. Thank You for giving us the book of Genesis, that we can know how the world began, but also that we can know the true stories of ordinary men and women like Abraham and Sarah and Joseph who possessed extraordinary faith.

Help us to trust You more, to believe that nothing is too hard for You, that You have good plans for us and that You have a purpose for our lives. Make us pure and holy vessels of Your Spirit. Make us living offerings for Your glory. We love You. We trust You. Help us to love You more and trust You more, for You are worthy.

In the name of Jesus Christ who is our Savior and our Lord we pray. Amen.

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“I am Not my Own”
Keith + Kristen Getty, Skye Peterson