Amy Boucher Pye

Tag: devotional

  • Devotional of the Week: Never-ending Love (4 in Psalm 98 series)

    Photo: Chris R., flickr
    Photo: Chris R., flickr

    He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel… Psalm 98:3

    Today in celebrity culture we see the phenomenon of the “starter marriage,” so called because people view their first marriage as a stepping stone to move up the social scale as they find a more affluent mate. The qualities of love, faithfulness and commitment lose power as the current spouse is tossed aside for the new one.

    I admit my example is extreme, and not one I’ve seen in Christian circles – and I don’t want to incite pain by mentioning broken marriages, for we live in a fallen world where followers of Jesus suffer betrayal too. But though we fail, we know that the Lord will never stop loving us or being committed to us. He will never tire of us, disposing of us in the quest for the bigger or better or more accomplished. His love remains.

    Do we believe this at the level of our hearts? Do we live out of the assurance that the Lord’s love is foundational for our lives? If we find we are struggling to believe God’s promises, a simple exercise can impart deep-reaching change. That is, write out the Lord’s promises in Scripture as if he is speaking them directly to us, inserting our name. So with Psalm 98:3, I would say, “He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Amy.” Something to try?

    Prayer: Your love, Lord, never ends. Your faithfulness, Father God, remains. Your grace fills my soul, and I am home. Amen.

  • Devotional of the Week: Goodness Revealed (3 in Psalm 98 series)

    Photo: Flickr, Liz West
    Photo: Flickr, Liz West

    The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. Psalm 98:2

    I cringed when I read a letter I wrote many years ago in which I was trying to share my faith with a friend. Although I had good intentions in writing, my words were awkward and stilted. Yet this desire to share the good news of God’s saving grace is rooted deeply within us, not least because the Lord himself doesn’t hide his works of redemption. As the psalmist says, the Lord makes known his salvation and goodness, not only to his own people, but to the nations.

    The Lord chose the Israelites as his own, saving them from slavery in Egypt. He planted them in a new land, a place where they could thrive and flourish. As they defeated the marauding nations, often as the underdog, the Lord’s power and glory was revealed. The other gods were shown to be worthless in the face of the true and living God.

    How might the Lord want to make his salvation and goodness known in your life, and thereby to your friends and neighbors? How might you share your faith with someone? Perhaps you might write a letter (or email, text message, or a post on social media), yet hopefully you’ll employ more graceful words than those I used decades ago.

    Prayer: Father God, your power is beyond our imagination, and yet you love us with a tender devotion. May we share your goodness and grace this day. Amen.

  • Devotional of the Week: The Arm of the Lord (2 in Psalm 98 series)

    The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, public domain
    The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, public domain

    His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. Psalm 98:1b

    Symbols matter – we need them to help us interpret what is true and real in our world. Although the Lord God doesn’t have a human body (except, of course, for Jesus being born centuries after this psalm was written), he uses the language of symbol to communicate so that we might understand truth.

    One such symbol is his strong and powerful arm, which appears not only in the Old Testament – such as in several places in Deuteronomy, which describe how the Lord delivered the Israelites, or in Isaiah’s prophecy – but also in the New Testament. For instance, Mary, in what is known as the “Magnificat,” her song glorifying the Lord over being the mother of Jesus, uses the image as praise: “He has performed mighty deeds with his arm” (Luke 1:51).

    Whether found in the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament, this image of the Lord’s arm reveals how God intervenes in his world. He who provided freedom in the land of milk and honey for the Israelites also enacts salvation and new life for us, not only through the death of his Son on the cross, but through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. The Lord is not removed from his world and his people, but delights in rescuing and redeeming us.

    Prayer: Lord God, as you work salvation through your powerful arm, help me to serve others today, for your glory. Amen.

  • Devotional of the Week: A New Song (1 in Psalm 98 series)

    Photo: Dave Coram, flickr
    Photo: Dave Coram, flickr

    Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things… Psalm 98:1a

    How better to start a new devotional series than in singing to the Lord a new song! And how wonderful to focus on one of the biblical psalms. Join me these next weeks as we explore this ancient song together. Perhaps today or this week you could take a few moments to read Psalm 98 through, letting its call to praise sink into your heart and mind.

    Biblical commentators aren’t sure who wrote this psalm, although it has been attributed to King David. Many see it as a song exulting the Lord for his help to the Israelites as they fled Egypt and entered the Promised Land (the long journey commonly known as the Exodus). The Lord asked them to remember his deeds, lest their hearts become cold and they return to their evil ways.

    To keep our hearts tender, we too need to remember the Lord’s goodness, and one way to ensure we do not forget is to sing of his gracious love. Praising him takes our eyes off of ourselves and our troubles. As we ask him to reveal how he’s working in our lives, we may begin to see our sometimes challenging circumstances more from his viewpoint; we may understand the marvelous things he is doing in the midst of them. His grace is new every morning.

    What song can you sing today?

    Prayer: Father God, you have done wonderful things in my life. Help me give you thanks, always having a tender and grateful heart. Amen.

  • Devotional of the week: True Riches

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    Join me over at Our Daily Bread for this week’s devotional. The profound testimony of where a friend’s dad put his treasure was revealed at his funeral – so moving. Where’s your treasure?

    At the memorial service for my friend’s dad, someone said to her, “Until I met your father, I didn’t know a person could have fun while helping others.” Her dad contributed his part in helping to build the kingdom of God through serving people, laughing and loving, and meeting strangers who became friends. When he died, he left a legacy of love. In contrast, my friend’s aunt—her father’s older sister—viewed her possessions as her legacy, spending her latter years worrying about who would protect her heirlooms and rare books.

    Read the rest at Our Daily Bread. Find my other articles there here.

  • Devotional of the week: Ready for the Wedding

    share-odb-2016-09-12

    I love being a part of the Our Daily Bread writing team, and I love hearing from friends and family how much this publication means to them. When I was back in Minnesota over the summer, we got to see our next door neighbors, who have been friends for decades (and Mrs. Wolleat taught me piano for years). They read ODB regularly, and obtain a copy from their church to share with my parents each three months – with my articles highlighted! Hearing stories from readers around the world never fails to encourage me, knowing that God brings his light and life through the written word as produced by the team behind ODB.

    Here is today’s contribution…

    “I’m hungry,” said my eight-year-old daughter. “I’m sorry,” I said, “I don’t have anything for you. Let’s play tic-tac-toe.” We had been waiting over an hour for the bride to arrive at the church for what was supposed to be a noon wedding. As I wondered how much longer it would be, I hoped I could occupy my daughter until the wedding started.

    Read the rest at Our Daily Bread…

     

  • Devotional of the week: Abundant God (7 in Genesis 22 series)

    Photo: Eugene Kim, flickr
    Photo: Eugene Kim, flickr

    So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. Genesis 22:14

    Recently I’ve been challenged to consider where I hold a worldview of scarcity or abundance. Do I believe that God is abundant? That he showers gifts on us? We might embrace a scarcity mindset when we think that we don’t have enough time, or we won’t be given opportunities, or even when we hold back from sharing how we’ve been blessed because we worry it will incite jealousy in others.

    Abraham didn’t embrace this outlook of scarcity. Instead of sacrificing his son, he made a burnt offering of a ram that was caught in a thicket nearby. The Lord showed him and his people that he was different from the other gods; he didn’t want his children to follow their ways with child sacrifice.

    Do you suffer from this syndrome of scarcity-itis? How can you reorient yourself to embrace God’s view of abundance? One way is to start a gratitude journal, noting things large or small to give thanks for. Mine today would include our recent summer trip to the States to enjoy time with my family, the pretty roses spreading beauty in my study, the joy of my kids as they each have friends over, an invitation to speak to women gathered together.

    The Lord will provide – amen and may it be so.

    Prayer: Triune Lord, for your abundance in our lives, we give you thanks and praise. Help us to notice these blessings everyday. Amen.

  • Devotional of the week: Healthy Fear (6 in Genesis 22 series)

     

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    “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God.” Genesis 22:12

    Fearing God seems to have fallen out of fashion. We sing love songs to Him; think of Jesus as our best friend; spend times wittering with the Lord (and I hasten to add that I welcome all of these ways of relating to the triune God, for we are blessed to worship a God who communicates with us in many different ways). But do we bow our knees and honor him as the infinite, never-ending, all-powerful, holy, holy, holy God?

    Because Abraham feared God, he obeyed him, and this obedience is counted to Abraham as righteousness. Abraham was released from following through on his act of sacrifice – it’s the only time in the Bible that God sends the order to halt proceedings. And so Abraham, as the writer to the Hebrews says, is one of a great cloud of witnesses who surrounds us. We who have the benefit of these great heroes of the faith should therefore throw off the sin that entangles us as we run with perseverance the race marked out before us, setting our eyes on Jesus (12:1).

    As Isaac carried the wood on which he would be sacrificed, so did Jesus carry his wood – his cross, enduring its shame. Today, in holy reverence and awe, may we fear the Lord, considering Jesus’ sacrifice that we may not grow weary and lost heart.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen.

  • Devotional of the week: Sacrificial Love (5 in Genesis 22 series)

    Sacrifice of Isaac by Caravaggio

    Sacrifice of Isaac by Caravaggio

    Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. Genesis 22:10

    As we read this story in Genesis, it seems like time slows down. Each step as Abraham moves towards the slaying of Isaac feels like it happens in slow motion: they reach the place God told them about; Abraham builds an altar; he arranges the wood; he binds his son; he lays him on the altar… And then (big breath), he reaches out his hand (heart pounding) and takes the knife (hand shaking) to slay his son (“Whatever am I doing?”).

    Abraham proves himself worthy of being the father of nations. He doesn’t grasp the promises of God too tightly, nor has he made the promises themselves into an idol. Therefore God is pleased to move forward with his covenant with his people.

    Consider how this story, right at the beginning of our Bibles, reveals God the Father’s love for us. As we read the account of Abraham, we sense some of the pain and loss this earthly father must have felt. The Lord God on such a greater scale experienced the depth of this anguish when he sent his only Son to live on the earth and die on behalf of the people who often turn to their own ways.

    May we honor our Father whose sacrificial love saves us from despair and the consequences of sin.

    Prayer: Heavenly Father, your love never ends. Saving Son, thank you for your sacrifice. Convicting Spirit, we’re sorry for our sins. Amen.

  • Devotional of the week: Blessed Be the Name (3 in Genesis 22 series)

    Abraham going up to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, as in Genesis 22, illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible.
    Abraham going up to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, as in Genesis 22, illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible.

    “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Genesis 22:5

    Matt Redman’s song “Blessed Be Your Name” has helped many voice the mystery of worshiping God when we’re suffering. Though we feel “pain in the offering,” yet blessed is God’s name. We may croak the words through tears or gritted teeth, but the act of singing can inform our emotions.

    Abraham names what he is about to do as worship. He doesn’t know why God would ask him to sacrifice his son, but he trusts in the Lord. Biblical commentators remind us that child sacrifice would not have appeared as shocking to Abraham as it does to us, for back then it was common for deities to demand this as an act of worship – though of course the true and living God is not just any deity.

    Note also what Abraham says to his servants: “We will come back to you.” Did he sense that God would stop him from killing his son? We don’t know, but we can marvel at his faith, finding encouragement that a man who once lied to Pharaoh, calling his wife his sister, or who another time tried to fulfill God’s promises through his slave, is now a man of great faith.

    How might we worship the Lord today, even if we are walking the road of suffering? May we affirm him as our loving Father who wants the best for us.

    Prayer: Lord God, you sacrificed your only son that our slate might be wiped clean. Thank you for your love.