thoughts by Helen Grace Lescheid Archives - Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God

Published June 2, 2023

How to Respond in Suffering

Expressing one’s true feelings is not a lack of faith.

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”John 16:33

Pain, suffering and hardships are normal ingredients of life. What we mix them with—fear or faith– makes all the difference. Jesus did not come to make us escapists but over-comers. How?

1. Honestly express your feelings.

Job exclaimed, “Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me… My harp is tuned to mourning and my flute to the sound of wailing” Job 30:26-31.

King David wrote, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?” Psalm 22:1.

Jesus said, “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour” John 12:27.

Expressing one’s true feelings is not a lack of faith. It’s being real, and you must be willing to face reality before you can expect to overcome it. Like King David, who wrote many of the psalms, I find it therapeutic to write my feelings down in a journal. It makes the situation more real and valid. It also helps to talk to someone, but choose carefully whom you confide in.

2. Don’t suffer more than necessary by indulging in self-pity and bitterness. Some people get stuck in what if. If only. I should have. It isn’t necessarily our pain that causes us to suffer so acutely but our tendency to put ourselves down, to view pain or tragedy as punishment, failure, or proof of our inherent worthlessness.

I’ve seen people get stuck in a painful experience that happened sixty years ago. They talk about it as if it happened last week. People who won’t let go of the past are not able to enjoy the present. They suffer more than God intended.

3. Don’t spend time and energy on asking why. It’s not nearly as important to know the why in life, as it is to know the Who of life. Knowing God as a benevolent Sovereign who controls the events in my life gives me peace of mind. I can safely leave my why with Him and concentrate on the now what? Now that this thing has happened, what can I do to make it better? How can I help to bring some relief to those who are suffering? I can’t do anything about the why, but I can do something about the what. And that’s where I want to put my energies.

“Be still and know that I am God…The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:10, 11

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Are You Afraid to Fully Surrender to God?

Many people say,

“Sure, I believe in God. I’ve gone to church most of my life.”

But is this all there is to it? What does it mean to believe?

To believe means more than intellectual consent. It involves surrender. We must give ourselves to God before He can give Himself to us. We practice this kind of surrender every time we fly in an airplane. We board an aircraft, sit down in our seats and put the seat belt on. And for the next four hours or so we’re at the mercy of a pilot whom we don’t even know. We trust that he knows what he’s doing and he’ll get us to the right destination safely.

We do the same with a doctor. Before surgery we sign a consent form, right? We allow the anaesthetist to put us to sleep. Talk about complete surrender! Then the surgeon can help us and not before. The principle of complete surrender holds true in many situations in life. Complete surrender is needed before help can come to us.

It’s no different with God. Before He can help us, we must give ourselves to him completely.

Being totally dependent upon God is one of the hardest things we Christians have to do in life.
We fear the helplessness of it. We want to be in control. Still, God cannot work unless we surrender to him. His way is always to work through weakness.

We have the mistaken idea that when we surrender completely we’ll become spineless and mindless persons. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, when we surrender we tap into God more fully. We become more alive, more realistic, more courageous, more truly ourselves than we’ve ever been before.

Dear God, forgive me for being so independent. I want to trust you more in every situation. I give myself to you now in full surrender. In Jesus name, Amen.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverb 3:5-6

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Peace I Leave With You

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

Does life sometimes seem overwhelming?

You’ve received a troubling report from the doctor. One of your children is in crisis. You wonder how you will pay your bills. Then there’s a car accident. It seem like trouble comes in bunches.

The disciples found themselves in a raging storm on the sea of Galilee. As seasoned fishermen they had seen storms before but nothing like this. What made matters worse Jesus was not with them.

When he did come walking on the water they thought he was a ghost. They screamed in terror. But Jesus called across the waves,

“It is I; be not afraid!” (“I AM is here; stop being frightened!” Amplified)

Then he climbed into the boat with them and the wind died down (Mark 6:45-52).

Did you notice that Jesus walked on the water? The very thing that was so frightening to them Jesus walked on. What does this tell us? The circumstance that seems so threatening to you now is under Jesus’ feet. He has control of all of it and will see you through. Let his peace fill you now.

I’ve been thinking about the word peace. In Greek “peace” has the connotation of being linked together. So when Jesus says to us,

“Peace I leave with you,”

He’s saying,

“You and I are in this together and I’m also pulling this load. We’re walking arm in arm through this difficult experience. You are not alone.”

Not only is Jesus walking with us and shouldering our load, but he is within us. And because He is within us, we have all the resources we need.

What difficult experience do you find yourself in right now? What are you dreading? Can you visualize Jesus in that situation?

Lord Jesus, thank you for sharing my burden and giving me all the resources I need to handle this. Amen.

by Helen Grace Lescheid
Used by Permission

God is Our Comfort

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…” Isaiah 66:13

In our culture comfort is revered. We are made to feel that we’re entitled to the good life of health, success, and happiness especially if we’re Christians.

Advertisements bombard us that say: Just take the right product, join the right group, say the right prayer; believe strongly enough and the good life will open up to you. Is it any wonder that this is the culture of ‘victim thinking’.

Jesus taught that pain and suffering are part of this life.

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Having God on your side doesn’t mean having no storms in your life. It means having a boat no storm can sink. So true! When I experienced deep suffering that lasted for many years, I found great comfort in knowing that God was present and God was actively involved in choosing each adversity to be part of the life package He carefully and purposefully put together for me.

What is God doing in our suffering?

(1) God wants to reveal Himself to us in a deeper way. Suffering stretches our souls so that God can pour more of Himself into us. Suffering is the ‘dark room’ in which the picture of God is revealed.

(2) God sees potential in us which He wants to set free. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,” writes James, “because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-3).

(3) Suffering gives us a ministry. Suffering provides an opportunity to show the world that Christ is real. God wants people to be surprised at us– surprised that we can keep on believing– given what has happened to us. Persons, despite their pain, keep trusting God prove to the world the reality of God.

Knowing that God engineers all of life –including the suffering–gives tremendous comfort. Suffering is then measured by Someone who loves me deeply. Suffering is given with purpose and design. It all fits into the good plan that God has chosen for me.

Jesus, thank you for your promise:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:8)

by Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

I Choose to Give Thanks

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” Psalm 50:23

I felt unappreciated, unloved, and unworthy to call myself a Christian.

Jesus exuded a joyful confidence no matter what happened in his life. He lived each day in joyful obedience to the Father. The kind of life, he promised to his followers:

“I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:10).

But where was the joy in my life? Defeat and depression clung to me. It probably would never change. After all, I was by nature a melancholic. The experts said so.

One day as I was scrubbing the kitchen floor, oblivious to the small radio beaming its songs and messages, my tears mingled with the soapy water. I felt like such a failure. Suddenly a woman’s voice on the radio arrested me. “Are you living on Grumble Street?”she asked. “You’re complaining about all the things that are wrong in your life. Stop it. Move over to Praise Street and begin to thank God for all the things that are right in your life. Offer Him the sacrifice of praise.”

I sat up. If God had spoken my name out loud, it couldn’t have been more suited to my need. Then there is something I can do? I thought. I can choose thanksgiving even when I don’t feel like it. That’s why it’s called a sacrifice? I grabbed a pen and paper and began to write down some blessings:

Thank you, God, that I can scrub a kitchen floor: I have a home.
Thank you, God, for family; they’ll soon be home for supper.
Thank you, God, for the friendly neighbor who just waved at me.
Thank you, God, for how the wind plays in the branches of the tree.
Thank you, God, for how the afternoon sunshine lights up the bush

Saying “thank you, God” out loud, felt a bit strange at first, still it was the beginning of forming a new habit, the habit to focus on the blessing of the present moment. For was each blessing not a tangible “I-love-you” message from God himself?

I discovered that emotions are followers. They follow our thinking. As I continued to focus on the blessing of the present moment, my emotions caught on to the new “me”. Not a grumbling me but a joyful me.

My children also began to notice. “Mom, you find pleasure in the weirdest things,” my daughter laughed, “like a spider web.” Yes, indeed! For when I sing his praises, God is very near.

Dear Father, I want to offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving every day and prepare the way for your blessing to flood my heart and soul and overflow into my family.

by Helen Lescheid
Used by permission

Jesus is Alive in My Life

“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ.” Ephesians 2:4-6

Easter Sunday as a joyous event celebrating the resurrection of Jesus is forever etched in my memory.

In Austria we lived in the shadow of a large church with an enormous bell tower (at least it looked like that to my childish eyes.) The bells rang faithfully morning and evening and on special occasions. But there was one day the bells did not ring.

That was on Good Friday when the priest used an instrument which made a rasping, sad sound. It was to remind us of Christ’s suffering and put us into a mood of mourning.

When Easter Sunday morning came, all the bells rang in a glorious symphony. The joyous sound floated across roof tops, hills and valleys carrying the good news, “Jesus has risen from the dead.”

But when I arrived at the church, I was disappointed to see the life-sized crucifix of Jesus’ body on the Cross was still there. If Jesus has risen from the dead, why is he still hanging on the cross? I wondered.

Don’t we do this too?

We go through the motions of celebrating that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. We accept it as part of our religion, but what difference does it really make to our lives today?

Is Jesus alive in your heart? Is he active in your life today?

The risen Lord Jesus Christ is not just up in heaven preparing a place for us, but he is presently down here on earth wanting to make His home in us and do His work through us.

How? We must die to our selfish ways and surrender to Christ on a daily basis. He has to become our very life from moment to moment. It will be “Christ in us working through us.” We depend on him to be our sufficiency for each new challenge. Then we can stop trying so hard and trusting more. What freedom comes with this realization!

Jesus, I depend on your strength and your life in me today. I want to do your will and your work today. What is it you want us to do today?

by Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

A New Identity

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

Linda had a very low self-esteem. She’d always felt second-rate in her own family. Ugly. Like she was a nuisance to have around. I’m programmed to be a looser, she thought. How can I possibly be anything else? She lived in defeat and despair.

Then Linda learned about Jesus Christ, how he had come to save us from sin and give us a new life. Hope began to whisper that she could be set free from her sin and the negative influences of her past. She gave her life to Christ. She began to read God’s Word and apply it to her heart.

When negative voices shouted, “you’re a failure; you’re no good” she would counter, “I don’t have to listen to you. That’s not who I am anymore. God has chosen me before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) It gave him great pleasure to adopt me as His child (Ephesians 1:5) I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13) She wrote these verses and others on cards so that she could carry them with her and say them often.

As she fed on God’s truths, her self-esteem grew. She began to excel in school, became a registered nurse, and a well-loved public speaker.

Linda affirms that it’s not what has happened to us in the past, but our belief system at the present–what we believe about God and ourselves now–that determines success or failure. Success is not mind over matter, but truth over error. “The truth will set you free,” Jesus said. (John 8:32)

Jesus, I am so thankful that because you live in me I have all that I need to live a godly life which brings blessing to You and to others.

by Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

The Living Word Inside Me Makes the Difference

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us.” (Read John 1:1-4).

For a long time I treated the Bible as a self-help book. I would read the instructions given and work as hard as I could to obey them. And I would fail miserably. Then I’d get upset with myself: Why couldn’t I do it? And I would get upset with God: Why wasn’t He blessing my efforts?

One day it dawned on me: it doesn’t depend on my frantic self-efforts to live the Christian life. The Bible is not a self-help book, but a revelation of the Living Word: Jesus Christ (John 1:1-14) He said,

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing” (John 15:5 Amplified).

A branch in a tree doesn’t worry about staying alive or how much fruit it will bring. It is totally dependent on the sap that comes to it from the tree. As long as it abides in the tree, it will have all it needs to flourish and bear fruit.

We are to be like that branch totally dependent on the Christ-life within us working through us.

How comforting this is when I face a challenge that is beyond me.

“Dear God,” I pray, “You know that in myself, I can’t do this. You said so yourself: ‘without me you can do nothing.’ But Christ in me can do this. Now I depend on him to work through me.”

The result is often amazing: Not only was the thing done, but there was joy in doing it.

Jesus, I am so prone to doing my own thing. Remind me, again and again, that without You I can do nothing, but with You I can do all things

by Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

God is Our Safety

“You are a shield around me, O LORD, my Glorious One, who lifts up my head.” Psalm 3:4

We live in a world of great unrest: riots and terrorist attacks in many places, train bombings and shootings in broad daylight…How can we feel safe?

Late in his reign King David, was forced to flee for his life from Jerusalem because of a revolt led by his rebellious and arrogant son Absalom and a host of traitors. He could have trusted his army to protect him and defeat Absalom but instead He trusted God. “You are a shield around me, O LORD, my Glorious One, who lifts up my head,” he wrote.

Even at night, in the wide open desert without concrete walls around him and a comfortable bed, David was able to sleep. In the morning, he may have shaken his head in surprise as he said, “even here I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.”

The fact that God was His protection was very real to King David for he often wrote about it in the Psalms.

“My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me. You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great.” 2 Samuel 22: 3, 36

Those comforting words are also for us. During times when we feel vulnerable we can say with David, “My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart” (Psalm 7:10). “He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge” (Psalm 144:2).

For a shield to do any good we must use it. We must dwell in the fortress (God) and take up His shield.

“Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,” Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:16.

Dear Father, we thank you that you are greater than anything that could harm us. We trust in your protection and deliverance.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by permission

Peace of Mind

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Jesus offers us peace—the peace with God which he made possible through his death on the cross; the peace of God which fills our hearts with quiet confidence even when life is tough.

But why do so many of us not experience this peace of heart and mind?

Jesus offers peace but for it to become a felt reality, we must take care of our let nots. Jesus said,

“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

The Amplified Bible explains:

”stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.”

How? Do not feed fear by what you watch on T.V. video games, movies, or books you read.

Replace a disturbing thought with a good thought—quote a Bible verse or a stanza from a hymn or chorus. One that has helped me is “Be still my soul: the Lord is on your side…”

Tell God about your fear with thanksgiving. “God, you are bigger than this problem. I give this to you now. I want to trust you with it.”

Move ahead despite your fear.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:4-7.

Lord Jesus, fill my heart and mind with your peace.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Peace in a World of Turmoil

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”
(John 16:33)

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

When we look at the world news, our hearts tend to get frightened. So much unrest, violence, fear! Jesus predicted it would be this way. “In this world you will have trouble,” he said. “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

How can we as Christians still have peace in our hearts and make a difference in our world?

Paul gives us some practical steps: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2).

—Devote yourselves to prayer for your families, church leaders, governments, refugees…

Is there a friend or neighbor you could team up with for prayer on a weekly basis?

—Being watchful. Instead of looking at the problem, keep your eyes on Jesus. As long as Peter kept looking at the Lord Jesus, he walked on water. The moment he focused on the waves, he began to sink. Readjusting our focus may mean spending more time reading God’s Word and less time on watching the news on television.

—Be thankful that no matter what happens in the world, God is still in control. He is never ringing His hands saying, “What am I going to do?” The atrocities committed on innocent refugees, families, children and youths sadden His heart. Pray that they will feel God’s nearness and that they will get the help they need. Perhaps we can help with a donation.

Be thankful for your daily blessings. Write them down in a gratitude journal.

We can rest assured that no matter what happens in the world, Jesus Christ is still the victorious One and Our Sovereign Lord. “I know that you can do all things,” Job said. “No plan of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

Dwelling on Jesus’ words we can have peace.

by Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

He Will be My Guide

“For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.” Psalm 48:14

Do not put your confidence in your ability to follow Christ, but instead in his ability to lead you. by Jack Deere.

While visiting my children in Senegal, West Africa, we were invited to attend a wedding. The wedding reception was held at the bride’s parent’s homestead. But how to get there was a problem.

We had travelled for about an hour on rutted roads crossing barren fields–hot in the African sun–and through small villages sending chickens and goats scurrying. At clusters of mud huts wide-eyed children waved. Geoff had stopped several times to ask directions, to no avail. No road signs, I thought. How will we ever find the way?

At the fork of a dusty road, Geoff slowed the four-wheel drive. “Which way?” he asked his wife Esther. “Your guess is as good as mine,” she laughed. “How about left at the baobab tree.”

We passed an old man walking barefoot beside the road. Geoff slowed and waited for the man to approach the window. A brisk conversation ensued. The man nodded his head, then entered the van. “He knows where the place is. He’ll show us the way,” Geoff said. Immediately we relaxed. With a good guide sitting beside the driver, in no time we arrived at our destination.

As we approach the uncharted territory of another year, with its challenges and opportunities, we will lose our way unless we have Jesus as our guide sitting up front showing us the way. This year is not new to Him. After all, “Every day of our lives is written in his book” (Psalm 139:16). He knows the way.

Do you have Jesus in your life? Are you following His directions? With Jesus in your “car” directing the way, you will get to your desired destination.

Lord Jesus, I want to follow you. Show me the way today and help me to listen. Amen.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

God is waiting to show His love and kindness to you and to guide your life. He wants to make something beautiful of your life. And you can open your heart and life to Him today by praying this prayer with a sincere attitude.

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

When Life is Hard to Understand

Do you sometimes wonder why bad things happen to good people?

Are you confused by what’s happening in your life?

Do you wonder where is God in all this?

We have been conditioned to think of God as a doting parent whose function is to shield us from unpleasant circumstances. No wonder we are disappointed. The Bible clearly teaches that God sometimes acts in severity. C.S. Lewis describes these actions of God as His “severe mercy.”

Listen to these Bible verses: “

For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt” (Psalm 69:26).

“Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction” (Isaiah 30:20).

Notice, it wasn’t insensitive people, nor my own shortsightedness, nor the devil who gives the afflictions, but the Lord. Because He chooses them, they are carefully and lovingly measured to suit my person. Furthermore, there is a design, a redemptive purpose to what He chooses to bring into our lives.

“The LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted” (Isaiah 30:26)

God is very much involved in everything that happens to us.

I find great comfort in a balanced view of God: a parent wiser than I am (Isaiah 55:8); a God who cannot be manipulated by me or anyone else. God loves me enough to bring trials into my life that will grow my character and give me a deeper understanding of Who He is.

True, some hardships do come my way because of my own failures, selfish persons, or Satan’s strategies, but no matter, God is involved and His loving plan will be carried out. Job came to this conclusion at the end of his long ordeal. “No plan of yours can be thwarted,” he said. (Job 42:2)

Father, thank you that You work all things together for good in my life. I want to trust you more.

by Helen Grace Lescheid
Used by Permission

I Want to Experience More of God’s Love

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:19 NLT).

Most of us have sung, “Jesus loves me this I know,” and recited “For God so loved the world,” since we were children. Yet, we don’t experience God’s love. Why is that?

We may have been desperately disappointed by people who claim to love us, and now we are skeptical of love–even God’s love.

When we look to any other person besides God to meet all our love needs, we set ourselves up for disappointment. There is no human being alive that can love us as completely and as fully as we need to be loved, and there never will be. Only God can do that.

On the other hand, we may feel betrayed by God Himself. Maybe we’ve prayed fervently for a need and, instead of the situation getting better, it got worse. It’s like God doesn’t care.

Now stubborn independence and pride have taken over. We’re like a pebble in a brook bathed in life-giving water, but because it remains unyielding, it can’t absorb the water.

The Bible tells us that God’s love is available to all:

“But God shows and clearly proves his love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 Amp). “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9, 10).

But love is also relational. For us to benefit from God’s love, we need to respond to it in faith and obedience. We need to make our hearts soft so the love of God can penetrate.

“But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him…to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments” (Psalm 103:17 NRSV).

God’s abundant love is swirling all around us, but we need to reciprocate. How? “By fearing the LORD and obeying His commandments.”

But aren’t we then earning God’s love? No, we are tuning our hearts to be receptive to God’s love. By faith we affirm His love and by our obedience we respond to his love. As we do so, it becomes a heart-felt reality.

Dear God, thank You that You love me always. I want to tune my heart to receive Your love. I want to be alert to all the reminders of your love you scatter throughout the day. In Jesus name, amen

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Dependency on God

Jesus tells the crowd at the temple, “the miracles that I do in my Father’s name speak for me” (John 10:25). “I did not speak of my own accord but my Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it” (John 12:49).

The world looks at dependency as immaturity.

The Bible teaches that dependency upon God is the right and natural way to live.

Jesus modeled for us complete dependency upon God. He went to a lonely place to pray, that is, to grow in the awareness that all the power He had was given to Him; that all the words He spoke came from His Father; and that all the works He did were not really His but the works of the One who had sent Him.

God encourages our dependency on Him, not because He delights to be boss, but because we were made to be dependent beings and we function best when we live in dependency on Him. God made us to be wired into Him.

I visualize my dependency on Christ as being a branch in a tree that expects to be nourished moment by moment by the sap that flows through the tree. When I feel empty, I hear Jesus saying, “Tap into my wisdom, my patience, my love, my energy.” There’s no danger of running out, for His supply is inexhaustible.

If we would practice this moment-by-moment dependency upon God, how much more relaxed we would be! We’d have more poise and confidence.

Thank you, Father, that I’m a branch in the Vine, Christ Jesus, and His resources never run out. I count on His strength and joy today.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Category: <span>thoughts by Helen Grace Lescheid</span>

Expressing one’s true feelings is not a lack of faith.

“Be still and know that I am God…The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:10, 11

Further Reading

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverb 3:5-6

Further Reading

Does life sometimes seem overwhelming?

What difficult experience do you find yourself in right now? What are you dreading? Can you visualize Jesus in that situation?

Further Reading

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…” Isaiah 66:13

Further Reading

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” Psalm 50:23

Further Reading

“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ.” Ephesians 2:4-6

Is Jesus alive in your heart? Is he active in your life today?

Further Reading

Further Reading

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us.” (Read John 1:1-4).

Further Reading

“You are a shield around me, O LORD, my Glorious One, who lifts up my head.” Psalm 3:4

Dear Father, we thank you that you are greater than anything that could harm us. We trust in your protection and deliverance.

Further Reading

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Further Reading

How can we as Christians still have peace in our hearts and make a difference in our world?

Dwelling on Jesus’ words we can have peace.

Further Reading

Do not put your confidence in your ability to follow Christ, but instead in his ability to lead you. by Jack Deere.

Further Reading

Do you sometimes wonder why bad things happen to good people?

FURTHER READING

Further Reading

The Bible teaches that dependency upon God is the right and natural way to live.

Further Reading