“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

In these recent devotions, we have been talking about our posture—the various ways in which we position ourselves in relation to God and others: kneeling, sitting, standing, climbing, and now forward movement. I use this label rather than either walking or running (although these are definite implications), because the Bible is clear that regardless of our physical mobility, we are either moving toward or away from God. There is no in-between. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30).

Walking with God is not always a piece of cake. The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan, is a wonderful allegory, told as a dream, about what it is like to journey through life from the “City of Destruction” to the “Celestial City,” otherwise known as Mt. Zion. There are all kinds of side-tracks, pitfalls, dangers, temptations, etc. along the way. This allegory is an accurate description of our life, from birth to death. It has always been a helpful way to describe my “walk” with the Lord, as a pilgrimage with my destination as eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

So, let us be purposeful in our forward movement.

• “You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:33).
• “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
• “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
• “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

Let us move forward with the right sense of urgency.

• “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24).
• “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” (Hebrews 12:1).

And let us move forward, in step with God.

• “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11).
• “But those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31). 

And a final word of encouragement. Not only does the Lord go in front of us, He also goes behind us. His Hand is on us always. We are never alone on our pilgrimage. Whether we see Him or not, He is there, both guiding and protecting us. I love this part of the Exodus Story, when the Israelites were approaching the seemingly insurmountable barrier of the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his chariots on fast their heels: “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long” (Exodus 14:19-20). And we all know how that turned out!

“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me” (Psalm 139:5).

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

In Christ,

Judy

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

In these recent devotions, we have been talking about our posture—the various ways in which we position ourselves in relation to God and others: kneeling, sitting, standing, climbing, and now forward movement. I use this label rather than either walking or running (although these are definite implications), because the Bible is clear that regardless of our physical mobility, we are either moving toward or away from God. There is no in-between. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30).

Walking with God is not always a piece of cake. The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan, is a wonderful allegory, told as a dream, about what it is like to journey through life from the “City of Destruction” to the “Celestial City,” otherwise known as Mt. Zion. There are all kinds of side-tracks, pitfalls, dangers, temptations, etc. along the way. This allegory is an accurate description of our life, from birth to death. It has always been a helpful way to describe my “walk” with the Lord, as a pilgrimage with my destination as eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

So, let us be purposeful in our forward movement.

• “You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:33).
• “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
• “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
• “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

Let us move forward with the right sense of urgency.

• “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24).
• “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” (Hebrews 12:1).

And let us move forward, in step with God.

• “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11).
• “But those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31). 

And a final word of encouragement. Not only does the Lord go in front of us, He also goes behind us. His Hand is on us always. We are never alone on our pilgrimage. Whether we see Him or not, He is there, both guiding and protecting us. I love this part of the Exodus Story, when the Israelites were approaching the seemingly insurmountable barrier of the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his chariots on fast their heels: “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long” (Exodus 14:19-20). And we all know how that turned out!

“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me” (Psalm 139:5).

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

In Christ,

Judy

“He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights” (2 Samuel 22:34).

Since beginning this series on “posture” three weeks ago, I have become intrigued with the concept of “standing.” Just like “kneeling” conveys submission and “sitting” conveys community, “standing” conveys steadfastness and power. Who is standing when others fall? There are so many situations in which we are to stand. We stand trial. We withstand the tests of time. We stand in line, stand in for others. I loved the old song, “Standing on the Promises.”

For a person who is well-known and respected, we say they have “standing” in the community. That means they are someone to be listened to and followed. “Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz” Ruth 2:1).

Standing firm is an emphatic positioning meaning (literally and/or figuratively) “I’m not going anywhere.” Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again” (Exodus 14:13). Nashville Rescue Mission is standing firm in its physical location in Nashville, and in its stance on the Gospel. “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

We stand in reverence. “Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up” (Nehemiah 8:5). “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds Lord” (Habakkuk 3:2a).

To stand in a setting can imply a place of honor and responsibility.
“At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today” (Deuteronomy 10:8).

It can also imply strength. “No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go” (Deuteronomy 11:25).

Standing does not convey lack of humility or community; in fact, it implies both of those things. One of the most inspiring scriptures in the Bible is in the passage in which Stephen is being stoned to death. “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Remember that after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to sit at the right hand of God. The visual of this scripture, seeing Jesus stand to recognize the complete giving over of Stephen’s life to follow Jesus, Stephen’s willingness to die for Jesus, fills my heart. Jesus is not submitting to Stephen in any way, but he is standing in recognition and welcome to his brother.

There are so many examples of God giving us a place to stand. “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:2).

So many examples of where God calls us to stand up. “l stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts” (Habakkuk 2:1).

Most of all, we stand in hope, in the confident promise of our LORD and Savior. “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:12-14).

“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth” (Job 19:25).

In Christ,

Judy

“Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land” (Proverbs 31:23).

Sitting is a common posture. We read examples in the Bible of people sitting at home, sitting on a donkey, sitting at a gate, sitting in judgment. We sit all the time—at work (well, some of us), at home, at church, in restaurants, etc.

I want to focus on three types of sitting. Think of this posture as an element of the setting and intention of the activity.

In class – The assumption here is that we are sitting in class or in church to learn from a teacher, pastor, or supervisor. Our posture should be to sit attentively, to eliminate distractions, and to engage appropriately with the leader of the session. Even though we are not the one speaking, we should participate with our attention and nonverbal reactions.

As a student or disciple, we figuratively sit at the feet of our teacher, hungry to absorb all that he has to teach us. In the story of Mary and Martha, we learn that when Jesus visited the home of Martha, that “She (Martha) had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.” When Martha complained about Mary to Jesus, Jesus replied: Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42).

I had a pastor tell our congregation one time that he noticed when we were sleeping or inattentive, and when we were engaged. He said our engagement really made a difference; it energized him. I have tried to remember that when I am sitting in any audience, I am a participant, not just a seat-filler.

In community – Another time we find ourselves sitting is at the table with our friends, either one-on-one or in a larger group, perhaps enjoying a meal or good discussion of some sort. In this posture or setting of community, let us be mindful that we are sitting with two kinds of people—believers and nonbelievers. That is the only distinction that matters. When we are sitting with our fellow believers, we should be mindful that every opportunity to gather with others is an opportunity to strengthen relationships, provide encouragement and edification, to console. And when we are sitting with nonbelievers (or if we are not sure), then our intention should be to point them to Jesus.

“While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:15-17).

In a public setting – Most of us have experienced sitting in a doctor or hospital waiting room, sitting on the bus or plane, or some other office. This is my biggest missed opportunity. I tend to focus on the waiting, either fretting about the waste of time or selfishly retreating into a book or headphones. I so admire those who see this for what it is—an opportunity to speak life into a stranger God puts into your life who, like you, is also waiting. Being effective in a setting like this, more than any other, requires prayer and discernment, because we have no foreknowledge of the other person’s history or personality.

I have a friend who drives for Lyft, and she sees it as a ministry. She has had amazing and varied opportunities to interact with her passengers, including some that her life has not particularly equipped her for. However, if we, like her, pray for opportunities, they will come our way; and if we pray for guidance, the Holy Spirit will never fail us.

Whether active or passive, the point is this: we should be mindful of our setting and our purpose in it. Sometimes the temptation is to lose ourselves in a crowd, or the opposite—to stir up undue attention in a crowd. Remember, you always have something to offer, so be prayerful and mindful of how to apply the fruits of the Spirit and your gift of the Spirit, no matter the setting. Think about your day and the opportunities you will have and pray to God for his direction in each situation.

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46-47).

In Christ,

Judy

“When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘He is good; his love endures forever’” (2 Chronicles 7:3). 

The Bible uses lots of verbs for our posture: standing, sitting, kneeling, lying down or prostrate, and verbs for our movement such as walking, running, and climbing. Sometimes we stand during a worship service, sometimes we sit, and sometimes we kneel. Sometimes during prayer we stand, sometimes we kneel, sit, or lie prostrate. Sometimes we raise our hands, sometimes we fold them. Does it matter? 

Let us take some time to explore what the Bible says. Today we will start with kneeling, sometimes with our face to the floor which is also called prostration. We are more familiar with kneeling, but it might be helpful to know that the definition of prostrate is to “lie face-downward in submission or despair.” A biblical example of this is included in one of my favorite stories about one of the most famous prophets in the Bible, Elijah. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah calls down fire from heaven in a showdown with the prophets of Baal.  

“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!’” (1 Kings 18:36-39). 

I would submit that falling prostrate at this demonstration of God’s power was most appropriate. There are many examples of both kneeling and prostration in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments: 

Moses prostrated himself before God in intercessory prayer: “I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights because the Lord had said he would destroy you” (Deuteronomy 9:25). 

David prostrated himself before Saul, his King: “When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground” (1 Samuel 24:8). 

When Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: “Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell  prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him” (Daniel 2:46). 

And when the angel Gabriel came to Daniel in a dream: “As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. ‘Son of man,’ he said to me, ‘understand that the vision concerns the time of the end’” (Daniel 8:17). 

When approaching Jesus for healing: “A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean” (Matthew 8:2). 

When approaching God in prayer: “When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed” (Acts 20:36). 

Kneeling and lying prostrate is a sign of submission and repentance, of being all in, total focus. Interesting side note: I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in the live studio audience when Beth Moore recorded her study on James. At the beginning of each session, she took prayer requests, and then fell to her knees, and then on her face (with all that hair and make-up) and prayed so earnestly to the Lord. I decided to take up that practice during my morning prayer. I was a little nervous about it because I tend to fall asleep when I just close my eyes. However, I have never fallen asleep when on my face in prayer. There is such a total focus that I feel more awake and in tune with the Holy Spirit than any other time. 

The ultimate point I will make is that our posture before God is more than a physical movement: It is a state of mind. Regardless of whether we are on our feet, on our knees, or on our face, our hearts should be in total submission and complete obedience and awe and reverence toward our Lord and Savior, the one true King, the ultimate power source and authority for our lives. Let us follow the example of Christ: 

“…Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8). 

In Christ, 

Judy 

P.S.: If you would like to talk more about any of these devotions or matters that concern you, please stop by my office, or call or text me at 615-804-3453 to arrange a time, and I will be happy to speak with you. 

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom “(Ecclesiastes 9:10).

I had a close call last Friday. Alone at home, I had a pretty bad fall on the ice; and before I knew it, I had hit my head and suffered a concussion, as was evident from the symptoms I later experienced. Before you ask, I am fine now. But I have been thanking and praising God ever since because it could have been so much worse.

As you will recall, it was a very cold day, so I am so thankful that I did not pass out and lie in the frozen snow for any length of time. I did not break any bones. I did not lose any mental function (that I can tell, anyway). And I am so thankful for the reminder that life is so fragile. I am so thankful for the reminder that the things we take for granted are so fleeting.

Reminders are useful if we let them be so. While “what-if’s” can be anxiety-provoking, they can be positive thought-provokers as well, and they make me more intentional about my priorities. For example:

1. If I had not survived the accident, what of significance have I left undone?
2. If I had lost any mental capacity, what do I wish I had made decisions about?
3. If I had lost the ability to speak, what do I wish I had said?

The list goes on.

I remember my pastor from my teen years admonishing us to live every day as thought it were our last. At the time, I took that to mean not procrastinating on the things I wanted to accomplish or experiences I wanted to have in my lifetime. And while those are significant, now I apply it more to relationships. I know now that accomplishments and experiences for the sake of accomplishments and experiences are not bad, but they are not lasting and mostly have no eternal value. However, relationships and our ability to positively impact the lives of others can last beyond our lifetimes.

Most importantly of the “what-if’s” scenarios is: What if I had not been in a right relationship with Jesus, my Lord and Savior?

Peter tells us: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Paul says it another way: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).

Both of these New Testament Apostles are quoting from Old Testament passages in Exodus, Numbers, 2 Chronicles, Nehemiah, Psalms, Joel, Jonah, and Nahum. Check them out. Anything repeated this many times must be essential doctrine.

How many times must He tell us before we believe? How many times must He remind us to remain diligent in our relationship with Him? “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” But His patience extends until we breathe our last breath. As it is written in Hebrews: “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

And Jesus is quick to remind us: “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

In Christ,

Judy

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment….” (John 16:7-8). 

The first two devotions for 2024 speak to resolve and resoluteness. Those are admirable qualities, but only if they are pointing us in the right direction. We could resolve to and resolutely become bank robbers. Or we could resolve to and resolutely play more video games. The first is morally and ethically wrong, the second is just a waste of time, which in a way is also morally and ethically wrong, just not illegal. Or we could just continue in the same direction we have been headed—no worse, no better.  

Most of us intend to do better, to be better. But for intention to move us to action, we need conviction, and conviction comes from the Holy Spirit. “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment….” (John 16:8). 

We discussed setting and achieving goals in the first two devotions. What kinds of goals are we setting? Let the Holy spirit be our guide; the following are two categories that he will point us to: 

Pray for conviction of sin. Sin is missing the mark. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sometimes we sin intentionally, but more often we sin unintentionally. In speaking of intention as in an intention to do good, sinning unintentionally is really a state of not being mindful about our actions. It follows then that if we were mindful, we would not do anything unintentionally. So pray for mindfulness, intentionality, and continual conviction or insight from the Holy Spirit. 

Pray for conviction for areas to grow in your walk with Jesus. “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). 

I challenge you to pray fervently to God to convict you of where and how you are missing the mark, and to show you how to grow in your relationship with others and with God.  

“For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:4-6). 

In Christ, 

Judy