enLIVEn Devotionals

Abiding in Jesus - Overflowing His Spirit

Pure Joy

Pure joy during trials always seemed like an oxymoron to me. I could understand having joy after the trial was over and everything turned out okay, but joy during a trial seemed unimaginable. However, there was a season of trials in my life through which God finally taught me how to find pure joy when surrounded by despair. During this time of trial, I experienced one of the worst days of my life. It was the darkest day of this season of suffering. On that particular day a miracle happened: it snowed in November! This may not seem like a miracle to most people, but snow in the part of Texas ... Read the Post

Praying for Her

I sat in the pew with my eyes closed and head bowed while the pastor was praying one Sunday morning. As I meditated on God, He revealed a face in my mind of an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. He laid it upon my heart to pray for her. I prayed for her then, but for the next several weeks, God continually impressed on me to offer my old friend up in prayer. I prayed for her daily, though I didn’t understand what I was specifically praying for. I had lost contact with her, so I had no way of reaching her. Finally, while driving in the car, God again urged me to pray for my friend. I did, ... Read the Post

Rags to Robes

As Christians, we can choose to take a step of obedience or stay resolutely in our self-will. If we choose to be obedient, we find ourselves in a situation that is outside of our comfort zone. Insecurities and doubts begin to plague our minds. We may feel confused, lost, scared, anxious, unworthy, inept, uncomfortable and a dozen of other negative emotions. We may become frustrated because our step of obedience has stripped us of our carefully constructed image based on our own accomplishments. God strips us of our worldly rags only to offer us royal robes. But those royal robes scare us to ... Read the Post

Old Recipe Box

We were sorting through donations for a rummage sale when my friend and I spotted a small, rusty old metal box. One of the hinges on the lid was missing; probably because the little box could barely contain its contents. Worn corners of aged index cards and newspaper clippings peeked out, beckoning my attention. I sensed the box held something very precious. The moment I lifted the lid I knew that it was someone’s old recipe box – a history of what one family had enjoyed around the dinner table. There were handwritten recipes and other recipes clipped from newspapers and magazines. Recipes ... Read the Post

Rainbow

I remember as a little girl swinging on a swing set in my back yard, looking out over one of the many wheat fields of Kansas. There was a beautiful rainbow stretching across the clear sky, and I could see that the rainbow’s end was somewhere in the golden hills just beyond my house. The day was warm with a cool breeze, and I enjoyed imagining the pot of gold that was hidden just out of view. I remember thinking that I should go find the gold, but imagining it seemed safer and much more interesting. That has always been my problem. I have a very detailed and wonderfully colorful imagination, ... Read the Post