By Josie Siler

If you have read the headlines, you are aware of the state of the world in which we live. It seems as if the whole world is at war, or soon will be. The truth is we are all at war. We battle sickness, other people’s misconceptions of us, and the greatest enemy of all, Satan. We even battle ourselves. Some of us feel as if we’ve been fighting for so long, we don’t have the strength to fight one more minute, yet the battle rages.

In the second season of Downton Abbey we find the characters in the midst of the Great War. Some are fighting on the front lines, others struggle to find their place at home in a world that is rapidly changing. The lines between classes are beginning to smudge and for a time there is a sense of equality in that the war affects everyone in one way or another. At one point the characters are living in a state of tension as they know the war will be ending, yet it still rages on. People still get hurt and lives are still lost, even though they know the victory is theirs. As the war comes to an end, the characters – both upstairs and down – struggle to find their place in a world that can never be what it once was.

In so many ways, that’s the reality we are living in today. It’s the reality of the Kingdom of God. You see, the Bible tells us that the Kingdom of God is here, yet it is still to come. Matthew 4:17 (ESV) says, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Jesus was clear that the Kingdom was here on earth.

Just a few short chapters later in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. He says, “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’”

The Kingdom of God is at hand, yet Jesus tells us to pray for God’s Kingdom to come. We are living in a time of biblical tension. God’s Kingdom came when Jesus came to earth as a baby. It will also come, in completion, when Jesus returns in glory.

So what do we do in the meantime? For one, we tell other people the amazing news that God sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross for our sins. When we believe this, ask God to forgive us for the ways we have sinned against Him, and submit our lives to God, we will be saved from hell and live for all eternity with God in His Kingdom. Now that’s good news! Matthew 24:14 says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” So we preach His Kingdom.

We also admit that we are living in tension. Life will be hard. We will suffer. Even as we look forward to healing, either here on earth or in heaven, we live with the reality of today’s suffering. We know how our story will end. We’ve read the back of the Book. We know that when the war ends we will be victorious, yet we are still in the midst of the battle and we can’t let up – not for a moment.

We need to remember that ultimately “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore [we must] take up the whole armor of God, that [we] may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)

Lastly, we live in grace. We extend to ourselves the same grace that God extends to us, and that we extend to others. Our lives aren’t perfect by any means. We will mess up, we will fail, and we will sin. God forgives us when we ask Him to, so why do we so often live in guilt? Why do we live with regrets? Let’s forgive ourselves and accept the grace and forgiveness that God freely gives us. When we do, we will live in the freedom of Christ, experiencing His Kingdom here on earth.

Like the characters on Downton Abbey, and the generations that came before us, we also struggle to find our place in a world that will never be what it once was. However, as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, we’ll be okay.

© September 17, 2014

By Erin Elizabeth Austin

Picture it: You’re going through your everyday routine thinking everything is normal, when out of nowhere, you’re blindsided by a huge problem. The size of the problem is only outweighed by the unexpectedness of it all. What are you going to do? How are you going to deal with this? That’s when the shock sets in. You realize you are unprepared and unequipped to handle a problem as large as this one.

Not too long ago, I found myself in a similar situation. I felt like I’d been hit with a ton of bricks. Since I had no idea what to do, I did the only thing I could do – cry out to God. I know; that’s what you’re supposed to immediately do every time a problem arises, but let’s be honest. That’s often one of the last things we do.  

As I cried out to God for help, the oddest thing happened. He led me to a passage of Scripture that’s usually only read at funerals – Psalm 23. Maybe it’s just me, but I rarely read this chapter of the Bible because I feel like it’s about death. Yet because of my problem a few months ago, God has helped me to see this particular psalm in a different light. The entire psalm is filled with amazing promises from God, but the one which stood out to me is found in verses five and six.  

As I studied this passage, I learned something surprising. This psalm has nothing to do with death. The original language is talking about the here and now and the problems we face in this life. It’s saying that no matter what we go through, God’s going to take care of us. He is standing between us and our problems, and we don’t have to be afraid or worried.

Can you imagine a big bully calling us out to fight, but God steps up and says, “Don’t worry; I’ve got this. You just relax and grab a bite to eat while I handle this,”? It may seem silly, but that’s exactly what God is saying in this psalm. Yet so many times, we feel the need to be in control, and we prevent God from working in our lives. We stifle Him from fulfilling His promises.

Christians have a freedom that no other group of people has, and it’s because of Christ’s work on the cross. His death and resurrection made it possible for us to step back when bad things happen and call on our Daddy God to fight our battles for us. When we do that, we experience the liberating joy that can only come from the power of an Almighty God who is fighting for us.

There is a lot of chaos in our world today. People are dying, children are being beheaded, and wars are starting. With all of these problems, there’s a great outcry about what we can do to stop it. And while it is our duty to stand for what is right, I think we’re forgetting an important thing we can and should be doing right now – pray! God has called us to be an example to a lost and dying world, yet many of us are so focused on what we can do that we’re forgetting what God can do.

George Mueller, a missionary who ran an orphanage in England, understood the freedom that comes from relying on the power of God. He accomplished many things in his life, but what he’s most known for is his reliance and unwavering faith and joy found in God alone. At one time, things looked so bleak for the children of the orphanage there was no food for breakfast. A small girl whose father was a close friend of Mueller was visiting the home, and Mueller took her hand and said, "Come and see what our Father will do." In the dining room, long tables were set with empty plates and empty mugs. Not only was there no food in the kitchen, but there was no money in the home's account. Mueller prayed, "Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat." Immediately, they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, there stood the local baker. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow I felt you had no bread for breakfast, so I got up at 2:00 and baked fresh bread. Here it is." Mueller thanked him and gave praise to God. Soon, a second knock was heard. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. He said that before the milk spoiled, he would like to give it to the children.[i]

Mueller understood something few Christians do. God is more powerful than the fiercest enemy the world has ever known. He longs to work in our lives, and He wants to deliver us from fear and worry. We WILL thrive when we get our eyes off ourselves and our problems and onto God, and we will experience a freedom unlike anything we’ve ever known. It won’t matter what happens to us because we know the God of victory.

It’s time for us to stop being so focused on the problems that we forget the only One who can solve them. We have freedom in Christ. He’s prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies. It’s time for us to stop wringing our hands in worry and fear. No matter what happens, Satan can’t win when we trust God and praise His name. We are free!

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed!” ~ John 8:36

*If you missed the last devotion in the series “Learning to Thrive,” use this link: http://www.erinelizabethaustin.com/blog/it-takes-a-little-time 


[1] George Mueller; William H. Harding; Barbour and Company, Inc., 1985


© September 10, 2014

By Erin Elizabeth Austin

May I let you in on a little secret? I hate waiting! I know; I know. That’s not really a secret in this day and age. Everyone hates waiting. It’s why we have microwaves, fast food restaurants, high speed internet, and movies you can download directly to the television without having to go to a video store. Everything in this life is about speed and instant gratification. But that’s not how God works. If anything, it’s the exact opposite with God.

I’m not quite sure when I figured this out. Maybe it was after the twentieth time of praying for something and expecting it to happen right away only to have to wait for months and sometimes even years to get a response from God. Yet I couldn't understand why God would make me wait for something He planned to do all along. Why wait?

My question was answered after my body developed an allergy to wheat. As weird as this may sound I learned an invaluable lesson once I was no longer able to eat wheat, which means I couldn't eat bread, cereal, cakes, cookies, and worst of all, pasta. I've always loved Italian food, and that’s all it’s made of – wheat. I tried gluten-free dishes, but to be perfectly honest, they were disgusting. No longer could I pop a Stouffer’s lasagna in the oven and satisfy my Italian craving. When I wanted an Italian dish, I had to make it from scratch. I was able to buy gluten-free noodles, but the rest was up to me. Quickly, I learned to make whatever pasta dish I wanted, although I admit, I don’t do it often because it requires a lot of time and effort. And that’s when I realized something about God and life.

I can’t help but think what our lives would be like if God was as impatient with us as we are with Him. If we’re honest, all of us have given up on God at least once in our lives. Yet when we finally came to our senses, God was waiting for us to return to Him. But what if He wasn’t? What if He left us the way we leave Him?

We’ve been learning how to thrive for a while now, and there’s something we’ve seen over and over again through the course of this study. Thriving requires more than the status quo. It’s a choice we make every day of our lives, and if we fail, then we get right back up and try again. It requires heart, courage, trust in God, and time. Yet we will never be willing to give God the time to turn the trash of our lives into a priceless treasure if we don’t trust Him.  

If you stop and think about it, most of our prayers come down to this one desire – to have the broken mess of our lives turned into a life worth having. It’s taking our trash – the heartaches, losses, selfish desires, fears, worries, insecurities, doubts – and turning it into a priceless treasure. That’s what thriving is all about. It’s leaving our old way of life behind and becoming the people God created us to be and doing the things He created us to do. I don’t know about you, but that is my greatest desire. 

But that’s not an easy task. We have to be willing to wait and trust God to do what He said He would do. He’s been so faithful to us. Don’t you think it’s time for us to do the same for Him?

“Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with His promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining Himself on account of you, holding back the End because He doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.” ~ 2 Peter 3:8-9 (MSG)

*If you missed the last devotion in the series “Learning to Thrive,” use this link http://www.erinelizabethaustin.com/blog/whats-so-amazing-about-grace

 © September 3, 2014

By Josie Siler

“Event” – What do you think of when you hear that word? Does it fill you with excitement and joy or fear and dread? For a chronically ill person or their caretaker, this one word alone can unleash a flood of emotions. It does for me anyway. It seems that whenever there is an event coming up, there is an inward battle that must be fought.

I have been sick since birth. More times than not, that sickness brought to a screeching halt my plans for fun. I missed many events growing up. Everything from birthday parties to field trips to vacations. And it made me angry. According to my parents, when my brother got sick, he would sleep and then be better. When I got sick, I would stomp my little feet in anger and frustration.

Now that I’m all grown up, sickness is still interfering with my plans. It still makes me angry. I may even stomp my feet in protest from time to time. However, what I have come to realize is that plans change. There are going to be times when we can't do what we've been eagerly anticipating doing, when we can't go where we've been excitedly preparing to go.

When those times come, and they will come, how will we react? Will we throw ourselves a pity party, be grumps, and feel angry for weeks? Will we think to ourselves, "Oh well, it wasn't meant to be!" and move on? I'm guessing most of us will fall somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. What I am learning, and what I want you to know, is that it is okay to feel sad. It is okay to cry, to be upset, and to mourn what was lost. God knows that there is a battle raging within us. It is in these moments we need to be honest with God.

I had the opportunity to do that last week. For several years, I’ve been attending a Labor Day Family Camp with people from my church and other churches. It’s a fantastic time of relaxation, encouragement, and corporate worship. Last year I was too sick to go. I didn’t even plan on going. This year, however, I thought I could go. I have been planning on going for the past year. I was excited. And I was sick. I’m going through a pretty rough patch right now and the battle began to rage within me.

I knew if I could just get to camp I would be blessed and encouraged. However, I feared being sick at camp. The “what ifs” were running wild through my mind. I didn’t want to not go to camp out of fear of the “what ifs” – but I also didn’t want to be stupid and go when I knew my body couldn’t handle it. I struggled for days. Should I stay or should I go? I just didn’t know. I started to feel better just before camp, which made the decision even more difficult. In the end, it came down to the fact that I didn’t have time to get ready to go. And if I am honest with myself, I didn’t have the energy either.

So I stayed home. And I felt at peace with that. Yes, I was sad and upset to miss yet another event that I had been looking forward to, but I was also relieved I stayed home because I would have been miserable at camp. I still don’t feel well, but I know that God is with me and that He is good.

When event after event is ruined, it’s easy to let this become an area of fear in our lives. We wonder if we will ever be “normal” and able to plan something and follow through. Every time we say yes to something, we wonder if we will have to cancel. It can be scary to make plans. We don’t want to let others down…again. We don’t want to let ourselves down again either. 

Instead of living our lives in fear, let’s begin living our lives in the grace and mercy of our Lord. It is there that we will find freedom. As we bring our feelings to God and cry on His shoulder, He will remind us of how much He loves us. He will fill us with joy and hope for a better tomorrow.

Psalm 37:23-24 (ESV) reminds us that “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” We will fall and we will fail, but we will not be cast headlong. The Lord is holding us up. The Lord is establishing our steps.

Do you trust God with your life? Do you trust God with the things you’re looking forward to? Do you trust Him with the things that have been taken away? It’s time to have a serious conversation with your Lord. Go to Him. He's waiting for you, and He loves you.

© September 2, 2014