Month: March 2025

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in accountable, needy, poor

March 21 2025

Psalm 41 Verse 1-2

1 Blessed is he who considers the poor![a]
    The Lord delivers him in the day of trouble;
2 the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;
    he is called blessed in the land;
    thou dost not give him up to the will of his enemies.

We don’t want to see the poor and needy. It disturbs us. Probably because we feel guilty about not doing something. We see homeless people on the street and they are dirty, wear layers of clothing (have everything they own on their backs on in a cart) and often smell bad. They are not pleasant to be around. They often beg for money and w generally assume that they will use the money or liquor or drugs. How much we assume.! I wonder if we would feel the same way if we new their story.

Jesus calls us to give of our abundance. Maybe we think we don’t have much to give but by comparison we are very rich. The Psalm tells us that we will be happy if we help…that help will come to us in our time of need. It reminds me of the saying “what comes around goes around!.” If we do nothing that could be a scary thought.

Prayer: God of the poor homeless and needy. Help ust o not pass by when we wncunter te poor.Let us see the incredible plenty that we hae and inspire us to share. Remind us that we, also, culd be one of those in need but for circumstances. AMEN

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in feelings, God, habits, remember

March 250 2025

Psalm 34 Verses 1-4

1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

Blessing God is not something that we remember to do that often. We do bless and praise him in church…the Gloria is a song of praise to God. I wonder if we remember that when we are saying or singing the Gloria. Most of us are uncomfortable if someone lifts up their hands in the service and yet this is also lifting praise to God. There is something about involving our bodies that engages our minds on a different level. We should all try it.

Prayer: Gracious Lord, you are worthy to be praised with glad voices. We bless and praise your name. We are grateful for your love and compassion.. Be with us each day of our lives. AMEN

Homework: Since most of us are worried about what people think… when you are praying alone life up your arms to God. See how it feels.

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in accountable, choices, peace, peacemakers

March 19 2025

Psalm 33 Verse 12

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people he chose for his inheritance.

These are tough time for our nation. We know that leaders don’t work from the purest of motives. Everyone seems to have an agenda. We all think we now the best thing for everyone. Yet I doubt that ay of us would make al the right choices. After all the only way that is perfect is God’s way. Even those who say that they are speaking God’s will aren’t “pure in heart.”

So what do we do? Only what we can. Each day, in each situation we try our best to follow the example given to us by the life of Jesus. Even in politics…especially in politics.

Prayer: Lord, keep our nation in your care. Guide our leaders to make right decisions. Encourage us to speak out against wrongful actions and harmful choices. Show us your way to pring peace to the world. Each of us is but one but one voice is better than none.

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in God, joy, sorrow

March 18 2025

Psalm 30 Verses 4 – 5

4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning

Nothing lasts forever. Not bad things…not good things. Change is ever with us. Even when we are overcome with grief we can rest in God’s promise that joy will return. It may not be the same feeling as before. It may may be different.. Sometimes more profound. After all how do we know the full impact of joy if we have never experienced sorrow.

Prayer: Lead us gently through our sorrow, loving God, so that we may know the joy you have in store for us. AMEN

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in abuse, accountable, danger, environment

March 17 2025

Psalm 24 Verses 1-2

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.

Sometimes I think that we believe that we made the earth and it is all there for us to use. We create factories that pollute the air. We dump sewage in our rivers and streams and destroy forests and wildlife. We can do that…we are in charge. But we didn’t make the earth. Ii is just on loan to us. We are supposed to take care of it not destroy it. When are we going to wake up and understand that we are stewards not owners.

Prayer: Thank you gracious God for the earth that we live on. Remind us that we are to care for all of creation. Help us to be co-creators with you and not destroyers. AMEN

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in calm, God, safety

March 16 2025

Psalm 23 Verse 4

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

Most o us have had to walk through that dark valley. It reminds me of the dark wood in the old movie The Wizard of Oz. It is scary in that wood but Dorothy is not alone. She has friends with her. We need friends with us too. It is not easy to walk in that valley by ourselves.

We don’t have to do it alone for God is always with us. Fear no evil…we are not alone!\

Prayer: God of comfort, thank you for being with me in the valley. Even i the dark, let me feel the calm of your presence. AMEN

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in balance, calm, common sense, God, silence

March 16 2025

Psalm 23 Verses 1-3

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.

It has always been interesting to me that this psalm says “He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside quiet waters.“

We are the overworked Americans. We don’t know how to slow down. Most of us are on a computer, smart watch or phone…anywhere on social media. There are so many time saving devices to help us have time for ourselves but we fill that time with more electronics. Instead of a time out we are even more busy and stressed. It is even more evident in our teen population.

We have no idea how to lie down in green pasture or sit beside quiet waters. I don’t think we even know what quiet is.

We need to rethink our lives. Repeating what is causing the problems is called “insane.” It is time we we learned how to help ourselves.

Prayer: Help us to learn to really take time out. We need to create some time in our lives to just sit and think. Help us find ways to restore our souls. Let us be still and know that you are God. AMEN

Homework: Take a least ten minutes today to just be….sit quietly somewhere restful and do nothing.

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in answers, communication, compassion, God

March 16 2025

Psalm 63 verses 1-5

1 You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

Blaise Pascal, a mathematician and physicist, is credited with saying “There is a God-shaped hole in the heart of every man”.  We spend much of our lives trying to fill that hole. We try buying things, getting more money, having face lifts, and anything else we can think of. The problem is nothing works. It should be obvious to us if we look at the lives of some famous people. Many of them have taken drugs to help fill the hole when money and fame didn’t help. So many have died either from drugs or suicide. Obviously we are on the wrong path.

David tells us what fills that hole and how we will feel when that happens. “I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.“

Prayer: Caring God how disappointed you must be that we can’t see the path to you. Help us to truly understand that seeking you in our hearts and minds is what is needed. We must spend time with you and listen to your voice. We need your love and compassion on the way. AMEN

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in belief, help, hope, unconditional love

March 13 2025

Psalm 18 Verses 3-10

3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
    I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked,
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind.

I wish I had room to print this whole Psalm. It is not for the weak at heart. This is no namby-pamby God but a God of power. Just imagine…God was call by one of his people and he not only answered but came fast as lightening with such scary special effects better than any movie. This is SOME GOD!

He will come just as fast to hep us…all we have to do is call.

Prayer: God of power and might. Hear us when we call and come quickly to our aid. Give us the strength to banish evil and oppression to the glory of your Holy Name. AMEN

Homework: Read the whole off Psalm 18 part one. Warning…parental guidance is recommended. This is a PG13 Psalm.

Devotional

by worrylessjourney, posted in accountable, arrogance, compassion, love

March 12 2025

Psalm 16 5, 9-11

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

“You make known to me the path of life.” How many times have you showed me the right path. It’s in the Bible. Also your voice speaks in the Christian people around me. But still, I have trouble going the way way or doing the right thing. It’s something we all do. It’s a lot easier to do what we want. Don’t worry about if it’s right or not…just please yourself.

Our culture teaches us to be self sufficient…to be individuals…to make our own decisions. Even our songs agree….remember the one that said “I did it my way?”

It is only when we put God first that our perspective begins to change. Just like being in love and wanting to do everything for the person we love. When God is that person then things change. Suddenly things that seemed OK before are no longer pleasing to us. Pleasing God give us pleasure.

The wonderful thing is that God will not abandon us no matter which path we choose.

Prayer: O God, thank you for loving us and showing us you love over and over. Teach us that when loving you first everything else will fall into place. AMEN