"Capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt, as by a weapon". I know... odd starting a devotional with a dictionary description, but that is one of the core descriptions for 'Vulnerable'... not a word I liked very much in my earlier years. As I have grown, I become more and more aware just how bound I was (still am in some places) with the fear of being vulnerable. So much so, I can hide even from myself! As you may recall, I've been saved since February of '78, which is quite some time ago. Only in the last 5+ years have I realized 'what' being vulnerable really means 'for' me. See... fear of exposing something to someone was a fear of rejection, ridicule, judgement, ostracism, even simple disapproval. But, I realized (through the Lord) that He can be trusted with my vulnerability. He is God, not the rejecting humans... I learned to not project how they treat me onto Him. Once I started caring 'less' how 'they' felt and more how He felt... much better life! Ephesians 2:13 claims; " But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." His blood on that cross has redeemed me from the guilt, shame, and fear vulnerability forces on me. I no longer hide things from Him, nor even myself. Psalms 139:1-4 reads; "O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. (2) Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. (3) Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. (4) For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. " Adam & Eve were ashamed of their sin and tried to hide it (first, by covering themselves, then by diving into the bushes)... God already knows all about you and your 'filth', and still walks into your 'garden' to fellowship, still yearns to share His time with you, still loves you with arms wide open! 2 Corinthians 5:21 even states; " For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. " Learn to bare yourself before Him. Learn to trust His accepting grace. Learn to accept His guidance for your 'vulnerable pieces' and He'll either confirm them in your life (maybe you're an excellent singer or speaker) or give you strength to change them (maybe you need to quit smoking or lying). Regardless, once you learn to trust Him with your vulnerability, how and what 'others' think about you will 'not' have the same 'fear power' over you... you WILL grow closer to the Lord, but even better, more accepting of who you are, and how others are, too.

Ever thought about where God hangs out? Where He rests? We understand from scripture that He's out there. But, in the universe? Outer space? Our upper atmosphere? The devotional today helps convey His presence, both within or without. In fact, way back with the beginning of the 'exodus', God instructed Moses in Exodus 3:14, with; " And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. " There had to be someway to convince the wayward people that God was 'out there'. His Spirit led them, but they followed an external God, except for a rare few. Now, 1 Corinthians 3:16 reminds us; " Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? " His Spirit actually resides IN us. But not 'all of mankind'. Even now, God is 'here', but for so many people, only externally... as part of their jewelry, or in their rituals, and there are even many people who don't believe God at all. This does not mean He's not there. It only means they will almost 'never' understand (let alone have peace) in the midst of their calamity! See? You may experience trials, trouble, and heartfelt woes, but when the Spirit of the Lord is 'within', His presence brings peace, joy, assurance, and especially hope! When He is only 'without', there is fear, questioning, doubt, blame. How to avoid this tumult? Psalms 25:14-15 declares it most poignantly, as; " The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. (15) Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. " Too often, we want God to show us, then we'll trust. That was a devotional topic of ours in recent days ( seeing is not believing ), but when God is within, He nurtures, admonishes, grows you, protects you. Otherwise, He'd be in you destroying His own work... how contrary is that? God IS without, take the time to ensure He is within and your life will begin following His will.

No, today's devotional is not about train safety, or rail-yard protocol. Too very often, my spirit, my trust in the Lord, my peace and hope in Him... are derailed by giving too much attention to temporal things; be it financial woes, family concerns, or even the never tiring political & social struggles. I just end up in a puddle of worry, or tending toward hopelessness, and worse, that ugly feeling of solitude and abandonment (where's God?). But back to derailing, because my train-of-thought wanders through a pathetic myriad of 'woes of tomorrow' that just keep me from wholly experiencing His peace... in each moment through the day... as the Lord gives me a series of 'divine appointments'. Feels almost helpless to keep from being derailed. The hope though, comes from John 16:33 , which admonishes; " These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. " That is to say, the temporal things on this earth will cause trouble... get use to it... but stop being owned by it... stop giving it undue time and attention... stop letting it derail your walk, your focus on the Lord, and your progress of faith. Psalms 105:4 reminds us that we are to; " Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. " Getting our strength (discipline to focus) from the Lord. Sure, we must attend to matters here on earth. Naturally, we are going to be compassionate and responsibly supportive to those around us... it's just the 'getting derailed' part that we keep at the forefront of our thoughts, our discipline, our lives. In no way is it easy, not by any little bit... without His peace! John 14:27 clarifies that with; " Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. " His peace gives us that sharper mind, the quickened heart... giving us a very keen sense of attention to things that derail our calling, our hope in Jesus, our very joy.

Anytime there is a 'big event', there is typically a dress rehearsal, or at least a dry-run pass for it. As you know, this process allows all parties/participants involved to 'pre-experience' how the event may go. But it also helps to expose and work out any kinks, errors, timing quirks, and it especially helps the participants to 'shake off' the fear of the unknown (where do I stand, what's my line, what's my role). Our devotional today helps us focus on something very similar in our lives with the Lord. No, we are not on this earth 'practicing' for acceptance to heaven (that was bought by the blood of Jesus), nor are we 'testing the waters' to see if we even WANT to be in heaven with the Lord for eternity. What we are doing is growing our faith and trust in the Lord, and learning how to commune with Him as He design; face-to-face. No, we do not literally do that now, which is why we are meditating on Him, waiting on Him, and 'facing' Him... and gleaning His peace and assurance. Psalms 4:6-8 reads; " There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. (7) Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. (8) I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. " Once we feel His light on our faces, rest in His glow, trust in His ways... the overwhelming gladness will certainly settle our souls, calm our spirits, and give us a 'filtered glimpse' of our lives when things are reversed' and we are no longer "...looking through a glass darkly", but then... face-to-face. Days will cease to exist... night will never come again, for Revelation 21:23 states; " And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. " The reversal of our time here on earth will be quite glorious, inhibitions gone, fear gone, separation gone!

No, not weight gain; wait gain. They sound the same, but today's devotional is not about our physical appearance and fitness, but about our spiritual appearance and fitness. See, Ephesians 6:12 states, " For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. " All too easily, we fret over our physical lives and toil and struggle through our daily schedules trying so hard to get more and more done... and carve out a little time for the Lord, but the real struggle, the real battle, the real work is '...against spiritual wickedness in high places', which requires our spirits to be in-synch with the Lord, His calling, His will. There's just no way we have a fighting chance without dedicated and solitude time with Him. Now, that requires discipline, commitment, and dedication... to set aside 'wait time', as it were... time we can commune with the Lord and glean from His fellowship; learn to work smarter, not harder. Proverbs 16:3 declares; " Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. " Clarity comes when we commit our time to Him. When we wait, we gain! We gain sharper insight to the Lords will. We gain a deeper peace in His love. We gain a surer footing in our faith-walk. All of which in turn thwarts the schemes of evil, the treachery strewn before us, the evil and conniving ways of Satan... as you recall from earlier, our struggle is '...against spiritual wickedness in high places'. When we wait with the Lord, before working, before bustling, before the toils if our day... we gain a much richer life in Him, we gain a deeper trust in Him, and in Him we are able to do and accomplish so much more... His way! Here is a pretty long passage that Jesus shared with His disciples in this matter in Luke 12:22-26 , which reads; " And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. (23) The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. (24) Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? (25) And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? (26) If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? " Take some time with Him each day, and watch for your Wait Gain!

Many times in my life, I've been ashamed, embarrassed, or just plain dissatisfied with my own 'self', my own being, my own performance or actions. Frankly, I have more of a tendency to faltering, falling short, or certainly disappointing those around me and it IS disheartening, discouraging, and certainly unsatisfactory to me (I know I can be/do better). So, I'd like to hide, run, avoid, even just 'change the subject' in my life... not let you 'see me this way'... not be exposed to the obvious failing, your disappointment, the shame. To hide, seems the best solution, the best resolve... But my redeemer lives! Besides... where can I really EVER go, that He is not there already? As Psalms 139:7-10 reads; " Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (8) If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; (10) Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. " Seriously... if you just wanna 'get away', this reads like it is not possible to hide/get-away from the Lord. Just as well, I am sure, but it CAN be frustrating, since you just want to be alone and sort of 'lick your wounds' in peace-n-quiet. After-all though, we know not the trail that lies before us, and tend to get self-absorbed in the 'now' of it all, in the 'woe is me', or even the simplest of 'it ain't no big thing' denial of our life. But, the Lord is strong and mighty. He holds us close, yet lets us loose to 'run'. Still, as the Psalmist noted, where CAN we go that He is not already there? Face the obvious. Surrender to His calling, His leading, His gentle fellowship of love, of peace, of life itself... enjoy His presence... for WHERE ever are you going to go and avoid Him, anyway? As noted in Zephaniah 3:17 " The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. " He 'has' your best interest at heart! If you can, please read Genesis 16:7-14 . It's just too lengthy to include here, but the gist is the same; Wither Thou Goest, there is the Lord. Please don't run/hide from Him. Adam and Eve tried that, and it broke His heart. Come out from hiding; face the music, as it were, and experience true love, restoration, and certainly His forgiveness.

Yea, contrary terms, I know. I enjoy being successful, being on the winning side of a problem (even if it is only the garbage-disposal plumbing), being strong, admired, even 'looked up to'. These traits, these events, these moments in my life leave me self-satisfied, proud of my stature in life, and they even kind of invigorate me to press on, to strive more or harder, to improve... but, all too quickly, my fallibility lurches RIGHT into the middle of some fantastic quest I am (was) on the verge of experiencing... and my world crashes down around me... embarrassingly... ashamedly... dishearteningly... an utter puddle. Oddly, the failures in our lives, the weaknesses, the quirky 'flaws' of our character is most perfectly where God can use us the best. No... do not stop 'trying' to improve, but don't lose hope either! Proverbs 3:5 states; " Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. " Now, failings, shortcomings, weaknesses are typically frowned on, typically characterized as though you may not be a very well developed being, typically leaving you feeling shunned, outcast, or ostracized. Again though; "...lean not on thy own understanding" is exactly how and when God can grow you, use you, fellowship with you. I once created a 'tweet' that stated we should keep Satan close . Sounds odd, I know, but he is constantly pointing out your flaws, constantly working to trip you up, constantly bringing out 'the worst in you'... and that's when you thank him for 'exposing' your weakness, then turn to the Lord and ask for healing, for strength, for wisdom as to how to deal with this 'character trait' of yours! When we are weak, He is strong! If/when we can do something 'on our own' (say, get a loan to pay for a car), we don't turn to the Lord. A very lengthy scripture that explains this is Isaiah 40:28-31 , which declares; " Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. (29) He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. (30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: (31) But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. " See? They that 'wait' on the Lord (not hurry on and do it alone) are IN His fellowship, IN His will, and certainly IN His very care! Now THAT is Successfully Failing!

There have been times when I inherited someone else's project, and had to get my head/heart wrapped around their original vision, or intent/goal for the goal and intent of it all. Until I actually 'took ownership', it was really just a half-hearted responsibility I was fulfilling. Today's devotional touches on that same lackadaisical way we approach our life with the Lord... almost like we are 'going through the motions' of someone else's vision or 'project' for our lives; be it a perceived course of action that is socially expected (Deacons behave this way, Choir Directors behave that way, etc), be it your own prayer time, be it your witnessing efforts. Staying steady, strong and passionate about our walk with the Lord 'does' begin from the inside with His saving grace and touch on our hearts, but that does not create perpetual motion within us. We must still take ownership of our walk and our presence in His will... an active role. In fact, Hebrews 10:23 tells us; " Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) ", which is to say that we must be involved in our faith, attentive, engaged, living on purpose as it were. God's promise to us is found in Deuteronomy 4:29 , which declares; " But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. " See that? It is the 'with your whole heart' part that reminds us... He'll preserve our perseverance when we seek Him with our whole heart AND soul... our very being is wholly en-wrapped with following the Lord. That matters because as Psalms 145:20 states; " The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. " Signed, Sealed, Delivered; His promise!

Reading back through history, we'd be hard pressed to find any commentary or reference to 'when times were faster'. Often, we stop and recognize just how fast-paced life is now, compared to yesterday... we bustle, we hustle, we scurry, we flurry. We rarely have any time in our past that was 'a faster paced life'... society has advanced into an efficient, and well tuned lifestyle. In fact, the infamous Psalms 46:10 passage might read better to start with, "Log-off, and know that I am God..."! But, it actually reads; " Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. " Odd to think about the 'affect' part of that passage; when we 'still' ourselves, He is exalted; when we get out of His way, He is exalted; when we allow it, He is exalted. Way too many 'well intending' people are busy 'doing His work' (they feel), but they actually miss the core ministry and calling. Choosing which part/thing to do is easy, once you still you spirit and let Him bless you. In fact, Luke 10:39-42 is a lengthy passage involving Martha (busy serving Jesus) and Mary (busy anointing Jesus' feet), and Jesus captures the difference with verse 42: " But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. " Bustling about 'feels' like we are doing the Lord's will, but all that activity may be disguising a genuine calling, a spirit-led fellowship. To an 'untrained eye' (non-Christians), this can be unfortunately misleading... sending a 'work hard for the Lord' message that puts the cart before the horse. 1 Corinthians 14:33 reminds us; " For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. " Take some time of 'inaction', and God will make His action clear to you. Being still is not a sin, nor neglecting God... rather, this is His time to fellowship with you, and you with Him. Make yourself inactive, and watch how active, productive, and blessed He will make you!

As a programmer, I use the term Source Control to explain how 'source code' (the program and files) are stored and controlled for safe and secure keeping. Oddly, our closeness to the Lord has many of the same characteristics. Our devotional today reminds me that His protection and fellowship is best when I remain close and 'under His umbrella of grace'... not a body guard, at all... a complete refuge. Reading Psalms 32:7 , it states; " Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. " The Lord loves our fellowship, our close and quiet time together, our intimate trust and love. Like when you go on a walk with someone together, the Lord enjoys those times spiritually with us, too. I wasn't there, but I would just bet He really looked forward to those walks in the garden with Adam & Eve... that is, until they 'strayed', wandered off, and traded His fellowship for reasoning. Genesis 3:8-9 recounts that fateful moment for us, as; " And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. (9) And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? " They'd hidden from Him due to their guilt and new-found 'knowledge' of their emptiness, their nakedness, and surely their limited spirits... they surely felt wholly inadequate. But, aside from their disobedience, God STILL yearned for their fellowship, and still loved them dearly. They never repented for their waywardness, rather blamed the others... yet, He still made a way for us to share life with Him... His life. Now however, we have the Spirit of Jesus in us, and He provides a light unto our path. John 8:12 even states; " Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. " We often want to run off and explore, or we 'go our own way' without really considering the Lord, His will, and His protection over us. When we remain close to His source of hope, love, and guidance, our lives will be in so much better control; Source Control, in fact!

Destruction, calamity, brokenness, failure, mourning... these 'bad things' actually have great qualities for our lives. No, I am not declaring that we should seek them out, strive to obtain them, ensure we experience at least one of these each week. But, when you do review the last 3+ months of your life, you'll find these scattered throughout more than you may initially think, or like! Today's devotional is about 'going it alone' through these times, which is so very hard... and not how the Lord intended for us to experience life. He is your faithful and dear friend, and has actually died in His own life so that you/we could walk hand-in-hand with Him. Sure, not physically anymore, but His fellowship and love with us makes our hardships, our sorrows, and even just our disappointments 'not wasted'. The beauty from ashes is that He is shaping us, strengthening us, growing us to a deeper trust & love in Him. No real 'friend' would do that for us, but John 15:13-15 does say; " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (14) Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (15) Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." Sorrows, burdens, tumult, and even utter chaos in your life 'can' be used to benefit your spirit, your faith, your hope. Isaiah 61:3 points out; " ...To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. " But especially remember, along with a closer walk with the lord and a deeper trusting relationship (things that benefit us), there are others around us that are less faithful, less believing, less trusting of the Lord and they watch 'keenly' how we live our lives out-loud, not hiding our faith or keeping it private and personal. In fact, 2 Corinthians Chapter 6 is about struggles they were/are going through... and how their lives were a testimony of the very Spirit of Jesus dwelling in them, surely... but also guiding them practically, too. 2 Corinthians 6:11 reads, " O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. ", which is to say that others are encouraged by the commitment to your 'eternal reality' of fellowship with the Lord. We know that our 'separation' from ungodliness (unclean things, unbelievers, discord, etc) is our preparation for a life with Him, with the Father, with our Savior.

Personally, I find it so much easier to do things alone. Not all things surely, but certain things like; errand running, project work (yard work, construction, cooking, etc), even just simple down time. Not at all that I favor doing things alone, but coordinating efforts with someone else can add more stress, more uncertainty, and worse more of 'not' getting something done 'my way'. Our devotional today reflects on how God made us to 'not' be so solitude in our lives, to include Him more and more in our moment-by-moment activities, to remember that He is the 'author and finisher of our faith', and excluding Him really just allows us to accomplish temporal goals, tasks, quests... but, nothing everlasting. You'll recall that John 15:5 states; " I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. " Sure we 'can' get things done, but those things are for naught in His will. Even back at the very beginning with Adam & Eve, in Genesis 1:26-27 , it was conveyed; " And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ", which is to say we were made 'like' God to fellowship, to commune, and certainly to remain connected and reliant on His mercy, grace, and love. Sure, we can 'go it alone' all day and well into next week, as it were, but without His divine guidance, without His blessing snd provisions, but also without His power snd might. Ephesians 6:10 concludes with; " Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. "