Doubting Hearts

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Back in Jerusalem, the resurrected Jesus suddenly joined a gathering of His disciples. They thought He was a ghost.

 

Luke 24:38 (ESV)
And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

They were quicker to believe He was a ghost than He’d resurrected. I can’t be too hard on them … I’ve had my doubts too.

 

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for sticking with me through my seasons of doubt. I’d be a sad soul if You walked away every time I questioned Your plan or doubted Your existence. You let me speak my confusion and questions, and You answer — sometimes then and there, most times over days and weeks. Truth is, I’d be a hopeless mess without You.

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Burning Hearts

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

The hearts of the unnamed believers who walked the road to Emmaus with the resurrected Jesus quickly changed from slow to burning. 

 

Luke 24:32 (ESV)
They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

Never underestimate the transforming power of a good Bible lesson.

 

Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for reading Your Word mindlessly, out of habit not interest. But Your Word has the power to warm my dull heart and fire up my cold engine. Even when I’m sleepy and distracted, the words I read brighten the darkness and soothe my soul. Thank You! Work Your truth into me today, for Your glory and good.

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Slow Hearts

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


When Jesus joined the folks walking to Emmaus after the resurrection, they didn’t recognize Him. He, however, knew them better than they knew themselves. They were so wrapped up in recent details they’d missed the big picture.

Luke 24:25 (ESV)
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”

The words “foolish” and “slow of heart” could have been spoken harshly, but I imagine Him speaking like a parent to a preschooler — lovingly, maybe with a touch of amusement. “Take a breath, open your eyes! You’ve got it all wrong.”

 

 

Good morning, Lord. When have I been slow of heart, lacking faith and unable to see the big picture? More times than I know. Thank You for Your patience and willingness to repeat the lesson.

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Protected Hearts and Minds

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


Philippians 4:7 MEV
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

God knows our feelings and thoughts. Through Christ, our hearts and minds are protected from harm. I don’t understand how, but I know it happens.

Yesterday’s Bible reading took me to Luke 24 and Christ’s conversations with His followers after His resurrection. Even though I’ve encountered this chapter almost every year for decades, I gained new insight into hearts, minds and the Word of God. I’ll share what I learned this week. 

 

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for the hidden riches of Your Word and the way Your Spirit reveals them to me. Reading the Bible is an adventure filled with well-worn paths and unexpected turns. Even when I think I’m in familiar territory You surprise me with new insight and a call to new action. Teach me to think it through and take it to heart.

 

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Dark Night of the Soul

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Sometimes, even the most faithful believers hit a spiritual crisis. St. John of the Cross called it the Dark Night of the Soul, a separation from the Light of our world. The psalmist described it.

 

Psalm 13:1-2 (NIV)
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 

The darkness can come from pride in our own spiritual knowledge, a lust for more spiritual highs. Truth be told, we sometimes love these spiritual delights more than we love the Lord.

Sometimes God strips away the delights, leaving us in dark spiritual desert.

 


Good morning, Lord. There are times I trudge through days that seem dark — because of circumstances, or my own bad attitude, or possibly Your will. You don’t promise every day will be a mountaintop experience. But even when I don’t see You, O God, I trust that You see me.

What lesson do You want me to learn through this dark experience? Teach me to trust, teach me to pray, teach me to listen.

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My Light

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art–
thou my best thought by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.”
Versifier: Eleanor H. Hull
Translator: Mary E. Byrne, 1905
From the ancient Irish hymn, Rop tú mo Baile

This morning, my alarm interrupted an uplifting dream. God lights the way, even when I’m asleep.

 


Good morning, Lord. Thank You for dreams. Even when I’m asleep, You are at work restoring my soul — sometimes with a warning, sometimes a mystery, sometimes encouragement. I may not remember or understand, but Your design is always at work for my own good. 

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Light Up the World

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


Matthew 5:16 (MSG)
Here’s another way to put it:
You’re here to be light,
bringing out the God-colors
in the world.

Reflect God’s light like a prism! Change the world.

 


Good morning, Lord. Right now, I’m feeling sluggish. I’d like to take my light, hide under my covers and close my eyes to the world around me. But no! Empower me, strengthen me, motivate me to get up and get going, to let my light shine before others and give glory to You.

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Unfailing Light

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

“We must build our faith,
not on the fading light,
but on the light that never fails.”
Oswald Chambers
“My Utmost for His Highest”
The Light that Never Fails, April 22

 

 

Good morning, Lord. I get up while it is still dark to read Your Word and talk with You. I know the darkness outside will soon fade into light … thus it is with my soul. The Bible study enlightens my mind, prayer brightens my attitude. I set my dark doubts and complaints at Your feet, to be replaced by the light of Your grace … without fail, amen.

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Spiritually SAD

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a very real problem for some people. Their depression is related to the length of daylight and our biological clocks. 

Spiritual sadness is also a real problem.


Luke 11:34 (AMP)
The eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive, focused on God], your whole body also is full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But when it is bad [spiritually blind], your body also is full of darkness [devoid of God’s word].

A walk in the sunshine can help SAD. A walk through God’s Word helps spiritual sadness.  Focus on the light!

 

Good morning, Lord. Stuck in a dark place spiritually, I think “I’m in no mood to read the Bible.” Forgive my foolishness — Your Word is precisely where I will find the light that chases away my darkness. Nudge me into action, God, and focus my eyes and thoughts on the light of Your truth and wisdom.

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Unchanging God

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

This week we’ve looked at changing seasons, consistent blessings, repeated requests and confessions. It all happens under the watch of an unchanging God.


James 1:17 (GW)
… Father who made the sun, moon, and stars … doesn’t change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon.

The world I’m used to — the world of sunrises and moonlight — is filled with shifting shadows. The Source of all light casts no shadows. He never hides in the darkness.

 

Good morning, Lord. You are the unchanging force in an ever-changing world. I think how different things are now compared to past centuries, how different things are from culture to culture … and yet, You are always the same, Your Word is still true. You are the Light of the world, the Light of my world. I praise Your glorious name.

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