Laboring for the Prize

By Carin LeRoy –

I dread going to a dentist. There isn’t much in life that gives me more stress. Recently, I spent the morning in the dentist chair. When the doctor arrived to see me, the first thing I see is a needle aimed at my mouth. Closing my eyes, I mentally braced myself as several shots of Novocain were injected into my gums. Soon, I hardly felt my nose, so my only comfort at this point was that maybe I wouldn’t feel what would come next.

Then the grinding starts—lots of it—as he removes the upper part of my decayed tooth. Bits of dust fly everywhere as he works. My hands grip the chair and my body tenses as I lay there mouth open and unable to swallow. Neither do I find the short episodes of squirting water and suction any reprieve from all the grinding. It’s all just misery for me. After two hours, I emerge with an empty wallet and a newly crowned tooth.

Some things in life must be endured in order to gain something better. Laboring through birth to cuddle your newborn; Sitting in a 2×3 foot spot for endless hours in order to get to a vacation destination; raising a challenging teenager in order to make them a responsible adult; going through years of classes, papers and exams to obtain your degree. Many things in life require work, time and diligence in order to receive the desired reward that awaits us at the end.

Life has it’s hard times. We have challenges, pain, misfortune, death, sickness and debt. Many things bring difficulties into our life. But in the end of it all, if we believe in Christ who died for us, we have a wonderful “prize” that awaits us—eternity in heaven with a Savior that loves us. Let’s fix our eyes on eternity as we endure the struggles of this life. This life is temporary, but heaven is forever. Whatever you are dealing with today hang in there, because heaven waits!

PRAYER: Lord, give me strength as I face life’s challenges today and give me a heart that will focus on You. Keep me mindful that the struggles of this life are temporary and that You will walk with me through them until we meet in heaven.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV).

A Wise Father

By Carin LeRoy –

One afternoon the doting father of a new piano student walked in to observe his daughter’s piano lesson. Since I inherited her from another teacher, I asked her to play a few songs to assess her skills. Along with missing several notes, she also lacked counting and rhythm skills. To get a better grasp of the fundamentals, I asked the father if he’d let me put her into a different book for review.

“But she does very well, and she’s learned every song in that book. I’m not sure we should do that,” he said. “Do you really think that’s necessary? I’m just sure she will blow right through the other book.”

I had my doubts.

Our discussion went on for several minutes as he showed full confidence in his daughter’s knowledge and abilities. He questioned why I felt she needed review. The love and pride he had for his daughter and his belief in her talent was evident as we carried on our conversation. Reluctantly he agreed that we could go back and review.

As I began to think about how much that father loved his little girl and the confidence he had in her skill, I was reminded of how our view of truth can sometimes be flawed. Our perspective can be different from reality, and our love and lack of understanding can skew truth. I am thankful that we have a Father in heaven that never lets His love for us get in the way of what He knows we need. As He desires change in our lives and growth in our spiritual walk, He purposes to help us learn those lessons—even if we perceive it as unnecessary or painful at the time. As we gain understanding of what He teaches, we will emerge as stronger, more confident and mature Christians that He can use to impact others.

Let’s be thankful today that we have a wonderful and wise Father who knows exactly what is needed in our lives.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, that You are my Father and I am Your child. The truth of what is needed in my life to grow and mature is never skewed by Your love for me. Thank You that You have full understanding to teach me. Help me to learn all that You desire for me.

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:4, 5 NIV).

Eyes of Faith

By Carin LeRoy –

I love thinking, reading and learning about faith. It must be because I lack so much of it in my spiritual life, and God keeps trying to teach me. The word “believe” and “faith” are used over 4,000 times in the King James Bible, so He must have thought it a pretty important concept for us to grasp! If I can put faith in my fellow man and society each day, I wonder why I have such a problem trusting God?

Driving on the road takes faith. We hope that people aren’t drunk and are going to obey the traffic laws. We believe that the traffic lights are working correctly as we drive through them. Stepping into an elevator, I trust it’s not going to break down and trap me inside. Walking into a restaurant, I have faith it has clean sanitary food that won’t make me sick. I go to a doctor believing he made a correct diagnosis and prescribed the right medicine for me. These are ways we put trust in our world each day.

If we can believe in an imperfect and flawed society, why do we struggle to trust in a perfect and all-knowing God?

We like to be in control. We want to plan our own future, to believe in what we see as tangible and to hold on to things dear to us. How can we trust God with our lives if we want to control our own destiny? How can we believe if don’t trust in the promises in His Word? How do we let go of things that are important to us?

Eyes of faith see God for who He is. The vastness of His power and the greatness of His love are the foundation upon which our faith must rest. His purposes are far bigger than mine and His knowledge and love for me is more than I can understand. When my faith becomes blurry and I can’t see God with a clear focus, I put on those eyes of faith. One lens focuses on His great love; the other on His limitless power.

PRAYER: Thank You for Your great love and vast power. Keep my heart focused on that as I learn to trust You. Give me eyes of faith that will see You.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

Abundantly Blessed

By Carin LeRoy –

Shortly after our second anniversary, my husband and I found out we were expecting a new addition to our family. As we anticipated the birth of our baby, I was excited to prepare and get ready. At the time we lived on a remote station in the jungle as missionaries, so I could not go shopping or prepare a nursery like most mothers. A friend purchased some material in a local town and sent it to me, and I began sewing a blanket and some nightshirts. As I worked I wondered how to get the necessary things needed to care for our little one. As my tummy began to grow, so did my concern. I figured when I flew into the capital city, Port Moresby, to await the delivery that I’d race around hoping to find things I needed.

Months later I received a letter from my mother that our church in South Carolina had given us a baby shower. My mom was the guest of honor and opened all the gifts. She listed all the items that were given for our new baby—clothes of every size for a baby boy or girl, shoes, diapers (Yes, cloth ones!), bottles, playpen, foldable crib, toys, blankets. You name it, they had given it. While reading my mom’s letter, I burst into tears. God had more than provided for this baby; He had abundantly blessed her with provision.

Short term missionaries coming for the summer brought everything to the capital city. When I arrived in town preparing for the baby’s delivery, a trunk, suitcases and duffel bags full of all the items awaited me. Overwhelmed, I sorted through the gifts. I had everything I needed—and more.

If God sees the sparrow fall and knows the number of hairs on our head, then doesn’t He know our needs? Let’s claim the scripture “and my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV). God’s provision that day showed me that God loves to bless us with His abundance and to show us His love and care. Whether He provides for us in unexpected and copious ways or chooses not to, we need to trust that whatever He chooses for us is what we need. He is a God that is active in our lives and will meet our needs according to His desires for us.

PRAYER:  Father, thank You for Your promise to supply my needs. Keep me mindful that You are a faithful God who loves to bless me with Your provision. Help me keep my eyes on You for meeting what need I have today.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20, 21 NIV).

Turn on the Music!

By Carin LeRoy –

Listen to any song and you will get multiple responses from all of us. We clap, tap our feet, dance, sing along—sometimes all of the above! Music has a way of engaging our emotions and bringing out our rhythm. When my 18-month-old grandson, Logan, hears music he starts shaking his shoulders and dancing around in little circles. The sound of music puts a little jig in his heart, and his body demonstrates his pleasure. We watch in delight at his cuteness.

The Institute of Creation Research recently had an article on their website which states we are uniquely designed for music. They said, “Humans have a unique capacity to experience music. Dogs, for instance, hear the sounds of music but do not recognize them as music, and do not derive a similar pleasure from listening to them. This solely human characteristic…makes sense if people were originally intended to enjoy their Creator through pleasurable activities ordained by Him.”

Although I love all types of music, I prefer to listen to Christian music. To me, it keeps my mind focused on something positive and helps me to worship God as I listen. My heart is encouraged and uplifted through hymns, praise and contemporary songs. I listen and am reminded of God’s greatness. Discouragement, depression, fear and any number of emotions dissipate as we listen to words of encouragement and praise through music.

The pleasure we derive from music is God’s gift. It’s one of His ways to connect with us. Many Scriptures express how His people need to worship Him with song and music. Feeling down or discouraged? Turn on Christian music to praise and worship God. It will do wonders with your outlook on life.

PRAYER: Thank You for the gift of music and that through music, I can praise and worship You—for You truly are a great God!

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all else” (Psalm 95: 1-3 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Carin LeRoy, wife to Dale, mother of three grown children and one high school teenager. She has served as a missionary with PIONEERS since 1982. Her passions are family, playing and teaching piano, missions, and writing stories that show glimpses of God.

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