Abbie Coffey

Jude 22-23 Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. This is something I have struggles with, loving those who frustrate me.  How can we be merciful to those who are "corrupt" without being judgmental?  It is definitely not our place to judge one another, it is our place to love one another.  Sometimes loving the people who are rude or cruel is the hardest part of being a Christian.  My humanity would like to judge people for their behaviors and choices and lash out at them.  I believe we are only able to show true mercy and compassion for others when we accept these for ourselves from Jesus and then He lives them through us.  Allowing God to change our hearts in order that Jesus' mercy and compassion shine through is a journey.  It's not always easy.  On those difficult days, I remain quiet and ask God to love on me, so I can love on them. Yo

Matthew 16:20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. Earlier in verse 16, Peter recognizes Jesus as the Christ.  Jesus tells Peter that he knows this truth because it has been revealed to him by God.  At the end of the conversation Jesus warns them to not tell anyone who He is.  Why would Jesus do that?  I think it was partially due to the fact that the disciples didn't have a complete understanding of what Jesus' calling was. They needed time with Him to deepen their personal relationships with Him so that when they were sent to spread the good news, they would have deeper understanding and a heart connection to the Messiah.  Jesus also knew of the need for God to reveal who He was at the right time.  I believe these are still true today.  Before we start telling others of Jesus, we have to have that personal relationship with Him so that we know who He is with our heads and have that deep connection with him in our hearts.  And, timing matte

Esther 4:14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? As I read the story of Esther, I am struck at how this book shows the preparation and planning that goes into her life and the life of Mordecai.  Every little detail is brought back around in perfect timing.  Today as I read, I was thinking about how God is continually planning and preparing my life for the day(s) ahead.  Every detail has purpose, I just don't know which ones He will use.  Is it the conversation I had today and was it actually foretelling what is coming in my job?  Is it the kid who had a rough time, but requested to "be with Mrs. Coffey"?  Or maybe it was the fact that I wasn't feeling great today and was still at work.  Maybe it's not work related at all, maybe it's about the jam session happeni

John 21:22 Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?  You must follow me." Sometimes we fall into the cycle of looking at others and questioning their hearts.  Jesus reminds Peter in this verse that it is not our job to worry about others. Our job is to follow Him.  If we do this, then all other pieces will fall into place.  Sometimes it is easier to look on others and compare ourselves to them.  In a shallow way, this makes us feel better about who we are.  But to bring ourselves into deeper relationship with Christ, we must be willing to look at ourselves for who we truly are, realize what God created us to be and let His love and grace change our hearts.  Christ said that we must follow Him.  Only in Him will we discover who we really are and only then will we be satisfied.  Christ is the only one we should look upon.

James 3:7-8 All kinds of animals birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. I have been prompted several times to use this verse and am finally doing so today.  I will fully admit that my tongue is something I ask God to work on continually.  When I think of taming the tongue, my mind is drawn to swearing because that is my personal struggle.  I realize that taming the tongue can be related to lots of things: gossip, rudeness, temper, deceit, slander, biting comments and so on.  Unfortunately, what comes from our mouths is an outpouring of our hearts, which is convicting.  So what have I learned?  When I ask God to remove swear words from my vocabulary, what I really need to look at is much deeper than the swear words.  What causes me to swear?  I know that for me it is ridiculous things such as road rage or frustration that has built up for a day or an entire week

May today there be peace within you. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, And pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing that you are a child of God. Let His presence settle into your bones, And allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, and to bask in the sun. It is there for each and every one of you. -Author Unknown (but one of my favorites)

John 13:8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." Jesus set the example for what he expects his disciples to do.  Just as a teacher models a task for her students, Jesus modeled servanthood for the disciples.  He emphasized the necessity for humility by stating to them that "no servant is great than his master". This point was made perfectly when the Master became the Servant.  Jesus humbled himself to the servant position to show that God's Kingdom is not of this world.  The Master washed the servants' feet, demonstrating that the first shall be last and the last shall be first.  Our job is to care for each other's needs, putting each other first at all times, as Jesus did.  In the focus verse, Jesus tells Peter he has no part with Him unless He washes his feet.  I've pondered this a long time today.  My take away...In order to truly understand what Jesu

Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. I was prompted to read this verse and it was perfect for today, of course.  All of Psalm 100 is praise to God.  For me today, I am praising God because He was faithful in something He had revealed to me a while ago.  Let me explain.  Have you ever asked God for His strength?  Not just strength, but His strength.  This is something that I was prompted to do about a year ago, not to just ask for strength in general, but to specifically request His strength to be given to me.  I know it sounds a little like a bit of rhetoric, but keep reading. In requesting God's own strength, I have noticed something tremendous has happened each time.  When God bestows His strength within me, it is so much more than just endurance.  His strength comes with clarity of mind, lightening of the spirit, and a depth of inner joy that cannot help but make me smile.  I feel energized in a way

Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Today, I needed to spend some quiet time in the presence of God, not saying or doing anything in particular, just being.  So that is what I've done, which makes today's post quite short.  Take a few moments of your own and let Jesus draw near.

Mark 12:31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Jesus' words are so simple, yet I believe we as humans struggle with the this.  I find that the majority of the time, I can put myself in someone else's shoes and understand where he/she might be coming from. However, I definitely have moments when I want to be right and forget that my calling is to be righteous.  At those times, love for my neighbor kind of goes out the window.  I have found that the moment I start arguing my position in order to be right, I become spiritually ugly and do not help others to see Jesus at all nor do they feel God's love.  In order to be righteous, one must be selfless.  As a fallen human, this is contrary to my earthly nature, selfishness.  Therein lies the need for Jesus.  That change of my very nature comes into play again, just like with the fruit of the Spirit.  In order to become selfless, I must have the one who was the perfect example of a selfless life, Jesus,

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth , nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This verse just makes me want to shout, "AMEN!"  But isn't it frustrating how Satan knows exactly where to hit us to make us doubt?  And then he is so good at kicking us while we are down.  I, unfortunately, had this experience very recently.  I was feeling a little worried about a particular situation and then Satan pounced and made me feel like an enormous loser.  He was feeding me lies that he knew I would believe, because they are the same lies I always fall for.  Thankfully, I was able to spend some time with God in quiet solitude.  I was reminded that no matter what Satan throws at me, I will never be separated from the love of God because I have Christ Jesus living in me.  Anyt

Proverbs 9: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9 compares wisdom and folly.  The invitations from both look the same, but what is gained by each is quite opposite.  Wisdom is prepared and invites people to come in to receive understanding.  She sets the table and provides stability in order to share and lead others to life. Folly is noisy and secretive.  Two words that seem contrary, but make perfect sense when you think about it.  Folly is noisy in that she speaks all of her opinions, however what is actually inside is kept secret in order to lure others in.  Folly offers death.  Wisdom is gained by asking God, it's that simple.  Solomon asked God for wisdom and it was given to him without limitation.  When you are trying to understand a situation or an individual do you think to ask God for wisdom?  If you've already been given a portion of wisdom, do you ask what you know about God in order to g

Father God, thank you for showing your compassion this week for providing time to just be with you.  Your power to make all things work for good was evident.  May you walk alongside us as we continue on this journey.  Take care of us and help us to see the world through your eyes.  Give us compassion for those around us.  May our lives be a representation of Jesus as he lives through us.  Your will be done in your time.  Give us peace as we await your timing.  Amen.

Matthew 3:8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Fruit is of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Am I allowing the Spirit to produce fruit in my life or am I trying to do it myself?  With part of the fruit it is easy for me to recognize the Spirit's role in its production: peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness.  But part of the list is easy for me to practice: love, joy, patience, kindness, self-control.  However, if I practice these fruits, they become disciplines not fruit at all.  I can have self-discipline.  I control myself in frustrating situation to practice my patience; I act outwardly in such a way as to show self-control; I decide to have a positive attitude and choose joy; I choose to love rather than hate; I do random acts of kindness because I know I should be kind.  The problem with this outlook is that it becomes all about me and what I can do to be like Christ.  Fruit is

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will. Conform - to be in accordance or harmony with.  Transform - to change the nature of.  Paul says to not live in accordance to this world, but have our very nature changed by the renewing of our minds.  I'm pondering the renewing of my mind.  How do I begin to do such a thing.  Look back at verse one for the answer. Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship."  Sacrifice - surrender something prized or desirable. Surrender - to give oneself up.  So let's put it all together.  Offering my body as a living sacrifice to God means giving up my own pride in thinking I can change my nature by training myself to think li

Psalm 23:2-3 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. My soul is refreshed as I read Psalm 23 and sit in the quiet with God.  I am reminded to make the time to spend moments with Jesus each day in quiet solitude.  I can feel my soul filling up and my strength is renewed.  With the stress of life and maintaining so many things, I sometimes forget to slow my mind and concentrate on the one person who can bring me peace in the crazy world, Jesus.  I find myself rushing through my time with God too, as if He is just one more thing on my to-do list.  Alas, am I so calloused as to have made my time with God a common daily task?  I am saddened by my inability to recognize how I have done so.  He is not a task.  He is my friend, my counselor, my redeemer, my father and many others.  None of those descriptors are a common task!  They are all references to my relationship with Him.  God is a being.  I get so caught up in what I am doing, I f

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Jesus did not come to the earth to wag his finger at us and say "tisk, tisk".  God's intention was to show us the depth of our sin and reveal the need for our atonement.  Jesus' death is the atonement for the sins of all mankind.  What an incredible gift!  Have you accepted this gift from God offered in unconditional love?  If not, may Jesus reveal himself to you today so that you may come to know him as your personal Lord, Savior and Friend.  For those of you who have accepted God's gift, I challenge you to share Him with someone today.

Isaiah 54:10 "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on  you. I believe everyone has moments in life where they feel as though an earthquake is upon them.  This verse is comforting.  It was originally written for the nation of Israel in reference to Zion.  I find inspiration in it today.  When we are met with words or news that we'd rather not hear, sometimes our mountains are shaken or we feel as though we have been lain flat, but in God there is still hope.  He is unwavering.  He is not shaken by the news we've just heard.  He knew what was coming, and He is completely at peace about it.  He extends His peace to us.  God is unchanging and continues to love on us and offer His grace as we stumble through life.  Why am I so surprised when God shows up in the midst of my "earthquakes"?  Scriptures tell me over and over

Acts 23:11  The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." Paul was brought to the Sanhedrin the night before, at which he caused a bit of a raucous between the Pharisees and the Sadducees in regards to the resurrection.  After his meeting, Jesus comes to Paul to tell him to take courage.  I'm going to guess that for Paul, this was a fairly important moment when he needed a word of encouragement.  Sometimes we know we are in right in the middle of our calling (even when things are a bit rocky) but we find ourselves in need of a word of encouragement.  The Lord knows when we need these bits of encouragement and provides.  However, he doesn't back down on His calling for us, he gives us a word of hope to keep going.  I love that about God!  How does God give you words of encouragement.  Are they audible from either Him or those around you?  Are they events that are

Father… discernment for my husband care for my mother strength for my father wisdom for my sister                                                   Jesus…                                                   speak to my husband                                                   hold my mom's hand                                                   walk beside my dad                                                   hug my sister              Spirit…              lead my husband              lift up my mama              work through my dad              fill my sister Amen.

James 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Do you persevere or do you give up?  Does it depend on the task?  I have found this word, persevere, all over my world lately.  I'm beginning to wonder what that means.  Honestly, in some ways in freaks me out because I'm already feeling a little faint on my journey.  And, get this, verse 1:3 is about considering it pure joy when you face MANY trials for they are faith testers and develop perseverance.  All I can think is, "Oh great, what's coming?"  Verses 5 and 6 are about asking God for wisdom and believing he will give it.  That's what I'm requesting of God at this moment.  Wisdom to know how to handle the situations that may be on my horizon.  I don't want to know what the situations are going to be, I want to be close to Him so that His work may be completed in me.  This is a short one today because, quite honestly, I don't want to thin

Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. Lately I have been feeling exhausted because I've been constantly on the go with no restful moments.  I know God is with me, but I just can't seem to catch up with my own schedule.  He and I have our time together, obviously, however the rest of my day just seems crazily busy and I get overwhelmed.  I am so thrilled that this is the verse He gave me for today (well all of Psalm 4 really…read it!).  It is exactly the prayer I needed to pray.  What I love about God is that he listens when we call on him.  He is merciful and bestows His grace, among many other things, abundantly upon us when we ask Him.  After walking with God for most of my life, I sometimes forget to ask God to take care of me in that way.  I am reminded today to ask Him for His mercies and not just expect them from Him or take them for granted.   His attributes that He bestows on

Galatians 5:9 "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." This is Paul writing to the Galatian church about freedom in Christ.  The people are following the law of circumcision.  Paul tells them, if you follow one of the laws, you are obligated to follow them all.  Obligation is an icky term in my opinion.  I never feel good when I feel obligated because for me it involves a feeling of guilt.  The definition is: morally or legally bound; constrained.  Constrained?  Great. That's another word for restrained.  That doesn't sound enjoyable at all. Yet, this is what we do.  We want rules to follow.  Tell me what I can and can't do.  (This way we can easily keep tabs on other people too.)  This is such an awful trap.  We make ourselves in charge of our own change.  There it is, a little yeast working through the whole batch.  We start with something small.  I will not swear.  Then we work at not swearing and, of course, fail.  We keep at it though.  I

Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry.   I can do everything through him who gives me strength. It stands out to me that Paul is making the statement that he knows how to be content when things are going well, "to have plenty" and be "well fed".  This is interesting to me.  I always think of trying to be content when we are in need, not when we have plenty.  I am struck today by the contentment Paul found in plenty and that he recognized the need for contentment when in plenty.  I know how to trust God for the things I need; that seems easy to me.  I'm finding it harder to wrap my brain around contentment when I have plenty.  What does that look like?  Is it just not wanting more?  That seems too shallow.  Paul talks about the strength needed to do all things coming from Christ.  What do I need strength for whe

Hebrews 12:1  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  I'm feeling tired of waiting.  I'm there today.  Sometimes the waiting gets the best of me and I have to meditate on Hebrews 12:1.  I know God has a plan, but sometimes living out that plan seems to take longer than I planned.  At times the race seems a bit laborious and we find ourselves stopping, as the hare did, to "take a nap".  Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to keep running.  Find those people, those saints, who surround you and support you and run the race with perseverance.  I envision a runner who is casting off shackles and beginning to clumsily run as they fall from his body.  His face shows pure freedom as he releases them to the ground and recognizes who he is running toward, Jesus.  Sometimes I need to be reminded that my life on earth i

Matthew 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. In reading the verses before this one, Jesus is telling his mission in coming to us.  He did not come to get rid of the law.  He came to fulfill it; to shed truth on God's expectations of us.  The law is not irrelevant once Jesus comes.  The law is completely revealed when Jesus comes.  He tells us that the law is more than controlling the physical action. Even our thoughts can break the commandments.  This was why Jesus said you would have to have righteousness that surpassed the Pharisees, because the Pharisees only kept the law outwardly.  The law is meant to be kept inwardly as well.  You begin to see the necessity of having someone outside of yourself to help you keep the law.  In order to follow the law as Jesus describes, our hearts have to be changed, because our heart is the originator of our thoughts

Praise be to God the Father! He has my life in His hands. He has known me from the beginning. He will be with me always. His word is living, His love is never failing, His grace is sustaining, His mercy is never ceasing. Broken for my transgressions, Shed blood for my atonement. The name of Jesus be lifted up, Set above all others. I have been set free through the Spirit. I have been raised up with Him, Victorious over the grave To spend eternity in His mighty presence. All honor and praise belong to Him. His power, His grace, His glory I will proclaim. All glory to Him who is seated on Heaven's throne!

Luke 18: 1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. I don't ever remember reading this parable from Luke 18 before.  As I read for today, I found myself looking to a passage recommended by my Bible.  It sent me to Luke 11:8, "I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness (persistence, in some translations) he will get up and give him as much as he needs."  These two parables are about persisting in prayer, but the persistence is for different reasons.  In 18 it's persistence for justice; in 11 it's persistence for providence.  Question then...What should I be persistent about in prayer?  The two topics from the parables lead me think about what I know about prayer through the example Jesus set.  In the Lord's Prayer we open with praise, pray for God's will to be done, daily providence, forgiveness, deliverance, and fini

Jeremiah 29:11-13  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.   You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. The last sentence has convicted me a bit on this one.  Am I seeking God with all my heart?  What do I seek on a daily basis?  My job, my spouse, financial security, a family?  Unfortunately, I think all of these, plus a few, are what I'm seeking and causing me to lose sight of God.  God has plans to give me hope and a future, but my earthly, finite brain gets all tied up in what that future might hold.  Then, I try to create that future on my own by listening to God and moving where I think He wants me to go.  Instead, I need to keep my eyes on Him and allow whatever is in the future to just be, focusing on God the entire time and letting Him get the details of my fu

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We, as Christians, so often want our walk with God to be easy and happy all of the time. When in reality, there will be hardships and tough times that crop up along the way, even in (and maybe especially with) a life lived through Jesus Christ.  We are easily deceived into believing that if something is not going well, then that somehow means God is displeased with us.  This is an outright lie!  So, should we fear the hardships as if they were punishment from God?  No!  They are not punishments from God, they are the ways in which God makes us perfect in love.  Read the scriptures!  I know that all of the events of my life happen in order for God to complete the good work He has begun in me. (Romans 8:28 and Philippians 1:6)  What a way to think about the hardships I face!  As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:10, "That is

1 Samuel 4:16  He told Eli, "I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day." Eli asked, "What happened, my son?" I am surprised this is the verse for today.  I've learned a bit about Eli and the judges of Israel with this one.  Eli's death, following the description from the Benjamite, became my focus today.  Eli's death, according to my study Bible, marked the end of the dark period of the judges.  This little tidbit made me smile because it helped me to understand why God gave me this verse today.  The year 2013 was a bit dark for my family.  We didn't have any of the great news we were hoping to get in regards to Mom, among other things.  As I look back on 2013, I recognize the way that God has used this "dark" year to bring me closer to Him.  I have felt a deep yearning to walk even more closely with Him and to spend time in His presence by making time to be still with Him each day.  This passage was also a word