The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“And Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I say to you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ And looking at them, Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

—Matthew 19:23–26

When we are rich in anything—time, talent, money, health, intelligence, beauty, etc.—our tendency is to rely on and put our hope in that thing to the point that we can’t imagine our lives without its benefit and security.

To be servants of Christ, we must recognize that these riches are not lasting or meaningful in the kingdom of God; they are temporary circumstances in our earthly lives. Many of them fade over the natural course of time, and if we have not become confident in God alone before that happens, we will become bitter and disillusioned over their loss. 

We must be willing to give them up if he asks, knowing it’s not our richness that matters in the end; it’s Christ’s sacrifice and life in us.

Anything we aren’t willing to give up when the Lord asks is an idol.

He knows we will be left empty if we’re counting on our idols, so he may make us destitute in this life so we won’t be destitute forever. If there’s something in the way, he will make a way for us to come to him. We still must choose to come, but the path will be possible.

The post September 2-The Empty That Saves appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“For he will never be shaken; the righteous will be remembered forever. He will not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is firm, he will not fear.”

—Psalm 112:6–8

Does this mean the righteous person will never have trouble? No. The second sentence says he doesn’t fear bad news, which means he may get some. First Peter 4:12 also tells us not to be surprised when we face trials.

Does it mean no one will ever oppress him? No. Daniel—a picture of faithfulness to God—was taken into captivity, made to serve the pagan king, and most likely made a eunuch. Jesus himself was tortured and killed.

Does it mean the righteous person will defeat every enemy? No. Hebrews 10:34 tells us the believers “accepted joyfully the seizure of their property” when it was the consequence of following the Lord’s will.

So what does it mean?

It means when the bad news comes, the righteous man will not be full of fear. His heart will not waver, because he trusts the Lord no matter what.

When we’re taken captive, made into servants, and our earthly goods are taken, our hearts remain in the Lord, unshaken, knowing these are fleeting troubles that will pass. 

Indeed, when we’re hated, excluded, insulted, and scorned as evil, we can jump for joy, for great is our reward in heaven (Luke 6:22–23)! 

Our souls will be carried safely into eternity as we persevere in the Lord (2 Timothy 2:12; James 1:12). When we walk with the Holy Spirit, our faith isn’t tossed about by the earthly waves of circumstance.

Our hearts are firm; we will not fear. 

The post September 1-Unmoved by Circumstance appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going; how do we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.’”

—John 14:5–6

We are all too focused on knowing the end, the destination, or the goal when Jesus wants us to know and follow him.

He is the goal.

If we focus on him instead of being so concerned about where we’re going, we can live with the peace of a child holding our father’s hand, confident that he will not lead us astray.

The child is fully dependent on the father knowing where they are going. He doesn’t know how to get anywhere, but he knows and trusts the father.

Let’s trust our heavenly Father the same way, not worrying about the twists and turns we couldn’t have predicted anyway, but holding fast to Jesus’s hand as he guides us through this life. The road may sometimes seem dangerous or slow or like we’ve gone off track, but by following him, we never have to worry and will never lose our way.

It’s when we get concerned about what’s going on around us, take our eyes off him, and start trying to trust our own sense of direction or the way the world tells us we should go that we’re in danger. We let go of his hand and begin to drift, like Peter sinking when he took his eyes off the Lord to look at the waves. But we only have to call out, and Jesus reaches out to take our hand once more and bring us back to the way.

Let us not be concerned with knowing what path we should take, but with knowing and following Christ—the only true way.

The post August 31-Finding the Way Back appeared first on C. E. White.

“And they took him and threw him into the pit.”

—Genesis 37:24

We seem to think that God’s plan will keep us out of the pit, but that’s not always true.

Sometimes we dig our own pits, and we usually know when that’s the case. But sometimes we have no idea how we got there or why it’s happening. Even then, we can trust that the Lord’s hand is still working.

Daniel was thrown into the pit of lions because of his devotion to the Lord (Daniel 6).

Joseph was thrown into the pit by his brothers because he saw a vision from the Lord (Genesis 37).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the pit of fire because they refused to worship anyone but God (Daniel 3).

Jeremiah was thrown into a pit to starve because he spoke the truth God told him (Jeremiah 38).

But what man means for evil, God means for good (Genesis 50:20).

There are many types of pits we could be in—isolation, abandonment, betrayal, illness, persecution, anxiety, financial trouble, or simple uncertainty.

And even if we’ve dug our own pit, we don’t have to despair, because God is still our hope . . . the only one who can redeem, forgive, rescue, and give us a renewed purpose (Psalm 40; Psalm 103).

Being in a pit is objectively bad, but the Lord will work good through the bad for believers as he promises he will in Romans 8:28.

We hold fast to him and remember he’s still working in our circumstances. The pit isn’t fun, but God hasn’t forgotten or abandoned us. He’s promised he never will (Hebrews 13:5).

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

The post August 30-Purpose in the Pit appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things . . . and to be killed, and to be raised up . . .. And yet Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you!’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.’”

—Matthew 16:21–23

Not everyone who speaks good things into our lives can be trusted to know God’s will. Even well–meaning people who love us and love God may say things that tempt us away from the hard road necessary to accomplish the Lord’s purposes.

They may say that no bad thing can come our way or that God would never allow us to suffer, but the Word says we will have trials (1 Peter 4:12–13), we will be hated (Matthew 10:22), and we will even be put to death (Matthew 24:9).

The belief that God will not allow difficulty or that a strong faith exempts us from worldly trouble will lead us to turn from him the moment difficulty arises. It creates a false sense of what God promises, so when the hardship comes, we start thinking he has not kept his word. 

If our minds are set on men’s purposes—comfort, prosperity, and health—any contradiction to those things will turn us away from God.

But if our minds are set on God’s purposes, we will be focused on the eternal kingdom (John 18:36). Only from that foundation can we endure the trials of this world with our faith intact (Matthew 24:10–13).

The post August 29-Setting My Mind on God appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”

—2 Peter 3:8

Do you remember waiting for things when you were a kid? A month felt like an eternity when it was between you and your birthday, Christmas, or that vacation. The wait seemed unbearable.

Many of us can relate, finding it hard to be motivated by our eternity with Christ because it seems too far off. When things are hard or circumstances aren’t what we want, another thirty, forty, or fifty years seems too hard, too long, and too much to bear.

Instead of looking at our future like children the month before Christmas—as an interminable wait they can’t possibly endure—let’s be like the parents who know it’s just around the corner; a month will pass in no time at all.

We may look ahead at the difficult years and wish they would pass in a flash—wish we could feel confident the good thing was really on the other side of the wait.

God sees those years and wants us to trust that the wait will be worth it and that, afterwards, it will seem like no wait at all. Like parents with their children, he would love to see us living in eager excitement with contentment in the meantime.

God knows that being content in the waiting and through the difficult years seems impossible to us, but he also knows they will pass in a flash. Living in hopeful expectation is part of what he has for us on this side of eternity.

The post August 28-In the Waiting appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Rather, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

—1 Timothy 4:7–8

This verse reminds us to consider where we’re spending our resources—time, effort, and money—and to intentionally evaluate what stands out.

Exercise is valuable; Paul isn’t saying we can’t or shouldn’t do it. I also don’t think he is minimizing the importance of being healthy. As the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16–17), we’re to be good stewards of our bodies as the instrument we use to carry out the good works he’s assigned to us in this life (Ephesians 2:10).

But many of us spend far more of our resources on the external and temporary—looking younger, having the most fashionable clothes, the most toned body, or the fanciest car—than we do the internal and infinite.

Exercise for health can sometimes become exercise for vanity, and Paul is reminding us to keep our priorities straight. Neither exercise nor any other good thing in our lives should come before disciplining ourselves for the purpose of godliness.

That is pursuing a lesser good to the detriment of the eternal good.

And training for godliness actually trickles into every other area of our lives because it fosters the self–control and wisdom we need to be disciplined overall.

Are we spending the bulk of our resources on things that are only valuable for this life or on things that are valuable not only now, but also into eternity?

The post August 27-Training for Eternity appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“[Love] believes all things, hopes all things.”

—1 Corinthians 13:7

What does it actually mean to believe and hope all things in love?

It means giving others the benefit of the doubt, trusting that their intentions toward us are good, taking their words at face value instead of trying to assume motives, and not living in suspicion because of our own insecurities.

When we think of those we love, we can imagine all the terrible things they might think of us or all the ways they might hurt us, but living in those thoughts will create a barrier of fear, lived by us and felt by them.

Or we can imagine that those people truly love us, want our good, and do their best to bring it about. We can realize that they probably also have areas where they struggle to restrain doubts and assumptions about our motives, feelings, and actions. By believing in those people, we will give them the courage to believe in us.

This doesn’t mean we pretend hurts don’t exist when they appear. When harm is done, we lovingly address it. We set boundaries and expectations.

But we don’t create or imagine division out of nothing.

And this applies to all the relationships in our lives—family, friendship, professional, or romantic.

We will still be hurt sometimes, but that will happen whether we live in cynical expectation of it or not. And the cynical expectation not only hurts us; it creates an environment that fosters hurt in the other person as well.

When we choose to believe and hope, we renew both our relationships and our own hearts.

The post August 26-The Benefit of the Doubt appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And he called a child to himself and set him among them, and said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”

—Matthew 18:1–4

If we understand our place before God, there will be no vying for position. We will have no illusions of ruling with him in heaven, but rather fall down before his throne, even the greatest of us casting our crowns at his feet (Revelation 4:10–11). We will always see ourselves as children in his household, not masters.

We will know that there is only one Master—our heavenly Father. Only he is worthy of being greater than any other. We and all our brothers and sisters come on equal footing to his throne—helpless, dependent, and unable to earn our place in the kingdom. 

This doesn’t mean being a child requires nothing of us. What a father really wants from his children is love, relationship, trust, and obedience. And just as an earthly child is expected to grow, we’re all to mature in the faith—to learn and grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18), in maturity (Ephesians 4:11–16), and in obedience (James 2:26).

And how freeing to live as a child, trusting our Father’s direction, knowing that he is capable of handling all that comes in this life, unconcerned with earthly position, and relaxing into the fact that he loves us wholly and is always with us!

The post August 25-Casting Our Crowns appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill–treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing him who is unseen.” 

—Hebrews 11:24–27

Three of the most difficult characteristics of a life of faith are found here: 

Could we, like Moses, choose the humble life of a shepherd rather than a life of royalty?

We know that the treasures of this life will always wither, fade (Isaiah 40:8), rust, and be destroyed (Matthew 6:19). We know that evil men will always get their due, even if it’s not until eternity (Isaiah 3:11). We know that the invisible is eternal while the visible is temporary (2 Corinthians 4:18).

In order to live lives of faith, we must intentionally, purposefully, and consistently remind ourselves of these truths. When we’re tempted by the pleasures of this world (James 1:14–15), when we’re afraid of what man can do to us (Matthew 10:28), and when we’re distracted by the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for temporary things (Mark 4:19) that choke out the Word in our lives, our job is to turn our hearts back to the truth.

That is the life of faith.

The post August 24-The Life of Faith appeared first on C. E. White.