The Mirror of the Word: A Daily Devotional Podcast from 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.

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; he guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

—Psalm 23:2–4

Sometimes it’s good to remember that along with the green pastures and the still waters, our good Shepherd might also take us through the valley of the shadow of death. He has not stopped leading us, even there. The difficult path might be the only one that leads us home.

We do not have to fear it, because we trust our Shepherd.

With his rod and staff, the Lord directs, corrects, and protects us.

We often choose to be more frustrated than comforted by his direction and correction, but this passage teaches us that the proper attitude toward correction is to be comforted.

A toddler might be dazzled by a fire, but a good father will guide the child away from the danger over and over. The child doesn’t understand, but we know the father is not being cruel or keeping a good thing from the child. This is protection.

The Lord does this for us when we become dazzled by the world and wander too close to its flames.

We often forget what this beautiful psalm tells us . . . first, that our circumstances may not always be pleasant, but we don’t have to fear, and second, that the Lord may discipline and direct us where we do not want to go, but it is always for our eternal good.

The post August 14-Still Waters, Dark Valleys 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.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

—Matthew 6:19–21

If we ask ourselves regularly where our hearts are—and answer honestly—we will often find they are holding on to the temporary things of this earth.

The following questions bring some clarity: 

If we put our treasure and heart’s desire in Christ and become completely taken up with him, we won’t be fazed by the gain or loss of earthly things. We’ll recognize the truth that the earthly is all temporary and will fade away with age, destruction, or theft. Above all, we will want to live for the things that count for eternity.

May we always be checking where we’ve put our hearts and our treasure and redirecting when necessary.

This is not a one–time action. We must be alert to each new worldly temptation. Some of them can look very like heavenly gifts until our motives are brought to light. For instance, if our motive for godly work is so that others will believe we are good, then our treasure is in the opinion of man.

Our heart for the Lord’s good works is building eternal treasure when it isn’t set on any earthly outcome or reward (Matthew 6:1).

The post August 13-Heaven Over Here 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.

“Do not be haughty in mind but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”

—Romans 12:16

If we’re humble, we won’t be afraid to be seen with the lowly. This verse makes us think of the poor and the homeless, but let’s make it relatable—it’s the lady nobody likes, the awkward person who always says the wrong thing, and the guy at work with no hygiene. 

If we’re humble, we won’t need to seem more important than others. We won’t need to hobnob only with the most popular or successful people in the room. We’ll always treat the lowly as equals, though some may think it’s degrading to do so. We also won’t hesitate to get our hands dirty and do what many consider the lowly jobs. If we’re humble, we can do these things even if we’re put in a prominent position, because we aren’t “believing our own press,” as they say. 

Others may see us as a giant in some area—industry, intellect, wisdom, talent, or charisma—but if we’re humble, we won’t let the root of pride burrow into our hearts. We will know we are human like all others and that only the power of the Holy Spirit makes us truly good. All believers are on equal ground before Christ.

And humility is part of our protection against falling into that sin. If we start believing we’re better than others or wise in our own estimation, we begin trusting in ourselves and our own worldly abilities and talents instead of leaning on Jesus Christ, and that will lead directly to a fall (Proverbs 16:18).

The post August 12-Don’t Believe Your Own Press 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 as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it produce and sprout, and providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will my word be which goes out of my mouth; it will not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.”

—Isaiah 55:10–11 

Sometimes we say things at the Lord’s prompting, and it feels like we just watch it fall to fallow ground, yielding nothing. 

Maybe we don’t receive the reactions we hoped—or any reaction at all. Maybe no one suddenly accepts Jesus Christ, turns their life around, or responds to the truth in what was said. Maybe they even respond badly.

That doesn’t mean the words were useless. If we’re speaking God’s Word, it’s planting seeds all along the way. Some may sprout and some may not; that depends upon the soil where they land (Matthew 13:1–23), but those words are never spoken in vain.

Most seeds take time to sink deep into the soil and begin to sprout . . . sometimes a very long time. 

And we may never know even if the fruit does thrive; maybe we’re there for the planting, but someone else is there for the harvest (John 4:37–38).

We can continue planting those seeds in hopeful confidence, because if we’re faithful to plant, the harvest will eventually come (Galatians 6:9).

The Lord’s Word will not return void.

The post August 11-Harvest in His Time 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.

“Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.”

—Psalm 46:10

As believers, we can stop bustling anxiously from one thing to the next, stop trying to control our circumstances, and stop worrying about everything . . . and we can do it all in confidence of our God.

The worldly phrase we all know for this is to “stop and smell the roses,” but the impact of that statement pales compared to how God puts it: “Stop striving and know that I am God.”

Sometimes there aren’t any roses. Sometimes everything around us stinks. Sometimes stopping to smell the roses just reminds us that—right now—we can only see thorns.

But God is always there in his fully present, all–powerful god–ness. No matter what we see around us, he is Immanuel—God with us.

And no rose has power over the circumstances of our lives.

We could be in the middle of a rose garden, but it might bring, at best, only a few moments of peace before the difficult realities all around us take over our thoughts once again.

But God is still God no matter what. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is still in control. We can look around at the roses or the stink and the thorns and know that he is working in and through it all.

Instead of striving, we can rest in who he is—our fully good and loving, omnipotent God—and the rest, peace, and confidence we have in him will be a testimony of his goodness and sovereignty to those around us.

The post AUGUST 10-Peace in the Chaos 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.

“Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

—Psalm 95:7–8

When the Lord prompts us to do something or we feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit telling us not to do something, it’s easy to silence that voice in the moment.

“This is just a small thing; it won’t matter. I’ll listen next time.”

When we do this, we harden our hearts and make his voice a little bit quieter every time.

If we continue down this path, we slowly quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and show that he is not truly our Lord. John 10:27–28 says, “My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life.”

If we are his sheep, we will follow him, and if we love him, we will keep his commandments (John 14:15; John 14:21; John 14:23). We won’t do it perfectly and there is so much grace for our stumbles, but our true desire and sincere effort should be to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3:18), to move beyond the elementary teachings and become mature believers (Hebrews 6:1), and to learn, by practicing our faith, to discern between good and evil (Romans 12:1–2).

Every tiny whisper the Lord speaks to us, whether it’s through his Word or the Holy Spirit, is taking us down a path closer toward that maturing, but hardening our hearts to those whispers will take us away from him. The small steps along that path are just as important as the big ones. 

The post AUGUST 9-The Whisper Matters 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 godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”

—1 Timothy 6:6

People living in contentment don’t have everything, but they don’t need to have everything. They may live paycheck–to–paycheck. They may not wear fancy clothes or drive a nice car. Their house might need work. They might not get recognition or appreciation for the things they do. They might not have the type of relationships they wish they did. 

Yet, being near a content person is calming. They live in peace and hope regardless of their circumstances and even when things look bleak.

How do we grow this contentment?

As we walk in godliness and obey the Word of the Lord, the truth becomes more and more clear in our lives. The Word becomes living and active. 

We recognize that what it asks of us really is the path to the easy yoke and the light burden. The last really shall be first (Matthew 20:16) and seeking the kingdom of God and righteousness first really is the path to having anything else of worth (Matthew 6:33). The approval of man really is empty (Matthew 6:1), and whatever we give up for Christ really will be repaid many times over both in this life and the next (Matthew 19:29).

These truths don’t feel true until we’re walking in them. Our human nature tells us that seeking what we want will bring us contentment, but what we find there is abundance without fulfillment and fleeting pleasure without lasting joy.

As we walk in godliness by the power of the Holy Spirit, we find the opposite is true. We’re renewed rather than depleted as we serve. We have joy even in the midst of pain. We’re content even when we lack things we desire.

The post AUGUST 8-Joy in the Lack 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.

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.”

—Romans 12:10

“Love one another” is something we see all over the Bible. 

It’s easy to forget this means anything extraordinary, so I love how the next sentence takes it to a new level. “Give preference to one another in honor.” Some versions say, “Outdo one another in showing honor.”

There are about a thousand ways we try to outdo one another: in performance, success, by possessing the latest gadget or the nicest car, by dressing or looking a certain way, and by comparing our kids to other people’s kids. We can even try to outdo one another in our religious zeal and end up like the Pharisees: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:11–12).

But what if we each tried to outdo one another only in showing honor? Imagining a world like this makes me take a deep breath and smile, because it would mean no one was trying to overshadow anyone else. No one would be oppressing others, but rather lifting them up. We would all be happy to rejoice in others’ success even if it surpassed our own.

So let’s take that deep breath, relax into the lives we have instead of the ones we don’t, stop worrying what standards others are judging us by, and live free of all the other cumbersome “outdoing one another” that keeps us in the trap of comparison, insecurity, and fear of the opinions of others. 

Let’s attempt to outdo others only in showing honor and wow them with our love.

The post August 7-The Best Kind of Competition 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.

“He has told you, mortal one, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

—Micah 6:8

We tend to judge ourselves by what we accomplish and how successful we look. This leads to frustration and overwhelm, because there are innumerable worldly things we need to do to make this “success” happen.

Are our homes clean? Are our careers and relationships flourishing? Are we exercising daily and eating healthy? Are our kids doing well in school? Is the lawn tended and manicured? Do we have the latest fashions? Have we read meaningful books and also kept up with the news? Do we have it all together emotionally?

We really can’t do it all, and there are seasons in which we can only do the bare minimum. We feel behind and like we’re failing at everything. There are so many things on our plate, and most of them are falling off.

The Lord does not look at us in frustration when our to–do lists keep piling up. He is not bothered if our toilets go unscrubbed or our hedges untrimmed.

What does he care about? That we do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with him.

We can do that even when our daily life looks like a mess to us or anyone who happens to be looking on.

Let’s stop judging ourselves on how many tasks we accomplish, but rather according to the Lord’s requirements. At the end of the day, we may be further behind than we began, but if we’ve done these three things, we are successful regardless.

The post August 6-Just. Kind. Humble. 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 whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

—Matthew 20:26–28

Can we choose to be servants and slaves? Can we lay down our lives in the service of Christ for the sake of others?

We want greatness to mean we are commended and comfortable.

In the kingdom of God, it often means we’re rejected and despised.

In 2 Timothy 2:10, Paul says, “I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”

Paul endured beatings, nearly leading to death; thirty–nine lashes five times; beatings with rods three times; one stoning; three shipwrecks; being adrift at sea; danger from rivers, robbers, his own people, Gentiles, and from false brothers; much toil and hardship; sleepless nights; hunger and thirst; cold and exposure; and the daily pressure of anxiety for the churches (2 Corinthians 11:23–28).

No one could look at his life and say he was showered with praise or comfortable. Yet he is great in the kingdom of God.

We’re unlikely to live the depth of hardship Paul did, but we’re all called to be servants in the kingdom of God. 

We don’t have to grow bitter if others don’t praise us. We, like Paul, can “endure everything for the sake of the elect.” We, like Jesus, don’t have to be concerned with whether we are served by others. We can serve with joy and not expect servants of our own.

The post August 5-Greatness Redefined appeared first on C. E. White.