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.

“Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations; his glory is above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high, who looks far down to the heavens and the earth?”

—Psalm 113:2–6

“The name of the Lord is to be praised,” but most of us don’t know how to do that in our daily lives. It’s not as hard as we make it. 

When we love a movie or a book, we talk about it and try to get others to watch or read it so we can share it with them. When we love someone, we tell others how great they are. If we get engaged or married, we want everyone to know about it and to celebrate with us. When we see a magnificent sunset or go on vacation, we share pictures and love telling others about our favorite places so perhaps they can enjoy them too.

Praising is not a show we put on; it’s what we’re doing every time we tell someone how the Lord spoke during our prayer time, every time we share how a Bible verse showed up just at the right moment, and every time we talk about how he’s bringing life to our souls.

The natural outpouring of our love for God will be to praise him from this time through forever and from the rising of the sun to its setting. “Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised!” (Psalm 145:3).

The post JULY 15-My Everyday Praise 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 the dinner hour he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is ready now.’ And yet they all alike began to make excuses.”

—Luke 14:17–18

God invites everyone to the eternal banquet—he is “not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9)—but those who find their satisfaction in this world will often have some reason to refuse—something they believe is more important.

“I have business,” “I’m getting married,” “I have things to take care of (Luke 14:18–20).”

So the master invites those considered to be undesirable—the have–nots of the world.

Those people could see that their need was not filled by the fleeting value of the things of this world. They knew that money, health, and power are all too transient, and they wanted a lasting, eternal abundance.

We should never decline God because we’ve become happy, content, fulfilled, absorbed with, or distracted by the things of this world. He might invite us to some task that takes us away from a life we’ve meticulously built and now place our hope in, just like the rich young ruler. Jesus told him to sell all he had and follow, but the man would not because his faith was in his possessions. He “went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property” (Mark 10:22), but that grief brought him no closer to God.

Our excuses might mean we’re trusting in and filling our hearts with things other than God. Let’s not forfeit our place at the table by allowing earthly blessings—the deceitfulness of riches (Mark 4:19)—to blind us to our one true need. Let’s choose eternal joy and lasting worth.

The post July 14-Don’t Miss the Banquet 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

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

—Psalm 37:7

Resting and waiting patiently are not our natural posture. We more often act to acquire and pursue the things we want impatiently. We do everything we can to get that thing we think we can’t live without.

Three things can happen when pursue things without waiting on the Lord and his direction:

By resting in the Lord and waiting patiently for him, we free ourselves from the control these things have over us and the consequences of pursuing them against the Lord’s will. The waiting generates that godliness accompanied by contentment that is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6). 

But we do have to work at it. We must intentionally set our desires in the Lord’s hands and affirm that we trust him whether he provides or does not.

Waiting anxiously will lead us into unrest, strife, and anxiety.

But resting and waiting patiently in our good Father will bring us peace, hope, and joy.

The post July 13-Peace in the Pause 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 you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession.”

—Hebrews 10:34

We are so vocal about our rights. I can’t imagine many Christians joyfully accepting the seizure of our property . . . or accepting the seizure of our property at all. We would be railing against it, trying to find justice, and many would gladly do violence to prevent or oppose it.

But if our hope is not in this world—in what we own and see and touch—if we truly know we have a better and a lasting possession coming, the loss of these things will not derail us.

The loss might be hurtful, frustrating, disappointing, and sad, but can we joyfully accept it nonetheless?

Can we show others that our satisfaction is not in our possessions?

Can we, in the midst of the plundering of our property, be so unconcerned with it that we continue to support other struggling believers and still do the good works to which Christ has called us?

Can we love our enemies while they’re still doing us evil (Matthew 5:43–48)?

Can we give those doing us harm not only what we’re compelled to give by force but more (Luke 6:29)?

Can we respond with the same spirit Jesus exhibited when he healed Malchus after Peter cut off his ear (John 18:10–11) in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:51)?

Can we show the world that we don’t care about our rights as much as we care about their souls?

Will we be ready and able to represent Christ in the middle of the seizure of our property if it ever comes to that?

The post July 12-More Than My Stuff 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

“The mind of a person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

—Proverbs 16:9

Most of us make plans and have goals; that’s good. But those goals should always be held loosely. Our only unwavering goal—the one we will not stray from no matter what—should be to follow where the Lord leads.

If there is some plan or goal we feel we cannot live without, we’re unwilling to give up if the Lord asks, or something outside of that we’re unwilling to do if the Lord leads, then our steps are headed in the wrong direction.

Holding on to our plans and wants against the Lord’s guidance or biblical wisdom will always lead to fruitless dissatisfaction or destructive consequences.

When the Lord directs our steps away from what we’ve planned, we follow without question. He will not lead us astray; all his ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30). Following him keeps us in the refuge of his wings and will lead to the truest satisfaction we can ever have in this life.

He does not direct us away from what we desire in order to punish, but to free us from the earthly snares that our enemy sets to trap us. Whatever we give up by following the Lord closer and closer each day will be replaced by the ability to love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind and by the power of the Holy Spirit working through and in us.

Through submitting our plans to him, every other thing in our lives will become more full, true, good, and complete.

The post July 11-When Plans Change 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

“Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice, and to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.”

—1 Samuel 15:22

We often choose sacrifice—the ritual of religious duty—over obedience and paying attention to the Lord.

But our lives with Christ are not lives of fill–in–the–blank dos and don’ts. They are lives lived in an ongoing essay of obedience and paying attention.

The fill–in–the–blank life will have us checking off tasks on a moral to–do list without ever learning who the Lord is. It’s straightforward—a facts and figures knowledge that means little to us as long as we pass the test. It has us seeing God as a distant deity we must pacify, doing just enough to keep him on our side.

But the essay life will have us walking in humble obedience and paying attention to the Holy Spirit minute–by–minute, day–by–day. The essay life is open–ended. We see and understand the beauty and depth in the story of God’s Word, and that translates into a life that continues to tell his story. It’s not only duty that constrains us but love and a desire to know the Lord more each day. He’s our heavenly Father who knows us intimately and wants us to know him as well (Galatians 4).

The Word tells us repeatedly that God doesn’t want our religious performance; he wants our hearts turned toward him in love and trust.

As we follow Christ’s example of love and obedience, our lives themselves become the sacrifice that pleases the Lord (Romans 12:1–2).

Let’s not settle for fill–in–the–blank lives of rote religion. Let’s learn to know, love, and follow our heavenly Father.

The post July 10-A Life That Listens 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

“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

—1 Corinthians 15:58

It’s tempting to give up when we don’t see that our work for the Lord is resulting in changed lives or obvious fruit. 

But this verse assures us that if we are seeking the Lord and following him, that work will always matter. We don’t have to wonder.

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary.” That’s the important thing; even when we don’t see the results, we are to be steadfast, keep going, not waver, and keep doing what he’s called us to do.

The farmer does not reap if he gives up mid–season. He must continue tending, waiting, watering, weeding, pruning, protecting from pests, and trusting the Lord to bring the harvest. 

For all of our seventy or eighty years on this earth, we’re to continue tending what the Lord has put in our lives so we are fruitful for his kingdom. The life we live in Christ is always worth it even when difficult; we have his presence (Psalm 23:4), peace (Philippians 4:7), and the assurance of eternity with him ahead to carry us through (Hebrews 12:2). We may see small harvests here and there along the way, or we may not see a real crop until eternity.

But the Lord has promised that a harvest will come, and our labor will not be in vain.

The post July 9-In Due 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

“Far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus.”

—Galatians 6:14

Paul is referencing those things we tend to wear proudly as badges of honor for our Christian faith. In his day, it was being circumcised versus being uncircumcised. Today, it may be something like, “I go to church every week,” or “I never cuss,” or “I’ve never___________” (fill in the blank) that makes us feel spiritually superior. 

But to do this is to live like the Pharisees, taking joy in others’ weakness. It makes us feel good to think we are better than them—“thank you that I am not like other people” (Luke 18:11–12).

This attitude cripples love. As long as we continue this way, we cannot truly wish for others’ good, because to raise them up means we have less to feel good about within ourselves.

When we take our eyes off ourselves and put them on Christ, remembering his sacrificial love—that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)—then we can truly love others the same way, wishing for their greatest good.

It’s freeing to boast only in the cross; our self–image is no longer defined by comparing ourselves to other people, whether good or bad. Whatever earthly advantages or disadvantages we may have, we are all equal before the cross.

We recognize that he is the reason for anything in us worth boasting of, so we point to the source, and we are then free to love as he loves.

The post July 8-Only Jesus 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, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”

—Romans 12:10–13

How beautiful would the body of Christ be if we employed these instructions!

Are we devoted to one another in brotherly love, or do we see our brother as a burden?

Do we give honor and preference to others instead of seeking our own ends first?

Do we employ diligence in studying the Word and following God?

Are our spirits fervent in loving God and others, or are we weak and careless in our faith and relationship with him?

Are we serving the Lord faithfully, living lives of obedience and following where he leads, or are there areas of sin we are holding on to and calls to service we have not yet answered?

Are we rejoicing in God and his eternal hope, or are we staggering in despair and hoping in the things of this world?

Are we persevering even in tribulation, or do we doubt and turn away from the Lord when difficulties come?

Are we devoted to prayer in a way that proves we actually believe it changes things, or do we treat it as a weak platitude when there’s nothing we can do with our human hands?

Are we contributing to the needs of other believers, or do we hold our possessions tightly because we fear we will not have enough?

Do we practice hospitality or keep others at arm’s length because it’s inconvenient or difficult?

We can use these questions to discover if we’re living out the kind of faith and love these verses describe.

The post July 7-Are We Living This? 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

“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” 

—Isaiah 40:31

When we become weary, it’s often because we haven’t waited on the Lord in some instance. We have not sat long at his feet or allowed him access to some area of our lives, or we’ve chosen distance from him in some area of selfishness, pride, anger, or other sin. 

Perhaps we’ve plowed ahead in our own plans and our own strength because we want something and haven’t checked in with him. 

But the eagle flies best by the power of the wind. It soars not with its own strength, but by waiting for the moments when the wind is right to carry it. An eagle can fly in its own power, but it can only carry the smallest of weights without the wind’s strength.

That’s true of us as well. If we try to lift our own weights without waiting for the Lord, we will quickly grow tired. We won’t be equipped to bear the burdens and temptations of this world. We might be able to carry some things for a time, but even small weights will quickly become too heavy. We will grow weak and fall in our weariness. 

The Lord is our strength, and when we run ahead of him, we will always wear out. We will not be able to take up our cross and follow him (Matthew 16:24). 

But when we wait for him, the Holy Spirit becomes like the wind to the eagle, bearing us up and giving us strength for our flights and our burdens.

The post July 6-Strength in the Waiting appeared first on C. E. White.