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

“To me they listened and waited, and they kept silent for my advice . . .  And now I have become their taunt, and I have become a byword to them. They loathe me and stand aloof from me.”

—Job 29:21 & Job 30:9–10

The world loves a success story. They want advice about how to get there too, and they want to be associated with that success. They hang on every word to find out how to accomplish their own goals.

But what happens when that success story collapses?

The world’s first reaction is suspicion. Like Job’s friends, most people will think, “They must’ve done something wrong. Maybe they deserve this loss.”

They start thinking that person must not be as smart or as great as they thought; they stop flattering and begin to shun.

We like to believe that success is always earned and failure is always deserved, but the Bible shows us over and over that this isn’t true.

“He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).

This world is broken. Bad things will happen in life no matter how diligently we work, how devoted we are to serving God, or how intelligent and talented we are. Sometimes bad things actually happen because of those things, as we can see with Job.

May we look upon those whose worlds are collapsing and have compassion for them rather than suspicion. May we not distance ourselves from them in their time of need. May we remember that Job was blameless before God; he was not being punished.

And may we remember the same for ourselves when our hard–won successes fall away through no fault of our own.

The post JULY 26-Beyond the Collapse 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.

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,’ even darkness is not dark to you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to you.”

—Psalm 139:11–12

Sometimes it feels like we’re walking in the dark. We don’t know where we’re going, and the world feels hopeless. It looks like the darkness has won.

If we’re looking at our circumstances, that might seem true. There may be no earthly way out, as there was no way for the Israelites to cross through the sea, no way for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to survive the fiery furnace, no way for Abraham and Sarah to have a child, and no hope when Jesus died.

But when we look at the Lord’s work in those and other circumstances, we can see that there was still a way, even when death was sure and all earthly hope was lost.

He is the God “who makes a way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters” (Isaiah 43:16).

We look to the hand of the Lord. If it seems he is slow to respond, we keep praying, seeking, asking, and knocking (Luke 11:9–13). He will not fail to send the good gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us.

When we find ourselves in the dark unable to see the way, we operate by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). We can be unconcerned when our sight does not show us the way, knowing that the Lord can see where we cannot. The dark is not dark to him. It’s as bright as the noonday sun.

The post JULY 25-Hope in the Dark 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 merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

—Luke 6:36–38

By the measure we give, the Lord will give to us. That’s a sobering thought.

What would God’s condemnation toward us look like if he were standing in front of us and modeling our own behavior toward others?

Are we hardhearted? Harsh in judgment? Unforgiving? Selfish?

In Matthew 18:21–35, the master does not forgive the servant the great debt after the servant is unforgiving to the one indebted to him. It’s even in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

If we’re unwilling to forgive, we will not be forgiven.

On the other hand, are we generous? Patient? Merciful? Forgiving? Kind? Encouraging? 

If we can say yes to those, what a prize we can expect!

These things will be poured into our lap in return with unmitigated bounty.

It’s human nature to judge others harshly, and it’s difficult to forgive, but as we become more and more merciful as our Father is merciful, we will draw others to him by passing on his grace and kindness. 

The world expects reciprocity and payback. They don’t expect kindness and mercy.

It’s our job to show them that God is ready to give it. 

The post JULY 24-Measure of Mercy 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.

“Incline your ear and come to me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David.”

—Isaiah 55:3

Listen, and come. These are the things we’re told to do. It’s just another way of saying, “believe,” because who do we listen and come to? The people we trust, the people we believe want good for us, and the people we love.

If we listen and come to the Lord, we’re believing in him. True listening will result in acting on what we hear (James 1:22), not just letting the words pass our ears.

When we come to the Lord, we know that he will come near to us (James 4:8). The result? We live! Many versions say our “soul” lives, and “lives” is also translated as “recovers” or “is restored.”

When our souls feel dead or dying, our action should be to listen to and come to him. This isn’t a brief encounter on Sundays, but an everyday act of learning about him and his heart for us and reading and meditating on his Word. What do his Words mean for our day–to–day lives, our hearts, our actions, and our thoughts? How can we bring them into his truth?

We tend to settle for a weak, withered soul now because we’re feeding it what the world offers. But when we nourish it by listening to the Lord and coming to him, we come alive now and come into that everlasting covenant and faithful mercy. It’s like CPR for a dying soul, giving us the only thing that will truly sustain—God’s presence in our lives.

The post JULY 23-Soul CPR 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 Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going.”

—Hebrews 11:8

When God tells us to go but doesn’t say where, it’s scary. We rarely—if ever—even leave our homes without planning the destination.

But he always has a reason, and it’s always for good.

It might look crazy to the rest of the world—other Christians might even question. “But do you have a plan? God wouldn’t want you to go without a plan!”

But when the contest is between our plan or the Lord’s direction, he doesn’t want us to follow the plan; he wants us to follow him. He knows the plans and purposes for our lives. He knows the way when we can see no way. And his way is often something we never could have imagined.

The truth is that every time we leave our homes, though we think we know where we’re going, our destination may change. We might not end up where we intended. There is no guarantee in following our own plans even though they often feel more certain than the Lord’s. We will never be on more solid ground than when we are following him, though we may not know the next step in front of us.

When he calls, we should always follow his lead. We should neither hesitate—even if it doesn’t make sense to us—nor forge ahead trying to make things happen our own way and attempt to guess where he has us headed.

We wait on the Lord and take each step at his direction. We might not know where we’re going, but he does.

The post JULY 22-Without a Plan 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 one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on my account will find it.”

—Matthew 10:39

We spend a lot of time trying to “find our lives.” We want to make our mark, have a successful career, be comfortable financially, and have trouble–free relationships and lives.

But this says the way to “finding our lives” is through seeking the Lord and submitting all our wants and desires to him rather than spending our time scraping and clawing for what we think we need.

Giving up our right to ourselves is the way to true life. It’s counterintuitive. We’re taught to chase our dreams and do what makes us happy, and that makes sense to us.

But the Word tells us that will only end with us losing the thing we sought. It says that seeking God and righteousness is the way to finding all the things our soul actually needs (Matthew 6:33). 

What we need may not be in the direction of our dreams nor what we believe will make us happy, but it will always be worth it in the end, because we don’t actually know what will make us happy. God does.

When we’re unwilling to let go of a desire, insisting that we must have or experience something in this life, our hearts are saying, “I can’t trust God in this area; he’s not enough. I must get it regardless of whether he intends it or not.”

But trusting the One who knows everything and giving him the right to direct our steps is the path to life even when it means releasing our worldly expectations and desires.

When we’re willing to lose our life, we will find it.

The post JULY 21-Losing to Find 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.

“Not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.”

—Philippians 3:9

Sometimes, we look at ourselves and think we’re doing pretty good. We haven’t done anything overtly sinful or obvious to the outside world recently.

But Jesus makes it clear that this type of righteousness is just like whitewashing a tomb. The outside might look good, but inside, it’s still dead. He tells us that it’s not only our actions that incriminate us, but our motives and our thoughts.

And if we’re looking at those honestly, we can usually see the fear, hypocrisy, lust, selfishness, pride (and more) that rears its head over and over each day.

It’s easy to let this discourage us when we truly want to be like Christ. But wallowing in our failures and letting them drag us down into despair is just another trick of the devil (2 Corinthians 7:10). He tempts us to sin then uses our shame over that sin to keep us from running to Christ.

It’s another way to keep our eyes on ourselves instead of on Jesus.

Jesus is not shocked by our failures, and we shouldn’t be either. 

When he rescued the woman caught in adultery, he implored her to “Go and sin no more,” but he did not shame her (John 8:1–11).

When Peter had denied and abandoned him, Jesus did not scold and belittle. He sought Peter out and renewed his calling. 

When we fall short (Romans 3:23), the answer is to repent, turn our eyes back to the Lord, run to him, and accept his grace. 

Our faith is not in ourselves, but in him.

The post July 20-Running Back to Grace 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.

“This is the day which the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it.”

—Psalm 118:24

Some days are hard to rejoice in. We wake up dreading whatever the day holds and feeling like we don’t have anything to look forward to. Maybe our day is full of illness, a broken–down car, a rebellious child, or a stack of bills we don’t know how we’re going to pay.

But the truth is, we only ever have “this day.” If we trust that the good things are the Lord’s blessing, know that some of the hard things are his teaching and discipline which prepare us for his purpose, and if we believe the rest of the difficult things we face will be turned to good even if they’re the result of sin and evil, then we can rejoice every day.

As we follow the Lord, we rejoice because he can transform it all, no matter how unlikely or how terrible the situation—Joseph, in the pit, in slavery, in the dungeon; Ruth, widowed, a stranger in a strange land with no one to provide for her; Elijah, alone on the run from a bloodthirsty queen; Jesus, betrayed, sentenced unjustly, tortured, and murdered. 

God turned all of this around—brought beauty from ashes, gladness from mourning, and praise from despair.

Rejoicing is an act of trust in the future we know God has promised us. It reminds us of the source of good things, staves off the dread in difficulty, and renews our hope. It changes our attitude and puts our mind back on Christ instead of on our circumstances.

So whether we feel like we’re sinking in the waves or our barns are overflowing, let’s rejoice in this day and put our eyes on Christ.

The post JULY 19-Rejoicing Anyway 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.

“I believed when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted.’”

—Psalm 116:10

Sometimes in this life, we will be greatly afflicted. We’re not alone. This psalmist and many others in the Bible experienced great affliction—David, Daniel, Joseph, Ruth, Esther, Paul, and even Jesus.

We don’t have to pretend we’re fine when things are hard.

The psalmist acknowledges the difficulty of his circumstance, yet still believes. In this chapter, he goes on to give the Lord thanks and praise for salvation, provision, compassion, rescue, and freedom.

We can walk through the affliction in this way—praising and remaining faithful even in the middle of the difficulty.

We can say, “I believe even when I don’t see the way out, when I don’t like what’s happening, when I feel too tired to move forward, when I don’t know what I’m doing, when I’ve made a terrible mistake, when my finances aren’t enough, when my car breaks down, when my future seems dark, when my friends and family have abandoned me, when the world seems full of disappointment, frustration, and sorrow, when I’ve been betrayed, when serving the Lord has me walking right into danger, and when everyone seems against me.”

We can cry out to the Lord in desperation but also turn to thanks and praise. When we look at the times thankfulness is mentioned in the Bible, it’s often brought up in context with remembering all the Lord has done for us so we will be encouraged. It’s like building a monument as a reminder of the Lord’s faithfulness in the past so we won’t forget it when hard times come.

Let’s build our monuments of praise and thanksgiving so when we are greatly afflicted, we can say, “I believe, even when . . . because . . .”

The post July 18-I Believe, Even When… 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.

“Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this way let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.”

—1 Corinthians 7:17

Each of us is called to a unique journey. Our inclination is to look at other peoples’ lives to figure out what “worked.” We want to follow the pattern for happiness and success.

But that’s not how it works in the kingdom of God. As we live in this world for him, we can’t predict where he might have us go or what he might have us do based on worldly wisdom.

Success and failure are measured differently in the Christian life. Christ will not look at us at the end of time and say, “Your house wasn’t very nice after all,” or “You really should’ve had a more prestigious job,” or “If only you’d been more well–known and respected.”

His only metric for success or failure is following him. He will say, “Well–done thy good and faithful servant” according to that and that alone.

The path for following Christ might not make sense to the world and its approved formula for doing things “right,” but it’s the only road that will lead to true fulfillment, joy, and peace in the end.

Chasing the world’s advice will have us running in circles, always certain we’re not measuring up to its standards for finances, talent, or appearances, etc. Its aim is an ever–moving target.

And even a good, God–ordained path for one believer might be a bad path for another.

Our aim is to walk alongside God on the path he’s assigned and called us to as individuals, not to make our lives a cheap copy of someone else’s.

The post July 17-Stop Chasing Shadows appeared first on C. E. White.