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.

“With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. Does a spring send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?”

—James 3:9–11

It’s easy to say nice words about God while speaking harshly and negatively about and to others. This is what happens when we speak from the bitter springs of our own humanness instead of drawing from the fresh, overflowing rivers of living water (John 7:38).

Most of us, if we take the time to reflect on our words, know whether we’re speaking blessing or cursing. Many times, we’re speaking cursing and negativity because we’re not being thoughtful about what fills our hearts (Luke 6:45).

When our words are fueled by a heart full of anger, offense, fear, complaint, pride, and bitterness rather than a Christlike love, they’ve become cursing, and we need to back up and stay silent until we can speak with respect and humility.

We need to learn how to be honest about bad situations without turning it into “cursing.” It’s easy to fall into using harmful words when we’re not speaking in love and carefully considering our tone and intent.

We can discuss negative issues in helpful ways, or we can discuss them in ways that are dismissive and demeaning—with words that tear down or words that lift up.

If we’re filling our springs with living water, then blessing rather than cursing will flow from our words even when those words are filled with difficult truths.

The post November 12-Words That Heal 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.

“And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the power of God.”

—1 Corinthians 2:4–5

Most of us get nervous when we think about sharing our faith. Will we make it plain enough? Will we leave something out? Will we make it sound enticing enough?

When we focus on these fears, our focus is on ourselves. We are doubting the very power of the faith we try to share.

This verse reminds us that the Gospel will prevail even if we share it ineptly. It is the power of the Spirit that brings people to Christ, not our winsome words.

And when it’s hard to overcome that fear, we can lean on the fact that it’s okay to pray, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

In Isaiah 55:11, the Lord says, “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.”

When we speak the Word of God, it will accomplish the purpose for which the Lord sent it out. That doesn’t depend on us. Our part is to know the Word, to accurately handle the truth (2 Timothy 2:15), and to speak it obediently: “Go, therefore and make disciples . . . teaching them to follow all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).

Trust God, and don’t hold your words back when he prompts you to share his Word or to pray with someone.

The post November 11-Simply Speak 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.

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

—Matthew 6:11

Much of our dissatisfaction, worry, and anxiety comes from considering more than our daily bread. Even if we have enough for today, we want enough to see the earthly way we will pay the bills, have the time, or sustain us for anything that might come in the future. 

But God wants us to trust him each moment, and that often means we can’t see where the provision, the time, or the hope will come from.

He wants us to trust that he is our portion (Lamentations 3:24; Psalm 142:5; and more) . . . our daily bread for every emotional, spiritual, and physical need. “I am the bread of life” he said (John 6:35). 

A portion is what we need at that moment, not everything we will ever need. We can’t hoard our time and have more the following day. We can’t store up enough Jesus at church on Sunday and expect that to last us through the week. 

Think of a dinner portion. It would be useless to have all the food we’ll need for the rest of our lives at once. We could never carry it, and even if we could, it would spoil.

Having extra provision becomes a burden, so trusting him for our daily bread is part of the light burden Jesus promises us (Matthew 11:30). We don’t have to carry everything we will ever need around with us. We have something better: the Provider himself, and he will take care of us along the way (Matthew 6:34).

Each day, we must choose to seek the Lord and receive what he has for us anew.

The post November 10-Enough for Today 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.

“Serve the Lord with jubilation; come before him with rejoicing.”

—Psalm 100:2

Joy is all over the Bible. “Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4). “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). “Be . . . rejoicing in hope” (Romans 12:10–12). These are just a few of the verses imploring us to be joyful.

Joy is also listed second, right after love, in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).

It’s clearly meant to be a distinguishing mark of our Christian walk.

So why do so many of us live in guilt, fear, bitterness, anger, and overwhelm instead?

My own lack of joy is usually a symptom of focusing on things other than Jesus. Perhaps I’ve begun placing my hope in my own goodness or success, some pleasure the world offers, some achievement I hope to attain, or some other person.

When our joy becomes dependent upon things other than Jesus, our faith becomes weak, for the joy of the Lord is our refuge (Nehemiah 8:10). That word “refuge” also means our fortress, our rock, and our strength.

So what’s the solution?

“Let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1–2).

What is the obstacle, sin, or distraction that is stealing our joy? And what are we looking at to provide that joy?

Let’s set all of that aside, turn our gaze only to Jesus’s example instead, and endure for the eternal joy set before us.

The post November 9-Joy Unshaken 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 here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” 

—Hebrews 13:14

“Don’t take your coat off.” 

Sometimes this phrase is used when we have an errand for someone who’s just walked in the door, but sometimes it’s used rudely to mean something like, “You’re not welcome here; don’t get comfortable.”

As Christians, this world often isn’t very welcoming or comfortable. We shouldn’t expect it to be. John 3:19 says, “the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.” If we’re walking in the Light, the world will often see us as enemies, but we’re called to bear Christ’s reproach in our own lives (Hebrews 13:13). 

Our ultimate happiness and fulfillment won’t be found here.

It’s painful to feel displaced and like the world doesn’t understand us or want what we have to offer, but we’re not alone in that.

It didn’t want Jesus either, and he was perfect. Despite rejection, false accusation, and persecution, he gave all of himself, not only to those who loved him, but to the unappreciative, the hateful, and the evil alike.

So when we can’t find our place, let’s remember that this world isn’t our home. We’re not supposed to get comfortable, for we “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16). We are “strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).

We aren’t meant to take our coats off and settle in. We can expect that this world will want to push us out, but the true blessing is coming—the eternal city with no tears, no mourning, and no pain (Revelation 21:4)—and it will be better than anything we can imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9).

November 9

The post November 8-Looking for Home 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.

“Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to slander no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing every consideration for all people.”

—Titus 3:1–2

The opposite of this verse would be to live in rebellion, to speak evil of people, to be thoughtless, critical, hard–headed, and rude. It’s easy to do that, but quite difficult to do what the Lord has called us to do.

We won’t do it by accident. Our nature is to do what we want regardless of authority, to speak and act without thinking, and to be demanding and selfish. To obey this verse, we must be intentional—tame our tongues (James 3:1–12), discipline our bodies (1 Corinthians 9:27), and crucify our flesh (Galatians 5:24–26).

We cannot say everything we feel like saying or do everything we feel like doing.

A practical way to live this out is to institute a pause before we speak or act. When we recognize that something negative is happening and the desire to argue or speak evil arises, instead of just reacting, we can use that pause to prompt prayer and as a chance to bless those who curse us and pray for those who are abusive to us (Luke 6:28).

It will often go against our desires in the moment. It will be hard to follow through instead of giving in to our impulses. But in doing so, we’ll demonstrate the same forgiveness Christ extended to us, and we’ll slowly become more and more free from the reactions that once enslaved us.

Every difficult situation, every hurtful person, and every selfish inclination becomes an opportunity to practice what we believe and show others the beauty of God’s grace.

The post November 7-Practicing 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.

“My times are in your hand.” 

—Psalm 31:15

It’s so easy to be attached to our schedules, our to–do lists, and our own expectations of what we should accomplish in a day. We get frustrated by interruptions and delays, often allowing them to make us irritable and unkind.

But if our times are in the Lord’s hand, then he is not shocked by any interruption.

When a kid bursts into the room while you’re praying, God is there. When the hot water heater springs a leak, God is there. When the dog gets sick, God is there. When that unexpected deadline at work pops up, God is there.

Perhaps your child has been discouraged and really needs to feel your love. Perhaps that plumber’s fee for the water heater was exactly the amount needed to cover a child’s medical bill. Perhaps the client sitting next to us at the vet clinic just lost a spouse, and we can listen to her story. Perhaps fulfilling that unexpected deadline at work will save a coworker’s job.

We can choose to see God in the interruptions and bring him there with us, or we can respond with anxiety and a bad attitude, shutting off the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and interactions.

He knows what we hope and plan to achieve, but only he knows what we actually need to accomplish.

If we follow our own agendas, which are formed by our own very limited perspectives, we may accomplish many tasks but do very little that matters in eternity.

Only by listening to his still, small voice will we be certain we are doing kingdom work.

The post November 6-Sacred Interruptions 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.

“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

—Matthew 23:12

If we try to make sure we receive our due in this world, we will be humbled. But if we do not concern ourselves with recognition, we will be exalted. That doesn’t make sense to our human nature; it’s hard not to seek acknowledgment we feel we deserve.

And each day includes thousands of moments in which we can exalt ourselves or humble ourselves. We’ll usually know which one we’re doing if we take the time to check, but if were not sure, we can ask ourselves these questions.

Do we resent doing the work God’s placed in front of us? Are we annoyed when others ask for help or something interrupts what we planned to do? Are we doing things hoping that others respond to us in a certain way, or are we content even if they don’t acknowledge or notice what we’ve done? Are we kind even when others make mistakes or act selfishly? Are we judging other people in our thoughts? Are we doing things only because we expect something in return?

On the other side, are we loving people even though we see their flaws? Are we doing our duty to God’s glory even when it’s hard and we don’t feel like it? Are we trusting that God sees our right actions even if others don’t notice them? Are we building people up and loving them as Christ loves them? Do we seek to serve or believe we should be served? Are we willing to put others ahead of ourselves?

May we learn to submit to the Holy Spirit, humbling ourselves in every action and every thought.

The post November 5-Grace in the Low Place 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.

“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.”

—Philippians 1:12

Paul could see that all his hardships—shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, hunger, and more—had furthered the Gospel of Christ.

Sometimes we lose heart in our struggles because we can’t see what they’re accomplishing. How could there be purpose in this terrible thing?

Paul couldn’t necessarily see it while those things were happening, but he persevered in obedience, and they “turned out” for the furtherance of the Gospel. Eventually, he could see that all the hard stuff was worth it.

And so will we. We don’t have to lose heart in our sufferings.

If we could see how our struggles would bring healing and godly character to us while also furthering the Lord’s kingdom and bringing people into eternity with him, we would have the strength to endure. 

Since we believe his Word, then we can know this is true. We have assurance that all things—every circumstance, both bad and good—will turn out for good for those who love him and are called to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Things don’t turn out good coincidentally or magically; they turn out that way through God’s great providence and sovereignty.

And with the certainty of that truth, we can endure in faith and hope even when we can’t see how God could possibly use whatever we’re going through for good. 

We don’t have to wait for hindsight, because we can trust him and know that it’s true.

Whatever we’re going through will be worth it.

The post November 4-Purpose in the Pain 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 never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with.”

—1 Corinthians 13:8

It’s human nature to want showy gifts—prophecy, tongues, and knowledge—gifts that bring awe, attention, and awards. 

But love is the greatest commandment (Mark 12:30–31); it’s the one gift that crosses over into eternity.

The Word tells us these others are transient; none are guaranteed to have eternal impact. 

But love—the kind of love that involves every piece of our emotions, desires, motives, thoughts, and will—that is infinite. It has unquestionable impact wherever we live it.

And rather than garnering recognition, power, or impressing others, love often keeps us in the shadows. We’re washing feet (John 13:13–15). We’re putting ourselves at the end of the table rather than choosing a place of honor (Luke 14:7–11). We’re giving more honor to others than we expect for ourselves (Romans 12:10).

Many of us feel incapable of doing very much good because we don’t have any obvious talents or gifts. This is a lie from the devil.

Every last one of us can love, and it’s the greatest of all the gifts. No one is less valuable than any other because they cannot prophesy, speak in tongues, or because they are not gifted in knowledge. 

In fact, if people have those gifts, but don’t have love, they’re simply making noise (1 Corinthians 13:1). But every one of us can love.

Our heart’s prayer should be not to have gifts that look important, but that God would teach us how to love fully.

The post November 3-Love in the Shadows appeared first on C. E. White.