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.

“You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?”

—Isaiah 55:1–2

Jesus said this again in John 6:27: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” The crowds asked him what kind of work they need to do to receive this enduring food, and he answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29).

We don’t have to buy the bread of life and living water. We only have to believe . . . but this belief is not a simple acknowledgement, for “the demons also believe, and shudder” (James 2:19).

Jesus is talking about the kind of belief that affects your life.

Like Noah: “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household” (Hebrews 11:7).

Like Abraham: “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).

Noah and Abraham followed God into the unknown because they believed him.

That’s the kind of belief Jesus is talking about.

Truly believing God will result in following his direction, and following his direction will lead to the nourishment that satisfies our hungry souls.

The post November 2-Belief in Motion 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.

“Then the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. So it shall be that he of whom I say to you, “This one shall go with you,” he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, “This one shall not go with you,” he shall not go.”’”

—Judges 7:4

The Lord called Gideon to free his people from the oppression of the Midianites. They were severely outnumbered before they even started; the Midianites had 135,000 warriors and the Israelites only 32,000.

The Lord, however, said they had too many men and proceeded to whittle the army down to 10,000.

Can you imagine being Gideon and looking at those numbers? That’s pretty terrible odds.

Then God said they still had too many and cut that number down further to 300 men . . . 300 against 135,000.

This is the kind of battle many of us would advise against or refuse to join. It looked hopeless.

But the Lord wants us to trust him instead of numbers or worldly might. He uses the foolish to shame the wise, the weak to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27).

The battle belongs to the Lord, and we don’t have to fear even against impossible odds (2 Chronicles 20:15).

He doesn’t need us to have enough power, time, talent, strength, intelligence, or any other resource. He just needs us to face the battle he’s given us in obedience and confidence in him. 

Don’t look at the odds. Look at God.

The post November 1-Trust the One Who Fights for You 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 answered them and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate some of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

—John 6:26–27

The idea that if we serve God, we will have all our earthly wants filled is prevalent in today’s Christianity. Some think that if we serve him well, we are guaranteed a successful professional life, financial wealth (or at least stability), and good health.

Even those of us who don’t believe this outright often have the subconscious idea that if we’re obeying the Lord and trying to serve him, he should make everything smooth sailing for us.

When hardships hit, we often get angry with him and ask, “Why, Lord? I was doing my best to live for you!”

If our faith is shaken when this world does not satisfy, then our faith has really been in this world and the hopes that our service to and faith in the Lord will keep us “filled” in the here and now. 

We’ve still been working for the food that perishes. 

And if that’s where our faith is, it will always crumble because the foundation of this life’s fulfillment will always be shakable; it’s always perishing. Whatever satisfaction it can provide will always be temporary.

Christ is the bread of life (John 6:48), and only by making him our sustenance will we gain eternal life (John 6:58).

The post October 31-Hunger for What Lasts 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.

“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

—John 15:4–5

We aren’t capable of creating fruit. We can carve wood or mold plastic, and we can paint either to look very much like fruit on the outside, but it will not be nourishing or even edible. It might fool some people at first, but as soon as they try to taste it, they’ll discover the truth.

The same is true of spiritual fruit. If we’re feverishly trying to appear fruitful yet not staying connected to the Father, we might create something that looks like fruit on the outside, but as soon as someone tries to be nourished by what we’re producing, they’ll discover the truth. That fruit will be exhaustion, discouragement, pride, bitterness, or some other rotten thing.

Only fruit produced out of a rich intimacy with Christ will be nourishing to others and fill true spiritual need.

If our fruit is nonexistent or rotten, let’s check our connection to the vine. Are we spending time in prayer and meditating on God’s Word? Are we studying it intentionally so we know how to apply it to our daily lives? Are we looking to worldly wisdom, or are we running to God for his truth so our hearts and minds are transformed and renewed?

Apart from him, all our fruit is useless, but when we remain connected to the vine, we will naturally produce godly fruit in its season.

The post October 30-The Life in the Vine 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.

“Some praise their chariots and some their horses, but we will praise the name of the Lord, our God.”

—Psalm 20:7

Most of us aren’t in mortal danger from enemies as David was in this chapter, but we all look for something to save us from our suffering and difficulty, whatever form that takes. 

We often find ourselves hoping in and praising things besides the Lord as our salvation. We look around and think, “If I just had that one thing, I’d be OK. I’d finally be safe, comfortable, and whole.”

Maybe it’s a house, a raise, or a relationship.

But believing those will save us is building a foundation on shifting sand; they do not have the power we think they do.

Here’s the good news: we can be confident and content in the Lord even when we don’t have the chariots and horses we think we need. If we can trust him in battle, we can surely trust him with our needs and desires!

As Paul says in Philippians 4:11–13, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Trusting God in contentment doesn’t mean we will never desire something we don’t have; I don’t think Paul stopped wanting food when he was hungry. We can continue thinking it would be nice to have the chariots, horses, house, raise, or relationship as long as we don’t put our hope in getting them or our trust in them once we do.

The post October 29-Trust Beyond the Chariots 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.

“We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

—2 Corinthians 4:18

Our nature as humans is to focus on what we can see, but our call as Christians is to focus on what we cannot see—on Christ, his promises, the Word, our eternity with him, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self–control.

When the things we can see dictate our hopes and our fears, we’re allowing ourselves to be tossed by transient waves. The seen things will rise and fall constantly in this life, but the unseen things will matter through eternity after everything that we can see has passed away.

When the seen things begin to draw us in, whether it’s putting our hope in them, falling into despair over loss, or luring us into sin, remember all they can offer is as fleeting as a wave on the ocean shore . . . as changeable as the shape of a cloud as it passes overhead, and as uncertain as the wind before a storm. No circumstance is forever; moths and rust corrupt and thieves break in and steal (Matthew 6:19).

Living this truth is so freeing. We don’t have to bow to the fickle whims of the world; there is no keeping up with the Joneses.

The unseen things cannot be taken from us by any earthly authority (Galatians 5:23); they are our only true possession and inheritance.

Our lives are guaranteed to have eternal meaning no matter what our external, visible circumstances look like when we live them out with character through the Holy Spirit.

The post October 28-Eyes Fixed on Forever 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 if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.”

—Matthew 6:15

Forgiveness is hard. We all have people who have hurt us and never shown remorse. It’s difficult to work up forgiveness for those people, but Jesus doesn’t make it optional. 

Matthew 18:23–35 gives the parable of the servant who was forgiven a great debt by the king, then went out and threw a man in jail for owing him something ridiculously small in comparison.

So how do we forgive when we don’t feel like forgiving? The same way we love when we don’t feel like loving—by choice, in obedience.

As resentments resurface again in our memory, we make the intentional choice to forgive them repeatedly—seventy times seven times if needed—more than we could ever count. We whisper a prayer bringing even our difficulty to the Lord: “I forgive; help my unforgiveness.”

And instead of allowing new bitterness to take root, we use those thoughts as prompts for prayer. It’s difficult to remain in unforgiveness while we’re praying for our enemies (Matthew 5:44). We are called to love them, and that means praying they receive the same mercy Christ has given us. 

If we cannot wish that for them, we do not yet understand the depths to which God has forgiven us.

Our feelings may follow our obedience, but even where they do not, we give our hurt to Christ, take the offence to the cross, and leave it there once again.

The post October 27-Forgive 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.

“Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”

—Psalm 1:1–3

This verse reminds us what will nourish us, what will keep us safely rooted, and what will keep us fruitful even when our circumstances are hard.

If our souls are feeling empty and our faith shaky, it’s good to ask:

If we consider how much we let the voices of the world or our own selfishness influence our thoughts rather than planting ourselves where we’re constantly fed by the living water of Jesus and the truths of the Bible, it’s often clear why we don’t feel nourished.

We live in the world, but we dare not drink from it if we want to thrive in any and all circumstances. We are planted in Christ, and he is where we go for our nourishment and strength if we want to be fruitful and survive the hard seasons without withering.

The post October 26-Thriving in Hard Seasons 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.

“Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes arrogant; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. I have certainly soothed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child resting against his mother, my soul within me is like a weaned child. Israel, wait for the Lord from this time on and forever.”

—Psalm 131

Young children believe their mothers know everything, understand everything, and can solve every problem. They don’t concern themselves with matters they can’t comprehend, because they trust their mothers to do it for them. Even after weaning, when the mother has ceased giving instant nourishment, the child has learned calm confidence—content that sustenance, comfort, and provision are still certain.

In the same way, as young believers, God often grants us quicker and more visible shows of his provision and care. As we mature and learn to be confident in him, sometimes the nourishment comes slower, and it feels he isn’t as close.

But just as that weaned child can continue to rely on the good mother’s provision even when she’s not in sight, we can relax in the knowledge that God is caring for us even when we don’t see him and don’t understand the circumstances. We don’t have to involve ourselves in matters too great for us. 

We can hope only in him as a young child runs to his mother with every need.

There are many things too great and difficult for us, but just like the psalmist, we can soothe and quiet ourselves by resting in the Lord and trusting that he will continue to provide and satisfy.

The post October 25-Learning to Rest in 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.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

—1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

Rejoice, pray, give thanks—three things that aren’t always easy to do, but we’re told to do them constantly.

This means we must be intentional and conscientious about doing them all the time, but especially when things are difficult.

When we’re frustrated, irritated, exhausted, or scared, we can choose to sing a worship song, praise the Lord for who he is, take everything to him in prayer, and thank him for what he’s done for us already. This sends us to the source of true comfort and serves to remind us of things we often forget in trials—that our God is good, he loves us, and will never leave or forsake us.

Praise while we’re in the miry pit is powerful—like Paul and Silas singing in the prison after being beaten, stripped, and chained. God showed up and opened the prison doors for them, but in an action that was probably inexplicable to anyone watching, they chose not to escape.

As they prayed, God gave them insight as to the eternal purpose in their pain and that great purpose became stronger than their need to escape. Many came to salvation because of their rejoicing and praying in the trial (Acts 16:22–30).

Being in the pit isn’t always about getting out; sometimes it’s about how we can bring others to God from within.

So let’s rejoice, pray, and give thanks while we’re there, and be open to hearing from the Lord about when it’s time to escape the pit or to stay there for the sake of bringing others into glorious eternity with us.

The post October 24-Worship in the Darkness appeared first on C. E. White.