Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 54

Post #2000

Back in 2006, I got tired of having to update my website every time I wanted to add a tiny piece of news. I’d heard about blogs and thought it would be a good idea to add a blog to my site to make it easier to add news. I decided to add writing tips and publishing (especially epublishing) information as well.

In those days, WordPress was primarily a blog platform and not the full content management system it is today. Although I believe you could have pages as well as posts at that time, I just installed WordPress on my existing website. For a long time, I continued to maintain my primary website with Dreamweaver and use WordPress only for the blog on one page of my site. I could install and update WordPress through the control panel of my website, but updates through that installer were several weeks behind updates for WordPress installed directly on a site. It made more sense to use WordPress as the platform for the entire site, which I have done for many years now.

Through the years, I’ve added more categories that I blog about. You can see the full list of categories and all the posts in each category on the archive page. You’ll see that I have more posts in a category I hadn’t even considered when I started: Christian. My faith is a very important part of my life, and it wasn’t long before I started writing about it.

Every year during Lent and Advent, I add some extra Scripture reading every day and write down my personal meditations. In 2011, I started sharing those personal devotions in my blog. Every Lent and Advent since, I have posted a devotion every day of the season. These are my meditations from the previous year, which means I write them one year and post them—reading them again—the following year. I don’t know if others find these devotions helpful, but writing and posting them is meaningful to me.

I plan to be blogging for another decade-plus, so look for a couple thousand more posts from me.

Devotion for Saturday after Lent 4

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. ~ Romans 3:21-28

It’s easy to compare ourselves to other people and think we’re not so bad. We don’t cheat on our taxes or our spouse; we don’t steal from our employer; we … But Paul tells us we all fall short of God’s standard. It doesn’t matter that we don’t commit specific sins that people we know commit—we still are a long way from the mark when it comes to the holiness of God. But thanks be to Him, we are justified by our faith.

Thank You, Lord, that I don’t have to come to You trusting in my own righteousness, because in that case, I would fail miserably. But my faith in Jesus Christ gives me Your righteousness. Let me live according to Your will and reflect Your glory. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Devotion for Friday after Lent 4

For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. ~ Ezekiel 34:11-12

Jesus is the Good Shepherd and cares for every one of His sheep as if it were the only one. Jesus would have died on the cross for the sins of the whole world even if there was only one sinner in the whole world. That is so amazing it’s hard to comprehend. Everything He went through, He went through for each of us individually and personally.

Lord God, the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary is so incredible it’s hard for me to even imagine. If I were the only person in the world, the Passion of the Christ would have still happened for me. Thank You, Lord, for loving me so much that You sent Jesus—who loved me just as much—to die so that I might live. Even if I had any power of my own, I would never be able to say or do enough to show my gratitude. But I don’t have any power of my own so my faith and my gratitude and my love and everything else I have all come from You. Guide me to use what have given me for Your glory. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Devotion for Thursday after Lent 4

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?

Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.

O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer;

And by night, but I have no rest.

Yet You are holy,

O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

In You our fathers trusted;

They trusted and You delivered them.

To You they cried out and were delivered;

In You they trusted and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm and not a man,

A reproach of men and despised by the people.

All who see me sneer at me;

They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,

“Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him;

Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”

Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;

You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.

Upon You I was cast from birth;

You have been my God from my mother’s womb.

Be not far from me, for trouble is near;

For there is none to help.

Many bulls have surrounded me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

They open wide their mouth at me,

As a ravening and a roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,

And all my bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax;

It is melted within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;

And You lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs have surrounded me;

A band of evildoers has encompassed me;

They pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones.

They look, they stare at me;

They divide my garments among them,

And for my clothing they cast lots.

But You, O Lord, be not far off;

O You my help, hasten to my assistance.

Deliver my soul from the sword,

My only life from the power of the dog.

Save me from the lion’s mouth;

From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.

I will tell of Your name to my brethren;

In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

You who fear the Lord, praise Him;

All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,

And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.

For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

Nor has He hidden His face from him;

But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.

From You comes my praise in the great assembly;

I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.

The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;

Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.

Let your heart live forever!

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,

And all the families of the nations will worship before You.

For the kingdom is the Lord’s

And He rules over the nations.

All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,

All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,

Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.

Posterity will serve Him;

It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.

They will come and will declare His righteousness

To a people who will be born, that He has performed it. ~ Psalm 22:1-31

Although David wrote this, probably when he was surrounded by vicious enemies, this psalm is usually considered a prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion. As He hung on the cross for the sins of the world, He was separated from God the Father for the only time in eternity. Jesus was fully man as well as fully God, so He had to suffer excruciating pain when He was tortured. In our humanity, it’s easy to focus on Jesus’ suffering from the pain and humiliation. But the worst of all for Him—and for the Father, as well—was the breaking of the intimate bond that always existed between the Father and the Son. They suffered that separation for our sakes, so that we can receive forgiveness and abundant life forever.

Thank You, Father God and Lord Jesus, for suffering the pain of separation from each other to save me from eternal damnation. Please guide me by the Holy Spirit to live the life You want me to live and to be the person You want me to be. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Devotion for Wednesday after Lent 4

Who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,

And like a root out of parched ground;

He has no stately form or majesty

That we should look upon Him,

Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away;

And as for His generation, who considered

That He was cut off out of the land of the living

For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

His grave was assigned with wicked men,

Yet He was with a rich man in His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

But the Lord was pleased

To crush Him, putting Him to grief;

If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring,

He will prolong His days,

And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge the Righteous One,

My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors.~ Isaiah 53

The well-known chapter in Isaiah is called the Suffering Servant chapter because it describes Christ, the Suffering Servant. Jesus, who was sinless Himself, bore our sins and took our punishment. He willingly gave His life to justify everyone who believes in Him. He was silent before His accusers and took the punishment that we deserve.

Thank You, Lord, that Jesus assumed the role of the Suffering Servant and took the punishment for my sins along with the sins of all would believe in Him. I can never be grateful enough for this incredible blessing. I give You my life, God, to do with as You please. Let me be a servant to others. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Devotion for Tuesday after Lent 4

Behold, My servant will prosper,

He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.

Just as many were astonished at you, My people,

So His appearance was marred more than any man

And His form more than the sons of men.

Thus He will sprinkle many nations,

Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him;

For what had not been told them they will see,

And what they had not heard they will understand. ~ Isaiah 52:13-15

Jesus was marred in appearance from the horrific beating He received before His crucifixion. At the end of His earthly life, He was mocked as being helpless, humiliated, and hurt. When He died, His blood sprinkled the whole world and saved everyone who washed their robes in it. At the end of time, He will be lifted up and greatly exalted—ruling forever in glory.

Lord God, let me see Jesus is His eternal glory. He is the King of kings, Lord of lords, and God of gods. He will be lifted up and exalted—and I exalt Him now and recognize His sovereignty in my life. In His name. Amen.

Devotion for Monday after Lent 4

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” ~ Genesis 22:1-14

Imagine sacrificing your only son because Your love for God is even more than your love for your child! That is a real test of faith, and Abraham proved his faith by his willingness to give up what he love most in the world to obey the Lord.

Heavenly Father, give me the faith to give up what I love most in this world because I love You more. Let me put You first in my life above everything and everyone else. In the name of Jesus Christ, my only Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Devotion for the Fourth Sunday in Lent

Listen, O my people, to my instruction;

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings of old,

Which we have heard and known,

And our fathers have told us.

We will not conceal them from their children,

But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,

And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

For He established a testimony in Jacob

And appointed a law in Israel,

Which He commanded our fathers

That they should teach them to their children,

That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,

That they may arise and tell them to their children,

That they should put their confidence in God

And not forget the works of God,

But keep His commandments,

And not be like their fathers,

A stubborn and rebellious generation,

A generation that did not prepare its heart

And whose spirit was not faithful to God. ~ Psalm 78:1-8

Previous generations, like our own generation, have been unfaithful to God. But they had His commandments and the stories of all He has done for His people throughout history, and they were told to teach their children. All of us have a responsibility to teach the next generation—our own children and all those who come after us—about the Lord. We are to tell them of all He has done for us and teach them to obey His commandments.

Father God, I have not always been faithful to You, but You have always been faithful to me. I will tell the generations after me after Your faithfulness, Your sovereignty, and Your commandments. Help me to be a good witness. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Devotion for Saturday after Lent 3

Many bulls have surrounded me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

They open wide their mouth at me,

As a ravening and a roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,

And all my bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax;

It is melted within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;

And You lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs have surrounded me;

A band of evildoers has encompassed me;

They pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones.

They look, they stare at me;

They divide my garments among them,

And for my clothing they cast lots. ~ Psalm 22:12-18

The psalmist gives us a prophetic picture of the crucifixion of Jesus. The Messiah, the Anointed One, the Savior of the world hung on a cross, humiliated and in excruciating pain, while surrounded by evildoers taunting and waiting for him to die. The soldiers hung his tortured body on the cross; they pierced his hands and feet but didn’t break his bones. Those who didn’t recognize the Lord divided his garments and gambled for his clothes. The religious and political leaders stared and mocked Jesus along with the common people. Jesus knew the Scriptures—and He lives outside of time; he would be intimately aware of what He was facing. But He chose to make the great sacrifice of His own life so we can have eternal life in the new heaven and the new earth.

Thank You, Lord, that Jesus knew how terrible His torture and crucifixion would be, yet he chose to make that sacrifice anyway—just because He loves us so much. Open my eyes to the magnitude of His sacrifice, and give a grateful heart to love and serve Him. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Devotion for Friday after Lent 3

Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;

Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;

What I did not steal, I then have to restore.

O God, it is You who knows my folly,

And my wrongs are not hidden from You.

May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts;

May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;

Dishonor has covered my face.

I have become estranged from my brothers

And an alien to my mother’s sons.

For zeal for Your house has consumed me,

And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

When I wept in my soul with fasting,

It became my reproach.

When I made sackcloth my clothing,

I became a byword to them.

Those who sit in the gate talk about me,

And I am the song of the drunkards. ~ Psalm 69:4-12

It’s one thing to be hated for cause by someone you’ve wronged. But we feel it is terribly unjust to be reproached without cause. The Psalmist, however, is concerned that he will bring dishonor or shame to God. He is surrounded by powerful enemies, but he is still zealous for the Lord.

Lord, let me be like the Psalmist who was consumed with zeal for You even at the expense of his own reputation and comfort. Let me put You first in everything I do and gladly suffer reproach and insult for Your honor and glory. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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