God Bless By Cortney Donelson

I used to sign off all my correspondences with “Sincerely” – except on those to family members and close friends. Then, it was “Love.” When I became a follower of Christ, I started using “In Him.” I’m still not quite sure why I chose that one, but everyone else seemed to be signing off that way, and I was a fledgling Christian ready to imitate anyone with more spiritual maturity than I. 

You may never have thought this long and hard about how you sign off your emails or letters. However, experts in letter writing insist your closing should depend on the tone of your letter and reflect your purpose. In the business world, it reveals your level of professionalism. In more informal scenarios, perhaps it should reflect your personality. 

For over a year now, I have signed off my professional letters and emails with “God bless.” It is not a random or easy end to my message. While “God bless” may be ranked in the top ten ways to close a letter or email, I have been very intentional about using it. 

When I close with “God bless,” I am signing off my message in a prayer. Every time. I have never signed, “God bless,” without taking a moment to reflect on what that short two-word phrase means to me … and to God.

It is an intimate request of God. For you. I am asking God to bless you. My prayer is that He will bless you in ways you expect – and don’t expect. My prayer is that He will be glorified through His blessings for you. My prayer is that you will understand that all blessings are from God and are good, even when at first glance they may not seem that way. My hope is that these blessings are not overlooked or taken for granted. 

When I close with, “God bless,” I am interceding on your behalf, and I don’t take it lightly. Prayers are powerful things. They have opened the skies and closed them back up again. They have healed the sick and raised the dead. Prayers have saved souls. No, I don’t take this lightly at all. 

In fact, every time I close with “God bless,” my prayer is that the blessings are abundant and that every single person who experiences them appreciates that they came from God. If you know God intimately, you know God desires to bless us. Author Mark Batterson writes, “God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God.” Asking God to bless us is a bold prayer. God wants to deliver! 

Jabez prayed that bold prayer as recorded in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. “Oh, that you would bless me indeed!” And, God did. I trust He will answer my prayers for you too. Every time. 

So, as you send emails and letters to others, take a moment to thoughtfully and prayerfully consider how you want to close them. Don’t just skim over that last part where your name goes. It may be the perfect opportunity to intercede on someone’s behalf with a bold prayer that God wants to answer. It may be just the right place and time for God to show His glory and bless us – indeed!

God bless,

Cortney

Prayer: Father God, thank You for your many blessings. I pray that none go unnoticed and that Your name is glorified with each one. Thank You that others can intercede on our behalves and that we, also, have the opportunity to pray for those who may not even realize we are doing it. How cool is that! We ask that you bless us indeed and in turn, we glorify You. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Influenced by The Book of Psalms, “The Prayer of Jabez” by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, and The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

©2015 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.

Here I Am By Cortney Donelson

Source: Unknown

This past Christmas season, my family of four sat snuggled up one night in my daughter’s bed to read a devotional book. We spend time like this as a family at least once a week, together in God’s Word. Most nights, it’s prayers in pairs as bedtimes are somewhat different for our children who are more than four years apart. So, I treasure these nights when we are all together.

This particular night, we read an abbreviated story of Jacob from the Book of Genesis. I listened as intently as possible while trying to keep my five-year-old still and my ten-year-old from playing with the dog at the foot of the bed. Let’s be real: Our quiet family devotions are not always (ever?) quiet and orderly. Kids are kids. Despite the distractions, we all learn something each time. That night, there was one phrase that caught my intermittent attention and held on tight: “Here I am!” 

Later, I went back during one of my own quiet times and sat with Jacob from the Bible for a while to understand why that phrase caused me to pause. “Here I am” struck me as a passionate, if not desperate, response. It’s the kind of reply I might yell if one of my kids was running around the house screaming in pain, looking for me to provide some comfort (or a band aid). “Here I am!” I say as I run toward my hurting child.

I learned Jacob was an interesting and complicated family man. The name Jacob means "deceiver." Jacob certainly had his share of sin. He was later renamed by God and became known as “Israel”, which means "one who has struggled with God." He had many strengths and weaknesses, and he strived to lead a deeply spiritual life. I came to the realization that I am a lot like Jacob. From this imperfect man of the Bible, I can learn important lessons about faith and God’s character.

In Genesis, God called to Jacob and Jacob’s response (on at least two different occasions) was, “Here I am!” It left me wondering, Is that how I answer when I hear God calling to me?

Or, do I answer with a hesitant or hurried, “What?”

Do I answer with satisfaction, as if to say, “What can I do for you, God?”

Do I answer out of fear or a lack of faith as I think, “What will you ask of me now?”

Do I ignore Him and avoid responding at all?

Or, do I respond as Jacob did with joyful expectancy, bursting with trust? “Here I am!” 

Jacob’s reply triggers within my mind’s eye the picture of a child standing in a group of peers as pre-selected captains choose teammates for a game of kickball. “Pick me!” they all shout, with hands raised and toes dancing, trying to get one of the captain’s attention. “Here I am!” 

As I poured over Jacob’s story, I realized that when God called on Jacob, and Jacob answered with this seemingly urgent and faith-filled “Here I am,” God’s next words were life changing. They were instructions to trust Him. They were calls to action, answers for how to receive His blessings, and reminders that He would be with Jacob at all times. 

I want all that! “Pick me!”

I can’t help but think that God may not have chosen Jacob, rescued him, protected him, blessed his finances, saved his family, or stood by his side providing divine power and intervention to raise up the nation of Israel if Jacob had not been so humbly eager to reply, “Here I am.”

Am I as willing as Jacob to be an imperfect person who God can call into action and use to change the world?

Prayer: Father, here I am! 

Influenced by Genesis 31 and 46 (from the NIV)

©2015 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.

Just One Word: 2014 to 2015 By Cortney Donelson

Source: Unknown

Hello! It’s been awhile. I do apologize for the sudden way the posts and devotions ended. It was for a season, one that I had to sit still in for multiple purposes. 

One of those reasons was to provide myself the opportunity to finish my book. It will likely be published some time in February. I am more than excited about it. There is this nail-biting, antsy-pantsy, I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening kind of wait. God has taught me so much during these past three years. I feel both giddy and overwhelmed with the weight of it all. 

When my book was finally completed (I am still working with the publisher on some minor edits and the cover design), I was all too ready to sit back and relax. I was positioned mentally and emotionally to shut down the laptop, can up the creative juices, and end the late hours. 

God had other plans. During one of my prayers this past month, He made something clear. It was time. 

“Time for what?” I asked with hesitation because I already knew the answer. I just didn’t want to hear it. 

It was time to start writing again. God, as Gardener, started planting more ideas, titles, and devotions into my stubbornly resistant brain. It’s not that I don’t enjoy writing. It’s that I now feel the full responsibility of what I am doing. Since my last devotional writing season, I have come to learn a few things that make this divine request all the more daunting. 

I have learned that words hold so much more power than I realized. 

I have learned editors are just as important (if not more important) than the authors.  

I have learned that stripping a verse from its surrounding Scripture can sometimes mean transforming the original message itself.  This sounds dangerous to me. 

So, when I felt prompted to continue writing, God and I had a long chat about crucial traits such as courage and obedience. Funny. In December 2013, I chose the word “courage” as my word of the year. As you may know, every year, I prayerfully choose one word to live out the year as the basis of my focus and decision-making efforts. Words like peace, joy, and courage have helped me shape the last several years of my life around certain priorities. Each time I have done this, God has proven faithful in providing the opportunities to lean on my words, these keystone concepts, in order to find Him. I have grown spiritually with each passing word.

Words do hold power.

It took every ounce of courage I could muster to send my manuscript, cover design, money, and release forms to a publisher. So, as I prayed about my word for 2015, I waited for what God may have in store for this New Year. 

My word for 2015 is obedience. It’s another scary word if you really desire to live it out. Often times, with obedience comes sacrifice, humility, and service. However, obedience also brings blessings, abundance, joy, and adventure. God typically calls us outside our comfort zones. To live obediently outside the cultural box of expectations and standards allows me to focus on what is really important: God’s work, Jesus’ love, and my purpose. 

God has promised to take care of those who walk in obedience to His commands and guidance. Since I have watched His promises unfold time and time again, I can trust Him. His Word has never failed. Therefore, I will go where He asks, serve in ways He has requested, and love others like Jesus does. Hopefully, a little more each day. That is the point, right?

As I welcome 2015, I pray I am obedient to God’s call. I am sure He will take me to places I never would have dreamed!

Prayer: Father God, we trust You with a limitless amount of confidence. We do this because of Your character, Your promises, and Your favor. We ask for Your continued blessings as we enter 2015, blessings that we will use to glorify You and bring the Good News of Your Great Joy to those who may not know You. Help us hear Your call and act on it rather than run the other direction in fear or selfishness. Give us courage to be obedient in the hard areas, the ones that go against the grain of how society may normally function. Father, we love You more and more each day that we see Your awesome power at work. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Influenced by Leviticus 26:1-13 (NIV)

© 2014-2015 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.