Beverly Joy Roberts

Thank you for following my weekly devotionals this year.  It is a spiritual discipline for me to write these each week, and I appreciate that you are following my journey. I'm looking forward to a great year with you in 2020. As we focus on the  best gift ever,   I hope you will have a blessed day with your family! For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.    Isaiah 9:6   King James Version (KJV) Merry Christmas!

I know what you’re thinking.  Has she lost her mind?  What in the world is she thinking--talking about fasting the week before Christmas?  And--my answer is, what better time to talk about the self-discipline of fasting?   When King David and Bathsheba’s newborn son was slipping away, this is the first time in scripture that fasting was recorded.  David abstained from food in an attempt to change God’s mind about the life of his child.  Even though he fasted, the baby still died. There are many reasons that will cause a person to fast.  It could be for revival, the salvation of a loved one, protection, health, or demonic activity.   Jesus said, “When you fast…”  His words imply that it is something we should all do. In 2 Chronicles 20:2-3, King Josaphaphat was facing a crisis of war in his nation.  The first thing he chose to do was call the whole nation to fast. Messengers arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, “A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead

Christmas is known as the season of giving. Much of our giving at Christmas time is expected.  I wouldn't dream of not giving my children or grandchildren gifts on their birthdays or at Christmas time.  That has become a built-in part of who I am.   But when I give unexpectedly, things get fun.   In most cases, the person receiving the gift is excited by the surprise.  A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of giving a surprise gift to m y stepmom who has dementia.  This past summer, she and my father moved back to Michigan to be near my sisters and me for the next stage of their lives.  My stepmom didn’t remember that she had given all her jewelry and jewelry box to her daughter before moving up north.  She was asking what had happened to her things and we tried to explain, but she would soon forget.  My sisters and I decided to go through our jewelry boxes to give her some items we thought she’d enjoy.  Then a friend had a floor style jewelry box that she was giving

Many years ago, I was a camp counselor for elementary girls at our church campgrounds.  My group of twelve girls went crazy for a camp competition to find these toy army men that were hidden all over the campgrounds.  Or it is possible that I may have totally surrendered to my competitive spirit and drove those girls like a team of mules.   In truth, the camp director later said that he had never had a team search with so much enthusiasm.  At the end of the camp, he gave me one of the army men as a souvenir   That was when I realized, I may have gone a bit overboard.  A sense of power took over me as I worked with my team to collect those army men.  The first one, then the second and so on until our team had the most men.  I remember checking in with the director throughout the week to be sure we were winning.     Something powerful was taking place in me each time the director reinforced to me that my team was in first place.     Me and my campers walked around that cam