Karen’s Korner
This is a weekly one minute video devotional to help inspire, engage and remind each of us of God’s presence and what He is able to do when we acknowledge his leadership in our lives. Many times, this devotional will be a resource for pastors, and leaders to use in the development of their sermons and Bible studies.
IN YOUR KORNER: 52 Weekly Devotional Thoughts by Karen Ming: Purchase on Amazon
BE CONFIDENT
In life we make minor, important, and major decisions every day. We all make decisions and need help at times. I am planning another medical trip with another missionary, but we needed finances, date changes, and these are only two major ones. I have learned to be more confident because of the relationship I have with my Lord. He tells us how to ask in I John 5:14-15.
ASK IN AGREEMENT. “We are confident he hears us when we ask for anything that pleases him, his will.”
STAND IN FAITH AND CONFIDENCE. “We don’t demand what we want but discuss with him what he wants for us.” We can share our desires.
RECEIVE THE ANSWER. “Then we know he will give us what we ask for.”
I keep learning he must be the Lord of everything. Give everything to him, pray with confidence and he will always come through. I see it all the time!
REFLECT: Does he need to be Lord of everything?
TRUTH: The emphasis is God’s will.
PRAY: Lord, your will be done.
THE RIGHT SONG
I have seen people who had the right song for everything. There are times you feel like singing and times you struggle. I want to praise God this week because I have seen his faithfulness again. Psalms 95 tells how we can praise.
LET US SING. “Let us sing to the Lord.” Maybe you feel I am not a very good singer, but we can have a song in our heart, and it belongs to the Lord.
SHOUT YOUR LOUDEST PRAISE. “Shout your loudest praise to the one who saved us.” Regardless of what we are facing “he saved us, forgave us and keeps helping us.”
HAVE A THANKFUL HEART. “Don’t hold back your praises, come to him with thanksgiving.”
We can sing, shout, and praise for He is the greatest of all. We can’t sing when we go by what we feel or what has happened.
REFLECT: Are you willing to sing to the Lord?
TRUTH: The Lord is a great God, king above all.
PRAY: Lord, help me praise you in song.
NO ONE GREATER
Last week I shared about Paul, the worst sinner, who had a kiss of mercy. Paul knew his answer was the true God of mercy and he continually gave him praise. Let’s learn more about honor. I Timothy 1:17.
ETERNAL KING. “My praises rise to the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies.” Our minds cannot grasp that everything begins and ends with our God.
ONLY WISE GOD. “He is indestructible, invisible and full of glory, the only God. There will never be another.” I love the way Paul describes His God.
HIGHEST HONOR. “He is worthy of the highest honors throughout all of time and throughout the eternity.”
I love ceremonies and honor to be given to the right people for the right reasons. But we could never give God the gory and honor that he deserves.
REFLECT: Is it easy for you to give God honor?
TRUTH: We can spend our life glorifying our Lord. There is no one greater.
PRAY: Help me to see you with honor and respect.
NEED A KISS?
“Mama said there would be days like this.” Sometimes you can feel helpless and need a hug, a kiss or someone to listen to and understand. Paul was so ashamed of his past but could share God’s answer. God knew how to change this man. I Timothy 1.
THE WORST. “I used to blaspheme, a persecutor of believers and a scorner of what turned out to be true.” Guilty, guilty! The worst of sinners.
SO IGNORANT. “I was ignorant and didn’t know what I was doing.” I always say you don’t know what you don’t know. Thank God, His light shines in our dark situation.
KISSED BY MERCY. “Mercy kissed me, God had mercy on me.” Paul was flooded with incredible grace, like a river overflowing its banks.
Have you faced failure, shame and need his kiss of mercy. Jesus came to us for that reason. His mercy kisses us.
REFLECT: Do I need this gift today?
TRUTH: Paul shared his story for my benefit.
PRAY: Lord, sometimes I need your kiss of mercy.
NOTHING TO GIVE?
Maybe you feel “I have nothing to give, “I am running on empty” or “I am just tired”. This can happen at any age. Heroes get tired and the faithful run of gas. We can do good, and it can wear us down. David was anointed to be king and nothing looked like he thought it would. Psalm 32.
TIME TO CONFESS AND WORSHIP. “Before I confessed my sins, I kept it all inside, my dishonesty devastated my inner life.” Tell God how you feel.
TIME TO REST. “Lord you are my secret place, protecting me from these troubles and surrounding me with songs of gladness.” Rest is not the enemy of productivity but a partner. We are not designed to run on empty.
TIME FOR BREAKTHROUGH. “Your joyous shouts of rescue release my breakthrough. I will stay close to you.”
Stop. Maybe no longer does your significance need to come from moving so fast.
REFLECT: Are you exhausted?
TRUTH: Maybe you need the inward work not outward.
LORD: I am tired, restore me.
IS IT TOO MUCH?
Happy Mother’s Day to each of you women, single, married, young or not so young. Life continues to change, and we can feel it is too much. But we can face today and know our heavenly father will help us today and tomorrow.
Proverbs 14:1 “Every wise woman encourages and builds up her family but a foolish woman over time will tear it down by her actions.”
WE CAN BE WISE. What does this mean? “The wise acknowledges who God is and offers him the worship he deserves.”
WE CAN BUILD. “Lovers of truth follow the right path because of their trust in God.” This is a journey.
WE CAN PROVIDE SAFETY. “Confidence and strength flood the hearts of the lovers of God who live in awe of him, and their devotion provides their children with a place of security and safety.”
Women, we can be ready to build correctly.
REFLECT: Do you feel it is too much in my situation?
TRUTH: His wisdom soothes the heart.
PRAY: Lord, I need your wisdom.
HOW TO KEEP LOVING
This can mean many things to each of us! We can have wonderful celebrations but how do we keep loving others even when we face tough times? These steps can help make it happen. Colossians 3.
LET LOVE GUIDE YOUR LIFE. “Clothe yourselves with His love for love is supreme and must flow through each of us.” We can love because he loves us.
LET PEACE RULE IN YOUR HEART. “Let your heart be ruled by peace who called you to peace as part of his body.” This can be a new concept; but this must be intentional.
LET HIS WORD LIVE IN YOU. “Let the word of Christ live in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom.” Apply the scriptures as you instruct others. Again, this is intentional!
Whatever we do or say, we are his representatives. All his virtues that we develop are perfectly bound together by love.
REFLECT: Do you struggle to keep loving?
TRUTH: Being thankful helps us to love!
PRAY: Lord, help me to keep on loving.
LOVED ALL THE TIME!
Have you ever felt “let down,” “just exhausted or tired,” or in need of extra love. Easter is one of our greatest celebrations of the year. However, when all the celebrations are over and family is gone, we can know the truth that we are loved all the time. Colossians 3:12-13.
ALWAYS DEARLY LOVED. “You are always dearly loved by God.” His death and resurrection guarantee celebration and love are continuous.
DIVINELY CHOSEN. “Robe yourselves with the virtues of God since you have been divinely chosen to be holy.” He must govern our lives and be the focal point of all relationships.
GRACIOUSLY FORGIVEN. “Be merciful, gentle and humble forgiving one another as you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ.”
Our celebration can go on and on because His love is supreme and forever. We can face this in our daily lives at every stage of life.
REFLECT: Do you need His special love today?
TRUTH: God’s love is the mark of maturity.
PRAY: Lord, we love you and embrace your love.
OUR GREATEST CELEBRATION!
I love celebrations. This happens when something occurs outside the ordinary or new. We have birthday “weeks” for the kids and grandchildren not just “birthdays”.
We as believers have no greater celebration than our Lord’s death and resurrection. Our Lord stepped out of the tomb, and it affected all generations! Colossians 3:1-3.
YOUR RESURRECTION. “Christ resurrection is your resurrection too. That is why we yearn for all that is above.”
YOUR TREASURES. “Feast on all the treasures of the Heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, not with the distractions of the natural realm.” We put heavenly priorities into our daily lives.
YOUR TRUE LIFE. “Now your true life is hidden away in God in Christ. Your death and life are both hidden in God.”
The greatest celebration means we can see life from God’s perspective and seek what he desires. His resurrection power gives us power to live for him.
REFLECT: Can you celebrate?
TRUTH: Christ is now at God’s right hand.
PRAY: Lord, help us have the greatest celebration.
ULTIMATE SUFFERING
We have all suffered at times for many reasons. It was not easy, but we can never understand or imagine how our Lord suffered, and it was for you and me. The gospels each have an account of his suffering.
JESUS AGONIZES IN THE GARDEN. Luke 22 “He prayed like one being sacrificed, until he was in such intense agony of spirit that his sweat became drops of blood.”
JESUS IS BETRAYED, TRIED AND BEATEN. Jesus says to Judas, “Are you really going to betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” John 19 Then Pilate ordered Jesus to be brutally beaten with a whip of leather straps embedded with metal.
JESUS IS CRUCIFIED. At the place called “The Skull” there they nailed our Precious Lord to the cross.
Even writing this, I realize again our Lord never gave up or gave in. He went ahead with the mission for which he came.
REFLECT: Are you suffering today?
TRUTH: His ultimate suffering was the way of the cross.
PRAY: Thank you, Lord, from my heart.
LET’S SHARE
I am a mom, nana and one of my favorite times is “mealtime”. My family can tell you I like to surprise them; we eat and then we share. It is an intimate and loving time.
Jesus shares. I can picture our Lord and how he wanted to be intimate and share with his chosen ones, his family, his disciples. Luke 22.
LET’S SHARE. “I have been very eager to share and eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins.” This event foreshadowed Jesus work on the cross, his sacrifice.
YOU SHARE. He took the cup and the bread, “You take this and share among yourselves.” All Christians agree that this sharing commemorates Christ death that changed humanity forever.
YOU REMEMBER. “Do this in remembrance of me.” This is not a “boring ritual” but a time to show love and gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice for us.
REFLECT: Do you understand the true blessing of sharing?
TRUTH: In this we celebrate his forgiveness and friendship.
PRAY: Lord, help me to remember and share.
NEVER DOUBT
Sometimes I have doubts! It is amazing how we read and hear the same scripture repeatedly. Ephesians 3:20 always encourages us to believe in more and expect to see miracles. And there are those moments we need to never doubt but believe in more.
HIS POWER. “Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you.” Human power can be so limited, the answer to our problems seems impossible.
HIS ABUNDANCE. “Never doubt He who is able to do infinitely more than our greatest request, our most unbelievable dream and our wildest imagination.”
HIS WORK. “Never doubt his Spirit (mighty power) that works deeply and gently within us.” His miraculous power constantly energizes us.
To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. We see our test become our testimonies. Maybe you need a testimony.
REFLECT: What miracle do you need to see?
TRUTH: We can doubt but we can have faith in an all-powerful God.
PRAY: Lord, help my unbelief, I choose to not doubt.
JUST TRY AGAIN
We try things and it just does not work. We must try again and again. Last week we talked about seeking the Lord and he always answers. It is good to seek when we are in trouble, but always seeking must be our lifestyle. Matthew 7 tells what happens when this is a habit.
KEEP ASKING. “What is your need? Keep asking and you will receive.” Jesus is the one who says, “You will receive if you persist in pursuing God.”
KEEP SEEKING. “Keep seeking and you will find.” The answer is in the “keep seeking”. We can give up when we don’t see the answer.
KNOW HIS HEART. “If we give good gifts to our children, how much more our heavenly Father will give good gifts to those who ask.”
Knowing faith takes faith, focus and follow through. We will be rewarded. Whatever his answer, he will be with us all the way.
REFLECT: What is your need today?
TRUTH: Take heart, keep asking and seeking.
PRAY: We focus on you with expectation.
THE ANSWER
Everyone is searching for answers. This week, my husband underwent some surgical procedures, and we needed a good answer. We sing a song, “I sought the Lord, he heard, and he answered.” We received a good answer. Psalm 34:4 confirms this statement.
This verse has many translations: "I sought the Lord," "I cried unto the Lord," and "I prayed to the Lord." We have the right and privilege to seek our Lord. And how different it is when you have a relationship with Him. We have faith knowing He is with us and have seen Him answer before.
Sometimes we don’t get the answer we ask for, but whatever the answer, He will be with us and still has a plan. The PTL is: “Listen to my testimony, I cried in my distress, He answered and freed me from my fears.” Additionally, there is a family of God that agrees in prayer. Thank you to everyone who prayed this week.
REFLECT: Do you need an answer?
TRUTH: We ask, He answers.
PRAY: Lord, help all those in need.
THE SUPERNATURAL
There will be times when we find ourselves facing a difficult situation. For me, it is my husband Bill’s upcoming surgery situation. Our outcome is not determined by what we see in the natural but by the supernatural. God is our source. What you (I) are going through is temporary. God’s word will never pass away. Psalm 119:89-96
I WON’T GIVE UP. “Standing firm in the heavens and fastened to eternity is the word of God.” His Word is settled in heaven.
I WON’T FORGET. “Your faithfulness flows from one generation to the next.” I will receive that.
I AM YOURS. Lord, Bill and I are yours and you are our Savior. Your words have kept us alive.
I don’t know what you are facing today. No matter what you see in the natural, he can move in the supernatural. Life is not about what you are going through but how you go through it.
REFLECT: Do you need to see a supernatural miracle?
TRUTH: Your words bring fantastic freedom to my life.
PRAY: Lord, I believe your word.
THE BIG “E” WORD
It is not E.coli. It is not an Elephant. There are many words that begin with “E” but the big “E” word today is ENCOURAGE. Many times, we don’t know how to be encouraged or give encouragement. I Thessalonians 5:11 “Speak encouraging words to one another.” This is so important and needed in our daily life. How can I encourage?
SPEAK TO YOURSELF. Psalm 139: God created you, loved you and will redeem and restore what has been lost in your life. Encourage yourself. You are God’s creation.
SPEAK TO GOD. Prayer changes things, everything. Ask for help and sensitivity to others’ needs.
SPEAK TO OTHERS. Start where you are. First encourage your family and those around you. Look for something positive to say.
I have been there, I needed a kind word, a hug and I needed to be appreciated. You could change someone’s life forever.
REFLECT: Do I need encouragement today?
TRUTH: When I think right, I speak right. Romans 12:2
PRAY: Lord, help me be encouraged and give encouragement.
IN THE MIDDLE
I admit I have a sweet tooth. If a cake has frosting layers in the middle and on top, I go straight to the frosting. In Psalm 32, David writes about confession, forgiveness, and repentance. In the middle of this Psalm, verse 7 God has great benefits (the best) when we wholeheartedly surrender to Him.
GUIDANCE. The Lord says, “I will stay close to you, instructing and guiding you along the way.” “He is our hiding place”.
ADVICE. “I will advise you along the way and lead you forth with my eyes as your guide.” He is our teacher!
WATCHFULNESS. “I will watch over you, don’t make it difficult, just come with me.”
Why do we run from what and who will save us? This has happened since the beginning of creation, and we want to go our way. Instead, accept His Help!
REFLECT: Are you going your own way?
TRUTH: Another benefit, the upright can shout for joy!
PRAY: Lord, I confess my needs, please give me your wonderful benefits.
SAY THE WORD
I have seen miracles or answers to prayer in my life. But if I face a real problem with someone that I care about, I can worry. I am sure you understand. Luke 7:1-10 tells what can happen when we believe God in our problem.
GREAT NEED. “At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death.” Up to this point Jesus had dealt with the Jews, now he faced a Gentile in need.
GREAT UNDERSTANDING. “I am not worthy to come and meet you. Just SAY THE WORD from where you are, and my servant will be healed.” What is your need today?
GREAT FAITH. Jesus was amazed, “I have not seen faith like this in all Israel.”
This slave didn’t need Jesus to be present in person. Through this story I knew Jesus could speak the word and he did this for me.
REFLECT: What word do you need to hear from Jesus?
TRUTH: They found the slave healed.
PRAY: Ask Jesus to say the word.
WHERE IS GOD?
We get in our car, put in our destination and we have the map and time of arrival. We won’t find God in our google maps and he tells how we find him in Matthew 25:31-45. The real evidence is the way we act.
FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE. “Don’t you know when you cared for the least important of these little ones, my brothers and sisters, you did this for me.” He sees everything!
THESE ACTS OF MERCY WE CAN GIVE DAILY. These do not depend on wealth, power, ability or intelligence. They are freely given and received.
WE HAVE NO EXCUSE TO NEGLECT THOSE WITH DEEPER NEEDS. These acts can be done everywhere, giving our time, talent and treasure.
The focus of this parable is that we should love every person and serve anyone we can. This is where we find God.
REFLECT: Do you give your time and service?
TRUTH: Jesus says, “Come you are blessed by your father and will spend eternal life with me.”
PRAY: Open my eyes to see others.
NEVER GOOD ENOUGH
We can think we are not as good as someone else or cannot perform like them. This is not a new problem for Romans 1:16 shows God’s plan of good news, salvation, and life changing power:
TO EVERYONE: “I refuse to be ashamed of sharing the wonderful message of God’s liberating power to everyone for who believes is saved.” I can have the change I am looking for.
TO THE JEW AND GENTILE. The Jews were God’s special people for more than 2000 years and through them the Messiah would come. God’s plan included the Gentiles, and that includes all of us.
TO MAKE ALL RIGHTEOUS: “This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness (right living) to us when we believe.”
We can never be good enough, but this good news moves us from receiving life through faith to the power of living by faith.
REFLECT: Have you felt you were not good enough?
TRUTH: “We are more than conquerors through Christ.”
PRAY: Lord, help us to see ourselves through your eyes.
IN HIS LAP
Maybe you don’t remember sitting in your parents’ lap. I don’t remember, as it’s been a long time. I love holding my great grandchildren in my lap and loving them. What a picture of love and care in Psalm 131.
MEEK. “Lord, my heart is meek before you. My heart is not proud.”
Pride leads to restlessness and dissatisfaction.
HUMBLE. “I am humbled and quieted in your presence.” Humility allows us to be content in Him.
CONTENT. “I am a resting child, and my soul is content in you, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.”
I don’t know your pain today but sometimes we need that extra love feeling close to someone. When we hold our babies in our lap, they feel loved and secure. When we rest in Him, we feel love and secure.
REFLECT: Do you need Him to hold you?
TRUTH: It is our time to quietly trust now and forever.
PRAY: Lord, I ask you to hold us close to you.
