August 15, 2026 Devo

My wife and I have had the privilege of keeping our grandkids a good bit through the years. I’ve been painfully reminded during this time that there’s a reason why you have children when you’re YOUNG. They are exhausting. They aren’t bad kids. They’re just ACTIVE. (Well, sometimes they’re bad!) Young children need to be fed, bathed, fed, helped, fed, entertained, fed, combed, fed, separated, fed, and tucked in. Did I mention fed? I weigh more than the combined weight of the two of them, yet they easily consume three times more food than me. Each. But we love them so much that it’s worth selling off half my wife’s stuff to keep them in hot dogs and French fries. :-)))
As they're getting older now, watching them becomes a bit of a dance. They have their own opinions about things. Actually, about EVERYTHING. So the dance is trying to do our best to care for them without trying to control them. It’s not always easy. My grandkids know what they WANT, but not always what they NEED. They know what they ENJOY, but not always what is SAFE. They live fully in TODAY, but they don’t really live with a sense of THE FUTURE. So, we advise, admonish, correct, and when necessary, intervene. All because we want them to have the BEST life possible. But for all of our efforts to love and care for them, ultimately, they will have to choose their own path.
We’re just like that, aren’t we? Listen to the words of the psalmist again. “We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care If only you would listen to his voice today!” God watches over us. God cares for us. God LOVES us. He advises, admonishes, corrects, and at times, intervenes. But He doesn’t control us. He hopes that we will heed His Words. We see what we WANT. He knows what we NEED. We know what we ENJOY. But we don’t always know what is SAFE. We live for TODAY. But God is always thinking about our FUTURE. Jesus said, “I have come that you might life and have it to the FULL.” That’s God’s desire for all His Children.
Lean into Him today. Take to Him any of your concerns, worries, or hurts that you have. Like a loving Father, He is watching over you and cares for you. But I would also encourage you to LISTEN to Him! Because though He cares for you, He won’t control you. He’ll show you the way, but He won’t force you to take it. God invites you to let Him guide you to your Best Life possible. He’ll do His part if you’ll do yours. So, listen to Him. He LOVES you more than you’ll ever know. Even if you eat Him out of house and home! That’s God’s Word for you today.