Two-Minute Time Outs: Daily Bible Meditations

By Julie Baker

Each day has 86,400 seconds in it. Can you give God at least 120 of them? That’s just two minutes! My hope is that you will and that in just those few seconds, you will find encouragement to start your day, end it, or soak in over a second cup of coffee. This body of work is just a portion of daily devotions I wrote for a radio program I had for years called TimeOut for Women. I’ve chosen and edited them so that they are appealing to both men and women. May they speak to you as God intends and encourage you in your daily spiritual journey!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973671602

Julie Baker

Julie Baker is an author, songwriter, recording artist, and motivational speaker. She has sung and played the piano since she was three-years-old! Raised in a small church in Battle Creek, Michigan, she gladly sang soprano with the adult church choir, starting at just 10 years old. Her church family laid the foundation for her love of God’s Word, and communicating God’s love through music and teaching the Bible. She is writing new music and recording it for her 10th CD. Married to Paul since 1974, they have a daughter and a son, both married, and their son has two boys, who have become the center of their universe! Rather than slowing down at retirement age, Paul and Julie are very involved in their Orlando, Florida community and local Bible studies. Julie’s website is juliebakerministries.com where there is booking and contact information.

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Day 1

JESUS IS THE LORD OF NEW BEGINNINGS

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Several years ago, I was trying to fold a mountain—of clothes that is. Our entire king-sized bed was stacked sky high with a whole week’s worth of family folding.

When the phone rang, I was relieved for a break in the routine. I was surprised when the voice on the other end was that of a Mom in one of my car pools. She was a woman that, frankly, I envied. Her husband held a prominent job as a respected professional, they lived in a huge, beautifully decorated home, and she drove a cute little red foreign sports car. AND she was gorgeous! She had it all—by outward appearances.

She sounded very weak and I soon discovered that she was calling me from the hospital. Slowly, she unfolded her story. She began: Actually, I’m in the hospital because I tried to take my own life Tuesday evening. I’ve really made a mess of things, Julie. When I was a child I was physically abused and it led to drugs and alcohol. Even with all the wonderful things in my life, I really messed things up by having an affair. I thought he would marry me, but after I told my husband I was leaving him, I discovered that my lover was having an affair, cheating on me. Now I have no one and nothing to live for. Even God won’t forgive me.

I was speechless. How do you respond to that? I silently prayed and asked the Lord to give me a verse, or any words of encouragement for her. At that moment, the Lord placed within my mind this message for her: Tell her that I am the Lord of New Beginnings! No matter what the circumstances of the past, Jesus can wipe the slate of the past clean and give us a new beginning.

Day 2

A NEW BEGINNING FOR ONESIMUS

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Philemon 1:17: …welcome him as you would welcome me.

In the brief letter from Paul to Philemon, we learn that Philemon’s slave, Onesimus, stole from Philemon then ran away—a deed punishable by death under Roman law of that day. Somehow, Onesimus catches up with Paul and Paul leads him to the Lord. Now Onesimus is a new person, forgiven and blameless. Second Corinthians 5:17 reminds us that Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

With God, this new beginning was just that for Onesimus. In the spirit realm, God remembers his sin no more. However, in the natural, Onesimus still has to deal with the consequences of his previous actions.

Paul, therefore, demonstrates to us the beautiful example of what it means to be an intercessor. Like Jesus did for us, he placed himself between the master and slave and paved the way for reconciliation. Paul used beautiful expressions like: "I appeal to you for my son, Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains Philemon 1:10). I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you (Philemon 1:12). Welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me" (Philemon 1:17).

In many ways, Paul was offering to be a co-signer of a note bearing the life sentence of Onesimus. Paul’s desire was that Philemon accept the fact that Onesimus was a new creation and that he deserved a new beginning.

The Word does not reveal to us whether Philemon accepted Onesimus back into his household or not, but we can assume that he did. The reunion must have been the dawning of a tear-filled new beginning…..

Day 3

A NEW BEGINNING FOR A PROSTITUTE

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I want to draw our attention to Rahab, who as you may recall, assisted Joshua and the Children of Israel in the capturing of Jericho. Although Josephus and other early scholars actually refer to her as an innkeeper, the Bible, describes Rahab as a prostitute.

As the story unfolds, Joshua sends two spies into Jericho to kinda scope things out to see if the city can be taken. It would seem that the two men ended up at Rahab’s place seeking a place to stay. I wonder if Rahab already knew the true God from hearing about the Israelites, or whether the spies were actually the ones instrumental in sharing God’s truth with her and converting her.

In any case, Rahab hides the spies and misdirects the authorities so that they make it safely back to their camp. In return, the spies guarantee the safety of Rahab and her family as long as she designates her place on the city wall by a scarlet rope hung from her window. The scarlet rope is reminiscent of the lamb’s blood that the Children of Israel painted on their door posts during the Passover.

What is so awesome about this story is that even though Rahab had been labeled a prostitute, her conversion and confession of faith in the God of the Israelites gained her special recognition and a new beginning.

She is mentioned with honor in Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25, and when we read the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1:5, guess whose name appears? Yes! Rahab—the prostitute—is listed as the mother of Boaz. Boaz married Ruth, and they begot Obed and on throughout the generations until we arrive at the birth of Christ. When we come to Christ, we no longer have a sinful past.

Day 4

RUTH THE MOABITE

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Ruth was a Moabite. Moabites were detested in that day because they were a nation whose roots began through the incest of Lot and his two daughters. Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, was Hebrew, so when both women found themselves widowed, Naomi’s heart took her back to her people.

Ruth wanted to go with her. One of the most beautiful statements ever made in the Bible was from Ruth to Naomi: Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God (Ruth 1:16). Wow! What a credit to Naomi’s character and life’s example that her daughter-in-law would leave her own country to live in a foreign place with a foreign tongue worshiping the Hebrew God!

This was the turning point of a new beginning for Ruth. When she proclaimed that Your God will be my God, she had no idea just how God would bless her commitment.

In that culture, a single woman was to come under the authority of the closest male kin, who was called her Kinsman Redeemer. This person was Boaz. Boaz was the son of Salmon AND Rahab the prostitute! Eventually, Boaz and Ruth marry. Look at that family lineage! Boaz’ mother was a prostitute and he married into THE most despicable ethnic group of that day! Yet, because they served the Lord of New Beginnings, their lineage was of little consequence. Both Rahab and Ruth are listed in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1. You see, when we come to Jesus, we are given new birth into a new family…a new beginning!

Day 5

FROM OLD TO NEW

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Philippians 2:13 reminds us that …it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

We have an acquaintance who just came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and has experienced being reborn! While being very excited about this, we’ve also experienced some eye-brow-raising reactions. You see, we still see much of the old in this person, even though through salvation he is a new creation! This not only has confused us, but distressed us. Or it did until we came across this verse in Philippians.

I wanted to see immediate changes in this person’s outward expressions and attitudes. In fact, I wanted to change this person myself and thought given enough time, certainly my insights and wisdom would make a huge difference! Philippians 2:13, however, reminds me that it is God…and Him alone, who works in a person and is able to change someone…not only on the inside, but on the outside.

In a way, I’m glad that this person isn’t doing what many do when they come to Jesus: they get all cleaned up on the outside, giving the world the impression that they’ve got it all together, but are still filthy on the inside. This is hypocritical and God hates a hypocrite!

No, it’s better for us to prayerfully stand beside a new Christian and pour love into them that will affect them on the inside. You see, people change from the inside out. And because working out their salvation is a process that takes time, we need to give them space to grow and evolve in their new-found relationship in Jesus Christ.

A new beginning is just that…new! Any change from the old way to the new way requires