Keep Blooming With Jesus: Turning Everyday Idioms Into Daily Devotions

By Kimberly Huff Johnson

Keep Blooming With Jesus is my second devotional book connecting idioms to Scripture. Several years ago, the Lord laid on my heart to start writing, and when He became the connecting thread to my stories, a book was born.

These devotions are a glimpse into my life revealing the power of the Holy Spirit when we cultivate a relationship with Jesus. When we're rooted in God's Word, we bear the fruit of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control just to name a few

As you journey with me, my prayer is your faith blossoms as you deliberately incorporate His Word into your daily life. Just as fruit starts with a bloom, when we abide in Jesus, we too bloom with His attributes to produce His fruit

• Language: English
• Publisher: Proisle Publishing Services
• Release date: Aug 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781961526389

Book preview

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Hot off the press is a figurative expression used when we receive new information but also can be said literally when we receive recently printed material. This originates from newspapers containing hot news that were still warm from the printing process.

Some of our most spiritual and moving hymns were written during a dormant period in the author’s life when opportunity was seized for them to use their talents to glorify God. As I look at the box of promotional books I just received, I’m humbled because God took what I started as casually writing events in my life, to a piece of work which gives Him the glory. This book is evidence that He blooms in each of us when we put Him first in our life.

The experience of writing this book has been a God thing for sure but through it all I’ve been reminded again and again that everything is done in the Lord’s perfect timing. My uncle put it to me this way, The Lord never gets in a hurry but He’s always on time. Proverbs 19:21 really speaks to me, Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. God truly does have our best interest at heart and works through us to reveal His perfect plan in His perfect timing.

"By the sweat of the brow you will eat your

food until you return to the ground,"

Genesis 3:19

GOT A LONG ROW TO HOE

Got a long row to hoe means something is strenuous or very challenging to do and achieving success will require endurance. This analogy comes from weeding a garden or working the land to remove rocks and roots from the soil when preparing a field.

Daddy always planted a garden and between the heat, bugs and the length of the rows, I remember thinking I would never reach the end when I had to help. I know I grumbled a lot.

There are so many people who have so much to grumble about because of the unimaginable hardships they have to endure yet they remain faithful and thankful for what they have. This is evidence of God in their life because His grace is revealed in their disposition. When we put our hope and faith in the Lord, whatever situation we find ourselves in, we can trust He will deliver us through it.

Joseph’s life was threaded with hardships yet his faith in God never wavered. He had a lot to be angry about; he was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery at a young age, then imprisoned when wrongly accused by Potiphar’s wife. But through all the turmoil in his life, the Lord never left him and continued to give him strength.

The circumstances of our lives can be difficult at times, but the Lord will bless us when we remain faithful in Him. Regardless of how long the row is for us to hoe, we need to persevere and always honor the Lord.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Ephesians 6:16

IN A PICKLE

In a pickle means to be in a difficult situation and all options lead to a disastrous ending. This is an English idiom originally meaning to be inebriated.

I love to learn about inconspicuous people in the Bible who made a powerful impact in the lives of others. In Exodus 1:1-17, we learn about these two brave women and how hard life was for the Israelites because Pharaoh ruled with an iron fist. The more he oppressed them, the more they multiplied. He feared how populous they had become so he ordered the midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill all the Jewish baby boys at birth.

They faced quite a dilemma because to disobey the king surely meant death. However, they both feared God more than they feared Pharaoh so they could not follow his orders. When they were summoned for their disobedience, they said the babies were born before they could get to the women.

These two women were protected from imminent danger because of their faithfulness and reverence to God. Scripture goes on to say Shiphrah and Puah were both blessed with families of their own because of their courage displayed by honoring God, not man.

If we live long enough, we will all face circumstances which are cloudy and by the world’s view whatever choice we make is fine. But God gives us concise and clear directions on which is the correct path to take. We must seek God intentionally in every aspect of our life so we will constantly reflect His goodness and grace, regardless of the pickle we find ourselves in.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

PUT ON A BRAVE FACE

Put on a brave face means to appear to have courage and strength despite inwardly being afraid or feeling inadequate. Another way to say the same thing is to save face.

We all know someone who always knows the right thing to say and they’re the person we migrate to when life gets hard. They give us godly advice and help steer us in the correct direction, even if the path is rocky. Mama had a friend like that who was always calm, generous with her wisdom, and a pillar of strength in any crisis.

Most of the heroes we learn about in the Bible are men. Many of the women mentioned were either infirmed, or they were deemed impure. That is until we learn about Deborah in the book of Judges 4:1-16. She was a prophetess and a judge who settled the disputes among the people so she was well respected in her community. God reveals to her a strategy to win the battle over the Canaanites and she was asked to help lead an army into victory.

Just as with the battle at Jericho, this battle was the Lord’s also. The opponents, with their heavy iron chariots, were led to the low-lying area near the river. God sends in rain, causing the heavy chariots to sink in the mud, making them all an easy target.

Although Deborah knew the Lord was with her, she had to be fearful because becoming a warrior is a far cry from being a judge. It’s difficult to be courageous and not allow fear to show on our faces but that’s exactly what she did. She put on a brave face and became a heroine of the Bible.

Regardless of the battles we face, we can know the Lord is with us and will lavish His love on us when we align ourselves with His Word. Our courage comes from Him because He goes before us and empowers us to endure what we thought to be impossible.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

Ecclesiastes 4:11

A THREE-DOG NIGHT

A three-dog night means it’s so bitterly cold outside you will need three dogs in bed with you to keep yourself warm. This originated from back in the day before central heat and most lofts or upstairs had no heat so an animal was put under the covers to generate warmth.

I actually have an allergic reaction to the cold weather. It’s this weird condition called cold urticaria where I get hives, redness of the skin, and my lips swell. It doesn’t happen as frequent as it did when I was a kid but it’s quite unattractive and will go away as soon as I get warm.

There have been several cases of young children wandering away from home and getting lost. The family dog tagged along with the youngster and they survived the cold night only because the dog curled up with the child.

When I read the stories in the Bible, I always envision a dry climate with hot temperatures. I think that’s from the Sunday School illustrations I grew up seeing in church, but on numerous occasions cold weather is mentioned, especially in the book of Job. So even back in the biblical days, fighting against the freezing elements was a real and present danger.

Proverbs 31:21 says, When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. I love how the Lord will protect us, clothe us with His love, and empower us to endure the impossible. Even on a three-dog night when the bitter winds blow, our God is with us and keeps us warm.

"Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong,

and there is no favoritism."

Colossians 3:25

MADE YOUR BED, NOW YOU HAVE TO LIE

IN IT

You made your bed and now you have to lie in it means you have to be accountable for your actions and accept the consequences for the decision you’ve made. This is a French proverb insinuating we find ourselves in situations we created.

For some of us, a gentle nudge will get us back on track when we fall from grace while others seem to be repeat offenders. Our heart may be in the right place but the issues we’re dealing with can become bigger than we are. God longs for us to seek Him but because of our selfish desires, we turn away from God.

But God’s grace is bigger. Sometimes we beat ourselves up over our past and feel we’re unworthy of His love, but this isn’t true. Jesus came to rescue us all from the bondage of sin and bring us into His light. All we have to do is accept Him as our Savior. 1 John 1:6 says, If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

The first step to start walking in the light is surrendering our life to Jesus. Believing isn’t enough, we’re called to become a follower so we can develop a loving relationship with Him. I think God allows us to go right to the edge of despair sometimes to get our attention. There’s nothing too big for God and even though we’ve made our bed, we can trust our God will carry us through any consequence.

Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Romans 13:7

GET OFF SCOT-FREE

To get off scot-free means someone is avoiding paying a debt which is owed. This derives from medieval times where a tax (also called a scot) was levied in townships and the ones avoiding payment were known to get off scot-free and the phrase stuck.

It really bothers me when I’m being taken advantage of or issues which need to be addressed just get ignored. Things don’t go away just because they keep getting swept under the rug.

I can’t help but look around at all the injustices happening in the world today and cringe. The criminals seem to go free while the innocent pay the price. The news sinks me into depression if I allow it. 1 Thessalonians 4:6 says, and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such, as we have already told you and warned you. In other words, we don’t need to take revenge against anyone who has wronged us but rather leave the judging to God.

Keeping this in mind, restores our peace. Regardless of the issues robbing us of our joy, we can give all those concerns to the Lord. In His perfect timing, I believe He will work out all the details but we have to trust Him with it. It’s such a comfort to know God is still in control even if it doesn’t seem like it at times and no one is going to get off scot free because in the end we’re all going to have to be accountable for our actions.

So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Matthew 23:3

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

Practice what you preach means to behave in the same manner you’re telling others how to behave. This idiom comes from Matthew where Jesus is referring to the Pharisees who have implemented all these laws for men, yet fail to follow themselves.

When our children were younger our neighbors were really close, in fact we could see into their kitchen from our driveway. One day their son took our child’s soccer ball home and when my husband went to retrieve it, they said it was their child’s because it had his name on it. What they didn’t realize is I had seen him writing his name on the ball from my driveway. Integrity is to be instilled into our children. Period.

We are called to be the role models for our children. It’s our responsibility to raise honest, loving, trustworthy people and they learn what they see us do. In this instance it was just a stolen ball, but the life lesson the neighbors taught their children was shameful.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly points out the hypocrisy from the Jewish leaders. They were very quick to pass judgment onto individuals who were caught in sin but apparently were not blameless themselves. Jesus knew of their sinful nature and called them out.

The Scripture holds preachers, teachers, and parents to a higher standard. We are leaders with eyes and ears watching every move we make. How do we expect others to follow if we’re not willing to commit to God’s Word ourselves? When we live a life reflecting the light of Jesus, others tend to follow because they no longer want to live in the dark.

I am a dread to my friends—those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.

Psalm 31:11-12

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND

Out of sight, out of mind means to forget about something or someone not frequently seen. This idiom actually derives from Psalm 31 where David is abandoned by all of his friends and he cries out to the Lord in distress.

While we were driving the other day, on the radio they were talking about the decrease in church attendance and how many people no longer identify with Christianity. They went on to say that many pastors in the Christian church today no longer believe in the absolute truth taught in the Bible and now preach a watered-down version of the Scriptures.

Parents no longer make taking their children to church a priority. Life is busy, I get it but God has to be at the top of the to-do list. We have a responsibility to show the next generation the goodness of God and all He has done in our lives.

I love history and what we can learn from the mistakes others have made along