God’s Peace    

If our minds are stayed upon God, His peace will rule the affairs entertained by our minds. If, on the other hand, we allow our minds to dwell on the cares of this world, God's peace will be far from our thoughts.  Woodrow Kroll

I started thinking about the peace that can be found in God.  When we dwell in His presence, we no longer worry about what others may think of us.  Why is it that we place more value in the opinion of others in this world than we do the opinion of the God who created us?   

I think we place so much value on what people on earth think because we want to be accepted by others.  We want to belong to a close knit family who love us through the challenges of life.  The problem with this is we look at others in our life as our source of strength.  The next problem is we expect them to always love us and be there for us but that doesn’t always happen.  If you can get one important piece of wisdom it is this: The people you surround yourself with are sinners and so are you.  If you keep that in mind, your interactions can be different.

The second thing is the God who created us didn’t make a mistake.  I was watching a show on TV about how food products are made.  One segment showed a lady with a hairnet, white coat and gloves who was picking out the bad or damaged fruit that was traveling down the conveyor belt before the good fruit traveled down the line to be placed in boxes.  They didn’t show what happened to the bad fruit, but the correlation here is that God doesn’t only select the good fruit, he wants the bad too.  He wants every one of us.  And guess what?  We are all bad fruit at one time or another, yet He still pursues each of us like there were only one of us.

You are worth God’s time.  When you finally realize that He wants you to come and lay it all at His feet; a peace that surpasses all understanding will be your reward.  If you take the shame, pain, sorrow and heartache and lay it at His feet, He will give you rest.  He will give you strength and He will give you peace.  All you need to do is ask.  The comfort of knowing that there is One who loves you without reservation and who is waiting for you to turn to him is beyond comprehension.   

   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, over the years I have learned that You are my refuge.  You are where I go when everything seems to be falling apart around me.  You are also where I go in times of great joy because You celebrate with me.  I give my struggles, sorrows, heartaches and pain to You.  I lay it at Your feet.  I praise You with all my heart for saving a wretch like me.  Thank You for the peace that I can only get through You.

Scripture:  Jesus Gives True Rest

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:25-30

GPS   

Abide in Jesus, the sinless One - which means, give up all of self and its life, and dwell in God's will and rest in His strength. This is what brings the power that does not commit sin.  Andrew Murray

You ask for a practical direction to teach you to die well. Detach your souls from everything that you love, separate from God. This, in a few words, is the science of dying.   Louis Bourdaloue

I was sitting at a red light this morning so I glanced over at the car next to me.  They had a GPS on the dash board.  I started thinking about how GPS has changed the way we get places.  If you have one you don’t have to ever stop at a gas station again to ask for directions from someone who doesn’t know where you are going either. 

Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a God GPS?  Instead of calling it a Global Positioning System I would call it God’s Power Squared. This gizmo would be your warning system when you are heading into dangerous sin territory.  Sin has a way of sneaking up on us and wouldn’t it be great if we had this early warning system.  Instead of saying recalculating a James Earl Jones voice would come on and say “Do you really want to do that?”

We really do have early warning systems built in already.  The problem is we don’t use them as often as we should.  It is kind of like we turn the GPS off because we don’t want to hear her say one more time “recalculating”.  We have the Holy Spirit living in us that sends out warning signals we don’t heed.  We also have friends and family who are our early detection devices when we get off the path.  Sometimes our ego kicks in and we think we know what we are doing so we ignore the signals. 

The Bible is also our Map with all the directions we will ever need.  The problem with this is we often don’t open it so how do we think we are going to get to our final destination without it.  If we don’t use the Heaven Map God provided we won’t reach the place God has prepared for us. If we use the tools God has given us, our GPS and the Holy Spirit, we are well on our way to finding our final destination.  Plan your trip.  You will be glad you did.  

         

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You give me the tools I will need to get to my final destination.  The problem is sometimes I ignore the directions you so clearly provide and then I get off course.  Sometimes I get so far off course it is hard to find my way back.  Please help me to keep my focus on You and to use the tools You provide.  You have prepared a place for me to live forever with You if I will just heed Your directions. 

    

Scripture:  “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool.  What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’ Acts 7:48-50

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  Romans 5:1-5

A Heart & A Seed

Real prayer is communion with God, so that there will be common thoughts between His mind and ours. What is needed is for Him to fill our hearts with His thoughts, and then His desires will become our desires flowing back to Him.  A.W. Pink

Have you ever planted a garden?  You buy a packet of seeds and you prepare the soil then you dig a hole to bury the seed in and then you wait.  I did this several months ago.  I wanted to plant herbs that I could use for cooking.  I bought special soil to plant the seeds in but I was lazy.  The seeds were so tiny that I didn’t take the time to prepare a hole for each seed to be dropped in and covered.  These seeds were smaller than a mustard seed.  So I took the shortcut and dug several big holes and scattered the seeds around and then I sat back and waited. 

Every day I would go out to see if I was producing herbs that would rival any Chef’s kitchen herbs.  So I watched and waited.  I finally started seeing something growing.  I had planted three different herbs so I sectioned the bed into three parts.  The left side produced nothing.  The center of the bed started producing basil.  The right side of the bed produced something green but I later determined that it was a weed because it didn’t look anything like the leaves on the seed packet. 

The heart of a Christian goes through the same process.  If our heart is not prepared properly for God’s seed to be planted, we will never produce fruit. We can go to church on Sunday and sit in the pews but come away with nothing.  The reason this happens is we have not prepared our heart for worship.  The times that I know my heart is prepared are the times when I walk away from church and realize that God has spoken to me.  When you understand that the Pastor’s words were speaking to you in that moment, you know your heart was prepared for seed to be planted. 

The fruit I produce is dependent on the preparation of my heart and I will see the results of God working in my life if I am prepared. If I never open the Bible and prepare for the seeds God wants to plant, I will never grow as God intended.  

      

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am guilty of going to church and not being prepared to worship You.  There are times I have walked through those doors and come away with nothing.  Help me to be prepared and to open my heart to worship.  If I am prepared I can walk away with untold blessings.   

Scripture:   In the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”  Matthew 13:1-9

Double Stuff

Thank God for the battle verses in the Bible. We go into the unknown every day of our lives, and especially every Monday morning, for the week is sure to be a battlefield, outwardly and inwardly in the unseen life of the spirit, which is often by far the sternest battlefield for souls. Either way, the Lord your God goes before you, He shall fight for you!  Amy Carmichael

I bought some Oreos.  I thought I was buying just the regular original Oreos.  I didn’t look at the package too closely and that was my first mistake.  It turns out I had accidentally bought the double stuff Oreos.  Have you seen how much filling is in a double stuff Oreo?  It’s a double layer of the white creamy center.  I admit I am an original Oreo kind of gal.  The combination of the chocolate cookie and a hint of white stuff is perfect.  Remember the old commercials where someone would pull the cookies apart and eat the white center first then the cookie.  Yuck!!  If Oreos gave me a bag full of the creamy filling I would never buy another bag.  That sounds like a great diet to me.

I started thinking about how the world psychologically gets us to buy into what they are selling.  Marketing is an interesting concept. Periodically I go to Wendy’s to get a Frosty.  The interesting thing about that is the last time I bought one they have changed the size of the small frosty.  It’s the size of a kids drink at about the same price as the original size. 

We are bombarded daily with advertising that claims to cure all our problems, when in reality sometimes it just creates more.  I read this weekend about how commercials are used to evoke a certain feeling in us to take action, (in other words to buy something).  The way they do it is by visually showing us how wonderful our lives will be if we purchase what they are selling.  If you listen closely you will see, as in one of the perfume commercials, where you buy the fantasy not the perfume. 

You’ve seen the Jeep commercials where four guys pile into a Jeep and take off riding over rough terrain, over mountains and through streams to finally reach the pinnacle of the mountain.  They are selling us the vision that if we buy a Jeep we can do that too.

If you think about it from an advertising perspective, the Bible is an amazing marketing concept.  Where else can you get on your knees and pray and miracles happen.  When have you ever received something without paying for it?  It doesn’t happen often in this world. Jesus gave us salvation and we didn’t pay a dime.  God gave us the Holy Spirit living in us to guide our steps.  Instead of buying into the world’s perception of what we can get here that is temporary at best, why not take a chance on what God has to offer.  Last time I looked he described a place where I can go, where there are streets of gold and pearly gates, where there is no sorrow or pain ever again.  I think I’ll take that any day over what this world offers.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I don’t deserve the future You offer in the Bible.  I sin over and over again, yet You love me enough to keep pursuing me.  I am amazed every day at Your Glory and Majesty.  Help me to keep my eyes focused on You and not what the world offers.  The Bible tells me there is a better place waiting for me in heaven.  I can’t wait.

Scripture: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”  Matthew 16:24-28

Regret & Defeat

Just because the current giant you are facing looks like one you defeated in the past, don't buy the lie that you never really won the first battle! By the strength of God's grace, you trusted the Almighty and conquered your Goliath. The first giant is dead. Satan is masquerading as your former enemy so he can slip past your faith and regain entrance into your life. Resist him.  Francis Frangipane

There is a great song by Matthew West called “Hello My Name Is”.  I was listening to it this morning and thinking about the words while also singing at the top of my lungs. I love singing in the car because there is no one to hear me but God and He doesn’t care if I sing out of tune.  The first few lines of the song are amazing. 

Hello, my name is regret
I’m pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I’m the whisper inside
That won’t let you forget
Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I’ll drag you right back down again
‘Til you’ve lost all belief
These are the voices, these are the lies
And I have believed them, for the very last time

Lyrics by Matthew West

I decided to read up on the songwriter.  As I was reading about some of the trials he went through including almost severing an artery in his arm which could have ended his ability to play guitar and another incident with his vocal chords and the possibility of never singing again, I started thinking about how we often become defeated by life.  Circumstances occur and we become broken don’t we.  There’s a chip here and a crack there and before we know it we have been battered by life. 

When this happens we often lose sight of the One who loves us the most.  It’s easy to do.  We start thinking that God doesn’t care and our faith slips a little, then we get hit again by life and we feel like we aren’t hearing from God so we slip a little more and before we know it we give up on God.

Every one of us has met “Defeat” and “Regret” at one time or another in our life.  How we react to these two circumstances will make the difference in a great or mediocre faith.  

I love the final verses of this song:

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, and I have been set free
“Amazing Grace” is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I am no longer defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it’s true
Just take a look at my life
What love the Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called His children
I am a child of the one true King

Lyrics by Matthew West

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, thank you for the times in my life when I was defeated.  These times became a stepping stone toward a greater faith. You are the One True King in my eyes and I am forever grateful for Your love for me. 

 

Scripture: Christ on a White Horse

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:11-16

The Beast and His Armies Defeated

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”  Revelation 19:17-18

Saying I’m Sorry

A stiff apology is a second insult. The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.  G.K. Chesterton

You're not quite "Army" yet, miss... or you'd know never to apologize... it's a sign of weakness.  John Wayne in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Do you have a hard time saying you’re sorry to someone you have hurt?  I think this is probably one of the hardest things in life to do and many times it is the last thing some of us will ever do.

Too many times I think we are like the 1949 movie with John Wayne where he was a Captain in the Army and the female character had apologized.  I think there are times just as in this movie, when we think it is a weakness of character to say we’re sorry to someone.  How many hearts have been broken and wounds never healed because of what John Wayne in the movie called a weakness? 

If we learn that saying you are sorry is a weakness, then we will never say it.  One of the things that saying you’re sorry does is that it humbles us.  It takes us down to the level of the other person’s pain.  If we are to show others that we are sorry for something we did and be truly repentant, then we will need to feel their pain too. It means we have to go through the uncomfortable process of humbling ourselves to another person. 

I found it interesting that in this same movie with John Wayne a young soldier in the Army asked the Captain, “Were you ever scared, “Captain” Tyree? and John Wayne responded with “Yes, sir.  Up to and includin’ now.” 

I believe that if we aren’t scared to offer an apology to another human being, then our heart is probably not in the right place to offer it with sincerity and true remorse.  If you think about it, when we are scared of the outcome because of something we have done to hurt another person, it means that the other person matters to us and that is the most important time to say we are sorry. 

  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am sorry.  Sorry for the times I have hurt You with my disobedience.  Sorry for the times I forgot about You and ignored You.  I am sorry for the times I thought I knew what was best for me when only You can know that.  I am sorry for the times I didn’t stand up for You with others and didn’t share my faith and the promise of eternal life with You to lost souls.  I have a lot to be sorry for Father, but I want to be different.  Humbling myself and saying I am sorry shows strength of character not weakness.  Thank You for humbling me.

Scripture: This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.  Isaiah 66:1-2

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:29-32

Come As You Are   

Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible's astounding words about God's love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?  Philip Yancey

Have you ever bought something “AS IS”?  It works like this.  You know there is something wrong with the item you are buying but you buy it anyway.  You take a chance that the thing you are buying will operate or work properly even though you know there is something wrong with it. 

Sometimes another person bought the item and returned it but the store can’t sell it as new so they sell it “as is”.  So there is not really anything wrong with the item, the person just didn’t want it.  Then other times someone bought it, it doesn’t work properly, they returned it and it’s not going to work properly for you either.  Then there is the third scenario where someone bought it, broke it, returned it and when you get it home it’s not going to work either.

We are born new but life breaks us.  There might not really be much wrong with us but someone rejects us.  So there is a defect so we are thrown into the return bin.  Then other times we are rolling along through life and things are going well and we have a health issue and now we’re broken.  Then there is the really tragic circumstance where someone breaks us physically, emotionally or verbally and we are rejected again and back in the broken bin.

 

This concept fascinates me because God doesn’t work that way.  God takes us “AS IS”.  He loves us no matter what we do.  He takes us back time and again because of that very love.  We mess up, we are defective, we are thrown back in the used, broken, rejected bin and God reaches in and takes us back broken and all, “AS IS”. Come as you are, not as you want to be.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, we are often rejected on this earth by others because we don’t measure up to their expectations.  I love that you accept me sin and all.  You accept the broken, rejected me when others might not.  Thank you for loving me even when I end up in the “AS IS” bin.  

      

Scripture:    What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written:  “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us form the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:31-39

Exclusions Apply

Since no man is excluded from calling upon God the gate of salvation is open to all. There is nothing else to hinder us from entering, but our own unbelief.  John Calvin

If you ever listen to commercials they are normally always ended with “exclusions apply”.  I hate it when they say that.  If usually means when you go to buy whatever it is they are selling, you are not going to like what you hear.  They convince you with the opening of the commercial that you really can’t live without what they are selling but then they add exclusions apply in print so tiny you can’t read it or talk so fast you can’t understand what the exclusions are in the first place.

So you trek down to the store to buy and you get to the counter and they tell you, “I’m sorry, you can only buy one”, or “this special only applies to generic not name brand”, or how about “you must open a credit card in order to take advantage of this special”, (i.e. I want your money so I am going to make you open a credit card with high interest rates so you will spend more).  I mean I am surprised they haven’t inserted in the exclusion language that you can only purchase if you have 2 kids, 1 turtle, a cat and a bird named Wilbur.  That may sound ridiculous but it has almost gotten to that extreme.  

I would like to hear just one advertiser say “No Exclusions Apply”.  The only thing I know of where “No Exclusions Apply” is being saved by God’s grace.  God doesn’t tell us that since we sinned 40 times we are not allowed in.  He doesn’t tell us that if we sinned 400 times that we are excluded from entering the gates of heaven.  If we want in, God swings the doors open wide and greets us with open arms.  What a comfort it is to know that we can’t be excluded from entering into eternity with Him because He gives us a way in that we don’t deserve.  Salvation is yours and No Exclusions Apply.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You provide a way into heaven for a sinner like me where I can spend eternity with You.  You give me the choice and if I want in the only thing it will cost me is to love You and obey You.  That is a cost I will gladly pay if it gives me the opportunity to see You face to face and know that I am saved by Your grace.

Scripture: Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!  For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. The Lord has made known His salvation; his righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.  He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of  Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.  Psalm 98:1-3

The Good News of Salvation

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”  Isaiah 61:1-3

Making Sense of It All

Just because it doesn't make sense to you doesn't mean it doesn't make sense. Adrian Rogers

Have you ever tried to make sense of something in your life that doesn’t come close to making sense?  In our human minds there will be times when God does things that will not make sense to us. 

Too many times we pursue sense.  We want order and control in our life and when we don’t have it we worry or work at fixing everything so that our life is restored to order or we are in control again so that we feel like it all makes sense.

Have you figured out that God is in control of everything and unless we place our faith in Him, we will never have the peace and joy we long for?  If I don’t trust God to guide me and guard my path, I will miss the greatest blessings that He wants for me.  The hardest part is to let go.  God wants a relationship with each of us but too many times we hinder that relationship because we think if we try harder or work harder or do more, we can make sense of it all and everything will fall into place. 

I would say that the majority of the time things are not going to make sense when it comes to God’s work in our lives.  How does God show us His greatness?  It is not going to come from doing things the way we think they should be done.  When God works, amazing things happen that cannot be explained any other way except that only God could do it. 

Remember the story of Simon who was a fisherman by trade.  They had fished all day but caught nothing.  Jesus climbed into their boat and told Simon to launch into the deep water and let down their nets for a catch.  Simon had been fishing all night and caught nothing so he thought it was necessary to tell Jesus that, (like Jesus didn’t already know they had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught anything). Simon at least had enough faith to do what Jesus said even though it didn’t make sense to him.  

God does the unexpected every time.  He wants us to understand that His ways are not our ways.  When we finally figure that out, God can then do great things in our life.  Give up trying to make sense of everything and follow Him in whatever He asks you to do.  That is how we begin to see how truly great He is.  

  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, when You do things in my life it is used to teach me great lessons if I believe in You.  Every time You do something I am amazed.  It reminds me of how small I am and how great You are.  The greatest lesson I can learn is to place my trust in You for the outcome and stop trying to make sense of it all. 

  

Scripture: When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”  Luke 5:4-8

Let It Go

We need to follow our Lord's admonition to remember Lot's wife, for she was one who did not forget her possessions even in a time of the greatest peril. She was not guilty of having retraced a single step towards Sodom. All she did was look back. But how revealing was that backward glance! Does it not speak volumes concerning the condition of her heart?  Watchman Nee

Have you determined yet that you need to let it go? By letting go I mean we have to learn to let go of things.  Too many times I think our perspective of what is ours is skewed.  We start to think that we own our house, car, furniture and even children.  The concept of ownership is taught to us from a young age.  It is like we are all children in a giant sandbox trying to one up each other.  We want what the other child has so we do whatever it takes to obtain it, including boxing them over the head with our sand pail. 

I’ve spent the majority of my life obtaining things.  Why?  When I die none of those things are going with me.  It’s kind of like reading a book that doesn’t have an adequate ending.  You are left hanging wondering why it didn’t end differently.  That is how possessions can overtake our lives. 

If we ever get the proper understanding of what stuff is, we will never feel discontentment.  We will be content with what we have in life.  There is peace in that place.  If I am content with what I have and let go of the hold it has on me, there is a peace that surpasses worldly understanding.  The anxiety of not having or obtaining something will be gone. 

If our hand is open with the things we think we own, God will provide for all our needs.  The thing we have to remember is some things are needs and others are wants.  He doesn’t say he will provide for all our wants.

Are you holding onto things that you think bring you happiness or trying to obtain something you don’t have?  Every time I do that I am disappointed.  When I am content with the things God has already given me and am not constantly searching for something new to add to my pile of stuff, peace will overflow in my life.   

     

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You have blessed my life beyond measure.  Remind me that I am not the owner of my things.  I am a steward of everything you provide in my life.  Help me to handle Your things wisely and to let them go.  I am forever grateful for Your influence in my life.  I praise You above all others.    

Scripture:  Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 'Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?”

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  Matthew 19:16-22

Optional Equipment

“There comes a time in the spiritual journey when you start making choices from a very different place. And if a choice lines up so that it supports truth, health, happiness, wisdom and love, it’s the right choice. ” Angeles Arrien

I read an advertisement for a new car yesterday.  I was kind of amazed at the number of options on this vehicle.  As I went through the list I started wondering what you would do with all these options. 

There was the Driver Assistance Package.   This one is really sort of vague.  I see plenty of people on the road every day that need Driver Assistance and I don’t mean they are broken down on the side of the road.  I am thinking more along the lines that they need assistance off the freeway never to be allowed back on. 

Then there is the stop and go function, lane assist, side assist and pre-sense plus.    Now I understand the stop and go part and I sort of understand the lane assist and side assist but I am really confused about the pre-sense plus.  I am starting to feel a little ignorant on this part because the ad doesn’t give an explanation.   It just lists this one like I should know what it means and I am thinking when you get on the freeway you should already have sense so where does pre-sense come in?

Now when I got to the 22-way power seats with massage function I started getting a little concerned.  I mean what if one of the 22 ways means you are facing backwards or upside down or maybe it just throws you in the back seat because you are such a bad driver.  I can’t really think of 22 different ways for a seat to go and the massage function just downright scares me.  This gives a whole new meaning to asleep at the wheel. 

This vehicle came with 19 speakers, night vision, panoramic sunroof, active blind spot detection and heads-up display.  I am not sure how beneficial a panoramic sunroof would be if you are driving.  If you are looking at the sky and driving I don’t want to be around but I guess if you are busy doing that you may need the heads-up display when you are getting ready to hit the car in front of you because you’re watching the view out the sunroof. 

The final two options also confused me.  I understand the side view but I don’t quite get the top view camera.  I can’t think of one thing I want to be looking at on the roof of my car.  The last option just lost me.  This car has curb weight of 4,000.  4,000 what?  Inches, pounds, cubic feet, kilowatts, cups, and what do you do at the curb with the 4000 when you get there?

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Thinking of the options on a car made me think of the options God gives us in life.  He didn’t take away our ability to make decisions, or choose which way we will go in life.  Even though He loves us, he gave us free will.  That means we can choose to follow Him or not, we can love one another or not.  We are given free will to choose an eternity in heaven with Him or eternal hell.   It is all up to us which options we will choose.  He doesn’t force us to make a choice he just offers instructions and guidance.  The question is which option will we choose?

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You give me the option to choose You. Please help me to make the right choices in my life.  I want to spend eternity with You in heaven.  I pray that You will help me find the wisdom to make the right choices.  My choices can make the difference in my final dwelling place. 

Scripture:   This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20

God’s Promises

Gather the riches of God's promises. Nobody can take away from you those texts from the Bible which you have learned by heart.  Corrie Ten Boom

Have you ever set a goal and failed at reaching that goal?  There is something that many of us don’t do in relation to setting goals.  We leave God out of the equation.  It’s kind of like saying 2 + 2 = 6.  The end result just doesn’t add up.  If I decide to set a goal for the year I should first look at the Bible for guidance.  If my goal doesn’t align with God’s Word and His promises then it isn’t a goal I should pursue.

Too many times we set our goal and we don’t even consult with God before we jump in with both feet.  We think we know how to reach the goal with just our abilities, knowledge and strength, but in reality we haven’t done our homework.  In reality our goals should be God’s goals backed up by His promises. 

God’s promises are often overshadowed by what we want out of life.  We forget what our true goal in life should be and we pursue stuff. 

I was reading about Abraham and Isaac.  Can you imagine waiting years to have a son and then God speaks to you and tells you to sacrifice your only son on the altar.  Can you picture walking along a dirt road holding your child’s hand in yours as you walk him to his death?  I believe Abraham had goals for his son and they didn’t include sacrificing him on an altar.  I think fear and disbelief would have been my big motivator in that moment.  Then imagine your child walking up to the altar carrying the wood and him turning to you his parent and saying, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering.”  Can you imagine looking down into your child’s trusting face realizing that he is the lamb and then tying him to an altar as a sacrifice?  That’s faith in God’s promises. That’s belief in a Great God. 

We love a Great God but too many times we forget His promises and decide that we know what is best for us.  If we don’t bury His promises in our hearts, how can we ever hope to reach the goals God has set before us?   

        

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I admit I often don’t have enough faith in You.  I often place my faith in my abilities and many times my goals don’t even align with what You call me to do in this life.  Thank You for Your patience with me.  Thank You for loving me enough to keep trying to bring me back to You.  I pray for the faith of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his only son because he trusted in You and understood that You only wanted what was best for him as You want for me.  You are a Great God!

Scripture: “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”  Genesis 24:12-18

Aging Successfully

Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.  Abraham Lincoln

Those who have failed miserably are often the first to see God's formula for success.  Erwin Lutzer

I was listening to a commercial recently and it was talking about helping your family member’s age successfully.  What exactly does that mean?  Is that opposed to aging unsuccessfully?  I always heard that you could age gracefully, not successfully.

Aging is kind of an odd thing in itself.  Skin that once was smooth becomes wrinkled and stretches all out of proportion. Our hair grays, eyesight goes bad and our memory fades. 

When I started thinking about aging successfully, I thought of all of the characters in the Bible who lived for hundreds of years longer than we do.  In this day and age if you live to be a hundred that is a major accomplishment.  In the Old Testament it was nothing to live to be 500 or 600 years old.

In today’s world, if you age successfully this means you have attained wealth, achieved popularity, profit or distinction and reach the ripe old age of 80.   If you were to age gracefully this is characterized by elegance and beauty of form. I think we can all age gracefully and successfully if we use applications from the Bible.

There are two Hebrew names in the Bible that mean graceful and success.  The name Hannah in Hebrew means graceful.  Hannah was the mother of Samuel.  If you remember her story, she was unable to have children but she prayed to the Lord and he honored her with Samuel.

The Hebrew name that means success is Elisha.  If you read of the many miracles that Elisha performed on God’s behalf he was very successful.  He raised the Shunammite woman’s son from the dead, purified a pot of stew to feed the sons of the prophets and healed Naaman’s leprosy.  Elisha was a successful prophet by the Bible’s account. 

Success to God is not the same thing that we often associate success with on earth.  If we place all of our hope on the success of earth we will be left empty handed. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to be a success on earth by Your standards.  That means if I achieve success in my job I give to others of the blessings you have given me.  I can also age gracefully.  If I have love in my heart for others and show it then I guess that means I can be gracefully successful in Your eyes.  Help me to use the correct measuring stick when I apply these to my life.

Scripture: If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success. A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; the babbler is no different. The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, and the end of his talk is raving madness.  Ecclesiastes 10:10-13

And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. “No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God. “Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.  1 Samuel 2:1-3