Well Rounded

An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life. ~Author Unknown 

When I was young and going to school the main focus in school was making sure every kid was well rounded.  That meant that you were expected to be good at everything.  If you really excelled at math but didn’t do so well in English you were expected to spend more time on the English than the math. 

I have written before about the book entitled “How Full Is Your Bucket”.  In this book one of the writers spoke about how at a young age his large family focused on the areas he excelled at instead of forcing him to focus on the areas he wasn’t excelling in.   When the writer was ten his grandfather noticed that he was good at leading others and that he had an entrepreneurial spirit.  He encouraged the young man to start his own business.  The young man decided at the age of 10 to open a snack stand. 

After a few months the business was going so well that a major candy distributor agreed to give “Biz Kids” a bulk rate and deliver to their location.  By the time he was 12 this young entrepreneur employed more than 20 classmates and they had $1000 of profit to share. 

The author talked about how his parents instead of dipping from his bucket when he wasn’t doing well in certain courses they encouraged him to focus more time on the areas that gave him personal satisfaction.  His parents realized that there would be a greater return on his education if he devoted more time to the subjects for which he had a natural passion.

A popular saying in his home was “Never try to teach a pig to sing.  It wastes your time and it annoys the pig.”

God created each of us as a unique human being.  We all are given specific talents that we will excel at in life.  Some will be talented in music, while others will have talent in sports.  Many will excel at math and others at science.  Why have we become a society that pressures kids to excel at things they are not really good at instead of focusing on the things that they have a true passion for?  I think sometimes this is God’s indicator of which direction our lives should take and instead we focus so much on being well-rounded in everything that we lose the opportunity to be great at what God intended us to be. 

I spent years working in accounting.  I was a supervisor of an accounting department, I was the fastest at ten key at several of the companies I worked for, but I didn’t have the passion for it.  I spent 22 years of my life working in a field that I had no passion.  I think sometimes that is why we don’t have the joy in life that God wants us to have because we delay the natural maturing process that comes when we have passion for what we do.  How many of us get up every day and go to a job we hate and take it out on those around us?  We are emptying others buckets.

One of the most quoted things I hear is “Do what you love, because you will be doing it for a long time.”  Another is, “Choose a job that you would love to get up and do every day even if you weren’t paid for it.”  That’s true passion.  If you have joy in what you do every day, that joy will reflect to others and you just might automatically fill someone else’s bucket along the way.    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, thank you for taking the time to help me move toward something I am truly passionate about.  I have a great passion for You and the love you give me.  I never thought I would be able to write much less that anyone would want to read it.  Writing about You brings me great joy and I know much of what I write comes from the Holy Spirit within me.  You are an amazing God who blesses us with talents.  Please help me to use those talents for Your Glory.

Scripture:     “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:25-27

The Grass is Greener or Is It?  

You may think the grass is greener on the other side, but if you take the time to water your own grass, it would be just as green.  Author Unknown

When I was little we had a calf named Charlene.  She was blond and had curly hair and the biggest brown eyes.  We kept her in the pasture close to the house, and you would often see her on her knees next to the fence with her head under the wire eating the grass on the other side.

We are often like Charlene.  We see our neighbors have a nicer car or a bigger house or more money and we want what they have.  So we work a little harder and more hours and we eventually get the same kind of car they have or the bigger house and more money.  But it is never enough.  Because the grass is always greener on the other side until you get there. Then you realize that someone else’s pasture looks even better.  It is a never ending cycle of looking for the greener grass.  What you find out when you get to that pasture you think is greener is it looked good from where you were standing but not so good close up.  The family with the greener grass is in debt with no way out, their marriage is falling apart, their house is in foreclosure and the list goes on.  And before we know it our life is in the same shape as our neighbor’s.

In reality the thing we are searching for is right in front of us all the time.  The things of this life are finite but the things of heaven are infinite.  Begin searching for what God can offer.  You will be amazed at how rich your life will be when you turn to Him.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, please help me to keep my eyes on you and not on the things of this life.  Everything in this life is temporary and will soon go away but your Word endures forever.  Thank you for loving me and helping me to find the treasure only you can provide.    

Scripture:  For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” 1 Peter 1:23-25

Humility  

We come nearest to God when we are great in humility.

Have you ever considered the two words self-esteem and esteem.  In self-esteem we have an inordinately or exaggeratedly favorable impression of ourselves.  If we esteem we regard someone else highly or favorably.

There are nine traits that the apostle Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit.  It is impossible for us to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit without the key ingredient of humility.

Jesus was the best example of humility that we can emulate.  He was born into humble circumstances and into the most humble of places, a manger.  He was gentle and humble of heart and he served.  The promises of God toward those who are humble are that He will dwell with them and He will give them grace, lift them up, esteem them and exalt them.  We are to be humble in the midst of trials and humbly thankful for the blessings God gives us and we are to approach all relationships with humility.

When things are good in our lives we are to humbly receive these blessings from God.  When circumstances in our lives are difficult and people mistreat us we are to accept this humbly. 

In the past it was always hard for me to understand that our loving Father could allow bad things to happen.  What I learned through painful circumstances is that God loves me enough to allow these things to happen to make me a better person through circumstances and that it humbles me when I realize the work he is doing in me during those trying situations.

We humans have a tendency to lean toward selfish instead of selfless.  Most of the time when self gets involved we have a tendency to become selfish. Sometimes through God’s grace and mercy he will humble us through circumstances because He loves us and those are the times where we truly see humility.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to have a humble heart.  I often struggle with the “me” thing.  I ask that when I get too involved with “me” that you drop some humility on “me”. 

Scripture:  Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Luke 18:9-14

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 options 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

Not My Job

If a man is called a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and Earth will pause to say, Here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Yesterday I had a co-worker stop by my office to complain.  She was mad because another co-worker scheduled a meeting and when people started arriving to attend the meeting, she had to direct them to where the meeting would be held. 

The thing she said that bothered me was “it’s not my job to direct people for him and I don’t work for him.” 

I was raised that you never said it’s not my job.  When my Dad mowed the lawn we all went out and mowed or worked in the yard.  Part of that may have been because our house had an acre to mow.  When my Dad went out to chop wood we all went out and helped load it in the truck and then unload it at the house. 

Too many times we become possessive of our job or occupation and we think that the responsibilities we have within that job are our only responsibilities.  My thoughts are that God expects us to show Him to others through our work. That means we may help someone carry boxes, fix the copier, pick up lunch, and even direct people to a conference room.  The catch is we are not to do it only when our boss is looking.

God expects us to give 100% of ourselves to our work when we are there.  I am the first to admit that I sometimes struggle with this because it is so much easier to tell someone I don’t have time to help them. 

I have another lady who works with me and for whatever reason she likes me.  My guess is that when I started working here I was always kind to her, I took the time to ask how she was doing every day and when she has questions about the mail I always make time to stop what I am doing to answer.  I also try to learn people’s names and call them by their name when I see them.  Sometimes it is just that little extra effort that makes someone feel special and isn’t that what God expects from us? 

Our job is not just about doing stuff.  God blessed us with skills.  Skills to do our job daily but he also gives us people skills.  How we use those people skills may make the difference in someone going to heaven or not?

Bill Hybels is one of my favorite authors because he always writes and speaks in language I understand.  He spoke at our church several years ago and he talked about how you may be a 1 or a 10 in someone’s life.  You might be a 5 or an 8.  What he meant was that you might be another person’s 1^st step in finding God or you might be their 5^th or 8^th or you might even be the one who is blessed to be someone’s 10^th, helping them to take that step to accepting Christ as their Savior.  He talked about not underestimating the value in being a 1 in someone’s life.  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to work for You.  That means that my work at my job, or running errands, talking to my neighbor, or buying groceries is part of my work for You.  Help remind me that everything I do is work for You.   Thank you for blessing me with the skills to work and show others You through that work. Help me to be a 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 or a 10 in someone’s life.

Scripture: Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.   Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.  Colossians 3:22-24

The Lionfish  

"Satan doth not tempt God's children because they have sin in them, but because they have grace in them. Had they no grace, the devil would not disturb them... Though to be tempted is a trouble, yet to think why you are tempted is a comfort." 

- Thomas Watson

When I start thinking about what I will write my next devotional on, I will sometimes use something that recently happened to me or something I saw and frequently I will use what I call “repetitive events.”  What that means is that if something either comes to mind several times or if I read or see something more than once I will explore that topic. 

You are now wondering why I am telling you this.  The reason I tell you this is because this is the way that God grabs my attention.  If you pay close attention to events or things in your life that repeat that is often the way that God speaks to me.  Now you are probably asking what does that have to do with lionfish?

This weekend I saw an article about lionfish on the internet.  Then on Sunday I was reading a book and it talked about lionfish.  When this happens I immediately write down the incident.  Mostly I write it down because if I don’t, before I realize it I forget. 

So I did some research on the lionfish.  I will give you a few fast facts about this particular fish.  They have few predators, they are poisonous to humans, they can multiply throughout the year, they will often spread their multiple fins and heard fish into a corner in order to prey on them.  They also blow a puff of water in front of other fish to disorient them. 

The lionfish reminded me of another predator in our lives.  Satan is the worst predator on the planet and we often don’t realize he is there.  Satan has few predators, he is poisonous to humans and he can disorient us from our purpose in life.  He is also invasive and he can sometimes disorient us and make us take our eyes off of God.  He can consume our lives without us realizing it and he can make things of this world look very attractive.  He draws us in and before we know it we are caught in his net.  I think about Satan this way.  If Jesus could be tempted and he was perfect in every way, how much more will we be affected by Satan as sinners. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, as I thought about the characteristics of the lionfish, it reminded me of how Satan’s characteristics are similar.  If we are distracted we can be drawn into Satan’s trap.  This reminds me to keep my eyes solely on You.  Give me the strength to withstand anything Satan throws my way.  

Scripture: "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan!  For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4:9-11

Bullying  

All violence is the result of people tricking themselves into believing that their pain derives from other people and that consequently those people deserve to be punished. ~Marshall Rosenberge

This morning on the news there was a story about a young boy who was a victim of bullying.  As I watched this news story my heart broke for him.  This boy was so traumatized by bullying at school that he pulled his braces off with pliers because of the ridicule he received from his classmates about his braces.  He also went into the cafeteria of the school and took nine hydrocodone pills.  He left a note that said he wanted those who were bullying him to understand how hurt he was by them.  They made fun of him because he was skinny and made fun of his clothes and shoes because they were not the up to date brands. 

When I was in the 4^th or 5^th grade I was extremely shy.  I found it hard to make friends due to my shyness so I was what you would call a loner or to be more exact I was lonely.  In one of my classes the teacher would have us play this game where one student could go up to the front of the class and basically play the teacher while the teacher left the room.  All of the students had to be silent and the student at the front of the class was to select the student who was the quietest one and then that student got to go to the front of the class to play teacher.

What would happen was that if the teacher selected a female student then the girl would always select another girl.  If the teacher happened to choose a male student at the beginning of the game then most of the time a male student was chosen.  Well I guess I didn’t realize the silent rules of the game.  One day someone chose me as the quietest student.  When I got up to the front of the room I was so excited because someone had chosen me.  Well I forgot the unspoken rule that a girl always picked another girl so instead of selecting a girl I chose a male student. You see where this is going don’t you. 

The girls ostracized me from their activities.  They couldn’t believe I broke the chain of girls at the front of the room and chose a boy so they didn’t have anything to do with me after that.  I can remember how painful it was to go out on the playground and none of the girls would speak to me.  I was devastated. 

There was one other thing that I remember from that day.  I remember the boy I chose to take my place at the front of the room.  He was the only one who would speak to me after that incident.  I will be forever grateful to him.  We both grew up and went to high school together and because our last names began with the same letters, we sat next to each other throughout our remaining years in school. In my eyes he became a great man because of the kindness he showed a lonely little girl. He is now the principal of the high school where I graduated. 

I just love the Beatitudes because of the wealth of wisdom they contain.  That little girl that so long ago felt the grief of loneliness is no longer lonely.  My God saves and He loves me unconditionally and when I fall he lifts me up, when I sin he guides me back to the paths of righteousness.  I will never be lonely again.  

     

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You created each of us in your likeness.  I often don’t understand how children learn to be hurtful and mean to others.  Please forgive me when I treated others without mercy or grace.  You teach me to love others but I don’t always do what I know is right.  Guide me through this life with a love for others like the love You show me.           

Scripture: The Beatitudes- Jesus said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Matthew 5:3-12

Bumper Stickers and Such  

Assumptions are the termites of relationships. ~Henry Winkler

I am beginning to think I spend too much time on the road.  I was driving home this week and when you stop at a lot of red lights on the way home you have plenty of time to observe what other people stick on their vehicles. 

I have never been a bumper sticker person.  My thought has always been what happens when I decide to sell my car.  Will someone else want all the declarations that I pasted on my car? 

Anyway, I get behind this truck and I start reading the stickers on the windows, bumper and tailgate.  You can tell a lot about a driver by what they stick on their car.  From observing the stickers this guy was a United States Marine, the sticker with USMC on it told me that along with the marine sticker.  He was also a deer hunter, hence the sticker with a deer head on it.  He had a license plate frame with skulls all around it. I really don’t want to know what that means.  There was an Ole Miss sticker and a sticker of the state of Mississippi with Sycamores on it.  I am guessing that there is a school in Mississippi with a Sycamore Mascot, the fighting trees. 

At another light I saw another truck that was jacked up high and had one of the new black and white license plates.  I am not sure if this was a vanity plate or just the letters the state picked for this guy but it read XXLDDS.  I am thinking he is an extra, extra, large dentist but I don’t think I will ask him. 

All of this started me thinking. We make a lot of assumptions about people and each other just by appearances and even the bumper stickers on cars.  It always seems to surprise us when we really get to know people.  Many times the assumptions we made along the way are not what the person is all about.  I think God created us for relationship with each other.  We can’t be in relationship with each other if we are making the wrong assumptions about them.  For all I know the guy driving the truck with all the stickers may have borrowed the vehicle from his son.  Why do we assume we know something about someone just by looking at the external without getting to know the internal?  How many times do we assume the person we work with didn’t speak to us because they don’t like us, are mad at us or have something against us?

One of the nicest and sweetest people I work with didn’t speak to me when I first started working at my new job.  Later I found out that she was working partial days because her husband is gravely ill.   Sometimes God decides to give us a sucker punch just when we need it.   

       

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I often make assumptions about people just by looking at them. Please help me to see the person You created.  Help me to see the heart and character of the person and not make assumptions based on the external.  The majority of the time my assumptions are wrong and how can I love that person as You do if I don’t set my assumptions aside.  Thank You for Your everlasting love for me, a sinner, and show me how to love others unconditionally.    

Scripture:  Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:33-36

Mail In Rebate  

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.   For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10

Am I the only one who gets irritated by mail in rebates?  I am the kind of gal who wants a get what you see when I shop.  I have a theory.  The mail in rebate is a ploy to get you in the store for a low price.  The catch is when you get in there you are still going to pay the full price you just have to go through a ton of paperwork to get the price you originally came in to pay. 

It is kind of sad really.  Instead of charging you a less expensive price in the first place, retailers are counting on you coming in and wanting the item so badly that you will pay the full price anyway. Since the majority of people don’t want to go through the hassle of filling out a bunch of forms and then mailing them in, then waiting for them to send you a check, or in some cases a gift card to purchase more of their stuff, the majority of people just don’t bother and the retailer knows this so they make the same amount of money they were going to charge you anyway.   

I want to be able to buy something at face value.  I am tired of the fine print.  The stuff that tells you what you are really getting.  I have started going immediately to the fine print because that is where the true cost is.  This same thing happens with people.  You want to trust what people say and do but that is just the surface that we see.  We have a tendency as humans to use others for our own purpose.  Many times the fine print is what we don’t say and do. 

One of the things that I love so much about God is that he doesn’t use a big advertisement to draw us in and then smack us with the fine print.  What you see is what you get.  There are no hidden agendas or forms you have to fill out in order to get salvation.  He doesn’t hide the steps in tiny letters you can’t read without a magnifying glass, under a big picture of Jesus hanging on the cross.  It is simple and to the point.  Jesus died for our sins.  You can have salvation.  Jesus paid.  We win if we choose to.  That is the best advertisement ever and many choose to refuse. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I praise You for offering me salvation without the fine print.  I am free to choose You at any time and I am not required to fill out a form and You don’t draw me in with false advertising about what salvation costs.  You state exactly what it cost.  Jesus life on a cross for my sin.  The highest price ever paid and I am forever grateful. 

           

Scripture:  I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Isaiah 61:10-11

Free With Purchase

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23

Advertisements are designed to inform and motivate us to purchase something. I received an email advertisement yesterday that caught my attention. The ad was for a free satellite radio. Now this radio is reconditioned which means that its parts were used previously somewhere else and you have 30 days to return it if some of those reconditioned parts don’t work.

The thing that interested me about this advertisement was the way it was presented. In the heading of the advertisement it said free satellite radio but when you got to the body of the ad it said in fine print at the bottom “minimum 3-month recurring subscription required.”

So if I am required to get a subscription how does that make this “free.” There is a condition to this advertisement that requires me to pay something to get the item that is supposedly “free” and to top it off, I have to get a recurring subscription that will most likely cost me postage to send them a notice after the 3 months of the recurring subscription is over to cancel the subscription that I didn’t want in the first place for the reconditioned radio that may or may not work.

The thing is we can get salvation for “FREE”. There are no hidden fees for us to pay or the need to purchase a subscription for three months or make a deposit or take the chance that the reconditioned parts won’t work. It is just what it says. “FREE.” Except there is one thing we need to remember. Someone else paid the price for us. Jesus paid it all for us to have salvation. So when someone says there is nothing in life for free remind them of the price that was paid to set us “FREE.”

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You gave us the ultimate gift. Your Son died on a cross for our sins and we don’t deserve it. How can we not make the choice to accept this amazing gift? Thank You for the gift of salvation that was paid at a high cost by Your Son.

Scripture: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Romans 5:12-17

Forgotten    

We may sometimes think we're a forgotten commodity, but God remembers every one of us who serve Him. Shelton Smith

Have you ever felt like God has forgotten you?  Most of the time I think it is our impatience that often makes us think that God is not there for us.  We want an instant response from our Heavenly Father on everything don’t we? 

I think about the times in my life when I didn’t take my pain, grief, anger and frustrations to God over the years.  To many times we either think that God doesn’t want to hear it, or we think it is not acceptable for us to lay our pain at his feet.  So if we don’t lay it at His feet, what do we do with it?

When we don’t allow God in and tell him about our hurts and pain, we are basically saying that we don’t think God can handle it and we assume that He doesn’t want to hear it.  We then take that pain out on others in our life or we ignore the pain and it hinders our health, breaks relationships and causes all kinds of additional grief. 

One example of someone going to the Lord with his grief and sorrow was Jeremiah in the Book of Lamentations.  The word lament means to mourn or a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.  Jeremiah spent a whole book in the Bible telling God about his sorrow and grief for his people.  In Lamentations 3:18 he even says, “My strength and my hope have perished from the Lord.”

What I find interesting is that in the very same chapter a few verses later Lamentations 3:22-27 he says, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.  It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.”

When we feel like giving up is the best time for us to turn to God.  He is listening and will be our strength through the tough times in our lives.  If we ever give up our hope in God our strength will fail.  Take your worries, pain, suffering and problems to God.  He will not fail you and He hasn’t forgotten you.  He wants to hear from you.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I often forget that You are there for me in painful times as well as joyful times.  Remind me that You are my strength in times of trouble and you are always there.  You may not answer in the time frame I think You should but help me to wait patiently on Your timing.  I praise You for allowing me to lay all my troubles at Your feet and for never forgetting me.

Scripture: For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief,
yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. Lamentations 3:31-33

Animals

If we neglect almost any of the domestic animals, they will rapidly revert to wild and worthless forms. Now, the same thing exactly would happen in the case of you or me. Why should man be an exception to any of the laws of nature?  Henry Drummond

I was driving to work this morning and I could see several police SUV’s up ahead with their lights on at the intersection where I turn.  As I drove up closer I saw something black in the road.  It looked like a piece of rubber off of a tire.  As I pulled up to the intersection the object in the road moved.  It was a dog.  There were two policemen standing on the side of the road near the dog.  The dog was lying down but didn’t appear to be injured.  Both of the policemen had pulled their cars into the intersection to protect the dog from getting hit.  The dog appeared to be older and was panting so I am guessing it had collapsed and couldn’t go any further. Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched the two men protect the animal.

I am a sap when it comes to animals.  When it comes to dogs I just can’t help myself, I just want to love them all.  Have you ever noticed how much you can tell about a person by the way they treat animals?  It kind of gives others a character reference of who the person really is inside.  I watched the news this morning where two people were arrested for burning three puppies.  I’ve seen stories of kids throwing acid on dogs and recently young adults taped a dogs mouth closed with duct tape and left him to starve.  

  

If we look in the Bible, God talks a lot about animals.  He even allows some to talk.  God entrusted animals to us, and our relationships with animals are a significant part of our lives.  Isaiah 11:6-9 talks about the wolf dwelling with the lamb and the leopard will lie down with the young goat.  The cow and bear will graze and the lion will eat straw like the ox.  It says that they shall not hurt or destroy in God’s holy mountain because the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. Can you imagine a place where we all worship God even the animals because even they know God and understand his Greatness? 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You created everything around me and I am in awe of You and Your Greatness.  The very idea that I can train my dog to sit is a testament to what an amazing creation this world is and the things that inhabit it.  If I can give the love that my dog shows me to people around me, then I am becoming more like Christ each day.  By the same token if I treat those around me with less love than I show my dog, then I am in trouble.  

   

Scripture: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.  The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  Isaiah 11:6-9

Fog

In order to know God, we must often think of Him; and when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure.  Nicholas Herman

The kingdom of heaven is worth infinitely more than the cost of discipleship, and those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it.  D.A. Carson

This week it has been rather humid around the Dallas area so on my drive to work there is a lot of open slightly hilly land where the fog will form and hover just above the ground.  I find fog interesting because you can see it obscure trees, cars, buildings and anything it covers.  The thing is if you were to walk across the field where it hovers even though you can’t see past it you can walk through it. 

The fog made me think of God’s wisdom.  Anyone can have knowledge.  It is not so easy to gain wisdom.  Wisdom is like the fog that hovers over the ground obscuring whatever it surrounds.  When you open the Bible there is treasure beyond our comprehension.  Notice I said “beyond our comprehension” not beyond God’s.  God tells us he will give us wisdom if we search for it. 

The problem with our search for wisdom is that we give up too soon and we don’t take the proper tools for our search.  Here is an analogy to put it in perspective.  If you are mining for gold, what tools would you take with you?  You might take a chisel, hammer and a pan to put the pieces of rock in.  But if instead you decided to take duct tape, a string and a lawn chair, you won’t find much gold.  You’ll be able to fix anything, tie it up and have a place to sit while you do it, but you won’t come away with much treasure. 

God’s Word is as great as He is.  It is a treasure beyond compare to what we have on earth. The smartest scientist, theologian or person with the highest IQ cannot match what is in God’s Word.  When we realize that nothing we do or create will even come close to what God’s Word can do; we are on the path to finding an amazing treasure.  Knowledge is great, money is green, but the treasure in God’s Word: PRICELESS.  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, as I drove by the fog near the freeway, I thought of You. You give me the book that contains amazing treasure.  If I don’t get past the fog that obscures my vision of You, I will never find the hidden treasure in Your Word.  If I search Your Word diligently, You will reveal great things.  Thank You for giving me the opportunity to have wisdom.  What I do with it can change the world. 

Scripture: The Value of Wisdom

My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk uprightly; he guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked; whose ways are crooked, and who are devious in their paths; to deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words, who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; none who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life—so you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness. For the upright will dwell in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.  Proverbs 2:1-22

Teach Me How to Fail

Success is on the same road as failure; success is just a little further down the road. Failing is not a disgrace unless you make it the last chapter of your book. Jack Hyles

I read an article recently in our local newspaper that was written by a senior at a local high school. The statement that caught my attention was this:  “There is still one thing I fear I never learned: how to fail.”  Marisa Charpentier

As I read the article this high school senior talked about how school teaches students how to solve math problems, write essays and formulate experiments based on guidelines given to students by the teacher. Structure prevents students from exploring their own creative abilities and problem-solving skills. Students often ask the teacher what will be covered on the test or what an assignment should look like so that they can achieve a high grade.

When I read this I started thinking about how this was true when I was in school.  We are taught to color inside the lines and if we go outside the lines we fail.  We were taught from the time we entered school that failure was unacceptable and we learned to fear failure. 

I recently read an article about Thomas Edison. Edison attended public school for 12 weeks.  During that time he was perceived as hyperactive and prone to distraction and his teacher deemed him difficult so his mother pulled him out of school and taught him at home.  Most of what he learned came from reading and his interest in various subjects.  At the age of 12 he published his own newspaper that he distributed to passengers riding the train.  He had failures including an electronic voting recorder that would quickly tally votes in the legislature.  The thing he never did was stop trying.  By the end of his life he had invented and patented the light bulb, phonograph and the first motion picture camera and the alkaline battery.  He had over 1000 patents.

If we look at it from a biblical perspective, there were many failures there too.  Peter failed Jesus when he denied Him.  David failed God when he had Uriah killed and committed adultery with Bathsheba. 

What can we learn from failure?  We learn that it doesn’t have to be our final chapter.  

    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I fail over and over again. Sometimes I fail in my job, other times I fail my family and most importantly I fail You.  One of the most important things I have learned is that through my failure I have a choice.  I can decide to sit down and quit or get up again and move forward.  When I fail in life, help me to get back up and pursue You with all my heart.

     

Scripture: Pressing Toward the Goal

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-13

AIY, ODS & NYOH

Imperfection is the prerequisite for grace. Light only gets in through the cracks.  Philip Yancey

The one marvelous secret of a holy life lies not in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfections of Jesus manifest themselves in my mortal flesh. Sanctification is "Christ in you."... Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy; it is drawing from Jesus the holiness that was manifested in Him, and He manifests it in me.  Oswald Chambers

Do you ever strive for perfection in things that you do?  It might be in your job, your family life or any number of things.  I admit I struggle with this on a daily basis.  I work in a busy environment with a lot of things going on every day.  This alone hinders the chance of ever doing anything perfect by the mere fact that it is busy.  Then I have the outside influences like other people who may thwart my pursuit of perfection. Have you ever worked with someone who you depended on to get you figures for a report or information to complete the report where you have a deadline to meet and they failed to meet the deadline?  It can be frustrating.

One of the things that I see happening more and more is the fact that there are so many different generations working together.  There are all kinds of studies and names assigned to the different generations.  For the purpose of this devotional I will call them by my own made up names, “Advanced in Years” or AIY, “On the Downhill Side” or ODS, and “Not Yet Over the Hill” or NYOH. So when a NYOH starts working with a ODS there are some things that occur due to the age difference.  An NYOH doesn’t like working with a time clock, whereas an ODS only knows how to work with a time clock.  So when you try to get these two to work together there can be problems.  You have an ODS who is always on time and an NYOH who shows up whenever.  The thing is they will both get the job done just not the same way or in the same timeframe. Too many times I expect perfection from the other person and when they aren’t I am disappointed.  Why should I expect perfection from another, when I understand and know that I am not perfect?

One of the things I have learned about perfection is that it has taught me how imperfect I am.  I will say, this is a very humbling experience.  When I begin to see the imperfectness in myself, I can then more easily see and accept the imperfectness in another. The most important statement I read about myself is the following:

“A person demanding perfect justice and fairness will always feel dissatisfied and will tend to be more preoccupied with getting their just treatment than they are with loving and being loved.” If I give up my right for fairness and justice, I can then begin to live in grace.  

          

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I have pursued perfection in my life over and over again. Father, I pray for you to make me weak, because You tell me that in my weakness, I am strong.  Thank you for having patience with me when I fail you over and over again.  I want to be like Jesus, but I know my failings.  Help me to work on the things I can change about me to become more like You.

Scripture: And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10