YOUR CHOICES

One year in the Indiana-Michigan area, fierce late autumn storms swept through. One downtown section found itself right in the pathway of a twisting, fearsome tornado. Office workers, realizing that the storm was upon them, headed for cover under desks and tables.

Three women co-workers found themselves huddled under a conference table, clutching each other’s hands. One woman was praying, asking God's help. Another was crying, unable to think clearly. The third woman was using God's name but not to praise Him nor to ask for His help - she was using His name to curse.

When we find ourselves in difficult situations, which reaction is ours? Do we shake our fist in the face of the Almighty in accusation? Or do we cry, tears running down our faces, becoming paralyzed into inactivity? Or do we humbly lift our hearts to God who is the source of all salvation in any situation?

May we discipline our hearts to continually cry out to the Lord, our Maker and Redeemer, for His help in all situations, big and little.

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High; and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Psalm 57:2

Heavenly Father, when difficulties present themselves, please help me to immediately seek Your help, honoring who You are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

PRAY !

Have you ever been hurt by a friend? A hurt so deep that you knew that the relationship between you and your friend was over? You knew that, in the future, there would be little or no contact. Not from your choice but from theirs.

Your love for your friend is still there but what are you to do with that love? Scripture encourages us to pray for those who despitefully use us. That we can do! If we harbor no bitterness nor hatred in our heart toward our friend, our prayers for them will come from a heart purified by God’s love.


But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. - Jesus in Luke 6:27-28

Heavenly Father, even though it hurts, I thank You for Your lessons about love. May I be found faithful to continue loving . . . praying. In Jesus’ name. Amen

THE COMMONPLACE

When was the last time you thanked God for:
your sink
-a bolt in your furnace that holds it together
-trees sheltering your home
-the steps up to your porch
-garbage service at your curb
-the quirky little characteristics of your family
members near and far
-your feet
-the neighbors
-work
-your dentist
-the vacuum cleaner
-a trustworthy mechanic
-Monday mornings

Yes, in this world we must cook, clean and work. Yet, if we look carefully, we can see God’s kindnesses to us everywhere - in the most common places of all. God’s glory shines out even in the commonplace!


I will thank You, Lord, in front of all the people. Psalm 108:3

But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising Him to everyone. Psalm 109:30

Heavenly Father, please fill my heart and lips with praises to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

GOD'S FULL TIME JOB

Have you ever felt like you were God’s full-time job? As you prayed and stormed the gates of heaven with your pleas for help during a certain season of your life, did you wonder when He had any time left over to care for those in Ecuador or those in your neighborhood - not to mention the rest of the world?

Yes, sometimes we seem to cry out to God day and night for His help. And that's OK. He wants us to turn to Him for help, constantly if need be. If our health is in crisis - we can go to Him. When our children need His help - we can go to Him. If our marriage needs strengthening - we can go to Him. Is our neighbor having trouble? - we can go to Him. When our co-worker is faltering - we can go to Him.

God, somehow, in His all-powerful majesty makes time to hear and respond to each cry for help. In fact, He loves it when we go to Him just to be in His presence. He loves His full-time job, don’t you think?

Listen to just some of what God does for each of us in Psalm 103:3-5:

Praise the Lord, I tell myself and never forget the good things He does for me.
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagles.

Heavenly Father, I thank You that I am Your full-time job. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A NEW SONG

Throughout the Psalms we read: “Sing to the Lord a new song”.

How about you, are you singing a new song? Or are you singing the same old songs. Now don’t get me wrong, the old songs are precious and we should continue to sing them as often as possible. Yet what about singing a new song, learning the words, the melody, joining your voice with others? That is equally precious to the Lord and uplifts our own souls to our Maker.

What about your life? Are you singing a new song with your life? Or are you continuing to sing the old song - getting up in the morning, doing the same things in the same ways, not even looking around for something new, fresh and different to learn, in which to become involved or a new way to serve?

Let’s open our hearts to God so we may see the possibility of new songs which can flow, not only from our mouths, but from our souls.

Sing to the Lord a new song. Psalm 49:1

You, Lord, are the Choir Director. Please direct me to the songs You want sung next through me - not only the songs with notes, but the songs I am to sing with my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen

SMOKE

Have you ever been through an unusually fiery trial? Perhaps it was a season in your life of ill health. Or your elderly parents needed extra help. Or your child was ill. Or your job turned out to be a nightmare. We each know the tears shed, the prayers uttered, the struggle, the heartache of such a season.

Did you notice that once the crisis was past you may have felt that the fiery trial left you smelling like smoke? Perhaps you felt as if you needed to withdraw a while in order for the smoke to clear.

I am reminded of the Biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:8-30. They had been in the fire, literally. What was the result?

“(they) saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke.” Daniel 3:27

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your kind care of me - even in the midst of the fires of life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

WHAT IS YOUR THEME?

Do you ever listen to yourself? What do you find yourself talking about usually?

The weather? Financial worries? Your family? Problems at work? How your garden is growing? Your latest love interest? The recent woodworking project you just completed? God?

Is your conversation varied and healthy or do you seem to be stuck on a certain theme that runs through your words?

Are your words encouraging and life giving? Or are they bitter? Are they complaining? Are your words thankful? What is the theme that runs through your words?

We know that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks . . . .

Can we say with the Psalmist: My heart overflows with a goodly theme . . . . Psalm 45:1?

What is your theme? What is the theme your heart is speaking?

May I encourage you today . . . this week . . . this month to listen to yourself - the actual words, the tone, the intent and see what is in your heart.

Maybe it is time to go to the Father to have him do some housecleaning. A cleansed heart will result in a mouth that praises Him and which pleases Him.

Heavenly Father, please help me hear what my theme is. If it is not pleasing to You, please cleanse my heart of all sin and nonsense so that my theme can be a good theme, pleasing to Your ears. In Jesus' name. Amen.

RENEWED

When I worked in a library, often we would find books in the collection which had become tattered and worn out. The Director would stamp ‘Discard” on them and off they would go to be sold at the annual book sale.

It didn’t matter what the contents of the book were - off they went because they weren’t fresh and new looking.

Aren’t we glad that God doesn’t do the same with us? Just because we are beginning to show the signs on the outside of wear and tear, it doesn’t mean we have no value. Our value comes from God, who is renewing us daily on the inside, making us into treasures which He enjoys.

Let’s enjoy God’s life within us which every day is fresh and new.

The Lord, your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in His love; He will exult over you with loud singing . . . .
Zephaniah 3:17

Heavenly Father, I thank You that I am being renewed daily. The song I’m singing today is . . . .

SURELY GOODNESS

Have you ever had spans of time in your life when everything seemed sad and difficult? Perhaps it was the death of a parent or a friend. Perhaps it was the loss of a job or a chronically ill child . . . a car which wouldn’t stay repaired . . . a roof that leaked. The difficulties or sorrow seemed to go on and on without a let-up.

We all know that difficult days and years do happen. Yet what a joyless life it will be if we are always looking at the troubles, peering around the next corner, expecting more difficulties. How much better it would be to declare with the psalmist:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all of the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6

That’s the truth!

Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder in Your Word that it is goodness and mercy which follow me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

COOPERATING WITH GOD

For approximately three weeks toward the end of October each year, I would be out in the yard raking leaves onto a huge tarp. I then would drag the tarp to the garden area . . . again and again until there wasn't a leaf remaining on the ground. Five huge maples in the front yard and five huge ones in the back yard yield a million leaves each - or so it seemed.

One particular year, however, something special happened. As the trees shed their bits of color, they created a golden carpet all around the house. I marveled at God’s sense of beauty in this world. I also braced ourselves, knowing the intense work which awaited me. Then, to my surprise, a huge wind storm blew into our area. High winds stripped the remaining leaves off the trees and blew them, and those carpeting the ground, into the woods. Of course, there were a few nooks, crannies and gullies where the leaves wanted to settle. Knowing that if they were allowed to stay we would have a soggy mess in the spring, I grabbed my rake and headed out to help them along to the woods.

What a marvelous feeling - to cooperate with the power of God as shown in the wind. As I raked, the wind did all of the work for me. The leaves, with very little effort on my part, went sailing hundreds of feet through the air into the pines and apple orchard.

How like that our lives should be. As we live our daily lives out in cooperation with God’s power, our least little effort can be carried forth by Him, to yield the exact results He had planned from the beginning of time.

Praise the Lord from the earth . . . stormy wind fulfilling His command. Psalm 148:7 & 8

Heavenly Father, please show me how to cooperate with You minute by minute throughout my day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

BE A HELPER

An interesting statistic was given on the news recently: according to researchers, if a wife works full time outside of the home, the quality of her husband’s health decreased 25% every few years.

These numbers are shocking and should cause us to wonder: How could this be? After all, a wife is not the mother of the man. She is not his keeper. The husband is a competent adult. Why would his health suffer?

Could it be because women who work in the home and also work full time outside the home are in perpetual motion? Do we take time to to enjoy our families? Do we have time to have a conversation with our spouse? Are we so busy that an abundance of take-out food is being consumed instead of nutritious home-cooked meals? When we do have a sit-down meal at home, do we eat in a rush, never lingering over our meals? Is grocery shopping, too, done quickly without much thought to the nutritional quality of the food purchased? Does the stress level of family members rise with each passing day? Could all of this be causing damage to the very ones we love and want to serve? How ironic - the very people we feel we are helping by working so hard may be the very people we are hurting in very subtle ways.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Genesis 2:18

Heavenly Father, You know what is best for me and for those I love. Please help me to hear Your direction for my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

PRESSING ONWARD

Have you ever had experiences which prevented you from moving forward in your life? Perhaps a loved one has died and you can’t get past the grief. Or a valued friendship has faded away. Or a child has moved away from home. Whatever the circumstances, sometimes the emotions are so overwhelming that we just can’t get past them.

Yet Scripture admonishes us to press onward. Instead of reliving the experience again and again in our thoughts, at some point, we need to move ahead.

We can press onward after a difficult time. God made us resilient. For each of us, the process will be different. And that’s OK. As long as we press onward.

God has more love to shower on us, more good things to bring out way.

I press onward toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Heavenly Father, I hold tenderly the memories from the past but I ask for courage to continue moving ahead with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

REMEMBER

My aunt, at the age of 76, could never have imagined that she would be downsized. Yet, that is exactly what happened to her. Recently she found herself stripped of her deceased husband’s benefits. Gone is the monthly pension, gone are the health care benefits and prescription coverage. She may even need to consider moving to a smaller apartment. Gone are the benefits she had counted on to last the rest of her life.

How will she be able to handle this crisis in her life? God’s Word has clear instructions to each of us in the middle of a crisis:

And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these . . . years.
Deuteronomy 8:2

As my aunt remembers the paths in life she has walked thus far, she will see that during the Depression Era as a young child, she never knew hunger but did know a loving family with plenty of song and laughter. Although widowed twice, my aunt never knew want - God continued to watch over her, guiding her steps as she worked hard and raised two children.

May we, too, remember all the ways the Lord has led us thus far - remembering will fill us with confidence in God and will flood our hearts with hope.

Heavenly Father, please remind me of all the good You have showered down upon me in the past. I thank You for future provision. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Added note: My aunt now at 82, is helping her adult children who are now experiencing health and financial difficulties. God has provided for her and she is sharing with them gladly.

PROS AND CONS

We’ve each experienced it. Faced with a decision, we make a list of pros and cons on paper or in our minds. On one side of the paper, we list all of the reasons why we should decide ‘yes’. On the other side of the paper we list all of the reasons why we should decide ‘no’.

If we are thinking about taking a new job, we might have on our pro list: excellent pay, good benefits, upbeat environment, an advancement up the career ladder. On our con, or against list, we may have: the commute is an hour each way, overtime is mandatory, the job involves out-of-town travel.

As we look at our lists using our human reasoning powers, we seem to go in circles, not knowing what is best to do. Of course we won’t know what is best! Only God knows! Even though it is good to weigh the pros and cons about any decision, the ultimate deciding factor should be our obedience to what God wants.

God, Himself, has a perfect plan for each of our lives - shouldn’t we consult with Him in prayer and quietness until we have His answer. He wants what is best for us at all times. All we have to do is listen and obey.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

Heavenly Father, I come to You for Your decisions for me . . . . In Jesus’ name. Amen.

SELF UNDERSTANDING

Television airways are filled with programs which can promote a better understanding of ourselves. Many days, there may have worthwhile topics which can be quite helpful in understanding our motives and behaviors. Of course, there are programs which emphasize only the basest of human emotions - jealousy, greed and contentiousness. Thus, we must be careful to guard our minds and hearts.

How do you think God would want us to grow in understanding ourselves? Television programs, books, seminars and discussions with friends may be helpful. But let’s go to the Source. Let’s go to God Himself - since it is He who made us and knows our every thought and motive. Spending quiet time before Him and reading His Word will promote the surest self understanding possible.

But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if any one is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. James 1:23-24

Heavenly Father, please give me more understanding of You - thank You that all the rest will follow. In Jesus' name. Amen

COOL OR NOT

When we were in junior high school and high school, we knew just who the “cool” kids were. Some of us even tried to act like them, dress like them and wear our hair like them - all because, by this world’s standards, they were considered “cool”.

Now that we are adults, we are more “cool” about deciding who is “cool”. We may find ourselves dressing “cool” because we like someone else’s style. We want to live in the “coolest” house in a “cool” neighborhood. We want our kids to be “cool” and well accepted by others.

Who, may I ask, decides who happens to be cool on any given day? Isn’t it the world looking, deciding and stamping some “cool”, condemning others to “uncool’?

Have you ever wondered what God thinks about our attitude toward others as we stamp people as “cool” or “uncool”? Don’t you think it displeases Him mightily to have people whom He uniquely created after His own image to be labeled anything other than Loved?

So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks of them . . . .
II Corinthians 5:16

Heavenly Father, please help me to live by Your standards in this world and to look upon others as You see them.

STARS

We’ve all had the experience of moving. You remember . . . the boxes . . . the dust . . . the clutter. Moving an office with six people’s ‘stuff’ is a challenge, too - the computers, printers, copiers, fax, files...now where are the paper clips?

As the actual moving day approached, all six of us began to experience stress, not only from the move itself, but also of trying to get a newspaper printed on schedule as we worked amidst a nest of boxes.

For some stress relief, we took turns dashing across the street to the local church’s rummage sale. Treasures were found and proudly displayed at the office. One such treasure needed no explanation.

In the midst of the disorder of the move, in one cubicle there could be seen a garland of bright sparkling stars draped just so across the furniture.

What a splendid reminder - that the same God who made the very stars was with us in that office, even in the midst of the chaos of a move.

When I look at the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and stars which Thou has established, what is man that Thou art mindful of him . . . that Thou dost care for him. Psalm 8:3

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Psalm 148:3

Maker of the stars, how majestic is thy Name!

GOD'S LIGHT ON US

The woods across the lake were just beginning to change into their autumn dress. It had been gray and gloomy all day until, just before the sun set, a burst of light turned the woods a golden color. Never would I look again at those trees without seeing them bathed in glorious light.

God sometimes does this in our lives, too. Life can be going along quite normally day after normal day. Then all of a sudden God shines His precious light on our lives. Perhaps He shines His light on something which pleases Him - our love for Him, our loyalty to Him, our service to Him. Or He may shine His light on something which displeases Him.

No matter what God shines His light upon, the terrain of our lives is never the same again. Once He has spoken to us about a matter, we know we must listen and heed.

If our lives display something which pleases Him, we know we must continue practicing that particular action or attitude to perfect it. If God shines light on something which displeases Him, we know that we must change - His grace will be fully operational within us to accomplish what He is revealing and expects of us.

If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant as though a floodlight is shining on you. Luke 11:36

Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness because you will have the light that leads to life." John 8:12

But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin. I John 1:7

Heavenly Father, please send Your light to me in my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

TIMING

Recently we wondered why some family members always seemed to be late when we headed out the door. We just couldn’t figure out the problem until we realized that the clocks upstairs were five minutes behind those downstairs.

Just think how terrible it would be if God expected us to be somewhere or to represent Him doing something, if our “clocks” weren’t set to His timing of things. He may want a meal delivered to a family in the neighborhood but because our “clock” doesn’t match His, the meal wouldn’t arrive until their bedtime. Or He may want us to visit a friend in the hospital, but our “clock” is off and we don’t get there until after they had been discharged to go home. Or our child or grandchild needs a lap to sit on but our “clock” is off and we don’t realize the need until too late.

At our house, once the problem was discovered, we synchronized all of our clocks so that we were all headed in the same direction at the same time. It would probably be an excellent idea if we would do the same and allow God to synchronize our lives and timing with His master plan.

My times are in Thy hands. Psalm 31:15

Heavenly Father, I desire to live according to Your time frame. Please help . . . . In Jesus’ name. Amen.

LOYAL HEARTS

Once upon a time there was a people who swore allegiance to their King. Every so often they would gather and take turns declaring how special a King he was, how they longed to follow Him wherever He would lead, how they would follow Him to the end of time. They even sang songs to Him.

Yet, these same people, in their hearts, were far from loyal to their King in their everyday lives as evidenced by their disregard for His Words in the Sacred Book. They refused to get along - they always seemed to have a complaint against a neighbor. They neglected to pray for those in authority over them - the overseerers of the land. They didn’t spend the needed time raising the next generation to honor the King. They spent much of their time seeking pleasurable activities, even neglecting to meet personally with the King when He so longed for their presence.

May we be found to be among those who not only follow after God with our words but with our hearts - loyal to Him until the end.

But they followed Him only with their words . . . hearts not loyal. Psalm 78:36

Heavenly Father, please help me to have a loyal heart to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

WHY?

Do you know why you work so hard? Is it to earn money so you can pay the bills, take that special vacation and put your children through college? Or do you work because it is your ambition to climb the career ladder in your chosen profession? Or does your job bring you satisfaction because you are the only one in your family to reach such a goal?

All of the above reasons may be legitimate reasons for working hard. God, however, in His Word, shares with us exactly WHY we should labor at all:

Wherefore we labor that . . . we may be accepted of Him. II Corinthians 10:9

May we find the labor which is directed for us by Him, pleasing to Him and accepted of Him. Then it will be of eternal worth.

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You expect me to work under Your direction. Please help me to clearly see all of the where, when and how. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

NOT ALONE

When we lived in a country setting, often the electricity would go out, leaving us without lights, bathroom facilities, a stove and without heat in the winter. To make matters worse, we would often see lights, at a distance, twinkling in our neighbors’ houses. There seemed nothing lonelier than feeling like you were the only one in the entire world suffering such difficulties.

After we moved into the village. A spring storm swept through, shutting off our power for a brief time. As we looked outside at our nearby neighbors, we knew that they, too, were without power. Somehow it was comforting to know that we weren’t the only ones in the universe experiencing problems. There were others without light, heat and all of the modern conveniences. We weren’t alone.

Perhaps that is why the scriptures state about we who believe:

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice.
I Corinthians 12:2

Heavenly Father, thank You that I do not suffer in this world by myself. There are others going through similar difficulties. And, especially, I thank You that You came down onto this earth and know first-hand what difficulties there are here. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

CRISIS

We have all heard the statement, “A crisis reveals our characters.” Is that true? Perhaps, but probably only partially.

Once upon a time, during an emergency room visit with my daughter, I forgot my own address and phone number. I was that shaken. If that statement ‘crisis reveals our character’ were true, what would that say about my character? Would it mean that in a crisis I was no good, a real scatterbrain? No, certainly not!

Another statement we could consider would be: “A crisis builds character.” That, too, is probably only partially true. During a crisis, sometimes circumstances stretch us, causing us to grow and change in ways we never expected. God can certainly build good qualities into our characters at that time - if we are open to Him and the areas He wants to build up within us.

May we exhibit both statements in our lives - if a crisis arises, may that crisis reveal a godly character in us NOW and may our hearts be open to further growth and change.

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
II Peter 1:5

Heavenly Father, please help me to be open to further growth in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?

Around the corner at the local elementary school there is a sign out front. Each week the message is changed. One week it may read, “This week we are working on Accuracy.” Another week it may read, “This week we are working on Being Considerate.”

Many of the qualities which the students and teachers are working on for the week can also be found in Scripture and include: perseverance, honesty, integrity, self-control, respect, courage, kindness, compassion, willingness to serve and discipline.

Apparently God desires that we add these character traits to our lives. Let’s make it our aim to please Him by practicing them daily.

. . . make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. II Peter 1:5-7

Heavenly Father, please show me the characteristics You want added to my life today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

DISCERNING IN LOVE

Someone approaches you on the street asking for money. What do you do? Do you give it to him, invite him home, give him the key to your home and invite him to stay?

Your child wants to go somewhere that you know is not a good choice. What do you do? Do you say yes, tell her to phone all her friends and drive her there yourself?

Yes, we are commanded to put love into action. We must be careful, however, to act with discerning love, not sloppy sentimental love without a thought to the consequences of our love.

How can we act with discerning love? By taking each circumstance to our heavenly Father and asking Him for His wisdom before our love is translated into action (or inaction). Our heavenly Father does know best.

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. Philippians 1:9

Heavenly Father, please give me clear eyes to discern if and how I should act in each given circumstance I meet with today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

USING GOD?

When we were kids, we probably each had one - a lucky charm. We made sure we had it with us for tests, stressful times within the family or during an illness. We just KNEW that the lucky charm, if we had it with us, would do wonders for us.

Now we are “grown up” and, if we aren’t careful, we will use God as our grown-up version of a lucky charm. Instead of seeing God as the Almighty King with whom we are to have a relationship, to obey and serve, we treat God as if He is supposed to serve us - paying our bills, even giving us the house, cars, vacations and trinkets of our choice.

Let’s be cautious. God is not a lucky charm to be used. God is the King of the universe who delights in our love and demands our obedience.

If you love Me you will obey Me. -Jesus in John 14:15

Heavenly Father, please forgive my wrong attitudes toward You. Please help me to see You as You are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

TO-DO LISTS

Some days, don’t you feel like your “to-do list” is so long, it will never be finished - ever? As you scurry around caring for your family, heading out to work, trying to please your boss and co-workers, arriving home tired with more “to do”, don’t you just wish there could be a portion of your list which said, “REST”?

The good news is that, if you will read your “to-do list” more closely, you will see that Jesus wrote down something for you to see:

“Come to Me all who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you REST.” Matthew 11:28

Let’s avail ourselves of His offer!

Heavenly Father, thank You that You knew about "to-do lists” before one was ever written. Please show me how to come to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

TRAINING

Sometimes something as simple as a lack of a good night’s sleep seems to throw us off the path in closely following Jesus. We become irritable, grouchy and out of sorts. Then, perhaps, we feel like the apostle Paul did in I Corinthians 9 when he states:

“. . . lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

I think we all wonder, at one time or another, whether we can endure to the end of time, faithful to the Lord Jesus.

The good news is that God is training us day by day (if we allow Him) so that, when difficult times arise, we are ready for them and are able to walk with Him through the difficulties, victoriously. We need to believe that He has prepared us (yes, even for the unexpected) and then . . . keep walking.

. . . you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 1:7-8

Heavenly Father, I thank You that, even before I was born, You made provision for me to finish well, bringing honor to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

INSTANT MESSAGING

We all know what email is. Someone sends you a message at their convenience through cyberspace. When you have time, you check your in box - maybe even a few days have passed but you receive the message. Then, at your convenience, you respond.

Instant messaging, on the other hand, is a “right now” kind of thing, full of back and forth communication, responses on both sides are immediate.

What type of relationship do you have with your Heavenly Father? Is it like regular email where he communicates with you but, at your convenience, you respond? Or is your communication with God a “now” kind of communication like instant messaging - God sends you a message, you receive it immediately and respond immediately. I think instant messaging with the Father is the type of communication He enjoys and prefers!

O God, Thou art my God, I seek Thee, my soul thirsts for Thee; my flesh faints for Thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is. Psalm 63:1

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You desire to communicate with me, a mere human being. Please turn my ears “on” so that I hear and immediately respond to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

CLEANLINESS

We had just moved into a new home. The walls were freshly painted. The carpeting was clean and fresh. The new refrigerator was spotless. Oh, how hard we worked to keep everything as clean as possible. Every spill was immediately wiped up. Any scuff marks on the kitchen floor were immediately removed. Any speck of dirt on the rugs was removed. We polished, vacuumed, dusted, scrubbed . . . continually, it seemed.
.
Have you ever wondered why we don’t take as much care to keep our souls as spotless as we do our homes? After all, it is our souls which matter for an eternity. Let us , for every sin we commit, go to our heavenly Father and ask for forgiveness and cleansing by the blood of the Lamb - Jesus. Let’s keep our lives and consciences cleaner than our homes will ever be.

Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life . . . . Deuteronomy 4:9

Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the neglect of my soul. Please empower me to come to You for cleansing daily. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

KEEPING ON

We’ve all done it. We start a new diet, but within a week we find ourselves blowing it by making poor food choices and deciding not to exercise - again. We think: since we have done so badly that particular day, we will throw in the towel and decide to begin again next year when we feel more disciplined.

Or we diligently try to please God in our homes, really we do. Then we lose our temper at our children . . . again and we decide to just coast along . . . until next year or whenever we feel passionate again about the things of God.

These two scenarios point to the lack of endurance on our part. We shouldn’t become so easily discouraged. When we fail in any area of our lives, let’s look to God for endurance in our innermost being.

For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. Hebrews 10:36

Heavenly Father, I thank You that one mistake doesn’t determine my eternal destiny. Please give me the endurance to keep on keeping on with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

PREPARING

When we moved from the country into the village, I was reminded how preparing to move is similar to how we should daily prepare for our move to our eternal Home.

Just as we de-clutter our earthly home in preparation for moving, shouldn’t we also keep our spiritual lives de-cluttered? Shouldn’t we get rid of all of the excess - anger, jealousy, envy and every other ungodly characteristic which won’t be allowed Home? Shouldn’t we plan to take along only those characteristics pleasing to God - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control . . . .)? Shouldn’t we, in addition to keeping our earthly homes clean, also keep our souls clean?

Let’s go to God so that He can show us the excess we need to be rid of. Let us allow Him to provide us with those godly attributes we want to “pack” to take along. And, of utmost importance, let us go to Him for cleansing of our souls so we will be ready at a moment’s notice.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20

Heavenly Father, I come to You in need of so much. Please make me ready! In Jesus’ name. Amen.