“When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought joy to my soul.”
(Psalm 94:19 NIV)
Anxious thoughts of yesterday and
today lead my mind to Jesus. He is the only One who knows all my thoughts, all
my secrets. He will give me my best meditations today and guide me on the path
laid out for me. He will console me and wipe away all of my foolish, selfish contemplations.
He turns my anxiety into joy. I will confide in my Lord and surrender all to
Him. I hope you will, too!
“Do not judge, and you will not be
judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be
condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
(Luke 6:37 NIV)
I must treat others as I want to be treated. A difficult lesson to learn. Who am I judging? Who do I want to condemn? Who do I need to forgive? May I first forgive myself and know God has forgiven me through Jesus Christ. May I put the needs of others before my own today, only by the power of God’s grace. I hope you will, too!
by Macy Johnson
“We know that the whole creation
has been groaning as in the pains of
childbirth
right up to the present time.”
(Romans 8:22 NIV)
My
heavenly Father appears to me in different ways. My husband, Jeff, has enjoyed
playing Minecraft, but the thought of any video game other than Tetris makes me
cringe. I love documentation and organization, but my creative friend, Meagan,
would rather toss papers into the air and see where they fall. She shakes her
head when she passes by our church’s workroom as I punch holes into papers for
my many notebooks.
“Consider him who endured such
opposition from sinful men,
so that you will not grow weary and
lose heart.”
(Hebrews 12:3 NIV)
The past is not my enemy. It has carried me to today. Regrets will try to drag me down. What I see as loss, might be used for gain by my heavenly Father in another person’s life. This is not about me, but about Jesus. He moved forward through the torture and pain so I could be with Him. I trust Him to lead me through it all today. I hope you will, too!
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of
your faith
develops perseverance.”
(James 1:2-3 NIV)
My heavenly Father is gentle and kind. He is perfect, pure love. He will not let me face today alone. He is with me through the struggles, the pain, the frustration. He will reveal Himself in fresh new ways today. He is the Giver and Developer of faith. He will lead me to exercise it. I only need to seek Him first. I hope you will, too!
“Be very careful, then, how you live –
not as unwise, but as wise.”
(Ephesians 5:15 NIV)
Seize the day! Life is short.
Time marches on. This moment, now, is a gift from my heavenly Father. I dare
not waste or trash it, but cherish it and enjoy it with Him. I do not know what
lies ahead, but He does. I might not need more knowledge, but discernment to
use what I have already been given. I will look into the face of Jesus today
for the answers and solutions I need. I hope you will, too!
“One of those days Jesus went out
to a mountainside to pray
and spent the night praying to God.”
(Luke 6:12 NIV)
I cannot imagine praying all
night, as Jesus did. But I have had restless nights when I talked with Him. He
knows what sleepless nights are. He has been where you and I are going today. I
am so thankful Jesus has already cleared the way so the Holy Spirit can lead
into and out of every situation and circumstance. I will follow Him in
uninterrupted communion today. I hope you will, too!
