“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!
“You are my lamp, O Lord;
the Lord turns my darkness into light.”
(2 Samuel 22:29 NIV)
As the sun peeks over the trees
my Lord awakens my mind and heart to Him. He shines a light on my thoughts and
leads me to sift them through His love. The Lamp of Truth dispels all darkness
and points me in the right direction. What can I do today that will glorify Him
except to welcome His light on my every step? I will follow His light today. I
hope you will, too!
“As a dream comes when there are many
cares,
so the speech of a fool when there are
many words.”
(Ecclesiastes 5:3 NIV)
The wise words of Solomon remind me that dreams disturb sleep when I do not give all my cares to my heavenly Father at the end of the day. I wake in the middle of the night and try to solve jumbled problems. In my dreams I argue and discuss in vain with no one. I will give God all my thoughts, keep my mouth shut, and seek His solutions today. I hope you will, too!
“That is why, for Christ’s sake,
I delight in weaknesses, in insults,
in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
(2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV)
Again I complained to God about
the problems swirling around my head. This was not
working the way I thought it should and that was not
falling properly into place. How can I delight in these weaknesses? How can I
find joy in the frustrations? I will ask my Lord to take over control of these
situations and my life. I hope you will, too!
by Macy Johnson
“When Jesus saw her,
He called her forward and said to her,
’Woman, you are set free from your
infirmity.’”
(Luke 13:12 NIV)
Beverly
played the introduction to a peppy hymn on the rickety spinet piano in the
nursing home’s gathering hall. Kathleen picked up her tambourine and kept the
beat. The group of sixteen singers in folding chairs looked up from their hymnals
in delight. We would sing one of our favorite songs.
“God demonstrates His own love for us
in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.”
(Romans 5:8 NIV)
I used to play a game with my children. I would say, “I love you more than you love me.” They responded with, “I love YOU more than you love ME!” I can hear Jesus say the same. When I am unlovable or push Him away, He loves me, like my love for my children, but way more. I will tell my heavenly Father today how much I love Him. I hope you will, too!
