June 12 - America, America

 

“O land, land, land,

hear the word of the Lord!”

(Jeremiah 22:29 NIV)

 

“America, America, God shed His grace on thee!” I have enjoyed mini history lessons of this amazing country of mine through the documentaries of various former Presidents. Ulysses Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, and George Washington are a few men who brought the United States a little further along by the grace of God. I pray that we will stand firm in the faith our heavenly Father has given us through our founding fathers. I hope you will, too! 

June 11 - Morning Praise

 

“Praise be to the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion

and the God of all comfort.”

(2 Corinthians 1:3 NIV)

 

A day full of opportunities to serve in many different ways looms ahead. I should get going and close my laptop, but the view out my window stops me. Clouds that covered the sunrise slowly break apart and reveal glories to praise God for. The stillness of the morning brings peace and comfort, urging me to breathe in slowly and exhale a thank-you. I hope you will, too!

Spacebar

 by Macy Johnson

“All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,

wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.”

(Isaiah 28:29 NIV)

 

My laptop computer’s spacebar was sticking. No matter how slow or fast I typed, the words jammed together and created a visual mess. As a pianist, I know when one of my fingers does not cooperate, so I realized my hands were not the problem. A sticking piano key is one problem, but this scenario created a uniquely stressful frustration for a writer.

June 10 - Gifts of Grace

 

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

be with your spirit.”

(Philemon 25 NIV)

 

I like to think of grace as “unmerited favor.” When birds flock to the feeder on my balcony and remind me of their Creator, I am filled with grace. Their tiny, fragile bodies are kept alive by God and sent to me as a graceful reminder of His power and presence. His meticulous order of the natural realm is a gracious gift to me, a keeper of His kingdom. I will honor His graceful gifts. I hope you will, too!

June 9 - Pruned

 

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,

while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes

so that it will be even more fruitful.”

(John 15:2 NIV)

 

Ouch! God never promised His pruning would be painless. I watch as He cuts off the dead wood and disease branches of my heart. I cringe as He yanks away the vines of selfish desires out of my mind. I feel new life flowing through my veins to give nourishing fruit to my thoughts. I will humbly submit to His pruning. I hope you will, too!  

June 8 - Perfect Peace

 

“You will keep in perfect peace

him whose mind is steadfast,

because he trusts in you.”

(Isaiah 26:3 NIV)

 

Try as I might, I cannot make peace or keep it. Perfect peace comes only from my heavenly Father. I might not be able to make sense of all that is going on around me, but He can. Nothing can touch me apart from His perfect will and loving hand. I can breathe and accept His will in what may come today, because my mind is steadfast. I will be an instrument of His peace. I hope you will, too!

June 7 - Attitude and Altitude

 

“Your attitude should be the same

as that of Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 2:5 NIV)

 

Attitude or Altitude? The words are similar, but oh, so different. AI defines attitude as a learned, stable predisposition to evaluate a person, object, or concept in a specific way. Attitude is learned and practiced over a lifetime. I can recall times when my attitude was bad, not at all like that of Jesus. Altitude is the vertical distance of an object upward. I will direct my altitude and attitude to be like Jesus. I hope you will, too!