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One Step at a Time

October 24, 2012

“It’s all about reaching people, I think, with a rake, with a hammer and nails. We have to touch people, treat them nice, tell them about God, givethem a bridge to cross over the muddy valley. I pull free from the suckingmud to go get more nails. I feel good about this simple action: each nail Idrive brings me one step closer to building that bridge.”

Excerpted from Don’t Let Me Go: What My Daughter Taught Me About the Journey Every Parent Must Make by David. W. Pierce

Daily Reflection: What can you learn by helping someone in your life who is struggling to come closer to God?

For Everything There Is a Season

October 23, 2012

We are all connected. We all have the same basic human needs to love and be loved. We all want to serve a purpose and to know that our lives have value. Living in balance also means living in harmony with others, which may require giving up yourself to share in something greater—a fuller life.

I was a single man for so long that when I finally found a loving relationship, I had to make some quick adjustments. I had wanted to share my life with someone, but in some ways I wasn’t prepared for what that actually meant. My balance was thrown off because my life was no longer just mine. It was like having someone else jump into your canoe. Suddenly, everything shifts. You have to adjust your position. The load is greater but so is your paddle [ … ]

Life Interrupted

October 22, 2012

“Job’s friends saw God as a curmudgeon, a miser, a traffic cop with a radar gun and a ticket quota. They misrepresented God, who is actually rich in mercy, grace, joy and every other good and perfect gift. He is a big, big spender.

God restored Job ‘twice as much as before.’ Twice as much! Before, he was the wealthiest guy in the area. Then he went from just bling to bling-bling. […] These blessings could never make up for the loss. One child can’t simply be replaced by another. But they testify to God’s grace and generosity in the midst of a horrible trial.”

Excerpted from Torn by Jud Wilhite

Daily Reflection: Through trials and tribulations, how can you remember God’s joy and mercy today?

In His Image

October 19, 2012

Just think: of all His magnificent creations—the brilliant sun, moon, and stars; the vast oceans; the fascinating planets; the exotic animals; and more—the one that most resembles God Himself is humankind—you and me. God made us in His image; we are as true a reflection of His character and nature as possible. Search the universe, and nothing will say “God” more than the creation known as man and woman…

We find passion and joy in walking with the One who designed every part of us. He designed our minds, so He knows how to put us at ease. He created our bodies, so He knows how to strengthen us. He formed our hearts, so He knows how to thrill and delight us. He molded our spirits, so He knows our innermost desires; and only He can satisfy those desires.

Excerpted [ … ]

Stand Aside

October 18, 2012

Give Me permission, Christ promises, and it is yours. My mind for yours (1 Corinthians 2:16)—a holy exchange. Perhaps it’s silly, but I’m visual, so I’ve started taking this promise from God’s Word and claiming it through a simple exercise. Sometimes in my mind, but sometimes (on especially difficult days) with an actual poke to my chest, I push an imaginary button. Then, by faith, I envision my mind dropping out of sight while the mind of Christ rises to take its place. After all, there are situations and circumstances in my life when a sparkling, washed-by-the-Word mind is simply not enough. Times when I need my thoughts and feelings and will to be Christ’s very own. According to the Bible, I can have both. The natural made new, the supernatural made mine. My mind bound to His.

Excerpted from At [ … ]

A Seasonal Perspective

October 17, 2012

The author of Ecclesiastes looked around him at situations where justice and righteousness should be evident, only to observe that “wickedness was there” and “iniquity was there” (verse 16). Maybe he was thinking about courtrooms, government halls, and the marketplace, or maybe he thought primarily of the human heart. Or all the above. Evil was everywhere.

But he did not despair over this; he went on: “I said in my heart, ‘God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time…for every purpose and for every work’ ” (verse 17). Even when injustice and corruption appear unhindered in their pollution, a seasonal perspective enables us to hold on to God’s hope. He will, in His perfect timing, make things right—preparing the way for the triumph of every good purpose and every good work.

The believer in Christ [ … ]

Praise

October 16, 2012

Praise includes adoring God and admiring Him for who He is and what He does.

Praise can be quiet and meditative. But it can also be celebrating and exulting in the Lord’s majesty and splendor, His sovereignty, His limitless power, and His bountiful love—which we do not in the least deserve. In praise we extol our wonderful God; we exalt and magnify Him.

Praise includes speaking highly of God to other people as well as directly to Him.

Excerpted from A Treasury of Praise by Ruth Myers

Daily Reflection: How do you praise God for all that he is and does?

The Prayers of Children

October 15, 2012

Children praying. What instantly spring to my mind are images of kids kneeling beside their beds, heads bowed, eyes closed (sometimes), while parents and angels watch. Children’s petitions are as varied as the kids who offer them.

Some children pray for personal things, such as passing a science test, seeing a frog, or defeating the class bully.

Some pray for pressing needs, such as the healing of a parent, food for the table, or a father for the family.

Some offer prayers of thanks: for the sunshine, for a mother’s love, or for their country.

Some of my favorite prayers are for assistance: Help Mom not to be grumpy; help me not to be angry; help my dad not to be upset with me when he finds out what I did.

The petitioners have at least one thing in common: [ … ]

Eternal Significance

October 12, 2012

So where do we begin in our efforts to find our true significance, to live meaningful lives that fulfill our eternal potential every day? I believe that this fruit of significance begins with the seeds of hope that God placed within us all. Like David, we begin by tending those seeds—or Cs, as I like to call them—and cultivating them in five key areas: developing confidence, being a person of character, concentrating on God’s will, cooperating with God (and others) in carrying out his plans, and participating in  community.

Excerpted from A Significant Life by Jim Graff

Daily Reflection: What can you do to continue cultivating your seeds of hope from God (the five Cs)?

Let Your Life Count

October 11, 2012

Effective prayer consists not in telling God what to do but in listening as He tells us what He wants to do. One of the reasons many prayers go unanswered is because our prayer lists are too much like shopping lists. We fail to realize that God has the real prayer list. Let God direct your prayer time!

Excerpted from Let Your Life Count by Donna Partow

Daily Reflection: How can you start listening to God during prayer?