What are you committing to today?

Image by familymwr via Flickr

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, 
and he will establish your plans. – Proverbs 16:3

There are commitments that we make through life that we are happy to do. We commit to a spouse when we marry, to children when they are born, to a job and more. We want the best for all of our commitments, but how do we make that happen? We could do research and see what has worked for others, or we could do what our parents did since it worked for them. Perhaps there are classes that we could take to be the best at what we want to accomplish. There seems to be a multitude of options, and figuring out which way to go is crucial.

God is the way to go. Whatever we commit to in life should first be committed to the Lord for that will give him the authority in each thing we want to do well. God will give the guidance in each scenario … he will make the plan. It is wise to follow Jesus rather than the world for he not only knows everything that will help us, but loves us so much that he wants us to succeed.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to come to you first with all of my commitments. I pray I always seek you and your kingdom first in all choices I make. Amen

Faith Tip: Commit the day to Jesus and see what he has planned for you.

Dying = Living

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20

This is one of my favorite verses. I don’t know if it’s because of the inspirational song by Phillips, Craig & Dean, but I know my heart is touched when I hear the song.

Life can sometimes feel like we are being crucified, doesn’t it? Challenges and struggles arise and we wonder where God is in it all.  The answer is that Christ is in us … He never left. Allowing God to live through us rather than living for ourselves makes a huge difference on how we live and persevere. The great love that Jesus has for makes it all worthwhile. He gave everything for us. He died for us, now we have opportunity to daily die for Him. In dying, we will live more than we ever have before.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the great love you have for me. I pray that today I can die to self and live for you. Amen

Faith Tip: Make a choice right now that today Christ is at the wheel of your life.

Losing to Win

Image via Wikipedia

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. – Matthew 16:24-25

Losing something in life is a painful experience. Whether it is a much beloved person, item or position … it hurts. When we experience loss, we may feel a bit lost ourselves until we come to grips with it.

What if we intentionally lose something, giving it freely knowing the cost? That may seem a bit crazy unless there is a purpose. When Jesus is the reason we give up something that means a lot to us, we will discover something new about ourselves. God is a giver. We cannot out-give God. You can trust that as we give freely to God for the Kingdom purpose, we will definitely find some special treasure that has eternal value.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for being the One I can trust today. I pray that I am intentional in giving of my life to You today. Amen

Faith Tip: Go beyond your box in giving of yourself to Jesus today. See what treasure you will find in your life.

 

 

Heavy Living

Image via Wikipedia

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

Monica looked at the clock … midnight again, and she was still folding laundry while her children slept. She worked during the day, so any house cleaning had to wait until the kids were in bed. The only time they had to talk about their day and generally share life was the few scant hours between dinner and bedtime, and she treasured that time with them. Since the divorce, Monica wanted to make sure they didn’t miss out on parenting time or feel they weren’t secure. She was tired.

Holding the whole world on our shoulders can be quite the burden. Our “fix it” mentality goes into overdrive and we give it all we got to make it work. There is a better way … Jesus. Jesus wants to be part of the process; in fact, He wants to be CEO of it. What do we fear in giving him control? That it won’t be done the way we want it? That He won’t be able to handle it? Perhaps we will not feel needed and lack purpose. Putting on the yoke of Jesus means to put to sleep the burden we feel and experience peace.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for the yoke you offer to me today. I pray that I will take it, put it on and relish in the peace meant for me. Amen

Faith Tip: Do you have a heavy burden today? Your choice is to either hang onto that yoke and use all your energy, or trade it in for a better model.

Project Management

Image via Wikipedia

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. – Romans 12:1

Having managed projects in the past, there is a sense of control as the plans are being written out and each step that will be taken with the expected response presumed. I have also added that method to planning done in my life. The greatest lesson I have learned is that it normally doesn’t work out the way I had it planned. The perceived control was never there. I trusted myself more than God.

Surrendering our lives to God is a tough choice that we need to practice and commit to each day. It sounds like an easy choice since God is who He is, but in reality as we move through our day, we may find that choices made are through our wants rather than what God wants. God does know the perfect way for us, but we need to trust and obey.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for being the one who truly is in control. You know better than I the way to go and I ask that you forgive me when I challenge Your way. Amen

Faith Tip: Practice trusting today by allowing God to choose.

One Thing After Another…

Image via Wikipedia

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. – James 1:2-3

I remember a party we had at the church where we played board games. The popular game of the evening was dominoes. I had never played before and just loved it. I was hooked. I remember playing with dominoes as a child – standing them up in interesting shapes so that when I hit the first one down, it would knock the next one down and so on until it went through the whole design. The term “the domino effect” means how one thing affects another.

We as Christians have experienced those days when it seemed that we were standing in line to be knocked down. One thing after another would go wrong and we sometimes wonder when it will end. When will we experience the peace we seemed to have just a short time ago?

We can experience the peace now. The transforming moment of dread to joy happens when we make the choice to “consider it pure joy.” God is working … all the time. He has not left the building, but stays close to His walking temple. You are being strengthened beyond what you can imagine for yourself. It is through the pain that we will gain and persevere.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for not leaving me to fend for myself when troubles arise. I pray that I can make that choice today of peace … Your peace that passes understanding. Amen

Faith Tip: Feeling anxious about something in your life? Stop the worried thought process and begin the God-thinking process of the victory you will experience at the other end.

Drinking Deep from the Well

Image via Wikipedia

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
And whose trust is the LORD.
“For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8

Susan felt like she needed a break. Her work and family took all of her time and there was very little left for her at the end of the day. Exhausted, she fell into bed dreading the ringing of the alarm in a short seven hours. It’s not that she didn’t love her family or her work, but she was just tired. Her energy was depleted. She felt trapped in a cycle of doing and not being.

Trees, as well as other plants, show us when they are in need of water. They droop, turn brown and lose leaves. They are headed towards death. As people, we also need water to thrive. This water comes from the ever fresh spring of Jesus. His cool drink revives a tired soul, lifts the heart of the despaired, and rejuvenates the spirit. Drinking from the well of Jesus requires reading His Word and prayer. This is the pail we lower to collect the beverage of choice. Drink deep.

Prayer: Lord, so many times I forget to lower my pail into Your well. Please forgive me and help me to live vibrantly with your water soaring through me. I know that all I am comes from you. Amen

Faith Tip: Too busy to read the Bible or pray. It may be time to reconsider your schedule and priorities.

Ants Can’t … or Can They?

Image via Wikipedia

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. – Proverbs 6:6-8

Wouldn’t it be great if we could wave a magic wand and anything we needed or wanted would be given to us? There’s a big draw in stories like that. Cinderella, Aladdin’s Lamp, and other fairy tales indulge this desire. But they are fairy tales. To live believing in a fairy tale is not wise. God tells us to watch an ant and be wise. What could we possibly learn from a bug?

The ant somehow knows the key to survival is to work. They tirelessly gather what they need to store away for future use. They don’t need to be watched to make sure they keep working. They do it because that’s how they were made. They have purpose.

We also have purpose. Each day is filled with things planned just for us. However, we must be willing to follow the plan set before us. No one needs to watch us. We just need to do it.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the purpose given me for my life. I pray that today I will live out what is planned just for me. Amen

Faith Tip: Consider what you will do with the hours given you today. Ask God to guide you and be ready to follow.

God Can Do It!

Image via Wikipedia

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I remember years ago when Old Kent Bank used to hold a yearly dress a bear/doll contest. I loved looking at all the creative outfits worn by the toys, and I desired to be a part of the giving to some special child. However, I did not have the gift of sewing. One day, I decided to give it a try. In one day, I made a nightgown, hat, and slippers for a bear on the sewing machine. It turned out great. I really felt I was being guided through it. The Holy Spirit took over in the task and helped me complete it. God worked wonders through my weakness.

There are many areas in life where we are weak as humans. That doesn’t mean we need to fall into those weaknesses, because we can’t help it. God’s power is the perfect fit for our weakness. He can work wonders that we know can only come from Him if we allow God to do so. The choices we make, if God honoring, will be empowered by the Spirit.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that Your grace is provided for all the wrong choices I make. You give me another chance. I pray for your power in my life today. Amen

Faith Tip: Feeling like you have an old weakness that just keeps hanging on? Today, grasp onto the power of Christ and don’t let go. He will walk you through.

Do We Really Want Jesus to Help?

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

 The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” – Mark 10:51

During the holiday season, I have heard many times through the years what people want for Christmas is peace on earth. To achieve peace, there is a cost. I know to experience peace, it begins with me. I have to claim the peace of Christ, share the peace of Christ, and keep the peace of Christ in my choices throughout the day. If I choose to fulfill a flesh desire, I will not have peace. I must be willing to give up my wants to achieve the goal of peace.

Do we really know what we want Jesus to do for us and are we willing to work with Him in our choices that will point to that goal, or will we go back to meeting our human wants? Choosing the healing from our brokenness is important in knowing the steps we will take next allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us to victory.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for asking me the question of what I want You to do for me. I pray that I seek out your plan for me and pray into the journey to victory. Amen

Faith Tip: Consider how you might want Christ to heal you. Tell Jesus about it and be ready to follow.