Everyday Graces

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Carol

Sometimes a daily devotional strikes my soul to the very core because I think God knew I needed to read it that particular day. Has that every happened to you? I wanted to share Julie Clinton’s Everyday Graces with you today because too many times, I think we are so busy we forget to notice. Enjoy Julie’s message today. I know I did.

“From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.” John 1:16

Most of the time we refer to the gift of salvation as a gift of grace. But God’s grace also comes in tiny little packages marked “FREE GIFT” inside. Each day God presents gifts of His grace. Most of the time we take them for granted.

Take some time to appreciate some of these gifts:

  • freedom to be real
  • quiet moments
  • walking
  • a friend who listens
  • a sunrise
  • the brilliant colors of spring
  • knowing you’re loved
  • a child’s hug

Start looking at each of these as little dreams come true. God’s dream for us unfolds in thousands of little ways through everyday graces He places in our lives.

Too often we are just too busy to notice. Or, we are so eager to have the big dream come true we forget to watch for little things that are the dream coming true.

Most Christians can trust God for Heaven – Eternity with Him, but we can’t trust Him for everyday life.  Start seeing and living differently…it will turn your life around!

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He Knows What He’s Doing

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Carol

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Jeremiah 29:11 (MSG)

In conversations with two different friends today, I was reminded of how big our God is and how we often forget that He is the One in control. Because I used to be the poster child for “control freaks,” I understand when I see others who struggle to completely trust God with all aspects of their lives.

It has been a journey of over 10 years–and I’m not there yet–but I have come to see life at age 58, as an adventure. His mercies are new just as the day dawns and brings hope. We can’t live without either…His mercies and hope.

In today’s rapidly changing world, many of us live in fear. Unemployment is high and so are gas prices. People have lost their homes. Families are relying on relatives and the kindness of churches and other non-profits to help put food on the table. Some don’t know when they will eat again. Life is uncertain.

Ben Franklin was once quoted as saying “but in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.”

I would add that there is one more thing of which we can be certain. Our God loves and has plans for each one of us. He will take care of us and will not abandon any of His sheep. Our future is in His hands.

He knows what He’s doing. Do you trust Him?

 

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Instantly Answered

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Carol

I wanted to share the following devotional by Margaret E. Taylor, Hemet, California, that appeared in “Guideposts,” to offer encouragement to my readers.

(I am always amazed when God answers a prayer. Sometimes a prayer is answered after weeks, months and years of prayers. However, sometimes my prayers are answered so quickly, I am in awe of HIS power. Has God answered one of your prayers quickly? Share them by clicking on the comment link at the end of this post.)

By Margaret E. Taylor

We all know that God always answers our prayers in his own way and in his own time. When he answers them immediately, however, we can’t help but be amazed. Even in the Bible, when Mary—the mother of John Mark—and her household were praying for Peter’s release from prison, they were astounded when Peter himself came to their door.

I remember the day my husband, Stan, and I sold our car. We had been trying desperately to raise money for the surgery I was facing. We had gone from dealer to dealer, trying to sell our car, but most were offering far too little for it.

That evening as we sat in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, we bowed our heads and I prayed aloud about it. Just as I said amen, a woman walked over, leaned down and spoke through the car window.

“Would you be willing to sell your car?” she asked.

“Wha-what?” I stammered in disbelief.

Then she related how she wanted to help a young college student who desperately needed a car. She and the student had been looking all afternoon, but couldn’t find one that was right, So they’d pulled into the parking lot to pray. She didn’t know why, but something told her to ask us.

Something, indeed.

 

Isn’t God awesome? Don’t forget to share your answered prayer stories by clicking on the “comment” link.

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Draw Strength from Jesus

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Carol

I wanted to share the following devotional with my readers. It was written by Judy Baer, Elk River, Minnesota. Thank you, Judy.

“Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times but seventy times seven.’ ” Matthew 18:21–22 (NRSV)

Christians can be a topsy-turvy bunch. Sometimes we do things that the world has a hard time understanding. We do a lot of things others consider backward. When someone hurts us, we turn the other cheek, leaving ourselves vulnerable to even more hurt. We have to die to ourselves in order to live eternally. If someone needs our coat, we give him our shirt as well.

 Unlikely people take leadership roles in God’s kingdom, like Moses, who stuttered. We look back to what Jesus said and did in the past to know our own futures. God chooses us not because we are ready to serve. He takes the reluctant servant, equips them and makes them ready.

We are in this world but not of it—and Jesus gives us the strength to persist when we are backward in the world’s eyes.

Faith step: Do a backward thing today. Give more than you had planned to someone who needs it. Pay for a stranger’s groceries. Take the lead in something that frightens you just because you know God wants you to do it.

Jesus gives us the power to persist when we are seen as backward in the world’s eyes.

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5 Ways to Grow Your Faith

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Carol
I read this article by Julia Attaway today and wanted to share it with my readers.

The New York Times Magazine recently ran an article about “Decision Fatigue”: Research shows that the more decisions we make in a day, the less self-control we have. Our brains get tired of making choices.

That’s why it’s easiest to blow a diet with a late-night dessert, and why we make impulse purchases at the checkout counter.

The good news is that there are things we can do to replenish our willpower. Studies show that the people who are most successful at self-control are the ones who reserve willpower for the really important things. They structure their lives so that they take breaks after they’ve made a series of decisions, eat a healthy diet and build in habits that reduce the number of choices they have to make.

What does this mean for the devotional life? It means there’s science to back up some age-old recommendations:

  1. Schedule your biggest prayer time early in the day, when you’ve most likely to follow through.
  2. Build devotions into your daily routine: Pray before meals, in the car, when you climb into bed.
  3. Find a supportive faith community, so you don’t have to rely on willpower alone to do the right thing.
  4. Team up with a prayer partner and commit to a regular time to pray; having it on your schedule makes it more likely to happen.
  5. Set house rules that encourage quiet time and devotion: Turn off the computer or TV during certain hours, so it’s easy to opt for Bible study over Facebook.

We’ve already made the big decision to follow Christ; growing in faith depends, in part, on choosing to structure our lives so that devotion to Him is a given, not a choice.

By Julia Attaway

For more devotional tips, visit Julia Attaway’s blog Seeds of  Devotion.

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Why We Should Never Forget

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Carol

“The Lord is my light and the one who saves me. So why should I fear anyone? The Lord protects my life. So why should I be afraid? Evil people may try to destroy my body. My enemies and those who hate me attack me, but they are overwhelmed and defeated. If an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid. If war breaks out, I will trust the Lord.” (Psalm 27:1-3, NCV)

Do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001? If you were alive on that day, I am almost certain you can recall the events that unfolded that morning when a terrorist attack brought down the Twin Towers in New York City. I remember running late for work that morning. I had overslept. As I hurriedly dressed, I was listening to the national news when the second plane crashed into the World Trade Center. I was in shock when I, along with the rest of the nation, realized it was no accident that two planes had been flown deliberately into these buildings.

Many have questioned why God would let something like this happen. Why were thousands of innocent people killed that day, including the firefighters and other rescue personnel who came to the aid of the victims still trapped inside? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why are evil people intent on destroying others? These questions have been asked before and I am sure they will be asked again in the future. Even the wisest minds in the world cannot answer these questions.

One thing believers should remember is that God is always with us. In the midst of trials, we can cling to His promises. I like this anonymous quote: “God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, or sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.”

One 9/11 widow, Deena Burnett, said, “No matter what we face, God is always with us, giving us the spiritual strength we need.”

Can you recall a time when God allowed something to happen in your life and you simply couldn’t understand? Did you question, “Why did this happen to me?”

Ten years have passed since the terrorist attacks rocked our nation. As individuals and a nation, good things have come out of that painful experience. Lessons have been learned during a difficult time. Those lessons have changed lives forever. We may not have all the answers to our questions, but we can rest in peace, knowing that our Heavenly Father will see us through in our darkest days.

King David knew this well and in Psalm 40:1-3, he writes:

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.

Have you put your trust in the Lord?

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Making Hard Choices

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Carol
Following is a devotional from The Women’s Devotional Bible that I wished to share with my readers. Enjoy!

[Abraham] said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had . . . “I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”—Genesis 24:2–4

“Have it your way.”

Remember that popular advertising slogan? Our culture demands choice—the freedom to choose precisely what we want, exactly how we want it. One national coffee chain reportedly can serve your morning cup in as many as nineteen thousand different ways. Some choices, such as tall, grande or venti mocha, are insignificant. Other choices can determine the course of a lifetime.

The story of Isaac and Rebekah is all about people making choices. Think about it. Wouldn’t it have been infinitely easier for Abraham to choose a wife for his son from among local families he already knew? Next, consider the servant. He’d been assigned to find a matrimonial needle in a haystack. His job was to choose the perfect wife for his master’s son. And then there was Rebekah. She was asked to choose to leave her home, family and everything familiar to travel to a distant country to marry a man she’d never met.

Choices. We all make them. Abraham chose to obey God’s directive that his family not intermarry with the Canaanites. The servant chose to accept a complicated challenge from his employer, trusting God to lead him to the right woman. And Rebekah—Rebekah had to make a decision that would affect the rest of her life. She ultimately chose to trust her life and future to the servant of a distant relative whose God was her God. The story of the divinely arranged marriage between Isaac and Rebekah reminds us that nothing is too difficult for God.

Trust and obey—these two words go together like coffee and cream. Yet every day we face difficult situations that seem to defy simple solutions. As women, myriad difficult choices face us—the right course of care for a sick child, moving from everything familiar for a new opportunity, following God’s leading even when the outcome is hazy, even when the right choice frightens us. You may toss and turn for nights without finding peace in your choice. The right choice is often the hard choice, but not always. How do we determine the right choice? Obey the guidance you find in God’s Word, earnestly pray and seek trusted counsel, then trust God with the outcome. Will you have it your way or God’s way? First trust God to have your best interest at heart, and then trust him to lead you to the right choice.

Reflection

  1. What hard choice is confronting you today?
  2. What factors make your decision difficult?
  3. How is God asking you to trust him in this situation? Will you obey him?
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Why me, Lord?

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Carol

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Have you ever uttered the words, “Why me, Lord?” If so, you are not alone. As the worsening economy has led to job losses, rising food and gas prices, housing foreclosures and uncertainty about what the future holds, people are worried. Add to that list a multitude of natural disasters, war and the threat of terrorism and it can be overwhelming.

However, the Bible reminds us that God is our provider. His economy is not the same as man’s. And while we have no control over much of what happens in the world, we do have control of our attitude. We can choose to trust God and take Him at His Word, or we can become paralyzed by fear. Choosing faith over fear, trusting that God can make a way when there appears to be no way can help you to persevere through life’s ups and downs.

What can you do?

  • Trust in your Heavenly Father to provide for all your needs.
  • Have a positive attitude toward life, trusting in God’s guidance and provision.
  • Trust in God’s timing. It is always perfect. He is never too early or too late, but always on time.
  • Know that good can come out of bad situations when God is in control.
  • Know that prayers will be answered for your highest good.

Genesis 22:14 says, “So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’”

Share your favorite scripture. How does it help you remember that God is in control?

 

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