September 26 - God's Will

Many times we hear the phrase, “It will happen, God willing.” The powerful force of God’s Will should precede all thoughts and actions.  Yet, how often do we sit back, inactive and passive, deeming a deed is the Will of God? Throughout history, God’s Will has been carried out through the active roll of people. Ours is not a world of quick fixes and earthly marvels. God works through mankind, not around him and we should be quick to embrace His Will and be determined to make it happen.– Becki

 

So, since Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for His sanctuary, go resolutely to work! – 1 Chronicles 28:9

September 25 - Promise

Upholding a promise is not always that easy. When life is good, and the chores are simple, it can actually seem second nature to us; but put struggle in the path and dissention often sets in. In these moments we must go back to our mission, revisiting the vision and determination of our promise. The school I work for has a mission statement. I keep it framed on my wall. Whenever I find confusion in a path I am taking, I can glance over these words and reaffirm my purpose. God has given a mission for each of us. Direction and conviction are found in His Word: the abbreviated version, the Ten Commandments. Likewise, within this Word lies a vision, "to love the Lord our God above all things and our neighbor as ourself." When we find it hard to uphold a promise, when our direction becomes confused, or when the task at hand seems insurmountable, gaze into the Word of God and reaffirm your path. Within each promise, He brings inspiration and in this we will find the ability to stand firm in truth.


Whether it is pleasant or difficult, we will obey the command of the Lord, our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us for obeying the command of the Lord, our God." - Jeremiah 42:6

September 24 - Spirit

With today's social media, we can all keep in touch with loved ones much easier than in days past.  We Facetime, Facebook, Skype, Airshare, text, email, you name it.  Yet, separation from a loved one can be very hard. There are those times when we truly yearn to hold the one we love and the many miles between us feel frustrating and sometimes cruel. What a beautiful gift we have in our Holy Spirit. Even miles apart, we know that God is holding each of us simultaneously. As we lift our prayers for one another, we draw closer in Spirit, closer in Hope that all is as it should be. When you find yourself lonely, give yourself a lift. Reach up and touch the Holy Spirit of God. Let His love bring you into full unity with all you hold dear and turn your sorrow into joy.


What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. - 1 Corinthians 14:15

September 23 - Love

The best advice of my life, came from my grandfather on my wedding day.  He told me there would be conflicts and disagreements. We would argue. There would be awakenings. But we could conquer it all by simply making one choice. In each moment, we have to choose to love the other. The need to follow this advice has poured over into many moments of my life, not reserved solely for my husband. My day to day brings up frustrations: on the freeways, in the stores, my co-workers, my neighbors, my family, my friends. The list could go forever. Yet, when we prepare for conflict resolution, we must remember this key element. We must love the other, the one whom God created. Within them lies His Spirit, His Son Jesus. Let love go before us and in every moment you face, you will store up blessings from heaven.

The crucible for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the tester of hearts is the Lord. - Proverbs 17:3

September 20 - Help

There is nothing in this earth that God asks you to do that you can accomplish solely by yourself. Seek God. Pray for His Grace. He will provide all your needs. 

The works of God are all of them good; in its own time every need is supplied. - Sirach 39:16

Wednesday - September 18 - works

As people of God, we do our work not because we want to be known as somebody, but because we want somebody else to know.  Some people in this world rise to fame in their works. While others have left no memory and disappeared as though they had not existed. This is the purpose of each life: to bring others to know our Christ.  Not everyone was placed on this earth to be exalted. Many people live an entirely opposite life style. Yet everyone who lives their life for the glory of God and for His purpose, whether revered by many or few, will share in God's goodness forever and pass on a lasting legacy of love.

In their descendants they find a rich inheritance, their posterity. Their descendants stand by the Commandments and, thanks to them, so do their children's children. Their offspring will last forever, their glory will not fade. - Ecclesiasticus 44:11-13

Day by Day: Tuesday - September 17 - Hope

I spend my day anticipating the next moment. In my car, I'm planning my work schedule. At work, I'm planning the meeting. In the meeting, my mind wanders to the piles on my desk. At my desk, I'm thinking of what to prepare for dinner. Anticipating and planning is good, this is how we get things done.  Without planning, there is no hope; and without hope, there is no gain. Yet as we contemplate on the next moment, remember the importance of this one. This moment, right now, is where God has you. The moment may be delightful. It may be challenging. However, it is your purpose to use this time wisely, so that the next moments can be blessed. Seek God within every moment, and the hope of tomorrow will be fulfilled.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:2

Tuesday - September 17 - Hope

I spend my day anticipating the next moment. In my car, I'm planning my work schedule. At work, I'm planning the meeting. In the meeting, my mind wanders to the piles on my desk. At my desk, I'm thinking of what to prepare for dinner. Anticipating and planning is good, this is how we get things done.  Without planning, there is no hope; and without hope, there is no gain. Yet as we contemplate on the next moment, remember the importance of this one. This moment, right now, is where God has you. The moment may be delightful. It may be challenging. However, it is your purpose to use this time wisely, so that the next moments can be blessed. Seek God within every moment, and the hope of tomorrow will be fulfilled.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:2

September 19 – Difference

 

God spits out lukewarm. This is documented in scripture. He abhors idleness and complacency. Now, just because we sit still for a moment does not mean this is idleness. There are those moments in our lives when it is pure luxury to be filled with sweet nothingness so that our minds and bodies can be restored. The message is this: God wants us to make a difference. We are to look within ourselves and outward to others; and with each endeavor we undertake, strive to make a difference in the lives of all. We are not to sit idly by while another struggles. We are to use the gifts He has given us for goodness. Haley Scott DeMaria, keynote speaker for the 2012 Notre Dame’s 167^th University Commencement, states, “My advice to you is this: Love what you do. Believe in a cause and make it your passion. Find your passion, and make it your career. In doing so, you will make a difference because life is too short to do otherwise”.

And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. –Ezekiel 44:23

Friday, September 13 - Dance

My "to do" list seems to grow larger every day. One project reveals a need for a dozen more. Busy is good. It creates a sense of purpose for many. Yet remember to add to your "to do" list that all important down time with your Heavenly Father. Take the time to sing praise and let your feet find a dance step or two. The lighter your heart, the lighter your burden.


Yahweh, come to my help and we will make our hearts resound all the days of our life in the Temple of Yahweh. - Isaiah 38:2

Thursday, September 12 - Truth

Those who speak with passion are held to a greater accountability to know and speak the truth.  Uttering only half-truths in a moment of zeal is far more detrimental than spilling forth a lie. For a lie can be proven wrong whereas a half-truth leads to speculation and hearsay, twisting reality and making unclear one's purpose and path.


That is why I will always go on recalling the same truths to you, even though you already know the them and are firmly fixed in these truths. - 2nd Peter 1:12

Wednesday, September 11 - Cooperation

In every miracle God ever graced us with, He had cooperation from someone in order to make this happen.  Never is there a time that God gifts without receiving from us.  In every gift, He seeks our joy, our acceptance, our willingness to see His works through to the end.  Whenever you bring your need to God, make certain you bring His need to Him.  Grace him with your total surrender and desire to work for Him, and miracles will happen.

Lord, I am overwhelmed, come to my help. - Isaiah 38:14b

Tuesday - September 10 - struggle

When I work hard for a cause, do I finish exhausted and spent, or do I feel elated and rejoice that I have contributed to goodness? Am I proud and boastful? Do I feel slighted if my name is not called out in lights? The light is not mine to command.  It is God's alone. The good that happens does not happen because of my actions, but because God has created this good. I am merely the instrument that was used to unfold this moment and God is the Glorious God who holds it. The best works I do in life are those when I hold the discipline to step out of the way, and let God be.


I am the Lord and there is not other, there is no God besides me. It is I who arm you, though you know me not, so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun men may know that there is none besides me. - Isaiah 45:5,6

Monday, September 9 - Seek

We seek God in many places; new ventures, new surroundings, new loves. Feeling lost and empty, we often return to memories, attempting to relive our past, and finding it no longer satisfies or sustains our spirit. To truly find God, we must look where He dwells. We will never find Him in the turmoil, the ungodly, or the unclean. Go to His Temple, seek within His church, and open yourself to His people.  He is thriving and abundant where people call on His name.

He replied, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" - Luke 2:49

Friday - September 6 - Freedom

I have a band new computer.  It is quick and very responsive.  It's memory acts almost spontaneously.  My old computer was so burdened with multiple drivers and applications churning in the background, it had become unable to function at all.  Our souls are very much like a computer.  We have so many things driving us and bogging us down that we need to purge ourselves and free up memory. Let go of the things that block your path of responsiveness. Give your burdens to Jesus and free up your soul. Let God be your driver and your path will be connected every time. 


It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. - Galatians 5-1

Thursday - September 5 - Worry

Life is so much easier when you just buckle down and do it. Anticipation often feels harder than the actual event; the knots in your stomach never completely subsiding until you are on the other side of the journey.Yet, there are those times such as a death of a loved one or watching someone you love suffer, that are just as painful to get through as the anticipation, sometimes harder. The truth, however: even though hard, life does finally settle down once it is all behind you. It may take on a new "normal", but it will settle. And with God by your side, it will settle in peace. So, with the next task looming before you, step up and get it done. God has already made the journey and He is standing their to hold you through it all. He knows it will be hard. He knows you are scared. He knows that with His help you can handle it. And, He knows it all turns out ok.



And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. - Revelation 21:4

Wednesday, September 4 - Judgment

I'd like to say I'm not judgmental, but the truth reveals itself far too often. I'm the person that people groan at for messing up our social system. When I see a homeless person on the street I'm more inclined to stop and give him a granola out of my purse or, minimally, wish him a good day rather than slough by him due to his self-made misery. For, yes, he may be creating his own circumstances, whether by choice or habit, fear or assent, but pain is what brought him to this state, and I believe we should have compassion on that pain, not consider him as one.

Yet look back over my previous paragraph. Did I not just judge? My allusion to society groaning at me is a judgment toward my own peers. "They" don't help, but "I" do.  Even during an act of kindness, I have just judged others for not doing the same. What about their pain? What about their fears? They are real too.  Until we walk in the shoes of another, we can never, ever, relate.  Our Jesus relates. He took on human flesh. He walked the walk of pain daily in empathy toward others, compassionate, and purely non-judgmental. Let us not elevate ourselves above another. Let us openly embrace each other and help us become the best we each can be in every moment.




My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,
- Colossians 2:2