Daily Inspirations
God’s Plan
In the beginning our Heavenly Father had a plan. The plan was that we work for six days and rest on the seventh indicating that the Sabbath is the day of rest. In Jewish tradition the sabbath is actually a Saturday. There was no specific time in which Christianity began identifying Sunday as the Sabbath, however a Roman Emperor sent out a decree in around 321 A.D. According to history Christianity was said to begin celebrating the Sabbath on Sunday the first day of the week which is when Jesus arose from the grave. As we keep in mind that in the beginning God worked for six days and rested on the seventh, we should keep in mind the importance of work and rest even if that is Monday-Saturday and worship and rest on Sunday. In Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” This was not just initiated in Genesis it was part of the ten commandments. What is your day of rest? God did not intend for us to work ourselves to exhaustion but to look at what we have done and see that it is good.
Dreamers . . .
In scripture God tells us we need to have a vision, a dream, a plan and ask for His guidance to pursue the vision in line with His will not our own. Habakkuk 2:2-3, “Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it will linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” This scripture encourages us to show patience and if we are following God’s vision, it may tarry but will come to fruition. Our society continues to be more and more impatient in all areas of our life. The computer is not loading quick enough or why is God not answering my question. It will happen in his time but that does not mean we do not plan and follow God’s vision for our life. Take time each day to present your requests to Him, and when the time is right You will know. God uses patience and waiting to give us the very best. Catherine Marshall discusses this in her book “Adventures in Prayer.” Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (KJV) My favorite version of this scripture is in the King James Version. There is also a chorus with these words that are so powerful. Keep asking, God wants us to bring our requests to Him.
Memories inspire our future
Many are aware of Corrie Ten Boom who was an author and speaker who survived the holocaust. What an extraordinary life she lived. She can inspire many with her stories and encouraging quotes. One such quote she had was “memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.” Often I have questioned whether I spend too much time on memories and I think there is a fine line between memories, today and the future. Our memories can give such joy and sadness, yet inspire us for the future. I often think of others who have had a difficult past but it sets in motion the future. Joyce Meyer was one of those individuals who had a difficult upbringing and challenges in her early life, but the lives she has inspired and shared the story of salvation and living a life for Jesus makes us realize, sometimes God uses the bad for good. Although we still do not understand, we know that God has our best interest in mind. My husband passed without enjoying our empty nest years, yet I am grateful for our years and his life. Be blessed and use your memories to share your story. Psalms 105:5 “Remember the wonderful works He has done, His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced.” (CSB) We are encouraged to remember God’s wonders and then also his judgments. Move forward by remembering without dwelling on the past.
We have a way . . .
To mess things up and then God has to correct them. In God’s Word we learn that blood has been the sacrifice we bring before God for our sins. We also read that being prideful and making a name for ourselves for the sake of people looking at us and He stops that when it does not glorify Him or is not in line for His plan. The city in which the Tower of Babel was built so people everywhere would know them when God confused the languages and individuals spoke in different languages. Then the Pentecost and God allowed people to understand each other's languages. He allowed it when it was used to glorify Him. Why do we insist on doing things our way? God’s way is the narrow way but the right way. We also learn in scripture that families in Egypt were to take a year old lamb and sacrifice it and put the blood over their door and the plague would pass over their household. This is just a brief summary of two things God has said He would do and He did. As we sacrifice during this season of prayer and fasting (sacrifice god’s we have) and instead spend time praying for things for furthering His kingdom, let’s remember the ultimate sacrifice He made.
The curtain . . .
In Hebrews we learn that the only way we could have access to God was through a curtain with purple, scarlet and blue twisted linen. This curtain was four inches thick and was the only way to enter God’s Holy Place. The Jewish even realized they didn’t have constant access to the Holy Place. As we considered what the crucifixion removed that curtain and gave us access through Jesus Christ. It is time to meditate on this amazing grace that our Heavenly Father gave us if we just ask. When Noah and his family were saved by entering The Ark it did not remove sin from him, he was still a sinner. But Praise God we were given the opportunity to have someone else to be punished for our sins if we ask for forgiveness. Jesus took our sin that day when he was crucified and said “it is finished.”
Lent . . .
Why celebrate Lent? If you celebrate the Lent season, which is the 40 days of fasting that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday. Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting that starts the 40 days of lent which is 6 ½ weeks leading up to Easter. When you see some individuals that have ashes on their forehead, this comes from the Jewish traditions. Although we should be doing this throughout the year, it is a time to turn to God. We remember the events leading up to Easter and Christ’s crucifixion. Self discipline is an important part of the lent season and giving up those things that are luxuries. Many give up meats, chocolates, caffeine but it can be anything. Maundy Thursday, the night before Jesus' crucifixion is when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. As we celebrate the sacrifice and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ this lent season what can we sacrifice for Him.
How can we renew our mind?
The Bible tells us in Romans 2:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” This scripture tells us that Christians need to be continually renewing our minds. We need to stay focused on Him, on His Word and always doing what is right. In the book of Romans we learn that we can only hope for what we don’t see. In Romans 8:24-25, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” The Book of Romans, written by Paul to the Roman Christians was to encourage them and lift them up in their faith. We all have complete access to God if we so choose. Remember God allows us to choose, he is not a dictator but there are consequences if we choose not to accept Him into our lives and fulfill “The Great Commission.” We can choose eternal damnation when we leave this world or we can choose to live with Him eternally. Many times we say, “I’ll do that later, right now I want to do my thing.” This may not come out of our mouths but it is definitely the minds of many. So don’t wait, choose Jesus!
Being thankful!
It is difficult sometimes when we are going through difficult times to be thankful. How can we be thankful when we don’t feel like or are struggling with trials in our life. We read in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Sometimes it seems impossible for us to do. I Chronicles 16:34 tell us “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” We have the assurance that God loves us and thanking him daily even through difficult times gives us hope and encouragement. Make a “thankful” jar to sit out and at least once a day put one thing in the jar that you're thankful for. At the dinner table, share something you are thankful for. Start a prayer by being thankful. In the morning when you rise, give thanks and throughout the day.
Why take communion?
Today we remembered what Jesus did for all of us by taking communion. We take communion when we have a relationship with Christ. We need to repent before we take communion and allow it to represent his body and his blood He sacrificed for us so that we may have eternal life. In 1 Corinthians 11:28 “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup” and having a time to do that prior to taking communion is important. Anyone who takes communion is “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord” I Corinthians 11:27. As I observed and partook of the communion today, it may be we realize this is not only a personal thing between God and I but it also represents to others in the church or visitors that I am not afraid to go before others to partake of communion. This is my reflection on taking communion and the importance of it.
CHOICES . . . something we do everyday is to make choices. We choose to avoid things, procrastinate, or choose another path. But those two things - avoidance and procrastination are choices we make. These choices can give us unavoidable consequences. For example, if we need to exercise to receive certain health benefits as our doctors encourage us to do we see some positive outcomes, however, when we do not follow through and incorporate that into our regular life we may see negative results that sometimes are irreversible. Financial situations, and I have been guilty of this, and that is to “fly by the seat of our pants.” I get paid, spend what I want, then pay my bills. Choosing to not have a budget and follow some financial guidelines and saying “oh, I’ll pay that next week” or “they give me a grace period, it’ll be fine.” Those avoidance or procrastination habits we develop can have grave consequences and can even put us out of our home or car. The Bible does address avoidance and procrastination. “Let all things be done decently and in order.” I Corinthians 14:40 (NIV) “Those who wait for perfect weather will never plant seeds; those who look at every cloud will never harvest crops.” Ecclesiastes 11:3 (NCV) These scriptures are to the point and make us think about procrastination and avoiding things. Start paying those bills as soon as you get paid, don’t leave debt unpaid, fill up the gas next so you have gas to do what needs done, or go for a walk instead of watching tv. “I’ll do it tomorrow” is a way to procrastinate and avoid. “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” John 9:4 (NKJV) Why do we need to keep our dishes done? We do not know if we will have a power outage and cannot do the dishes. Leaving dirty dishes sit for days with no water will not only cause us to have no clean dishes but also make our house smell terrible. This may be a strange scenario but I have found it true a few times. Keeping our house in order prevents challenges later. Keeping our hearts in order, having a personal relationship with God is necessary because we do not know when the night will come.
This I wrote sometime ago . . .
I read a quote yesterday and it is something that I have always believed but it just resonated with me and caused me to reflect on the importance of living our lives in this manner. “Time is like a river. You cannot touch the same water twice because the flower that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of life.” - Unknown.
As I look back on my life I realize that so many times I should have savored and enjoyed every moment good and bad and use the experience as a point of growth and learning. I tell mothers of young children who are struggling because of the chaos, please enjoy every moment of messy spills and busy schedules and all that goes along with a young family because all too soon it will be gone. Life is not perfect, people are not perfect and when we are consumed with unnecessary things that mean nothing we make ourselves miserable. Take for example a young mother or father who might feel they have no time for themselves. You cannot get back time. And the time spent with that little one is gone forever. I remember a song I came across when our youngest was a baby and I sang it to him every night, in the middle of the night when we were alone and I was tired. “Rockabye, rockabye, Oh baby oh . . . Out from the covers what do I see, two little eyes looking at me . . .” This song brought tears to my eyes many nights but it brought such joy and I knew from having two older children the time goes by so fast.
So today and everyday make each minute count and whether you are spending time with your parents or your children or your husband or a friend or just doing something for yourself, enjoy! Reading a scripture passage today in Ecclesiastes 11:8 it brought to my attention that God wants us to enjoy each day realizing there will be days of darkness. So as You are going through daily experiences, rejoice in them, enjoy them, and make the most of your days.
The Book of Job is focused on suffering and faith. In our lives, we do go through challenging situations and obstacles, tragedies we do not understand. God uses these situations that he allows because of freewill but He uses to strengthen our faith in Him. Even though we question God about something because we do not understand, we must trust Him. Many times we understand once we have gotten through the situation why God allowed it, but there are times we do not know why. Job 13:15 Job expresses his hope in God even though he is going through such difficult times. Job 42:5 “My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You.” (NIV) This comes toward the end of the Book of Job when Job finally realizes he knew right from wrong and always followed the law but now he realized that this relationship with God was not just about following the law but truly knowing Him.
How to live in the world but not be of the world. We are here in this world to share God’s gospel truth and have a life where others see Christ in us. In order to do this, it is impossible to be OF the world and share God’s righteousness, forgiveness and grace. We get caught in our hectic lives of kids, jobs, and social lives that we put our prayer life, our devotional time, reading His Word, and spending time with other believers on the back burner. We will get to it when life slows down. If we have accepted Christ into our lives and we are living in the Spirit, studying His Word, time in prayer and meditation we will begin to find his purpose for our lives. “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.” John 15:19 (CSB) Unfortunately, one of the things we find ourselves in the middle of when we choose to follow God’s law and not mans, we are criticized and in some countries tortured and even killed living our lives as God intended instead of the world. Take time to study His Word, pray for guidance and serve the one true God.
“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27 Regardless of what we may think, God is in control. Sometimes we think we need to be in control, but ultimately he has the last say. When we use the wisdom God gives us and leave the rest to Him, we can have faith that nothing is too difficult for Him. God gives us the Holy Bible which is not only a history book but an instruction manual for how to live a Godly life. We find many times throughout the Bible where men and women choose their own path and how they ended up in difficult situations. I remember a young person telling me one time, “I have to make my own mistakes.” There are consequences to choosing the wrong path. If we choose daily “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22 (NIV) Our Heavenly Father will honor those who honor and follow Him. Start each new day with a prayer asking God to guide all that You do and say, so that You can be a light to others.
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” I Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) We are all called to do the work of the Lord if we have accepted Him as our personal Savior. Does this mean we all need full-time pastors and worship leaders or work in some capacity in a Christian organization. Absolutely not. If Christian did not have jobs in secular society, how would we share God’s Word? How would others see our light shine for Him in our lives? We are all called to serve but it may be in different areas of service. A custodian at a school or hospital, an employee at a restaurant, a teacher, a law enforcement officer, a secretary in a church, and of course the list could go on and on. How can we reach others for Christ? Through our life. Ask God for direction. You serve Him and He will direct your path.
It is a new year and new challenges and blessings await us. Just as we celebrate the birth of a newborn babe, we should also renew our faith in Jesus Christ and live a life that is purposeful and fulfill The Great Commission. Often we get caught up in the world and although it is not intentional, it is necessary for us to take time to allow God to “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalms 51:10-12 (NIV) Do not forget to renew Your spirit by spending time with Him. At the beginning of a new year or a new month is a good time to just recharge and re-evaluate our life and if we are allowing God to be at the center. We read in Ephesians “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV) This reminds us not to let our old life sneak up on us but live intentionally and purposefully for Jesus everyday.
“Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:3 (NIV) Without using faith, it does not increase. When we face challenges in our lives, God allows us to go through them to increase our faith. If we go through life smoothly and we are never challenged to trust in Him, do we really have faith? Scott O’Grady who was a pilot was shot down and how to survive for six days before being rescued. His faith increased during this time and he looks at the entire thing as positive. Most of us may not have viewed it as a positive experience but his faith that week grew immeasurably. Corrie Ten Boom, Joni Eareckson-Tada both had their faith tested repeatedly and the experiences they endured built a faith stronger than we can know. Look at all circumstances with an open mind and heart and know that He is in control.