Your Custom Text Here
Here-I-am days aren’t very satisfying. That’s because all the joy is hidden in there-you-are.
Father, please open my eyes today to the joy of being other-focused.
“This is my (joyous) command: love each other.” John 15:17 (words in parentheses added)
The more you try not to worry, the more you spin your wheels. The only way to get traction is to put one particular thing in God’s hands right now (and then keep on leaving it there).
“Do not take [your burden] to Him . . . and then take [it] all back. . . . Leave it with the Lord. . . . Trust and worry cannot go together.” Hannah Whitall Smith
“Entrust your way of living to the Lord. . . .” Psalm 37:5
Changing together happens little by little, day by day, and yes by yes, until gardens are growing where desert used to be.
“The Lord . . . will make [their] deserts like Eden, and [their] wastelands like the garden of the Lord.” Isaiah 51:3
Eden: a place of pleasure and delight
Our way is tit-for-tat. God’s way is a lot higher.
“[P]ray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:28
“[P]rayer might be defined as loving our neighbor on our knees.” Charles. H. Brent
When you finally stop playing Wizard of Oz and start letting people see behind the curtain, you can finally rest. It’s one of God’s good surprises.
“Beware of posing as a profound person; God became a baby.” Oswald Chambers
“[C]lothe yourselves with humility toward one another. . . .” 1 Peter 5:5
If your father is harsh and demanding, you might do the right thing because you can’t bear his disapproval. If he is compassionate and gracious, you just can’t bear to hurt him.
“[Jesus] look[ed] around at them, . . . grieved at their hardness of heart. . . .” Mark 3:5
Father, create in me the kind of heart that delights You.
