Category: Uncategorized

One-minute read.

When someone hurts us, doing good for them does not come naturally. Our human nature often drives us to strike back and inflict pain on those who have wronged us. The better we know the person, the more precise our attack.   Enemies come in all forms, and we need the Lord’s help to love them.

Praying for our enemies marks the beginning of a journey to do good for them without expecting anything in return.  Asking the Lord to allow us to view them through His eyes will begin the perspective shift.  As we start to see them as imperfect human beings, our hearts will soften.  Seeking God’s direction will help us find ways to bless them and overcome the hurt.

Ruminating on the offense will cause us to get stuck in it.  But if we apply God’s command to the situation, we will find a way to move forward.  Nothing good comes from swimming in the murky waters of hurt feelings.  As we find ways to cope with the pain and trust the Lord for our healing, we can extend grace and love to others.  Remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross helps us take steps toward reconciliation and restoration.

Journal Question:

What enemy do you need to start praying for today?

Random Act of Kindness:

Do a good thing for someone without expecting anything in return.

One-minute read.

Beginning a forty-day challenge of random acts of kindness starts with forgiveness. When Jesus came to earth, He did so as an act of love. Dying on the cross, Christ took the penalties for our sins, extending grace to us, and committing the defining act of love, giving one’s life for another.

We cannot love without the Savior. God sent His Son so that we can have forgiveness of sins and transformational lives as we learn to accept the love Christ offers and then share it with others.

Random acts of kindness help us put love into practice, introduce people to Jesus, and allow them to meet the Savior. When people witness the change in our lives, they can’t help but wonder what motivated it. Drawn to the Lord’s light in us, they will want to know more. But to accomplish our goal, we must partner with God. We perform our divine tasks not on our strength but His.

Remember what Christ did for us, then do the same for others. Love people, give them grace when needed, and help them live life to the fullest, one act of kindness at a time. You will find the greatest gift in refreshing others as you practice kindness. Knowing that you made someone’s day brighter will invigorate you, helping you step outside of yourself and your problems, and loving others as Jesus commands.

Start today, accept God’s forgiveness for you, then extend it to others and experience the miracle of Christ’s grace.

Journal Question:

Who do you need to forgive today, like Christ forgave you?

Random Act of Kindness:

Give someone a second chance today when they make a mistake.

One-minute read.

After 176 verses, the psalmists admit that he needs the Lord to help him stay on the straight and narrow path.  Time and again, the writer goes astray, despite his best efforts to obey God’s commandments.  When we veer off course, the Shepherd gently guides us back into the fold, protecting us from the evils of the world.

Recognizing and confessing our constant battle with sin opens the door for the Savior to rescue us from ourselves.  No one hurts us more than we hurt ourselves.  Bad decisions have victims, whether us or someone else.  But deciding to place faith in Jesus will never cause regret.  The Lord always comes through, no matter how much we screw up.

Closing out 90 days in the longest chapter of the Bible, remember that God keeps His promises, we can delight in His law, and when we stray, He rescues us.  Meditate on the Lord’s word, memorize His promises, and become more like Jesus as you draw into a deeper relationship with the Savior.

Enjoy the vibrance of living with the Son in your eyes.  Let the warmth of His love empower you to love others, as His breath fills your lungs.  In Christ, your soul lives forever in His glory.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for the salvation we receive through Jesus, which gives us eternal life in Him.  Please help us keep the Son in our eyes and joy in our souls as we follow, obey, and trust in Him.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

We all need help.  No matter how “together” someone appears, we all have broken parts that no one can see, except the Lord. 

Taking golf lessons a few years ago, we talked about reading the putts, something I don’t do well.

“Everyone’s guessing, even the pros,” the instructor said to me.  Learning this helped me take some of the pressure off myself and gave me a sense of grace.

Don’t feel bad about needing help; instead, understand that everyone does.  God knows we need divine assistance, and He delivers.  The Lord’s promises provide hope we can trust, clinging to them in times of need.  His Spirit empowers us and gives us the courage to complete our divine tasks.  The Creator answers our cries for help and gives us directions to help us move forward, out of the valley, to the mountaintop.

At the ready, God’s hand lends needed assistance.  In Christ, we have salvation, and can delight in His laws as we apply them to our lives.  Become like Jesus, love God and others with all you have, and enjoy life in abundance.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us divine assistance every day, in every way.  Please help us recognize Your presence and the aid You give us.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

God moved us unexpectedly.  In less than two months, we left the city and moved to the country, something we hadn’t planned.  Sitting outside, listening to the sounds of nature, the horse neighing from the pasture behind us, fresh air filling our nostrils with delightful scents, praise pours easily from my lips.

At other times, when I’m in the valleys of life, praise pours from my lips because I know I’m not alone.  The Lord always accompanies me.  I remember sitting beside my mother’s hospital bed as she lay recovering from a heart attack, my Bible open in my hands, God’s word comforting me in my distress; never did I feel alone in my struggle.

The Most High God knows the trials we face in this life, as well as the joys.  He experiences them with us, and in the Lord’s word, we find the answers we seek to life’s celebrations and its dilemmas.  The closer we draw to the Savior, the quicker we will recognize His presence and discover His peace that surpasses all understanding, no matter the circumstances.

Let praise pour forth from your lips as you seek God.  Talk to Him about your life, open your heart to His Spirit, and discover the joy of the Lord; you can’t find any other way.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us Your word and presence to guide and direct us.  Please help us seek You in all circumstances, praising You on the mountaintops and in the valleys.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Article after article gives me instructions on how to potty train our new puppy.  Following their instructions, taking Ruby out on a leash to a designated area every 30-60 minutes, hasn’t yielded consistent results.  Frustrated, I turned to the Lord in prayer, and He led me to this verse:

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”

Proverbs 12:10

Crying out to the Lord, God gave me understanding in His word that helped me come up with a plan for Ruby.  The Lord cares for every detail of our lives, although some people debate whether He cares about the small stuff; they forget one thing: God’s sovereignty.

The Lord created the world in seven days, moves mountains with a flick of His finger, and heals the sick with a word.  We determine size, but the Almighty doesn’t, He can do anything, no matter how big or small we think the issue.

God wants to hear your problems, no matter the size.  He never intended for us to face life alone.  When Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our paths.  Living in the center of our heart, God guides us from within our souls and helps us face any problem if we ask.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for guiding us through Your word and Spirit.  Please help us understand how to apply it to our lives and follow You closely.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Does knowing God knows all your ways intimidate you?  My parents instilled in me a fear of the Lord from an early age, and I’ve never lived thinking He didn’t know.  But I thought the Creator didn’t care, a lie from the devil that I believed.

I’ve had tough questions asked of me.  Why did God take my son?  Where was God when my daughter died?  How come God allowed those people to suffer?  All difficult questions because I don’t have an answer.  I know we each have an allotted number of days on Earth, and only the Lord knows the exact amount.  Why some live longer than others, only God has those answers.

We gain hope from the Lord’s testimonies.  Hope that those who sow in tears will reap in joy (Psalm 126:5).  Jesus told us in this world we would have trouble, but take heart, He overcame the world (John 16:33).  And one day, we will dwell with the Lord in heaven where He will wipe every tear away, we will have no more pain, and every knee shall bow (Rev
21:4).

Delighting in the Lord’s testimonies means trusting His promises, even if we don’t understand His ways.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us a hope that we can count on in today’s world.  Please comfort us in our grief, and help us trust You no matter what happens.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

“The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”

Oswald Chambers

Hoping for God’s salvation and living by His commandments demonstrates a reverent awe for the Lord, as well as a proper respect for the Creator of the world. Knowing we’ve done what God instructed us to do gives us great peace. But when we knowingly go against the Almighty’s precepts, we will not experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.

As a golfer, the game tests integrity more than any other game because you call penalties on yourself. If you drop a stroke from your score, no one notices. However, I realize that God knows, which motivates me to record the correct score. At the end of the round, when I tally up my card, knowing I kept an honest score gives me peace.

Life works the same way. When we acknowledge God’s all-knowing presence in our lives, it helps us recognize and confess our sin and receive His grace and peace. Living in sin brings turmoil, but when we lay it at the foot of the cross, we find the peace only Jesus can give.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us peace that surpasses all understanding when we align our hearts with Yours.  Search our hearts and reveal areas we need to confess so we can receive the grace You offer.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Current headlines tell the tale of two politicians, friends just a month ago, now bitter enemies.  Reading comments, people speculate over the truth of the situation.  True or false?  Fall out or hoax?  Media strategy or actual events?  No one knows, only time will tell the truth.  The fact that so much falsehood exists in our world makes it hard for anyone to decipher the truth.

However, with God, we can find it.  Because His righteous rules stand the test of time, applying them to any situation will bring light to the darkness.  Everyone has ulterior motives, myself included.  Sometimes, we don’t realize that we have impure intentions.  But the Lord will show us our iniquities if we allow Him to search our hearts.

Not only will we discover our shortcomings, but He will help us decipher the truth in other areas.  Gaining a master’s in strategic communication taught me the algorithms used to gain attention and build followings.  People follow rabbit holes and get lost in lies without even realizing it.  We need divine intervention to keep us on the straight and narrow, not falling for the ploys of the world.

Abhor falsehood, seek divine truth.  Withhold judgment until God and time reveal the lies.  Understand, everyone has a tale to tell, but that doesn’t make it true.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us a compass to discern truth.  Please help us apply Your precepts to our lives, allowing You to search our hearts and lead us in the way of truth.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

As a kid, I loved to go on imaginary treasure hunts.  One stands out in my mind more than most.  Arriving at summer camp, we had the opportunity to go exploring.  Leading my newfound friends, I found a cave.  Without qualms, I rushed into the dark cavern, sure we would find hidden treasure within its midst.  Alas, we did not, but I still remember the feeling of adventure from that day.

Mining God’s word and discovering its secrets yields wondrous treasures.  The more I learn about scripture, the more the context and continuity amaze me.  Ruth, my favorite book in the Bible, came from the Moabite clan.  I learned that the Moabites came from the illicit conception of Moab from Lot and his eldest daughter, who tricked her father into sleeping with her by getting him drunk. 

The Moabites, pagans, worshipped false gods, but when Ruth married Mahlon, a Judean refugee, she encountered the true God and became a believer.  From dire beginnings, the Moabitess became the great-grandmother of David and secured a place in the lineage of Christ.  Ruth’s story of redemption reminds me of God’s grace and mercy for ordinary people who choose to trust and follow Him.

Mine scripture and find great spoils that will draw you deeper into a relationship with the Savior, and help you trust God’s word more and more.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for the riches found in Your word.  Please help us learn more and more about the treasures of scripture and apply it to our lives.

IJNIP. Amen