God Speaks

I travel on a dusty road. Some days the sun shines its warmth on my face. And other days I just know the sun shines even though I cannot see it beyond the clouds.

I travel on a broken road. Some days the voice of God whispers in my ear. And other days I just know God speaks even though I cannot hear him this side of heaven.

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." -Jesus (John 10:27)

Thieves

Time steals from my plans when I find myself needing more hours in the day and fewer demands on my time. But then I realize that time is not the thief, I am.

I am the thief whose plans are actually stealing from God's best plans for my life.

So ask yourself today:
Is time stealing from you? Or are you stealing from God's best plans?

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
-Jeremiah 29:11

A Relationship

We cannot inherit a personal relationship with Christ from the traditions of our family. But we can inherit a religion. Like a patchwork quilt from Grandma's attic, we sometimes pick and choose the pieces of the gospel we want to have sewn into the fabric of our lives. But God offers so much more for us than that.

What is it you are settling for today?

Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." -Revelation 3:20

The First Step

I stand on the banks of reality, unsure of whether or not I feel ready to get my feet wet as they remain comfortable in the warm sand. But as each wave laps on the shore inch by inch, reality seems inevitable. So I take a deep breath and suddenly the truth overcomes my emotions. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," I whisper.

Is there a step toward reality you need to take today?

Perhaps it's time to get your feet wet.

Goals

Grand achievements get birthed from even grander ambitions. But even the grandest of ambitions can be marred by the greatest illusions. As the new year dawns, are we setting God-sized goals or me-sized goals?

P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N

Perfection is a thief who steals joy from my hands before clinching her claws tightly around my heart. Each day she slips her calling card in my pocket with printed letters that read "selfish" and "indulgent".
But when I lift my hands in surrender to the Lord, she cannot reach them. And one at a time the Lord pries her boney fingers from my heart.

What is gripping you?

Running

We cannot run from the things God places in our lives to shape our character. Running only breeds discontentment. And discontentment reveals that we know we have what we want but we sometimes wonder if we want what we have.

What is it you are running from today? Or what areas of your life show discontentment?

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." -1 Timothy 6:6