September 09

God’s Plan for Me


For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son….

Romans 8:29a (NKJV)


For God knew his people in advance and he chose them to become like his Son….

Romans 8:29a (NLT)


He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.

Romans 8:29a (The Message)


As hard as this truth may seem, God wants to make me just like His Son, Jesus Christ; and He is willing and planning to do just that. So, as a follower of Christ, I am not to just learn about my Lord and Savior, I am:
- to be conformed to His image

- to become like Him

- to have my life shaped along the same lines

“But Jesus suffered and died!”

True. But my focus is not on the World’s reactions, but on Christ and His character. It is a character of humility. It is a character of thoughtfulness. It is a character of love.

The many facets of Christ’s godliness fit neatly into the packaging of God’s plan, and God’s plan is what my life is all about.

God’s plans for me: beautiful!


Father, show me Your will! Amen.

September 08

My Enemy


But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to you.

Luke 6:27-28 (NCV)


Boy, is this passage convicting. Have you ever had someone hurt you … on purpose? Know someone who goes out of her way to make your life miserable?

I have.

I’m sorry to say I’ve taken the middle road—that is to say, I have done nothing … except maybe complain to friends. Sure I haven’t retaliated; I haven’t gotten even; but is that all Jesus expects of me? To do nothing? No. He wants me to be proactive for the benefit of my enemy. He tells me to do good, to bless, and to pray for this individual. So ... I will do good to him; I will bless him; I will pray for him—starting now.

Do you have a similar situation? If so, let’s do this together. Let’s start listening to what Jesus has to say … let’s start loving our enemies.


Father, thank You for this convicting truth: it’s not enough to refrain from retaliation. You want me active, doing good to my enemies, to those who don’t deserve it … just like You did for me. Open this path to reconciliation and peace. Amen.

September 07

Enough!


Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully. Don’t lose sight of my words.

Proverbs 4:20-21 (NLT)


Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Ephesians 4:29b (NLT)


When left to our own thoughts and imaginations, we tend toward the negative—those worst case scenarios that tend to haunt us. In turn, we express our dreaded expectations.

God says, “Enough!”

Instead of fixating on the negative and the mundane, we are to trust in Him and in His gracious provision. We are to listen and draw strength from His comforting words of encouragement and His promise—not of coddling prosperity but of comforting provision.

We can trust God. We can believe His words and something more; we can encourage others with the same thoughts. These same words: positive words, good words, helpful words.


Lord, let everything I say be an encouragement to those who hear. Amen.

September 06

His Sweet Peace


His peace will guard your hearts and minds….

Philippians 4:7b (NLT)


People, relationships, life: more and more these things fill my mind. Like yesterday.

Yesterday, I was sitting in my car at the soccer fields waiting for my youngest son to finish his practice. He was new to the game; I think it was his third session; but boy, did he have it down—and what a sight!

His oversized practice jersey covered so much of his body only a head, two forearms and a couple of short but quick legs protruded. He seemed in constant motion—a red ghost chasing the ball all over the field.

I’m prejudiced, I know, but I think he was the best defensive player out there. So much energy! Run and kick the ball. Return to position. Run and kick the ball away. He was one of eight bobbing heads but by far the liveliest. He made a fine fullback.

At one point he even headed the ball to mid-field. I smiled; and the coach laughed as the recoil sent my son to the ground … but not for long. In a flash, he was up and floating back to the ball.

I smile, but then I get sober, because I came so close to missing all this. Alex almost wasn’t ... until the peace of God saved him.

Three times I scheduled a vasectomy, and three times we canceled. It just wasn't right. You see, I had no peace with it; so it didn't happen. That was almost ten years ago, and I can honestly say, His peace guarded my heart and mind … and an eight-year old boy named Alex.


Father, continue to speak to my heart and show me Your way. Amen.

September 05

The Common Miracle


… he said to Simon, “Now go where it’s deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish.”

“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked all night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, we’ll try again.” And this time their nets were so full they began to tear!

Luke 4:5-6 (NLT)


I need this passage; and I love this story. I want to make it my own, don’t you? Oh, to have my eyes opened like Simon Peter’s: to see God work through me!

This lesson from Christ is so simple and so true; and it is just as real for me now as it was for Simon and all his fishing buddies. It’s this understanding that God’s fruit, God’s bounty comes when we abandon our plans, our efforts and give ourselves completely to His.

That’s it. This simple truth: when I follow His instructions, He does in my life what I never could.

For many of us, it’s a miracle indeed … a miracle we all can share!


Lord, speak to my heart, open my eyes, and do great things through me. Amen.

September 04

Doing God’s Work


When Jesus returned to the house where he was staying, the crowds began to gather again, and soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.

Mark 3:20 (NLT)


This verse catches my attention today, because I am in the middle of a family reunion … in my house. Aunts, uncles, cousins and parents—all wonderful people—crowd the kitchen and dining room. I’m sure it’s not even a small taste of what Jesus encountered with the mass of individual expectations begging His attention.

But when I read about Jesus, I understand He focused on the physical as a way to emphasize the spiritual. Sure, people were physically healed, but that wasn’t the end purpose. The physical was not the real priority and it’s seen by the fact Jesus denied Himself that He might do the work God called Him to. At times like this, He went without food or sleep to touch souls as well as bodies. Certainly, He healed the lame and gave eyesight to the blind, but He also spoke. He taught and taught and taught that their lives might find deeper meaning.

Ultimately, Jesus would die on a cross. And saving the world meant so much more than the physical … yet it included all of it—the sweat, the pain, the tears. Again, it played a part in Christ’s mission, but ultimately the mission was about having a heart for others—a love for the World at large (John 3:16).

So, my challenge is to look beyond the physical, to look beyond my rights, my needs, my desires. Instead, I need look to the needs of others and consider as Jesus did, “What would the Father have me do?”


Lord God, show me Your work, Your will for me. Amen.

September 03

What to Pray For?


And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will.

1 John 5:14 (NLT)


On the spur of the moment, I asked my son to say a blessing, to pray before we ate dinner. It was a family reunion, and the table was full of aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents. My son seemed pleased to be asked to pray, but then part way through, he seemed to draw a blank. Finally, not knowing what to say, he blurted out the thing that’s most often on his heart, “… and give us a fun time! Amen.”

At the heart of it, I’m not too sure this isn’t the way many of us pray. We ask for ourselves: for some “fun” thing, or for God to take away our pain.

But what does God want to hear?

I believe, first off, He wants our praise and thanks (Psalm 100:4). And certainly, He is pleased when we show love for our neighbor by praying for him or her (James 5:16). Finally, there are our own requests (Philippians 4:6,7). No doubt about it: we have needs too.

While it’s natural to pray for great things for ourselves, real contentment comes when we pray according to His will. Like when we express our love for Him and for our neighbors, and when we ask for our daily bread … yet all the while being thankful for what we have … for what He‘s done … and for what we know He will do. This is when our prayer becomes effective.

Prayer becomes powerful and all things become possible, because we pray for what we know He wants.


Father, thank You for allowing us the blessing of prayer. Hear our prayer, O Lord. Hear our prayer. Amen.

September 02

Praying for those in Authority


I urge you first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NLT)


The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon that king. The Spirit will give him wisdom and understanding, guidance and power. The Spirit will teach him to know and respect the Lord. … he will judge the poor honestly; he will be fair in his decisions…. Goodness and fairness will give him strength….

Isaiah 11:2,4,5 (NCV)


Our President is not a king, yet many would agree, he is the most powerful person on earth. Whatever your view of the President, whether your are overjoyed with him or under whelmed, pleased with his performance or anything but, our President is in a position to do good things … or not.

I have no doubts, the man needs prayer. We all do. We are all human, and without God’s touch on our lives, we are destined to go our own way which, too many times is to go astray.

So this morning, I am convicted to pray for our President more than I have. Once a week is not enough. Not in my book. Not after reading these passages, and not after seeing where we are today. Once a week is not enough for someone wielding such authority and shouldering such a weight.

Today, I begin praying every day. Will you pray too?


Lord, grant our President wisdom to lead well. Guide all our leaders and this nation into better things. Amen.

September 02

Praying for those in Authority


I urge you first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NLT)


The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon that king. The Spirit will give him wisdom and understanding, guidance and power. The Spirit will teach him to know and respect the Lord. … he will judge the poor honestly; he will be fair in his decisions…. Goodness and fairness will give him strength….

Isaiah 11:2,4,5 (NCV)


Our President is not a king, yet many would agree, he is the most powerful person on earth. Whatever your view of the President, whether your are overjoyed with him or under whelmed, pleased with his performance or anything but, our President is in a position to do good things … or not.

I have no doubts, the man needs prayer. We all do. We are all human, and without God’s touch on our lives, we are destined to go our own way which, too many times, is to go astray.

So this morning, I am convicted to pray for our President more than I have. Once a week is not enough. Not in my book; not after reading these passages. Once a week is not enough for someone wielding such authority and shouldering such a weight.

Today, I begin praying every day. Will you pray too?


Lord, grant our President wisdom to lead well. Guide all our leaders and this nation too. Amen.