Almost every work day morning I am blessed with watching the sunrise on my drive to work. As the seasons pass I am in various parts of my drive when the sun makes its appearance. Today’s scripture reminds me that I am called to praise God all day, not just during my morning devotion time. As I studied this morning I found that Psalm 111, 112, and 113 begin with “Praise the Lord.”
On this Thankful Thursday, begin your day by reading one of the above Psalms of thanksgiving. May the words of praise remain on the tips of our tongue today, may we look today through a lens of thanksgiving, and may we praise God throughout our day.
Last Sunday, as we arrived for worship, our church family was greeted by the words of Psalm 91 written on the sidewalk leading to the sanctuary. What a beautiful surprise! Although no one has come forward as the person who took such time and patience to write out the scripture, I am in awe of the courage it took to undertake this task. This person didn’t choose to write a short scripture, but one that included 16 verses. I wonder how this person would have responded if someone happened to come to the church as he/she was writing? Was he/she nervous while writing or confident in his/her purpose? Was this act a mission or ministry carried out with deliberate purpose? One thing is certain. The person who took such time did so for no attention or self glory.
Now examine your daily walk. Do you have a mission or ministry that you do quietly or without others knowing? It could be leaving encouraging notes or messages. Perhaps you randomly pay the order for the people behind you in the drive-thru. Maybe when you go to Aldi you leave the quarter in the cart so the next person doesn’t have to put in a quarter to borrow the cart.
On this Water Walking Wednesday I encourage you to step out of your boat on a mission to “secretly” show the love of Christ. Sometimes it’s hard for us to do secret acts because we will likely not see how the act is received. However choose your mission prayerfully and allow God to do the rest.
As you pray about what your secret mission will be, take some time to read the entire chapter of Psalm 91 that was so beautifully written on our church sidewalk.
Sunday, during communion, our praise team sang “New Wine” by Hillsong Worship. The lyrics reminded me of our call to be a vessel for God. I like the Message version of the following scripture.
“In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21 MSG
Are you a vessel that God can use? Are you open to the crushing and pressing that may be occurring to make new wine from you? My Transformation Tip this Tuesday is that you take some time to really listen to the lyrics of this song and allow God to mold you into “the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift.” Ask God to help you surrender to the call placed on your life. Today may each of us be open vessels ready to serve the new wine God is making out of us.
Yesterday I was able to enjoy the sun’s reflection on water and revel at the beauty. As I basked in the warm glow, I observed how bright the reflection of the sun was compared to the rest of the water. Notice how the reflection bleeds out into the water, but the further away from the reflection, the darker the water gets. This reminds me to examine my own reflection. The more time I spend in prayer and devotion, the brighter I shine for Christ. Likewise, the farther I move away from Christ, the less I reflect His light in my words and actions. Read James 1:22-25 below and then spend some time examining yourself.
Do you spend time “hearing” God’s word? Do you hear the word and then fail to follow through in your words and actions? Are you reflecting the love of Christ?
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1:22-25 NIV
Below is a link to an older praise song, “Shine Jesus Shine.” Prayerfully listen to the songs as you examine your own reflection.
Max and Abby take resting seriously. In fact, Abby follows me around waiting for me to finally sit down so she can lay on my lap and rest. Most days, when I get home from work, I am on the go nonstop preparing supper, cleaning up from supper and then preparing for the next day. However, on Sundays I try to make time for rest. The picture above was actually taken last Sunday.
Rest is important. The definition even says the purpose of rest is to refresh oneself and recover strength. The Bible tells us that even God rested.
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” Genesis 2:2-3 NIV
Today is Spiritual Sunday. I encourage you to keep this Sabbath holy by spending time in worship. While you worship, rest in the presence of your Maker. Then after your time of worship, be still and cease work. Allow time for yourself to relax, refresh yourself, and recover strength. Rest. God said so.
Some Fridays feel like you have come to the end of traveling a long rode. We are back to adapting which means to adjusting to new changes. Have you been in survival mode this week? How can we finish this Friday strong? God says all we have to do is come to Him in Matt 11:28-30 NIV; “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
I love the response to the question, how do you eat an elephant? “One bite at a time”. I encourage us all today to take it one minute, one bite at a time. May we all lean into God to carry us through to our weekend.
On this Thankful Thursday I am thankful for my church. I love that I get to worship in God’s house, fellowship with fellow Christians, small groups with friends, and oh how I miss the potluck gatherings.
Did you know that we as Christians are the church? Our bodies house the Holy Spirit. We are God’s temple. I am especially thankful for our Run for God group. We get to talk about God, take care of our temples, and fellowship with one another.
I encourage you to evaluate how you are caring for your temple. Are you taking time for yourself? Both mental and physical health are so important. I would love to hear what your routine is. Maybe it’s walking, yoga, or riding your bike.
On this Thankful Thursday let’s thank God for the opportunity to get active for Him! I am also thankful to get active with family. Below are pictures of me running with our twins and riding bikes with my husband.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV
