MACIE'S FAMILY
Today's reading: Nehemiah 5-9

I'll admit, I read my suggested Bible reading for the day--but that's not where my head is.

I tried to focus on the life and times of Nehemiah, but my head kept going back to Macie, the little girl in Isaiah's 4th grade class and his homework assignment.

No, not the math facts page I had to check. Not the spelling words he wrote neatly five times each. Not even the written report he finished up on king cobras. It was the other assignment Mrs. Yadro gave the kids that is on my heart and mind.

Yesterday the class was wondering where in the world Macie was. Apparently at lunch time, Mrs. Yadro had found out and then assigned the homework for the kids...

Macie's dad is in the final stages of a fight with cancer. The doctors are giving him very little time to live. That's where Macie was, beside her Dad.

The godly 4th grade teacher God selected for our family this year asked each of the kids in class to pray at home for Macie and her family.

And we have. When we got home Isaiah asked to pray, and God heard my son pray for his friend. At the dinner table, Isaiah prayed for Macie and her family before we ate. At bedtime, her name was mentioned again.

I can honestly tell you that I don't care how Isaiah does on his spelling test this week--because I know he learned SO much more in the special assignment given to him. The king cobra report might or might not gain high marks--it concerns me very little in comparison to what I saw develop in the life of my son regarding the 'Macie homework'. The math? He'll have it completed for class to day--but I'll almost guess Mrs. Yadro will have a hard time keeping her mind and the minds of the little ones she's in charge of on anything but their friend and her burden.

My prayers are for Macie and her family today--but also for a teacher willing to step out of the way and allow God to teach a very important lesson in love and care--and prayer.

WILLING TO RISK IT?
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 23-25

"...He must not see any shameful thing among you, or he might turn away from you." Deuteronomy 23:14 NLT

Is there anything going on in your life, filling your thoughts or taking time away from Him that might be shameful?

Anything you're trying to hide from Him, hoping He doesn't see--because you know He doesn't approve?

Anything? Anything at all?

I don't think you're really wanting to risk Him turning away from you in a time of need. I doubt you desire being shunned by the Lord himself.

What I really don't think you want to happen is that some shameful thing in your life prevents Him from being able to answer your most heartfelt prayer.

Willing to risk it?

HOLY LANDS
Today's reading: 1 John 4-5

Well, I don't think I've ever been as disgusted as I was last night.

I'd made arrangements to be in front of the television, very rare for me, to watch a special on PBS--a tour of the Holy Lands. I was so looking forward to it! The sights, the sounds, the historical accounts, even the food.

The channel came in clear enough. The narrator was also the tour guide, had a British accent and was very easy to listen to. The video and pictures were breathtaking. But?

But they glossed over the Garden of Gethsemane, a brief shot of the Sea of Galilee, a momentary mention of the Valley of Dry Bones and the direct path between it and the Golden Gate where Christ will return.

Ugggh!

How in the world could someone stand in the place where Jesus stood, worked and breathed--and not be wrought with emotion? How could the narrator have not reached out and touched one of the olive trees in the Garden, knowing Jesus Christ might have touched the same? How could they not spend a few minutes sitting by the edge of the Sea, watching the waves--amazed that they are still under the control of this Man from Nazareth? Did the television crew rub elbows with descendants of the Woman With The Issue Of Blood--would it have mattered to them?

And then, I thought of myself--and was even more disgusted...

I walk in the paths Christ has walked upon each and every day. Paths He has prepared for me. Roads He has ordained and purposed for me to tread. And I mumble, grumble and take His part in my day for granted.

I place my hands on things, every day, that He has handed to me. My family, my home, my vehicle, my desk. Things He has given me directly. Things I could see His fingerprints upon--if I chose to look.

I come in contact with people whose lives Jesus of Nazareth has changed. People who have been brought back from the dead. People whose 'issues' have been healed. Brothers and sisters in Christ who have come in contact with God's Son--and walked away different!

And I pass right by. I barely acknowledge. I overlook. I act just like that production crew and narrator, presenting facts but not reaching the real Jesus.

Today I'm going to look deeper. Today I'm going on more than a sight-seeing mission, I'm focusing on Christ's love at work around me--in the Holy Lands where I live!

"This is real love..." 1 John 4:10 NLT

ON THE WAY
Today's reading: Acts 19-20

Every Christian awaits the moment in which they realize the purpose they were created for. The day or hour in which their Christianity is put to the test--and we pass with flying colors. The circumstance we find ourselves in that proves our faith, glorifies God and draws another closer to Him.

We all wait for that special time.

But what are you doing in the meantime?

Paul was a hugely important Christian in his time. He had a testimony that wowed his listeners. He had determination and zeal. He had clout. He spoke constantly and to some pretty impressive crowds. He wrote, and now we read what he wrote. He experienced, and now we draw strength from what he learned in those moments. But what's most interesting is what I found here...

"Along the way, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through..." Acts 20:2 NLT

Paul not only shone in the big, spotlighted venues God called him to speak to, he also made the concerted effort to spread it in between!

We need to be doing the same. Speak about God constantly. Study as if each day were your big test. Believe, wholeheartedly believe. Today may or may not be our 'time to shine', regardless, there will undoubtedly be some folks along the way we can encourage and uplift.

On the way to your 'moment', make the best of the journey!

BLESSING BLOCKER
Today's reading: Malachi

I see it almost every day in the lives of those wanting God's blessing, but not willing to give up 'themselves' and their desires.

I hear it repeatedly in prayer requests and the ho-hum attitudes of those stating, 'Well, I know what I should be doing, but...'

I experience friends and family members who would love nothing more that God's richest offerings in their lives, but they continue to allow sin to block the blessings.

"Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all? asks the Lord Almighty." Malachi 1:9 NLT

Want to live the fullest and most rewarding life available to you? Give up the sins that are barriers between you and God!

Want to live a life that reaps bounty and blessings, if not in this life, then in the one to come? Separate yourself from evil desires and ungodly ways!

Need mercy? Need grace? Need strength? Need peace? Then make sure there's nothing, nothing at all, blocking the relationship between you and God!

VERY THANKFUL
Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 11-12

As I ponder a mental list of all I'm thankful for, topping it all would be what King Solomon summizes...

"God's ways are as hard to discern as the pathways of the wind, and as mysterious as a tiny baby being formed in a mother's womb." Ecclesiastes 1:5 NLT

I'm most glad God doesn't think like I think!

I'm very thankful He doesn't do for me exactly, and in every circumstance, just what I've asked Him to do!

I'm grateful that I don't always see Him at work, and then am blessed beyond measure to see what He's done!

I'm ecstatic to know the how's, why's, when's and where's of life are safe in His hands--my planner and myself are really not required.

Yep, this Thanksgiving I'm most thankful for the fact that God's ways are mysterious and glorious.

What about you?

THREE LETTER WORDS
Today's reading: Psalm 137-139

Mr. Jones and I had a discussion yesterday at the lumber counter. I'd had it up to the top of my head with his constant use of four-letter words while shopping in my 'mission field', and, well, I squared my shoulders and asked him to stop.

I believe it caught him off guard. He stammered and he stuttered. He began telling me some excuse about having been raised that way, having worked around 'no-goods' who had to be bullied into getting their work done, having gotten into the habit of talking that way. He never apologized. He never told me he wouldn't do it again. He made no promises. He finished writing his check and we parted ways. I'm not sure what I said made any impact, but I felt better about having stated my position on the matter.

I detest the four-letter words a lot of folks in our culture deem necessary to use as a means of expressing themselves. Language like that is disrespectful, rude and of low educational value. Words of that caliber add little to a conversation.

Four-letter words--humphhh!

Then I run across a three-letter word that set my apple cart to tumbling as I had upset Mr. Jones'. It hit square between my eyes. It stared straight in to my heart, directly into my soul. It burned. It made me wiggle in discomfort. It exposed part of me that I'd have just as soon left alone. It's left me listing excuses and looking for a way out of a conversation.

"The Lord will work out his plans for my life..." Psalm 138:8 NLT

His plans. His plans, He says. Not mine. Not the ones I've carefully laid out and penciled in to the planner. Not the plans I've thought about, scheduled and allotted time slots to. Not the plans that I've orchestrated to achieve just what I want--and more.

Mr. Jones may or may not be back in the store. Our chat may or may not have done anything in the way of correcting his social manners. He may choose to have one of the guys wait on him next time he comes in. Either way, the opportunity and the verse have left me a different person. I'm going to watch words more carefully--no, not the words of customers--my own and God's!

NEHEMIAH
Today's reading: Nehemiah 1-4

Nehemiah was a bold guy. He's best known for rebuilding the wall, but there are such complexities to his life that I find him to be quite fascinating:

He was the king's cupbearer--a slave taken from his homeland and still found favorable and worthy enough to be the taste-tester for the king's wine!

He asked the king for just what he needed--and he got it!

He stood up against the politics of the day to accomplish all he believed God was calling him to do--don't we need a few more folks like that!

My favorite, most inspiring, bit of info on this great man is found in the first few verses of his book...

"Please remember what you told your servant Moses..." Nehemiah 1:8 NLT

Nehemiah had the guts to remind God of the promises He had made!

God.

God!

God?

He reminded God that there was still His promise on the books that if the wayward people would return to Him, He would accept them back.

That my friends, is quite gutsy, but that's not what most amazes me about Nehemiah.

You see, Nehemiah had to know the Word in order to be able to trust the Word and remind God of the Word.

Do you know the Word of God well enough to quote it to God? Are you filled with enough Scripture that you can remind God of what you're believing He is supposed to come through on? Could you tell another?

Be a Nehemiah, friend--a Bible reading, Bible believing and Bible quoting child of the Most High!

GETTING IT DONE
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 20-22

Allow me to guess what you heard in church yesterday...

Perhaps, that God loves you.

That God hates sin.

That the ONLY way for you to get to heaven is through the saving blood of Jesus Christ.

That faith in God is what's needed to be victorious.

And today? Today you're grasping to remember just what you heard.

You're trying to remind yourself that God loves you, as unlovable as you believe you are.

That sin is what separates you from Him and getting it out of your heart and life is important.

That your salvation is a monumental, life-changing, beginning of a journey experience!

That faith--well, you're really struggling with that one, aren't you? You believe God can. You believe God has. You believe might want to--for someone, but you? You?

You my friend, are doing just what God commanded us not to do:

"Do not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together." Deuteronomy 22:10 NLT

Stay with me...Animal officianado or not you'll undoubtedly agree with me that oxen and donkeys are two completely different animals. We can probably also agree on the fact that the two animals are different sizes, shapes and design. I'll wager a bet on the fact that we can also agree that God's instructions to the children of Israel were intended to make life easier for them, not harder.

Thus, the instructions about the ox and donkey. It would certainly make for a long day in the field trying to coordinate the efforts of these two beasts of burden. Imagine, if you will, the hours, the patience and the sweat required to convince these two hard working animals that working together would be easier than working separately.

Like you're trying to do with doubt and faith.

It's quite a tussle, isn't it? It's wearying. It's contradictory. It's next to impossible, no--it's impossible.

Friend, it's time you decided if you are going to live by faith or by fear. It's the day of reckoning, God or satan?

THAT TIME AGAIN
Today's reading: 1 John 1-3

The holidays are here! Thanksgiving is within days, Christmas programs are being practiced, baking has begun and Jesus' birthday will be here before you know it. Something else is coming up. Something I await anxiously--my yearly physical.

On one hand I'm looking forward to finding out if this jogging regimen has made any difference what so ever. On the other, well, we all know doctors have a way of bursting our bubbles, surprising us with inopportune diagnosis and suggesting more tests, just to rule a few things out.

Another exam that rolls around this time of year?

"So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness." 1 John 1:6 NLT

How would you do on the exam?

I know most of you say you're Christians, I proclaim the same--but how would we do if the clipboard were brought out and the questions started:

Are your thoughts always godly?

Are your intentions consistently focused on someone other than yourself?

Are the corners, closets and basements of your heart opened to God's penetrating light?

Is your lifestyle one God would approve of? Let's be more specific: How are you living Monday through Saturday?

Are you producing fruit of the Spirit in your words, deeds and ambitions?

Tough test, don't you agree? But He tells us in His Word that what we say means very little if how we're living doesn't match up. To be specific, if they don't match up--He calls us liars.

Take the test. Pray about the results. If you come to the conclusion that 'further tests' need to be performed, seek His opinion and carry out the regimen!

READY OR NOT
Today's reading: Acts 17-18

"When they heard Paul speak of the resurrection of a person who had been dead, some laughed, but others said, We want to hear more about this later." Acts 17:32 NLT

Paul spoke because God asked Him to.

God asked because He knew how desperately people needed to know.

People responded in two ways: laughter/scoffing and interest.

You should be speaking because God has asked you to. The mission is still of the utmost importance. He has not changed His mind about desiring all to come to Him!

So speak, but be prepared for the responses! Remember you're only the messenger--and the message is THAT important!

PRAYER REQUESTS
Today's reading: Zechariah 8-14

Let's begin by having on our mind our hugest prayer request. The one you've been praying about the longest. That request that weighs heaviest on your heart. That loved one that you're wholeheartedly wanting to see won over to Christ. That desire, that you have no doubt in your mind was placed there by God. The supplication that you know is in line with God's will.

All right, are you thinking about it? Is it in the forefront of your mind?

Wait, don't write it off as too big, too far-fetched, too old or that it would require too many miracles to ever see it come to pass.

Don't get all teary-eyed thinking God's forgotten you on this one.

Do not, do not allow satan to whisper doubts in your mind about seeing it answered.

Why?

Glad you asked--just look at the verse I found. It might be just what you're needing to bolster your prayer efforts and fend off any arrows of discouragement...

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: All this may seem impossible to you now...But do you think this is impossible for me, the Lord Almighty?" Zechariah 8:6 NLT

Those are not my words, they come from the Lord Himself: The Lord Almighty!

WHATEVER
Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 9-10

"Whatever you do, do well..." Ecclesiastes 9:10 NLT

I like it, Lord.

I really do.

How you slid that word 'whatever' in there with no parenthesis, addends or asterisks referring to exemptions in the footnotes--very smooth of You.

You're telling me that it's not only the big, on the stage performances that I should shine in. It's not just the instances where fame might be showered upon me for a job well done. It's not referring to only well-practiced, scripted and memorized segments of life that I should give my all to accomplishing.

It's washing the dishes. It's wiping toothpaste splatters off the mirror--again. It's waiting on the customer the other salesmen run from. It's reacting to the aggravating driver in the passing lane. It's writing this devotion each morning and talking about my neighbors.

Whatever I do, I must do well. Whatever is a mighty big word, Lord...you'll help me, won't You?

SAY IT AGAIN
Today's reading: Psalms 134-136

The common theory is that if you do something at least twenty-one times in a row, it becomes a habit. It is ingrained in to your thinking. It begins to reach farther than your senses and becomes a part of who you are.

Twenty-one times?

The fact is that God's Word, our Holy Bible, is God-breathed, God-inspired and written by God through men. Every word, every connotation, every event selected and every character introduced are ordained to effect, encourage, convict or solicit a response.

That being said, it will come to no surprise to you that the repetition of Psalm 136 exceeds twenty-one times. The importance of the words are distinctly and precisely written for us to read again, and again, and again...

"...His faithful love endures forever." Psalm 136 NLT

You needed to know that--He knew it.

You needed to be reminded of it--He knew, so He placed those words in the Scripture.

You needed those exact words to push you forward in all He has planned for you to accomplish--He knew, so He placed those words in the Scripture and He's repeated the words twenty-six times!

You would have a tendency to forget--He knew, so He placed those words in the Scripture, He's repeated the words twenty-six times and He has blessed you with a copy of it, probably more than one.

ELBOW GREASE
Today's reading: Ezra 6-10

As I read Ezra chapter 6, I find King Darius making, more accurately re-instating, a law that in regards to the rebuilding of the Temple--no one was exempt! Every Jew was ordered to be a part of the renovations, whether it was by donating funds, providing meals, supplying animals for sacrifice or whatever else might be needed.

As Christians, the same decree is issued to us!

We gripe about the fall of our country. We complain that there's nothing fit to watch on television. We murmur about the way God has been taken out of the schools, the government and in some cases, the home.

So, what are you doing about it?

In Ezra's day if it was found out that you were not giving ALL you could, in time or expendables, a price was to be paid: a beam out of your own home would be pulled out, thus allowing you to live in rubble like the Lord was having to do. Go ahead, look it up in Ezra 6:11 NLT.

What would it mean in today's time?

I've got an idea of what it would look like...

The plug would be pulled on our cable if our tithes weren't joyfully given.

The season tickets would be revoked if our pews were habitually left empty on Sunday.

Inadequate service at our favorite restaraunts if we failed to serve in our church.

We have a very important role to play in the rebuilding of godly values in our country, state, town, neighborhood and home. We do. No, not the government. Not the church itself. We have responsibilities that we have left undone...and there's going to be a price to pay.

Are you willing to pay it?

BEFORE YOU JUMP
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 15-17

Ever jumped, and wished you hadn't?

I'm a jumper from way back.

No, not from airplanes, I'll leave that to my Army Ranger nephew.

No, not rapelling from a mountainside. Dale's done it, but it's just too dangerous for me.

No, not into a swimming pool full of sharks--I can't swim.

I mean jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Jumping to conclusions.

I mean, well, I mean jumping in to stuff that I had no business what so ever to be in.

"When you hear about it, investigate the matter thoroughly..." Deuteronomy 17:5 NLTa

Another area in which I'm needing a whole heap of improvement! I hear, well, at least I hear what I want to hear. That's when I jump.

What I need to start doing is studying more, listening more, praying more, being more understanding--jumping less.

Jumping, doctors say, is bad on the knees. I think in this instance, God agrees with the 'experts'--jumping is bad for your health.

MEDICINE CABINETS
Today's reading: 2 Peter

The Ben-Gay in my medicine cabinet does my aching back no good at all until I apply it to the sore muscles.

Calamine lotion on the top shelf does little to soothe the poison ivy, unless I uncap the bottle and smear it on.

Antacids, aspirins and sinus meds are all great inventions, symptom relievers and wonder-workers, but only if I take them as prescribed...and not just allow them to sit and collect dust behind the mirrors of my bathroom cabinet.

Same's true of God's promises!

"And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature. So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence..." 2 Peter 1:4-5 NLT

Apply His power to your life. Rub into your sore, tired and aching muscles His promises of strength and endurance. Take a dose of the life-changing balm His Word provides us. Don't allow all He's given to us to sit in the medicine cabinet of your heart--use it to produce a life that points people to Him!

HE HAS
Today's reading: Zechariah 1-7

"...He has done what he said he would do." Zechariah 1:7b NLT

That phrase really jumped out at me this morning. It's like it was written in bold print or spotlighted with a high-intensity beam of light.

It spoke to my heart. It began processes in my head.

It's true.

God is the only one who has done just what He said He would do.

My husband intends to pick milk up from the grocery, but forgets.

My son, I'm sure, has the greatest intentions to pick up his room, but alas, clothes remain on the floor.

The sales clerk assures me he will be available when it comes time to install my new printer, and then leaves for lunch.

People disappoint, err, fail and fall short of what they say they will do. Human limitations are sometimes the reason. Emergencies come up. Lies are uncovered.

But God? He has never and will never fail to do what He says He will do!

A SORROWFUL THOUGHT
Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 7-8

"Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us." Ecclesiastes 7:3 NLT

Bleak. Dark. Dreary. Morose. Solemn. Sullen.

True. Genuine. Honest. Sure-enough. Indisputable.

It's a hard call, isn't it? Wanting laughter, ease or bliss versus a life characterized by the refining nature of Christ--a life sorted, prioritized and clean-up.

But it's a fact. The toughest times, the hardest blows, the most strenuous climbs, the ugliest of days--and we, His children, come out purer, more like Him.

AAAH, THE HOLIDAYS
Today's reading: Psalm 131-133

Aaah, the holidays are fast approaching. Christmas sales are beginning even before your Thanksgiving turkey has been cooked! Stores have stocked, and over-stocked, shelves. Retailers have advertised to the hilt. Wish books have been mailed out to every household containing children--or grandchildren.

The holidays bring about alot of emotions: excitement, awe, love, friendship, peace and let's not forget--tension.

Not every family gathers lovingly around the yule log to sing carols or hang tinsel. Not every family gathers at the Thanksgiving table for a picture perfect American banquet. Not every family looks forward with anticipation to the time spent together. Not every family can tolerate each other long enough to even have a Christmas card photo taken!

I was reminded of that with this verse...

"How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony!" Psalm 133:1 NLT

As Christians, we're called to go over and above when it comes to living in harmony. We've got to make the effort, give the most and expect the less when it comes to dealing with the unsaved, or even saved-and-not-living-like-it, members of our family--the family by blood and the family we gain through Christ! We've been given another opportunity this year to present God's love to those He has placed in our midst, like them or not.

What better gift could we give ourselves, our loved ones, our world, our Savior, this holiday season?

A LONG LIST OF NAMES
Today's reading: Ezra 1-5

A long list of names, Lord?

Honestly?

Not a stunning revelation? An encouraging bit? A breath of fresh air in a dark, stale world? A stab of conviction even?

But no, a long list of names. Okay, okay, I'll read them.

Wait, it's not a list of begats! It's a list all right, but not of begats...

"Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from the their captivity to Jerusalem and to the other towns of Judah. They had been deported to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar." Ezra 2:1 NLT

And then it begins listing all the families that returned.

The families that never lost hope in the God of Israel.

The families filled with determination to survive.

The families dependent upon Someone stronger than their own names or their social status.

The families whose assurances were not wrapped up in their wealth.

The families who knew circumstances change.

The families who had in their hearts the promise, the joy, the peace that surpasses all understanding.

And it hit me--this is a list I'd want my name on.

You see, I've been enslaved, captured and toted off to the far country--and I've come back! I've watched as my choices solicited regrets and my decisions brought about chaos. I've also watched as I offered all I had where I was to the King of Kings and He took it and blessed it!

Thanks for the list, Lord. It was just what I needed to read!

A NEW WORD
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 13-15

I've been a word sleuth this morning. I've spent time in my Bible and time on the Merriam-Webster website. What I was shown in the Word stopped me in my tracks. What I discovered in the dictionary concreted His command in my heart and head! Here's what I found...

"Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice and cling to Him." Deuteronomy 13:4 NLT

I understood the word 'serve'. It's the 'doing' part of being His kids, the acts, deeds, hands-on moments in the field.

I understand the word 'obey', don't always carry it out, but understand it. It's the 'doing' part of being His, too. It's the doing it when He asks--no sooner, no later.

I understood 'listening'. Another word that I have a competent grasp on, but not a working knowledge of on any level what so ever--but I'm working on it!

'Cling'? I know what it is to cling to God during a storm. I have had the experience of clinging to God when the boat's about to be capsized. I understand clinging--I do it whenever times are tough and my efforts are limited. But Merriam-Webster has opened my eyes to the depth of its meaning. May I share?

cling-a) to have a strong emotional attachment to or dependence (he clung to his friends for support) b)to remain or linger as if resisting complete dissipation or dispersal (the odor clung to the room for several hours)

The second part of the definition is what I want my life to imitate. I want to resist being spread out too thinly in the world. I want to linger in His presence as long as I possibly can before the excitement, enthusiasm and zeal fades or is erased by outside influences. I hope to be so completely full of Christ that no part of myself remains at all. I want to refuse infection by the world, by my desires, by what I believe is best, easy or makes me look good.

Serve. Obey. Listen. Cling. Hmmm.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Today's reading: 1 Peter 4-5

Aaah, nothing like 'falling back' in Daylight Savings Time, is there? An extra hour. A longer sleep. A day that seems a lot less rushed than usual.

Daylight Savings Time was instituted to help the American public manage their daylight time. To increase productivity. To help manage what's been given--twenty-four hours.

The Lord's done the same...

"God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you." 1 Peter 4:10 NLT

The gifts you have been given probably aren't as apparent to you as they are to those you've ministered to with them. The ways God intends for you to show His love won't be showy, spotlight kind of opportunities--they'll come naturally, and quietly.

Managing our gifts is up to you. Managing does not, I repeat: does not, entail storing our gifts in a closet somewhere. Managing means looking for places where His love, the kind you can show, is needed most--and showing it.

Sure, the time's changed this sunny weekend--His call for your life has not! Use the gifts He has blessed you with--and use them often! Be a good manager of God's gifts to you.

LOOKING
Today's reading: Acts 13-14

What are you looking for today?

Peace?

Contentment?

Happiness?

Strength?

Forgiveness?

I've found what you need:

"Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God--something the Jewish law could never do." Acts 13:38-39 NLT

All you need, He provides! All you desire, He can give! All you are lacking, He is completely willing to give!

RUINED HOUSE
Today's reading: Haggai

"So the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai, Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?" Haggai 1:4 NLT

You're right, Lord.

No, there's nothing extravagant about my home, except for the fact that it came directly from Your hands. Luxurious would describe nothing at all about our little farmhouse. Fancy would have to be reserved for another parcel of land other than the one whose deed bears our name.

But You're right!

There are alot of things I spend more time, effort and sweat on than Your home--the one inside me and the One I attend every Sunday and Wednesday.

I'm doing very little to keep your Church filled, strengthened and swept free of cobwebs and dirt-dobber nests. I put little thought to inviting others over to Your house.

I'm spending more time selecting my Sunday-best than praying for the hearts and minds that'll be in attendance, refurbishing Your house with new hearts and lives.

There's more to caring for a home than just living in it, isn't there? It's checking the corners for 'termite damage'. It's 'cleaning the filters on the furnace'. It's 'scrubbing the toilets' and 'repairing the shingles'. It's not just laying my head down at night trusting You'll accomplish what needs done.

It's making sure the little things I allow in my heart do not tear down what You're building up to glorify and honor You. It's not taking the overwhelming privilege of being welcome in Your house for granted.

There's a little bit of housework I need to be doing--in me!

RULES OF CHURCH ATTENDANCE
Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 5-6

"As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut!.." Ecclesiastes 5:1 NLT

I'm not a Greek scholar. The only thing I know about the Hebrew language is how to spell it...H-E-B-R-E-W.

I can only offer an opinion as to what God intended this verse to mean by letting you know what He's spoken to my heart, so I'll continue.

In the Malinda translation, this verse would read:

As you step inside the church open your ears to hear My voice. Shut your mouth, you've said quite enough this week, it's time to listen. Bring a heart filled with a relationship with me--not a heart your pastor must fill for the week with his wise words and well thought out three-point sermon. Empty hands, please--you've nothing to offer God. You've done nothing worthy of His attention. You accomplished very little with your best efforts. Come in with tired feet. Shoes worn out from going about your Father's business--rushing here and there to tell the Good News. And as for your wallets? Go ahead and leave them at home until you've mastered the above criteria and your heart's in the right place for worshipping the Savior. And, Malinda, this means you!

No, I'm not adding anything to the Holy Scriptures. If anything, I'm allowing them to do what they're intended to do--speak directly and intimately to my heart, mind and soul. It's just what happens when you take a piece of His love letter to you and you read, re-read and re-read it. It's what happens when you chew on it until it can be digested by your childlike system. It's what happens when we take the Holy Bible and apply it like a salve to the afflicted parts of our lives. It's what happens when you realize this God-breathed Scripture is alive and well--and it's intended for you to take personally!

What will you do with the Bible today?

NOT ON MY OWN
Today's reading: Psalm 128-130

"I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word." Psalm 130:5 NLT

Lord,

Another day for me to lean on You. Another morning allowed me. Another day gift-wrapped in a beautiful sunrise. Another twenty-four hours of opportunities, choices and obstacles. Another shift of seeing how little I can accomplish and how much You amaze me with!

I am counting on you, Lord--for everything. I am not, will not, can not do this day on my own!

All my hope is in You. All I cannot accomplish rests in your abilities. All I hope to dream about is held in your heart. All I am meant to be is in Your plan. All I can do is wrapped up in the power I draw from the relationship I seek with You.

Yes, Lord, I'm counting on you. And You're counting on me, too--aren't you?

THE HIGH PRICE OF DISOBEDIENCE
Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 33-36

"The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, however they ignored all his warnings. So the Lord sent the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon." 2 Chronicles 33:10-11 NLT

They had their chance, you say?

They should've listened, you mumble?

Don't really feel sorry for them, do you?

Let's turn the tables: Are you willing to pay the high price of disobedience?

What He's telling you to do, are you doing with your whole heart?

What He's asked you to stop, have you given up doing?

Who He's asked you to speak to about Him, have you opened your mouth and heart?

Where He's asked you to follow, have you laced up your sneakers and set off on the trip?

Choosing to disobey? You have expensive taste. Prisoner. Bound. Captive. High prices to pay.

Are you willing to pay?

All right, so you might be--are you willing for your children to pay the same price?

SAME INSTRUCTIONS
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 10-12

"At that time the Lord said to me, Prepare two stone tablets like the first ones, and make a sacred chest of wood to keep them in. Return to me on the mountain and I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the ones you smashed..." Deuteronomy 10:1-2 NLT

A wasted trip up the mountain? A forty days of prayer and fasting for what reason? An unruly bunch of people left unattended for a short amount of time? A mad prophet? Two broken tablets? Another trip up the mountain?

The same words. Nothing changed. No restrictions lifted. No orders cancelled. No sins slipped under the heading, 'Gray Area.

Circumstances do not alter His plans. Disobedience does not throw Him for a loop.

The same rules He provided the wandering Israelites are applicable today! Nothing has changed in the basic instructions He has given to us!