RECOGNIZING HIS ANSWERS
Today's reading: Acts 11-12

"He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, Peter is standing at the door! You're out of your mind, they said. When she insisted, they decided, It must be his angel." Acts 12:13-16 NLT

You'll have to read the whole account, Acts 12:1-18, to realize the extent of this portion of Scripture, but allow me to sum it up this way...

They were praying.

They were praying hard.

They had been praying all together.

They had asked God to help Peter.

They were asking God to show Himself to them.

And when God answered, they couldn't believe it. Or wouldn't believe it. Or the skeptical side of their minds said they shouldn't believe it.

Ever been there yourself?

Ever asked and asked and asked--and when He answered, you couldn't believe it, didn't recognize it or wouldn't allow yourself to hope that this was indeed the answer you'd asked Him for?

Do we even recognize His answers?

 

REAL HOLIDAYS
Today's reading: Zephaniah

I'm not a fan of Halloween. That being said, everywhere I look, it's evident a lot of folks are. Like I said, I am not, so I've asked God to distract my eyes and heart from it's hoopla during the next few days.

And He came through...

"For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior, He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exalt over you by singing a happy song." Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

No matter what the world celebrates, what is popularized by Wal-Mart, the media and the social networks or what happens one day of the year--this verse has to be acknowledged.

He has come.

He is here.

He will continue once decorations are put away, sales are ended and the next 'holiday' is being advertised.

ETERNITY
Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 3-4

"God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

As His created we are filled with anticipation and angst for future things.

We are wired with a desire for heaven and a dread for what we must endure before getting there.

We have an innate longing for eternity with our Lord combined with flesh that is seduced by this world and its trappings.

He created us with a spirit intended for eternal praise in His presence and with a mission to reach the lost while on our pilgrimage.

He has given us blessed hope in our secure future interwoven with a faith in the unseen.

We all have souls only He can satisfy battling character traits that seek independence and self-sufficiency.

We hunger and thirst after Him even after attempting to busy ourselves with less holy pursuits.

In the end, and I believe this is where Solomon was going with his thoughts, God is God...and we are still only, but blessedly, His created.

SONGS OF HARVEST
Today's reading: Psalm 125-127

"Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest." Psalm 126:5-6 NLT

The little yellow kernels were placed in the dark brown earth. The tiny green sprouts appeared. The tall vibrant stalks reached for the sky. The ears developed, filling out as they grew.

And now?

We are awaiting the hum of the combines and semi-trucks, grain haulers and tractors. The songs of the harvest. The funeral dirge for things that have died.

Yes, that's what the corn has to do in order that it might be harvested--die.

And sometimes, as this psalmist writes, there are things inside us that must die in order that a harvest of righteousness be enjoyed.

Things that hurt.

Things that don't make sense.

Things that need to be released.

Things that we're completely comfortable with.

Things that require more energy, effort and time on our knees than we thought we had to give.

I think of the things I thought I had figured out and under control--and how He amazed me when I turned control over to Him. The things retaining my fingerprints from holding too tightly. The things I thought I could maneuver and manipulate. The things I didn't want to bother Him with. The things I'd just as soon not release to Him.

I think of the tears I've shed as I 'planted' those things into His care--and the songs of harvest I sang at the tops of my lungs as He did His work in them!

There is no blessed way of living, than the life of faith upon a covenant-keeping God - to know that we have no care, for he cares for us; that we need have no fear, except to fear him; that we need have no troubles, because we have cast our burdens upon the Lord, and are conscious that he will sustain us.            -- C. H. Spurgeon

I ASKED FOR IT
Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 29-32

I asked for it, Lord. I know that.

I bowed before my prayer chair and in no uncertain terms asked you to make Your Word come alive to me in a special way this morning.

I asked You to speak to me through the pages of the Bible.

I asked You to talk directly to my heart.

I asked You to skim the dross off the top of my heart.

And You answered. Boy, oh boy, did You answer.

And I'm taking it like a big spoon of yucky-tasting medicine--because I know I need it and I know it's come from You.

"Do not be stubborn, as they are, but submit yourselves to the Lord. Come to his Temple which he has set apart as holy forever. Worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you." 2 Chronicles 30:8 NLT

I looked up the word 'stubborn', since it seemingly jumped off the page at me and became imprinted in my heart...

refusing to change your ideas or to stop doing something; difficult to deal with, remove, handle or manage; unreasonably or perversely unyielding; firmly set in one's ways 

That's me. Anyone who knows me, knows that's me.

In attempting to be unlike 'them', I was floating along in the same boat 'they' were in. In praying that I'd be more like You, my unchanging heart and ways made me more like the Pharisees and the Sadducees you speak against...unchanging, unyielding, unmanageable. In seeking to honor You I'd settled into habits and routines that were comfortable but not worshipful. In taking a stand I'd forgotten on Whom I stood and how often You bent in service and love.

So, thank You. For hearing my prayer. For speaking to the matter at hand. For loving me enough to point out what needs fixing--no, removed. For giving me the gift of the Holy Spirit to make the changes needed. For allowing Your Word to come alive again.

BECAUSE
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 7-9

"The Lord did not choose you and lavish his love on you because you were larger or greater than others nations. For you were the smallest of all nations! It was simply because the Lord loves you..." Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NLT

I don't know who you think you are.

I don't know what all you think you've accomplished.

I don't know the resume you bring to your relationship with God.

But I know this, you and I are in the same boat--unworthy of His love, unable to receive His love apart from Him, incapable of fathoming the extent of His love for us.

The only, the only, reason we're in this personal relationship with God is that He has loved us into it!

  

BRINGING THEM BACK
Today's reading: James 4-5

"My dear brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back again, you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save that sinner from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins." James 5:19-20 NLT

Who can you bring back into the fold today?

Whose hearts can you apply a healing balm to today?

Which former believer can you welcome back today?

To whom can you be more than a Christian today, but be a little Christ?

SEEING WITH GOD EYES
Today's reading: Acts 9-10

"All who heard him were amazed, Isn't this the same man who persecuted Jesus' followers with such devastation in Jerusalem?.." Acts 9:21 NLT

Saul, turned Paul, was eyed as the enemy even after his conversion. Even after he spoke with great authority and sincerity as to the conversion he'd experienced. Even after having gone through what he did.

People still looked at him through their own eyes, not through God's.

Will we do it tomorrow in church?

Will we see gals who 'used to...'?

Will we see men who 'used to...'?

Will we see changed lives serving our loving and forgiving God who 'used to...'?

Will we see the old person or the new creation God has placed inside them?

If we think about it, which would you prefer they see in you?

IN THE LORD
Today's reading: Habakkuk

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the field and the cattle barns are empty, yet will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk 3:17-18 NLT

I heard this quoted by a television evangelist as I surfed the channels last night and now I'm faced with it in black and white this morning...might be a clue as to my need to stop and rest on this verse, to chew on it a while, to let it soak in to my heart.

Joy. Real joy. From the inside of me reaching to the outside of me, kind of joy.

Because it's nothing to do with what He does for us--the balances in our checkbooks, the status of our barns, the blessings He chooses to pour into our lives.

It's not about things going well for me. It's nothing to do with His provision in my life.

It has nothing at all to do with how I feel, how the doctors say I should feel, how the world leads me to believe I should feel.

Joy, real joy, only comes when my focus is centered on Who He is.

"...rejoice in the Lord..."

"...be joyful in the God of my salvation..."

I have to make sure I'm centering my contentedness on Him, not His blessings on me.

What about you? What are you rejoicing in? Him or what He has given you?



 

MEANINGLESS
Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 1-2

"But as I looked at everything I worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere." Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT

I've felt as Solomon felt in this verse.

Disgusted.

Discouraged.

Like I was spinning my wheels in my attempts.

I've sat and surveyed some of the things I've thrown myself in to--and he is right, it all looked so meaningless.

And then I think, and I believe it's only by the Holy Spirit's leading, about what's already been done...

God sent His Son to die on a cross for me, spend three days in a borrowed tomb and rise again!

That's what been done--and everything beyond that is in response to it.

There is nothing I can do to compare.

There is nothing I can do to top that.

So how I live, what I spend my time doing, the legacy I might leave is, only by the grace of God, my reaction to what has already been done by my Savior.

So, yes, when compared to the cross of Christ, everything I do is meaningless, but worshipful.        

IF IT HAD NOT BEEN

Today's reading: Psalm 122-124

"If the Lord had not been on our side--let Israel now say--if the Lord had not been on our side when people rose up against us, they would have swallowed us alive because of their burning anger against us. The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed is." Psalm 124:1-4 NLT

Lord, it scares me to think where I would be today if You had not been on my side.

The long nights were so dark, the storms pounded the ship of my faith, the mountains were too steep for me to climb on my own.

Your love and grace are all that have rescued me from my sins.

Your sustaining power has kept me close to Your side.

If You had not been on my side--I will say to all who will listen--I am afraid of where and who I might be today.

KEY TO SUCCESS
Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 25-28

"God helped him not only with his wars against the Philistines, but also in his battles with the Arabs of Gur and in his wars with the Meunites." 2 Chronicles 26:7 NLT

The 'him' refers to King Uzziah.

The 'why' is based solely upon what we can find just a few verses preceding this bit of information...

"...And as long as the king sought the Lord, God gave him success." 2 Chronicles 26:5 NLT

Maybe you feel like you're spinning your wheels in conquering your fears, laying aside your doubts and remaining victorious over your temptations.

Are you seeking God in regards to all of it?

Not just in the worst cases. Not only after expending all your effort and energy. Not just on Sundays and in regards to the holy wars of our hearts.

Are you seeking Him, His guidance, His instruction, His leading, His direction, His plans in regards to all your wars, your battles, your skirmishes, your arguments and your disagreements?

We won't find success if we don't.

OBEDIENCE
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 4-6

"Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you from the Lord your God. Just obey them." Deuteronomy 4:2 NLT

"For we are righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us." Deuteronomy 6:25 NLT

Let me state up front, so that there is no question, so that you know there is no doubt--I wouldn't have picked these verses this morning for any reason.

They are heavy for a Monday morning. They are heart-pricking for a strong-willed gal like myself. They are too straight forward to be overlooked, made light of or disregarded.

They are just what I need. And, there are two of them--not just one!

You see, God and I have been having a battle of the wills here lately. Well, not so much Him--but you probably guessed that.

I want to obey Him. I truly do. But I want to do it when His ways and directions line up with what I want to do.

There, I said it. Obedience is easy for me when it goes along with my bent, my plans and my personality. Obeying Him is fun when the rewards are immediately poured into my life. Doing just what He asks is thrilling when the impact you made is evident as you are doing it. Following His lead is exciting when all things fall into place in my heart and my head.

But when it's a matter of doing it because He says? When obedience is not quickly rewarded? When following His instructions goes against everything in me? When the control is taken from my grasp and turned over to Him?

I'll be chewing on this morsel for the remainder of the week...savoring it some moments, choking it down others!

  

ONE LITTLE SIN
Today's reading:  James 1-3

"And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the one who has broken all of the laws." James 2:10 NLT

One little sin makes me as guilty as them, Lord?

One?

Even the grudge I believe I have the right to hold?

The bitterness they have caused me to have?

The scars I hear because of their thoughtlessness?

One little sin does make me like them...desperately in need of You.

THE REAL REASON
Today's reading: Acts 7-8

"When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given when the apostles placed their hands upon people's heads, he offered money to buy this power. Let me have this power, too, he exclaimed, so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit." Acts 8:18-19 NLT

Why did Simon want this special power?

He said so that people would receive the Holy Spirit. That is admirable. That is evangelistic. That is a godly pursuit.  But was it that he wanted them to receive the Spirit, or that he wanted the accolades that would come with being the vessel it traveled through?

It sure makes me think about my own motives. The reasons I do things. The requests I present to God. The deep-down desires of my heart.

What about you? 

JEALOUS FOR ME
Today's reading: Nahum

"The Lord is a jealous God..." Nahum 1:2 NLT

I've recently listened to, and listened to again, a podcast by Beth Moore. Her topic for this set of lessons was the names of God. This particular 30 minute segment dealt with 'His Name is Jealous'.

She made a point that has stuck with me and is now repeated in today's reading:

He is not jealous of me, He is jealous for me.

I'll type it again, because it is that deep...

He is not jealous of me, He is jealous for me.

Allow me to personalize it...

He is not jealous of you, He is jealous for you.

Makes a difference, doesn't it? Nothing we have, or can do, or can bring to the relationship can make Him think we have anything to offer Him.

And still, this is the part that simply amazes me, He wants our full attention and all of our hearts.

He does not want to share us with anyone.

He does not want us to give anyone else, or anything else, room in our hearts--only Him.

Makes me re-think this morning the value He has placed on my relationship with Him. He loves me that much. He wants all I can give. He desires that nothing and no one come between us.

The Lord is a jealous God.

 

LAUGHING
Today's reading: Proverbs 31

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future." Proverbs 31:25 NLT

A woman of God is not huddled in the corner fretting over what might be around the next corner.

She does not put life on hold while she worries over what she doesn't know.

She isn't going to be found under the covers refusing to face the day.

She isn't thrown off by changes in her plans or routines.

She isn't in a pit of despair or at the head of the table of any pity party.

She isn't cowering at the Enemy's attacks.

She isn't worn out attempting to do what she's not been called to do.

She laughs because she knows God, who loves her more than anything, throws the greatest surprise parties!

WHO, REALLY
Today's reading: Psalm 120-121

"I look up to the mountains--does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth!" Psalm 121:1-2 NLT

I adore the verses that end with exclamation points! It shows real emotion, real intensity, real belief on behalf of the writer.

Like today's verse.

The psalmist knew his help didn't come from the created, but the Creator.

Not from what was made, but from the Maker.

From the Sustainer, not from the sustained.

From the Provider, not from the provided for.

From the Redeemer, not from the redeemed.

From the Shepherd, not from the sheep.

From the King, not from the kingdom.

From God, not from the godly.

It makes me excited to be reminded of that simple fact--I am cared for by God!  

Your life is short, your duties many, your assistance great, and your reward sure; therefore faint not, hold on and hold up, in ways of well-doing, and heaven shall make amends for all.    -Thomas Brooks

A DECISION TO ABANDON
Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 21-24

"They decided to abandon the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they worshipped Asherah poles and idols instead!" 2 Chronicles 24:18 NLT

Lord,

I read about these folks in the Bible who made the decision to abandon, not only your Temple, but You.

How could they?

What were they thinking?

Where do they think it could possibly lead them?

Was it an easy decision? Did they wake up one morning with the decision made in their minds, and in their hearts?

Didn't it hurt You to let them choose this unwise path?

I know, I know--it's not just the people of old who have abandoned You.

There have been times I've leaned towards that decision myself. Times when I chose me over You. Moments when I've selected to comfort myself rather than obey You. Choices I've made that prove to You, and to the world, that something other than You led my life.

So, I know it didn't happen overnight. It wasn't a blatant decision. It crept in. It made itself comfortable. It's appealing offerings swayed my decisions. It settled into the crevices of my thoughts--and took root.

A decision to abandon You? How could they? How could I?  

My brethren, let me say, be like Christ at all times. Imitate Him in "public". Most of us live in some sort of public capacity -- many of us are called to work before our fellow-men every day. We are watched; our words are caught; our lives are examined -- taken to pieces. The eagle-eyed, argus-eyed world observes everything we do, and sharp critics are upon us. Let us live the life of Christ in public. Let us take care that we exhibit our Master, and not ourselves -- so that we can say, "It is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me."            -- C. H. Spurgeon

ONLY BEGUN
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 1-3

"O Soveriegn Lord, I am your servant. You have only begun to show me your greatness and power. Is there any god in the heaven or on earth who can perform such great deeds as yours?" Deuteronomy 3:24 NLT

I'm thinking this morning about all God has done in my life...

...All the blessings.

...All the provisions.

...All the times He has brought safely out of situations.

...All the mercy He has shown.

...All the forgiveness He has provided.

...All the love He has lavished upon me.

I am overwhelmed by all He has done, but I am even more astounded by the fact that He has only begun!

He has only begun to bless me. Only begun to provide. Only begun to rescue me. Only begun to show mercy. Only begun to love me!

CONTINUE
Today's reading: Hebrews 11-13

"Continue to love each other with true Christian love." Hebrews 13:1 NLT

We are called to love. To be more precise, we are called to love as Jesus loved--that's what being a Christian, or being Christ-like means.

That includes when your love is not appreciated.

When it's not even noticed.

When it's not received as you expected it to be.

When it requires more of yourself than it should.

When it's not reciprocated.

Continue.

SECRET ADMIRERS
Today's reading: Acts 6-5

"...And the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared to join them, though everyone had high regard for them." Acts 5:12-13 NLT

Maybe your neighbors won't follow you to church tomorrow.

They might not be in your Sunday School class.

But they will notice you driving past their house at the same time you always do on a Sunday morning.

They admire that about you.

No, they've probably not told you that. No, they've possibly not been accepting of your invitations. No, they maybe haven't warmed up to the idea of God and church.

But they admire it.

They especially admire it if your living through the week lines up with what you're 'trying to sell them' in regards to the Sunday habit they've noticed you have.

They are secret admirers.

AMAZED BY HIM
Today's reading: Micah

"All the nations of the world will stand amazed at what the Lord will do for you. They will be embarrassed that their power is so insignificant. They will stand in silent awe, deaf to everything around them." Micah 7:16 NLT

Imagine people becoming speechless at the sight of God's work in your life.

Think about how it would be to be a vessel God uses to astound others.

Oh, it's not a matter of can He. Neither is it a matter of would He.  It's about about, Will you let Him?

He will not push His way in to your life. He will not barge in. He will not commandeer control.

It's completely up to you.

Will you let Him?

PROOF
Today's reading: Proverbs 29-30

"Every word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection." Proverbs 30:5 NLT

As much as I'd like to, I'll not always be there for my son.

Oh, I'll try my very best. I'll make every effort. I'll attempt to be the loudest fan he has cheering at every event he's involved in.

But I will miss some. I will forget. I will have things come up that keep me from being where he needs me to be. I will be sick on occasion. I will eventually die, leaving my promise to always be there for him invalid and unfulfilled.

I can sit and worry about that. I can easily become overwhelmed at my inadequacies and inabilities in regards to always being there for him. I can fear for that point in time when I won't be here and he will be without me. I can spend all my time making preparation for that time when I won't be.

Or I can rest on the promises of God.

As a mom, I can rest at night knowing God will ALWAYS be there with my boy. Always. No excuses. No changes in plans. No illness or death.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, will prevent God from keeping every single promise He has made--to me and to mine.

MIDNIGHT
Today's reading: Psalm 119

"At midnight I rise to thank you..." Psalm 119:62 NLT

There are nights when the occurrences of the day have my mind still going at midnight.

There are nights when the fears of tomorrow keep me awake.

There are nights when doubts in my heart keep me from falling, and staying, asleep.

There are nights when circumstances have me on my knees beside my bed.

And then there are nights, like this psalm writer knows, when you can't sleep because you need to thank God for all He is and has done. To just say, 'Thank you'.

A midnight mass, of sorts.

A special time of thanks.

A thanksgiving service in your heart.

A time when the world slumbers, but you are up giving thanks.

TEAR THEM DOWN
Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 16-20

"The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father's early years and did not worship the images of Baal...He was committed to the ways of the Lord. He knocked down the pagan shrines and destroyed the Asherah poles." 2 Chronicles 17:3, 6 NLT

Jehoshaphat did what a lot of us need to do--quit giving ourselves 'outs' in regards to this Christian walk we're on.

Throw away the little idols we keep in our closets, in case this 'God thing' doesn't work out.

Discontinue the thought pattern that leads us to believe God is our emergency plan.

Stop doing anything that causes us to use God as a crutch when we cannot go any further on our own strength.

It's with God, or it's without God. There is no middle road. There is no half-way. There is no mixing and matching of gods, little gods or the One True God. Our relationship with Him is not a buffet line where we pick up what we like, but leave the brussel sprouts of life off our plate.

It's high time we tore down the shrines and poles keeping us from being completely sold out to our Savior! 

SPLINTERS & THORNS
Today's reading: Numbers 33-36

"But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them." Numbers 33:55-56 NLT

Splinters and thorns.

The weaknesses in our characters that allow sin to creep in.

The addictions or habits we have that cause us to stumble in our walks with Him.

The tendencies we have come to accept as our 'nature'.

They do harass, don't they? They are a constant annoyance. They're always there, nagging you, weighing you down, re-occurring faster than we can keep them prayed away. One quite often leads to another. And another. And another.

I think it's time we drove some of these 'people' out of our lives and take hold of the new land He has given us!

  

ADVOCATE
Today's reading: Hebrews 8-10

"For Christ has entered into the heaven itself to appear now before God as our Advocate..." Hebrews 9:24 NLT

Advocate-(noun) A person who argues for or supports another; a person who argues for the cause of another person in a court of law.

Did you pay His retainer fee?

Have you any way of repaying Christ for representing you in the Courts of Heaven?

WALKING INTO CHURCH
Today's reading: Acts 3-4

"Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and anklebones were healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping and praising God, he went into the Temple with them." Acts 3:7-8 NLT

Makes me think of how I might approach the doors of my church tomorrow morning.

You see, I should be jumping up and down, leaping, excited to be there--because I have been...

...healed!

...made whole!

...brought home!

...saved!

....changed for the better!

...transformed!

...declared holy!

...made His!

...given grace upon grace!

I'll not just trudge into the sanctuary. I won't plod into the worship service. I won't shuffle into the church.
 

OTHERS
Today's reading: Jonah

"Then he told them that he was running away from the Lord. The sailors were terrified when they heard this, Oh, why did you do it it? they groaned." Jonah 1:10 NLT

Maybe, just maybe, this morning you're thinking your walk with the Lord is a personal matter. Whether you walk close to Him or not, hurts no one but yourself. Your decision to be in His presence is an intimate thing, no one else's business. What you do with God is between you and Him.

Bologna!

Bologna! Bologna!

First name O-S-C-A-R. Second name M-A-Y-E-R. (I'm hoping someone other than myself remembers this.)

There are folks out there, maybe even no farther than the walls of your own home, your workplace, your church or your next door neighbor, who are depending upon your walk to help them.

Just like the sailors were touched in a mighty way by Jonah's decision to turn, run, from God, so are the people in your life.

Your decision to slack on your Bible time...

Your choice to skip those appointments with God...

Your schedule no longer permitting prayer time...

Your haphazard church attendance...

Your life being shadowy and not full of Light...

Your sins not being kept constantly and repentantly before God...

There are folks out there groaning over your choice to wander from the Lord. Storms are coming into their lives because of your choice to be lazy in godliness. Their boats are sinking fast and part of it is your fault. They are needing lifeguards, but you've chosen to not go to the beach!

No, your walk with the Lord is not just about you!

TRUST
Today's reading: Proverbs 28

"Trusting oneself is foolish, but those who walk in wisdom are safe." Proverbs 28:26 NLT

When I read this verse, and I know this will sound a lot less than spiritual, but I think of Little Debbie.

Not some lovely child in my Wednesday night children's class.

Not some poor unfortunate waif I have met at the local school.

The Little Debbie I refer to is the lunch cake queen, one of my favorite bakers, the hallowed pig-tailed beauty of a snacker's dreams.

You see, I cannot invite her to my home.

Her boxes of goodies cannot go for a ride in my grocery cart.

Her wares I  cannot be trusted with.

That is wisdom...knowing my limits, realizing my weaknesses, refusing to depend upon my self-control, not buying into what she sells.