December 27, 2012

Good morning all-

I took a few days off to spend with family and friends but I'm back and ready to write once again.  I hope the season found you well and in it you found Jesus.  At the end of the day presents are wonderful and the snow is magical but Jesus is our steadfast hope.  Without Him, we are nothing but with Him we can do all things.

It seems like the last couple of days have been a flash.  I don't know about you but I'm completely exhausted.  I went into my room at 7:30 to read and relax and woke up at 1 am.  I don't remember the exact time I closed my eyes but it was way before it should've been.  Oh well, I can start again today.

So now that Christmas is over, the presents are unwrapped and the company is gone, what should we be thinking about?  For some it will be the new year and for others it's just getting through today.  I don't know where you are but for me, I'm just looking at today.  In years past, I would be thinking about 6 months or a year down the road, today I want to remain steady and the only way to do that is to see what God unfolds for today.  It really is the only way to live.

Those that look far ahead will miss something or worry about things they don't have any control over.  I know how it goes because that has been me in the past.  Only through reading Scripture and prayer have I found that Jesus will take care of tomorrow and I should just live in today.  That doesn't mean I don't look toward the future, it just means that I try to stay steadfast and let the Lord do the rest.

Romans 8:28 NKJV:

     And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Hebrews 5:5 NKJV:

     So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, today I have begotten You."

1 Thessalonians 5:21 NKJV:

     Test all things, hold fast what is good.

Revelation 3:11 NKJV:

     Behold, I am coming quickly!  Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

Titus 1:9 NKJV:

     holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

We have many challenges in this life and one of them is holding fast in Jesus.  When obstacles come and the seas roar it is easy for us to go off and say, "All is lost."  We have marriages failing, children dying and people who are filled with hate.  We have wars and storms and we have a sense of foreboding that the world will soon destruct.  But much of what we feel is false.  Our feelings have nothing to do with the words of Jesus.  We will always feel but in those times of great struggle we must remain steadfast in our Counselor.  We can't predict tomorrow but we can have courage to put Jesus in today and then stick to our guns and believe that He is near.  That's why we have a choice.  We get to choose whether we work or not or whether we love or not.  We get to choose what we wear, where we worship and who we worship.  It's all a choice, divinely given.  There are no robots on earth, no monkey that can be like us, we are who we are with choices all around us.  And we fail miserably sometimes but then we need to pick ourselves back up and choose Jesus instead.  We will never be perfect at least not until Jesus comes to receive His bride, so instead, let's live for today and let God work out the details of tomorrow.  He knew the perfect time for His birth and death and He knows right where we are today.  I hope the season was good to you but my greater hope is that you remain steadfast in Jesus in the coming year.  My prayer continues to be that He will lead women and men to Him and that we would become mighty warriors for Him.  The only way we can do that is to look for Him, seek Him and be with Him: mind, heart and spirit.  We need to believe that He is the only way and that all things work for good, according to His purpose.  We may never know why things happen but then, we didn't need to know anyway.  The Bible is clear, our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts but we are His and He loves us so let's give Him tomorrow and see what He has for us today.

My prayer:

O, Lord, we come before You and thank You for we are blessed.  We are blessed today because You constantly show us what we need to know through Your word.  The word is living and mighty and although as humans we screw things up, You seem to manage to spin our mistakes and make a better day.  There will be trials along the way with many raging seas, but in the turbulent waters, we can rest in You.  Help us to capture You in our day and to really see our purpose and not just the routine of life. Life has many stresses and we feel each one of them.  But you promise to take care of tomorrow as long as we live in today.  So, we give You our lives today and ask that You help us remain steadfast in You through our daily lives.  We don't know about tomorrow but we can face anything today.  Help time to go away and in its place may we see the blessings all around us.  Love those that are hurting today and give all of us courage to shout that Jesus is the season and He's here not just during Christmas or Easter but every day we walk this earth.  We are blessed to be in Your presence and we are honored to call You Lord.  Help lift up the weak, give strength to those that are lonely and please fill us with Your Spirit so that we can minister to Your people.  Thank You for the gifts that You have given each one of us, may we use them to further Your kingdom.  You are Lord and we love You.  In Jesus name, AMEN

Until tomorrow...