Commitment To The Plan

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. - Proverbs 16:3

Noted in “Endure Distress So He Can Bless”, the nation of Israel had been slipping and suffered defeat after defeat until David began to pray and provide the leadership they needed. With God, we will gain the victory like in the song I Surrender All by Oslo Gospel Choir. This day, let us be disciplined enough to go to God in prayer, work the plan, and be patient as God sets things up for the plan to be carried out.

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Endure Distress So He Can Bless

The reason for leap year was to adjust the calendar so the seasons would not be totally out of whack. The picture above was taken during a winter storm in 2021. The picture below was taken during the summer of that same year.

In a short time, great transformation can occur. With God by our side, we can set out each day to make minor adjustments in our life so that we become in sync with His way. It may be simply tweaking our daily routine.

Reading in Psalm 60, we note that Israel was out of sync. They had been slipping and suffered defeat after defeat until David began to pray and provide the leadership they needed. It was then that the Lord gave David victory wherever he went. Many nations with great influence in the Mediterranean world succumbed to David. With the spoils of war, David dedicated silver, gold, and bronze to the Lord.

Prayer gives us a chance to have an open exchange with God who believes in us and is interested in our future. He gives us a plan but it is up to us to fulfill our obligations towards the attainment of that plan.

With God we will gain the victory but we also have a part to play. We need to be disciplined enough to go to God in prayer, work the plan, and be patient as God sets things up for the plan to be carried out.

This day with You Lord, we pray that we surrender all to Your will. Day by day, little things change and over time, a complete transformation occurs. These small changes lead to amazing results if we are disciplined and put our trust in You. Help us to endure distress so You can bless in Your perfect timing. Amen.

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Hope For Brighter Days Ahead

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
   And I have been saved from my enemies. - Psalms 18:3

In life, there are all these negative emotions like jealousy, fear, frustration, and anxiety. They become our enemies but a lesson from “Negative Energy Spews Up” is that the more I have hope for brighter days ahead, the more my frame of mind contributes to favorable conclusions. That’s one benefit of reading the Bible. I read about how God’s power and mercy releases negative emotions, so a load is lifted as I step ahead along the journey.

This day with God, goodness and love will follow me during my journey and I’ll dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I’m inspired by the song The Goodness by TobyMac & Blessing Offor and the lyrics “The Lord makes sure my roots are growing, He shows up to be the goodness in my life. Through the good, the bad, and ugly, I can still see the sunshine above me”.

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Negative Energy Spews Up

This picture was taken while going up Mt. Haleakala located on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. It’s now a dormant volcano but was responsible for forming most of Maui.  Deep inside the earth, there is all this built up negative energy that is spewed up and released through volcanos.

There’s a lot of negative things on the inside of people too. As we read today in Psalm 59, the jealousy of Saul towards David caused an eruption of anger that desired to kill David. Some friends of David had warned him about Saul so David had escaped and was on the run from Saul and his men.

In life, there is not only jealousy but fear, frustration, and anxiety. There is a need for us to replace those negatives with positives so we can flourish. The more we have confidence in a bright future, the more our frame of mind contributes to favorable conclusions. That’s one benefit of reading the Bible. We read about how God’s power and mercy releases these negative emotions so a load is lifted as we step ahead along the journey.

Today, we read about how David who replaced the negatives he faced in life with positives. David desired deliverance from his enemies who lied about him. They are described as snarling like dogs and their words are like sharp swords (v. 7). But David is sure of triumph because he knows he can rely on God who is his strength, his refuge in times of trouble, and his fortress.

In this world we live in, we all need protection from those against us. Like David, be sure of triumph and put your trust in God for His long-range plan of deliverance. Put things in His hands and be patient to let His perfect way work for total judgment and justice.

This day with You Lord, we choose not to be defined by our circumstances but to focus on Your goodness and be thankful. There are good days and bad days but we know the outcome is in Your hands. Your plan for our life brings hope for better days ahead because we have faith in Your promises. Amen.

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A Calm Soul Is Made Whole

Disruptions in life can throw you off and put you in terrible consequences. The poem of David recorded in Psalm 55 was written during a time when his world was crumbling around him, but he reacted with optimism because he knew there would be a joyful ending in God’s hands. The advantage of putting it all in the hands of God is the poise gained to withstand adversity. The attitude embraced is positive because there is faith that everything is going to turn out all right in the end.  

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