Times Of our Lives

 

Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. Revelation 1:19

Time Travel is a popular subject in books and movies and television. The BBC’s “Doctor Who” has been a long running british television series that follows “The Doctor” across time and space both reliving the past and looking into the future.

Time rules our lives. We constantly glance at the watch on our wrist or at the clock on the smartphone in our hands. We need to know what comes next. We hurry so we are not late, or mourn because we are behind on our time.

Too often we waste time in the here-and-now grieving over or regretting our past. We relive mistakes we have made, wishing that we could do things over again. Or use up our time now looking to the future, hoping for a better day, and waiting for it to happen. We convince ourselves that tomorrow will be better than today and spend time with ongoing anticipation. Then tomorrow comes, and we are unhappy with it, so we wait yet again for the next day that will be “better” than today.

We are prisoners of time if we do not stop and simply live today. What if, instead of looking back, or “hoping” forward, we would live today to its fullest? What are we missing by looking at the clock with our eyes fixed on yesterday or tomorrow?

I encourage you to live today. Yesterday might have been awful, and perhaps tomorrow will be better. But how much better will today be if you give it your full focus and attention?

Prayer: Dear Lord, we waste so much time looking forward and back. Help us to live today for You are not only the God that was and will be, but the God of today as well Amen.

Stories That Leave Us Inspired

 

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. Luke 1:80

When my wife returned from a tire store she told me an inspiring story. A young man who worked there, and whose father owned the store, told her that when he was younger he had a terrible stutter. He could hardly finish a sentence without stuttering. He said his father encouraged, and even insisted that he sell tires to customers that came in. He told how over time, as he sold more tires and spoke to more customers, that his confidence grew. With that increasing confidence his stuttering disappeared.

The testimony of the young man was incredible in itself. But he went on to say that one day a woman with her young son came into his store. The boy also had a stuttering problem. He asked the mother if he might speak to her son. He told the boy of his experience in overcoming stuttering. Now the boy no longer stutters either!

When you hear such things you can’t help but be inspired and amazed at the goodness of God. Most of us have no idea what it would be like to be anxious about every word coming out of our mouths, but we each have our own challenges and difficulties that get in our way.

How confident ought we to be as the children of God? Our heavenly Father encourages us to leave our comfort zones, stretch our spiritual muscles, and live a life of confident faith each day. We can look at our own challenges and let them hold us back from the good things life offers us. However, what might a little bit of courage and confidence do in helping you to reach further than your current limitations?

Prayer:  Dear Lord, give us courage and help us to grow our confidence. As we recall so many inspiring stories from the Bible and testimonies from those around us, lift our faith, help our hopes to rise, and we shall overcome the obstacles in our way. Amen.

Our Savior Changed The Darkness

 

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11

The world before the birth of our Savior must have  been a dark and ominous place. No real reason for hope. No true justice. No light at the end of the tunnel.

We still see glimpses of that darkness today, especially in countries void of, or that silences Christianity. Even in modern countries where there are Christians,  wickedness and injustices are found and we get a taste of the foulness of lawlessness that comes from lack of a living faith.

Our Lord was born into a very dark world and without Him one can only imagine how things might have ended for us all.

By the grace of God and willingness of Jesus to come into the world and offer Salvation, we are so blessed that we take for granted what was impossible if not for Christ.

Each day we choose whether or not Jesus will be part of what we do and who we are. We can easily slip back into sinful behavior, or with His help offer our better selves to the world around us.

Through Free Will each and every person decides what they will do with the Savior. They can reject Him, or embrace Him. For the Christian, each moment of time is an opportunity to witness the joy and love Jesus has given us, or to give way to the darkness that still permeates this world and our lives in so many ways.

Don’t let this dark world determine your path through life. If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I invite you to open your heart and let go of the darkness as you embrace His light. If you are already a believer, I encourage you to do better, be a light as you allow the Love of Jesus within to brighten this dark world.

Prayer: Dear Lord, this world is dark, and would be darker without You. Shine brightly through us, and help us to make this place brighter still. Amen.

Finding Childlike Joy

 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3 

  

  I listened as a little girl in my doctor’s office made up songs about random things that came into her head. She was perhaps five or six years old, and full of joy. It was not hard to consider the contrast of people who typically fill a doctor’s office. Weighed down with care, impatient, wishing they were anywhere else. The comparison of her sweet signing and joy-filled heart with the typical grim adult was a stark contrast. 

 

  I remember years ago when I was a teenager and became a born again Christian. The first overwhelming emotion I felt was pure joy. I could hardly contain the joy I felt upon accepting Jesus into my heart. 

   

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3 

  

  As adults too often we are expected to be serious, thoughtful, pragmatic, and even solemn.  

 

  As children we found joy so easily. We were not weighed down by cares. We knew how to have fun. We were easily excited. Likewise, are those believers who will be in the kingdom of God.  

 

  Of course, there is a difference between being childlike and being childish. I fear too many adult Christians act childish, being easily offended, immature, demanding their way, and being foolish. We can avoid being childish and instead be childlike in our attitude. 

 

  Stir up your childlike heart. Find joy in the things of God. remember how you felt when you first believed. Remember how the love and joy of God flooded your heart as Christ came to live within you. 

 

  Believer, there are many opportunities in life to be grim, solemn, and filled with cares. I challenge you to reawaken the childlike heart Jesus gave you when your faith in Him came to life. Heaven will not be filled with grim faced Christians, but rather joy-filled believers worshiping their loving Father. 

 

  Hold on to your inner child and keep it strong by stirring up your joy in the Lord. 

 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, life makes us overly serious and filled with cares. We give our cares to You and ask for Joy instead. Amen.