TODAY IS Your Do-over
Lamentations 3: 22-23 [ESV]
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[a] his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Sunrise over AFA, CO
Not too long ago, after a very long day, no long week, I was feeling a case of the “would of, could of, should of’s” beginning to take over. I was distracted and wasn’t getting much of anything done. I knew if I stayed on this path too long I’d end up stuck or worse depressed. Sound familiar?
I was wishing I could just start over, I wanted a do-over, when the scripture “His mercies are new every morning,” came to mind. I had to smile because… God is faithful! In that moment, with just part of a verse, here are 3 things He reminded me of:
You have to encourage yourself in the Lord. I used to say (to others and myself) that I could not memorize Bible verses until someone reminded me of the power of my own words over my spirit. So, I stopped saying what I couldn’t do and started praying what I needed.
Be Careful… Don’t let believing you can’t
give you an excuse not to try, and keep trying!
It’s important to hide His Word in your heart. Now, God’s faithfulness pulls the Word that I do know out of my heart when I need it most. And, He continues to provide people, tools, and resources to help me learn, study, fill my heart more with His Word and grow.
Surrender what you have, God will do the rest.
We get a daily do-over. I don’t need to wait for the new year or the new week. What the Lord put on my heart was that today… and every moment I take a breath is an opportunity for a do-over!
No, I can’t change yesterday, last week, or that thing that happened years ago. But God has changed me. And now, whenever I choose to accept His STEADFAST LOVE and His INFINITE MERCY I get a do-over. I choose to walk in faith toward the promises HE has ahead for me.
Family, Today IS your do-over…what will you do with it?
Lord, thank you for your steadfast love and infinite mercy,
thank you for my do-over!
-Amen
Stand Firm
Brothers and sisters,
Have you found yourself up against what seems like a brick wall? Do your circumstances make it impossible to see anything except what is in front of you? Maybe you feel as though nothing is going to change? If so, don’t give up!
Dear Lord help me not be weary of doing good, give me the strength to stand firm on your Word. Help me moment by moment to be obedient to your Word, amen.
Brothers and sisters,
Have you found yourself up against what seems like a brick wall? Do your circumstances make it impossible to see anything except what is in front of you? Maybe you feel as though nothing is going to change? If so, don’t give up!
Stand firm on the Word of God - obey His Word even when it's hard. The very nature of allowing ourselves to be a living sacrifice is to extend God’s grace to others when they deserve it the least and we least feel like doing it. God’s word is the foundation.
Be immoveable. Let nothing move you - during the storms of life be rooted and grounded in God's Word. We become rooted and grounded when we cultivate our relationship with the Lord, by learning what His Word says, and applying it to our lives.
Surrender to the Lord. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, surrender to His Word 24/7/365 in your home, at work, at play. This takes “practice.” This is a “practice” living out what we say we believe. Giving ourselves over to allow the Lord to work on us, in us, and through us. As we work out your soul salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord.
Remember nothing is wasted. Your labor, in the Lord, is not in vain and nothing we do is wasted in God!!! Our God takes everything we offer and once applied to His purpose fulfills His intended need. We may not always be able to see the end result or the whole of it,
Choose to Love
Lord,
Help me to choose love when...
what I hear offends me,
what I see, seems like all there is
and, what I feel wants to lead me.
Help me to choose
faith over fear
hope over helplessness
Help me
to Love like Christ.
It’s a simple command…”love one another…” (John 13:34) but not an easy one to practice. And yes, choosing to love takes “practice!”
It takes repeated loving actions before choosing to love becomes the first choice. And, even so, I find I still don’t get it right on the first attempt. But what I know is if I give up practicing I definitely will never get it right.
Now there is no one way to practice choosing to love but here are 7 I offer:
7 Ways You Can Choose To Love:
Hug your mom or dad or send them a thinking of you card.
Give up your spot on line.
Ask the person if they need help.
Call the friend who talks your ear off and just listen.
Pray for the next person who cuts you off in traffic
Pray for your spouse and their day, then tell them.
The next time your kid makes you angry pray Proverbs 22:6.
Regardless of what you do, or don’t do, just remember…you choose.
What are ways you practice choosing to love?