One Step at a Time

Another year is about to wrap up! Are you ready? I'm not sure yet myself. I mean, how do you get ready for a new year? What makes the last day of this year different from the first day of next year?

The difference is in the step I choose to take that day.

I've made resolutions for many years. Made promises that I failed to keep the very next day. Good intentions stifled and neglected by life and all its concerns. This new year, I want to really make a difference in myself, my choices, and my perception of life. I want to make each day count. Be an inspiration. Be a friend. Make wise choices. Give cheerfully. Help selflessly.

Notice I did not use the word "better" in my descriptions. Doing so would only add pressure to be what I wasn't the year before. I want to focus more on making each daily decision unrelated to the previous year or the day before. I want to see each new day as a clean slate. An opportunity to succeed. Not because I failed to be my best the day before, but because this new day comes with God's new mercies. A brand new opportunity full of His grace! Regardless of the days shortcomings, I can face the new day with new choices and new outcomes.

If I do this each day, I will become that better person I wanted to be all along. I will also show consistency in my decisions. Walking with God is a day-to-day relationship. Go ahead and make that first step! When you wake up, make that choice to say a few words in prayer. Not saying, "I'm going to pray this morning." But actually doing it without making plans to do so. If you see a stranger in need, don't tell yourself you should go over and help them. Put some action into your intentions. There's no telling what new doors may open for you in the new year, simply by taking a step in the right direction, without hesitation, and full of faith.

Better, Different and Motivated ... More than Yesterday

Today is a new day. A day with its own mercies. Today I will not focus on yesterday's failures, but consider each step I have taken that has brought me to today. I know it is God's intent that I live consistently by His word and develop spiritual maturity.

It is my goal to be mature. Mature enough to spend quality time speaking with the Lord. Mature enough to balance my time so that I am ready and available to be used by Him when He calls. Mature enough to not whine about stressful situations, but confidently take them to the Lord in prayer. Mature enough to recognize I don't have all the answers and seek guidance from my pastor, the Bible, and those in authority in my life. Mature enough to not spend every second focused on me, but taking time to see the needs of others, both physical and spiritual. Yes, I intend to be mature on this new day.

Each time I have entered the church, I purposed to leave differently. Better. More courageous. Humble. Obedient. Faithful. Compassionate. God, too, has purposed that each person who enters His presence leave differently than how he or she first came. He gave instruction in Ezekiel 46:9 that the people entering the tabernacle to worship should not leave the tabernacle by using the same gate they entered from. The instruction was to keep straight ahead and use the opposite gate in front of them. In the same fashion, when we enter the sanctuary to worship, we too have an encounter with a life-changing Savior who expects us to walk straight ahead in our transformation, not turning back to our old ways, but moving forward in our new commitments to God. With this resolve we will leave the sanctuary a different person. Better than the day before.

Peace is a Wonderful Thing!

You know that moment when everything is still, pleasant ... peaceful? Maybe that moment is experienced early in the morning before others awake. A quiet spot in a secluded location. Even the back porch in a favorite spot. Whenever and wherever it is, that moment of solitude is like a good night's sleep.

Yes, it's hard to enjoy that moment when problems and pressures of life are weighing heavily on the mind. Silence tends to magnify the stress as thoughts race around and the heart feels the burden of our emotions. Yet, through it all, God is still faithful! I am alive, in my right mind, with the full function of my body. I am not starving. I may not have all my bill money, but at least the utilities are still on and the creditor has not repossessed any belongings! I must glory in today and give thanks for the blessings given me at this moment. 

I find that I tend to stress when I think of the "what-ifs". What-ifs refer to the future and we are instructed to focus on today. Tomorrow is not promised (James 4:13-16)! Plus, today is hard enough, why spend precious time stressing about what has not happened when we can make positive changes today (Matthew 6:34). Even when we think tomorrow will be better, the Word warns to not boast in tomorrow, because things can change quickly (Proverbs 27:1).

What would happen if I put all my faith and trust in God to handle today's situations? What could I accomplish? How would my health and appearence be affected? What peace and joy I could have! When there's nothing else I could do to change my situation, and I have whole-heartedly poured out my anquish to the Lord, I must simply trust that the Lord is fully capable of being God! He is my all-in-all. Everything I need. He knows where I am and what I'm facing. He has everything in control. Because He is God!

The 40-Day New Testament Challenge by Margaret Feinberg

Beginning January 4th I will start the 40-Day New Testament Challenge reading plan via You Version! The plan is to do this plan 2-3 times this year, as well as incorporate an Old Testament reading plan later in the year. Time to get serious about knowing His Word. Happy Reading!