So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God....And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus[.]

 1 Corinthians 10 and Colossians 3

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God....And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus[.] 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17a

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today - as we move close to the start of a new year - encourages believers to not live aimlessly but to live with purpose. John Piper shares: "God’s revealed will for you is that when you get up in the morning, you don’t drift aimlessly through the day letting mere circumstances alone dictate what you do, but that you aim at something — that you focus on a certain kind of purpose."  Piper uses the analogy of leaves blowing randomly across the backyard, pushed around by the wind to describe how God does not want us to live aimlessly.  Piper states that "[i]t is crystal clear in the Bible, including these texts [in 1 Corinthians 10 and Colossians 3], that God means for us to aim consciously at something significant in our days." Piper concludes the devotion by sharing: "God did not create humans in his image to be aimless, like lifeless leaves blown around in the backyard of life. He created us to be purposeful — to have a focus and an aim for all our days."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God that gives all of His children gifts and talents to be used, shared, and to bring value and good into the world - thank You for how You knit all of us together to share these talents into our various communities at work, at home, church and elsewhere.  You are an awesome God for how You bless us.  Yet I am undeserving of such blessings...my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. v28

Paul wants us to know that everything we experience - the good and the bad - God uses for our good, underscoring that God has a plan for our life...just as it is stated in Jeremiah:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

John Piper believes that "[n]o promise in all the world surpasses the height and breadth and weight of [Romans 8:28]".

We must try and view our life's circumstances through the lens of what God is doing for us, and that He loves us.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and I have seen in my own life how You have used both good and difficult circumstances for my good and of course for Your glory.  You are good!  I love You Jesus and I am grateful for Your hand in my life.  Yet I am undeserving.  I worry and I have other sin.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Acts 9

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” v15-16

Ananias was told by the Lord to go lay hands on Saul to give him the power of the Holy Spirit (v10-12).  Ananias initially resisted (v13-14) but the Lord clarified why He was sending Ananias to Saul and ultimately Ananias did go (v17).

There are many examples of scripture where God sends people to deliver a message or carry out a task.  Jonah is one such example.  We may resist but if God is sending us, we must go because God has a plan - He is in control - and His ways and plans are perfect.  In the case of Ananias, God makes known details about His plans but in many cases we don't know (i.e. Abraham and Isaac) and we need to trust in Him.  

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an awesome God You are - I have seen and can testify to Your hand in my life and the many blessings You have poured out for me.  Thank You Jesus for directing me and holding me by the hand as I go - every day.  I love You.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your Message for me today and every day.

He must become greater; I must become less.

John 3

He must become greater; I must become less. v30

I've spent time this weekend with my son Zach and there has been much discussion about the world, desires, and God's will for our lives.  We all have desires but we must surrender our lives and desires to Him and He must come first.  This is counter to the worldly view that we must pursue what we believe is important to ourselves - to follow our dreams.

We must understand that God has a plan for our lives and that we must align ourselves with this plan.  Alignment to God's plan for our lives is a process that involves renewal of the mind through daily study of His Word and prayer.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who has a plan for me that is great and I am amazed that You would use me - even though I am broken, etc.  Thank You Jesus.  I am undeserving of such a God.  I worry and I am selfish.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

John 2

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” v4

God has a plan - He did so when He created the world, when He sent His Son and He has a plan for all of us.  We need to be mindful of this, particularly in the middle of circumstances when we may question whether God exists at all.  When the Jews wandered in the desert in Exodus and found themselves hemmed in by the chasing Egyptians and the Red Sea, they said this: "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?"  

While from time to time it understandable that we doubt God is doing something in our lives, we do need to recognize that God is ALWAYS doing something in our lives and You can be sure it has something to do with bringing Him glory - either through you or in You. This view should make it much easier for You to endure.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens[.] Ecclesiastes 3:1

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and I know You are always doing something in my life - thank You for always being with me!  I am not deserving of such love.  I worry and I stress out.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message to me today and every day.

“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Matthew 27

“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. v65-66

In v62-64, the chief priests and Pharisees convinced Pilate that he should guard Jesus' tomb in case someone steals the body.  Yet, because they were blinded to the fact that they were indeed dealing with God himself they could not see that they could not prevent God's plan from coming to fruition.  We often try believe we can engineer an outcome in our lives - we do of course have free will but not apart from God's will.  It's a matter of becoming aligned with God's will.

Nothing can stop God's plan
God's will for our lives

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has blessed me beyond what I deserve!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worthy of such blessings.  I am lustful, unfaithful, and quick to anger.  Please forgive me for such sin and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind, and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’

Isaiah 46

I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ v10

Speaking to His children through Isaiah, God makes it clear that it is not our plans that will prevail - how foolish of us to think so.  Yet, I know for myself that I too often believe that it is my will and my plans that will prevail or that I can get away with something thinking it will not have an impact.   

See posts on futility of our own plans relative to plans made in concert with God's will.

See also how we are accountable for our actions.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who is in control and who has blessed me so richly and restored me too often.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love as I am often harsh with my words and actions.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind, and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.

Ecclesiastes 7

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. v14

As I sit here this morning waiting on news about a potential job offer, I must reflect on how God is in control and how He provides and that I should not worry.  I've done the best I could with the job interview process and I hope that I have glorified God through the process.  We should plan in concert with God's desires for our lives but we must acknowledge God's sovereignty over all things - including our lives.  

The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile. Psalm 94:11

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

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

 

If we focus on renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2) we can best understand God's will for our lives and direct ourselves using God as a lamp for our feet:

 

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

 

And I should not worry (Matthew 6:25-34).

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who has blessed me beyond what I could have ever imagined for my life.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love and blessing.  I worry and I am often harsh with my words and actions.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens[.]

Ecclesiastes 3

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens[.] v1

God is in control and He has a plan for all of us.  See my post yesterday and posts here.

Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 1 Corinthians 9:25

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who gives me life...to the full...thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love and such a gift.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.

2 Chronicles 26

As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. v5

We must be careful drawing a direct relationship between seeking God and success.  We can say that all success is from God (James 1:17, Deuteronomy 8:18, 1 Chronicles 29:11-12).  However, we cannot say that God will give us success without qualifiers - we do not have a merit-based relationship with God, instead it is grace-based.

God will provide for us what He wants us for us.

We should seek the Lord because we love Him, because He commands us to, and because it provides what nothing else can provide.

See also post yesterday regarding how God promises how we will be blessed and filled.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who is full of love and grace for me and You have blessed and filled me beyond what I deserve - thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love - I worry. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

2 Samuel 5

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. v4-5

I believe patterns in the bible are important because God wants us to see connections.  In this case, we see David as similar to Jesus in that David reigned over Israel and Judah as long as Jesus lived.  See also blog post here (and there are others).  God wants us to see David's life as important and worthy of study.  Of course, David is not perfect (and we aren't either).  Yet even with David's faults we can study his life as someone with humble beginnings and as someone with a heart for God, and as someone who trusted and had confidence in God.

God has a plan for us just as He did for David. 

God, please help me rest in You, and to have trust and confidence in You.

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who has provided Your Word and the Holy Spirit so that I can walk with You and spend time with You.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love because I am harsh - with my own family!  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth 4

Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. v16-17

When Ruth agreed to travel with Naomi - Ruth had no idea what God had in store for her.  None of us do - all we know is that God has plan.


For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 

Yet Ruth's family line includes not just David but Jesus.

Reminder that if we feel led, we should go and if we submit our hearts and minds to Him - He WILL do big things.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love You - I have seen how You have done big things in my life and in the lives around me.  Amazing!  Thank You Jesus for how You bless me.  I am not deserving.  I worry - far too much.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn from it towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help her understand Your will for her life.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”

Judges 13

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” v8

What a remarkable story of the birth of Samson - and how his parents experienced an angel of the Lord prophesizing Samson's birth.  Much like Mary with the angel Gabriel (see Luke 1), Samson's parents submit to this plan in humility and go one step further - asking the Lord to guide them as they raise Samson into who God intends him to be.

I have often prayed this same prayer and often neglect to say this prayer thinking I can be doing something absent any prayer - what arrogance and foolishness!  Also sinful...

All of our plans must be directed by the Lord. 

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Psalm 16:9

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God full of love and compassion for me - You guide me through good times and bad and without Your light I would be lost.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such a God who loves me as You do (beyond comprehension).  I worry and I am full of arrogance.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

Judges 6

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” v15-16

The story of Gideon is one with several messages including the message that God is with all of us, including the least of us and even those who commit grave sins (i.e. Moses, Paul, etc.).

God has a plan for all of us, and we can draw encouragement from how He uses all of us for His purpose.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I have seen the work of Your Hands in my life and I am amazed at what You have done...and grateful.  I am blessed beyond what I deserve.  Please forgive me for me worry.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.

Numbers 23

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it. v19-20

God delivered the above message to Balak through Balaam.  Key for us to remember is that God is not like us - He is God.  This is of course obvious but many of us, including myself, get mad or be disappointed with God because we expect Him to be good to us or to respond to us in prayer how we expect.  

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

God does say that we will get anything that we ask for in His Name:

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:13-14

 

Yet what does "in my name" mean - for me it means "in His image" in the sense that we were made in His image (see Genesis 1), and made to glorify God.  When we renew our mind, we can better recognize His desires.

 

May [the Lord] give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4

 

My Prayer: Lord God, You are an awesome God full of love and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus - I am not worth such love.  I am harsh with my words.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as the Lord and Savior. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”

Genesis 27

His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” v13

Once again we see how those in the Bible take matters into their own hands vs trusting God with the plan He has for us. Rebekah initiates the plan to trick Issac and Esau.  We must be clear that it is a sin to not love and trust God (Exodus 20) and we must be clear that nothing can stop God's plans.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

See also post here.

But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan[.] Micah 4:12

 

Lord, please help me trust in You.

 

My Prayer: Jesus, You are a great God that has seen me through good times and bad.  You are faithful and You are always there for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such a God because I often neglect my relationship with You.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 25

So Esau despised his birthright. v34

We are often unsatisfied with our circumstances - left grumbling and complaining.  Yet we often fail to see what God is doing in our lives during these circumstances.  We should not grumble and complain - we should trust in what God has in store for us.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.  Philippians 2:14-15

Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord. Exodus 16:8

 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

 

My Prayer: Lord, You are an awesome God - full of love and patience for me.  Thank You Jesus.  This is true even though I fail to have patience for others.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

Genesis 12

Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. v20

Scripture is full of stories that repeat themselves and here we have a man, Abram, who - like those in Babel - chose to trust in himself vs God.  Although the circumstances are different (it does not appear as if those in Babel failed to trust to God through difficult circumstances), the end result is the same.  God has a plan, we must trust that this plan is better for us (He knows us better than we know ourselves - Psalm 139), He will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6), and that God's promises always come true (Psalm 117:2).

I must be patient on the Lord.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God, full of love, patience, compassion, mercy, etc. for me.  This I know.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love - I am broken and my sin continues.  Please forgive me and help me overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself strength and wisdom.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

Genesis 11

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”  v4

Although God has ordained all of the days of our lives before we are born (Psalm 139) and God has  a plan (Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:10) for each of us, we often desire plans of our own as did those in Babel.

We must be clear that we exist to glorify God and that we cannot overcome God's plans - how arrogant!

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God and I have witnessed in my own life Your design and Your works - I am blessed and beyond thankful for what You have done to rescue and save me from my sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth Your love - I neglect You.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You loved me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

Genesis 8

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. v1

In Genesis 6, God finds favor with Noah and commands him to build and ark that will be used to save Noah, his sons and their wives and two of every kind of creature on earth. He makes a covenant with Noah, and in Genesis 7, the earth is wiped clean of all sin by a flood brought by God. In Genesis 8, God demonstrates His faithfulness by ending the flood and placing Noah and His family on dry ground.

God is in control - He reigns.  We may find ourselves in circumstances that we don't understand but God knows what is good for us and He has a plan - one that is much bigger than us and it is perfect.

God's timing 
God's thoughts 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

My Prayer: Lord, Your ways are just and perfect and You know everything about me, yet You still came to suffer and die...to save me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such an act of sacrifice.  I am selfish, lazy, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.