14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

James 4:14-15 (NIV)

• This scripture is a reminder to me that not only is life so short, but tomorrow isn't promised. Therefore I must carpe diem, or "seize the day"!
  
• This is a lesson to me to live for today and accomplish what I can accomplish today, and not put it off until tomorrow. That's not to say I won't have any long term goals, as there will be many things that I would like to do that are long term. But by reaching the daily goals in an immediate fashion instead of a save-it-for-later fashion will only help to achieve those long term goals.
  
• Our lives are described here in the New International Version as "a mist", in the New American Standard Bible it's described as "a vapor", and in the New Living Translation it's "like the morning fog", in any case, it's a good reminder of just how temporal life is on this earth.
  
• As I read this passage, Romans 8:28 comes to mind... in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  ...to be called according to God's purpose, love God, praise and give glory to Him and bring others to know Him, now that's making the most of our short life time!
  
• Verse 15 says 'If it is the Lord's will we will live' It's only through the grace of God that I have my life, and it is such a precious gift that He gives.
  

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that I always take  your lessons to heart and apply them in my life, and in this case let me seize opportunities when they arise and not put them off. Let me not take for granted the day and time that I am given. Thank You Lord for Your gift of life through Christ Jesus, and never let me forget to thank You each and every day. ~Amen

Brilliant Light

"Therefore if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you" Luke 11:36 (NIV)

• Our eyes are the lamps of our bodies, and to keep them illuminated by God is to keep them focused in on the things in this world that are fair, right and just.
  
• Although my eyes see terrible things in this world,  I do not let those things cast a shadow over me and my way of thinking. I choose not to let my body be full of darkness by what I see and experience. I remember that God's light is everywhere and in every situation, turning negatives into positives.
  
• This is a light that is available to me, and to all! All we have to do is see it, and accept it into ourselves and let it shine.
  
• In order to keep my judgements fair and my decisions wise I keep God close, praying often and learning from Him through His word. The word of God is the propane, or the fuel, or the oil that keeps the light burning bright.
  
• In Luke 11:33, Jesus explains that to light up a lamp and then conceal it would makes no sense at all. His intentions is that we become illuminated by God through His love and teaching, and then let it be a light for others.
  

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray today that I may look with discerning eyes, seeing clearly Your light and allowing it in. May I use that light to guide in the way You intend for me to. Lord, please grant me the wisdom to make good judgements and decisions in what I say and do. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ. ~Amen

For the Right Reasons

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing"

Matthew 6: 1-3 (NIV)

• Even though it's as if the good deeds that we do go unnoticed, or seem to not make a difference, God notices because he knows all and sees all.
  
• My reasons for doing good things must not be to get noticed, or to get a "pat on the back". Looking for recognition from men can only lead to disappointment and resentment. When I do things with the wrong intention, I miss the blessing.
  
• I definitely don't want to ever give up on doing what is good, and what is for God. He promises that "pat on the back" we receive will be a blessing from Him.
• If the good deeds I do are for my own selfishness, it will make me grow weary in doing so. However when the good that I do is with the intent of giving glory to God, and I let the Holy Spirit flow through me to achieve His will, I shall never grow weary and tired in doing so.
• This scripture verse lets us know that God will bless us with what we need, when we need it as long as we stick with Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You may help guide me through my life and help me see the good deeds that I am called upon to do. When I am presented with these opportunities, please give me the courage, strength, and Spirit to do what is right. Let my deeds be for the right reasons, in my heart, so that I never grow weary and tired. Your timing is always perfect, and Your blessings are always the blessings that we need when we need it. ~Amen

Spiritual Awareness

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

• My human, worldly nature can at times cause me to dwell on negative things. Here in this scripture the LORD reminds me to focus in on and dwell on the positive.
  
• God's hands are in everything, so there are always pure and excellent and noble things to be seen in seemingly negative situations too.
  
• When we have God guarding our hearts and minds, He gives us the wisdom and knowledge to recognize these good and positive things.
  
• I must heed the LORD's instruction, and put into practice and exercise such good works in order to keep near to God.
  
• It's God's promise that when we keep Him as our divine guide and counselor, to guide and direct all of our ways, He will remain with us and bring peace in our lives.
• The rewards that God gives us for following after His instruction and excellent example can't be beat!
  

Dear Heavenly Father, I can't even comprehend how great You are and the depths of Your peace. I pray that I may be able to have enough understanding and wisdom to see Your glory in everything and everyone. I pray also that through You I may be able to turn every experience that I have into a Godly one. ~Amen

He Is Awesome!

28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our "God is a consuming fire" Hebrews 12:28-29 (NIV)

• As a Christian I must not forget just how awesome God is, and have a continuous sense of awe for the work that He does.
  
• Referring to someone or something as awesome, and also referring to God as awesome, puts God alongside the things of this world. Actually, for me, I need to reserve the word 'awesome' for God alone.
  
• Because of  a human, worldly nature, I'm quite vulnerable to many things. To humble myself is to realize that on a regular basis and to come before our Mighty God and accept Him with reverence and awe. Accepting the fact that with God anything is possible, but without God nothing is possible.
  
• I am completely an empty vessel without the LORD, and can only be filled by Him. 
• All powerful God, is the only One who can shake the heavens and the earth.
  
• This scripture is a reminder to me that my faith in God, and my lessons from life and from the word, are not things to be taken lightly, but instead are things to take very seriously and have a great respect for.
  

Dear LORD, thank you for my life, a gift that could only have come from You! May I have a greater sense of awe and profound reverence for You, and may I exemplify that in serving You. I wish to have a true and heartfelt fear and deep respect for You LORD, all of my days. ~Amen

More Solid than Concrete

But the LORD was my support. He also brought me forth into a broad place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. 2 Samuel 22:19-20 (NASB)

• King David wrote these words so long ago, and today they still ring true. 
  
• "the LORD was my support" God's support is one that can not be shaken, broken, changed, or moved. Now that is a support that we can rely on! 
  
• "He brought me forth" God placed me right where I need to be, so that He can show me His glory and power.
  
• "He rescued me" and delivered me. God is the only One who can do so. God is our foundation of solid rock and the only One who can be that for us.
  
• "because He delighted in me" One can not even begin to understand how awesome God's love and grace is. Just the fact that He delights in me lets me know that I can't even understand how valuable my life is in God's eyes. I need to always remind myself to not take this precious gift of life for granted and value my life and the lives of others.
  
• When God sent Jesus to die for us on the cross, it was an example of just how much he delights in and loves us.
  

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking to me so clearly through Your word. Thank You for letting me know that I am rescued because You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ. With Your great support, I know You strengthen me to be a good servant for You. LORD, please never let me forget how much you delight in our lives, and grant me the wisdom to lead others to know You. ~Amen

Finding Treasure

Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. 1 Chronicles 16:10 (NASB)

• When we seek the LORD, we receive instruction and wisdom from Him, and we will grow and be blessed by doing so.
  
• I think that to seek the LORD is to read His written word, take it to heart and live how He wants us to live. I think to seek the LORD is to see Him in every situation, good or bad. I think that to seek the LORD is to seek after His great counsel and put Him first in everything we do.
  
• Actively seeking God is so important in our lives because of the peace, joy and blessings that He brings.
  
• It's God's promise, it's His rule, part of His design that if we seek Him our hearts will be glad.
  
• Glory in His holy name -We can give glory to God in many ways. We can sing a song of praise to worship Him, we can also witness to others about Him, when we follow His instruction and live by His written commands we also give glory to Him. Doing good work and good deeds in this world, doing things that are influenced by God, and doing things that are for God, are all ways to glorify  and praise Him.
  
• Jesus Christ's name is glorious, just giving Him praise and all the glory is such a joy in itself! In a world that is temporal, there is so much joy in seeking Him who is eternal!
  

Dear Heavenly Father, what a great gift it is you give me, the gift that is the desire to seek You. In seeking You, my heart is full and yet still has room for more of You. To seek You is to get to know You, and I am so happy and content in knowing You. We give glory to You, Jesus, forever and ever. ~Amen

Hope in Our Creator

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope.

Romans 8:20 (NASB)

I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:14 (NASB)

• The creation, which we are a part of, needs this subjection because of the sinful world we live in, to let us know that we can have an everlasting hope in God and in God alone.
  
• We are reminded that we are not of this world, but we are God's children and also reminded that He decides all things and has done so from the beginning of all time.
  
• Credit for anything and everything belongs to God, who created everything. There isn't anything on this earth that we can take credit for, even work by our own hands are only possible because of God.
• There is nothing new for God, who knows all and sees all. He has written the book long before we came to be. In order to gain hope and peace we must trust in Him and not trust in our own understanding.
• We need hope in God, to strengthen our faith 'For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?' Romans 8:24
  
• We believe in and hope for without seeing. We need not worry, for we can have trust in God because He always keeps His promises. God is eternal and His love endures forever, so we can rest easy and have pure faith in the LORD!
  

Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God, thank You for instilling hope in my heart. A hope that is in You, in Jesus, a hope that brings great comfort. Please always guide me and make my hopes and prayers not be out of selfishness, but let them be in accordance to Your will. ~Amen

In Good Hands

For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He watches all his paths.  Proverbs 5:21 (NASB)

• We are all designed by God, after God, and are meant to take after his ways. He created us in His image, which to me means that He is our Father and passes us down His traits. Traits of love, compassion, fairness, forgiveness, and anything that is good in the world. 
  
• God watches our paths, watches over us and guides us, but yet He gives us our own free will to take paths of righteousness or not. God gives us this free will so that to follow Him is a choice that we make, not a programmed, automatic response. This way, God will have followers that willfully devote themselves to Him, not robots or machines that have no other choice but to do what they are programmed to do!
  
• Good or bad, God knows all of the choices we make, the deeds we perform, even what we think of doing or saying. There's no hiding from the LORD.
  
• May we always take the paths that lead to God, and make the choices that find favor in His eyes!
  

Dear LORD, thank You for giving us the capacity to think for ourselves, and I pray for the wisdom to see paths that lead to You and courage to take those paths. May I also be able to guide others that walk on worldly paths to walk on paths that lead to You, oh LORD. It is always a privilege to serve You, God, and what a blessing and most awesome gift You have given this world in Your Son, Jesus Christ. ~Amen

Enduring Trials

2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James1:2-3 (NASB)

• There are always things to be joyful about no matter what the circumstance, there are always positives in a seemingly negative situation.
• Remaining joyful during a hardship helps us to pull through that rough period, and increase endurance.
• It is God's will to produce an end result that we will benefit from by allowing various trials in our lives.
• Things that we gain from God during trial periods include: endurance, stronger faith, closeness to God, a greater appreciation for His love and faithfulness.
• God knows us the best and knows our tolerance level, and His test of our faith is so that we may grow to reach our potential.

Dear Heavenly Father, may we just keep our focus on You always, in good times as well as tough times, in order that we can see the many benefits that we receive by keeping You at the forefront of our lives. May you continue to strengthen our endurance during the trial periods in our lives. We know it is because of Your love for us that you try our faith and increase our growth in Christ Jesus. ~Amen

Producing Results

21Yield now and be at peace with Him; Thereby good will come to you. 22Please receive instruction from His mouth and establish His words in your heart. 23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored.

Job 22:21-23 (NASB)

• We should not worry about things, for God is in control, and when we realize that He is ultimately in control, it's then that we can receive His peace.
  
• When we are at peace with God and ourselves, we can allow Him to work through us and in us.
  
• When we keep God close in all of our our day-to-day activities and duties, and remove evil from our mind, body and Spirit, that's when God can really go to work on our hearts.
  
• Being diligent with our bible studies enables us to have God's word written inside of us, and written on our hearts.
  
• God provides so much great gifts and He is so merciful for restoring me! God brings us the best contentment!
  

Heavenly Father, I pray that I may continue to grow closer and closer to you who brings us such great peace. Help me to keep out ungratefulness from my heart and let in thankfulness, always. I ask you LORD to keep us all safe, healthy, strong, steadfast and diligent so that we may be effective in serving You. LORD, I pray to be productive in my walk with Jesus Christ.  ~Amen

We are the Body

15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:15-16 (NASB)

• We have to remember to let Jesus do the leading, and we follow. Our actions should always be inspired by Him.
  
• By seeking truth, and living according to what is written in the word of God, and by listening to Jesus and the instruction He gives us, we can follow Christ's lead and let Him work through us.
  
• My work needs to be in unity and in alignment with God's will so that I may function properly as a member of Christ's body.
  
• Our roles as members of the body of Christ is important for proper function and growth of the whole body.
  

Dear Heavenly Father, may I be a better servant for you and always strive to become stronger and stronger in You. May the things I do only glorify You, LORD. May my actions be an attraction to bring those that do not know You to come to know You and become a member of Your body. I just want to be more like You, Jesus. Your great qualities gives new life to us all! ~Amen

Good Fruit

16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. Galatians 5:16-17 (NIV)

Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being. Proverbs 20:30 (NIV)

• When we are in some kind of distress, whether it be physical, emotional, financial, is when we pull closer to God.
  
• God will allow these things in our lives to help discipline us, cleanse our thinking and make us get into alignment with Him.
  
• We're also brought to realize the weakness of the flesh, and realize that we can't count on the flesh, but we realize that the only One we can count on is God.
  
• God wants us to walk and live by the Spirit. The more and more we do, the more we desire the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the less we desire the things of the world.
  
• Even though we may be battered and wounded, be it physically, emotionally, financially, we can still bring out the fruit of the Spirit (even more so!) which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control as described in Galatians 5:22.
  
• Because of our human nature, our goal to produce good fruit for God has to be intentional, and will take effort on our part to put it into practice.
  

Heavenly Father, let the trails in life that we are going through only strengthen our Spirit. I know that it is your will that we are made better and stronger by the challenges we face. Please let us have the acceptance we need, so that we are cleansed and only made stronger by these challenges. By doing so, I know that you'll continue to bless us. Let us become more like Christ Jesus, everyday. ~Amen

Equality

17Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgement belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. 18And at that time I told you everything you were to do. Deuteronomy 1:17-18 (NIV)

• As the Israelites head for the promised land, they are very numerous and God's will was to have the wise and respected among them be leaders to help keep rule.
  
• We are best off when leaders seek God for guidance, so that those leaders will guide us in the most fair and just way.
  
• In life we need to judge others to make wise choices, but first we must look inward at ourselves and then make a judgement that is fair. In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches us that we must remove the plank from our own eye to see clearly to remove the speck from our brother's eye (v.5).
  
• The wisdom in our judgements  must come from God through His word.
  
• Let God influence our judgements and decision-making, that the outcome be according to His will.
  
• Whatever the case may be we must give it to Him, and turn to Him first. God is in control of all things, and He will be the final judge!
  

Dear Heavenly Father, help me not to show unfairness or partiality in judgement and when I do judge, may I do it only after having Your wisdom and best interests in my heart. May I keep the mindset that Jesus has, loving all of your children, so that I may make wise decisions concerning others and treat others fairly and with love. Also, as we head into a new year with our country under new leadership, I'd like to pray that these leaders put You first when making judgements and decisions, that they be wise ones. Thank You Jesus, I pray in Your name, ~Amen

Something to Brag About

23Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23-24

• It's only through God that I am able to do anything
  
• Any wisdom, talent, strength, riches (or anything that anyone has) comes from God, so we need to recognize and remember that and give all credit to Him
  
• Acknowledge God in everything I do, and allow Him to guide my ways
  
• The LORD's greatness is the best thing to brag about!

Heavenly Father, let the only boasting I ever do be in You, and let it be because I strive to understand and know You. May the boasting I do in You help bring others to know your greatness, Your love and faithfulness so that they may also boast of You. ~Amen