Let's rededicate our lives to the Lord

Proverbs 16: (ESV)

When a man's ways please the Lord,

    he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

A young reporter approached an old man on his 100th birthday. "Happy birthday, kind Sir! Can I bother you to answer one question? In all your years, of what are you most proud?" he asked.

"Well," said the man, "I don't have a single enemy in the world."

"Really?!" shouted the reporter, "That's just incredible -- how inspiring to us all!"

"Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every one of 'em."

Sadly, each of us has acquired an enemy or two in our lives. While it's our human nature to find fault in others and make an occasional unnecessary enemy, sometimes it has nothing to do with us! What can we do to make peace with enemies like those?

"He" is the operating word in the verse above. He, that is, the Lord, makes even enemies be at peace with him. All we have to worry about is making sure that our ways are pleasing to the Lord and He will do the rest!

When our path is straight, and God is the focus of our journey, then our ways will please Him and He will make even our enemies be at peace with us.

Let's rededicate our lives to the Lord again today and see Him bring the victory.

Dear Lord, we pray that as we journey along the way help us keep our eyes on You. We thank You in advanced for the victory that we can have in You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Enjoy the Journey.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

However, as it is written: 

“What no eye has seen,

    what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived”—

    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

Today’s verse reminds me of a story I read the other day by Rick Potter from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Enjoy the Journey.

I love living in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, but I think that my heart will always be in Muskoka, Ontario, where my grandfather's cottage, nicknamed "Birch Haven" has stood since 1933. For as long as I can remember, as soon as school ended, my family would begin that five-hour journey to Birch Haven, a trip punctuated by numerous bathroom breaks, radiator cool-downs, and of course, ice cream stops.

I have wonderful memories of growing up in those summers in Muskoka, with family, cousins, and friends -- swimming, boating, sailing, water-skiing, or just lying in the sun on the dock.

Today, for my own family, the journey is even longer: a five-hour plane ride to Ottawa now precedes the long drive to Birch Haven. Sometimes, the air travel is rough, and the drive late at night is exhausting. But the anticipation, as I get closer to the cottage, is still the same.

When my mother realizes it's me, she'll typically come running from the cottage, with arms open. As we hug together, I quickly forget how long the journey has been, the welcome and the promise of cottage life making it worthwhile.

Sometimes, our journey here on earth seems long. There are delays, times when the way is rough, times when we wonder whether it's all worthwhile. These are the times when we need to depend on God, our pilot, assured that He knows the way and will lead us to a safe haven -- our eternal home. Jesus will be waiting for us there, running to meet us, arms outstretched, for He has gone ahead to prepare the mansion, a room that has been waiting for us since the beginning of time. When we are welcomed into our Saviour's loving arms, we will forget the journey -- for finally, we are home.

Dear Lord, thank You for taking care of us each day as we journey through life. We pray that You will continue to guide us through the good times and the bad. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Goal or The Journey?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (New International Version)

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

If you have ever been discouraged because of failure, please read on. For often, achieving what you set out to do is not the important thing. 

Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch.

"What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors.

"We plan to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" one of the brothers volunteered excitedly.

The older boys began to laugh, telling the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible.

After a long silence, one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders, worms and a wide assortment of insects. He removed the lid and showed the wonderful contents to the scoffing visitors.

Then he said quietly and confidently, "Even if we don't dig all the way through the earth, look what we found along the way!"

Their goal was far too ambitious, but it did cause them to dig. And that is what a goal is for -- to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen; in other words, to set us to digging!

But not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end successfully. Not every relationship will endure. Not every hope will come to pass. Not every love will last. Not every will be completed. Not every dream will be realized. But when you fall short of your aim, perhaps you can say, "Yes, but look at what I found along the way! Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tried to do something!"

It is in the digging that life is lived. And I believe it is joy in the journey, in the end, that truly matters. Share that joy with those around you today. God has given us so much let’s share it with others.

Dear Lord we thank You for the journey. We pray that we would look at the joys along the way and not be focused on the end. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Ticket for the Journey

Romans 5:6 (New International Version)

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Do you ever worry about what might happen in the future? Or do you find yourself anxious about things over which you have no control? If so, then a teaching from author and lecturer Corrie ten Boom may help.

She learned a powerful lesson as a little girl. Having encountered the cold, lifeless body of a baby, she realized that the reality of death would someday strike her family, too. Perhaps her father or mother or sister, Betsy, would soon die. She anxiously worried about these possibilities until her father came in one night to tuck her into bed. Corrie burst into tears and sobbed, "I need you. You can't die. You can't!"

Her father sat on the edge of the narrow bed and spoke tenderly to his daughter. "Corrie," he said gently, "when you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?"

She sniffed a few times and considered the question. "Why, just before I get on the train," she answered.

"Exactly," he continued. Then he gave her assurance that was to last a lifetime. He told her that a wise God knows when she will need things, too. "Don't run out ahead of God," he cautioned her. "When the time comes that some of us have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need -- just in time."

Corrie and her family were sent to concentration camps where she suffered greatly during World War II. She, indeed, was to experience the deaths of her parents and sister, as well as numerous friends. She was to endure hardships which she could never have imagined as a young child. But the words of her father stayed with her and proved to be true. "You will look into your heart and find the strength you need -- just in time."

Regardless of the suffering or hardship she encountered, when she looked inside her heart she found the strength she needed -- just in time.

If you find yourself worried or anxious about an uncertain future...perhaps you are running ahead. You have not yet been given the ticket for the journey. And if that thing you fear should ever arrive, it is then you must look inside your heart.

The strength you need can be found there -- just in time.

Dear Lord we pray that we would not run ahead of your timing. Thanks for giving us the ticket just in time for the journey. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.