Prayer Focus - Strangers
Day 5
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
One person in politics
One person you always see but have never spoken to
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 62
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." ( vs. 1-2 )
I am so tired tonight. Going back to work from the summer break is hard as it brings long days and short nights. Hours in the car fighting traffic and endless commitments. I can hardly think, but I keep going. What is important gets done and we keep moving on. My time with God is my only time to myself, but most importantly, it is my lifeline. If I did not have God, I would surely be lost. First of all, I would not have my family, my husband, or my beautiful children. I would not be a teacher, and probably, I would not be alive. I have found rest despite being exhausted. I have a stronghold. I have something beyond this life. I always thought that if all we had to live for was the 9 to 5 and the grow old, get a job, raise a family, then die type of life than it was all so hopeless. I am so glad that God showed me something different.
"My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty Rock, my Refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." ( vs. 7-8 )
Besides rest, my honor comes from God as well. If I had been left to myself, I wouldn't have had any honor. I was not a very nice person before I became a Christian. I used people and all I cared about was myself and my desires. I was full of anger and rage and had a seared conscience. I was so hardened by sin, that my spiritual transformation took a long time. I did not change overnight when I decided to follow God. Yes, I had grace, but the real work was just beginning. The consequences of only 17 years of godless living have now taken thirty plus years to overcome. It is hard for me to imagine, but I have been trying to do this since 1983; all of my adult life has been dedicated to becoming closer and closer to God. It has taken all that time to develop, through God, whatever honor I have now. What a thought! My integrity has come through walking through the furnaces and learning the hard way what it means to serve Him
One thing I am especially grateful for is that during all of this time, I have always had God to run to and to hide in. When the going got rough, as it often did, I poured out my heart to Him and then just slept an empty sleep, letting His spirit burn off the dross of my soul. In the morning when I would awake, I would be a little bit better; a little closer to the woman of integrity that I longed to be. The sun always seemed to shine brighter on those days and everything was a bit clearer. It was as if I could see God shining through.
"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong, and that You, O Lord, are loving. Surely You will reward each person according to what he has done." (vs. 11-12 )
Finally, I will remember that God is strong. That fact is a given which I need to always remember. He is not like me. He is more than capable. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). God is huge and powerful. God is able! I will also remember that God is loving. He loves me. He loves You. All of what He does day to day in maintaining and running the universe is in an effort to try and bring people back to Him. That is His ultimate goal and desire. He desires that all men are saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (I Tim 2:3-4). Let us be faithful. It is worth it. I know. God will reward us if we are faithful. He will reward us for what we have done! Let us do something worthy of being rewarded today!
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are coming to You. Our souls find rest in You alone. Thank You for providing us with the refuge that we so long for. We are lonely, weary travelers here. We are so different that sometimes it is tiresome. But You know. You are strong and You are loving. You will be here for us and provide for us. You are our fortress and refuge. We will trust in You. We will pour out our hearts to You. We will commit with our hearts and souls to serving You. We know You will reward us.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I finding rest in God alone? What other things do I try to find rest in? How can I turn more to God for the rest and refreshing that I need?
2. Am I easily shaken? What does my stability say about my relationship with God? How can I become more stable?
3. Which of the names of God mentioned here do I most identify with? What does it mean to me to know that God has these qualities? How can this help me to trust in Him at all times?
4. Am I remembering that God is strong and loving? Which of these is harder for me to remember? Why?
5. Am I living as if I believed He was going to reward me according to what I have done? What would I change if I truly believed He was going to do this?
Showing posts with label dignity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dignity. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Monday, August 31, 2015
Daily Devotional - 8/31/15 (10/31/09)
Prayer Focus - Strangers
Day 3
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Proverbs 31
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies...Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." ( vs. 10, 30-31 )
"But the Lord said to Samuel. 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." ( I Samuel 16: 7)
There are more important things than money, looks, and possessions. The world runs after all of these things but they will not matter when we are gone and are awaiting final judgment. What will matter is what is in our hearts. Were we people of integrity? Integrity is being true inside and out. Doing what you say and standing firm no matter what. It is saying "I'm sorry" and admitting when we were the ones who did something. It is standing up for people who can not stand up for themselves. It is having character.
Character is not taught too much anymore. It is surprising to me when I see the disregard for manners that is so predominant now. Our society is too often teaching and focusing on the wrong things. We run our children all over town to activities but we fail to talk to them and teach them right from wrong. We are so distracted by the phone and the Internet that we fail to do so many things. I look at all the time I have wasted in my life focusing on the wrong things and I am so sad. My children are no longer little and that time is gone now. I wish I had valued the things of the heart sooner.
This was brought home to me one day when my oldest daughter was about twelve. I had been promising to do so many things with her. "I will go running with you" - later. "I will sit down and talk" - later. Always later, later, later. I felt I had so much time. Then one day I said, "Let's go running." and she said no. She was no longer interested. Just like that, the window was closed. How I regretted being too busy then! I was heartbroken for a long time but thankfully, I made changes. And thankfully, over time, I have been able to rebuild the bridge that I tore down with my daughter due to my lack of focus. Now, I strive to make time for each of my daughters. I am not perfect but I am better. I am striving now to be a woman of noble character. I am striving to value what is most important - the people in my life; and not money, possessions, career, or anything else.
It doesn't matter if I am not keeping step with the world; doesn't matter if I don't have the huge TV or the best designer clothes. If I have relationships with my three precious daughters, then I am rich. It doesn't matter if I have a lot of money or a huge house. What matters is if I can live with my head held high because I am doing what is right; I am treating people right, and if I have nothing I am hiding or ashamed of. Then, I have what matters. God always seems to take care of me and provide what I need when I am walking with Him and being a loving person; a person with integrity. Let's rearrange our priorities and get our values right. Let's be people of noble character so that we can receive the praise and reward of a person who fears the Lord. And then, we just might change the world as well.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help us to become women and men of noble characters. Help us to value what is most important and not get caught up running after the world. The world has no idea what is truly important. It glorifies what is wrong and puts down what is right. It has strayed so far away from love. It has become consumed with the temporal and the fleeting. Help us to look at the heart and not the outward appearance. Help us to be different. Help us to have integrity and make a difference by our lives. This is beyond us, Father, but it is not beyond You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I define "noble character"? Why? Do I have a noble character? Why or why not?
2. Which do I look at and value more, the outward appearance of people and things or the internal or intrinsic value of them? How do I know this? Do I want to change how I view life?
3. Do I have integrity? Do I lie? Do I do what I say I will? Am I the same whether people are watching me or not? What can I do to increase my integrity?
4. Am I valuing the people God has placed in my life? Do I spend time with my children, spouse, siblings, parents? If I am with people, am I focused on giving to them or am I on my phone or distracted by my thoughts or worries?
5. Do I need to apologize to anyone for not treating them right or valuing them? Do I need to contact someone that I have been neglecting? How can I spend better time with my children or significant others? How can I show more love to those around me?
Day 3
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Proverbs 31
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies...Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." ( vs. 10, 30-31 )
"But the Lord said to Samuel. 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." ( I Samuel 16: 7)
There are more important things than money, looks, and possessions. The world runs after all of these things but they will not matter when we are gone and are awaiting final judgment. What will matter is what is in our hearts. Were we people of integrity? Integrity is being true inside and out. Doing what you say and standing firm no matter what. It is saying "I'm sorry" and admitting when we were the ones who did something. It is standing up for people who can not stand up for themselves. It is having character.
Character is not taught too much anymore. It is surprising to me when I see the disregard for manners that is so predominant now. Our society is too often teaching and focusing on the wrong things. We run our children all over town to activities but we fail to talk to them and teach them right from wrong. We are so distracted by the phone and the Internet that we fail to do so many things. I look at all the time I have wasted in my life focusing on the wrong things and I am so sad. My children are no longer little and that time is gone now. I wish I had valued the things of the heart sooner.
This was brought home to me one day when my oldest daughter was about twelve. I had been promising to do so many things with her. "I will go running with you" - later. "I will sit down and talk" - later. Always later, later, later. I felt I had so much time. Then one day I said, "Let's go running." and she said no. She was no longer interested. Just like that, the window was closed. How I regretted being too busy then! I was heartbroken for a long time but thankfully, I made changes. And thankfully, over time, I have been able to rebuild the bridge that I tore down with my daughter due to my lack of focus. Now, I strive to make time for each of my daughters. I am not perfect but I am better. I am striving now to be a woman of noble character. I am striving to value what is most important - the people in my life; and not money, possessions, career, or anything else.
It doesn't matter if I am not keeping step with the world; doesn't matter if I don't have the huge TV or the best designer clothes. If I have relationships with my three precious daughters, then I am rich. It doesn't matter if I have a lot of money or a huge house. What matters is if I can live with my head held high because I am doing what is right; I am treating people right, and if I have nothing I am hiding or ashamed of. Then, I have what matters. God always seems to take care of me and provide what I need when I am walking with Him and being a loving person; a person with integrity. Let's rearrange our priorities and get our values right. Let's be people of noble character so that we can receive the praise and reward of a person who fears the Lord. And then, we just might change the world as well.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help us to become women and men of noble characters. Help us to value what is most important and not get caught up running after the world. The world has no idea what is truly important. It glorifies what is wrong and puts down what is right. It has strayed so far away from love. It has become consumed with the temporal and the fleeting. Help us to look at the heart and not the outward appearance. Help us to be different. Help us to have integrity and make a difference by our lives. This is beyond us, Father, but it is not beyond You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I define "noble character"? Why? Do I have a noble character? Why or why not?
2. Which do I look at and value more, the outward appearance of people and things or the internal or intrinsic value of them? How do I know this? Do I want to change how I view life?
3. Do I have integrity? Do I lie? Do I do what I say I will? Am I the same whether people are watching me or not? What can I do to increase my integrity?
4. Am I valuing the people God has placed in my life? Do I spend time with my children, spouse, siblings, parents? If I am with people, am I focused on giving to them or am I on my phone or distracted by my thoughts or worries?
5. Do I need to apologize to anyone for not treating them right or valuing them? Do I need to contact someone that I have been neglecting? How can I spend better time with my children or significant others? How can I show more love to those around me?
Friday, November 13, 2009
Daily Devotional - 11/13
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing that is needed in the world
One thing that is needed in your country
Pray about:
How it will help those concerned with their spiritual life
How it will help those concerned with their physical life
How it will help those concerned with their emotional life
How it will help those concerned with their mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 73
"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." ( vs. 1-2)
"This is what the wicked are like - always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning...When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely You place them on slippery ground; You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when You arise, O Lord, You will despise them as fantasies." (vs. 13-14, 16-20)
"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (vs. 21-26)
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing that is needed in the world
One thing that is needed in your country
Pray about:
How it will help those concerned with their spiritual life
How it will help those concerned with their physical life
How it will help those concerned with their emotional life
How it will help those concerned with their mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 73
"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." ( vs. 1-2)
"This is what the wicked are like - always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning...When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely You place them on slippery ground; You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when You arise, O Lord, You will despise them as fantasies." (vs. 13-14, 16-20)
"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (vs. 21-26)
It is easy to lose sight of what is important. When we look around at others and compare ourselves with others, especially those not following God, we can end up dissatisfied with our lot. Those who are chasing after what the world offers can achieve quite a bit and I believe that Satan rewards them to help lead others astray. We can look at their schedules, which often have more free time and leisure activities, and begin to envy them. We can also envy their financial success as they often use unethical methods to get ahead. We can look at their fancy houses, clothes, and the like and then wonder why we are struggling and trying to do things God's way. But God does not promise wealth and success. God promises spiritual rewards.
If we lose sight of this we can easily slip. It is not hard to get to this point and we become like brute beasts when we start envying. We lose all of our dignity and integrity. This is not what we want nor is it what God wants for us. We need to get back to God and enter His sanctuary. We need to remember what will happen to all those who do not know Him. They will not endure. Whatever they are enjoying is for this life only. When we die, we take nothing with us. Naked we came and naked we go. Without God, they will leave it all here and enter eternity impoverished. They will be like a dream that is despised in the morning. ]
I don't want to be a bad dream to God. I want to be a good memory, and not even a memory, a good and faithful servant always with Him, serving Him for eternity. The amazing thing is, that with God, this is possible. God is still with us, even when we are faltering. He is holding our hand and guiding us in the way that we should go. Everything may fail but God will not. God is our strength forever.
"But as for me, it is good to be near God." (vs. 28a)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We know You are good. We have always known this in our souls, yet we slip so easily. We are like Peter who took his eyes off you when he was walking on the water. We sink. We begin to look at those around us and begin to envy their prosperity and ease. Help us to enter into Your sanctuary on a daily basis so that we will remember their final destiny. Help us to remember what life is all about and that the eternal is what truly matters. We ask to not be like brute beasts but like those that have integrity and uprightness. We do not want to be a bad dream to You. We do not want to be despised when You awake. We do not want to be swept away by terrors or cast down to ruin. Help us to live for eternity and to live clearly and simply. You are here guiding us. Help us to not fight Your guidance, but to embrace it. We thank You for being our strength and our portion forever. You are all we have. There is nothing better than You. We desire nothing else than to please You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What things cause me to envy the most? What circumstances and people cause me the most trouble? How can I combat this?
2. Do I ever feel that I am trying so hard and yet it is all in vain? Do I feel this way when I am forgetting all the good things that God has done for me? How can I rekindle my gratitude?
3. How can I enter into the sanctuary of God on a daily basis? What places and settings help me to remember my spiritual perspective and get back to being grounded in what is important again? How can I incorporate these things into my daily life?
4. How is God guiding me? Am I receptive to His leading through His word, others, and my inner conscience? How can I become more receptive? Am I being still so that I can remember that God is God and allow myself to hear His voice?
Friday, November 6, 2009
Daily Devotional - 11/6
Prayer Focus - Gratitude
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you are grateful for about the country that you live in
One thing you are grateful for the state/region that you live in
Thank God for how what you are grateful for affects:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 66
"Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard; He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For You, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance." ( vs. 8-12)
Once again we are reminded that sometimes God allows us to go through hard times in order to train and refine us. He lets testing go on to see what is in our hearts. Sometimes the testing is very intense but this does not mean God is upset or being mean to us. It is tough love that is willing to allow another to go through struggles so that in the long run they will win.
Our society has moved so far from this concept and many of the problems we see arising stem from this lack of the ability to endure. We don't want to have to struggle for anything. Instant gratification is king. No one wants to wait til they have money to spend it. I know that was me til I racked up a credit card debt that was insurmountable. No one wants to wait to get married in order to be involved physically. Very few people want to put in long hours of study and practice on order to learn a subject, skill, or trade (except of course if it's in athletics which is fun anyway and promises millions to the right individuals).
But God wants to change us from the inside out. He knows that nothing good comes without sacrifice and struggle. He allows this to happen because He wants us in heaven. If we can start living with eternity in our minds continually, our troubles will become light and momentary. Our entire lives will become a momentary spot on eternity and none of this will matter so much anymore. The only thing that matters is being right with God. He will bring us out to a place of abundance someday, and when that happens, we will be ready for it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We will shout for joy today because we are alive. We will praise Your name because You are powerful. We will be grateful for all of the challenges and trials that come along because we know that they are refining us and making us into the men and women that will make a difference in the world. We praise you for not letting us go about in our own ways. We praise you for all of your guidance and all the second chances that You have given us. I will not cherish sin in my heart. I will keep a clear pathway for You to travel between where I am and where I need to be. You are good.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I praise God? How can I praise Him more?
2. What is going well in my life? What am I being tested in?
3. What prisons am I in? What burdens are on my back? Who is riding over my head? How am I dealing with all of these things?
4. Has God brought me out to my place of abundance yet? Am I cherishing any sin in my heart and therefore hindering God's ability to do work?
Day 2
Pray for:
One thing you are grateful for about the country that you live in
One thing you are grateful for the state/region that you live in
Thank God for how what you are grateful for affects:
your spiritual life
your physical life
your emotional life
your mental life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 66
"Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard; He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For You, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance." ( vs. 8-12)
Once again we are reminded that sometimes God allows us to go through hard times in order to train and refine us. He lets testing go on to see what is in our hearts. Sometimes the testing is very intense but this does not mean God is upset or being mean to us. It is tough love that is willing to allow another to go through struggles so that in the long run they will win.
Our society has moved so far from this concept and many of the problems we see arising stem from this lack of the ability to endure. We don't want to have to struggle for anything. Instant gratification is king. No one wants to wait til they have money to spend it. I know that was me til I racked up a credit card debt that was insurmountable. No one wants to wait to get married in order to be involved physically. Very few people want to put in long hours of study and practice on order to learn a subject, skill, or trade (except of course if it's in athletics which is fun anyway and promises millions to the right individuals).
But God wants to change us from the inside out. He knows that nothing good comes without sacrifice and struggle. He allows this to happen because He wants us in heaven. If we can start living with eternity in our minds continually, our troubles will become light and momentary. Our entire lives will become a momentary spot on eternity and none of this will matter so much anymore. The only thing that matters is being right with God. He will bring us out to a place of abundance someday, and when that happens, we will be ready for it.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We will shout for joy today because we are alive. We will praise Your name because You are powerful. We will be grateful for all of the challenges and trials that come along because we know that they are refining us and making us into the men and women that will make a difference in the world. We praise you for not letting us go about in our own ways. We praise you for all of your guidance and all the second chances that You have given us. I will not cherish sin in my heart. I will keep a clear pathway for You to travel between where I am and where I need to be. You are good.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I praise God? How can I praise Him more?
2. What is going well in my life? What am I being tested in?
3. What prisons am I in? What burdens are on my back? Who is riding over my head? How am I dealing with all of these things?
4. Has God brought me out to my place of abundance yet? Am I cherishing any sin in my heart and therefore hindering God's ability to do work?
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Daily Devotional - 10/31
Prayer Focus - Strangers
Day 3
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Proverbs 31
"She is clothed with strength and dignity. She can laugh at the days to come" ( vs 25)
"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." (vs. 17)
These are my theme verses for this coming month. As I review October, it had its ups and downs. I don't think that I was very strong this month, however. My dignity level was not very high either and I know that I was not laughing about the days to come very much. I did work hard as this seems to be one of my strengths. Whatever my victories and failures, I will start over tomorrow in November. This coming month, I will be more consistent in every area. I will focus on what is important - people - and I will do better at remembering that all of this is fleeting. I want to look better and act better. Most of the time I feel like I am slip sliding away. Does anyone besides me remember that song? It goes, "You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away. (Paul Simon)" One thing gets done and fifty more pop up. I have to just take one day at a time. If I concentrate on doing good for one day, I can make that. I can't make the whole month, but I can make one day.
"Never underestimate the inevitability of gradualness." (anonymous)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Often we feel that we are slipping away, but You have a hold of us. You are helping us to climb up the hill. Although we inch along, we inch nonetheless. Help us to not give up because the progress seems too slow and the encouragement few and far between. Help us to go regardless of who follows and help us to become women and men of dignity and strength. Help us to laugh at the days to come. Help us to work hard. It is beyond us but it is not beyond You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Would I consider myself a strong or weak person? Why?
2. What do I think it means to be clothed with dignity? Do I feel like I am a dignified person? What would a dignified person be like? How can I work on developing this quality in my life?
3. Do I laugh at the days to come? Am I consumed with worry? Do I know anyone who I would describe in this way? How are they able to cultivate this type of personality?
4. Do I work hard or am I kind of lazy? How can I be a harder worker? In what situations/places do I work hard and in which ones do I slack off? How can I work on doing better in the weak areas?
Day 3
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Proverbs 31
"She is clothed with strength and dignity. She can laugh at the days to come" ( vs 25)
"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." (vs. 17)
These are my theme verses for this coming month. As I review October, it had its ups and downs. I don't think that I was very strong this month, however. My dignity level was not very high either and I know that I was not laughing about the days to come very much. I did work hard as this seems to be one of my strengths. Whatever my victories and failures, I will start over tomorrow in November. This coming month, I will be more consistent in every area. I will focus on what is important - people - and I will do better at remembering that all of this is fleeting. I want to look better and act better. Most of the time I feel like I am slip sliding away. Does anyone besides me remember that song? It goes, "You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away. (Paul Simon)" One thing gets done and fifty more pop up. I have to just take one day at a time. If I concentrate on doing good for one day, I can make that. I can't make the whole month, but I can make one day.
"Never underestimate the inevitability of gradualness." (anonymous)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Often we feel that we are slipping away, but You have a hold of us. You are helping us to climb up the hill. Although we inch along, we inch nonetheless. Help us to not give up because the progress seems too slow and the encouragement few and far between. Help us to go regardless of who follows and help us to become women and men of dignity and strength. Help us to laugh at the days to come. Help us to work hard. It is beyond us but it is not beyond You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Would I consider myself a strong or weak person? Why?
2. What do I think it means to be clothed with dignity? Do I feel like I am a dignified person? What would a dignified person be like? How can I work on developing this quality in my life?
3. Do I laugh at the days to come? Am I consumed with worry? Do I know anyone who I would describe in this way? How are they able to cultivate this type of personality?
4. Do I work hard or am I kind of lazy? How can I be a harder worker? In what situations/places do I work hard and in which ones do I slack off? How can I work on doing better in the weak areas?
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