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?
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Monday, August 31, 2015
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Daily Devotional - 9/11/10 (10/11/09)
Prayer Focus - Family
Day 4
Pray for:
One family member that you feel close to
One family member that you are not close to
One family member that lives far away from you
One family member that lives near you
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Help me to listen to You each and every day and please grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 41
"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; He will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness." (vs. 1-3)
We need to have regard for the weak. When I tend to think of "the weak", I tend to think of the elderly or those who are down and out, perhaps those who I might consider to be "struggling" in some manner. As I consider this passage though and go a bit deeper, I am forced to look at what my stereotypes and prejudices are. Who is weak really? Lately, I would have to admit that it is me. I am the one who is "struggling". I am the one who is having trouble with so many things. I do not like to admit that I am weak. I think many of us do not like this. All of our lives we have been building up our walls to protect and guard ourselves so that we will be strong. Often, if we have been terrorized as children, we have built up very high walls so that no one will ever think we are weak again. We feel that our weakness will be used against us because it was in the past. We even begin to look down on anyone we consider open or vulnerable and we feel that displays of emotion are a sign of weakness as well and we dislike them immensely. Because we have been robbed of this ourselves, we resent it in others and it angers us. We become rocks and islands because as Simon and Garfunkel so eloquently put it, "a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries."
But once again, this is not God's way. First of all, we are to rejoice in our sufferings and weaknesses because they allow God to work fully through us (Romans 5:1-5, II Cor 12:8-10). Then we are to see that it is our pride that makes us want to appear strong. God just wants us to be ourselves and He views us as His children. Our children are obviously not as strong as we are. They are weak. God knows we are weak and He wants to take care of us. He even carries us when we can go on no further. I love the story of the footprints that so vividly expresses that sediment of Him carrying us through our most difficult times in life. Finally, God wants us to depend on Him in everything. Then, when we have been strengthened, we are to turn back and help others to be strengthened and comforted as well (Luke 22:31-32).
So I will admit that I am weak and that I also need to have regard for where I am at. I need to get myself strengthened, so that I can in turn strengthen those who need me. That would be my children, my husband, and my students. In many ways, these people are weak and I must view them differently than I have been doing. My children are weak because they are young. I expect so much out of them and often get frustrated by their misbehavior. Much of this is my fault, as I need to be more consistent in my discipline and training of them, but I must also remember that they are children. I must remember the proverb (Proverbs 22:15) that states that "folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drives it far from them."
It is not strange that my children are foolish and morally weak right now. That is a natural part of being a child. I must not take it so personally, and I must also see, therefore, how important it is for me to train and instruct them so that I can help them to out grow it. If I do nothing to help them get rid of the inherent folly in their souls, then I am truly leading them down a path of destruction. As a teacher, I have seen many children that have never been lead away from their natural folly. They fail and fail miserably, even if they are brilliant. Folly must be removed through love and consistent training. I must have regard for these, my children, and help them. I must not get mad but I must train. Both are imperative.
Then there is my husband. He is weak right now because of his illness. I must have regard for him and be there for him more than I ever have. Sometimes it is exhausting to be a caregiver and I am glad for the times when my husband is not that sick. Some people get no respite and it is easy to get overwhelmed and angry at the one who is ill. We must remember if we find ourselves in this position to have regard for the weak. We must find the refreshing and strength we need so that we may be able to go back and give the proper care to our loved ones in the way that will be most beneficial to them.
Finally, I have my students. Many are educationally disadvantaged and many of them have difficult home lives as well that might make them emotionally weak. God has placed me in these students' lives for a reason. I have much to give to them. I have educational skills and learning and most importantly, I have a relationship with God I can share in some way. I need to have regard for each of these children placed in my classes and give them whatever I can to help them grow academically and as individuals as well. They look to me to set them an example and to give them hope in an often hopeless world. Many times I might be the only one believing in them. I must have regard for them and give them my best. I am responsible.
It seems overwhelming when I contemplate all of this, but I love the promises that come with that small statement to have regard for the weak. God will delivers us. The Lord will protect and preserve our lives. God will fill us up so that we can pour out blessings to others (II Cor 9:6-11). The Lord will bless us in the land and will not give us up to our enemies. God will even help our health to be better. So many wonderful promises await us if we can just have regard for the weak. We will in turn be made strong. We can do it. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). We need to be confident in this and we can be, if we have integrity. Our integrity and obedience to the will of God will enable us. We can be sure of that because God is faithful.
In my integrity, You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever." (vs. 12)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help us to have regard for the weak. We know that at times we are weak and at times we do not want to admit it. Help us to see ourselves correctly and to turn to You for strengthening. We need Your strength so that we can go out and in turn strengthen others. We fail and we are so weak but You are strong. You say that Your power is made perfect in our weakness. Allow Your power to be fully developed in us and help us to have regard for the other people in our lives who are weak in some way. Help us to remember our children and their weaknesses. Help us to be kind and loving despite their failures and help us to train our children so that it will go well for them. They are so precious and such a great responsibility. Help us to keep them a priority in our lives so that we can give them the best we have to offer.
Help us to have regard for our spouses in their weakness and our family members. If any of them are sick, help us to be there for them completely. Often those we should love the most are the most difficult for us. Grant us the strength to do all we ask. Only You can provide us what we need to do what You ask. We run to You, for You can do it. In our integrity, You uphold us. Increase our integrity and our obedience. Help us Lord to have regard for the weak.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I weak or strong right now? How do I know?
2. Who are the weak in my life? Am I having regard for them? What would that look like?
3. How am I doing with my children? Am I training them for the future? Am I teaching them about God and His ways beyond taking them to church?
4. How is my relationship with my spouse? Am I having regard for him or her? What are they weak in right now? How can I support them?
5. Am I a person of integrity? Why or why not? What does this mean to me? How can I change so that I will have more integrity?
Day 4
Pray for:
One family member that you feel close to
One family member that you are not close to
One family member that lives far away from you
One family member that lives near you
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Help me to listen to You each and every day and please grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 41
"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; He will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness." (vs. 1-3)
We need to have regard for the weak. When I tend to think of "the weak", I tend to think of the elderly or those who are down and out, perhaps those who I might consider to be "struggling" in some manner. As I consider this passage though and go a bit deeper, I am forced to look at what my stereotypes and prejudices are. Who is weak really? Lately, I would have to admit that it is me. I am the one who is "struggling". I am the one who is having trouble with so many things. I do not like to admit that I am weak. I think many of us do not like this. All of our lives we have been building up our walls to protect and guard ourselves so that we will be strong. Often, if we have been terrorized as children, we have built up very high walls so that no one will ever think we are weak again. We feel that our weakness will be used against us because it was in the past. We even begin to look down on anyone we consider open or vulnerable and we feel that displays of emotion are a sign of weakness as well and we dislike them immensely. Because we have been robbed of this ourselves, we resent it in others and it angers us. We become rocks and islands because as Simon and Garfunkel so eloquently put it, "a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries."
But once again, this is not God's way. First of all, we are to rejoice in our sufferings and weaknesses because they allow God to work fully through us (Romans 5:1-5, II Cor 12:8-10). Then we are to see that it is our pride that makes us want to appear strong. God just wants us to be ourselves and He views us as His children. Our children are obviously not as strong as we are. They are weak. God knows we are weak and He wants to take care of us. He even carries us when we can go on no further. I love the story of the footprints that so vividly expresses that sediment of Him carrying us through our most difficult times in life. Finally, God wants us to depend on Him in everything. Then, when we have been strengthened, we are to turn back and help others to be strengthened and comforted as well (Luke 22:31-32).
So I will admit that I am weak and that I also need to have regard for where I am at. I need to get myself strengthened, so that I can in turn strengthen those who need me. That would be my children, my husband, and my students. In many ways, these people are weak and I must view them differently than I have been doing. My children are weak because they are young. I expect so much out of them and often get frustrated by their misbehavior. Much of this is my fault, as I need to be more consistent in my discipline and training of them, but I must also remember that they are children. I must remember the proverb (Proverbs 22:15) that states that "folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drives it far from them."
It is not strange that my children are foolish and morally weak right now. That is a natural part of being a child. I must not take it so personally, and I must also see, therefore, how important it is for me to train and instruct them so that I can help them to out grow it. If I do nothing to help them get rid of the inherent folly in their souls, then I am truly leading them down a path of destruction. As a teacher, I have seen many children that have never been lead away from their natural folly. They fail and fail miserably, even if they are brilliant. Folly must be removed through love and consistent training. I must have regard for these, my children, and help them. I must not get mad but I must train. Both are imperative.
Then there is my husband. He is weak right now because of his illness. I must have regard for him and be there for him more than I ever have. Sometimes it is exhausting to be a caregiver and I am glad for the times when my husband is not that sick. Some people get no respite and it is easy to get overwhelmed and angry at the one who is ill. We must remember if we find ourselves in this position to have regard for the weak. We must find the refreshing and strength we need so that we may be able to go back and give the proper care to our loved ones in the way that will be most beneficial to them.
Finally, I have my students. Many are educationally disadvantaged and many of them have difficult home lives as well that might make them emotionally weak. God has placed me in these students' lives for a reason. I have much to give to them. I have educational skills and learning and most importantly, I have a relationship with God I can share in some way. I need to have regard for each of these children placed in my classes and give them whatever I can to help them grow academically and as individuals as well. They look to me to set them an example and to give them hope in an often hopeless world. Many times I might be the only one believing in them. I must have regard for them and give them my best. I am responsible.
It seems overwhelming when I contemplate all of this, but I love the promises that come with that small statement to have regard for the weak. God will delivers us. The Lord will protect and preserve our lives. God will fill us up so that we can pour out blessings to others (II Cor 9:6-11). The Lord will bless us in the land and will not give us up to our enemies. God will even help our health to be better. So many wonderful promises await us if we can just have regard for the weak. We will in turn be made strong. We can do it. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). We need to be confident in this and we can be, if we have integrity. Our integrity and obedience to the will of God will enable us. We can be sure of that because God is faithful.
In my integrity, You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever." (vs. 12)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Help us to have regard for the weak. We know that at times we are weak and at times we do not want to admit it. Help us to see ourselves correctly and to turn to You for strengthening. We need Your strength so that we can go out and in turn strengthen others. We fail and we are so weak but You are strong. You say that Your power is made perfect in our weakness. Allow Your power to be fully developed in us and help us to have regard for the other people in our lives who are weak in some way. Help us to remember our children and their weaknesses. Help us to be kind and loving despite their failures and help us to train our children so that it will go well for them. They are so precious and such a great responsibility. Help us to keep them a priority in our lives so that we can give them the best we have to offer.
Help us to have regard for our spouses in their weakness and our family members. If any of them are sick, help us to be there for them completely. Often those we should love the most are the most difficult for us. Grant us the strength to do all we ask. Only You can provide us what we need to do what You ask. We run to You, for You can do it. In our integrity, You uphold us. Increase our integrity and our obedience. Help us Lord to have regard for the weak.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I weak or strong right now? How do I know?
2. Who are the weak in my life? Am I having regard for them? What would that look like?
3. How am I doing with my children? Am I training them for the future? Am I teaching them about God and His ways beyond taking them to church?
4. How is my relationship with my spouse? Am I having regard for him or her? What are they weak in right now? How can I support them?
5. Am I a person of integrity? Why or why not? What does this mean to me? How can I change so that I will have more integrity?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/30/10 (9/30/09)
Prayer Focus - 10's
Pray for:
Ten things you are grateful for
Ten people you are thinking about
Ten places that are important to you
Ten characteristics to grow in
Ten characteristics/habits to work on
Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 30
"Sing to the Lord, you saints of His; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (vs. 4-5)
" You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (vs. 11-12)
The Lord is the perfect Father. He disciplines and trains us so that we may become excellent, like refined gold. I know it is important to train my children. I know it is important to train my students. Sometimes, however, I am not willing to be trained myself. In my head, I know that I need to receive instruction in areas I am weak in, be it at a job or in some life area, and yet I falter. I do not like correction naturally, but I know that in all the areas that I have done well in, I have had a coach. Why do we become so unteachable as we get older? Is it our pride; our confidence in our ability to manage our lives? Sometimes it takes losing everything to show us that we have not yet arrived; that we still need to humble ourselves before the Lord and learn. Then, sometimes, even when I acknowledge my need for training, in day to day living I fail to seek it out or respond to it. Consistency is so hard to come by. I am so glad that God does not give up on training us when we are difficult. He is truly the perfect Father.
I am reminded of Hebrews 12:5-11.
"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined ( and everyone undergoes discipline ), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
I can't say this any better. Whatever I go through, it is for my training. I want to share in God's holiness so I am glad for it in the long run. Although our children fight our discipline, deep down I believe they are grateful. I know that I experienced the opposite growing up and it profoundly affected me. I was rarely disciplined by my parents and it bothered me. I remember being angry in one situation when I deserved to be disciplined and wasn't. I thought, "Why don't they care about me enough to tell me that I am doing something wrong?" I knew in my heart I had done wrong and I wanted the correction and the love and healing that I thought it would bring to me. I needed their direction and so often it didn't come. This left me feeling all alone in the world and bitter. I felt that I had to do everything by myself and for myself.
Why my parents were so lenient with me is hard to say, but I do know that it has helped me to understand and appreciate the reasoning behind God's discipline. I understand better why He lets me go through hard times in order to help me and strengthen my character. I am God's child. He is telling me that He loves me by not letting everything come easy. I love the story that many I am sure have heard about a man watching a butterfly come out of its cocoon. It goes something like the following. A man saw a butterfly struggling to come out of its cocoon. He felt sorry for the butterfly and so helped it by cutting the cocoon open. The butterfly came out but his wings never fully expanded and the butterfly was unable to fly. The man was confused as to what had happened. Later he learned that the struggle of emerging from the cocoon enables the butterfly's wings to be strengthen as they need to be for flight. In helping the butterfly and making things easier, he had in essence crippled it.
We are those caterpillars that need the struggle we go through in order to emerge from our cocoons a beautiful butterfly. If God did not allow us our struggles and did not discipline us, we would be spiritual and emotional cripples. We would never fly as God intended. I am so grateful God does not give up on us or make things too easy. I will exalt God because of this. I will also exalt God because He doesn't let our struggle go on forever either. In the morning, rejoicing comes. Our wailing and sadness becomes dancing and joy. His discipline and His anger is short lived, but His favor is forever! Amen.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You that You care enough to discipline us and we are grateful also that there is an end to the struggle as well. There truly is a time for everything. Help us to accept Your training and discipline and so be strengthened by it. Help us to not rebel against it as a child might. We long to fly. Grant us the wings we need.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about discipline? Am I coachable? Why or why not? How can I become more teachable?
2. Am I being trained in any area right now? What am I learning and who is teaching me? How do I feel about this training?
3. What struggles am I going through presently, and how am I handling them? Am I looking for the easy way out or am I looking for God's way to deal with them? What struggles have I had in the past? How have they helped me? Do I have anything to rejoice about now from them?
4. Am I being trained spiritually in any way? Is anyone coaching me spiritually? Who could I get to mentor me in this area?
5. What type of disciplinarians were my parents? How has this affected the way I teach/train others such as my children? How has this affected the way I respond to teaching/training?
Pray for:
Ten things you are grateful for
Ten people you are thinking about
Ten places that are important to you
Ten characteristics to grow in
Ten characteristics/habits to work on
Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 30
"Sing to the Lord, you saints of His; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (vs. 4-5)
" You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (vs. 11-12)
The Lord is the perfect Father. He disciplines and trains us so that we may become excellent, like refined gold. I know it is important to train my children. I know it is important to train my students. Sometimes, however, I am not willing to be trained myself. In my head, I know that I need to receive instruction in areas I am weak in, be it at a job or in some life area, and yet I falter. I do not like correction naturally, but I know that in all the areas that I have done well in, I have had a coach. Why do we become so unteachable as we get older? Is it our pride; our confidence in our ability to manage our lives? Sometimes it takes losing everything to show us that we have not yet arrived; that we still need to humble ourselves before the Lord and learn. Then, sometimes, even when I acknowledge my need for training, in day to day living I fail to seek it out or respond to it. Consistency is so hard to come by. I am so glad that God does not give up on training us when we are difficult. He is truly the perfect Father.
I am reminded of Hebrews 12:5-11.
"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined ( and everyone undergoes discipline ), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
I can't say this any better. Whatever I go through, it is for my training. I want to share in God's holiness so I am glad for it in the long run. Although our children fight our discipline, deep down I believe they are grateful. I know that I experienced the opposite growing up and it profoundly affected me. I was rarely disciplined by my parents and it bothered me. I remember being angry in one situation when I deserved to be disciplined and wasn't. I thought, "Why don't they care about me enough to tell me that I am doing something wrong?" I knew in my heart I had done wrong and I wanted the correction and the love and healing that I thought it would bring to me. I needed their direction and so often it didn't come. This left me feeling all alone in the world and bitter. I felt that I had to do everything by myself and for myself.
Why my parents were so lenient with me is hard to say, but I do know that it has helped me to understand and appreciate the reasoning behind God's discipline. I understand better why He lets me go through hard times in order to help me and strengthen my character. I am God's child. He is telling me that He loves me by not letting everything come easy. I love the story that many I am sure have heard about a man watching a butterfly come out of its cocoon. It goes something like the following. A man saw a butterfly struggling to come out of its cocoon. He felt sorry for the butterfly and so helped it by cutting the cocoon open. The butterfly came out but his wings never fully expanded and the butterfly was unable to fly. The man was confused as to what had happened. Later he learned that the struggle of emerging from the cocoon enables the butterfly's wings to be strengthen as they need to be for flight. In helping the butterfly and making things easier, he had in essence crippled it.
We are those caterpillars that need the struggle we go through in order to emerge from our cocoons a beautiful butterfly. If God did not allow us our struggles and did not discipline us, we would be spiritual and emotional cripples. We would never fly as God intended. I am so grateful God does not give up on us or make things too easy. I will exalt God because of this. I will also exalt God because He doesn't let our struggle go on forever either. In the morning, rejoicing comes. Our wailing and sadness becomes dancing and joy. His discipline and His anger is short lived, but His favor is forever! Amen.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You that You care enough to discipline us and we are grateful also that there is an end to the struggle as well. There truly is a time for everything. Help us to accept Your training and discipline and so be strengthened by it. Help us to not rebel against it as a child might. We long to fly. Grant us the wings we need.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about discipline? Am I coachable? Why or why not? How can I become more teachable?
2. Am I being trained in any area right now? What am I learning and who is teaching me? How do I feel about this training?
3. What struggles am I going through presently, and how am I handling them? Am I looking for the easy way out or am I looking for God's way to deal with them? What struggles have I had in the past? How have they helped me? Do I have anything to rejoice about now from them?
4. Am I being trained spiritually in any way? Is anyone coaching me spiritually? Who could I get to mentor me in this area?
5. What type of disciplinarians were my parents? How has this affected the way I teach/train others such as my children? How has this affected the way I respond to teaching/training?
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