by Mary Manners
Do you approach God with the same enthusiasm that shoppers approach their bargain trip? As many seek the best deal, do you seek His light as the greatest bargain?
REFLECT: Consider how many times you rush toward something important. Today, rush from the darkness, from the incompleteness in the world, and toward the light. Follow the path God has set before you. Ask Him to guide your every step. He is waiting for you with His promise to make your paths smooth and to fill you with hope for the future.
PRAY: Dear Lord, today and every day, I seek Your light in a world that is often filled with darkness. Place before me a path and guide my every step so I may always walk full of hope and in Your light.
DAY Twenty-five
The Anchor
An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.
(Proverbs 12:25)
The water cooler at work is a popular place where we can catch up on the latest news—and the latest gossip. Sometimes we worry…is a coworker more popular? Did someone else get that promotion we were vying for? Or, perhaps, we witnessed co-workers in some activity outside work that appeared to be less-than-honorable, and we’re just checking our facts with others. Harsh words and gossip are like an anchor to the soul. When we focus on the negative, we are weighed down as if an anchor is attached to our hearts…dragging others into the depths along with us.
Do you lift up others, or do your words drag them to the depths of despair? Is the water cooler a place to share God’s love or a place to fill with darkness? From this day forward, make an active effort to spread kindness and good cheer. Turn your anchor into a life raft…one word at a time.
REFLECT: Take a personal inventory. Be cognizant of the words that flow from your mouth. How many are negative? How many positive?
PRAY: Let the words from my mouth be only positive. It’s my desire, Lord, to toss my anchor aside and instead build a life raft to rescue others from the depths of darkness and despair. Use me, Lord, to share with others the love, peace, and grace that only You can provide.
DAY Twenty-six
Cruise Control
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
(Isaiah 43:2)
My dad was a good man—eager to serve those in need and always ready to offer advice or encouragement. He did not draw attention to himself, and often helped others anonymously. But he had one quirk that drove me crazy as a teenager with a driver’s license. Whenever we traveled, he demanded to be seated behind the wheel. Dad had to be in control, driving himself to all destinations. He could not bring himself to trust others to get him there safely.
As he aged, he was no longer able to drive and had to relent…to give up control. Amazingly enough, he enjoyed the freedom to take in the scenery and to share in conversation without focusing on potholes and detours along the road.
Aren’t we like my dad when it comes to trusting God to get us where we need to go? We want to keep our hands on the wheel…just in case. After all, we know the way better than He does, right? Relinquishing control is one of the hardest things—and one of the greatest roadblocks—for us.
REFLECT: Consider how often you try to take control of a situation instead of surrendering to God completely and trusting Him to work in your life. Let go of the wheel and let God take the driver’s seat. He knows the path that is meant for you. Trust Him to take you there, and enjoy the scenery along the way.
PRAY: Lord, remove my stubborn will and teach me to relinquish the wheel to You. Let me not block the blessings You have planned for me with my selfish need to be in control. I trust in You for all my needs and protection. For You alone, Lord, know the plans You have for me.
DAY Twenty-seven
Do You See What I See?
No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead, he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body is also full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.
(Luke 11:33-35)
Our society is bombarded with billboards and commercials that gratify sex, immorality, and worldly possessions. We’re immersed in the hype, and it’s impossible to avoid the message unless we become recluses, shutting ourselves away from the world. As Christians, we are called to guard our eyes and our hearts, yet we must live in a world that condones immorality and selfishness. How do we manage to find a balance and keep our hearts and minds pure and filled with God’s light?
Think of yourself as a beacon…a lighthouse amid dark and stormy waters. Use your light to lead others to safe shores. When beams are gathered together, the light is more powerful, so gather others close in fellowship with other faithful Christians. Together, fuel your light with God’s word, holding it strong and steady. Wherever you find darkness, share your light.
REFLECT: Consider ways in which you might separate yourself from the immorality in the world. Perhaps it’s by not watching a particular television show, or by not frequenting a certain hang-out, and instead using that time to fellowship with others who are striving to be in the world but not of the world. Call on God to help you, and He will strengthen you. Ask Him to make you courageous in sharing your love for Him.
PRAY: Lord, it’s my desire to turn away from the darkness of this world. Fill my eyes with the light of Your word. Give me the courage to share Your word with others. Let me stand tall, and remove all fear from me. I long to be a beacon, drawing others to You.
DAY Twenty-eight
Waiting for the Honey
The testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:3-4)
I have a friend who makes honey—she keeps bees and distributes their honey in quart-sized jars to friends. When she delivers a jar, the instructions are simple…the honey won’t go bad unless you dip a sugar-laden spoon into it, thus breaking it down and compromising the freshness. Not too difficult, right? Except when the honey gets to the bottom of the jar, and the only spoon you have is laced with sugar. You upturn the jar and wiggle. And wait…and wait for the sweet brown texture to flow into your coffee-cup. But honey is stubborn, and soon you find yourself dipping that sugary spoon—despite the warning. The honey is ruined.
Life is like that. Sometimes we become so impatient to have what we desire that we do exactly what we know we shouldn’t, despite the inevitable negative outcome. As God watches, I imagine He weeps for our impulsiveness and poor choices, the result of free will.
REFLECT: Consider times you’ve acted out of impatience and resolve in future to step back and breathe before acting. Read God’s word and develop patience. Trust that all things happen for our good with God’s timing—not our timing. Learn to wait for the honey.
PRAY: Lord, instill in me patience that allows me to wait for the sweetness that is Your perfect honey. I bow to You, and relinquish my will to Yours. It’s my fervent desire to develop maturity and perseverance so that I may trust in You alone. Create a work in me, Lord, that draws me closer to You.
DAY Twenty-nine
Childhood Wishes
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
(Hebrews 13:8)
Childhood is a magical time…a time of dreams, wishes and hopes. This is especially true during the Christmas season. I remember fondly the days of my childhood, when I watched the mail for the annual Sears catalogue. Each holiday season, it arrived in colorful glory, full of treasures I hoped to receive. I’d haul the oversized magazine to the living room couch and snuggle along with my siblings, each of us marking our favorite items…our Christmas wishes. Each year the selection changed—new toys, more fashionable styles.
Out with the old, in with the new.
Unlike the catalogue of my childhood, God’s word—the Bible—does not change. It doesn’t fade as clothing tends to do when washed. It doesn’t wear out, no matter how much it’s studied and used. The message never goes out of fashion. The words are the same as yesterday, and will remain today, tomorrow, and through the years to come. The message will sustain you all your days…not just during the Christmas season.
REFLECT: Study the Bible as you studied the Christmas catalogue of your childhood. God’s word is filled with hope…a message that remains strong and true. Become familiar with the passages, and tuck them deep within your heart.
PRAY: Lord, I wait for You with the eager hope of a child on Christmas Eve. Fill my heart with Your message and sustain me with the knowledge that You are the same today, tomorrow, and always.
DAY Thirty
Seasons
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
My grandfather loved the change of seasons. He’d sit in his backyard and sniff the fresh air, sighing, “’bout time for the season to change. I wonder what’s in store.” While others bemoaned the simmering heat of summer or the blustery chill of winter, my grandfather welcomed each new day—each season—with delight. He knew the purpose in each shift of the weather…to provide for reflection on days passed and for the anticipation of days to come.
As in nature, God provides seasons for our spiritual lives. We laugh, we cry, we make new friends and lose others. Sometimes we want to leap for joy, and other times scream with frustration.
REFLECT: What season are you in, and how do you lean on God for guidance through this season and into the next? Take a moment to reflect and anticipate…it’s what God desires from you.
PRAY: Lord, help me to trust in You through every season of my life…laughter and tears, poverty and wealth. You are the Master of the Universe and the Giver of Life. I place my hope in You for all eternity.
DAY Thirty-one
The Tree of Life
“‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’”
(Jeremiah 17:7-8)
My grandparents were both expert gardeners. They studied and experimented with different types of seeds and learned by trial and error over the course of many years. On one side of the yard, my grandmother grew an explosion of beautiful, fragrant flowers, while on the other side my grandfather cultivated a myriad of delicious vegetables. But, no matter the strength of their green thumbs, when the Chicago winters blew in, the plants inevitably died or, in some cases, went dormant until the following spring.
God’s love for us never grows dormant. He is here for us whatever the weather. He desires for us to develop a green thumb for Him—to cultivate our faith and grow the fruits of His Spirit through the study of His word, the Bible. We don’t have to learn by trial and error, like my grandparents did. We can nurture a garden of wisdom through His word.
REFLECT: Have you cultivated a knowledge of God’s word and will? Pick up your Bible today and dust it off and study God’s message. Plant His words into the soil of your heart and soon your own garden of wisdom will begin to flourish.
PRAY: Lord, I know Your love for me is ever-present and never grows dormant. I desire to seek a closer relationship with You. Develop in me the good habit of studying Your message. Cultivate the fruits of Your Spirit in me.
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