Learning To Do God's Will

Little eight-year-old Betsy knelt beside her bed with her mother to say her nighttime prayer. “I’ve had a good day today, God. I hope You’ve planned another good one for me for tomorrow.”

Does God have a special plan for each little girl, an old man, and a young lady? A plan for each of us? Really?

Before construction workers begin working on the foundation of a building, an architect has drawn elaborate plans that describe every little detail of the building. The same is true of building a ship, planting fields of grain or laying out the route for a highway. First the plan then the product. It is inconceivable that God would have no plan for us - the crowning achievement of His creation.

Even a superficial reading of the Bible reveals that all the men and women of the Bible were guided by God’s plan for their lives. He had a plan for each of them, and He has a plan for each of us, as well.

Perhaps, the question is not whether or not He has a plan for us, but whether or not we even want His plan for our lives. Many try to outsmart God with their plans and end up as failures.

David prayed, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” He believed that God had a plan for his life. He also knew that his willingness to follow it was much like the relationship between a teacher and student. He had to be “taught” to follow that plan. Quite often students have to go through a “time of testing” before they get the answers correct. But in the end, a “passing grade” is worth it all.

Prayer:  Lord, You have designed a plan for each of us. Enable us to follow it willingly each day of our lives! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:10 

Are You Listening Hard, Lord?

Eight-year-old Greg was having a difficult time with his prayers one evening. It seemed the more he prayed the less God listened. Finally, in desperation, he said, “OK God, when is the best time I can talk to You? I know You are always listening, but when will You be listening hard for someone who lives in Augusta, Georgia?”

God is always “listening hard” no matter where we are. And, He is never so busy caring for His creation that He forgets where you are or what you need. He is always thinking about us and is aware of every need we have or ever will have.

We may talk to Him for a minute or a moment, an hour or two, or an entire day and night. But, there is one important matter about prayer that we must never forget.

It is always good to bring everything to God in prayer first. If we go to Him before we begin a plan, make a decision, attempt to solve a problem, or try to manage our finances, the best He has to offer us will be ours.

“Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You; show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.”

Prayer is a very important key to success. It is comforting to know that when we awaken in the morning God’s unfailing love is there waiting for us. And, when we put our trust in Him and ask Him to show us the way He has planned for us, we can be certain that He will do just that because of His unfailing love! If we lift up our voice to Him, He will give us all we need.

Prayer:  Lord, You offer us so much, and we ask for so little. Help us to look more to You for everything we need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  

Scripture For Today:  Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You; show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8

Searching, Everyone Is Searching

Not everyone knows what they are searching for in life. Most people seem to have an “emptiness” that they can’t fill. Search as they do, and try as many different things as they can, travel to far distant places, and ask one person after another for help, the emptiness lingers on, and there seems to be no solution.

We all have this “built-in-thirst” that the world cannot quench. It begins at birth, and for many, it is still there at death. It came from our Creator and was placed in us by Him for a reason. He put this “built-in-unquenchable-thirst” within us to cause us to seek Him with all of our heart.

But most people do not understand what they are looking for or why. All they know is “it” is there: that life is empty and meaningless and purposeless. There is a feeling deep inside that there is more to life than what they have discovered. So, the search is on.

When a person begins this search, it grows until the emptiness, hopefully, is filled and the “right” thing found. A certain king describes his search like this: “I spread out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land!”

And God made this promise to the searcher: “When you seek Me, you will find Me if you search for Me with all your heart.”

God will fill every longing in every heart if we turn to Him in faith believing. And when we find Him, we are obligated to Him to help others fill their needs with Him.

Prayer:  Father, You have created us for Yourself, and our hearts will be restless until we open them to You. What a comfort to find the Living Water in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  I spread out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Psalm 143:6 

God's Bridge

Mr. Rushing was a great Sunday school teacher who had a real gift to get his eighth-grade boys’ class involved in the lesson. One Sunday, he decided to ask a question to get them involved in the lesson. “If gold stood for good deeds and grey for bad deeds what color would you be?”

“I’d be streaky,” answered Ron. “I’ve done a bunch of things that are really bad. As a matter of fact, I would probably end up looking kind of blurry.”

No doubt all of us end up looking rather “blurry.” We all fall short when measured against God’s definition of “good.”

God is holy, and we are unholy - or “sinful.” There is a great space between the righteous Creator - God - and guilty sinners – “us.” We may try to build a bridge of good works and kind deeds from where we are to where God is. But sooner or later the works and deeds would fall short of the gate into heaven, and we would find ourselves “out there” dangling in space. In words that are clear and impossible to misunderstand the Psalmist wrote, “For no one living is righteous before You.”

But God built a bridge from where we are to where He is. It is called “the cross of Calvary.” It’s where His Son hung on a cross one day until He was dead. Then, He was laid in a tomb until His Father brought Him back to life. And it is this “bridge” - this cross of Calvary - that we “cross” by faith alone.

Any person at any time from any place can cross this Bridge of Faith and be cleansed of sin and made righteous.

Prayer:  It seems impossible, Father, that all we have to do is to reach out, grasp Your hand and cross that Bridge. But, You never refuse any of us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. Psalm 143:2b

An Everlasting Foundation

Years ago, it was the custom in England to carve the words found in Psalm 127:1 over the doorways of homes: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” Perhaps returning to this custom and following its implications would have great benefits for everyone.

There is only one Builder - the Lord. But He placed two laborers - the husband and wife (mother and father) - as the ones responsible for the “construction and maintenance” of “the home.” Husband is an Anglo-Saxon word which means “the band of the house.” He is the one who organizes it, controls it and holds it together. The wife becomes his “chief assistant” - and the meaning of the word “wife” is “weaver.” She is to “weave” godliness into the activities of the home. She is to use her gifts to demonstrate God’s expressions of thoughtfulness, kindness, grace, and compassion in the everyday activities that are required to make the atmosphere “God-honoring, Christ-centered, and Spirit-filled” through her examples of service.

There is only one Person who can “watch” over the home - the Lord. For the Psalm continues, “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” This statement describes the parenting role of mothers and fathers in a strange but significant way: They are the ones who turn the “building into a home.” They are to be examples of Christ at all times. They are ultimately responsible to God for whatever is allowed to enter into the activities and entertainment of the home.  What a priceless opportunity God has given to parents.

Prayer:  Father, give those of us who are parents grace and courage to raise our children to love and honor You. Help us instill Your values in their hearts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. Psalm 127:1