God's Plan in Action

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" and he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. (Acts 8:26-29;36-40)

I remember once feeling led to call my grandmother. It wasn’t a gentle nudge to call her sometime in the near future, but more of a “pick up the phone and call her now” type nudge. I did call her and she was at that time experiencing shortness of breath and I took her to the emergency room at the hospital. The doctor found she was having congestive heart failure. God had the plan, but it took my obedience to put it into action. Unfortunately, there have been times when I haven’t answered the call. Either I missed out on the opportunity to join God on the plan and God called someone else, or where God wanted to bless someone didn’t happen because of my disobedience. God is always working. He desires to work through us. God invites us to join him in his work—to be a part of the plan. The plan is put into action as we obediently follow God’s commands.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for the opportunities you give to join you in your plan. I pray that I will keep my eyes, ears and heart open to your call and obediently follow. Amen.

Faith tip: Listen carefully to what God is calling you to do for his kingdom today. He has a plan and desires for you to join him in that plan. Be obedient and follow.

The Cost of Freedom

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:59-60)

I remember as a teenager going to the school’s store as many students did to buy some candy. The store was crowded, and thinking it was like any other store where you pick up what you want and then pay for it, I was dramatically corrected as the manager behind the counter grabbed my wrist tightly as I was about to pick out some candy and said that I am to tell him what I want and he will get it. As a teen, I was mortified.

We can all think of instances where someone has not treated us as they should. It could have been years ago, yesterday or maybe even today. We remember every detail, how we felt, what was said, the tone, the body language—everything. We hold onto it and think of how unjust it all was and sometimes think of what we should have done or said. Jesus says to let it go—it’s not worth holding onto. Jesus isn’t saying that being treated unjustly is okay. He is saying that there are more important things to focus on—kingdom things like forgiveness.

On the cross, Jesus asked God to forgive those who were persecuting him, because they didn’t know what they were doing. It was premeditated, but they didn’t fully understand what they were doing. Stephen also asked God to forgive them. He knew they didn’t understand.

Letting go is difficult sometimes, but it is for our good. Such freedom is experienced in letting go. God is glorified as you let go. Letting go gets easier as practice trusting God in all things.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for forgiving me of my sin. I pray that I can let go of things done to me in the past and present so that I can glorify you, and show what your love means. I want to be free in you. Amen.

Faith tip: Think of an injustice done to you and write it down describing every detail. Praise God for the forgiveness shown to you, and in obedience, forgive the one who treated you wrongly. Crumple up the paper and throw it away as a sign of throwing away the anger and bitterness you held onto. Be free!

Gotcha Covered!

Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. – Romans 8:34

On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. – Apostle’s Creed

I remember watching the old Westerns with my grandmother, and there would always be a shootout of some sort. Usually, the cowboys involved would be hiding behind rocks or trees so as not to be shot. When they would move in closer, the other cowboy would say they would “cover them” and begin to shoot, so that their enemy would have to stay behind whatever they were hiding until the shots ended, while their partner would run to get to another safe spot. They were being protected.

Nowadays, you may hear the term, “I’ve got your back” which basically means the same thing. Whatever happens, I’m here to help and protect you. Humanly, that is a tall order to fill. There is someone who is able to “cover us”…someone who “has our back.” Jesus, who sits at the right hand of God, the hand of blessing, the hand of strength and salvation, intercedes for us. Jesus is praying for us…he stands in the gap…he has us covered…always.

So there’s no need to hide in our Christian walk. No one is perfect in their walk, only Jesus. So while we can walk together and hold each other up, encouraging one another in our walk, we know that Jesus walks with us continually setting forth the path we are to go…we just need to follow. Don’t worry, he has us covered.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for always praying for us. Today, I want to follow the path you have made for me. I can go forth fearlessly because of who you are and your protection over me. Amen

Forever and Ever...Amen!

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. Luke 1:32-33
…and his kingdom will have no end. – Nicene Creed

When you think of things that are endless, do you sometimes think of times like this in a negative sense such as waiting in long lines, filling out insurance forms, going to work and having it be a slow day…the minutes tick by slowly…seemingly endless. Consider now the most joyous times of your life when you want it to last forever such as weddings, Christmas, vacations, getting together with old friends…the time seems to pass so quickly and you desire it to go on and on.

I’m confident that all the best that we experience on earth all rolled up together will not measure up to the experience we have in heaven. It’s hard to imagine, but it’s going to be better than anything we know here on earth…and it will have no end.

If this is what you believe, than what can you do with this wonderful news? I know that if I come across something great, like a good deal at the store, I want to share it with others. Are you able to share the good news of the kingdom? One good way I think to do this would be to use St. Francis of Assisi’s method of “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

Prayer: Lord, I can only imagine what your kingdom will be like, but know that it will be grand. Meeting you face to face will be the best thing to ever happen to me. How wonderful to know that we will be together forever. May this truth be seen and experienced through me by others who need you. Amen

Loved by three

Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God's presence at Jesus' baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us. A triple testimony: the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement. – 1 John 5:7 The Message
7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. - Athanasian Creed

Think about three special people in your life. Each of these three people has their own personality, gifts, and unique look. They are important to you, but they are three separate people. Imagine molding them into one person. Would you take the best from each person and put it into the one person?

In professing our belief of the Trinity…Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we often find it difficult to fully explain the Trinity. We have an idea of what it means, but it’s difficult to explain the three are one concept. I like how Tony Evans describes it when he says it’s like a lawyer’s office…God, God and God Inc. You call on the Father, God answers. You call on the Son, God answers. And if you call on the Holy Spirit, God answers. The three are in perfect union with one another becoming the Godhead. They are perfect and you have the best of three in one.

To whom do we pray? God…all three persons of the Trinity are available to listen to your praises and requests. There is never any waiting or being put on hold. Isn’t that amazing! God, the famous one, is ready to hear from you, and desires to hear from you. God loves to hear your voice.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for always being on call and ready to hear from me. May I never take this privilege for granted. May my prayer life grow stronger as my prayer time increases resulting in a stronger relationship with you. Amen

What are your plans today?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1)

Every day, I make a plan of what I will attempt to accomplish that day. I think most of us do that in some form. However, we know that the day may end up totally different than what we planned. I think that’s a good thing. Being open and flexible to the moving of the Spirit is important. We know that God is always working, and each day that God creates for us gives us opportunity to serve God for the kingdom purpose. If we hold too tight to our plans, we may miss what God has in store for us.

But we need to submit. We need to be obedient to what God has planned. We need to offer ourselves to God to use in whatever way the Lord sees fit. Is that scary for you? Remember God’s promises of not giving you more than you can handle, never leaving you and loving you more than you can imagine. There is no fear in serving God. How many times in the Bible does it say, “Fear not”? However, there is an enemy lurking around that wants you to stay fearful. In Jesus’ name, boot him out.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for the wonderful plans you have for me today. I will not fear in obeying you and following through on your plans. I pray I may hold my plans loosely and grasp onto yours. Amen

New Resources

I love to get writing resources to inspire my writing. The problem is getting the time to read them. I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday and found a nice resource in the bargin bin on the culture of the people in biblical times. You can sometimes find some great deals on resources...takes a little time though, so may have to energize with a coffee from the snack bar to make it through. :o)

The idea is to keep growing in your writing in both skills and information. Support groups such as FaithWriters, The Writers View, and many others help in that area. Are you a part of a local writers group that teaches and offers critiques for each member? Giving and receiving criques are very helpful...gives another eye to your writing as you give to others.

What are some resources that you have found helpful? We will all benefit from each other and our experiences.

What are you writing today?