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“A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps” Proverbs 14:15 (NIV)

I grew up as a golfer. I spent enough time learning the game and practicing. I was very good. Now, what happens to good golfers is they are always asked for tips from the less competent players. I didn’t mind this most of the time, but when I’m concentrating in the middle of a round it can be a distraction.

One day I was playing with a very obnoxious young man who constantly badgered me throughout the round. On one of the holes I told him to set up in his stance, then proceeded to give him “tips” that he followed to a tee (no pun intended). The other players with us were confused as I adjusted his grip and swing, because I basically had him do everything wrong (he would have stood on one foot and screamed like a chicken during his follow-through if I would have said to). He hit his next drive straight sideways into a corn field. I can still picture the look on his face as the rest of our foursome hit the ground in laughter.

I have since asked forgiveness, but I learned from that experience. We tend to believe anyone who is successful at something. It happens all the time. I’ve seen many great athletes fail at coaching. I’ve heard wealthy men give poor business advice, and later find out they got rich marrying a woman who inherited her father’s company.

We need to have what I call, “Divine think times.” A time that is part prayer, and part thinking things though as we ask Him to guide our thoughts.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to be a good thinker. Give me good times alone with You to ponder relationships, decisions, direction, and especially on how to manage my day. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

A storm came up, and the waves broke over the boat…Jesus was sleeping… The scared disciples woke Him…He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves,“Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.   Mark 4:37-39 (NIV)

I’m sure that the worried disciples were wondering how Jesus could sleep through all the peril of a ferocious squall. Especially when they trusted Him to protect them.

He just wanted to be asked for help. He wanted to be leaned on. He wanted them to wake Him up and request His comfort.

I know that many times I find myself in the middle of a storm; Busy at work, money issues, stress of deadlines, family pressures, relationship malfunctions, sickness, plans shattered, expectations unexpectedly unmet, emotional hurts…

Instead of fighting to survive and cope on our own, we need to go to Jesus so that He can say to our storm, “Quiet! Be still!”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me the strength and wisdom to cope with the pressures of life. Give me that inner calm in the midst storms. Give me relief when I can’t take it anymore. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position”  Romans 12:16 (NIV)

Music can be really enjoyable. There’s just something a blend of sounds, harmony, resonating in our ears that pleases our hearts.

I was in the midst of my usual morning rush, and something uniquely odd happened. When I finish my oatmeal, I always rinse out the bowl before I sprint out the door. I found that oatmeal turns into a form of concrete if left to dry.

So, I was turning to make my mad dash out the door when I heard this amazing sound. It stopped me in my tracks. My first thought was it must be some cell phone setting. Then I heard it again, it was coming from the sink. As the water dripped down, it hit the side of the bowl in such a way that it made this wonderful tone. It truly directed my thoughts from preparing for the rush hour traffic, to curious thoughts of God and His “inventions”.

That “musical bowl” changed my whole ride to work. It was freaky. It made me think.

We can be a beautiful tone to God by working on getting along instead of backbiting or complaining. We can bless Him and those around us if we are looking to respect and associate with those of lower position.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, You are amazing and give me amazing things. Help me to be a blessing to others, especially those in lower positions. I want to honor You with sweet sounds to Your ears. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense”  Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

There are many chances throughout each day to choose ‘patience’ or ‘frustration’. Frustration with ourselves, with others, or with circumstances.

I know as a golfer, if you choose ‘frustration’ more than ‘patience’, your round can fall apart. I’ve experienced it, and witnessed it. Some of my favorites include; a thrown club that traveled along an electrical wire, taking a bite out of a large chunk of sod that was the result of a “fat” shot, losing a thrown putter in a nearby maple tree, watching a player have to climb a pine tree to regain his tossed 7 iron, catapulting a 3 wood farther than the ball, listening to guys put together a string of vulgar exclamatives that made no sense but communicated their true feelings, seeing a grown man beat up a fir tree with his pitching wedge, and finally, falling over in laughter as a good friend proclaimed his resignation from golf “forever” (for the 50th time) while holding his whole bag of clubs over his head, then hurling it into a pond.

‘Frustration’ can snowball our emotions. We are wired to respond in a negative way when something goes wrong, or when someone offends us. To cope with the stresses that life brings, it’s almost like we need to develop an “overlook muscle”. The ability to overlook those things that push our inner frustration in to  snowball mode. We can’t prevent it or stop it on our own. So we must call on God for His supernatural “overlook abilities” to enable us.

Today’s verse reminded me of a quote from Benjamin Franklin; “Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half-shut afterwards”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, give me the wisdom to call on You to create patience in me. Give me the strength to “overlook” without getting even, angry, or running to my best gossip buddies. Thank You that You can give me inner joy and peace that is so sweet, and so greatly missed when I am in a “frustration snowball mode”. In Jesus Name. Amen.

“Woe to you, Pharisees. You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean”    Matthew 23:25-26

Jesus was sternly talking to the Pharisees about their wrong perception of what God expects. They believed if they just did all the right things that they would be impressing God, then in turn would receive His favor. But Jesus is pointing out to them that they need to work on the insides, not just what they do, or how they appear.

I know many people who go to church without fail, wear a cross necklace, and read their bibles, and still can be selfish or even mean. I recall my first semester at a very good seminary (Christian graduate school for ministers). My wife and I were moving to another apartment in town. We didn’t have much stuff, but I rented a truck anyway to haul everything we boxed and some furniture. The complex we lived in was filled with seminary students. So I asked several of them if they could give me 30 minutes to load the heavier furniture. I got no takers. These want-to-be pastors were all very honest with me about why they didn’t want to help; “I have exams next week”, “I have to get ready for dinner”, “I don’t have time, I’m preparing a sermon”(I wonder if the sermon was on helping others in need?)

I chalked it up to a great lesson, and pondered if I was like that. Was I studying to just know the bible and come across as a good guy? Or was I truly allowing God to change me on the inside? Am I willing to look for the needs of others, or am I  “full of self-indulgence and greed”? Were there areas of my private life and thoughts that I just covered up?

The answer for all of us is YES. I knew I needed to start the life long battle of allowing God in to change my deepest ‘stuff”.  I look back and have never regretted starting to talk to Him about my ‘private person’. I still continually confess to Him and plead with Him to put more distance between my wrongs. To change my personal world from the inside-out.

Billy Graham once said, “A real Christian is a person who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip”.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I give You my inner ‘junk’ to work on. Change me from the inside-out. Remind me to confess, not cover up. Remind me to ask You to change me, not just  get better at hiding my flaws. Show me to serve, not self-indulge. Thank You that all this is worth it! In Jesus Name. Amen.

“When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise”  2 Corinthians10:12 (NIV)

As we strive to grow closer to God, and develop our faith and character, we can tend to look around and see others who aren’t even trying. That can slow down our desire and focus. Comparing ourselves can rob us of the plans and blessings that God has for us. It can retard the attributes and inner peace He wants to manifest in our hearts. Comparing is not wise.

When we make mistakes, forgiveness is at our finger tips. So we shouldn’t use the classic mentality of  “at least I’m not as bad as them”. Settling to just “fit in” will lead to mediocrity and lack of fulfillment.

During Jerry Seinfeld’s first stand up routine on the Johnny Carson Show, he said; “Have you ever seen the Guinness Book record for the fattest man in the world? It’s Bob Hughes, fourteen hundred pounds! The man has let himself go. I feel bad talking about heavy people on stage, but you could weigh 1,000 pounds and say, ‘well, he’s not talking about me. Bob is a man with a SERIOUS weight problem!'”

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, take who I am right now, come along side of me, and through me to develop my faith, my character, and my heart. I was uniquely made, so don’t let me compare. Instead, show me how to strive toward You and Your life principles. Thank You that I can continually be forgiven and start over. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult”  Proverbs 12:16 (NIV)

As we walk with God, our character will develop. An acid test to see how we are doing would be to examine how we “react” in adverse situations. How do we “react” when someone falsely accuses, lies about, hurts, or insults us? Are we annoyed immediately, or do we keep our composure?

When hard times come, we have been trained to “react” in a harsh way. It’s socially acceptable, and in some cultures, it is expected.

Just knowing how to “act” is respectable, but knowing how to “react” is a reflection of a God that is real. So when an insult comes your way, treat it as a chance to show those around you that your God is alive and working.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, it is impossible for me to “react” right on my own. Please help me to step back from an insult and understand that person may be hurting, needy, or weak. Then I need You to empower me to control my emotions and “react” well. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; for they quickly pass, and we fly away”  Psalm 90:10 (NIV)

This passage is contained in what is considered “a prayer of Moses”.

It seems to me that life goes by faster and faster as I get older. I remember, as a young child, summer was a long three months of swimming, baseball, vacation, and a lot of just hanging out with my buddies. The days were even long and slow. But now, I feel like I need to plan out everything my family does in the summer, because it slips by so quickly.

Last summer I was going to read three books, build a deck, and revamp one of the rooms in our house. Before I knew it August was here and my reading goal turned into completing a couple crossword puzzles. I skimmed through a magazine of decks. And the room renovation turned into cleaning out a couple drawers.

One thing that I do hang on to as I experience this runaway train of life, I can slow things down if I daily sit to pray and think. It helps let off the acceleration pedal of busyness. It allows God to invade my heart with perspective and hope. Stopping to talk to Him helps me to get outside of my self-consumed world, and think of others. It gives God a chance to teach me to have good relationships and to be a good “forgiver”. Most importantly, it allows Him to create in me a person that I will be glad that I have become right before I fly away!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to get the most out of my days here. Remind me to stop and talk with You daily. Thank You that You can slow life down for me so I can think and make good decisions. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”  Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

There’s a difference between the attitude of  “I guess I should read my bible today and spend some time in prayer”. Verses, “I actually get the privilege of reading God’s words to me, and spending time impacting my life by talking to Him”. “I have to know God better today!”

A classic event that was recorded in the Old Testament, Genesis 32:24-32, helps us understand this ‘hunger’. Jacob wrestled with an angel of God for hours. The angel injured him terribly and told Jacob to let go and give up. Jacob’s response is awesome, and sheds great light on the today’s verse; “I will not let go until you bless me”. Though Jacob limped the rest of his life because of the injury, God did greatly bless him.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, it’s not in me to create this ‘hunger’, I’m asking You to give me that desire. Even when I don’t feel like it, please make me hunger, because I want Your blessing and I want to be ‘filled’ by You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

“Solomon paneled the main hall with pine and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm tree and chain designs. He adorned the temple with precious stones…” 2 Chronicles 3:5-6 (NIV)

I always thought in was interesting how God wanted specific decorating for the temple that Solomon built for Him. It must have been beautiful.

But does this contradict His New Testament teachings about striving after money and external beauty?  Some may say that it is a reflection of the inner beauty that He can create in those who receive Christ.

I’m not exactly sure how this temple-decorating thing works, but I do know that appearance does effect perception. I’ve walked into big, well built houses in expensive neighborhoods, and it was disorganized with stuff laying around everywhere. I’ve been around guys who have dirty clothes on, smell a little, just disheveled. I know in my heart that the sloppy house and unkempt attire really doesn’t effect how God sees us, but it does effect how those we are trying to encourage and help look at us. I know I secretly don’t respect my next door neighbor, and think less of them because the outside of their house and yard is so bad.

When I got out of college, on my own for the first time, I was a growing Christian who wanted be a good influence on others. I had an older, wiser man pull me aside to talk about how my apartment and dress effected how I was perceived. I was overzealously anti-materialistic, and needed to find a balance. I don’t have to have expensive stuff like fine gold lining my apartment hallways, but being clean and organized made me feel better, and helped others not be tempted to discard me and what I stood for.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I don’t want to seek riches over seeking You, but help me to take care of the possessions You have given me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.