We have a great day ahead of us today, friends!
Let’s make it a great day!
Let’s walk through today with purpose, not just letting it pass us by thinking of it as “just another day”. Today is the only shot we will have at putting meaning into these 24 hours.
Psalms 37:1 NLT
Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.
Psalms 32:8-9 NLT
The lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
Psalms 32:1 NLT
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
Psalm 1:2-3 ESV
but his delight is in the law of the Lord , and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
——————————————–
I used to call myself a Christian because I had grown up in church and I knew the basic facts of “the Christian religion”. But I definitely didn’t “delight in the law of the Lord” – in fact, my life was proof that I delighted in all kinds of sin in my life. And I definitely didn’t meditate on his law day and night – in fact, I used what little I knew about grace as an excuse to stay far away from the law, shrugging it off as “that old covenant stuff”, satisfied that I had my “get out of Hell free card” in my back pocket.
But you see, I knew about religion – but my life was fruitless. There was no active relationship with a living God, there was no Holy Spirit guiding me, teaching me, and comforting me.
It’s pretty scary when I look back and realize that I was blind to the blessings, I was veiled and stumbling in darkness. And it concerns me when I wonder how many that call themselves Christians are leading fruitless lives of their own. I wonder how many opportunities are being missed to share hope, mercy, love, forgiveness, and all of the blessings of a Christ filled life with others.
What would the world look like if we lived like Christ? If we loved like Christ? If we put others needs ahead of our wants? If we genuinely cared about the lives of those around us – even those we will only meet once while passing through a restaurant or store.
Wouldn’t the world look a lot different than one group of religious folks complaining about what another religious group has wrong?
Wouldn’t the world look a lot different than a group of religious folks condemning and accusing and attacking others – even the rulers of their own nation that they are supposed to honor and pray for?
Wouldn’t the world look a lot different than a group of religious folks looking down their noses at others that don’t pray the way they do, or sing the way they do, or gather the way they do, or judge the way they do?
Yes, Jesus is alive and His Kingdom work is being done in the world today. He works through a living relationship, not dead religious practice –
Through Him we know that all of the Law and the words of the prophets hang on loving God and loving others. This is the voice of the Holy Spirit that teaches me to delight in the law, to delight in Love, undeserved grace and mercy and forgiveness – and I meditate on it daily, even moment to moment, as I try to keep my eyes on Christ in this new relationship with my risen Lord and Savior.
I don’t have time to check my own branches for fruit, because there is much work to be done. The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
So I hope that we will all do our work, friends -that we will all share this love if we have it, or go get it if we haven’t received it yet. I hope that each will be fruitful in their relationship, and that when the time comes, we will be proven as faithful servants.
I love you, friend. Have a blessed day.
Psalms 25:4 NLT
Show me the right path, O lord ; point out the road for me to follow.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————
Am I asking Him to make clear the road ahead and to show me the way?
Or am I choosing a path that I want to follow because of my own personal desires and then asking God to bless it as if it was His will?
How much time do I spend telling Him what I want – instead of listening to Him since He knows what is best for me?
Do I want to settle for my own desires?
Or experience the fullness of the purpose that He has for my life?
If prayer is just me talking and not listening, what kind of relationship does that demonstrate?
Does it demonstrate that I value God’s will and purpose for my life, and that I honor Him as Almighty God and as the Lord of my life?
He will show us the right path. The question is – Are we seeking it?
If you have not yet received Christ into your life, if you have not received the baptism of his Holy Spirit living in you and through you in your daily life, if you find yourself wandering through each day without purpose – CALL OUT TO JESUS – He will save you, He will renew you, He will change you and show you a purpose and a path beyond anything you could build for yourself.
And if you have found Christ, are you clinging to Him today? Are you IN LOVE with this God that died for you on a cross, who loves you even when you were trapped in your sin? Are you FREE today?
I love you, friend. Have a blessed day. May His Spirit guide you and lead you, and may He shine so brightly in you today that the world cannot ignore the Christ that lives in YOU!
Psalms 22:30-31 NLT
Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————
Some of my favorite times are spent in praise with Mia singing songs, praying together, and reading from the Bible and from children’s Bible story books.
It’s encouraging to see her excited about learning more. It also helps to keep me accountable when I realize that she watches everything that we do and say.
Our 4 Kids volunteers do such a great job of showing the kids on Sunday an example of Christ’s loving compassion and teaching them lessons from the Bible that they can apply in their lives. These lessons are so important to Mia’s spiritual development, that we want to supplement this daily at home with prayer, praise, a mix of Christian videos (Veggie Tales), and reading/discussing.
Our children are surrounded by the influences of the world in their daily lives, and we aren’t trying to create a completely sheltered and separated “religious” life – we want Mia to be equipped with the tools she needs for her life ahead, a relationship with Jesus Christ and with other loving believers. It is this relationship that will last the test of time and be passed down generation to generation, because hope, faith, and love overcome and last forever.
Psalms 19:1-3 NLT
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————
As we ride around in the car as a family, we try to take note of the beauty of the sky. My go to phrase is, “Doesn’t God have the most amazing paint brushes?”
Yes, we can look at the evidence of the world around us, and we can understand the evidence for a creator and intelligent design. Many throughout history have come to this conclusion from the evidence at hand. So what is different in a Christ follower?
We make the bold claim that this creator God came in the flesh as a man, Jesus Christ, he lived a blameless life, was persecuted and suffered death on a cross as a sacrifice to renew our relationship with God and to demonstrate God’s loving mercy and forgiveness to us, and he rose from the dead as an example of how we too will rise from these perishable bodies into an imperishable and eternal life.
We do not follow a teacher that had wise advice and instructions for our lives here in the flesh, we follow a risen Savior who gives us the example of preparing ourselves for life eternal, understanding the temporary nature of this physical life that we see with our senses, and believing in those things unseen but nevertheless just as real.
Shouldn’t our lives speak just as loudly about our God as the beautiful skies?
Psalms 19:14 NLT
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O lord , my rock and my redeemer.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————
This tongue is small, but it’s words when let loose can have devastating consequences.
These thoughts aren’t seen by others, but left unchecked, they can have devastating consequences on my attitude and perspective.
Since I am the temple for the presence of the Holy Spirit, don’t I want to take captive my thoughts and my words?
Those thoughts that come in unwelcomed, those temptations, don’t I want to resist them, and pray that they be taken captive and cast out of my presence? So I have to ask myself, am I putting up a resistance to thoughts and temptations, or am I satisfied with letting them remain a part of my life?
And whereas those thoughts affect me on the inside, the result comes out in my words and my actions – which affects others around me. Am I bringing more light and love and forgiveness and mercy into the world each day with my words and actions, or is the darkness in my words and actions a reflection of my inner thoughts and the state of my heart?
If we spend our time just trying to clean the outside of the cup, our words and actions, while letting our thought life run wild, we are in for a tiring battle. But if we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, and we focus on taking captive the thoughts and temptations on the inside, there will be visible changes on the outside as a result of our changed heart and attitudes.
And the best praise that we can lift up to God is not a life of continual sacrifice and prayers for forgiveness – but a life of renewal, using this Holy Spirit to take control of our lives. And we do this with time spent in an active relationship with Christ, through time in the Word, prayer, fellowship, and service.
Oh, that my life might be a praise – that my story might be a life saved by His grace, renewed by His sacrifice, and used for His glory and honor.
I love you, friends. Have a blessed day.
Psalm 27:14 ESV
Wait for the Lord ; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord !
PERSONAL COMMENTARY
——————————————–
So how do we wait for the Lord?
It tells us – be strong, and let our heart take courage.
This Psalm is about relying on the faithfulness of God in the face of our enemies.
And our enemies are not flesh and blood, but are the unseen forces in opposition to God’s will – those that hide in the darkness, separated from the light.
And waiting for the Lord doesn’t mean being idle, because we are called to go forth, to go out and make disciples of all the nations. No, it doesn’t take strength to live an idle life.
It takes strength and courage to live a thankful life dedicated to the Lord – day by day, even moment by moment – because we have hope in promises and things unseen, but that we know deep inside to be true.
So we wait in faithfulness, but we are busy with the work at hand until then.
Each day, there are so many opportunities that I don’t want to miss. Let me walk in His strength and power today, having courage that I will be greatly used, even in the little things, like an encouraging word, a helpful hand, a faithful prayer, sharing the Word of God – as I wait patiently, yet I am busy with the work at hand.
So let’s wait for the Lord in strength and in courage.
Harold J. Ballinger 