Present & Most Pleasant

Sitting in the present chair we find it to be the most pleasant chair.
-- Grayson Willis Paraphrased

So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
-- Words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:34 (GWT)

Click here: I JUST WANT TO BE WHERE YOU ARE - DON MOEN

Oh to live daily in Your presence, Lord!
Grateful

Never Again Fear

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
-- Zephaniah 3:15b (ESV)

Lord, with You ruling on the throne of our hearts, there is no need for us to worry ourselves, only to worship You! Please let Your tremendous Love cast out all of our tormenting fear. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

No fear exists where His love is. Rather, perfect love gets rid of fear, because fear involves punishment. The person who lives in fear doesn’t have perfect love.
-- 1 John 4:18 (GWT)

Love never fails. God is Love. God never fails.
Grateful

Don't Worry About Anything. Instead Pray About Everything.

Yesterday, as my son and I were talking about prayer, he kept quoting this unforgettable verse to me:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.
-- Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

Lord, help us to turn from all human worry and to focus instead on holy worship. In Jesus' name. Amen.

By Faith! In Faith! (Hebrews 11)
Grateful

Why Worry?

Let's hear and heed the words of Jesus concerning worry.

(22) Jesus said to His disciples: I tell you not to worry about your life! Don't worry about having something to eat or wear. (23) Life is more than food or clothing. (24) Look at the crows! They don't plant or harvest, and they don't have storehouses or barns. But God takes care of them. You are much more important than any birds. (25) Can worry make you live longer? (26) If you don't have power over small things, why worry about everything else? (27) Look how the wild flowers grow! They don't work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn't as well clothed as one of these flowers. (28) God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. Won't He do even more for you? You have such little faith! (29) Don't keep worrying about having something to eat or drink. (30) Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need. (31) But put God's work first, and these things will be yours as well.
-- Matthew 6:25-31(CEV)

Click here: Lauryn Hills/CeCe Winans/His Eye is on the Sparrow

By Faith! In Faith! (Hebrews 11)
Grateful

Pray Through

The old timers in my life used to often say, I need to pray through. My theology professor encouraged me with these words: Always pray until you're through. Yesterday, in my quiet time I sensed the Lord asking, Kerry, in your day-by-day existence, you can either worry through or pray through? Which will it be?

Lord, let my life be characterized by those three words from Your Word in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "pray without ceasing." In Jesus' name, I want to be one who prays through, yes, one who always prays until I am through to You. Amen.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

"The Eight 'We Can'ts' of Ministry"

At Nazarene Bible College, in 1994, a seasoned pastor spoke to the student body at chapel one day and shared what he called "The Eight 'We Can'ts' of Ministry." I wrote these still relevant notes in the flyleaf of my Bible:

"The Eight 'We Can'ts' of Ministry"

1. We can't control everything.
2. We can't change or fix anyone.
3. We can't explain everything.
4. We can't dodge questions and decisions.
5. We can't explain why God loves you and me.
6. We can't worry about who gets the credit.
7. We can't cling to the past.
8. We can't do what needs to be done apart from the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4:1 -- Therefore, since through God's mercy we have ministry, we do not lose heart...

Based on 2 Corinthians 4:1, I've added a ninth 'we can't' of ministry:
9. We can't lose heart! (We can, but we must not lose heart!)

IF MY PEOPLE...WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Be Present in the Present!

Yesterday was mine but now it is God's. Tomorrow is God's but will one day be mine. Today is God's gift to me. That's why it's called "the present".

But don't just take my words for it. Hear the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:34 (TLB) -- So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.

Lord, help me to stay out of the two days that belong only to You -- yesterday and tomorrow. Give me a focused faith that causes me to be present in the present. Instead of worrying over yesterday and wondering about tomorrow, help me to be all about worshipping You in Spirit and in Truth today. I want to be found in your presence in the present. In Jesus' name. Amen.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Look At The Birds!

Seven words in Psalm 50:11 (NIV) speak powerfully to me about our God's compassionate attention to His Creation: I know every bird in the mountains...

Jesus then says in Luke 12:24 (NIV): And you are far more valuable to Him than any birds!

Lord, I pray that we would trust You like the birds do. You challenge us to have confidence in You with these words You spoke in Matthew 6:26: "Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your Heavenly Father feeds them."

Like the birds, Lord, let our lives be characterized by worship, not worry. We should not dwell in sorrow, but we should instead sing of Your love forever. Amen.

ALL... JOY TO YOUR WORLD!
Grateful (P.S. Added Later in the Day Below)

P.S. This morning after I wrote and posted this blog entry, I sadly found a frozen mourning dove in the midst of black-oil sunflower seed that I keep plentiful in my yard for my winged-friends. I buried the beautiful bird in the ground underneath the snow at the foot of the Manger in our outdoor Nativity Scene. (Because I know the symbolism of a dove in the Bible and because I know that God's Son was born to die, burying the breathless, beautiful dove was a very deep and agonizing moving experience for me.) Still, it was an amazing experience for me,too, in that I had just read Psalm 50:11 late last evening. Think about it: The God I love, knew this dove. When the dove died, I can vouch that it was not hungry, but when it breathed its last breath, our compassionate Creator God cared. And how much more valuable are we than birds. An inspiring illustration for my soul.

Turn Worrying Into Worship

After reading Mark 4:35-41 this morning, this is my solemn prayer:

Lord, help me to turn all of my worrying into awesome worship of You. Amen.

Mark 4:35-41 (NLT) -- (35) As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let’s cross to the other side of the lake." (36) He was already in the boat, so they started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). (37) But soon a fierce storm arose. High waves began to break into the boat until it was nearly full of water. (38) Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. Frantically they woke Him up, shouting, "Teacher, don’t you even care that we are going to drown?" (39) When He woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the water, "Quiet down!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. (40) And He asked them, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?" (41) And they were filled with awe and said among themselves, "Who is this man, that even the wind and waves obey Him?"

ALL JOY!
Grateful