A Great Morning

"For thou are the glory of their strenth: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted."  Psalm 89:17

Isn't it a great morning to start expecting the favor of God to show up in the details of your life?  This statement at the end of today's devotion really stuck with me.  I never really expect God's favor but am constantly awed by His work in my life.  On Friday, I watched as my daughters were blessed with recognition for their academic and music accomplishments.  Then on Friday night, through teary eyes, I watched my eldest daughter complete her education at a school that has been as much of a family as anyone could have asked for.  It has been our village for the last nine years and I can't imagine her heading off to a new experience but they have prepared her well and now it is time for her to fly in high school.

This morning, I watched God's hand at work as two young men were confirmed and received their First Communion at our church.  They happen to be classmates at the girls' school so it was especially nice that one daughter was serving at the altar and the other was singing (and playing percussion) in the choir.  Seeing these young men make this commitment to their faith was such a happy occasion when so many their age turn away! 

At every turn, I see God's hand at work and the blessing that come from Him.  Even in the trials, I am reminded that His blessing and His plan are at work....and I marvel that I have been so blessed.

Have a blessed Best Life day!

Live Favor-Minded

So brace up your minds; be sober (circumspect, morally alert); set your hope wholly and unchangeably on the grace (divine favor) that is coming to you when Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is revealed.  [Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you] in your former ignorance.  1 Peter 1:13-14

I'm really struggling with this idea of being favor-minded.  Growing up Catholic, and used to a lot of guilt, I was taught that I had to earn my place in heaven with good deeds.  Seems a little difficult to do enough good deeds to be worthy of a spot in heaven.  Now it seems that I can't in fact, earn a spot in heaven since it has already been given to me by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  So if I already have my spot in heaven, good deeds take on a whole new meaning.

Living favor-minded though, to me, implies that I expect God's favor rather than being grateful for the favor he has given me.  I'm sure that's not the interpretation that is intended but I just can't help that Catholic guilt from creeping in and twisting things.  Maybe it's the word "favor" that's throwing me off.  I don't like the idea that someone might not be in God's favor.  Wouldn't God love and want to bless all of his children?  If everyone were favor-minded, what then?

I prefer the gratitude view.  I am grateful for God's favor and know that I don't deserve it and haven't (and couldn't) earn it....ever.  It's so easy to list all of the ways that God has blessed and favored me and my life is so much better when I remember those blessings.

With Mother's Day coming tomorrow, I am reminded of the blessings that God has given me.  My mom is here, healthy and a wonderful grandmother to my girls.  My mother-in-law is also alive, healthy and loves me and my children.  How blessed can you get to have a great relationship with your mother-in-law?  I am mother to two beautiful, talented, smart, funny and good-hearted girls who may someday grow up to be wonderful mothers themselves.  I am grateful for all the moms in my life who give me advice, show me (and teach me) how to be wonderful mothers and who give me support.  I am grateful for my daughters' two godmothers who also happen to be two amazing sisters. 

So I rejoice in the favor that God has given me and I "live" every day mindful of that favor.

Have a great Best Life day!

God Will Open Doors

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28

Hmm, preferential treatment.  This seems like dangerous territory.  The idea that we should expect God's favor is a bit unsettling.  I know I don't deserve it and yet so many times, I have seen it in my life.  Why would I be blessed any more or any less than anyone else?

The author goes on though to say that  we can expect preferential treatment not because of who we are but because of whose we are.  This totally changes the perspective.  It isn't because we are better (or not) than anyone else or that we deserve it.  It is because God's blessings spill over onto us if we are "favor-minded".  Sometimes, I believe that we see our blessings more simply by paying more attention to them.  If we live our life as one of gratitude suddenly we have so much more to be thankful for each day!

I am reminded that today is the National Day of Prayer. This prayer is for our nation but my prayer for today is that we all become more "favor-minded" and see the blessings in our lives so that our hearts might be hearts of gratitude and not despair.

Almighty God, you are our Mighty Fortress, our refuge and the God in whom we place our trust.  As our nation faces great distress and uncertainty, we ask your Holy Spirit to fall afresh upon your people — convict us of sin and inflame within us a passion to pray for our land and its people.  

Grant the leaders of our country an awareness of their desperate need of wisdom and salvation in You until sin becomes a reproach to all and righteousness exalts this nation.

Protect and defend us against our enemies and may the cause of Christ always prevail in our schools, courts, homes, and churches.  Lord God, send a spirit of revival and may it begin in our own hearts.

Remember America, we pray.  Remember the foundations on which this country was built.  Remember the prayers of our nation’s fathers and mothers, and do not forget us in our time of need.

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

by Joni Eareckson Tada, Honorary Chairman

Have a prayerful, Best Life Day!

Redeemed From The Curse

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."  Galatians 3:3

Every family can probably name something that seems to get handed down from generation to generation.  We laugh about it sometimes or make jokes...the hairline of the men in the family or some physical feature that all the women seem to get (or don't get).  Often, there are more significant genetic traits that are nothing to laugh about.

In our family, many of us are worriers or struggle with anxiety.  I'm now seeing it in the next generation too.  Depression too has been battled by a few family members, myself included.  Not exactly a legacy you want to hand down to your children.  At times, it can seem like a family "curse".  No one really talks about it but you know it when you see it.

Knowing that God can break that curse if we do the work and persevere is reassuring.  Breaking the cycle is important.  Each generation wants the next generation to be healthier, happier and more prosperous. 

"Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.  We are blessed, and we cannot be cursed." 

Amen.

Have an uplifting Best Life Day!

Think Twice As Much

"Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes, for you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left."  Isaiah 54:2-3

I had trouble with this devotion today.  The idea that if you'll keep the right attitude, God will pay you back double for your trouble made me pause.  Sometimes it seems as if some people, despite their amazing attitudes, just can't seem to catch a break.  Then here I am, feeling amazingly blessed and there are days when quite frankly, my attitude just plain stinks.  It didn't jive with what the author was saying.

So how to reconcile the conflict?  Are some people going to walk through life and always have struggles despite their positive attitudes?  Doesn't it seem like sometimes the bad guy wins? 

Maybe the meaning is grander than the level I originally thought.  Maybe it means that God's blessings aren't the things that we normally think about - material goods, health, etc.  Maybe the person with the right attitude is rewarded double in something so much better.  Maybe the right attitude is the blessing.  It certainly does make a difference in how you view the world, how you view others and how you view your circumstances.  Maybe you get the blessing of knowing that God is there, walking beside you each and every step of the way through the difficulties and then carrying you when you need it most.  Maybe as one friend posted yesterday,  

"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, 

because he always lives to intercede for them."  Hebrews 7:25 

It's nice to know that Jesus is always praying for me and interceding with God on my behalf.  That's a bigger reward than anything on this earth. 

Have a wonderful Best Life Day!

Be A New Creation

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  2 Corinthians 5:17

I had to think about this one for a bit.  The author talks about "spinning your wheels" in life and I could definitely relate to that once I started thinking about it.  Usually I don't have too much trouble moving forward once I decide to do something but there are a couple of things that get me every time.  Eating right and exercise.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm actually one of those people that likes the sweaty, in your face type of exercising.  Jillian Michaels is my hero.  As much as I wanted junk food, I didn't have anything during Lent so willpower isn't an issue when my mind is set on it.  That's the problem.  I'm so "all or nothing" that I'm either totally obsessed with food and the gym or I'm not at all and nothing seems to motivate me.  I can't seem to strike that perfect balance.  Neither option works well for very long.  Somehow, I need to realize that if I miss one day or mess up, I can start over the next day or that just a bit for today is better than nothing.  For some reason, it doesn't take much to completely throw me off the track in either direction.

So for me, living my Best Life needs to be a healthy balance of eating right and exercising and permission to go off track once in a while without a total standstill.  That's what I need to be a new and better physical me.  A new creation.

Have a healthy and moving Best Life Day!

Today Is A New Day

"You have dwelt long enough on this mountain....Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which the Lord swore to your fathers...to give to them and to their descendants after them."  Deuteronomy 1: 6, 8


What a wonderful gift it is to wake up each morning knowing you get another chance to get it right (whatever 'it' is).  Didn't exercise?  That's okay, start today.  Didn't eat right?  Today is a whole new set of calories.  Didn't remember to count your blessings?  They are doubled today.  Didn't use kind words?  You're getting a new day to apologize and make it right. 

Holding onto the past is something I'm prone to do.  It is often very difficult for me to let things go.  What is the saying?  Women aren't hysterical;  they are historical.  Over time, that kind of thinking really eats at your insides physically and emotionally.  Forgiveness, though is "giving up the hope that the past could have been any different" (Oprah).  So if where I am is because of where I've been then all that was God's plan and moving forward from here takes me on the path that God has intended for me.  That makes me look at things that have happened in my life in a very different way.  It's just not that easy to do. 

Thank God, I get the chance to try again each and every day!

Have a brand new Blessed Life day!