Mmmmmm…. my Spirit feels nice and filled after this week of feasting on the Word of God prepared by my Beloved friends! I am so amazingly blessed to call you all “friend”. You have no idea how much you all mean to me. Thank you all from the bottom-most place in my heart! We all are eternally grateful for your willingness to contribute to our cause. I pray that God will bless you more tremendously than you ever though possible! And if you ever wish to come back and share the stage here you are more than welcome!
Today’s guest is an artist extraordinaire! She can sing, she can play guitar, she can draw and paint and makes jewelery. She writes poetry and stories too, so I had no idea what to expect from her offering today. She decided to go with a devotional for us. And after having read it I am positive that you will all love it! (I know I do! Maybe because her message is so similar to mine and therefore quite close to my heart. a DAILY walk with God.) Anyway, I digress, so without further ado, I give you my friend Beth Lively!
*Thunderous round of applause* You know, because this place is ROCKIN! (Can you tell I’m feelin’ frisky today?)
Philippians: 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.
God intended our lives to be like children at play—happily completing the tasks of our days, our hearts filled with wonder and joy, as we relish the company of loved ones, friends, and coworkers; working hard, satisfied in our labor, comfortable in our careers; fulfilled in our families, our heritage . . . but, often enough . . . we don’t, we aren’t, we are not.
We are guilty of worry; we waste time, sleep, and peace of mind, even to the point of endangering our mental health. We run our minds over worries like gerbils on a metal wheel—over and around, over and around—essentially, stubbornly, attempting to solve this weary world’s troubles and challenges all by ourselves. The temptations and tragedies of this world corrupt us as we struggle through the evil imposed by our complicated civilization.
Truly, though, we do not have to be tainted by any of it—not any of it. By simply, literally, placing God firmly in front, our vision of the world (and ultimately our reaction to it) will change.
Getting closer to God is something we can fix . . . and that will fix everything else! Keeping God close is easy, but initially takes practice until keeping a prayer, (a running conversation) with God on the back burner of our minds, becomes a hot mug of love, goodness, joy, and hope, ready at hand in our souls, as we meet the challenges and joys of each day.
Devotionals, Stephen’s Ministers, Pastoral Counseling, Bible study, Disciple classes, Christian music, radio talk shows, and phone apps. can help create the habit, and once firmly fixed in our daily routine, (and I do mean daily, because this wicked world is loud, enticing, harsh, discouraging, and can eat up our strength so fast and cunningly we are drowning in negativity before we even realize), will carry us safely above the currents of distress.
Salvation isn’t only about dying and meeting God in Heaven; Jesus saved us here, too—saved us from daily troubles and worries—when He showed us beyond doubt that nothing can separate us from the love (joy) and protection (worry free) of God.
So . . . go fly a kite, catch a fish, jump in a pool, roast a marshmallow for a so’ more, then laugh until your eyes tear up and your tummy hurts . . . and pray for God to take care of the rest!
Tamar Knochel 