Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

There are several people I know that are searching for the path God has set before them.  They are in my prayers because I know how hard it can be to find the path.  At times it seems like the path has not been traveled in a long time.  It is grown over with grasses and bushes, almost completely hidden by trees and undergrowth.  This morning I hear something anew in this verse.  If we acknowledge him in everything we do, everything we say and all we are, our view of Him becomes so much clearer.  As we seek to serve him the path begins to open up without so many brambles in the way.  If we acknowledge him when we nourish our bodies at meals, while we sit in traffic driving to work, running busy errands and shopping for groceries His presence is clear to us.  As we seek to live in Him and focus on Him, the distractions and barriers that were so insurmountable become less and less until the path before us is unmistakable.  It sounds so easy, doesn't it?  It is by the grace of God that we get to try over and over again.  Start today.  Start again tomorrow and then again next day to acknowledge him in all your ways, He will guide you. 

Lord,

You are my heart’s desire but the world distracts me.  I pray that you will strengthen me and all those reading this so that we do acknowledge you in all our ways.  I know it is the only way, I ask you to show me your way again today.  Amen.

John 6:33 “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Life giving food... I need more of that.  Just yesterday, I read another article in a magazine about how fast food clogs up parts of our brains and bodies creating blockages that cause long term damage.  The more of that food we eat, the more our bodies cannot manage and we become diseased over time.  I struggle to eat healthy food.  I try to buy vegetables and fruit, I research and shop for the best grains and the least processed foods.  There is so much information out there I do not know what is really true sometimes.  The bread that feeds our souls is just like this.  There is junk food, fast food and healthy food for our souls.  It is tempting and easy to take in the fast food and the junk food and sometimes it is hard to decipher what is really healthy.  This verse brings clarity to the mystery.  The bread of God gives life.  Any other bread we take in might taste good but over time it brings disease to our souls.  His Spirit will guide us if we will listen so that we can be sure to partake of life giving bread and leave the other options alone.  Let us pray!

Lord,

I cannot stop thanking and praising you for You are awesome.  Thank you for life, thank you for life giving food.  Through your Son and your Spirit, you continue to offer life, health and well-being.  Help us pass up the fast food and come straight to you for life giving bread.  It is only in you that we will find it and find true life.  Amen.

Mark 6:31-32 “He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”

Boy, how I needed to read this passage.  I have written many times about how much I appreciate my quiet time in the morning.  Spending time alone with the Lord is invaluable to me.  This morning my 3 year old walked into my room just moments before my alarm went off and has been awake ever since.  When he came in, I gently guided him back to bed and then a few minutes later he startled me while I was praying.  I put him back again and turned on his music to give him something to listen to and hopefully lull him back to sleep; it was only 5:20!  Now 30 minutes later I sit at the computer and hear him playing in his room.  My husband is up early because we have a lot of snow on the ground so getting to work will take longer.  From this point on, there will be no quiet or rest.  With the sermon on Sunday encouraging me to pursue spiritual disciplines and this scripture this morning, I am encouraged to continue pressing on.  Will you choose one to pursue?  Will it be meditation, prayer or fasting?  Do you feel called to study, worship or celebrate?  I long for a bit of solitude... maybe tomorrow.

Lord,

Thank you for the blessings of family and children.  Thank you for the moisture in the snow we received.  Thank you for the much needed rest.  Help me see the love and joy in this day and in all days.  Amen.

Isaiah 30:21 “And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘this is the way walk in it.’”

Have you ever been going somewhere, had a map and yet you got completely lost?  I really like to use maps and directions when I am going somewhere new but as good as the internet map sites are they are not perfect and not always up to date.  There have been a couple of times when I followed the map and eventually realized I could not find the place I was looking for so I called them.  They graciously “walked” me the rest of the way to my destination.  Step by step they told me what to look for and which way to go.  As I think about how the Spirit works it is much like this.  There are times I think I have a good map and good directions in life and all of a sudden I am lost.  God is gracious.  When we call out to Him for guidance, He is faithful.  If we quietly listen, staying focused on his guidance, he will not let us down.  He will guide us step by step, until we reach our destination.  We don’t need a cell phone or Wi-Fi for His guidance, prayer works just great!

Lord,

Words escape me when I come to you this morning but you know my heart and your Spirit intercedes for me.  Open our ears and close our mouths so that we may hear the guidance you so lovingly give to us.  Thank you gentle Shepherd.  Amen.

Philippians 2:4-5 “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.  Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”

This morning we are getting ready to head up to the mountains for a day of play in the snow.  I have not skied in several years and I am looking forward to it.  There is a part of me that would rather stay home, not deal with the traffic and the chaos of checking my daughter in at ski school.  Since my son is too young to ski at the area we are going to, He and my husband will go tubing in the morning and then I will switch with my husband in the afternoon.  The grump in me says this is all such a hassle.  I don’t even get to ski with my husband or my kids today.  Poor me.  I choose this day to be a blessing rather than sit in the darkness and gloom of pouting.  As we drive I will pray for those on the road with us.  As I ski down the slopes I will give thanks for the beauty and the stillness that surround me.  As I spend time with my family this afternoon, I will share in the joy of their experiences this day.  This day, my heart will be filled with the joy and peace that only He can give.  I will share this heart of joy and peace with my family so they will find joy and peace in this day as well.  I will love as He loves.  In this way, I will strive to be of the same mind as Christ.

Lord,

I lift my heart into your hands.  Fill me with love, peace, kindness, self-control, patience, goodness, generosity, faithfulness and gentleness.  I want to be like you.  Amen.

Psalm 91:1-2 “You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”

There are days I feel like my mind never stops whirling.  If I were a cartoon, there would be so many conversation bubbles that nothing else would be in the frame.  This morning when I came to sit in my quiet time, it was a challenge to reign myself in and simply be in the presence of the Most High.  It is so easy for me to get caught up in the business and troubles of the world around me and when I do, they threaten to overwhelm me.  In His mercy, God led me to this passage in Psalms today.  I live in the shelter of the Most High.  I can breathe deeply and find deep peace in his shadow.  Like sitting under the shade of a beautiful and strong tree, He refreshes me.  The world around me can threaten to drag me down but He is my fortress, and He will shelter me, keeping me safe in His presence.  I lift the people I love, the sorrows of my heart and the brokenness of the world to the Lord.   I rejoice because He is the Almighty.  All are welcome in the fortress of the Lord, come abide in his loving and gracious shadow.  Release your worries and troubles and trust in Him.

Lord,

I am humbled by your mercy over and over.  I thank you for this passage to remind me that you are, in fact, the Most High.  Regardless of all else, you are my Lord, my protection; my shelter in the storms of life.  I will abide in You.  Amen

Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Last night when I was putting my daughter to bed, I sang a song I know with these words in it.  I wasn't sure I remembered all of them correctly so when I was done tucking her in I came to look it up on the computer.  It is always such a nice surprise when I find that a song I sing in my heart is based on a scripture.  The passage right before this blessing talks about the Nazirites setting themselves apart for the Lord; to be holy unto him.  As I read all the things they did to be holy in the sight of the Lord I asked myself this: How do I set myself apart to be holy unto Him?  Through the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, we have been given the gift of forgiveness.  It is because of this, we can be holy in the sight of the Lord.  Do I blend in to the world around me or am I different?  Do people who don’t know me ever wonder what is different about me?  Take time this morning to soak your soul in this blessing of old.  When we are filled with his grace and blessings, we are different.

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Help me make a difference in the world around me by sharing the grace and the peace you have poured out on me.  Remind me that I am made holy in your sight, guide me to live in that holiness and cleanse me once more when I falter.  Thank you Lord.  Amen.