Day 83 Get to it!

Moses was rather thrust into leadership and wasn't given much of a choice....God had been working with him all along to bring him this point in his life when he would lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses had the benefit of the best education in all of Egypt....Then he undoubtedly learned humility as he spent forty years as a shepherd. Now God was telling Moses to use his gift.

Most leaders are not called in such dramatic fashion. Strong leaders cast a vision for what God wants in the future, and Moses had a vision of leading the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.

If you're a leader, determine your vision--and get to it. 

Day 82 Living Inside Out

Most people take their "heart" for granted...until it's wounded or crushed. Then we can get very troubled with anxiety, insecurity, and doubt, and life can be unbearable. But when our spirit is strong, we can handle a lot of adversity.

Most of the time, we're tempted to believe that if our circumstances were better, we would be happier on the inside....As Jesus-followers, we know our spirit isn't shaped from the outside.

Help Sarah to invest in her inner spirit as well as the outer things in life--and develop a wise spirit that honors you!

Day 81

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Proverbs 6:27

Give Sarah strength today to stay within the boundaries you set for her. You've told us that when we play with fire, we get burned!

Day 80 Remember "Slowing"?

Dear Lord, I pray that my day may be blessed with the peace of finding little ways to slow the pace and quiet my soul.

May this day be blessed with simple moments of thanksgiving, and the joy of knowing that You are present here within me.

You bless me with every good gift from above. I ask that today I may come to know You better, and to seek to do Your will in my life.

All honor and glory be Yours forever. I ask all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Day 79 Walking in Light

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.
They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.

Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 89:14-18

Day 76

Thanks God, for Sarah's growing wisdom and kindness. Help her to speak and act to glorify you, to be blessed by the work she is doing, and to enjoy a satisfied heart as a result.

Day 75 What's the measure?

Spiritual smugness can be a form of self-deception and a symptom of spiritual disability....It is with Christ we are to measure ourselves: then we see ourselves for what we are.

Deliver us, Lord, from complacency. But please don't shock us all at once with spiritual reality! For Jesus' sake, Amen.

Day 74 Scrubbing toilets for Jesus!

God, show Sarah your faithfulness today. Help her to be faithful in each task and interaction she has today, big and small.

"You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." Matthew 25:23b

Day 72 God is bigger than we think!

Today, show Sarah how big you are, God!

Everything is permissible--but not everything is beneficial. Everyting is permissible--but not everything is constructive.
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others....whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God--even as I try to please everybody in every way.
For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many so that they may be saved.

I Corinthians 10:23, 31-32

Day 71 Holy!

I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs...and they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth if full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Isaiah 6:1-3 selected

Day 68 Love Boldly

I wrote this for someone else today, but it's a good to remember every day how much we are loved by God, that the slate is wiped clean, and he is drawing us into a more abundant, joyful life in him!

First and foremost is that you belong to God, and he delights in you! He chose you, and you responded to his Spirit (at least once, and maybe more times). No one can take that from you--no one. Don't let the devil or insecurity tell you otherwise--those are thoughts to fight against with reading scripture and prayer...but I think you know this.

 

Next, When you gave your life to Christ, he forgave you. He "separated your sins from you as far as the east is from the west." The devil will try to make you feel guilty, tell you you'll never be good enough, and make you feel like God can never accept you because of your past: These are all lies! God knows exactly who you are, and he knows exactly what has happened in your life even if you can't remember it....he knows you so much better than you know yourself--and he loves you because you are his child. He will always love you to the fullest--no matter what the past, the present, or the future bring....you can't even hide from God's love for you if you want to!

 

Be bold before God today, you are his child and he loves you.

Day 66 Good Protestations

What is visionary patience?

The best protest is not only countercultural, it also gives society a better vision for itself and for the future. That is the way of the prophets: they began in judgment but ended in hope for change--and they staked their lives on the hope of these visions without seeing them fulfilled.

A deep yearning for God's kingdom drives us to pursue justice and righteousness. Will we see the fruit of this hope and change in our lifetimes? God knows. 

God, give Sarah a deep yearning to see your Kingdom come, and give her wisdom to act on the better protest.

Day 65 Who's the Favorite?

How many times have you kids asked this--or wondered it, even if you didn't ask!

God promises "glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then also  for the Gentile. God does not play favorites."

So how do you know if you're "doing good"?

"To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life." Romans 2:7, 10

So "be persistent" in doing good....it is not "the easy way" of living.

PS, In case you're still wondering, I love you both to the fullest of the people God created you to be...so you're both the "favorites," and that really is deeply true.

Day 64 A Call to Praise

Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious!

Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name."

Psalm 66:1-4

Day 63 Rainy Days

"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." James 5:17-18

Prayer is powerful, personal, and not exclusively private. There is a lot of power in praying for and with other people. Asking for prayer from others takes humility, but it's kind of interdependence that God expects--and He's faithful in answering every one. Let people know how they can pray for you--and, like Elijah, be bold in what you ask for from God!

God, make Sarah a powerful pray-er!

Day 62 Good Anger

God gets angry at injustice, oppression of people and the rest of his creation, and rebellion against him. But it's good anger. Good anger is healthy--it's not the opposite of love--it's motivated by love and compassion. It energizes you to deal with wrongs that threaten you, someone else, or something you care about.

Good anger drives to you confont abuse, injustice, or disobedience that is hurting someone. You need good anger. It gives you energy to fight for what is right and godly--it helps you follow Jesus more closely, and it's God's way of wisdom in this world.

God, help Sarah to be angry at what angers you so that she can fight the Good Fight.

Jesus looked around at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn ways. Mark 3:5

Day 61 Yeses and Nos

Lord, make clear Your paths to Sarah.  Give her the clarity and courage to say “Yes!” when she needs to say “Yes,” and “No” when she needs to say “No.”

Day 60 Passion Fruit

It's Day 60 already!So now, two months on, what are you passionate about in what you are doing? What parts do you think about into the future because you're exited about them and have a glimpse of where they can go and what they can become? Work on doing more of those things--God is at work in them--and in you!

Day 59 The Joy of Generosity

It's not a sin to be rich--but it is a sin not to be generous, not to be fair, and not to work for justice. This life you are living is about God's big purpose that you are to seize--and that purpose involves selflessly serving others.

God, give Sarah a generous heart. Help her to hold on to all things loosely so that she can better cling to You and Your purpose for her life.

Day 58 Real Prosperity

Blessed is the man (and woman :)
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

But her delight is in the law of the Lord
and on his law she meditates day and night.

She is like a tree planted by streams of water
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever she does prospers....
For the Lord watches of the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked shall perish.

Psalm 1, selected

Day 57 Agenda? What Agenda?

Goals are good! While you're focusing on them, are you also seeing what God wants you to be about each day? Ask Him what good He has in mind for you to do today...and obediently do it, even if it is not part of your “plan.” 

Show Sarah that your plans for her far exceed any plan she makes for herself. Help her give all of her plans to You, Lord.  Align her agenda with Yours...today and every day.  Amen.

Day 55 Happy Birthday, Sarah!

"You created my in most being,
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

"My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
you eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you."

Sarah 139
Happy Birthday, Sarah!