Your Daily Crossroad
07
Jan '19
Where Are You Headed?
07
Jan '19
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)
What determines our direction in life? I once heard an answer to that question in a surprising place: a motorcycle training course. Some friends and I wanted to ride, so we took a class to learn how. Part of our training dealt with something called target fixation.
“Eventually,” our instructor said, “you’re going to face an unexpected obstacle. If you stare at it—if you target fixate—you’ll steer right into it. But if you look above and past it to where you need to go, you can usually avoid it.” Then he added, “Where you’re looking is the direction you’re going to go.”
That simple-but-profound principle applies to our spiritual lives too. When we “target fixate”—focusing on our problems or struggles—we almost automatically orient our lives around them.
However, Scripture encourages us to look past our problems to the One who can help us with them. In Psalm 121:1, we read, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help?” The psalm then answers: “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. . . .The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (vv. 2, 8).
Sometimes our obstacles can seem insurmountable. But God invites us to look to Him to help us see beyond our troubles instead of letting them dominate our perspective.
Father, help me not to “target fixate,” but to look to You whenever I face fearful obstacles as I seek to follow You along life’s road. Amen.
This devotion blessed me so very much. What a reminder where our true source of strength and help comes from, The Maker of heaven and earth. It’s not within ourselves. I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:9, And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Matthew 5:6
04
Jan '19
Loving Difficult People
04
Jan '19
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. (Colossians 3:12-14)
It was only a three-minute escape. Listening to my name being chanted over and over, louder and louder, with greater urgency, along with pounding on the door, you might imagine me to be a rock star.
But in reality, I’m the mother of a toddler who has decided he is only content when he is in my arms. My escape was merely a trip to the bathroom in which I took a deep breath behind the locked door before re-entering my world of diapers, blocks, and Daniel Tiger. And even though I love this little guy with all my heart, at times he can definitely be a difficult person to keep showing love to, especially in the midst of tantrums and tears.
It probably isn’t hard for you to think of a difficult person in your own life. In our broken, sin-filled world, they are everywhere. The coworker who is willing to do anything to get ahead, including taking credit for your ideas. The in-laws who always seem to be peering over your shoulder, critiquing your parenting skills, and offering “suggestions” for improvement. The child who knows exactly how to push your buttons to leave you exasperated and flustered again. The person in your ministry who is constantly complaining about your leadership, who thinks he has better ideas and communicates them with a sharp and biting tongue. The passive-aggressive friend who is kind one moment and gives you the cold shoulder the next. The list can go on and on.
So, what do we do with these people? With constant strained relationships? Our natural tendency is to want to run the other way, to avoid them as much as possible. But is that what honors God in these hard situations?
Moses was no stranger to leading a group of difficult people. Even after rescuing them out of slavery and leading them safely away from the Egyptians, the Israelites were not happy with him. Instead of being grateful for their new freedom and provision from God, they were shedding tears over the menu (Numbers 11:4–6), grumbling about not having water (Numbers 20:2–3), wishing they had died in Egypt and could choose another leader (Numbers 14:2–4). Even Moses’s own siblings were jealous of his leadership (Numbers 12:2) and complained to God about their brother and his Cushite wife.
Yet what amazes me about Moses is that he didn’t retaliate against this annoying group of people. He didn’t even defend himself against the harsh accusations. Instead, he demonstrated amazing humility and compassion on those he led, repeatedly interceding for them.
Moses pled with God to heal Miriam’s leprosy (Numbers 12:13). He begged God to forgive Israel’s unbelief when it was time to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:19). He lay prostrate before God, fasting forty days and nights after Aaron and the Israelites had made the golden calf to worship (Deuteronomy 9:13–18).
Admittedly, there were moments when the Israelites’ constant complaints drove Moses to the brink of despair (Exodus 5:22; Numbers 11:14–15), yet by God’s grace he persevered. And even at the very end of his life, he was still lovingly leading the disobedient Israelites.
Moses remained steadfast to his last days and made sure God had another leader in place to take over. He didn’t want his wandering sheep to be without a shepherd (Numbers 27:16–17). Moses never stopped loving them, even at their worst.
By God’s grace, we too can keep loving the difficult people God has placed in our lives. The easy thing is to cut the troublesome person out of your life when possible, or just avoid them at best.
But I suggest we are more like our patient and loving Savior when we bear with each other and seek to show mercy and kindness, no matter how we are treated.
Here are six practical ways, among many others, to show love to a difficult person God has placed in your path.
1. Pray for your own heart.
Ask God to soften your heart towards this person, to put off anger and irritability, to put on meekness and kindness, to understand this person’s struggles and meet them with compassion (Colossians 3:12–14).
2. Pray for them.
Ask God to be at work in their hearts, drawing unbelievers to himself and sanctifying believers to become more like Jesus (Philippians 1:9–11).
3. Move toward them, not away from them.
Although our tendency is to want to steer clear of people with whom we have strained relationships, they are exactly the people we need to be intentionally moving toward. Find ways to engage them in conversation, meet them for coffee, send them a text.
4. Find specific ways to bless and encourage them.
Write them a note of appreciation. Buy them a book that has been an encouragement to you. Tell them you are praying for them.
5. Give them grace, just as God extends grace to you.
Remember God’s lavish grace poured out for your own daily sins. Ask God to help you bear with them, forgiving them, as he has forgiven you (Colossians 3:13).
6. Realize that you too could be the difficult person in someone else’s life!
You might not even realize that you are a thorn in the flesh for someone close to you. Don’t be oblivious to your own shortcomings and sins.
So, when that child has you on the brink of tears, or you’ve just received a harsh and critical email about your ministry, or you’re confronted with that extended family member who drives you up the wall, ask God for grace not to run away, but to keep engaging that hard-to-love person in love.
God will be honored and our hearts will find deeper satisfaction as we seek to love people just as Christ loved us when we were his enemies.
When I read this devotion I felt not only do I need to be reminded and encouraged about this very thing, someone, somewhere, needs to read this today. Maybe you had a rough day at work or just in life. I pray this devotion can give you encouragement and guidance in how to show love, no matter what your going through, no matter what your facing, no matter how your treated in return, love. Show The Love of Christ in all you say and do. Be blessed today and choose to make the rest of your day beautiful. Help me Lord to show Love, always.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Jeremiah 29:13
03
Jan '19
Press Into Him
03
Jan '19
And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret. (Luke 5:1)
Have you ever been in the presence of someone famous and had an opportunity to get close to them – close enough to touch them? Fans at concerts get as close as they can to the stage and others wait in lines for hours just to get a glimpse of someone they want to see in person. People in these situations will keep pressing in until they see or hear that special person they desperately want to meet. Jesus had become such a person of interest that many people came from miles around to see and hear Him speak. They “pressed about Him” to get as close as they could. Was it because He looked good or had a great voice? Was there something about Him physically that attracted people? This verse says that they came to “hear the word of God.” When was the last time you pressed into church and sat as close as you could to the pastor just to hear the word of God?
When we fall in love with the word of God, we fall in love with the Lord. In that place of love, we cannot get close enough to Him. We find ourselves on our knees, on our faces and in our closets praying to see His face and hear His voice. We desire an intimacy that is so special and so personal that nothing else matters. James 4:8 says that if we draw near to God, then He will draw near to us. Press into Jesus today. Draw close to Him. Find a quiet place to be alone with Him and ask His Spirit to fill you with His love and presence. Open your Bible and start reading His Word. Soon you will understand why the multitude pressed about Him just to hear the word of God. Today, start your day off with a prayer to know Him more and do not stop pressing into Him.
When I read this devotion it brought tears to my eyes. Press into Him more and more each and every day. He is readily available and loves us so much He died for us. How in love with Jesus are you?
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 16:3
02
Jan '19
Counting Our Days
02
Jan '19
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
According to a statistic published some time ago, the average life span of people in the United States is 25,550 days (70 years). Some of us are already past that number, while others may never reach it. My calculator tells me that as of today I have lived 28,080 days. Perhaps you want to check just how many days you have already lived.
As we count our days, we are reminded that they are limited. As someone once put it, “Life is a temporary assignment.”
That’s why the psalmist asks the Lord to help us number our days—so we will realize we have been given only limited time here on this earth. The psalmist wants us to remember that what really matters is how we use the days he gives us.
And that raises some important questions: How will we use the remaining 364 days of this year? Will we use them in the way the Lord wants us to? Will we use them to serve him and to serve the people God places on our path? Are we willing to use our gifts and talents, our resources and our time to build his kingdom in whatever place he puts us?
We are not given another year simply to take up space. Wherever we may find ourselves, God wants to use each one of us. Ask yourself today, “How does God want to use me?”
Father in heaven, help us to understand that you have given us another year to serve you. Make us faithful in our calling. Amen.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 90:12