Your Daily Crossroad
Seeing to Tomorrow
For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
I enjoy gazing up at a cloudless blue sky. The sky is a beautiful part of our great Creator’s masterpiece, given for us to enjoy. Imagine how much pilots must love the view. They use several aeronautical terms to describe a perfect sky for flying, but my favorite is, “You can see to tomorrow.”
“Seeing to tomorrow” is beyond our view. Sometimes we even struggle to see or understand what life is throwing at us today. The Bible tells us, “ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).
But our limited visibility is not cause for despair. Just the opposite. We trust in the God who sees all of our tomorrows perfectly—and who knows what we need as we face the challenges ahead. The apostle Paul knew this. That’s why Paul encourages us with hopeful words, “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
When we trust God with our day as well as our unseen tomorrows, we don’t need to worry about anything life throws at us. We walk with Him and He knows what is ahead; He is strong enough and wise enough to handle it.
Lord, I know I can trust You for today and tomorrow because You are kind, good, loving, wise, and powerful. Teach me not to worry. Amen.
As I read this I couldn’t help but be reminded, He has always been faithful, He has always been good and no matter what comes my way, my hope is and always will be in Him alone. He sees all of our tomorrows perfectly. Amen! I don’t have to see to tomorrow, He sees to tomorrow and that alone should give each and every one of us peace that passes all understanding.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Corinthians 5:1-9
The Homeless King
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (Matthew 8:20)
Most homeless people have strong feelings of isolation and aloneness. In words and actions, they express a sense that they are somehow less than everyone else, that they are beneath them. So different, so unlovely, so small that not even God can love them.
But Jesus clearly stated that he had no home on earth – the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head – not even a foxhole or a bird’s nest. This Scripture is a powerful tool for breaking through to those who, isolated in life due their homelessness, also imagine they are isolated and cut off from God’s mercy, love and compassionate care.
Jesus, our merciful and compassionate Savior, not only lived among us and died for us all; he even lived as a man without a home. A wanderer with no place to lay his head. Here is a King from whom no one need feel isolated! Our Lord and King is the King of the Homeless, too. As we serve those who are lonely, defeated, and in despair, may we always remember whose precious people they are, and share the good news of their King.
When I read this I couldn’t help but think, what a mighty God we serve. He is no respecter of persons, He truly loves each and every one of us and His love isn’t based on the amount of money in our checkbooks, where we live or our status quo. He desires to reach each and every one of us if we will allow Him to. Extend an outreached hand to those in need. Be His hands and feet extended. He died for everyone, not just some.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Romans 12:9-13
Surprised by God
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. (Ephesians 3:20)
After 10 years of renting in a charming location, we discovered that our landlord suddenly needed to sell the house. I asked God to change the circumstances and make it possible for my wife and me to stay in this place we’d made home, where we’d watched our children grow up. But God said no.
When it comes to my needs, I worry that I’m asking for the wrong thing or that I’m not worthy of the request I’m making. But God’s no doesn’t need to shake our faith when we’re grounded—surrounded I like to say—in His love. In Ephesians 3, Paul understood that those who know the love of Christ intimately (vv.16-17) can trust God to have a loving reason for saying no.
Shortly after hearing “no” from God about my request, friends from church offered to rent us a home they were vacating. Our new location—with new appliances, new plumbing, new electrical wiring, and an extra bedroom—sits on the ocean, an idyllic scene of ships, sails, and sounds that daily remind us that God is bigger than any issue we face. Our loving Father used loving friends to give more than we asked.
Whether God gives us more than we imagined or far less than we desired, we can trust that His plans are much better than ours.
Lord, we know that You are good whether Your answers to our prayers are abundantly more than we asked or much less than we desire. Help us to accept whatever comes to us from Your hand. Thank You.
When I read this I thought, what a reminder. At times we get frustrated that God didn’t answer our prayers the way we asked Him to but we must remember Isaiah 55:8-9, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Trust Him!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ephesians 3:14-21
Nothing But Jesus
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)
A word of admonition to us all: don’t be a “wannabe” theologian!
Paul was straightforward with the church in Corinth. He didn’t yammer on endlessly; he cut straight to the source of life, Jesus. As Christians, we should be all about Him. We should wake up with a craving to be like Jesus everyday and we should long to walk as He walked.
But how exactly did He walk?
Great question.
He walked through mobs of people shouting, spitting, and jeering at Him while carrying a cross.
That’s how Jesus walked, that’s how Jesus lived. He allowed Himself to be humiliated, mocked, and ridiculed all for our good. Paul realized a simple yet powerful truth: when we know Jesus, our pride should evaporate.
There is no room for arrogance when you’ve met Jesus. Paul didn’t need to use impressive words or flex his vocabulary, he needed to proclaim nothing but “Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
This mindset can work in us in two different ways:
* Firstly, if we’re constantly looking to impress others with our knowledge or holiness, we’ve completely missed our purpose. The point is not us, it’s Jesus.
* Secondly, we’ve also missed it if we neglect sharing Jesus with others because we’re worried that we don’t know enough. If we do this, we’ve also missed the heart of the matter. Again, the point is not us, it’s Jesus!
Get to know Jesus, get excited about Him. The point of our lives is to point to Him. Amen.
When I read this it both blessed me and challenged me today. We should indeed wake up with a craving to be like Jesus everyday and we should long to walk as He walked. Wow! Help me today Lord to walk as You walked, to love as You love, to forgive as You forgive. What a pure and true example we have to follow after. Make Christ a priority! He shows no partiality or favoritism. We are all given the same Holy Spirit, and one day, we each will behold our Lord face to face. But as of today His promise stands that if you seek Him, you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart. Whom are you seeking?
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 119:101-105