to rejoice come with each passing season: spring and flowers in bloom, summer and songs of cicadas, fall and beautiful foliage, and winter with its stunning white landscapes. In all times, you can hope in the Lord and carry your burdens to him. Give thanks for all he has done and what he is yet to do to help you grow, to help you be at peace, and to give you wings to fly. Believe him and trust him. He will keep you safe beneath his wings of love.
Rejoice and be glad at the nearness of the Lord.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, thank you for taking my cares and concerns today and delivering me from the burdens they put on my heart. Bless all that I am and all that I can be with your love. Amen.
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
All of you who are thirsty, come to the water! Whoever has no money, come, buy food and eat!
—Isaiah 55:1
If you were invited to a fancy five-star restaurant, free of charge, no strings attached, would you go? You’re not going to be pressured to buy a time-share or form a co-op, you’re simply going to mingle with others and have some fabulous food, and your host will take care of it all. Well, the invitation is an open one, and you’re invited every day to come to the feast. It’s a standing invitation and allows you to bring friends along too if you’d like. All you have to be is a little bit thirsty.
One writer said, “I was dying of thirst. When my spiritual eyes were opened I saw the rivers of living water flowing from his pierced side. I drank of it and was satisfied. Thirst was no more. Ever since I have always drunk of that water of life, and have never been athirst in the sandy desert of this world.”
God never wants you to thirst. He alone knows the way to the living waters, the place that will make your soul come alive and open the eyes of your heart. He invites you with each sunrise to come to his table, to start your day with him so that you will not thirst in the desert of this world. It’s a good day to be refreshed and renewed in him. Come to the feast!
Start the day with thirst-quenching living waters.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, thank you for always inviting me to your table. I come with great joy and gratitude today. Amen.
Finding Your Bliss
I’m not saying this because I need anything, for I have learned how to be content in any circumstance.I know the experience of being in need and of having more than enough; I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance.
—Philippians 4:11-12
Most of us go in and out of that feeling. We have good days and great days, bad days and horrible days, and we grow slightly cynical, assuming that it’s just the way life is, that there really isn’t much we can do about it. Well, the truth is we can’t really do a lot about the external world, or sometimes even the events that take place in our own households, but we can do something about our internal worlds. We can come to the well, come to the Source of living water and be refreshed at any time. We can be content to bask in his presence if we just take the time to stop and let his peace wash over us.
It’s a good day to find your bliss. Cut away from the busyness of life, step aside from your cares and concerns and do just one thing. Set your mind and your heart on heavenly things. Go to the One who bids you to thirst no more, but to receive the peace that only he can bring. He gives you his peace to help you manage the things of the world. All you have to do then is receive it.
Pause from busyness and set your mind on heavenly things.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, I come to you today, ready to receive your gift of peace, ready to be content in you. Amen.
Are You within Earshot?
I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that don’t belong to this sheep pen. I must lead them too. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock, with one shepherd.
—John 10:14-16
A popular cell phone company had a great advertising slogan in their “Can you hear me now?” campaign. They placed their spokesman in a variety of situations, inside tall buildings, up in mountain camps, and at other remote sites to make sure that wherever a customer was using their phone, they would be well connected to their party and would be heard.
It’s easy to imagine God asking us the same thing. No matter where he has placed us on this planet, he really has one question. “Can you hear me now?” Jesus used the phrase, “Let the one who has ears to hear, hear these words.” Well, we have ears to hear, but are we really listening? Are we really within earshot so that we can respond to his voice?
Jesus has been leading us to become part of his fold and though he has other sheep, other people that he plans to call, he only needs us to be concerned with that moment when he calls out to us individually, when he asks us to listen to his voice.
Today, let’s remember to give him the ears of our hearts and listen to his voice.
Practice good listening habits so you can hear his voice.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, help me hear you and be ready to receive your words and your instruction for the things I do today. I’m ready to hear you now. Amen.
With Wings to Fly!
The LORD is the Spirit, and where the LORD’s Spirit is, there is freedom. All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the LORD as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory. This comes from the LORD, who is the Spirit.
—2 Corinthians 3:17-18
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