concept. God designed us to strive to understand one another. He wanted us to dig in and work for a clearer meaning to things.
Intellect may help, but intelligence doesn’t necessarily bring true understanding to the table. We must seek understanding like thirsty explorers, hoping to come upon nuggets of truth that we simply couldn’t see before even if they were right in front of us.
For a person of faith, understanding is a treasure to be sought after, precious in all that it brings.
Keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus for greater understanding.
QUIET THE WAVES
Lord, I do seek to understand more of you today and to be more closely attuned to others as I go about my work. I ask you to help me offer an attitude of understanding more than an ungrounded opinion. Amen.
The Feast of Happiness
An understanding heart seeks knowledge; but fools feed on folly. All the days of the needy are hard, but a happy heart has a continual feast.
—Proverbs 15:14-15
When we choose to feast on happiness more than folly, we are blessed with abundance and always satisfied. We have a banquet of opportunities to fill us with delight. We smell the savory goodness of all that is before us, appreciating the beauty of what God has done to bring us to this place. Our happiness then comes from the heart, and the more our hearts seek to know God, the more knowledge we receive and our hearts are happy.
If we want to have a menu of happy choices, then we must learn more about what it means to love, so that hate and its cronies all fade away. If we want to lift others up, we build their confidence and courage, leaving the words that bring destruction far behind. We keep choosing to be happy.
We wonder sometimes about what it means to be happy. We question how anyone can live in the world and still maintain a spirit of joy, a childlike faith. The answer is that people are happy who have taken God at his word, trusting in him for the circumstances they don’t understand.
It’s a new day and the table is set.
Choose to feast on the beauty of God.
QUIET THE WAVES
Lord, thank you for feeding me so well. Thank you for helping me make good choices. I choose to remain forever in your love, for that is the only thing that really makes me happy. Amen.
Don’t Pretend to Love
Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other.
—Romans 12:9-10
None of us likes to be patronized or scammed. When we’ve been duped into a false hope, or even a false love, it isn’t much fun.
Do we ever pretend love, though? Sadly, even the best of us fall into that less-than-loving trap from time to time. We do it when we strive to accept strangers that we find off-putting or to adjust to family members who are on a very different track than we are in the ways they handle life. We might pretend to love them more than actually loving them as Jesus would.
Our goal, though, is to love each other authentically, like family members that we adore. We want to honor and respect each other so much that we come together with a spirit of love and put wind in one another’s sails. We want to give more than we receive and offer our hands and our hearts to act for the good of those around us.
We’re not always aware of someone else’s motives, but we are aware of our own. As much as possible, be ready to deliver the real thing. Love your neighbors as yourself.
Be authentic in your love and actions for others.
QUIET THE WAVES
Lord, help me always be real and operate with full integrity around others. Help me honor you in the ways that I act in any given situation. Amen.
Going Against the Tide
But as for Noah, the Lord approved of him. These are Noah’s descendants. In his generation, Noah was a moral and exemplary man; he walked with God.
—Genesis 6:8-9
This description of Noah is captivating. Noah was going against the tide of his own community. He was out of sync with his culture. In spite of what others did around him, he continued to do what he believed was right. He continued to behave in ways that were considered moral for his time and was a man of great integrity. He walked with God.
Not to be morbid, but that’s quite an epitaph. What do you suppose Noah had that others of his day didn’t understand? Why weren’t more people on God’s side?
We live in a world where it is easy to get drawn into the things that shut out the light, that deter us from following the path of good, that keep us numb, never realizing what we’re giving up. We too could be corrupted, wasting away and losing God’s favor—and we may not even realize it’s happening. We could, but fortunately, God is watching out for us. He has given us the key to his approval, and it’s to have faith in his only Son.
He’s also made a promise to us, to be with us till the end of time. We have the opportunity even now to live moral and exemplary lives and walk with God. Walk with him today.
Get in sync with God’s will and live in hope.
QUIET THE WAVES
Lord, help me see your hand in all that I do. Let me walk with you in peace and in the light of your redeeming love. Amen.
Minding Your Own Business
Aim to live quietly, mind your own business, and earn your own living, just as I told you.
—1 Thessalonians 4:11
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