The good news is we’re all in training. We train our children and then they train their children if they have their own families as well as others. And even as we all grow older, God continues to train each of us. We’re his children always, and so our training doesn’t end no matter what age we might be. We’re always learning more of what God wants from us and training to become the best we can be just for him.
Be disciplined by growing in kindness and generosity.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, keep training me, because I have a lot to learn. Thank you for your patience and enduring kindness to me. I couldn’t be where I am without you. Amen.
Bread and Water, Please!
“The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!” Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I told you that you have seen me and still don’t believe.”
—John 6:33-36
Nothing teases the senses and invites you to the table quite as quickly as the smell of freshly baked bread. Whether laden with herbs or just hot enough to melt the butter so it slides down your fingers, it’s a joyful experience. It’s hard to know if Jesus was thinking of these kinds of things when he compared himself to bread, offering himself as the bread of heaven, but perhaps so. What else could be so welcoming and so necessary to sustaining life as the miraculous bread that only he can provide?
Imagine for a moment what it would mean to never thirst or to never be hungry again. Imagine what it means even for a few hours. Today, every time you drink a glass of water, give some praise to Jesus. Every time you lift a fork to your mouth, or make a sandwich, send him some love. He is all you need. He is all that will sustain your life. Thank him for all that he has provided for you right now.
Praise God for his sustenance in all its forms.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, I am so thankful that you are the bread of life, the nourishment that feeds my spirit and keeps my soul safe and strong in every way. Amen.
God Is Our Help!
LORD, you have been our help, generation after generation. Before the mountains were born, before you birthed the earth and the inhabited world—from forever in the past to forever in the future, you are God.
—Psalm 90:1-2
Time is a relative thing and may not seem like an issue. You may not even have a good sense of what it means for something to be permanent since so few things are. Perhaps that is why we don’t quite understand our God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We try to grasp what forever means, but it’s beyond our time zone.
This psalm reminds us that God is still our help. Fortunately for us, he has not grown weary of watching over us or taking care of us. Norman Vincent Peale offers us an idea of how to embrace God’s help. He says, “This is one of the simplest teachings in religion, namely, that Almighty God will be your companion, will stand by you, help you, and see you through. No other idea is so powerful in developing self-confidence as this simple belief when practiced. To practice it simply affirm, ‘God is with me; God is helping me; God is guiding me.’ Spend several minutes each day visualizing his presence. Then practice believing that affirmation.”
God is your help. Ask him for his help and he’ll be there.
That’s a promise!
Take confidence: God is with you, helping you, guiding you—always.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, thank you for helping me and watching over the details of my life. I love you. Amen.
Troubles, Troubles
Be glad in the LORD always! Again I say, be glad! . . . The LORD is near. Don’t be anxious about anything; rather bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.
—Philippians 4:4-7
We can get so caught up in the troubles of the world that we almost forget to be happy. When you find every news headline bombarding your senses and every talk show bringing you down, you might want to stop the presses, get off the negative news network, and remember that the Lord is near.
If God is near, you have no real reason to be anxious. You have every reason to be happy. In fact, it’s more than okay to be happy, it’s a way of showing God how much you trust him. It’s a way of thanking him. Don’t parents always feel better when they see their kids smile? Your heavenly Father likes to see you smile too.
Opportunities 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