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
Some of us came into this world and we hit the ground running. We had a lot of life to live and only a short timeframe to get things done, and we weren’t going to let any grass grow under our feet. We were free spirits right from the starting gate.
Others of us weren’t really ready to fly from the outset. We needed a little more time to be nurtured and loved, protected in the nest with the rest of our family before we had to be literally pushed out. At that point, we hoped we had developed wings and that they actually would work so we could fly.
God is working in each of us to bring us a certain kind of freedom, the kind that will allow us to one day be reflections of his Spirit, images of him in the things we do and the ways we act. He gives us that freedom whenever we’re ready to embrace it.
Freely project the Spirit of grace and love.
Our truth comes from the Spirit of grace and love. Our freedom is reflected in all we do to project his image onto the world. We are free to share his truth with others and to shine a light on his amazing Spirit. With his arms, he will bear us up and give us wings to fly.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, I know that with you, I am free to be myself and to be all that you would have me be in this life. Amen.
Knit One, Pearl You!
You are the one who created my innermost parts; you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb. I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart. Your works are wonderful—I know that very well.
—Psalm 139:13-14
If you do any knitting, you’re probably a pro at the different patterns that you can create with just a few simple knit and purl stitches. It’s awesome to see what the variety of wools and fibers can turn into when you’re done shaping and creating something beautiful that never existed before.
The good news is that everything God creates and starts to knit comes out a perfect pearl. You started out as a gem and somewhere within you, a tiny sparkling gem still exists. It was part of the knitting process when you were being imagined. If you haven’t felt like a pearl lately, it might be a good day to do a little digging and see where that nugget of joy really is. Remember that your Savior is the “Pearl of Great Price” and that he redeemed you so that you could come back to him, not just someday, but every day. He made