I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Walk Humbly

Do you know someone that is a “know-it-all?” You know the person I am talking about, the person who thinks they are the authority on everything, any subject, and situation? I know you know people like that; you are probably thinking of that someone right now! “Oh yeah, that is so-in-so. You can’t teach or tell that person anything.” But my question to you is that person you are thinking about actually yourself? Maybe it should be, because let’s be honest, there is some truth in there for all of us. Out of all the requirements God calls us to in Micah 6:8 – do what is right, love mercy, walk humbly with your God – the last requirement is by far the toughest. That is because pride is the biggest danger to anyone. We see it all around us: in our politicians, our leadership, in our relationships, in ourselves, even in our church communities. We see it throughout all of scripture – Adam and Eve, Moses, David, Jonah, the pharisees, even the disciples. We are all prone to it. But we need to head this warning straight from scripture, “If you are proud, you will be destroyed. If you

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I Choose Today the Sabbath: Part Two

The Word of God is so fascinating. It never ceases to surprise me and makes me want to dig deeper. That is how I would describe this passage regarding the Sabbath, one I’ve never considered before. “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work…Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.” Deuteronomy 5:12-15 NLT At first, when I read the passage in Deuteronomy, I found it interesting that the author (Moses) was correlating the Sabbath with the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt. How do the two connect? I even read the verse in different versions. Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh if they could go on a three-day journey (stop work and get alone with God) to worship their God. But Pharaoh said he didn’t

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I Choose Today to Find Rest

Sometimes (okay, more than sometimes), I get to where I just need rest. Real rest. I am what is called “bone tired.” Can you relate to that? There are so many things, responsibilities, circumstances, and obstacles that constantly pull us from all sides. We get to a place of complete mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion where we are not good for anyone. Have you been there? Are you there right now? I have some good news for you (and me): we can find true rest in God and Jesus. God tells us about an aspect of rest He wants us to experience through trusting Him to take care of everything. In Exodus 33:14, God talks about this very subject with Moses on Mount Sinai, where God says, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.” And again, Jesus mentions it in Matthew 11:28, where He states, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Can you imagine, for a moment, what kind of life we could have if we were unburdened, not weary, and could fully trust that

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I Choose Today to Give Jesus My Time

It is our decision each day to prioritize our time with Jesus. Jesus Himself told us how we should prioritize in Matthew 6:33: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” We can’t expect to start off strong with God, or hit the ground running, if we don’t dedicate time to Him. When we hit the ground running with God, we are: • Allowing Him to guide us throughout the day • Surrendering our will to His • Attuning to where He wants us to go and what He wants us to say • Making room for Him to work in our lives and the lives of those we encounter • Shining His light for all to see His glory His ways are not our ways. His ways are so much better. When we start our day with Him, we are acknowledging that His ways are better than ours and that we need Him to lead and direct our paths. When we choose to hit the ground running without God, we are: • Saying we don’t need His guidance • Believing our ways are better than His • Alone

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I Choose Today to Not Worry

When circumstances become difficult or challenging, many of us spend a lot of time trying to come up with solutions. We worry about every detail—anything and everything that could go wrong or all the different variables. Sometimes we are so busy worrying, we become paralyzed by all the conjecture. We do nothing! But there is good news for me and for you: we are not alone in dealing with difficulties and challenges, and God has a solution today for tomorrow’s worries! Jesus Himself tells us as much in His Sermon on the Mount, saying: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.“ Matthew 6:34 MSG I am in a season where I need to have faith and trust in God, not lean on my own understanding. I need to remind myself that God has tomorrow’s solutions ready for tomorrow, not for today. “Holy Spirit, please keep reminding me that tomorrow’s solutions are already taken care of and I don’t have to worry about anything. Remind me that God will

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