Future Blessings Today

By Cheri Cowell –

A while back I received a great blessing. The mother of a teenager from one of my previous youth ministry jobs invited me to dinner. She told me of her daughter’s successes, and most importantly, her continued love for God.

“When Shannon comes to visit in a few weeks I know she would love to see you,” her mother said.

We never know the impact our lives are making on others. We hope, and we pray we are setting an example worthy to be followed. I was blessed by this mother who took the time to tell me I had done just that. She also shared that I had helped her, too.

Wow! God promises we will see the fruit of our endeavors, but not always when we think we should.

God promised Abraham that He would bless the world through his descendants, but Abraham must have wondered if he would really have an influence on those who followed. God made a similar promise to us. If we seek God with our whole hearts, minds, and souls, He will not forget us, nor the generations to come after us. We may not always know the good we are doing, but we know He has the power to multiply those deeds ten-fold.

PRAYER I praise You, Lord, for the promises You have kept through the generations. Because of one man’s faith, You were able to make us heirs to Your kingdom. Help me stay focused on the blessings that are to come and, if it be in Your will, allow me to catch a glimpse of a few of those future blessings today.

“Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed’” (Acts 3:24 – 25 NIV).

Devo Spiritual Growth-Rubik’s Cube

By Elaine James –

Rubik’s cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor Erno Rubik. Although it is widely reported that the Cube was built as a teaching tool to help his students understand 3D objects, his actual purpose was solving the structural problem of moving the parts independently without the entire mechanism falling apart.

As a professor of architecture, Erno Rubik invented the little toy for his purpose of teaching and it ended up going all over the world and has sold over 350 million to date.

In the Scriptures, David spoke these words to his son, “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9, emphasis mine).

Reading this verse, I could not help but notice the words “willing mind.” What does it take to have a willing mind and wholehearted devotion? It is a committed choice that the focus of our mind will be on the Father.

These words bring to mind a Rubik’s cube, because to complete the puzzle, and get all the colors in order, one must deeply focus. Think about it. When you do any sort of mind puzzle, you must focus 100%, taking all the distractions of life out of your mind to concentrate on the puzzle.

David was commissioning Solomon to build the Lord’s temple. He used the same words that God says to each of us; the work He has in mind for us will require a willing mind.  He then asks us to cooperate with Him.

If you notice negative thoughts creeping into your mind, what do you choose to with those thoughts? Do you just follow wherever they lead, or do you choose to focus on God and invite Him into the situation. By praying prayers of thanksgiving, rejoicing, praising and petitions you allow God to renew your mind. This is your spiritual act of worship.

Rubik’s cube can give you a temporary reprieve from your thoughts, but God can give you everlasting relief and peace that renews your mind.

PRAYER:  Today I praise you and thank you. I choose to focus on you and give these thoughts to you. Thank you for peace. I wait on you. In Jesus name.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you” (Romans 12: 1 – 2 MSG).

Laboring for the Prize

By Carin LeRoy –

I dread going to a dentist. There isn’t much in life that gives me more stress. Recently, I spent the morning in the dentist chair. When the doctor arrived to see me, the first thing I see is a needle aimed at my mouth. Closing my eyes, I mentally braced myself as several shots of Novocain were injected into my gums. Soon, I hardly felt my nose, so my only comfort at this point was that maybe I wouldn’t feel what would come next.

Then the grinding starts—lots of it—as he removes the upper part of my decayed tooth. Bits of dust fly everywhere as he works. My hands grip the chair and my body tenses as I lay there mouth open and unable to swallow. Neither do I find the short episodes of squirting water and suction any reprieve from all the grinding. It’s all just misery for me. After two hours, I emerge with an empty wallet and a newly crowned tooth.

Some things in life must be endured in order to gain something better. Laboring through birth to cuddle your newborn; Sitting in a 2×3 foot spot for endless hours in order to get to a vacation destination; raising a challenging teenager in order to make them a responsible adult; going through years of classes, papers and exams to obtain your degree. Many things in life require work, time and diligence in order to receive the desired reward that awaits us at the end.

Life has it’s hard times. We have challenges, pain, misfortune, death, sickness and debt. Many things bring difficulties into our life. But in the end of it all, if we believe in Christ who died for us, we have a wonderful “prize” that awaits us—eternity in heaven with a Savior that loves us. Let’s fix our eyes on eternity as we endure the struggles of this life. This life is temporary, but heaven is forever. Whatever you are dealing with today hang in there, because heaven waits!

PRAYER: Lord, give me strength as I face life’s challenges today and give me a heart that will focus on You. Keep me mindful that the struggles of this life are temporary and that You will walk with me through them until we meet in heaven.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV).

Mundane Moments or Movie Magic

By Robin J. Steinweg –

What if life were reduced to a 90-second movie trailer–the highest moments, best explosions, disasters and funny bits? Would anyone pay money to see it? Would it count for anything?

Let’s see. Born. Dragged by my pony, had to soak the grit off in the tub. Fell in love, married. Hit a deer with the car. Birthed two sons. Gall bladder removed… Wow, even I don’t care to go see it!

So what makes my life count? Certainly not the film-worthy exploits.

I think about what others have done that mattered to me:

*The friend who brought a meal after my dad died—a small thing to her, but huge to me.

*The doctor who, when I was twelve, kindly told me that my wide-set eyes were a sign of beauty—he gave me hope when my peers called me ‘Grubworm’ or ‘Birdlegs.’

*A stranger (a professional musician) who told me in one casual sentence that I was born to make music—and sent me in the direction the Lord wanted me to go.

*Curly-haired, three-year-old Jamie, who hugged my neck the first and only time I met him while waiting in line to see E.T. at a theater—and completely rearranged my heart about wanting a child.

Do these people know that their small, ordinary investments were used by God to change my life?

AUTHOR QUOTE: It’s not the events that create movie magic that matter. It’s the mundane moments—even unintentional acts—performed for others daily, in the name of Christ.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in My name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward” (Mark 9:41 NIV).

Here Come the Brides

By Hally Franz –

My personal artist glopped on wide brushstrokes of the red, orange and brown color concoction. We chatted about her upcoming busy season while she painted my hair. There’s the holiday season, and then the spring season. Soon, Nichole will be creating make-up, hair and nail masterpieces as young girls prepare for proms and graduations, and older girls primp for weddings.

June, I understand, is traditionally the biggest wedding month; however, my husband and I were married over Memorial Day weekend in May. We will celebrate eighteen years of marriage this year. We’ve had bliss and battles, trials and triumphs, but much of the hard work is behind us.

Weddings fascinate me. Exhibitions of creativity—theme weddings and ceremonies in all sorts of settings. Among the many wedding trends, one of my favorites is the candy bar; I wish I had thought of that! Another sweet theme is a spot for families to reminisce. Brides set up a table with vintage photos of their parents’ and grandparents’ weddings.

Couples used to put disposable cameras at tables for the guests to snap away. Now, a young friend told me, brides are having actual photo booths. Guests can get souvenir shots to take home, and leave one with a message behind for the album. I attended a wedding a few years ago where the bride asked specified guests to prepare table centerpieces, according to some color and style guidelines. Each one was to feature a photo of the couple with that particular group of friends or family. That bride trusted her guests much more than this control freak would have, but the results were very impressive and fun to look at during the evening.

My hope is that this year’s couples will enjoy their special days with friends and family, but, more importantly, invite God to the festivities. I’d encourage them to recognize that while the effort and time put toward that once-in-a-lifetime event is worthwhile, the energy, patience and prayer expended once married is much more meaningful. And, veteran married couples, let’s remind young lovers that their wedding photos will last a lifetime in frames, scrapbooks and multiple digital forms, but the pictures they create through their marriages are the real works of art.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, bless those who marry, to produce good fruit together. May they encourage and love one another, and live as shining examples of Your love and faithfulness.

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV).

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