Unseen

Unseen “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed daily. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 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, 16-18) Life is not a sprint; it is an endurance event. Endurance athletes pride themselves on completing events that range from two hours to multiple days long, which is indeed commendable. I do not mean to sell them short, but we all need endurance and focus on getting through a 168-hour week, a four-week month, and a fifty-two-week year. Marathon runners do not get to the end of the race by being discouraged by the next hill; they focus on the finish they cannot see. An interesting aspect of this is that the pain suffered when nearing the end almost always subsides when the finish line comes into view, and that was always true for me in my Triathlons. When we travel through our years, there will be peaks and valleys. Sometimes the hill out of the valley seems too steep to climb. One step at a time, we will get to the next peak when we keep our focus on the unseen prize. Thought for Today: Let’s think about what prize we want in life and focus on it. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we pray for a vision; your vision for us. We pray for the understanding of your will, so that we may focus on it. Amen

Protect Our Hearts

Protect Our Hearts "Finally, be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes..." (Ephesians 6:10-18) Today, we need to protect ourselves from our self-induced stress and the negativity in the World that we cannot control. The question is, how? Mac Hammond from the Living Word Christian Center says, "We need to protect our hearts." Over the years, I have often heard the expression, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." In business and sports, this meant that when the pain sets in, run harder; when it is a breakpoint, put the ball away; when the order is being lost, dig deeper. In each instance, "I" assumed full responsibility for correcting "my" problem. My male ego would come into the issue and apply pressure to the situation. I changed my thoughts on that in the 1980s. I needed help from someone with more power, God. Think about that for yourself. Thought for Today: Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. Let us move forward through daily prayer and let the Lord help us through it. Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, life is good. The kids have food and shoes, there are two cars in the garage, and TV sets in every home- we are genuinely "fat cats" living under your domain. Today, we would like to thank you for meeting our physical needs, which we often rely on daily, and for helping us meet our spiritual needs. Amen

He Comes Through!

He Comes Through “Praise the Lord, I tell myself, “With my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, And never forget the good things He does for me.” (Psalm 103 v 1 & 2) Every day the Lord gives us blessings. It is easy to forget the role He plays in our lives in our busyness. Here are three events that made me think of the Lord this week. Early in the week, a friend and I discussed what we prayed about. They were guidance, support, internal peace, and several others. It was apparent that neither of us prayed for favors or help. We realized that through prayer, good things would happen. One week, a twenty-nine-year-old hockey player died from a skate-related injury. Why? That is a big question and certainly something that makes people doubt. When the final reports are in, somehow good will come from his young life. It is too soon for mortals to understand. The third event that brought the Lord to the forefront was a Good News buddy from San Diego, who corresponded about his return home after a firestorm that ravaged his neighborhood. There were 15 of 47 houses destroyed on his street, plus the sanctuary of his church. Here are the words he used in closing his correspondence: “Truly, God is good. Many lessons are to be learned, and many prayers are answered. To God be the Glory.” Thought for Today: Today will be just like many others. Our calendars are crowded, we will have unreasonable demands on our time, and we will need to focus on making it all happen. Let’s take a few minutes and think about the Lord’s role in our lives with that in mind. Let’s let Him into our day. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we pray to see the results of your participation in our lives and the ability to accept what we do not understand. We trust that good things will happen. Amen