Road Map

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
   --Ephesians 3:20, NLT

So for me, today was the first day of classes in a new semester and I know that K-12 has recently started back from Christmas break, including exams/tests!
Jesus Calling today was perfect. I often worry about what I'm doing, the classes I'm taking, and whether or not they are really getting me anywhere. While I can plan for my future, I do not know what it holds. I have to trust God and thank Him for His plan for me. 
Abiding by God's Presence is the best road map available.

Today, not only Jesus Calling but also Joe Gibb's Game Plan for life both talked about "road maps" and "game plans." We don't know what is going to happen to us, we aren't psychics, we can't see the future, we don't have a crystal ball, that is just not how it works. It just never stops coming back around to trust. We have to trust that God is in control of our future, that the road map and game plan he has for us is what is meant for us and good for us. We have a tendency to think we deserve to know things or that we might be more prepared if we knew, but doesn't that sort of take away part of the zest and surprise that life holds for us? The preparation for events and the future is trusting God and spending time with Him. He isn't going to show us what is on our road map or game plan, but He most certainly will prepare us for what is ahead by equipping us with the tools we need, such as courage, perseverance, faith, etc. He is always with us, every single step we take. Some of us choose to have Him more present in our lives than others. Communication with Him is key in keeping your faith strong.
To some degree, you have to plan for things, and plan for trips, etc., but God doesn't want us to get so wrapped up in the planning that we forget about what is most important. If He always told us what was going to happen, then what would be the point of all this? He presents us with opportunities.
Think about this example... You are just really feeling pumped up today and wanting to pay it forward. You decide you want to help out a homeless person. Or pay for someone's meal in the drive-thru. You think it through and plan everything to the 't'. Well I'm going to go to this McDonald's and this time and I'm going to watch people come into the parking lot in their cars and if they look needy then I will hop in line and take care of their check. or I will go to this street corner at this time and give this man exactly this amount of money or food. Things don't really work that way, sure you can plan out that you're going to help someone out on a certain day of the week or something like that, but God is in control of all this and He is the one that presents you with these opportunities when we and the other person(s) need it most. Spontaneous generosity, that could even be just a smile or friendly word.

Going back to where I started off, we have to have a game plan for life, but that doesn't mean that we know what that game plan is. It is really God's game plan for our individual lives, a road map. We have to trust that God is in control. We have to communicate with Him daily and throughout each day. When we communicate with Him, we can ask for things and pray for others, but once you ask Him once, every other time you want to pray about it, instead try thanking Him for what He has planned for that "request." 
Never delay gratitude. Always thank for more than you ask for.


On a bit of a separate note...
This is my 2nd or 3rd year reading through Jesus Calling, and it is amazing to me how from one year to the next on a certain day the devotion can have a totally different meaning for what you're going through at the time. It really just amazes me how no matter how many times you've read through Jesus Calling, it never fails to be timely, which really just goes to "prove," in my opinion, how great and powerful God is. It's not like he flipped through Jesus Calling and changed up the devotions to different days on a new year or like He said well I'll just push this dilemma back a few days.



All of this ultimately comes from God, but for the sake of siting my resources the basis of these thoughts and ideas I've written today come from K-Love's Encouraging Word, Jesus Calling Jan 11th and 12th, Joe Gibb's Game Plan for Life Jan 12th.
 

The Game Plan
For three improbable afternoons at the recent British Open golf tournament, Tom Watson continually stood near or atop the leader board, smelling victory at an event he had won five times before, but not in more than twenty-five years. With each succeeding round and clubhouse interview, the spectacle became harder and harder to believe. Yet strangely, for the 59-year-old Watson, easy to explain.
He was on a "game plan," he repeatedly said, a secret code of attack he never revealed, except to say it existed and that he was on course with it. It was a game plan that took him to the 72nd hole and an eight-foot putt for par, inches away from an ageless wonder of a championship.
Game plans work. And though a slight bobble in execution at any point along the way can mean the difference between first and second, the fact remains that a good game plan can take you far—farther than you may have ever dreamed possible.
That's why the apostle Paul could say it's "not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). Yes, missed putts can still prove costly. Missed opportunities can still nag at us. But what we lack in perfection is more than made up for as we "press on" with a set purpose. Life with a game plan is always superior to life without it. 

Pray this prayer: Lord, I know I can do better than just taking a hit-and-miss approach to life. I need a game plan. I need YOUR game plan. Help me to see it in your Word, and put it into practice every day. 

Please visit Joe Gibbs' Website at www.GamePlanForLife.com for Joe's Video Blog and more!

An Incredible Word About Today's Generation....We all need to be more aware

Post by Joshua Feuerstein.

Take time today...

Take time today to enjoy the beauty around you that God created.
Breathe in the fresh air. Look at the sky. Feel the cool air. Look at the sunset. Watch the creatures. Feel His Presence as you take in all that He has created.


Isaiah 40:26 (NCV)
Look up to the skies.
    Who created all these stars?
He leads out the army of heaven one by one
    and calls all the stars by name.
Because he is strong and powerful,
    not one of them is missing.

1 Chronicles 16:23-24, (NCV)
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
    Every day tell how he saves us.
Tell the nations about his glory;
    tell all peoples the miracles he does.

Psalms 118:28 (NCV)
You are my God, and I will thank you;
    you are my God, and I will praise your greatness.

Psalms 34:3 (NCV)
Glorify the Lord with me,
    and let us praise his name together.

Isaiah 6:3 (NCV)
Each creature was calling to the others:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord All-Powerful.
    His glory fills the whole earth.”

Joy

I've been taught multiple times that "joy" and "happiness" or "happy" are not the same thing.
I mostly agree with this, although the English languages has many words that mean the same thing, I'm not so sure this is the case with joy and happiness.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, 
joy is defined as: 1. a feeling of great happiness, 2. a source or cause of great happiness : something or someone that gives joy to someone, 3. success in doing, finding, or getting something; 
happy is defined as: 1. feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc., 2. showing or causing feelings of pleasure and enjoyment, 3. pleased or glad about a particular situation, event, etc.

After reading those definitions it really makes happiness seem like such a temporary state. And while it is, I think it doesn't have to be. We don't always have to be bursting out rainbows and butterflies and flowers, because not everyone is that bubbly all the time, but that doesn't mean we can't be happy all or most of the time. 

Joy
"Rejoice in Me always. This is a moment-by-moment choice. It is possible to find Joy in Me even during the most difficult times. Because I am always near, I am constantly available to help you. I can even carry you through times of extreme adversity.
Imagine a woman who has become engaged to a man she deeply loves and admires. Her heart overflows with pleasure whenever she thinks bout her beloved. Problems fade into the background, unable to dampen her enthusiasm and excitement. Similarly, when you remember that I am your perfect Betrothed and that you are promised to Me forever, you can rejoice in Me even though you face many problems. 
It is in the present moment that you find Me ever near you. My Presence in the present is an endless source of Joy: a continual feast! The soul-satisfaction you find in Me helps you relate well to other people. As you enjoy My abiding Presence you can bless others with your gentleness."
Philippians 4:4 NLT
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
Proverbs 15:15 NLT
For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
    for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.
Psalm 63:5 NLT
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
    I will praise you with songs of joy.
John 15:4 NLT
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  
(From "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young)

I know this seems redundant from past blog posts, but it always boils down to the fact that God has got our back, we can't sit around and worry all day, we have to give our troubles and worries to Him. He is our source of happiness and joy in this world. Does that mean we can't feel happy when we get a new car? No. But we cannot place our hope and happiness and invest ourselves in that car (or other material things). We must invest our lives, our hearts, our souls, our minds, our bodies, in God first. Then other things will fall into place as they should. 
Matthew 6:33 (Contemporary English Version) says: But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.
In the Message (verses 30-33): If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

We worry too much. We get worked up over the small, not so important things. We invest too much of our time and effort in worry and things that don't really even matter. 
Ya gotta learn to forgive and let go of things. Don't let things hold you up and keep you from being happy.

This is the simplified version of how I see life:
-Above all else, worship, praise, love, and thank God. All day. Every day. Be thankful for the many blessings He provides you with.
-Help others. Help those in need. Show God's love and care to everyone around you. Don't make it about the business of getting things done, make it about helping others in the name of God. Do God's work here on earth.
-Sure, take care of work and school and business kind of stuff, but you gotta learn to drop all that and go have fun and enjoy God's beauty and live a life doing what makes you happy on this earth. 
-I know, I know, things come up, sometimes we are just down. Life can't be all ups, or it wouldn't be life. Take care of those things one step at the time. If you don't know what to do, pray about it, God will help ya out. Pray about it, then just roll with what comes at you. You'll be prepared how you should be if you are sticking by God's side.
(I am reluctant to say this, and I know we all need to relax sometimes, but for goodness sake don't sit around and watch tv when you could be outside enjoying the sunshine.)
-Being outdoors in nature, whether I'm with others or not, makes me happy. I love to be outside and breathe the fresh air and see the flowers and trees and mountains, and just know that God made all that. He made all of that with His own hands.
-We have all got to stop worrying so much and getting caught up in the scheduling and doing of so many things.

I know that makes it sound all good and easy, I know life isn't easy, it's tough sometimes, but we've gotta make the journey more bearable [during the good and bad times] by enjoying what God has blessed us with. So just lighten up, leave the worries behind.

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." - Greg Anderson

"Happiness is a journey, not a destination; happiness is to be found along the way not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it's too late. The time for happiness is today not tomorrow." - Paul H. Dunn

Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-5 NLT
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.  If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.


I'm sure most people have heard this passage before, or at least part of it. I'm sure most have also heard: Love thy neighbor. Love your enemies. Do unto others as you would have them do to you. Etc.
I know that in this world it is really tough to love everyone. And it is really tough sometimes to do nice things for others, knowing it may not be reciprocated or receiving thankfulness in return. 
Think about the people you know, that you might not like too much. Maybe they get on your nerves, make you angry, rude to you, something they did to you in the past, maybe you hold a grudge against them.
Now think about the last interaction you had with that person(s). Were you nice? Were you thinking nice things? When is the last time you made a positive or nice gesture toward them? I bet you didn't think or say that you love them. Maybe I'm going a little elementary here, but I think it's important to view problems at their most basic level of understanding and at the root of the problem. 
What if you forgave that person(s) for any direct or indirect "mean" thing they ever did to you? What about you, have you ever done anything "mean" back at them (direct or indirect)? That includes talking negatively about them behind their back. Although I highly support the action of venting to a good friend or parent, make sure you're not telling what happened in an exaggerated way, or for just the reason of gossiping. I totally understanding telling one person about something, perhaps in a rant form, that happened you today that was really bad or annoying, etc. to get it off your chest and mind and out of your system. But if you tell more than one (maybe two) people, it's more for the gossip reason (in my eyes). Anyways, think about the peace that would come from forgiving that person and showing them love. You don't have to tell them you love them in words, but there are tons of ways one can express love to another. I'm not talking about mushy gushy lovey dovey or anything, just the love of Christ. 
Now apply this to maybe a group of people, that you don't like, or associate with negative actions, feelings, etc. This could be a group of people you know that lives in your town, or it could be a foreign group or the government or whoever. 
I'm sure whatever group(s) you're thinking about have done some pretty terrible things, and we probably think we have every right to tell everyone about all the bad things they've done and our opinion on it, etc. But will that make the problem itself, and the root of the problem, any better? Sure if you're thinking advertisement, protests, etc. against it, but I'm talking about just talking "bad" or negatively about the group to your friends. What good is that doing? You're talking about negative things to others. What does talking about negative do? Negative grows negative. It may be planting a negative seed in their mind about this group, and then maybe that person begins thinking about it more than on a level that matters. 
I know it is extremely difficult to think positively about and show the love of Christ to a group of people that have done horrible things. But positive grows positive. Maybe you're stop talking about that group of people to others, and choose to talk about more positive things. Maybe you're talking to someone who is a part of that group, or knows someone in the group. Maybe if you said something positive it would plant a positive seed in their head that could grow when "watered" with more positive. 
I know I sort of "went off" there on what is "realistic" in this world, but it's something that is important to think about.
This example may be extreme, and I certainly do not want to offend anyone, but what if we (we being the American gov't, a group of people from your church, etc.) walked up to the group of "terrorists" who caused 9/11 and said "We forgive you, and we want to extend such and such gift as a token of God's love for you." "Everyone makes mistakes in their life, big and small, all sin is equal in the eyes of God, and He will forgive you if you ask Him to." 
Or something along those lines. What do you think that would do? 
Again, I know I may going a little overboard here, but what do you think that has the potential of doing? I'm not saying go up to them or whoever and throw holy water in their face and say if they do not believe in God and get saved that they will go to hell. That is never the appropriate way to "witness" to someone, I wouldn't even call it witnessing. 
It is about embracing people with love, the love of Christ.
Embrace your family with the love of Christ. Embrace your friends with the love of Christ, all of your friends, not just the ones that are Christians. Embrace your enemies with the love of Christ. Reunite with those you maybe left on the wrong foot with, by embracing them with the love of Christ.
Like I said a minute ago, that doesn't mean or require going up to them and immediately shouting about God, Jesus, and the Bible in their face. For those who aren't a Christian, that is a "turn off" for lack of better words. Just embrace them with a loving gesture, be nice, show Christ through your actions towards others.

And I leave you with this: 

The word love is in the Bible (NIV) 551 times. Love for every day and moment of your life. You are loved, always. God loves you. Embrace God's love for you, and share it with others. It is plentiful. Love grows love.