End to the Beginning

Whenever I read a book, I always read the last chapter first. That way I eliminate the mystery, suspense and unpredictability of the story line. Then, I can read from the beginning, without the stress of not knowing how it will turn out.

Some of you may enjoy horror movies and suspenseful mysteries, but they cause my psyche too much anxiety. I love to watch Hallmark movies, because as my husband derisively points out, the endings are predictable. There is very little stress and suspense in these wondrously sappy romances.

I did this with the Bible too. I read Revelation first. This colorful depiction of symbolic drama gives us a bird's eye view of the culmination of time as we know it.

Revelation confirms the prophetic books of the Bible, such as Daniel, Ezekiel and Isaiah - as well as the New Testament letters such as the gospels and Thessalonians. They report to us God's intention for creation, redemption and restoration.

When we know how the end plays out, these facts remove the guesswork from life and give us a fool proof game plan to follow in our walk of faith through the Son of God.

God made His will plain and stress-free for us through the Biblical account of His clear timetable of events leading up to His final return to earth and His eternal plans for humanity.

God does not dwell in time. The 6,000 years since creation are all in the present to Him. He is not restrained, directed or controlled by the hands on the clock like we are (Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8).

Our Creator and King dwells in eternity. He invites us to join Him in this place of unhindered existence through salvation in His Son. Jesus won this privilege for us by taking on the form of a man and dying in our place (Philippians 2:6-8).

God also provided us with His Word in order to afford us hope for a joyful future and instructions for living in a peaceful existence through every moment of each new day regardless of our circumstances (Jeremiah 29:11).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for Your Word, which takes the guesswork right out of life. Remind us to check with You before we do anything, so that You can direct our plans (Proverbs 3:5-6). When Satan attempts to hinder us, teach us to use spiritual warfare through the power of Christ in us to withstand his onslaughts.

Thank You for always answering our prayers, and for not always giving us what we want, but what is in our best interest. We squirm under the pressures of life and often feel like we know how to alleviate these trials; but we often jump out of the frying pan into the fire. Keep us in the center of Your will and walking in the fruit of Your righteousness.

Thought for the Day:

Our Father is God and there is no one like Him; He declared the end to the beginning. - Isaiah 4:9-11

True Wisdom

Most people dedicate their life to making this world a better place, but someone comes along right behind us and takes the credit or destroys our lifetime of accomplishments.

God has used many individuals to change our world, such us Richard Pearse's airplane, Charles Babbage's computer, Madam Curie's radium, Alexander Fleming's penicillin. Yet, we use their products without recalling their name or contribution.

The self-help gurus and life coaches in today's society teach us that our real power comes from within our self. They tell us to trust our heart or our gut feeling. They promote intuition and self-reliance (Jeremiah 17:9).

They revel in all sorts of ungodliness and encourage others to do them as well (Romans 1:30-32). They set us up for failure, because apart from Jesus Christ we can accomplish little of any importance (2 Timothy 4:4; John 15:5).

We work diligently to inspire others; yet, we are just spinning our wheels. Apart from Christ in us we can do absolutely nothing that matters now or in eternity (Philippians 4:13).

Hopefully, as you sit in your quiet place, you will contemplate the presence of God in this world, realize your lack and cry out to Him for His salvation (Psalm 46:10).

Only when we come to Christ do we have true light and wisdom within us (Colossians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 2:14). With God in control of our life, we have the understanding and direction to accomplish His will for our life (James 1:5; Ephesians 2:10).

His Word lights our way in this dark and perverse world in which we live (Psalm 119:105). His presence gives us all that we need to live a Godly and fulfilling life on this earth (2 Peter 1:3).

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to prioritize our life according to Your principles and values (Ephesians 2:1-22). Humble us before it is too late for us, so that we can receive Your instruction and discretion rather than worldly gain (Proverbs 8:9-11, 17; Psalm 91:14; John 14:21; James 1:5).

True success in life comes only from pursuing You with our time and energy (Proverbs 3:16; 8:18, Psalm 119:1-2, 128:1-2; Matthew 6:33). Thank You for providing the opportunity for us to inherit Your Kingdom as co-heirs with Christ (Proverbs 8:21; Romans 8:17).

Thought for the Day:

God wants to give self-confident fools His true wisdom and truth along with an understanding heart. - Proverbs 8:5; Isaiah 32:6

Living in Contentment

As we live in the presence of God, and enjoy the still, quiet moments of our devotion time each day, then our schedule, to-do lists and responsibilities fade into the background of our mind.

Cleansing our soul and life, of dead works and all negative emotions, enables us to freely hear God's voice. Unhindered by the destructive influence of the devil's lies, we walk in the Spirit. ( www.theophostic.com )

Continually praising God for His provision in our life teaches us gratitude for what we have, which overshadows our longings for what we do not have. We learn contentment at His feet (Philippians 4:11).

While we praise God for who He is, for His blessings and for His perfect plan for our life, we consult Him throughout our day and hear His will for each moment of our life (Proverbs 3:5-6).

This way, when work deadlines, emotional turmoil in our family, rushed schedules, slander and false accusation, and a lack of fulfillment in our life all upset our sense of stability, we have God's Spirit to return our soul and spirit to peace and rest (Hebrews 10:4).

Once we learn to live in the gratification and fulfillment, which walking in the Spirit afford us, we never go back (Galatians 5:15-25). If life pulls us from the shelter of God's wings, we scurry back under the shadow of our Almighty God (Psalm 91:1,4).

We accomplish more in our day under the instruction of God's Spirit than by the direction of all of our lists, calendar reminders and sticky notes. The light of God's Son brightens each step of our way (John 14:6).

Prayer:

Father God, draw us to Your side and never let us go. Wrap us in Your everlasting arms and help us to experience the contentment of living in Your presence (Deuteronomy 33:27). Lead us to accomplish Your will, rather than our will, for every moment of our day.

Remind us to look for divine appointments to share Your love with people we meet. Help us never to look past someone who may need Your light in their life, simply because we are too busy. Our days are numbered, and we want to live each one of them in the center of Your will (Job 14:5; Psalm 39:4).

Thought for the Day:

As we contentedly dwell in the Kingdom of God and seek His will for each moment of our life, God provides for all of our needs. - Luke 12:31-32