ONE STRING

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

If you asked someone to give a one-word answer to describe your attitude most of the time what would it be?

Pleasant?

Upbeat?

Enthusiastic and positive? 

Or would it lean toward the other end of the spectrum?  

Would they be quick to say you are more:

Sour?

Salty?

Disgruntled?

What about NEGATIVE?

Be honest with yourself.  Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Remember…“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ― Winston S. Churchill

We really should leave NO room for negativity; a negative attitude.

We need to be aware it’s harm. 

As thoughtful servants of a loving God, we truly have no valid reason—and no legitimate excuse—to be negative.

But if you are human like the rest of us, negativity can and does creep in from time to time.

That is why it is so crucial to understand the impact of our attitudes and the damaging impact of a negative one.

Charles Swindoll once commented…

“The longer I love, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church.... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

So that begs the question what attitude will you choose for today?

Positive?

Negative?

Optimist?

Pessimist?

How will you play your one string?

Remember...

A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick. - Proverbs 17:22 (LB)

Be blessed today!

I love you all.

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE

EXPERIENCE

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

God created us to be channels of blessing, but our ability to receive the resources with which He wants us to bless others, depends on our being able to give then away - freely, faithfully, generously. - Jack W. Hayford. - bless—that’s your job, to bless – 1 Peter 3:9 (MSG)

“One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.” – Anonymous

Are you prepared to be a channel of blessing today?

GOD has already blessed you richly I am sure. 

You have some to share, right? 

You do!

I am confident of that.

What blessing of GOD can you give away to someone else today?

Start small.

A smile.

A listening ear.

A little EXPERIENCE perhaps?

It is a little crazy what GOD will give you to give to someone else to bless them.

Just yesterday I sat across the table from a couple whose son is deep in addiction.  And while it makes no sense at all, my story of being on the brink of catastrophe was what they needed to bless and encourage them. 

I have that to give away almost every day.  

And while I would NOT wish that journey on anyone, GOD continues to put me in situations and circumstances where that EXPERIENCE when I am willing to share it, does and can bless others.

Another example.

I was speaking with my friend Matt yesterday. He is a veteran whose story of resilience and survival is a remarkable one.  He leads a little group of men in Grove City each week; men who like him were gripped by addiction, anger, crime and hurt.  Yet Matt chooses to SHARE his experience to lend hope to those on the same path.

when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us...

2 Corinthians 1:4 (ERV)

And Matt had recently taken it one step further when he arranged a fully catered celebration of those men who were on the right path and headed in the right direction.

You see, Matt is faithful to bless others with what GOD has blessed him with, HOPE!

Friends, you TOO are uniquely equipped today to bless someone else if only with the amazing HOPE that is found in CHRIST; your experience! 

So, while you may not have a way to bless someone tangibly today, you always have your story of HOPE.  And trust me, if you are willing and ready to give that away each day, GOD will send you some folks who NEED that BLESSING.

So, don’t withhold it!

Today…

Be kind and do good for anyone and that will be reflected. The ripples of the kind heart are the highest blessings - Ray

Have a blessed day and weekend!

I love you all.

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE

TIME TO REPORT

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“Don’t bother to give God instructions, just report for duty.”

– Ten Boom

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” – Romans 8:15 (MSG)

Be honest with yourself today.

How often does your prayer time start with some version of:

 “Lord I need you to…”

Then the list of things…

“Lord I need you to…

Take care of this open issue.

Open this door at work.

Get me that funding.

Convince that person to do this or that.

Help me here.

Help them there.”

Instructions.

Come on, I know I am one of the best at trying to grab GOD by the ear and attempt to focus His attention on my ever-lengthening list of to do’s and agendas.

But Ten Boom is on to something as is the Apostle Paul.

We all would be better served by setting down our list of instructions for GOD and instead expectantly ask HIM what is HIS agenda for the day, what does He want from our waking moments.

Remember we…

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps – Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

Can I confess a little this morning?

I am in a very weird season.  There is SO much to do and I feel like I want to do all of it; help here and serve there and in the process my purpose has become muddied.  And while there are endless projects and opportunities that I COULD do or undertake, I am struggling to determine what it is I SHOULD be doing and undertaking.

Make sense?

And while my ego loves all the attention and “need for my services”, I am starting to feel more like a hamster on a wheel than a difference maker.

So, I am working hard to greet each day this week with an expectant “what’s next Papa” attitude and while yes, I have a ton of plans today, I am pausing to remember that GOD still orders my steps and has the last word when it comes to what I will be doing, who I will be meeting, and the conversations I will be having.

I will tell you that while a little uncomfortable, there has been a little more clarity this week; a little, enough to keep “reporting” rather than over-instructing.

How about you?

Do you spend a lot of time giving GOD instructions? 

How’s that working for you?

Perhaps today is a good day to just report for duty, to ask PAPA, “what are we doing today?” and going with that.

Remember:

We’re important, but not essential; valuable, but not indispensable. We have a part in the play, but we are not the main act. A song to sing, but we are not the featured voice. God is.

Time to report.

Have a blessed day.

I love you all.

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE