January 23 – Planning Through Commitment

“Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3 (NASB)

For the times in our lives when we are uncertain of our next step or the direction we need is not clear, we can find help and wisdom from God. This is a great and wonderful promise given to us in our verse today. As we face daily tasks and at times when we need careful planning for what our way should be, this practice will help. We learn from the wisdom that is freely given to us. First, we commit all details and plans to the Lord. He is the Master Planner who knows all outcomes and if we then trust Him to supply our needs, our plans will be established by Him. God will give us the wisdom we need to preform each step along our way and it will be the right way. We can also trust Him to bring us all the way through in a way that will bring praise and glory to Him. If our challenge is large or small, and if we commit our works to the Lord, He promises an eventual good result for us to follow.

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March 25 – Desiring the Desires God Desires For Us

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”  Psalm 37:4-5  (ESV)

There are many blessings to be found when we turn our eyes and our ears and our hearts toward what God wants for us.  God loves us and promises the best for us.  He wants us to enjoy our lives today, tomorrow and every day we will live.  Our verses have some words that give us a clue to how God wants us to live and they all bring a blessings.  We are looking today at two of the words. If we delight ourselves in the Lord – if we find great value in trusting God – He will give us the desires of our heart.   This is not a promise that He will give us everything we want or everything we long to have.  Instead it means our delight in serving God is the source of the desires God wants us to have in our heart.  When our heart's desires spring from the Lord, He will surely fulfill those desires. It is because we choose to commit our way to the Lord and trust Him that we see God acting on our behalf in our lives.  We will  desire what He desires us to desire and we will delight and commit ourselves to Him in trust and He will make our desires happen.     

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April 5 – Daily Awareness and Attention

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19 (ESV)

We find in the book of Psalms in our Bible reminders of the many reasons for praising our God. Isn't it wonderful to have a God  in heaven who is concerned about the problems that we face?  And He knows what these problems are too.  One of the best words in our verse is the word “daily.”  Our burdens may vary from one day to another and our God is aware of each detail each day.  So as we faced some problems yesterday, our Lord was concerned and He helped us. Now today the situation may have changed and as we continue to commit it to Him He helps us today. And, then, whatever the situation may be tomorrow He'll take care of us then too.  Isn't this all a part of God's faithfulness? He knows you, my friend and knows what you need each day. He has promised to bear our burdens daily.  Let's continue to trust Him for that promise.  

January 18 – Righteousness and Justice

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” Psalm 37:5-6 (ESV)

These words come from a psalm written by King David who had learned how faithful God was to His words. We remember that our God knows what is best for each of us. He wants us to consult with Him when we have decisions to make. The lives that we're living here on earth are often pictured in the Bible to be like walking on a path towards destruction. Our verse today reminds us that we need to allow God to lead us every day. He knows so much better than we do how we should live and what is best for us. God has a purpose for us each day and He knows how that purpose can be accomplished. He knows the way ahead of us better so let's not think that we can do it today on our own. Let's trust Him to do with us what he wants and to lead us the way He wants to lead us. He promises us righteousness and justice if we commit our way to Him.