Intention Makes All the Difference

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7

Have you ever felt someone do you a favor because the had to? Because they felt guilty about it but didn't really  do it out of necessity?

That's how we are with God sometimes. We do things, give, pray, help others out of guilt or obligation because we know we should rather than doing it out of an overflow of love and desire in our hearts.

Just as we take offense when someone else does something for us for the wrong reasons, so does God takes offense. The passage here tells us that God LOVES a cheerful giver. Not someone that gives reluctantly or under compulsion.

The next time you give, help or donate your time, check to see if you are doing so cheerfully and willingly. It will make all the difference in both you and those that you help.

Prayer for Today: God, I will become a cheerful giver from now on and decide it in my heart to not do things reluctantly or under compulsion anymore. You have called us to shine your light as we do your work.

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Try Bringing Something Else Besides Anger to the Table

An angry man stirs up strife,
      
And a furious man abounds in transgression.
Proverbs 29:22

It's no secret, we all get angry from time to time, at various things and at various people. Getting angry over injustice and wrongdoings is not necessarily a bad thing but most of us can admit to getting angry over trivial circumstances in life.

Traffic, long lines at the bank, perhaps someone didn't thank you when you held the door for them? Maybe you know someone with a very heated temper that gets upset over the smallest of things? The outcome of all of these types of anger usually takes us down a bad road.

The passage here tells us that an angry man stirs up strife. Maybe what could have been a small issue, now blows completely our of proportion and leaves the whole situation worse. The latter half of the passage speak of fury leading to transgression. We do not need to go down this road.

Next time you feel anger creeping in, ask yourself why you are feeling it and if it can be directed towards solving the situation or better yet, dissolved before it grows stronger.

There are times when standing up against injustice is necessary but for other moments, try to ask God how you can fix a situation his way, not yours.

Prayer for Today: God, I choose today to not let anger seep in, to trust you and to take the path of your love  and bring peace to those around me.

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He Cares For You In Ways Unimaginable

Come, let us bow down in worship,       
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God       
and we are the people of his pasture,       
the flock under his care.
Psalm 95:6-7

Do you feel cared for by God? Do you know that you are His and are extremely special to Him? It is not uncommon to forget this simple, yet beautiful fact.

Often, in seeing God as an all powerful creator of the heavens and earth, we forget that we are cared for by Him as a flock is cared for by it's shepherd. He watches over each and every one of your struggles, concerns and triumphs.

What is amazing is that He not only cares for us in this way, but desires that we kneel before Him and have Him at the center of our lives while he takes care of the rest of it all. It's time to stop doing things in your own strength and turning it over to him.

Worship Him today and as a child needs to trust a parent, trust God that He knows what is best for you and your life.

Prayer for Today: God, I worship you today and know that you care for me. You know all the details of my life and I thank you for loving me so much.

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Resting In Times of Perpetual Motion

And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Genesis 2:3

It would seem that life doesn't really have breaks anymore. Anything and everything is on all the time. Banks open 7 days a week, television has programming round the clock and cell phones make us available at any time, day or night.

The idea of resting, truly resting is not a modernly encouraged subject yet God has instructed, even commanded us to rest and keep one day as Holy and separate from the others. Why would He do this? Is it really that important? Apparently so.

In the same fashion that sleep is critical to being healthy, both in mind and body, so is true rest. Now I speak to myself the loudest when it comes to this since I tend to work work work but this is not the life God has for us.

There is more to this life than working and being 'productive.' If you are not reaching out to God and to others then what good is it to walk with God and bury your head in your work.

Learn to truly rest as He has instructed. He wouldn't have commanded it if it weren't something important for us. There is power in all He tells us.

Prayer for Today: God, I will learn to truly rest in you and draw closer to you. Thank you for providing for me every day and teaching me balance in my life.

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