Daily Light January 30

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.* Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.* Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness.

Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus; not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.* Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.* Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD.

Heb 12:1-2; Luke 9:23; Luke 14:33; Rom 13:12; I Cor 9:25-27; Phil 3:13-14; Hos 6:3

Encouragement from Daily Light by Anne Graham Lotz

I Choose

I Choose.....
I desire to live this way. May it speak to your heart as well......

It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose......

I CHOOSE LOVE...No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY...I will invite my God to be the God of circumstances. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE...I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE .....I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS...I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS...I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will not, rule the eternal. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.

LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS AND SELF CONTROL Gal.5:22,23

To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest with the peace that passes all understanding.

-- Author Unknown

Happy New Year!

If you haven't read any good devotions on New Years Resolutions, I encourage you to go visit At the Well.
Meanwhile, when it comes to New Years Resolutions, does it simply come done to priorities not obsessions? For example, our church has embarked on a journey 90 Days Through the Bible. Twelve pages a day! That is Genesis to Revelation in 90 days! As I started my reading, I realized what a challenge this was going to be. Well, it's priority now. Not that I let my other God given priorities, ie. husband, children, meals, and laundry, get put on the back burner, but I will now reconsider how I spend my time (phone, email, surfing the net, dawdling from one menial task to another, etc) to ensure I allocate sufficient time to read.
Read on!