Brrr.... it is has been so cold the last couple of days! This morning I decided it was the perfect soup weather and so I began digging around in the fridge for the left over chicken, green beans, and corn. As I was peeling potatoes, browning hamburger, and cutting carrots and onions I was thinking how these ordinary veggies and meat were going to become an extraordinary dinner... once they simmered in the crock pot for several hours!
Just like the variety of veggies strewn across my counter, God used a variety of ordinary people to do extraordinary things... and a lot of times, they had to go through the heat to get there. Some made mistakes, some tried to run away, but in the end they all accomplished exactly what God had intended.
What was the defining factor in these people's lives, the common denominator? For Daniel it was commitment to his faith and his God, our God. Our first hint of Daniel’s greatness comes in his quiet refusal to give up his convictions. He had applied God’s will to his own life, and he resisted changing the good habits he had formed. Daniel Chapter 1
Both his physical and spiritual diets were an important part of his relationship with God. He ate carefully and lived prayerfully. One of the benefits of being in training for royal service was eating food from the kings table. Daniel tactfully chose a simpler menu and proved it was a healthy choice. No matter the consequences of his decision to stay true to God and his laws, Daniel stayed the course... and God not only protected him... he blessed him!
While Daniel limited his food intake, he indulged in prayer. He was able to communicate with God because he made it a habit. How often do we pray? Is it a ritual or is it habitual? How often do we actually talk to Him... or are we just talking at Him?
Do you hold so strongly to your faith in God that whatever happens you will do what God says? Such conviction keeps us a step ahead of temptation; such conviction gives us wisdom and stability in changing circumstances.
This year, I am daring to be a Daniel and I am going to start by indulging in prayer! Let's prayerfully live out our convictions in everyday life and trust God for the results! I am excited to further explore the book of Daniel and see just what other characteristics and actions turned him from an ordinary boy to an extraordinary man of God! Will you join me?
Refrain: DARE TO BE A DANIEL by Phillip P. Bliss
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.
Showing posts with label commitment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commitment. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
New Year…New You…New Me! OMG I need to be committed!
My BFF, Lisa, has been a gym rat off and on her entire adult life. Sorry, it’s not really derogatory… it’s a term of endearment. Now that her life is back on track and she has the ability, Lisa has resumed her daily workout schedule. Thanks to Face Book I can follow her progress closely through her status updates.
…is back from the gym...4 miles behind me again today! Whoohoo!
Up and at it this morning, it's gonna be a GREAT DAY!
What inspires me about this routine is that no matter how she feels, sore… not in the mood… lazy… tired… or just has too much to do… she goes to that gym. She told me that on the less than energetic days the hardest part was simply walking out of the house and getting in the car. Once she gets in the gym and gets started the endorphins take over and she has a great workout and feels much better. This reality is the reinforcement for her commitment to be in good physical condition.
Much the same can be said about those of us who have a desire to be spiritually fit. There are days when our schedules are packed too tight and we think we can’t squeeze in ten minutes of alone time, let alone time alone with Him. We hurry and scurry about our daily business in a haze of activity from the time we wake up to the time our heads hit the pillow. By the end of the day we are often too tired to even pick up the Bible and read more than one or two verses and offer up a quick prayer only to start all over again when the alarm rings.
Sometimes the hardest part for us is simply turning off the television or computer and just picking up our Bible and turning the page. We’ve either read it so many times we don’t know where to start or we haven’t read it enough and we are not sure what “story” we want to read. Sometimes we don’t think we have that much to pray about because everything seems to be going along just fine. And why study the Sunday school lesson this week anyway? The teacher always does such a good job of getting the message across.
The beauty is… if we just get started… take that first step… the Holy Spirit takes over and we have a great workout and we feel much better. Just like my girlfriends workout, this should be the motivating factor that keeps us committed to doing those things which leads us to spiritual fitness.
Those of you, who know me, know I am trying to get over chronic planning syndrome. Once I retired I thought it would be easy…no calendar, no Palm Pilot, no meetings, and no business trips. However, I still have a running “to do” list and now I make menus, have a cleaning schedule, a yard work schedule, a home improvement schedule and the list goes on... It’s a sickness, really.
The good thing about being a planner is that I always have my devotion time at the top of the day’s agenda and no matter how my list gets rearranged that time takes priority. Is making a schedule or re-prioritizing the one you already have what you need to do to get back on track? It could be as simple as a post it on the fridge or near the coffee pot to get you started. Take the time right now to make a commitment to be committed to your time alone with God. It will make all the difference in the world.
My childhood friend, Brian, has one of those little fortune cookie slips on his refrigerator. It’s been there for years it says, “Commitment is what turns a promise into a reality.” Are you ready to turn God’s promises into your reality?
…is back from the gym...4 miles behind me again today! Whoohoo!
Up and at it this morning, it's gonna be a GREAT DAY!
What inspires me about this routine is that no matter how she feels, sore… not in the mood… lazy… tired… or just has too much to do… she goes to that gym. She told me that on the less than energetic days the hardest part was simply walking out of the house and getting in the car. Once she gets in the gym and gets started the endorphins take over and she has a great workout and feels much better. This reality is the reinforcement for her commitment to be in good physical condition.
Much the same can be said about those of us who have a desire to be spiritually fit. There are days when our schedules are packed too tight and we think we can’t squeeze in ten minutes of alone time, let alone time alone with Him. We hurry and scurry about our daily business in a haze of activity from the time we wake up to the time our heads hit the pillow. By the end of the day we are often too tired to even pick up the Bible and read more than one or two verses and offer up a quick prayer only to start all over again when the alarm rings.
Sometimes the hardest part for us is simply turning off the television or computer and just picking up our Bible and turning the page. We’ve either read it so many times we don’t know where to start or we haven’t read it enough and we are not sure what “story” we want to read. Sometimes we don’t think we have that much to pray about because everything seems to be going along just fine. And why study the Sunday school lesson this week anyway? The teacher always does such a good job of getting the message across.
The beauty is… if we just get started… take that first step… the Holy Spirit takes over and we have a great workout and we feel much better. Just like my girlfriends workout, this should be the motivating factor that keeps us committed to doing those things which leads us to spiritual fitness.
Those of you, who know me, know I am trying to get over chronic planning syndrome. Once I retired I thought it would be easy…no calendar, no Palm Pilot, no meetings, and no business trips. However, I still have a running “to do” list and now I make menus, have a cleaning schedule, a yard work schedule, a home improvement schedule and the list goes on... It’s a sickness, really.
The good thing about being a planner is that I always have my devotion time at the top of the day’s agenda and no matter how my list gets rearranged that time takes priority. Is making a schedule or re-prioritizing the one you already have what you need to do to get back on track? It could be as simple as a post it on the fridge or near the coffee pot to get you started. Take the time right now to make a commitment to be committed to your time alone with God. It will make all the difference in the world.
Isaiah 40-28-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on the wings of eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” ~NIV
My childhood friend, Brian, has one of those little fortune cookie slips on his refrigerator. It’s been there for years it says, “Commitment is what turns a promise into a reality.” Are you ready to turn God’s promises into your reality?
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