The Daily Grace - A Mutual Friend

Imagine being a visitor in a foreign land, showing up unannounced at a gathering of people you have never met and who have never heard of you - and then being allowed to address that group just a few minutes later. That can happen only if something breaks down barriers - something like mutual friends. It happened when I took a missions team to a church service in Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Before we left the US, my friend Dorant Brown, a Jamaican pastor, recommended a church to attend. So, when we arrived at the church, and I mentioned Pastor Brown, we were not only welcomed, but I was also asked to speak briefly and our team was asked to sing. While sharing Dorant's name was vital, I really don't think it was that mutual friend who got us such a warm welcome. I think it was our shared Friend and Savior Jesus who opened our Jamaican friends' hearts to our visit.

Have you experienced a connection with someone you just met when you tell them you too know Jesus? He's a friend who laid down His life for us (John 15:13), and He makes brothers and sisters of all who believe (1 Peter 2:17). Jesus. Our Savior. Our mutual Friend. He joins hearts around the world under the banner of His love. Those who are drawn to Christ are drawn to each other.

Today We Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, the night has passed, the sun shines its light upon us, and the day lies open before me. As I rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of Your presence fill me with love for You and my fellow man. Abide with me, I pray, now and forever.

I need to know Your love in order to love others. I want to experience and share Your patience and kindness with those I care about. Fill me and use me.

The blessing of the Lord rest and remain upon all his people, in every land, of every tongue. The Lord meet in mercy all that seek him. The Lord comfort all who suffer and mourn; and, the Lord hasten his coming, and give us, his people, the blessing of peace, this day and always.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Psalm 103:2

Bless the Lord at all times. Affectionately, praise His Name. Let us not forget the good things that He has done in our lives. Our God is a sovereign God. He is always gracious to extend to us the blessings that comes from His hands. Receive that blessing always. It's not just one or two, but you will be blessed a thousand folds. Acknowledge the Lord always. Let His Name be known to the nations. Let the people know the good things that He has done so that many people will come to Him and inherit His Kingdom.

The Daily Grace - Forgotten Memories

Recently, a friend from my youth, e-mailed me a picture of our junior high track team. The grainy black-and-white snapshot showed a vaguely familiar group of teens with our two coaches. I was instantly swept back in time to happy memories of running the mile and the half-mile in track meets. Yet even as I enjoyed remembering those days, I found myself thinking about how easily I had forgotten them and moved on to other things.

As we make our way on the journey of life, it is easy to forget places, people, and events that have been important to us along the way. Time passes, yesterday fades, and we become obsessed with the concerns of the moment. When this happens, we can also forget just how good God has been to us. Perhaps that is why David remembered as he wrote, "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits" (Ps. 103:1-2).

Never is this remembrance more needed than when the heartaches of life crowd in on us When we are feeling overwhelmed and forgotten, it's important to recall all that He has done for us. In remembering, we find the encouragement to trust Him in the present and for the future. Remembering God's faithfulness in the past strengthens us for the future.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, You are my God. I seek You, my soul thirsts for You. My flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 

Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there be any grievous way in me, and if there be any, return me to your path, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Now to Him who has given me grace in accordance with His gospel, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for many ages past, but now revealed and made known by the command of the eternal God, so that all mankind might find the obedience that comes from faith; to the only God, the God of wisdom and truth, be glory forever through His only son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - John 15:15

God did not called us servants any longer. It is because the servant does not know what his master is doing. But He had called us Our friends. It is because He had revealed to us everything that He had heard from His Father.

Isn't it amazing? We are no longer servants, but God called us His friends. What a privilege to have! Thank God today and acknowledge His Words that we are His friends.

The Daily Grace - Teaching by Example

While waiting for an eye examination, I was struck by a statement I saw in the optometrist's office: "Eighty percent of everything children learn in their first 12 years is through their eyes". I began thinking of all that children visually process through reading, television, film, events, surroundings, and observing the behavior of others, especially their families. Fathers can have an especially powerful influence on their children. Paul urged fathers not to frustrate them to the point of anger, but to "bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4).

Think of the powerful example of a dad whose behavior and consistency inspire admiration from his children. He's not perfect, but he's moving in the right direction. A great power for good is at work when our actions reflect the character of God, rather than distort it.

That's challenging for any parent, so it's no coincidence that Paul urges us to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (v. 10). Only through His strength can we reflect the love and patience of our heavenly Father. We teach our children far more from how we live than by what we say. We honor fathers who not only gave us life, but who also show us how to live.