Enjoying the Journey
Posts Tagged ‘reflection’
A Devotional Truth for the Evening
Every close to the day is a reminder that God has not failed or forsaken us. Weariness should remind us that His strength was sufficient. Memories should remind us that His wisdom was perfect. Quiet hours should remind us that His presence was real in the busiest hours of the day. Evenings are a time to think. To pray. To give thanks. One of the Old Testament patriarchs had a divine appointment in the evening hours. It was then that the promise came to fruition and he met the wife God had chosen for him. I believe that it is no accident that the blessing came as he meditated alone… “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at…
Read More‘Tis The Season…For Resolutions
Christmas and New Year are a time for family and fun. But for a believer it is a season of faith. A time to turn our eyes to Christ and to His work in our lives. The holidays are to be more than a time for festivity. They are to be a time of reflection and worship. In fact, the word holiday comes from holy day. (Read more about that here.) Appropriately this season is celebrated just before the dawn of a new year. The older I get the more this season becomes a time of reflection and preparation in my own heart. ‘Tis the season to be jolly? ‘Tis the season to search your heart! ‘Tis the season to…
Read MoreMaking the Most of the Evening Hours
Through the years I have written a number of things about making the most of the mornings. (You may read several articles about how to begin your mornings here.) In Genesis 1 we repeatedly find the phrase, “the evening and the morning.” Evening hours and morning hours serve as bookends on each day. It is vital that we learn how to both begin and end with God. Interestingly enough, the Jewish people viewed the beginning of a new day in the evening. The Jewish day began at 6 pm. It was not just the ending of one day, it was the beginning of another. Evenings should be a time to reflect on God’s faithfulness that day and prepare your heart for the…
Read More6 Things to Do in the Last 6 Days of the Year
The final week of the year is perhaps the strangest week of the year. It is like living in limbo. One year seems all but gone and the next is not yet here. Many will wait until January 1 to begin their resolutions. But wise men know “better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof” (Eccl. 7:8). Do you remember the intensity and intent with which you began this year for the Lord? Do not simply regret that it waned. Refuse to wait, and waste another day, to regain it! Finish well. End as you desired when you started. A new day begins best when the previous day ended right. And so it is with a new…
Read MoreMy Thoughts on the Last Night of the Year
It was a joy to be with our church family tonight in the last hours of 2014. We came to the Lord’s table together and our hearts were turned toward the Lord Jesus and what He has done for needy sinners. Sinners like me. The end of another year brings reflection and remembrances. The beginning of another lends itself to rededication’s and resolutions. While there is nothing wrong with either, both must lead us to Christ. As I look back on the last twelve months I am overwhelmed with my own failures. The best of intentions and unfulfilled promises. Sound familiar? If you are not careful such thoughts can lead to morbid introspection and despair. Here is a better thought:…
Read MoreLearning to Say, “No”
As a young man beginning in the ministry I heard my pastor say that one of the most difficult things to discern was what to eliminate. At the time, I was so busy adding things to my life that I did not fully appreciate the truth that he expressed. Through the years I have found that one of the most challenging things to do is simply say, “no.” Yet saying no is often just as spiritual as saying yes. No man can do everything. Few men can do many things well. Wise men say with Paul, “This one thing I do.” Try this exercise. List the key areas, assignments, relationships, interests, and hobbies of your life. Now place all of…
Read MoreA Daily Habit Everyone Should Form
All of my books have my name in them. They are like members of the family (just ask my wife!). In part, I put my name in the flyleaf of my books because I enjoy sharing them with others, but I always want to get them back. To share a good book is to invest in the life of another. When I am with friends one of my first questions is: “What have you read recently that is good?” There is no book like the Bible. It is God’s Book and unparalleled by anything man has to write. Yet those who study the Bible will tell you that one of the best things you can do for your mind and…
Read MoreDealing with “Down Time”
Down times can often be down times. Activity, or lack of it, has a great deal of effect on our emotions. The closing days of a year are a very reflective time for most people. Holidays mark the end of yet another year. Life is passing quickly. The danger in all of this, of course, is that it is easy to get our eyes on our circumstances, on ourselves, and off of the Lord. Remember that it is an all-wise God who designed the seasons, every season with its purpose. This season is an interval to rest and be renewed for the days ahead. As I grow older I appreciate more the “down times.” They are necessary before the next…
Read MoreWhy I Write In A Journal Every Day
At the end of 2008 I decided that I would try to begin writing in a journal each day. I am sitting in my study tonight looking back through old journals. The Lord has been so very good to me. There have been difficult days, but these pages are filled with the faithfulness of God. For me, writing in a journal each day has been the most helpful daily discipline I have ever followed, outside of prayer and the reading of God’s Word. David kept a journal. Read the Psalms. I have the journal of David Brainerd and George Muller. People keep a journal for different reasons, but there have been several benefits for me. 1. A journal helps me…
Read MoreThe Luggage of Life
It is my privilege to do a great deal of travel. Through the years I have learned it is best to travel light. Luggage slows you down and weighs you down. Especially on airplanes! The journey is much more enjoyable with as little baggage as possible. This principle is true in all of life. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). Perhaps you think the man who wrote these words had no terrible thing to…
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