Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)
Know any worriers? Some of us earn reputations with our friends and family for always worrying about something. The rest of us just hide it better. Once you get started, it's tough to stop. You'll never run out of good things to worry on -- from fretting over unsightly blemishes and odd-fitting clothes to obsessing over who likes us and who doesn't. We can fill our minds with "what if" thoughts about the worst things happening and "why not me" thoughts about good things happening to others. What triggers your worry instinct?
If you read these two verses together, they seem a little disconnected. They come at the end of a paragraph about humility. Peter writes that humility involves trusting God to meet our needs for significance (being loved, feeling respected, being "stable") in His timing. Then he turns around and tells us to throw (not drop) all of our worry on God, because He likes us.
Of course, the ideas are not disconnected at all. Trusting God with our anxiety is an action of humility. Holding on to worry is an act of great pride. "I can't let go of this thing; I've got to fix it." The problem is that "fixing" is God's job. Humility = trusting the God who loved you enough to give His Son for you and was powerful enough to raise Him from the dead. Pride = holding on to worry because God might not be able to handle your problem as well as you can.
What do we really think about God's love, power, and goodness? The answer has a lot to do with how much time we spend worrying.

Thanksgiving Week

Monday: Read Psalm 145. Use it as your prayer.

Tuesday: Read Psalm 136. This Psalm involves responses to each line, and has been made into many songs.

Wednesday:Give thanks to God for the things He has done in your life. Write down some of them.

Thursday: Read Psalm 23. As you eat today, remember God's provision for you.

Friday: Write a note of encouragement to a friend or family member.

Saturday: Read Psalm 141. Write or draw about what comes to you as you read it.

Sunday: Celebrate God's goodness with others in your Church family. Pray Psalm 150.

Search the World

Find a map or the world or a globe. Pick a country at random and do a little research on its culture and needs. Take time each day for the next 5 days to pray for that country. Pray for the needs you find, pray for their leadership and pray for Christians and non-Christians within their borders.

Not always what it seems

I was talking with a friend this morning about a tough situation occurring in their life. I found myself being struck by how sad the situation is, while at the same time excited that this person recognized just how bad it really was. I rejoiced that God had blessed me with this conversation. There were questions of why God would allow certain things to happen and if God was really even there. In that same breath I was told by this friend that they see God in me. The statement really hit me because while it is my goal to reflect Christ, I am all too aware of how much I fail at it. I reminded me that the life I live is being noticed. The life you live is also being noticed. What are the messages, pictures and stories that people see or hear from you? The beauty of it all is that I have no idea at what moment or in what ways this person saw God reflected in my life. I saw that is beautiful because i cannot boast in my self. Whatever work was done happened because God is Love. Perfect Love casts out all fear, always be willing to trust that God is using you, even if you don't know how.

Meditate on this passage....

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called that you may inherit a blessing.
For,
'Whoever would love life and see good days,
must keep their tongue for evil and their lips from deceitful speech.
They must turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.'

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

1 peter 3:8-12, 15

Passion

"Ironically, the Scriptures place human desires and passions at the center of human action. This is true both in the arena of sin and the arena of holiness. Nothing explains why we sin more poignantly and clearly than human passion... We do what we do because we love it. We desire it. When we sin, it is for no more profound reason than we enjoy it... The fuel of these destructive patterns is passion, and that's why the process of transformation requires a revolution of your passions."
-The Uprising by Erwin McManus, pg 8.

Take some time to write down your passions. Which ones are destructive, which ones are positive?

What would it look like for your passions to be transformed?

You are what you do?

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
-Aristotle

What are the things you do on a daily basis?

What are some things that you continually do even though you don't want to?

This quote is convicting to me because there are things that I do consitently that I don't want to define me. Even small habits can begin to grow and define you. Look hard at your life and discover those habits. In the weeks leading up to Easter give those up. Take this time to break those habits.