WHAT'S MISSING IN YOUR LIFE?

WHAT’S MISSING IN YOUR LIFE?

 

On Day 30, we focused on what equipping you still might need to do God’s work. Today, let’s take a slightly different approach and hone in on yet-to-be-satisfied personal wants or wishes. Ask yourself: “What would make my life more complete?” Has the lack of it upset you for years? Have you cried your heart out over it? God cares about what you have to say today and about how you feel. Don’t let any sadness or frustration in this area steal opportunities from you to live the glorious life God has planned for you.

 

MISSING IN ACTION

 

Have you ever felt like filing a “missing in action” report about one of these: hope, friendship, love, dreams, passion, clarity, integrity, or goals? Is one of these missing: spiritual growth, a date night with your husband, play days with your children, downtime for yourself, an organizational system?

 

Is family unity, a Sabbath rest, personal joy, or a college fund for your children missing? Is it health, income, or a much anticipated marriage proposal? Let Lori Salierno, CEO of Celebrate Life International (CLI), speak wisdom into your life today through her story.

 

LORI SALIERNO GAVE GOD HER HEARTACHE

 

Lori is the founder of CLI, a nonprofit organization that promotes leadership skills and character development among students in public schools and the juvenile justice system. She is a nationally-known speaker who has written four books, including Real Solutions for Ordering Your Private Life.

 

Lori says that her spiritual life is “an adventure and a party combined.” Her goal is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

 

She is in the process of introducing her God-given teen leadership program, Teach One to Lead One, into fifty-one thousand high schools across the United States, as a means of cultivating the hearts of seventy-two million teenagers for a relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

What’s missing for Lori? She says, “My husband and I have been married for twenty-two years and have not been able to have children. But God actually took away my desire to be a birth mother and replaced it with an incredible passion for at risk students. He did this by placing an intense call on my life to reach our nation’s children in this generation. What an awesome privilege to be used in this way.” Lori summarizes: “God can use the things that are missing from our lives (even the absence of children) to bring glory to his name. I’m a good example of his faithfulness in tough situations!”

 

 

What’s Missing in Your Life? Eve Felt Something Was Missing

 

Eve wanted to be more like God, and so she succumbed to temptation in the Garden of Eden. Read Genesis 3:1–6. Like Eve, have you searched after something that you thought was missing in your life, only to discover that you wished you hadn’t found it?

 

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you

hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

 

SUGGESTED PRAYER

 

Dear Lord, you know the plans you have for me, _________. You have declared that they are plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. Today I thank you for your well-thought-out plans for my future. I also pray about what I perceive to be missing from my life. Help me today to give my missing piece(s) to you with confidence that you will use my apparent lack for your good and holy purposes. I know you see the bigger picture, and I trust you to fill my void with your presence. I choose to live a life of gratitude about what I do have, rather than a life of sadness about what I don’t have.

 

 

So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?

 

DECEMBER 29 - Come Quickly

DECEMBER 29 - Come Quickly

 

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. — REVELATION 22:17

 

The writers of the New Testament were a bruised and battered bunch. This is why they wrote so much about heaven. The hope of heaven stoked fire in their bones, and their writings were laced with constant references to the second coming of Christ, to the time when their Savior would restore all things and complete the kingdom. Continually they were praying, “Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!” They were eagerly waiting for Jesus Christ to be revealed (1 Co rin thi ans 1:7).

 

These suffering saints weren’t trying to escape the painful realities of earth; they gladly endured their hardships. They were able to be happy because they knew heaven would reveal the earthshaking significance

behind each tear and affliction. They likened themselves to soldiers poised on the watchtower, workers hoeing for the harvest, athletes straining toward the finish line, and virgins waiting wide-eyed in the night, lamps trimmed, hearts afire, and scanning the horizon for the arrival of their beloved. For New Testament writers who suffered — and suffered much — the world was no party. Rather, they were anticipating the coming Party.

 

We say “Come, Lord Jesus” with one breath, but in the next, we must always pray, “And until you return, give me grace to bear up under my hardship, peace to accept my life circumstances, and courage to tell others about Jesus Christ so that they too can joyously anticipate the Savior’s return.” So “strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come . . . he will come to save you’ ” (Isaiah 35:3 – 4).

 

Lord Jesus, I recognize that this earth can never keep its promises; it can never satisfy. Help me to set my heart on heavenly glories above. Help me to make sure I invite others to that heavenly Party!

 

PAINS AND PLEASAURES

PAINS AND PLEASAURES

 

“All our feelings of pain and pleasure depend upon the attitude of our mind” – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. XX.

 

There was a Buddhist bhikkhu, who was the son of a rich nobleman and, at one time, lived in a palace. Coming under the influence of the Buddha, he renounced his material wealth and the comforts of his palace and accepted the hardships of a mendicant’s life. He slept on the bare ground underneath the trees. He ate what he got by way of alms. He felt happy.

 

One day, he suffered a severe attack of rheumatic pain. At first, he treated it with indifference. Days passed by, but the pain persisted. He could not even meditate properly. He felt miserable. Gone was the joy of life. However hard he tried, he could not recapture his lost peace. His mind became agitated; he felt agitated and weary.

 

One morning, as he was out begging for alms, he found a little girl playing with her friends. She was a cripple; she had only one leg and hobbled on crutches. But she was happy as a lark singing on a tree. She shouted and laughed and made merry with other children. Seeing her, the bhikkhu felt ashamed of him.

 

“This little girl who has only one leg is bright and happy,” he said to himself; “and I, a disciple of Buddha, despair because of little pain!”

 

He returned, a new man. The pain no longer bothered him. He was truly free!

 

How true it is that attitudes are more important than facts!

 

 

http://vasukimahal.blogspot.com

 

 

WHAT EQUIPPING DO YOU STILL NEED FOR GOD'S WORK?

WHAT EQUIPPING DO YOU STILL NEED FOR GOD’S WORK?

 

God has everything you need to complete the assignments he gives you. On a moment’s notice, he can send you whatever you require. So, what is it you need to do his work on earth?

 

Talk to him about it today. God is waiting for you to ask for his help. Ask him to give you the tools, abilities, people, and supplies you need. Rely on his infinite possibilities when you start to get overwhelmed with your finite amount of time, insight, or grace toward others. That which is impossible for you is possible with God. Ask him to prepare you well for your life mission.

 

YOU NEED WHAT!?

 

What do you need most? Is it discernment about who to trust, or is it vision, courage, or financial resources? God can provide you with a loving support system, energy, and even a platform. Do you need permission from some key person to proceed? Do you need a spiritual mentor to help you comprehend your sufficiency in Christ? Do you need more faith, clarity, knowledge, or balance in life? Do you want to ask God for more creativity, compassion, or for a strategic plan or a ministerial network? Ask him for what you need today. Is it the development of your character (for example, confidence or reliability) or the development of spiritual habits (tithing, fasting, or a simple lifestyle)? Barb Lindquist, the world’s top-ranked female, professional, Olympic distance-triathlete, figured out exactly what she needs and now she is asking for it.

 

BARB LINDQUIST NEEDS SOMETHING MORE

 

Barb was a world-ranked swimmer at Stanford University during her college years. She feels blessed that triathlons exist, because she loves to swim, bike, and run. Triathlons, like all sports, are performance-based, and Barb admits that it’s a very human reaction to get feelings of self-worth from racing well.

 

But God has shown Barb that he loves her no matter how she races. Living this truth takes away the pressure of racing well and frees her to express the athletic abilities God has given her. Triathloning is Barb’s mission field! She travels around the world, training and racing for God’s glory—and telling fellow triathletes and sports fans how much she loves Jesus.

 

Barb says that she still needs God’s boldness to do his work better. She knows that in unfamiliar social settings, she can be shy and quiet about God’s extravagant love for her, instead of radiating his boldness. She adds, “God gives each of us unique abilities. Then he equips us with extra blessings (like boldness, time, money, etc.) to maximize our work for him. We please God when we ask to be equipped and when we rely on his strength—not our own.”

 

What Equipping Do You Still Need for God’s Work? David Needed Equipping

 

When David went out to meet the giant Goliath, he chose not to wear a helmet and coat of armor, but he went equipped with the power of the Lord Almighty. Read 1 Samuel 17:32– 51. When you fight “giants,” what do you always like to take with you?

 

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

 

And now, may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing his will. (Hebrews 13:20–21, NLT)

 

SUGGESTED PRAYER

 

Dear Lord, I pray now that you, the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, will equip me, _________, with all I need for doing your will. In fact, today I ask expectantly for a dramatic equipping to do your work on earth and serve you more completely!

 

So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?

 

DECEMBER 28 - My Savior Leads Me . . . and Francie

DECEMBER 28 - My Savior Leads Me . . . and Francie

 

The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads

them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they

know his voice. — JOHN 10:3 – 4

 

When we arrived in Beijing, China, we knew the next two weeks would be crowded with speaking engagements at churches and rehab clinics. To stave off weariness, my secretary, Francie, and I decided to

memorize a hymn as we drove around town. Whenever we piled into our van, we’d start singing “All the Way My Savior Leads Me.”

 

All the way my Savior leads me; What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy, Who thru life has been my guide?

Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know what’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.

 

Morning, noon, and night, we lightened our journey by singing until we knew by heart all three verses, backward and forward! It helped us to remain focused on Jesus, our Shepherd; we were his sheep, following his lead. Francie and I laughingly labeled ourselves “The Singing Ewes.” On the last day, as we drove to the airport, we sang of our wonderful Shepherd one more time — our Chinese pastor-host turned from the front seat and said, “You people back there sing a lot !”

 

James 5:13 says, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” The words to hymns make excellent prayers — especially when you find it hard to describe your feelings and concerns to God. Consider the last verse of Francie’s and my hymn: “All the way my Savior leads me; / Oh, the fullness of His love! / Perfect rest to me is promised / In my Father’s house above: / When my spirit, cloth’d immortal, / Wings its flight to realms of day, / This my song thru endless ages: / Jesus led me all the way.”4

 

 

Oh faithful Shepherd, bless you for leading me all the way through this day. I trust you with your rod and staff, guiding and encouraging me all the way.