A business coach I follow has a concept to describe two different mindsets people tend to have. He metaphorically describes the mindsets as “neighborhoods.”

One neighborhood he describes as the “Abundance” neighborhood. In this neighborhood, or mindset, people are grateful for what they have and for the contributions each other make. They work together to resolve issues in ways that benefit each other, and the success of each other builds to advance everyone and create abundance for the neighborhood. The foundation of this neighborhood is gratitude.

The other neighborhood he describes is the “Scarcity” neighborhood, where people believe there is only so much to go around, where there is friction between the “Haves” and “Have-nots,” and where the only way one person can “get ahead” is with someone else falling behind. The foundation of this “neighborhood” is envy.

Solomon writes about the “Scarcity Neighborhood” in Proverbs 24:1,2 “Don’t envy evil people or desire their company. For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble.” Solomon also wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:4, “Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors.”

Mark 8:6 describes the “Abundance Neighborhood” in the account of feeding 4000 with seven loaves of bread and a few fish, “So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd.”

What neighborhood do you live in?

Dear Lord help us build our foundations on gratitude for all that you have provided us, and believe in the abundance that you provide for those who trust you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Luke 8:22-25 tells about Jesus and the disciples sailing across a lake. “One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?”

We could read Jesus’ question “Where is your faith?” as a rhetorical question, like a figure of speech meaning, “You don’t have faith.”

However, you could also look at the question as Jesus actually expecting an answer. “Where is your faith?” And the answer in this case would be, their faith was in the likelihood of them drowning. They actually said, “We are going to drown.” Using their words, they were expressing their faith.

I think God is trying to get a message to us with this account. When we say things like, “I’ll never lose weight,” or “I’ll never get out of debt,” or “I am always late.” We are reinforcing a belief, (faith) in those statements.

We need to turn things around and put our faith where it should be, saying things like, “with God’s help, I will be on time.” or “By the grace of God I will lose weight,” or “I am confident God will make this situation work out.”

Dear Lord, We all occasionally have lapses in our faith in you to be with us in all types of situations. Help us remember to speak with faith in your ability to make things work out well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I heard this quote recently, and it stuck with me. “Many books can inform you, but the Bible can transform you.” It reminded me of the passage in Romans.

In Romans 12:2 Paul says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

When we read the Bible and let the Holy Spirit work in our hearts and minds, more than just learning, we are transformed into new people, who see things in life differently.

Dear Lord, transform us, so that we may know and do your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I read a great quote today. “Those who leave everything in God’s hands will eventually see God’s hand in everything.”

God is always working around us. When we have the right perspective, we can see it. When we see it we can join in his work.

Paul writes in Philippians 2:13, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” NLT

Lord how wonderful it is to know that you have power over everything. Help us trust in you and give you not just our fears, worries, and concerns, but also our dreams, hopes and desires, and watch you do your will which as Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:20, “is immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” For this we thank and praise you. Amen.

In Hebrews 12:1 Paul writes, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down especially the sin that so easily trips us up, and run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

If you are a runner, I am sure you can relate to the burden that an few extra pounds have on the effort required to run, particularly those first few runs after adding some weight over the winter or time away from exercise. If you are not a runner, have you ever had to run through the airport with a suitcase or dufflebag trying to catch a flight, or running into school with a backpack trying to make the bell. That is the example Paul uses to describe the burden sin has on the race we are running daily as Christians. Getting rid of that sin we are carrying, makes it so much easier to pursue those things we hear God calling us to do.

If we confess and repent of those sins, we can throw off the weight they have on our lives and follow our call more easily.

Dear Lord, we confess today the sins we have in our lives, we are humbly sorry for doing those things we know are against your will. Thank you for your forgiveness. Help us move forward running our race without these burdens in the future. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.