How many times have we, golfers, reminded ourselves to keep our heads down during the swing, but still occasionally still make the mistake of looking up before completing the swing. Or, were you ever told, not to end a sentence with a preposition, or to count to 10 before speaking when you are angry.

There are many things in life that sound simple enough, but are very difficult to achieve in practice.

Paul gives us another rule in Philippians 4:6, that sounds easy, but is challenging to practice. he says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

“Don’t worry,” is not as simple as it sounds, but it is worth practice. When we feel the concern becoming worry, remember to pray, and put the issue in God’s hands.

Dear Lord, you tell us in 1 Peter 5:7 to “cast our cares on you, because you care about us.” Help us keep practicing this skill of giving our worries to you in prayer and thanking you for addressing them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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There is a fair amount of debate, in intellectual circles and scientific communities about where a person’s morality and conscience come from. People without a religious belief, atheists and agnostics would argue that morality and conscience are learned, and are only a result of upbringing and exposure.

God is pretty clear through Paul’s writing in Romans, though, that our conscience and morality were placed in each of us by God. Romans 2:14,15 says, “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.”

How great it is to have a conscience to help us see the boundaries for our behavior. God put these reminders there for us, all we have to do is follow them

Dear Lord, We thank you for having written your law on our hearts. Please give us the strength to listen to our conscience, and choose to do the right thing. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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When skyscrapers are built they are built on huge foundations dug deeply into the ground where it is solid, ideally solid rock.

Jesus tells those listening to him in Matthew 7:24, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Isaiah 26:4 says, “Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.”

We build the foundation for our life on our beliefs, preconceptions, and world views. If this foundation is built on how we feel about things and popular social and cultural ideas, we are not building our life on solid ground. Jesus’ and his teaching that we learn through the bible are the solid rock foundation on which we can build lives that enable us to successfully withstand the trials and temptations of the world.

Dear Lord, Thank you for taking the guesswork out of building our lives properly. You have given us the template which starts with following and trusting you. Help us keep you first in our lives build our lives around you, our Rock. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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A while ago, I had the opportunity to do some very basic rock climbing and learn a little about how it is done. One thing that was very evident to me was how important and reassuring it was to have a “belay” line. A belay line is used by rock climbers to prevent falling a long distance if they lose their grip or footing and fall. On a climbing wall the lines hang down from the top, and slack is taken up as the climber ascends. On a natural climb, the belay line is anchored and another stationary climber feeds out the line as the other climber ascends. If the climber slips, he/she can only fall as far as the last anchor point and the amount of slack the rope allows.

The simple climbing I did looked so easy from the ground. However, once 30 or 40 feet up, the knowledge that making a mistake would only result in a learning experience and maybe a scrape or two, rather than serious injury or death, made it a completely different experience.

In a similar way, this is what Paul is saying in Hebrews 13:5-6, he writes, “For God has said, “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.” That is why we can say without doubt or fear, “The Lord is my helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me.”

If we can get the belief God will not fail us, built into our hearts and minds. We can proceed with confidence on the mission to which he calls us.

Dear Lord, Knowing that you will not fail them provides incredible power and strength to those who trust you. Help us all to have this faith and do your will even in the midst of our fears. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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In Matthew 18:4-6 Jesus says, “So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

In verse 10 Jesus says, “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.”

“Their angels” it says. As one of the Bible verses supporting the belief that people have guardian angels, this verse gives an awesome and comforting vision that there are angels standing in God’s presence responsible for helping individual believers.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the assurance provided in this passage that you care for us, and assign your angels to look out for us. Help this give us the confidence to act boldly for you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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