Some of you may know that I had the privilege of being a fighter pilot for a long time in the US Air Force. One of the things we trained for routinely was called Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM) more commonly known as “Dog Fighting,” where two jets would maneuver through the sky in an effort to get in a position to shoot the other jet with guns or missiles. One of the most important concepts in this process was never to lose sight of the opponent. We had an expression that spelled it out “lose sight, lose fight.”

Somewhat similarly, Paul writes in Hebrews 12:1,2, “..And let us run the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith..”

We can endure the hardships and challenges of life, and the Christian life, by keeping our eyes on Jesus. When we look away and lose sight of him, we begin losing our fight with the temptations of life.

Dear Lord, Thank you for being the focal point of our faith. Help us remember to keep our eyes of faith on you so that we may be able to run the Christian race with endurance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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It is interesting to look at the lives of people and see how the many seemingly unrelated events and circumstances come together to create the lives they have at any point in time.

We can see this in biblical personalities as well. Would Moses ever have thought that he would become the leader and liberator of the Jewish nation, or Joseph becoming so powerful in Egypt after being sold as a slave by his brothers, or Paul at one point persecuting the early Christians, then later becoming the leading spokesman for Christianity?

We can see some of these things in our lives to today; how we came to know our best friends, how we met our spouse, or how we ended up living where we do or in our occupation. We cannot predict what God has in store for us, even tomorrow.

Proverbs 16:9 writes, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” and in 1 Corinthians 2:9 Paul writes, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

We don’t know why things are going the way they are for us at any one time, but we can know that God loves us and has plans for each of us.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the peace of knowing that you have control of all that happens to each one of us. If we only surrender ourselves to your will, our lives will be the beautiful picture that you are painting. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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There are scenes in at least two spy movies, that I know of, showing the main character sneaking into someplace wearing a wet suit then once inside, taking off the wet suit revealing a tuxedo underneath, and the spy proceeds to blend into the fancy event.

Though farfetched, this is the image that comes to mind when I read the passage from Colossians 3:9-10 where Paul writes, “since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

I like to envision that we take off our sinful self, and underneath lies our new self, that God sees as righteous because of the sacrifice made by Jesus to pay for our sins.

Dear Lord, It is only a result of the grace we receive through Jesus Christ that we are able to be seen as acceptable to God. Like peeling off an old outer layer, we can leave our sinful self behind and be made new. Lord we thank you for this grace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Each year, Warren Buffet, thought to be the greatest investor of modern times, auctions off a lunch with himself, giving the proceeds to charity. This year the winning bid for this lunch was $2.68 million. I imagine the person who paid that much money was be alert and listening to every word he heard from Warren Buffet.

Fortunately we don’t have to pay to speak with God, the creator of everything. Prayer is our way of communicating to God. Often times God is responding to us, while we pray, through our thoughts and perceptions. We need to be concentrating and listening for these answers.

Paul writes in Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” NLT. However, The Living Bible translation writes the same verse this way, “Don’t be weary in prayer; keep at it; watch for Gods answers, and remember to be thankful when they come.”

We know God is answering our prayers, his way. Let’s be thankful always, and alert for God’s answers.

Dear Lord, Thank you for being just a prayer away. Help us pray regularly, alert and thankful. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Have you noticed people who seem to have everything they could ever want, but they can’t seem to be happy? If they really want to find happiness and joy, they need to realize that it does not come from outside themselves getting more and more. It comes from inside us, by having a state of peace that then allows us to be happy in any circumstance.

Psalm 128:1,2 says, “How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!”

Dear Lord, we cannot truly find peace and joy until we have you in our hearts, and follow your ways. Help each of us to recognize this so we can experience the joyful prosperous life you promise. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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