One of CS Lewis’ great quotes is, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” This is an insightful way to look at humility, without tearing ourselves down.

Paul tells us in Philipians 2:3-5, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” he goes on to tell us in verses 8-9, “He [Jesus] humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names.”

If we are like Jesus, we put our focus outside of ourselves, on serving others, and God will do the work of watching out for and taking care of us.

Dear Lord, Thank you for Jesus’ perfect example of a life of service to others. Like Jesus, who rose in glory after humble service, we too know we don’t have to selfishly promote ourselves, because you will watch over us while we serve others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

GPS Navigation systems have become commonplace in modern times, whether handheld devices, in car dashboards, or on our phones, they are ubiquitous.

One thing that amazing about these devices, is that when we are following directions to a destination but take a wrong turn, the system only takes a few seconds to recalculate the best alternate route, taking into consideration that we did not follow the previous guidance. If we have the voice commands turned on, the system becomes very persistent in getting us back on the right path. Many of us have heard the words from the computer generated voice, “make a legal u-turn.”

God’s direction for our lives is like this GPS guidance. Psalm 32:8 says, “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you,” Proverbs 3:6 writes, “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take,” and Proverbs 15:10 writes, “Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined”

God is always there reminding us through our conscience and other means when we are going off of his “route guidance.”

Dear Lord, Thank you for keeping watch over us and directing us on the path we should take. Help us have the humility and judgment to submit to your guidance so that we can have the peace and joy you desire for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In a conversation with a friend, some time ago, he mentioned how he thought that society was becoming split into a group of “haves” and a group of “have-nots.” After giving it some thought, I don’t particularly agree, but I think there is a more significant gap in place. I think there is a divide between those who know right and wrong and are striving to do what is right, and those who also know right and wrong, but are looking for excuses to justify doing what they know is wrong. This gap is at work at all income levels.

Paul wrote in Hebrews 10:16 referencing Jeremiah 31:33, “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,”

God has put his guidelines for right and wrong in our hearts and minds. We can sense these rules, but often they go against what we really want to do, the temptations of our earthly lives. We can try to convince ourselves that certain behaviors are okay because they are legal, they are common practice, or no one will know, but God knows, and it is his rules by which we should measure ourselves.

Dear Lord, Thank you for providing us the guidelines for doing the right thing, in our hearts. Help us follow these guidelines and overcome the temptations that would pull us away from your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

We have a 8 year old Golden Retriever as our pet, and over the years we have worked on training him to listen to our commands and walk properly along side us. One of the books I read on training described that the key to having the dog listen and do what you expect is to keep their attention on you, their master. When their attention is drawn away from you, they will start off on their own agenda, chasing a squirrel, or following a scent.

I am not equating people to pets, but in a similar way, what we put our attention on affects what we do in life. In 1 Chronicles 16 David is telling the people of Israel how to behave, praise, and follow God, and he writes in verse 11, “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”

We need to be regularly turning our attention to God, his word, the bible, prayer, and worship, so that our attention is not drawn away toward things that take us away from God’s will.

Dear Lord, your lessons and instruction are available through your word in the Bible for all of to lead the life you desire. We need only keep our attention on you and your teaching, and you will guide us. Help us do just that. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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 too today. How we came to know our best friends, how we met our spouse, or how we ended up living and working where we do. We cannot predict what God has in store for us, even tomorrow. 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.