I have heard it said, “You become who you run with, and they become you.” Obviously you don’t actually become that other person, but when we spend lots of time with someone, their lingo, attitudes, and perspective influence ours. It is very important, therefore, to manage who we spend our time with, because, positive or negative, they are influencing and changing us.

The bible talks about this in Exodus 23:33, where God tells the Israelites, “Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.” Proverbs 24:1, says “Don’t envy godless men; don’t even enjoy their company.”

The interesting thing is that in modern times with television, podcasts, youtube, and other connections, our circle of people influencing us does not just consist of the people we physically spend time with. We can be just as influenced by people we follow on social media, television, and the like; so we need to be careful who we are “running with” even in our “virtual circle”

Dear Lord, help us have the courage to remove those who are negative influences from our circle, and when that is not possible, help us be the positive influence that raises the group to a higher level of faithfulness to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen

The more you read the bible, the more clear it becomes that what God fundamentally wants from us is to be dependent on and trusting in Him. One of the many ways we do this is with our money. You have probably heard the expression, “you can’t outgive God.” When we give our money to our church, people in need, or organizations that help people, we are not only providing them money, we are demonstrating that we know God will take care of us and give us what we need.

I like how the NLT bible version puts Proverbs 11:24-25, “Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; Those who refresh others will be refreshed.”

It is sometimes a difficult line for us to draw between being thrifty and being stingy. Our motivation, what is in our heart is what matters. Are we remembering that all we have comes from God, and trusting him to provide?

Dear Lord, help us remember to be generous with the resources you have given us, and if we need more we should ask you. Holding our generosity and charity will not enrich us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

We know that God is all powerful. He created all things, from the magnitude of the universe, to the complexity of our bodies; he performed incredible powerful miracles like the great flood, the plagues in Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea to the many miracles Jesus performed, like raising Lazarus from death, and casting out demons. We know from the story of Job that the devil is subject to God’s permission and authority. Who would question whether God could strike anyone on earth down at any time, or wipe out anything man could build with a single act of Nature. God’s Power is Awesome!

At the same time, 1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love.” God is love…the magnitude of this is also difficult for us to understand. The most compassion, care, empathy, sympathy, sacrifice, we can feel or express is just a drop compared to God’s love, because God is Love.

Together, how can we not submit ourselves to God’s will, knowing that by doing so, we are supported and protected by the ultimate power and cared for by the one who defines love.

Dear Lord, Let us take both comfort, and strength in knowing that You are Power and Love, and you love us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In the US Military, soldiers are deployed, sent away to different places, for various lengths of time. The military makes a distinction between the types of deployments and moves. In stereotypical military fashion, there are acronyms for each type. TDY means Temporary Duty; the soldier is deployed for a few days to a few months, but a PCS means Permanent Change of Station. On a TDY, the soldier maintains his or her affiliation to the home unit, wearing the insignia on his or her uniform of the home unit. In contrast, a PCS means the soldier has a new “home unit” and becomes part of the new organization.

I use this illustration, because as Christians, we are TDY here on earth, on a “temporary assignment.” Our home unit is with God. In John 15:19 Jesus tells his disciples, “As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world;” and in John 17:14 Jesus is praying for his disciples, he asks God to protect them and says, “for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” Just like soldiers on TDY, we are away from home, but we represent our home unit; our behavior and performance reflect either positively or negatively on our home unit, Christ and other Christians. As the song goes, “I am but a stranger here, heaven is my home.”

Dear Lord, be with us while we are on this temporary assignment. Help us bring glory to you while we are here. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

As Christians we want to do God’s will, and be guided by the Holy Spirit in our actions and decisions. Although we may try to listen, it is not always easy to hear God and know what He wants us to do.

Paul gives us some help in figuring this out, in Galatians 5:22 where he writes, “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

So we know if our thoughts, decisions, and actions lead us to these characteristics, we are heading in the right direction.

Dear Lord, thank you for the guidance you provide us in the bible, and give us the strength to follow your will to produce these “fruit of the Spirit.” In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.