I think one of the most significant reasons for the lack of success or resolution of long-standing issues in personal relationships, organizations, communities, or frankly countries, is that people cannot let go of their complaints about things that happened a long time in the past. Although one party may have wronged the other, the conflict cannot be overcome until the one who was wronged can let it go, and get over it.

People may say, “I am not going to be happy until the wrong doer…. apologizes, goes to jail, pays a fine, etc” However, often the person who was wronged, doesn’t even know what he or she wants, they are just mad, and they seem to want to stay that way.

The problem with this thinking is that it gives up control of our thoughts and feelings. What if that punishment or consequence never occurs? Should they be sour forever? Who is actually being punished for the wrong in that case. Staying upset just keeps us miserable.

Proverbs 17:9 says, “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.”

“Getting over it,” by forgiving those who wronged us, is like opening the floodgates to the progress that only can occur when God’s love works through us.

Dear Lord, It is so easy to carry a grudge around, angry at someone for some old fault they may have committed, but this only hurts ourselves. So help us forgive these faults, let them go, get over them, so that we may feel your love, move forward and prosper. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

There is a fable, you may have heard, about an American banker taking a vacation and encounters a fisherman in a small Caribbean village. The banker was impressed with fisherman’s catch, and asked how long it took to catch the fish. When the fisherman said, “not too long,” the banker asked what the fisherman did with his extra time. The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends”

As the story goes, the banker suggests that the fisherman work a little harder, save some money to get a larger boat, grow his business, move to a larger market, and eventually after 15-20 years of working hard building his business, he could sell it for lots of money. The fisherman asked what would he do then, and the banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.”

I am not advocating being lazy, or providing less than our best to the marketplace, but the story makes us stop and think about our priorities.

1 Timothy 6:9-13, says, “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

Dear Lord, you have provided us so many opportunities to contribute and things to experience in our lives, help us find the balance You desire for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

If you know me, or have read my profile on my www.seekyefirstthekingdom.net site, you know that I am a pilot. One interesting thing about flying, particularly flying an instrument final approach into an airport when the clouds are close to the ground, is transitioning from focusing solely on instruments to navigate to seeing the ground “breaking-out” below the clouds and flying the short remaining seconds or minutes looking outside.

After trusting the instruments to identify where you are for minutes or hours previously, it is always a relief to see the runway out in front of the airplane, just where the instruments said it should be. Every time it is a rewarding feeling to see everything clearly rather than having to rely on the instruments in anticipation of seeing with my own eyes.

In a way I think Psalm 119:18 describes something similar, saying, “Uncover my eyes so that I may see the miraculous things in your teachings.” GW

On occasion God does “uncover our eyes” and makes some Biblical teaching crystal clear to us; We have what some call an “ah ha” moment. It is a very rewarding feeling to recognize when this happens, and hopefully the better understanding helps us act more in line with God’s will.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the bible as our guidebook for our lives. Thank you also for revealing the miraculous things in your teachings. Help us use them for your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Paul writes in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” NET

Simply put, Pray for what you want, be thankful for what you get, and receive the unexplainable peace of trusting God.

Dear Lord, thank you for hearing our prayers and giving us what we need. Give us the peace that can only come from trusting you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

You may be familiar with the illustration Jesus gives his disciples in Luke 11; Where he tells this story; you have visitors late one night, and you don’t have any food to provide them, so you go to your neighbor’s house to ask to borrow some food. The neighbor tells you to go away because he and his family are already in bed. You keep on knocking until finally your neighbor gives in and gives you some food, not because he is your friend, but because you are so persistent; the NIV versions says “..because of your shameless audacity, he will get up and give you what you need”

What I had not realized until recently, is that this illustration is immediately before this familiar passage in Luke 11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” NIV

The Living Bible writes it this way. “…And so it is with prayer—keep on asking and you will keep on getting; keep on looking and you will keep on finding..”

It is pretty clear that Jesus was saying, “pray with persistence,” even “audacity” which the dictionary defines as, “bold or arrogant disregard of normal restraints.” This is probably a little uncomfortable for some, including me; being pushy and persistent with God, but that is what He told his disciples.

Dear Lord, help us remember to come to you boldly asking you for the things we need, and want to help us live our lives to glorify you. Help us also pray boldly for you to help our churches, and those in need of your healing, peace, protection, and joy. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.