"Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?"   Mark 4:38

​God cares!  God cares more about us than we care about Him.  God cares about us more than we care about ourselves.  Most importantly, God cares about the things that are worth caring about.  We often focus on the wrong things and put too much value in the areas of our life that are inconsequential.  We care about the storm and all the wind and the noise.  We don't care enough about people and God.

Lord, thank you for loving me and help me to love the you and others, more.

"This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24

We worry about tomorrow or look forward to tomorrow but we rarely embrace today.

Lord, help me to see the best that today has to offer and make that best ... better.

"So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." Galatians 6:9

More is better.  This is definitely the case when it comes to items we like.  More dessert.  More fries, please.  More money.  More vacation time.  More episodes of our favorite binge show.  However, more is not better when it is things we perceive to be undesirable.  More stress.  More work.  More waiting.  If the purpose of doing good is to get something in return, then waiting for that return of investment ends up being difficult.  That is why when it comes to doing good, we should not see doing good as being undesirable.  God is a process oriented God.  Do good.  Do the process.  And eventually, it will pay off.

Lord, help me to focus on the process of doing good and not the result of being good.

"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."  Acts 4:31

We have a choice.  We can try to do things on our own and fail and then come to God as our last resort and ask Him for help bail us out.  Or, we can save a lot of time and trouble and stop and ask Him first.

Lord, help me to pray first.

"Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."  Romans 12:2

Routines are typically comfortable.  Habits are usually easier to continue than to change.  Most people see change as a burden and a cause of stress.  However, change is what makes us better.  Change takes us from where we are to where we want to be.  Change usually takes intentional thoughts and actions.  Changing our mindset to be more like God's mindset will give us better routines and better habits.

Lord, help me to critically examine my life and find the ways I am conforming to a broken world and not transforming to the lifestyle You want me to have.

"I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overcome with joy in all our afflictions." 2 Corinthians 7:4

It is a lonely feeling when we perceive that no one cares.  This is why so many people are active on social media.  They are throwing out a huge volume of material in hopes that someone will care, so that they feel validated.  Unfortunately, much of what is on social media is not worth caring about.  So what is worth caring about?  God cares about you.  That is enough for Him.  Living a life that you and others can be proud of and that is encouraging to others and that gives others confidence in you is worth caring about.

Lord, thank you for caring about me and help me to behave in such a way that people actually should care.

"So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

As Christians, we tend to focus on the wrong things.  As humans, we tend to focus on the wrong things.  We tend to focus on what is in front of us and what causes immediate happiness or pleasure.  We forget to prioritize the areas of our life that are less apparent and more valuable.  We tend to "major on the minors" as the idiom states.  We take the minor thing and make it the major thing.  We take the "seen" and make that more important than what is actually important, yet unseen.  God matters.  Faith matters.  Love matters.  Praying matters.  Caring matters.

Lord, help me to focus on what matters and not merely on what is in front of me. 

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord." 
1 Corinthians 1:26-31

All we have comes from God.  

Lord, help me to realize that I would be nothing without You and the blessings you bestow on me.

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control." 
2 Timothy 1:7

Fear is a natural human response to our lack of trust.  We fear when we are uncertain about an outcome.  We fear when we feel that our own perceptions and senses are more valuable than either reality or probability or most importantly, trust.  God did not give us fear.  Fear is a result of our lack of trust in God and that He is in control.

Lord, help me to trust more so I fear less.

"Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good."  Romans 12:9

"Detest" and "Cling" are a lot stronger than "not prefer" and "like".  Detest is a very descriptive verb.  It is more than simply disliking.  Cling paints the picture of "holding on and never letting go".  This takes a lot more effort than what we may often invest.   

Lord, help me to be more active in my actions toward what is right and what is wrong.