"The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." 1 Samuel 17:37

​Need help! Send up a flare!

Lord, rescue me!

" ... but Christ is all and in all."  Colossians 3:11b

Christ is all and is in all and wants all of us to be all in, all of the time.

​Lord, help me to avoid being partially in but instead be all in.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,   Acts 3:19

Saying sorry is difficult for some to say, while others find it easy to say.  However, showing that we are sorry is much more difficult.  It has been said that our actions are the best way to demonstrate a 'thank you' and a 'sorry'.  When our actions change, they speak more than words will ever do.

Lord, thank You for Your Son and His death on the cross and help my actions to reflect my appreciation.

If you really carry out the royal law prescribed in Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.  James 2:8

When I was looking to buy my current home, my wife and I drove around and looked at dozens of houses over a couple months.  We finally found a great house in a great neighborhood at a great price.  We did not go around and interview the neighbors.  We did not make our decision on whether or not we could tolerate our neighbors.  In addition, in the past ten years, several of the homes have been sold and new neighbors have arrived.  None of those neighbors interviewed us before purchasing their home.  God uses the term "neighbor" in his command for us to love "our neighbors" for a distinct purpose.  We don't pick our neighbors.  We pick our house and then inherent the neighbors.  Just like we don't pick our classmates, our teammates, our co-workers and to some extent, our families.  God doesn't want us to merely love those we want to be around but He wants us to love everyone.

Lord, help me to love others.

"When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded, I was a fool and didn't understand; I was an unthinking animal toward You." Psalm 73:21-22

Bitterness harms us.  We think it harms the person we are bitter toward but the joke is on us.  Our bitterness rarely impacts the recipient of our bitterness.  Most likely, they don't even know we are bitter toward them and if we try hard to make sure that they know we are bitter, it becomes even worse for us.  In contrast, forgiveness makes us better.  Forgiveness may not feel better at the time but most things worth having don't feel good at the time.  Working out may not feel good at the time, but the results make us feel good afterwards.  Bitterness is a selfish act of momentary satisfaction.  

Lord, help me to be better and being less bitter and selfish in how I relate to others.

"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

A quick Google search will find a number of definitions or explanations of a common acronym used today "FOMO".  A typical description is "anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website."  Social Media is relatively new but wanting to belong has always existed.  Everyone wants to "fit in' and be a part of the group and not an outlier.  Even shy or socially introverted individuals desire friends and want to avoid social isolation.  However, the desire to "fit in" with others will often move us away from "fitting in" with God and what His plans are for us.

Lord, help me to desire to fit in with You more than wanting to fit in with those around me who are in opposition to You.

"So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up."  Galatians 6:9

Entitlement is characterized as individuals who "overestimate the short term and underestimate the long term".  In other words, entitled people are more likely to quit something early on when the results are not favorable and they tend to lack perseverance when things get tough.  Entitlement is a learned skill.  God not only wants us to persevere but He commands us to do so because God knows that the process takes time and the harvest is worth it.

Lord, thank You for not suggesting but requiring me to persevere so I don't have a choice.

"Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

The Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA have become famous for their philosophy to become relevant in the NBA.  "The Process", which required them to lose for a few years in order to earn first overall picks in the NBA draft was both mocked and criticized.  Intentionally losing in order to win is not a philosophy that most people adopt.  However, something else that is not often adopted by many is the idea of a process.  Besides the "losing to win" element, "the process" element is even harder for many to buy into.  In a society that values today and devalues tomorrow, trusting the process is hard.

Lord, help me to forget about yesterday and strive ahead today for tomorrow.

"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, either by our message or by our letter." 2 Thessalonians 2:15

March Madness and filling out Brackets has become a tradition for most in the United States.  More people will watch and somewhat care about college basketball today than any other day of the year.  Besides bosses who feel that their employees are less productive, most view this "National Tradition" to be positive.  Traditions tend to be favorable activities.  Christmas Traditions.  Family Traditions.  School Traditions. Traditions bring us together and remind us of past and connect us to our present.  However, it is a good practice to look at the things we do on a regular basis and evaluate whether they are good for us to engage in (traditions) or if they are destructive to us and others (bad habits or sin).

Lord, help me to not merely engage in habits or traditions but fully understand why I do what I do and for whom I do it for.

"No one can serve two masters..."   Matthew 6:24

We learned at a young age on the playground that you can only follow one leader at a time or you will lose the game.  A game of "Follow the Leader" where the followers end up following anyone and everyone is merely chaos.  Who is the leader of your life?  It is important to pick the correct one to follow.

Lord, help me to follow You and You alone.