Includes...
Here is today's communion meditation.
In Luke 4:17-19 Jesus reads from Isaiah 61...the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
These verses tell us what Jesus came to do...He wants to set us free and bring us out of darkness into the light.
Today's communion is a time to meditate on these scriptures and to thank God for all he has done for us in Christ. In my own experience there is a progression to this passage of scripture. First, we must experience him setting us free. But then we must proclaim this to other people. If we are in Christ, then the same Spirit and anointing that was on Jesus is on us as well to bring good...
Here is today's communion meditation.
Recently, my daughter and I have been reading The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. In the book he gives a short formula for happiness which includes this short little phrase... Expect Little, Give Much.
In my own life, I have found this to be true. Expecting very little and being grateful for everything instead is a much better way to think.
Much of our unhappiness in life comes from our expectations not being met. When we turn the tables and focus on being a blessing, doing good, and giving it takes our eyes off of ourselves and wanting things from others. Which leads to a much more fulfilling life.
Having our expectations get frustrated can make us focus on darkness and kick us out of the light. If it happens habitually it can spiral into bitterness and high levels of frustration.
In today's communion meditation we are thanking God for all he has given to us out of his great love. And we are askin...
Here is today's communion meditation.
What if when you are working out you didn't use your energy but God's instead? God has given us the opportunity for a great exchange. We can give him the little we have and get back everything he has in return.
Recently while working out I have been practicing using God's strength and energy rather than my own. And as I have practiced this, my ability to do significantly more in my workouts has greatly increased while feeling very easy. And when the workout is over, I have more energy and feel like I could do the whole workout again.
God has given us everything he has in Christ and it is available to flow through us today.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude for this great exchange and all God has made available in Christ. And we are asking for his help to grow in our knowledge of what's available and how to put it into practice and walk in all that he has made available.
I am praying for you.
Daniel
We are in the middle of Hanukkah, which is also known as the Feast of Dedication and the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is a reminder that when we dedicate ourselves to God's plan and purpose for our lives it will usually look like we don't have enough and aren't capable, but he can take the little we have and do the miraculous. During Hanukkah each night an additional candle is lit, which is a reminder that our light is supposed to grow brighter and brighter. God is great and we are supposed to become more like him. His desire is to make us great and the method he uses is his grace flowing through us.
One of the biggest keys I have learned in all of life is giving ourselves grace. God's grace must be received from him, flow through us, and out into the world. But we often block the flow by not giving grace to ourselves. We tend to be our own worst critic, beat ourselves up, and condemn ourselves. We also put unrealistic timelines and deadlines on ourselves to see ...
Here is today's communion meditation.
As we get closer to the end of the year it's good for us to look at which direction we are moving in. In life we are either growing and improving or we are going in the wrong direction, there isn't much in between.
I was once making some hot chocolate for my kids in a pot. As I stirred the milk over and over, I felt like God was telling me to take my spoon out. When my spoon was removed the milk continued to spin in the same direction without me doing anything. Then I felt like God was telling me to put my spoon back in and stir in the opposite direction. When I first started the milk became very turbulent and disordered but as I kept stirring in the other direction it eventually got to the point where I could take my spoon out and it would keep spinning in the other direction.
Today is a good time to examine our direction and growth. Think back over the last year and examine which direction you are heading in the followi...
Here is today's communion meditation.
When my wife, Tricia, gave birth to our second daughter Kiera’s the epidural did not take away all the pain. As we approached the birth of our third daughter, Reina, my wife asked the doctor if it was normal to still have quite a bit of pain and pressure even with the epidural.
The doctor said the reason for the pain was that he didn’t get ahead of it soon enough. He said if the epidural is put in too late, it often doesn’t work as well. With this in mind, when we went in for Reina to be born, they put Tricia’s epidural in very early. The result was a very easy and uneventful labor and delivery. I sat there and watched the monitor as Tricia was having big contractions, the same level that made her miserable in the previous delivery, and this time she just sat there watching TV and eating ice chips like nothing was happening. The whole process was easy because we got ahead of the pain.
Proverbs 22:3 and 27:12 both say that a...
Here is today's communion meditation.
Today I have a challenge for us... 7 Days of Only Praise coming out of our mouths with no complaining or criticizing.
My mom once told me the story of a woman who had raised several foster children from very bad backgrounds and every one of them turned into an amazing person. She said her secret was to praise each child for something they were doing well each day. My mom asked if there was ever a kid, they had a hard time finding things to praise. The woman said there was one kid who was a mess and was constantly in trouble, but they liked the way he combed his hair. So, they started praising him for his hair and he began to turn.
Complaining and criticizing others doesn't make them want to change, it's only grace that makes people want to change. Our challenge is to only have praise coming out of our mouths for 7 days to God, about ourselves, and toward others. Proverbs says that he who has a bountiful eye will be blesse...
In December our message for the month is Life on Purpose. This month we will be discussing finding our purpose and seeking God for his direction for next year. Here are some things I have learned about our purpose.
God created each of us with an individual purpose that is unique to us and he eagerly desires for us to find and fulfill this purpose. According to Proverbs 20:5 our purpose is in the deep waters of our heart and Proverbs 18:5 says we pull it out with our words.
Our purpose will combine our talents, experiences, and stories into something that is unique. It is the way these are combined or stacked that makes our gift unique. But, to be unique will require faith and courage to break free and do things differently.
First, we must seek God to find our purpose, then we must refine our gift through consistent practice with God as our coach. As we grow in our purpose God will take us through a progression to make us fruitful, multiply us, and increase us...
Here is today's communion meditation.
As we get closer to the end of the year it's a good reminder to look back at how far you've come. We often get focused on the struggles of today or looking at the ideal of where we want to be in the future, and this can make us feel frustrated and discouraged. But, looking back at the progress you've already made and how far you've already come builds gratitude and encouragement, which leads to the courage you need for today.
The other important part of looking back at our progress is understanding that God is progressive and wants to do more in the future than he has already done. This builds expectation so that we wake up excited for the day. A good practice to get into is looking back at each day, week, month, and year at the progress that was made and the things that went well.
In today's communion it is a time gratitude for all God has already done in our lives and that he wants to do even more moving forward. And we...
Here is today's communion meditation.
The other day my family and I watched the new Karate Kid movie. In the movie, Jackie Chan is teaching the young boy Kung Fu and he says, " Kung Fu is in everything you do and how you treat people."
The movie reminded me that Christianity is supposed to be in everything we do, because it is in us and part of us. It is supposed to overflow into the way we...
Everything we do is an opportunity to partner with God and release his grace, peace, joy, love, and beauty into the world. Everything we do can be an act of worship.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude that because of Jesus we have God with us, and he wants our relationship with him to overflow into everything we do.
I a...
Sign up to receive Yearly Cycle Updates delivered to your inbox.