Welcome P31 Encouragement for Today readers. I'm glad you are here. Please read on for details about today's giveaway.
My devotion today dealt with brain blips, mishaps, and feelings of failure. I wrote this a while ago, but the timing of it running today is uncanny.
My son Mark made a bad choice yesterday to try and move my car down the driveway on his own. He is a new driver with a learner's permit but not nearly enough experience to get behind the wheel on his own. Not even on the driveway.
The result was thousands of dollars of damage to both my car and my friend's car.
Here is part of the devotion I wrote:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew: 7:24-27 (NIV)
Do you know what amazes me about those verses above?
Both the person doing right and the person doing wrong experienced hard times. In both cases the rains came, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against the house.
Just because we’re Christians living out God’s principles for life, does not mean we won’t face difficult circumstances. The difference being a Christian makes is how the difficulties affect us. If we are hearing and heeding God through our prayer time and reading His Word, then we will be able to stand strong in the storms of life. Our faith will not be shaken and our identity will not be rattled.
So, in processing the very costly mistake my son made, these verses once again spoke to my heart.
I must look for the Rock- the solid foundation- the unshifting assurance that God has my son's best interest in mind even through this. Maybe especially through this. His eligibility to get his permit upgraded to a driver's license will be delayed by a year.
And this might be an amazing way God is protecting my son. Protecting others. Preventing a tragedy we shutter to imagine. Maybe this driveway incident is one of the biggest blessings of my son's life.
Last night I asked each of my kids to go stand out by the crumpled metal and shattered glass. I told them to let the memory be burned in their mind of how dangerous cars can be. So, maybe the protection will even extend to them.
Yes, rain falls, streams rise, and winds beat against us. But the rock is sure and certain... even when life is not.
__________________
Now, for that giveaway---
Leave a comment below and you'll be registered to win 4 copies of my book "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God." Read this book and Bible Study with a couple of your friends, neighbors, or co-workers. Then when you're done, let me know and I'll schedule a phone Q&A with you.
I'll leave this contest open through the weekend and post the winner on Monday.
Sweet Blessings!
My devotion today dealt with brain blips, mishaps, and feelings of failure. I wrote this a while ago, but the timing of it running today is uncanny.
My son Mark made a bad choice yesterday to try and move my car down the driveway on his own. He is a new driver with a learner's permit but not nearly enough experience to get behind the wheel on his own. Not even on the driveway.
The result was thousands of dollars of damage to both my car and my friend's car.
Here is part of the devotion I wrote:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew: 7:24-27 (NIV)
Do you know what amazes me about those verses above?
Both the person doing right and the person doing wrong experienced hard times. In both cases the rains came, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against the house.
Just because we’re Christians living out God’s principles for life, does not mean we won’t face difficult circumstances. The difference being a Christian makes is how the difficulties affect us. If we are hearing and heeding God through our prayer time and reading His Word, then we will be able to stand strong in the storms of life. Our faith will not be shaken and our identity will not be rattled.
So, in processing the very costly mistake my son made, these verses once again spoke to my heart.
I must look for the Rock- the solid foundation- the unshifting assurance that God has my son's best interest in mind even through this. Maybe especially through this. His eligibility to get his permit upgraded to a driver's license will be delayed by a year.
And this might be an amazing way God is protecting my son. Protecting others. Preventing a tragedy we shutter to imagine. Maybe this driveway incident is one of the biggest blessings of my son's life.
Last night I asked each of my kids to go stand out by the crumpled metal and shattered glass. I told them to let the memory be burned in their mind of how dangerous cars can be. So, maybe the protection will even extend to them.
Yes, rain falls, streams rise, and winds beat against us. But the rock is sure and certain... even when life is not.
__________________
Now, for that giveaway---
Leave a comment below and you'll be registered to win 4 copies of my book "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God." Read this book and Bible Study with a couple of your friends, neighbors, or co-workers. Then when you're done, let me know and I'll schedule a phone Q&A with you.
I'll leave this contest open through the weekend and post the winner on Monday.
Sweet Blessings!
Home