Drops of Sunshine - Daily Bread

 

 As we grow in Christ, there should be a change. I learn to love the things that God loves and despise those things he hates. What I don't want to do is to indulge in wickedness when I know it causes him hurt. We treat our loved ones with that kind of respect. I don't want to hurt the people I love. If I've come to love God, then my actions should mimic my words. 

Two of my favorite words are Consistent and Persistent. They are on display in the bible with the parable of the persistent widow. If we trust God enough to make our request of him, then trust him enough to deliver. Don't give up because it seems like it's taking longer than you'd like. Exercise consistency and persistency. If you find yourself struggling in either area, guess what? You can pray and ask God for the help needed to develop.

 Years ago, I remember hearing my mother speak about the importance of being faithful with our ask. If I really want what I'm asking for, then my request is consistent. But there is another aspect to this when it comes to our prayer lives. What we do while waiting is just as essential as the request. If I trust God enough to make my requests known to him, then I need to live knowing he not only heard me, but is readying me to receive more than I can imagine.

 This is one of my favorite verses. Each time I read and meditate on it, I'm encouraged to continue pressing and confidently trusting that my God is still a prayer answering God. If I don't exercise my faith in trusting him, then that muscle will never be strengthened. So even through the hard seasons that we find ourselves going through, trust that God hears your cry and he is up to something extraordinary!

Growing up, the Assistant Pastor at my church would repeatedly tell the congregation that we had to stay connected. She had a humorous way of putting it that sticks in all of our minds all these years later. But I always walked away with the understanding that you can never run out of what you are in need of if you are connected to the source. So if you want a continual supply of God's provision, don't sever the connection.

 It's only been in my adult years that I've come to truly admire the beauty of science and nature. (Nature more than science) I learn so much about my spiritual living from them both. It's amazing how one drop of salt can alter the molecular structure of H20. Just a speck. Showing that however little, it caused my pure water to no longer be pure. That's how I've come to think about what I feed my spirit. I don't want tainted spiritual food. So it's imperative that I'm asking God, daily, for clarity and discernment.

In order to recognize what is evil, you have to know what is good. That doesn't mean you have to dabble in sinful things. Instead, when you make a choice to live righteously and take on godly characteristics, then you lose the desire to do the things that are not pleasing to God. Don't let the only difference between you and those who habitually practice evil be that you claim to be different. 

One of the things I respect about my coworkers is that when they know...they know. In other words, no matter how many customers come at them with a gaslight attempt, you're not changing their mind. They know the truth. That's honestly the mindset we should be aiming to achieve as believers. If we armor ourselves on a daily basis with the truth of who God is, it's a lot more challenging to be shaken.  

 Why is timing such a hard thing for us? Maybe it's because we at times envision the end result. Once we do that, the journey to the end seems like it's filled with obstacles. But every single day is another opportunity for us to exercise our faith and illustrate that we are trusting God's process. That might be challenging, it might even be tempting to give up, but trust that God is doing something for you that will defy explanation. Impossible is not who He is.

In acknowledging God as the creator of all things, it becomes easier to see a reflection of Him in his children. Afterall, that's the imagery we see each day with our own families. How many people have you encountered who look like near clones of their mother or father? Sometimes, it's not just their natural characteristics. It's in their behavior, the way they talk or think. That's how we should be as children of God. So, when we encounter those that do not reflect godly characteristics, we have reason to believe that they are not His children.

 There is a saying that the only constant is change. In an odd way, it's meant to provide comfort with an assurance that change is inevitable. There is no point in getting complacent, when things are bound to change. I choose to take comfort in the fact that God is truly the only constant. Through the bible, I see so many examples of Him being the same God He has always been. We can each hold on to that as an assurance for our faith, whether we are in a beautiful season or a tumultuous one.