“You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.” (Psalm 18:35, ESV)

I had an issue at work one day. I made a mistake. I shattered a wood blind while cutting it for a customer. It seemed like a big error to me. It also involved destruction of merchandise, so it cost the company something. I was worried about telling the manager.

If I could have figured out a way to solve it on my own, I would have taken that option, but there was no other choice. I not only needed to fess up to my error, I needed help and training so I could avoid the same problem in the future.
Well, Cassie, the manager, came by, and I told her about the mess I had created. She looked at it and asked if I needed help. I said yes. She showed me the correct process so I wouldn’t have the same problem again. I told her I was sorry for the expense. With great gentleness she said, “Did you learn something?”

I said, “Yes.”

And with that the problem was over. I am sure she has forgotten it. I would have forgotten it except her gentleness in dealing with the issue overwhelmed me. I still feel emotional when I think about it. There was no condemnation. She in no way demeaned me. Rather she built me up and trained me so I could be better. She invested time and effort to make me a great employee that had the talents and skills necessary to do a good job. And I never feared telling her about another problem.

Our great God is like this loving manager. I mess up. I make mistakes. When I go to Him to confess, His response is never harsh or unkind. He very often asks, “Did you learn something?” And then with patience and gentleness, He stoops down and explains on my level how I can do it right the next time.

It isn’t easy to go to God when I mess up. My sin cost God something. It cost the life of His Son. Thinking about this makes me nervous about going to God with yet another issue, mistake, sin. Sometimes I worry and try to solve things on my own. And yet whenever I find the courage and go to Him I find a kind manager, a kind God. In gentleness and without condemnation, he trains me so I can be great. “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear” (Hebrews 13:6, ESV)

Thank you Lord for your gentleness and that it makes me great!

I am persuaded that living in the moment is the only way to serve God to the best of my abilities. I came to this conclusion after spending a day worrying about a possible future problem. I realized how crazy it was to waste time thinking about the possibility of a problem that may never occur. Time is too valuable to waste on the what ifs of life and it is emotionally draining.

Another situation last week also made me think about living in the moment. I spent one morning thinking back over the past. I was saddened by a situation that brought back some past memories. I wasted time replaying old problems over and over again in my mind. It not only used up valuable moments of my day, but it also become an emotional weight that burdened my mind.

While contemplating Luke 9:23, the Lord convicted me about wasting time on the past and the future. I was looking at the verse for a lesson I was preparing. The Lord, as He often does, used my studies to show me that I was in an unhealthy habit of which I was unaware.

Luke 9:23 says, “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23, ESV) The word daily made me think. Jesus doesn’t ask me to take on all of my history at once; he wants me to submit to God’s will for today. He wants me to follow the path God has laid out by stepping forward right now in this moment.

I remembered some other verses that back up the idea of living in the moment.

“forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” (Philippians 3:13, ESV)

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13, ESV)

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”” (James 4:13–15, ESV)

God knew the emotional toll that I would pay when I attempt to live in anything other than the moment. Living in the past often weighs me down with guilt and regret. Other times my views of the past are filled with so much nostalgia that I lose enthusiasm for today because I think that nothing can compete with the wonder of the past. Focusing on the past diminishes my zeal for today. I need to forget what lies behind and work towards a God-honoring future.

Planning for the future is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. Every time I make a plan, something changes and I have to revise my strategy. It takes so much time and energy to make new plans. It drains me and then the tasks of today go undone. I must leave the future in God’s hands.

I know that it requires faith and trust in God to let go of my time. I choose to depend on Him to plot out my next steps. So today along with the Apostle Paul, I want to say, “I am always of good courage. I know that while I am at home in the body I am away from the Lord, for I walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:6–7, ESV)

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, NIV)

Today I read an excellent blog, Hope in Death, written by a brilliant young apologist who also happens to be my son. It reminded me of how short our time on this earth is and that it is important to live with an eternal mindset.

My son’s blog was challenging and thought provoking. It reminded me of Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90, a passage that has often challenged me. In this Psalm, Moses reflects on God, time and how short life is. I have some ideas about why Moses may have been dealing these thoughts.

First, I think Moses was disappointed about how his ministry was going. The beginning of the journey for the Children of Israel was filled with wonder and adventure as God worked in amazing and miraculous ways. Moses was at the peak of his ministry as he led the people out of Egypt and now they were going to the Promised Land. Whoops, the sin and stubbornness of the people changed the plan. They are actually going to be forty years behind schedule.

I think that is why he prayed these words: “We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:7–10, NIV)

Next, he realized he was getting older. He was over eighty and forty more years in the wilderness, meant he wouldn’t reach his goal. He started the job and really wanted to finish it, but this dream would go unfulfilled.

Another reason for Moses reflection was that he had seen so much death. Firstborn children of every family in Egypt had died. Remember Moses grew up in Egypt. How many of these families did he know personally? Pharaoh and his army were swept away in the sea. I wonder how often he thought about the Egyptian he had killed. And now to top it all off friends, neighbors and fellow sojourners would be kicking off as they wandered in the desert. Death has a way of making us focus on how fast time flies.

I also think Moses was in a spiritual slump. After all the miracles of the plagues, speaking with God, a mountain top experience, and now he was wandering through the desert with a bunch of whining, complaining backsliders, who were ready to stone everyone or anyone at a moment’s notice. This would discourage most people.

So what did Moses do to deal with these hard facts of life? He took time to reflect on God’s view of time and life. He reminded himself and others of the importance of keeping God’s perspective of history, especially God’s perspective on our personal history. He ends his prayer with these words, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:14–17, NIV)

We would be wise to contemplate on our mortality. It is important to number our days. And then like Moses, we should remind ourselves that we are part of God’s history and plan. We should live each moment for the glory of Almighty God.

Lord, Let us remember how short life is so we will be wise with our time. Help us to focus on you in the midst of evil, even when we are afflicted. Help us to join in your work and bring you glory. Let our work be established by you.

This past week, I had been reading a book about psychology, specifically about how to have a healthy mind. In it, the author shared some principles and disciplines that would prevent or help correct neurotic behavior. I laughed as I read the list. The author’s brilliant ideas were plagiarized. Jesus had taught them two thousand years ago.

Although I did not find the information to be original, I did find it helpful. It reminded of healthy behaviors and attitudes. It also reminded me that God knows what is best and I really need to listen. Here are the plagiarized ideas and how the lessons I learned from them.

“Then he [Jesus] said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23, NIV).

Principle 1: Delayed Gratification is Healthy

Jesus knew that if we did not control ourselves, by denying our desires and passions, they would consume us. This does not mean that we never enjoy anything, it means delayed gratification. For example, we don’t eat everything in the refrigerator today. We delay our gratification and eat what we need rather than everything we want. Or, we don’t charge everything today; we save and plan so our finances do not become burdensome.

In essence, we control our passions, they don’t control us. In this way, we are free to follow Christ rather than becoming a slave to our passions. This saves us from excess stress on our mind. Less mental stress means a healthier psyche. A healthier psyche in turn allows us to have better self-control.

Principle 2: Be Responsible

Another principle is taking up one’s own cross daily. Simply stated, be responsible. Be responsible for yourself. That entails being accountable for your actions, words, thoughts and choices. But responsibility doesn’t stop there. It also entails dealing with the actions, words, thoughts and choices of others if they have affected you.

Many people live under the false assumption that until the perpetrator of the sinful act takes responsibility nothing can be done to improve the situation. That is not true. We can stop living like victims if we take responsibility for our heart, mind, soul and emotions. Taking up our cross means that we deal with the things that have been done to us. We are right in thinking that the sinner was wrong to sin. But we also must realize that they have sinned and the issue must be dealt with. If it has affected us, we must be the ones to deal with it. Take responsibility, not for their sin, but do take responsibility for getting the help you need to heal.

Principle 3: We Need Faith

Jesus and the psychologist agreed on another principle. Faith and trust are healthy when appropriately placed. We shouldn’t trust everyone, but if we trust no one, we miss out on emotional connections and love. We were created to enjoy community. We were created to love. So Jesus sums up the plan for healthy living as his disciples with one more thought. Follow Him. He is trustworthy. Our faith and hope and trust will never be missed placed if they are placed in the Almighty God.

After reading the whole book by a knowledgeable and learned doctor, I realized Jesus had said the same thing and it only took one sentence. If I want a healthy mind and life I realize I must listen to the wisdom of Jesus. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23, NIV)

Pray Selflessly

This morningI was convicted while I was praying . I was praying for some people that have irritated me. I was praying that God would change them so they would stop bugging me. The truth is I wanted them to be different so my life would be easier.
In a gentle and loving way God brought to my mind the selfishness of my prayer. Questions started surfacing. One of these questions was, “Do you love these people?”

My kneejerk reaction was “Of course, I love them.”

The voice of the Spirit touched my mind with this thought. “Is it a selfless love that seeks their eternal best interest above all?”

I had to answer, “No, not at all.”

I realized that I loved me the most. I wasn’t putting the others’ interests above my own. I remembered these verses. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3–4, ESV)

I started to think about the difference that it would make if I prayed selflessly instead of selfishly. I realized that it actually benefits me more than being selfish. I discovered three benefits to changing my motivations.

3 Reasons to pray selflessly

First, my prayer will be answered. “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14, ESV) I am praying in my own name and from my world view when I pray selfishly. When I pray selfishly, I am not likely to have my pray answered. When I pray in the name of Jesus, I am praying with His blessing on my prayer, this requires selflessness.

Next, my attitude will change. When I put the problem in God’s hand, I no longer stress or worry over it. By taking myself and my will out of the equation, I become free. When I no longer have a stake in the outcome I can trust God completely. As long as I am praying toward a specific outcome, I am trying to retain control and power over the situation. This control breeds tension and anxiety as I am on pins and needles waiting to see if my every wish comes true. Giving up my selfish plan allows God “to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20, ESV)

The last benefit will be a positive change in my life and character. I will learn to grant grace to the ones that have wronged me. As I look less at me and more at God, I realize the goodness that was poured out on me when I was undeserving. This love compels me to show goodness to those I deem undeserving. This is becoming like Jesus. This is surrender. We must show grace to those that oppose us. With the knowledge that God’s love changes people, we must be like Jesus and demonstrate His love to the world.

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, ESV) The least I can do is pray selflessly for the sinners that I encounter. It will be best for them and best for me.