
One Day At A Time

James 4:14 ESV 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.
Some of you reading todays post will agree that you have some unfinished goals and/or dreams you have shelved. Well today is National Take A Chance Day so it’s time to dust off those dreams and and move those old goals to the top of your list.
In todays scripture we are told that we aren’t promised tomorrow and life is short. There are different reasons why we moved these items to the closet or to the bottom of the list. The reason might be different from person to person, but incomplete is what they have in common.
I love this quote from Mark Twain ~ Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowline, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Today be a risk-taker. Be willing to kick fear aside and take on the challenges, regardless of the outcome, to take a chance on your dream. Say yes without hesitation. And when your situation seems hopeless, trust God’s guidance even more. I think of myself as a risk-taker and still sometimes even though I long to be brave for God, fear sometimes holds me back when I get an opportunity to take a risk.
There were many brave women who took chances in the Bible. One that I would like to discuss today is Rahab. Scripture describes Rahab as “a harlot” in Joshua 2:1. But her past sins fade away when we see how she risked her own life to help Joshua’s men spy out the land. Rahab not only hid the men on her rooftop, but she also lied to the king’s men who asked about them. (Joshua 2:4). Punishment for lying to the king would be severe, but this didn’t deter Rahab from her goal – ensuring the safety of her family.
Rahab knew what was about to happen to her city, and she acknowledged God’s sovereignty. “…for the lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below,”(Joshua 2:11).
She shared her belief and extended an offer to Joshua’s men. She would help them in exchange for her family’s protection. The men agreed. As a result, Joshua spared Rahab. She and her family lived among the Israelites from the day the walls fell. (Joshua 6:25) Rahab took a big risk, setting her life on a course to be used by God in an even bigger way.
Rahab took action when she could’ve lost everything. Her love for God gave her the courage she needed to make daring decisions. Her life serves as inspiration for me today as I strive to become a better risk-taker and go after my incomplete goals and dreams. Release fear and face life’s challenges with risk-taking faith today. What do you need to take a chance on? Love, Career, Family, Church, Neighborhood?
#NationalTakeAChanceDay
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Everything Has Its Time
How many of you have heard the saying “Life is like a box of chocolates”?
When you open a box of chocolates, there is a variety of flavors available. The problem with a box that contains a variety of chocolates is that each piece is covered in chocolate so you have no idea what you are getting. Even though you have no idea what flavor each piece holds you are going to eat one, then two, then three. Some pieces will be the same as previous ones and some will be brand new.
This saying reminded me of the passage of scripture for today. You never know what life is going to give you. What the next day will hold. So every day – every new experience – is something you really don’t know about until you actually live it. It may not be an experience you like. It may be the greatest experience ever. But you don’t know until you’ve lived it, and by then it’s too late to not live it.
This scripture tells us that there 28 ways that our days, weeks, months and years can go. We live in a world that is ever changing. We are continually passing and repassing between these 28 options. We must realize that ultimately, God is in control and and we have to trust that God will be with us in the good and the bad seasons. We can’t get comfortable when we are in prosperity, life may be easy, and yet not secure. We live in a world of changes and therefore have no reason to say, To-morrow shall be as this day
Whether you are in a time of plenty or a time of want, in good times or in bad, remember there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. The real lesson: you take what life gives you with trust and confident of that God is in control and He is with you always. Enjoy your life. Remember….this too shall pass.