Tonight, I read a lot of devotionals, articles and excerpts again. I had a great time learning from christian authors and of course, the glory goes to God– the center of it all. I placed here some of the nice thoughts that I read. It may not have a great impact on you but it sure made a lot of sense to me. We all know that God speaks to different people in different ways. We also have different things to deal with everyday. So, I am keeping these to remind myself of what I learned tonight. You may click the links (their names), if you want to read the articles or get to know who they are. I hope I can do this all the time so I won’t forget what God has reminded me about. This is also a great way for me to share His goodness and wisdom. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5,KJV)

A season of suffering is a small assignment when compared to the reward. By: Max Lucado This tells me that trials are like seasons. They come and they go. They are temporary. Most of my worries today won’t matter months from now. God does not stop with the trials. He is just in the process of making all things beautiful. The results matter to Him. I matter to Him. Thus, the process is necessary. Difficult times won’t last long but the effects are eternal.  

Coach George Karl was sick to death at the collapse of his team.  When interviewed the following day, he said in essence, “I could not feel sicker.  Yet when I woke up early this morning and saw the sunrise, I knew it was going to be okay, and I was going to get through this.  The sun had still come up.”  From the devotional of Jeff Schreve. Hope. Hope. Hope. I am glad our God is a God of hope.

As we read the Bible, we should pray, worship God, speak to Him about our needs, and listen to His answers. This should be a time of communication between two spirits that sets the order of events for each day. By: Pat Robertson. Before we do anything.. Before we make decisions.. Before we make plans.. Before we begin anything.. We should speak to our Lord first. Again, I am not in charge. I am not my own. This means that I should not act as if I have no Master. There is a Guide and a Maker who longs to tell me, ” I know the way”.

If you think it’s all about you, and I think it’s all about me, we have no hope for a melody. By: Max Lucado This hits the nail on the head. This is the reason why some relationships don’t work. Whether it be a family or a couple, the point is to focus on God and make Him the center.

It’s Going to Be Okay

by Max Lucado

Bill Tucker was sixteen years old when his dad suffered a health crisis and consequently had to leave his business. Even after Mr. Tucker regained his health, the Tucker family struggled financially, barely getting by.

Mr. Tucker, an entrepreneurial sort, came up with an idea. He won the bid to reupholster the chairs at the local movie theater. This stunned his family. He had never stitched a seat. He didn’t even own a sewing apparatus. Still, he found someone to teach him the skill and located an industrial-strength machine. The family scraped together every cent they had to buy it. They drained savings accounts and dug coins out of the sofa. Finally, they had enough.

It was a fine day when Bill road with his dad to pick up the equipment. Bill remembers a jovial, hour-long trip discussing the bright horizons this new opportunity afforded them. They loaded the machine in the back of their truck and secured it right behind the cab. Mr. Tucker then invited his son to drive home. I’ll let Bill tell you what happened next:

“As we were driving along, we were excited, and I, like any sixteen-year-old driver, was probably not paying enough attention to my speed. Just as we were turning on the cloverleaf to get on the expressway, I will never ever, ever forget watching that sewing machine, which was already top-heavy, begin to tip. I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. I saw it go over the side. I jumped out and ran around the back of the truck. As I rounded the corner, I saw our hope and our dream lying on its side in pieces. And then I saw my dad just looking. All of his risk and all of his endeavor and all of his struggling and all of his dream, all of his hope to take care of his family was lying there, shattered.

“You know what comes next don’t you? ‘Stupid, punk kid driving too fast, not paying attention, ruined the family by taking away our livelihood.’ But that’s not what he said. He looked right at me. ‘Oh, Bill, I am so sorry.’ And he walked over, put his arms around me, and said, ‘Son, this is going to be okay.’

God is whispering the same to you. Those are his arms you feel. Trust him. That is his voice you hear. Believe him. Allow the only decision maker in the universe to comfort you. Life at times appears to fall to pieces, seem irreparable. But it’s going to be okay. How can you know? Because God so loved the world. If God can make a billion galaxies, can’t he make good out of our bad and sense out of our faltering lives? Of course he can. He is God.