Monday, December 31, 2018

2019

Wow.  It’s New Year’s Eve, and another year is behind us!  This is a perfect time to look at our life’s goals and get started on, or recommitted to, those goals!

If you need help deciding what your goals should be, below are some goals that you may want to put at the top of your list:

1.  Pray daily.  Begin a morning devotion time.  This is a habit that will change your life!  God has revealed himself to us through his Word.  Don't let 2019 go by without reading his Word and praying daily.  Get to know your Creator and his plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.

2.  Improve your health.  Your health should always be a priority, but why not make one or two small changes in 2019 to make your health better?  Choose something that is realistic (e.g., increased exercise, reduced carb intake) and watch how small changes make a difference.  Be specific about the changes and implement a plan of action.

3.  De-clutter.  Let 2019 be the year that the de-cluttering begins!  Start with a small project, and then move to the next project.  Don't try to tackle everything all at once.  Small steps in the right direction will make a difference.

4.  Let go of regrets.  Write down your regrets of the past year.  Identify your disappointments in life.  Guess what?  You can intentionally turn the regrets and disappointments into goals!  The decision to turn them into goals reflects a growth mindset.  Make a plan for 2019 that includes small steps that you can begin right away.  Keep a positive attitude (it's a choice)!

Be intentional!  The best way to exercise intentionality is to write down your goals and make a plan.  2019 is going to come and go, and it’s your choice to fill it with something or wait until the next year, or the next year….

Let’s get ready for 2019.  Happy New Year!!

Devotion

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9 (NIV)


If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

Prayer:

Lord, I pray that you will help us in 2019 to focus on the goals that will lead us to accomplish your will for our lives.  Help us with our personal goals, especially to begin each day with prayer and devotion, improve our health, de-clutter where necessary, and let go of regrets.  Thank you for giving us the gift of salvation in your Son, and the reconciliation that allows us to have a personal relationship with you.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


© 2018 Linda Lijewski



 

Friday, November 30, 2018

Perspectives

I love that the Lord gives me the right perspective on situations.  When I'm facing a challenge or an important decision in my life, I have learned that the best thing to do is to seek God's guidance.  Sometimes I am so frustrated by a particular challenge or problem that I literally push my arms upward toward Heaven and say out loud, "Lord, I give this problem over to you!  I don't even know what to pray about it!"  Then I trust Him and I watch to see what He does.  I'm always amazed.

We all face challenges, frustrations, and dilemmas, and our human perspective usually leads us to tackle these things from our own strength and push forward on our own.  After all, we are independent and capable and we can take care of ourselves!  Often, we wait until the problem or dilemma overwhelms us before we fall to our knees to ask God for help.

Why not make the decision to walk each day with God and ask for guidance and a right perspective each morning?  Our Creator is so much more capable than we can even begin to imagine, and He is the source of wisdom.  God knows everything and He holds everything in His hands.

Earlier this week, in one of my morning devotions, I came across these verses in Isaiah that really help me to have a right perspective:

Isaiah 40:12-15 (NLT):

12- Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
      Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
      Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed
      the mountains and hills on a scale?

13- Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?
      Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?

14- Has the Lord ever needed someone's advice?
      Does he need instruction about what is good?
      Did someone teach him what is right
     or show him the path of justice?

15- No, for all the nations of the world
      are but a drop in the bucket.
     They are nothing more than dust on the scales.
     He picks up the whole earth
     as though it were a grain of sand. 

These verses make me realize that God is bigger than any big problem I may be facing.  They also show me that my problems and challenges might be less significant than I want to admit.  I am always amazed, however, when the God of the universe answers my prayers for wisdom and helps me with a particular concern that I've turned over to Him.  I experience His love and care for me, and my relationship with Him grows stronger.  My daily dependence on the Lord and recognition of my need for Him is the best perspective of all.

Devotion

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!  Proverbs 16:16 (NIV)

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  Proverbs 2:6 (NIV)

Prayer:

 Lord, I thank you for every problem, concern, and challenge that you have allowed in my life.  How dare I complain, when those very concerns cause me to seek your grace and wisdom in my life?  I will follow you and seek you as my source of strength and wisdom to work through challenges, pursue and accomplish my goals, and have the right perspective in each step forward.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.


© 2018 Linda Lijewski





Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Running the Race

Sometimes I feel like my life is like running a race.  I have just enough time during the day to accomplish what I want (or need) to accomplish!  More and more I realize that what really matters, in addition to goal setting, is the way we run the race.

My stepdaughter, Brittany, played a lot of sports growing up – basketball, soccer, volleyball, and hockey.  My husband always said to me, “Brittany plays to win.”  Winning was her goal and she played in such a way that would lead her to win.  Her attitude and her style of playing stood out among other players who simply played, and who did not “play to win.”  Brittany was aggressive, determined, focused, and goal-minded in her sports games.  By the way, this has always been her approach with her studies, too.  She is goal-minded and she puts 100% effort in everything she does.  She plays to win!

How do we make sure we are running the race in a way that will get us the prize or win the game?  I believe that it has a lot to do with how we prioritize our time, how we plan our goals and dedicate our resources, and, of course, how we carry out our own self-discipline and action toward achieving the goals.  Our activities reflect our passions and our priorities, so if we are not making progress to win the prize (so to speak), then we may need to re-focus our passions and priorities.

Pray the prayer below and humbly ask God to change your heart and give you direction, and He will lead you onto the path and help you to run the race that He has planned for your life!

Devotion

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  1 Corinthians 9:24 (NIV)

And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

Prayer:

Lord, give me a single-minded focus to run the race in the way that will honor you.  Help me to be self-disciplined to put you first in my life, and help me to keep my priorities in line with your priorities for me.  Give me wisdom to understand what it means to “run in such a way as to get the prize.”  I ask for wisdom, self-control, and self-discipline to accomplish what you want me to accomplish in my life, so that my goals align with your purpose for my life.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


© 2018 Linda Lijewski