DEVOTIONS

Monday, June 5 – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Let’s say what you treasure is your future financial security.  That’s a good thing.  But, how can treasuring your future financial security prevent you from experiencing what God is doing right here, right now?  How can treasuring your future financial security jeopardize your ability to live today?  Can you truly be present in this moment if your heart is treasuring your financial security for some time and place in the future?  No judgment.  No condemnation.  Just getting real.

Tuesday, June 6 – “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought.  If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” (1 Chronicles 28:9) King David’s wise counsel to his son Solomon.  Two takeaways from this verse.  First, God looks into your heart.  God knows your desires, intentions, motivations and even your schemes.  God never judges what you do.  God judges who you are.  Second, if you seek God, you will find God.  If you don’t seek God, you won’t find God.  For you won’t find anything that you aren’t seeking.

Wednesday, June 7 – “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Proverbs 27:1) Proverbs was written by Solomon, the son of King David.  Proverbs are the original tweets.  Only a certain amount of words, but they pack a huge punch.  Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.  Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  Today is a gift.  That’s why we call it the present.  Being present, in the present, is challenging.  Yet essential to your overall physical and spiritual well-being.  David knew this.  Solomon knew this.  And now you know this.          

Thursday, June 8 – “In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.” (Ecclesiastes 7:15) Another writing of King Solomon.  We all understand that life sometimes seems unfair.  Someone who lives a good life, keeps their nose clean, does all the right things and then dies of a brain tumor at a young age.  While someone who doesn’t live a good life, doesn’t keep their nose clean and doesn’t do all the right things, lives into their old age.  The point?  You don’t do what you do, in order to get something.  Aka, a long prosperous life.  You do what you do, because of who you are.  Regardless of the outcome. 

Friday, June 9 – “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25) It’s very hard to be present in this moment if you are busy worrying about what has yet to happen.  Or worrying about what didn’t happen.  Or worrying about what did happen.  Or worrying about what you will eat or what you will wear.  God has given you a life, a life to be lived.  Not a life to be worried about.  This life, that God has given you, is about so much more than food and clothes. It’s about becoming who you are, right here, right now.  Which can’t happen if you’re too busy worrying.

Saturday, June 10 – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) I hope by now you have realized that simply not worrying isn’t an option.  You can no more stop worrying than you can stop breathing.  So, what are you to do?  Take your worries and hand them over to God.  Give your worries away.  Allow God to take your worries.  For God has a plan for you and that plan isn’t to live a life stressed by worry.  Allow yourself to live in the present, not shackled by your worries of the future or the past.  And when new worries creep in, and they will, simply lather, rinse and repeat.