And Mary said: “My soul ‘glorifies’ the Lord and my spirit ‘rejoices’ in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.” Luke 2:46-48 (highlights mine)

I hadn’t seen granddaughter Gema for about a week. She had been out of town with her family for Thanksgiving. While my mind doesn’t constantly think about her, it surely ‘rejoiced’ when the door to the church opened last night and she walked through. I had been standing by it when we suddenly met face to face. I smiled! I asked her if she was looking forward to Friday’s game.

Gema is a Varsity Cheerleader for Venice High School. The football team has been knocking down opponents this year and are headed to a final regional playoff game before the State Finals this Friday. Another championship for the school would be cool. But the football team is no longer first place in my ‘priority of thought.’ I go to the games to watch Gema cheer! She does it VERY well.

All 4 of my kids were involved in Venice High School football. My girls cheered and my sons played. And while a State Championship is in the rear-view mirror of their minds, they don’t think about it much. Just like I don’t see Gema as only a cheerleader. Moving through the stages of life, my mind shifts in and out, off and on, about what, and how she, and my others, are doing. Not so with God!

Today’s verses are called Mary’s Magnificat. It is the combination of words that came from her lips, concerning the experience she had when the baby within Elizabeth (John) leapt for joy in the presence of ‘Jesus’ in her own womb. It was the stark realization that something BIG was about to happen. Not to just ANYONE, but to HER! Her speech is recited at Christmastime, for a good reason.

I am a human, with little capacity for complete concentration, on ANY one thing, for a long time. My mind slips from one grandchild to the next, then to ‘what’s for dinner?’ My mind is NOT like the mind of God. He has ETERNITY to think on EVERYTHING…INDIVIDUALLY, and ALL THE TIME! My dad had tried to explain that concept to me as a kid, but it blew my mind so much, I couldn’t comprehend it.

But look here! It is presented as Biblical evidence! I thought hard about that verse. God’s mind was, and had been, FULL OF MARY! Then the Holy Spirit tapped me in the nether regions of my head and heart and said… “That’s how I think about YOU TOO… ALWAYS! My mind is ALWAYS FILLED with YOU!” Suddenly, Emmanuel (God with us) took on a whole new meaning. I am ALWAYS on His mind!

I need to stop now, because my mind is blown! I am hoping yours is too. Because YOU are ALWAYS on His mind! Does YOUR mind and spirit glorify and rejoice In Jesus?  Why take a moment and not think about that?

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:” Matthew 1:1

I needed to do a job that I was not looking forward to. My roof had a leak, so I was told, and the only one responsible to fix it… was ME. I was NOT looking forward to it, and called Austin to see if he had any experience with roof leaks. I think what I was looking for was moral support. Climbing up into the attic, and then around the air conditioning duct work was miserable. I’d done it before.

I explained the situation, lowered the folding stairs to the attic, then went to find a light. I was gone for about 1 minute. When I got back, I hollered for him, barely heard a voice, then climbed up into the attic. He already HAD a flashlight and was already WAY back in the pit of the attic. My cell phone rang and the caller ID said it was Austin! Answering, he said… “Found your leak!”

I hadn’t known what, or where, or how big of a problem I actually had. This whole operation was an investigative kinda thing. In fact, it wasn’t even raining! But the solution hit me at the very same time as the real problem was explained and I understood. Which is exactly the same kind of thing that happened with today’s Bible verse. The world had a serious problem and no REAL solution!

This verse is HUGE! It tells, in a MOUTHFUL, what is ‘The Answer,’ to a world that doesn’t even really comprehend there’s a problem! Over thousands of years… 3 men, Adam, Abraham and David, were given a promise. A Savior… One who would come to rescue them. Now HE… ‘JESUS’… was HERE! And strangely, Though He carried credentials! He didn’t really carry their bloodline!

Joseph was Jesus’ STEP-father! Comparing the lineage of Jesus shows that the Bloodline of Jesus came from GOD! Which means that Jesus didn’t carry the inherited sin like natural born humans carry. His credentials were foretold by many prophets, many times. The Messiah… was HERE! And the problem of sin was about to be solved… FOREVER! Did YOU get that message?

Today is officially the first day of Advent… the weeks preceding the birth of the Christ Child, the Savior, The Promised One. If you have been holding back your Christmas Spirit for an appropriate time… Today is IT! “HO HO HO!!!!” Jesus is calling … and there are NO MORE LEAKS! 

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

“No… that’s not right! It’s not how we did it last year!” Standing back from the scene, I simply had to agree. But I was also perplexed as to what to do about it! We were starting to decorate our house for Christmastime, and the very first thing we did was the very first thing we ALWAYS do. We were putting up the houses on the long shelf in the living room. And they weren’t lining up as usual!

Years ago Katie came up with an idea to have a long shelf built around the walls of our living room. Later, she acquired a set of Department 56 Christmas houses, then wanted to line them up on the shelf. But every house comes with its own plug and cord. So to space them, I wrapped cords in specific bundles, like a ball of wires, to line up the houses where she wanted them. But last year…!

Last year we made some adjustments. When I took the houses down, I used zip ties to overlap the wires so they would maintain their proper length. After Katie numbered the houses, we carefully stored everything in a box. In trying to put it all back, it was obvious that something was wrong. The wire spacing didn’t allow the houses to fill the space! Now we have to start all over and reconfigure.

This year we also bought a new couch and moved the TV. It just hit us that we can’t put our Christmas tree where we USUALLY place it, because the couch is now there! This mess is all starting to jumble my head to overcapacity! I hadn’t planned on needing to rethink everything all over again. The subject best described by the slogan, ‘That’s Life!’ And ‘Life’ can be SOOO hard and complicated!

Read today’s Bible Verse! I believe the complexities of living, just my own life, is enough to prove that God exists… AND that He is EXPERT at his job! When I add MY life to the bundle of connections of all the people around the world, throw in time, laws and the devil, I can’t comprehend the huge and complex job God has! AND… He makes a VERY big promise, “I will work everything out PERFECTLY!

My body, my relationships, my location, my position and my time in space can easily be wrapped up in a Christmas package and given back to Him as His most precious gift… To: Jesus From: me. And inside is a little bundle He calls ‘Faith!’ I just can’t understand, or comprehend how or why He wants my messed up heart so much! But He does! And this year, He wants the same thing from YOU!

This year, will you give Him YOUR life to arrange as He sees fit? Because Jesus is NEVER perplexed or lost as to what to do with you. Will you trust Him?

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Comparatively, it’s a rather small one… as far as fountains go, that is. It sits just outside of our sliding glass doors that don’t really slide anymore. From the inside of those clear glass doors Katie has her chair. It’s been there for over a decade… the place where she spends time, every morning, with Jesus. As she sits quietly, she can hear the babbling of the outside fountain, and it brings her joy.

Being the husband, I see it as my job to maintain the fountain for her. It has an electrical pump that continuously circulates the water from the lower basin to the upper tier, where it overflows through 3 tiers before starting all over again. She loves the sound it makes, which is easily heard through the glass doors. But like all things, fountains require special effort to keep them going.

Many fountains have screens over each tier to keep leaves, and other debris, from falling into them. She likes the fountain because it is pretty and makes a babbling sound. With screens, there is no sound, so our fountain does not have them. What ours DOES have, and collects on a regular basis, is debris. Cleaning out the leaves that collect and eventually stop the pump from running, is my job.

Another thing the fountain requires is lubrication. At times, the spouts grow a crusty kind of texture that ‘splurts’ the water in all directions, therefore missing the lower tier and emptying the basin. I’m not sure if splurts is a word, but you can use it if you want. To correct the splurts, I use Vaseline to lubricate the ends of the spouts so water flows and drops. About every 18 months I buy a new pump.

I say all this because folks who don’t own a fountain might like to know what it takes to keep them going. We’ve had several fountains over the years, all for the same reasons. To enjoy the sight and sound of a fountain takes maintenance and filling. That’s important to know, because God created ME to be a fountain. Today’s Bible verse clearly explains what has to happen for our mutual enjoyment.

God owns the fountain (me) and it’s HIS job to fill it with joy and peace through the Holy Spirit. It is MY responsibility to place my faith and trust in His ability to do that. When I do, I overflow with HOPE! It is the time in our yearly season, and a good time in our world’s condition, for us to OVER FLOW with Hope, Love and Joy. But to do that, we have to have it. Have you asked Him to fill and maintain your faith by spending time with Him? He’d love to take care of you… if you’ll let Him.  

Pretty Dangerous – Green Caterpillar

“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15

‘oooo’ turned into ‘OWWWWW’ in less than a minute! And all I did was try to help! I was visiting someone and as we sat in the driveway, I saw a pretty large green caterpillar crawling across the cement. It was VERY pretty! To me, it looked like a woolly bear caterpillar I used to see as a kid, but green!   Admiring it, I thought, “hey… that thing could get squashed!”

I have to admit to being rather picky about creatures of the crawling and flying kind. Had it been a mosquito, I would have squashed it myself. A roach or fly… the same thing. If it had been a bee, I would have left it alone to simply fly away. But I had never seen a big, fat, pretty, bright green caterpillar before. Being worried for it’s safety, I picked it up and put it in the grass.

It was less than a minute and happened slowly, when the tips of my fingers began to burn. My first thought was, ‘maybe that thing is poisonous!’ After a few more minutes I KNEW that thing was poisonous! The tips of my thumb and forefinger were burning! Having been stung bit by bugs before, I knew it would pass, but the lesson would not. It reminded me of sin!

Sin is a category that carries the same kind of attraction and pain… and urge and lesson. Sin usually looks good and seems attractive. I’ve needlessly learned many lessons the hard way! Some things I do, like Paul said in Romans 6, I keep doing… even tho I don’t want to. Once I let that bugger in, sometimes it’s hard to get it out! So I’ve learned my lesson of the Big Green IO caterpillar (yes I looked it up like I would a Bible verse). I’m leaving it alone!

What sin have YOU allowed to sting you?  And what are you doing to make it go away?

Technically it’s still morning… I took Katie for a standard test VERY EARLY this morning.  May I say to you all .. HAPPY THANKSGIVING.  You are ALL SOOOO SPECIAL.  

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

The clock beside my bed said it was 9:34am. My first thought was, “WOW! I haven’t slept this late in YEARS! My normal time to start working on the God Morning Words of the Day is 7:30am. There was NO way I could get to it in time. Besides, the bed felt REALLY comfortable. As I lay there a few more moments, I had a sense of His peace, then decided to take a break!

I remembered going to bed the night before, TOTALLY exhausted. Last week, along with our normal vocational duties, we added “paint inside of house” to our list. Extra time requirements, and choices to do some other things, made sleep more of an extracurricular activity. I find that age, activity and sleep have some sort of mathematical connection as well.

Sleep is required by all mammals, though I’ve never really understood why. Today’s Bible verse tells us we were MADE to rest, though humans are the only species that willingly delay sleep… a choice that has zero benefit. I was surprised to find out that today, 75% of us dream in color. Before color television, just 15% of us did, proving what we see CAN determine our ‘ZZZZZZ’s.’

I have today’s Bible verse memorized out of boredom. As a kid, I had to sit in church and listen to my dad preach. Heck… I listened to him all the time! Looking for something ELSE to shift my attention, I read the Bulletin. In those days, the 1 side of the bulletin came to the church quarterly. Mom typed and printed the inside. So for 3 months, I read today’s verse!

Now that I am older, I look back on those days and smile. How was I to know that I was being built into a man who has a lot of ‘boring’ Bible stuff stuffed in my brain. What a blessing it is to KNOW that no matter how things look right now, there is a PERSON and place where I can go and find rest and peace from my burdens. How about you? Do YOU find your rest in Jesus?

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:24

“Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.” Proverbs 15:32

“WHA’D YOU SAY?” was my response… because I didn’t like what I had just been told! Thinking I had ‘heard it wrong’ only proved that I was acting foolish. I had just asked a professional his opinion, and for ZERO CHARGE… he gave it to me. Now the ball was in MY court. Did I REALLY WANT a solution to my problem and would I DO what he suggested?

I have lived with GERD (a stomach acid problem) for over 45 years. It was a hand-me-down problem of my dad’s that I had ZERO say-so over. I simply got it for nothing when I inherited his genes! Lately the situation has deteriorated to something beyond simply taking a pill. In talking to my pharmacist, He just suggested I quit drinking coffee. “WHA’D YOU SAY?”

My parents were coffee drinkers and I followed suit. It was in my DNA I guess! Now I don’t drink NEARLY the amount THEY did. But 2-3 cups in the morning are a pleasure for me. My Pharmer friend suggested it was time to cut it out, since ‘coffee is a major stomach irritant.’ I had a question. I asked a smart guy. He gave me his answer. Now… am ‘I’ a smart guy?

Today, Katie noticed I heated up some water in the microwave. She asked what it was for.. so I told her… “I’m not doing coffee and this seemed to work yesterday.” Her facial expression screamed out “WHA’D YOU SAY?” She thought I was nuts. But the hot water seemed to satisfy, or trick my mind into thinking it was as satisfying as coffee. So I’ll keep doing it.

I find in my profession that LOTS of people have LOTS of questions. But very FEW people REALLY want answers. How I can TELL is by watching what they do. If they are REALLY interested in change, they will DO what God says. Not just provide lip service. Now it was MY turn to be either a truth receiver… or a hypocrite! MMMMMM… Love that hot water!

Are YOU facing an area in your life where you know God is trying to get your attention? Do you give it to Him and listen? Or do you keep doing things your own way? How we respond shows just how smart we really are at learning His wisdom. “WHA’DA YOU SAY?”

“Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel.” 1 Kings 10:9

“Wow!” was all I could say, as my mouth hung open in unexpected awe! We were at the waterfront in Tampa attending a spectacular Festival and watching something I would never expect or even imagine. Nine huge, powerful Tugboats assembled before a crowd of over 1500 people to put on a ‘Ballet like’ show of precision and power. It was awesome!

Because of their powerful engines, Tugboats are used to push and pull ships around MANY times their own size! With the ability to spin a full 360 degrees, they added speed to turn those capabilities into a show. The skill of their crew fascinated me as they pulled to within inches of the seawall. Then sat there to a thunderous applause! We were inspired!

I have it all recorded on video, so I can look at it again. What caught me by surprise… was that I was surprised! The Tugboats are built PRECISELY to BE PRECISE! Maneuvering over 17 BILLION dollars of cargo a year into Tampa Bay, they are used to precisely dock up to 1200 foot vessels without scratch or dent! That is their purpose! Showing off is just a sideline!

The entire crowd of people were delighted in the seemingly magical display. Like fighter pilots performing at an airshow, someone, at one point, held a meeting and thought… ‘WE can do that too!’ And the big chunky Tugs held the crowd ‘s delight to a fanfare of applause. After reading the story of Solomon, I remembered the event and thought about Heaven.

I am a Child of God by Faith in His Son Jesus Christ! I can be big and chunky in my human nature. But I meet with God every morning, and He reminds me of my capabilities AND points out my responsibilities. Sometimes He surprises ME in what it is HE wants to see! God has a Throne where He expects me to sit through all eternity… and it’s right beside His Son Jesus!

Are YOU delighting God in your walk with His Son? Are you working on your performance for Him in this world? Are you displaying His power and abilities to turn ‘Big and Chunky’ into a beautiful vessel of His Will? Cuz He’s watching and recording video! The Throne is already built!

I pray this eye-opening article will help you see what can, and WILL, benefit and bless YOU!  Some of this is sadly unbelievable… but true!  Are YOU connecting daily with God, through the Bible, and Walking with Him every minute?  You can!  It is YOUR CHOICE!  After reading this article, you will no longer be ignorant.  Continuing to ‘do your own thing’ will only prove you stupid!  (YES…!  I said the ‘S’ word!)    Today’s inspiration comes from:

Eternal Perspective or the Black Dot on the String

Beyond Our Control

by Michael McAfee & Lauren Green McAfee

Perspective can be thought of as the way we think about life. Think about life in terms of its brevity. If eternity were a string of yarn wrapped all the way around the world, our life is briefer than a single dot placed anywhere along that yarn with a marker. We can live with just that black dot on the yarn as our understanding about life, or we can form our understanding of our black dot of life considering the rest of the miles of string. Viewing this life in light of eternity will ultimately bring more joy in the present.

How do we gain an eternal perspective? It starts with knowing Scripture. Michael and I are both passionate advocates for biblical literacy, which is why our first co-authorship was a book on that subject titled Not What You Think: Why the Bible Might Be Nothing We Expected Yet Everything We Need. We know the power of God’s Word. We don’t point people to Scripture for the sake of knowledge alone but for the sake of seeing their lives transformed as they strengthen their relationship and deepen their intimacy with God.

Our current culture, Christians included, has the lowest biblical literacy score ever recorded in the United States.According to the American Bible Society’s annual report, Bible engagement in America has been mostly trending downward since 2014. Every year it has maintained or gone down by one or two percentage points until 2021, when engagement increased by 2 percent. Most interestingly, in 2022 the percentage of Americans engaging in the Bible decreased by 10 percent. That means roughly twenty-six million Americans reduced or discontinued their engagement with the Bible in one year.

Bible engagement matters. If people of faith don’t know what the Bible says, they can’t apply its truth as the foundation that shapes their ability to have an eternal perspective.

• A Christian’s belief about God matters because with proper theology, our hearts can respond to God and our lives can be shaped by truth.

There is a significant misunderstanding in our biblically illiterate culture about what the Bible teaches. Consider a recent report from Ligonier Ministries on the state of theology, which shows that in a broad survey of Americans, 67 percent of people agree that God accepts the worship of all religions, 53 percent say that Jesus was a great teacher but not God, 71 percent agree that “everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God,” and only 51 percent agree that “the Bible is accurate in all it teaches.”

According to research from 2022, 63–69 percent of Americans identify as Christian.While this means that nearly three out of four claim Christianity as their religious preference, that statistic represents a significant decline from the early 1990s, when 90 percent of Americans identified as Christian.

The Top of Our Heart’s Desire

For believers, having an eternal perspective comes from knowing what God says through His Word, the Bible; knowing what it teaches; and identifying how that is relevant for your life. When we are left with only an earthly perspective, then we live life trying to get all we can out of that tiny “black dot” of life, and the ups and downs in this short life are the only thing we have to affect how we feel.

Living with only the black dot in mind will move our hearts to become more desperate for what we can hold on to and control in this world.

Whenever I think about the loss of the son I expected to adopt, if I am in the mindset of the black dot — meaning that I’m stuck in my earthly circumstances alone — the pain of the here and now is all I can see. I question God. I want to find happiness in this life, and having my son would have brought that. So why did God take him away? (oops.. this is the Author’s assumption)

On the flip side, when I’m able to step back to consider things in light of eternity, I view the situation differently, taking into account what God might be doing in my son’s life that I’m not privy to because I don’t see all that God sees. I can also see my pain in light of the hopeful future that is mine, knowing God will use it and work it together for His good. Developing my trust in God’s providence is the key to finding peace in this life because we have more to live for than our earthly circumstances.

When Jesus spoke to His disciples about this earthly and heavenly divide, He said,

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. — Matthew 6:19–21

In verse 24 Jesus reminded us that ultimately; no one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

The word “money” is translated from the Greek word for mammon, which can mean riches, money, possessions, or property. The passage teaches us that we can’t have our heart devoted to two masters simultaneously, for one master will always trump the other.

We may have many different things we love and serve to varying degrees in life, but only one can take top spot. If that sole master is earthly — money, power, pleasure… and also family, parenting, ministry work, serving others — then our hearts can’t focus on our treasures being found in heaven. In claiming our best time and energy, they also take our hearts.

Viewing this life in light of eternity will ultimately bring more joy in the present.

We Need Whole-Heart Commitment

Our identity is not made for an earthly gaze. Saint Augustine touched on this concept long before I did when he wrote, “Our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”As image bearers created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), our heart’s very identity and desire is for our Creator, not the created. We are made to reflect God so that we can bring His glory into our world. Doing anything less than that will never bring us fulfillment and purpose.

• God requires the whole heart, not our split attention.

Focusing on earthly things as ultimate will bring anxiety; centering our hearts on the eternal will bring not only treasures in Heaven someday but also greater peace and enjoyment in life here and now.

CENTERING OUR HEARTS ON THE ETERNAL WILL BRING NOT ONLY TREASURES IN HEAVEN BUT GREATER PEACE AND ENJOYMENT RIGHT NOW.

Maybe your life isn’t centered on possessions and money but instead revolves around your relationships. Relationships aren’t possessions and wealth, but even so, they can become idols when we value them more than we value God. To value the relationships in our lives is good and right, but when those relationships, like possessions and money, take our gaze off God and onto worldly things, we are idolizing something we are not meant to worship.

Shifting our perspective from the temporal to the eternal is a daily practice that changes everything. Ultimately the perspective shift to the eternal is a shift that focuses on Jesus, our greatest treasure. In his letter to the Philippian church, the apostle Paul wrote, What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. — Philippians 3:8

Paul certainly had his fair share of suffering and hardship. He had faced death, been beaten and shipwrecked, and endured a variety of other hardships in his life — yet he still maintained his posture of gratitude (2 Corinthians 11:23–27). Paul’s hope was in Christ. He was looking to eternity and finding intimacy with God through the hardships and pain he faced in life.

Paul knew we would be wrestling between this earthly and heavenly perspective, admitting that;

for we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in Heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling. He then made this acknowledgment: For we live by faith, not by sight. — 2 Corinthians 5:1–2, 7

We must walk in what we believe about eternity, not by what we see on this earth.

I don’t mean to sound trite or to imply that we should brush off the very real grief and hardships we will experience in this life. They are real and ridiculously tough. But while we acknowledge them, we must not forget to direct our hearts toward the hope we have in God and in His promises.

Excerpted with permission from Beyond Our Control by Lauren & Michael McAfee, copyright Lauren and Michael McAfee. (I recommend the Book)

It’s hard to think about a different perspective when we’re in pain or struggling, but that’s what will help us! Shifting from that black dot (which includes suffering, loss, waiting, and longing) to viewing circumstances in light of eternity is vital to our faith walk. Remember the faithfulness of God and how much He loves you and wait on Him in hope. ~ Devotionals Daily