Category: Uncategorized

One-minute read.

Growing a vegetable garden, I love watching the produce come to life.  First, a vibrant flower appears.  Then, what seems like overnight, from the petals come rewards: dark green zucchini, orangish-yellow squash, spiny cucumbers, and long, lush beans.  Picking the vegetables brings joy to my heart and fills our bellies with wholesome food that nourishes our bodies and makes them strong.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us produce fruit in our lives.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness all come from the seed planted in our hearts when we place our faith in Jesus.  As we begin to follow the Savior and apply His teachings to our lives, He transforms us.  Weeding out the gardens of our soul, God removes the non-productive plants, replacing them with seeds of hope that grow daily.  

Eventually, the small seed grows into a thriving garden that yields an abundance of fruit. As we share our crop with others, we plant seeds in their hearts, helping them transform their lives. Living in the Lord’s will helps us produce a harvest that leaves a lasting legacy in the lives of all those who taste its fruit.

Scatter God’s seed everywhere you go, pray they take root in rich soil, producing good fruit that makes the world a better place.

Journal Question:

Who produces good fruit for the Lord in your life?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you give away the fruits of the Spirit today?

One-minute read.

Paul’s Jewish audience agrees about the wickedness of Gentiles, thinking themselves morally superior to them.  Unfortunately, the listener doesn’t understand their guilt and can’t see the plank in their eye. 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

Romans 3:23

Metanoia, the original Greek word for repentance means, change of mind…the state of changing any or all of the elements composing one’s life: attitude, thoughts, and behaviors concerning the demands of God for right living; note that this state can refer to the foundational salvation event in Christ, or to on-going repentance in the Christian life.¹

All have fallen short of the glory of God and need to repent.  Ignoring the Lord’s kindness shows contempt for the Savior and our need for salvation.  We miss the plank in our eyes and focus on the splinter in someone else’s.

A repentant heart acknowledges their shortcomings, accepting that they have no right to judge the sins of others without admitting their own.  Accepting Christ into our hearts allows us to receive His grace, as well as extend it to others.  Because of Jesus’s kindness, we can receive and share His mercy.

Journal Question:

When have you deemed someone unworthy of God’s grace?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can your kindness help today?

1. NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary. Copyright © 2015 by Zondervan. ↩︎

One-minute read.

“It’s not about wrong or right,” my pastor told me years ago.  Working through a conflict, I could only see my position from my moralistic viewpoint, which I deemed right.  For years, I didn’t understand what the pastor meant by those words.  But now I do, reconciliation matters more than right or wrong.

Jesus came to Earth to restore our broken relationship with the Father, reconciling us to Him.  Sin separates us from God, but Christ reconnected us.  Confessing our mistakes with a repentant heart and placing our faith in the Savior restores our relationship with the Creator, enabling us to offer the same grace we received to those in our lives who need it.

Taking moral stands can destroy relationships.  Thinking we have all the answers and people must do things our way hurts everyone.  God sits on the throne, not us.  We only see in part; the Lord sees the whole picture.  Submitting to the Savior means acknowledging we don’t know everything, and shouldn’t judge others from our partial perspective.

Instead, the Lord wants us to offer grace to those who hurt us, accepting their freedom to live as they choose, and reconciling broken relationships. Agreeing to disagree enables us to coexist harmoniously with others and honor God.  

Journal Question:

When have you hurt a relationship because you pushed your agenda on someone else?

Random Act of Kindness:

What can you do today to reconcile a broken relationship?

One-minute read.

“Pay It Forward,” a movie made in 2000, starred Haley Joel Osment and had a simple plot.  Trevor, Osmont’s character, decided to start a movement of kindness for his school assignment.  The young boy thought that if he did three nice things for people, telling each person to pay it forward to three more people, it would quickly spread good deeds throughout the world.  Although a box office disappointment, it doesn’t discount the movie’s premise.

Jesus died on the cross, not just for our lives today, but for future generations to come, paying it forward, so to speak.  By living our lives for the Savior, we help others come to know and love Him, which in turn impacts an increasing number of people.  Christ’s resurrection 2000 years ago started a movement that has never ended.  To this day, people give their lives for the gospel, doing all they can to help others know the saving grace and love of God’s Son.

Although you may not think your actions matter, everything you do for Christ has a ripple effect, most of which you won’t know of until you reach heaven.  God uses all things to the good for those who believe and trust in Him.  

Journal Question:

Who has inspired you to do acts of kindness for others?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you pay it forward for Jesus today?

One-minute read.

Truth, in today’s world, seems elusive.  Trust in the news stories found in the media can only lead to lies and heartache. Love rejoices with the truth, rejecting deceit as evil, including when we deceive ourselves.  Receiving divine truth only happens when we submit our lives to the Lord, allowing Him to search our hearts and reveal truth to us.

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” Proverbs 17:3

God knows the condition of our hearts and the lies we tell ourselves and others.  When we give the Lord permission to test our hearts, He will refine us, revealing the false tales we believe and rejoicing in the truth.  As we embrace the Creator’s love for us, He will set us free from our sins, and like prisoners released from jail, we will experience freedom in a way like never before.

Seek the Lord’s love today.  Let Him reveal the lies in your life, and rejoice in the truth of His grace and mercy.  Then share what you have found with others, telling the truth in love and dispelling the world’s lies.  Only with Jesus can you experience the unconditional love of the Savior and the freedom He offers.

Journal Question:

What lies have held you captive?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you share the truth in love with today?

One-minute read.

God desires a heart response from us, freely and willingly showing kindness to others for Him.  Left to our devices, when someone hurts us, we may not show mercy.  However, as we surrender our lives to Jesus and become more like Him, we should become more likable people.   Walking humbly with the Lord means recognizing His constant presence in our lives and God’s awareness of our actions.

Watching the final of the US Open Golf tournament, it rained during the last part of the event, causing havoc for the players.  As I watched the leaders fall, losing their hold on the title, their reaction amazed me.  Yes, they showed frustration and disappointment in their play, but they also showed mercy for their fellow athletes, recognizing they all shared the pain of those moments.  Freely giving kindness to their comrades, no one acted meanly; good athletes in the arena.

In the game of life, we have a choice of how we respond to the circumstances we find ourselves in today.  We can choose kindness, to act justly and love mercy, walking humbly with our Creator.  The more we practice God’s ways, the more natural they will become, sharing the Lord’s unconditional grace and mercy with all.

Journal Question:

When have you refused to offer mercy to someone?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you freely give kindness and mercy away today?

One-minute read.

Words matter.  What you say to other people has an impact on their lives.  How they receive your words determines how they internalize and process them.  In seventh grade, when a boy on the bus told me I had a big nose, I heard ‘You’re ugly.”  His words had a profound impact on my self-esteem, causing me to doubt myself and my appearance.  Forty years later, he probably doesn’t remember uttering that sentence, but I still remember the pain I felt from it.

As a tennis coach, I learned in one of my first trainings that kids remember 80% of what you say to them, but we only remember 20% of the words we speak.  To combat that statistic, I strive only to say uplifting and encouraging words, not only to my students, but to everyone.  I look for the good in people, and then I tell them when I find it.  Instead of focusing on the negative, I find the positive and speak it out loud.  

Spread good in the world with your words.  Don’t let unwholesome talk come from your mouth; know that your words matter.  Find ways to build people up, speak life into them with your words, letting them know how much they matter, not only to you, but to God as well.

Journal Question:

When has someone’s words hurt you?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you build up today with your words?

One-minute read.

Not keeping a record of others’ faults requires intention.  I can quickly list Ron’s annoying traits, but instead of holding them against him, I thank the Lord for them.  Each night when I hear his snoring, I praise God for having him in bed with me.  After my father died, I remember my mom saying, “I miss sleeping with him.”  Now I understand why; my father could saw some logs in his sleep, and the entire house heard him.  But writing this on the 39th anniversary of his death, we have missed his presence and his snoring.

Instead of focusing on people’s wrongs, praise God for their presence in your life.  Only the Lord knows the length of one’s life.  Not only does today mark Dad’s homecoming, but also our flower girl’s first anniversary of her move to heaven.  God gave her to us for twenty years, and now she lives in glory with Him.  Remembering the brevity of life helps us appreciate the people God gives us, no matter what they’re shortcomings. And we all have faults.  I don’t want others keeping a list of mine, and so I try not to keep a list of theirs.

Honor those in your life by putting their needs above yours, not letting anger control you, and keeping no record of their wrongs.  Love them well and receive the joy of their presence.

Journal Question:

How can you let go of people’s faults and honor them instead?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you honor today with an act of love?

One-minute read.

When someone offends us, our initial response wants to strike back. God calls us to take the high road, not repaying evil for evil, but going the extra mile and blessing them.

Someone causing us pain with malicious intent can make us want to inflict harm on them.  The better we know a person, the more we know their secrets and can exploit them for our gain.  But Jesus wants us to turn to Him and ask for help.  Allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our actions will lead us down the righteous path, restoring our relationship instead of destroying it, and showing us how we can bless others.

Enemies come in all forms and fashions, from stranger to friend. How we respond when offended speaks volumes about who we follow.  If Jesus takes the lead in our lives, instead of striking back, we’ll bless them.  Allowing God to soften our hearts helps us gain insight into the other person’s actions.  With understanding, returning evil with a blessing becomes easier, which helps us honor and glorify God instead of perpetuating the hurt.

Journal Question:

What happened the last time you experienced an evil act?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you repay evil with a blessing today?

One-minute read.

Any time we have the chance to do good, God wants us to do it, especially for fellow believers.  Helping other Christ followers encourages and uplifts them, enabling them to persevere on their journey.  Whenever I feel discouraged and receive an email or comment that my writing has helped someone, it motivates me to keep going.  Last week, I had lunch with a friend who read my book 4:13 Doing Hard Things with Strength, and it helped her through a health crisis.  Her excitement as she shared with me the book’s impact on her life did me good.

Doing good for others has different forms.  Taking a meal to a family struggling with a loss or a difficult situation.  Sending a note of encouragement to a church member facing a giant.  Visiting with an elderly friend.  Mowing the lawn for a single mother.  Running errands for someone laid up with an illness.  Endless possibilities exist for doing good to others.  If we tune our eyes and ears to the needs of others, we will find plenty of opportunities to do good.

Ask God to show you who needs encouragement today.  Find ways to do good for them, giving their soul a lift, and helping them persevere in the day-to-day trials of life.

Journal Question:

How has someone doing good for you uplifted you in the past?

Random Act of Kindness:

What can you do for a friend that will uplift and encourage them today?