TODAY IS…

a great day to think about where you are.

“So I say, live by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”  Galatians 5:16 NIV

Whatever the condition or circumstances of our lives, we arrived at this point under the watchful eye of the Lord.

Some of us are not going to be very happy with that knowledge because we are not in a good place. We might develop a tendency to blame God, but God did not place us where we are, He simply watched over us and allowed us to choose the path that brought us to this point.

If life appears to be wonderful, we have used the talents God gave us to our personal advantage. This, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. But God is watching to see what we will do with our good fortune and how we will use it to help others. He will watch over us to see that we work diligently at understanding His word and applying the wisdom and guidance found there to our daily lives.

He looks into our hearts to see if we are in the correct place there.

If life has not been so good to us; if we find ourselves surrounded by storm clouds, trials, and tribulations; if nothing ever seems to go right and all the world seems to be against us: this journey as well has been made under the watchful eye of the Lord. It is at this point that many will wring their hands in despair and look to heaven and ask God, “Why me?”

Perhaps the answer is not as complicated or mysterious as we might think. It is possible to live into our 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and beyond believing that we are “basically” good people. OK, so maybe we drink a little too much, or we might take illegal drugs “once in a while” or abuse prescription ones; we might spend some time on the computer looking at pornography, but “only after everyone has gone to bed”; perhaps we just spend a lot of time watching television or playing video games. But we’re “basically good,” right?

God did not place us where we are.

He allowed us to get there on our own. If we have a “good” life God expects us to share what we have and know that the means of our success came from Him. If we have an abundance of negativity in our lives, God is right beside us, waiting for us to reach out to Him for guidance. All we must do is ask and be sincere in our efforts to know Him and to live in a manner that is guided by the Holy Spirit within us, and the wisdom contained in the Bible.

Each one of us must ask ourselves, “Am I in the place that God wants me to be in or am I in a place of my choosing?”

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson