Sleutelwoord: Daily Devotions

Matthew 6:5 TM

Jesus said the Pharisees turned prayer into “a theatrical production,” and that God wasn’t moved by it. Author John Ortberg points out five things about them: “(1) Their prayers had become a shallow exercise rather than a deep relationship-building one. (2) They were rituals, rather than authentic expressions of a loving heart. (3) They were long and wordy, designed to impress others. (4) They were filled with meaningless clichés. (5) They became a cause for pride rather than an opportunity to express humble reliance on God.” Can you imagine your child approa ching you with a whole bunch of religious “thee’s” and “thou’s”? How would it make you feel? When it comes to prayer, Jesus said: “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace. The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply” (vv. 6-8 NIV). You can pray anywhere, at any time: in your car, in the bathroom, lying in bed, while you’re exercising, or at work. All God asks is that you be spontaneous, personal, and honest. In other words, pray from your heart.

Philippians 2:5 NLT

A flying instructor will tell you that periodically your plane needs to be “trimmed” or “balanced in flight.” After flying through storms, it gets knocked out of alignment and needs to be adjusted. And the same thing happens on your spiritual journey. The storms of life can “knock you out of alignment.” Unexpected “weather conditions” like sickness, depression, unemployment, divorce, disappointment, and death can force you to change direction and strategy. That’s why your attitude needs to be regularly checked and adjusted. So what are you dealing with that calls for an attitude check? Paul writes, “You must have the same attitude…Jesus had.” Is such a lifestyle possible? Yes, but you must make it a priority and pursue it each day. Joshua wanted to turn an army of complainers into an army that could conquer the Promised Land. So God gave him this formula for success: “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night…be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do” (Joshua 1:8 NLT). Try the “three-by-five technique.” Each week identify a Scripture that relates to an area in which you want to grow, write it down on a three-by-five card, and memorize it. In one year you’ll have fifty-two Scriptures you can recall and stand on. Think how that will impact your life! Not only will wrong attitudes become right attitudes, but your life will begin to move in the right direction.

James 3:17 NLT

Some people seem to thrive on conflict. They are always picking on others, arguing, disagreeing, or trying to get something started. They fight just for the sport of it, not because they passionately believe in a particular cause. They are quick to jump in and expend their energy fighting other people’s battles in which they have no stake. These people seem confident but they make poor decisions, so others learn to ignore them and not take them seriously. They need to “always win” in order to feel good about themselves. When it comes to your relationships with others, you need “wisdom from above.” When you have it, you won’t need to put everyone else on the mat just to show how strong or smart you are. True self-confidence, including confidence in your ability to make good decisions, comes from within. “The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness” (vv. 17-18 NLT). When you operate according to these scriptural principles, you’ll know whether or not a battle is worthy of your attention. If you keep your eyes on the prize that God has set before you, you’ll realize that some things simply aren’t worth your time and attention. As a result you’ll make better decisions about your life as well as your relationships.

Proverbs 24:16 NIV

Like any skill, mental, emotional, and spiritual resilience can be learned. Here’s how: (1) Redefine setbacks as the gateway to something greater. (2) Remember successful people don’t just face adversity, they embrace it. (3) Tune out the critics and focus on doing your best. (4) Wake up every day remembering that prayer and gratitude create a fertile environment for faith. (5) Increase your faith-talk when you’re afraid. (6) Learn from failure, and remember the many times you’ve succeeded. (7) Visualize victory before going into battle. (8) Refuse to dwell on the past or worry about the future; today is where you have the most influence. (9) Identify a solution instead of complaining. (10) Replace self-doubt with faith-talk. (11) When things look hopeless, remember “with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). (12) When you feel alone, think of all those who have helped you and who love and support you. (13) Pray for guidance when you’re in over your head (See James 1:5). (14) Rest when you’re tired, but don’t give up. Finish strong in everything you do. (15) Remember you “can do all things through Christ” when you think you can’t (Philippians 4:13). (16) Recognize what you can’t control, focus on what you can, and surrender the rest to God. (17) Exercise physically to give yourself a sense of control and fight depression. (18) Laugh to reduce stress, strengthen your immune system, and improve arterial blood flow. (19) Be grateful. Research shows that people who sent a letter or email of thanks to somebody who helped them, s tayed in a better mood for up to a month.

Matthew 18:3 NIV

Matthew writes: “The disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him…And he said…’Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven'” (vv. 1-3 NIV). To do great things for God, you must approach Him with a childlike attitude. You can learn a lot from watching little children. Wherever they are, they find a way to enjoy whatever they’re doing. They’re qu ick to forgive an offense. One moment they’re fighting over something, the next moment they’re playing happily together. And trusting comes easily to them. Your children don’t worry about mortgage payments, meals, or making ends meet because they implicitly trust that you will provide what they need. What was Jesus teaching us? (a) To have simple faith. (b) To pray simple prayers. (c) To be quick to repent. (d) To reach regularly for God’s help. (e) To believe that your heavenly Father is good and that “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). Plus, when you forgive children, they don’t run around feeling guilty and condemned. With this kind of simplicity in your relationship with God, you’ll find yourself growing spiritually and enjoying Him more than ever. And that should be your goal.

Genesis 1:28 NKJV

Your heavenly Father created the world – and you are made in His image. That means you are wired to think creatively. God finished His creative work in six days, then our work began. God said, in essence, “I’ve provided you with all the resources and talents you need to have an abundant life. Now do something good with it.” The sheep He made give wool, from which we create beautiful fabrics in differing colors for matching outfits. God didn’t make cheese; He made cows that give milk so that we can create cheese from it. The Bible describes the beginning of all things in these words: “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.'” The word “multiply” means that God wants you to end up with more than you started out with. But to do that you must begin to think creatively! Instead of simply accepting what is, you need to take what is and make something more out of it. When you do that, you’re following in your heavenly Father’s footsteps. Sometimes churches pour cold water on any thought or activity that isn’t religious, saying it’s “worldly” and therefore God is not pleased with it. That’s like saying God only works within the four walls of a church. No, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever you do in life, God wants you to put your creativity to work so that you can glorify Him and bless others.

Genesis 1:27 NLT

Why do we celebrate the birth of our children? Because like God, we helped to create something. The famous American football coach Vince Lombardi said, “The joy is in creating, not maintaining.” It’s a mistake to believe that God is only interested in “spiritual things” and not “secular” things. Yes, you must grow spiritually. But you must also use the gifts He’s given you to fulfill His purpose here on the earth, and to bless others. You don’t have to be rich or have a high IQ in order to be creative. You could be a creative hairstylist, or come up with a new recipe, or create a job opportunity for prisoners by which they rebuild their lives. That’s not just secular, that’s spiritual! You’ll notice that the cross has two posts: vertical and horizontal. The vertical post represents your relationship with God, what He wants to do for you and what He wants you to do for Him. The horizontal post represents what He’s called us to do for each other. You say, “But I’m not very creative.” Once you discover your God-given gift, it will release your creativity. Paul writes, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them” (Romans 12:6 NKJV). Stop putting yourself down just because you are not as creative as you’d like to be. Creative thinking isn’t necessarily original thinking. In fact, people mythologize original thought. Most often, creative thinking is a composite of other people’s thoughts discovered along the way. So the word for you today is: Be creative.