#1
Next time your day goes south, here is what you do: Steep yourself in the grace of God. Saturate your day in His love. Marinate your mind in His mercy.
He has settled your accounts, paid your debt.
“Christ carried our sins in His body on the cross.”
1 Peter 2:24 NCV
#2
Two types of voices command your attention today. Negative ones fill your mind with doubt, bitterness, and fear. Positive ones purvey hope and strength. Which one will you choose to heed?
You have a choice, you know.
“We take every thought captive so that it is obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 God’s Word
#3
Major in the grace of God. Focus on the cross of Christ. Grow fluent in the language of redemption. Linger long at the foot of the cross. Immerse yourself in the curriculum of grace.
#4
You can endure change by pondering His permanence. Survive rejection by meditating on His acceptance.
“Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground…Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is.”
Colossians 3:2
#5
God is able to accomplish, provide, help, save, keep, subdue…He is able to do what you can’t. He already has a plan. God’s not bewildered. Go to Him.
#6
The next time life’s problems seem about to overwhelm you, remember this advice from Peter:
“Throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon Him, for you are His personal concern.”
1 Peter 5:7 Phillips
God’s solution is a prayer away!
#7
Mark it down. You will never go where God is not. You may be transferred, enlisted, commissioned, reassigned, or hospitalized – but brand this on your heart – you can never go where God is not.
“I am with you always,” Jesus promised.
(Matthew 28:20 NKJV)
#8
The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith. Fear visits everyone. But make your fear a visitor and not a resident. Hasn’t fear taken enough? Enough smiles? Chuckles? Restful nights, exuberant days? Meet your fears with faith.
#9
Want to snatch a day from the manacles of boredom? Do overgenerous deeds, acts beyond reimbursement. Kindness without compensation. Do a deed for which you cannot be repaid.
#10
We’re important, but not essential; valuable, but not indispensable. We have a part in the play, but we are not the main act. A song to sing, but we are not the featured voice. God is.
#11
He did well before our birth; He’ll do fine after our deaths. He started it all, sustains it all, and will bring it all to a glorious climax. In the meantime, we have this high privilege: to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Christ.
#12
If today were your last, would you do what you’re doing? Or would you love more, give more, forgive more? Then do so! Forgive and give as if it were your last opportunity. Love like there’s no tomorrow, and if tomorrow comes, love again.
#13
When we see as God wants us to see, we see heaven’s hand in the midst of sickness, Jesus working on a troubled youth, the Holy Spirit comforting a broken heart. We see with faith, and since faith begets hope, we of all people are hope filled. For we know there is more to life than what meets the eye.
#14
Here’s what you need to keep in mind. You no longer have yesterday. You do not yet have tomorrow. You have only today. This is the day the Lord has made. Live in it.#
#15
Thunderbolts of regret can ignite and consume you. Counteract them with downpours of God’s grace, daily washings of forgiveness.
“The Lord’s love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 NCV
#16
Today. This day. In the stink of it, the throes of it, Jesus makes a miracle out of it. When others nail you to the cross of your past, he swings open the door to your future. Paradise.
#17
Measure the gifts of God. Collect your blessings. Catalog his kindnesses. Assemble your reasons for gratitude and recite them.
“Always be joyful. Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NCV
#18
Negative thoughts never strengthen you. How many times have you cleared a traffic jam with your grumbles? Does groaning about bills make them disappear? Why moan about your aches and pains, problems and tasks?
“Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.”
Proverbs 4:23 NCV
#19
You don’t have wisdom for tomorrow’s problems. But you will tomorrow. You don’t have resources for tomorrow’s needs. But you will tomorrow. You don’t have courage for tomorrow’s challenges. But you will tomorrow. What you do have is manna for the morning and quail for the evening.
God meets daily needs daily and miraculously.
#20
If God is enough for you, then you’ll always have enough, because you’ll always have God.#
#21
Brighten your day by envisioning God running toward you.
#22
Does a river of fear run between you and Jesus? Cross over to him. If you wave Jesus away, joy will die, laughter will perish, and tomorrow will be buried in today’s grave of dread. Give the day a chance. Believe he can. Believe he cares. Believe he comes. Don’t be afraid. Just believe.
#23
God cast you in his play, wrote you into his story. He has a definite direction for your life. Fulfill it and enjoy fulfillment. Play the part God prepared for you and get ready for some great days.
#24
We each have our own cross to carry – our individual callings. Yours awaits you like a snug-fitting shirt. It matches your passions and enlists your gifts and talents. Want to blow the cloud cover off your gray day?
Accept God’s direction.
#25
Discover this mystery: as you help others face their days, you put life into your own. And life is exactly what many people need.
#26
Check your vital signs. Something stirs you. Some call brings energy to your voice, conviction to your face, and direction to your step. Isolate and embrace it. Nothing gives a day a greater chance than a good wallop of passion.
#27
You messed up yesterday. But you’ll mess up more if you let yesterday’s mistakes sabotage today’s attitude. God’s mercies are new every morning. Receive them.
#28
Yesterday…forgiven. Tomorrow…surrendered. Today…clarified. Jesus’ design for a good day makes such sense. His grace erases guilt. His oversight removes fear. His direction removes confusion.
#29
No one can pray and worry at the same time. When we worry, we aren’t praying. When we pray,
we aren’t worrying. When you pray, you “stay” your mind on Christ, resulting in peace.
#30
Ever have a day when you suddenly realize you’re way off track? God sends a rescue boat into such days. Jesus positioned higher than the waves and enjoying a clear view of the shoreline, offers us his oversight: “Need help getting back on course?” Wise are the ones who nod and swim in the direction he points.
From Every Day Deserves A Chance, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007. Reprinted from Maxlucado.com. Used by permission.