From:
Date: April 29, 2020
Subject: It's April 29; Good Morning Union


Today is brought to you by the letter T

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”    Proverbs 3: 5,6

“The joy of the Lord is my strength.”            Nehemiah 8:10

There are lots of “T” texts with promises, most starting with “The,” like the reminder by Nehemiah that his strength in life closely correlated in my grasping the joy that comes from knowing God.

But probably the most famous “T” text is from Solomon as I am reminded again today his three steps to identifying God’s path for my life. The future is pretty consistently “unknown” and I for one, and quite sure I’m not alone, can only take my best shot at predicting my future. I can try and remove any obstacles that I know will give me a negative future but there are still too many variables in life to know for sure what's to come. And THAT is part of the reason I use God as my compass and my guide as much as I know how. Solomon suggests three things I can do to improve and capitalize on that decision:

  1. Trust in the Lord
  2. Lean not on my own understanding
  3. In all my ways acknowledge Him

And the result will be that God “WILL direct my path.” One version says He will “make my paths straight.” I kind of like that. There are enough bumps and detours through life. Anything (or Anyone) who can help straighten things out is greatly appreciated. Three decisions provide a catalyst to help straighten out my path:

  1. I need to trust, which includes believing in something I cannot yet see. I believe a map because I have seen the evidence that the person who went before me and carefully charted a course was right and I follow even if I have never been down that road before. And yes, I said map vs GPS because that electronic device has led me astray multiple times!)
  2. Sometimes my intuition has served me well and when I reach a fork in the road of life that I have never seen before, I get it right. But usually it’s just a 50-50 chance and I picked right this time. If I want more clarity in life I need to not depend so much on my intuition and more on God’s commitment to “never leave me or forsake me,” and look, through prayer and His word, to see how He can help.
  3. And I need to make a conscious decision that I want HIM as my guide through life, and then live like I mean it.

Straight paths through the turmoil in life I believe can come as I follow His word and “lay all my plans at His feet, to be given up or carried out as His will indicates.”

Have a great day trusting in God’s straightened paths through life,

Pastor Rich

 

Quote for the day:      "If we are not changed by grace, then we are not saved by grace."

- A. W. Tozer

 

“Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srZ9IGsFy4o

“There is a Fountain”              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXx558v5eik

PS Daily Bread” blog at noon on CM Instagram and then archived on CMyoutube. Join is for 15 minutes of interactive Bible study with Caleb Haakenson and guests.

PPS Text your prayer requests to 256 257 0149

PPPS It Is Written online evangelistic series continues tonight at 6pm Lincoln time and continues every Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings until May 16. Join this Worldwide series addressing the current challenges facing the world today. Check it out at hopeawakens.com.

Wednesday, April 29 - 6pm

Going it Alone