believe in miracles...

believe in miracles. Miracles happen every day. We just don't always recognize them.

Today, believe in and acknowledge the miracles in your life. Miracles are wonderful gifts from God. We've all had many miraculous moments in our lives. Moments that we knew God was watching over us - keeping us safe, keeping us alive, keeping us encouraged, picking us up, comforting us, bringing us joy, healing the pain, giving us hope, and making us feel loved

So, for today I will believe in miracles. I will believe that God blesses the world and me with miracles every day. And I will be mindful of the most amazing miracle He gave us - Jesus Christ.

recognize mercy...

recognize mercy. Sometimes we don't see all the subtle blessings of mercy that His divine grace covers us with each day.

Laura Story has a beautiful song that I first heard at church. It has struck my heart and soul. It makes me recognize and be grateful for all the mercy God bestows on me. It also allows me to praise Him in the midst of any storms that come my way. I would encourage you to listen to it or find your own inspirational song that touches your heart and helps you to always remember that He is near and He is blessing you.

......."what if your blessings come through raindrops, what if your healing comes through tears, what if a thousand sleepless nights is what it takes to know you're near, what if the trails of this life are Your mercies in disguise - what if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy, what if the trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the darkest nights are Your mercies in disguise"....

So, for today I will recognize mercy in my life and be thankful.

pray...

pray. Although I may pray often, once in a while, or not very much - today I will pray, but it will not be for myself. Today I will pray specifically for my friends, family, neighbors, pastors, loved ones and co-workers.

I am grateful to have them in my life and I want God to know how much they mean to me. I will thank Him for the fact that I am not alone in this world. That He has provided a community of fellowship around me that gives me support, acceptance and love is an awesome thing. I will call them out by name and ask the Lord to bless them. And I will be thankful that my days are filled with the smiles, hugs, dreams, encouragement and strength of the wonderful people around me.

So, for today I will pray those around me who give so much to me every day. From my thankfulness, I will humbly ask that He touch their hearts and provide for their needs and wants. I will be thankful.

just believe....

just believe. Today I am not going to research facts and statistics. I'm not going to gather countless opinions of the good and bad of a particular situation. I am just going to believe in God's power and His will for all things in my life to be for my good.

I will just believe in His love. I will just believe in His strength. I will just believe in His mercy. I will just believe in His grace. I will just believe in His plans for me and I will trust Him alone.

So, for today I will just believe. Today will not be about what the world thinks or the doctors think or the facts seem to dictate.... Today is only about believing that God has this already worked out for me. I will just believe.

celebrate...

celebrate. Jesus lived, Jesus died, Jesus rose again. In doing so, He altered my fate and gave me the gift of eternal salvation.

For that I will celebrate. No party planner needed. No invitations, decorations or elaborate menus necessary. In my heart is where this celebration will take place as nothing before and nothing since has ever been a bigger display of God's love for me than the life of Christ. That's worth celebrating. This one simple truth - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whomsoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life"- is worth a celebration each and every day. I will be thankful and grateful. I will be filled with joy. I will smile and dance and feel the blessings pour over me. My journey on this planet is not the end of my story, it's just the beginning...

So, for today I will celebrate. I will find joy in the simple yet overwhelming truth of God's love for me and the glory of the eternal life I will have in Him.

make it personal...

make it personal. Our relationship with God is supposed to be that - a relationship. He was born, lived on this earth, and died just for us. Just for me. Just for you. Who else has ever died specifically for you and for the sole purpose of giving you a gift - the gift of eternal life? It doesn't get more personal than that.

He's not far off in Heaven. He's not just for Sundays. He's right here, right now. So today, make it personal. Start developing an every day conversation with Him. Start noticing and acknowledging His presence throughout your day. Start feeling Him beside you and with you. He's your Father and wants to do His job - to comfort, protect, teach and love you! Embrace Him. Adore Him. Make Him your priority.

So, for today I will make it personal and remember that no one has and no one ever will love me as much as He does.

be glad that I'm a work in progress...

be glad that I'm a work in progress. The past is gone. I can't fix it or change it, but I can be glad that I'm learning, changing and continuing to progress.

God's not done with me yet! The things I didn't know or didn't pay attention to during my teens, twenties, and so forth caused a lot of grief. "If I had only known then what I know now." Do you ever find yourself saying those words? I used to say them with sadness and regret, but now I think of it differently. It's all been part of my journey through life and the blessing is that I keep trying to learn new things and put into practice better principles for the future. There isn't a "complete" or "finished" button on my ability to keep learning or reshaping who I want to become. I am glad I'm not stuck in who I used to be. God's not done with me yet and I'm glad that He'll keep lighting a new path for me each day.

So, for today I will be glad that I'm a work in progress. I'll be glad that I can constructively use my past successes and failures to help me become stronger or wiser, more caring or kind, more disciplined or responsible, more loving or giving, more forgiving or patient.