Monday Writings.....5/2/16

Good morning dear reader!

Will you pray with me? Thanks! Let us pray together, "Father God, please guide my steps and guard my mouth, that I will go where You lead and say what is good and compassionate. Amen"

I don't mention speaking the truth because that is a two-edge sword that is very sharp. I have learned the hard way through the years - from crushing people's spirits, losing friends, alienating family- that the truth must be delivered with love. Not immature love that is passionately selfish and sometimes out of control. It must be love that is gentle and sincere, drawing  you into it's arms of faithfulness and caring. May we all practice walking in love, thinking with love, responding in love, forgiving in love, and accepting others and ourselves with love.

Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love
and the greatest of these is love.

 I Corinthians 13:13

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

 Romans 12:9 NIV

Have you heard the quote "Knowing is not the same as seeing a thing"? Mary Wilkins shares her experience with seeing and understanding in today's devotional "Facing the Facts" or otherwise known as 'Going Blind'

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  Today's Devotional   

"Facing the Facts"

written by

Mary Wilkins

When I first got contact lenses it took me 10 minutes to put my contacts in each morning. Thirty years later, and it takes me less than a minute to put them both in so I can get on with my day. But occasionally there will be a small glitch - an old contact or a tender eye- and it takes me 3 minutes at the most to take care of business.

A few weeks ago I woke up still a little tired. As I went through my morning routine on autopilot - I was startled to discover the vision in my left eye was blurry.  Hmmph! Annoyed with my contact for misbehaving, I took it out, rinsed it thoroughly, and put it back in. Hoping to clear things up I blinked repeatedly and tried a few other tricks to get my contact to settle into position.

Nope. Still blurry. My heart started to beat a little faster - I don't have time for this! Now I am going to have to go to the eye doctor today because I can't live like this. 'Oh no!' I thought suddenly, 'What if I'm going blind?' 

Now please forgive my drama! It was early, I had not yet had my daily caffeine - and my brain was just as fuzzy as my vision.

Giving up for the moment, walking out of my room, I noticed that I couldn't see clearly across the room with my right eye. The realization was sudden: first, that I must not have my right contact in- second, that I had taken it out of its case, and third, I put it on top of the other contact in my left eye. No wonder I couldn't see! It was double vision!

Laughing at myself AND sighing with relief, I started over, committing to being a little more attentive when doing important things. As I began the process I couldn't help thinking how very real the blurry vision had been. How convinced I was of the fact that something was wrong with my eye. There had to be a problem. I had evidence. It looked like a fact!

Wisdom is of utmost importance, therefore get wisdom,

and with all your effort work to acquire understanding.

Proverbs 4:7 ISV

Dear Lord, thank You for the reminder that just because we see something doesn't mean we know something until we first understand that thing. Thank You for using a groggy morning to teach me a lesson on patience versus panic, and detail versus fact. Please give us insight so that we may get wisdom and understanding out of the every day experiences of our lives. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

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   Today's Interesting Graphic

 This daffy sad sack reminds me of Eeyore. People like this always see the glass as half empty instead of half full. They are always woeful. We who walk with God know that He has our backs. That does not mean that there will not be challenges and disappointments. What it does mean is that we know that He is beside us with plans to bless us. We must wait in faith and hope for what is coming from Him

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   Prophetic  Statements and Texts
   From the Bible or  Current Prophets   

Isaiah 45:1

"This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut..."

In this passage, the prophet said God would open the gates of Babylon for Cyrus and his attacking army. Despite Babylon's remarkable defenses, which included moats, and walls that were more than 70-feet thick and 300-feet high (with 250 watchtowers) Cyrus was able to enter the city and conquer it. Cyrus and his troops accomplished it by diverting the flow of the Euphrates River into a large lake basin. Cyrus then was able to march his army across the riverbed and into the city!

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   Quotes of Famous Christians   

   Past and Present  

• C. S. Lewis
  I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because I see everything by it.

• Corrie Ten Boom
  Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?

• Anonymous
  If God gave you roses and then you ask, "Why are there no thorns?" God would just smile and show His bleeding hands saying, "I took them away, to save you from pain."

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Prayers are lifted up daily for 

you by the Devotional Writers 

and the Monthly Writing Staff

of Women's Focus Ministries.

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