Looking ahead to March, our calendar has a number of entries on it already, but we know that we must be prepared for changes. We can make plans, but as children of God, we should ask the Lord to direct our steps. As we read in Proverbs 16:9, “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
Yesterday, I sat in a waiting room while Karen was having a manicure. I could have grumbled that it was taking a long time, but instead I read some insightful articles by Dr. David Jeremiah. In “Taking a Closer Look,” he observes: “A book can change your life. Jack Canfield writes: ‘We’ve all found that life becomes richer when we’re reading a great book. You go to sleep at night feeling that your time on Earth is more valuable, your experience here more worthwhile. You wake up seeing yourself, other people, and the world differently.’”
Dr. Jeremiah adds: “I love to read, and certain books I don’t discard. They stay near at hand. A few of them are worth re-reading, sometimes multiple times…. Do you have a favorite book? Is there one you’ve read more than once? Notice how you learn something new with each reading. Whether fiction or nonfiction, we see things with fresh eyes.
How much more should we want to read the Book of books – the Bible – repeatedly, methodically, devotionally, and personally! But a question arises. Could you be too familiar with the Word of God? Have we become ‘used’ to its lessons, stories, commands, and promises? It’s possible to read the Bible with our eyes while our minds are far away.
In the 1980s, Kellogg’s came out with an advertising slogan for their cornflakes: ‘Try it again for the first time!’ They were inviting consumers to rediscover a love for the uncomplicated taste of their cereal. It struck a cord with us; soon we were using that slogan for other things as well. People want to return to the freshness of their first discoveries.”
No matter how yesterday “went” for you, you can ask the Lord to guide your steps today. In the introduction to the book of Lamentations in the Jeremiah Study Bible, we read: “Although he was neck-deep in the worst situation imaginable, a reviving thought sliced through the prophet’s heart: ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope’ (Lamentations 3:21). Jeremiah refocused on the Lord’s mercy, compassion, and faithfulness. The same can happen for any of us: hope begins with a change of focus.”
Scripture for the weekend: “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NASB)
Steve