Games

Matthew 6:33

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Thank You for making games, Lord. They’re the perfect excuse to hang out with friends and enjoy one another’s company. While winning is fun, the journey of time spent together with laughter and getting to know each other more is even better. When You are first, serving those I play with is more prominent than winning, and that, too, is enjoyable.

I love how keeping You first changes everything. It affects all areas of life with a peace and joy that “surpasses all comprehension,” and guards our hearts and minds in Your Son. (Philippians 4:7) Help me to constantly live in Your presence, with my service unto You; my goal as Your will; and all aspects of my life as Your tools.

Thank You for Your lovingkindness. May I be purposeful to let it flow through me, and not to try to hoard it for myself, which is only self-defeating, since it destroys the opportunity for joy and peace I might have had. Keep my gaze steady upon You.

In Jesus’ Name, amen.


What portrays to you the peace and goodness that come from keeping God first?

Weekly Impressions - The Use of Pain

1 Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

Something God has impressed upon me this week is my emphasis on how everything He does is for my good and His glory. That’s very true, but it isn’t just my good and His glory. The verse says “...for the good of those who love Him,” which includes me, but isn’t confined to me. Everything He does is for the good of His children (plural) and for His glory.

For example, I have chronic pain. It's for my good and His glory. Yet He can also use my pain to encourage others - His children. Non-believers look at that and say, “See, how can there be a god who would allow that?” Believers can look at it and say, “Wow, see how God is using her through that!” It isn’t about the pain, it’s about its use. Pain is a hard thing... which is why it can be used for such a great testimony.

Others who know pain like that can be encouraged by my walk with the Lord. Of course, I can also falter - and do - which some might argue isn't the best testimony. Yet even my faltering can be a slight encouragement in that others like me know they aren’t alone. They will have times during which they falter as well, and it is a small comfort during those times to know you aren’t the only one of God’s children who stumbles. (Thought we might know all His children stumble, it's quite different to actually see it!)

It’s an example God places before us of what He said in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overcome you but such as is common to man[.]” It doesn’t end there, though. It continues on to say: “and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” God’s grace is sufficient for His children.

When I am struggling with my perspective, I need to immediately turn to God, confess my sin (or the temptation to), recognize He is in control, then thank Him for that, and request His help. As I ask for His help, I should continue to thank Him for the many things He has given and is doing for me. That thankfulness is a practice of humility before the Lord, which will already start to help shift my perspective back to where it should be: with God on the throne and my thoughts focused on Him, not on my situation.

Thank You, Lord, for Your grace. 

*       *       *

I wrote a poem a long time ago that ties in with this theme and might be encouraging to you. It is called:

In Dreamer’s Dawn

In dreamer’s dawn, 
In sunlight’s kiss, 
Life’s misery and pain
burn away,
In song, in fable
In midnight tale - 
But none can account
for Truth.

Where are the days
When the sun’s rays warm? 
When troubles are but
a dream?
When life deals happiness 
Boundless, abundant, 
And our childish souls 
Laugh with joy?

Why, lost, little one,
Held hostage, entombed, 
Trapped by our ignorance
and sin.
Locked up, deep within
Held tight, lest it slip 
And slither, lost forever
from our grasp.

But joy is not joy 
When held imprisoned, 
Not free to be shared
in love. 
Joy is everlasting 
Radiant and bright 
When freed by the power
of the One.

Christ’s awesome power
His redeeming love 
Cannot be won,
but freed. 
Unlock that door
Inside your heart 
That guards the last
of your stock.

Christ is light, and life, 
And truth, and joy -
He is everything your heart
can dream. 
Just open the door
And leave it ajar;
He’ll take care of the rest
from here on.

True treasure will pour 
Into your soul
Where once so little
was grasped. 
Now, overfull,
You can share your treasure, 
Your love, truth, joy, peace,
and the One.

We often throw out 
The key to the lock, 
And forget what is was
at all.
But the key is His Word,
A broken heart,
And the trials and burdens
that we face.

We may despise
What we cannot escape, 
But if we could see through
His eyes... 
Then we would know
The use of pain,
The wondrous blessing
it can be.

Yes it hurts for a time,
But Christ is eternal;
If you give Him the reins from
the onset -
Just guess at the things 
He will teach you anew,
And the joy you will have 
through the pain.

In dreamer’s dawn, 
In sunlight’s kiss, 
Life’s misery and pain
burn away. 
In radiant beams,
In moonlit streams, 
Joy’s Master shall reign
throughout all.

(For more of my compositions, see www.JenariSkye.com.)

A Good Night's Sleep

Exodus 15:2

"The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will extol Him."

Many things seem to be cured - or at least helped - by a good night’s sleep. My sleep has been interrupted by various things lately - mostly by symptoms of my cold, or my one-year-old son waking up in the middle of the night. This, of course, does not contribute to a good night’s sleep. Yet God allowed it, and His divine power is more than enough to see me through.

Last night, it was within His perfect will for me to have a good night’s sleep. For this, I am very thankful, as I am now almost completely over my cold, and it’s much easier to keep a good perspective when you aren’t so tired. Thank You, Lord, for Your provision of a good night’s sleep!

I pray the Lord helps me dwell on His truth - especially in the times I don't get enough rest (whether due to my own choices, or my circumstances). What is one of His truths you cling to when you're tired?

Tech Support

Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men..."

This one’s kinda cheating, because my husband is my tech support... but he really is good at it. I started using a new Apple program today: Keynote (which is the Mac equivalent of Powerpoint). My church is slowly migrating over to Mac, so I’ll be using Keynote at work, and thus, need to learn how to use it.

I can fumble around a new program well enough, but there are usually one or two things I have to ask about. Such was the case today, and I called my tech support. (As an aside, I like being able to call my sweetie from work.) I was also a little sketchy about how to access and save a file over our network from my personal Mac to my work PC.

He walked me through the steps, and when I had a hard time explaining, he logged onto my computer remotely and showed me what I needed to do. He always seems to have some technological trick up his sleeve. It’s kinda fun calling him for tech support, because I’ll often find out about some other cool thing he can do.

So I'm thankful for (my) tech support. Without him, I would have a significantly harder time accomplishing certain things at work. I’ve run ideas by him at a few different jobs, and have been able to make some great recommendations and provide better service as a result. I am thankful God gave me such a wonderful resource - especially since it’s in the form of my husband!

Has God given you someone who's a great resource for something? What has He given you so you might be a good resource for someone else? (If you have a hard time thinking of something, consider that if He chose you as His child, then you have a testimony to share, which is definitely a great resource!)

Nightstands

Psalm 103:22

"Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; bless the Lord, O my soul!"

Any surface in my home tends to get overrun with stuff. My nightstand cannot escape this inevitability. It, too, needs periodic clearing, just as our table does. It is most useful to me as a catch-all (it accumulates jewelry; various hair items; chapstick and lotion; and various odds and ends), and as a stand (go figure) for my water. The water is the more important feature of late, as I have been sick and need to wet my dry mouth during the night. Going back to sleep is less difficult when all I have to do is reach over and put it back when I'm done. Without my nightstand, it would be harder to maneuver my water off of the floor - and then, my one-year-old wouldn’t have the finite boundary of the nightstand to stay away from.

I am thankful for nightstands, for God's provision of the convenience. I use it daily (and nightly), and appreciate its contribution to my sleep. Thank You, Lord! May we see Your hand in all the little things, and praise You for them! What is one small thing has He used to bless you today?

Internet How-To's

Psalm 103:19

"The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all."

Our projector was having an issue where the colors would suddenly flash shades of a single color, then switch to another color, then another in swift progression. What do you do when you don’t know what the problem is, or how to take care of it? You google it!

My husband found an internet how-to showing how to take the projector apart, clean it, and reassemble it. He followed the instructions today, and the projector is fixed! Yay movies! With friends, even!

I am thankful for internet how-to’s, that God enabled others to share their knowledge swiftly, precisely, and immediately, so that a myriad more people can benefit from it. (I am also thankful for the people who can write/record them. I have no talent for such things, and must draw upon the expertise of those who do.)

I'm thankful to be alive during this time, when so much more is possible because of technology - which is just one more thing under God's sovereign hand. What has His sovereign plan made possible for you today?

Lotion

Luke 22:42

"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.'"

Having been sick for awhile, I’ve been going through a fair amount of kleenex. No matter how soft the tissue, it will eventually chafe your nose. Thus, I am thankful for God's gift of lotion, with which I can alleviate the stinging areas around my nose. I am glad in this instance, my bodily comfort fell under the category of His glory and my good. May I place His will first in my life, even when my bodily comfort does not fall within it.