One More

“The key to enduring hard places is one: One step a time, one moment at a time, one thing at a time.”

Loren Thornburg

At the beginning of each semester in school the teacher gives you a syllabus outlining all that will be due throughout the course.  It always feels so overwhelming in that moment, yet broken down one day at a time it was much more manageable.  I have to remind myself of that when life gives me an overwhelming syllabus-like task.  It is by the persistence of one more that we are able to overcome.  One more day working on the task brings us closer to the goal.  You get up the mountain one step at a time if only you just keep stepping.  So take one more step towards your goal.  It’s the key to victory.  

“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will.  Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

Hebrews 10:36 NLT

We see the call to endure throughout the Scriptures.  Here in Hebrews there has been much temptation to leave the truth.  The call here is to remember the reward that comes when you keep holding onto what’s true.  We can all relate to the temptation to want out.  The call to patiently endure is a difficult journey.  Yet, the reason for the call is one we will not regret enduring.  God’s promises are great.  You won’t want to miss all that He has in store for you.  Let us patiently endure.  Let us keep taking one more step towards Him.  Look to Him, taking one moment at a time.  That’s how we patiently endure.  

The Next Step

“When the future ahead seems dark, let the next step guide you.”

Loren Thornburg

It’s the picture of walking in the dark with only a head lamp to light the way.  All I can see is that one step in front of me.  I’m tempted to lift my light to try to see what’s coming further up ahead but the light isn’t strong enough for that.  It can only cover the one step in front of me.  I couldn’t help but think that as much as I wanted the light to give me a heads up on what was to come, it was all that I needed.  I only needed that next step to guide me.  This isn’t to say that we don’t need to plan, or dream or look ahead.  For it was planning that got me on the trail with a headlamp to begin with, yet it could only take me so far.  At some point we have to go with what we’ve got, even when it’s only the next step.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.  God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

Matthew 6:34 Message

God gets it.  He created us and He knows our capacity and our tendencies.  He knows how easy for us it is to get wrapped up and taken away by worry.  That is what He is speaking about here at the end of Matthew 6.  Jesus encourages us to focus on today instead of tomorrow.  He knows how easy it is to let worry come and take us from today.  It’s not that we shouldn’t ever think about tomorrow.  He doesn’t say that, but He does say to focus on what is going on right now as a way to protect us from the trouble that comes when we get worrying about tomorrow.  Whether we are focused on today or planning for tomorrow the key is to KNOW that God will help us deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.  So if our light only shines to let us see the next step, we can trust that God will help us with that next step.  And when the next step seems too hard, God will help us.  When it looks dark up ahead trust God to take you the next step. 

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Grounded

Check out my story in the Growing Weisser blog.  If you go their website (http://www.growingweisser.com) before Friday you have a chance to win one of my devotional books.  

Grounded

“If we are going to stay grounded we must remember: Hard is hard, but it is always worth it.”

Loren Thornburg

As a softball player the extent of my basketball skills comes from shooting softballs into the bucket.  I noticed that in doing this I have a lot more wiggle room once I have made some into the bucket.  The balls in the bucket create grounding for the balls that hit the side of the bucket on their way in.  Otherwise even when I make it into the bucket, unless it goes straight in, the bucket gets knocked over.  I couldn’t help but see those balls in the bottom of the bucket that were keeping my bucket grounded as a picture of what experience provides in my life.  Every year around this time I begin to wonder if all of the work and all of the battles it takes to make the summer trips for my job happen are really worth it.  Yet experience tells me that two months from now I will be so thankful that I endured because it was indeed so worth it.  It is only from years of experience that I can stay grounded to push through knowing it will all be worth it.  The key to staying grounded when you feel like giving up is to remember previous times when the fight was worth the cost.  If we are going to stay grounded when things don’t seem to be worth it we must remember.  

“He’s God, our God, in charge of the whole earth.  And he remembers, remembers his Covenant- for a thousand generations he’s been as good as his word.”

Psalm 105:7-8 Message

In following Jesus remembering is key to staying grounded in Him.  Remembering how He has been faithful in the past helps us to trust Him again for the future.  Psalm 105 talks about remembering who He is and the amazing works He has done.  When things get tough it is important to remember who He is and what He has done for us.  It is also important to remember that He remembers.  The God of the whole earth remembers you.  He remembers where you have come from, where you are going and how to best care for you.  He remembers you!  Remember to remember all the ways He has been faithful in the past and remember that He remembers you.