There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind. -C.S. Lewis

I have a beautiful, framed print with this quote on it (with the Milky Way, not the sunrise pictured here) from the talented Australian husband-wife team of Pocket Fuel. I look to it often through good times and bad.

Indeed, our best days are always ahead of us, no matter what’s going on right now—even if we’re in good times.

The quote above comes from C.S. Lewis discussing the end of life in “Letters to an American Lady,” reminding the lady of the glorious life to come once she passed through this one.

And there is so much glory right here and right now, if we let the Lord take over. What I’ve found is that every day walking toward God is better than any behind me. That includes the hard and seemingly impossible days, because on this day, He has made me stronger than on any past day.

Each day is an opportunity to find more of His blessings in your life, and with each discovery, you can see and appreciate more of the richness He’s woven into the universe around you. That’s a huge help and comfort when other things don’t seem to be going right for you.

And the more you can rest in all His blessings, the more you can stop looking inward and start being an outward blessing to the world around you. And God sees your obedience and faith walk, and He’s planned your steps to your best days ever.

Today’s soundtrack

Matthew West’s “Day One” reminds us that today is a new day. Today is Day One of the best of our life.

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. -Galatians 6:1

Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. -Proverbs 25:28

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. -Proverbs 27:6

This subject is so painful, but so important to address.

Let’s say you’ve been in a downward spiral with another person. The relationship could be with your coworker, spouse, a friend, a family member, etc. At some point, you’ve both contributed to this tailspin. And now, God has woken you up and tasked you with righting the course. Will you let Him work through you?

You’re called to love one another as Christ loves you. With Love & Respect, my mind was blown wide open with the concept that the other person is irrelevant, because it’s all about your walk with Christ, and not the other person at all.

And that’s great, but what if the other person isn’t on board with the plan? The idea is that the heart of the other person could potentially be convicted over time. It’s also entirely possible that it won’t, either.

Without working on underlying issues, one person will be a doormat, constantly forgiving the other person for unkindnesses…and growth in Christ plateaus.

It’s tough and very uncomfortable, but dragging these underlying issues into the light can lead to growth and better relationships ahead. And it’s this kind of love that cares enough to address matters that honors God, instead of turning one’s back on the other and writing them off, masquerading as forgiveness from afar.

If a child is getting caught in the crossfire, being quiet is not an option. This is their very development and foundation being shaken. An agent once told me what Jesus said in Matthew 18:6 (NIV) about harming His children:

If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Confronting the other person can help them in their walk, so do it out of love.

God is with you through it all. He goes before you, with His angels on all sides. Do Him glory and do not fear the outcome.

Here’s an excerpt from Pocket Fuel on how forgiveness is about seeing people as God sees them:

Forgiveness is not sweeping bad behaviour under the rug or allowing yourself to be continually abused or disrespected. It’s about seeing past the behaviour and to the intrinsic value of a person.

Read the whole devotional »

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. -Colossians 3:12

You never know how complex the lives are of the very people you walk past every day…in public, in church, at work, and at school.

People are in pain. They’re misunderstood, dismissed, written off…sometimes by themselves. They are at this point in their lives after years and years of untold stories: joy, regret, celebration, sorrow, betrayal, and heartache.

These are the same smiling and strong people you see, in just as much pain as those who show it plainly. Yes, even the man/woman who barks at you and snaps for no apparent reason.

As believers and agents of light, we are one of these people in the crowd. But in us, as with some of them, is the flame of the Holy Spirit, which reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord as we walk through this very dark world. When we do that, and give Him our burdens of pain and sin and remorse through prayer, we shrug off the weight of the world, and His light shines brightly by us reflecting it to those around us. He is glorified and made known.

This is a great privilege to be His adopted child, and also our amazing mission to light up the world.

We all have long storylines with ups and downs in them, but God wants us to focus ahead, on Him, not look back on the pains of the past. He wants us to walk a new storyline, one that’s straight and narrow, but bright and more rewarding than any other.

Before you head out into the mission field, don your spiritual armor, piece by piece. Then, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Give God your burdens and carry the spark of His light to warm others in the cold and darkness.

The amazing husband and wife team from Australia, known as Pocket Fuel, wrote a great devotional on this very topic. Here’s an excerpt:

Our ‘position’ as Christians should never cause us to think we are elevated above anyone else, but rather it awakens within us the ability to come underneath to support, help and shoulder the burden of others… bring hope in heartache, peace in fear, family in loneliness, and ultimately the life giving power of God to a hungry and thirsty world.

Read the whole devotional »

Today’s soundtrack

Brandon Heath’s “Give Me Your Eyes” asks God to help us see everyone’s struggles through his lens of love, compassion, and kindness.

Be strong and courageous…The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭31‬:‭6, 8‬ NIV)

Moses was 120 years old when he told this to Joshua, and gave quite the pep talk to Joshua, who was taking on the not inconsequential responsibility of leading the Israelites. Can you imagine the pressure of leadership of a nation in the wilderness, facing enemies left and right, dissension from within the nation, and following in the footsteps of a hero?

These words, Moses’ words, are the words we must remember in our hearts as well. It’s easy for our hopes and dreams to be crushed when we weather the storm alone.

I heard on the radio the other day that God is like the sun: He is always present, even behind storm clouds. I’d like to go even further by saying that He shines above even hurricanes…but from the ground, all we see–even when looking skyward–is chaos and destruction.

I am learning this firsthand. In the vestiges of my old, pre-believer mind, I survey my current circumstances and see no outcome but a bleak and painful one.

But guess what? All storms pass…even hurricanes. And the sun shines through it all. He is always there, even when we don’t see Him, or even when we forget Him because we get so distracted by our storms. And His promises are surer than anything of this world. So, for us, being hopeful dreamers isn’t fruitless or futile. He hears our cries and prayers. His plans for us are good, and we trust in His steadfast faithfulness.

So, hang onto His promises and His unyielding support. Hold onto hope and your dreams. He’s listening, and is right there with you through every storm.

Pocket Fuel‘s “Hopeless Belief” asks us what we want to do when things seem hopeless:

Are you going to give up on believing? Or is it worth enough to keep believing for instead? To keep searching for that little glimmer of hope and light?

Or are you content with the dark? Leaving your dreams and desires in a room where they’ll never see the light of day.

Read the whole devotional »

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24 (NASB)

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. -James 1:2-4 (NKJV)

In every trial, the easy, natural response of your flesh is to feel wounded, and to ask, “Why me?” To feel wronged and undeserving of what has befallen you. And the world will gladly back you up to help you hold on to this feeling.

But you’re no victim. Your salvation and victory was bought for a very heavy price at the cross. You walk tall in victory through all circumstances. You walk above your circumstances, not wade through them.

This is not fooling yourself to think that nothing is wrong around you, or to deny the truth of the circumstances. This is about stepping out of your shoes and looking at yourself from the outside, and trusting that God has great plans for you, and that in these circumstances are the seeds of growth…seeds that will blossom into beautiful things.

You might say that concept is easy to tell others, but not to put into practice. The answer is: practice. The more you do it, by letting go, the easier it is to face every new moment. When you let you, you don’t just let your burdens go to God, but you also refocus on Him.

And when you do this, you start to take your attention off your pains (and yourself), and see the blessings in your circumstances. You stop looking at things from your perspective, and understand and trust that, from God’s perspective, there are reasons for the storm, and beauty awaits on the other side.

God often uses seasons of waiting and enduring to season and shape us…to grow our faith, to toughen us, and to learn to rely on Him, rather than ourselves or others. In the face of the toughest firestorm, we will come out tempered and stronger than ever before, if we let Him work through us.

From the excellent husband-wife team of Pocket Fuel in Australia is a devotional on seeing beauty in suffering:

You could be reading this thinking “there is nothing beautiful about the pain I’m in right now…”

I know exactly how you feel…most of us do…And while deep tragedy ravages our heart, it does reveal a beauty that’s concealed in easy times: the deep well of friendship, community, the comfort of God, discovering your strength, the capacity of the human spirit, the hope of eternity. Hope is not born on mountain tops, but in valleys when you’re looking to the heights and peaks that you’re yet to climb…

Read the whole devotional »

Today’s soundtrack

Laura Story’s “Blessings” helps us get perspective on our trials, to see that God has His reasons and blessings in them.

And underlying all of that, you have stresses and pains in your heart that make addressing all of the above even more difficult.

Well, all of those are distractions. Yes, even the pains in your heart. This is where we really, really have to take our eyes off ourselves and our worldly obligations, and refocus on Him. Keeping our eyes trained on Him gives us a supernatural peace in the face of anything, because we’re not looking at the waves in our lives. And, most importantly, it helps us get our priorities straight again. It’s amazing how your list of “must do’s” will change when you refocus and put Him back on the top of that list, as He should!

I say all this because this is something I’m constantly working on, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this.

This Pocket Fuel devotional speaks more about distractions:

Many things will cross your path. Some will enhance and invigorate your journey, others bring destruction and pain… Through it all, keep your eyes focused on God. Don’t get distracted, steady your mind and heart and enjoy this beautiful life you’ve been given. No matter what blessing or heartache has overwhelmed you, God will lead you through, healing and refining you step by step.

Read the whole devotional at Pocket Fuel »