Sometimes it’s difficult for me to notice the brand new life in things around me. I forget look at my life with fresh eyes each day.  These are ongoing challenges of mine … looking for the fresh, new and positive in daily life as well as the people and things around me.

Today I’m over at Faith Lifts filling in for one of our AMAZING contributors who has just moved and is settling in!  I pulled out an oldie and dusted it off with a few extra edits and voila …. some great thoughts to share with all of you .  I truly hope you will join me there today and I encourage you to subscribe to Faith Lifts for daily encouragement!

Yesterday was one of those days … you know, the kind where things just start going downhill and try as you might, you can’t seem to turn them around. Yup that kind. Looking back the day may not have been as terrible as it seemed at the time, but while living in the moment I was overwhelmed!

A day that felt like everything I tried to accomplish was doomed from the start!

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

So many scriptures remind us to remain in Him and to walk closely with Him. Incidentally, yesterday I didn’t have a chance to read the Bible and my prayer time was brief prayers sent up through the day. Granted, it isn’t that EVERY time I forget to spend time in the word that I have a horrible day … but all too often they do seem to go hand in hand.

If you’re having a bad day, I encourage you to go to the scriptures and just read a bit.  Finding a little quiet time before the Lord can be just the answer to turn your day around .

Blessings friends!

In our culture most of us don’t understand what it is like to want for anything.  Sure, there are people in our country that don’t have a roof over their head or know where their next meal is coming from, but odds are if you’re reading this, you aren’t one of them! 

Many more of us have experienced seasons of little income or wondering how to pay all the bills, but the reality is that for the most part any financial stress we experience is due to our own mis-management or overspending money issues.

I can attest to the fact that financial strain is possibly one of the biggest stress factors for American families, things are tight for us right now and we’re cutting down on many of the “extras” to try and loosen it up a bit.  Truth be told though, many of us still have many “extras” … more than basic phone service, cable or sattelite service, a cell phone or two and maybe even a gym membership. 

While all those things are great, you can see that there are definitely areas that aren’t essential.  I’m not telling everyone to go out and cut off all their services, simply pointing out that what many of us consider necessary really isn’t. 

I’m not here to tell you all the ways to cut down or give up things to “make it” financially.  Living frugally is a great thing, but it isn’t my job to tell you where you need to scrimp.  I am here to tell you though that with God’s help you can succeed! 

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. (Psalm 68:19 NIV)

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. (Psalm 55:22)

I could continue, but I think you get the point.  I’m not saying that you’ll get rich, just that if you take your cares … even the financial ones … to God, and leave them at His feet, He will give you instruction and wisdom to know what to do with them. 

The amazing thing is that although you are often likely to not see more money coming in, you will suddenly find yourself in a position where maybe the finances are stretched a little further, you may see a definite expense that can be easily eliminated, or you just feel more at peace about it.  So, just trust and lay your burdens down … see what happens .

King Solomon

1 Kings 3:11-13
“Then God said to him ‘Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked for riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see I have given you a wise and understanding heart so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days,’”

I know that’s a lot of scripture, but the entire content was needed to get the point. First he asks for wisdom instead of all the other “me” centered things people ask for. It reminds me of all the shows where people are granted wishes. It seems like they always end up in trouble because they’ve asked for so many ultimately worthless things - money, fame, things that have no eternal value.

What Solomon asks for here has eternal value and pleases God greatly because in essence it is selfless. So because of this he ends up with many more blessings than he asked for!

It is a great lesson to see God’s blessings when we make good decisions, selfless decisions, decisions that affect our life and others in a good way!

Heavenly Father please help me to seek you and your will and to ask for things that hold eternal value. I want to be more like you to live a whole and blameless life, to seek you in all I do and to have eternal impact on all those around me!