Christian Daily Devotionals

by Mike Woodard

One day I was home sick with a really bad cold/flu combination that would not let me just push through to go to work. I was lying on the couch. Our grandson wanted me to play. I explained that I was not feeling good and needed to rest.

A few minutes later, just as I was slipping off to sleep, he came up to me and put his BLUE BLANKET over me. This was not just any blanket. This was his special blanket that goes everywhere with him. (If it cannot be found at bed time or in sad moments, it is a major crisis.) The fact he was willing to loan me his blue blanket was a gesture of something special.  He did not say, “I love you,” or “I trust you with my blanket;” but he cared for me with a simple, sacrificial act.

It made me reflect on what I hold as precious and what I’m willing to give to God. This blue blanket ranks really high on the list of precious things for my grandson. I was reminded that God is perfect in his love for me. I can and must trust him with any and all my precious things.

I wonder if we can bless God as we are willing to give to him in simple acts of love and obedience? Was this blanket big enough to cover me? No but at that moment it was the best blanket in the world!! It blessed me. It made me feel valued, cared for and loved.

The Bible indicates that we can bless God through giving generously from the heart in
2 Corinthians. 9:6-8 (NIV):
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/03/07/mw_blue-blanket/

by Mike Woodard

In our living room we have a blue recliner. We have had it for several years, and it is a favorite place of contemplation, power naps and relaxation for me. One day I sat down in my blue chair and something was not right. Something had slipped in the seat so that it was not its usual comfortable resting place. Upon investigation (turning the chair upside down), I discovered a bolt that had held the seat in place had gradually come unscrewed with each use of my chair. Fortunately no permanent damage was done! In minutes it was back in action. If only life was that simple…

I began to think, are there areas of my life that are gradually slipping? The slow unscrewing of the bolts, if not addressed will result in a loss of function.  No one wakes up and says, “I think I will get fat… go into depressing debt… have a bad relationship with family members… grow distant from God or have an affair”. Yet it happens, and unlike the chair in our living room, most times it is not a simple fix.

Just as regular maintenance will keep mechanical things working, so attention to making appropriate adjustments in life can keep us focused and operational.  What does a regular maintenance of life look like?

Psalm 1 (NIV) has some hints…

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

God’s wisdom can change every area of life! Wisdom is knowledge rightly applied. God gives us wisdom and knowledge but we need to take action. Our part is to identify the area or areas and set a goal and plan.

You might need someone to help you and keep you accountable. Ask God for his resources each day to stop the slippage!!

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/02/26/mw_blue-chair/

by Mike Woodard

The Winter Olympics will soon come to BC. Any event like the Olympics is filled with people who line up and start competing with an intensity and energy that is admired by millions, but the prize only goes to the one who finishes well ahead of the others.

A race is the test of one’s depth of training and self-discipline and a measure of one’s strength and endurance which has been built up during many months and sometimes years of preparation. Even without the Olympics to motivate us to train, life can bring its own set of challenges that require a discipline and motivation that makes us dig deep within.

There are at least 4 attributes that are needed in order to compete well: vision, discipline, adaptability and personal satisfaction. Vision is sometimes defined as a mental picture of the desired future. The more specific the vision is, the greater the potential benefit of that vision toward success will be.

I had the desire to run a marathon.  It was a great vision, but not really helpful, in terms accomplishing my desire until I set a date, picked a race, and set a time goal for pacing myself.  Only then did my vision begin to become a reality.

Once my vision was more defined, it moved me to action, I began to train in a focused way and to talk about what I was going to do, which provided a sense of accountability to follow through on my vision.  The discipline that I imposed on myself in training for a marathon also began to impact other areas of my life, causing me to be more focused in setting goals and implementing them.  I’m convinced that a true vision will result in focused goals and self discipline towards those goals.

Adaptability and personal satisfaction come as by-products of the vision and its implementation.  It’s surprising how the will to accomplish something causes one to adapt accordingly, and the ultimate satisfaction of seeing the vision “in process” and becoming a reality can help with the rough or challenging moments along the way.

Sometimes people become overwhelmed with the task of creating and implementing a vision because they feel the need to have an ultimate vision for their life.  It’s actually easier to start with “baby steps”:  pick an area of life and get a mental picture of a desired future in that area.  This could be in the area of one’s physical, intellectual, financial, professional, spiritual or relational sphere.

Vision is created twice. The first creation is the mental picture, the shaping of vision which is like the general form of clay in a potter’s hand.  The second creation is defining it so that it can be lived out in a physical reality, taking specific, small steps toward the vision becoming reality.  Both are important.

Stephen Covey in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, calls this, “Beginning with the End in Mind.”  What is your desired future?  Take the time to think and dream before rushing headlong into goal setting and implementation.

King Solomon said, “Without a vision, the people perish.” He must have understood some very fundamental about the human spirit. Each of us longs to for change and a better future. Solomon in all his wealth, position and power realized that the future was realized beyond physical.
What is your vision for 2010? Does that desire go beyond simply the physical aspects of life?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/02/11/mw_finish-well/

by Mike Woodard
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“My do it!�?, were the words he repeated over and over.

Recently I was hiking on a very challenging trail along the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. My almost three year old grandson was with me.

At least one section of the trail could possibly be described as dangerous, but it definitely was a combination of easy and difficult stretches. I carried him on some of the easier sections of our 8 kilometer hike but for some reason along this particularly dangerous section, he was determined to walk on his own.

I was very vigilant in my coaching. At times I would pick him up and lift him over difficult sections. Each time his response was, “My do it.�? At one point some other hikers passed us. For some reason he was convinced that he should try to keep up with them and started going faster. I glanced behind me for a split second and when I turned back to look at him, my heart missed a beat!

My small apprentice had slipped, and was hanging over the ocean,  holding onto a tree root while his feet were swinging in the air.  A 5-meter drop to the water and rocks below awaited him, if he let go of that root. I grabbed his arms and lifted him to the trail.

He had no idea of the danger that he had just faced. He simply said, “Thanks, Papa.�? and on he went. I, on the other hand, have relived that moment many times since…

As humbling as it might seem, we are all like two year olds in our strength, knowledge and wisdom when compared to God. Just as it is dangerous for a two year old to be on his own, even for a split second sometimes, because they just do not understand the dangers, so it is with us. Just as we don’t allow two year olds to hike a challenging trail on their own, we also were never intended to go through life without someone to watch over us. We are invited, but not forced, to journey with God.

There are areas of my life where I like to say, “My do it!�?  When I try to do it on my own, I miss out on God’s strength and wisdom. Here is a prayer from the writer of Psalms 139 that helps to motivate me to move from self reliance to God dependence.

“Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me,  get a clear picture of what I'm about;  See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.�?  Psalm 139:23-24 (The Message)

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/10/19/mw_self-reliance/