A Devotional for you....

Giving Over Control to God

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

1 Peter 5:6

There is nothing that will humble a person more than failure. A gambler who loses his entire paycheck is temporarily humbled. An alcoholic who loses his family is temporarily humbled. The problem with this type of humbling is that the situation is the thing that humbles the person. When we get humbled by a mess that we have made, the humbling usually doesn't last. And before we know it, we've messed up again.

If we want to rebuild broken-down boundaries, we must first humble ourselves under God's mighty hand. When we humble ourselves, we give up control of our situation and ask God to come in and take over. When we humble ourselves, we give God permission to come in and help us change-permanently. The problem with situational humbling is that it just doesn't last.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, teach me what it means to humble myself under Your mighty hand so that You may lift me up in due time.

Journal: In what areas of your life do you need to give over control to God?

--Carole Lewis

Living Well by Carole Lewis

A devotional for you.....

God's Day - Timer

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3 : 23

In January 2006, First Place was one of the features on the TV news show Geraldo at Large. The film crew spent all day on Sunday filming the piece to be shown on Tuesday night. I was amazed that my interview had been sent instantly through the telephone lines to New York and that the producer had the text on her Blackberry one hour later. The next morning, as I meditated on all that had transpired the day before, I was struck with the reality that God has always worked this way, and man is still way behind.

When I think about the fact that God knows instantly whatever I do, whatever I say and wherever I go, I am struck by the awesome truth of how much I do and say for man and not for God. What a thought - Day-Timer by God! His plans become my plans and not the other way around. The stresses of our daily life would seem so much lighter if we remembered how instantaneously our prayers reach Him. What if, instead of lashing out in frustration when things go wrong, we spoke kindly because our words are instantly in God's ears?

PRAYER

Dear Lord, forgive me for forgetting that You are the One I need to please. Help me today to work for You, and You alone, in all I do and say.

Journal: Is there an area of your life in which you have been trying to please man rather than God? Ask God to help you reverse this by giving God first place today...

-Carole Lewis

Living Well Carol Lewis