This may sound shocking, but I do not think about my funeral at all. Now, I know that many do think about their funerals (who will speak, where will it be, favorite songs to play) and I think that is really great. I, on the other hand, must confess that I really do not care about my funeral. Why? Because I won’t be there.

Ecclesiastes 3:2 tells us, “2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;”

There is nothing I can do to control my death — I can’t stop it and I can’t control it. I can, however, control what I do while I am here on earth. I may not care about my funeral, but I do care about where I will be during my funeral. Because of that, I make it my daily focus and priority to live as one who is prepared to die so that when I die, I will be prepared to live. Since we will all die, are you prepared to die so in death you will live?

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

I recently say a sign on a local church that read, “how you live your life will tell people what you really think about God”.  Now, I realize that this sign might be a little harsh for some people to take, but I really do think that it gets to the essence of our walk with God. If we love God and He is the most important priority in our lives, then we will seek to please Him.

2 Corinthians 5:9 states, “⁹ Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” I think that it is safe to say that Paul, the author of 2 Corinthians, did make it his aim to please God. In fact, it wasn’t only His aim, it was his sole priority.

As you look at your life, is it your highest priority to please God. No, we will not always please Him because we are sinners, but is it your priority? I have found that the highest priority in my life is what drives my day-to-day actions. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, make sure that God is your highest priority today and the entire season.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

Recently, I was talking to a friend who told me they no longer listen/watch the news in the morning. They explained that the negative news they hear seems to depress and discourage them for the rest of the day. They told me that they did not want to start their day of wrong, so they do not watch the news. It made a lot of sense to me. How, then, should we start our days?

In Psalm 47:1 we read, “47 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!”

I have found that my day is full of joy and peace when I start my day praising the Lord. We should all “shout to God with the voice of triumph” because Jesus has already won! What a great way to begin our mornings, knowing that your future is secure in victory.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

Recently, I was sending someone a text. Since I was driving, I was speaking my text to my phone (rest assured, I was acting legally). I spoke into the phone, “no problem, have a safe trip”. Unfortunately, what Siri typed was “Call Jesus, have a safe trip”.  Jokingly, the response I received was “I don’t have His number”. I didn’t understand the response until I realized that I had told them to “call Jesus”. While it was funny, it got me thinking — how often do we encourage those around us to “call Jesus”?

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

There are many ways that we are to “encourage one another”, but I think one of the best ways to encourage is through prayer. Not just the prayers we pray for each other, but the encouragement we give to “one another” to “call Jesus” and spend time with Him.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!

It seems that those things we choose to worry about in life are made worse by ourselves and not necessarily the situation. When problems arise, we seem to make it worse by “taking matters into our own hands”.  One of the worse things we can do is worry. From my personal observations, worrying has never helped me “fix” anything. In fact, it has done the opposite – it has clouded my thinking, it has caused me to make “knee-jerk” decisions. Because of that, the worry usually becomes bigger and more severe. When I get to that point, I often ask myself, “what are you worried about?”

In Mark 6:31-34  it says, “³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

There will always be the natural tendency to worry about those things in our lives. But, I believe what Jesus said in Mark should bring comfort to us all. What is there to worry about when the Lord has already solved all of our problems. “Seek first the kingdom of God” and let God solve your problems.

I pray for blessings today for you on your Journey!