I frequently wake up at about 5 in the morning, and lie awake then for quite a while. I have decided to use that time to sit up in bed and read my devotional books, and if I'm not getting sleepy yet, to read my Bible. I have 3 devotional books on the go right now, plus I receive a daily email devotional. Each takes only a few minutes, unless something catches my attention and causes me to stop and meditate on it.
One of the books is "My Time with God" by Joyce Meyer. The past 3 mornings all had some practical nuggets that I want to pass along.
February 23: "Love God"
"Tell the Lord often that you love Him!...God's love is continually flowing toward us, and we can experience that love by receiving it, and then giving it back to Him in words that express our heart. 'I love You, Lord' is usually one of the first things I say when I wake up each morning. If you don't already do that, you should consider trying it! I think the Lord loves to hear us say that to Him, just as we love to hear our children tell us that they love us."
February 24: "Has Your Get-Up-and-Go Got Up and Gone?"
We all have times when we get tired of doing whatever it is that we need to do every day. "No matter what your position is in life, there will be days when you will not feel like doing it...but often we just need to stir ourselves up and get going again. We need to do it purposely instead of waiting for a feeling to show up and motivate us to action again." And she lists three things that help her get going again. First is gratitude. Counting her blessings, being amazed at how good God has been in her life makes her life brighter, and gives her energy. Secondly she mentions having an expectation of good..."we can aggressively expect something good to happen" and she quotes David in Psalm 27: 13: "I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." A third thing that she says energizes her is to look around for ways to be a blessing to someone else, which gets her mind off herself and how she's feeling. "Before long I find myself enthusiastic about life and excited to resume my service to the Lord."
February 25: "Be Content"
We spend a lot of time with the attitude of "I'll be happy when..." For us in Manitoba right now, it's "I'll be happy when it's not so cold, when the snow is gone, when the days are longer, when school is out, when the restrictions are discontinued..." But actually we can choose to be happy right now if we want to. "Contentment should be based not on where I am or what I am doing, but on knowing that wherever I am, God is with me! He is our place in life, and in Him, we can find joy and contentment. You might not enjoy being at work as much as you do being at home, but you can be just as joyous either place. What we enjoy is determined by what is happening around us, but our joy is determined by the attitude we decide to have in life..."
I hope those little tips turned your heart in a good direction. We all need little reminders now and then to nudge us along.
