your days. I always thought that was a great way to remember how I should think about each day and what God has in plan for you every day. I continue to try and use this during the week and find new ways to bring joy into the world.
First thing that comes to mind is the question "What can we do for Jesus?" What does he want us to do for him? I believe one of the most important things God wants for us is to live like him. 1 John 2:6 "Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." As Christians it is our mission to share the gospel, act like him, and shine his light in the world. Each morning, start out by thinking about things you can do for Jesus each day as he continues to do so many amazing things in our lives. Philippians 2:5 "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus."

Next question is "What can we do for others." What are some ways you can do something for others? Help them out with something. Even little things like making someone coffee or warming up their car in the morning. Send someone a message asking how you can pray for them. Plan times to gather together for coffee, bible study, worship together, fellowship. Send a message or leave a note with uplifting words to build others up. Those are some things that came to mind when thinking about what I can do that day for others. John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

The last question to have each day is "What can we do for ourselves?" What are things that we need to do each day to achieve Joy in our lives? In the mornings, some things we can do for ourselves is spend time in prayer, devotion, and worship. We need to stay righteous with our thoughts, what we watch, what we say, and how we act. 1 John 3:7 "Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous." Also, what we can do for ourselves is eat healthy, exercise, and give ourself mental breaks when needed. Things I like to do for myself is practice some of my hobbies, gifts, talents, and express them.

Each day when you wake up think about doing things in the order of Jesus, others, and yourself to bring you the joy that God has in store for you each day. This week, I Pray that God will protect us and keep us safe, that he will keep our minds and hearts focused on him, and I Pray for an abundance of Joy in our lives. Have a blessed week, First Presbyterian Family.

​In His name,

Blake

waiting an entire lifetime to even get the promise in the first place.

And it goes on, Joseph waited 13 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Moses waited 40 years to be called by God. Paul waited in prison and even Jesus waited 30 years to begin His ministry, though He was well equipped long before. If God asked even Jesus to wait, why do I think he should speed up my process?

What I love most about the Great Waiters of the Bible is that they were flawed. They were people just like me: working on pleasing God but falling short. Some of them got it, but...most didn’t, which comforts me since I usually don’t get it either. The Great Waiters were no better at waiting than I am.

So, what do the Bible stories of the Great Waiters show me about waiting? How did they occupy themselves while they waited?

While Noah waited for the rain, he got busy with what he had; a lot of wood and some specific measurements. As Daniel waited, he remained faithful in prayer and firm in his convictions. While Joseph waited in prison, he didn’t waste his energy on the question, “Why?” Instead, I get the sense he focused his sights on, “What should I do now?” He did his best with each small task given him, and he stayed close to God. His situation began to turn around; he was ready for every opportunity because he had not wasted his time. Likewise, Job, David, Paul and even Jesus waited patiently.
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And the moral of these stories? There is always work to be done while waiting. Sometimes the work is hands-on or physical and other times it is a solitary journey of soul-searching. Or it can be a discipline of noticing, a practice of being alert and aware. Sometimes it is about being patient, loving and present. If we choose to surrender to the moment, to believe the moment is part of a larger story and we embrace the longing, the waited is never wasted.

Blessings,
Chris

Again, here I am again! While 2020 caused me to put my trust and hope in Christ more than any other time in my life, I find that I still need daily renewal. I have to say I am more aware of when I am changing my focus from where it should be. I am quicker to seek His face and get back on course. I don’t ever want to get to a point where I lose hope.
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Hope. Have you ever really meditated on what that word means? Hope is commonly used to mean a wish: its strength is the strength of the person's desire. If my “hope” solely relied on something I wish would  happen, I would be miserable, because things often do not happen as I would like.
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But in the Bible hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.

Romans 8:24-25

Because Christ is my savior, I can tell Him all my desires and fears and know that He cares. My hope is knowing that as His child, I can rely on His promises and that He is faithful to fulfill them. I’m thankful that I can place my hope on the One who knows my future so that I can have peace in the present.


Your friend in Christ,
Stephanie

My goal: This year I want to be more like Jesus. I know; that goal is so huge that I'm not sure how I even begin to wrap my arms around it. But this post I found online should help, so I'm going to adopt this Christian's strategy:
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