Weekly Devotion

The Bible is quite clear on another aspect of our lives that we should strive to attain, and that is wisdom. And by doing it we also find ourselves in a fortunate position of growing spiritually. And through growing spiritually we discover a wealth of treasures hidden in the Word of God. What an exciting prospect!

The Word of God quite specifically says that we should strive to attain wisdom. We should run after it as if we are chasing a monumental treasure!

"Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or a hidden treasure." Proverbs 2: 2-4

Now wisdom is such a massive concept. How can we be wise? How do we attain it? I think we can write thousands of books on this subject alone, but let's focus on the basics for now. The Bible is quite specific about attaining wisdom. I think for a start we can look at the verse above and start by listening more than we speak. I am sure that the Lord made two ears and only one mouth for a reason. We should listen twice as much and think carefully before we speak, as life and death is in the power of our tongue.

We should ask the Holy Spirit to help us to respond to and deal with situations in the correct way. We should be discreet and realistic, with the power of making plans. We should make the most out of life, be open to correction and reproof, and above all value the truth.

The Bible also specifically warns against being a fool. Some of the characteristics of a fool mentioned is the following: being  ignorant, arrogant, aimless, careless, argumentative, want everything on a plate, doesn't think for oneself, prefers fantasy to fact and illusions to truth.

Now I think if we read the list of actions related to a fool and those related to being wise, it is natural to want to lean towards being wise, but it is easier said than done. It is easier to retaliate when someone hurts you, it is easier to receive everything than to think for yourself, it is more convenient to dream dreams than to actually get up and do something about it, it is hard to be open to correction and reproof, it is hard to be discreet when your ego cries out for recognition. It is hard I know. I battle with it myself. But thank God that He is there to help us with the battle. Thank God that He doesn't condemn us, but that He came to set us free.

We should ask the Lord daily to gain wisdom. Ask Him to help you on a step by step basis to walk the steps towards true wisdom. Restrain yourself from foolish activity and focus on your only true source of inspiration, Jesus Christ. Step by step you will attain wisdom, I don't think any of us will ever reach a state where we will reach the final step, but at least we are making progress and though the progress of growing we will find ourselves happier than we have ever been, more at peace with ourselves and with others.

Father God, thank you for being there for us. Thank you for instilling wisdom into our spirits. We need You, please help us. In Jesus Name. Amen

Our houses (our lives) here on earth need to stand. We need to believe in Jesus Christ, we need to work on our relationships the Lord has blessed us with, we need to be God's Hands and Feet in this world and we need to look after ourselves. We shouldn't neglect any of these things, otherwise we might not be able to weather the storms coming our way.

Last week I reflected on the way we should get up in the morning. We shouldn't allow negative thoughts to ruin our day even before it started. We should vigilantly make a point of it, to start our day off with positive thoughts filled with the Word of God.

This week I would like to reflect on the opposite side of the coin. How do we end our day? Are we despondent? Are we angry with someone? Are we stressed? Are we disappointed with the way things turned out? Do we feel as if we will never amount to anything good?

Then I have good news, you can learn from your mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes at some point in time, but winners learn from it. Use a moment just before you drift off to sleep to ponder the day's happenings. Ask the Holy Spirit to point out to you where you have gone wrong. Ask Him to show you what you should have done differently and learn from it. Practical experience is the best way to learn and grow. And the Lord wants us to grow and reach our full potential. He doesn't want us to look down on ourselves and walk around like failures, He wants us to continue, to run the race with our full potential and to reach the finish line with triumph. He made us to be the best mom we can be, the best friend, the best wife, the best daughter, the best aunt, the best in everything He has placed in our paths. He wants us to excel in our 'jobs' here on earth, He never wants us to give up. We should learn and grow, we have the Lord inside of us and therefore we have more potential than we can ever dream of.

Thomas Edison, who invented amongst several other things the light bulb, once said: "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration."

Winston Churchill also once said in one of his shortest speeches: "Never give up. Never ever give up. Never give up."

What a striking message. Never give up. Believe in yourself, believe that you can make it, believe that you can be the best you can be. The Maker of the heavens and the earth is within you, He believes in you. Shouldn't you too?

Thank you Lord God for believing in me. Thank you for never giving up on me. Help me to always look up to You and continue with Your Purpose for my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen

We are currently discussing the ways in making your 'home' here on earth steadfast against any storm it may face. We have discussed making Jesus your foundation and your family your bricks and now we are looking at yourself and how you can also influence the strength of your home.

We have discussed various things and you are welcome to look at what we have discussed thus far. Our discussions have ranged from making the most of the present to rethinking your thought life. The Lord has been gracious in teaching us so much.

Today I would like to talk about the way we wake up in the morning. It might sound ridiculous, but the way we wake up often time influences the rest of our day. There is truth to the saying: 'She most probably got up with the wrong foot this morning.' I must be honest I have experienced it myself. I have had days where I get up in a foul mood, I didn't sleep well, or I am not looking forward to the day ahead or whatever the case may be, and then the rest of the day is down in the dumps. I yell at my kids, I try to compensate, but before I can help myself I do it again. And so the day goes. Sounds familiar?

As I read some of the books on life skills, they seem to reach consensus that you need to wake up slowly and with the most serene thoughts in your head. Now I realize that in our fast paced world that sounds like a fairy tale, something that can never happen. But think about it for a second. Maybe it is not such a bad idea. Set your alarm clock a few minutes earlier than usual. Make sure that you have a snooze button ready, just in case you don't wake up. But slowly try to wake your mind and focus on peaceful thoughts. Think about how good the Lord is and how He is already in today and how He will be providing for you. Maybe even quote a scripture out loud. I frequently quote verses to the likes of:

Psalm 31:15"My future is in Your Hands."

Psalm 25:2 "I trust in You my God."

Say it out loud. There is so much power in your tongue, much more than you realize. Be determined to start your day off well. It may even be your best day yet. Or it could be your last. What would you do differently if it was?

As I am writing this piece there is a preacher in the USA saying that tomorrow is the rapture and that the world will come to an end on 21 October 2011. Now I don't believe it is tomorrow, for reasons I don't feel is necessary to disclose now. But it made me think. What if it really is tomorrow? How will I change my behavior today? Will I call my parents and tell them that I love them? Will I reconcile with someone that's angry with me? Will I give away extra money today? Will I be extra friendly to everyone I see today? Will I give my children extra hugs and kisses and tell them that I love them very much?

But then the question remains, shouldn't I do those things anyway? Shouldn't I shower love on all around me anyway? Shouldn't I reconcile with people anyway? Shouldn't I buy a blanket for someone who doesn't have any? Shouldn't we be God's Hands and Feet every day, even if it is not our last?

We need to get up in the mornings with a smile on our faces (and I am talking to myself now as well!!) We need to see the positive and we need to trust God for His provision. This could be our best day yet, don't delay in doing good.

Lord thank you for each wonderful day that You give us. Thank you for so many blessings that lie and wait for us. We cannot wait to discover them. In Jesus name. Amen

Welcome back. I truly hope that this week you tried to live more in the present moment. I hope you tried to enjoy your life more and find the good in the phase of life you might find yourself in at the moment. The most amazing thing I found from living in the present moment, is the incredible peace that came over me, because if you live in the present, you don't need to worry about the future. After all Jesus said:

Matthew 6:34 "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries."

We can plan, we can dream, we can save, but we shouldn't worry. The Lord will provide. He is in control.

Now this week I would like to focus our attention on trying to live a more simplistic life. Now I am not saying that we should all return to the dark ages and live lives like monks, but we need to try and simplify our lives. Our lives are so rushed, so busy, our schedules are packed to full capacity, that actually we cannot cope with it all. It becomes too much. We need to try and find a midway. We need to try and release ourselves from some of the commitments we feel we should honor. Our bodies were not designed for the type of stress we are putting ourselves under. We need to learn to say no to certain things. (Isn't it interesting that when we get sick we cannot understand where this sickness comes from? It has been proved that many illnesses are stress related.)

I know we all want to be in the thick of things. We are so scared that we would lose out if we don't attend all the events. And yes I am even talking about church events. You cannot be everywhere all the time and you cannot be everything to everybody. That is Jesus and the Holy Spirit's job. He is the only One that can truly be everything that everyone needs. Your body needs to recuperate and it needs time alone with its Maker.

Of course do what you can, attend what you can, but give yourself a rest.

I was like that at one stage. I just started working, and every single night after work I attended some or other social/church event. I was running around, I never said no to any invitation and I never stopped for a breather. I was everywhere and I tried to be everything for everyone. I felt popular and that I am making headway socially. My voice started to give me trouble because I talked way too much (I know it sounds funny, but later on it was a real problem. It hurt every time I opened my mouth) But did I stop my social calendar? No, I hated not being in the thick of things. I was so sure I will miss something. My parents even advised me to slow down as they realized that it was not good for me to go on like this, but I wouldn't listen. And do you know how the Lord got me to stop? I broke my ankle at a sporting event of the company that I was working for. I had to walk with crutches for 6 weeks and above all I couldn't drive. I was stuck. The Lord brought me to a standstill. I couldn't go anywhere and I couldn't attend all my social engagements. I was devastated. How was I to cope with no schedule, nowhere to go? How was I going to get through this? What is going to happen if I am not everything to everyone? And do you know what happened? Nothing. Most of the 'friends' I spent so much time with called once and didn't bother to call again. They went on with their lives and got someone else to be everything to them. They had a social schedule to attend to.

You see we are not built to go full steam ahead all of the time. We need time to recuperate and allow the Lord to work in our lives. We need time alone with Him to hear His Voice and listen to His Plans for our lives and not simply rush forward. I wonder sometimes what would have happened if the Lord didn't bring me to a standstill? I would most probably have continued that way and I would have missed the special time I had alone with Him. I would have missed His gentle voice telling me of His Plans for me. I would have missed His supernatural guidance in my life. I would have missed Him. And that would have been a tragedy!

The time He brought me to a standstill was one of the best times in my life. I had peace, I didn't feel rushed and I felt physically good (except for my ankle of course, but it healed in due time.)

Focus on what is important in life. Give yourself a rest and look upwards. The Lord will give you the strength to continue and the grace to know His full plans for your life.

Please forgive us for valuing human opinions more than we value You. Please help us to follow Your gentle Voice and to listen to You. Give us the rest we need and help us to stand still once in a while. We love you. In Jesus name. Amen

We are continuing the theme of what is important in our lives. We have looked at our faith and how it should receive the number one position in our lives. We have looked at our family and friends and how important our relationship to them is. And we are now looking at how important it also is to look after yourself in order to fully enjoy this wonderful life that God has given us.

First of all we said we should concentrate to look after our thought life, in order to maintain good and pure thoughts. We also said that we must try and bear the fruit of the Spirit in our lives and portrait Jesus to the world. And the more the Spirit takes hold of us, the happier we will be.

Today I would like to discuss the power of living in the here and now, the power that lies in living in the present moment. A lot of people forfeit that power by longing for a better future. I've heard a lot of people saying something to the effect of: I'll be happy when I can finish studying, I'll be happy when I get married, I'll be happy when I have kids, I'll be happy once the kids grow older, I'll be happy when I can stop working, I'll be happy when I can retire, I'll be happy when I can have grandchildren and so on and so on. And before you know it your life is over. You have wished each special part of your life to be over. And the sad part is you can never have it back again. There is an amazing power in enjoying the present moment.

I am talking to myself today as I find myself frequently wishing that this particular year is over. The Lord has given me a special assignment this year, but it is not a very popular assignment in the eyes of the people around me. They all want me to join my profession again and to continue on a path that I know is not right for me at the moment. So it is tough for me to be surrounded by people who don't understand the Lord's plan for me. So I often find myself wishing that this time of testing and being obedient to the Lord would end. But the Lord rebuked me and said that He gave this year for me as a gift to grow closer to Him by doing what He requires of me. I shouldn't listen to what other people are saying, He wants me to follow Him. And above all He wants me to enjoy the present. If it wasn't for the comments of other people I would be loving this year, but because I listen to them, I am feeling down in the dumps. But I made a decision just this week that I am going to enjoy the here and now. I am going to enjoy every minute of it, because the Lord is in it with me. He is strengthening me and He is guiding me where I need to go.

After all in Psalm 32:8 He says; "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advice you and watch over you."

Isn't it an awesome verse? An amazing comfort. The Lord will direct our lives and we can be safe in it, knowing that He knows best.

Now of course you can dream dreams for your future and you can make plans for what lies ahead and be responsible with your money. You can visualize yourself as you would like to become and talk to the Lord about it, but never forget the present moment. That is why it is called the 'present', as it is truly a gift from God. The Lord is in today, we just need to look out for Him. He will display Himself to you if you are willing to search for Him.

Father God, we are humble in knowing that You will direct our paths. You are the One that walks in front and opens up the doors for us. We are determined to start enjoying the here and now. In Jesus' Name. Amen

As I have mentioned before, if your foundation (your faith) is rock solid and you built your house with Jesus as the cornerstone and time with your family as your bricks, then you are ready to face any curveball that life can throw at you. At least you know your house will stand.

Now looking after yourself inside the house made with bricks is also important. We have discussed your thought life and how it affects everything you do and how you should nurture your thoughts to think only pure thoughts, in order to give you victory in life.

Another way to walk in victory is to apply the fruits of the Spirit in your life. In case you cannot remember them all, here they are again; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I know it is easier said than done. We do not always feel like wearing them like a necklace and embracing every situation with them. In our rushed life, we do not even have time to think about them, let alone memorize them. Life is not that easy. It is difficult to be patient, when a slow moving truck moved right in front of you when you are already late for a meeting, it is difficult to have peace, when there is gossiping all around you, it is difficult to be faithful when the secretary looks sexier than ever, it is difficult to exercise self control when someone parked on your parking space, it is difficult to love someone with a godly love, when all they do is use you for their own benefit, it is difficult to have joy when your husband is diagnosed with cancer, it is difficult, I know.

But despite all this, try and make it a part of you. Try and drink it in everyday, just try. Not one of us is perfect, we all fail, but God loves a willing spirit that will at least try and make an effort. If you do, it will lead to an inner peace in your life and a sense of perfect harmony. Despite storms raging around you, your house will stand.

Remember what the Word of God says:

"Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you! Wear them like a necklace; write them deep in your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people; and you will regain a good reputation." Proverbs 3:3, 4

No man can ask for more than favor with God, the Mighty One of the Universe and a good reputation is worth far more than riches and fame. God wants us to represent Him here on earth and is more concerned in developing our character than anything else. Try and assist Him by making the fruit of the Spirit part of your daily life. It will be worth it.

Lord Jesus, You are awesome and we are so glad that You can be our cornerstone. Thank you for assisting us in our life's journey. You are the best. Amen

If your house's foundation is right (your faith in God), and your cornerstone is right (Jesus Christ), and your bricks are right (quality time with your spouse, children and close family), then you can start living in your house. You can be right to weather any storm, because your house would be strong enough to endure. Now you can start looking after yourself, the Temple of God. You need to make sure that you are in the best shape you can possibly be in, in order to be able to do what God wants you to do. I am going to talk a bit more about how to look after yourself in the next few weeks.

I spoke last week about getting your house in order. God is a God of order and cleanliness and therefore we need to look after ourselves and grow in Christ to be the best we can be.

First of all we need to get our thought life in order. We need to start thinking about what we are thinking about. We cannot allow random thoughts to come in and mess up our neat house. I always thought that we don't have any control over what comes into our minds, but we do! This is such an intense subject, I can continue for weeks on this, but the point I would like to make now, is that thoughts can influence your whole life.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do." Proverbs 4:23

I would like to repeat it; it affects everything you do. That is why it is so crucially important that you don't allow any thought to simply slip in. You need to focus on what is good and pure, you need to practice it.

The other day I was upset over something and I had to go to that person and clear the air. Now I could only see the person in a weeks' time, so I practiced what I wanted to say to her all the time in my head and every time I got upset all over again and it ruined my day. I then forced myself to stop. I realized that it is not going to help to rehearse what I was going to say for the whole week and be upset all the time. It was stealing my joy. I then purposefully stopped myself every time I wanted to think about it. I forced myself to be in the moment and to enjoy the here and now. I will think about the situation again when I see her. And you know what, it worked. I wasn't upset for the rest of the week and cleared the air the next. We have power over our thoughts and we need to exercise it.

Another good idea is to memorize Scripture and to verbally say it out loud every time your thoughts drift in the wrong direction. You can also ask the Lord to give you a 'mantra' to say every day to yourself. Something in the order of "Thank you Jesus for being here with me. Thank you that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank you that You created me in Your image and that I am wonderfully made. I look forward to this day and all that You have in store for me." You can ask God to give you your own 'mantra' to say every day, in order to focus your mind on the pure and the good things in life.

 The Lord wants to bless you and He wants you to obtain victory over your thoughts.

Lord, thank you for giving us the victory through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you that we can walk through this life with You and that You will give us the strength to control our thought life. Amen

We are discussing the bricks in our lives in order to have a fulfilling life, a life that can weather any storm and still come out strong at the other end. God should be our foundation and Jesus Christ our cornerstone. On this foundation and cornerstone we can start building our house. The bricks we use are our close family, our spouses, our kids, our parents, our siblings etc. These bricks are the most important (besides the cornerstone and foundation), because without them, the house will be pretty lonely. And without a deep relationship (which is the cement) with them, the house will battle to stand. It is only after getting our foundation and bricks and cement right that we get to another important aspect of the house, namely ourselves.

We need to live in the house and we need to be comfortable in this house. We need to be happy and value ourselves like God does. Now there are various ways of being happy with ourselves and I am going to discuss a couple of them over the next few weeks. But for a start know that inside the house you must look after yourself. As I have said before, your body is the temple of God and what you do with it shouldn't be taken lightly. The other day I read Leviticus again and I know most of those rules are not related to us anymore, but I realized something of God's character through reading it. God likes order, cleanliness and personal hygiene.

After reading Leviticus the Lord immediately reminded me to have a good look at my own bible. It was totally falling apart after ten years of use. The hinges were coming off, there were papers hanging out everywhere and even the introduction was beginning to tear. It was actually a sight for sore eyes and I never did anything to it, because I thought all these years that it was actually a compliment as it meant that I spent time with it. After all whenever someone saw my bible, they will definitely know that I used it! But the Lord reprimanded me and I realized that it was a disgrace to Him. It didn't honor Him, it actually showed how arrogant I got with His word and how I actually only focused on myself. I then took tape and bound my bible again, I mended the introduction and sorted out all the notes I had inside. And you know what, it was actually such a blessing to me. It looked respectable again and ready to be used once more. And 'strangely' enough, I felt as if it 'spoke' to me again. The Lord likes order.

And it is the same with our bodies. If we are His temple, we should make sure that our bodies are in the best condition as it can be. We cannot do with our bodies as we please if we belong to Christ, therefore I am not in favor of tattoos, piercing, smoking etc, because it defiles your temple. We need to look after ourselves and make the most of what the Lord has given to us. He is dwelling in us, and if He likes order, cleanliness and personal hygiene, then we need to shape up and make sure that our temples are nice places to live in. It has to be in the best condition that we can manage to have it in.

There is of course the other side of the coin where people focus too much on themselves and think too highly of themselves, but then we need to go back to the foundation of the house. Is the foundation right? Is the cornerstone right? Is the bricks and cement right? We need to put all these things in order before focusing on ourselves.

We will have a more in depth look as to how we can make sure that we are in the best condition that we can be. But for now know, that it is not sin to look after yourself, you have to. Your temple needs to be holy, because if it is, you will have a much more intimate experience with God. He will enjoy being there and you will love having Him.

Lord Jesus, please help us to look after ourselves. Help us to organize our time in such a way that we have time to look after ourselves and be a lovely temple for You to live in. Amen

The first and most important brick in our lives is the Lord, in fact Jesus has become the cornerstone on which we should build our houses. Our faith should be our foundation, without which our houses won't be able to stand. He should be our number one and should be our first love. We should dedicate everything we have and everything we do unto Him. He should be our everything.

2. Our family

Now the second most important brick in our lives is our family. Starting with our spouse, our kids, our parents and then on to our siblings, far off family and friends that sometimes feel closer than family.

This is also the second commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Mark 12:31

They are the people that matters most in your life and the ones who should receive second place.  I am convinced that at your deathbed they are the ones you would want there with you, holding your hand and telling you that they love you. Definitely not your broker, lawyer and shareholders, I can promise you that!

Then why do we battle to make them the second priority? Why are we inclined to organize our lives in such a way that they receive maybe fourth or fifth place? Is it because we think that they would understand that we are busy building our careers? That we need some time to ourselves and that we need recreation that takes the whole day on Saturdays, every Saturday?

I think most of us want to receive recognition from the world, and in the back of our minds we think that our family will always be there, whether we spend quality time with them or not. But the truth is the cement of your house is your relationship with them as well as the quality time you spend with them. Without that cement your whole house will come tumbling down. Words are no substitute for deeds, and neither are presents. It is only your presence that really counts.

One preacher once said that whenever it was one of his childrens' birthdays he would make sure he was home. Even if he was in China for a business trip, he would fly back for their birthday and fly back to China the next day. And you know what, I do believe that those children felt much more loved, than when he simply picked up the phone and called them. Well for some people a call would be a starting point as they forget birthdays all together and when they claim that they care about you, you struggle to believe them. Now I am not saying you must do what this preacher did, but make the effort and go the extra mile for those closest to you, help them to experience your love and see God's love in you. Play with your kids, go and watch their games, memorize their friends' names, spend quality time alone with your spouse, surprise him/her with special notes in their lunch box, come home early and have a game night with your family, treat your parents now and again, phone them and be interested in their daily living, I can go on and on, but I think you get the point.

It doesn't cost money to put them first, only time and effort on your behalf. And I can promise you it would be worthwhile. Your house will be strong, and with the right foundation, you will be able to weather any storm.

Lord Jesus, thank you so much for our family and close friends. Thank you for blessing us with them. Help us to treasure them and keep them close to our hearts. Amen.

We are discussing the different things that can occupy your time and with which you build your house (your life). There are things that can be regarded as building your house with straw, because when you go through a difficult time in your life, these things that you spent your time on, will not help you get through the crisis one bit. There are also things like your work that can be regarded as sticks in your life. It is important, but should not be the most significant thing that your life revolves around. Then we get the bricks in your life. Now they are the most important. They are the things that your world should revolve around. I am going to discuss them in detail over the next couple of weeks. But let's start with the most important brick. I am sure you guessed it, it is the Lord, Jesus Christ.

1. Our foundation - Our faith in God

Your faith should be the foundation of your life and should receive the number one spot. Your relationship with the Lord should be your main priority in life. That is the first commandment of our new covenant with Christ: 

"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." Mark 12:30.

He must be the One you think about when you get up in the morning. He must be the One you run to when you have a problem, He must be the One you share your joys and delights with, He must be the One your whole day revolves around. Involve Him in everything, because He wants to be part of everything in your life. He wants you in totality. Of course He knows you need to work and you need to spend time with your family etc, but He wants to be part of it all. Involve Him.

Afterall, Jesus said: "Your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."

We therefore need to seek God first, and then all other matters will be dealt with. It was the same when the Jews returned to the Promised Land after being exiled for 70 years. They were confident and happy to be back in their own land. They built an altar to the Lord and soon started rebuilding the Temple of God. But their enthusiasm quickly withered away as the hardship of being back in their desolate country started to get to them. They had a good life back in Babylon and some of them even had good businesses there and now they returned to a deserted, gloomy wasteland open to attacks from various enemies in the region. They started to feel depressed and left the building of the temple to try and make a living and build their own houses. Soon enough they didn't have money and to top it all off, they started to experience crop failures and rapid increasing inflation. They didn't notice that these were sent from God because they stopped building His Temple, stopped putting Him first in their lives. God had to send the prophet, Haggai to tell them to stop with worrying and caring only about their own houses and lives, but to finish His Temple. He should be first and then all other things would be given besides.

And it is the same with us. The temple of the Holy Spirit is our bodies and we should keep it clean and in as good a health as we can and we should use our temple to glorify God and give Him the attention He deserves.

Put God first in your life, dedicate everything to Him. He is the foundation of your brick house and without Him even the bricks in your life will amount to nothing good. Without your foundation, the brick house will eventually come tumbling down. God wants first place, and you know what, if you give it to Him, your life will have meaning and you will have the joy of the Lord to guide you through this life!

Lord Jesus, please help us to give You the number one spot in our lives that You so thoroughly deserve. You are our everything and without You, our whole lives will amount to nothing good. Thank you for always being there for us. Amen