| Today's Bible Verse |
| "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."
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Isaiah 26:3 King James Version (KJV)
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| Today's Bible Study |
My husband and I routinely enter our house through the back door, which leads directly into the laundry area. Without stopping, he and I toss the items that are in our hands: books, keys, mail, phones, jackets, etc., on top of the washing machine.
What a bad habit! Because we don’t put these items where they belong, we search for them later; plus, we can’t do laundry without first unloading the top of the washer.
I have real but unseen items stashed on top of my brain’s equivalent of a washing machine. These items are unfinished tasks I’m holding onto mentally: a conversation I need to have with a friend, the Bible study I started but never developed, the pie plate I keep forgetting to return to a neighbor.
Now never seems to be the right time to do those things because I am already doing two other things.
I can relate with the saying: The hurriedier I go, the behinder I get.
Multitasking is not the useful skill we think it is. I need to stop multitasking and begin single-tasking. That is, I need to finish one task before I move on to the next one.
When my mind is focused upon uncompleted tasks, I can’t give my full attention to any one activity. Not even to an important activity. Not even to prayer.
How sad to think I neglected to pray because I was too busy going over my mental to-do list.
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| Today's Prayer |
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| Lord, You must be tired of hearing me confess to living an unfocused life. I haven’t overcome the habit of trying to do too many things at once. I need Your help to focus upon what is most important: my relationship with You. Amen.
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| Yesterday's Bible
Verse |
| "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
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Romans 3:23 King James Version (KJV)
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| Yesterday's Bible
Study |
I do not watch football intentionally, but I hear and see snippets of football games because I live in a house where football is often playing on the television.
I have become familiar with the term unnecessary roughness. The meaning of that phrase is not hard to decipher. Unnecessary roughness occurs when a member of one team pushes, steps on or punches a player on the opposing team when those actions do not advance the player’s purpose for being on the field. One player’s unnecessary roughness often results in a whole team being penalized.
Some people practice unnecessary roughness on themselves.
These people, upon recognizing they have done a wrong thing, berate themselves, call themselves all manner of ugly names and sometimes even shut down for a while to marinate in self-torment.
Unnecessary roughness cripples us when we inflict it upon ourselves. What’s worse, the people around us (our teammates) suffer. While I sit on the sidelines mourning my bad behavior, someone else must do the work that was assigned to me.
Unnecessary, self-inflicted roughness may be an indication of pride. A person indulging in this behavior thinks: Other people make mistakes, but I can’t accept the fact that I fail too. I’m better than that.
You and I are no better and no worse than anyone else. We all sin against God. But instead of treating us roughly, He offers grace. Stop beating yourself up. Offer yourself a bit of grace.
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| Yesterday's Prayer |
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| God, when I sin, lead me to confess that sin to you. Then help me forgive myself. Don’t let the memory of sins I have already confessed and You have already forgiven oppress me. Through the One Who made forgiveness possible, Amen.
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