Good morning,
Anybody reading this today waiting on something? I’m sure for most of us the answer is yes. Waiting on the phone to ring, waiting on an answer that seems to be taking way to long, waiting on that new…._______, waiting for your stimulus, waiting on the vaccine, waiting in line at Walmart (OK maybe that one doesn’t qualify). We are all at some point in time in the “waiting room” of life. Not easy, never in our time or in our direction but many times waiting on God to respond.
So, what to do while we wait? What is God accomplishing during this “stand by.”
Here are a few thoughts that have come via a friends devotion this morning……..
“The pressures of a delayed answer are meant to purify our faith and enlarge our soul.”
“Delayed answers increase the magnitude of the “yes” when it comes.”
“To see and act on the needs of others in our hour of waiting is a great act of trust, surrender and worship.”
“Waiting on God increases the intensity of our need for Him.”
“Waiting on God produces deep surrender and patience.”
In all of this “waiting” God is at work! (Important to remember….daily)
In all of God’s “working” His goal in our lives is the finished product…..maturity.
In all of our “waiting” we want the fast answer….God wants the best answer.
So our challenge during the waiting is to be surrendered, confident and productive.
While we wait find the one thing that God wants you to do TODAY.
PS: Waiting is never easy and don’t beat yourself up if during the process you falter and grow impatient. God has promised to finish what He has started.
Praying for you today
Chap Dan
What Choice Will We Make?
Psalm 16:8 “I keep the Lord in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
What does it mean to keep the Lord in my mind all the time? In this short Psalm we see first of all a choice. The Psalmist has made the decision to have the Lord in mind always. In this, we choose to relate everything we encounter to our trust in God. It’s important to know that what we choose to focus on becomes the dominant influence in our lives. If we choose to focus on problems then our problems will determine the direction of our lives. If we choose to focus on people, then people will determine what we think and do. If, and it’s our choice, focus on Christ, we invite Him to take the most important position in our lives. For every new experience, when people insult and mistreat us, when a crisis comes out of nowhere, when we are afraid the first response should be to choose Jesus. How amazing it is that Jesus should stand beside us to guide us and counsel us. Why should we ever be dismayed by our circumstance when we have our Lord at our right hand. The question………what will we choose? Chap Dan
Vacation or Mission?
A mom was getting her family ready to load up the car and head to the airport for a much need time away. Trying to corral a group of very excited and easily distracted children to the car she commented to her oldest son, “please hurry up we don’t want to miss our vacation.” To this the son responded “mom, I’m not going on vacation I’m going on mission.” The mom repeated this to her husband as they drove to the airport and a smile came across his face, “at least I know he was listening to the pastors sermon last Sunday. Don’t you remember, the pastor said when he spoke on our lives being salt and light to the world that our example to the world should be 24/7 even when we are on vacation.”
No matter where we are, no matter what we are doing, we are reflecting something through our example. Sometimes when we go on vacation we forget that even then we are to let our lights shine brightly where we are. (Matthew 5:16) So, as we head out on our vacations, remember that our testimony should always be “on.” Chap Dan
Welcome From Chaplain Dan
Just a quick introduction for those of you who are checking out this new blog link for the first time. My full name is Daniel L Billings but most of our team here at Newby just call me Chap Dan. This idea, while not at all new in our world of technology, is a new venture for me. As chaplain here at Newby and Pastor of Simplicity Fellowship I’ve been looking for ways to connect with our team and community residents in a way that provides more accessibility and a broader range of impact. This blog is just another tool to attempt to accomplish that goal. From time to time I will post to this blog a scripture, thought for the day or word of encouragement. I invite you to check it out for new posts and reach out to me with your thoughts and comments. Pastor/Chaplain Dan