July 15: SMALL STREAMS DON'T CHOOSE TO BE MIGHTY RIVERS.

Affirmation: It’s okay not to be okay. Allow yourself to feel what you feel.

God’s Grace and love can heal you, but first you must face whatever it is. Listen to your soul. God already knows, He is ready to heal you and walk with you as you are made whole.

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Ponder: Memorize Psalm 25:4-6. Make this your prayer today.

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from days of old. Psalm 25:4-6

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

                        July 15

SMALL STREAMS DON'T CHOOSE TO BE MIGHTY RIVERS. WE KEEP MOVING IN A DIRECTION AND GOD DECIDES WHAT HE'LL MAKE OUT OF US. 

It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. 

DEUTERONOMY 13:4 

I was on a hike one time and saw a sign to an offshoot trail that said, HEAD­WATERS THIS WAY. I was curious because I had never seen headwaters before, which is the place where a stream or river literally begins. I imagined a massive river coming out of a cave carving its way through the forest. But when I arrived, I couldn't tell if I was disappointed or even more amazed. Bubbling out of the ground, a stream began at the base of a large oak tree and trailed through the forest as a babbling brook. I could hardly believe it. How could this trickle eventually turn into a river? 

Small streams don't plan to become mighty rivers. They just run in the direction they were created to move, and their Creator decides what they'll become. 

In today's world, we look on with envy as a friend takes the risk to start a business and gets crazy successful. We see the lead guitarist melting people's faces with a solo on his Fender Stratocaster. Or we look up at the stage won­dering how that speaker became so influential, secretly wishing we could have the same thing. But I don't think God is wowed by people whose aim is more money or more fame. If those things come through a life of faith, the faithful person knows not to overvalue them. What dazzles God are humble people who use the gifts they have and let God use them any way He decides to. 

Don't make following Jesus more complicated than He made it. Don't hand God a list of your expectations about what He'll do with your faithful­ness. Start. Figure out what you've got. Move in the direction He sends you and let Him determine what He's going to make out of it. 

Have you been making it too complicated?