Editor's note: Happy Father's Day to all our wonderful dads! We are grateful for you! Yesterday, we shared two devotions from The Campfire Is Calling. You can read them here and then continue reading below.
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Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time. — Matthew 6:34 TLB
It’s such a simple instruction. Live one day at a time. Why are we so good at complicating it? It’s physically impossible to live at any other pace, but too possible to live ahead mentally. Our thoughts should be well-guarded, like our hearts. Thoughts that go against what God says weaken our ability to live in the present. They can make us feel bad about what we did yesterday, last week, or last year, when God has forgiven and forgotten it. Anxious thoughts can make us feel panicked over what might be and what might not ever happen.
God will take care of you. God will take care of your tomorrow. God will take care of the next chapter of the story He’s already written for you.
What an amazingly freeing thought that is! Following the story line is as simple as believing the Author... and as difficult as getting the pen out of our own hands. It’s human to think about tomorrow. We feel responsible in doing so. But let’s stop and think about everything in our life today. Right now. To invest ourselves fully in as many moments as we can is an exercise in the discipline of a simple life, marked by simple trust, leading to increased spiritual strength.
God loves being a Father!
Learning to rely on Him is honoring, glorifying, and good. It’s a form of worship and a proclamation of praise. Every time we calm a fear by casting a care on Him, it’s like whispering, Thank You, Father. Each time we stay in the moment by abandoning a worry, it’s like saying, I trust You, Father. And when we live one day at a time with a joy the world can never give, it’s like exclaiming, I love You, Father! God’s provision for our tomorrow is our peace for today. And when it comes to living happily, there’s no better way.
Dear God,
Thankfulness, trust, and joy will be my praise to You today. I’ll rest in You and live in the moment.
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Simple Trust and the Turning Tide
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. — 1 Thessalonians 4:11 NIV
Most of us would probably describe our daily lives as anything but quiet. Whether we work in the home, from home, outside the home, or away from home, there’s likely a degree of hectic that prevents us from defining our life as a quiet one. The race of our days might even inspire the occasional cry for help, or just a good cry.
There’s no weakness in letting the tears flow. It’s soul cleansing and stress relieving. Every one of our tears has God’s attention.
You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in Your bottle! You have recorded every one in Your book. — Psalm 56:8 TLB
When God asks us to make it our ambition to live a quiet life, He doesn’t mean it literally. The quietness He desires for our life is found in trusting Him. Simply trusting Him.
We need a quiet trust, deep down, that drowns out the noise of the lies in our heads saying, “You’re not going to make it,” “This is a mess even God won’t clean up for you,” or, “There’s no way God’s love can reach you here. ” Every ounce of our being has to trust that not one of those thoughts rings true.
God loves you too much to author any thought that reflects anything but love or truth.
Truth like this:
The very day I call for help, the tide of battle turns... This one thing I know: God is for me! — Psalm 56:9 TLB
God can be trusted completely. He’s for you every hour of every day.
It’s time to be ambitious about living a quiet life. A life marked by quiet confidence in the face of any challenge. A life secure in truth. You will not be left alone, you will not be let down, and you will not be separated from the love that will never give up on you. Today can be trusted in the hands of your unfailing Father, and with Him controlling the tide of the battle, nothing is impossible.
Dear God,
I trust You. There’s nothing that can defeat me or pull me from the arms of love carrying me. Give me the strength I need to stand in Your favor and faithfulness.
Excerpted with permission from The Campfire Is Calling, copyright DaySpring Cards, Inc.
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Your Turn
God is a good Father! In fact, He loves being a Father! Thank Him, trust Him, and love Him today. Bring Him your everything. ~ Devotionals Daily