PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 28

Ecclesiastes 2:26
To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness...

So many people keep searching for happiness thinking that the new car will do it, a better job, a bigger house, moving to a new state or country, getting married, having a family, getting relief from pain or illness, finding different church, getting divorce and the list goes on....

These words from the wise man tells us that happiness is a gift from GOD. Your circumstances do not dictate your happiness. There are people happy in tiny shacks and there are people miserable in mansions.

Let us ask ourselves, 'Am I happy today?' If we are not, let us go to the source of happiness and ask him for this elusive gift as we seek to please him. He may not only give us happiness but may surprise us with wisdom and knowledge too.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT- February 27

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

Familiarity with the words of this Scripture can somehow lessen the impact and importance of these words. But the truth is - there really is no need for fear when our faith and trust is in the LORD.

When we know without a shadow of a doubt that our times and lives are in God's hands, no matter what happens to us, we know that everything will turn out as God intends. We do not have to fear when we trust in GOD.

Fear is banished in the light of God's salvation. The perfect love of God casts out every fear. We sometimes fear death because it is an unknown experience but because we put our trust in the Author of Life we know that death is only the passageway to life.

Let us live a Fear-Free life today!

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 26

1 Chronicles 29:5
Now who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians that 'Now is the accepted time; today is the day of salvation'.
There is no greater decision ever made in the course of a person's life than accepting the invitation to become a child of God. Such decisions should always be made immediately and never be put off for another day.

King Agrippa as he listened to Paul's sermon felt the tug of the Holy Spirit on his heart and shouted, 'almost you persuaded me to become a Christian'. His life would have had a very different ending if he had allowed his mind to be persuaded by the Holy Spirit.

There is no better time than right now to consecrate and dedicate our lives to the Lord.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 25

1 Chronicles 29:11
Yours, Lord , is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

There are times when we are overwhelmed by the greatness and magnificence of God and we cannot keep silent as praises flow from our hearts and our lips must proclaim his praise.

When we are surrounded by the natural beauty of nature - a tropical jungle, a flowing river, waterfalls, a sunrise or sunset, soaring birds, towering trees etc., our senses become alive as we realize that there is definitely 'somebody bigger than you and I' who created this beauty.

When we appreciate the works of our Creator's hand and we praise his Holy Name as we worship and bow our hearts to him we are changed.  We are drawn into His presence and we echo the never ending song of the universe acknowledging his awesome power and majestic glory.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 24

I John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God for God is love.

There is no substitute for love. To try to explain feelings of love we use different words to describe it - like, care, affection. When we are getting into a relationship there comes a moment when we feel that the time is right to say the words, 'I love you'. And sometimes because of all the nuances and expectations of the word 'Love' we lose sight of what love truly means and the source of love.

Love is from God. Even when a person claims not to believe in God and shows genuine love for another he or she is emulating the Creator.
There is only one source for true, genuine love and it is GOD himself.

Love manifests itself in forgiveness, acceptance, understanding, looking out for the well-being of others etc. Love is not selfish; love will always seek to give.

May we continue to draw from the Source of love as we seek to love one another.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 23

Proverbs 16:9
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

These words are a reminder that our Creator did not make us robots but he gave us individual wills and choices within certain  parameters. He wants us to be creative, to use our intelligence to design, to solve problems, to plan courses but he reserves the right to establish our steps, to direct our paths and to change the course as he alone knows best what is good for us.

Wise children of God always defer to HIM when plans get change because we know that in the end all things  will work out for our best and God will be glorified.

When we realize that our purpose on earth is to love God firstly, serve him worthily and get to know him intimately we will gladly welcome his counsel and instructions in our lives.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 22

Proverbs 16:24
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Our words have the unique ability to cause great joy or great sadness. With our words we can lift someone's spirit to the highest heights or lower it to the lowest depths.

Our words are very powerful. The right words can bring peace to warring enemies and the wrong words can start a new war.

James wrote that the tongue can spread gossip like wildfire and we are admonished to tame our tongues. We should not be praising God and hurting others at the same time with our words.

Let us strive to let our words be gracious, sweet and healing.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT- February 21

Matthew 21:29
'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

There are times when we make decisions without thinking things through completely. We may be angry, depressed or sad and we just react.

When we have a clearer mind and able to look at a situation from all angles we may wish for a different outcome or even wish we can go back in time to change our decisions.

There is no reason to live with a bad decision. Decisions are not carved in stone. We must learn to forgive, apologize, repent and fix problems we may have caused.

It is not how we start but how we finish that is most important.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 20

Psalms 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

For many of us waiting is one of our most challenging discipline. We want things to happen now, in our timing and exactly the way we want it. It seems that we equate waiting with inaction and that means things are not getting done.

The command is 'wait on the Lord'. When we are actively waiting on the Lord we are busy doing his work; we are busy loving others; we are busy staying in fellowship with him and yes we are busy waiting.

When the Lord tells us to wait he always has our best interest at heart. When we listen and do as he says we will bring him glory and he will work out all things for our good.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 19

Proverbs 19:3
A person's own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord.

Choices have consequences. There is a natural law that is proven right every time. What a person sows he will also reap. Sometimes it is also called Karma.

The words of the wise man is proven true time and again. A person's choices may sometimes bring negative consequences and lead to their ruin. The only blame for negative consequences is negative choices.

People also have the tendency to blame God when things are not going according to plan and they are suffering. Somehow they think that God is against them and out to get them when they are simply reaping the consequences of negative choices.

May we always remember that choices have consequences.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - FEBRUARY 18

Proverbs 18:14
The human spirit can endure in sickness   but a crushed spirit who can bear?

The human spirit is very resilient and will endure agony and torture beyond belief. It seems that survival is built into our DNA. We keep on going in the midst of pain and illness, heartache and grief. As long as the human spirit has hope and a purpose for staying alive it will not give up.

When the human spirit is crushed, beaten down, depressed, despairing and hopeless death becomes a welcomed visitor. When the human spirit loses hope it becomes very easy to give up.

May we always seek to keep our spirits uplifted and encouraged.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 17

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Powerful words but so true. We have all experience the positive and negative effects of words. Words can lift us up to the highest heights or cast us down to the lowest depths.

Lives have been turn around because of encouraging words.

Lives have been thrown into turmoil because of biting, critical words.

May we seek to always guard our words so that they will be positive, uplifting and encouraging.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 16

Ecclesiastes 7:9
Do not quickly be provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

When we react in anger all rational thoughts and solutions disappear from our minds. Our only focus when we are angry is to release it so we can be in balance again.

People deal with anger in different ways. Some become very vocal, yelling and screaming; some become aggressive and violent; still others turn it inward and become silent and pensive.

The solution to anger is found in the words of the Wise Man. If we are not quickly provoked we will have time to look at the situation more closely and in a rational way. We may be able to avert the energy- draining episode of anger and not exhibit behaviors of a fool.

PAUSE FOR MOMENT - February 15

Proverbs 16:2
All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.

We are also encouraged not to judge each other. Knowing that only God can weigh our motivations is a great reason to leave judgment to the Lord.

If we do not practice regular self-examination and ask God to reveal hidden motives in the things that we do, we may become arrogant in serving him, thinking that we are righteous. We may fail to recognize that our self-righteousness is 'filthy rags' in his sight.

May we seek to have pure motives as we go about our daily tasks.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 14

Micah 7:19
You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

The God we serve shows his eternal love and compassion for his children as we see in this proclamation of the prophet telling us what God is going to do with the sins and iniquities of his people.

He is willing to save to the uttermost those who go to him for salvation. He promised to cast our sins away from us as far as the east is from the west.

He will hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea and there are deep immeasurable gullies beyond the ocean floor. If our sins are hurled into such depths they are removed from us forever.

May we always be thankful for the forgiveness, love and compassion of our God.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 13

Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

The love that God has for us shines in these words. These are the actions of a kind, loving God. He will instruct and teach. He is not just giving us a rulebook and ask us to learn the rules on our own. He will be our teacher!

He also promises to counsel us. Counseling is interactive learning. Counseling is not a lecture. Counseling is something that we seek when things are confusing or not going right. God promises to counsel us with his loving eye on us. He is not seeking to punish us or condemn us. He is looking at us with loving eyes.

May we accept God's loving instructions, teachings and counsel.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 12

Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

What we consider as 'needs' may be very different from what God knows that we need. Our needs also change depending to our circumstances, attitude and shortsightedness of our desires.

When we have learned the simple faith in 'not my will but thine be done' it adds a heavenly perspective to our earthly wants and desires. The motivation behind what we perceive as needs aligns more closely with God's desire to supply them all.

May we have confidence in the bigness of our God and know that if we are in Christ Jesus there is never any cause to worry because God already knows our needs.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 11

John 3:17
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him.

This verse is another great example of the love of God and his purpose for giving us his one and only Son. Jesus came into the world to save the world and he came into the world directly from the love of God.

If we are feeling condemned we may want to examine our relationship with God and especially our belief in Jesus. Eternal life, the compete opposite of condemnation is ours by believing in God and in Jesus Christ - his one and only Son whom he sent into the world.

May we have confidence in our faith and belief in God as we live in his eternal love for us.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - FEBRUARY 10

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This verse is one of the most beloved of all times. It shows that eternal life starts with the love of God. The love of God is for the whole world. The world means all 7 continents, all races, all colors, all cultures. His love is not only for people who grew up knowing about him or think they deserve his love. His love is also for the ones who are often called unloveable.

God's love compelled him to give. He gave his one and only Son. Believing in his Son brings eternal life. Not believing in his Son keeps us in the crosshairs of  God's wrath.

May we share God's love with the whole world by our words but even more so by our actions. People may not understand our words but they will never forget our actions.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 9

Ephesians 5:27
And to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

The Apostle Paul wrote that the church can be compared to the bride of Christ and in this analogy he showed love for his bride by giving his life for her to make her holy, washed and clean through his word.

He continued by saying that he made her a radiant church. His bride is without stain, wrinkle or any blemish. This cleansing was not done by the bride but by Christ. He made himself responsible to keep his bride holy and blameless.

As believers, you and I make up the church. We are like the bride of Christ. We will be presented to him as his radiant bride, holy and blameless in his sight.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 8

Ephesians 5:19
Speaking to one another with psalms, hyms, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.

When brothers and sisters are happy in the Lord and enjoy fellowship with each other it shows in their words and actions. They greet each other warmly, their words are filled with praise for the Lord, they forgive freely and they always look for good in each other.

The opposite is true when believers are just going through the motions of being in fellowship with God and with each other. Going to church becomes a chore; gossips, fractions, fightings mark their actions. Praising God no longer comes spontaneously from the heart and joy does not bubble up and overflow.

May we always seek to be in fellowship with God and with each other.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - FEBRUARY 7

Ephesians 4:7
But to each of us grace has been given as Christ has apportioned it.

The gift of grace has been given to us freely from the heart of a loving God. Jesus death on the cross for our sins made this grace possible. Our sins can never be greater than the grace we have been given.

Grace also allows us to receive gifts from Christ so we can be fully functioning members of his body. Our spiritual gifts are to be used for edifying the church and given to us as needed.

Grace brings maturity to us as we grow in our faith and allows the fruit of the Spirit to develop more fully in us. We become kinder, gentler, humbler, willing to forgive quicker when we allow grace to work in us.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 6

Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.

There is no greater security than the security found in these words. Our lives are 'according to the plan'. There is a plan for each of our lives because we were chosen in Christ Jesus. We have nothing to fear because God works everything out so that they conform with his purpose for our lives.

To be chosen is a most wonderful gift. To think that the God of the universe actually CHOSE  you and me for his purpose according to his plan.

May we remember these words when we think that we are not worth much and that we do not have a reason to be alive. YOU and I were chosen and we will not leave this world until God's purpose in our lives are fulfilled.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 5

Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Living in uncertain times is nothing new for the children of  God. From sin entered into the world and men made the choice to turn away from God uncertain times took its natural place.
When we turn away from God and decide that we know what is best we discover that the peaceful order of things fall into chaos.

The psalmist was feeling the pressure of his enemies as they closed in on him. He was also feeling the pressure of betrayal by someone he trusted. He was tempted to give up and let fear and doubt bring him to despair but his trust and faith in God remained strong.

These words were not only spoken to the people around him but also to himself. He encouraged himself in the Lord. May we take heed to these words as we encounter our uncertain times.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 4

Acts 10:34-35
Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and do what is right.

It is encouraging to note that God deals with each one of us on an individual basis. We cannot say that because our parents feared God that we get a free pass. We must never become apathetic about doing what is right.

Jesus told a parable of a man who went into a crowded wedding feast without wearing the proper wedding garments. He was one person in the midst of the crowd but yet he was exposed. He was not given a free pass because he came to the wedding but was held responsible for not wearing the proper wedding attire.

May we be careful about the labels we give ourselves and think that it is enough. God does not show favoritism but sees us as individuals and accepts us based on our personal actions.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 3

Ephesians 5:15-16
Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

These words seem as appropriate today as they were in the Apostle Paul's time. The exhortation is to be wise in the way we live.

Time is s a most precious gift and every day that we are given brings us opportunities to live as wise servants. We can show our wisdom by treating others with kindness, gentleness, love, understanding and patience.

We can take time to pray for others; to encourage, show compassion and to comfort those who are brokenhearted.

The days may be dark and evil but we have the light of Christ shining through us.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - February 2

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

What a delightful thought! Our lives didn't just happen. We are not here by luck or happenstance; we are God's work in progress. We were created for a specific purpose. A purpose that can only be seen in Christ Jesus.

God, in his sovereignty and all-knowing power chose you and I for a purpose that fits into his divine plan. All that we go through here on earth is for a greater good and fulfils God's purpose in our lives.

Let us have an attitude of gratitude that the loving creator of all things is still using his creative ability in shaping and forming us for his purpose so that in the end we will both say of the finished product, 'It is very good!'