PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 31

1 Corinthians 2:12
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

It is hard to fathom the wonderful gifts that God has given to his children. Sometimes we get blinded by this world's values and we think that having material possessions and riches of this world are more important than actually having the Spirit of God living in us and directing us.

One of the most precious gems in this world is gold and many have sold their souls for it. But isn't it ironic that one day when we arrive in our heavenly home we will be walking on streets paved with gold?

May we continue to seek to understand the things of God and discover what he holds valuable in this world.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 30

1Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

God's ways are higher than our ways; God's thoughts are not our thoughts. GOD knows everything but we are limited in knowledge; we are finite and mortal. We have temporary lives in this world.

But we are promised a glorious future which God  prepared for us because we love him. It goes beyond our temporary eyes, ears and imaginations.
Our glorious future comes from the heart of a loving God. No matter what we are going through - adversity, afflictions, sorrow, pain, heartbreak etc. there is a glorious future awaiting us.

May we look beyond our temporary time on this earth to the wonderful surprises in store for us.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 29

Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There is never a day when the news we hear is good. We hear about murders, terror attacks, hate speech, violence, threats of war and on and on.

Evil seems to be increasing worldwide threatening to drown out good.  However, when we remember that evil can only exist in the absence of good we are filled with hope because as long there is still 'good' in our hearts evil cannot reign.

Let us seek to fill every evil situation with good because evil can definitely be overcome.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 28

Isaiah 30:18
.... For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

I hear the word 'karma' often these days and the context is usually that someone has been wronged but instead of actively taking revenge we wait for the universe to eventually catch up with them.

There is also a natural law written in Scripture that states we are going to reap what we sow. However, the words in Isaiah 30:18 seems like a much better deal.

Instead of waiting for karma to happen or for the person who wronged us to reap what they sow, we can rest patiently in the knowledge that our just, loving and righteous God will take care of the whole situation in his perfect and complete way. And we are blessed as we wait on him.

May we learn how to give all our situations to our just God and watch him work on our behalf.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 27

Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

Let us spend a moment to praise our awesome GOD today

For your awesome power!
We praise you Lord!
For your love and kindness!
We praise you Lord!
For your longsuffering and patience toward us!
We praise you Lord!
For your omniscience and omnipotence!
We praise you Lord!
For your infinite wisdom and understanding!
We praise you Lord!
For drawing us unto yourself!
We praise you Lord!

Please add your own praises to God. AMEN!

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 26

Hebrews 3:13
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

It is the simple things that make the most impact on our lives. Encouraging each other should be as natural as breathing for the child of God because the Holy Spirit who is the Great Comforter lives in us. He breathes encouragement into our hearts by his constant daily presence.

When we take the time to encourage each other by our kindness, warm smiles, prayers and scripture blessings, we are ourselves encouraged because we are living out the fruit of the Spirit.

May we practice encouraging each other daily.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 25

Isaiah 30:17
A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.”

Without God our lives become sad epithets. We have no strength, we lose our courage and we flee from any threat no matter how small it may be.

Without God our minds become confused, we don't know which direction we are heading, we have no goals, we have no anchor and we live with anxiety stress and depression.

The end result of a life without God is a stick on a mountaintop and a banner on a hill that will be blown away and broken by the wind.

The carrot and the stick. Choose God and we have everything! Reject God and we are left with nothing!

May we purpose in our hearts to choose God today!

PAUSE FOR THE MOMENT - May 24

Hebrews 1:10
He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

God existed before the foundations of the earth was laid. God is above everything that we can see on earth and in the heavens.

God exists outside of everything he created. He is the omnipotent, omniscient Almighty GOD!

He is the only GOD. There are no gods made by the hands of men and no gods conjured up in our minds who can stand before the Almighty GOD.

The heavens and the earth did not just appear out of nowhere. In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 23

Titus 3:4-5
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

People who have not taken the time to develop a personal relationship with God and learn about his attributes and who he truly is will never see him as kind and merciful. They have a tendency to see him as avenging, punishing and withholding good things from mankind.

Ancient civilizations had a pantheon of gods who periodically would bring terrible evil to dwellers on earth, seemingly for no apparent reason and
somehow that type of thinking got attached to the Almighty God.

Only when we have been touched by the Holy Spirit can we truly see the perfect, holy, righteous and loving attributes of God.

The words of the angels announcing the birth of Jesus (God with us) resounded on the hills of Bethlehem over 2000 years ago and echo still in our hearts today.

'Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, PEACE, GOODWILL towards men.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 22

Titus 2:11-12
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

'Amazing Grace'! When we meditate and ponder what grace truly is we are at a loss for words. The words in these verses show us that grace is the gift of God that offers salvation to all. There can be no salvation without the grace of God; there can be no grace for mortal men and women without the shed blood of Christ.

These words also show us that grace teaches us how to live. Grace may be free but it is not cheap. When we were born again our lives fundamentally change. We grow from infancy to mature adulthood because of grace. We learn to say no to temptations as we practice daily discipline.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 21

Isaiah 30:15
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength,....

God's word always have amazing principles and truth for our lives if we are serious about cultivating a rich relationship with the Sovereign One.

Repentance seems like a word from bygone days. In many of our modern churches preachers seem to avoid the word 'repentance' because they also avoid the word 'sin'.

Grace does not mean that sin has been eliminated. The cross did not wave a magic wand that made sin disappear, it provided the way for God to look favorably on us inspite of our sins because we come to him through the blood of Christ.

May we find salvation and strength by repenting of our sins and resting and trusting in the finished work of Calvary.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 20

 Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

As believers we have a built in GPS. We are never without the right directions. We are never without the correct answers.

The Holy Spirit is our trusted Guide and Counsellor. Jesus, as he was leaving this world told his disciples that they would receive a very special gift. Not only would the Spirit of truth be with them but he would also be in them.

May we realize the privileges that come with being a child of God. We are no longer being tossed about in many directions. We have the foundation of truth!

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 19

Isaiah 30:1
“Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord , “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;

The principles in God's Word remain the same throughout the Old Testament and the New. God's children go through unnecessary struggles because we do not seek to know God's will before we jump into situations, changes, relationships etc.

Our relationship with God enables us to seek his counsel before we make plans. His Holy Spirit lives within us and is always telling us which path to take, right from wrong, how fast we should go and when to say enough.

Let us avail ourselves of this great benefit to being a child of God.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 18

Isaiah 30:18
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Beautiful words about the God we serve. He longs to be gracious to us. He knows all our faults, insecurities and human tendencies. Jesus became a man and  experienced humanity. He knows our human frailties and yet longs to be gracious to us, showing us favor which we do not deserve and can never repay.

The second line states that he will rise up to show us compassion. The Most High, Eternal, Almighty God will show us compassion. When the whole world is on our shoulders and we want to give up or give in, may we remember these words.

There is no condemnation only compassion.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 17

Psalm 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

How would we know what please God if we do not know him?
How can we know God if we do not read His Word?

The Bible was writen over the course of 600 years by ordinary men and women who had personal encounters with God.

These writings were miraculously kept and have endured over the years of human existence.

There is much that we can learn from reading, studying and meditating on the words of Scripture. New insights can be garnered from the same passages in as many times as it is studied.

No wonder the Bible is called the 'Living Word'.

If we are serious about knowing God, loving God and pleasing God we definitely need to spend more time in His word.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 16

1Corinthians 14:20
Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

Maturity comes with time, training and discipline. We should be able to look back and see that we are wiser today than we were 5 years ago. The saying, 'youth is wasted on the young' is so true because wisdom plus seeming unlimited energy is a winning combination.

As we grow in maturity we will learn the difference between the more important things and the less important things. For example - a young mother may be afraid of her kids embarrassing her while a more mature mother is more afraid of her kids embarrassing themselves.  

Wisdom comes with time, experience, training and discipline. There is no shortcut to maturity.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 15

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Very comforting and encouraging words from the pen of the Apostle Paul. He was going through excruciating pain as he begged God to remove the thorn from his flesh.

It is always fascinating to read the scripture and see God performing miracles for countless people and yet he withheld healing from his closest followers. James, the brother of the Apostle John was beheaded about a year after Jesus resurrection.

Why does God heal some and not all? Why does God bring miracles to some lives and not to others?

The answer lies in the words of this verse. 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'

Do we want to be temporary healed or do we want God's perfect and complete power manifested in our lives?

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 14

John 19:26-27
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,  here is your son,”  and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

On this day when most of the world are celebrating mothers, we see the example that Jesus set when he was dying on the cross. As he saw his mother sorrowful and crying with a broken heart, with his painful, dying breath he made arrangement for John to take care of Mary. To the very end Jesus was still thinking of others, especially his mother.

May we follow Jesus' example today and remember to love, cherish, respect and appreciate our mothers not just because the world declares that it is 'Mother's Day' but because we truly and sincerely love our mothers every day.

PAUSE FOR A A MOMENT - May 13

James 1:4
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Walking away from difficult situations may bring us temporary relief but it will not build our character or produce maturity in our lives.

Never giving up, hanging on, going one more mile may be challenging but achieving success and reaching our goals bring great satisfaction in the end.

Maturity does not come with age it comes with developed character from persevering through trials and troubles.

No matter what we are going through today may we continue to persevere so that we may achieve wisdom and maturity.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 12

Luke 17:24
For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

Scriptures clearly speaks of a day when Jesus will return to earth to save his children, destroy evil, restore righteousness and give us our happy ending. This is usually called the 'Blessed Hope'.

A wonderful thought to ponder as we let our imaginations take over. Special effects movies can give us award winning performance based on what we read in Scriptures. The future for the believer is filled with hope and expectation bringing great joy to our hearts.

The lingering question is, 'how do we live in the here and now?' Since our future is secure we do not need to live as if we are victims of this current society with no hope.

May we with quiet confidence live in such a way that others may see the Blessed Hope in us as we continue to live in this world.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 11

1 Thessalonians 5:17
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

It is very hard for us to not want to pay back wrong for wrong. When people hurt and insult us we are often tempted to retaliate and get back at them. We spend hours plotting revenge and we get some satisfaction in our minds as we plot evil against them.

Holding on to anger does not bring lasting satisfaction. Resentment grows and steals the joy from our daily lives. There is a better way.

When we heed the words of the Apostle Paul and show love instead hate, good in the place of bad we live in the environment that allows God to work his will on our behalf.

Leaving vengeance in the hands of God means that we let go of the urge to get even and we seek to do good to each other. This is the only way to be free from the bondage of an unforgiven spirit.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 10

Psalm 104:33
I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Being in a relationship with God is a joyful experience. It brings freedom from the bondage of legalism and takes us into the realm of love.

Being in a relationship with God puts a song on our lips as we continually sing praises to him. 

Being in a relationship with God brings security because we are no longer under the condemnation of his wrath.

Being in a relationship with God is a lifetime commitment because we share in a new creation.

Let us always seek to sing praises to God!

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 9

Psalm 104:3
He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.

These words are never more impressive than when we are 13,000 feet above the earth and we look down on the clouds. They are big puffy pillows and the thought that always come to my mind is how much I would just love to float on the top of the clouds.

This would be an impossibility for us as humans because we would not be able to breathe for lack of oxygen and our body mass would not allow us to lay on the clouds.

Our God makes the clouds his chariot. He never has an oxygen problem and he directs the clouds to do his bidding.

Not only does he map out the direction for the clouds to go but he also rides on the wings of the wind. Our human eyes cannot even fathom the shape of the wind but our God controls the wind with his mighty power.

What an awesome, powerful, mighty GOD we serve!

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 8

Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Discerning good from evil is an attribute of maturity. Growing up and getting older is not the same as being mature. Our minds must be trained and disciplined in the same way we train and discipline our bodies.

As babies we start out with milk, soft food and then solid food for the training of our stomach. In our walk in righteousness we must start out the same way. We must choose to go from being fed simple teachings to learning the mysteries in God's word by studying and listening to the Holy Spirit for ourselves.

Spiritual maturity and wisdom do not come with age but with praying, studying, meditating and choosing to do what is right.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 7

Isaiah 14:24
The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.

We can always rest secure in the plans of God. As long as we are trusting in God's purpose for our lives we know that all things will work out according to his plans

Let us hold on to the plans and purpose of God for our lives and see his hand at work. We never have to fear or doubt when we are trusting in God.

God is the Lord Almighty! Whatever he plans will come to pass.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 6

Ecclesiastes 11:5
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

Ours is not to understand the mysteries God has placed in his own realm but to accept by faith that everything he does is for our benefits.

If we understand everything about God he ceases to be God and he becomes just another conquest of man.

God is God. We accept him as the Most High or we become god in his place.

God is the maker of all things. There is no mysteries for him. He knows how everything works and how to bring everything back to perfection.

May we seek to say 'not my will but thine be done' when we do not understand the ways of God.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 5

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

These words should bring great security to the hearts of believers. Knowing that we do not have the final word on what we plan allows us to see God's providence in our lives everyday.

We are supposed to make plans. We are supposed to use our talents and abilities as we go through this sinful, temporary world. But we are wise when we realize that our loving Father is still in control.

May our desires fall in line with God's will for our lives.
May we always accept God's sovereignty as LORD of our lives.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 4

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,

One of the attributes of God that gives us great security is his immutability. He does not change. 'I am God, I change not'

When we think about these words we become even more confident as we read his promises to us.

We were chosen in Jesus. To be chosen by someone who does not ever change gives us security.

Because we have been chosen from the foundation of the world means that we will never be rejected.

He chose us to conform to his purpose for us and he always works everything out according to his will.

There is no need for fear or doubt when we remember that we chosen not rejected.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 3

Galatians 4:6
Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “ Abba, Father.”

We are God's sons and daughters. We have a relationship with him. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity lives in our hearts.

We hear these words over and over and it is good to know that God cares about us collectively but Paul took it one step further when he declared that the Spirit who lives in our hearts calls God a very personal name. Abba Father.

This title speaks to personal intimacy. I know the person I call Abba. I have a relationship with my Abba. My Abba loves me. When I call God Abba Father I am saying, 'he is my papa, my daddy'

May we continue to seek a personal relationship with our Abba Father.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 2

Galatians 4:4-5
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

God's sovereignty and preeminence in all things dictate that he has a perfect will and a perfect timing for the events of this world.

Since he is the Omnipotent and Omniscient ONE, he knows the beginning from the end. He knows the life cycle of every living thing and that includes you and me.

When we trust God completely and wait for the fullness of his perfect timing in our lives, things fall into place perfectly.

Our biggest problem is sometimes impatience and we run ahead of God's timing and then have to suffer the consequences of our choices.

May we trust God, learn to listen to his voice, follow his guidance and wait on his timetable. Everything good happens in the fullness of HIS time.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - May 1

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

No matter what we are going through we should always be aware that God's comfort is with us. Even when we feel all alone, we can be confident that he will never leave or forsake us. He is always with us.

Thd Psalmist notes that even in the darkest valley that there is no need to fear. Evil has no hold on the child of God.

We are comforted by God's guiding hand. The Holy Spirit is with us and he lives in us. The child of God is eternally blessed and favored.