 Today’s Reading: Luke 6
“And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” Luke 6:33 I love how Jesus often answers Pharisees before they can even speak their thoughts. Their mind is trying to come up with ways to trap him, yet he stops them before they can even open up their mouths. In this chapter, we see the theme of doing good. When confronted about healing on the Sabbath, Jesus answers that it’s okay to do good on the Sabbath and heal. To not heal would be wrong. Later, he spends a lot of time focusing on loving others and not judging. One of the most convicting passages of Scripture is this Love for Enemies portion in Chapter 6. Jesus commands us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and do good to everyone without expecting repayment. This is easier said than done! Even when people are completely awful to us, we’re expected to love and forgive them. That doesn’t mean we need to fully trust them again or pretend nothing happened, but we do need to love them with God’s love. He admits this is difficult. It’s so much easier to love the kind people in our lives. But, even sinners love the kind people in their lives, and as Christians, we can strive to do what Jesus would do. Spend some time in prayer and ask God to help you love your enemies. Surrender any hard feelings or anger and ask Jesus to work in them.
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 Today’s Reading: Luke 5
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16 Once again, Luke provides a lot of information in a single chapter! He shares how Jesus calls his first disciples, begins his healing ministry, and sets the precedent for spending time with sinners. When reading this chapter, I get the impression that Jesus was very busy. He was healing, serving, and interacting with people as well as standing up to the Pharisees when needed. He was doing so much once his ministry started, but another thing I observed is that he still found time to go off alone, be still, and pray. The Savior of the World, the Creator, the Perfect Healer needed time alone and he made it a priority. The holiday season always brings busyness to our lives, but let’s be real; we’re always busy! It’s really easy to put everything else as a priority: work, family, running errands, etc. But, are we willing to make time to be alone a priority? Are we willing to make prayer a priority? It’s easier to learn about and talk about prayer rather than actually doing it. We can buy a stack of devotionals, journals, and subscribe to a hundred podcasts with good intentions, but that’s still a form of being busy. It’s more difficult to be still and sit in lonely solitude. Spend time in prayer right now. Don’t hesitate! Even if you only have a couple minutes. Ask God to help you prioritize the lonely times and the times of just being with Him. Setting this time aside may not be easy, but keep persevering!  Today’s Reading: Luke 4
“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Luke 4:8 Luke Chapter 4 begins with Jesus in the wilderness for forty days. During this time, the devil took the opportunity to attempt to test and tempt him. Jesus was alone and without food the entire time, yet he had an answer for every single thing the devil threw at him. And not just some smart quick-witted answer, but he had a Bible verse, a Word from the Lord, to combat every single temptation and test. Have you ever gone without food and become “hangry”? Angry mostly because you’re hungry? Sometimes I feel like that after only a few hours! When you’re hangry, it’s hard to control your tongue or your reactions. Someone might do or say something to you and your reaction does not match their insult. You go over the top and call them out. Hopefully, you instantly regret this afterward and ask for forgiveness. Jesus was filled with the Word. After all, he was and is very God of very God. He wasn't stumbling around trying to find the Scripture that would fit the temptation. He answered immediately. He was calm and collected and standing firm against the devil’s schemes. Are you prepared for the temptations of the devil? When someone says something to you or does something to you, do you act out hastily, or calmly evaluate the situation? We must be rooted in the Word of God. It will help us in any and every situation. If Jesus did it, so should we! Spend some time in prayer asking for God’s help in hiding his Word in your heart.  December is here! No matter how you're spending this holiday season, you're probably feeling a little overwhelmed with the anticipation of everything that has to get done. Shopping, cooking, cleaning, and more! Throughout my life, I've often been asked how I stay organized and how I can accomplish as much as I do. I know that part of it is my natural tendency to stay organized or maybe it's from the years of planning seven lesson plans per day or multiple Sundays of worship sets at a time. However, I think I've developed a few basic tips that can help anyone keep their sanity this holiday season and throughout the year too!
Step 1: Make a List One of my personal rules is that if I write something down, my brain is not obligated to remember it. This is why I always have my phone or bullet journal with me. If I run out of something or need to get something done, it goes on a list. Then, I can refer to the list instead of struggling to remember if I am doing everything I should in a timely manner. And, it's also gratifying to cross things off as they are completed! So, go ahead! Grab a notebook, find an app on your phone and start writing things down! You can have one giant list or lists for different categories. Either way, give yourself a little freedom and give your brain a break. Step 2: Make a Daily Reachable List The next step is to take your long list or lists and make a daily reachable list. I know you have to get a lot done, but don't try to get everything done in one day! If you try and fail, you'll end up disappointed and focusing on what you didn't complete rather than what you did. I've been trying to improve this step in my own life. Instead of making a ridiculously long list for the day, I just pick out a handful of things depending on how much time I have. If I finish the list, great! I can always do more and get ahead, but it's not as big of a deal if things take longer than expected. Try this, today or tomorrow. Look at your long list, pick out some things, complete them, and check them off. And, don't forget to congratulate yourself for your accomplishments! Step 3: Do One Thing at a Time I know it's tempting to start your entire list at once or bounce around from task to task, but sometimes, this ends up with everything being started and nothing being finished. Sometimes, there are exceptions, like laundry or if you simply need a break from doing the same thing, but do your best to focus on one thing at a time. Right now, this one is difficult for me because I'm in the middle of unpacking. Our house feels like a giant Tetris puzzle and some things have to wait for other things to get done, unpacked, sorted, etc. Another tip for this step is to clean one room at a time. Instead of having "clean house" on your list, write "clean living room" or "clean upstairs" so that you focus on one room or area at a time. Chances are, you may not have enough time or energy to clean your entire house, but if you clean one room, then you can decide if you need a cleaning break or can handle another. Step 4: Finish What You Start I touched on this in the previous step, but I strongly encourage you to finish what you start. Obviously, finishing something allows you to cross it off your list, but it also allows you to cross it off in your mind. I know there are limited hours in a day, so don't stress yourself out and deprive yourself of sleep by thinking of everything you have to do the next day. And, if you didn't finish something, remind yourself that you wrote it down and you will finish it! I hope these steps help you this holiday season! Feel free to share in the comments if you have any other helpful tips on staying organized. |
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