Scripture for Today:  Psalms 37:9  “For evildoers will be cut off.  But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.”

My crock pot has definitely seen better days!  The only setting that still works is “high” but it is still incredibly slow.  But then that is the idea.  The flavors have the time to really develop and intensify.  Smelling the dish cook for an entire day makes my mouth water in anticipation.  But I have to wait.

My Mother used to say that, ” good things come to those who wait.”  That is certainly a spiritual truth as well.  Our verse today talks about waiting for our inheritance.  The inheritance promised to believers in the New Testament is not literal land, but a heavenly reward that is eternal.  (I Peter 1:4)  But it is all in the future, which means having to wait.

Waiting is not something I enjoy doing.  I get impatient.  Waiting in long lines is the worst.  What really angers me is to see someone cut in line!  The other day in the “10 articles or less” line, I spoke (nicely) to the woman ahead of me.  She had a cart filled to the brim.  She corrected me, pointing to the sign above.  It was actually indicating the cash register next to us.  Oops.

There are evildoers all around us that seem to prosper.  There are those who profit by dishonest means and seem to get away with it.  However, they will be cut off.  Their riches are temporal.  In contrast, the inheritance belonging to God’s children is beyond the reach of change and decay.  It is unsullied and unfading.

No, I do not like to wait.  But it sounds like waiting for the Lord is well worth the wait!

Scripture for Today:  Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We have way too many books in our home.  I am reminded of just how many every time we have to move.  We were fortunate enough this last move to have purchased extra bookshelves from a library that was renovating.  At least we can be organized.  I find it hard to ever throw away a book.  The collection just keeps growing.

In our verse today, Jesus is described as an author, the Author of our faith.  He is the One who creates and initiates.  He is also the Author of my personal faith.

As the Author of my faith, He wrote the introduction.  He planned exactly who I am, the family He wanted me to have, and the way I would come to Him in faith for salvation.  When I look at my past, I see all the ways He has used my circumstances for His glory and purposes.

As the Author of my faith, He has written the conclusion to it.  I already know the ending to my story.  It is not shrouded in mystery but revealed in His Word.  The ending to my story is a triumphal one where faith becomes sight and I will be with Him forever!

Right now, I am living the chapters in between.  This is the unknown part.  This is the part that can seem so uncertain.  Not only that, I want to tell Him what to write.  But as the Author of my faith, He is also its perfecter.  I can trust that He knows what He is doing with my life.

Scripture for Today:  James 4:13-14a  “Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money.  Yet you do not know the least thing about what may happen tomorrow…”

I use this daily planner everyday and coordinate it with that of my husband.  Life can become so busy that if something does not get noted here in my agenda, chances are it will be forgotten!  But no matter how organized I try to be, there are times when the eraser has to comes out.  Dates, times and places are changed.  Things get moved around to make way for that last minute addition.  If I did not use the pencil, these pages would be a mess of scribbles.

The verse for today talks about planning our days.  It is important to have the day mapped out ahead of time.  It is only good stewardship to make the most of our days.  But there is a warning here that the future is uncertain.  There will always be those unforeseen events and even emergencies where the day’s planning goes out the window!

There is Someone who oversees my agenda and has the last word.  He does not use a pencil.  He uses a pen.  He does not even need an eraser as He knows the end from the beginning.  The pages are not scribbled.  There is a master plan that makes sense to Him.

I do not know what tomorrow will bring.  I think that I do.  But as His child, I have given the Lord the use of that pen.  His plans are never frustrated.  He is the Author of my day’s agenda.