Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.  Romans 12:16  The Message

It is sometimes very hard to get along with others. Is there someone in your life you wish would change? How many people around you wish you would change?

Why do we look at ourselves with rose colored glasses yet at others with a microscope? Pray today for God’s guidance in your life when dealing with those around you. Be sure to ”live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ” (Phil 1:27).  

All these evil things come from within and defile a man.   Mark 7:23

I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.   John 17:15

Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape from it, and with this I begin and end.  - John Newton

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. (James 4:7-8 NLT) 

I was awakened at 4 this morning listening to that eerie sound of quiet. No fan blowing, no air conditioner humming, yikes no electricity!!!   I put on the headphones and adjusted my MP3 player to a radio station. “Today is the hottest day of the year, reaching temperatures of 103 with a heat index of 109” the reporter announced. What am I going to do with heat like that!?!?!

It is during times like this I find myself more vulnerable to Satans attacks and most inclined to sin because my focus and my mind are on myself and my comfort.  ( ouch, an epiphany while typing )  Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.  (1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT)

Do you remember the story of Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat he and the other disciples were in? He wanted to go to his Lord so he stepped out of the boat; as long as he was focused on Jesus and kept his eyes on Him Peter was able to walk on the water. It was the moment when he took his eyes off the Lord and he started focusing (for me, insert the word worrying) on the situation and realized on his own he couldn’t do that, he wasn’t able to walk on the water. It was then that he started to sink.

I was comforted when the air conditioning was returned to me a few hours later and also when I realized Jesus is my provider, even when it is hot and the electricity is off. Worrying about the electricity certainly wasn’t going to bring it back. I had places I could go to keep cool, I wasn’t in despair. As long as I look to myself I will sink. I must keep my focus on the the Lord.

Commit to the Lord in whatever you do and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3

They say “hindsight is 20/20″.  Whenever I look back at a situation I can see plainly the events leading to where I am now and can realize if I had only known what was coming I would have made different choices, or perhaps I would have made the same choices.  But when moving forward I cannot see all those detours and lane changes and orange construction barrels along the path.

That is why I must commit each step to the Lord and seek His guidance along the way, not just at the points where I have hit a roadblock.

Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out….  Heb 10:24 The Message

Several years ago a friend of mine underwent a sudden radical mastectomy. Family, friends and co-workers swarmed the hospital and her home asking for all the details, how are you doing, how was surgery, etc. She retold the story over and over and over.  I called and asked if I could visit but I told her I would not be asking all those questions. She was free to talk if she wished but I was offering her a morning of laughter.

I prepared a hersey chocolate desert make with chocolate syrup and chocolate chips and anything else chocolate.  We enjoyed the chocolate treat while we laughed and joked about life, work and even the surgery. It was a break from the seriousness of the circumstances and she later told me the laughter helped her through the difficult times. It helped me to cope with watching my friend in pain.

Be creative in your encouragement.