Life Lessons
June 2019
Doug Harrell
Determining our reactions to those things around us and the things that we are dealing with on all levels in our lives makes so much difference in our everyday lives. Our outlook is one of the things that we can determine. We cannot always control the deck of cards that we are handed in life, but how we play the deck makes all the difference in our internal joy and peace of mind. We will face hardships, family challenges, sickness, death, joyful moments and sorrow filled days in our lives. The critical thing that I have found to be my refuge is to get in the word each morning and concentrate on the promises of God found there. For this Life Lessons, I want to share a couple of my daily devotions from this past month. As of today, I have published a daily devotion on social media for 499 days straight, not missed a one, and I know many of you have read them, but many do not have access to my Facebook page.
We serve a great God, one that cares and loves us EVERY day, not just on the good days. Yesterday I was starting to bale hay and the baler broke belts that wrap the roll of hay. Down for the count with about 20 acres of hay on the ground! The choice is to get totally upset and stressed, or to go with the flow and work toward getting things put back together and moving on with a change of plans. We control our attitude. Situations do not control unless we let them. With God’s help, we can remain upbeat and look forward, even when we face daily challenges. Psalms 139:14, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalms 139:17-18, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” When we focus on God’s love for us we become aware that all things do work for good for those that love Him as is said in Romans. Don’t sweat the small stuff that happens, give praise for the things around you and trust God to see you through the valleys. God is good, so good, all the time!
I read and reread Psalms 37 several times this morning and it really made me stop and think. If I am not careful, I will watch the news for a few minutes, and it will get me totally irritated with the mess going on in our county and the world around us. Psalms 37:1-11, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” It is critical that we believers stand firm on our convictions, that we not bow to the demands of the world, that we let others see Christ in our lives each day. It is also critical that we’re not overbearing and proud in this stance, but humble, yet resilient, unwavering, but meek in the Lord. We can disagree, and in many cases, we must stand up and do this, but not do it with anger but true conviction. Make sure you are on the right path and stay true to God’s holy word as you travel the pathway of life today.
Life, It is really all about Jesus! We as mortal human beings are going to have challenges in life and struggles that are beyond our ability to handle. There will be circumstances over which we have absolutely no control and the only avenue to peace in our souls is in the name of Jesus. Yes, we need to keep our heads up and move forward, but we can only do this by surrendering to our Lord and Savior and laying our burden on His shoulder. Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Pray without ceasing, trust in the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul. Matthew 6:31-34, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Our worldly cares cause us strife, our minds cannot wrap around things that happen to us and our families at times. Spend time in your prayer closet and lay your burdens at the feet of Jesus. It is all about His grace.?❤️
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Doug Harrell is a life-long resident of Mitchell County, Owner of Harrell Hill Farms, a member of Bear Creek Baptist Church and former publisher of Blue Ridge Christian News. You can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/doug.harrell.77
Find more Life Lessons at https://blueridgechristiannews.com/category/lifes-lessons/
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