Another Day, Another Opportunity

This blog is designed to give people an inner look at a devotional life. Taking time each day to spend time with the Lord. The hope is if you travel on this journey with Rev. Jacob Shaw, you may be more inclined to spend time with the Lord as well. I encourage the use of a devotional, a scripture reading and prayer, then finally a song, hymn or selection of poetry to tie it all together. 

Today's devotional is taken from: Vujicic, Nick. Limitless Devotions for a Ridiculously Good Life. Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2013. pp 86-88.

Opening Thought: Nick talks about one of the slogans from another one of his books, Life Without Limbs, being, “another day, another opportunity. I enjoy this slogan as it frames each day as a fresh start, I think this become something highly important to remember especially as we get into the grind of adult life and work. Sometimes we get into a slump in our routine that we forget this valuable message, and in some cases we start to dread the next day, because it just seems like a repeat of a place we do not wish to be. But in faith there is hope for tomorrow. 

The devotional begins with: 
Romans 12:9-13

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 

Second Thought: When I was young, I had a slogan I lived by, or tried to at least, “dream as if you’ll life forever, live as if you’ll die tomorrow.” This is a quote from James Dean that I came across in my youth, for a fourteen-year-old it was very profound. It reminds us to treat life as an endless possibility, but also not to waste the chance. As I got older, this still remained wise, but more wisdom was needed. What to do with the time that was gifted to me, what possibilities in a sea of possibilities should I invest my time and energy into. The passage for today is offering characteristics to how to invest our time, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”  This is setting a standard in what I am dedicating my time to. My actions and behavior should be dedicated to a meaningful purpose and disposition. Now sometimes, we don’t always make meaningful movements, somethings are just mundane and others could be contradictory, but the nice thing about Nick’s slogan is that, if you don’t move towards something worth dedicating your time to today, there is always a new chance tomorrow.        

Continual Work: So maybe I can combine Vujicic’s and Dean’s slogans together. “Dream as you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die tomorrow; God willing you can try again tomorrow, but the best day to start living is today.” ~ Rev. Jacob Shaw.

What Rev. Jacob is Working On: Slogans like this are great, the older I get the more I find myself asking, “what would Jesus do?” It helps me focus on task as a person of faith and as faithful person entwined with an eclectic world.    

Scripture time: Romans 12:14-16
It can be hard enough overcoming our own negative thoughts let alone the negative thought put onto us by others. There is that only expression, sticks and stone will break my bones, but words will never hurt me. This expression has to come from a place of faith, because without faith I do not personally see how it would work. If you truly believe that you have an inherent value as a living being created by God, then the harsh tongues of the other will not bring you down, it may sting a little, but ultimately you know where your value and strength comes from. If we want to have the ability to look at tomorrow as a new possibility, having the foundation of worth, being called upon by God will carry you forward into the possibilities of tomorrow, and more importantly today. 

Closing Words: I hope you enjoyed and were lifted by this devotional time; it is truly important to take time for God each day. By doing so, you welcome God into your life, and in turn you will be able to better see the world through the eyes of God, rather than God through the world's eyes.

Artistic Close: I want to share a video link with you, the use of the phrase, “sticks and stone will break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” reminded me of an old stand up comedy routine, which I think speaks truth into what we are seeing in todays day in age.

Just a little politically incorrect jokes to lighten the mood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceS_jkKjIgo