He Orders Your Steps

 

He Orders Your Steps

Today's Scripture:

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.
Psalm 37:23, NKJV.

Today's Word:

I had a man tell me a few weeks ago that he was really hoping to get this big contract. He worked in heavy equipment sales. He went to meet the owner of this very large company. He walked into the meeting very nervous, very uptight. The owner smiled and said, “My wife said to tell you hello. You both went to high school together. She said she always liked you. She told me before I left the house, ‘You make sure you’re good to him.’” And he was. He gave him that contract.

Friend, you don’t have to worry about your future. You don’t have to try to make things happen in your own strength. You can go through the day in peace because God knows exactly what you need. In your future, He has already lined up the right people, the right breaks, the good words you’re going to need down to the second, down to the exact moment. Like that woman, God will cause you to come in on cue. And if for some reason it doesn’t work out, don’t get all discouraged. Don’t get depressed. That just means that God has something better in store. It means He has a bigger opportunity in your future. He orders your steps, so keep your faith and trust in Him.

Prayer for Today:

Father, thank You for ordering my steps. I trust that You are aligning people and opportunities in my life. I rest in You and praise You for Your goodness in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

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Every Life Matters

14 hours ago

by Rick Warren

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)

All life is sacred. It is the mentality of “some lives matter more than others” that caused the Holocaust. That was the mentality of Hitler: “Some people are more important than others. So we’ll just wipe out the weak, the infirm, the aged, or people we disagree with.” Today we even see it in young couples that are expecting and hear, “We hate to tell you this, but your baby may have a birth defect.” And the couple starts considering abortion.
If everybody who had a defect were aborted, you would have been aborted. You have defects. Everybody is handicapped. You just don’t admit it. You have some emotional handicaps, and you have some fears you won’t even talk to your wife about. They scare you to death. You also have emotional handicaps, such as the idea that you’re not as smart as everybody else. And you have some physical handicaps. Have you learned that not everything in your body works? That’s why you’re not in the Olympics. We all have defects. We all have problems.
Who makes the decision that your defect isn’t big enough to get rid of? Do you know a family who has a special needs child — an autistic, mentally undeveloped, or physically handicapped child? Do they love that child less? No. They love that child more! The Bible says that God loves the weak, the infirm, the special needs person. We need them in our lives to learn unselfishness.
We must always protect the sanctity of life. Why? Because it reveals God’s purpose and shows God’s glory.
You are valuable, no matter who or what you are. So is every child.
The Bible tells us that God accepts responsibility for all our genetic defects. Did you know that? Not the problems in our lives we brought on ourselves because of overeating or smoking or drinking too much, but all the genetic weaknesses that you didn’t have any say in are all part of your SHAPE.
The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (NIV).
God accepts responsibility, because he has a bigger perspective than any human. He can see what you can’t see. And he loves each person he made for their potential to do the great things he has planned for us.
God isn’t going to compare you with anybody else. But he is going to compare you with your potential. It’s not my goal to be the best pastor in the world. I’m not even trying. It’s my goal to be the best pastor I can possibly be given the talent, background, opportunities, and gifts that God gave me. That’s what I’ll be evaluated on.
Talk It Over

• To whom have you been comparing yourself? What is it about that person that makes you think he or she is better than you are or that God loves him or her more?
   
• Is it enough for you to know that God considers your life sacred? Why or why not?