The Best Time

The Best Time

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

The vision is yet for an appointed time…

Habakkuk 2:3, NKJV.

TODAY’S WORD

The scripture says, “The vision is for an appointed time.” That means there is a specific time already determined for the fulfillment of the desires God has placed in your heart. The appointed time is the best time! We have to trust that God can see the big picture for our lives. He knows what’s up ahead. He knows what we’re going to need, who we’re going to need, and when they need to show up. If God did everything we ask on our timetable, it would limit us because sometimes, what we’re asking for is too small. Sometimes the person we think we can’t live without, God knows in ten years they’re not going to be good for us. So He is closing the door right now. Sometimes the promotion we want so badly, if God gave it to us right now, He knows it would keep us from a much bigger promotion that He has three years down the road.

Remember, God has the advantage of seeing it all. The longer I live, the more I trust Him. The more I see His hand of faithfulness, the more I know that His plan is better than my plan. Today, trust that He knows what He’s doing. Trust that He has an appointed time, and it is the best time to bring to pass His promises in your life!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I put my dreams, desires, hopes and longings into Your loving hands. I trust that the vision You have given me is for an appointed time. I know Your timing is best so I will praise You until I see the promise in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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God's Acceptance: You Already Have It!

by Rick Warren

"If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed!" (Romans 8:33-34)

Most of us spend our entire lives trying to earn acceptance. We want to earn it from our parents, peers, partners in life, from people we respect, maybe even from people we envy. The drive to be accepted is a deep drive that can influence the kind of clothes you wear, the kind of car you drive, the kind of house you buy, and even the career you choose.

Remember how, as a kid, you wanted so badly to be in the in-crowd that someone would say to you, "I dare you to do this" and suggest something that was either stupid or that put your personal safety at risk. But you did it anyway, because your desire to be accepted overruled the desire for safety.

We do it because we love the feeling of being accepted. When you’re accepted, it does tremendous things for your self-esteem. The truth is, Jesus accepts you, and that acceptance is not based on your performance. In fact, you may have received Christ and accepted Jesus into your life, but do you realize that you’re able to do that because Jesus accepted you? You don't have to earn his acceptance; you don't have to prove yourself to him.

We need to stop thinking, “I've got an un-pleaseable God up there, and I've got to be a good boy or good girl to be accepted." God, through Jesus Christ, has already accepted you. That’s the Good News!

Talk About It

• Knowing God accepts you sets you free from always being worried about being accepted by others. Why should criticism bother you if the Creator of the universe accepts you?

• Knowing God accepts you helps you to accept others: “Therefore, accept each other in the same way that Christ accepted you. He did this to bring glory to God” (Romans 15:7 GW).