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In All Things
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:6, NKJV.
TODAY'S WORD:
God wants to help you in life. Not just in the big things, but in every detail. He wants to help you when you’re cooking dinner or driving in traffic. He wants to help you with your schoolwork, help you be more productive at the office, even help you find what you’re looking for when you’re at the store.
The key is that God will only be involved as much as you allow Him to be. Don’t just invite Him into your day on Sunday. Don’t just ask Him about the big things. Learn to hear His voice in the little things. He is big enough to handle every single detail.
Scripture says, “Acknowledge God in all of your ways.” Not some of your ways. Not just the big things—in all things. If you’ll start acknowledging God in all of your ways, He will crown your efforts with success.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father, today I open my heart and life to You in a fresh, new way. I surrender every detail, every moment of every day to You. I choose to acknowledge You in all my ways knowing that Your hand is upon me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
BY RICK WARREN — JUNE 7, 2014
“Do everything without complaining or arguing,
so that no one can criticize you.” Philippians 2:14-15 (NLT)
so that no one can criticize you.” Philippians 2:14-15 (NLT)
Do you ever fret and fight over the small stuff? Of course. We all do! It’s a hard habit to break because we’re negative by nature. Ever since Adam and Eve, we have been going around excusing and accusing. We excuse our own mistakes and then accuse others for their mistakes — and more. We hide, and we hurl. We blame others for the problems in our lives.
Philippians 2:14-15 says this: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that no one can criticize you” (NLT). That may be one of the most difficult verses in the Bible. Would you agree?
There are four types of complainers I run into all the time.
First are the whiners. You can get up in the morning and say, “Good morning, Lord!” but whiners choose instead to say, “Good Lord, it’s morning!”
Second are the martyrs. Their favorite expression is, “Nobody appreciates me!” They’re pros at throwing pity parties. They pout and complain when they don’t get their way.
Third are the cynics. Their attitude is, “Why bother? It isn’t going to make any difference.” They poison everything.
Fourth are the perfectionists. Nothing is ever good enough for these complainers. Their favorite phrase is, “Is that the best you can do?”
To me, the scariest verse in the Bible is Matthew 12:36: “Everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken” (NIV).
That ought to send shivers up your spine. How many times have you complained, whined, or argued about something when you shouldn’t have been sweating the small stuff? Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Instead, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Talk It Over
- What do you consistently complain about in your life? Would you consider these things “small stuff”? Why or why not?
- How do “empty words” (Matthew 12:36) reflect a focus on the small stuff in life?
- How do you think complaining makes something that is difficult seem even worse?
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