You are going down a country road in Scotland. You are noticing the sheep as they make their way across the street. It may take a while because there are a lot of them. They look kind of cute as they make their way across. You are not in any hurry because you're on holiday. The sweetness of the morning and the freshness that permeates the air is a welcome smell after a long stretch of work. And now you feel like, for a relatively short time, you are taking a break from your own personal reality to take in a bit of sunshine on your way to an espresso at the local pub.

Sound like a nice dream perhaps. Maybe you want that right now as you are contemplating another week of trying to impress, all the while putting up with jerks who would rather cruise the Net all day instead getting a bit of the ethic in mind.

So what are your plans for the week? Do they include God? You know, the man or woman upstairs, depending on your viewpoint. He's the kind that you were supposed to spend time with last week but you were too busy reading the paper or adding another bit of work to your daily scheduler.

Yes, Him. Okay, so you are thinking of Him right now and you wonder what He has in store for you today or maybe the next week. Well the only way you are going to find out is pray. Pray a simple prayer right now. "Dear Lord, what do you have in store for me this week?" I mean why not, He can give you a feeling of wonderment or maybe a bit of knowledge.

We read in 1 Kings 3:11-13, 11 So he replied, "Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people and haven't asked for a long life, or riches for yourself, or the defeat of your enemies- 12 yes, I'll give you what you asked for! I will give you a wiser mind than anyone else has ever had or ever will have! 13 And I will also give you what you didn't ask for-riches and honor! And no one in all the world will be as rich and famous as you for the rest of your life! (TLB)

So here we have a situation where a person asked for things other than riches and honor and got them any way. Also in this passage it talks about wisdom to help others, or in this case govern them. A lot of us get so caught up in the daily routine and what we want, we often do not stop to see others the way they should be seen.

We get so caught up in self-chastisements and whether we got what we wanted or we may wallow in self-importance. Whatever the case may be it does us little good. It wastes time. Time that could be used in prayer for others that they may see the light as you often have even if the bog of foolishness as got you in a bit of a bother.

All right then, so you are looking forward to the week. Or maybe you want to forget all about it and think of this Sunday as a holiday. You see it as a time to unwind and watch a bit of TV or maybe listen to the Blues or maybe the latest craze in computer games. Whatever the case may be, do not forget about God and give Him Him some time as well.

We read in Proverbs 13:4, 4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. (NKJV)

This is not to say you can not be lazy sometimes, it just means to not make a habit of it. When we diligently seek solitude or some frolic time we can seek places that will make our minds happy and give us the freedom to think about how life could be better for us. But when you do that, you have to realize something here. To make your life better, you have to make other peoples lives better. Otherwise you are like chaff in the wind. You will blow about never really getting a firm grip on reality. Because without others and the need to help others, you will always wallow in self-importance and pity will be your ally.

And that's not what you want. You want the love of God to permeate your senses like the smell of a fresh morning with a bit of java in your future. Make God's presence welcome in your days. You will be glad you did.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to seek your warmth throughout the day. Help me to find you in the freshness of a morning and in the quiet solitude as I converse with nature. Give me the love that you give to all and give me understanding so that I may feel the caring generous ways that come with your presence in my life. I thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2005 Bryan Hill