What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? – Romans 8:31

Some years ago the New York Times featured news of a new toy—a plush “Ask Me More Eeyore,” modeled after the gloomy donkey from Winnie the Pooh. The toy is designed for children aged three to seven. The paper remarked that these are just the right ages, apparently, to learn about undaunted pessimism.

Eeyore responds to children’s questions with comments like, “Don’t count on it,” “Doesn’t look good,” “Outcome looks sort of gloomy,” “You can’t win them all,” and “Looks good for you, must be nice.”

Sometimes Eeyore will even ask the child, “You wouldn’t want me for a friend, would you?”

Do you have a gloomy Eeyore in your life? Perhaps you’ve taken on that role for yourself!

If you’re busy looking for all the things that can go wrong, you’re sure to miss the blessings God has prepared for you. Besides, life is too short to dwell on the gloom and doom. As believers our hope is in our Savior, no matter what our circumstance, He walks beside us, He fights our battles and He goes before us in everything. Our hope is not in the arm of flesh, it rests on the mighty and powerful arm of God. Take your eyes off the gloom and focus them on the Lord.

Let’s remember the words of that old hymn: “Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings, see what God has done!”

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Learning to depend upon God will help you build character. And of this you can be certain: God is sufficient to meet your needs. Period.

Do the demands of life seem overwhelming at times? If so, you must learn to rely not only upon your own resources, but also upon the promises of your Father in heaven. God will hold your hand and walk with you and your family if you let Him.
So even if your circumstances are difficult, trust the Father.

The Psalmist writes, ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning’ (Psalm 30:5 NKJV). But when we are suffering, the morning may seem very far away. It is not. God promises that He is ‘near to those who have a broken heart’ (Psalm 34:18 NKJV). When we are troubled, we must turn to Him, and we must encourage our friends and family members to do likewise.

If you are discouraged by the inevitable demands of life here on earth, be mindful of this fact: the loving heart of God is sufficient to meet any challenge . . . including yours.

Yes, God’s grace is always sufficient, and His arms are always open to give it. But, will our arms be open to receive it? – Beth Moore

I grew up learning to be self-reliant, but now, to grow up in Christ, I must unlearn self-reliance and learn self-distrust in light of his all-sufficiency. – Mary Morrison Suggs

God’s saints in all ages have realized that God was enough for them. God is enough for time; God is enough for eternity. God is enough! -Hannah Whitall Smith

Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank you that in You I have infinite protection, because You are an infinitive God. Help me to live in the center of Your will, I know that in the center of Your will, your protection will always be available for me. Amen

My prayer is that you find rest in God’s care today!

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Sometimes, amid the demands of daily life, we lose perspective. Life seems out of balance, and the pressures of everyday living seem overwhelming. What’s needed is a fresh perspective, a restored sense of balance . . . and God.

If a temporary loss of perspective has left you worried, exhausted, or both, it’s time to readjust your thought patterns. Negative thoughts are habit-forming; thankfully, so are positive ones. With practice, you can form the habit of focusing on God’s priorities and your possibilities. When you do, you’ll soon discover that you will spend less time fretting about your challenges and more time praising God for His gifts.

When you call upon the Lord and prayerfully seek His will, He will give you wisdom and perspective. When you make God’s priorities your priorities, He will direct your steps and calm your fears. Pray for a sense of balance and perspective today and every day hereafter, and remember: your thoughts are intensely powerful things, so handle them with care.

Earthly fears are no fears at all. Answer the big questions of eternity, and the little questions of life fall into perspective. – Max Lucado

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. – Melody Beattie

Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord, when the pace of my life becomes frantic, slow me down and give me perspective. Give me the wisdom to realize that the problems of today are only temporary but that Your love is eternal. When I become discouraged, keep me steady and sure, so that I might do Your will here on earth and then live with You forever in heaven. Amen

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. – Philippians 4:11–12

Would you like to hear one of life’s great paradoxes? The more we learn to be satisfied with what we have and stop comparing our financial score card and trophies with those around us, the better we feel about ourselves. In other words, the biblical discipline of learning and practicing contentment shows the myth of “I-Am-What-I-Earn” to be a lie.

Learning to be satisfied is a good indication that we’ve learned that God is God, and that His fatherly care and infinite wisdom can be trusted. Finding contentment is truly the spice of life and the entrance to a truly abundant life.

Furthermore, those who learn to be satisfied and thankful for what they’ve been given will have more time and energy for the kinds of friendships and relationships that will meet their basic needs and honor God.

If you think about it, you’ll find that your attitude toward money and possessions either fuels or cools your anger. If you have trouble living within your means, you really have two options: you can push harder to make more, or you can promote an atmosphere of contentment for what you have, and in so doing, relieve the pressure on yourself.

Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty. – Socrates

May we all find contentment today.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. – John 12:46

You’re walking through an unfamiliar building when the lights suddenly go out. You blink, but you can’t see a thing. You don’t dare walk farther for fear of stumbling or knocking something over. So you stand frozen, unsure of what to do.

Now imagine that the lights come on again. Suddenly you can see clearly. What a relief!

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12).

Part of Jesus’ purpose in coming into this world was to help us see God clearly. He is the light that banishes the darkness. So to follow him is to live in the light.

One of the indicators that we are still living to some degree in the darkness is that we can’t find our way. We can’t see the issues clearly.

But when we surrender our will to seek God’s will, it’s like someone turned on the lights. We may not see the end of the path, but we can at least see what path to take.

Ask Yourself
Where in your life does it feel like you’re still in the dark?

What do you need to surrender to Jesus in order to bring light to that situation?

Ask God
Dear Jesus, please shine your light on any dark places within me. Search me and help me know myself better. Give me the courage to take my entire life back—every part of it.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. — 2 Corinthians 12:9

I haven’t always had an easy road in life. As many of you know I have had a number of struggles and made mistakes in my past.

But I can look back on my past today and instead of moaning about it, I can say, “I went through that, and now I can comfort others and God can use my story to help others.” It has become a tool to help others.

I wouldn’t want to go through that again, of course. Nor would I want anyone else to go through the same thing. But I’m thankful that God can take my past and use it for His glory today. I’m thankful that He can take that hardship and use it for His glory. He can do the same for you.

Maybe at this time in your life, you’re going through some hard times, and you’re wondering why. God will use it. It’s hard to believe now. But just remember that it won’t last forever.

As 1 Peter 1:6–7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (NKJV). Trials don’t last forever.

I’m reminded of a sign posted at the end of an airport runway that reads, “Keep moving. If you stop, you are in danger and a danger to those who are flying.”

You can take that same statement and apply it to the Christian life. Keep moving. Don’t give up. Don’t abandon hope. You are going to get through that valley in your life.

There will be an even greater mountaintop beyond it, with great lessons you have learned as God demonstrated His strength in your weakness.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. – Psalm 8:4-5

All of us long to feel like we matter, like we have value. But so many of us struggle with feelings of being unworthy. That’s one reason we spend so much time trying to make people like and respect us. We think that helping others or winning success will fill in the holes in our sense of self. But life doesn’t work that way. We’ll never get an accurate picture of our own worth through another person’s eyes. For that, we need to see ourselves through God’s eyes.

David addresses this issue in today’s reading: He basically asks God, “Why are we important to you?” And he finds his answer in the way we humans were created. God made us only a little lower than himself and crowned us with glory and honor.

That’s where true self-worth comes from. It’s an internal realization that God, whose “majestic name fills the earth” (Psalm 8:1), gives each of us glory and honor just for being who we are—his beloved creation.

Ask Yourself
Where do you tend to find your sense of your own value? Do you tend to rely on outside sources (such as other people) or on internal attitudes?

All through today, personalize and ponder the words of David: “God has crowned me with glory and honor!”

Ask God
Creator God who made me, forgive me for disrespecting your creation. Help me adjust my attitude and my behaviors to reflect how much you value me.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? —Matthew 6:27

When I was younger we used to have a little bird feeder on our back porch. It was my job to keep it filled with birdseed every day. Each night I would fill the feeder and in the morning the birds knew breakfast would be there. They would cruise in and eat the seed, or they would get the seeds off the ground or the vegetation. I loved watching them come and I was reminded of Jesus words.

Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount in the region of Galilee, where all around Him were birds chirping away and beautiful wildflowers growing. He drew on that backdrop to make a point: “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:26–27 NLT).

In other words, look at what is before your eyes. Have you ever seen a stressed-out bird? Birds wake up every morning and sing away. They’re simply happy. No bird has ever been promised eternal life. No bird has ever been given the hope of Heaven. Yet they sing away, every day. Jesus wasn’t saying that birds sit by idly and wait for the food to come to them. They take action.

I like what Martin Luther said: “Pray and let God worry.” That is really the secret. Philippians 4:6–7 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (nlt).

The next time you are gripped by fear and worry, the next time you start thinking, “What if this happens? What if that happens?” turn it into a prayer. Look to the Lord and let Him give you His peace. Let God do the heavy lifting when it comes to your worries.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. —Matthew 6:33

There are many things you can seek to live for in life. You can live for a lot of things. You can live for your physical appearance. You can live for a successful career. You can live for pleasure. But here is what Jesus said: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33 NLT).

With those words, Jesus gave us the secret to living a worry-free life: Instead of worry, put God and His will first in your life. Among a number of options, put God in the number one position.

Let’s take your career for example. Is your career choice, your line of work, really for God’s glory? Are you seeking Him first in what you’re doing?

You might say, “Rob, you’re a pastor. It’s easy for you to seek God first. I work in the real world with real people.”

I understand. But here is what your goal should be: to honor God in everything you do. Here is what you need to ask yourself: “As I’m doing this thing, what is my goal?” If your goal is just to make money no matter what it takes, you have the wrong goal. Your goal should be to honor God, give honest work, and have personal integrity and a good testimony in the workplace.

When the day is done, you want to have a good name and a good reputation. Proverbs 22:1 says, “Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold” (NLT).

Seek first the kingdom of God. If you want a life free of worry, anxiety, and fear, then put God’s kingdom before everything else. Seek Him first, and He will take care of you.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD…. Joshua 24:15

In America, every year July 4th brings with it festivities, fun, food, family and friends, and fireworks—all as a celebration of national freedom. But even with all the celebrating and fun, many Americans are still caught in the web of bondage on a mental, emotional, relational, financial, vocational or spiritual level. Most often, we ourselves create the chains that bind us by making poor or sinful choices.

The longer I live, the more convinced I am that life is a series of choices, each choice has a consequence, and we must live with the consequences of our choices. In order to have true freedom in your life, then, you must make wise choices.

Will you choose good over evil (Psalm 34:14; Romans 12:21)? Obedience over rebellion (Proverbs 10:8; Hebrews 13:17)? Truth over deceit (Colossians 3:9; Proverbs 12:22)? Kindness over dishonor (Ephesians 4:32; Proverbs 14:2)? Every day you make hundreds of choices and these form the basis for your lifestyle.

Seek God’s wisdom in all of your decisions, not the wisdom of the world, the flesh or the devil (James 3:17). Take the sometimes difficult step of saying, “I’ll do it God’s way!” even though it may mean avoiding the easy road. In the long run, the freedom that comes with making godly choices is definitely something to celebrate!

Lord, we lift to You our praise and adoration for the blessings You give us each day as we choose to walk Your way.
I hope each of you have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Chaplain Rob