Proverbs 27:9 – Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel. (NIV)

I had an astounding and touching thing happen to me. I arrived at school at lunch and ended up talking to Sandy. I don't know why, but I decided to share my innermost thoughts and feelings with her. This is what I told her. Last year when my fortieth birthday arrived, I had two people take me out for lunch. I appreciated this very much. Three months later, my best friend, Susan, had her fortieth birthday also. Nine people took her out for lunch. I confessed to Sandy that I was actually jealous that she had that many friends to invite her. I knew that it was wrong to feel that way, and I had asked God to forgive me for my jealousy. In my heart, I knew that Susan and I are the closest that friends can be, and that all the other people, except one, are "quantity" friends. I then explained to Sandy, that again it was Susan's birthday luncheon, and six friends had been invited. I told Sandy that I was embarrassed by my jealous thoughts. I ended the conversation and started to make comments about leaving. All of a sudden, Sandy stuffed $10 into my pocket and said, "I want to buy your lunch for you! You do so much for everybody else, I want to do this for you!" I was stunned, shocked, and overwhelmed all at the same time. I tried to give the money back to her. This was so unexpected. My emotions let loose and I cried. We hugged each other. It was then that the realization of the truth of the moment hit. Here I was feeling sorry for myself about not having more friends, when I had one standing right there beside me, and I didn't even realize it! Who could have asked for a better friend? A sensitive, caring individual, who understood perfectly what I was experiencing.

I think that we do that to God, too; sometimes, we don't think about Him at all. When things do not go as planned, when we feel alone and that nobody loves us, and when we think those "How could things be any worse?" kinds of feelings, God is that friend. He is waiting to help us, if we will but ask Him. Sometimes, we don't realize that He is there for us at all times.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for all of our friends, those that we know and care about, and those that You will tell us about when the time is right. Help us to be more sensitive to those around us, so that we can care for them. Teach us how to be a friend to someone else who needs a friend. Thank You for being our Friend, even though we don't deserve it. Thank You for loving us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Nehemiah 8:10b – Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (NIV)

The other night, I had been crying for several minutes, totally depressed and sad about my friend, Susan, moving away, back to Ontario, 2,600 miles away. Then, I decided to pick up a devotional book which this same friend had borrowed and had just given back: God Calling. For January 21 it said, "Be calm. Never fear. Sing unto the Lord. Be glad all the time. Rejoice exceedingly. Joy in Me. Rest in Me. Never be afraid. Pray more. Do not get worried. I am thy Helper. Underneath are the Everlasting Arms. You cannot get below that. Rest in them, as a tired child rests."

This lifted me somewhat and filled me with a small amount of hope. Then, I turned on the radio, and what was the song? The joy of the Lord is my strength! I couldn't believe it. Not two seconds later, the phone rang. It was Connie, my friend of 19 years, calling me from Ontario. She said she had debated whether to call or not, but she did. She had recently found our telephone number on the Internet and called me. I will never forget that feeling of relief, encouragement, and happiness that I felt when she called. It was indeed "God calling" to save me from my misery and pain. It was God Who knew that I needed a friend right then and there. Connie is a friend from the past, someone who is dear to me, yet we hadn't kept in touch over the previous four years. So, I was filled with a flood of joy because, though I was losing one friend, at the same time, I was renewing a relationship with another friend. God is so good to me.

At Bible study, we were discussing about how sometimes people question God's existence. I see evidence of His existence every day. How can someone not believe in God? Aren't you so glad that God knows exactly what is going on in our lives!

Prayer: Father God, how we love You and praise You for being there when we need You. We always call You Father, because You are always there for us, just like a good earthly father. Thank You that You know everything about us, whether we're sad or happy. You know all the details about every aspect of our lives. Thank You for the gift of faith, to believe in You, even though we can't see You. But we do see evidence of You, Lord, every day, in the wonderful things that You do for us. Thank You, Lord, for wrapping Your arms around us and bringing us comfort in those everlasting arms. We can truly rest in You and have the joy of the Lord. Thank You for hearing our prayers and for Your love. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.

Every time I go to our gym, I start out on the stationary bicycle. It's not just a boring bicycle ride; it's like watching me bicycling along, passing other cyclists — like a video game with 30 different tours and topography from real places around the world. This "game" gives me the idea that I'm actually there on that hillside cycling like a crazy woman, trying to beat my previous time. There are also things that make the ride more interesting, like bunnies running across the road, or dragons flying by, or Yetis throwing snowballs across the road at each other. What I have discovered is that at the beginning of my ride, it's hard work, as my muscles haven't warmed up yet — which causes me to wonder why on earth I started this particular ride in the first place. But then, I'm really focussed, working as hard as possible to go as fast as possible. Somewhere in the middle, I get into a great rhythm, but then, my mind starts to wander. I start thinking about my own life and my concerns about other people — and then, all of a sudden, I realize that I've slowed down because I'm not focussed on my riding. I'm ticked because I've lost precious seconds in the race. Oh no! How could I have let myself be distracted? Now I'm really behind in my time!

I think that our lives as Christians are like this illustration. I have always struggled to read my Bible and to have a quiet time with God every day. I know that I am not alone in this problem. It seems like an uphill ride. It seems like hard work! But eventually, I get into a rhythm of sorts, doing my Bible study homework, reading my devotional Bible, and/or journaling my prayers. It feels great to be communing with God on a regular basis. But before I know it, something comes along — a bout of depression or some other distraction — and bam! I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing … again! Wait, how did that happen? Once that distraction occurs, I find it difficult to get going again, since it was a struggle in the first place, and it may take a week or longer before I can get back into the flow of things, to be focussed again. I could say that I'm behind in my time with God. But the comforting thing to know is that this would never happen! God is with us at all times, despite who we try to be as Christians. We will never be behind, or out of sync with God and not catch up to Him. We can't see Him, but we can be sure that He is always there.

Hebrews 13:5b – … because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (NIV)

If we love the Lord and follow His teachings, He will always be there to help, guide, and comfort us. He will not ever leave us alone!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for us, that amazing love that is not faulting in any way, that is there for us all the time, every day, every hour, every second … every moment of our lives. Thank You that we don't need to fit into a time schedule to meet with You. Thank You for always being with us no matter how much we mess up our lives. This is what is so amazing: You are forgiving, loving, and compassionate, always, towards us. Thank You, Lord, that You will never leave us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Three years ago, I took my mom, then 90, to a nursing home to visit her even more elderly friend, Winnie, who was basically not "with it" anymore. I was in awe of my mother, who despite her own dementia, really "cared" for Winnie. It was caring in action. She touched her face with tenderness, stroking her cheek and asking how she was doing. She clasped her hand and squeezed it; she rubbed her shoulders, all the while speaking in a loving, caressing, tender voice, telling Winnie how much she was loved. This was a mother whom I had not seen before. Even while she herself was not doing well mentally, she reached out to her friend and just "loved her up", as my mom would say. Later, as we got lost trying to find our way out, we passed by a resident just sitting outside her room. My mom, in her wheelchair, veered off to see this person, and she spoke to her like a close friend, held her hand, and loved her up too. I was terrifically impressed by my mother on that day.

I have noticed in the last ten years or so that when I am having a struggle about something and I share it with my mom, dementia or not, she will say, "That's something that we should pray about." Then she'll suddenly grab my hands, hold them tight, and say, "Let's pray about that right now, dear!" And so she does. And then we hug. So when God urges me to pray for someone, I will think of my mother, and say, "Let's pray right now." I have been impacted by my own mother sharing her faith in action. My mother is leaving me quite the legacy of prayer and faith in action, caring in action, and loving them up.

As we go through this journey we call life, we are continuously creating a personal legacy. It is our morals and values, the examples that we set, the paths that we choose, and the decisions that we make that are imprinted on the minds and hearts of those closest to us. Every one of us will leave a legacy for those coming after us. The question though is, what legacy will you leave?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (NIV)

This Scripture tells us what kind of legacy we will have if we love the Lord our God with everything that is within us. Let us look to Jesus for everything. Let us focus on His love. He is the lamp to our feet; He will show us what path to take, what words to say, when to say them, how to say them, where to say them, what love and faith actions that will bless someone else. All of these things are to be upon our hearts. If we are grounded in God, our children will hear it and see it in action. We can then be assured that we are leaving a positive legacy for our children or other loved ones.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wondrous love for us. Help us to love You with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, and with all of our strength. These are the things which will make a difference in our lives and how we live our lives for others. Help us to show our families what faith in action is really all about. Thank You for guiding us and being a lamp to our feet. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

I'm trying to grow my fingernails. I've been trying all of my life to do this. But when there is the least little bit of stress, I fiddle with my nails and pick at edges that stick out, and before I know it, I've ripped off the end of a previously successful attempt. Along this journey, I have discovered that if I put nail polish on, then I'm really not inclined to fiddle with my nails because I don't want to ruin the nail polish. The nail polish keeps me from losing nails. This week, I did not have time to put the nail polish on, although I could have made time to do so. I erroneously thought that I could go this week without the nail polish. I'm doing really well; I can do it this time! What a mistake! Life happened, and now, I have ruined three nails! Well, so much for thinking that I could do it all on my own!

Can we go through life without God? Can we just "do it on our own"? Does this work? Or maybe we'll just have a little bit of God in our life. Does that work? Do our fingernails look great with only some nail polish on, and not all painted? If we do have God in our lives, do we make time for Him? Is not doing so going to get us through the tough times? We need to have God, all of Him, all the time, every moment, every day, and we need to talk to Him all through those times. In return, we will have a wonderful relationship with our Father in heaven. Clearly, we don't do a good job all on our own. We think that we do know what we need, but in reality we have no idea, and we make poor choices.

I always picture myself and God riding a tandem (two-person) bicycle together — only I'm not sitting in the front seat steering the bicycle — God is. He is steering my life. When we become Christians, we are giving up control of our lives in every possible way. We need God. And what a relief to know that we don't have to be in control of our lives and that we can leave our decisions up to Him! We can't go through life successfully or happily without Him and we need to make time so that we can listen to the direction that He wants us to go in our lives. I'm going to do that. Are you?

Prayer: Our dear heavenly Father, thank You for loving us no matter what place we are at with You. We pray that You would enable us to let You take full control of our lives and steer us where You want us to go, so that we would be obedient to what You want us to do. Help us to take time for You, so that we can learn about Your ways and be open to what You want to tell us. But, Lord, take away anything that would hinder us in this process. Open our hearts, Lord, because we really do want to see You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Colossians 3:2 – Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (NIV)

When I am kayaking out on the ocean, sometimes it is glassy calm. At other times, there are waves — lots and lots of waves. When I'm paddling with the wind, I find it exhilarating to surf the big waves, taking advantage of their power. But after a large boat has gone by, there are waves coming from all directions, particularly if I am following the coastline, because then, the waves that have just passed by begin to bounce back from the rocky shore and come right back at me at a different angle. When I was first learning to kayak, I would feel panicky at those times, because I wouldn't know which waves I should be paddling with so that I wouldn't tip over. It was very nerve-wracking for me. Now that I have been kayaking for a longer period of time, I'm more experienced, and I can focus on going straight in one direction. I work hard at ignoring all the other waves coming in, across, or behind me from all directions. If I focus straight ahead, I will succeed and not tip nor go in a direction that I don't want to go.

When I'm among those cross-waves, I am always reminded of God, because our lives are much like that. The enemy's arrows are coming at us from all directions: peer pressure, busy lives, accidents, poor time management, illness, gossip, judgment of others, dishonesty, unfaithfulness … the list goes on and on. But if we try to focus on God, He will provide a way out for us. He will guide us and lead us in directions that are pleasing to Him, and we will be leading happier lives, knowing that we are doing what God wants us to do.

So let's focus our eyes on God at all times. He hasn't steered us in the wrong direction, and He never will!

Prayer: Our dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your unconditional love for us. Thank You that You love us no matter what we say or do. Help us to focus only on You, so that we are living, breathing, and working only for You. We know that this might seem impossible to accomplish, but help us, O Lord, to look straight at You and not to become confused by worldly influences. Thank You for Your great love for us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

I had the most amazing experience only hours after a sermon on the theme, "Following Jesus Christ".

The context for the sermon and my experience is my struggle with depression. I can find myself feeling down and not being able to rise above it, for several days on end. One thing that I have learned is that I have a reliance on God that is exponentially greater than I ever had before! So my depression is actually a blessing!

The part of the message that caught my attention was, "Jesus is the Answer Diet". The question was, "Is He my diet for my life?"

My depression — or my Goliath, as I like to view it — is competing with God. Who will win?

I had recently been reading a Christian novel, like the Frank Peretti books, about demons and spiritual warfare, which happen all around us and in heaven. I believe this spiritual warfare is real. We have angels with their shining swords that protect us from the demons. There is a battle that goes on in the heavenly realm with demons against angels to save us from Satan's clutches. One thing that I do know is that demons flee when Jesus' name is mentioned or when people are praying.

I was out for my Sunday afternoon walk with my dog. It was pouring rain. The weather suits my mood, I thought. I was feeling really depressed. I started to recall the sermon. If He is to be the diet of my life, then I should be talking to Him right now! I thought about the warfare in heaven, and realized that Satan must be jumping up and down, gleefully happy that I was so down. That made me mad. Satan is winning this battle and pushing me farther away from God! This cannot be happening.

What can I do about this? I started just by saying His name out loud. "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." Then I used more emphasis, saying the words slowly, thinking about what they actually meant. "Jesus, You are the true God. Jesus, You are my Saviour. Jesus, You are amazing. You are my shining sword; You are my shield and my breastplate. Jesus, Jesus, You are my bright shining star. Jesus, You are my deliverer, You are mighty in battle. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," now said with much more emotion. The happiness welled up within me and I began to praise God for His goodness, His restoration, His grace and mercy. You are indeed a faithful God!

By the time I met up with my friend, I was in a fabulous mood. As I sit here typing this, I still feel elated that God won the battle. God won my battle. The Answer Diet works!

Prayer: Lord, we thank You for Your unconditional grace, mercy, and love. Thank You that we can call upon You and that we can depend upon the angels to protect us from the evilness that is around us. Thank You that we can trust You and know that You hear every word. Protect us in our day-to-day activities, and put a hedge of protection around our families, our cars, trucks, and vans, and our pets. We love You, Lord. Thank You for Your faithfulness. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.