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Commit to the LORD whatever you do…. (devo reflection)

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed. (NLT)
I find various translations of bible verses fascinating, perhaps because of my teaching background. I will often go to BibleHub to see the different translations as I’m deciding which most closely matches what God has placed on my heart each morning. Usually, the difference is so slight, most any translation will work. This verse, however, really struck me.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. (NIV)
I’m currently working through some online professional development in preparation for the new school year. One of the motifs I’m noticing is the idea of living and teaching boldly, which also means being prepared, at times, to fail boldly. I sincerely believe that just because the LORD has established my steps does not guarantee I will meet my own definition of success in the venture. Sometimes He needs me to fail spectacularly so that I can learn the lessons He needs me to learn.
Romans 8:37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for leading me to ponder the idea of success when it comes to Your will for my life. I sincerely believe that if I lay my plans at Your feet each day, asking for Your guidance, that You will direct my path. I also believe that if my path brings me closer to You and helps me to shine Your light in this world, then I will indeed achieve overwhelming eternal victory, even if I do not achieve my personal definition of success. Draw me closer, LORD. Amen.
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Have a blessed day.
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A Life in Progress…. (devo reflection)
1 Peter 5:6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.
In my head, I hear a fragment of song from my childhood about the difficulty of humility in the midst of perfection. (Any Mac Davis fans out there?) My instinct is to laugh at the idea of perfection. I am the ultimate work in progress, trying every day to be a little better than the day before. What I want is to live a life that allows my Savior to say to me when we meet face-to-face, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But I know that some days I get a little too big for my britches. Jesus, help me.
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.
Part of humbling myself is casting all my anxieties on Him because He cares for me. Sadly, handing my cares to God, putting them at His feet and leaving them there, is an area where I continue to struggle—not because I think I can handle my own anxieties, but because I tend to be incredibly stingy when it comes to handing them over to my Savior AND LEAVING THEM THERE. I tend to keep a white-knuckled death grip on them, thinking that somehow that allows me to remain in control of them instead of them controlling me. Jesus, help me.
1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder that I am a work in progress, Your masterpiece in the making. Thank You for the reminder to humble myself, to give my worries and fears to You. Thank You for cautioning me to look out for anything that separates me from You, including my ego, my anxieties, and my fears. Help me to live a life pleasing to You. Help me to remember that You are always fighting for me. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 14:14 The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.
Have a blessed day.