The Four Blessed Looks

Psalm 121
New Living Translation


Psalm 121
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

1.Look back and thank God.
2.Look forward and trust God.
3.Look around and serve God.
4.Look within and find God!"

"I asked God, 'How do I get the best out of life?' God said, 'Face
your past without regrets. Handle your present with confidence. And
prepare for the future without fear!'"

To the point!!!

Acts 16:25-26
New International Version

25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.

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God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor.

Don't Get Too Attached

2 Corinthians 4:18
Holman Christian Standard Bible

18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.


When I describe it, you'll be able to visualize it. I'm certainly not the first person who has observed it. But there is a lesson in it we both may have overlooked.

There are some children on a beach. They're playing at the edge of the water. Giggling. Building sandcastles. They seem so intent on the project. You get amused at how meticulous and careful they are with crumbly corners and tiny turrets. The looks on their faces as they screw their mouths around and stick out their tongues in earnest concentration are priceless.

Then a big wave starts to close in! But the kids don't panic. They do the strangest thing. They jump to their feet, scream with excitement, and watch the waves wash away their creations. There is no hysteria. No sadness. No bitterness. Even little children know the fate that awaits sandcastles. So they are neither shocked nor angry when the tide comes in.

You and I should be so wise. The stuff of this world is about as permanent as sandcastles on a beach. Yet we get so caught up in it, defensive over it, and depressed over the loss of it. But God didn't create you for this world. Your destiny is not bound up in cash and bonds, land and houses, fame and monuments. So living to be a hundred years old is far less important than living well - Even if for a relatively short time. Beautifying your body is not nearly as urgent as living with a pure heart before God.

Children know that their castles in the sand are brief joys destined to be taken away by an incoming tide. So they don't fret as the waves approach. They typically watch their creations get swept away without shedding tears.

Everything about this life is so transient. The incoming wave of our mortality is going to sweep it all away. Like sandcastles at the edge of the ocean, nothing we do for the sake of this world can survive. Only what you do here for eternity will last. Only the treasures you send ahead will escape corruption.

What would the loss of your job or business do to you? What if your house were to go up in smoke tonight? What if a pain sent you to the doctor and led to the discovery that you have only a few weeks to live? These things really do happen to people, you know. We are all vulnerable. We are all quite mortal. Everything about our existence here is about as enduring as sandcastles.

Life is God's gift. Revel in every good thing. Enjoy your castles in the sand. Just be careful not to let yourself get unduly attached to any of them.

Coming Full Circle

Colossians 2:10
New King James Version

10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

As the year of 2008 approaches, watch as God brings everything full circle. He is tying up loose ends. He is working hard to complete any unfinished business. 2007 is a year of completion and rest. Everything that you went through good and bad was to make you complete in Christ. 2008 is a year of new beginnings. Rejoice in this season of thanksgiving and celebration of Jesus.

No matter what comes your way in the coming weeks, it is only part of the process. The process of your completion is almost over. There is nothing that will happen that God does not know about and that He is not the head of. All principalities and powers are subject to God. If you think back to the beginning of the year, and look at what is going on now; you have come full circle.

Give Thanks

2 Corinthians 9:15
Amplified Bible


15Now thanks be to God for His Gift, [precious] beyond telling [His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift]!