Little Margie was saying her prayers before getting into bed. Her mother stood at her door and listened as she honestly expressed her faith and dependence on God.

“Dear Lord, You know I really had a bad day. Thanks for getting me through everything OK. I don’t know what I would have done without You. So I really want You to take care of Yourself - cause if anything happens to You, I don’t know what I’d do!”

Being dependent is sometimes difficult. It is normal and natural to want to be self-reliant, believing that we can do all things in our own strength and wisdom. We take great time and go to great lengths to prepare ourselves to meet and overcome the demands of life. But in the end, when facing the real difficulties of life, we know that sooner or later, we’ll need God’s help.

How fortunate for those who know they can be mighty because God is mighty. Our God who created the universe has arms that can reach us wherever we are or whatever our situation may be. Nothing is beyond Him, nothing escapes Him, nothing overwhelms Him, and nothing frightens Him. If it concerns us, it concerned Him first.

God will make us equal to every challenge He brings into our life. Remember the words of the Apostle Paul: “Our sufficiency is from God!”

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, You know when we need to be convinced that we can’t make it without You. Help us to see You at work in our lives to make us depend on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:   Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Psalm 139:23-24

A pastor once thought that it was his responsibility to change the world. For years he struggled and worked. He finally became so discouraged that he decided to quit.

In a moment of insight, he decided to utilize a new strategy. “I’ll change my Elders. That’s the place for me to begin.” But he soon realized that this was not going to happen. Their resistance was fierce and he soon gave up.

“Since they didn’t respond,” he said to himself, “I’ll change my family.” That didn’t work either. Each evening when he laid out their tasks for the next day they looked at him with blank stares.

Finally he identified his calling: “I must improve myself first and the others will follow.” David got it right! He said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my thoughts.”

It is much easier to look at the lives of others and see things that we think they need to change. It is also much easier to want to change them than to want to change ourselves. But seeing what needs to be changed in others and wanting to change them is not the way God works through us. He wants us to begin with ourselves - to see the sin that is in our lives - the sin that He sees. And when He removes the sin from our lives we become like Him, we will become an example for others to follow.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us not to be concerned about what others need to change in their lives, but what we need to change in our lives to be more like You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.