YAY for Friday! I always think I’m going to sleep in an extra hour on Friday sort of a way to reward myself for working hard during the week. Somehow I don’t think 4:30 equates to extra sleep. In fact, I think it’s backward! When I woke up this morning I was thinking about the Bible Study I attended last night. So there is my thankful theme for today. I am thankful for the Bible Study about Abigail. I knew one thing about her at the start of the study – she was married to David. That’s it! I learned that she was beautiful inside and out, was assertive, intelligent, used discernment, and made wise decisions. Abigail had integrity and bravely stood up for what she knew was right And if you read the story in 1Samuel 25 you will see descriptive words to imply that she was a natural at all those things – because the scripture says “Abigail acted quickly.” I love the words integrity, faith, wisdom, and discernment. I believe that if you get the inside right, the rest will take care of itself, going beyond the commercialized ‘beauty is skin deep’.
I wanted to learn more about Abigail and did a search to find more of her story. Reading verse 42, it says “Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David’s messengers and became his wife.” There was nothing more after that. I guess we don’t need to know more about her to understand the quality of her character enough to want to emulate it. My prayer today is that at the point of struggle, we look inward to find integrity, discernment and focus on them until they become the strongest motivator for getting things right. If we get the inside right, the rest will take care of itself.
Friday is here; the weekend is on the way. One more sleep before Saturday. Do you have a list? What’s on it? I hope it includes things that bring joy to your heart. There’s a hint in Psalms 86:11 on how to make that happen. “O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! Then I will obey your commands. Make me wholeheartedly committed to you!” On your list for Saturday is there an entry to make preparations to worship on Sunday? Most of us have to plan for it. Life is busy; Sunday is no exception – but if we really love God we will seek him, learn all we can about him, so we can serve him. In Matthew 4:10 Jesus said ““Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” I love that ‘serve with absolute single-heartedness.’
I made a big long list of things I wanted to accomplish over the past week and last night realized, was surprised actually, that I got everything done. That never happens, never. If you seem to wake up on Sunday with too many options and opt for the couch instead of choosing one, maybe it will help to put ‘Go to church’ on that weekend list. It might be just the impetus you need to be like Abigail and ‘act quickly’.
Something to remember today and every day: Nothing is better than this day. (repeat till believed)
Because of Grace we Press On