“This is Christ, who continually, with the oil of His grace, maintains the work already begun in the heart; by means of which notwithstanding what the devil can do, the souls of His people prove gracious still.” John Bunyan

“Be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Do you ever have those days when you wonder why you keep pursuing something you thought you heard the Lord ask you to? I suspect Noah had a  few of those days throughout his Ark experience. You really wonder if you heard right, don’t you? I have an original 1893 copy of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Occasionally I like to take it out of the sealed bag it’s in and leaf through the yellowed, brittle pages. There’s something about thumbing through a story written so long ago, and contemplating the thoughts of the readers before me, and the message the long passed author was trying to communicate. As I flipped through, my eyes fell on the text; “with the oil of His grace, maintains the work already begun in the heart.” The passage in Philippians immediately came to mind as well. Of course. If God is in this, He will see it through. Regardless of what the devil thinks he can do to stop it; he can’t. The frustration comes when we buy into the deceptions he throws at us. Don’t go there. Draw a line in the sand and stand firm. The souls of God’s people do “prove gracious.” (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

Are you occasionally knocked off track by the enemy’s deceptions? What does it take to bring you back into focus? Do you believe God really is in charge?

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Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

Think Thomas Edison was recalling this verse when he made that statement? Seems the key is in the faith. Jesus tells us, “anyone who has faith in me will do …” At the very least, we will do the things Christ did. But He tells us because He is going through Calvary, we will do greater things. Are you tracking here? What does that mean to you? I’ve been wrestling with this for the past several months, trying to get my head around this. The life of a believer should be filled with power, but for most of us, at best we’ve only nibbled on it. Why? A. W. Tozer writes, “Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life, hoping ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust.” Jesus must be Lord in our lives, totally. Every place we’re not yielding, (surrendered) is a place in us that restricts the flow of power. And if we’re not yielding, then it’s some place that faith is missing too. Jesus asks, will you trust me completely? It is the lack of the completely, fully, entirely, part that suppresses that power. (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

Are you experiencing the kind of life Jesus spoke of here? If not, what is getting in the way of your faith?

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“The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field.” (Matthew 13:44)

How many images of the devastation in Haiti do we have to see to get just how fragile life is? Thousands upon thousands of already desperate people experienced life instantly get worse. It’s a nation of people who are now killing each other over a bottle of water. This isn’t a humanitarian plea; there are hundreds of organizations around the world scrambling to help. You respond according to your leading. My point here is, as I watch and listen to those horribly sad stories, I am led to ponder my own existence. Not so much in this case the questions of why; that’s another debate. But mine is of a more personal nature. If tragedy can happen like that; if life can so change in any moment, am I living it to my fullest potential? Am I walking out each day fully connected to my surroundings, fully integrated into where I sense the Spirit of God leading me? That may mean I do nothing but hang out at the feet of Christ today. It’s not about how much I can do. But am I being all that Jesus has asked me to be today? Am I really living this life? Do I treat it like the treasure that it truly is?

Has this current tragedy, or any other recent one more personal caused you to re-evaluate your approach to life? What might God be saying to you now about your walk with Him? (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

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“… if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2)

So many people in this world are starving for love today. Yes, we can give food, and money, and clothing, and even shelter; but more than all of those, folks need love. In the book of Matthew (9:13) Jesus said, “I desire compassion, not sacrifice.” It’s easier to “sacrifice” because it doesn’t require us to use our hearts. Compassion (love) comes from some place much deeper than our pockets. (Yes, I know that sometimes love means sacrifice.) We hear, “tis the season to be jolly.” I say tis the season to be love. Without it we really don’t have much to offer, and those around us stay in bondage to the weight and pain of life. Take the opportunity to give the gift that has no wrapper or ribbons, but is much more valuable than all the gold in the world. (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

Is there someone in your life that could use the gift of love more than any other gift they might get this year? How could you help?

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” … What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.” (2 Corinthians 5:11)

Do you realize there is a different perspective about you than what you have for yourself? We’re so accustomed to seeing ourselves in light of the world’s perspective. We take on the identities we are assigned by our families, or our work environments, or our life surroundings. And we translate that into our perception of the world, based on our worldly perspective. We let the world dictate what we believe about ourselves, and what we believe about the things going on around us. It’s an easy trap to fall into. But God has a different perspective about you, and a different perspective for you about this place in which we dwell. As a believer, you are a son, or daughter adopted into the family of God. We are now from a different lineage, therefore a different mindset. Don’t believe the negative thoughts about yourself; they aren’t true. Scripture is full of what God believes about you. It’s clear to Him. As Paul says, “I hope it is also plain to your conscience.” (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

How do you think God sees you? Is that different than how you normally see yourself?

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“The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts.” (Exodus 35:31)

During this time of economic uncertainty, could it be a great time to reevaluate where we are in life? Is a shift in career, even if it’s not your choice, an opportunity to realign yourself with the Kingdom, and God’s plan for your life? God gives each of us talents and gifts, and “expertise in all kinds of crafts” for a reason. Someone with the gift of being a great communicator to people might not be using their “craft” to it’s full potential laying pipe in Alaska. If they’re happy there, great. If they’re not, why? Notice the writer of Exodus starts by saying Bezalel was filled with the Spirit of God, first. That’s where we need to start; by getting in touch with the Spirit within us, and asking for and gleaning our “natural bent” from Him. By learning that, then we can move more towards the walk He has for us instead of the one many find themselves in; one of complacency and unrest. (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

Have you ever compared what you do with what you’re good at? Do they line up? Can you exercise your greatest God given talents where you are in life, or do you feel like they are being neglected?

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“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

There are those of us who won’t choose to do anything unless we can do it perfectly. So we don’t do a whole lot. Then there are those of us who can find one of many amazing excuses for not choosing to do anything. One person is a perfectionist, the other a procrastinator. In both cases the choice is inaction. In another scenario, there are those of us that can make plans all day long. We’re always lining up our lives. But the bottom line in each case is, we’re swimming up stream. Ultimately the Lord is in charge. He “determines our steps.” We have free will you say. Yes, we do. We are free to choose Jesus, or not. We are free to obey, or not. But our Lord has great plans for His children. And that path for each of us as believers was ordained before we were ever conceived. (See Psalm 139) I encourage you to find comfort in that. You can quit procrastinating, quit trying to be perfect, and quit second guessing God. Stop paddling up stream, get in touch with God’s voice, and let Him determine your steps. (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

Do you find comfort in that thought, or does this idea seem to leave you feeling unsettled? If the latter, why?

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Have you ever noticed that when you complain about something, it never really fixes the situation. Yes, you might get some relief by letting off a little steam, but the circumstances rarely ever just clear themselves up. If we’re accepting that this life is a journey; one that God is in the middle of, then we must understand that there is something in this for us beyond the frustration we are experiencing. As a child, I ran through a glass door, twice because I hadn’t learned yet that my dad had fixed a loose door latch. After the second time, I never again assumed the latch wasn’t closed. I had learned a painful lesson. Do you have life moments like that? God bringing you through repeated circumstances so you can learn something in order to move on? The bigger lesson is, instead of “whining,” ask this question; “Father, what do you have for me in this?” (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

What lesson is God trying to teach you right now? Might understanding that minimize your pain?

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“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:4)

Life challenges are tough. I know, I don’t like them very much. But we also know that life does not stand still. Pause just a moment and reflect backwards over that past 12 months. How many challenging situations have you faced in the past year? How about just the past 30 days? There’s a line some of you might know from the Star Trek series; “resistance is futile.” Sure, we can dodge these opportunities all day, but it won’t keep life from changing around us. What we’re left with is a confused look on our face and the question, “what happened?” Every time you embrace a tide shifting in your life, you increase your ability to navigate the next one. The challenges come for a reason. It presents opportunities to grow. And growth is what produces success in life. Persevere through the challenges. James reminds us that it’s the substance of our maturity and completeness. (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

What opportunities to embrace a challenge have you been resisting lately?

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“The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength …” (Psalm 90:10)

We have to be careful here. This is not about performance, or risking your salvation. God loves you, and wants to love you through your entire life’s journey. We can’t compare our progress to that of another. However we also can get so far away from the will of God, that we “dawdle” away our life. When it’s spent on useless, unproductive activities, we squander opportunities for fellowship and intimacy with God, and others. There’s an old country song with a line that says, “this killing time is killing me.” I wonder how much time I’ve “killed” over the course of my life, and how much of “me” I’ve lost in the process? Let’s not make this about looking backwards though. From today, let’s evaluate every activity for it’s usefulness to our lives, and it’s contribution to our ability to grow in our relationship with God, and ability to help others. (Greg Tutwiler, The Daily Life Coach)

Do you ever get the sense you’re wasting time?