Alive and Active Life

To read this material and view the rest of the Prepare for Easter devotional focus, sign up here: www.aliveandactivelife.org/easter/

For more resources and tools that inspire and equip you to live well using God's Word in practical ways each day, visit the Alive and Active Life website.

To read this material and view the rest of the Prepare for Easter devotional focus, sign up here: www.aliveandactivelife.org/easter/

For more resources and tools that inspire and equip you to live well using God's Word in practical ways each day, visit the Alive and Active Life website.

To read this material and view the rest of the Prepare for Easter devotional focus, sign up here: www.aliveandactivelife.org/easter/

For more resources and tools that inspire and equip you to live well using God's Word in practical ways each day, visit the Alive and Active Life website.

To read this material and view the rest of the Prepare for Easter devotional focus, sign up here: www.aliveandactivelife.org/easter/

For more resources and tools that inspire and equip you to live well using God's Word in practical ways each day, visit the Alive and Active Life website.

Meaningful!   Brief!   Fun!   Refreshing!   Read or Listen!    FREE!   And it’s not too late to sign up.

Starts Monday through Easter Sunday.

Because this content is concise, quality material – busy people with full schedules can easily participate.

Since this material is designed to help manage your busy schedule, you can just click on the player above each day’s content.  It will look like this image. (This picture is not an active player.)

We’re also published on popular podcast apps, so connect with your preferred app. If you’re already signed up with the Alive and Active Life Podcast, you’ll receive each day’s content in your feed. If you need help, here are podcast sign-up instructions.

Signup

Here’s a list of topics we will cover, one each day:

As you explore these special roles, you can know without a doubt that God’s love for you is sincere!

“When You Run Out of Ideas of Where to Hide An Easter Basket.” 

Since Easter brings hope, joy, and cheer . . . take this opportunity to prepare your heart! 

Since Day #3 Fun Activity uses Resurrection Eggs to tell the Easter story with a little reminder token in each egg, to get your set before Wednesday’s Fun Activity:

Incidentally, it’s really fun to make your own set! But it’s also simple. By filling empty plastic eggs with little items, each part of the Easter story can be told. Since the online set (above link) shows detailed pictures of items needed, use that example. And not only kids love this set, but every age!

However, if you decide not to make or order this tool, our content gives additional options for an activity.

In addition to this Easter resource, visit our website for devotional materials, articles, podcasts, and resources to help grow your faith in God.

It’s also not too late to receive weekly encouragement in your inbox. Sign up on our email list.

I had my annual visit with my doctor. (Have you had yours?) We sometimes have conversations about long-term health. Apparently, I’m right on target for getting another year older!

How about you? At some point this year, you will become another year older. So – Happy Birthday!

Although you and I don’t have control over the inevitable aging process – we can make some good decisions.

Often there’s a list of things to cover at your annual doctor visit. You probably know your doctor’s list. I know mine.

When becoming “another year older” (a common doctor office topic), most physicians have a list of advice:

No matter what your age, your birthday simply means you are another year older. This event happens to everyone like clockwork. People celebrate in many ways.

Which person are you? I know who I am.

Two key question to ask as you grow another year older –

I’m guessing not many 20 year-olds think about aging. 30 – 40 year-olds? Maybe. Life still looks pretty promising to most people in those decades, unless tragedy has cut into life.

I used to think getting old was far away. But it is always very close. Getting another year older happens every minute – every day. This process continues even when you are not aware of it. Quiet. Persistent. Unavoidable.

The reality of getting another year older bends you into someone you didn’t used to be in body, mind, and spirit. You have the privilege and responsibility to decide if that bending is for good – or not. If it’s healthy or dysfunctional.

Sooner or later, it happens to everyone. Memory struggles – and you need more lists. Your stride slows a bit. Joints hurt. Muscles and bones ache. Afternoon nap, anyone? Sometimes you start telling a joke and just can’t remember the punch line. Health issues invade. You need glasses for your eyes, aids for your ears, color for your hair (if you still have hair). Sometimes you fall behind in latest technology or global developments and have to play catch-up.

I’ve often wondered how eternal life will look. Haven’t you?

Aging brings losses. Most people grieve them, though some don’t identify or admit losses. Life in a broken environment has definite impacts. Death and disease. Accidents. Abuse and neglect. Decline and worsening conditions. Natural disasters.

But there are also incredible opportunities.

God intended His original design to contain encouragement, empowering, enabling. It was never His intention that growing another year older should be a negative or debilitating experience.

Challenges of aging can bend you better.

Every day is filled with blessing and opportunity. The person who hunts for blessings is healthier. So, train yourself to hunt. Adopt God’s thoughts and ways to ensure aging bends you better.

Examples of blessings:

As you grow another year older, you have many opportunities to live by faith. Chuck Swindoll said, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”

Opportunities of aging can bend you better.

Well, yes and no. But, the stripping of aging depends partially on how you think and live. Attitudes, habits, patterns, perspective – all affect growing another year older. You have more control than you may realize.

A person who bends life better, evaluates their decisions . . . things like –

When you engage better thinking and living, you strip the power of “aging stripping you!”

Evaluate how your decisions impact your own life and other’s lives. Living with carefully selected priorities and focuses changes the scope and sequence of each day. Just as a 20 year-old can generally increase good health in later years with healthy choices now, so thinking and living wisely now changes the scope and sequence of your on-going life.

Look back through memories of your life. How does it look? If you’re like me, you see many blessings, some sadness, some regrets, lots of unexpected developments, and lots that’s inside and outside your control.

Life strips you when you give up control God intended you to have and use. Despite everything outside your control, you do have power to choose responsibly, even in tough times. That power is inside your control.

Is. 55:9 says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Adopting God’s “higher ways and thoughts” empowers what’s inside your control, and is the corrective measure of what’s outside your control.

In addition to better thinking and living, here are some practical action steps to further strip negative power of growing another year older:

For additional information – Accomplish Your Purpose: Helpful Steps.

Before we sign off, I want to tell you about an exciting resource Alive and Active Life has been working on for you. Easter is coming soon, and so is Prepare For Easter. Lives are busy for most people, and it’s hard to focus your heart. So, we’ve developed a rich devotional focus for Holy Week. Each day features 1. a brief focus meditation, 2. a fun activity, and 3. a teaching point. The content drills into practical provisions Jesus brings to make life meaningful and effective in difficult times. 

You’ll be glad you took a few minutes a day to prepare your heart for Easter. Pass the sign up to your friends, family, church, students – anyone! (It’s all free!)

Visit our website for devotional materials, articles, podcasts, and resources to help grow your faith in God. Pursue noble character and an Alive and Active Life.

Meaningful!   Brief!   Fun!   Refreshing!   Read or Listen!    FREE!

Starts Monday through Easter Sunday.

Because this content is concise, quality material – busy people with full schedules can easily participate.

Since this material is designed to help manage your busy schedule, you can just click on the player above each day’s content.  It will look like this image. (This picture is not an active player.)

We’re also published on popular podcast apps, so connect with your preferred app. If you’re already signed up with the Alive and Active Life Podcast, you’ll receive each day’s content in your feed. If you need help, here are instructions to SIGN UP.

Here’s a list of topics we will cover, one each day:

As you explore these special roles, you can know without a doubt that God’s love for you is sincere!

“When You Run Out of Ideas of Where to Hide An Easter Basket.” 

Since Easter brings hope, joy, and cheer . . . take this opportunity to prepare your heart! 

Since Day #3 Fun Activity uses Resurrection Eggs to tell the Easter story with a little reminder token in each egg, get your set before Wednesday’s Fun Activity:

Incidentally, it’s really fun to make your own set! But it’s also simple. By filling empty plastic eggs with little items, each part of the Easter story can be told. Since the online set (above link) shows detailed pictures of items needed, use that example. And not only kids love this set, but every age!

However, if you decide not to make or order this tool, our content gives additional options for an activity.

You’ll be glad you did!

In addition to this Easter resource, visit our website for devotional materials, articles, podcasts, and resources to help grow your faith in God.

Incidentally, you can receive weekly encouragement in your inbox. Sign up on our email list.

Do you have a mentor? When I was younger, I prayed for a mentor. God gave me – not one – but my three mentors. As God often does, He gave them in a much different way than I wanted. Yet, I have come to agree with Him – that His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. (Is. 55:9) Interestingly, none of these three people really knew they had become my mentors.

In my limited perspective, I had wanted a specific kind of mentor – someone I could connect with each day, or at least a couple times a week. I also wanted to:

God had a different approach as He selected my three mentors.

First, He took the “distance” approach. In other words, I couldn’t connect with any of them on a daily basis.

Second, God chose people who were very established and engaged in what was in front of them. They lived their lives faithfully where He placed them. Consequently, I didn’t have much opportunity to ask good questions OR discuss how to practically apply God’s Word to my young life.

Third, God showed me He wanted me to look up to all three of my mentors, but always through the lens of Himself.

As a result, I found myself being funneled into an unexpected mentorship. Everything I’d learn would first connect me with God. Essentially, He made it exceedingly clear He intended to be my First Mentor and Dear Friend.

Although God’s ideas about mentorship were different than mine, I accepted His. I also accepted His undeserved friendship. Still, I found myself contemplating a newly-forming dilemma: How EVER could I be a friend back to God?!

I mentioned none of my three mentors really knew they had become my mentors. Yet, they possessed –

Two of these amazing people, I have known, personally. The third amazing person, I knew only from a distance. Yet, the impact of daily choices of all three challenged me to make my best possible choices in every life scenario. Their lives inspired mine.

Besides these three mentors, I’ve also benefitted from people who didn’t know their teachings and example had caught my eye. These men and women impacted my life – writers, speakers, professors, leaders, world travelers. One professor in post-graduate school, along with his wife, became life-long friends to me. How I still treasure their input in my life.

Some of these dear people were quiet, simple, yet impressive people – with amazing “presence.” Others were up-in-front most of their lives. Regardless, all of them encouraged me to keep pursuing God and His ways.

But my three mentors became my focus as decades added up.

I followed my three mentor’s lives, examples, and choices. The manner they adopted as they responded to each of their life situations caught my attention. Their consistency over years held my admiration.

I’d like to introduce you to my three mentors. Coincidentally, each of their names begin with “M.”

This woman was the embodiment of joy! I don’t ever remember her not smiling – a huge, beautiful smile adorned with red lipstick. Her eyes were filled with laughing, and her laugh filled the room. Maydene was God’s blessing to me starting when I was in high school and through my adulthood.

Since Maydene lived in a different city, God miraculously connected us. I couldn’t get over how genuinely she welcomed me into her apartment as a teen, into her life over the years, and into her incredible love for Jesus. Incidentally, she was a modern example of “boasting in Jesus!” (2 Cor. 10:13)

Maydene always had a deep, abiding love for Jesus!

This beautiful woman so impressed me when I met her. Her life has continually challenged me over the years. She held numerous positions as she served her family and community. I only know about her being a beautician, and then a fabulous administrative assistant.

Marcile’s whole person welcomed me. She “brought me close” in a winsome way. I saw her respond like Christ even in frustrating developments of a business office.

Marcile’s impeccable graciousness left such a deep impression on me. I’ll never forget.

What can I possibly say about Queen Elizabeth II? If you want to learn more about her life, just google her. Reading between the lines of documentaries or biographies of her life, you’ll see a remarkable world leader who deeply and pensively made decisions that were popular – or sometimes not.

Elizabeth became a Jesus follower in her adult life. Her countenance, decisions, and bold speeches reflected the nature of Christ. She possessed courage, charisma, and commitment. Elizabeth sacrificed so much personally in her private life in order to carry out responsibilities that fell to her.

From Elizabeth, I was challenged to engage incredible character!

First, I learned that a person’s level of gratitude shows the sweetness (or not!) of their inner person. My mentors commanded respect by continually exercising a thankful heart.

Second, I learned that developing and maintaining a grateful heart is an intentional decision, even in difficult times. Choosing to respond with a gracious spirit and a kind heart is an option for everyone. But it is a choice.

There are 3 qualities my mentors practiced that awarded them noble character and a thankful heart.

To be grateful takes discipline, and that means training. Hebrews 12:11 talks about this training: No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Gratitude is a deliberate choice great people make, even when it’s hard. No wonder God often tells His children to be thankful. It’s His original design.

Life is pretty challenging, and lots of hard things happen. So, to be deliberate in responding, choose a healthy perspective. Heb. 12:2 says to focus on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Jesus chose joy even when He suffered because He trusted and rested in Father’s heart and methods. This joy gave Him eternal perspective.

Adopting Jesus’ perspective gives hope and multiplies gratitude.

When things look terrible, when it seems God is not there, when it feels like your prayers have not been answered, responding well takes faith. However, when you trust God’s goodness, wisdom, and love – you become grateful.

Lack of gratitude is a wall – a subtle form of pride. You expect something better – of YOUR choosing. A person who is not grateful is never happy, never content. They lack Christ’s sweet character.

Conversely, when you are genuinely grateful, it’s harder to sin. So, it’s an “auto deterrent” for sin. True thankfulness is engaged by faith. No wonder Scripture repeats – “be thankful, praise the Lord, have a grateful heart.”

Maydene is waiting for me in Heaven. I just can’t wait to see her smile again and be in the presence of her contagious joy! I still remember how unashamedly she shared her love for God. She always called Him – “The Lord” – a precious memory to me. Her meaning was clear. “Lord” means the powerful God who is also a loving Savior and Friend to broken people.

Marcile is close to Heaven as she finishes her race. Inspired by her impeccable graciousness, I so want to be gracious like her. This woman has been simply beautiful all her years – inside and out! I always felt so special when I could be with Marcile. She had a knack for turning every conversation into a way to nurture me into Christ.

Her Majesty is waiting for me in Heaven. This world leader portrayed incredible character through many trials and overwhelming difficulties. After I bow to Jesus, I may bow to Elizabeth. I want to thank her for doing so many things right in a world that was filled with too much wrong. I admire how she consistently gave deliberate attention to Jesus in her annual Christmas broadcasts, along with a nutshell gospel message. You can look those up online. They are great!

Before we sign off, I want to tell you about an exciting resource Alive and Active Life has been working on for you. Easter is coming soon, and so is Prepare For Easter. Lives are busy for most people, and it’s hard to focus your heart. So, we’ve developed a rich devotional focus for Holy Week. Each day features 1. a brief focus meditation, 2. a fun activity, and 3. a teaching point. The content drills into practical provisions Jesus brings to make life meaningful and effective in difficult times.

You’ll be glad you took a few minutes a day to prepare your heart for Easter. And pass the sign up to your friends, family, church, students – anyone! (It’s all free!)  

Visit our website for devotional materials, articles, podcasts, and resources to help grow your faith in God. Pursue noble character and an Alive and Active Life.

I want you to stop and think about a recent crisis moment you’ve had. What happened? A crisis moment is where things change. Your path goes one way – or another. This is the exact moment you decide if you will be a “victim” or “victor!” So, which are you?

To better understand this content, let’s begin with dictionary definitions for victim:

Now, definitions for victor:

Still, the question remains – “victim” or “victor!” Which are you?

Millions of people have wrestled with this juxtaposition through centuries. “Am I a victim, or victor?” There have been plenty of answers – some of them quite pathetic, while others rather brilliant. I find the most credible answer straight from Scripture.

Because God is compassionate and solution-oriented, He wants you to succeed with a “victorious” life. Let’s explore God’s help in this material.

Receiving God’s help starts with your honest evaluation. In your daily details, how do you mark yourself – victim or victor? By this, I mean trusting God for everything –

Those life realities force choices. All people live on a human plain where It’s Your Move. How do you typically make your move? Do you have hope for a good path?

Just as it helps to take a step back and logically engage facts when solving a problem, it helps to take a step back and look at words. Sometimes, even helpful word games give you an “edge” in perspective. Often, little gimmicks can help you remember action steps better.

Here’s an example of a word game with “victim” and “victor.”

The words start identically with “vict,” right? But look at the ending of each word. That’s where the difference shows. And this difference sets a completely different path in front of you. The question is – will “vict” end in  “IM” or “OR” for you? It’s your decision.

Let’s start with “IM.”

Notice that “I” is central in IM. However, when the focus is on “I,” that’s when the trouble begins. Some folks think if you “look inside yourself, identify your process and feelings, take care of you, and express what you think” – you’ll get your answers.

Although I think there’s value in those endeavors (I am a counselor!), I disagree with the focus on self (“I”) as a place for healthy answers.

Keeping “self” in your focus is a sure path to destruction. God wants you to succeed. He says, ” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”  (Jer. 29:11 – a favorite of many Jesus followers.)

God wants you to know you are very important to Him. He also says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jer. 31:3) So, in your crisis moments, God is with you.

BUT –

Focus matters! It’s a main point in a recent article – A Calm Strength. Here’s a quote from it:  

“Self-focus is endless struggle in life . . . While self-focus is an unhealthy life power, God-focus is a continual, bountiful supply that changes everything: you, the other guy, nations, and the world. Instead of taking up self-focus, take up God-focus.“

When you put “I” in the center of things, you do eventually become a VictIM.

You don’t have to be locked into “IM.” Why? Because you can choose to either live for yourself – OR – you can live for God. This shift from self to Him is exactly what makes the difference between “victim” and “victor.” This slight shift of ending letters is simple, yet critical. It changes everything! 

Instead of focus on “I,” shift your focus to “I AM!” Just a tweek of letters and capitalization makes all the difference in the world! No longer do you need to worry about yourself. God will take care of you. Answers come when you – ” . . . cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Pet. 5:7)

God wants His people to get rid of energy-sucking practices of looking inward. He wants you to look to Him.

Consequently, this little word game is yielding some value. God-focus changes things:

. . . TO . . .

Being encouraged and empowered to live a healthy life.

When you put “I AM” (one of God’s names) in the center of things, you become a VictOR.

When you adopt this perspective, BIG THINGS change – a little each day . . . yet – in a big way. You are transformed from victIM into victOR as you focus on God instead of self. Trusting yourself to God – who loves you with everlasting love – means you choose to see crisis moments differently.

Picture by Desiring God

Juxtaposition

We’ve explored that people compare and contrast “victim” or “victor” – often without thinking. Then they apply either healthy or unhealthy (dysfunctional) choices.

But what we haven’t looked at yet is the second definition of juxtaposition. “The state of being close together or side by side.”

Consequently, this definition is a key to flipping from “victim” to “victor.” Simply put – to partner with God by being close to Him side by side in faith is a launch into success. This puts you on the path God intended for your life. It’s why Jesus became your human “connect point” to God. Jesus is the side-by-side that brings you close to God.

Explore how to connect with God in daily situations (even if you’re a seasoned Jesus follower):

I leave you with a Chuck Swindoll quote. “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” So, think about “great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations” in your crisis moments. You can go one way – or the other.

For practical help and strategies in crisis moments, check out It’s Your Move.

For action steps and encouragement to study God’s Word, check out How To Effectively Get Into God’s Word: Even With A Super Busy Life.

Visit our website for devotional materials, articles, podcasts, and resources to help grow your faith in God. Pursue noble character and an Alive and Active Life.

What a weird title for today’s content. But I promise – it’s straight out of Scripture! But what does “looking for donkeys” have to do with God’s timing? Sometimes “looking for donkeys” oddly describes life. But that’s not reason enough to designate a full article to it. So, what is reason enough? I’ll give you a clue. It has a lot to do with God’s timing.

To begin, let’s dive into 1 Sam. 9:1-27. You can read this chapter on your own, but let’s briefly explore its content points:

That gets us started.

God worked out His intricate plan down to the minutes where these three men would meet. Interestingly, God used lost donkeys to connect them. Even though the donkeys had already been found and were safely kept to return to Kish, God was busy doing something else here. “Donkey Hunt” was for His own incredible purposes.

The day before, God had told Samuel about His timing. Here’s how He said it, “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on My people, for their cry has reached Me.” (v. 16) And He used donkeys to get this done. Notice God’s people had been crying out to God – also waiting for His timing.

When Saul and his servant asked where Samuel could be found, the townspeople told them Samuel was headed to a special celebration. So Saul and his servant headed that direction. “When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern My people.” (v. 17)

So, Samuel was relying on God to show him in the appointed moment who Saul is. He didn’t know before hand. Once they were identified, Samuel invited the two men to the celebration and told them the donkeys were fine.

By faith, a special portion of meat had been set aside – ahead of time. Samuel had asked the cook to set it aside until he requested it. At the appointed moment, Samuel asked the cook to bring that special portion to the table. This meat was set aside for the future king – for Saul. Verse 24c says, “. . .it has been kept for you until the appointed time.” (AMP)

God is so invested in human history – and in your life – He keeps certain things until the appointed time. God’s commitment is very assuring, especially in difficult times. Though you do not know the details – trust Him. He’ll come through!

Maybe you feel you aren’t making a difference or having meaningful impact. Just doing things as weird or meaningless as chasing after donkeys. I want to encourage you. If you are doing what God has put before you, remember that God’s timing puts everything strange, odd, senseless, or boring into context.

Since God knows everything before it happens, He threads creative intervention into circumstances. Nothing happens in your life God is not aware of before it comes to you. Some things cause His heart to ache for you because the world is broken from His original design. However, as you trust Him, He’ll always step in to help, guide, protect, and comfort you.

God creatively accomplishes His purposes despite our broken world. Because His plans are creative and surprising, they keep you wondering what He will do next. Nothing can blindside His plans. He says this, “I know the plans I have for you: plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11)

When you realize God has purpose and intimate interest in your life, a level of assurance springs up inside you. Someone really cares about everything that happens to you.

I want to share an idea as well as challenge you with a “self-eval exercise.”

God has impeccable timing. There’s no limit to His knowledge or power, and He loves you. Because He wants you to spend eternity with Him, He did something unthinkable. He commissioned His own Son to change His “personhood.” All that Jesus was/is –

– would remain BUT He would also become a human person like you and me! So, The Word changed His very personhood to become Jesus. That, in itself, is mind-boggling. He truly is incredible!

So, the idea summarized is simply this: since there’s nothing God can’t do, and since He loves you deeply, He has a wealth of protective and tender timing woven into your life – because of what He did through Jesus.

Do you believe God has a wealth of protective and tender timing woven into your life? Do you believe He loves you deeply?

I challenge you to engage in this “self-eval exercise.” In all your daily duties and donkey chasing, live each moment by faith in the awareness that God holds all things together for you, even when you feel you are chasing donkeys. That’s straight out of Col. 1:17 – “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Even for your life.

Now the points of your “self-eval exercise.” Think through what you’ve done so far today – or this week.

I encourage you to jot thoughts in a journal or in your device as you ponder those questions. Your “self-eval exercise” requires being pro-actively involved and honest. Otherwise, you can’t call it “self-eval.”

We can evaluate our own lives. But Scripture makes it clear God evaluates us, as well. Not only is there a “final eval” for every person when Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom. There are daily evals along the way. Those evals, implementing principles of God’s Word, are helpful in growing to be more like Christ.

God doesn’t intend evals to be nerve-wracking final exam experiences. He simply wants you to –

That’s how God evaluates you. Not your performance so much, but rather your heart toward Him. God’s timing is wrapped around adopting God’s principles in daily living.

Since He has kept certain things until the appointed time – you can live in peace. It’s all about God and you doing life together.

Scriptures say God accomplishes His purposes with His zeal. Is. 9:7 is an example. “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” You can know God will accomplish whatever concerns you today.

Visit our website for devotional materials, articles, podcasts, and resources to help grow your faith in God. Pursue noble character and an Alive and Active Life.