Life's Greatest Achievement

My little girl is two-and-a-half years old, and she just loves her Daddy so much. I feel so blessed to have two wonderful children.

One day last week I asked my daughter to pick up my slippers by the side of my bed and bring them to me. She didn't understand what slippers were, so I told her that they looked like shoes. She grabbed them and brought them to me.

The next day, after I got home from work, my daugther walked up to me holding my slippers out and said, "Here, Daddy." My heart melted. Literally, I was so touched that my sweet little girl remembered that her Daddy liked to wear his slippers and relax after work. She wanted just to make her Daddy happy, and did so with such a simple gesture.

This morning, as I was sitting at the table after breakfast sending out some recruiting emails for some open management positions in one of the stores in my market, my little girl came down the stairs and walked up to me, saying, "Here, Daddy." Once again, she had my slippers in her hands, proving that this wasn't just a one time thing.

Again, my heart melted, and I asked her, "Did Mommy tell you to bring those to me, or did you do it on your own?"

She said, "Did on my own." Ouch! That's my heart melting at the thoughtfulness and love of this sweet little girl of mine. So pure and innocent, she just wanted to make her Daddy smile, and knew just how to do it. I don't know if I have ever felt more loved.

It's amazing, isn't it? The greatest achievement of my life took no training, no special skills, no work at all really. The greatest thing I have ever achieved is being a Daddy to two wonderful kids, and somehow I think that's exactly the way God had it planned.

Your comments?

Joe

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Fearing God

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing. Psalm 112 [NIV]
  
• O: He who walks with God will be blessed.
  
• A: Love God, and have a healthy fear of Him. Fear Him? Meaning what? To actually be afraid of God? Well, yes and no. To fear God means to respect Him, to have an understanding of His awesome power, and to know that He rules with passion and mercy for those who love Him, and a wrathful judgement upon those who do not. By fearing God, we have a strong desire to do His will -- to please Him. By doing His will and pleasing Him, we bring His blessings upon us. God provides for us all of our needs -- I've seen this personally. We find that we aren't afraid of death or bad news, because as God walks with us, we are wrapped in His protective arms. Nothing the world can do to us is of consequence when we are wrapped in the protective, loving arms of God.
  
• P: Father, Thank You for Your provisions, Your protection, Your everlasting grace. As unworthy as I may be, You never cease.
  

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Joe

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God's Divine Plan

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: They said, "Where is this so-called Father of yours?" Jesus said, "You're looking right at me and you don't see me. How do you expect to see the Father? If you knew me, you would at the same time know the Father." He gave this speech in the Treasury while teaching in the Temple. No one arrested him because his time wasn't yet up. John 8:19-20 [MSG]
  
• O: God has orchestrated and remains in control of events throughout history.
  
• A: Many of us live our lives in fear of death. We live worried that one thing or another might or might not happen. Mostly we worry about bad things: being fired or passed over for promotion, car accidents or house fires, divorce and, as I've said, death. And we waste so much time and energy worrying that we miss out on so many of the wonderful blessings that God wants to bestow upon us. But God has everything in control. All of history is already written. We have but one responsibility in order to reap God's reward: to live well sharing the Message of God's plan with others. Just as the Pharisees could do no harm to Jesus until His time on earth was up, we have no need to fear or worry over the happenings of life, because what comes will come at the appointed time. Live happy, live healthy. Be a beacon unto God, and receive His blessings. When your time is up, then, you will receive the ultimate reward, and all of your meaningless worries along the way will be forgotten.
  
• P: Father, I know that it is not my place to know or understand Your Divine Plan. It is my place only to do Your Will and to please You until my time is up. Help me to do that faithfully, Lord.
  

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Joe

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Calling Out To God

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Oh, thank God—he's so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by God, tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, Then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas. Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live, Half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion. Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God. He got you out in the nick of time.... Some of you were locked in a dark cell, cruelly confined behind bars, Punished for defying God's Word, for turning your back on the High God's counsel— A hard sentence, and your hearts so heavy, and not a soul in sight to help. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time.... Some of you were sick because you'd lived a bad life, your bodies feeling the effects of your sin; You couldn't stand the sight of food, so miserable you thought you'd be better off dead. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time.... Some of you set sail in big ships; you put to sea to do business in faraway ports. Out at sea you saw God in action, saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean: With a word he called up the wind— an ocean storm, towering waves! You shot high in the sky, then the bottom dropped out; your hearts were stuck in your throats. You were spun like a top, you reeled like a drunk, you didn't know which end was up. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time.... If you are really wise, you'll think this over— it's time you appreciated God's deep love. Psalm 107 [MSG]
  
• O: Why do we always wait until times are at their hardest to call out to God for help? And when we do, how great is it of Him to always come to the rescue?
  
• A: Just after 9/11, when thousands of people died and millions of others were affected by the attacks on our nation, there was a massive outcry to God. When disaster strikes -- hurricane, earthquake, tornadoes, floods -- we turn to churches for assistance with cleanup, food, and shelter. Recently I heard a traveler with car problems mention that he was contacting local churches to ask for help with the repairs. When times are tough, we call on God for help. When we suffer great loss, we call on God for comfort. When we are in dire need, we call on God to provide. But when things are going well -- we're prosperous, happy, and successful -- we seem more likely to credit our own hard work than the good grace of God. When we have our fifteen minutes of fame, whom do we credit? When was the last time you saw someone in a crowd caught by a TV camera call out to God? Not likely, but I'll bet you can't count how many times you saw someone wave and mouth "Hi, Mom." I love my mom, and I miss her dearly, and she did a great job of raising me and molding me into the man I am today. But the reason she was so successful in doing so was because she was a Godly woman. She taught me to love, respect, and fear the Lord. She taught me to give thanks in all things. She taught me to call out to God in praise as well as in need. To my mother I owe so much, but to my God who blessed me with such a wonderful mother, then continued to bless me with an awesome wife and two great kids, and gave me the ultimate gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, I owe everything. To Him I call out in worship and praise, "I love You, God! Thank You for Your mercy and grace!"
  
• P: Lord, You've given me so much in life. So much that there's nothing I "need" right now. To You, God, I call out with thankfulness.
  

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Joe

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Excuses or Blessings?

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: What you've been shown here is somewhat like a letter in a sealed envelope. If you give it to someone who can read and tell her, "Read this," she'll say, "I can't. The envelope is sealed." And if you give it to someone who can't read and tell him, "Read this," he'll say, "I can't read." Isaiah 29:11-12 [MSG]
  
• O: Excuses accomplish nothing.
  
• A: It seems that I get this from my own employees regularly. I ask them to do something and their first response is to tell me why they can't. Not to ask for further instruction. Not to ask for assistance. But to say that they just can't do it. And they are more often than not just lame excuses with no basis in reality. People who have received repeated training will try to tell me that they don't know how to do the simplest of tasks. Excuses. Not reasons. We can be like that with God. "I can't tithe because I have bills to pay." "I can't go to church because I have to work on Sunday." "I can't pray in front of a group because they'll laugh at me." All of them excuses, and God knows it. We are only fooling ourselves when we try these lame excuses. And what do we gain? A little extra fun money? A couple extra hours of sleep on Sunday? But at what cost? Since starting to tithe, I have seen God bless the 90% that I don't return to Him. I seem to have more money between paydays than in the past, and there is no earthly logical reason for it (especially with the cost of gasoline driving the price of everything up). Church has changed our lives -- you can see it in my entire family. The excuses cost you more than just doing what is right. And it's the same at work, as I've promoted newer employees because of their productivity while reducing the hours of tenured Associates. The excuses have cost them hours and money, while getting the job done has paid rewards to others.
  
• P: God, You've taught me a lesson that works both spiritually and professionally. By putting an end to the excuses and returning to You that which You have given me, I have been blessed. And by putting those same principles in place at work, I have seen Your blessings there, as well.
  

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Joe

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God Provides Our Needs

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me? Hebrews 13:5-6 [MSG]
  
• O: God will provide.
  
• A: It seems that there is always something I need. Scratch that -- something that I want. In fact, I can see it in my whole family. There are several books I want. My wife wants new furniture for our formal living room. My son wants just about everything he sees. And it sure would be nice to have a newer car (but without the car payment, of course). But we don't really need all of those things (my wife would argue that we do need new furniture for the living room). Everything we need, God has provided. Food, clothing, shelter, transportation, friends and loved ones, etc. Even after doubling our house payment and taking on the practice of tithing ten percent of our income, God still gives us more than we need. Sometimes, I think we just don't see the difference between want and need.
  
• P: Lord, Thank You for your constant provisions. Help us, Father, to see the difference between want and need, and to remain thankful and obedient.
  

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Joe

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God's Provisions

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Genesis 1:31; 1 Timothy 6:17
  
• O: God created heaven and earth from nothing. Out of the void of space, He thought the world into being. He filled it with forestation and livestock -- fish and animals of all kind. Then He created man to watch over, protect, and enjoy His creation. Then He created woman so that man would not be alone. And, in God's eyes, it was good.
  
• A: As a child growing up, I was a generally happy kid. Looking back, I remember that mom and dad frequently sacrificed so that we (their four kids) might have all that we needed and most of what we wanted. In fact, I've always told people that I had a good childhood, that mom and dad gave me everything I needed and wanted without spoiling me. Funny thing is, when I think about it, I didn't have all of the things that kids today expect and frequently take for granted. The Atari 2600 came into popularity during my childhood. The first home television game system, really, it was groundbreaking technology. Soon followed by Intellivision and Colecovision, they were the must have games of my childhood. But I never had one. A friend of mine had one, but not my family. Mopeds became prominent during my teen years, and the legal driving age was 14. Again, a friend had one, but no one in my family. In fact, we never even had cable television during my childhood. Growing up about halfway between Hamilton and Cincinnati, we pulled in twelve different stations using an over-the-air antenna. I've learned in adult life that most cities don't have access to such a large array of free television. The point to all of this is that I always remember childhood as a happy time, and having everything I wanted and needed. But I clearly didn't have all of the latest gadgets and toys. I had family, I had friends, and I had God. As a family, we did things together. We played games, and went camping and on other vacations together. We went to church regularly. We went to drive-in movies together (anybody remember those?). The bottom line is, I had a good childhood because my family taught me to enjoy and appreciate the things that God had provided. Creation, friends, family. Things that man cannot create and that you cannot find on the store shelves. Later in life, as an adult, I've enjoyed many of the tech gadgets created by man, but I'm still far from a materialistic person. Above all else, I still enjoy the gifts of God above all else. The view from here is good.
  
• P: Lord, Thank You for providing for myself and my family; for meeting all of our needs, and even satisfying some of our desired. Thank You for giving us your wonderful creation and for teaching me to enjoy and appreciate it. And most of all, Lord, Thank You for blessing me with a childhood in a family where family was indeed more important than the latest, greatest big thing.
  

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The Greatest Good

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Genesis 3:1-7, Luke 24:28-35, John 19
  
• O: Life can be filled with eye-opening events.
  
• A: It can be too easy, at times, to doubt the goodness of God. How many times have you prayed to ask for God's help or guidance with something and didn't ever hear the answer? How many times have you found yourself in situations in life that were quite trying? Times when you felt that maybe you just couldn't go on, and you asked God for strength, and you didn't feel that He was hearing you? It is said that God answers prayer in three ways: yes, no, and wait. It can be very easy, at times like these, to feel that maybe God isn't as good as they say He is. God reveals Himself to us in ways of His own choosing, not necessarily the ways we might want Him to. He revealed Himself to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they might have least wanted to hear from Him: after eating of the fruit from the forbidden tree. He revealed Himself to His disciples when they expected it so little that they didn't even recognize Him: on the road after his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Have you ever considered that maybe the only answers you've heard are the yes answers because that's the only answers you want to hear? God reveals Himself to us in His own ways and in His own time. Such as he did on the cross in the form of His son, Jesus Christ. Which is the barometer by which we must measure God's goodness. Not how He answers this prayer or that. Not what is happening in your life today. But the fact that God loved you so much that He died on the cross for your sins. That, my friend, is the Greatest Good.
  
• P: Lord, help me to use my time with You in prayer not to ask for help in areas where I'm struggling, but to ask that You use your divine influence with elected leaders who are making the decisions that may change our lives on earth forever, and to to use Your divine influence with us as we go to the polls to choose who those next elected leaders will be. Help me use my time in prayer to ask that You shower others with blessings. Not that You help me to make ends meet, or land the next big promotion, etc. For I will receive Your blessings through seeing them come showering down on others.
  

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