Prayer
– Jesus,
You taught in Mark 13:33, “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know
when the appointed time will come.” May we be respectful to You and obedient to
our Heavenly Father by always being ready for Your return. Please continue to
guide, heal and protect us as we seek to serve You. Please touch the hearts and
lives of those in Portugal…and here in the Tri-Cities…with Your love, wisdom
and understanding. Help us to do exactly as the Father has commanded.
And
now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may
believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is
coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the
Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from
here. John 14:29-31
Meditate.
Consider your punctuality.
Jesus was obedient. He did exactly as
His Father told Him. He knew that Satan, ruler of the world, was on his way to
condemn Him to death on a cross. So, Jesus told His disciples to get up and get
going. 
February 29 - We get an extra day!
Can you be on time...punctual today?
Let’s get on with it…no point in dragging your feet or complaining. It’s
going to happen, so let’s go. He did what the Father expected Him to do. No
more talking—no more teaching. Just go. When you know you have something
unpleasant ahead of you do you just get going…or do you drag your feet, find
excuses to do something else, or are you late to arrive where you should be?
Being on time is respectful. I’ve really been convicted of that the last couple
of years. I wouldn’t think of being late to a doctor’s appointment or to a
scheduled airline flight…but other meetings or events, what difference does a
few minutes late matter? Actually, it matters a lot. You miss an exchange of
information if you aren’t there at the beginning of a gathering. You can’t just
catch up. It is disrespectful to everyone there. Is my time more valuable than
theirs? Think about it. Jesus wasn’t late to His arrest in the Garden of
Gethsemane or to His appointment at the cross.
Punctuality is different to
different people, even within different cultures. When we were in Portugal a
few years ago, I found that some people there were a little lax at punctuality,
but still within that same culture my husband’s physical therapist, after his hip
replacement, was very punctual. She took pride in being
precisely on time. She was also athletic, playing volleyball, and coaching soccer
for teenagers. I think that she expected punctuality for other players, too.
That is a good thing—showing respect for others…and for herself. Do you show
respect to God and others by being punctual? Jesus is challenging us today
to look at how we respect ourselves, others, and Him by being punctual. How
will you respond to Him today? Being punctual is a matter of choice…just
like so many other things in life—we choose. Choose to be punctual—to respect
yourself and others by being early. I’ve heard it said that to be on time is to
be late—so always be early to appointments, meetings, and even to work. Set a
goal for yourself to be early…not just on time.
Verse
of Salvation ~ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are
kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time. 1
Peter 1:3-5 NKJV
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless
otherwise noted.
New King James Version ©
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Harper
Collins Publisher. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
New Living Translation (NLT) copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by
Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character
Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories
No comments:
Post a Comment