NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

Having Heart In A Sometimes Heartless World Day 112 - Week at a glance Scripture focus: And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely (earnestly) seek him. Hebrews 11:6 NLT In summary, this week of devotional's touched on several areas that might hinder our passionate pursuit of purpose. They included: Poorly developed character. Without allowing God's Spirit to instruct us, becoming our "NorthStar" and guiding compass, we're going to get off track. God's goodness. Unless God's goodness becomes an intrinsic value that we trust, we're going to wander around in the desert of our own fantasies. Perfect peace. Perfect peace is acquired by those who trust, not as a by-product of flawless execution of a big dream. Success redefined. We've got to reconsider what a "big win" looks like. According to scripture, it has much more to do with our ability to listen than it does with our capacity to execute a perfect game plan. Sometimes, when we don't know how to measure success, or we get blinded by the bright lights of disappointment, we become dream stealers. We lose our dreams, and we become committed to making sure others join us in our misery. Expect dream refinement. My husband thought his big dreams would include a stint as Superman. I believe he's a super man, but it probably looks far different than he imagined it would when he was a little tyke running around in a cape and tights. Patience with the process. Metamorphosis is hard work. Butterflies don't get those gorgeous strong wings by letting someone else crack open their cocoon! They have to fight for freedom. And so do we. In the process, it'll get messy. Whining will happen. Patience and helping others carry their hope helps. This completes the first one hundred twelve steps of your 365 step journey; I pray you are nearer to God as a result of the steps you've taken this week. Recommended reading: Joshua 22 and 23 in the morning; Psalm 90 in the evening