Give Us This Day

Sunday, April 21, 2013 Posted by Joline

I'm a planner. A dreamer. An engineer. I have goals I'd like to see accomplished this month. And by the end of the year. I have them broken up into smaller steps so that I can truly experience progress towards reaching them.

Sounds as if God isn't involved in my plans, eh?

Actually, quite the opposite.

During the last week of December every year, I take some quiet time - even skipping church on a Sunday morning (gasp!) so I can be home alone to look back and look forward. It is during the quiet of a Sunday morning at the end of a year that I ask some pretty big questions.

I ask God what he would like to see change in my life for the upcoming year.

This year, I felt called to be more diligent in tithing from my home business earnings. 10% every Thursday. That was the "big picture" goal.

However, in order for that to happen I had to ask God EACH DAY to lead my household financial decisions and my business interactions. Doing so has been a daily choice - to listen, and submit to His wisdom and hand over my finances. I had to choose to go without, so I could pay down debt, in order to allow for more surplus - surplus to give away.

Perhaps my "give us this day our daily bread" (which for me was the ability to GIVE to others), has resulted in becoming the answer to someone else who has also been praying "give us this day our daily bread" (which for them could mean something as simple as . . . well . . . bread.)

See how God does that?

Pray that I would continue to be obedient to what he has called me to do. To ask Him daily how I should live, so that I can share from what He has given me, to help those who are also praying daily that their needs, however basic, be met as well.

The Lord's Prayer. Still alive. Still relevant. Daily.