Hold On To Hope

 

We have thought of Your steadfast love.  O God, in the midst of Your temple.  Psalm 48:9

There are times that I certainly feel overwhelmed with trying to balance my life-responsibilities at home and at work, obligations with family and friends, and as a result it’s easy to feel down.  I question if I am being the husband and father that my family needs me to be.  Am I a good son to my father? What about my sister? Am I the brother she needs me to be? Am I being a good neighbor?  How is my performance at work?  Am I going ‘above and beyond’ to serve as God would have me serve?  Before I get too far down, I have found that it always seems to help to recall all of the good things that God has done, is doing, and is going to do in my life.

When we ponder the doings of God and the works of His hands, it  is hard to stay down for long.  The enemy will always come against us to make us feel depressed or discouraged, but we must choose to remember the times where God has blessed us and delivered us in the past.

When we focus on His good works, hope will rise in our hearts and our troubles won’t seem too big!  Praise His holy name!

Tomorrow's Dust

 

I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and He is the judge.  John 8:50

It was SIXTEEN years ago this very day that I made an attempt to write and posted the first Daily DEVO on this “God’s Will; Fisher of men" Blogger site. It has truly been a joy and labor of love, both personally and spiritually, and I would like to say a very grateful and humbled “THANK YOU” to all of the folks who take time out of their day to read the Daily DEVO.

I hope that along the way, the DEVOtionals have been what you needed to read, at a time that you needed to read them.  After all, I try to write about something that is relevant to people in their walk of faith; things that we struggle with as spouses, as parents, as friends, as siblings, as neighbors, as co-workers, etc.

There are so many blogs out there, each one different in many aspects and many are focused solely on the glorifying the individual author/writer.  I have prayerfully sought God’s will and have attempted to apply His word with my personal life experiences to ultimately glorify Him and not seek glory for myself.

I am convinced that God puts certain people in your life for a reason.  Just like each of His many provisions-He always gives us what we need, just when we need it.  The same holds true for His living and breathing Word; when we seek Him though scripture, He speaks to us and gives us His infinite and Holy wisdom.  When I had my ‘calling’ into the ministry, I would have never imagined in a million years that it would begin in the blogging world, by writing a daily devotional.

It’s inspiring to know that the Daily DEVO has been viewed over 780k times (WOW!!) over the past sixteen years, and I hope that God will continue to use this Blog to reach even more people in the days, weeks, months, and years to follow.

Again, I thank you for reading the Daily DEVO and I hope you have a blessed day!! 

Much Love and Peace,

-Will

Sunrise

 

 

His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning.  Lamentations 3:22-23

I truly enjoy watching the sun rise in the mornings.  The sunrises are exceptionally beautiful here in East Tennessee and this time of the year, I run outside in the mornings, just to enjoy God's beauty before the rigors of life begin...

With every sunrise that I witness, I am reminded that God is the One who meets our needs each and every day.  His supply is never-ending and He always gives us precisely what we need at precisely the time that we need it.  He never gives us stale leftovers; instead we are each given something that’s new and alive.

It’s hard to begin each day without being reminded of His mercy, forgiveness, compassion and love.  On any given morning, the dark night’s sky is pierced by the red and purple rays of the morning sun and the peaceful sounds of living creatures stirring to begin their day.

Regardless of what happened to us the day before, God greets us with open arms so that we can start fresh every morning.

What Are Words For?

 

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.  But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  Galatians 6:8

Just like a loaded gun, the hurtful words we say to another person can have a lasting effect on someone else's life.  Too often, the words come quickly before we have had a chance to think them through and once they have left our mouths, the damage has already been done.  Similarly, the encouraging words we share with another person just may lead someone into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In both cases, words have consequences.  Sin always leads to negative and deadly consequences, while faithfulness to God always leads to positive consequences and life.

We must focus on doing things that have positive consequences; starting with the words we choose. Let us build others up rather than tearing people down.

Ant Music

 

But like a boxer I buffet my body (handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships) and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit (not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit.)  1 Corinthians 9:27

The above verse from Corinthians has always perplexed me, but Paul is referring to self-control, self-denial, controlling urges and subduing our sinful flesh lives.  Unfortunately, many people, myself included have the wrong idea about life-it’s not always supposed to be easy.

Proverbs 6:6-8 talks about the ant, “which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her supplies in the harvest.”   We need to be more like the ant, who is self-motivated, self-disciplined and self-controlled.

We must do right because it is right, not because someone is always watching us or making us do it.  

Miracles

 

The joy of the Lord is your strength!  Nehemiah 8:10

 

Sixteen years ago today (do we really have another teenager driving now?!?), Alicia and I welcomed our second and youngest son, Elijah Foy Fisher, into this world.  He was born without any complications and seemed to be doing just fine those very first hours of his life. Of course, he arrived in the middle of the night and after all was said and done, Alicia and I were simply too exhausted to notice anything out of the ordinary.  Less than 48 hours later, we found ourselves in the NICU at Children’s Hospital as Elijah was having small contractions that the doctors eventually diagnosed as seizures.  After multiple tests, exams, prayers, and tears, Elijah was discharged from Children’s Hospital three days later and we were never more happy to be in the confines of our own home.

During those days of uncertainty and fear, I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace and joy that couldn't have come from anywhere or anyone else but our loving Father.  You see, joy springs from God’s love, which is not dependent on our circumstances or our performance, good deeds, etc.

The more we seek Him, the more we find Him.  The more we find Him, the more we know and love Him, and the greater our joy will  be.

We will only find perfect peace and everlasting joy in heaven, but we can experience joy now by walking with God.

Money

 

Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hopes on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.  1 Timothy 6:17

To say that we are living in uncertain times is a mild understatement.  I am very blessed to be working for a wonderful company during the these tough economic times, but I am still witnessing the effects of a dismal economy, first hand.   If you have watched the news any length of time over the past few months, our nation’s economy is showing small signs of improvement, but we still have a problem in this country...we are addicted to spending; especially when it comes to borrowed money.

Keep in mind, that the average working American is considered among the most wealthy in the world when compared with the population in every other country.  Still, we want more, spend excessively, and depend on what is in our bank accounts for security rather than trusting on God’s daily provisions.  I have learned a difficult lesson lately in depending on God’s provision and I am learning each day on how to set my hopes in Him and less on the money I work to earn.

Looking back into the Old Testament, God provided manna, a cake-like food that appeared on the morning dew, to the Israelites who were wondering around in the wilderness after fleeing Egypt.  The manna provided nourishment and there was just enough for each Israelite to eat.  The problem was when they tried to gather more manna than they could eat and store it for later, the hot sun melted the manna and it rotted.  This illustration from the book of Exodus just may be the key for our understanding of how God truly provides for each of us on a daily basis.

God will always be with us and He will always provide just what we need; it just may not be what we want.  Thanks be to God for His daily provisions!!!