“The first day, God knows. The second day, you know. By the third day, everybody knows.” I would cringe nearly every time my mom shared this with me—which was often—because I knew she was right. And few of us like to readily admit that “mama knows best!” Yet, the older we get, the more we realize that she actually did know best!
Neglecting to spend time in Bible study, prayer, heavenward meditation, or a combination of any or all of these doesn’t go unnoticed. Now be careful, because it’s not about placing a check mark on your “I’m a good Christian because I do these things” list. [“It” being “devotions,” “personal Bible study,” “God-and-I time,” etc.] It’s a choice to talk to and learn from the Creator of the universe who willingly sent His only Son to die in my stead (because of my sin, present since birth, that causes me to fall short of God’s glory) because of an unconditional love that never fails. (Can I get a hallelujah on that sentence alone? Wow!)
It’s more like having the privilege to place a check mark on your “Because of all He’s done, I want to do this (‘this’ being equivalent to the “it” above) so that I can be a better Christian—be more like Christ!”
So I daily choose to place an allotted time on my calendar for “God-and-I time” (GAIT). I call it that because I view it as an appointment I need to keep, a meeting I need to attend, and a commitment I need to honor. You are probably much better than I am about “just doing it,” but I find that if I don’t literally schedule it into my day, I neglect that time because I allow other things to so easily crowd their way into my schedule, usually because the evil ick tells me those things matter more (as if!).
How much time? That varies. I would encourage you not to set a specific time range [i.e., 30 minutes or 60 minutes]. Just listen as you read, reply in prayer, and let each day’s lesson guide you through and strengthen you for that day’s journey. It’s an appointment worth keeping!
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“Prime”-ing the Pump for Christmas
[Note: several of the Christmas suggestions will contain “affiliate links,” meaning that, at no extra cost to you, I will receive a small commission from the company whose information I am sharing with you. ALL affiliate income (100%) earned in the months of November and December will be donated to Soles for Jesus, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit that distributes shoes to those in regions where shoes are not readily available and yet are a vital part of the region’s health and well-being.]
I’m kicking off my Christmas shopping ideas with what I think might be the most important one of all: Amazon Prime. Here are five reasons why I think it’s worth every penny—including how you can enroll in the program (for a brief time) absolutely free!
1. It’s a one-time payment for all your shipping charges from Amazon for one full year! When you purchase on Amazon, your shipping choice will default to your Free Amazon Prime method, which is two-day shipping! (No it’s not free after the first 30 days, you pay a yearly fee, but if you order much from Amazon at all, it doesn’t take long to start getting it free!)
2. Amazon Prime also earns you free books to download for Kindle, Kindle for PC, or Kindle for Mac.
3. Amazon Prime also gives you the opportunity to watch TV shows and movies at little to no cost!
4. Amazon Prime allows you to use “one-click” shopping, saving you hours of time over the course of a year.
5. Amazon Prime is perfect for Christmas shopping because you can click “this is a gift,” and Amazon will include a gift note for the recipient—and send it for free!
But here’s the best part of all, you get a 30-day FREE TRIAL! So now is the PERFECT time to enroll. If you love it and realize how much you save, enroll in the program and pay the annual fee; if not, just cancel (and they, unlike many companies, make it easy to cancel).
You’ll thank me. 🙂
Click here to get your free trial of Amazon Prime and/or enroll in the program!
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Be sure to stop by the Health Updates page for the latest news on Dad’s end-stage Parkinsons and Mom’s eye conditions.