The Daily | Cypress Meadows Community Church

The Daily

Daily devotions and thoughts from Cypress Meadows

The Daily is a devotional sent out via text each morning. The Daily devotions are written by folks at Cypress Meadows, including Tribe members, elders and our Lead Pastor. There is a different theme each week and each devotional includes a prayer, a scripture verse, a brief reading from well-known authors, and a daily reflection.

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Stop and reflect. When have you been gentle this day? This week? Recently? Jot down your responses. Consider the situations in which you could have been gentle. Jot down your responses. What are 1 or 2 things you can do to demonstrate gentleness?

For example: Perhaps you want to be conscious of your feelings, or use the space between the incident and your response to make a thoughtful, gentle choice, or allow yourself to care, or take your focus deeper. Jot your next steps on a stickie note and post it where you will see it throughout the day. May your gentleness be evident to all.

Having two little ones I’m often reminded that how we say something is just as important as what we say. I’ve been guilty of saying something harmless in a way that could harm relationships; and I’ve uttered really difficult words with love, grace, and gentleness. While I feel I don’t know many things for certain, I do know that I want to lead a life full of beautiful, messy, joy and tear filled relationships. I know I won’t always get it right, but I want conversations with messages (both positive and difficult), covered in love and gentleness. I want to build others up through gentleness, and be a gentle landing spot when difficult things are spoken in love.

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 1-7

I feel like there’s a common misconception out there, something to the effect of “if God is with me in this, then why can this journey be so grueling?”. But the truth is, God never said it would be easy. In fact, one might argue that living a life for others, as opposed to living a self-involved, indulgent existence can often feel like an impossible task wrought with barriers and challenges and missteps. “Easy” was never part of the deal. That He’d never leave or forsake you, yes. That His grace is sufficient, yes. That this sometimes messy and imperfect and heartbreaking journey would be worthwhile, absolutely and resoundingly yes!

If you’re in the middle of a mess, or feel like a new challenge presents every time you put one foot in front of the other, take heart. It doesn’t mean that you are doing it all wrong. Be strong in your faithfulness, walking with God even when you can’t see the next step. Feel all the joys and pains; highs and lows; beauty and heartbreak; and know that you are not alone.

When I think about the moments when I wish I’d acted or reacted differently, I’m almost always flooded with a scenario when I spoke too quickly, reacted immediately, or answered mindlessly. Often times I was feeling busy or rushed in the middle of a flurry of activity where I felt pressed for a response or comment. I usually think back and wished I had slowed down to actually consider my response, think through my answer and its impact, and matched my tone to the situation.

When we react without thinking, words can serve as armor or weapons, even if unintentional. When we think first, give thought to our responses, allow time for processing, and build in the practice of prayer, we are building the “muscles” of self-control.

Self-control is multi-faceted, like many disciplines in life. I have realized that there are areas in my life that I have incredible self-control…avoiding caffeine, limiting alcohol consumption, keeping a regular sleeping schedule. However, my successes in those areas don’t give me a pass in areas that are more challenging. Healthy eating is a challenge for me, avoiding sugars, using my time wisely instead of numbing myself with social media or mindless TV. The scriptures and the quotes remind me (again) that my decisions are my choice. God has given me and you the power to choose…and to choose wisely. Let’s get started one decision at a time with the power, love and self-discipline from God. The true beauty of self-discipline is that God is WITH as we move through the challenge.

When I think of self-control, it usually relates to controlling my anger. I prayed for many years that God would help me control my anger. Unfortunately, we feel what we feel and what we feel is almost always related to what we believe. It wasn’t until the Lord revealed the truth about my self-worth in Him that I finally resolved 90% of my anger issues. Oh, I still get angry at time, but not because of what people say about who I am. As Jesus tells us in John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Suffering is part of life. It may come in various degrees of severity from sadness or disappointment to heartbreaking tragedy. I have learned that God uses suffering to teach us things that are not learned in books. I have witnessed suffering that seems incomprehensible, yet those suffering have found heavenly resilience. God has restored them…the suffering is part of who they are but there is steadfastness and strength in those who have suffered. May Gods walk with you.

Lord, lift our eyes to you, from whom our help comes. We ask that you walk with us through the dark and lonely valleys. Fill us with your love, strength and steadfastness. Let us see and feel your presence. Amen

“The problem is that contemporary people think life is all about finding happiness. We decide what conditions will make us happy and then we work to bring those conditions about. To live for happiness means that you are trying to get something out of life. But when suffering comes along, it takes the conditions for happiness away, and so suffering destroys all your reason to keep living. But to “live for meaning” means not that you try to get something out of life but rather that life expects something from us. In other words, you have meaning only when there is something in life more important than your own personal freedom and happiness, something for which you are glad to sacrifice your happiness.” ― Timothy Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering

I once started asking a question to a circle of my friends and family. The question was this, “when have you felt the most loved?” Surprising to me at the time, almost every answer came out of a time when they were knee deep in pain, suffering, or loss, and someone showed up in a way that made them feel enveloped in love. It wasn’t always a grand gesture. In fact, most of the time it was the simplest act of kindness or just sitting with them in the mess of it all.

“When you’ve passed through your own firey trials, and found God to be true to what he says, you have real help to offer. You have firsthand experience of both his sustaining grace and his purposeful design. He has kept you through the pain; he has reshaped you more into his image…What you are experiencing from God, you can give away in increasing measure to others. You are learning both the tenderness and the clarity necessary to help sanctify another person’s deepest distress.” -David Powlison

I will seek wisdom. I will listen to the counsel of wise men. The words of a wise man are like rain- drops on dry ground. They are precious and quickly used for immediate results. Only the blade of grass that catches a raindrop will prosper and grow. The person who ignores wise counsel is like the blade of grass untouched by the rain—soon to wither and die. When I counsel with myself, I can only make decisions according to what I already know. By counseling with a wise man, I add his knowledge and experience to my own and dramatically increase my success. I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant to others. A wise man will cultivate a servant’s spirit, for that particular attribute attracts people like no other. As I humbly serve others, their wisdom will be freely shared with me. - Mastering the 7 Decisions, by Andy Andrews

Paul reaches back into his Hebrew past to find the Biblical definition of wisdom. He draws on the book of Proverbs. He knows that Biblical wisdom is about my relationship with God, not my management of the world. Wisdom is God’s gift. It is not something that I find through training or education. Why? Because Biblical wisdom is about behavior that is pleasing to God. It is about reverence for God and His creation. It is about knowing and doing what God has in mind. It’s following God’s agenda for my life.

That makes it pretty obvious that you can only get this kind of wisdom from God Himself. You can’t take a course at school called “God’s agenda for you”. You won’t be able to pick up a self-help book titled “Your life plan” written by God. You need God to reveal this direction and information. And God says He will tell you in exactly the proportion that you are willing to obey what He reveals. This isn’t an eight-week course about discovering your destiny. Never be fooled into thinking that you can plan your spiritual path by Greek means. It’s not education, enlightenment or analysis. It’s obedience! - Dr Skip Moen

“I can know things down at this level that I can’t on the chaotic surface. Down here, when I pose a question about my life—in words or abstract images—I sense a nudge. The nudge guides me toward the next precise thing, and then, when I silently acknowledge the nudge—it fills me. The knowing feels like warm liquid gold filling my veins and solidifying just enough to make me feel steady, certain. What I learned (even though I am afraid to say it) is that God lives in this deepness inside me. When I recognize God’s presence and guidance, God celebrates by flooding me with warm liquid gold.” Glennon Doyle

“I have learned that if I want to rise, I have to sink first. I have to search for and depend upon the voice of inner wisdom instead of voices of outer approval.” Glennon Doyle

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