25¢

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
- Galatians 6:10 (NIV)
 
Last November, the U.S. Mint stopped producing pennies. It was costing 3.69¢ to make a coin worth just 1¢!  
Pennies are still legal tender, but cash transactions may now be rounded to the nearest nickel when exact change isn't available. There's your little currency lesson for today. Now, here's why I brought it up:
Last week, we stopped at a convenience store for fuel and a soda. The soda was $2.29, so I handed the cashier three dollars. With the rounding, I expected 70¢ back. He handed me some quarters, and off we went. When I looked down, I realized he'd given me four quarters. Now, I'm the first to admit that I don't do math, but even I knew that was too much change!
I turned around, went back inside, and handed him one of the quarters. He seemed genuinely surprised that I'd come back to return it, it was only 25¢. But it wasn't mine.
Paul reminds us to do good whenever we have the opportunity. Sometimes those opportunities are big, life-changing moments. Other times, they're as small as a quarter.
Doing the right thing isn't about how much it costs. It's about who we are when we have the choice.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible 

take heart

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
- John 16:33 (NIV)
 
Some days, I wonder what in the world is happening to our world. Turn on the television, scroll through social media, or read the headlines, and there's no shortage of things to worry about. Conflict, anger, division, uncertainty. Sometimes it feels like the bad news just keeps coming.
It's enough to make anyone weary. But Jesus gives us a beautiful reminder: Take heart!
Notice He doesn't say life will be easy. In fact, He tells us quite plainly that we WILL have trouble. That's not exactly the comforting part of the verse, is it? The comfort comes in what He says next.
“I have overcome the world.”
We may not be able to change everything happening around us, but we can choose where we place our hope. Not in politicians, headlines, or circumstances, but in the One who has already overcome it all.
The world may be uncertain, but God isn't.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

I will

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
- Ezekiel 36:27 (NKJV)
 
Two little words caught my attention when a friend sent me this verse last week – “I will”.
Not I might. Not I'll think about it. Not even I'll try. I will.
How often do we make promises with the best intentions, only to find that life gets in the way? We forget, we get distracted, or circumstances change.
But when God says, "I will," He means it. And what a beautiful promise this is! God doesn't just give us a list of rules and expect us to figure everything out on our own. He promises to put His Spirit within us, guiding us, strengthening us, and helping us walk in His ways.
We won't always get everything right. We'll stumble, make mistakes, and occasionally head in the wrong direction. But we don't have to walk this journey alone.
God's Spirit is within us, and His faithfulness doesn't depend on our ability to be perfect.
He said, "I will." And that's a promise we can trust.
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible

from my driveway

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
- Genesis 9:13 (NIV)
 
Last Thursday brought storms through our area. Afterward, pictures started popping up from people who had seen beautiful rainbows—some captured the entire arc, and some even saw double rainbows.
I walked outside and looked up.
From my driveway, I couldn't see the whole thing. Just one incredibly vibrant piece stretching through the clouds.
But what a piece it was.
After the flood, God placed the rainbow in the sky as a sign of His covenant. A rainbow doesn't create God's promise. It's a reminder of one He already made.
And maybe that's why I love the view I got.
Someone else could see the whole rainbow. Someone else got two. I only saw a piece—but their view didn't make mine any less beautiful.
Sometimes we do the same thing with God's goodness. We look at someone else's life and see what appears to be the whole rainbow while we're standing in our own driveway holding one little piece.
But God's faithfulness isn't determined by how much of it I can see.
A rainbow requires both light and rain. I'd certainly prefer the sunshine without the storm, but together they create something neither one can produce alone.
The rainbow isn't a promise that there will never be another storm. It's a reminder that God will still be God when the storm is over.
I may not always understand the rain. I may only see a piece of what God is doing.
But I can trust the One who made the promise.
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible

sunlight

For we live by faith, not by sight.
- 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
 
Last week Randy and I had some errands to run, so we went out to accomplish all the things. On our way home, I looked toward the western sky and saw a sunset unlike anything I had ever seen.
The sun itself was hidden behind a bank of dark clouds, but above them was a perfect column of golden light reaching into the sky.
Of course, I had to take a picture.
Looking at it later, something struck me: you can’t actually see the sun in the photograph.
But there is absolutely no question that it’s there.
Its light is spilling around the clouds. Their edges are glowing. The entire sky is evidence of something hidden from view.
Faith can feel like that sometimes.
There are times when I can clearly see God working—prayers are answered, doors open, and His presence seems unmistakable. Then there are seasons when I can’t see what He is doing at all.
But not seeing God at work isn’t the same as God not working.
Paul reminds us that we live by faith, not by sight. I don’t have to understand everything God is doing to trust that He is still there.
I couldn’t see the sun that evening.
But I could see its light.
Sometimes the glow around the clouds is enough to remind us that the Son is still there.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

unauthorized

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever
- Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)
 
Cats do not approve of change.
In my latest attempt to downsize, I sold the unused cat exercise wheel—which is basically an enormous hamster wheel—and replaced our six-foot, multi-tiered cat tree with a smaller five-foot version.
Boots is not impressed. The top platform of the old tree was his throne. From there he could survey his kingdom and keep an eye on everything happening below. Since the new tree arrived, he hasn’t been near it. Neither have the other cats, unless a human puts them there. And even then, they don’t stay long.
Apparently, nobody approved this renovation. I laugh at them, but I wonder how often God watches me react to change much the same way. We like what’s familiar. We know where everything is, how everything works and where our favorite perch is. Then something changes, and suddenly we’re standing at a distance thinking, I don’t like this.
Life changes constantly. Some changes we choose. Others happen without our permission, and some take much longer to accept than others.
But Hebrews gives us something steady to hold onto: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Our surroundings may change. Our routines may change. People and circumstances may change. We may even find ourselves looking for a new place to perch.
But the One we trust hasn’t changed at all.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

masks

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
 
October is here, and everywhere you look there are pumpkins, skeletons and spiderwebs. Parents are planning costumes, churches and organizations are getting ready for trunk-or-treat events, and before long hordes of little superheroes, princesses, dinosaurs and who-knows-what-else will be holding out buckets asking for candy.
Wearing a costume for an evening can be fun.
But sometimes I wonder how many costumes we wear when it isn’t Halloween. “I’m fine.” “I’ve got it handled.” “Nothing bothers me.” “My faith is strong.”
We can become pretty good at showing people the version of ourselves we want them to see. And there’s nothing wrong with privacy—we don’t owe everyone our entire story. But there’s a difference between privacy and pretending.
Samuel was looking at outward appearances when God reminded him that He sees something different. He looks at the heart. That means there is one place we never need a costume. With God, we don’t have to pretend we aren’t hurting, questioning, struggling, angry or afraid. He already knows what’s underneath the mask. And He isn’t waiting for some polished version of us to show up.
He wants us.
Costumes are fun for October. But when you come before God, leave the mask at the door.
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible