Thank You, Father, for giving me the abilities to have a productive day – vacuuming vehicles, researching a couple of things for our home, and getting through the sermon for a first draft. I couldn’t do it with that much efficiency without You!

Acts 18:18-23 (<<click here to read the passage)

I have wonderful memories of my maternal grandma, Ireta Velma Provance. If you look up the word “saint” in the dictionary, you’ll find her picture there (just kidding!) But she was a saint! In everything she did, she lived out her faith. I think that anyone that knew her would say the same thing. She surely walked her talk, as they say. She wasn’t perfect, but she came as close to it as anyone I have ever known!

Today’s passage made me think of her when I read verse 21,

As he left, however, he said, “I will come back later, God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. NLT

The two-word phrase that caught my attention was “God willing”. My grandma in parting would always tag on the phrase, “Lord, willing.” I’ve caught myself frequently saying it as well. I’ll say it as I’m leaving friends after church, and I’ll often at least think it in many other settings.

This whole frame of mind leads me to a passage from James 4:13-15,

Come now [and pay attention to this], you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and carry on our business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air]. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and we will do this or that.” AMP

Lord willing. None of us knows how much time we have. We may live for years to come, or we may meet our maker before this night is over. Yes, we must plan for tomorrow, but we must hold onto those plans lightly for as James says, “What is secure in our lives? We are merely a vapor – like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot…

Lord Jesus, may we keep You in mind at all times – today or making plans for tomorrow.

Lord willing, I’ll post again tomorrow.

June 21st, 2022, Tues, 7:27 pm