Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Attitude”
Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” Psalm 32:2 (KJV)
Our thought for today: “Let your words be without guile.”
“Guile” is a word we don’t hear much anymore. It refers to someone who is cunning in their behavior, clever in how they explain things, and maybe just a little underhanded and misleading. Such a person is said to be guileful.
The other day I was riding in the car with my wife and I mentioned to her that I was still thinking and praying about what the theme for the daily devotional messages for February should be, but that I hadn’t received any clear guidance from the Lord about it yet. Without hesitation she immediately said, “I think you should continue the theme of “attitude” for another month. It’s been very helpful.”
That statement surprised me coming from her because Linda has a great attitude. Of all the people I know, she has a better attitude, and does a better job of maintaining it, than pretty much anyone else. Despite her multiple physical disabilities she is usually always upbeat and happy. She buzzes around with her little black walker on wheels, complete with Harley Davidson stickers, looking a lot like the Energizer Bunny. She pushes herself to do as much as she can, she laughs easily and often, and she doesn’t let much bother her.
I honestly didn’t think her attitude needed much adjusting. So then my suspicious nature kicked in and I began wondering if, in her sweet and understated way, maybe she was suggesting that my attitude was the one that could use another month of tweaking. But that would be contrary to her nature. She’s not that devious. I’m pretty sure she is without that kind of guile. But still, I wondered if perhaps this is really about my attitude not hers. Then the Holy Spirit started ganging up on me and I’m sure I heard Him say, “Hey pal, if the shoe fits, wear it!”
So now I don’t know what to think. At this point I don’t know if it’s her, you, me, or all of us who need another month of attitude adjustments, but evidently somebody does! So we’ll continue our theme of “attitude” for a while longer.
(Actually, it will be another three weeks (23 days), because on the 24th of February I will leave the USA to take a small medical and dental mission team to the restricted region of the Amazon Rainforest. We’ll be pretty much out of touch with the outside world for much of those two weeks and therefore there won’t be any daily devotionals from the 24th until Monday March 13th. I’ll ask you to hang onto the last one I send and use it as a daily prayer reminder so you can pray for our team while we’re gone.)
But back to the subject of “attitude” (yours, mine, hers, whatever …) I invite you to join me as we continue to get our attitudes adjusted.
And for those of you who know Linda well please tell me, “Should I be reading between the lines or did she simply mean it like she said it?” “Is she truly without guile or is she maybe just a little mischievous and not quite as innocent as I give her credit for?”
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 