Author: Lori Casto

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.  Psalm 37:1-8

***Fret – worry yourself, get upset, trouble yourself, to cause oneself emotional strain***

When I don’t feel a specific pull to study any certain scripture, I like to find a few verses and meditate on them. I like to read and re-read and find what stands out to me. I might read the same scripture a year or 2 later and different things will stand out to me. I love that about God’s word.

This time the words Do not fret stand out to me. These words are mentioned 3 times in just 8 verses. In other words, don’t worry yourself, don’t trouble yourself, don’t cause yourself emotional strain. When I fret, I cause myself emotional strain. WOW. More importantly, as I’m thinking about it, my emotional strain can cause those around me stress based on my response to my own fretting.

Also, I notice David is telling us to trust, dwell, feed, delight, commit, and rest & wait in God and His attributes. If we do all that, it makes it much harder to fret.

Trust in the Lord, don’t fret

Dwell in the land, don’t fret

Feed on His faithfulness, don’t fret

Delight in the land, don’t fret

Commit your way to the Lord, don’t fret

Rest, don’t fret

Wait patiently, don’t fret

Do not fret—it only causes harm.

The other day I was in a hurry when I got out of my car to go into work. It was raining and I was carrying my computer case, backpack, and coffee. I put a sweater above my head because I didn’t have an umbrella. I began running and misread the height of the curb where the sidewalk started. My shoe directly hit the curb, and I fell hard on the sidewalk. It all happened so quickly. Suddenly, the rain didn’t seem like such a big deal. I was stunned and hurt but got up as quickly as I could.

I was able to get antiseptic and bandages and I was put back together in no time. 😊 If you’ve ever fallen, you know it jostles your body. The whole experience really made me tired. It also caused me to think.  It could have been so much worse. What if I had fallen on my head instead of my knees?

No one plans a fall. I didn’t get up last week and think…  “This will be a good day to fall.”  A fall hurts. The aftermath can mean scrapes, scratches, bruises, body aches, and even broken bones. The time it takes to be restored to health depends on the severity of the fall.

Falling last week reminded me of how we are all capable of a spiritual fall. Maybe we aren’t reading the bible, praying, attending church, or just not engaged like we need to be. The rain begins, and all the sudden without warning, we’ve fallen. I’m thankful that our heavenly Father is ready to pick us up and care for us after a fall, but I’d rather be doing my best to avoid falling in the first place. The time it takes to be restored to health depends on the severity of the fall.

I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble. Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life. Proverbs 4:11-13

My husband and I went for a walk the other night up and down our road. It was a perfect evening to be outside. When we take walks, no matter where we happen to be, he always makes a point of walking on the outside of me, as to protect me from getting hit. It’s something he feels very adamant about. Last night was no exception. I find it very sweet, considering our road could arguably be one of the least traveled roads in the area. No one ever comes down our road unless they are delivering something, or they’re lost.  This is one of my husband’s demonstrations of love for me. In fact, even though he often tells me he loves me, I’m secure knowing he loves me more by his demonstrations. What good would it do for him to tell me he loves me, then push me out into the middle of traffic? That sounds crazy, right? His actions wouldn’t be showing love at all, but just the opposite.

My mom always says… “actions speak louder than words.” I know we’ve all heard that phrase but growing up I heard this often from her. I guess it begs the question today… what are my actions saying and who are my actions saying it to? If actions truly speak louder than words, what are your actions saying? Better yet, what is my lack of actions saying?

Today would be the perfect day to put action behind our words. Better yet today is the perfect day to go out of our way to show we care.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

How will you devote2day?

Forbearance is more than just patience; it is an active choice to remain calm and supportive when others challenge us or let us down. To Show mercy, grace, and self-control.

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:1-5

 We are set apart as Christ followers. Our goal as Christians is to look, think, and act differently. We live by a higher standard. People should be able to look at our lives and see God’s love. Based on the way we live; people should be drawn to us. Our unity as the body of Christ in this country and around the world- (The Church) comes from the most well-known verse in scripture:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Our unity as The Church depends on you and me living out the fruits of the spirit daily. In this case- forbearance. God’s word says “Take up your cross daily.”

It starts with me.

 While reading Ephesians 4: 1-5, this scripture hit me in such a different way. It was one of those Holy Spirit gripping moments. God has placed me to a higher standard. It’s not the standard set by men. I’m a child of God. I’m separated. When I look at this scripture considering “forbearance” it just may be that every day I must make an active choice to remain calm and supportive when others challenge me or let me down and show mercy, grace, and self-control and live in forgiveness.

 Every-Single-Day

 May we all choose to demonstrate forbearance in our lives daily, as if someone’s eternity depends on it.

How will you devote2day?