We made it here safely to San Antonio with good roads and weather. Thank you fo prayers.

Devotions from James Smith book, The Good and Beautiful Life

Each day we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue or vice.  If we choose to take Jesus words to heart and arrange our lives around them it leads to the good life and a life that withstands the storms we all face.

We can’t find joy apart from a life of obedience to the teachings of Jesus.   C.S. Lewis wrote, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. “ God is not being stingy and withholding joy apart from Him; there simply is no joy apart from a life with and for God. The enemy tries to rob us of our joy and  tells us life will be boring if we follow the Lord. But when we do follow the Lord, we experience the highest form of pleasure, laugh with the depth of joy, and enjoy His goodness.  The question is not, What will I have to give up to follow Jesus? But rather, What will I never get to experience if I choose not to follow Jesus? 

Every day we must begin anew. Though the past is written in stone and cannot be changed, the future is like wet cement, pliable, smooth, and ready to be affected by what we do. No one is past redemption. All of us have the chance to change our minds, hearts, and behavior, and to follow Him. When we say yes to Him, we can be sure that a good and beautiful day awaits us.