A Matter of the Heart

Joshua 1:9Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.Knowing what we value and being able to act and speak accordingly is something many of us strive for. However, consistently demonstrating beliefs that we say we hold every moment of every day is a challenge for all.Sometimes, I get to the end of a day, and I am discouraged by how much is left undone, by the words I did not share. Other days I have said words or I have done something that I realize might have hurt someone. My world can get very cluttered with what ifs.My battlefield is figurative not reality, but I seek courage and strength everyday. As I search, I find that courage comes from the heart. This is true both in the sense that the courageous choose actions and words that demonstrate their heart and in the etymology of the word derived from cor which means heart.The Lord is with us, in our heart, in our world, in the air that we breath. Courage is the ability to let what is in our heart lead us to do God’s will in a broken world. Strength is the ability to do what God leads us to even when it is challenging. And humility makes room for the strength to know that we will only accomplish what God allows for us. When we fall short of what we think we should accomplish, we should not be discouraged because our Lord is with us, always. The path to peace in our heart is in following God’s will whether it is what we think should happen or not. When the “what ifs” begin to clutter my view, I pray that God will show me the way forward and give me strength to understand.Please pray with me today:Lord, help me find the strength that you share with me in my heart. Allow your love to guide me on the path of your direction. May your wisdom fill my heart and give me strength as I make each choice each day. I know you are with me always. Please help me to focus on Your will not mine, Amen.This devotion was written by Jill Pope and read by Susan Daves.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.