Do Your Best, Be Your Best

Monday's Devotional, 6/10/13

A graduation portrait, decorations, and a note asking guests to sign the frame covered the table in front of me.The sun had softened the poster board and the black pen was a little too hot to handle.

What could I write that would be a word to the wise, yet friendly and encouraging? I wanted to wish him well. To say don't give up when things or times are hard. Remember that people who love you and care about you will not always be around - so keep in touch. How could I squeeze in life lessons in just a few words? So many important lessons that I learned the hard way rushed through my mind.



CHOOSE your friends with care:
A good friend will not ask you to do something that is wrong. A friend who doesn't know better - will appreciate being told the truth. A bad friend will assure you that no one cares about that anymore.  

Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

I Corinthians 15:33 NASB

 

TAKE ownership of yourself:

Nobody "makes" you late, or "makes" you grumpy and difficult to work with. It's true, sometimes a teacher or manager will not 'like' you. As challenging as those situations are, it turns out they are the VERY circumstances where you have the opportunity to discover that it (life) is not all about you.

 

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud,

but be willing to associate with people of low position.

 Do not be conceited.

Romans 12:16 NIV

 

GIVE  of yourself:

Do not envy or admire those who are succeeding by doing what is wrong. If you are not sure what the right thing to do is, talk to someone you know who cares about you. If you are too embarrassed to bring it up to a grandparent, that might be your answer right there.

 

When you are starting out it looks like it will take forever for hard work to pay off. True, it probably will take a while (ask your grandparents how many years it took before they stopped worrying about paying the bills - almost everyone has struggled). But the secret is that there will be hidden surprises and rewards along the way. No one can tell you about them because they show up in different forms and at different times for each person.

 

Volunteer at a local soup kitchen, no matter how low you feel, there is someone who's life has fallen lower than yours. Take out the neighbor's trash, mow an elderly person's lawn (with permission), do something kind for someone else.

 

Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior:

Ask yourself what you want people to do for you,

 then grab the initiative and do it for them.

 Matthew 7:12a MSG

 

 

Dear Lord, I pray these words from James 4:7-10 MSG for the graduates and each of us:



So let God work his will in you.

Yell a loud no to the devil and watch him scamper.

Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time.

Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life.

Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out.

The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious.

Get down on your knees before the Master;

it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

 

 

Written by Mary M. Wilkins