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MAY 1.

THE POWER OF VISION.

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

PROVERBS 29:18, KJV.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE A CLEAR VISION for their lives, and they gladly subject every aspect of their lives to fulfill their life purpose. Most of us, though, muddle through with only a vague sense of meaning and direction. Some of us dream too much, and some dream too little. Of the two, the latter is worse than the first. If people are moving, they can be steered in a better direction, but if they're stuck, no amount of steering will do any good.

Where does vision originate? Some of us have a personality type that naturally identifies goals and pushes us to achieve them. Others have grown up with parents or other mentors who saw latent potential in us and inflamed the embers of desire to accomplish great things. An imparted vision is just as powerful as one we develop on our own. If we don't have a clear, compelling sense of purpose, we need to hang around people who can rub off on us.

If you look for these people, you'll find them in almost any organization. But be careful of whom you hang out with. Many people have powerful goals, but they are almost completely self-absorbed. Find someone whose purpose in life is to love and serve and build others up-and camp out with that person!

Describe someone you know whose vision is clear, compelling, and centered on others.

Does your sense of purpose need an overhaul? Explain your answer.

"A vision without the ability to execute it is called hallucinating! Every G.o.d-given vision will result in being fulfilled; every man-concocted vision will be a dead end."-IKE REIGHARD "Go as far as you can see, and when you get there, you will always see farther."-ZIG ZIGLAR

MAY 2.

FULLY ACQUAINTED.

O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

PSALM 139:1-3.

THE WORD SEARCHED in this beautiful psalm by King David is a mining term that means digging deep into the earth to find gold. David used it to describe G.o.d's grasp of his life because he realized that G.o.d's understanding of his heart was so deep that He dug into the very core of his soul. G.o.d knows each of us that way too.

We may feel that G.o.d has left us high and dry, but He hasn't. He is as near as our breath. We may be afraid that He doesn't care, but He cares so much that He is as attentive as a loving mother with her newborn child. We may believe that we're getting away with things because G.o.d isn't looking, but He knows every action we take and even every thought we think. Nothing escapes His notice!

We are completely, absolutely exposed in the sight of G.o.d. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden, we are naked before Him. However, unlike them in their unfallen state, we are often ashamed. G.o.d's intimate and complete knowledge of everything about us, though, is combined with grace, forgiveness, and love. He knows us, and He forgives us for being so selfish and making such foolish choices. He sees everything we do and perceives every thought, but He never turns away in disgust. A fresh grasp of the omniscience of G.o.d, then, helps us gain a new appreciation for His great grace.

How do you feel when you realize that G.o.d sees and knows everything about you?

How does a fresh grasp of His omniscience give you a new appreciation for His grace?

"There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench His determination to bless me."-J. I. PACKER

MAY 3.

EVERYWHERE.

If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in h.e.l.l, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

PSALM 139:8-10.

THE ETERNAL NATURE OF G.o.d-past, present, and future-is clearly revealed by today's pa.s.sage in Psalm 139. In beautiful and powerful poetic language, David explains that G.o.d is omnipresent. G.o.d is never bound by the limitations of time and s.p.a.ce like those experienced by mere mortals.

We will never experience a moment or a place in our lives where G.o.d is not present in Spirit. When we are on the mountaintop of exhilaration, G.o.d is present in our joy. When we suffer in the valley of depression and isolate ourselves in the dark of despair, G.o.d is there as a light in our darkness. When we enjoy our greatest success, G.o.d rejoices with us. When our failures overwhelm our senses, He is there to bring equilibrium back to our upside-down world. When we are alone and indulge in the sin that besets us, G.o.d is there, too. G.o.d's presence brings either comfort or discomfort, depending on our actions and reactions to the pull of His ever-present Spirit.

When are you most aware of G.o.d's presence?

When you feel hopelessly distant from G.o.d, how will it affect you to remember that He is always with you?

"When you feel lonely, when you feel unwanted, when you feel sick and forgotten, remember you are precious to Him."-MOTHER TERESA

MAY 4.

EVEN IN THE DARK.

If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

PSALM 139:11-12.

DAVID EXPERIENCED TIMES of darkness when it seemed the light of hope would never shine again. He was attacked by enemies and betrayed by friends. He hid in the wilderness for years in fear for his life. But perhaps the darkness was worst in the hours of the night after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and covered it up by having her husband, Uriah, killed (see 2 Samuel 11:1-17).

At some time in our lives, virtually all of us suffer periods of pitch-black spiritual darkness. We can't see, and we're sure n.o.body else can see either! We feel hopeless, and worse, we're afraid we'll always feel this way. In the depth of David's predicament, G.o.d gave him a fresh insight. David may not see any light, but G.o.d sees just as clearly in our darkness as He sees in the light. This realization gave David new hope. He didn't have to see light as long as he was convinced that the G.o.d of love and strength could see clearly.

When we are in the pit of darkness, without sight and without hope, we can be sure that G.o.d is never sightless. He sees us in the dark, and He sees a solution to our problem even when we can't see it. In that, we can be confident.

Describe a time when you felt in the dark spiritually and emotionally.

How does it affect you to realize that G.o.d sees clearly even when you can't see at all?

"There are seldom, if ever, any hopeless situations, but there are many people who lose hope in the face of some situations."-ZIG ZIGLAR

MAY 5.

CRAFTED BY THE CREATOR.

You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.

PSALM 139:13.

WE'RE ALWAYS CHECKING ourselves out. We look in the mirror to see how we look, and if we're honest, most of us glance at our reflections in windows throughout the day. We compare our appearance with the models on fashion magazines and celebrities on the red carpet, and we have to face the fact again and again that we don't measure up! As Americans, we spend billions every year to change how we look, and most of us remain disheartened.

We need a new benchmark and new set of values, and David gives them to us in this beautiful poem. Almighty G.o.d, the One who is infinitely wise, kind, and strong, carefully crafted each of us in the womb. He used the building blocks of DNA, but the uniqueness of our individual appearance was in His hands. But it was not only our appearance. G.o.d crafted our personalities, our intellects, and our talents; and His creative work in each of us prepares us to fulfill the greatest goal life can offer: to be His man or His woman in the circ.u.mstances we face every day.

How do you feel about your appearance, intellect, and talents?

How would it change your sense of contentment and pa.s.sion if you really believed that G.o.d crafted you?

"I want to help you grow as beautiful as G.o.d meant you to be when He thought of you first."-GEORGE MACDONALD

MAY 6.

FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

PSALM 139:14.

HUMILITY AND CONFIDENCE aren't opposites. They are compatible traits of someone who realizes he or she has been "fearfully and wonderfully made" by G.o.d. Everything we are-all of our abilities, our intellects, our talents, our skills, and our capabilities-have been hardwired into our DNA by Almighty G.o.d or shaped by the experiences He has orchestrated or allowed in our lives. Each of us, even the most self-doubting, is an amazing product created by the Master's hand. We need to notice how He has crafted us so we maximize our efforts to fit His design.

But take careful note: We are His design, not our own. Yes, we are incredible creatures, but we can't take credit. Even our discipline and desire to excel come from G.o.d's work in us. When we realize that G.o.d has made us who we are and we appreciate His creative genius, we more eagerly put our lives into His hands and say, "Lord, do whatever You want to do with me."

That's a prayer He's happy to answer.

Pride is ugly and destructive. Actually, most people who appear proud are only covering up their insecurities. The powerful blend of humility and confidence enables us to appreciate our strengths and use them with excellence, but we recognize that we didn't create those abilities. They are gifts from G.o.d. And that makes all the difference.

What are the strengths G.o.d has hardwired into you or developed in you through experiences?

What difference does it make to realize that G.o.d created you with your abilities and that they are gifts from Him to you?

"Man, made in the image of G.o.d, has a purpose to be in relationship to G.o.d, who is there. Man forgets his purpose and thus he forgets who he is and what life means."-FRANCIS A. SCHAEFFER

MAY 7.

THINKING ABOUT ME?.