CR at University Carillon

Take in these words from Psalm 145… Psalm 145:3-7(NIV) 3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;     his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation commends your works to another;     they tell of your mighty acts. 5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—     and I will meditate on your wonderful works.  6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—     and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 T hey celebrate your abundant goodness     and joyfully sing of your righteousness. What a great challenge from the psalmist to live out as we come together to serve others through CR this week!

Someone once said, “ Wherever you’re looking is where you’re going .” What an interesting thought. Isn’t it interesting that God put our eyes and nose on one side of our body pointing in same direction? Have you ever tried walking backward for an extended time? It wouldn’t end well for me, lol. Friends, it’s the same way with our spiritual walk. If we focus on that which is ungodly, impure, negative, evil, dark, or sinful, then we will end up going there and into a dark place, away from God. In the end, we will end up going where we have been looking. Let’s choose today to have eyes that focus on God and His truth - what is pure, high, and of God. Let’s choose to have a scent for what is good. The fruit is that we’ll end up where we need to go. “…I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”  Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

PRAY OVER THIS “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” ( James 1:19 )   PONDER THIS Why do we retreat in the face of conflict? Several reasons. Sometimes we fear the anger of another, so we just close up. Sometimes we may think, “If I don’t retreat, our relationship will be broken.” Sometimes, and I suppose this is the most insidious of all, we retreat because we’re afraid that if we get into an argument and a discussion, we will have to admit something about ourselves. We might have to see where we are wrong, and so we just retreat. But unresolved conflict is not resolved by retreating; it only gets worse. You may stuff it down, you may repress it, but I will guarantee your stomach will keep the score. If you have a problem that you shove out the front door and refuse to address, it will crawl around the house and come in the basement window. Don’t

"and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." ‭‭ Psalms‬ ‭50‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬ What does stepping out of denial mean to you? For me, I wish it was a one-time-event. I stepped completely out of denial when I came to CR, right?? Well, unfortunately (and maybe fortunately) stepping out of denial is a life-long process.  Sometimes my denial is conscious. I know that I’m neglecting a certain area of my life, but because of fear, pride, selfishness, or all the above I refuse to do so.  Other times my denial is sub-conscious. I may not even realize I’m in denial about some character defect in my life. However, whether denial is conscious or sub-conscious, what is always true and within my control is the choice to ask God to help reveal any denial in my life and then honestly and humbly allow Him to help me deal with it.