Prayer request: I have a friend, Barbara, who has Lou Gehrig's Disease. Barbara and her husband really, really need our prayers. Please say a prayer for them. Thank you, Mary

COMPUTER KEYS

TODAY’S SCRIPTURES

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 -- So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Psalm 119:9-10 -- How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

COMPUTER KEYS

When I used my first computer, I used it much like a fancy typewriter. I honestly – and this is no exaggeration – tried to find that “any key” the computer book told me to hit. There was a Ctrl Key, an Alt Key and all those F1, F2, etc keys. No “any key” to be found on that keyboard. Talk about feeling silly when I finally figured that one out. Then I learned about entering formulas, and formatting, and copy and paste. Then email. The internet. Wow, this was getting fun. I learned and my abilities grew. I am still learning and believe me; I do not want to go back to a typewriter.

We can apply the same principles to our lives. We can go on using our lives like a fancy typewriter and never move forward or we can learn. We can study. We can listen. We can change. We can grow.

Then there is that “delete key” on the computer. One very handy key! There are so many wonderful things about being online. There are also many not-so-wonderful. There are emails I just delete, delete, and delete. Then there are the ones that look okay until I open them. That is when I use the delete key quickly.

Again, just like life. We encounter “stuff” everyday we delete very quickly from our lives. We know to turn our backs and walk away. Sometimes, though, the outside looks good and it is not until we get past the pretty packaging that we realize things are not as they seem. We need to use the delete key quickly before we fall for the deception.

Make your life the best it can be. Learn. Grow. And most important of all, delete the “stuff” out of life that can get between you and God.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Where do you need to use the delete key in your life? God provides support when we are tempted. He does not expect us to fight alone. Where can you turn for help?

LET US PRAY

Almighty God, I am so thankful that you are strong. I need your strength to surround me when I am tempted. I need to have you carry me when I cannot stand and to guide me away from temptation when I am weak. Give me eyes that see temptation and the ability to turn away. Let my feet carry me in the opposite direction. Make me strong as I battle against the temptation to ………………………………… Amen