A Cup of SonShine for Your Day

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Day 30: A Whisper to Your Heart from Jesus

Picture Jesus whispering to your heart—

“Love Me.

Do you love Me more than:

----Yourself?

----Clothing?

----Shopping?

----Money?

----Your home?

----Food?

----Your status among men?

----Your comfort?

----Your dreams?

----Your pleasure?

----Your family?

----Your safety?

----Your husband?

----The approval, attention, and acclaim of man?

“Do you love Me?

Follow Me.

Heed My voice.

Heed My Word.

Do you love Me?

Do you love me more than all of these?”

Can you hear Jesus asking you?

O, Beloved, what will you do?

What is my cup of SonShine today?

To love Jesus

More than all of these—

More than anything,

I just want to love Jesus!

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Day 29: Trusting Your Life to God

The Lord will give just what you need

Whenever you will need it.

Have no fear of sudden change

Or of taking a hard hit.

For God provides at every time

Exactly what you need.

What you want? Maybe not…

You may not even see—

How it could be good,

But God’s Word is still true.

He will use all things in the lives of His children

For good—is that true for you?

Search for the Lord with all your heart

And place your trust in Him.

You will never regret giving up control

To the One who has taken you in.

For God is good and He is trustworthy

With every single care.

He cares for the sparrow and for the flower—

He knows the number on your head of every hair.

Yes, trust in God—

Place Your trust in Him

He will handle every care

And He will cover every sin.

God is so good!

What is my cup of SonShine for today?

To trust God in darkness or in light—in joy or in gloom.

To trust Him!

No care will overwhelm Him, and when I cry out to Him,

No matter what His answer is, I know that He will use

Whatever happens for my good, for I belong to Him.

O, praise God, dear children of the Lord!

For He is in control!

“Thank You, Heavenly Father, that I can always trust You.

You are worthy of all praise, and I love You so much!

Make my heart pure before You, dear Lord,

And use me in whatever way you have chosen

To bring glory to You.

I love You, dear Lord.

Thank You so much for loving me.

Do whatever You will with my life.

It is Yours.

In Jesus’ Precious and Holy Name, Amen.”

Monday, August 1, 2016

Day 28: Bad times Blowing Away

A plastic bag blowing

End over end,

Reminding me of tumbleweed

Blowing in the wind.

Oh that the bad times

Would just blow away—

Like that plastic bag

To bring in a new day.

Thanks be to God!

His mercies are new every morning.

I can trust Him at all times,

So I will begin and end this day singing…

Praises to Him

With thankgiving in my heart.

No matter what today holds,

I will trust Him in FULL and not in part.

Only with His help

Will this day pass

In Joy and not regret—

Focusing on today and not the past.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of TODAY.

Thank You that yesterday is gone, and Your mercies are new EVERY morning.

Great is Your faithfulness, O Lord!

Your steadfast Love endures forever!

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!

There is no thing that is hidden from You.

You see all.

You know all.

You know what will happen this day, and You are in control.

You reign.

Even amidst chaos, You reign—

and are King over all.

You are good.

I belong to You.

You have promised to take every situation—every THING in my life—and work it together for my good—no matter how bad that thing is (Romans 8:28-29).

You are all Powerful.

I believe Your Word to be true.

I believe You—

I put my trust in You.

I give You this day, and I thank You that nothing in it will surprise You.

Help me to remember to tuck my hand inside of Yours and walk trustingly, even if I am surrounded by death on every side.

I choose to trust You, for my life is in Your hands, and even if I were to die at the hands of cruel men, I will choose to praise You, for my life is Yours, it exists for Your glory, and the home that awaits me in Your presence forever is what I live this life for anyway.

O Lord, You are so good, and I trust You.

Have Your way in my life today and always, and may I never fear what man can do to me, for he holds no power over You.

I thank You, dear Lord.

You are beautiful, and this day is Yours!

In Jesus’ Name, I pray all these things. Amen.”

What is my cup of SonShine today?

To not be afraid,

To receive God’s mercies anew today,

And to trust God for my future.

“You are Amazing, Dear Lord!

I praise You!

Strengthen me with the power of Your Spirit that I may be refreshed and renewed and ready for this new day You have given me to live.

I praise You, Lord!

You are Wonderful and Beyond Compare!

Fill me with Your Spirit that I may honor You today.

I step aside and give You full control.

All I have is Yours.

Do with me as You will.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen!”

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Day 27: It’s the Simple Things…

It’s the simple things

That gives wings

To my burdened heart.

A pretty cup’s message

Filled with love is

More than just a part—

Of recovery—

From hurt or rocky

Days full of pain and sadness.

When I shift my focus

And train it on the plusses—

It is then that I am full of Your joy and gladness.

When I just look around

And see even on the ground

Testimonies of Your Love—

I am reminded of Your power

And Your glory forever—

And my eyes are now on You up above.

“Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You that You care too much about me to leave me in the ruts I fall into.

Thank You for showing me that by focusing on something small that brightens my day,

I can experience a little bit of Your SonShine that has the power to lift me out of a day of darkness.

Hints of Your love are everywhere I look, if I will only take the time to stop and notice them.

When I choose to look outside of myself, I see that all around me there is reason to rejoice and be glad.

Just a tree or a flower or even a ray of light shining out from a cloud—

These simple things are so beautiful to me.

They are testimonies of Your love, and they declare Your greatness—for You created them all.

Thank You, too, for the little things You put in my path just to delight me.

Just seeing a certain color or word can lift me up and remind me of how much You love me, Dear Lord.

Thank You so much for loving me!

I love You, Lord.

Thank You for not leaving me where I stumble,

but for picking me up and keeping me from being hurled headlong.

You are so beautiful, Oh Lord!

I praise Your Wonderful and Awesome and Holy Name!

Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory Forever!

In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

What is my cup of SonShine today?

To look for God’s love for me in the simple things.

His love is all around me—and today, I am determined not to miss it!

Won’t you join me in looking for the simple ways that Your Creator is showing you His love?

It makes all the difference in a day!

“Lord, thank You for this day, and all that it holds.

Help me look for You today in all circumstances as this day unfolds.

I praise You, for You are wonderful and Your promises are true.

I praise You, for You are Beautiful and there is no one else like You!

I love You, Dear Lord! I give You this day.

Thank You so much for Your love—Oh, Lord, have Your Way!

In Jesus’ Name, Amen!”

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Day 26: The Lord Fills Your Cup

A cup of coffee

To start your day.

The birds are singing.

Oh, that coffee smells great!

Two more minutes

And your waffles are done.

Now for some quiet time with your Lord

Before you are joined by everyone.

This time is so precious—

You could never give it up.

For this is the time of day

When the Lord fills your cup.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the quiet times when it is just You and me.

I need You to quiet me and refresh me in Your Word--

and by just being in Your presence every day.

When I don’t take that time, I wilt.

You have loved me with an everlasting love.

You love the whole world so much that You sent Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth so He would die in our place.

We all deserve to die eternally because of our sin—but You have made a way for us to live eternally, be free from the bondage of sin and death, and know You in a very personal and close way through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

You want us to know how deep Your love is for us. It is greater than any other thing.

Father, show us Your love today, I ask, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

What is my cup of SonShine for today?

To slow down and be with my Lord—

And to seek to know how deep His love is for me.

I don’t want to live another minute not living in the knowledge of the depth of His love for me (Ephesians 3:17-19).

“Father, reveal to me today how deep Your love is for me, I pray.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Ephesians 3:17-19 (NKJV)

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

(Emphasis added)