Thoughtful Moments: A Daily Devotional

By Aaren Gushwa

All our moments come from and through the hands of our Creator. What we do with them is vitally important. 

What we do with this moment will have an impact on every moment to follow. The Creator and giver of our moments has a purpose and a divine plan for our lives. His plan is worked out in a moment by moment process. We also never e

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jan 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647736392

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Thoughtful

Moments

A DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Aaren Gushwa

Trilogy Christian Publishers

TUSTIN, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2020 by Aaren Gushwa

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769.

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Manufactured in the United States of America

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-64773-638-5

ISBN 978-1-64773-639-2 (ebook)

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my wife Patricia. My life partner for over 46 years, who has walked with me through more moments than anyone else save the Lord himself. She has made the moments of my life truly beautiful and blessed. Thank you Pat for your support and love.

Focused Moment

The focus of our moment determines the direction of the moment. God is already in every moment we step into. He knows what we need and, what we will need. He promised that he will meet our needs. Jesus said, Seek first the kingdom of God; and all the things that you have need of will be given to you (Matthew 6:33, NLT). Nothing is impossible with God, (Luke 1:37, NLT). He will never leave us or forsake us(Hebrew 13:5, HCSB). We can trust him in all of our moments. He knows what we need before we ask, every moment of every day, week, moment, or year.

Mixed Moments

Mixed moments are what make up our reality. They are never all easy or hard, never all happy or sad. Like any recipe it’s the mixture of the ingredients that give us the spice of life. God, as the master chef, knows just how much of each ingredient will bring us to his desired outcome. Remember it’s not about our happiness but our holiness.

The Last Moment

Yesterday does not ruin or dictate the outcome of the first moment of today. Remember, God works out everything for the good. He even takes the bad things from past moments and uses them for good in the next moment. Mistakes in past moments don’t lock us in, but in God’s hands are used to make us more open to his leadership in the next moment.

First Moments of Our Day of Moments

God calls us to a place of quiet. To a place where he is. If we seek him out in our moments we will find the One who is the Prince of Peace, The place of quiet rest. Jesus said, Come to me you who are tired, worn out, weary; and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28, The Message). Rest for the moment; to begin the journey through this day of moments begins with their author and giver. Take a moment, if you have not already, to find a quiet place. Before the stormy moments come.

Moments with God

Moments with God every day keep us ready for the moments that we can’t anticipate. The moments of our lives are never definite, but God is most definitely with us in them.

Moments to Remember

They are to be spiritual markers, to remind us of the presence and activity of God in our lives. These moment markers were never intended to be a place to remain in. Instead, they are to remind us of our need to remain in the author/Creator of the first and last moments: the Alpha and Omega. These marker moments are to point us to the person we are to remain in. Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus is the master of the moment, every moment, from the first to the last, through all. It’s never about the moment, it’s about the master

Moments of the Year

In this year of moments, we will experience joy and sadness, success and failure. We choose what the focus of the next moments will be. We can choose joy in the face of sadness and the face of failure. Because our joy at any moment is based on what we choose to look at. I read this morning that, Satan; like the Fisherman bates the hook according to the appetite of the fish (Thomas Adams, ).

Light for the Moment

We are told to walk in the light. That implies being in the moment. God supplies enough light for the moment. We will always have enough light for this moment, and we are given the faith needed to step into the next moment, where enough light for the next moment. He is faithful to provide what we need.

A New Year Moment

Think back on the moments of your life. Realize that the Creator and giver of those moments had prepared each one with you in mind. He left out nothing, he saw to each detail. As we enter this day with the moments it contains, he is there waiting for us. The welcome mat is out, and his arms are open wide to receive us. There is never a moment that he is not there.

This Moment

Let’s be aware of the one who brought all moments into existence. He is the Creator and giver of all of your moments. He committed himself to the exact moment of his birth, death, and resurrection. He will return for us to bring us into a place that he has prepared for us. A place where one moment is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a moment. He will do this at the exact moment he has planned all along.

The Point of the Moment

In each moment when we choose to believe that the one (God) who gave us that moment knows what that moment holds. Before time gave birth to the moment, it was filled with purpose. It was and is an intentional gift from God to us. When I was young, I did what many children do. I shook the packages under the Christmas tree, trying to guess what was in them. My younger brother took it a step further. He would secretly tear the bottom of the gift to see what it was; then tell me what he found out. Now, we can shake the moment, walk all around it, and try to guess. But, as with gifts, we only know what’s in the moment by opening it. So let me ask; what’s in your moment? Jesus stands at the door of each moment, waiting for our invitation to enter in. Is there room in your moment for him?

Do-over Moments

What we really want is for the moment to never have happened. We wish we could go back in the moments of our lives and make that one moment or moments disappear. In golf they call it a mulligan. In truth, it doesn’t take away the bad shot. You still took the shot and it was bad. A mulligan is not counted and you get another shot. God offers us grace in our moments, and through that grace he brings good out of it. He is our do-over, our mulligan. While the bad, difficult, or sad things still happen; He bears the weight of it. When we give the moments of our lives to God; he, with his grace accomplishes good through it. Our part is to receive the grace in the moment and release the outcome to God.

Used by Moment

These days most of the products we buy have a best if used by date. Our moments are like that. We can’t use them before their time, and can’t use them after their time. We can savor steak cooked at just the right time with just the right amount of seasoning. But the truth is that we can never eat another just like it. After it’s eaten it becomes a memory. Each moment we live, enjoy, or even ignore will never be ours again. They are best used by NOW. As the moment passes it moves from the now to memory. Let’s use each moment as a precious gift from its creator and giver. Let’s live a life of no regrets, and no missed, or wasted moments.

A Choice Moment

As a child, I watched as little girls played hopscotch. They hopped joyfully from one square to the next. I was never that coordinated. Life in its living can be a lot like hopscotch. We choose which way to go in the moment and rarely think of the next. It is a conscious choice to be aware of our moments, to slow down our thought process so that we can wisely choose which way to go and how long to linger. My oldest son was a sniper in the army and learned to slow down his heart rate and breath so that he could fire a shot between beats. To be so in the moment, he was not distracted by anything else. We must ask God to give us such focus that we would be truly in the moment, undistracted by anything else. To see what God sees, to let every assumption of what we think we see go, so that as we hop into the next moment we are ready for it

Moments Lived

Memories made. Our memories can help or hinder; haunt or inspire. The Creator and giver of moments works out all things to the good. This means He brings good things from every moment. Every moment has the potential to build up or tear down. Sometimes something has to go before something else can rise to prominence. What is within this moment and all moments to come will be a mixed bag. I like to watch Chopped on the Food Network. Each episode chefs compete by making a culinary delight out of things that don’t seem to go together. There is a limited time for them to take those ingredients and make something amazing to put before the judges who will decide which chef created the best dish. It’s amazing! Like those chefs, God takes moments in our lives and creates something amazing out of them. If life seems to hand us lemons, he makes lemonade. Trust your moments to the master chef of the moment, God.

Connected Moment

Our moments are both connected and disconnected from others around us. It matters both how we use them for us and for others. They are gifts from the Creator and giver of our moments. We are not islands separate from each other. What I do and say in my moments have and will affect other moments to come, both for myself and others. We need to think before we act and ask ourselves, How will my actions change things for me and for those my moment will touch?

Truth in the Moment

What is that? How do we determine what it looks like? Well, if truth is a person and not some concept, we need not look further than Jesus. Jesus said that he is, the way the truth and the life (John 14:6, NIV). If what he said is true then it’s always been true. He is not and never has