Good for Me, Good for My Friends

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


Proverbs 12:26 (EXB)
Good [Righteous] people ·take advice from their friends [or show the way to their friends/neighbors] …

 

Either way, godly advice — like I find in the book of Proverbs — is good for me and my friends. 

 

Good morning, Lord. That word, “good” — You are good, and I want to be good like You. I want to be good to others, and I’m pleased when others are good to me. I appreciate good advice, and I want to be a source of good advice. Open my eyes to the goodness of Your creation and teach me to be good to Your creation. May Your goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6).

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Good for Me

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 


I’m reading one chapter a day from the book of Proverbs. It’s good for me.

 

Proverbs 1:1-3 (NIV)
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair.

Wisdom and insight leading to better behavior: it’s all good.

 


Good morning, Lord. Thank You for the Bible, with all of its good advice for living. Let me absorb that wisdom — bit by bit, day by day, year by year — until it is permanently etched in my soul. I want to go beyond hearing (and reading) Your Word; I want to do Your Word (James 1:22-23). Make it so, Lord, amen.

 

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Heavenly Rest

Posted on October 10, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Are you tired of the daily drudge? Look ahead!

Hebrews 4:9-10 (NLT)
 So there is a full complete rest still waiting for the people of God. Christ has already entered there. He is resting from his work, just as God did after the creation.

Indeed, our day-to-day work can be hard to handle. But we have the hope of heavenly rest — thanks be to God.

 

Good morning, Lord. I thank You for my work, for the day job that provides money for living expenses, for the housework that keeps my home safe and healthy, and for the works of service I do for others in Your name. I’m also grateful for rest from all this work, be it a good nap or my night’s sleep. And fill me, O God, with the hope of heaven with its eternal rest from the trials of this world.

 

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Too Much Rest

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Rest is good.

But it can also be too much of a good thing.

 

Proverbs 24:33-34 (NIV)
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.

We’re meant to work … and rest. In good balance.

 


Good morning, Lord. Help me discern the difference between too much sleep and not enough … and likewise, between not enough work and too much. Teach me, Jesus, the healthy balance between work and rest, wrapping both in prayer and praise. I want to work — and rest — as onto You, Lord God. (Colossians 3:23).

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Jesus Rested

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Caught sleeping during the day, my grandmother would claim, “I was just resting my eyes.” She thought a nap was a bad thing.

 

The Bible tells how Jesus napped while his disciples worked their way across the Sea of Galilee in a boat.

Mark 4:38 (NIV)
 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. 

If Jesus napped on a cushion while others labored, a nap isn’t a sin.

Clearly, He wasn’t in the habit of sleeping while others did all the work. He did His part, and He rested when necessary. We can do the same.

 


Good morning, Lord. I am grateful for the power of both a quick nap and a deep sleep. In Your great wisdom, You wove sleep into our daily routines — we’re not designed to work, work, work. Teach me to embrace rest as a gift and not a burden. “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).

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The Rest of the Day

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Psalm 23:2 (EXB)
He lets me rest [makes me lie down] in green pastures …

 

This beloved psalm reminds me that God wants us to rest. He says, “Put your feet up, take a nap, go to bed.”  We’re designed to sleep.

Rest is as much a part of our daily schedule as food and water. 

 


Good morning, Lord. Thank You for a good night’s sleep. It recharges my batteries and restores my soul. And yet, there are times when my body hurts or my mind races so much that I don’t fall asleep. Even so, Lord, I can rest assured, knowing You’re watching over me. You never sleep.

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The Rest of the Week

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Today is my back-to-work day. Yesterday was my Sabbath, my day of rest. 

Exodus 20:9-10 (NIV)
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work …

Many of us go to church on Sunday and devote the remaining hours to unfinished chores. But God’s command wasn’t “worship, then work.” 

There are times when working on the Sabbath is necessary. But God’s command is clear: we’re designed for one day of rest each week.

 


Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for thinking I know better than You how to spend my Sabbath hours. Teach me to let go of my to-do list for this one day of the week. I want to work — and rest — in rhythm with Your plan. Fill my Sabbath with praise and peace.

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Autumn’s Applause

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

We walk with the Lord.

Creation sings.

 

Isaiah 55:12 (NIV)
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands. 

And the trees give us a standing ovation.

 


Good morning, Lord. Lead me, fill me with joy and peace. Open my eyes to the goodness around me. Let me see it in the beauty of nature and the kindness of strangers. I want to walk in rhythm with Your glorious universe. Teach me to step out in obedience, marching to Your melody of mercy and grace.

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Autumn Leaves Tell a Story

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Driving to work one cloudy autumn day, I found myself in a flurry of fat flakes. Stopped for a traffic light, I studied the maple trees lining the road. Each crimson leaf carried a bright white covering of snow.

The leaves and snow reminded me of a Bible verse.


Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

 


Good morning, Lord. Though my sins are as red as a crimson maple leaf, through the power of Christ’s sacrifice they become white as snow … amazing! Thank You, O God, for the beauty of the seasons and the glory of Your grace.

 

 

 

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Autumn’s Transformation

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


Autumn is a season of transformation. I focus on green leaves transformed into glorious colors. But in the life of a tree, it’s a minor and repeated change. The big transformation is the slow change from a small seed to an established, sturdy tree.


Romans 12:1 (NIV)
… be transformed by the renewing of your mind …

The renewing of my mind isn’t a quick autumn change. It’s a lifetime of spiritual growth.

 

Good morning, Lord. I’m grateful for those sudden moments of glorious transformation — times of spiritual breakthrough that brought immediate change. I’m also thankful for gradual transformation, the step-by-step spiritual growth over the years. Altogether, You’ve renewed my mind, changed my attitude and redirected my life. And You’re not done … thank You for not giving up on me. 

 

 

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