One year ago today, I was hitting at least 3 devotionals in an effort to keep the faith and stay alive.  One of them was called 24 hours a day. It’s the classic AA devotional. And it belonged to my grandpa. He was a redeemed alcoholic.  And for a lot of his life he was too self centered and drunk to invest in the idea of his legacy.  I never knew that man. I only met the man that Jesus redeemed. The man that poured out the contents of those bottles so he could pour himself out in the service of others.   The man who would highlight and write in certain parts of this devotional. A devotional that his granddaughter would grab off a table of his earthly belongings going up for auction.  So his life would speak into mine.  I realized I was an Ellis-a-Holic . . . And I would need the same focus to get through my 24 hours without her that He used to make it without that bottle.  The following encouragement really comes compliments of my grandpa – – an old drunk who Jesus made a King as well as a guiding light in my life

Ecclesiastes 7:8 says “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” So true of Loftis Messer. So true for us all. 

This is SO GOOD regarding how we get and build tremendous faith in our lives. I have mentioned that I am allowing God to speak to me through 3 devotionals right now as Intensive Care for my soul.  

This is today’s meditation from the Alcoholics Anonymous devotional called Twenty Four Hours a Day:

” I gain faith by my own experience of God’s power in my life. The constant, persistent recognition of God’s spirit in all my personal relationships, the ever-accumulating weight of evidence in support of God’s guidance, the numberless instances in which seeming chance or wonderful coincidence can be traced back to God’s purpose in my life. All these things gradually engender a feeling of wonder, humility, and gratitude to God. These in turn are followed by a more sure and abiding faith in God and His purposes.” 

The more you do this, the more of a history you build with God. History starts to show you the same things about His character over time. That track record you have with God leads to trust and trust builds faith. . . but you must Seek, Ask, Knock. . . for it is written: 

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13
#EG41 #useEllis2tellus #loftisleadsme