To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
RECOMMENDED READING: ACTS 16:6-10 “6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.”
COMMENTS: It is good sometimes to take some time and reflect on consequences or benefits that come from choices we’ve made or choices others have made. Most choices we make each day have minimal or little significance but some have life changes results. Choices like what to wear but some choices have clear results. Choices like career or job seek after or accept. Choices like who to date and marry. Choices like how many children to have. Of course, God has very significant influence and control but He still allows us to be involved in those choices. Some choices are less clear of impact when we make them like where to go during day and sequences or order of when we do plan daily tasks. Also, whether we listen and obey when Holy Spirit nudges us to stop and listen to those we cross paths with during day or even to go out of our way at times when feel a nudge to call or visit someone we have neglected for a while.
Some of those choices have clear results or consequences but some may be less clear. As I read the above scripture, I am amazed how clearly the early followers of Christ received direction and fellowship from the Holy Spirit and how willingly and quickly they responded in obedience. I’m sure their confidence and faith increased with each example. They could not know what could have happened if they had followed another path or choice or decided to make a choice before the Holy Spirit gave confirmation or direction. King Saul became impatient and gave sacrifice himself before going into battle because Samuel was late in coming. Saul paid dearly for not waiting. He lost his throne and eventually his life and his son Jonathan lost his life in battle as a result too. We can only imagine the result if he had been faithful and obedient.
We have plenty of evidence of experiences of others to convince us it is far better to seek and obey God’s Will than not to. We simply need to obey and let God sort out benefits and timing to reveal those benefits. Faith is trusting enough to act when clear on God’s Will and waiting when lack clarity.
It is human nature to act on choices that allow us to do what we desire to do and delay or wait when we don’t like the resulting work or path. But God Will is not for us to do what we want but what He wants. When we learn to stop doing what we want and start disciplining ourselves to wait a do what He wants instead, we discover life becoming more fulfilling and less regrets and less time needed to fix mistakes and coming back from “dead ends”.
Getting up early for devotions and reflecting on daily tasks and waiting and seeking God’ direction is a good habit to create and reinforce so each day will have less dead ends and do overs and regrets and more success in accomplishments and impactful influence on others and them on us. Then in evening reflecting on day and evaluate what was discovered and accomplished. Then when we go to bed we can pray He prepare us to receive new orders and insight tomorrow morning to give tomorrows direction.
Learning to keep long term planning in God’s hands and staying focused on each day’s tasks as God reveals them is a good way to live. Sure, long term planning is important and needed, but moving forward even on good plans without God’s input each morning is like going on an important trip without a map or GPS. We will be unprepared to make choices and adjustments during day to stay on path.
I am also amazed how many faithful Christians, especially in countries where Christian persecution is great, walk boldly in the face of great danger. As Paul and most faithful Christians faced during the first century, they risk prison and even death along with their families for preaching the gospel. They let the Holy Spirit guide them where to go and not go. I am also amazed how God helps and protects them. Because of their faithfulness scores or even hundreds eagerly hear Christ’s Good News and embrace His forgiveness. God is honoring and empowering his faithful followers as He did in New Testament times, and Old Testament times. You and I need encouraged He will honor and empower us as well. AMEN? AMEN!
“All the care in the world will not make us continue a minute beyond the time God has appointed.” J. C. Ryle
If you wish, you can access my blog at “https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com“. There you will find 200 blog posts I have made plus a link to my devotional journal material archives from 2013 to present.
You may also access my facebook page and request to be my friend and automatically receive my daily journal publications daily. My facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/Dondevotionals/
My hope and prayer is, they will become a source of encouragement and tools in ministry for you.
Published by donsdevotions
Don McDaniel - Who am I?
Hello everyone and welcome to my devotional journal blog. In order to get acquainted and help you get to know me a bit better before considering following my blog, let me give you some background. I am a 74-year-old male and a retired engineer. I worked for a major supplier of underground mining equipment for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2012. Arlene and I have been happily married since April 1978 and have two grown – married children, one granddaughter and 2 step grandsons. I joined the local United Methodist church at age 12 after accepting Christ as my Savior at age 10 during revival services in that same church in 1961, so I have been a “Born Again” Christian all my teen years and adult life. Christ has helped and guided me all that time. He guided me in choosing my wife and life’s career. My life journey has included regrets and failures, but God has picked me up and protected and spared me from life threatening consequences and dangers more times than I can recall or count. But many I do recall and encourage and motivate me to trust and follow Christ with more passion than ever.
Christmas 2011 our daughter gave Arlene and I each a devotional journal. Journals were books with devotion for each day and space to give personal impressions and thoughts related to each devotion. Her desire was to have a lasting legacy she could refer back to and share with her children and grandchildren especially after we are gone. I was touched by that gesture. My parents and Arlene’s were devout Christians, so we would have greatly treasured having that from them, so we felt a sense of urgency to honor her request. I finished my journal first and returned it to our daughter the following Christmas. I’m glad I did it then because Parkinson’s has caused my hand writing to deteriorate since then. The exercise was such a blessing for me. Discipline of keeping journal helped me gain a deeper walk with Christ and greater discipline in honoring my time of prayer and devotion with Him each day. So, I decided to continue the practice but since I could not find a paper journal I liked, I decided to create my own. I had already been receiving electronic devotions by email every day from several sources, my favorite being “Turning Point” from Dr. David Jeremiah. What I decided to do was to include devotional scripture but add my own thoughts and comments only so there would be no issue of copyright infringement. Creating and maintaining journal by computer also addressed my deteriorating handwriting ability. I started an electronic devotion journal January 1, 2013 and have been faithful to that practice every day since. I prayed about method and level of distribution. My initial intent was to only share it with my two children by email, but quickly discovered others in my family, my church, and friends from work (both retired and still working) who knew me and wanted to be included in distribution when they learned what I was doing. I now distribute by email my daily journal at the beginning of each month to over 150 friends and relatives. God has richly blessed and encouraged me.
I am concerned with the state of our church and nation, and world for that matter, believing we are living in the end times the prophets of old and Christ have talked about in scripture, so time is short. I desire to be true to my Savior and a witness to help others come to a saving knowledge of Him and equipped to share His Good News too. If my journal can encourage and help others, I believe God wants me to share it. I struggled, for a time at first, because I know many others keep similar journals but only for their own edification and do not want to share them because they are private.
However, Christ has stirred my heart to share it as a witness tool.
Our son and daughter have a long-time friend who grew up with them who we also befriended nearly 25 years ago. He had a lot of family problems, so would gravitate to our family as a refuge and eventually thought of us as his adopted parents and he as our adopted son. We lost contact with him for some time when he grew up and left home. He traveled around the U.S. and eventually ended up in Ukraine where he resided for next 10 years. He had to return to the US to renew his visa and took opportunity to recommend I begin a blog of my devotions and helped me set it up. He is also an active blogger and has been an email subscriber to my journal for several months, so he has been suggesting I expand my distribution by starting a blog to get broader exposure. After reflection and prayer, I concluded God was in this, so he is helping me set up my blog site. This brief autobiography is my first entry.
He returned to Ukraine, then resided there until circumstanced made him decide to move back to US with his young son. This biography was my first post February 29, 2016 .
I have published 600 posts from 2016-2023 automatically sent to all my Facebook friends, published on WordPress to be accessible to anyone curious or seeking a deeper walk with God. I decided to take a sebatical to prepare for a new chapter. In 2014 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease which affects patient ability to walk, drive, do physical work, and eventually talk. By mid 2023 it became evident our home for last 42 years (previously owned by my parents for previous 44 years and by my mother's grandparents for 39 years before that) would eventually not meet my needs so we decided to sell it and move into 1st floor of a duplex we also owned that was the town school from 1855-1913. Likewise, the property was requiring more maintenance that I was no longer able to keep up with. 2023 involved selling our home and moving into apartment next door and then in early 2025 an opportunity to move closer to our daughter and granddaughter in Kentucky which was completed in May 2025. For a number of months I have been seeking direction seeking God's direction and timing to return to blogging as my journey with Parkinson's continues to unfold with God's guiding hand in mine.
I hope and pray my devotions will continue to be a blessing for you. God certainly has become closer and more real to me since started this blog in 2016. I have spent time with Him studying scripture and praying and listening and writing this journal. I will continue seeking God’s help and will welcome your input to make this site as meaningful as I can and true to God, who is motivating me to create and maintain it. I will also welcome input in order to make format more meaningful going forward.
Don & Arlene McDaniel
In His Service,
Email: mcdanieldonald769@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Don1951
If you wish, you can access my blog at “https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com“. There you will find 600+ blog posts I have made plus a link to my devotional journal material archives from 2013 to present (https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/link-to-dons-devotional-journal-entries-2013/ )
You may also access my Facebook page and request to be my friend and automatically receive my daily journal publications daily. My Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/Dondevotionals/ Many thanks to a pastor and dear brother in Christ in Nepal who set up the above Facebook page to help and encourage and give opportunity for more to explore and use my devotional blog materials. View all posts by donsdevotions
donsdevotions 