Warrick - Jesus and coffee: 30 morning devotionals to kick start your day

Jesus and Coffee

30 Morning Devotionals to Kick Start Your Day

Tony L. Warrick

Jesus and Coffee

Copyright 2017 by Tony L. Warrick

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review and as provided by United States of America's copyright law. For permission requests, please refer all questions to the author: TonyWarrick.com.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Jamar Jones, www.gi-designs.com

Editorial services by Nyesha Sherman and Ashley Warrick

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

I dedicate these devotions to the individual who needs to wake up, feel empowered, and receive Gods love, mercy, and the power of His Word. While these daily readings are not meant to replace your private time with God, it is my hope that the readings will be a resource to help you understand and realize your true and full potential.

Ephesians 3:14-19

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faiththat you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Introduction

Life doesn't start when you open your eyes in the morning, it starts when you take the first step towards Jesus. -Dr. Tony Warrick

H ave you ever awakened to the beautiful sounds of birds chirping outside your bedroom window? Or, have you ever awakened to the sweet aroma of your favorite breakfast?

Imagine walking into the kitchen after a hot shower, only to see your spouse cooking your favorite: eggs, bacon, and southern style hash browns. You pour yourself a cup of steaming hot coffee as you sit at the table to enjoy your perfect breakfast and catch up on your preferred newsfeed. Your kids are dressed and ready for an exciting day at school.

You jump into the car, go to work, and accomplish everything your boss put on your to-do list. You have a great conversation about your next promotion and, to top things off, your colleagues surprise you with freshly baked Krispy Kreme donuts, just because they love all the hard work youve been doing. You are relaxed and happy because you are having the perfect day.

Lucky you, right?

Then again, maybe that isnt you at all.

Maybe your day began with the loud, sharp sound of a barking dog or the aroma of burnt toast. Perhaps you woke up thinking about how much you hate your job.

After a hot shower, you walk into the kitchen, only to see your spouse has presented you with overcooked eggs, spam, and oatmeal. You pour yourself a lukewarm cup of coffee as you sit at the table to eat your breakfast and catch up on the local news. You notice your 7-year-old son is lying on the floor with his socks soaked in the milk he knocked over while stealing his sisters bowl of Fruit Loops. As for your 5-year-old daughter, well shes still wearing her pajamas and tugging at her hair, which looks like a birds nest.

You jump into the car only to realize it wont start because you left your headlights on the night before. It looks like youll be late for work, again. When you get to work, your boss is waiting at your desk ready to eat you alive because of a mistake the mailroom clerk made two weeks ago. A box of donuts would have been nice, but your co-workers really dont like you.

Bad luck, right?

Not really!

If we are completely honest, we have all had our share of both pleasant and horrible mornings. But did you know that your great days and your bad days have little to do with the occasional morning car trouble, your nasty breakfast, your rowdy kids, or your horrible boss? As a matter of fact, they have nothing to do with luck either! Please remember this:

The tone of your day has everything to do with the first hour of your day.

Believe it or not, how you spend the first 60 minutes of your day can have a major influence on your temperament, drive, mental energy, and well-being. This is why some people grab life with enthusiasm and take control of their futures, and some people have trouble breaking out of the barely getting by mentality. Actually, most successful people consider the first hour of the day a prime time for self-improvement.

So, let me ask you, what did you do in your first hour today? What was the first thing you thought about? Was it going back to sleep? Your mothers cooking? How about building your business? Your first hour has power!

H ave you ever noticed how disruptions and difficulties have the habit of striking around the same time your enthusiasm, inspiration, and motivation slowly start to fade? Ive learned, however, that people who begin their day with productivity can build on that momentum all day long which leads to success. Some of the most dynamic and innovative minds are attacking the most important things first before the demands of the day interfere.

Here are a few of the things I noticed go-getters do before most individuals finish their first cup of coffee:

• Fix their family breakfast because they were told that it is the most important meal of the day.
• Exercise to improve their physical and mental energy.
• Work on their personal goals and projects outside the scope of their job.
• Complete menial tasks so they dont have to worry about them for the rest of the day.

Whatever they elect to do, the secret to a successful day depends on how they spend their first 60 minutes.

Now I have to admit, focusing on the first hour of my day was a tough lesson for me. I was not a morning person. For as long as I can recall, waking up early has never come naturally for me. I remember hating my 8 a.m. classes with a passion when I was in college, because I wasnt one of those individuals who sprang into action early in the day.

When I joined the fire department, I was a night owl. Instead of sleeping through the night, I would take mini naps in the evening because I enjoyed sleeping through most of the morning after Id gotten off duty. I had trained myself to be highly productive and creative in the afternoons.

When I became an educator, I woke up at the last possible minute to squeeze in a shower, walk the dog, make some tea, and get to work on time.