2 Corinthians 6:1-10 The Message

Staying at Our Post

6 ^1-10 Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,

I heard your call in the nick of time;
The day you needed me, I was there to help.

Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing. Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly  . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Nothing confronts us with our creatureliness quite like the watch that we wear on our wrist, the pocket watch in our vests or the clock that ticks on our wall.

Try and think about no time.

It’s virtually impossible for us to do. God, who is outside of time, created time so that we might each live each moment that He has given to us for His glory.

We don’t like to face it, but Scripture frequently calls us to face life’s brevity.

It tells us that our life is “vanity, a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:13-15 The Message).

Nothing but a Wisp of Fog

^13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going off to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”

The Bible confronts us with transience in this way not to manipulate us or crush us but in order that we maybe more amendable, favorable and sensible to God.

We all need to be reminded of how quickly time passes, especially when we are all “young,” because we tend to think that we have more time than we really do.

Throughout the Bible, Scripture almost always addresses us in the now: “Now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 

Now, in other words, is the time to be reconciled to God. 

Now is the time to take heed of our salvation—not someday over the horizon. 

Now is the time to hold out the gospel message to those around you.

You and I are not to live dominated by the regrets of yesterday or the anxieties of tomorrow.

You and I are not to live as though you and I will always have a tomorrow in which to do what you and I should absolutely be doing today.

You and I are to face the fact squarely, head on, that the future comes in at the constant and continuous rate of exactly 60 seconds a minute.

“See! I AM Making All Things New …”

Revelation 21:3-5 The Message

^3-5 I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.”

Some imagery that appears in the beginning of the Bible is contrasted or expanded upon in the final chapters of God’s grand story of salvation.

The unformed abyss in Genesis 1, for example, is contrasted with the stunning architecture of the heavenly city in Revelation 21.

The tree of life in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9; 3:22-24) is multiplied in Revelation 22 and described as constantly bearing fruit and providing healing for the nations.

And the image of the Spirit hovering and brooding over the waters is contrasted with the One who is now seated on the throne.

The promise of Creation will be complete, fully formed and mature, and we will each enjoy glorious, delightful friendship with our loving Creator, who at a time which is favorable to Him, invites us to live with Him in the perfect unity of love that has always characterized God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The awe-inspiring creation that we live in today will be the foundation for the new creation, and on the days of the Lord’s favor we can each look forward to rejoicing along with birds and all other creatures in the new heaven and earth.

Not only is Christ seated in the heavenly realms, but we who love and trust him are also raised up with Christ and are seated with him even now (Ephesians 2:6).

He Tore Down the Wall

2 ^1-6 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

This means our lives are firmly grounded and maturing in Christ as we enjoy the favor of God, the intimacy of living in communion with God each day while we are each waiting and watching, eagerly expecting His coming Advent again.

The time which God has allotted you and me is always quickly passing us by.

If you and I are not even minimally careful, it will be gone before we realize it.

In Psalm 90, the psalmist prays, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Psalm 90:12-17 The Message

^12-17 Oh! Teach us to live well!
    Teach us to live wisely and well!
Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—
    and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
Surprise us with love at daybreak;
    then we’ll skip and dance all the day long.
Make up for the bad times with some good times;
    we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
Let your servants see what you’re best at—
    the ways you rule and bless your children.
And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
    confirming the work that we do.
    Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!

May this urgent and most timely prayer become our own, and may the favor of Almighty God enable us to be a good steward of the time He has given unto us!

Today is a great day remember the favor of the Lord, to enjoy our salvation and to always seek out and find the favorable moment to speak ever so highly of it.

Now is the most favorable time – Let us each be sure to most favorably use it.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 The Message

16 ^1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
    I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
    Without you, nothing makes sense.

³ And these God-chosen lives all around—
    what splendid friends they make!

⁴ Don’t just go shopping for a god.
    Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
    like brand-names.

^5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
    And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
    And then you made me your heir!

^7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
    I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

^9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
    and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
    that’s not my destination!

¹¹ Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I’m on the right way.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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2 Thessalonians 3:16 The Message

¹⁶ May the Master of Peace himself give you the gift of getting along with each other at all times, in all ways. May the Master be truly among you!

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

From the dawn of mankind, there is probably nothing more sought after in this world perpetually at war with something and or someone, than genuine peace.

Throughout history, too many nations have fought bitter wars for the sake of peace and too many innocent lives have been lost in a vain pursuit after peace.

But the peace that is offered by this world’s system, is a false, fragile, imperfect, pseudo-peace, leaves in its wake a hungry heart, a wounded disappointed soul.

We look at the pages of God’s Scriptures – the God of Peace started to unveil Himself as, “The Lord our Peace”, to the frightened Gideon, and He expanded man’s understanding of peace to David the shepherd-king, who discovered Him to be the One Who gently leads us to meadows beside still and peaceful waters.

And God’s much loved, often preached, Messianic promise of “a coming child” through Isaiah that encourages the hearts, minds, souls of countless believers.

Isaiah 9:6 King James Version

⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:7 King James Version

⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

It is the zeal of the Lord of Hosts performing this miraculous moment of Peace.

And God’s promise through Isaiah of the coming of an endless peace through that child has truly encouraged the hearts of countless generations of believers.

Isaiah 26:3 King James Version

³ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

By the indescribable zeal of God, it was to be the shed blood of His Son, Jesus the holy Lamb of God, that great Shepherd of the sheep, Who was sent into the world by the Father, so that ultimately, fallen man could have peace with God.

God purposed that through the intervention of the Son, all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, and so He sent the life blood of Jesus to bring about final peace with men, who were dead in their trespasses and sins.

It was Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, Who knocked down the middle wall of partition between God and man.

He tore the curtain of separation from top to bottom, so that we, who believe on Him, may be comforted by our great God of peace.

He inaugurated for us a new and living way through the veil of His physical body, when He died on the cross and rose again, the third day.

It was the heavenly Man, Who equipped us in every good thing to do His will.

And in the fullness of time, God sent the Prince of Peace to be born of a virgin in the little town of Bethlehem, as the sacrifice for the sin of mankind.

He came in dishonor and shame, so that at the appointed time He would be the One whose name would be highly exalted above all others as the Lord of Peace, crowned the King of Peace, for He is the God of peace, the wellspring of peace.

The Experience of His Peace 

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Easy-to-Read Version

Final Words

¹⁶ We pray that the Lord of peace will give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.

One of the most heavenly aspects of experiencing God is his abounding peace.

Abounding Peace is not ever going to be something this world can offer us.

This world is run on chaos, division, political correctness, racial, gender stress, ideological confusions, strivings, and frivolous pursuits with no satisfaction.

Even in this life, the zeal of God offers us the peace of heaven, the peace that comes from having our hearts wrapped up in One true relationship with him.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

God zealously exchanges our thoroughly confused earthly cares and stresses for the ultimate revelation of His – Alpha to Omega – heavenly, sustaining peace.

By His zealous compassion for His Children, He is such a good Father to us that He takes all that which troubles our hearts, promises to take care of us down to the smallest burden, and offers us His incomprehensible peace from his Spirit.

Jesus says in John 16:33, 

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

When we seek relationship with Jesus we are seeking relationship with the One who conquered death, destroyed any and every scheme of the enemy against us.

To know Him as zealously as He knows every single one of us, is to know a true Conqueror -and in zealously knowing Him our lives become wrapped up in His.

Our worried and fearful hearts instead become wrapped up in his heart of peace.

Again, Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” 

God longs for us to so encounter his trustworthiness that our lives are marked by his peace – He longs for us to so trust him that this world cannot rob us of the peace that comes from knowing our God will always prove himself faithful.

All God has promised to do he will do.

All God has said of Himself He truly is.

Peace comes from our zealously keeping our entire mind stayed on the perfect character of our heavenly Father and zealously letting only who He is be at the exact center, Him who is the genuine foundation of all we do, think, and feel.

Psalm 104:1-9 Easy-to-Read Version

104 My soul, praise the Lord!
    Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with glory and honor.
²     You wear light like a robe.
You spread out the skies like a curtain.
³     You built your home above them.^[a]
You use the thick clouds like a chariot
    and ride across the sky on the wings of the wind.
⁴ You make the winds your messengers
    and flames of fire your servants.^[b]
5 You built the earth on its foundations,
    so it can never be moved.
⁶ You covered it with water like a blanket.
    The water covered even the mountains.

⁷ But you gave the command, and the water turned back.
    You shouted at the water, and it rushed away.
⁸ The water flowed down from the mountains into the valleys,
    to the places you made for it.
⁹ You set the limits for the seas,
    and the water will never again rise to cover the earth.

God has heavenly peace in store for you today.

The peace which God offers you and me is not ever going to be the “peace” of this world which will never assure us or sustain us through any of its troubles.

It is always and forever going to be the greatest possible expression of peace, the peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which sustains us (John 14:27).

John 14:25-27 The Message

^25-27 “I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.

Ergo, Come before your loving heavenly Father and cast your cares upon Him.

Let your requests be made known to Him.

Place your trust in His trustworthiness.

And receive the perfect, sustaining peace of your loving Father.

2 Thessalonians 3:16Amplified Bible

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace at all times and in every way [that peace and spiritual well-being that comes to those who walk with Him, regardless of life’s circumstances]. The Lord be with you all.

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance,” was Paul’s prayer and blessing for the Thessalonian believers, as he prepared to draw his letter to a close, “May the Lord be with you all!”

Like Christians today, the believers at Thessalonica were living in tough, and turbulent times, and the apostle that the church needed the Author of peace to guide His people, sustain their spirits, and grant His perfect peace from above.

It was the Prince of Peace Himself that promised to leave His own perfect peace with His confused disciples.

“Peace I leave with you”, were the reassuring words He spoke to them, as the shadow of the cross loomed closer.

“My peace I give to you. Not the peace the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  

And this same assurance is given to all God’s children who are seeking to serve the Lord of Peace, as we live inside a world at war and a world without hope.

In His final days, Christ gave His disciples His own precious promise of peace.

But His peace is not the war-torn peace of this world, but inner peace, a perfect peace – a peace that is vastly uncountable echelons beyond our understanding.

Jesus promised to give us the peace of God to guard our hearts – a peace that brings comfort and rest, refreshment, and hope – a perfect inner peace that transcends humanity’s comprehension – both now and literally forevermore.

Now, may the Lord of peace Himself give YOU peace at all times, and in all ways.

May the peace of the Lord be with us all, now and forever, and may the perfect peace of God zealously rule in our hearts, in the perfect unity of the Holy Spirit.

In this coming season of Advent, when we eagerly anticipate His coming, may life be marked by the fruit of wholehearted relationship with the God of peace.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the peace available to you in relationship with God. 

Allow Scripture to help you not settle for stress, burdens, and cares that aren’t your portion in Jesus.

Isaiah 9:6-7 English Standard Version

⁶ For unto us a child is born,
    unto us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon^[a] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called^[b]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33

2. What has been causing you stress? 

What’s been stealing your peace? What thoughts, people, situations, fears, or spiritual attacks do you need to bring before your loving heavenly Father?

3. “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you”(1 Peter 5:6-7).

Take time to bring before God all that’s bothering you.

Lay all your anxieties at His feet, choose to trust He will take care of them and help you through them, and receive His peace that surpasses all understanding.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Romans 8:6 says, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” 

We have the choice moment by moment to set our minds on the things of this world or on the things of God.

When we choose to set our minds on the Spirit, we are positioning ourselves to be people marked by the fruit of his presence in our lives.

When we choose the world we are only setting ourselves up for failure, anxiety, and trouble.

Choose today to set your mind on the Lord in every situation.

The things of this world are fleeting, but our God spans throughout the farthest reaches of eternity.

May His power, His zealousness, faithfulness, nearness, bring you peace today!

Heavenly Father, I praise You with all my heart, for Your indwelling Spirit of Peace. This hurting world has lost its way in its vain pursuit of a pseudo-peace, that can never satisfy. O how I long for the world to realize, it is only Your perfect peace that can satisfy. May I shed Your peace in my life, to all I come into contact with. May the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, guard and govern our hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus our Lord and for His greater glory. AMEN! AMEN!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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John 8:42-47 The Message

^42-47 “If God were your father,” said Jesus, “you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn’t come on my own. He sent me. Why can’t you understand one word I say? Here’s why: You can’t handle it. You’re from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn’t stand the truth because there wasn’t a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies. I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me. Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I’m telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone on God’s side listens to God’s words. This is why you’re not listening—because you’re not on God’s side.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

In my experience, God doesn’t speak verbally, aloud.

Perhaps He did in those ancient Old Testament days; we know that people did indeed hear His actual, physical voice at times, but it just sounded like thunder except to the one to whom He was speaking.

God certainly can speak to us that way if He wished, but in these contemporary days of the indwelling Spirit, He speaks to our hearts as we read His Word and spend time in prayer with Him – He also speaks through the church and into the circumstances of our lives, but we must be paying attention to hear Him at all.

Here is a troubling verse (one we should all cause to become memorized):

He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God. (John 8:47)

Do you hear the words of God?

Do I hear the words of God?

Has God ever spoken to you?

Has God ever spoken to me?

Has God ever spoken to anyone we know?

Does this verse – John 8:47 – affirm or confirm or assure that any of us belong to God in these days, or cause any of us to stop and consider if we truly are “of God,” i.e., have we been born again, and do we belong to the family of God? 

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. … Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, “You must be born again.” (John 3:3,5-7)

What does it mean to hear from God?

Jesus does not leave us wondering whether we have heard Him speak.

In the context of much of John 8, I would suggest that here are at least nine ways we can know that we are “of God,” or conversely, we should all (gasp) discover we have indeed failed to hear Him speak and do not know Him at all.

• We continue in God’s word, where we find truth that makes us free (8:31-32). We believe that God’s word is the final authority on all things and is the only reliable source of truth in a world that lies to us every single day.
• We recognize that sin enslaves us; we realize the hold it can have on our hearts and minds (8:34). We believe that God has the right and authority to define what is and isn’t sin, despite what culture tells us. We know that to allow, tolerate, condone, or practice the things that God’s word defines as “sin” is to be enslaved, both to our flesh, and to God’s enemy, Satan.
• We have been freed from sin; we are able to say “no” to temptation by the power of God’s Spirit who lives in us (8:36). We are not perfect in practice, but we continually pursue holiness that pleases God in our thoughts, words, and actions.
• We do not want to “get rid” of Jesus, but long for more intimacy (8:37-41). We are seeking to elevate Him in our hearts and in the world, not push Him away or deny Him His rightful place.
• We love Jesus, and acknowledge that He is the Son of God, sent into the world by His Father (8:42). No other gods will do. No other religion will suffice.
• We understand spiritual truths, something which a lost person cannot do (8:43,47). While we will continue to seek to know and understand the truths of scripture for the rest of our lives, even now, it makes sense to us. We can read God’s word and our minds are enlightened to understand it.
• We love and protect life and despise murder (8:44). We understand that God is the giver of life and that He hates the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17).  We know that Jesus was right when He equated anger to murder (Matthew 5:21-22) because to despise and hate another person is just as wrong in God’s eyes as it would be to actually kill them.
• We speak the truth and avoid lies (8:44). We are convicted by God’s Holy Spirit to be people of honor and integrity, to keep our word, and to avoid all pretense and cunning deception.
• We set the world aside, believe what Jesus says, and accept it as truth (8:46).

Perhaps that last one is the most important one.

Those who hear from God must acknowledge that Jesus’ words are true.

There is no way around it.

If we reject Jesus, if we reject His words, we are not “of God” and we will not see the kingdom of heaven and we can say conclusively, have not heard God speak.

John 8:47 is a very sobering verse – it should cause us to stop and examine our lives and ask ourselves, “Has God spoken to me?” “Is God speaking to me now?”

God tells us His Spirit will not always strive with men.

If we continue to stop up our ears and harden our hearts, He will stop speaking and let us go on our own way down the path to destruction.

Do not take it for granted when you sense the conviction of God’s Holy Spirit.

Stop and listen carefully.

The all-powerful, sovereign God who created you is speaking!

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:25-30)

The Miraculous Experience of Our Hearing His Voice

To seek the fullness of relationship with God is to hear his voice. 

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God” (John 8:47).

Just like when I seek true relationship with a person, or a child a conversation must happen; when we seek to truly know God, He talks with us – He is not a God who is ever silent but a God who speaks to us in any and every way He can.

All throughout the New Testament, there is both teaching on hearing the voice of God and instances where the people of God had conversation with Him.

John 14:16-17 Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” 

And later in John 16:13 Jesus says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

God himself dwells within us and longs to speak to every place in our hearts.

He longs for us to know the will of our heavenly Father the way Jesus did.

Longs for us to follow His leading moment by moment the way the apostles did.

And He longs for us to engage in fellowship, conversation with Him, as all those who are in true fellowship, in true relationship with one another do.

The immutable Biblical Truth is exactly this: God is constantly speaking to us.

The problem is that we do not know how to listen.

The problem is that we will flat out refuse to listen – or its selective listening – when we do not like what is being communicated and refuse to hear the words.

Scripture tells us that He is declaring the invisible attributes of his nature through creation (Psalm 19)

Psalm 19 The Message

19 ^1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies,
    God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
Madame Day holds classes every morning,
    Professor Night lectures each evening.

^3-4 Their words aren’t heard,
    their voices aren’t recorded,
But their silence fills the earth:
    unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.

^4-5 God makes a huge dome
    for the sun—a superdome!
The morning sun’s a new husband
    leaping from his honeymoon bed,
The daybreaking sun an athlete
    racing to the tape.

⁶ That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies
    from sunrise to sunset,
Melting ice, scorching deserts,
    warming hearts to faith.

^7-9 The revelation of God is whole
    and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
    and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
    showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
    and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
    with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate
    down to the nth degree.

¹⁰ God’s Word is better than a diamond,
    better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring,
    better than red, ripe strawberries.

^11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger
    and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
    Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
    Keep me from stupid sins,
    from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
    scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
These are the words in my mouth;
    these are what I chew on and pray.
Accept them when I place them
    on the morning altar,
O God, my Altar-Rock,
    God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

And then there are these more sobering words of the Apostle Paul to ponder;

Romans 1:18-23 The Message

Ignoring God Leads to a Downward Spiral

^18-23 But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.

When I finally decide to actually take time to experience firsthand the things God has made, God has spoken into existence – I finally feel His full presence.

There is a reason it’s peaceful to be in creation.

There is a reason it’s restful to be back to nature, in the mountains, lay on a beach, rowing a boat, fishing in a lake or a pond or or swimming in the sea.

All of creation is declaring the glory of God, declaring the wonderful character of our loving God, the miraculous, the wonderful words of life that He offers.

We just need to learn how and when to listen.

God speaks to us through his revealed word.

The inspirer of Scripture dwells within us and longs to use the Bible as a wonderful avenue to encountering its Author.

The Bible is not a biography written after someone has died.

Rather, it is the living, active words of a living, active God who longs for the very deepest most intimately possible relationship with us (Hebrews 4:12).

God speaks to us through one another.

All of us as believers have been given the same Spirit who has called us to a lifestyle of encouraging one another.

We are called to be a critical part of the process of discovering God’s heart and will in each other’s lives.

If we will make time to learn how God speaks to us for others, we will discover the very words of God given by grace to the lips of man.

And God speaks to us directly from his Spirit to our spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a vocal God.

He longs for us to know his thoughts.

He longs to direct us whether it be through words, a sense, a desire, through an uneasiness, or a tap on the shoulder, elbow in the ribcage type of prompting.

He is always speaking to us.

In order to learn to hear his voice moment by moment, whether we are inside solitude or in chaos, we must make time in the secret place to seek the fullness of relationship with him.

It’s in our intentionally seeking relationship with God that we become familiar with his voice and are able to closer follow him as a sheep with their Shepherd.

Take time in guided prayer to seek the face of your heavenly Father and hear his voice however he is choosing to speak.

In these days ahead, do not limit yourself to hearing him in only one way.

The path to the fullness of relationship with him is marked by his voice in each of these ways and more.

Open your heart and your soul to hearing Him through any and every way He is speaking that you might grow in your relationship with a good and loving God.

In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on Scripture that declares God to be a vocal God. 

Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to hear God in every way He speaks.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God.” John 8:47

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

2. In what ways are you comfortable hearing God? 

What ways might be new to you? Know that there is grace to grow in every facet of your relationship with him. Don’t limit yourself to only what you’ve known or experienced up to this point. Rather, seek the truth of God’s word by his Spirit and discover a wealth of relationship you might not have yet experienced.

3. Choose one of the ways God speaks that’s new to you and ask him to help you have conversation with him through that avenue. 

Again, hearing His voice through all of these avenues is meant to be the byproduct of simply seeking relationship with Him. Just as we do not seek to hear the voice of another person but seek relationship with them and get a conversation as a result, simply seek to know God and talk with Him.

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13

To have conversation with God might sound strange for some, but that does not mean it does not happen.

Rather, to have conversation with God available to us and to not take advantage of it is strange.

God longs to speak to you.

The Creator of all longs to have dialogue with you.

The King of kings and Lord of lords is inviting you to meet with him that you might have true relationship.

Seek God with all your heart.

Look to Scripture and the lives of biblical believers as your source of truth and normalcy.

Because of God’s heart to miraculously speak to you, you can live your life in constant conversation with a God who is both near to you and who loves you.

O Lord, your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path. Give us grace to receive your truth in faith and love, to receive your wisdom with an open heart and grant strength to follow on the path you set before us; through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Romans 5:3-5 GOD’S WORD Translation

³ But that’s not all. We also brag when we are suffering. We know that suffering creates endurance, ⁴ endurance creates character, and character creates confidence.  ⁵ We’re not ashamed to have this confidence, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Suffering Produces Perseverance, Character and Hope—Romans 5:3-5

Why does suffering produce patience, perseverance, character, and hope?

These are the gold standard characteristics but scarce.

If I had a choice, I would rather purchase virtues from Amazon.

I’d have them overnight if I purchased them in sufficient dollar levels or in 2 days, they wouldn’t cost much—Prime shipping is free after all, am I right?

So why is it that suffering the primary way we develop good things in our lives?

I think (I could be wrong) when we suffer we look for love, ergo we look for God.

We look for God – God always wants to be found – God finds us – We notice Him.

After awhile, It becomes apparent He is working in our lives and the situation.

This process can be “nails on a chalkboard” long, but but as Paul writes in these verses, waiting develops patience in us – and patience deepens into a steadfast, steely iron on iron sharpened determination humanity has called perseverance.

This is the forge where hope takes shape and with vigorous grinding – it shines.

This sharpened edge called Hope, when we take the time break it down, when we make the time to hone its edge, down is a confident and joyful expectation.

In suffering, we anchored our hope to God, who is the author, source of hope.

Hope never disappoints because God generously pours into our lives during times of suffering through the ministry and the work of the Holy Spirit.

He shows up and does something special in our hearts—He pours out love and perspective; God hones, smooths our rough edges; He enables us to see others in need and relate to them; God helps turn our focus from inward to outward.

Then He uses us to be an instrument of grace, a redemptive force in this world.

Yes, my friends, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, in suffering when hope awakens within, it is because we know God is with us, and working for us.

The process is undeniably hard, but the results far outweigh the pains – Our confidence is unshakeable because we know God will always be there for us.

That Miraculous Experience: His Love Poured Into Us

There is nothing in this world like experiencing the unconditional love of God.

His love extends farther than the width of the skies.

His love goes deeper than the deepest sea.

His love is more powerful than a thousand thousand diesel locomotives at full steam, and it is a trillion times closer than the heartbeat deep within your chest.

Experiencing his love is like becoming new again and again.

With each sweet taste of his affection, the wounds of the past become healed and restored that one no longer regrets pain but rejoices in the opportunity it gives to experience the love of a good and near heavenly Father once again.

Psalm 34:8 GOD’S WORD Translation

⁸ Taste and see that the [love of the] Lord is good.
Blessed is the person who takes refuge in him.

When we seek to know God we gain experiences with his love because it’s who He is.

1 John 4:8, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 

To know love is to know God because every bit of true love comes from him. 

1 John 4:16 says, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 

Every single day, it’s time for each of us to “believe the love that God has for us.” 

It’s time we cease questioning whether we are loved and instead seek the face of our heavenly Father so we might know beyond a shadow of a doubt He loves us.

In my Cardiac Rehabilitation, almost all of my energy goes toward being loved.

I walk now more than I have in twenty years and I now look for love everywhere.

I look for it from my wife, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, my brothers and sisters in Christ, in total strangers in supermarkets and Doctors waiting rooms.

I constantly concern myself with whether I am, moment by moment, loved.

But Jesus came that we might no longer ask ourselves that question. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

God already loved us so much that he died for us (Romans 5:8).

Romans 5:8 GOD’S WORD Translation

⁸ Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us.

There’s nothing we have to do to earn his love.

If we need a fresh reminder of it, all we have to do is simply seek his face and love will come as the result – and the majesty of the Lord our God is revealed.

2 Chronicles 7:11-16 GOD’S WORD Translation

The Lord Answers Solomon’s Prayer

¹¹ Solomon finished the Lord’s temple and the royal palace and completed everything he had in mind for the Lord’s temple and his own palace. ¹² Then the Lord appeared to him at night. He said to Solomon,

“I have heard your prayer
and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
¹³ I may shut the sky so that there is no rain,
or command grasshoppers to devour the countryside,
or send an epidemic among my people.
¹⁴ However, if my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves,
pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways,
then I will hear ⌞their prayer⌟ from heaven, forgive their sins,
and heal their country.
¹⁵ My eyes will be open,
and my ears will pay attention to those prayers at this place.
¹⁶ I have chosen and declared this temple holy
so that my name may be placed there forever.
My eyes and my heart will always be there.

Psalm 27:8 GOD’S WORD Translation

⁸ ⌞When you said,⌟
“Seek my face,”
my heart said to you,
“O Lord, I will seek your face.” ^[a]

We have unlimited access by the grace of God to the love of God.

Unconditional, limitless love awaits us at every turn if our hearts will simply seek His.

Scripture says in Psalm 27:8, “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” 

Jeremiah 29:11-14 GOD’S WORD Translation

¹¹ I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. ¹² Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me, ¹⁴ I will let you find me, declares the Lord. I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I’ve scattered you, declares the Lord. I will bring you back from the place where you are being held captive.

May we be children who constantly seek the face of our loving heavenly Father.

May we be a bride wholly wrapped up in the love of our Bridegroom.

And may we experience as the result of simply seeking God the powerful affections of a God who laid down his own life for the sake of his creation.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the love of your heavenly Father. Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to seek God and as a result experience an encounter with his love.

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:16

2. Where are you seeking love? 

To whom or what are you turning for love other than God?

3. Take time to seek the face of your heavenly Father and encounter His love. 

Open your heart to him and simply desire relationship with him.

He will take care of the rest.

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5

“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” Psalm 27:8

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 

We have no reason to fear seeking God.

All that He would say to us, do in us, and lead us to comes from a foundation of His perfect love.

There is no reason to fear in this life.

There is nothing here that can separate us from eternal, unbound relationship with our heavenly Father – allow His love to cast out any reservations you have today – to receive an awareness of His perfect love, to rest easy in His kindness.

Further Reflections …

Where are you suffering right now?

Where do you see God “showing up” in this pain?

Reflect on the ways God has poured into your life through the Holy Spirit during times of suffering and pain.

Take a moment to thank Him for walking with you through it.

Father, teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your Holy Spirit lead me on level ground. I see your faithfulness and goodness in what you have done for me throughout my life. I think about these things, and I thirst for you. Let me hear of your unfailing love every morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Keep me on firm footing for the glory of your name. Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Psalm 46 Revised Standard Version

God’s Defense of His City and People

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

46 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present^[a] help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change,
    though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
³ though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
    God will help her right early.
⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge.^[b]Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has wrought desolations in the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,
    he burns the chariots with fire!
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I am exalted among the nations,
    I am exalted in the earth!”
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge.^[c]Selah

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

To know God is to experience God.

Just as we experience aspects of one another as we grow in our friendships, we experience the awesome wonders of our God as we all seek to simply know him.

God is calling us to a life of seeking him with all we are.

Every single moment of every single day He is calling us to value relationship with Him above all else, above all others, that we would love no other but him.

In this coming season of Advent and Christmas, may we renew and refresh our minds, encounter wonderful aspects of relationship with your heavenly Father as we wholeheartedly dig into His Scriptures, seek to know him with all we are.

God Absolutely Wants to be Known

Psalm 46:10-11 Amplified Bible

¹⁰ 
“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”
¹¹ 
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

All Truth Be Told – For Us – The single greatest privilege in life is to know God.

The God of All Creation, The God who formed us in our Mothers, provides for us in all life and sent his Son to die for us, longs to have real relationship with us.

He longs to be known by every single one of His Children.

And through the first coming of His Son, His miraculous Ministry among us, His powerful sacrifice of Jesus, we truly can know him like any other person.

And in fact, throughout His Scriptures reveal that in some respects God is infinitely more knowable than any other person. Jeremiah 31:33-34 says,

Jeremiah 31:33-34 New American Standard Bible

³³ “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴ They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.”

“From the least of them to the greatest,” says the living God.

Thanks be to God! No matter who we are, no matter where we are, no matter when we are and no matter what we have done, we can know the God of love.

Thanks be to God, Knowing God, from Alpha to Omega, is no longer reserved for those individually appointed as His Priests, Prophets, Kings and Apostles.

Knowing God, from Alpha to Omega, is no longer reserved for those like David, Isaiah, Paul and Peter – because of Jesus, we have equal access to the living God.

And from the place of knowing God, thanks be to God, we are granted the ability through Christ who is the Living Word of God, to experience all of His incredible attributes, by His Spirit, be blessed by a greater awareness, our union with Him.

When we seek to know God, the Bible is clear: we begin to experience his love (Romans 5:5), hear his voice (John 10:27), feel his peace (2 Thessalonians 3:16) and, thanks be to God, we can partner in his purposes (1 Peter 2:9), experience his freedom (Romans 6:4), and rest in His presence (Psalm 16:11) all our lives.

When we center our lives around knowing God, we gain experience with him like we do any other person.

I do not seek to hear only my wife’s voice, rather I seek to know her and have conversation with her as a byproduct of our shared study, knowledge of God.

I don’t seek just the emotion of love from my wife; rather, in getting to know her and walking in relationship with her, I experience her affections for me.

So it is with our relationship with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

When we each simply seek to know Him as well as He knows us, we gain real Kingdom experience in return which can then be translated outward (Acts 1:8).

Acts 1:7-8 New American Standard Bible

⁷ But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority; ⁸ but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

I pray as we all enter into this coming Christmas Season, we will all look at the individual aspects of experiencing God our heart is stirred to simply seek deeper “thanks” relationship with our heavenly Father, whatever comes as the result.

Thanks be to God, From Alpha to Omega, Your Father loved each of us enough to send His Son Jesus, to pay the ultimate price to have relationship with us all.

From Alpha to Omega, seek Him, discover the wealth of His affections for you.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the availability of knowing the living God. 

Allow His Scriptures to stir up your desire to seek Him with all your heart.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” Psalm 27:8

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34

2. Is your life centered around the pursuit of knowing God? 

Check the posture of your heart today.

Look at the way you spend your time, your emotions, your thoughts, and your actions. What seems to be your greatest pursuit?

3. Spend some time centering your heart around true relationship with a knowable God. 

Ask Him to help guide your heart through your day toward this pursuit.

Ask Him to give you a check in your heart when something takes his place as the greatest desire in your life.

Live today with Him as your highest priority.

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!”  Psalm 119:10

Jeremiah 9:23-24 says,

Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.

May we be those who boast solely in our relationship with God.

May His love and His nearness be our highest joy.

And may it be said of us at the end of our days we sought the Lord above all else!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Psalm 146 New King James Version

The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord

146 Praise^[a] the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!
² While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in ^[b]a son of man, in whom there is no ^[c]help.
⁴ His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.

⁵ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶ Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
⁷ Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.

⁸ The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He ^[d]turns upside down.

¹⁰ The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord!

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Psalm 146:1-2 The Message

146 ^1-2 Hallelujah!
    O my soul, praise God!
All my life long I’ll praise God,
    singing songs to my God as long as I live.

“I would trust them with my soul – with my very life to never mislead me.”

I heard someone say these words a few weeks ago when he was speaking about a long time supervisor friend of his whom he held in such very high regard.

Alarm bells went off all through in my spirit when I heard those words because I knew then and now that we should never trust another human with our soul.

The Word of God teaches that only God should be trusted with our soul because only God had created us and only God has our absolute best interest at heart.

Psalm 139:13-16 The Message

^13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
    you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
    Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
    I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
    you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
    how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
    all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
    before I’d even lived one day.

Only God can absolutely save your soul from eternal destruction and bless you and keep you absolutely with eternal life in an immortal body that’s perfect.

With such knowledge tucked away, why would anyone want to trust another human with something so valuable, the essence of who was in Jesus Christ?

Psalm 139:17-18 English Standard Version

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

We cannot take our possessions to Heaven.

We can only take our character and the new life God gives our bodies.

Only Creator God can be absolutely and perfectly trusted with our souls.

Remember: We have an enemy who is out to kill, steal, and destroy our souls in hell (Genesis 3:1-7, John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8-9).

No human can prevent that from happening to us; only God can save our souls! 

While it’s great and very important and critical to have people in your life who you can trust, ultimately you should never trust another imperfect human (and we are all imperfect – by the way) with something as utterly sacred as your soul.

Why?

Because we are mere mortals who are all sinners saved by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We have faults.

We make mistakes.

We have flaws.

We have wandering personalities with all manner of biases and prejudices.

Isaiah 53:6 New American Standard Bible

⁶ All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all
To ^[a]fall on Him.

We will all inevitably let people down.

We will all inevitably experience failure.

We will all inevitably fall in and out of love with people.

We will all inevitably have good days and bad days and days of catastrophe.

We are each fighting different battles—both visible and invisible—every day.

And even the most educated, wise, and “perfect”—by the world’s standards or Christian standards—person has their array of flaws, faults and utter failures .

Even on a good day, on the greatest days of our lives, we can fall into doing bad things or make choices and decisions that alter the course of our and others life.

Bottom line:

We sinful humans cannot be trusted completely no matter how much we love people because at the end of the day, we’re flawed creatures and we’re not God who is all-knowing, powerful, wise, and equipped with a love that never fails!

All of this reminds me of those Bible verses that admonishes us to trust God who is # 1 and not put our trust in princes, mere mortals who cannot save us.

Psalm 118:5-9 New American Standard Bible

⁵ From my distress I called upon ^[a]the Lord;
^[b]The Lord answered me and put me in an open space.
⁶ The Lord is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
⁷ The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in people.
⁹ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in noblemen.

There is so much high wisdom within those verses from Psalmist King David.

I know that it’s easy for us to look to royalty or other well-respected authorities or famous people to represent us, to advocate to plead our cause, to fight for us, to be there for us, to take care of us and our needs in all available circumstances.

But at the end of the day, they’re just like us—flawed imperfect sinful humans who don’t have the power to grant us eternal life in Heaven nor do they have the ultimate power to send us all to hell – Why do we put our trust in these people?

Let me clarify: You and I do have to be able to trust people on a basic level to have and share relationships, to connect, to love, to survive and thrive in life.

But you and I should never trust any imperfect person so completely that we believe they’ll always be there for us and they’ll never fail – because they will.

And if they never leave you nor forsake you as a friend or spouse here on earth, when it’s their time for them to die they will 100000% leave us here on Earth.

Because, thanks be to God, absolutely every human has an expiration date.

But thanks be to God, the good news is that God, our Eternal King, lives forever through all eternity!

Revelation 1:8 New American Standard Bible

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who ^[a]is to come, the Almighty.”

So please, from Alpha to Omega, entrust your soul to your Maker, not mankind.

From Alpha to Omega, He will absolutely take good care of us IF we trust Him.

More good news:

From Alpha to Omega, God is the most trustworthy force in the entire universe!

From Alpha to Omega, I hope these timeless words have encouraged your heart.

From Alpha to Omega, May I pray for you?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let’s Pray: 

Dear God,

My Alpha and My Omega, Thank You for being the Lover of my soul. Thank You for always being there for me. Help me to trust you with my life, my heart, my dreams, my plans, my loved ones, and most importantly, my soul. I trust You to take good care of it and usher me into eternity with You. With my whole soul, I love You, Lord.  Bless the Lord, O My Soul and all that is within me! In Jesus’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Psalm 28 New American Standard Bible

A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.

A Psalm of David.

28 To You, Lord, I call;
My rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You are silent to me,
I will become like those who go down to the pit.
² Hear the sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help,
When I raise my hands toward ^[a]Your holy sanctuary.
³ Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who practice injustice,
Who speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
⁴ Give back to them according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Give back to them according to the work of their hands;
Repay them what is due them.
⁵ Because they do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.

⁶ Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the sound of my pleading.
⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart triumphs,
And with my song I shall thank Him.
⁸ The Lord is ^[b]their strength,
And He is a refuge of salvation to His anointed.
⁹ Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;
Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

We have so much to give thanks, be grateful for in this life, every single day.

But reality is that sometimes, like on this massive shopping day the day after Thanksgiving called “Black Friday” constant life demands, battles, and worries over that “Perfect Gift,” give us more room to defeat than to a heart of thanks.

Or we forget, in the blinding midst of busyness and pressures, shopping, just to pause and give thanks for all that God has done and continues to do in our lives.

Sometimes it really is an intense sacrifice of time to offer praise and thanks.

We may not feel like it.

We are struggling.

We are weary.

We are feeling let down and disappointed someone else got what we desired.

Or maybe, for whatever other reason in life we feel like God has let us down.

Reasons like finances, our health, our spouses health or our children’s health.

We don’t have food on our table.

We do not even have a table because we do not even have a place to call home.

Our circumstances in life lead us to think, even hardcore believe God seems distant, like He’s far away, or doesn’t really care about what’s troubling us.

A steady stream of painful life blows and losses might have recently sent us spiraling – loss of job, a cut in salary, business is not booming but bills are.

But, thanks be to God, here’s what God gives us to make a lasting difference.

We will always have a God given choice, every day, grace – to give God thanks.

And with a heart of thanksgiving, we realize that no matter what we face, God doesn’t just work to change our situations and help us through our problems.

He does more.

He changes our hearts.

His power, His passion, His purposes for us, through our hearts of gratitude and our thoughts focused on Him, releases that iron grip our struggles have over us.

We are strengthened by His Grace, Quieted by His peace, and refueled by His joy.

No matter what our current situation, or the struggles we may be facing, here’s what God is always revealing to us – reasons for choosing to be thankful does:

• It gets our eyes off ourselves, and helps us to focus back on God.
• It reminds us we’re never in control, but that we serve a Mighty God who is. It keeps us in a steady place of humility and dependency on Him, as we recognize exactly how much we all absolutely need Him for absolutely everything we will ever need in life.
• It helps us to recognize we have so much to be thankful for, even all the little things, which often we may forget to thank Him for. It takes our attention off our problems and helps us instead to read, study, reflect on the goodness of His many blessings.
• It reminds us that God is the Giver of all good and perfect gifts. We were never intended to be fully self-sufficient in this life. A grateful heart reminds us that ultimately God is our ultimate Provider, that every single blessing and every single gift are graciously given to us by His hand and are fully assured by all His promises.
• A heart of gratitude leaves no room for complaining. For it is impossible to be truly thankful and filled with negativity and ungratefulness at the same time.
• It makes the enemy flee. The forces of darkness can’t stand to be around hearts that give thanks and honor to God. Our praise and thanksgiving will make them flee.
• It opens the door for receiving continued blessings. It invites His presence. God loves to give good and perfect gifts to all His children. He delights in our thankfulness and pours out His Holy Spirit and favor over those who give honor and gratitude to Him.

Why Being Thankful Is a Powerful Way to Live Free

Isaiah 55:1-3 English Standard Version

The Compassion of the Lord

55 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
³ Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.

Maybe in this season of Thanksgiving, you are in a hardcore place right now.

Maybe, as you “look forward?” to the Christmas Season you feel like God has left you behind, on your own, to fend for yourself, or the battle seems too hard.

Maybe there’s never enough money left at the end of the month and you can’t figure out how to make things work, how to buy that one single perfect gift .

No matter what else, in it all, pray, be assured that God is with you and He cares.

Choose a heart of gratefulness today.

Make a list of all that God has blessed and filled your life with, that it’s been easy to take for granted at times.

Trust He always knows exactly what concerns you and is at work even now, to bring you through this uncertain season – thank Him for providing all you need.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 King James Version

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Titus 2:11-14 English Standard Version

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to  redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Today is another day that the Lord hath made and like everyday which the Lord hath made, we who are the Children of God are called to rejoice and thank God.

By His hands, The Lord creates, the Lord God alone makes every single day and gifts it back to us with the sunrise – everyday is best day to give God our thanks.

So, today is another day to celebrate with thanks all of the days which God gifts.

Yet, sometimes we’ll have the wrong expectations for celebrations of holidays.

We commonly imagine a festive scene filled with family, warmth, and laughter.

On this Thanksgiving day, the feast table is set and photo-ready – friends and family will gather together, reminisce and smile over plates of delicious food.

For others, our Thanksgiving holidays do not always look like this, though. Broken families, loss of loved ones, or illness can all mar the holiday cheer.

The disappointment increases if you spend time scrolling through social media and see all of those loving gatherings that look vastly different from your own.

At these times, ideas of thanking – well, God, it can be difficult to feel thankful.

The good news – and yes, there is always good news to be had – is that gratitude is acceptable and permissible not only for the pleasant, plentiful times in life.

Expressing gratitude to the Lord is also acceptable, permissible and important in times when life seems to make less sense and we suffer and experience loss.

We may struggle to give our thanks when life is hard, but by leaning into God and His Word, we can find reasons to be thankful for His goodness and love.

Seasons of hardship and pain provide us with opportunities to notice the profound and small, smaller imperceptible ways that God shows His love.

Thanks be to God for the Grace which Transforms

Titus 2:11-14 GOD’S WORD Translation

¹¹ After all, God’s saving kindness ^[a] has appeared for the benefit of all people.  ¹² It trains us to avoid ungodly lives filled with worldly desires so that we can live self-controlled, moral, and godly lives in this present world. ¹³ At the same time we can expect what we hope for—the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ He gave himself for us to set us free from every sin and to cleanse us so that we can be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good things.

I have learned a valuable lesson from Jesus’ selfless example at Calvary that is we are to give all our thanks for that moment, live our lives from the inside out.

When Paul wrote to Titus, he didn’t provide him with a mere manual for how to teach people to give thanks to God, live properly in their various roles in society.

The Pastoral letter of Titus does contain numerous commands for just how us Christians are to live—good days and bad, and that is why, if we are not careful, we can easily read it as a moralistic emotionless step by step how-to live book.

Indeed, when reading God’s word as a whole it is possible to slip into reading it as a list of commands we are to keep in order to gain or maintain God’s favor.

We need reminding, again and again, that thanks be to God, all the Scriptures, including this letter of Paul’s, show us the grace of God, and then they show those who have understood the grace of God how to live from the inside out.

The Bible’s story is the story of God, who created humans and put them in His company in the Garden of Eden-then years upon years of celebrating humanity.

They were privileged to enjoy His presence and everything He had made.

But they rebelled against God, stopped thanking God for His gifts and we too, following those ancestors, have rejected His rule, have adopted a skewed view of the world, and don’t seek after Him to give Him all of the thanks He deserves.

Because of our thankless sinful nature, we live life wrong side up – upside down.

But when we give God all of the thanks that He absolutely deserves, we believe in the fullness and richness of Christ, our upside-down lives are then rectified.

We become less prone to stumbling over ourselves, less prone to grumbling to begin to stand the right way up, we are put back together by the power of Jesus.

Our hearts and souls are then transformed and we are then to live out our lives from the inside out, so that what God has accomplished in us by His grace is the driving force for what He is now going to accomplish through us for His glory.

Paul tells us “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation.” (Titus 2:11)

In Titus 3:7, he reminds those of us who have trusted in Christ that we have been “justified by his grace,” becoming “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

And in Titus 3:8, Paul teaches that these gospel truths are trustworthy things that must be insisted on, “so that those who have believed in God may be careful [give thanks to God] and to devote themselves to good works” (emphasis added).

This progression is absolutely crucial to grasp.

First and foremost – Give ALL Thanks to God for the gift of His Son Jesus Christ!

It’s not that we are to devote ourselves to doing good works so that we might be accepted by God; it is that because we have believed in God, gave all thanks to God every single day and are accepted through the person and work of His Son, then in total gratitude for His Son, we all devote ourselves to doing good works.

Attitudes of Gratitude, good works, flow from His grace, inspired by that grace.

The grace of God is what trains us to give thanks and live for the God of grace.

Do you desire to be distinct from the world?

Do you hope to live a life worthy of God—one that “Thanks Him” in all you do?

That is a mark of His grace at work in you.

Remember that what you do is never what saves you; in our Savior Christ, His grace appeared, and all His lifeblood was poured out on you – Thank You God!

This Thanksgiving day which God made for us, focus not on what you are to do for God but on what He has done to transform you by His grace – As you do so, you will find your heart and mind trained to live in the way that pleases Him.

Four Ways to Being .01% Thankful When Life Is Hard

1. Remember the Gift of Salvation

One way to be thankful when life is challenging is to remember what Jesus did for you. There was a moment in your past when you placed faith in Christ.

Before that time, you were dead in sin and separated from the Lord (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 1:21).

No number of good deeds or participation in religion could change your condition (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9).

Then you learned about Jesus’ death and resurrection, and everything changed.

You trusted Him to save you and received forgiveness for your sins and a new life (Ephesians 1:7; 2:4-5, 8-10).

Though you were completely lost, Jesus found you – He made you His own.

Reminding ourselves of the awesome truth of the gospel can give us hope when everything around us is hard.

We think about those days where we were without Christ and begin to praise Him for all that He has done in saving us and conforming us to His likeness.

Yes, life is difficult in a broken world, and we still have to live in that broken world with broken lives but we have a living Savior who loves and cares for us.

Nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 8:38-39 NLT).

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[a] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For those who are experiencing challenging times this Thanksgiving, know that you still have reason to praise the Lord – always permission, to thank the Lord!

Like Habakkuk who rejoiced in the Lord despite a time of hardship and need, we also can say,

“I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:18).

Even if everything else in life seems to be falling away into dark and hopeless, we can always give an energetic thanks to God for the salvation Jesus gave us.

2. Get Back to the Basics

In addition to thanking the Lord for salvation, we can also give thanks for the necessities of life He provides.

Scripture tells us “If we have enough food and clothing, let us be content” (1 Timothy 6:8, NLT).

In context, this verse speaks to the need for contentment instead of greedily grasping for material wealth.

However, we can apply this verse to be thankful for the provision God provides.

Lots of us may not have great wealth, or any wealth of the world but we do have food, clothing, and shelter – for that reason, we can still give our thanks to God.

Our thanks and gratitude for these necessities should increase when, by the grace of God, we consider people locally and globally who face severe poverty.

For them, food is scarce, and obtaining other necessities is a daily challenge.

These difficulties have only increased because of recent events, such as the Global Food Crisis, the economy and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We do not have to look far to see the negative effects.

For example, NPR provided the findings of a recent study done by the U. S. Department of Agriculture which states that “44.2 million people lived in households that had difficulty getting enough food to feed everyone in 2022.”

That is a high number of people with food insecurity.

Add that to the countless millions upon millions of others around the world, and we can easily see why we should all give thanks for necessities like food.

Although I am not trying to invalidate the feelings of those who are suffering this Thanksgiving, I think reminding ourselves of the everyday provision of food, water, clothing, and shelter is helpful because we can easily take these blessings for granted – and by God’s grace – we can move ourselves to help.

Philippians 2:1-4 New Living Translation

Have the Attitude of Christ

2 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? ²  Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Seeking out the Kingdom of God, discovering, seeing the lack, suffering in the world can prayerfully compel us to practice gratitude for simple things in life.

3. Notice the Little Things

Another way to add to your gratitude list this Thanksgiving, and indeed all days which God has given us the Sunrise to enjoy – is to notice the little things in life.

Throughout Jesus’ teachings, He used ordinary things in life to expound on profound truths.

When discussing the Father’s love and care for people, Christ used the example of the simple beauty of the flowers in the fields and of the sparrows in the air.

The Lord sees the small sparrow fall from a tree and cares about the bird’s life (Matthew 10:29) -how comforting it is to know, then, that He loves and values us even more than the sparrow (Matthew 10:30-31).

In another instance, He talked about how the lilies adorn the grassy fields.

Even Solomon’s wealth and splendor cannot compare to God-created beauty (Matthew 6:28-29).

As Jesus said, “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30).

Such seemingly unimportant, ordinary things can remind us of the Lord’s love.

Hardship can keep our attention laser focused only our immediate problems.

However, we can find comfort and encouragement in noticing the small graces in life — the foliage of a tree, the smell of a flower, the call of a bird and in the ordinary, we can yet find great beauty that points us to our Creator and Savior.

4. Thank God for His Presence

We can also give our thanks for the Lord’s constant presence in our lives. As believers, we have the promise that Jesus is with us always (Matthew 28:20).

He’ll never leave or forsake us, regardless of our circumstances (Hebrews 13:5).

There is nowhere we can go where God will not be with us (Psalm 139:7-10).

Although we may recognize this truth intellectually, we may have difficulty in seeking out the Kingdom of God and applying it – in challenging circumstances, the immutable truth that God is 100% with us can help us know we aren’t alone.

We may feel like no one cares or that we are alone in the difficulty, but the Lord is present -He understands everything about us, and cares about our suffering. (Psalm 107)

Therefore, we can offer thanksgiving to the Lord for His enduring presence.

He is the God who sees and never leaves.

God is with us, and that is reason to rejoice and give thanks.

Why Does repeating “Thanks be to God” Matter?

Darkness and pain may fill your days and you do not feel there is much to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving can exacerbate feelings of sadness as you see and hear about others who have enjoyable and festive gatherings with loved ones and friends.

These times can be difficult, but you can still find reasons to be grateful.

This is the day the Lord hath made, until death do us part and heaven and God we see, thank the Lord for the salvation He gave you, for the daily provision of grace, mercy and life, all the beauty in the ordinary, and His constant presence.

In so doing, you put into action the biblical command to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 136:1-9 GOD’S WORD Translation

136 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods
because his mercy endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords
because his mercy endures forever.

⁴ Give thanks to the only one who does miraculous things—
because his mercy endures forever.
⁵ to the one who made the heavens by his understanding—
because his mercy endures forever.
⁶ to the one who spread out the earth on the water—
because his mercy endures forever.
⁷ to the one who made the great lights—
because his mercy endures forever.
⁸ the sun to rule the day—
because his mercy endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to rule the night—
because his mercy endures forever.

²³ He remembered us when we were humiliated—
because his mercy endures forever.
²⁴ He snatched us from the grasp of our enemies—
because his mercy endures forever.
²⁵ He gives food to every living creature—
because his mercy endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven
because his mercy endures forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Luke 6:32-36 English Standard Version

³² “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ³⁶ Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Have we ever witnessed someone be ungrateful for something done for them?

I think about times I’ve watched children open their birthday or Christmas gifts and be totally disappointed or full on mad they didn’t get something different.

But kids are immature, we expect holes in their character for things like this.

I’ve also watched ingratitude from adults.

There have been many occasions when I’ve witnessed people go miles out of their way to help someone they do not even know and that later that person talks up a storm about how nobody was there for them in their time of trial.

I just shake my head when and say things under my breath when I see these things because hypocrisy and ingratitude are both a very ugly character trait. 

But before I get deep into criticizing others, and too self-righteous, I’m often reminded by the Holy Spirit of how my own ingratitude is displayed every day.

I don’t live as thankful to God as I should for His mercies, His provisions, and salvation given to me – and create excuses as I don’t share back my gratitude.

I take His grace for granted, I presume upon His “always there” kindness and often live with a “what have you done for me lately” posture. God, have mercy.

Numbers 11:4-6 English Standard Version

⁴ Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! ⁵ We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. ⁶ But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

This passage shows how easy it is for all of us to do this.

We read in this ancient text of the children of Israel wandering in the desert after their rescue from Egypt.

For four hundred years they were slaves, brutalized year after year in Egypt.

You would think their new freedom by the power of God would naturally make them the most grateful people in the world.

Yet, in this ancient text, from their alleged state of gratitude – they grumbled.

They looked back at their time in slavery with a longing for the same foods they gathered, prepared and ate as captives.

It is bizarre for us to think about why there should be such a desire for the old.

At no cost to them, with no expectation of reciprocation, God was providing for them a special bread from Heaven that nobody on earth had ever eaten before.

More importantly, He gave them freedom.

He rescued them.

Yet they were long comfortable enough under Egyptian whips in their bondage that, now being free, they took time to envy the food and the generosity of God, that they had then compared to the food and freedom they had in the present.

Before we shake our heads in disbelief, we are no different.

We would have been among the grumblers too had we been present.

Why?

Because it is in our nature to take God’s blessings for granted.

We are not naturally grateful.

We must somehow give ourselves permission to be grateful, cultivate a grateful heart by constantly meditating, reflecting on the goodness, grace of God to us.

None of it is deserved.

The more we meditate on those realities, the more gratitude will mark our lives.

And if we are forward leaning, forward acting in Christ, we have been rescued from slavery to sin, have the most cause for gratitude than anyone in the world.

Why do you think we are naturally ungrateful people?

What was the root cause underneath the Israelites grumbling about food?

Is the root cause of our grumbling in our times of plenty any different today?

How do we sometimes “automatically” fall into this trap in our own lives?

How might we release ourselves from this “automatic tendency” to mouth off?

How might we help others be more grateful to God as we ourselves figure it out?

Luke 6:32-36 New International Version

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

We all grumble from time to time, whether it’s about the traffic, the weather, or the lines at the grocery store.

However, when we are constantly complaining, constantly unhappy, or discontent, we probably need to break free from a spirit of ungratefulness.

The truth is ungratefulness concentrates on the negative.

It skips over the blessings of God and focuses on life’s problems.

Often, it repels those we love most because nobody wants to be around it.

I can write about this today because my nature is to grumble and complain.

I’ve struggled with this my whole life, yet God has been gracious in helping me recognize negative thought patterns and to turn them into patterns of praise.

If you feel held in bondage by a spirit of ungratefulness, here are five biblical ways to read about, meditate, ponder and pray over, perhaps act on, break free.

1. Acknowledge it as a Serious Problem

Part of our being trapped, being held in a mindset of bondage, in an ungrateful lifestyle and mindset is we’ll underestimate, gloss over how serious it really is.

In one of the most sobering Bible passages, 2 Timothy 3:1-2, we read, 

“There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and unholy.” 

This is only part of a passage that goes on to say we should “have nothing to do with such people.” (Yikes!)

When I look at my own tendency toward avoidance, bias and exclusion and ungratefulness, I am immediately convinced there must be a better way.

And you know what?

The Word of God says there is.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

And the narrative from Luke adds we are to carry such an inclusive attitude even into the presence of those who are ungrateful and wicked exactly like we all are.

Ungrateful people are #1 on anyone’s list of being automatically untouchable.

Avoid, with the same fervor the Israelites would avoid those cracking the whip.

Acknowledging that neither our ungratefulness and their ungratefulness is not any part of God’s will for our, their lives is the first step in breaking free from it.

The good news is God is our help.

As a thoroughly humbled David set aside his earthly crown, walked away from his throne and walked into the Tabernacle of God and He prayed in Psalm 51, 

“I blew it, Lord! Please Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Let our attitude of gratitude, our prayer of “thanks be to God” be like David’s as we sit or kneel, to ask the Lord to create in us a pure heart, renew our Spirit, and restore the joy of our salvation – these are wonderful things to be grateful for! 

2. Realize our Ingratitude Does Affect, Effect, Others

It’s easy to believe our sin struggles only affect us. But any sin left unchecked will eventually seep into the lives of others – especially those we’re closest to.

We can break free from a spirit of ungratefulness when we turn to God as David did in Psalm 51, confess with our whole heart, realize how it’s affecting others.

This might include:

-Negatively influencing our kids

-Making our spouses feel like they can’t do anything right

-Causing others to go out of their way to avoid us at all costs.

-Being known as the pessimist in the family

The moment we recognize how your ungratefulness is negatively affecting other people, we can ask God for renewal, decide to take action – it will take some intentionality on your part, but the Holy Spirit will help you break free.

3. Declare That Ingratitude Does not Define You

Often, when we fall into Satan’s trap and believe we cannot change something about ourselves, we fall into another of his traps and slowly allow it to define us.

We will steadily start to hardcore believe it’s just who we are always going to be.

But absolutely nothing could be further from the truth.

You and I were created in the image of God, in all righteousness and holiness.

Our grumbling spirits do not align with His Spirit, Who lives in us.

Once we seek out the grace of God over our own, declare ungratefulness to be a false notion of who we are, we can move past it into who we were made to be.

What does the Word of God for His Children, promise about you, my friend?

Who did He create us to be?

In whose Image are we Created?

A eternally grateful God or an everlastingly ungrateful Satan?

Declare today that the Spirit of ungratefulness has no place in your life.

The words “pessimist” or “complainer” do not define you.

Only God’s covering through the lifeblood of His Son Jesus Christ shed for us at Calvary (Romans 5:8-10) defines who you are who exactly you were meant to be.

Romans 5:8-10 New Living Translation

⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹ And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. ¹⁰ For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

Stand on your true identity today, watch the chains of ungratefulness fall away.

4. Reverse the Way You Think

Romans 12:1-3 New International Version

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

There’s a lot of talk about mindset today, which is the way we think and believe.

And while most of the world views it from a psychological perspective, there is a biblical perspective that makes perfect sense.

Here are a few additional verses that address our mindset:

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

A spirit of ungratefulness doesn’t stand a chance when it comes to the truth of God’s Word!

By meditating on these passages, we can reverse the way we think and overcome patterns of negativity.

Remember, the Bible is living, active, and powerful enough to change us from the inside out (Hebrews 4:12).

5. Remember the Old Hymn

You might remember singing an old hymn called “Count Your Blessings.”

According to Hymnary.org, the song was written by Johnson Oatman in 1897.

Verse one says:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

The thought of counting your blessings in the face of ungratefulness might sound simplistic, but it’s one of the fastest ways out of a negative cycle.

By naming aloud the things God has done for you, you’re chasing away feelings of discontentment and replacing those emotions with gratitude and praise.

My friend, we cannot out-thank the Lord.

His mercies are new every morning, His blessings are too numerous to count.

From running water under the tap to the miraculous healing of a loved one – and every blessing in between – we have a multitude of things to be grateful for.

Believe it is possible you can break free today from a spirit of ungratefulness and live in the abundance of blessings and genuine freedom you have in Christ.

His Spirit lives in you and transforms you more and more into His likeness.

Declare that this “personal” problem does not define you any longer, nor does it have any influence on your loved ones.

Before long, you’ll be the one who praises the Lord in every situation.

And I don’t know about you, but that sounds a whole lot like freedom to me.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 100 New International Version

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Philippians 2:1-4 Revised Standard Version

Imitating Christ’s Humility

2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Do you remember one of the earliest questions in the Bible?

“Where is your brother Abel?”

To which Cain responded: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Paul’s answer to that question is a clear and undeniable yes!

Like Christ, we must look to the interest of others and not just our own.

Philippians 2:1-4 Easy-to-Read Version

Be United and Care for Each Other

2 Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, ² then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. ³ In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too.

These words from Paul are written in the context of modeling our lives after the same attitude Christ Jesus illustrated when He left the glory of heaven to come to earth as a lowly human man, destined to die on a cross for the sins of us all.

Everything He did at Calvary was in absolute consideration of the dire state of lost humanity, separated from their Creator – from the start, He took into all accounts, or considered, our circumstances and was moved to act in all mercy.

As followers of Jesus, we are commanded to walk, to act, in the same manner.

1 John 2:3-6 GOD’S WORD Translation

Those Who Know Christ Obey His Commandments

³ We are sure that we know Christ if we obey his commandments. ⁴ The person who says, “I know him,” but doesn’t obey his commandments is a liar. The truth isn’t in that person. ⁵ But whoever obeys what Christ says is the kind of person in whom God’s love is perfected. That’s how we know we are in Christ. ⁶ Those who say that they live in him must live the same way he lived.

What Does It Mean to Be Considerate of Others?

The root word is “consider,” meaning to think carefully about something, especially before making a decision.  

A considerate person shows regard for the needs or feelings of others.

Their words and actions are characterized by careful thought; they are deliberate and intentional, given to consideration or to sober reflection.

They are mindful of consequences or circumstance and especially careful of the rights, claims, and feelings of others.

In this devotional, we’ll unpack some practical ways Scripture teaches us to be considerate.

But first, we need to address an incorrect understanding that our culture has created.

From a worldly perspective, the phrase “being considerate” is often interpreted as avoiding anything that could “trigger” “cause meltdown,” offend someone.

The secular world would have us to believe that we can never say or do anything that could possibly hurt the feelings of someone who views life from a different perspective, even if it means withholding the truth and (gasp) not telling the truth.

This thought has nothing to do with the biblical concept of being considerate.

Jesus’ words and His actions were often decisively challenging to His listeners.

The truth He spoke was diametrically opposed to the cultural and religious ideology popular in His day – His thoughts, words were not politically correct.

He questioned both the religious, the secular belief systems that were in place.

And while He never sought to dismantle the current political structure, He was clear that the kingdom He came to install was of a spiritual nature, not subject to the whims and notions and any political advantages of this world’s rulers.

Jesus considered the true circumstances of the people He came to save and spoke 100% directly and decisively, forthright and forwardly and acted accordingly.

His words and actions were characterized by compassion and careful thought, always intentional, always truthful, and always with the goal of changing the heart behind the faces who followed Him, even the faces of those who scorned.

Thankfully, the words and pages of the Bible does give us a pattern for how we can consider the circumstances of the people around us and respond, within the Wisdom literature, and Jesus’ life and words, and the teachings of the apostles.

The most inconsiderate, the most ungrateful thing we could ever do is fail to tell others the truth about the God who loves them so much He would die for them.

But how we speak about truth and the actions we take because of that truth can and should be done with great consideration – as others see our heart for them, and for our God, their hearts will become more open to the Savior we represent.

Proverbs 3:3-4 The Message

^3-4 Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
    Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
    in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.

Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers gives us some practical wisdom for how we can model the love of Christ as a considerate person.

We are told “have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

Here are just four things which characterize the type of person we want to be:

1. A Considerate Person Speaks and Acts from a Place of Humility (Philippians 2:3)

In our definition of considerate, we prayerfully saw that we must be mindful of consequences or circumstance and especially careful of the rights, claims, and feelings of others.

This takes major Christ-like measures of humility, a willingness to step all of the way back and think about what pre-existing events might have taken place in a person’s life to bring them into their current situation or attitude – events and the consequences, effects of which, we may know nothing about personally.

It is abhorrently prideful for us to think we may have made better choices when faced with similar circumstances.

Paul reminds us of this again in Romans, a book that focuses largely on the doctrines of our faith.

But where our doctrine is made practical is in chapters 12-15.

Paul has a lot to say about how we treat one another, stressing that we ought to view ourselves through the lens of humility.

Romans 12:3 The Message

³ I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

Romans 12:14-16 The Message

^14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

2. A Considerate Person Thinks of Others’ Interests, Not Just His Own (Philippians 2:4)

Jesus modeled this perfectly.

It was not in His best interest to lay aside His glory, be made in the likeness of a human, live and minister in the midst of our nonsense, suffer and die unjustly.

He acted first in the interests of His Father as He fulfilled the eternal covenant, secondly in the interest of all humanity who needed forgiveness, redemption.

Matthew 16:21-23 The Message

You’re Not in the Driver’s Seat

^21-22 Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive. Peter took him into his hand, protesting, “Impossible, Master! That can never be!”

²³ But Jesus didn’t swerve. “Peter, get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works.”

Just after this exchange, Jesus says those who wish to be His disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him – the very essence of putting others’ interests, and more importantly, God’s interests, at the forefront of our words and actions – Luke says this must be done everyday.

Paul exhibited this characteristic later in Philippians 2, when he willingly sent Epaphroditus to the Philippian church for their benefit and promised to send Timothy later.

It was in his personal interest and well-being to keep his friends and co-workers nearby, so they could visit him in prison and see to his needs.

Instead, he first considered the needs and well-being of the believers first, and set aside his own interests.

Philippians 2:19-21 English Standard Version

Timothy and Epaphroditus

¹⁹ I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. ²⁰ For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. ²¹ For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

3. A Considerate Person Understands and Bears with the Weaknesses of Others (Philippians 1:18-26)

¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

To Live Is Christ

Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  ²⁴  But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Romans 15:1 English Standard Version

The Example of Christ

15 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Paul had an internal struggle as he sat in prison.

On the one hand, it would be far easier and better for him if the Romans decided to end his life.

He would escape the hardships and persecution that followed him everywhere he preached and taught the gospel and would receive the heavenly rewards he knew awaited him in the presence of Jesus.

On the other hand, he knew that God had called him to take the gospel to the Gentiles, and that those who believed and would come to believe, needed the teaching and encouragement, needed Christ’s sacrifice, he was gifted to share.

Ultimately, it was God who would determine the length of his life, but in his heart, Paul willingly surrendered to the harder path out of consideration for others – ultimately he chose to thank God, He chose to not just please himself.

4. A Considerate Person Gives Room for God to Work (Philippians 1:3-6)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you  will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

An understanding that God is at work in a person’s heart allows us to be patient and considerate with others.

We think before we judge, weighing our words carefully so as not to get in the way of what God might be doing.

An example is when and how we address issues with brothers and sisters in Christ, or with unbelievers, reading, searching the scriptures, praying diligently for the Holy Spirit to give us the proper degree, measure of wisdom and grace.

It also means we see our actions have a direct impact on how others view Jesus.

If we are impatient and inconsiderate, it reflects badly on Jesus, whose name we bear as a professing Christian.

Choosing to give into God before ourselves, considerate and unselfish towards others, reveals that we are different because of the work God has 1st done in us.

As we strive to better exhibit the character traits of a considerate person, let us remember the root meaning: to consider.

Thoughtful relationships are built on a commitment to think more, be more like Christ everyday, humble ourselves to be quick to hear and slow to speak out of consideration for the needs, interests, and weaknesses of others, knowing that God may be doing a work we cannot see – God is fulling His purpose through us.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 147:7-11 English Standard Version

⁷ Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on the lyre!
⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares rain for the earth;
    he makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹ He gives to the beasts their food,
    and to the young ravens that cry.
¹⁰ His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
¹¹ but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Father, teach me to love your family as you do. I get so caught up and distracted with my own world and my own problems that I forget to notice those who are hurting around me. Help me to grow more aware and more attuned to those needs so you may minister through me. In the exalted and powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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