Tag: God

Brothers and Sisters, Guess What? You are not now and never have been, never will be, a Mistake or Accident. Psalm 139:13-16

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.

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.

SOMETHING TO PONDER

Have you felt at times that you were born at the wrong time or wrong place? Do you feel like God misplaced you, thinking you were meant to live in a different family, another country, or time period in history, where you believe you would have fit in better, enjoyed living more, prospered, had a better quality of life?

Or, maybe like one of the many homeless I counseled, been told your entire life that you were an accident or a mistake a waste, you’ve grown up believing it?

But it isn’t true because God doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t put us in the wrong time and place. As well, He hasn’t given people the power to accidentally create another human or assign worth or personal value. Men and women may not have planned the lives of their children, but we know from His word Psalm 139:13-16, that God does plan for all of our eternities which wait far far ahead.

As Psalm 139:16 describes, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”

God carefully created each one of us, as Psalm 139:13 describes, “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

No matter the circumstances of our conception or birth, Psalm 139:14 reassures us of God’s plan for us. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Even so, we may continue to still feel like we don’t know which way to turn in life; some may feel lost, but when we’re not sure which way to go, we ask God to lead us, and He will, like Psalm 32:8 assures, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you.”

Life Makes Sense: God’s Story of You

Psalm 139:16 Living Bible

16 You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!

We love stories, but it’s surprising how easily we can end up missing the stories God has written for our lives.

Winston Churchill once famously claimed that history was simply “one . . . unpredictable pathway after another over which we have little, no control.”

In other words, he claimed there was no story behind our experiences in life, only a vast series of unpredictable events over which no one has any control.

Few things are more deadening to your soul than thinking that your life ulti­mately means little more than one unpredictable thing after another.

Yet that’s how we often feel.

On many days we view our jobs or careers or families as where we have “ended up” in life.

In fact, it can seem a bit presumptuous to think there’s some master plan behind whatever situation you are in right now.

But the Bible tells us that the events of our lives make sense because they are part of a much larger story.

The struggles of last month or the victories that we may claim in the next few weeks are not simply chance occurrences.

They are part of a story line that is going somewhere.

The work you do, the people you share life with, the abilities you have, and the weaknesses you struggle with are all part of a diverse collection of ele­ments intended to make for a really good story—the story of you. God’s story of you. 

Do you believe this?

Do you believe God?

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

Praying …

Psalm 8 The Message

8 God, brilliant Lord,
    yours is a household name.

2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
    toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
    and silence atheist babble.

3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
    your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
    Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
    Why take a second look our way?

5-8 Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
    bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
    repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us stewards of sheep and cattle,
    even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
    whales singing in the ocean deeps.

9 God, brilliant Lord,
    your name echoes around the world.

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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Capable or Incapable of Walking Out of the dark Shadows of our Disbelief? Luke 23:50-54

Luke 23:50-54 Amplified Bible

Jesus Is Buried

50 A man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), a good and honorable man 51 (he had not consented to the Council’s plan and action) a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for and expecting the kingdom of God; 52 this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 And [after receiving permission] he took it down and wrapped it in a linen [burial] cloth and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had yet been laid. 54 It was the day of preparation [for the Sabbath], and the Sabbath was dawning.

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.


Jesus’ burial was by no means a foregone conclusion, for two main reasons.

First, the crucifixion of criminals was often not the end of their humiliation; they were often barred from the honor of a proper burial.

Second, the release of a corpse depended solely upon a relative or a friend requesting permission to bury the body—and who was left to bury Jesus?

The disciples had fled for their lives, the crowd had dispersed, and the women were unprepared to make such a request.

It is into this moment of history that an entirely unexpected individual emerges authoritatively, suddenly and silently—a highly respected individual who “was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38).

Fear silenced Joseph of Arimathea up to this point. Jesus’ life and teaching had attracted him, brought him to saving faith, but his faith remained clandestine.

He went about his spiritual business in a secretive way—until the cross brought him out out of the shadows, into the open. And so, after too long hanging back in the shadows, Joseph walked, “went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.”

The Gospel narrative describes Joseph’s careful handling of Jesus’ body as he “took it down” from the cross, “wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid” (Luke 23:53).

We read likewise of Rabbi Nicodemus, “who earlier had come to Jesus by night … bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes” to assist Joseph in the burial process (John 19:39).

Joseph and Nicodemus’ brief and singular appearance is also a clear reminder to us of God’s subtle providence at work at all times and in all places.

God prepared both Joseph and Nicodemus for this very moment. Both were highly fearful and secretive, but God used them for good, just as He does us.

Those first steps away from the darkness will always be the hardest to walk.

Both Joseph and Nicodemus had presumably missed many opportunities to stand up for their true King; they had presumably kept quiet so many times when they should have spoken out.

Yet it was these men whom God ensured would be present on this day for this important task. And both rose to complete it, risking everything—status, his reputation, his safety—to honor Jesus by ensuring that He had a proper burial.

You may find yourself identifying with either Nicodemus or Joseph: you have been living as a secret shadowed disciple, believing but afraid to let anyone in your neighborhood or workplace know about your faith.

If so, then today, pray, like both Joseph and Nicodemus to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive your fearfulness and enable you, like both both men, in the light of the cross, to take your stand boldly for Him in the love of Christ.

You may have missed too many moments in the past when you had the chance to stand for your King; but God is always ready to give you the task of honoring His Son, and in those future efforts you need not pass up the next opportunity.

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

Praying …

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Salvation in Death.

A [a]Mikhtam of David.

16 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I have nothing good besides You.”
3 As for the [d]saints who are on the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones; all my delight is in them.
4 [f]The pains of those who have acquired another god will be multiplied;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
6 The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my inheritance is beautiful to me.

7 I will bless the Lord who has advised me;
Indeed, my [g]mind instructs me in the night.
8 I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to [h]Sheol;
You will not [i]allow Your [j]Holy One to [k]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the way of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures 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.

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He Breathed His Last: Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:46

Luke 23:46 New King James Version

46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.

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.

The simplicity of these words points us to truths that lie too deep for tears.

Luke, with his eye for detail, gives us an “orderly account” of Jesus’ crucifixion—an account which, he explains at the start of his Gospel, is the result of very careful investigation and has been written in order that his readers “may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3-4).

He doesn’t seek to bathe his writing in pathos.

Instead, he writes in order that we may understand truth. And so Jesus’ dying breath is recounted for us in a simple phrase: “He breathed his last.”

What Luke does want us to linger on is Jesus’ control over His final breath.

He chose to commit His spirit into His Father’s loving hands.

He knew that His work was done.

Sin was paid for, the curtain was torn, and His people could come into His Father’s presence eternally.

Coupled with everything Jesus said prior to His crucifixion, His final words refute the notion that His death was simply that of a helpless victim being overwhelmed by cruel circumstances.

He had told His disciples months before that He was going up to Jerusalem and that “the Son of Man must suffer many things and be … killed” (Luke 9:22).

John tells us that He had explained to them, “I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:17-18).

Jesus went to the cross not helplessly but willingly.

In accord with the Father’s purpose, He chose the exact moment that He would lay down his life for His sheep (John 10:11).

Here, then, we see the very Author of life willingly taking His final breaths and reminding us of His absolute authority as well as His inexhaustible love.

“He breathed his last” so that you might breathe in the fresh, purified air that was made available to you the moment you were born again.

“He breathed his last” so that one day you will stand in a restored creation and breathe air into lungs that will never decay or perish.

He who is sovereign over the air you breathe sovereignly breathed His last.

He is worthy of nothing less than your praise and adoration.

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

Praying …

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.

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Divine Vandalism: And the moment arrived and the Sun stopped shining, and then suddenly the curtain of His temple was shredded into two halves. Luke 23:44-46

Luke 23:44-46 New International Version

The Death of Jesus

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”[a] When he had said this, he breathed his last.

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.

As Jesus’ ministry progressed, one of the great concerns of the Jewish religious establishment was that He had, it appeared, claimed that He would destroy the temple and raise it again in three days (John 2:19).

Indeed, this was one of the main charges brought against Him (Mark 14:58).

When Jesus was on the cross, then, passersby’s mocked, spit and ridiculed Him, shouting, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!” (Matthew 27:40).

But there He remained, hanging on the cross, in the darkness.

And then, in the midst of the darkness and the upheaval of the crucifixion, all of a sudden something completely mysterious and utterly unexpected happened: it was God Himself desecrated the temple, earthquake shaking its foundations.

“The curtain of the temple was torn in two,” Luke tells us.

This was the very curtain that hung in the temple to symbolically bar the way into God’s presence.

It was the great sign that imperfect people could not be in the same space as the holy God.

All through the Old Testament, anyone who had presumed to come into God’s presence without observing the ceremonial cleansing rituals and making the necessary sacrifices had died (for instance, Numbers 3:2-4).

But now, suddenly, as Jesus was on the very verge of death, this symbol of restrictive exclusivity was destroyed right down the middle.

By destroying it, God declared that the old priestly ritual for entrance into His presence had been abolished and the barrier of sin dividing humanity from their Maker had been obliterated.

There is no longer any need to keep our distance from God. Instead, “we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain” (Hebrews 10:19-20).

Our access to God isn’t restricted to a temple or a church or any other building, nor must it be through a merely human priest or a guru.

No, 2,000 years ago God broke into history of humanity to establish, directly, unhindered access to Himself through Jesus.

Now there is “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

The temple curtain being torn in two was divine vandalism on our behalf!

You don’t have to be sidetracked by priests and rituals anymore.

They can be nothing but pointless. Instead, you can come to God, just as you are, confident of divine welcome and mercy and help, all because of Jesus.

A Confident Christ Dies

Luke 23:46-49 New International Version

46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”[a] When he had said this, he breathed his last.

47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

In his words from the cross, Jesus demonstrated that he knew how to live, because he knew how to die.

We hear it in the first word he uttered in this saying: “Father …” Then, in effect, the faithful Son confidently declared, “I’m coming home!”

In those days, the words Jesus used were often taught to children as a bedtime prayer: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (see Psalm 31:5).

They signify entrusting all of one’s being to God for safekeeping. (Psalm 23)

What a comfort it is to be able to entrust our whole lives and all our joys and concerns to God!

And Jesus said these words not secretly or silently but with a loud voice.

He was saying, in effect, “Father, I’m coming home. My mission is complete. I love you. I trust you. As always, I commit my spirit to you.”

Doing the same, we can live and die in the confidence of knowing we will go home to our Father when he calls. We can say confidently, in words adapted from an old confession, “My ‘only comfort in life and in death’ is that I belong … to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ’” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 1).

Jesus ended his time on earth with confidence in the Father.

Can you and I step up our faith, hope and love to do exactly that too?

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

Praying …

31 1-2 I run to you, God; I run for dear life.
    Don’t let me down!
    Take me seriously this time!
Get down on my level and listen,
    and please—no procrastination!
Your granite cave a hiding place,
    your high cliff nest a place of safety.

3-5 You’re my cave to hide in,
    my cliff to climb.
Be my safe leader,
    be my true mountain guide.
Free me from hidden traps;
    I want to hide in you.
I’ve put my life in your hands.
    You won’t drop me,
    you’ll never let me down.

6-13 I hate all this silly religion,
    but you, God, I trust.
I’m leaping and singing in the circle of your love;
    you saw my pain,
    you disarmed my tormentors,
You didn’t leave me in their clutches
    but gave me room to breathe.
Be kind to me, God—
    I’m in deep, deep trouble again.
I’ve cried my eyes out;
    I feel hollow inside.
My life leaks away, groan by groan;
    my years fade out in sighs.
My troubles have worn me out,
    turned my bones to powder.
To my enemies I’m a monster;
    I’m ridiculed by the neighbors.
My friends are horrified;
    they cross the street to avoid me.
They want to blot me from memory,
    forget me like a corpse in a grave,
    discard me like a broken dish in the trash.
The street-talk gossip has me
    “criminally insane”!
Behind locked doors they plot
    how to ruin me for good.

14-18 Desperate, I throw myself on you:
    you are my God!
Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,
    safe from the hands out to get me.
Warm me, your servant, with a smile;
    save me because you love me.
Don’t embarrass me by not showing up;
    I’ve given you plenty of notice.
Embarrass the wicked, stand them up,
    leave them stupidly shaking their heads
    as they drift down to hell.
Gag those loudmouthed liars
    who heckle me, your follower,
    with jeers and catcalls.

19-22 What a stack of blessing you have piled up
    for those who worship you,
Ready and waiting for all who run to you
    to escape an unkind world.
You hide them safely away
    from the opposition.
As you slam the door on those oily, mocking faces,
    you silence the poisonous gossip.
Blessed God!
    His love is the wonder of the world.
Trapped by a siege, I panicked.
    “Out of sight, out of mind,” I said.
But you heard me say it,
    you heard and listened.

23 Love God, all you saints;
    God takes care of all who stay close to him,
But he pays back in full
    those arrogant enough to go it alone.

24 Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up.
    Expect God to get here soon.

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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Standing at the Border or Trekking through Samaria: Some Fresh Ways to Spread the Gospel. John 4:39-42

John 4:39-42 Amplified Bible

The Samaritans

39 Now many Samaritans from that city believed in Him and trusted Him [as Savior] because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked Him to remain with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed in Him [with a deep, abiding trust] because of His word [His personal message to them]; 42 and they told the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; for [now] we have heard Him for ourselves and know [with confident assurance] that this One is truly the Savior of [all] the world.”

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.

The Samaritan woman who had met Jesus at the well (John 4:1-30) ran back to her town, informed everyone Jesus had told her everything she had ever done.

Her story wasn’t a shining example of how to be a great person.

But she shared how Jesus had talked with her and given her hope, despite her complicated past, and she invited others to come hear Jesus as well.

As a result, many Samaritans believed in Jesus both because of her testimony and because of his teaching.

It truly amazes me what can happen when we share our stories and we are able to spend quality time with Jesus and his followers.

Jesus can use any story to help people put their faith in him.

How might Jesus use your story to bring others to learn about him and his great salvation?

The Samaritan woman shared her story about how Jesus had changed her. Can we do that too?

No one’s life is beyond saving through the power of Jesus.

The Lord can use all of our stories to bring others into his loving embrace.

How will you use your story and your encounter with Jesus to tell someone about his love today?

How can we share our faith in ways that will motivate people to pay attention?

Experiencing Jesus’ love inspires us to share that love with others.

We know Jesus has called us all to spread the gospel message, yet evangelizing can be challenging.

How can we share our faith in ways that will motivate people to pay attention?

Here are 5 fresh ways to spread the gospel.

What Does it Mean to Spread the Gospel?

Spreading the gospel means spreading the ultimate good news: that a loving God offers people an opportunity to enjoy true love forever, through relationships with their Creator.

The word “gospel” literally means “good news”. When we spread the gospel, we share the good news of how Jesus – the world’s Savior – made eternal salvation possible for all souls who place their faith in him. 

John 3:16 proclaims the essence of the gospel message:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus calls everyone who connects with him to help other people connect with him, as well, by sharing the gospel message. He urges us in Mark 16:15-16: “… ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

What Does the Bible Tell Us about Spreading the Gospel?

That call from Jesus to preach the gospel to all creation is known as the Great Commission – the assignment that Jesus gave people after his Resurrection and before his Ascension to heaven.

The Bible records the Great Commission in several other places.

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus exhorts: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Luke 24:47 mentions that “… repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

In John 20:21, Jesus references spreading the gospel when he says: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Finally, in Acts 1:8, Jesus describes spreading the gospel as his witnesses to others:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Bible says that Christians are serving as ambassadors for Jesus as we interact with others. 

2 Corinthians 5:20 declares:

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

So, God is counting on us spread the gospel.

He wants us to faithfully say “yes” to that call.

We can do so by serving as examples of what faith in action looks like, as the apostle Paul writes in 

1 Corinthians 11:1-2: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.”

We can also spread the gospel through conversations, as the apostle Peter points out in 1 Peter 3:15-16:

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience…”.

Many people are searching for the hope that Jesus can give them, yet not enough people are spreading the gospel message to reach them all yet.

Jesus says to his disciples in 

Matthew 9:37-38: “… The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

We don’t need to worry about anything but faithfully sharing the gospel message.

When we do so, we can trust God to bring positive results from our efforts. 

2 Timothy 2:15 encourages us simply to:

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 

Romans 1:16 urges us to keep the gospel’s power in mind:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…”.

5 Fresh Ways to Spread the Gospel

When you’re considering how best to spread the gospel message to people you know, start with prayer.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you day by day with wisdom on how to share the gospel, and to bring people into your life who need to hear its message.

Try these 5 fresh ways to share the ultimate good news with people:

1. Let God’s love flow through your life. Welcoming God’s love to flow through your life and into other people’s lives is the most powerful way you can share the gospel.

That’s because God is love at his core. “God is love” 1 John 4:8 declares.

So, whenever people experience love by interacting with you, that will point them toward God. Nothing inspires people more than love.

Once you love people, they will talk with you, and then you can tell them about God’s love for them.

2. Listen to people’s stories. Everyone has stories that are valuable.

Show people you care about them by listening to their stories.

Listen more than you talk.

Then, after you’ve gotten to know people, point out how you see God at work in their lives.

Ask them consider how their personal stories can fit into the greater story of what God is doing in the world.

God has designed our minds to respond to stories, and because of that, Jesus often spoke in parables (stories) to share spiritual truths.

Stories engage both our intellect and our emotions.

By listening to people’s stories, you can connect with them on both levels and help them connect with the gospel on both levels, as well.

3. Don’t judge people, but accept them for who they are. 

Often, people are afraid of talking with others about God, because they’re afraid of being judged.

Keep in mind that only God can judge someone (Romans 2), and if we try to judge others, we will be judged ourselves (Matthew 7).

Help people relax around you by refraining from judging them, no matter how much you may disagree with their choices.

Just as God meets you where you are, meet other people where they are. Show them some unconditional love. If people know you’re a safe person to open up to, they’ll likely be much more open to discussing the gospel message with you.

4. Highlight what nature reveals about God. Help people discover more about the Creator by spending time with them in creation. 

Romans 1:20 proclaims: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Since nature reveals the wonder of God’s character, it’s the perfect setting for sharing the gospel message. Take a nature walk during the day, stargaze at night, or pursue any other type outdoor activity you all mutually enjoy together.

As the nature around you inspires you, enjoy conversations about God together.

5. Encourage questions rather than just giving answers. 

While it’s important to give people answers to their spiritual questions, don’t stop there.

You can help them engage more deeply with the gospel message by encouraging them to keep asking more questions.

That will prayerfully motivate them to seek God more.

Spark people’s curiosity.

Challenge them to try praying, even if they’re not yet sure that God exists or that he will answer their prayers.

Ask them to try studying the Bible, and offer to help them do so.

Don’t limit your conversations to only what you’re comfortable talking about; be willing to talk about anything that interests them.

If you don’t know something, be honest rather than giving a pat answer, and then help them discover more about what they’re wondering.

In Conclusion …

Trust, Believe, display faith. The hope God offers is too good to keep to yourself.

Jesus calls all believers to spread the gospel to other people. Please don’t hesitate to spread the gospel whenever you have the opportunity to do so.

Simply do your best, and trust God with the results.

As you do come to share God’s good news with people in fresh ways, both God’s love and God’s Shalom (John 14:27) will flow through you and into their lives.

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

Praying …

Psalm 119:9-16 Complete Jewish Bible

ב (Bet)

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
don’t let me stray from your mitzvot.
11 I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I won’t sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, Adonai!
Teach me your laws.
13 I proclaim with my mouth
all the rulings you have spoken.
14 I rejoice in the way of your instruction
more than in any kind of wealth.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and keep my eyes on your ways.
16 I will find my delight in your regulations.
I will not forget your word.

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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“To be Blinded by His eternal Light” A Prayer to Find Light When You Feel Completely Surrounded by Darkness. John 1:1-5

John 1:1-5 Living Bible

1 1-2 Before anything else existed,[a] there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. 3 He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make. 4 Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. 5 His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.

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 Him Was Life

The first of these theme-words appears at the beginning of John 1:4, “In him was life.”

The word life appears 36 times in the gospel of John, far more than any other New Testament book. It is one of his most important themes.

The preceding verses say that “the Word was with God” and “was God,” and that “all things were made through him” (John 1:1–3).

The second person of the Godhead, the “Word,” who is the subject of this gospel, is the source of all life in this universe.

Not merely does he possess life, but life itself is found in him and also comes through him. Jesus said, “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself” (John 5:26).

This is what John wants us to see in Christ: “In him was life.”

Are you and I really truly living?

Do you and I feel that our lives matter for something important?

Are you and I excited about things, or just keeping occupied?

Jesus has life to give to those who trust in him. “I came that they may have life,” he said, “and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

So, just how much or how little do you and I actually, authentically, trust Him?

The Light Shining

This is the very connection John makes, that the life in Christ comes as a light shining in the darkness.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness” (John 1:4–5). 

Light is another of John’s great themes.

The first recorded words of God are, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3). Light is an image that everyone understands, and it brings a rich array of meaning.

The first thing light does is reveal. 

When you walk into a dark room, you turn on the light to see.

This is what Isaiah prophesied about the coming of Jesus: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Isa. 9:2).

Man was living in a spiritual darkness, ignorant about God and living in superstition.

So Jesus came to reveal God. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” he said (John 14:9).

James Boice comments,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Montgomery_Boice

“Jesus is revealed as the One who knows God the Father and who makes him known.… Before Christ came into the world, the world was in darkness. The world did not know God. Christ came. His light shone before men. Then men had light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Do you and I know God?

Do you and I know what God is like?

Do you or I know Jesus came to reveal God to us.

Do you and I know God by personal acquaintance, by his presence within your spirit?

Do you and I know Jesus came also to bring us into fellowship with God as worshipers in spirit and in truth?

Light not only reveals but it also warms. 

To “walk in the darkness” is to walk in sin and moral depravity, but the light of Christ warms the heart so that it is changed.

This spiritual transformation is what Jesus meant in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

Thirdly, light not only reveals and warms, but it also guides. 

We think of the glory cloud of light that guided Israel through the desert during the exodus from Egypt. 

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Likewise, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

If you come to Jesus Christ in faith and follow as his disciple, he will be a light to guide you “in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3).

Fourthly, light conveys and stimulates life.

If you want a plant to grow, you place it in the sunshine.

Likewise, you will grow upward as the light of Christ’s Word shines in you.

His light shines with the power of his life through his Word.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).

This great verse summarizes what it means for us to be Christ-like.

Jesus wants you to be a lamp that reflects his light in the world.

He wants you to reveal God to those around you; he wants you to warm others so they will seek after truth and love; he wants you to be a guide to others; and he wants his light shining in and through you to bring others to life.

He said: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

Darkness against the Light

The third image John uses is darkness.

This is the absence of light.

If light stands for the knowledge of God, darkness represents the fullness of all our spiritual ignorance in which the world is perishing.

If light stands for warmth and goodness, then the darkened world is that which is enslaved in sin and evil.

If the light breaks through, leads us in good paths, darkness is the realm of the lost and blind. If light brings true life, then darkness is the true realm of death.

Darkness is opposed to light.

John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.”

This indicates that the coming of Christ as the light meets the opposition of the darkened world.

Jesus said, “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

Nothing has ever condemned this world more than its response to the coming of Jesus Christ.

If people tell you the world or the human race is basically good, remind them what it did to Jesus.

He came without any sin, healing and teaching the way to God.

He was a light shining in the darkness.

But for that very reason the world hated him.

The hypocritical Pharisees resented him for exposing their legalism.

The priests and scribes envied his popularity.

The power-hungry Romans thought him a threat to their military domination.

And it wasn’t just the elite, for the ordinary people also called out for Jesus’ blood: “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” they demanded of Pontius Pilate (John 19:15).

When God’s Son came into the world, the world nailed him to a cross—the cruelest form of execution they could possibly devise—to suffer and die.

For our 21st century People today similarly despise Jesus; for all their supposed “admiration” they refuse, refute, mock and scorn his exclusive claim to be our Savior and Lord and resent his holy example that exposes their sin.

The Light of Christ

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”

These are great themes that John unfolds all through his gospel: life, light, and darkness.

But remember that John is really pointing to Jesus.

What matters in life, then, is not what we are and have been, not what others have done, not what challenges or trials the future might hold.

What matters is that Christ has come with life through his light that shines in the world, and the darkness cannot overcome it.

That is the way to life and light: to cease trusting in yourself or in anything else of this world that might commend you to God, and surrender your case into the hands of Jesus.

“I have come into the world as light,” he said, “so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).

That light is still shining, and through him you can have life everlasting, life abundant, life in Christ.

Jesus Christ, the Word of God, created the world with God in the beginning.

He also came into the world to save it, because it was broken by the curse of sin and death.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in Eden, they brought this curse on all of God’s creation (Genesis 3).

The world that God once called “good” has been afflicted with chaos, conflict, isolation, sickness, and grief ever since. And sin has estranged us from the God who created us. Even worse, no matter how hard we try, we cannot make things right. Our sin continually forms a barrier between us and our Creator.

Maybe you are reading this devotion because you are feeling sin’s effects in your life.

Perhaps something has happened which has left you feeling lost or confused.

Maybe you feel you are groping in the dark, looking for light to guide your way.

The Bible promises that the darkness you face—whatever it might be—will never overcome the light of Christ.

Like a lighthouse on a rocky shore, Jesus offers us hope and a clear path to God.

There is no sin or enemy of God big enough, powerful enough to snuff out the light of Christ.

He will always shine brightest, always be victorious, and if we place our fullest measure of authentic faith in him, he invites all of us to share in his victory.

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

Praying, …

Psalm 19 Complete Jewish Bible

19 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:

2 (1) The heavens declare the glory of God,
the dome of the sky speaks the work of his hands.
3 (2) Every day it utters speech,
every night it reveals knowledge.
4 (3) Without speech, without a word,
without their voices being heard,
5 (4) their line goes out through all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.

In them he places a tent for the sun,
6 (5) which comes out like a bridegroom from the bridal chamber,
with delight like an athlete to run his race.
7 (6) It rises at one side of the sky,
circles around to the other side,
and nothing escapes its heat.

8 (7) The Torah of Adonai is perfect,
restoring the inner person.
The instruction of Adonai is sure,
making wise the thoughtless.
9 (8) The precepts of Adonai are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The mitzvah of Adonai is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
10 (9) The fear of Adonai is clean,
enduring forever.
The rulings of Adonai are true,
they are righteous altogether,
11 (10) more desirable than gold,
than much fine gold,
also sweeter than honey
or drippings from the honeycomb.
12 (11) Through them your servant is warned;
in obeying them there is great reward.

13 (12) Who can discern unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from hidden faults.
14 (13) Also keep your servant from presumptuous sins,
so that they won’t control me.
Then I will be blameless
and free of great offense.

15 (14) May the words of my mouth
and the thoughts of my heart
be acceptable in your presence,
Adonai, my Rock and Redeemer.

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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For Levi 100% Change is inevitable, For Matthew, Resistance to change was inevitably, virtually nonexistent. Luke 5:27-39

Luke 5:27-39 New American Standard Bible

Call of Levi (Matthew)

27 After that He went out and looked at a tax collector named [a]Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he left everything behind, and got up and began following Him.

29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and [b]sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”

33 And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do [c]the same, but Yours eat and drink.”  34  And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the [d]attendants of the groom fast while the groom is with them, can you? 35 But the days will come; and when the groom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the patch from the new  garment will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is fine.’”

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, we are going to look at the challenge of change in our spiritual lives.

We see Levi, a tax collector, who chose to leave his comfortable but corrupt life to follow Jesus.

This decision highlights the significant shifts we might face when we commit to living for Christ.

Change can be difficult, as it often meets resistance both from within ourselves and from the World.

Like Levi, we also have the choice to let go of our past and embrace a new, unknown path of faith.

As we reflect on Levi’s story, we can ask ourselves what holds us back from fully responding to God’s call.

Are we stuck in habits, relationships, or mindsets that prevent our spiritual growth?

Jesus encourages us to let go of the old ways and make space for new faith.

He invites us to rethink what makes us comfortable and to envision what it means to live in His grace.

Today, let us open our hearts and spirits unto the .001% possibility of change, knowing that while it will 100% be mightily challenging, to giving ourselves, to surrendering to change, Jesus can lead us to a life filled with hope and purpose.

Luke 5:27-28

Change your…

1. Association.

The calling of Levi (Matthew) highlights how changing our associations can transform our spiritual lives.

When Jesus asked Levi, a despised tax collector, to follow Him, it not only changed Levi’s job but also placed him in a new community centered on faith and purpose.

This scene illustrates God’s desire for us to leave behind past associations and accept a new identity in Christ.

Just like Levi left his old life, we need to examine the relationships in our lives and see if they bring us closer to God or pull us away.

On a practical level, changing our associations means looking at the influences around us, (our friends, social and professional circles) making solid choices that reflect our faith.

This doesn’t mean we have to cut ties with those who don’t share our beliefs, but rather we should seek out relationships that help us grow spiritually.

By surrounding ourselves with people who encourage us to be better, we can create an environment that fosters change.

Being part of a community of believers provides the support we need to reflect Christ’s love in our lives.

Embracing these changes can lead to much stronger relationships and a clearer understanding of our identity in Christ, showing that even the most hard core, and soul rending challenges of change are both deeply personal and communal.

Luke 5:29-30

Change your…

2. Perspective.

Levi/Matthew invited Jesus and His disciples to a feast at his home, illustrating a significant change in perspective.

As a tax collector, Levi was often viewed as an outcast, but he embraced his new identity in Christ and shared this transformative moment.

In contrast, the Pharisees represent a narrow-minded view that limits God’s grace to the inherently “righteous.”

This story teaches us that changing our perspective allows us to experience God’s love more fully and share it with others. Jesus calls us to shift from exclusion to inclusion and from judgment to compassion, encouraging us to rise above traditional societal norms and personal biases in our faith journey.

On a practical level, altering our perspective means making a conscious effort to understand and empathize with others.

We should challenge our preconceived ideas and approach people with grace, recognizing that everyone has their own unique struggles.

This could involve reaching out to someone we find difficult to connect with or engaging with marginalized individuals in our community.

By doing this, we follow Christ’s example of love and acceptance, creating spaces where others can feel the Gospel’s warmth.

A changed perspective not only transforms our own hearts but also fosters a more inclusive and compassionate community, enabling us to authentically live out our faith and reflect Christ’s love in our everyday actions.

Luke 5:31-32

Change your…

3. Priorities.

Jesus showed how His Ministry changed the priorities of those who follow Him.

He teaches that repentance is not just about stopping sinful behaviors; but about rethinking what is truly important in our lives.

By spending time with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus revealed that God’s grace is for everyone.

This challenges us to reconsider who we prioritize, encouraging us to focus less on status and wealth, more on love, mercy, and compassion for those in need.

Shifting our focus from rituals to relationships can foster spiritual growth and create a genuine community.

To change our priorities in line with Jesus’ teachings, we must intentionally take action that reflects His values.

This means dedicating time to service, building connections with those who struggle, and examining our commitments to ensure they align with our faith.

We can start by identifying areas where we might be prioritizing pursuits that don’t align with Christ’s heart.

Regular reflection through prayer, studying Scripture, engaging with mentors can help us determine where God wants us to invest our time and resources.

By aligning our priorities with Jesus’ mission, we not only respond to His call but also become instruments of His love and grace in a World that needs it.

Luke 5:33-35

Change your…

4. Traditions.

Jesus confronts the problems that arise when long-held traditions clash with the life-changing message of the Gospel.

The Pharisees were fixated on their customs, especially regarding fasting.

This passage teaches us that while traditions can be helpful, they shouldn’t obstruct God’s work in our lives.

The challenge to “change your traditions” encourages believers to examine whether these practices, (although well-meaning) are hindering their spiritual growth or pushing away those wanting to know Christ.

Jesus reminds us that His presence introduces something new, urging us to regularly reassess our rituals and allow the Holy Spirit to guide our choices.

Practically, changing traditions can happen in different ways within our lives and communities.

It might involve rethinking how Church Services are held or how outreach is conducted, focusing on the very heart beat of the Gospel instead of rigid forms.

Additionally, individuals should regularly reflect on their personal worship habits- Are there routines that have become dry and disconnected from God?

Embracing change can foster a welcoming environment for new believers, deepen relationships, and enhance genuine worship experiences.

Ultimately, this change honors the past while ensuring our traditions truly express Christ’s transformative love rather than mere routine.

Luke 5:36-39

Change your…

5. Heart.

Jesus illustrates the need for an inner transformation through the parables of new wine and old wineskins.

He teaches that changing our hearts is essential to embracing new ways of living according to the Gospel, which emphasizes love, grace, and mercy.

A heart stuck in quicksand’s of old traditions cannot fully accept this fresh message, so we must be open to God’s transformative power.

This change isn’t just about altering our behavior; it’s all about realigning our desires with God’s will. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can break free from outdated ways of thinking and living, evangelizing, praying and worshiping.

Practically, changing our hearts means committing to activities that promote spiritual growth.

This could involve regular prayer, reading, studying Scripture, worshiping with community, and serving others in love.

When our hearts are aligned with God’s, we are driven by hope rather than fear, allowing us to welcome positive changes in our lives.

Additionally, being in a supportive community encourages, inspires our growth and helps us navigate struggles together.

As we release those past hurts and hardened fears, we inevitably make room for God’s new teachings, empowering, enriching our faith journey and deepening our relationships with Him and with one another.

Conclusion:

The challenge of change is a wide open invitation from Christ to transform our hearts and minds, not just our circumstances.

Almost immediately Levi, the tax collector, left his old life behind to follow Jesus, and we too are called to almost immediately step out of our own comfort zones and embrace the uncertainty that comes with faith.

While change can be intimidating, it is in these moments we experience God’s grace, who walks with us, encourages us, to trust Him as we move forward.

Additionally, we recognize that change is not something we face alone; it involves our community of believers supporting one another.

Just as Jesus reached out to Levi and the outcasts, we are called to extend grace to those around us.

In embracing change, we become sources of hope and transformation in our families and communities.

Let us authentically accept this challenge with the love of Christ empowering us to live authentically, trusting that through Him, we can turn fears into faith.

May we move forward with courage, ready to embrace the new life He offers us.

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

Praying …

Psalm 8 Complete Jewish Bible

8 (0) For the leader. On the gittit. A psalm of David:

2 (1) Adonai! Our Lord! How glorious
is your name throughout the earth!
The fame of your majesty
spreads even above the heavens!

3 (2) From the mouths of babies and infants at the breast
you established strength because of your foes,
in order that you might silence
the enemy and the avenger.

4 (3) When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place —
5 (4) what are mere mortals, that you concern yourself with them;
humans, that you watch over them with such care?

6 (5) You made him but little lower than the angels,
you crowned him with glory and honor,
7 (6) you had him rule what your hands made,
you put everything under his feet —
8 (7) sheep and oxen, all of them,
also the animals in the wilds,
9 (8) the birds in the air, the fish in the sea,
whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

10 (9) Adonai! Our Lord! How glorious
is your name throughout the earth!

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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For that person must never suppose that they will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, doubting all, unstable, in all his ways. James 1:5-8

James 1:2-8 J.B. Phillips New Testament

The Christian can even welcome trouble

2-8 When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realise that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence. And if, in the process, any of you does not know how to meet any particular problem he has only to ask God—who gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty—and he may be quite sure that the necessary wisdom will be given him. But he must ask in sincere faith without secret doubts as to whether he really wants God’s help or not. The man who trusts God, but with inward reservations, is like a wave of the sea, carried forward by the wind one moment and driven back the next. That sort of man cannot hope to receive anything from God, and the life of a man of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn.

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.

Truth or False: There is a kind of prayer that receives nothing from God?

It is the prayer of the doubter, the one who does not “ask in faith.”

When James says we are to make our requests to God “with no doubting,” he’s not saying we must never have any uncertainty or confusion in our minds, ever.

To doubt in the sense that James uses the term here is more than simply saying, “I am struggling, wavering to be certain about this” or “I guess almost know this to be maybe 1% true but, ugh however, maybe sometimes I wonder it is not even less”; refusing to firmly ground themselves, entrust ourselves to our Father’s care.

It is to make a back-up plan that relies on our efforts even as we ask God for His intervention, or to ask for something that deep down we do not really want.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1252/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/

J.B. Phillips paraphrases this verse in a helpful way: “He must ask in sincere faith without secret doubts as to whether he really wants God’s help or not.”

James is addressing the issue of divided loyalty, describing the doubter as one whose prayers and desires are clearly at hard core odds with each other.

This person comes before God and asks for things that he or she has no intention of doing, much as the great 5th-century theologian Augustine famously prayed prior to his conversion: “Lord, make me pure, but not yet.”[1]

1 Confessions, 8.7.17.

God knows exactly when we are simply playing the game, using the language, singing the song without any truth or desire to match up our lives to our words.

He knows whether we really want His help, are secretly reserving the right to do only exactly what we feel like doing if His wisdom does not lead, move, us in the only direction we naturally desire.

Faith says no to this kind of deliberate insincere hypocrisy, which prays for wisdom but acts only in complete foolishness. The faith James describes is therefore more than comprehension; it is an expression of trust and devotion.

Honesty lies at the heart of any genuine appeal, whether to an earthly father or our heavenly Father.

When you come before God, you must “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22).

With this kind of sincerity, you will make it clear in your own soul and to God that you are fully trusting Him to be faithful to His promises and that you are serious about acting on whatever wisdom He provides.

In what area of your life are you particularly aware that you absolutely need God’s wisdom?

Entrust yourself to your heavenly Father and be ready to follow His guidance, so you will walk steady in your faith and joy, and not be tossed about by the wind.

When You Not so Simply Don’t Know What to Do

James 1:5-8 Amplified Bible

5 If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask [for wisdom] in faith, without doubting [God’s willingness to help], for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind. 7 For such a person ought not to think or expect that he will receive anything [at all] from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable and  restless in all his ways [in everything he thinks, feels, or decides].

Throughout my ministry I’ve had people come to me and say, “I just don’t know what to do. I want to do God’s will, but I don’t know what he wants for me.”

And, really, how do you know for sure what school to go to, or what job to take? How do you know when to move, or not to move, what cars, homes to buy?

How do you know what person you should marry, when to start a family, or whether you should adopt?

More than once when we had to make an important decision, I found myself wishing that God would send a clear message to guide us.

So how do we know God’s will?

James 1:5 gives the answer, at least in part: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God …” By ourselves we don’t have the wisdom to know what God plan has in mind for us. And that’s the reason we need to ask God, “who gives generously.” If you don’t know what to do, ask God for wisdom.

God gives us his wisdom through the Bible.

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).

God gives us wisdom through the people in our lives. Don’t be afraid to ask other people for their insight. God gives us wisdom through open and closed doors and through doors closing, doors slamming, changing life circumstances.

We have to ask, and then we need to observe closely as God provides answers.

Truth or Nonsense?

When praying …

12 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name [[b]as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name [as My representative], I will do it.

Authenticity (Psalm 51) of our hearts 100% does not, will not, matter to God?

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

Praying …

Psalm 137 Complete Jewish Bible

137 By the rivers of Bavel we sat down and wept
as we remembered Tziyon.
2 We had hung up our lyres
on the willows that were there,
3 when those who had taken us captive
asked us to sing them a song;
our tormentors demanded joy from us —
“Sing us one of the songs from Tziyon!”

4 How can we sing a song about Adonai
here on foreign soil?
5 If I forget you, Yerushalayim,
may my right hand wither away!
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I fail to remember you,
if I fail to count Yerushalayim
the greatest of all my joys.

7 Remember, Adonai, against the people of Edom
the day of Yerushalayim’s fall,
how they cried, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
Raze it to the ground!”

8 Daughter of Bavel, you will be destroyed!
A blessing on anyone who pays you back
for the way you treated us!
9 A blessing on anyone who seizes your babies
and smashes them against a rock!

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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God is gracious—it is He who makes things right, our most merciful and compassionate God. God takes the side of the helpless; when at the end of my rope, Yes! He saved even me! Psalm 116

Psalm 116 Complete Jewish Bible

116 I love that Adonai heard
my voice when I prayed;
2 because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

3 The cords of death were all around me,
Sh’ol’s constrictions held me fast;
I was finding only distress and anguish.
4 But I called on the name of Adonai:
“Please, Adonai! Save me!”

5 Adonai is merciful and righteous;
yes, our God is compassionate.
6 Adonai preserves the thoughtless;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 My soul, return to your rest!
For Adonai has been generous toward you.
8 Yes, you have rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears and my feet from falling.
9 I will go on walking in the presence of Adonai
in the lands of the living.
10 I will keep on trusting even when I say,
“I am utterly miserable,”
11 even when, in my panic, I declare,
“Everything human is deceptive.”

12 How can I repay Adonai
for all his generous dealings with me?
13 I will raise the cup of salvation
and call on the name of Adonai.
14 I will pay my vows to Adonai
in the presence of all his people.

15 From Adonai’s point of view,
the death of those faithful to him is costly.
16 Oh, Adonai! I am your slave;
I am your slave, the son of your slave-girl;
you have removed my fetters.
17 I will offer a sacrifice of thanks to you
    and will call on the name of Adonai.
18 I will pay my vows to Adonai
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courtyards of Adonai’s house,
there in your very heart, Yerushalayim.

Halleluyah!

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.

Believing, Even When We Are Afflicted

Psalm 116:5-11 New American Standard Bible

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord watches over the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
For the Lord has dealt generously with you.
8 For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from stumbling.
9 I shall walk before the Lord
In the [a]land of the living.
10 I believed when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 I said in my alarm,
“All people are liars.”

We long for tranquil lives. We often pray for health, prosperity, and success.

And yet it is often times of physical or spiritual affliction, struggle and difficulty are those which quiet us, push us, bring us, plant us, root us, that much closer to God, along with a significantly greater desire to connect with Him, to humble ourselves to serve Him. That’s a lesson the psalmist brings out in this section.

Afflictions can all too easily result in bitterness, robbing us of joy. As we have already read in Psalm 116, the psalmist has experienced far more than his fair share hardcore trials at the hands of his enemies. Instead of tumbling into the black hole of bitterness, however, the writer gives thanks to God for two things.

First, he has developed a trusting dependence on God. Despite his trials, the psalmist confesses to God: “You are good, and what you do is gracious; I trust you to always be there to watch over me during my times of weaknesses.”

Second, the experience of affliction has driven the psalmist closer to God and more deeply into God’s Word. I long to be obedient, he says. And his search for knowledge and good judgment leads him to affirm the priceless value of God’s Word, saying it is more precious “than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.”

How well do we handle our hardest afflictions? We all experience them, and no, they are not easy. In difficult situations—whatever they may be—we can grow closer to God when we search his Word for the comfort and guidance we need.

God’s ear is turned toward us.

Just as my ears heard right away the screams arising from inside my soul, I too knew the sound of my own cries and almost immediately went towards God.

You and I will certainly face devastating trials and afflictions year after year.

Maybe you are in a season right now where it is all about one affliction after another which always seem to be piling up. It would be easy to avoid God during these times or even be angry with God. What if we, instead, we ran to God? 

Over the last twenty five years I have learned that running to God is actually the best thing I can do. Why? Because I know, I will trust that God’s ear is always turned toward us. Just as my ears heard right away the scream from my insides , I knew the sound of my cries and prayed they immediately went towards him.

The next verses in Psalm 116 details how much the psalmist suffered in body, mind, and spirit, even facing imminent death, but trusted God was his helper.

I love verse ten because it seems to be the pinnacle of the psalm. He says, “I believed, even when I said, ‘I am severely afflicted.’”

What the psalmist is saying is that he did not shy away from telling God all about his afflictions. The worst pain did not keep him from crying out to God.

And the heartache didn’t keep him from believing in God either. There are many critical truths here, that the psalmist hung onto, even when he was afflicted. 

The truths here are things like God’s grace, righteousness, and compassion. (Psalm 116:5)

Where do we those characteristics of God come out in our lives today? Jesus!

Jesus was afflicted, He suffered far more than is imaginable or describable!

Jesus was God’s righteousness for us.

He lived a perfect sinless life because we could not. He allowed His life to take our place so that when God sees you and me, He sees Jesus’ righteousness. 

Jesus is also God’s grace to us. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 say, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.”

Jesus brought grace because He died on the cross, taking all of our places and punishment for us.

Now, we are saved and brought into God’s family through grace once we accept Him as Savior. 

God’s compassion is also evident in Jesus’ life.  

Jesus healed the sick, cured the lame, and even rose people from the dead.

It says in Matthew 20:34, “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed Him.” 

Even today, Jesus sits on the throne beside God interceding for us. 

Romans 8:34 says, “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.”

What unknowable, unsearchable depths’ of compassion for us to think that Christ is always praying and speaking to God the Father about you and me!? 

The troubles and hardships we all face, can sometimes cause us to doubt these truths about God.

Does He love me?

Does He care?

Is He really in control?

Those questions can lead us to look to the Bible. 

This psalm is a great comfort to us because it does not deny that hard things happen.

Psalm 116 points us to the truth that God is loving, righteous, compassionate, and full of grace. In prayer, we can all come to God and remember these things. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Romans 15:1-13New American Standard Bible

Self-denial in behalf of Others

15 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his neighbor [a]for his good, to his edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: “The taunts of those who taunt You have fallen on Me.” 4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the God [b]who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one purpose and one [c]voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Therefore, [d]accept one another, just as Christ also accepted [e]us, for the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision in behalf of the truth of God, to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9 and for the Gentiles to  glorify God for His mercy; as it is written:

“Therefore I will [f]give praise to You among the Gentiles,
And I will sing praises to Your name.”

10 Again he says,

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people.”

11 And again,

“Praise the Lord all you Gentiles,
And let all the peoples praise Him.”

12 Again Isaiah says,

“There shall come the root of Jesse,
And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles,
In Him will the Gentiles hope.”

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

After reading Psalm 116, and some verses about Jesus, and from Romans 15 how does this give you any hardcore confidence, go to God with your cries for help?

Knowing God listens to you and hears your prayers, does this cause you to pray more or less? trust more or less? Hope more or less? more fervently or timidly?

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

Praying …

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.

For the music director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.

42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks,
So my soul [c]pants for You, God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and [d]appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 I remember these things and pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God,
With a voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.

5 Why are you [e]in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will [f]again praise [g]Him
For the [h]help of His [i]presence, my God.
6 My soul is [j]in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the [k]peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have passed over me.
8 The Lord will send His goodness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go about mourning [l]because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you [m]in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise [n]Him
For the [o]help of His presence, my 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.

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A New Kind of Peace is now standing in our Midst: Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “let My Peace be with you.” John 20:19-21

John 20:19-21 Amplified Bible

Jesus among His Disciples

19 So when it was evening on that same day, the first day of the week, though the disciples were [meeting] behind barred doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “[a]Peace to you.” 20 After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with great joy. 21 Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you [as My representatives].”

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.

Many of us who have lost someone, suddenly or in an expected way; can recall evenings in the aftermath of loss when it felt difficult even to breathe. We sat there with others, grieving in a silence punctuated every so often by reflection.

On the Sunday evening following Jesus’ death, we can imagine His disciples going through a similar experience.

Maybe one casually said, Do you remember how excited and hopeful we were when He walked on water? Perhaps another sullenly added, I remember Him weeping at the tomb of Lazarus. I won’t ever forget it. 

In all their reminiscence, they doubtless felt a stabbing awareness that they would never again on earth see Jesus’ face.

Of that they were convinced.

They were fearful of the future.

They had just witnessed Christ’s brutal execution, and they had locked the door behind them (John 20:19), mightily worried that they would be the next targets.

Jesus knew this.

Therefore, when He appeared quietly among them that night, the first word to come out of His mouth was “Peace,” or Shalom.

This was a customary Semitic greeting that came with warmth and without rebuke, blame, or disappointment.

Then He showed them His hands and His side. It was Him. The Jesus whom they were convinced they would never see again was actually standing among them!

“Peace be with you” gave the disciples an indication not simply that their gladness should be prompted by the awareness that He was no longer dead but of something far greater: that by His visible resurrection, Jesus had now come to bestow a new kind of peace as a result of His blood shed upon the cross.

And the peace with which He greeted them is the same peace that He gives to every pardoned sinner.

Shalom takes on a whole new meaning for those who discover this peace.

In our weary world, bowing under the weight of all that is difficult and broken, tainted by indifference toward or denial of Almighty God in all His majesty, we know that He still seeks us out.

Just as He came up behind Mary Magdalene at the open tomb (John 20:11-18) and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), so He pursues you and me in love, bidding us find peace in Him, the one at whose birth the angels sang, “Peace on earth, good will towards men” (Luke 2:14, CSB).

In the face of our fear, our world aches for any semblance of peace.

But longing for it and singing about it will not create it. Peace can only be found in Jesus’ words: “In me you may have peace” (John 16:33; emphasis added).

The resurrection doesn’t simply mean there is a Christ. It means that Christ is alive forever and that He gives us peace with the Father and peace in ourselves, today and forever. Whatever storms are raging around you or inside you, make sure you hear the voice of your risen Savior today, saying, “Peace be with you.”

Stuck in Fear, Sent Out With Peace

On Easter Sunday Jesus’ disciples gathered in a room and locked the door. They were so afraid that the people who had killed Jesus would want to get them too.

But Someone came in anyway, as if the door weren’t even there! And the one who came in was Jesus! He said, “Peace be with you!” And he might well have meant, “Peace be with you, you cowering scared, door-locking disciples.”

Then he showed them his hands and side.

For on them were the scars of battle between life and death, between God and the enemy. Jesus had taken everything the enemy could throw in his way and overcame brutality And there he was, alive! “The disciples were overjoyed.”

Then Jesus said again, “Peace be with you!”

And he gave his followers a mission:

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Where was Jesus sending them?

Into the world, where people live and die.

Into the world, where men and women are easily overwhelmed and defeated.

Into the world, where it’s hard to experience true peace amidst total chaos.

Jesus doesn’t want his disciples hiding in locked rooms; he wants us out in the world with the message of life on our lips and acts of life in our hands.

And as we tentatively go forth into the chaos, he says, “Peace be with you!”

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

Praying …

Psalm 27 New American Standard Bible

A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.

A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom should I fear?
The Lord is the [a]defense of my life;
Whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
3 If an army encamps against me,
My heart will not fear;
If war arises against me,
In spite of this I am confident.

4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the [b]beauty of the Lord
And to [c]meditate in His temple.
5 For on the day of trouble He will conceal me in His [d]tabernacle;
He will hide me in the secret place of His tent;
He will lift me up on a rock.
6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer sacrifices in His tent [e]with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

7 Hear, Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“I shall seek Your face, Lord.”
9 Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not abandon me nor forsake me,
God of my salvation!
10 [f]For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
But the Lord will take me up.

11 Teach me Your way, Lord,
And lead me on a level path
Because of my enemies.
12 Do not turn me over to the [g]desire of my enemies,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And the violent witness.
13 I certainly believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

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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