Rest in the Lord

Comment: A good night's sleep often provides a refreshed outlook. It might help us feel better prepared for the day that lies ahead. Setting aside time to rest in the Lord will provide much more then preparation. It will provide peace.

Verse: Psalms 37

¹ Do not fret because of evildoers,
         Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
 ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
         And wither as the green herb.
        
 ³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
         Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
 ⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
        
 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD,
         Trust also in Him,
         And He shall bring it to pass.
 ⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
         And your justice as the noonday.
        
 ⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
         Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
         Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
 ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
         Do not fret—it only causes harm.
        
 ⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off;
         But those who wait on the LORD,
         They shall inherit the earth.
 ¹⁰ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
         Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
         But it shall be no more.
 ¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth,
         And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 

A Perceptive Heart

Comment: Forgiveness, mercy, and truth should be an important foundation of our lives. We must be perceptive in recognizing when our actions fail to reflect the love of Jesus Christ. Our habits should rely on obedience and submission to the word of God.

Verse: I John 3


 ¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? ¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. ¹⁹This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence ²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
 ²¹Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God ²²and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. ²³And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. ²⁴Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

In His Presence

Comment: We have so much for which to be thankful. God has demonstrated over and over again that His blessings will surpass our expectations. Our challenge is to remain faithful, humble, and obedient.

Verse: Psalms 68:3 - 6

³ But let the godly rejoice.
      Let them be glad in God’s presence.
      Let them be filled with joy.
 ⁴ Sing praises to God and to his name!
      Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
   His name is the Lord—
      rejoice in his presence!
 ⁵ Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
      this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
 ⁶ God places the lonely in families;
      he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
   But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

The Right Time

Comment: Do we really understand how much the Lord cares for us? He asks us to place all our cares upon Him. Too often, we make the mistake of trying to apply our own remedies to challenges that can only be solved through God's intervention. We should remember that any time is the right time to place our complete faith and trust in the power of God's grace.

Verse: 1 Peter 5

⁶ So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ⁷ Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
 ⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters^[b] all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
 ¹⁰ In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. ¹¹ All power to him forever! Amen.

Rich in Grace

Comment: There is nothing we can do to earn our way into God's grace besides accept the gift of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection for our sins. As if that were not enough, we are promised a seat at the table with Christ, because we are made new through his tremendous gift of grace. The least we can do is try our best to demonstrate to others the power of God's mercy.

Verse: Ephesians 2

 ⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
 ⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Priceless Inheritance

Comment: Too often we take for granted the wonderful things that lie ahead for those who follow Christ. Although we have days or even weeks when our faith is tested, such trials are designed to help us remain thankful for our priceless inheritance.

Verse: 1 Peter 1

 ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. ⁵ And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
 ⁶ So be truly glad.^[b] There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. ⁷ These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Every Effort...

Comment: As Christians, we already have everything we need to live a life that is abundant. Our first step is to "make every effort" to rely on the promises of God. Through such reliance, we can fully claim and benefit from the extent of God's love and mercy.


Verse: 2 Peter 1

³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ⁴ And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
 ⁵ In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
 ⁸ The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
 ¹⁰ So, dear brothers and sisters,^[c] work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. ¹¹ Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

New Point of View

Comment: Living for Christ may make our choices seem "crazy" to others. But, we can take confidence that the result of Christ's sacrifice provides a new perspective and new life. How could we continue to live for ourselves, knowing that Jesus paid it all so that we might one day experience a new and joyful life with Him.

Verse: 2 Corinthians 5

¹³ If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. ¹⁴ Either way, Christ’s love controls us.^[c] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.^{[d] 15} He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
 ¹⁶ So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Confidence...

Comment: Confidence has the ability to make even the toughest challenges seem more manageable. We are encouraged to have no fear by placing our confidence in the Lord. Our confidence can only grow stronger as we remember to praise and thank the Lord for his unwavering gift of salvation and mercy.

Verse: Hebrews 13: 6 - 8; 15 - 16.

 ⁶ So we can say with confidence,
   “The Lord is my helper,
      so I will have no fear.
      What can mere people do to me?”^[c]
 7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.
 ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
...

 ¹⁵ Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. ¹⁶ And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

Hold Firm...

Comment: Some things in our lives are very, very challenging. Yet, we are encouraged to do all things without complaining or arguing. Now, this is truly an olympic size task.

Perhaps the best choice is to hold on more tightly to the words and guidance provided through God's word. Through prayer and submission we have the ability to change dangerous mountains into soft, rolling hills and become a meaningful example to others.

Verse: Philippians 2:12 - 18

¹² Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
 ¹⁴ Do everything without complaining and arguing, ¹⁵ so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. ¹⁶ Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. ¹⁷ But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God,^[e] just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. ¹⁸ Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.