peace

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

- Colossians 3:15

Peace - that elusive state of grace that incorporates all of life's well-being.

I feel it so rarely these days.

It is interesting that this particular verse is actually talking about peace among people, we are the Body of Christ and of course a body does not want to be at war with itself.

But aside from the chaos in the world, I have in my own mind a battle that rages on.

Yet because of Jesus, I have peace.  

And I am thankful.

Have a blessed day!

promises

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.

– Hebrews 6:17-18

When God made His promises to mankind, He did so by making an oath not to us, but to Himself.

Why?

Think about the ways that we are constantly unfaithful to Him.

Then think about the way He constantly loves us.

God knows that we would not be able to keep and agreement like this agreement, but He know that he can, and He will.

We couldn’t deliver ourselves, so He came as a man to deliver us.

God is the initiator and the guarantor of this agreement.

God has promised to be our God and hear our prayers through Jesus Christ.

This is not based upon you, but upon Jesus.

This is His promise.

Run to Him today. 

Have a blessed day!

do what's right

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

—Judges 17:6

Always do the right thing, even when no one is looking.

That is something our children are taught early, but what is the “right thing”?

It’s all “relative”, right?

Relativism is the belief that there's no absolute truth, only the truths that a particular individual or culture happen to believe.

If you believe in relativism, then you think different people can have different views about what's moral and immoral and basically everyone is right.

But not everyone can be right.

At the same time, not everyone is going to believe the same thing that you do, because guess what?

We are not the same.  

That said, remember that just because someone does not believe the same way you do, does not make them the enemy - the dark one is the enemy, and he uses other people’s lack of knowledge of our Father to plant doubt in our hearts.

We cannot be passive, standing by and letting this happen!

We have to study God’s word, know who we are and listen - if you’re not prepared don’t act like you are, because when you are not prepared, that is when the enemy does get in.

Guard your heart.

Do what is right in God’s eyes.  

Have a blessed day!

jealousy vs. envy

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.

- Proverbs 14:30

I have gone most of my life thinking that jealously and envy are the same thing. 

They are not the same!

Jealousy is, “I want what you have.”

Envy is, “I don’t think I can have what you do, so I don’t want you to have it either.”

Both are terrible feelings to have.

Set your heart right, and you don’t have to have either jealously or envy.

And really, isn’t tranquility what we really want?

Have a blessed day!

His will

Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

—James 4:15

I really like to have choices, and I like to be responsible for my own decisions.

OK, maybe that is a little untrue.

I like that I have choices, but sometimes I need a push in my decision making.

I am truly thankful that God allows me to submit my life to His will and place my trust in Him.

Now I just have to practice what I say and truly give myself to Him.

Only then can I honestly say “His will be done.”

Have a blessed day!

walk the walk, talk the talk

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

—1 John 3:18

Talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words.

How many times have you heard that expression? 

More importantly, how often do you live like that?  

Look at today’s society – how scary have we become?

We must start showing love for our family, our friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ by the way we live and what we do for each other.  

Have a blessed day!

navigation?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

—Proverbs 3:5-6

 Here is an oldie, but goodie.

Trust can't be half-hearted, either it is full trust or it is clouded with suspicion.

When I am going through rough times I have to stop and remind myself that God is in control and I have to “let go and let God”.  

We all feel a little bit hopeless at times, sometimes it feels like just when things are starting to go right and everything is coming up roses something comes along to make it all come crashing back down. 

It’s a horrible feeling and it’s easy to get lost in a sea of despair. 

Enter the navigation system: Navigation systems are so convenient - type in the coordinates or the address of where you want to go, and if you listen to her, she will get you to your destination. 

Even if you turn right when you are supposed to turn left, or if you go straight when she told you to turn, she simply says “recalculating” - she never gives up and shuts off or tells us to go away, she simply recalculates until you are back on the right path.

God is like our personal navigation system – and our coordinates are typed in from birth.

We want to get to Heaven, but along the way, we get lost - a lot, and we recalculate - many times.  

But God, He never gives up, He keeps nudging us in the right direction until we are back on the right path.

There are times though, when we are tempted to turn off the navigation and try to make our own way.

This is when the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness just swallows us up. 

So what do you do? 

What we should do is turn to God, He has a lot to say to us when we’re feeling hopeless and when we do turn to Him, we find a bit of comfort. 

We need to realize that we are not alone in feeling hopeless, it happens to all of us.  

So as we face the everyday challenges of life, or as we look for answers in deep and difficult problems, we need to put our full trust in the LORD.

When things are tough, call on God and lean on His mercy and grace.

No matter how insightful, wise, experienced, or knowledgeable we may be, God can guide our steps properly.

God asks us to trust Him and His wisdom even when we can't immediately see the rationale behind it.

To live by God’s words will challenge our current understanding of “the way things ought to be”.

This can cut across our habit patterns and ways of thinking and learning to think that way can be painful, but if we surrender to God’s wisdom, we find that many of the bad decisions we used to make start to diminish.

To venture into the uncomfortable views of the Bible is greater than staying in the familiar patterns of our own understanding.

This is how HE will make our paths straight.

Aren’t we lucky to have a great navigation system?

When we trust in Him, things fall into place, good things happen and we get the answers we seek. 

How awesome is that?

Have a blessed day! 

To Him

To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

—Jude 24-25

I don’t think I have ever even read the book of Jude, much less put it in my daily bread emails.

But this verse, oooooooooo  - think about it: think about God's power and might!

WOW

And we get to be in His presence.

WOW

God's grace is greater and more glorious than anything we humans can put forth!

And on that day when I stand before His throne, the stain of my sins washed away are based on His grace and mercy.

How can I not praise Him from a thankful heart and anticipate seeing Him face to face in glory?

Song reference!!!

There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring

And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives

And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give

I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall…

Oh WOW.

Have a blessed day! 

Strength for the weary

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

—Isaiah 40:28-29

Strength for the weary, I need this for certain!

I am so thankful that I can lean on my Father, especially the past week, when I was physically down.

God is eternal, He has unlimited power, His supply of strength is limitless.

He blesses and shares His grace without growing tired.

Most importantly, He longs to share His power and grace with us daily.

I forget sometimes that God is not as tired, hurt, or as overwhelmed as I am.

He is the awesome creator of the universe, and He has all the power and energy we need.

God is reminding us in this verse that we are not alone, and that His commitment to us is not temporary, but it’s everlasting and without end.

We should be strengthened knowing we serve the all-powerful creator and we are important to Him.

This has been a challenging year for many of my friends and family,  and so often I feel like the world is falling apart. 

Sometimes it is hard to remember that I am not walking alone, and all I have to do is reach out – God is there, with open arms, ready to hold me. 

How lucky am i?

Have a blessed day! 

speak up

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

—Proverbs 31:8

Continuing with the theme of carrying each other’s burdens, we are called to defend the rights of the weak, speak up for the disenfranchised, and protect the life of those who are vulnerable.

This comprehensive call is the great reminder that the blessings, rights, wealth, and power we may have is not ours alone; it is a gift from God to be used to bless those who have no power to speak, to defend, or to protect themselves.

Who are you going to bless today?

Have a blessed day! 

carry my burdens for me, will ya?

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

—Galatians 6:2

There have been a few times when I have felt like I am getting too personal on my “daily bread”.

Times when I pour out my sorrows to the people who are reading my thoughts on His word.

Then there are times when I feel guilty for sharing my burdens, when I know that there are others that need prayer.

But this verse tells us that we SHOULD share!

This verse is really just another way of saying, "Love your neighbor as yourself!"

Jesus came to bear our burdens and carry away the stain and pain of our sin.

With this direction, He now asks us to live redemptive-ly, in practical ways, toward those around us.

More than just praying, or asking what we can do to help, we are called to serve, minister, and assist others who are burdened.

So cast your burdens . . . there are people around to carry them.

Have a blessed day! 

Hold firm

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

– Titus 1:9

Hold firmly to the message, isn’t that what we do every day?

When the world is doing its level best to knock us out, we hold firmly to the message.

But we need more -  if you think that we don’t need doctrine or that doctrine is a hindrance to true spirituality, then you misunderstand the role of doctrine.

Let’s start at the beginning – what is “doctrine”?

Doctrine is a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group.

When held to firmly, sound doctrine places courage in our souls to live in harmony with God, protects us from strange teachings, and identifies those who want to misuse Biblical teachings for their own purposes.

Hold firmly, my friends.

Have a blessed day! 

East to West

He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

– Psalm 103:9-12

Song reference!

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other

Speaking of getting what we deserve, (remember yesterday’s daily bread?) we are pretty fortunate that God does not treat us as we deserve.

Think about the things that you have done that would be considered sin.

Now think about the punishment that those sins could potentially hold.

Imagine if you will, a globe of the world.

If you travel north far enough you will eventually be traveling south and if you keep traveling soon you will go north again.

But east never becomes west.

This is like God’s love, it has no limit; His forgiveness has no stopping place, as far as the east is from the west.

Our God who created us also gave us His Son Jesus who paid the price for our sin on the cross.

Why?

So that we can know His mercy.

Surrender to His mercy and receive His grace in Jesus Christ.

Have a blessed day!

paybacks

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

– 1 Peter 3:9

“I’ll get even”

“He’ll get what he deserves”

“Just wait for karma”

We hear those phrases a lot, don’t we?

But wait - we are called to bless others.

Others.

Every single person – this doesn’t apply to just the people that we get along with—this also applies to the ones who hurt us.

How do you respond to people who offend you?

Do you lash back?

I know I have a tendency to get snarky.

There is a blessing that God has for those who are willing to absorb the pain of offense and respond with kindness.

I am going to work on getting that blessing.

Have a blessed day!