Don't Worry

Psalm 137:8
The Lord will work out his plans for my life- for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

What a comforting thing to know that God has plans for our lives. We don’t have to worry whether or not God has a purpose for us. All we have to do is ask him what he wants us to do. God has already put desires in your heart to give him glory.

God will always be by your side no matter what. He made you and wants to have a relationship with you. God will endure forever and we can rest assured that he wants us to love and worship him with the gifts and talents he has given us. Are you thankful that God has already mapped out your life? Are you thankful that you don’t have to worry about tomorrow?

The Bible says not to worry about anything.  It also says not to be anxious. We live in a society where that is the complete opposite. Unfortunately, it’s not getting any better either. The only way we can conquer these strongholds is by praying to God and letting him take over our problems. If we learn to let go and let God take control, our lives will have more joy and peace. What is one thing that you are struggling with today that you need to let go of? Let God take over today and see how he will use it for good.

Unity

Psalm 133:1                                                                   

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

We live in a world today where it seems to be harder to get along with people. Jesus spoke very plainly about the end times. There will be wars and rumors of wars. There will be epidemics, natural disasters, and famines all around the world. In a world that is so lost, we have to be bold enough to share the truth to them in love no matter what the cost.

When God’s people our unified, there’s nothing that we can’t accomplish through His love. We are a unique people. We have the ability to reach the world through Jesus. The more unified we are in this effort, the more lives can be changed. Unity is very important to God. Paul wrote about it many times in the New Testament. Ephesians 4 is one of the best chapters on unity. Read it sometime today.

When we give our lives to Jesus, the first thing we learn is to love him with everything we have. When we love him like that, we will love others in the same way. When people wrong you and hurt you, you will be able to forgive and let go of bitterness and grudges.

God’s love covers a multiple of sins. God wants us to love and forgive more. Make an effort to be more unified with your friends and family today. Ask yourself how you can you be more unified with your church today. Make a conscience decision that you will do what Jesus did and FORGIVE!

His Ways

Psalm 128:1-2, 4

How joyful are those who fear the Lord—all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! That is the Lord’s blessing
for those who fear him.

Have you ever been afraid of something? Some people have a fear of heights. Some have the fear of flying. Whatever your fear maybe, you can overcome it through faith in Christ. The scripture says those who fear the Lord, will enjoy the fruit of their labor.

Anyone who works for a living loves to receive a paycheck. We work really hard all week and on Friday we take our check to the bank and deposit it. The Lord wants us to follow all of His ways. The Bible tells us we will be joyful and prosperous. Just like when we are excited about receiving a paycheck, God gets excited when we follow His ways.

What a blessing that is for God. Sometimes we think how can God bless me today? We should be thinking how we can bless God today. God already has great gifts and blessings in store for us. He’s waiting on us to receive His blessings when we follow Him and work hard. He’s the greatest boss you will ever have. His blessings and resources are endless. What an awesome God we serve.

Good Gifts

Psalm 127:3

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Have you ever held a baby in your hands? Do you remember when you held your first son or daughter the day he or she was born? What emotions were going through your mind? The Bible says every good and perfect gift comes from God. The psalmist in this verse says, children are a gift from God. Are you thankful for the gift of having children?

What a wonderful blessing to know that God gives us great gifts. As we approach the holiday season, we are constantly thinking about what gifts we should buy for our loved ones. Some of us might want jewelry, maybe a new car, or maybe the newest cell phone. Whatever it is, we want to give our family and friends good gifts. In the same way, God’s gifts are perfect. He wants us to have good gifts from Him.

The Bible says that God knew you even before he formed you, and set you apart to fulfill His purposes in your life. He was speaking this to Jeremiah, but I think He desires that for each of His children. God has a unique plan and purpose for your life. Opportunities are knocking at your door today. God has that perfect gift he wants to give you today. Seize the opportunities to do good things for God today.    

Peace and Prosperity

Psalm 122: 6-9
Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

Prayers are so important to God. This single act of obedience can change your life and others. God wants us to rely on Him completely. God doesn’t want our prayers to be selfish. He wants us to intercede for others as well.

Make sure you are praying for your family and community.  Pray for this nation and all the nations of the world. Pray specifically for Israel today. Pray that God’s provision will be all around the walls of Jerusalem. The scripture says, for the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” 

For hundreds and hundreds of years we have seen God’s chosen people go through every kind of situation imaginable. We have seen similar things here in our own lives. We can relate to other countries that hate us. We need to support and love Israel. They are facing very tough times and need all of our prayers. Let’s remember to pray for Israel and our own country today for God to give us peace and prosperity.  

Thy Word

Psalm 119: 105

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

The writer of Psalm 119 expresses a deep love for God’s law. It says that he would worship seven times a day on God’s law. How often do we thank and praise God for giving us His law? How often do we seek His statutes and see it as His provision over our lives?

The scripture says the word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. You wouldn’t go into a wilderness at night without a flashlight would you? You would fall and stumble from not being able to see in front of you.  In the same way, you can’t walk around this life without God’s Word. God’s Word is our sword to defend off anything that comes against us. God gave us His Word so we don't have to stumble and fall all the time. We will still make mistakes, but we have the knowledge to know how to correct it and move forward.

We should have a deep longing to seek after God and His Word. This is His love letter to the world. We have been given this to help people in a dark world. God doesn’t want us to wander through life.  He wants us to be free from sin and He has given us rules and guidelines to live by. Not to limit us, but to free and help us be fruitful here on earth.

Live with a passion to open God’s Word today. Reading one scripture today and meditating on it will help you so much when you have to deal with life’s circumstances. Worship and thank God today for giving us His Word and allowing us to be a part of His wonderful plan.

This is the Day

Psalm 118: 22-24

The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

When I was growing up, our church would sing, “This is the Day” almost every Sunday.  I can remember what a wonderful time it was in the life of our church.  One of the reasons I’m in ministry was because of the influence of the music minister there. He was always faithful and glad. I never saw a time where he was sad.

I’ve always wondered how some people can stay so positive all the time. The scripture says to have joy when we face trials and tribulations of many kinds. Part of the Christian life is built on character. God didn’t promise us an easy life, but he did promise us a hope and a future. Life is going to be difficult sometimes and we have to rely on the cornerstone of our faith Jesus Christ to help us through the day. 

That’s why we can be glad and rejoice all the time. Even when we go though the deepest valley, if we keep our focus on Jesus, He will be faithful to us no matter what. So today is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it. No matter what happens to you today rejoice and be glad that you are a child of God. Stay focused on Him and he will pull you through any valley in this life.