Devotionals

Matthew 5:16

[The world] will see "your good works," Jesus said.

Like what?

They will hear your courtesy.

They will detect your smile.

They will notice that you stop to thank them.

They will hear you apologize when you are wrong.

They will see you help them when they are struggling.

They will notice that you are the one who stopped along the road and gave them a hand.

Psalm 143:10

When Christ becomes our central focus—our reason for existence—contentment replaces our anxiety as well as our fears and insecurities.

This cannot help but impact three of the most prevalent joy-stealers in all of life.

1. He broadens the dimensions of our circumstances. This gives us new confidence...

2. He delivers us from preoccupation with others. This causes our contentment level to rise...

3. He calms our fears regarding ourselves and our future. This provides a burst of fresh hope on a daily basis.

Psalm 133:1

Do you realize how closely unity and humility are tied together? One breeds the other; neither can exist without the other. They're like Siamese twins, perpetually connected.

Personally, I have seen numerous occasions when pride won out (even though it was never called that) and harmony faded away...and I mean fast...

Contrary to the stuff you might read today, the words, fight and quarrel, are not apt descriptions of the way to get ahead. They won't ultimately glorify God.

Psalm 86:15

Our Lord understands our limits. He realizes our struggles. He knows how much pressure we can take. He knows what measures of grace and mercy and strength we'll require. He knows how we're put together.

Frankly, His expectations are not nearly as unrealistic as ours.

When we don't live up to the agenda we have set, we feel like He is going to dump a truckload of judgment on us. But that will not happen.

So why do we fear it could?

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Isaiah 26:4

God's way is always right. It doesn't always make sense—in fact...it is often mysterious. It can seldom be explained. It isn't always pleasurable and fun.

But I have lived long enough to realize that His way is always right....

I believe that not until we embrace God's sovereignty will we have the ability to reason our way through life.

The only way we can come to terms with reality—is by trusting God, regardless. No ifs, ands, or buts.

If I am a farmer and God allows a flood to come and wash away my crops or God chooses to give me the beautiful season rains and a bumper crop, I trust Him and I give Him praise. 

If I am in an industry or some profession and someone throws me a curve and God allows my whole world to be reversed, I trust Him and I give Him praise.

I take life as it occurs. I don't waste time in the pit of doubt. Nor do I worry over crop failures and strikeouts.

Psalm 62:1

I've had times when I've found myself wondering about the things I've believed and preached for years. What happened? Had God died?

No. My vision just got a little blurry. My circumstances caused my thinking to get a little foggy. I looked up, and I couldn't see Him as clearly.

That's what happened to John Bunyan back in the seventeenth century in England. He preached against the godlessness of his day, and the authorities shoved him into prison....

Psalm 139:14

The next time you pick up your little baby or grandbaby, look into the face of that marvellously made child and say, "You are fearfully and wonderfully made."

And it wouldn't hurt to repeat that statement throughout her childhood.

Children need to know how valuable they are in God's sight—and ours. Nothing gives them greater security than a strong sense of self-esteem.

Proverbs 11:28

Our society has gorged itself on the sweet taste of success.

We've filled our plates from a buffet of books that range from dressing for success to investing for success....

We've gobbled down stacks of notebooks, albums, and videos in our hunger for greater success.

The irony of all this is that...instead of fulfilment, we experience the bloated sensation of being full of ourselves—our dreams,ourgoals, our plans,our projects,our accomplishments.

The result of this all-you-can-eat appetite is not contentment. It's nausea

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Isaiah 50:10

Let's get six words clearly fixed in our minds. These six words form the foundation of God's therapeutic process for all worrywarts.

                                                                            WORRY ABOUT NOTHING,
                                                                            PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING