“No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39 NLT
Photo by: Pixabay
One thing about the Lord that I love is that He loves us. He not only loves us, but He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Therefore, there is nothing we can say or do to earn His love. He gives it to us freely. Even when things around us are unpredictable, God’s Love is the one thing that will never change. We can be sure of His perfect love. It’s true, nothing can separate us from God’s love. When we go through hardships, His love is there. When we feel alone, His love is there. We live in a world that wants to separate us from God’s love by denying His existence, but even through the denial, His love is still there. We don’t have to worry, because His love lives inside of us through His Spirit. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
I encourage you to remember God’s Love for you as you face this day, and I pray you find peace in knowing that His love is always with you.
James 1:2-3 NIV, “2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Joy may not always be our first response when faced with trials. Instead it may be fear, worry, confusion, or anger, just to name a few. Trials cause us discomfort, and tend to alter our lives in someway, and of course that is not something we are eager to embrace.
However, because we have Jesus, we don’t have to walk through our trials alone. He is always by our side. His presence with us is the reason we can, “consider it pure joy” when faced with trials. God’s Word assures us, that as our faith is tested, we learn to trust Him more and develop perseverance.
Photo by: Pixabay
Maintaining our faith in Jesus, and not giving up in the midst of trouble, puts us in a position to experience the joy of the Lord. Everything that occurs in our lives may not be good, but God has promised to work all things out for our good when we love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Whatever trials you may be facing today, take heart and know that God is with you. I pray His joy and love will fill your heart, and that praise to Him would continually be on your lips, as you keep hoping and trusting in His holy Name.
Last week I shared part 1 of this series, Jesus, a donkey, and His Father, by Kelly @ The Simple Preacher. Kelly reminded us of the importance of keeping our priorities straight like Jesus. This week I’m sharing part 2 by Deandra @ Imago Dei. I was enlightened as she shared from the donkey’s perspective. I never knew there was so much to a donkey! Enjoy! 🤗
Happy Tuesday everyone! My prayer is that you all are doing well today and that ABBA has been speaking to your heart in some way, shape or form. Last…
Psalm 136:3, “Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.”
There’s no hurt or pain that’s too great for Our Lord Jesus. He lovingly carries every burden we have, if we will only give our burdens to Him. We can tell Him anything, and He still loves us. Over and over again, He still chooses to love us. Nothing can stop His love for us, not even our darkest sins.
His faithful love endures forever…
He knows all there is to know about us, because He knows us so intimately. In His presence we can completely be ourselves. He meets us where we are and patiently waits. He waits while we grow and learn. He waits while we learn to love Him. His love never ceases to amaze me.
His faithful love endures forever…
I’m so thankful for His love today and everyday. His love and grace remain the same. People may change. The world will change. But Jesus Christ, He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever more (Hebrews 13:8). No one or nothing compares to Him.
Romans 6:23(NLT), “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When we’re in Christ sin no longer has dominion over us. We may struggle with certain sins, but that struggle does not define who we are because through the blood of Christ we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). He overcame all sin when He died on the cross. However He didn’t just die, He also rose again showing us even further that He has conquered sin once and for all. We have our flesh that wants to enjoy the pleasures of sin and we also have God’s Spirit who convicts us of sin, because He knows the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life (Roman 6:23). No matter how good sin may feel to us at the time, we are told that sin when full-grown leads to death (James 1:15). It starts off small and keeps growing. If we choose to persist in sin, some type of death is impending rather it be spiritual, emotional, mental, or even physical. When we turn on the TV and see chaos and tragedy on the news, much of what we are seeing is a result of sin that has become full-grown and lead to some type of death.
Not one of us is without sin, for all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). It’s just a matter of how we choose to handle it. I’ve struggled with certain sins like anyone else, but I can remember God telling me, “This is not who you are.” The enemy of our souls (and the society we live in), will work overtime to try to convince us that sin is acceptable or even worse, that it’s just who we are. It’s not acceptable and it’s definitely not who we are. When we have accepted Jesus as Lord of our lives, we have a way out. He will give us strength to resist sin. If we fall into sin, we can repent in the name of Jesus and move on. He has promised us that He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Unconfessed sin leads to death, but accepting Jesus Christ leads to life (John 14:6).
Thank you for allowing us to see this day. We pray that You will show us how to trust You, even when we do not understand what is going on. Learning to trust You is not always easy, but it is something that develops as our relationship with You grows. As we trust You, we know that You promised to give us peace of mind and direct our paths. Help us not to be afraid to trust You, because You also promised us that You will never fail us.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Success isn’t just reaching the final goal, but it’s also the steps you take toward that goal that count. Every bit of progress you make, regardless of how small or insignificant it may seem at the time, is an important part of the process. There is no one way of doing things, and there is no one mold that every individual has to fit into. What may work for some, may not work for others. When you understand that you are unique and have a unique purpose, you can focus on what is best for you without comparing yourself to others. Comparing yourself to others is one of the fastest ways to lose focus and get off track. Society has not been shy about giving us its viewpoint on what success is, and it definitely has not been shy about making sure that viewpoint reaches the eyes and ears of every single human soul that is willing to watch and listen.
I have heard many successful entrepreneurs say that we should never be afraid to question what it is that is being suggested to us, because we actually do have a choice in the matter. We can choose what we will do with our lives. We do have the right to question the things we are told to do and a right to “break from the norm” and choose an alternate route. True success is just simply doing what God, not society, has called you to do. Psalm 37:23-24 (NIV) says, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” When we delight ourselves in the Lord, He promised to make our steps firm. That is a promise that society can never make to us.
As I continued to think about success, Joshua came to my mind. In the book of Joshua, chapter one, we read about Moses dying and Joshua then being installed as the leader. Joshua’s task was to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the land the Lord promised to give them. The Lord gave Joshua some very important instructions about being successful in his new leadership role.
He told him to…
Be Strong and Courageous
Obey the Word of God
Meditate on the Word of God Day and Night
Do Not Be Discouraged
Remember God is With You Wherever You Go
God told Joshua that if he does these things he would be prosperous and successful. Based on the instructions God gave Joshua, we can reach the conclusion that fear, disobedience to God, a lack of spending time in the Word of God and discouragement are all pitfalls that can keep us from being successful and taking hold of the blessings that God wants to give us. There are times in life that we may even question the things God is asking us to do because of doubt and fear, but God is always patient with us as we get to know Him better and learn to be obedient to Him. I’m learning more and more each day that the wisdom of God can handle our questions and that the love of God can surpass our doubts and fears.
By the way, Joshua and the Israelites did successfully cross the Jordan River. When they crossed, they set up twelve stones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. They put the stones in place so that when future generations of children question what the stones mean, they could share with them the story of how God allowed them to cross the river on dry ground, just as He had done for Moses when He split the Red Sea. The stones would also serve as a reminder to all the nations of the Earth, that the Lord’s hand is powerful (Joshua 4:21-24).
Don’t be afraid to question the ideas of success that are being presented to you by society, after all it’s your life and you only get one chance to live it. Like Joshua, allow God’s power to work in you and through you so that you too will leave evidence of His power to future generations.
Father,
As we aim for success help us to discern right from wrong and produce fruit that will make a difference, not only now in the present, but also in the future. May the works we do leave evidence of Your love and Your power for generations to come.
Drawing Closer to Christ 