Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Trusting in the Lord will keep us fruitful. Our lives will produce good things that bring Him glory. We don’t have to fear ruin or be consumed with worry. We are blessed when we place our confidence in Him. Allowing Jesus to be our foundation, keeps our hearts secure. I recently read this quote by Deborah Smith Pegues…
“There is a calm assurance, a noticeable sense of peace that emanates from those whose trust is in the Lord.”
Trusting in God is not only for us, but it’s also for those around us. It shows others how magnificent our God is. It’s a testimony to His faithfulness in our lives. Being able to flourish, even in the midst of difficult circumstances, because we trust God, draws others to Christ.
In Christ, we can abandon all of our fears, and trust Him as we wait in faith for the good things He has promised us. When we stay committed to Him, continue to serve Him, and acknowledge Him in all of our ways, He will direct our paths. He surrounds us with His love and favor each day. We are blessed when our trust is in the Lord.
Regular fellowship with our Savior always makes things so much better. Time with Him refreshes us and gives us strength to face life, which we all know life can be tough. Everyone has something going on but as we meditate on His goodness, we are reminded of His love, protection, and provision. This helps to keep fear away from us, and to keep our focus in the right place. We are never without hope as long as He is near. He fills our life with good things…
Psalm 103:5 NLT, “He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!”
Looking to Jesus, keeps our hearts full of faith, and in tune with His voice. Hearing his voice as He gives us gentle confirmations brings us assurance of His presence. Enjoy spending time with Jesus and find contentment in His everlasting love for you.
Exodus 14: 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
The Israelites were terrified because the Egyptians were pursuing them. In the midst of the chaos they lost their faith and begin to complain and worry. They started wishing they had never left the life they had in the past. Even though their past life wasn’t comfortable, it was familiar. They longed for the familiarity that they knew.
Photo by: Pixabay
Today things are not much different for us as Christians. It’s easy to be comfortable with what is familiar. Stepping out in faith and going into unknown territory can be scary. Once things don’t go as we thought they would, we want to run back to what we knew. Or we begin to question God’s faithfulness. We wonder if it’s really worth it.
I like Moses response to the grumbling Israelites in verse 14…“The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still.” Then it gets even better when the Lord speaks to Moses in verse 15…“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” We have to move on in faith knowing that the Lord will fight our battles. We can’t let fear of the unknown rob us of the blessings God has for us.
The blessings He has for us are not just at the finish line, where we see the manifestation of what we are hoping for. Our whole journey is filled with blessings, because through it we are standing firm, growing in our faith and learning to trust God. On our journey we can see how He provides for us in ways big and small.
We don’t have to run away in fear or try and return to what is familiar when the enemy pursues us. We can remain calm and be still in our hearts. God’s love covers us, and He himself lives inside of us. Therefore we can keep moving on in faith. Everything we need to accomplish God’s purposes and go through unknown territory is available to us through Jesus Christ.
Psalm 37:4 ESV, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
This scripture always brings to my mind the word “worship“, which is reverencing God and loving Him for who He is. When we live a life of worship towards the Lord, we delight in Him. When we delight in Him, we find joy in spending time with Him, and we find pleasure in living in obedience to His commands.
1 John 5:3 NLT, “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.”
When we find delight in the Lord, He finds delight in granting us our hearts desires. The more time we spend with Him, the more understanding we will gain about who He is. As we become more like Jesus, we will have the same desires that He has for our lives, and for the lives of those who are around us. Fulfilling His purpose will be our main agenda. The motive behind our actions will always be love, loving God and loving others.
Photo by: Ric Rodrigues
There may be times you feel that your faithfulness to God has not been properly rewarded. You may at times feel weary as you seek the Lord. If so, don’t hesitate to call out to Him in prayer. Cast your cares upon Him and allow Him to give you rest. One thing I’m learning about the Lord, is that His Word will not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). He will bring to past the words He has spoken. His promises are true, and His timing is perfect. The work He performs in our hearts and lives is thorough. He desires for us to be perfect (mature) and complete lacking nothing.
James 1:4 NJKV, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Keep persevering in patience as the Holy Spirit does a work in you. Keep being faithful as you serve God and walk in love toward others. He is working all things in your life together for good (Romans 8:28).
Ephesians 4:2, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
Humble. Gentle. Patient. Forgiving. These are words that don’t exactly go along with today’s culture. Responding to people with humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness may even be viewed by some as a sign of weakness. But it’s actually quite the opposite. These attributes are part of who God is, and when we extend them to others, we are extending His love to them.
Photo by: Matthias Zomer
Extending genuine love to people is very powerful, because it will help them to see the hope that is found in Jesus. Through Jesus, we have been forgiven of so much. He has pardoned our sins and given us the privilege to be heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). When we are angry and upset, forgiving someone may not be what we want to do, but as children of God, it’s what we are called to do. When He calls us to a task, He will equip us with the grace we need to accomplish it.
We as children of God are set apart by a special calling to be humble, gentle, patient, and forgiving. It’s all part of the new nature we have in Christ. What a joy it is to rise above circumstances and walk in the ways of the Lord. The Holy Spirit living in us will empower us to represent the Lord Jesus in all we do. We are truly blessed.
Proverbs 19:3 NLT, “People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.”
When I read this verse, I immediately thought of my own life and the many times I have made sinful choices that caused me heartache and pain. But instead of taking responsibility for my sinful choices, I questioned God’s love for me or felt that He was being unfair. I can even recall times when I knew the Holy Spirit was cautioning me to avoid certain things or certain people, but I still chose to follow my own worldly desires and ended up regretting it.
Photo by: Kat Jayne
Although sin can seem pleasing for a period of time, it eventually leads to ruin and death (James 1:15). There is no set timing on how long it can take for that ruin to come. It can happen quickly, or it can seem as if someone is persisting for an extended period of time with no repercussions to their actions, and then it all catches up with them. I can’t tell you how many times I have given God thanks for watching over me and delivering me from my foolishness. I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to repent and receive salvation through Jesus Christ. Even today, I’m thankful He forgives me when I sin and fall short.
If we believe what God says, we have to learn to trust His instructions. What he instructs us to do, is for our own good. When He tells us to refrain from certain actions, it’s because He in all of His wisdom knows and understands all things. He knows the dangers of sin, that is why He sacrificed His son Jesus. As Christians, I pray that our hearts will remain sensitive to God’s Spirit and obedient to His Word. We are living in perilous times, but I like what David said in Psalm 31:15 NIV, “My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.”
Photo by: Pixabay
Our times are in God’s hands, we need not live in fear. However we do need to seek God, and choose His ways above our own to avoid unnecessary foolishness. There is a lot we may not understand, but God said we don’t have to understand everything (Proverbs 3:5-6). We need to abide in Jesus and trust Him to take care of us as we rest in His loving arms. His ways and thoughts are higher than our own (Isaiah 55:9), so He knows what is best for us.
“Live, Laugh , Love” is a very popular phrase that I see in many places. A couple of weeks ago, I saw it on the back of a car. I researched a little online, and read that the phrase originated from a poem called, “Success” written in 1904 by Bessie Anderson Stanley. The first line of the poem reads:
“He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much…”
The poem of course is based on Ms. Anderson’s personal opinion of success. However, the Bible is definitely not silent on God’s instructions for success. Check out these Bible verses about success.
Based on the phrase live, laugh, love, I thought I’d share a few verses about living, laughing, and loving. Through Jesus Christ, we can do all three.
Live…
Philippians 1:21 NIV, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
When our hearts are submitted to Jesus Christ, that is when we truly live. We give up our sinful ways and the ways of the world to pursue the heart of Jesus. We see people through His eyes of compassion, and want them to know the comfort and peace of His everlasting love. We begin to see life from His perspective and find great delight in getting to know Him more each day. We want to serve Him because we love Him, and we have security because He loves us. To live…is to live in Christ.
Laugh…
Psalm 37:12-13 NLT, “12 The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. 13 But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.”
Photo by: Nappy
It’s natural to laugh when things are lighthearted and funny. But what about when life is not so funny? When trials come against us or our loved ones, and we feel hurt and pain. When people do you wrong, you really want to just cry. There is a lot of evil and injustice in the world today. So many seem to be getting away with all kinds of foolishness. There are many unanswered questions and unresolved issues. But this verse always makes me laugh. It’s funny to try and imagine the Lord laughing. Knowing that the Lord will bring justice brings joy. He laughs because He has a plan to destroy the evil one and those who choose to be used by Him. Sometimes we need to just laugh. Laughter is good for our souls.
Love…
John 15:12 NIV, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
Photo by: Phong Bùi Nam
God loves us, so we are called to love others. He is love. He set the example of love for us. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we will better understand love. We will learn to love and reverence Him more. Then he teaches us how to love ourselves in a healthy and balanced way, and grow in our desire and ability to love others. The Holy Spirit has been teaching me that love must be at the root of all we say and do as Christians. Without love life is worthless. So love! Because love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Drawing Closer to Christ 