Isaiah 57:18-19a

“I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and comfort him and his mourners, creating words of praise.”

Romans 2:4

Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

We all shake our heads from time to time when we see wickedness flourish and wonder just why God doesn’t strike some people in their sin. We may have also wondered why some people could not break free from besetting sins or why others have become isolated in anger, unforgiveness, and bitterness. We may have loved ones whose hearts are turned away from God and earnestly long for them to turn back to Him. Perhaps, we’ve even been that person and could not understand our own actions at times.

These two passages explain a part of God’s nature that should give us both understanding and hope when encountering human behavior that is not appealing, whether in us or in someone else. In His quest for us to experience salvation, His desire is for us to be whole and complete, lacking nothing. If we are hurting or deficient in some area, we will try to compensate for it in some way. Our human nature can’t help but do this. For example, with two steel rods in my back, my spine has learned to compensate for the inability to bend or move in the middle of my back by adding extra pressure to my upper and lower spine. This extra pressure often causes me pain. When I’m experiencing pain, I can’t physically function the way I should, which holds me back from participating in some things.

We do the same thing spiritually. When we are hurting in some area emotionally, we will compensate for it with something that gives us temporary relief in order to cope with the pain. Our coping mechanisms are actually idols where we seek comfort. Anger, for example, is a coping mechanism for a wounded spirit. Rather than deal with the pain from a deep emotional wound, we find it much easier to just be angry. Anger also brings along its companions – unforgiveness, bitterness, rage, and a possible host of other emotions, as well. Until the wound is healed, these emotions take up residence in a heart that people misunderstand for mean, defiant, rude, critical, or harsh. God sees what is under the surface and seeks to heal so the individual can truly be saved – made whole and complete, lacking nothing.

For this reason, we see God being kind to those we would like to smack in the face. A smack would not change a single thing, but God’s kindness is designed to lead to repentance. His kindness has the ability to break through protective walls to build trust and heal the real cause of wrong behavior – pain. Only God is both just and compassionate and able to discern the true intentions of the heart. Only He can rightfully judge or heal, whichever is needed. May we all learn to give more kindness and less smacking.

Have a blessed day!

John 5:44

How can you believe? While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God. (HCSB)

How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God? (The Message Bible)

Jesus – the very Son of God – was right in front of the disciples and religious leaders of His day, yet many overlooked Him to seek personal position and glory from each other. How could they believe in God or hear from Him when their eyes were upon each other? They did not believe in Jesus because they did not seek honor that comes from God.

For whatever problems we face, Jesus is the answer. We are to look to Him and trust Him. Through our hard times, we have a Savior who has gone before us and is leading us. Our focus should be on following where He leads.

Romans 8:18-19 gives us hope and a new perspective:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed.

This eager expectation actually means, “to watch with outstretched neck.” To trust in Jesus is to watch with an outstretched neck for what He is doing and to participate with Him. As we do, He will work in and through us as He leads us into our destiny.

Where do you see God working in your life? Jump on His bandwagon and cooperate with Him. Where do you see growth or fruit? Consider that vineyard and work it. You cannot force a blessing where God is not working. As I once heard it said, no matter how much you water concrete, it will not grow a garden. Jesus is right in front of you. Focus upon what He is doing, and watch with an outstretched neck to see how He will bless it.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 22:23-24

You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him! For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He did not hide His face from him, but listened when he cried to Him for help.

David began this psalm in desperation but ended it in praise and gratitude. He praised God before He received his answer because he realized God had always heard his cry and had been good to him. While it may seem God is far away in our distress, He is actually near. He has answered in the past, He answers now, and He continues to save His people.

In this passage, David addressed the sons of Jacob. I find it interesting he did not use the term “sons of Abraham,” “sons of Isaac,” or “sons of Israel.” Indeed, the children of Israel were the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, but he used the term, “sons of Jacob.” Jacob means, “Deceiver,” He was sly, cunning, and manipulative in getting his way. When we try to manipulate our own blessing and fall into the negative consequences, we can still cry out to God and turn from our sin. He hears our cry and delivers us from ourselves. We are to praise Him when things go wrong and trust He will come to our aid. He is near to us and just waiting for us to depend upon Him instead of trying to manipulate things in our own strength.

The Message Bible gives words of encouragement:

He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were kicked around. He has never wandered off to do his own thing; he has been right there, listening.

God is right there with you today, listening to your cry. Surrender to Him in full dependence. Trust His unfailing love for you. Praise Him for what He has already done in your life, and praise Him for hearing you now. He will deliver, and He will save. That’s who He is – our good, good Father.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 37:23-24

A man’s steps are established by the LORD, and He takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed because the LORD holds his hand.

As Christians, we will fail at times. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that He doesn’t fail! We have been given His righteousness, and God still sees us as His child through the lens of Christ. As His child, He is right there with us, holding our hand when we stumble.

I’m so very relieved to know that I don’t always have to get things right. When I don’t, God is still with me. He has not forsaken me, and He still has a firm grip on me. He has established my steps, and He takes pleasure in my way. Just as I used to enjoy watching my son try to walk, so God enjoys watching me as I take steps toward the direction He has given me. If I fall from being too excited to keep my balance, He picks me up and sets me on my feet once again. Just as I would never have left my son alone, He remains with me to care for me and see me through the mission He has given me. I’m not alone, and neither are you!

God holds your hand today. You may be frustrated or discouraged, but He is still with you. Even if you may feel unstable and insecure, know for certain that He has a firm grip on you, and He will not let you stay down for long if you fall. You are His beloved child, and He has great plans for you! Grab hold of His hand, and trust His presence. He has established your steps, and He delights in you as you walk them.

Have a blessed day!

2 Chronicles 17:12-19

Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah and carried out great works in the towns of Judah. He had fighting men, brave warriors, in Jerusalem. These are their numbers according to their ancestral families. For Judah, the commanders of thousands:

            Adnah the commander and 300,000 brave warriors with him;

next to him, Jehohanan the commander and 280,000 with him;

next to him Amasiah son of Zichri, the volunteer of the LORD and 200,000 brave warriors with

him;

from Benjamin, Eliada, a brave warrior, and 200,000 with him armed with bow and shield;

next to him, Jehozabad and 180,000 with him equipped for war.

These were the ones who served the king besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Jehoshaphat’s first order of business as king was to station a defense throughout Judah. As he grew stronger and gained new treasures, he built a vast army to protect the storage cities he created to hold his newly acquired wealth. Jehoshaphat valued that which the presence of God gave him, and he wasn’t going to let anyone take it from him!

Luke 10:38-42 records the story of two sisters, Mary and Martha. When Jesus came to their house to teach, Martha became distracted by her many tasks and asked Jesus to make Mary help her. Read Jesus’s response to her in verses 41-42 carefully:

The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.

What Mary gained from listening to Him was of great value, and Jesus would not order her to participate in Martha’s distractions.

Protecting our lives from distraction is crucial in fulfilling the purpose God has for us and living a blessed life. A simple distraction can cause your focus to change, and the enemy can sneak in and take whatever he wants. Distractions are things that capture our full attention but bring us no benefit and make us unproductive in the things God has called us to do. Like Jehoshaphat, we should build fortresses to guard the word God has placed in us and not allow anything to distract us from following His instructions and trusting Him. The more time we spend with Him doing what He has called us to do, the less time we have to spend doing things that don’t amount to a hill of beans and ignoring the valuable things He has entrusted to our care. Bring every thought captive to the word within you, and watch the enemy flee as you move forward in God’s great plan for you!

Take some time to reflect, and list distractions that are stealing your peace, your joy, your time, your finances, and your future. Each distraction represents something important to you that you are trying to handle in the flesh and are succumbing to temptation. Determine not to let the enemy steal your faith, and guard the truth in your heart. The more you are willing to guard, the less you will have to fight.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 62:10

Go out, go out through the gates; prepare a way for the people! Build it up, build up the highway! Clear away the stones! Raise a banner for the peoples.

God promised His salvation was coming to Zion after their exile in this chapter. While they were once ravaged and taken into captivity, God promised to gather and restore them. He had wonderful plans for them, but many were left alone and hurting. In order for them to receive the good news of restoration, someone had to go find them and tell them they now had reason to rejoice.

Sometimes we are hurt so badly that we have trouble worshiping God. Whether it is illness, hunger, lack, or some other type of need, quite often the physical or material need has to be met for the person to be open to receiving spiritual help. We must be willing to meet real needs in order for people to want to hear about our God.

In this passage, God is instructing His people to go out – go out through the gates. In other words, leave your neighborhoods and your own comfort zones. Go where the people are that need to hear the good news. Go beyond your church walls to find those who are hurting, and begin to meet some needs. He instructs them to build a highway, or pave the way for the hurting to come to know Christ. Give them a reason to want to celebrate, and prepare a way for Christ to come to them.

He also instructs the people to clear away the stones, which represent any impediment to worshiping God. When we meet real needs, we are clearing the debris that stands in the way of worship and giving people reason to want to know God. Meeting needs is the biggest thing you can do to bring growth to a church or ministry. People will want to participate where they are being fed, challenged, refreshed, revived, and renewed.

To raise a banner is to encourage people to praise God. If we lift high His name and give honor and glory to Him, those in need will see our joy and want what we have. After all, our goal is to point others to Him, and He does the rest.

Meet some needs today. Go beyond your comfort zone to include someone or reach someone who is hurting. Our Savior is coming, and He has something wonderful in store for each of us. Someone needs that hope today. As we begin to meet the needs of others, we will find God meeting ours. As verse 12 informs us, we will be called the Holy People, the LORD’s Redeemed. We will be called Cared For, A City Not Deserted. Every widow needs that comfort. Find one today, and tell her.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 108:1

My heart is confident, God; I will sing; I will sing praises with the whole of my being.

This psalm is a combination of Psalm 57 and Psalm 60. It was apparently compiled to use as a praise proclamation within the worship service. In its message we see the faithfulness of God exalted and complete confidence that He will give victory.

God responds to faith – not to need. We can complain about our problems all day long and never see any change. When we complain, we exalt our need over the power of God. If we want God to move, we must come before Him with confidence, believing that He exists and He will reward those who earnestly seek Him, according to Hebrews 11:6.

Start believing God will answer your prayers, and look for Him in every situation. He has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us, and He is working in the midst of your problem somewhere. Ask Him to show you His glory – where He is working and what He is doing. Sometimes, the change we really need is a change of perspective. Be confident that God is working all things together for your good and His glory, and your problem is somehow a part of His greater plan. You will be victorious! Sing His praises now, and proclaim your victory.

God dwells in the praises of His people, and when we praise Him, His presence goes to work on our behalf. I’ll give you one guess as to who dwells in our complaining and grumbling. If that is what comes forth from our mouth, then the enemy has room and authority to work against us. Choose to praise God for your victory today, and be confident in His love for you.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 89:8

LORD God of Hosts, who is strong like You, LORD? Your faithfulness surrounds You.

This verse reminds us that faithfulness surrounds God. He cannot help but be faithful to His people and to His word. Faithfulness is part of His character. That’s just who He is.

Throughout this Psalm, we see defeat and disappointment. How can a faithful God who made a covenant of promise to never leave us or forsake us allow us to encounter hardship, trials, or even loss? We must remember that we live in a fallen world where these things are common. Jesus even assured us that in this world we will experience tribulation, but we cannot allow one experience or a season of difficulty to define our view of God. He certainly doesn’t define us by our temporary seasons of failure and rebellion. On the contrary, He continues to call us His own and bless us beyond our worthiness by His bountiful grace. In Him we have the assurance that He will work defeat and disappointment for our good and His glory in some way, revealing the beauty of His faithfulness.

Verse 17 states:

For You are their magnificent strength; by Your favor our horn is exalted.

I love how the Message Bible phrases the verse:

Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us – you’ve been so good to us! We are walking on air!

If you are facing a season of difficulty, your story is not over. Don’t let disappointment or disillusion taint your belief that God loves you passionately. Expect Him to be good to you and faithful to His promises. Faithfulness surrounds Him, and He surrounds you. Set your face like flint and carry out the end of this Psalm: May the LORD be praised forever. Amen and amen.

Have a blessed day!

Philippians 3:12

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

Paul stated his goal in verse 10 of that same chapter: “… to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” Paul’s desire was to know Christ intimately and to be transformed into His image. He wanted his own desires to become the same as those of Christ.

The phrase, “to take hold,” here gives the implication of reaching out to grab something. Paul acknowledged that Jesus Christ had reached out and grabbed him, therefore, he wanted to reach out and grab the goal of knowing Christ intimately and becoming like Him, even in death. Christ has reached out and grabbed us, saving us from eternal hell and offering us a more abundant life than we could ever imagine on our own. When we reach out to grab hold of Him as He has us, we partake in both His resurrection power and in His sufferings. We become one with Him.

Make your goal today to reach out and grab all Christ has for you.  We will certainly experience suffering in this world, and if we draw closer to Christ in the midst of those sufferings, we will see His resurrection power manifested in our lives.

I love the way the Message Bible explains verse 10:

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.

I want to let go of the inferior stuff to grab hold of the very best. I’m tired of a “lesser than” existence when I know Christ is “more than” anything we could ever hope or imagine. Walking in resurrection power is not for the faint of heart, but it is worth everything to gain Christ. We won’t reach it fully in this lifetime, but we will get there. We have His word on it.

Have a blessed day!

John 6:63

The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

The Holy Spirit is the One who gives life to us and who makes us a life-giving source to others. Unless we are operating out of the life He has instilled in us, we have no real life to give others. People are drawn to the Holy Spirit, but our flesh will repel them. Therefore, we need to keep our flesh out of the way.

What Jesus has spoken to us is life. When we share that with others, we share life. People need to hear the words of Jesus much more than they need our opinion. In order to share more of Christ, we must first empty ourselves of self and ask God to fill us with His Spirit. When we are full of Him, we will overflow onto others.

Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit today. You will find it bringing life into your whole being. Spill a little of it over onto someone else, and share the life God gives you. Whatever is in your heart will eventually rise up and overflow. Make sure it is life and not death. Our flesh can do nothing on its own, but with His Spirit we can do all things – miraculous and life-giving things!

Have a blessed day!