God is worthy to be praised for Who He is, what He has already done for us, and what we are trusting Him to do for us in Christ. Every good thing that we have in our lives past, present and future is a gift of His grace. Even the things we think we worked hard to gain for ourselves are made possible by Him, for every ability and opportunity are given to us from Him. Therefore, let us celebrate Him before others and commend Him to others for all that He does for us, and that He delights to do so. Today… Honor Him for His blessings. Honor Him by enjoying His blessings as He intends. Honor Him for being a Blesser.
He Doesn’t Need … Anything
He doesn’t need advice. He doesn’t need instructions. He doesn’t need guidance. God rules and reigns over every location and situation in the universe with absolute certainty. You will not find Him getting confused, getting caught off guard or getting into a place where He second guesses Himself. He always knows what to do, how to do it, and when to do it in order to accomplish the goal of His purpose and the good of His people. This is the One we turn to and trust in! When we struggle to make sense of our lives, let us remember: Even if we don’t know what it is, God always knows exactly what He’s doing.
He Didn’t Need … Anything
He didn’t need a blueprint. He didn’t need inspiration. He didn’t need assistance. God created all of the universe without anyone’s ideas, input, ingenuity, innovation or imagination. He just designed it all and made it all out of nothing. When you consider the amazing diversity and creativity and majesty displayed in every corner of the created world that we can see, hear, smell, taste and feel, God’s handiwork is just absolutely stunning. He created angles and dimensions, shapes and textures, colors and flavors, scents and elements, and, well, everything known and unknown to us. Praise Him for He has done great things!
He Has Kept All Of His Promises To Me
Great is MY faithfulness is not part of a proverb or hymn. Nobody would ever celebrate my ability to do what I should do or do what I say I will do. I’m both a promise-maker and a promise-breaker. A thousand times I have failed to follow-through on my intentions in keeping God’s expectations as I have followed Jesus. And a thousand times I have received in return… Grace. Mercy. Forgiveness. Encouragement. Renewal. Correction. Power. Motivation. Reassurance. Acceptance. Instruction. Hope. Love. I cannot say that I have kept all of my promises to God. But I can say that He has kept all of His promises to me.
Seeing Signs Of God Everywhere You Look
You can look all around and conclude that God is absent or that He is present. May He give us spiritual eyes that see… Not just the beauty of a sunset, but the God who paints the sky. Not just the miracle of a baby’s birth, but the God who brings things to life. Not just the taste of a great meal, but the God who invented flavors. Not just the satisfaction of achieving a goal, but the God who empowers us to do so. Not just a lovely wedding, but the God who created marriage. Not just a great day, but the God who offers us eternal life. Shining through every good and right and true thing we see is an ever-present God.
God Never Freaks Out
God never freaks out. There is never panic in heaven. Things never start to unravel in such a way that even a single situation in all of the universe is beyond His sovereign rule. Even the evil things done by His enemies to His people will be turned around to serve His purposes. No matter what we face today, let us remember that what happens in our lives is not ultimately decided by chance or luck, humans or demons, Satan or self, but rather there is a good, wise, powerful, loving King who reigns over all for the good of all those who trust Him. Things are often out of our control, but they are never out of His.
God Is God All The Time
It’s easy, common and right to feel and say how good God is when the trouble was avoided, the trial has ended or the treasure is received. Oh, how good He is to us! But when we don’t get what we want, or when we get what we don’t want, God is still good, and God is still good to us. His goodness doesn’t disappear when hard things appear; it shines ever so brightly as He works for us to provide all the help we need to endure life’s disappointments, detours and disasters until we get to the other side to something better. Praise Him! For truly… God is good all the time. And all the time God is good.
How Majestic Is Your Name
God made everything in the universe, known and unknown to us. He imagined it. He created it. He rules it. He shares it. And there is not a millimeter of it that does not declare His glory and majesty! Let it be shouted from every distant star to every nearby tree, from every creature to you and me. His hands that shaped the cosmos also shapes our hearts, for He not only cares for the world but also for us. He made us. He knows us. He blesses us. He loves us. From the inner parts of us to the outer reaches of the universe, it is all covered in the fingerprints of God. Indeed, O Lord, how majestic is Your Name!
It’s Never Right To Be Angry With God
It’s never right to be angry with God. It’s a sin. When we are angry at Him, it’s an assault on His character. It’s, in essence, saying to God regarding the circumstances that have caused such strong resentment in us: You are not right. You are not good. You are not wise. You are not loving. And none of those things are true, no matter how hard life gets. What is true is that God is unbelievably good and loving to us, and is actively working out a wise and right plan, no matter how hard life gets. He will make it all right when He makes it all new. So, be mad at sin, brokenness and Satan. But never be mad at our good, good Father.
God Is Greater
God is greater. A chef prepares delicious and nutritious foods, but God made flavors and taste buds and ingredients and nutrients. An engineer builds strong and magnificent structures, but God created angles and dimensions and textures and materials. An artist paints beautiful canvases, but God invented shapes and colors and strokes and imaginations. We do whatever we do only because God does what He does. The talents to use the things we see, hear, smell, taste and touch in this world all come from God. He invents and inspires every good thing that we use, arrange, perform, create or do. God is greater.
Most Thankful For Him
The sweetest of all thankfulness isn’t superficial; it goes deep. It goes past feeling happy that certain things are in our lives. It goes past naming those things so it is known that we appreciate them. It goes past even tracing their origin back to God and thanking the Giver for all of our blessings. There is a delightful, wonderful, beautiful experience when our gratitude is not merely directed toward God for His gifts, but toward God for Himself. We give thanks that among many things, He is a holy, loving, kind and gracious Father. The way to be best thankful for all that God has given us is to be most thankful for Him.
He Is As Awesome As He Seems To Be
We live in a world that is full of exaggerations that routinely don’t live up to the expectations they create. People often make claims that misrepresent reality by making something seem bigger and better than it really is. While there are many stretches of the truth in the words of those around us, the Word of God is a reliable source of truth. Consider what it says about Jesus. The Bible does not over-state, over-hype, over-sell or over-promise on who Jesus is and what Jesus does. As infinitely perfect and infinitely great as He is spoken of in it, Jesus lives up to it. This is our expectation: He is as awesome as He seems to be.
If God And I
If God and I don’t think the same way, it’s me that is thinking wrongly. If God and I don’t speak the same way, it’s me that is speaking wrongly. If God and I don’t act the same way, it’s me that is acting wrongly. God never adjusts His ways to match mine, but is continually and graciously transforming me to be more like Him. So… It’s never right to conclude that God is wrong. Yes, He does things we can’t understand. Yes, He does things we don’t like. Yes, He does things we wouldn’t choose. But He absolutely never makes an error in anything He does. Let us trust in this: He knows what He is doing, even when we don’t.
He Does Not Need Us, But We Do Need Him
Light bulbs depend upon a power source. Flowers depend upon water. Humans depend upon oxygen. Everything in creation depends upon something in order to continue existing and functioning as it was created. But God does not depend upon anyone or anything for He does not have any needs. He has all the power, all the wisdom, all the sovereignty, all the perfections from all categories to do all He desires. He does not need us, but oh, how we need Him! Let us praise the One Who never came into existence, will never go out of existence and never stops ruling for good our existence as we trust in Jesus.
Still Works Miracles
Never give up on your family member who is far from God. Never stop praying for your friend who is cold toward God. Never lose hope over your loved one who doesn’t believe in God. We were all there in some way at some time in our past, and God changed our lives. He can do it again! He is still rescuing sinners by His grace so they can find their way to new life in Jesus. No matter how far away they are. No matter how cold they are. No matter how unbelieving they are. It takes a miracle for someone to repent and believe the gospel, but that’s exactly where we pin our hopes: Our gracious God still works miracles.
God Will Never Lie To Us
An effective lie of the enemy works like this: It is rejected. It is tolerated. It is approved. It is encouraged. It starts out so absurd that only someone considered a fool would believe it. It ends up so accepted that only someone considered a fool would not believe it. If something is said loud enough and long enough, people will think it is true. As Christians, we must look to God over politicians, journalists, bloggers, podcasters, peers and other people for what to believe. We must turn to Scripture over culture for truth and wisdom for how to live. Let us believe this… God is not our enemy, and God will never lie to us.
God Never Stops Working
He doesn’t take a day off. He doesn’t take a break. He doesn’t take a nap. God never stops working for you and me. 24/7/365/Lifelong. He is continually doing things we cannot do, doing things on our behalf and doing things to ensure that He is honored in us, and we are happy in Him. Tirelessly. Flawlessly. Endlessly. God keeps going to work things out for our good, work to make us more like Jesus, work through us to change the world, and work to get us safely home. What grace! Today, we will not see all that God does for us. But let us never forget the good news that He will never stop doing His good work.
Two Sides Of Faith
Biblical faith has a responding side and a receiving side. Part of faith is responding in obedience. We trust what God says, we trust He will help us do what He says, and we trust that He will be pleased when we do what He says. Part of faith is receiving what God does for us. We trust what God says, we trust He will do what He says, and we trust that we will be pleased when He does what He says. Real faith includes believing in the promises of God and living out the purposes of God because we trust Him. Today, let us confidently do what God tells us to do because we are confident in what God tells us He will do.
He Delights To Do Good For You
God doesn’t just do good for you; He delights to do good for you. When it comes to blessing you both now and forever, your Heavenly Father is not grumpy or grumbly about it. You will find no hesitance or reluctance in Him as He continuously pours out over your life what He knows is good for you. He… Gladly guides you. Fervently forgives you. Eagerly equips you. Cheerfully comforts you. Readily refreshes you. Willingly welcomes you. Happily helps you. God is not forced to give us benefits and blessings in Christ. Oh that we might see His loving heart behind all He does for us: He doesn’t have to. He wants to.
Our Hope And Happiness Rests
While things in us and around us seem to constantly change, it is comforting to know that God will always remain the same. He is perfect in Who He is. He is perfect in what He does. He is perfect in every way. There is no possibility for Him to become better or worse. His goodness, forgiveness, graciousness, faithfulness, greatness, faultlessness and all God-ness will forevermore remain unchangeable. He will keep His good promises to us and fulfill His good purposes for us. Rejoice in the Lord today and remember that all our hope and happiness rests on this unchanging truth: that God is unchanging.
