What we say and think about ourselves is sometimes quite different than what God does.  We say we can’t do something.  God says we can do all things through His strength.  We think we are a flawed and worthless mess.  God thinks we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  We say we are unlovable because of our sin.  God says He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sins.  We think our lives can’t make much of a difference.  God thinks He can change the world through people just like us.  We need to see ourselves like God sees us: A forgiven, empowered, beloved son or daughter who is learning to live like it.

We face many uncertainties today as much of the circumstances and people in our lives are completely out of our control.  But that doesn’t mean we have to head into the day with fear or worry that things will go from good to bad or from bad to worse. Instead, we can be of good courage and cheer because… God has promised to be with us.  God has promised to help us.  God has promised to provide for us. In the morning, let us remember that He has made these promises to us.  In the evening, let us rejoice that He has kept these promises to us. In between, let us live certain of this: God will do for us what He says to us.

First glances can be deceiving.  Initial observations can be short-sighted.  The opening paragraph doesn’t tell the whole story.  While it is easy to see the obvious things happening in, around and through our lives, without a careful look through a gospel lens, there is a lot that we can miss.  God is doing a thousand things for us today, and we may not have our spiritual eyes locked in on any of them.  Rejoice! Our lives are under the careful rule of a wise, powerful and loving God Who is moving us along toward the glorious return of Jesus when all will make sense, and all will be made right, and all will be made new.

Too many of us live as if we are still imprisoned by our sin, sorrow and struggles with no way out of the cell that confines us.  Too often we let regrets from the past, imperfections in the present and fears of the future enslave us as if we are helpless and hopeless to do anything about them.  Too soon we give up and give in when victory has already been secured and is almost ready to be seen.  Jesus has made amends for our past, makes provision for our present and will make a way for our future until we have been fully delivered from all fears, foes and faults.   Follow Jesus right out of that cell today.  You have been set free.

Let’s be honest:  In an ever-churning sea of distraction, we are vulnerable to forgetfulness.  We forget Who God is and what God does and what God says about what we are to do and who we are in Christ.  We forget His plans.  We forget His promises.  We forget His provision.  We forget His power.  We forget His presence. We forget His preciousness. It is essential that we fill our lives with things that redirect our attention to Him and rekindle our affection for Him. We need reminders that He is for us and He is with us.   Today, you will think a lot about tasks, troubles, and things. As you do, be sure to think about God.

How many of these we have and what we do with them differs, but we all get 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week and 365 days in a year. What our enemy wants us to do is fill them up with vain pursuits.  We have countless options and distractions available to steal our attention.  Rather than scrolling and clicking and watching and recreating our lives away on things that don’t matter, Jesus is calling us into something better. Namely, to glorify God by experiencing real joy in Him and helping others experience it too. So… While we still have time, let us make the most of it by living out our big-picture purpose.

The Bible is a light that illuminates dark places.  When you read it or hear it, it lights up the darkness of… Your heart.  Your path.  Your witness.  Your life.  It exposes the sinfulness of your heart so you can go to Jesus for forgiveness.  It shows you the pitfalls of the path you are on so you can follow Jesus safely to where you are meant to go.  It brightens your witness before other people as you go so you can point them through your good works to the hope and happiness you have in Jesus.  It shines encouragement into your life so that you can keep going because of the promises of Jesus. So… turn on the light today.

God has given spiritual and physical gifts to each member of His family to be used in serving others.  We steward His grace by using our “time, talent and treasure” to extend His help and express His love to the people in our lives.  God graciously does at least six things as we receive and use what He blesses us with:  He gives us these gifts, brings us enjoyment as we use these gifts, fulfills a divine purpose with these gifts, blesses others by these gifts, brings about eternal results from these gifts, and glorifies Himself through these gifts.  Therefore, let us aspire by grace to do the very best we can with what we have been given.

God has mapped out our lives in such a way that we can be all that we were made to be, do all we were made to do and enjoy all that we were made to enjoy in Him.  Our problem is that we often follow a map of our own design instead of His.  We detour away from the narrow road He has called us to and spend too much time traveling the myways of life.    Ours is truly a road that leads to nowhere.  At least nowhere that is good for us when we get there.  But here’s good news:  God allows u-turns!  There is grace for misguided people like us.  Today, seek God, and He will make your path straight to where it needs to go.

Temptation often invites us to sin in two ways.  The first is like a carny barking at us to “Step right up” for a chance to have a thrilling experience or win a desirable prize that is never worth it in the end.  The second is like a boat at sea gently rocking us back and forth until we have drifted to sleep in indifference to God’s better ways.  Whether it shouts or whispers, temptation beckons us to look away from Jesus, love something more than Jesus, and live for a substitute for Jesus.   By grace, we can resist by reminding ourselves that the biggest thrills and the best prizes are enjoyed by those who are anchored to Him.

An incredible burden is lifted when we rest in the forgiveness that is ours in Jesus.  We can apologize for our shortcomings and admit our wrongdoings because His grace covers them all.  Every wrong thought.  Every wrong attitude.  Every wrong motive.  Every wrong word.  Every wrong action.   We’re not perfect, and we don’t have to pretend to be.  Yes, we strive by grace to grow into the new people Jesus is remaking us into, but we don’t have to fake it, hide it or rationalize it when we fail.  We can own it because of this glorious truth:  it is forgiven. Move on from sin and shame… We did it, but Jesus died for it.

Entertainment has an agenda, and it’s often not just to entertain.  While Christians have varying convictions on what they should and should not be entertained by, all of us need to be cautious of the influence that movies, music, books, podcasts and so forth have on us.  Much of the events and content that is available to entertain us glorifies sin and desensitizes us to sin.  It makes… Wrong things look right.  Holy things look comical.  Forbidden things look acceptable.  Godly things look foolish.  Bad things look good.  So, let us consider turning off those influences that turn us away from loving and following Jesus.

As Christians, what we do needs to be grounded in what Jesus graciously has done, is doing and will do for us. Otherwise, it will become a joyless, hopeless burden on us.  It’s not just “be strong,” it’s “be strong in the Lord.”  It’s not just “rejoice,” it’s “rejoice in the Lord.”  It’s not just “hope,” it’s “hope in the Lord.”  It’s not just “boast,” it’s “boast in the Lord.”  It’s not just “have faith,” it’s “have faith in the Lord.”  It’s not just “stand fast,” it’s “stand fast in the Lord.”  Self-confidence and self-effort will sooner or later lead to self-despair and self-destruction.  Remember: It’s not about trying really hard; it’s about relying on the Lord.

Most people don’t like to be told what to do.  Our immediate response is usually pushing back or pulling back from those who are giving us unwanted instruction or information.  We want to make our own choices for what we will and will not do based on what we like and do not like.  But as we trust Jesus more fully, we increasingly… Like to hear His voice.  Like to receive His guidance.  Like to have Him tell us what to do.  Why?  Because we know that He loves us and will speak to us about what is best for us.  Let us follow Him in faith today, knowing that whatever He has us do, we will like it very much in the end.

They may not listen.  They may not care.  They may not believe.  But the people in our lives need to hear us bear witness to what Jesus has done for us.  We have been summoned to take the stand and testify to what we know to be true.  How?  One way is by pointing to Jesus as the source of everything bragworthy about our past, present and future.  He forgives, restores and guides us.  He gives us peace, strength and rest.  He is our security, hope and joy.  He fills our lives with purpose, confidence and blessing.  By God’s grace, may it not be that others do not know of Jesus because we did not tell what we know of Him.

The enemy wants to convince you that God isn’t using your life to make much of a difference in this world, but nothing good you do for others in the name of Jesus is ever wasted.  What you do matters! Even the small stuff counts, for a tiny spark can start a wildfire and a tiny seed can birth a mighty tree. In your home, at your workplace, throughout your neighborhood, across your community, around the world… Keep doing what you were made to do even when it is hard, unpopular, tiring, inconvenient, thankless, lonely or unnoticed, trusting that God will work through you to fulfill His purposes.

Some storms build slowly.  Some storms develop quickly.  Some storms end quickly.  Some storms disappear slowly.  But… No matter how great or lasting the storm that arises in your life, Jesus rules in absolute control over when it rages and when it ceases. It doesn’t get in the way of His plan working out; it’s a way of working out His plan. Even storms serve His purposes for good! Listen… If you trust Jesus for eternal life, then trust Him during everyday life.  And if the storm doesn’t scare Him, it shouldn’t scare you either.  Because you are in the boat together, and He’s already promised to get you to the other side.

Hard times can cause people to harden their hearts against God, but good things in life can make us just as unfeeling toward Him.  When things go wrong, we are tempted to blame God; when things go right, we are tempted to ignore God.  Overcoming this sinful tendency to live as if God doesn’t care or as if God isn’t there will only happen when we regularly remind ourselves of Who He is and how good He is.  He helps us in hard times and gifts us with good things so that we will… Remember Him. Rejoice in Him. Remain with Him. Don’t let the seriousness of the bad or the shininess of the good keep you from Him.

We’ve been conditioned our entire lives to keep our eyes on the scoreboard.  The metric may come as points in a game, likes on a social media post, balances in savings accounts, members of a network, or notches on whatever kind of belt you’re wearing.  However it is measured, the attitude is the same: the one with the best score wins.  But in God’s kingdom, it’s not about how we rank against others or how we are rated by others. Instead, it’s about depending on Jesus to faithfully use what we have been given to do what we have been assigned.  The only score which matters is the one in which Jesus wins in our lives.

If you do it out of duty, you’ll be resentful. If you do it for attention, you’ll be prideful.  If you do it just when it’s convenient, you’ll be neglectful. But… If you do it because of love, you’ll be joyful.  Obeying Jesus isn’t a matter of duty, show or convenience; it’s a matter of the heart.  Our affection for Him produces our devotion to Him.  We don’t say and do the right things because that’s the way we should live, but because that’s the way we should love the One who tells us what things are right for us to say and do.  May grace continue to change how we feel about Him so that more and more His wants become our wants.