“Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp the significance of Your wonderful works or remember Your many acts of faithful love; instead, they rebelled by the sea — the Red Sea. Yet He saved them because of His name, to make His power known.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭106:7-8‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

I wonder how many times God has shown me grace and mercy and blessing when I didn’t even see it. Sometimes I am looking for and asking for one type of answer to a prayer and completely miss the amazing gift He has already placed before me. But, still, He continues to be faith”full” when I am faith”less” because that is who He is. What Blessing’s is God showering on YOU today? Tell people of His marvelous gifts!🚦

“He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the Pit; He crowns you with faithful love and compassion. He satisfies you with goodness; your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:3-5‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Aren’t you glad God went far better than forgiving and forgetting and wiping the stink out of us? He forgave us, reconciled us to himself, then He seated us at His right hand as co-heirs with Jesus. No longer are we slaves to sin. When we accept the gift of forgiveness we are immediately placed in a position of righteous royalty as children of The King! Walk in that truth today.🚦

“Long ago You established the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; all of them will wear out like clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will pass away. But You are the same, and Your years will never end. Your servants’ children will dwell securely, and their offspring will be established before You.””
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭102:25-28‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

With the global (and local) increase in natural disasters, news of glaciers rapidly melting, and measurable worsening of air quality you may find yourself worrying about the condition of the earth for not only your children’s children but also for you yourself over the next 10-20 years. After all, it may seem,how much can one person to do in the face of real threats to safety and health? Isn’t it good to know this amazing earth and the heavens around us, in all their magnificence, do not compare to the new heaven and the new earth our Creator God has in store for us? For those who are in Christ our future is secure. Be at rest.🚦

“Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble. Listen closely to me; answer me quickly when I call. For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. My heart is afflicted, withered like grass; I even forget to eat my food.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭102:2-4‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

I still remember the first time I heard someone say they’d forgotten to eat. How could anyone forget to eat? Then MY time came to forget to eat. Life was in dire straits, and food was the farthest thing from my mind; it was an overwhelming season. My dear friends, even in the darkest times when life spins out of control and the weight threatens to crush us, we must never forget to seek Him first for help, for refuge. He is our hope. There is no greater encouragement than God’s Word.🚦

“He looked down from His holy heights — the Lord gazed out from heaven to earth — to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to set free those condemned to die, so that they might declare the name of Yahweh in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem, when peoples and kingdoms are assembled to serve the Lord.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭102:19-22‬ ‭HCSB

Do you ever wonder what God’s purpose is for you life? He makes it clear over and over again in Scripture: He has saved you so that you would declare His name to all generations. He wants you to bring glory and honor to Him in all that you say and do. He wants you to join with other believers to worship Him with song and with sacrificial living.
Will you join in this chorus?🚦

“I will sing of faithful love and justice; I will sing praise to You, Lord. I will pay attention to the way of integrity. When will You come to me? I will live with a heart of integrity in my house. I will not set anything worthless before my eyes. I hate the practice of transgression; it will not cling to me. A devious heart will be far from me; I will not be involved with evil.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭101:1-4‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Integrity, like love, sets a person apart from the pack: a person who is true to their word, whose handshake is as good as a contract, can be trusted when no one is looking, and knows they are accountable to for their thoughts and actions at all times. By paying attention to what goes into your heart and mind you set your actions with intention. As you keep your eyes set on the cross of Christ and walk in the Spirit your life will exemplify these exemplary traits.

“Few things are more infectious than a godly lifestyle. The people you rub shoulders with everyday need that kind of challenge. Not prudish. Not preachy. Just cracker jack clean living. Just honest to goodness, bone – deep, non-hypocritical integrity.”
– Chuck Swindoll

“Integrity is built by defeating the temptation to be dishonest; humility grows when we refuse to be prideful; and endurance develops every time you reject the temptation to give up.”
– Rick Warren

“Integrity… does not mean sinless, but it does describe a person who by God’s grace “sins less.””
– Sam Storms

“Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The term “self-made man” was coined by US senator Henry Clay in 1832 and has come to be used to describe a person such as Benjamin Franklin who has risen from disadvantaged circumstances to political, financial, or educational prominence.

Scripture, however, corrects our faulty thinking by reminding us it is God who creates us and makes us who we are. Our worth comes from who we are in Christ: so highly valued God became man so that we could have relationship with Him, not by how much green lines our billfolds. Our position is sons and daughters of the King and seated at His right hand, joint heirs with Jesus! We gain approval from God by studying and obeying His Word, not from how many years we’ve gone to school or how many books we’ve read.

There is no better home than the pasture of the Good Shepherd. Who’s pasture are you grazing in?🚦

“He has remembered His love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen our God’s victory.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭98:3‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Do you ever feel nothing is going your way, as though God has surely forgotten you? This promise is for you who have placed your hope and trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through faith in the completed work of Christ on the cross: God remembers His people. God’s Love for you is so great He has the already fought and won your battle in the spiritual realms, but this world we live in has not caught up to that. Rest assured, that victory will show itself. He remembers you.

““So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:28-30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Sing a new song to the Lord, for He has performed wonders; His right hand and holy arm have won Him victory.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭98:1‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Think back to a time when you competed for something and won. Remember how excited you were, how proud of your accomplishment?

When we have victory over our circumstances vs a competitor, it is God who deserves all the credit—not us. It is HIS strength, HIS righteousness, and HIS holiness that win the these battles for our hearts. Let’s get excited and share the good news of the victory found in Christ!

““Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭HCSB

Recently I heard the story of a Muslim woman speaking re suffering, “You American Christians pray for God to take away your suffering. We pray for Him to give us stronger backs.” This statement was both powerful and convicting for this person who deals with chronic pain.

But what if BOTH of us are praying for the wrong thing? Jesus beckons us to let HIM carry the load. A yoke is used for training animals such that the experienced older one shares a yoke with the younger one and carries a great deal of the load while at the same time trains the less-experienced one to follow with rather than fight against. When I pray that I would gladly take up that yoke so that Christ could carry the burden, I’m also agreeing with Him I need some training in following Him. He makes the burden light and teaches me to find the joy in an otherwise trying journey.

What are you praying for today?🚦