Eternal Blessings

Day 76

Read: 2 Samuel 5-8

May we all have David’s heart, “And now, O Lord God, I am Your servant; do as You have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever.” And further on, “For You have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to Your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!” (2 Sam 7: 25 and 29b NLT)

May we look to the Lord, seeking His will for our lives with humility of heart. May we give up “self” and be willing to do His will moment by moment. This can only happen as we read the Bible to see what God expects from us. This is not a quick fix in life but a process. As we read His Word and internalize it, our behavior starts to change. Our attitude also takes on new character and the longer we look to God for the answers to our everyday living, the more we develop the character of Christ.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may I see joy in the gifts you bring to me from family and friends to precious pets. May I be willing at all time to do what is right and just. In Jesus name, Amen.

Used by permission: "Faithful Promises of God", day 76

Week of March 17: Storms

The following was written by Isa Stewart (used with permission)

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing song of praise. JAMES 5:13

On Thursday morning during my horticulture lab, I got a call from my best friend. It was one of those calls that changes everything. I knew the flooding and blizzards around Nebraska were getting bad, but at this point it got personal. She called to tell me that her dad had gone missing in the tractor when the bridge went out two miles from their house.

My heart instantly sank and the tears started rushing down my face. Thankfully, I had a friend there to get me out of lab and back to my car so I could start making calls to my parents and close friends asking them all to pray. Through the tears and a heart heavy with fear, I kept praying to God to bring him home safely. That afternoon, my hope was shattered when I got the text from my best friend that they had found him. My prayers turned from “please let him be safe” to “Lord, why did this happen? I don’t understand.”

People in communities all across Nebraska long for this answer as we start cleaning up from this horrible devastation, try to get home to family with limited infrastructure to get there, and lay to rest an incredible, selfless man.

Through theses challenges, we have to continue to pray, praise, and give our lives to the Lord. It reminds me of a quote that was shared with me on Saturday, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” We have to let these storms propel us closer to God. It’s hard when we don’t know how to make sense of this disaster, but unfortunately, we are going to have storms in our lives more than once. So we have to let the waves push us closer to God, and not pull us farther to sea.

Challenge: 

What storms have you faced in your life that have either moved you closer or farther away from God? What can you do this week to get closer to God through prayer and praise?  

Press On, My Friend

The experts have now observed that every human on earth came from just two people. But they don’t understand that we are created in God’s image and that sets us apart from all the other animals that God created. We (all) are unique and special in that we reflected God’s character when God created us, perfect in every way. And God said “we” were very good.

Don’t get too puffed up for we were not content in that state and thought we could have it even better so we listened to a liar, the chief of deception. And sin was brought into the world, the perfect world but immediately God had a plan for redemption. But then the door was opened to two kinds of people: sinners and those who repent often.

Have you ever had to teach a small child how to bite or to grab a toy away from another child? No, of course not! We are now born with a sin nature and need a Savior to not only take that sin away but also to guide us each and every day to do the right thing and to treat one another with respect and love. Even when that child or that adult is being downright ugly and certainly not being a bit nice to you, your friend or a group of people, remember that without Jesus we too will be selfish and nasty. We all are!

When we can remind ourselves of where we’ve been, we can then be more compassionate towards those around us, those on TV (especially in the news) and show more grace (favor) towards them. We still have laws in the United States that must be obeyed so showing another person kindness does not mean letting them get away with sin…that’s not love, that’s hate. We should want to guide them towards a relationship with Jesus. We show them this by the way we live. Show them we care by unconditional love that leads them to eternal life.

And yes, there are some who are not interested in knowing Jesus. That is their choice. If you continue to value them as a person, even when you disagree, you are more likely to bring them closer to truth. When we stand and call people names, screaming at the top of our lungs, that only proves to turn the other person away. Doesn’t it turn you away?

We all have a choice to love the Lord or to reject Him. We all have a choice to whom we are going to serve: God or ourselves. “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15b)

How are you doing with your Bible reading? Please share how I can encourage you. I always look forward to hearing from you! Oh, one last hint to get you through that boring list (we all have those in Scripture), skim it or skip it for this time and keep reading. Move on and move ahead and be inspired!