Mighty Children of God

"Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever"- Psalms 112:2-3 (NIV).

God's promise, to parents who respect the Lord and obey Him, is to bless their children. Blessings come in many forms: health, income, relationships, experiences, wisdom. This is God's response to the prayers of believing parents. Let's be thankful for the bowed knees of our parents. Someone probably prayed you along to where you are today. But, for those who are orphans, or children of Godless parents, God does not leave you as such; we are His children. What better parent to uphold you? Almighty God and Father: Who could love you more? This day is a blessing, a gift; you are where you are supposed to be. Your life has meaning; it has purpose! Is it non-discerned? Then trust in this: God is in control and you are the apple of His eye. We love you Abba! 

A Faithful Friend

"Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on"- Mark 2:4 (NIV).

Those men, who carried their friend, really loved him. They were willing to carry his weight both there and up to the roof of the house, faced what seemed like terrible odds for success, worked with bare hands to create the hole in the roof, and, the Bible doesn't say, but I bet they watched through the hole, then ran to the front of the house to receive their healed friend. Did they hug, laugh, cry, dance, skip...run? You bet they did! The healed man could not help his friends, he had to depend on them for each step toward Jesus, in order to encounter Jesus. His friends' blessing was to have their restored friend joyfully kicking up beside them as they went home. Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34). Like that man on the mat, powerless to heal ourselves, Jesus carries us, makes the way for us, to encounter the Father and we are healed. We can experience the same jubilation as those men did by being faithful and loving to those who can't help themselves. We take them to the feet of Jesus, behold the miracle, and then, together, we will joyfully go home.    

Sabbath Plans

""If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken"- Isaiah 58:13-14 (NIV).

God commands us to keep the Sabbath day holy: Ten Commandment #4 (Exodus 20:8). Verse 10 says the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Today's Scripture says the Sabbath is His holy day: from Him, for Him, and to Him. Do we do what pleases us and ignore the joy that could be found in the Lord on His Sabbath day? There are treasures in the obedient observation of the Sabbath; treasures that are only found by seeking Him purposefully, intentionally on the Sabbath day. The results of Sabbath obedience will reveal the rewards of our inheritance. God has spoken!

Perhaps

"From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. 'For in Him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are His offspring""- Acts 17:26-28 (NIV).

God has done all these things so that you would seek Him and...perhaps...reach out for Him. Have you experienced children shrugging off attempts to guide them or assist them when they were struggling? Our culture applauds independence; some adults even allowing children to struggle: "It will make them stronger." But, oh how your heart swells when little arms reach out to you for help. You are there and can be "found" when they do; just as when you,perhaps, make that choice of reaching out to God, you will find Him. Perhaps one day all will seek and find the power of reaching out to God.

Beside the Water

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night"- Psalms 1:1-2 (NIV).

The Bible promises those who read Holy Scripture and resist sin will be similar to a tree planted beside life-giving water; the tree will yield fruit; the leaves will never wither; effort will bring prosperity (v.3). Jesus said whomever believes in Him, rivers of life-giving water will flow from within them..."as the Scripture has said" (John 7:38). Jesus is the source of the life-giving water that forever satisfies thirst...welling up to eternal life (John 4:13-14). John's revelation included the crystal bright river of life flowing from His throne in Heaven (Revelation 22:1). Your life is forever changed by the Holy Word; settling you beside the life-giving water, your roots drawing the life-giving water up and overflowing to others.

All Things

"For the Lord your God is the one Who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory"- Deuteronomy 20:4 (NIV).

God goes with us onto battlefields, into raging waters, through valleys, and within the storms. He strengthens us, helps us, and upholds us as we go (Isaiah 41:10). There can be no room for delay, for second-guessing; Go! God's power is made perfect in your weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). He is faithful and will not give you more than you can endure (1 Corinthians 10:3). The Lord knows those who take refuge in Him (Nahum 1:7). But beware when you think you have overcome by your own strength, or by trusting in others, that your heart does not turn away from God (Jeremiah 17:5). Be strong in your faith! You can do all things through God who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). 

Forever

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to be born and a time to die"- Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a (NIV).

Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). Holy plans are in place for your future and your hope (Jeremiah 29:11). If you live, you live to the Lord; if you die, you die to the Lord. You belong to God, either way (Romans 14:8). "O death, where is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). God is not man; He doesn't lie; if He says He will do something...it will be done (Numbers 23:19). Be encouraged with these words; you will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:18).