Promise for Today - What Can You Expect?

A righteous person lives on the basis of his integrity. Blessed are his children after he is gone.

Proverbs 20:7 (GW)

The Bible says that God blesses those who have integrity—those who have pure hearts. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8 NIV). So what blessings can you expect when you live your life with authenticity and a pure heart?

You'll have the blessing of personal confidence.
When you have integrity, you become the kind of person that other people like to be around because you know who you are and where you’re going. Proverbs 10:9 says, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed” (NLT). When you don’t have integrity, it’s like walking on an icy path after a snowstorm. You’re putting every bit of your energy into trying not to fall. But when you have integrity, you stand on solid ground.

You’ll have the blessing of leaving a lasting legacy.
Your greatest legacy is your integrity because it will last from generation to generation. Everything else you do gets lost. When you’re gone, your money will be divided and spent among your family. Your work will be given to somebody else. All the trophies you’ve earned will be thrown in the trash and taken to the dump. But your character is going to influence the lives of the people around you and even the lives of the next generation. It is a lasting legacy.  

You’ll have the blessing of rewards in eternity.
Matthew 25:21 says, “You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things” (NCV). We tend to think that rewards come from the big moments of life, when everybody is watching. But it’s the small moments that reveal real integrity. Every small word of encouragement you give this week, every small act of kindness, and every time you reject a temptation will be rewarded in eternity.

Integrity is powerful. It makes an incredible difference in your life, not just now, but for your life in eternity!

Talk It Over

Think of a time when you should have had integrity but didn’t. How were you affected emotionally, spiritually, and physically?

How does your integrity make a difference in the next generation?

What small acts can you do this week that no one will notice but will demonstrate your integrity to God?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

    Thank You for the gift of life and the influence You’ve entrusted to me. Help me to walk in Truth when no one is watching, to speak with honesty even when it costs me, and to act with fairness in every decision. Let my words be trustworthy, my actions consistent, and my heart pure before You. May my life inspire others to choose righteousness over convenience, and courage over compromise. When my time here is done, let the memory of my character point others toward Your goodness. May my children, friends, and community inherit not just my possessions, but the example of a life lived with unwavering integrity. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Image or Integrity

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8 (NLT)

To “see God” means to experience the presence of God. Believers who have pure hearts get to feel the power of God. They experience the pardon of God. They get to know the purpose God has for their lives. They get to live in the peace of God.

Do you want to be one of those people? We don’t talk a lot these days about being pure in heart, but instead we use a word with a similar meaning: integrity. Are you working to build your life on values that last? If you are, you need to learn to live with integrity. To have integrity does not mean you are perfect, because if it did, none of us would have it! So what does it mean to have integrity?

Integrity is wholeness.
A lot of people think of their lives like a pie, and the different parts of their lives are the pieces of the pie. Someone might describe it like this: “This slice of the pie is my career. This is my work life. This is my spiritual life. Then this is my family life. That one is my social life. Then over here is my secret life—my compulsions, addictions, and secret sins—the things nobody else knows about.”

When you segment your life like that, you lack integrity because your life is not a whole. Integrity means you’re the same person everywhere and with everybody—in your speech, actions, and motives—no matter which part of life you’re walking through.

Integrity is uncorrupted motivation.
When you have integrity, you do the right thing for the right reason. You have unmixed, pure motives. You’re sincere and straightforward in every area of your life and with all people. You pray so you can talk with God, not so you can impress other people.

The Bible says, “The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity” (Proverbs 11:20 NLT).

We’re interested in image, but God is interested in integrity. We’re interested in reputation, but God is interested in character. Reputation has to do with what everybody thinks you are; integrity is what you really are. Your reputation is connected to who you appear to be in public; integrity is connected to who you are when you’re all alone with God.

Have you been more concerned about your image and reputation than your character and integrity? Commit to being a person of integrity today.

Talk It Over

Would the people in each area of your life—your co-workers, classmates, neighbors, family members, and friends—all use the same words to describe you? Why or why not?

Think of someone in your life who models integrity well. What is one specific habit you can learn from that person?

When are you most tempted to value and protect reputation over character? Why?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

           We come before You today to ask for Your guidance and strength in maintaining integrity. Help us always walk in honesty and truth, even when it is challenging. Give us the courage to stand up for what is right, even in the face of opposition or criticism. Remind us that our integrity is important not only for our personal growth and development but also for the impact it can have on those around us. Please fill us with Your Holy Spirit and help us to renew our minds, so that we may always be a reflection of Your love and Truth. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Practical Ways to Show Mercy

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:7 (NLT)

God extends his mercy to us, even though we don’t deserve it and can’t earn it. All we have to do is ask for it: “O Lord, you are so good and kind, so ready to forgive, so full of mercy for all who ask your aid” (Psalm 86:5 TLB).

How can you be merciful to others as God is merciful to you? Here are seven practical ways to demonstrate mercy in your life:

Be patient with people’s quirks. 

What person in your life has irritating quirks? How can you practice patience with them this week?

Help anyone around you who is hurting. 

Who around you is obviously hurting? What’s one specific way you can help that person? If you can’t think of anybody, then you’re not paying attention. Look closer!

Give people a second chance. 

Who do you need to give a second chance to? How can you put aside your own pain and give someone who’s hurt you a clean slate?

Do good to those who hurt you. 

Maybe you’re suffering from an old wound that you have not been able to let go of. You need to forgive and then turn it around for good. Who is that person in your life? How can you reach out to them in some way this week?

Be kind to those who offend you. 

Who offends you? Maybe it’s someone in the public eye. Maybe it’s a friend who has different views and says some pretty offensive things on social media. How can you be intentional about showing kindness to people who offend you?

Build bridges of love to the unpopular. 

When you think of an outcast, who is the first person that comes to mind? Who spends their lunch breaks eating alone or doesn’t seem to have any friends at soccer games? What specific thing can you do to bridge the gap between you and that person?

Value relationships over rules. 

Who is an unbeliever you could spend intentional time with over the next few weeks? Then consider inviting that person to church. This is your ministry of mercy.

Take some time to reflect on your answers today—that’s where you can begin showing mercy. God has already shown you mercy, and as you extend it to others, you’ll experience it in new ways.

Talk It Over

Which of these seven ways to show mercy comes most naturally to you?

Which of the seven ways to show mercy is most difficult for you? Why do you think that is?

How has someone shown mercy to you? What difference has it made in your life?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          You have shown us mercy beyond measure, forgiving our faults and embracing us with grace. 
Teach our hearts to mirror Your kindness, so that we may see others through eyes of compassion. When we are tempted to judge, remind us of the patience You have shown us. When we are hurt, help us to choose forgiveness over resentment. When we feel weary, renew our spirit to love without limits. Let our words bring healing; let our actions reflect understanding. Let Your love shine through us as a safe haven for the broken.  Shape us into a vessel of Your mercy, so that through us, others may encounter Your love.  In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Promise for Today - Agents of Mercy

The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy.

James 3:17 (NLT)

Would you like to see your relationships transformed? Then become an agent of mercy.

Here are seven characteristics of mercy that God wants us to learn and apply in our lives:

1. Mercy means being patient with people’s quirks.
How do you become more patient with your kids, spouse, coworkers, or friends? You ask God for his wisdom. The Bible says in James 3:17, "But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere." (NLT).

2. Mercy means helping anyone around you who is hurting.
You cannot love your neighbor as yourself without being merciful. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it” (GNT)—and when showing mercy, “do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:8 NIV).

3. Mercy means giving people a second chance.
When somebody hurts us, it’s normal to want to get even or write that person off. But the Bible says, “Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others . . . Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ” (Ephesians 4:31-32 CEV).

4. Mercy means doing good to those who hurt you.
Mercy is giving people what they need, not what they deserve, because that’s what God does with us: “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. . . . Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36 NIV).

5. Mercy means being kind to those who offend you.
You’ve got to be more interested in winning people to Christ than in winning the argument. Jude 1:22-23 says, “Show mercy to those who have doubts . . . even though you are afraid that you might be stained by their sinful lives” (GW).

6. Mercy means building bridges of love to the unpopular.
When the Pharisees questioned why Jesus ate with tax collectors and other unpopular people, Jesus said, “‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Matthew 9:13 NLT).

7. Mercy means valuing relationships over rules.
Romans 13:10 says, “Love fulfills the requirements of God’s law” (NLT). If you want to show mercy, put people before policies; put others’ needs before procedures; put relationships before regulations. Choose love over law.

Showing mercy doesn’t always come naturally. And so, in tomorrow’s devotional, we’ll discuss specific ways you can demonstrate mercy in your own life.

Talk It Over

Why do we so often try to win the argument instead of trying to win people to Christ?

If mercy means valuing relationships over rules, what do you need to change about the way you interact with your spouse, children, coworkers, or those with different political beliefs?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

         Fill our hearts with Your tenderness, that we may see others through eyes of understanding, not judgment. Teach us to listen with patience, to forgive without keeping count, and to offer kindness even when it is not returned. When we are tempted to turn away, remind us of the mercy You have shown to us.  Let our words bring comfort, our hands bring help, and Your presence bring peace. May our lives be a reflection of Your boundless love, so that mercy flows from us as naturally as breath. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Promise for Today - Blessed are the Merciful

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:7 (NLT)

If you want to live the kind of life God blesses, then you’ve got to learn to be a minister of mercy. That’s how he wired life to work.

But why does God expect you to show mercy to others? Why should you be merciful? Because God has shown you mercy. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved” (GNT).

God wants you to pass on the mercy that you’ve received from him.

Because God commands you to be merciful. Do you want a summary of what life’s all about? Here it is: “The Lord has told you what is good. This is what the Lord requires from you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to live humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 GW).

Because you’re going to need more mercy in the future. Between now and when you get to heaven, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes—and you’ll need God’s mercy when you do! So don’t withhold it from others. James 2:13 says, “You must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment” (NCV).

Because showing mercy leads to happiness. Look again at Matthew 5:7. It says that God blesses those who are merciful. The word “blessed” also means “happy.” So the more you learn and demonstrate mercy, the more blessed and happier you’re going to be.

If you want to start giving and receiving more mercy, pray this prayer today:

“Heavenly Father, when I look at the sin and shortcomings in my own life, I’m so grateful for the mercy you have given me. I want to become a merciful person and to give others the same mercy you’ve given me. Give me courage to offer mercy, even in hurtful and painful situations. And let my acts of mercy point others to you. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen."

Talk It Over

What does it mean to “love mercy,” as Micah 6:8 says?

How has God blessed you when you’ve shown mercy to others, even when it’s been difficult?

Think of some ways that you could have shown mercy to others in the last week. How might that have changed the outcome of a specific situation?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father:

           We need Your grace to love others as You have loved us. If there is hurt, bring healing. Where there is misunderstanding, bring clarity. Fill our hearts with patience, kindness, and humility so that we reflect You and Your love in all our relationships. Strengthen the bonds that honor You and remove anything that hinders Your will in us. We want to walk according to Your Word to be kind and compassionate, forgiving each other, just as You forgive us. We ask for Your mercy and Your strength to let go of any bitterness and pain. Heal our hearts and teach us how to extend grace to all others. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - A Healthy Appetite

You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment. 

1 Peter 2:2 (NLT)

Are you hungry for God?

That kind of hunger can stay with you throughout your life. Here are five ways to keep your spiritual appetite strong:

1. Remind yourself how much God loves you.
The more you understand how much God loves you, the more you’re going to love him. The Bible says in Ephesians 3:18-19, “May you have the power to understand . . . how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (NLT).

2. Stop filling up on junk food.
You are a spiritual being with a God-shaped hole in your heart that only God can fill. When you try to fill it with salary, status, success, passion, possessions, power, prestige, or anything other than God, it’s not going to be fulfilling. Proverbs 15:14 says, “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash” (NLT).

3. Make knowing God your number one goal.
Happiness is a byproduct of knowing God. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well” (NCV).

4. Get into God’s Word every day.
The Bible is food for your soul. Eating just one meal a week won’t keep your body healthy. In the same way, you need to feed on God’s Word every day. 

5. Surround yourself with other believers.
If you hang out with people who only care about politics, you’ll care about politics. If you hang out with people who only care about sports, you’ll care about sports. If you hang out with people whose focus is knowing God, that will become your focus too.

That’s why you need to join a small group of Christians for support—because whatever you talk about when you’re with others is what you’re going to be hungry for. Proverbs 2:20 says, “Follow the steps of the good, and stay on the paths of the righteous” (NLT).

Talk It Over

What does it mean to be hungry for God?

How can you remind yourself throughout the day of God’s love?

What things do you talk about most with your friends, your spouse, or other family members? How well are your conversations feeding your spiritual appetite?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

         You are the Living Water and the Bread of Life. Awaken in us a holy hunger that no earthly thing can satisfy. Let our hearts thirst for Your presence, our minds crave Your truth, and our spirit yearn for Your love.  Draw us deeper into Your Word, teach us to delight in Your ways, and fill us until we overflow with Your Spirit. Lord, we know that only You can truly satisfy. Make our lives a continual pursuit of You - until the day we see You face to face. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Making It Right

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 

Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)

The Bible says in Romans 1:17 (NCV), “The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself”.

How does God make you right with himself? Through Jesus. Here’s an explanation of what that means:

You can’t make yourself righteous.
Heaven is a perfect place. There’s no sin, sadness, evil, or injustice. But here’s the problem: All people are imperfect, and God can’t let sinful people into heaven because then it would be full of sin too.

Romans 3:20 says, “No one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are” (NLT).  The only people who think they can keep God’s laws are those who don’t know them—because God’s laws are perfect, and none of us are perfect. We cannot be made right on our own, and so God made a plan to rescue us from our sin and bring us into a relationship with him.

God sent Jesus to pay for your sins so you could be declared righteous.
When you break man’s laws, you pay man’s penalty. When you break God’s laws, you pay God’s penalty, which is eternity in hell. Somebody must pay for all the things you’ve done in life that hurt other people, yourself, God. And so God sent Jesus on a rescue mission. He essentially said, “I’ll send my Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty. He will take your place so you don’t have to go to hell. You can be with me forever.”

Do you understand why the gospel is called Good News? The gospel says that everything you’ve ever done or will ever do wrong in life has already been paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. Through Jesus you can be made right with God. That’s Good News!

The Bible says, “[God] saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5 NLT).

You need to accept by faith what God did for you.
To be made right with God, you need to believe and accept by faith that Jesus paid for your sins when he died on the cross. The Bible says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10 NLT).

Hallelujah! We all can be saved—no matter who we are, what we’ve done, or how long we’ve done it.

Today is the day to settle this. If you aren’t sure you’re going to heaven when you die, please pray this prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you created me, that you have a plan and purpose for my life, and that you made me to know you. Thank you for the choice that you’ve given me to accept or reject your offer of salvation. Today I repent of my sins and humbly ask you to save me—not based on what I’ve done but based on what Jesus Christ did for me. I don’t understand it all, but as much as I know how, I want to put my trust in your Son. God, I want to get to know you. I want to learn to love you. I want to hunger and thirst for righteousness the rest of my life. I put my trust in your grace and in your forgiveness. I want you to be the Lord of my life. Amen.”

Talk It Over

If you’ve already accepted Jesus, describe how and when that happened.

In what ways have you tried to live a righteous life on your own? What were the results of those efforts?

What does it mean to you to know that everything you’ll ever do wrong has already been paid for by Jesus?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for Your plan and provision for our salvation. We want to be right with You. Help us, O God. In Jesus'Name we pray. Amen