Promise for Today - The Essence of God

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6 NLT

The Bible says that “God is love” (1 John 4:8 NLT). It doesn’t say he has love. It says he is love. It is the essence of his character. It is the nature of his being. God is love.

The Bible says that you were created as an object of God’s love. The very reason you’re taking a breath right now is this: God made you simply to love you. He thought you up and created you as the object of his love because he is love. 

God didn’t need you. He wasn’t lonely. But he wanted you! The number one reason you were made was simply to be loved by God.

When you grasp this truth and let it shape your identity and purpose, you will never again have a problem with low self-esteem. Because when you realize how valuable you are—that God created the entire universe just so he could create the conditions so that human beings could exist so he could create you and love you—it will take away all those feelings of insecurity.

Unlike animals, we’re made in God’s image. That gives us the capacity to know and love God back.

One day Jesus was walking down the street when someone asked him, “Lord, what’s the most important command in Scripture?” And Jesus says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV). The most important thing in life is to know and to love God.

God says in Hosea 6:6 in The Living Bible paraphrase, “I don’t want your sacrifices—I want your love; I don’t want your offerings—I want you to know me.” The most important thing you can KNOW in life is that God created you to love you. And the most important thing you can DO in life is to know and love him back.

When you get up in the morning, before you do anything else, sit on the edge of your bed and say, “God, if I don’t get anything else done today, I want to get to know you better, and I want to love you more.”

That’s the start of living with purpose.

Talk It Over

How do you love God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 NIV)?

If your life focused first on loving and knowing God, what would change about your other priorities?

Why is it important to start your day by speaking truth like the one in today’s devotional, but also spending time with God and in his Word?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

           Let no distraction steal our focus from You. Open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to comprehend the depth of Your teachings. May Your Word become our daily bread, sustaining us in every aspect of life. We ask a hunger and thirst for Your Word like never before—may it be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Help us to apply Your Truth in practical ways, to live it out in our daily life, and to share it with others who seek the Truth.
          Lord, draw us close to Your heart. Take away anything that stands between us. Help us to love You more than the world, to obey Your commandments, and to reflect Your love in all we do. We surrender our will to Yours. Lead us, guide us, and draw us closer to You with each passing day. May our pursuit of a deeper understanding of Your Word bring glory to Your Name and transform our lives for Your purpose. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Seasons In His Time

Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

The Bible tells us that there are seasons in life. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (NIV).

The fact that life is made up of seasons means that life also includes times of waiting. Between the “then” and the “now” (or the “now” and the “what’s coming next”), there is always a delay. This irritates most people. It can be frustrating to make a deposit, investment, or plan and not have it instantly come to fruition.

But fruit ripens slowly. Would you rather eat a vine-ripened tomato or one that has been picked green and ripened later in storage? There’s no comparison between a vine-ripened tomato, which was allowed to grow slowly, and a tomato that was picked prematurely. If you pick too soon, you miss the flavor.

In money management, you always reap in a different season than you sow. And, by the way, not all fruit ripens at the same time. When you grow peaches, they’re not all ripe at once. They come in little by little; you pick a few a day. When you start planting and following God’s money management principles, you’re not going to see all the results tomorrow. It’s going to come in over time. You’re going to have to wait to reap in a different season.

But while you’re waiting, God is working. When you’re waiting for the fulfillment of the efforts or money or energy that you’ve put into something, you may think nothing’s happening. But, oh, it’s happening! While that seed is hidden in the ground, it is slowly germinating. And when that seed bursts with God’s blessing on it, it will continue growing and growing. One day a little shoot will stick up out of the ground, and then you will see that it’s working.

But until then, you need to trust that God is working, even when you can’t see the fruit of your labor.

Plants take time to grow. There’s no such thing as instant maturity. No farmer goes out, plants the seed in the ground, comes back an hour later, digs it up, and expects it to have grown. You’ve just got to let it be, and let God grow it in his time.

Talk It Over

What have you been waiting on God to bring to fruition in your life?

How have you grown spiritually as a result of having to wait for that harvest? What has God taught you as you’ve been waiting on him?

Why do you think God makes you wait to reap what you sow?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

       Lord, we know You are good, and Your timing is perfect. Even when we cannot see the full picture, we trust that You are working all things together for our good. Help us to let go of our own timetable and to wait with patience, knowing that You are never late and that Your plans are good. If impatience begins to stir in our hearts, remind us that You are faithful and that Your provision will come at the right time. Give us the strength to remain steadfast, even when progress seems slow, and to trust that Your protection may be keeping us from something that is not right for us.
      Teach us to be patient like the farmer who waits for the harvest, knowing that in due season, blessings will come. Renew our strength and courage so that we do not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we will reap when we don't give up.
     We come before You with a heart full of hope and trust, surrendering our plans, desires, and unanswered prayers into Your hands. Thank You for the peace You give, and for the hope that fuels our patience. Help us to be grateful for what we have now while trusting in what You are preparing for us. Keep our hearts from comparing our season with others, for each of us walks our own path. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen    

Promise for Today - Give It Away

Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

John 12:24 (NIV)

What does a farmer do when he has a barren field that’s producing no income? He doesn’t complain about it. He doesn’t even have to pray about it! He just goes out and starts planting seed, because nothing is going to happen until he plants the seed. He can pray all he wants, but prayer doesn’t replace planting.

Maybe you think you’re waiting on God. You think you’re waiting on God for that job. You think you’re waiting on God for a spouse. You think you’re waiting on God for the windfall. But God might be saying to you, “You think you’re waiting on me? I’m waiting on you! I’m waiting for you to plant a seed.”

Everything in life starts as a seed: a relationship, a marriage, a business, a church. And nothing happens until the seed is planted. Why does God require you to plant a seed? Because planting is an act of faith. You take what you’ve got, and you give it away. That takes faith, and it brings glory to God.

Jesus described this principle of sowing and reaping when he explained why he came to earth to die on the cross. In John 12:24, Jesus said, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (NIV). Jesus was saying, “People will be saved and go to heaven because of my death and resurrection. I’m going to plant a seed, and the seed is going to be my life.”

Here’s the principle of sowing and reaping: Whenever you have a need, plant a seed. Whatever you need—more time, more energy, more money, more support, more relationships, more wisdom—just plant a seed. If you need more time, give more time to your kids. If you need more money, give it away to someone who needs it. If you need more wisdom, share what wisdom you have with others. Give yourself away!

It may not make sense to you to give away something that you need more of, but that is exactly the kind of attitude that God wants to bless and that will produce fruit in your life.

Talk It Over

What need have you been waiting on God to provide?

What do you think God might be waiting for you to do about that need? What seed can you plant today?

What kind of results do you see in yourself and others when you plant a seed and give of yourself? How is God building your character through that?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

           We come before You, asking for Your grace to transform us into more generous people. Help us to see that everything we have—time, talents, resources, and love—comes from You and belongs to You. Remove every form of selfishness, fear, or reluctance that holds us back from giving freely .
         Lord, we pray for a cheerful giving heart, one that flows from joy and gratitude rather than obligation. Teach us to give without reservation, whether it’s our time, our words, our encouragement, or our material blessings. Let our generosity reflect Your boundless love and compassion, and may our actions be a beacon of hope and kindness to those around us.
         Help us to overcome the fear of lack and to trust that You are our Provider. Give us wisdom in how, when, and where to give, so that our generosity blesses others and glorifies Your name.
         We ask You to break down the walls of scarcity in our spirit and replace them with a desire to bless. May our lives overflow with generosity, and may we be a vessel of Your grace, pouring out love and compassion to all we meet. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Choose - Culture or Christ?

But as for me, my contentment is not in wealth but in seeing you and knowing all is well between us. And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face-to-face.

Psalm 17:15 (TLB)

Life is not about things. You have to maintain the right perspective about what you own, or you’ll be possessed by your possessions. You’ve got to realize that none of it is going to last.

Jesus says in Luke 12:15, “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be” (GNT).

Never judge your self-worth by your net worth. Never think your value is related to your valuables. Realize that the greatest things in life aren’t things. You didn’t bring anything into the world, and you won’t take anything out of it. Life is not about acquisition or achievement; it’s about relationships and learning how to love God and other people.

The best way to remember that your life is not about things is to build it on eternal priorities. Focus on what will last forever. Every possession is temporary, so don’t build your life on acquiring possessions. Only two things are going to last forever: the Word of God and people.

You’ve got a choice to make. The world is telling you that you need to get more to be happier, more successful, more important, more valuable, and more secure. So you’ve got to decide: Are you going to listen to Madison Avenue or the Master? Are you going to listen to culture or Christ? Are you going to listen to the world or the Word? One will leave you dissatisfied the rest of your life; one will make you truly happy.

Before you can move toward financial freedom, you have to ask yourself, “What is the primary purpose of my life? Is it just to get more? What do I think about, talk about, and give my attention to? What am I living my life for?”

Look around, and you’ll see many people who have a lot to live on. You’ll see celebrities on television and successful businesspeople in your own community. These people’s bank accounts are overflowing. They have plenty to live on, but some of them may have very little to live for.

What about you? You may have a lot to live on, but do you have anything to live for? Do you have a relationship with God? The myth of the world is that you can have it all. The truth is that you can’t have it all. And, more importantly, you don’t need it all to be happy. You’re as happy as you choose to be.

The secret to contentment is finding your security and your satisfaction not in what you have but in whose you are. You find it in Christ.

The Living Bible paraphrase says, “But as for me, my contentment is not in wealth but in seeing you and knowing all is well between us. And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face-to-face” (Psalm 17:15).

Talk It Over

What tangible or intangible things have you been acquiring instead of strengthening your walk with God?

How have you sacrificed your relationships in the pursuit of success or status? What do you need to do today to start repairing those relationships?

Are you okay with not “having it all”? Why or why not?

-by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

           We come before You with hearts that long for You above all things. Help us set our minds on heavenly priorities and not be consumed by the noise, worries, and temptations of the world. Thank You for Your Word, which is our lamp and light. Help us to dwell on Your truth so that our thoughts are fixed on You, not on the fleeting things of this life. Clear our minds of distractions, fears, and the lure of material gain, and fill us with Your peace that surpasses understanding.
     Abba, we confess that we have allowed the desire for goods to cloud our focus. Help us to take every wandering thought captive and bring it under obedience to Christ. Strengthen our will so that we choose Your kingdom and righteousness over the temporary pleasures and riches of this world. Purify our hearts from double-mindedness and worldly attachments, and renew our minds to see the emptiness of material pursuits. May our lives be built on Your promises, not on the shifting sands of wealth or status.
      Father, rebuke the noise and distractions that pull us away from You. Let our attention remain fixed on You. We trust Your timing, Your provision, and Your love above all else. We choose to live with a hunger for You, for You alone, and for Your eternal purposes. Help us, O Lord, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Choose to Refuse

If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 (GNT)

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:17 that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (NIV). That’s the kind of God we serve. He gave us the world for our enjoyment! But here’s the problem: We’re so busy getting more that we don’t enjoy what we’ve got.

The secret of contentment is to learn to enjoy what God has given you. 

Instead of grasping for more, pay attention to what you have now. Open your eyes, appreciate what God has already given you, and enjoy what you’ve got.

One of my favorite things to do is to watch the sunrise from the slope in our yard. I put a deck chair out there decades ago. I think I bought it at Target, and it wasn’t expensive. It’s faded, and a couple of slats are broken. I love to sit in that ratty old chair and watch the sun come up. It gives me great pleasure!

Would I have any more joy watching the sunrise if I were sitting in a diamond-encrusted recliner instead of my old, worn chair? No, it would not increase my joy one bit. In fact, there is an advantage to not having a diamond-encrusted recliner and instead being content with my old chair: No one will steal it!

You need to ask yourself, “What am I not enjoying right now?” Most of us get into what I call “when and then” thinking: “When this happens, then I’ll be happy.” 

“When I get a boyfriend, then I’ll be happy.” “When I get married, then I’ll be happy.” “When I have kids, then I’ll be happy.” “When my kids go off to school, then I’ll be happy.” “When I get married again, then I’ll be happy.”

But here’s the truth: You are as happy as you choose to be. If you’re not happy now, you’re not going to be happy later. Happiness is a choice!

I could take you to some of the poorest places in the world and show you two people living right next door to each other. One is miserable, and one is happy. Why? Happiness has nothing to do with your circumstances and everything to do with your attitude.

If you’re not happy with what you’re living on right now, I can guarantee that you’re not going to be happy with more. Because no matter what you have, you’re always going to want a little bit more.

Happiness is a choice. Choose right now to enjoy what God has given you!

Talk It Over

What has God blessed you with that you have not been enjoying to the fullest?

What have you been waiting for to be happy?

If happiness is a choice, why do people choose to be unhappy?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Today we choose joy. Not because everything is perfect, but because You are with us. Let joy fill our thoughts, happiness overflow in our words, and peace guide our actions. Lord, today we choose to refuse to be ruled by fear, anger, or disappointment. Instead, we embrace Your goodness and receive Your smile over our lives. Help us to breathe in gratitude with every breath. 

     Your joy protects us from bitterness and despair when we keep our focus on Your faithfulness rather than life's difficulties. Help us to find lasting happiness not in circumstances but in Your unchanging love. Let us rejoice in You always, no matter what we face. 
     Lift our spirit above discouragement. Replace sorrow with laughter, doubts with faith, and fears with peace. Help us embrace gratitude so that happiness becomes our natural state. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Not Mine

It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.

Ecclesiastes 6:9 (GNT)

The first step to becoming a contented person is to stop comparing yourself to others. But the problem is that comparison is our favorite pastime! We do it all the time.

You walk into somebody’s house, and the first thing you do is make comparisons: “I like that floor! Look at that drapery! Wow, what a television!” You think to yourself, “My house doesn’t look anything like this!” Or you walk past somebody and think, “I like the way she did her hair; mine looks terrible today.”

If you’re going to learn contentment, you’ve got to stop comparing your life to everyone else’s. You are constantly comparing, and it keeps you frustrated. You’ve got to stop it! 

You also have to learn to admire without having to acquire. You need to learn to rejoice in other people’s prosperity without getting envious and feeling like you need it too.

Here’s a great principle that many people don’t understand: You don’t have to own it to enjoy it! Maybe you like to vacation in the mountains. Why do you have to buy a mountain cabin when you can just rent or even borrow a friend’s cabin the one time a year you go to the mountains? Ownership isn’t the only way to enjoy something.

Not making comparisons isn’t just a good idea; it’s a commandment from God. Exodus 20:17 says, “You shall not covet . . . anything that belongs to your neighbor” (NIV).

Coveting is the uncontrolled desire to acquire. It’s such an important sin to avoid that it’s included in the Ten Commandments. The word covet in Greek means that you grasp something so tightly that you can’t let it go. If God ever gives you something and he tells you to give it away and you can’t, then you don’t own it; it owns you.

God is not saying you should never desire anything. Desires are not wrong. In fact, many of your desires come from God. But when a desire is uncontrolled, it becomes coveting; you compare yourself to others and think you must have more. That uncontrolled desire for something that is not yours is sinful and leads to all kinds of problems.

But desire isn’t always negative. In fact, nothing can be accomplished unless you desire to do it. You can’t become more like Christ without desiring to become more like Christ. You can’t be a more loving person without desiring to be a more loving person. You can’t be a more generous person without desiring to be a more generous person.

This kind of Christ-like, contented life only happens when you learn not to compare. When you compare, that leads to coveting, and when you covet, you can’t be content.

The book of Ecclesiastes says it simply: “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else” (Ecclesiastes 6:9 GNT).

Talk It Over

How can you change your perspective about your own possessions so that you can rejoice with others over theirs?

What do you think God wants you to fill your life with instead of possessions?

Christians talk a lot about God giving them the desires of their heart. What kind of desires do you think God wants to give you?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,
            Teach us to be content with what You have given us, knowing that You are faithful and will never leave us. Fill our hearts with gratitude for the blessings we already have, and help us to focus on Your will rather than on what is not in our possession. Guard our thoughts and desires, that we may not be drawn to covetous thoughts of any kind.

     Grant us wisdom to avoid situations and influences that lead us to envy, and help us to rejoice in the success of others, knowing that You have good things in store for us. Strengthen us to trust in Your provision, even when circumstances change, and to find joy in the present moment. We know that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10), and that covetousness leads us away from You. Forgive us for the times we have wished for what we do not have, resented those who prosper, or allowed comparison to cloud our joy. Search us deeply, O God, and renew a right spirit within us (Psalm 119:36).  May our lives reflect Your love, generosity, and contentment. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Moving Against Your Fear

Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

Matthew 25:28-29 (NLT)

What keeps you from investing your life? What keeps you from moving toward financial freedom? I’ll tell you what it is: fear.

Many kinds of fear can hold you back. One type of fear is self-doubt, which says: “You’ve failed in the past, so you’re never going to try again.” But just because you fail doesn’t mean you should give up. Everybody fails; it’s the only way you learn what works! God uses ordinary people who choose to keep on going after failure instead of giving up.

Two disciples, Judas and Peter, denied Jesus before his crucifixion. They committed the same sin, but they reacted differently to their failure. Judas focused on his sin and not the forgiveness of God. His remorse overwhelmed him, and he ultimately took his own life. When Peter realized his sin, he repented and asked God for forgiveness. Not long after, Peter preached on Pentecost, and 3,000 people were saved the first day. 

Jesus chose to build the church on the biggest failure in the bunch. What a God! He didn’t choose the superstar. He chose the guy who had blown it the worst.

You may have really messed up financially or in other ways. But it doesn’t matter where you’ve been. What matters is the direction you are going right now.

In the parable of the talents we looked at yesterday in Matthew 25, a rich man entrusted his money to three servants before leaving on a long trip. When he returned, he asked for an account from the servants. Two of them had doubled the master’s money, but the third had been afraid and had hidden his portion instead of working and investing it. His fear disappointed and angered his master, who said, “Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver” (Matthew 25:28 NLT). The master took away everything the servant had been given.

When you try to do things God’s way, you may feel afraid. In fact, Satan will try to get you to ignore God’s principles for money management by making you afraid of failure or making you doubt your ability to be a good steward of God’s money. But if you’re going to be successful in life, you have to move against your fears. You have to do the very thing that you fear the most!

As Matthew 25:29 says, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away”. When you move forward in faith and follow God’s guidelines for financial peace, you will experience his blessing; like the servant, God may give you even more...

Talk It Over

What financial failure has kept you from moving forward with God’s financial principles for your life?

Do you pray for God to give you more financial responsibility as a steward of his money? Why or why not?

What is it about God’s way of handling money that makes you afraid to be obedient? Talk to God about those fears today.

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          Thank You for the many blessings You have poured into our lives. Help us to cultivate a heart of contentment and gratitude, even when facing financial challenges or uncertainties. Guard our hearts from feelings of envy or dissatisfaction, and remind us daily of the abundance we have in You. 

        Give us wisdom to manage our finances responsibly and in ways that honor You. Teach us to resist impulsive spending and to embrace discipline in creating and following a budget. Help us prioritize You over material desires and to steward our resources for Your glory. May we be generous with what we have, sharing with others in need and trusting Your provision for our own needs. Inspire us to use our finances as a tool for good and to reflect Your love in all that we do. Thank You for Your unwavering guidance. Strengthen our faith as we trust in Your timing and direction. Help us to remain faithful, patient, and trusting in Your perfect timing. Remind us that Your plans are greater than our own, and that You are always working for our good. Help us remember that all we have and all we are comes from You and is meant to be used for Your glory. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen