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

Promise for Today - Reminding Who?

Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them . . . I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ 

Nehemiah 1:8-9 (NLT)

When you pray, it turns your attention toward God and helps you to see that he is bigger and more powerful than any of your concerns. And as you watch God answer your prayers, your faith deepens.

Four ways to pray effectively, based on the life of Nehemiah:

1. Base your request on God’s character. Pray like you know God will answer you. You can say something like, “God, I’m expecting you to answer this prayer because of who you are. You are a faithful God. You are a great God. You are a loving God. You are a wonderful God. You can handle this problem!”

2. Confess the sins you’re aware of. That’s what Nehemiah did. He said, “I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us” (Nehemiah 1:6-7 NLT). It wasn’t Nehemiah’s fault that Israel went into captivity. He wasn’t even born when it happened; he was most likely born in captivity. Yet he included himself in the sins of his people. He essentially said, “I’ve been a part of the problem.”

3. Claim the promises of God. Nehemiah prayed to the Lord, saying, “Please remember what you told your servant Moses” (Nehemiah 1:8 NLT). Can you imagine saying “remember” to God? Nehemiah reminded God of a promise he made to the nation of Israel. In effect, Nehemiah prayed, “God, you warned through Moses that if we were unfaithful, we would lose the land of Israel. But you also promised that if we’d repent, you’d give it back to us.”

Does God have to be reminded? No. Does he forget what he’s promised? No. Then why should you claim God’s promises when you pray? Because it helps you remember what God has promised.

4. Be specific in what you ask for. If you want specific answers to prayer, make specific requests. If your prayers consist of general requests, how will you know if they’re answered?

When you pray, you’re submitting yourself to God’s sovereignty, acknowledging that he is active in all the details of your life and able to provide for your every need. But prayer also brings you into alignment with God’s will, helping you understand how and why he answered the way he did.

And never doubt this: God answers your prayers.

Talk It Over

What is a prayer request you’ve recently made of God that you think is still unanswered?

Pray again for that request, following the steps above. Do those steps change your prayer?

What promises of God do you need to embrace?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for every promise You have spoken over us - promises of hope, peace, provision, and eternal love. When our hearts grow weary, or our thoughts are clouded with doubt, remind us of Your faithfulness. Let Your Word be the anchor that steadies us in every storm.
        In moments of uncertainty, whisper Your truth to our souls. In moments of joy, we will give thanks for Your goodness. And in all things, keep our hearts aligned with Your will, so that we walk boldly in the light of Your unfailing Word. 

       Help us to recall, mind and heart, that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Teach us to trust that what You have spoken will come to pass in Your perfect timing. May our lives reflect the confidence of one who knows that Your promises never fail. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Where is He?

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised. 

Job 1:21 (NIV)

When you’re a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers immature, self-centered prayers so you’ll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you off these dependencies.

God’s omnipresence and the manifestation of his presence are two different things. One is a fact; the other is often a feeling. It’s a fact that God is omnipresent; he’s always there, even when you’re unaware of him. Even when you don’t feel his presence, you can always trust the fact that God is with you. His presence is too profound to be measured just by emotion. Yes, God wants you to sense his presence, but he’s more concerned that you trust him than feel him. We live by faith, not by sight or by our feelings.

The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God [seems like he] is nowhere to be found. That happened to a man named Job. On a single day, he lost everything—his children, his business, his health, and all his possessions. And then, for 37 chapters in the Old Testament book of Job, God said nothing!

How do you praise God when you don’t understand what’s happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they’re full of tears? You do what Job did: “Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised’” (Job 1:20-21 NIV).

Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to him. Unload every emotion that you’re feeling. Job did this when he said, “I can’t be quiet! I am angry and bitter. I have to speak” (Job 7:11 GNT).

He cried out when God seemed distant: “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house” (Job 29:4 NIV).

Whether or not you can feel God today, you can trust that he’s there with you. Are you full of doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, or questions? Bring it all to God. He is with you, he is for you, and he can handle all your questions and concerns.

The Bible says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NIV).

Talk It Over

Think about a time when you couldn’t feel God’s presence. How did you stay connected to him during that time?

Why is God more concerned about your faith than your feelings?

What person do you go to when life gets tough? What do you say to them that you also need to say to God?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father:

         We come before You with an open heart, longing for Your nearness. Let Your light fill every shadow within us, and Your peace quiet every storm. Draw us closer to You, so that our thoughts, words, and actions reflect Your love. Holy Spirit, guide our steps, strengthen our faith, and renew our hope each day. Stay with us, Lord, in every moment - both in joy and in trial - so that we may walk in the comfort of Your presence and the power of Your grace. It is written that we walk by faith, not by sight. Keep us ever mindful of the Truth - the promise of Your presence. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - A Right Relationship

The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself. 

Romans 1:17 (NCV)

“Righteousness” is a big word in the Bible. It’s used hundreds of times. For example, the Bible says that God loves righteousness and that God is righteous. It says that one day God is going to judge the world in righteousness. Psalm 23 says that God leads us “in the paths of righteousness” (Psalm 23:3 KJV).

But what in the world does this word “righteousness” really mean? I once looked it up in a theological dictionary, and its definition went on for 27 pages! But I’ll boil it down to two things: Righteousness is a relationship and a lifestyle.

Righteousness simply means being right with God. The Good News is that God made us right with himself through Jesus’ death as payment for our sins. Because of Jesus’ death, we can have a personal relationship with God.

Righteousness is also a lifestyle. It means living right, as God intends. The Message paraphrase says, “All who practice righteousness are God’s true children” (1 John 2:29). So why should you care about being right with God? Because it’s the only way to truly live, and it’s the only way to heaven.

When you are disconnected from God, you’re not really living; you’re just existing. Most people in the world aren’t really fully alive. They just exist, trying to make it to the weekend. When you’re disconnected from your Creator who made you for a purpose, life is nonsense.

Life is not about the acquisition of things or the achievement of goals. Life is about getting to know God—the one who loves you and made you for a purpose. You’re not really living until you’re right with God and have a relationship with him.

Righteousness is also the way you get to heaven. God created heaven as a place for his children whom he loves, and he wants you to be with him forever. He wants you to be in heaven, but he’s not going to force you to go to heaven. You can choose to be disconnected from God here on earth, but when your life on earth is done, you will not be given a second chance to choose where you spend eternity—no matter how many good things you’ve done.

God gives you the choice right now to have a relationship with him. He wants you to choose to love him! And when you do, you will be made right with him. It will change your life—here on earth and for eternity!

Talk It Over

If God makes you right with him, why does he still want you to learn and grow in spiritual maturity?

What does it mean to have a relationship with God? What does that look like in your life?

In your own words, how would you explain righteousness to someone else? What difference has it made in your life to be made right with God?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          We come before You with humble hearts, longing to know You more deeply. Draw us into Your presence each day, so that our thoughts, words, and actions reflect Your love. Teach us to listen for Your voice in the quiet moments and to trust You in the storms. Remove anything in our lives that keeps us distant from You, and fill us with a desire to walk in Your ways. Let our faith grow stronger, and our hearts grow softer, and our spirits grow more aligned with Yours. May our lives be a living testimony of Your grace, mercy, and truth. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - More Like Jesus

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

Gentleness is important for so many reasons. It defuses conflict. It disarms critics. It’s persuasive. It’s attractive. It communicates love. Most importantly, gentleness makes you more like Jesus. 

Do you feel weary and burdened today? Do you want to find rest and be at peace instead? Rest and peace come from being like Jesus—from being gentle.

You can’t just walk out your door and force yourself to be gentle. Gentleness needs to be an “inside job.” It should be the fruit of God’s Spirit in you. Jesus is gentle, and when you walk alongside him, you’ll learn to be gentle too.

For decades, I’ve prayed the same prayer almost every day: “Lord, help me to treat people the way Jesus would.” Why? Because I am not by nature a gentle person. So I have to let God produce gentleness in my life.

Here are three simple ways for you to practice gentleness with God’s help this week:

1. When somebody serves you, be understanding, not demanding.
Then next time you’re in a long line at a government office or coffee shop, be considerate—be understanding—of the person who eventually helps you.

2. When somebody disagrees with you, be tender without surrender.
You’ll never get your point across by being cross. You don’t have to back down from God’s truth, but you can treat people with gentleness and respect.

3. When somebody disappoints you, be gentle, not judgmental.
The Message paraphrase says it like this: “Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

As you walk alongside Jesus and put these things into practice every day, you’ll find yourself becoming gentler and more like Jesus.

Talk It Over

A yoke is a harness that is put on an animal to pull a plow. Why does Jesus’ yoke bring rest, not burdens?

Have you ever used the excuse that you’re “just not a gentle person”? What other learned traits do we sometimes treat like they are inherent?

How have you seen a difference in your life, including becoming gentler, since you became a follower of Jesus and received the Holy Spirit? If you’re not a believer, consider taking that step today.

Gentleness is a benefit of your relationship with Jesus.
Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, an overflow of God’s Spirit in you. You can’t be gentle without the power of the Holy Spirit. And you don’t receive the power of the Holy Spirit until you surrender your life to Jesus. If you’re ready to take that step, pray this prayer:

Dear God, 

           I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I believe that he died for my sin and that you raised him to life. I want to trust him as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. I am not by nature a gentle person. Help me learn to walk with Jesus and let your Holy Spirit make me gentle like him. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

- by Pastor Rick

Promise for Today - A Teachable Spirit

A woman of gentle grace gets respect. 

Proverbs 11:16 (MSG)

No matter where you want to be a leader—in church, government, business, home, school, or your community—you first have to be gentle. The Message paraphrase says, “A woman of gentle grace gets respect” (Proverbs 11:16)—and that’s true for men too. Gentleness leads to respect, and no one can truly lead without being respected. Gentleness is a prerequisite to leadership. 

Jesus was “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29 NIV). He was strong in every way. He could make arrogant leaders speechless and overturn tables in the temple. But he never lost his temper. He kept his strength under control. He was gentle.

Other than Jesus, Moses is one of the few people in the Bible described as deeply humble—the kind of humility that shows up as gentleness. You probably think of Moses as a strong leader. He took on Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world at the time, and demanded that Pharaoh let God’s people go. Moses had nothing but God on his side—and that was enough for him. But before Moses was a leader, Moses was gentle.

Here’s what the Bible says about Moses: “Now the man Moses was very humble (gentle, kind, devoid of self-righteousness), more than any man who was on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3 AMP). But it’s likely that gentleness didn’t come naturally for Moses. His persistent sin was uncontrolled anger; he had a violent temper, and he had trouble managing it.

One time Moses got so angry that he killed an Egyptian. Another time, when Moses came down from the mountain after receiving the Ten Commandments, he found the Hebrew people worshiping an idol. He was so angry that he threw down the Ten Commandments and broke them. And anger kept Moses from entering the Promised Land.

So how could the guy who had a lifelong problem with anger be the only one in the Bible besides Jesus who is called gentle? Because Moses was teachable. When people spoke to him about areas of his life that needed changing, it didn’t make him angry. Instead, he learned from them. Because he was gentle,  that gentleness earned him respect. And that respect made him a leader.

Maybe you struggle with anger like Moses. Or maybe you’re too submissive, or impatient, or lazy. Whatever you struggle with, choose to have a gentle, teachable spirit. You’ll find that your humble gentleness earns you the respect of the people around you.

Talk It Over

What gentle leaders do you know?

Do you think gentleness is an admirable quality? Why?

What does it mean to have a teachable spirit? In what specific area can you ask God to develop that kind of spirit in you?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

    Thank You for the gift of life and the wisdom You freely offer. Soften our hearts to receive correction without pride, and open our minds to learn from every experience You place before us. Help us to listen more than we speak, to seek understanding before giving an answer, and to value truth over our own opinions. Remove any stubbornness that blinds us, and replace it with humility, patience, and discernment. Guide us to mentors, friends, and moments that shape us for Your purpose. May our spirits remain teachable, so that we grow in wisdom, walk in love, and reflect Your grace in all we do.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Gentle Beauty

Pursue what God approves of: a godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. 

1 Timothy 6:11 (GW)

Do you want to be attractive? You might say you don’t care about being good-looking—but attractiveness goes much deeper than the skin. An attractive person often appeals to others more for who they are on the inside than how they look on the outside.

The Bible says that, if you want to be more attractive, you need to learn to be gentle: Gentleness is strength under control. It’s one of the marks of someone who follows Jesus. And gentleness makes you more attractive to the people around you.

The Bible tells the story of Ruth and Boaz, two gentle people who were attracted to each other and ended up changing the world together.

Boaz was a successful young farmer. One day he saw strangers out in his field taking what was left after his workers had harvested. This wasn’t unusual; it was common for the poor to find food that way.

But he noticed in particular a young woman named Ruth. She was poor because her husband had died, leaving her with very little. Her mother-in-law also was a widow, and Ruth had decided to stay with Naomi to care for her. Why did Ruth do that? Because she was gentle; she had strength under control.

When Boaz saw Ruth in his field, he could have demanded she leave. Instead, he allowed her to continue picking from his field and even commended her for caring for her mother-in-law.

Ruth responded by saying, “You are very kind to me, sir. You have made me feel better by speaking gently to me” (Ruth 2:13-14 GNT).

Eventually, Boaz invited Ruth to share a meal with him. She ate until she was satisfied, and then he gave her more food to take home. He was kind; he was gentle. He was a powerful man and chose to keep that strength under control and use it to care for other people.

Boaz and Ruth married, and their great-grandson was King David. And it was through King David’s line that Jesus eventually was born.

Are you attractive to other people? Do you have a gentleness that makes other people want to be around you, like Ruth and Boaz?  If not, you can change that today by intentionally pursuing the things God approves of—starting with gentleness!

Talk It Over

Do you usually associate gentleness with strength? Why or why not?

Who in your life is attractive because of their gentleness? In what specific ways are they gentle?

What does it mean to “pursue” gentleness?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Shape our hearts in the quiet of Your presence, where pride dissolves like mist before the morning sun. Teach us to walk in the lowly path You chose, to see the overlooked, to lift the weary with gentle hands. Let our words carry the fragrance of grace; let our thoughts be sifted through Your truth; let our actions mirror the mercy and humble spirit that knelt to wash the dust from another’s feet. When anger stirs, clothe us in patience; when fear whispers, anchor us in faith; when self seeks its own, turn our gaze to the Cross where love bore all, forgave all, redeemed all.

          Make our lives a living echo of Your compassion, a vessel for Your light in shadowed places, until the day we stand before You, and You recognize in us the gentle beauty of Your own heart. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Gentle Persuasion

Gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses. 

Proverbs 25:15 (MSG)

Gentleness is persuasive.

If you have a successful career in sales, you may know that truth already! There was a time when the hard sell—the loudest advertisement or the strongest sales pitch—might have closed a deal. But today, gentleness works. Most people today buy something because someone they trust recommended it. A trusted friend or salesperson’s gentle recommendation is far more persuasive than a loud sales pitch.

And that’s not just true in sales; it’s true in just about every area of life.

The Bible says this over and over again. The Message paraphrase of Proverbs 25:15 says, “Gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses.” Are you trying to convince a family member or coworker to do something that they’re feeling defensive about? Gentle words, not pushy tactics, will get through their defenses.

In my own ministry, I want to persuade everyone who hears me to live for Jesus, but I have to do that in a gentle way. If I stood in front of people yelling at them, they’d eventually stop listening. But gentleness is persuasive.

A different translation of Proverbs 25:15 says it this way: “A gentle word can get through to the hard-headed” (NCV). What does this mean for you? If you’re a parent or teacher, screaming at a child never works. Anger and frustration only create fear, resentment, and defensiveness. What does work? Gently disciplining in love.

Here’s yet another translation of the same verse: “Patience and gentle talk can convince a ruler and overcome any problem” (Proverbs 25:15 CEV). Many of us don’t live in cultures with a “ruler,” but we all have some kind of boss, supervisor, or authority in our lives. This translation reminds us that, with gentleness, we can persuade even those in authority over us.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:21, “A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is” (GNT).

In that verse, there’s a connection between the words “pleasant” and “persuasive.” If you want to be persuasive, you must first be pleasant.

Being pleasant is a mark of maturity. Fools are rude and unpleasant. The wiser and more mature you are, the more pleasant and positive your speech becomes.

Remember this: You’re never persuasive when you’re abrasive. Gentleness is persuasive.

Talk It Over

When have you been abrasive rather than gentle with someone? What was the result?

How has someone’s gentleness persuaded you to do something?

Who do you know who is gentle? What would you like to imitate from their life?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          We come before You seeking a gentle heart, one that embodies compassion, kindness, and understanding. Help us to soften our words and actions, reflecting Your love in all we do. May we embrace humility and patience, fostering peace in our relationships. Guide us to be instruments of Your grace, spreading warmth and comfort to those around us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Promise for Today - Controlled Strength

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

Have you noticed that human beings tend to mimic other people’s emotions, especially if we’re sitting or standing right across from them? We do that because of mirror neurons in our brains that allow us to sympathize and to mirror what other people feel.

For instance, if somebody gets angry with you, you get angry back. If somebody is really miserable and you hang around that person long enough, you get miserable too.

In the same way, when someone raises their voice against you, you usually raise your voice back. Then they raise their voice higher. Then you raise your voice higher. Then pretty soon things have escalated, and your emotions are out of control. But the Bible offers a different way to respond: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV).

Let me give you a little tip that will save you a lot of heartache and conflict in your marriage, in your parenting, in your friendships, and at work: When another person raises their voice, lower yours. When you do that, you’re demonstrating strength under control.

Another word for strength under control is gentleness. Gentleness defuses conflict. It de-escalates anger. A gentle person does not overreact and is not driven by emotions. A gentle person demonstrates strength under control.

The Greek word in the Bible for “gentleness” is the word prautes. Some older English translations of the Bible translate prautes as “meek.” The word “meek” isn’t used much anymore because meek has become a synonym for weak. But gentleness—or prautes—is anything but weak.

In fact, the word prautes was used to refer to a wild stallion that had been tamed. Think about that image. If you go out in the hills and find a wild stallion, it’s unbridled and even dangerous, with a strength that could kill you pretty quickly. But if you tame that stallion, it’s still just as strong, but the strength is brought under control. The strength is bottled up for the master’s use.

When you learn true gentleness as a man or woman of God, you don’t become weak. You just bring your strength under God’s control and use it for his purposes.

Talk It Over

What is your normal reaction to raised voices, such as when your kids are misbehaving or you’re having a disagreement with your spouse or close friend?

Why do you think responding in gentleness rather than anger is so disarming? Why does it get people’s attention?

Look for ways to practice gentleness this week. How do people react when you respond to them with gentleness? You may even want to record your efforts and their effects and share them with your small group.
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:

Father,
         We come before You with gratitude for all that You are, for all that You have given us, for Your mercy and grace towards us, for Your presence and faithfulness. You created us to reflect Your image, and in doing so, to bring You glory. We confess to You that we fail to do this. Every day, we fall short. Please forgive us. Thank You for Your unfailing patience with us. Thank You for correcting our stubborn and rebellious hearts. You tell us to learn from You for You are gentle and humble in heart. (Matthew 11:29)You modeled gentleness and humility while You lived here on earth. You have dealt gently with us in our sin and rebellion. Help us to learn from You and follow Your example. So many people need a kind word, an act of compassion, a quiet voice of reason, a softly spoken encouragement, a tender touch. Help us, Jesus, to be the peacemakers. Help us to be mild-mannered. Help us to be careful with our responses and interactions with others. Help us to be those who bring calm to the storms raging in this world.
        In Galatians 5, You tell us that gentleness is a fruit produced by the Spirit at work in our hearts. Father, we ask that Your Spirit would develop and grow gentleness within us. We know that we cannot bear fruit if we are not connected to You, so we cling to You, Jesus. We look to You. By following closely, we seek to emulate You. Show us when harshness and bitterness enter into our thoughts and help us to turn from our wicked ways. Soften our hearts. Soften us so that we may reflect Your gentleness and, in doing so, bring You glory. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Change Bitter to Better

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)

We rarely change when we see the light. We change when we feel the heat. Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (GNT). Grief, loss, and pain are inevitable parts of life. But did you know that God uses these things to help you grow? He does it in three ways.

First, God uses pain to get your attention. C. S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.” Pain is God’s megaphone. 

Second, God brings good out of bad. One of the most famous verses in the Bible is Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (NIV).

When you experience a loss, it’s an opportunity to grow in character. You can’t control the pain you go through, but you can decide whether it’s going to make you bitter or better. You decide whether it’s going to be a steppingstone or a stumbling block. Remember, even in your pain, God is working for your good.

Third, God prepares you for eternity. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen” (CEV).

You’re not taking your car to heaven; you’re not taking your jewelry or your clothes to heaven; you’re not taking your career to heaven. But you are taking your character. You are taking you.

God is more interested in your character development than in your comfort. Why? Because when you get to heaven, you’ll have plenty of time to be comfortable. But life on earth is the get-ready stage; it’s the learning phase or the warm-up act. God uses your troubles here on earth to get you ready for eternal glory. That’s a comfort.

When you’re in pain, you need to ask, “What is God doing?” Is he trying to get your attention? Is he trying to bring good out of bad? Is he preparing your character for heaven?

You can trust him through it all.

Talk It Over

What does it mean that God is working for your good? Does it mean that God only lets good things happen to believers?

Why is it often easier to focus on today’s realities than on the promise of heaven?

How can you prepare yourself now so that you are ready to hear from God when you are in a time of pain?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

           In this valley of hurt, our hearts feel heavy and our spirits weary. The noise of the pain sometimes drowns out Your gentle voice, but we know You are near, even when we cannot feel You. 
Quiet our thoughts, Lord, and open the ears of our souls to hear Your whisper. Let Your words be like healing rain, washing over wounds and restoring hope. Guide us with Your truth, keep us ever mindful of Your unfailing love, and help us to trust that even in this darkness, You are leading us toward light. 
We wait for You, Lord. Speak, and we will listen. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Promise for Today - Blessing the Broken

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.

Psalm 34:18 (NCV)

You don’t just "get over" a loss. You can’t go under it; you can’t go around it. You’ve got to go through the grief. And if you’re scared to express emotion and refuse to go through it, you just get stuck.

You get unstuck by letting God help you. Here are six ways God blesses a broken heart.

1. God draws you close to himself.
Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed” (NCV). When you grieve, God is not a million miles away, even though it may feel like it. In fact, he’s never been any closer.

2. God grieves with you.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3 NLT). When you come to Jesus with your grief, he knows what you’re talking about, and he understands your pain. God is not apathetic. He is sympathetic, and he grieves with you.

3. God gives you a church family for support.
We’re meant to grieve and heal in community. We’re better together! The Bible says, “In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. . . . Be devoted to one another in love. . . . Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:5, 10, 15 NIV).

4. God uses grief to help you grow.
God uses grief and pain to help you become more like Christ, and he does it in three ways:
God uses pain to get your attention (Romans 5:3-5), he brings good out of bad (Romans 8:28), and he prepares you for eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

5. God gives you the hope of heaven.
Your life on earth is short, but if you trust Jesus Christ for your salvation, then you have the hope of spending eternity in heaven with God. That hope will sustain you through your time of loss. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “We don’t want you to be ignorant about those who have died. We don’t want you to grieve like other people who have no hope” (GW).

6. God uses your pain to help others.
This is called redemptive pain, and it is the highest and best use of the pain you go through. God does not want you to waste a hurt. “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT).

Talk It Over

Why do you think God has allowed you to experience grief and loss?

How does God want you to minister to others who grieve without hope?

What is the deepest pain you have experienced? In what ways can you use that pain to help others?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

         We ask You for a fresh vision of what breakthrough will look like in our lives. Help us to pursue healing while we wait for Your miracle. Show us how to rest right in the middle of the storm. Help us to enjoy the feast You prepare for us, right in the middle of the battlefield. We want our whole life to testify that there’s a God in heaven who knows our names and who will get us safely home. Fill us afresh with the wonder of Your love and power. We are determined to win this battle by Your Grace. Help us to discern when to rest, when to feast, and how to actively engage our faith as we wait for You to break through. May our lives display Your power and Truth. Do the impossible in and through us, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Doesn't Work Perfectly

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens ...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 (NIV)

As you learn to rise above life’s inevitable losses, you need to understand a couple of truths that will give you better perspective.

Life is tough. The world is broken, and nothing works perfectly. Your body doesn’t work perfectly, the weather doesn’t work perfectly, the economy doesn’t work perfectly, and no relationship works perfectly. Life is full of losses.

First, God doesn’t expect you to be happy all the time. 

There is this myth that Christians should be always smiling, always happy, always cheerful. But the Bible says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens ...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 NIV).

Sometimes the only appropriate, logical response to life is grief. The Bible says you should grieve over your losses, including your disappointments, your sin, the suffering in the world, and your friends who are spiritually lost. God doesn’t expect you to be happy all the time. In fact, he wants you to be intentional in your grief.

Second, grief is essential to your health.
If you never grieve over anything, it means one of three things: You’re out of touch with reality, you’re out of touch with your own emotions, or you don’t love. When you love and you see sad things, grief is a natural response.

Grief is a healthy and helpful emotion. And it’s God’s gift that helps you get through the transitions of life.

Maybe you were hurt many years ago growing up. Maybe your parents divorced. Maybe you were abused. Maybe you were hurt by something somebody said about you. As a child, you didn’t know how to grieve in a healthy way, so you just pushed it down deep inside you.

You need to grieve that hurt. Why? Because if you don’t grieve, you get stuck emotionally, and you spend the rest of your life reacting to something that happened a long time ago and taking it out on the people around you. It’s unhealthy!

David talked about this in Psalm 32:3: “When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. I moaned all day long” (NCV).

The bad things that happen to you are not your choice. But grief is a choice! You’ve got to let yourself mourn losses so that you can move forward to emotional and spiritual health.

Talk It Over

What loss have you failed to grieve? How has it affected you physically, emotionally, and spiritually?

Do you think grief is the same for everyone? Why or why not?

In what specific ways can you support someone in your life who is grieving right now?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

           You see the ache in our hearts and the weight we carry. Help us to not hide from our sorrow, but to walk through it with honesty and courage. Teach us to release our tears without shame, to remember without being crushed, and to honor what we’ve lost while still choosing life. Hold us steady when the waves of grief rise high, and remind us that healing is not forgetting, but learning to carry the love in a new way. Guide our steps toward peace, and surround us with people who will pray with us through the tough times. Keep us ever mindful that, with You, we are never alone. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Promise for Today - Secure Supply

My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:19 (ESV)

Putting your trust in your bank account, your job, or your investments is a recipe for heartache. Why? Because you can lose all of those things. Where do you find your security?

You need to find security in something that cannot be taken from you: God! If you want God’s blessing on your life, you need to learn to trust in God’s wealth and not your own.

Here’s what the Bible says about God’s wealth: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 ESV).

Your job may be where you get your income, but it shouldn’t be your security. Your job is a channel, but God is your source. If you understand this, you’ll have so much less stress in your life. Let me say it again: Your job is a channel, but God is the source of your supply.

If you turned on the faucet in your kitchen and no water came out, what would you do? Would you say, “Oh, the world has run out of water! There’s no water coming out of the faucet, so there must not be any left in the whole world”?

Of course not. You’d know the problem is not with the source. There’s plenty of water in the world. The problem is the channel; it’s gotten blocked one way or another.

It’s the same way in your life. If one channel gets blocked in your life and the “faucet” stops working, it doesn’t mean the whole supply has dried up. God can easily turn on another faucet.

God is not limited by your ability and capacity. You may be limited by your own capacity in the work you do. But your job is not what ultimately supplies your needs. Your job is just a channel for God to supply your needs.

If you think that your job is what keeps you financially secure, then you’re going to feel insecure your entire life. You need to understand that God is the source of your supply. You can depend on him to know exactly what you need and how to give it to you.

Jobs may come and go. Bank accounts rise and fall. Economies go up and down. Stock markets can go bull or bear. It doesn’t matter!

No matter what happens, you can trust in God’s wealth for your security.

Talk It Over

What have you been waiting for God to do in your life? How have you responded to the season of waiting?

Think of a time when you had to trust God’s timing. How did he work in your life during that time?

It’s easy to hurry—but God’s blessing often comes through waiting. How can you slow yourself down so that you learn patience and trust?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,
          Strengthen us to endure this season with faith and joy, trusting that You are working all things for our good, even when we cannot see the outcome. Strengthen our hearts to remain steadfast and hopeful. Let us find courage in Your promises and joy in Your presence while we wait for Your guidance and blessings. As we face uncertainty by the world's standards, fill our hearts with peace as we stand on the rock-solid foundation of Your Word. Keep us ever mindful that You are always with us, guiding our steps and providing for our needs, and we are so grateful. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - God's Plan of Defense

I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter. 

Psalm 62:5-7 (GNT)

You’ll always have people in your life who misunderstand you and don’t like you. Others will criticize you, judge you, attack you, and spread rumors about you. In all of these circumstances, your natural tendency will be to fight back. When you’re misunderstood, you’ll want to defend yourself. When you’re attacked, you’ll be tempted to launch your own attack. When people criticize you, you’ll want to criticize them. When people insult you, you’ll want to hurl back your own insults.

Don’t do it! Instead, let God be your defender. Every time you are attacked, criticized, ridiculed, or misunderstood, you have two choices: You can defend yourself, or you can let God defend you. Which will it be? Who do you think can do a better job defending you? You or God? Of course, God can.

Pay attention to this: You’re most like Christ when you say nothing in the face of attacks, lies, and unfair criticism. You’re most like Jesus when you remain silent and leave it in God’s hands. The Bible says, “When [Jesus] was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge” (1 Peter 2:23 GNT). In the face of his unjust conviction and persecution, Jesus did not fight back. When it mattered most, he trusted God to defend him and bring ultimate justice.

King David was criticized and attacked his entire life. In fact, people repeatedly wanted to kill him because they were jealous of him. But David said this: “I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter” (Psalm 62:5-7 GNT).

People will be jealous of your success, and some will even want to attack you. But like David, you need to let God be your protector, your Savior, your defender, your victor, and your shelter.

Let God handle it. Let him be your defense.

Talk It Over

What practical things can you do in a tense moment to keep from speaking or acting in retaliation?

Why does God want you to remain silent when you are under attack? Why doesn’t he want you to try to prove that you’re right?

How does someone’s attack on your character say more about that person than it does about you?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          You are our refuge and our shield, our strong tower in times of trouble. Stand before us, Lord, as our defender against every seen and unseen danger. Surround us with Your mighty presence, and let no weapon formed against us prosper. When fear tries to creep in, fill our hearts with Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Fight for us, Lord, and let Your justice prevail. We trust in Your unfailing love and rest in the safety of Your hands. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Making the Choice to Wait

I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer. 

Micah 7:7 (CEV)

The Bible is clear that you’ll go through different seasons in life. One season God talks about over and over is the season of waiting. But you can trust that while you’re waiting, God is working. A season of waiting doesn’t mean that God has stopped working. In fact, he’s taking you through that season because he’s using the time to work in your circumstances for your good.

The truth is, you’re going to spend much of your life waiting. And so, if you don’t figure out how to trust God while you’re waiting, you’ll spend a lot of your life not trusting God.

God is never in a hurry; he’s eternal! And as he’s working, he wants you to learn how to trust him.

You might be asking, “When, Lord? When is it going to happen?” And God’s saying something like, “You can trust me with this.”

It’s human nature to say, “Don’t wait! Get things as quickly as you can.” But that goes against God’s blessing in your life—because God’s blessing often comes through times of waiting. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “[God] has set the right time for everything” (GNT).

Are you in a time of waiting? Maybe it’s for school to end. Maybe it's for healing. Maybe it’s for the “right person” to come into your life. Maybe it’s for a marriage to happen, a baby to come, or a new job opportunity to arrive. And you’re frustrated with how slowly things are happening. We’ve all been there.

There’s a promise in the Bible that not only tells you God is working but also how God is working. You need to believe it while you’re waiting: “I am the LORD, and when it is time, I will make these things happen quickly” (Isaiah 60:22 NCV).

That’s how God worked when he sent Jesus into this world. The world waited thousands of years for him to come the first time. And then he came at just the right moment.

We’ve been waiting 2,000 years now for Jesus to come again. When will that happen? At just the right time—God’s time. That’s when he’s going to return.

You can apply this same truth to your time of waiting. Remember that a delay is not a denial. When you think God is saying, “No,” he may just be saying, “Not yet. Will you keep trusting me through this?”

Micah 7:7 says, “I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer” (CEV).

That is the kind of faith God blesses.

Talk It Over

What have you been waiting for God to do in your life? How have you responded to the season of waiting?

Think of a time when you had to trust God’s timing. How did he work in your life during that time?

It’s easy to hurry—but God’s blessing often comes through waiting. How can you slow yourself down so that you learn patience and trust?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

           In this hurry-up, instant-fix, same-day online order season of the world we live in, we often lose sight of and patience with a season of waiting. Forgive us for every time we gloss over, 'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength". Forgive us for every time we equate waiting with being punished or ignored by You. Forgive us for believing that lie of the enemy of our souls to try to make us doubt You and weaken our faith and trust in You. Father, we declare the Truth of Your Word over the facts of our lives. From Psalm 62, Let all that we are wait quietly before You, God, for our hope is in You. You alone are our rock and our salvation, our fortress where we will not be shaken. Our victory and honor come from You alone. You are our refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach us. Father, we choose to trust You at all times.  Help us to stand strong upon Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Dependent Strength

You bless all who depend on you for their strength.
Psalm 84:5 (CEV)

Are you tired? Maybe you’re running on steam, and at the end of each day, you’ve run out of energy. The reason why is really simple: You’re a human being. Your strength is limited. But God’s strength is unlimited. Your strength is finite. But God’s strength is infinite. Your strength is exhaustible—that’s why you get exhausted! But God’s strength is inexhaustible. God never runs out of energy. God never gets tired.

Psalm 84:5 says, “You bless all who depend on you for their strength” (CEV). Do you want God’s blessing on your life? Then you need to depend on God for your strength.

Hudson Taylor was an influential missionary to China in the 19th century. He was a spiritual giant and a brilliant man. In his old age, he lost his health and became quite weak. He wrote a letter to a friend that said, “I am so weak I can no longer work. I am so weak I can no longer study. I am so weak I can no longer read my Bible. I cannot even pray. I can only lie still in the arms of God like a little child in trust.”

At some point in your life, you may be so weak that you can’t even pray, read the Bible, go to a Bible study, work, or really do anything. What do you do in those moments? You rest in the strength of the Lord—in his arms like a little child—and you trust.

Weakness can actually be a good thing in your life if it causes you to depend on God. In 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT, Paul says, “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong”.

That’s the paradox of depending on God: The weaker you are, the more you depend on him. And the more you depend on him, the stronger you get.

Talk It Over

Why is it sometimes difficult to admit or show weakness?

How does your culture perpetuate the idea that you have to be strong all the time?

What does it mean to depend on God’s strength? What would that look like in your life?
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:

Father,
          Your Word promises that Your Strength is made perfect in our weakness. Isaiah teaches that when we wait upon You, our strength will be renewed; we will mount up with wings like eagles; we will run and not be weary and walk and not faint. And also that we don't have to fear, for You are with us. You are our God. You promise to strengthen and help us, and hold us up with Your righteous right hand. Fill our bodies with Your healing power and our spirits with unwavering faith. Grant us the peace and comfort found only in Your presence. Teach us to rest in Your timing, to trust Your plans, and to draw from the strength You provide so we can continue living for Your purpose. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Ask for It

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Proverbs 3:5-7 (NLT)

Have you ever had the feeling that something was so very, very right, but then when you did it, it ended up being so very, very wrong? Feelings often lie. There’s an old country song that says, “How can it be wrong when it feels so right?” Are you kidding me? There are a lot of things that are wrong that feel so right in the moment.

After six months in a relationship, you wonder, “What was I thinking?” Just a few weeks into a job, you think, “How in the world did I get caught up in this?” A quick decision that seemed harmless at the time leaves you broken and scarred years later.

If you want to experience fewer dead ends and failures in your life, you need to hear what Proverbs 3:5-7 NLT says: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil”.

If you really want God’s blessing on your life, you have to depend on God’s wisdom and not on what your feelings say or what your gut says. In other words, trust in the Lord and not your own understanding.

So how do you get God’s wisdom?

You pray. You talk to God, and you let him talk to you as you read the Bible. That’s how you get his wisdom.

The Bible says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (NIV).

God doesn’t want you to make foolish mistakes. He wants you to succeed. He wants you to make wise decisions with your time, money, and relationships. The truth is, you’re not waiting on God for his help; he’s waiting on you! It’s like he’s saying, “Hey! I’m here. I’ll give you wisdom, and I’ll give it generously. I want to make you wise. You’ve just got to ask.”

If you want to be blessed, you’ve got to get God’s wisdom. And if you want God's wisdom, you need to ask for it—and then be open to receive it.

Talk It Over

Think of a time in your life when you depended on your feelings to make a big decision. What was the result?

How does God speak to you? How do you know it’s him speaking to you?

Why is it important to spend time with God every day if you want to know his plans for your life?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          Keep us ever mindful of walking in faith and not feelings. We actively and intentionally choose to believe Your Word over every emotion and circumstance. You are the Rock on which we can stand and not fall. We set You ever before us, and we will not be shaken. We stand in agreement with the writer of Hebrews and declare, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - More Than a Hope

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 

1 John 5:11-12 (NIV)

If you walked around a park today and asked people if they were going to heaven or hell, you’d likely hear many of them say, “I hope I’ll go to heaven.” But hope just isn’t good enough. I pray that’s not your answer. Your eternal destiny is too important not to know for sure.

You’re not guaranteed another minute on this planet, much less another hour. The most recent statistics show that mortality rates worldwide remain at 100 percent! Death is inevitable—so it’s foolish not to be prepared. Don’t put off the most important choice you’ll ever make.

Our Scripture for today tells us, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (NIV). That’s about as clear as you can get. If you have Jesus, you have life. If you don’t have Jesus, you do not have life. You have a choice.

You won’t go to heaven because of someone else’s faith. You’ll never go to hell because of someone else’s choice.

It’s your choice! You get to decide where you’ll spend eternity.

This is why we celebrate Christmas and Easter. If Jesus hadn’t come at Christmas—and then if he hadn’t died and come back to life on Easter—our situation would be hopeless. Nothing you do would matter. You wouldn’t have this choice.

The Bible says, “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14 NLT).

The cross is the answer to your deepest problem: your separation from God. Make the choice today to be reconciled to God through Jesus and secure your eternity in heaven.

Talk It Over

None of us are promised another second on earth. How does that reality give more urgency to either your decision to follow Jesus or the decision your friends and family need to make?

Who in your life needs to read the message in this devotional? How can you develop your relationship to a point where you can share this message with them?

If the decision to follow Jesus and have life—or reject Jesus and not have life—is so clear and stark, why is it still hard for some people to choose?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Your Word tells us, “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!" We are blessed if we choose to follow Your commands and cursed if we choose to reject them. Father, we want the security of Your Word, Your promise of eternal life with You. Give us the wisdom and Your strength to daily walk out that choice. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen