Promise for Today - Every Good Thing

Protect me, God, because I trust in you. I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord. Every good thing I have comes from you.’ 

Psalm 16:1-2 (NCV)

Not everything that happens in your life is good. But God is good—and he is pouring his goodness into your life.

Circumstances may be very difficult in your life right now, but God can take the bad and bring good out of it. Even in the worst times, you can trust this: God has a good purpose, a good plan, and a good reason. No matter where you are in life right now, you could use a reminder of God’s goodness. And sometimes the best way to remember something is to talk with God about it through prayer.

Would you stop now to pray and talk to God about his goodness? Say something like this:

“God, you are so good. I could never deserve your goodness. I’m sorry that I have often forgotten or doubted your goodness. Forgive me for my ungratefulness and prideful self-centeredness. I am nothing without you. Like King David in the Bible, I would despair if I didn’t know your goodness. Open my eyes to see how good you really are and let your goodness transform my life.

“God, my soul needs restoring. I don’t always think right. I don’t always choose right. I don’t always feel right. I need you to restore my damaged soul, my mind, my will, and my emotions. As I continue learning about your goodness, I trust that my sins have been forgiven because I’ve come to you and admitted I need a Savior. I’m going to release the people who have hurt me and pray a prayer of blessing over them. I’m going to team up with you and ask you to help me with the load I’m carrying. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Talk It Over

Why is it prideful not to acknowledge God’s goodness?

How have you seen God turn the bad things that have happened to you into something good?

When you look back and recognize God’s goodness in your life, how does it affect your perspective on your current circumstances?

- by Pastor Rick

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The greatest example of God’s goodness is Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. You won’t fully experience His goodness until you experience His salvation. If you don’t know Jesus as Savior, you can pray this right now:

“Jesus Christ, I want to get to know You. I want to learn to love You and trust You. Please forgive me for my sin. I ask You to accept me into Your family, not because I deserve it but because on the cross, You paid for all of my sins. Thank You for Your gift of salvation. I receive it and ask for Your help to follow You faithfully as my Lord. I pray this in Your Name. Amen.”

Promise for Today - What God Gives

God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. 

Philippians 2:13 NLT

God is working in you. The word “working” in Greek is the word "energos", from which we get our word “energy.” God is the energy driver in your life. You’re not just going on willpower. You’re not just going on your own power. God says he will give you the power you need, no matter what you’re facing.

Not only is he working in you, but he is also with you. The Bible says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. . . . On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:18, 20 NIV). That’s quite a promise! The Bible says that Christ is in you, that you’re sheltered with him, and that you’re sealed with the Holy Spirit. That means that, for the devil to get to you, he’s got to get through the Trinity. That’s pretty good protection and a great relief from fear.

Not only is God with you and in you, but God is also for you. Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (ESV).

When a shepherd leads the sheep, guard dogs are always at the back, keeping watch and making sure the sheep move in the right direction. The Bible says that the guard dogs in your life are God’s goodness and mercy. God’s goodness and mercy are always at work in your life. God gives you the things you don’t deserve—that’s his goodness. And he doesn’t give you the punishment you deserve for your sins—that’s his mercy.

His goodness includes the blessings you experience now but also the gift of your salvation: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

No matter what you’re going to face today, this week, or next year, you won’t face it alone. God is with you, he’s working in you, and he is for you. That’s good news! It helps you let go of fear about what you’re facing and replace it with happiness.

Talk It Over

What does it look like when you switch from living in your own power to living in God’s power?

When do you doubt God’s presence the most? Ask God for faith to see him at work in this specific area of your life.

How does your perspective of a difficult situation change when you know God is for you?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You that You’re going to be with us today, that You’re going to be working in us today, and that You are for us today and every day. We cannot do this life without You. Manifest Your Word in us today, giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Deserving Of - Thanksgiving Devotional #12

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

Psalm 103:8-12 NLT

My sister loves me. She forever takes up for me. When she thinks I've been wronged in some way, her first response is either, "You didn't deserve that!" or "You deserve better than that!" (whatever "that" is). She loves me fiercely and is always in protective mode, even though she's the younger, but then of course, I love her right back. That being said, I would be terribly misguided if I started to believe that somehow, I deserve to only have good things happen in my life and that nothing bad should ever happen to me, based on my own actions.

In the light of God's Word - and let's be honest, every area and every moment of our lives should be lived in the light of God's Word - the only thing we deserve is death. Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." A few chapters before that Paul writes, "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins." (Romans 3:23-24)

See how that is? Based on our own works, we fall short and our payoff is death. Based on God's works, we are made right with Him and we get eternal life. We don't get what we deserve! We get mercy and grace. How can we possibly thank Him enough?

Paul says it best in Romans 12:3 in The Message when He writes, "I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by WHAT GOD IS and by WHAT HE DOES for us, NOT BY what we are and what we do for Him." [emphasis mine]

Prayer:

Father,
          How can we ever thank You enough for NOT giving us what we deserve? We thank and praise You for the precious gift of Your Son offering us eternal life. We are humbled by Your grace and mercy in our lives. Help us to keep our hearts and eyes wide open to Your Truth. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

From Now Until Easter - Praise!

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Kathy Jo Blaske serving as a long-term care chaplain at the Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

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1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1-6

Praise the LORD! Where?

“ … in his sanctuary.” Not in a bounded place, but wherever we experience God in life—as we gaze from our own yards into the heavens; as we walk barefoot along the shore of a lake; as we listen to a choir from pews or concert hall seats; as we pray in the solitude of our homes or sing in a congregation of worshipers. We praise God whenever and wherever our hearts are inspired to do so.

Praise the LORD! Why?

“ … for his mighty deeds, according to his surpassing greatness!” Praise the Lord for the rain, which nourishes the earth; for the wonder of a sunrise; for the cry of a newborn child; for the inquisitiveness of young children; for healing bodies through the medical community; for comforting hearts as the Lord works through ministers, priests, counselors, and friends.

Praise the LORD! How?

With a diversity of instruments! I’ve employed most of them: a trumpet graced my ordination service. And though 40 years have passed since then, I can still hear the melody of the oboe during productions of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” by the first church I served. Now, at the assisted living residences where I conduct worship, we are blessed regularly with harp and piano accompaniment, and frequently we welcome a cellist when he is home from college. I distribute tambourines on occasion to enliven our singing. Liturgical dancers have engaged worshipers. And, I, myself, have clashed cymbals during the singing of “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today!” (Praising God with a lute,[verse 3] however, remains on my bucket list!)

Praise the LORD! Who?

Everything that breathes is to praise God! Breath is a sign of spirit, of life. Let’s all take note of the goodness of God in our lives today. Let’s be instruments, ourselves, and praise the LORD!

Prayer: 

Give us pause, today, O God, to breathe in and out, to look, to listen, and so to notice and celebrate Your goodness. Move us to applause, to song, to prayer, to smiles, to words and acts of gratitude, which praise You with our whole selves. Amen.