Rejoice!

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9 NLT

How do we love Christ? 

In every circumstance, choose how we can best bring Him the most honor and glory and do that. 

How do we trust Him?

By believing His every word and obeying. Trust isn't a feeling. To trust Him is a decision - a choice we make (to believe and obey).

What does it mean to rejoice in Christ? 

It means to thank Him and praise Him for the wondrous blessing of our salvation and our secured eternity with Him. When we meditate on that thought alone, our joy can be truly inexpressible. To get to live for God - knowing He ever watches over us - should flood our hearts with pure joy.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for Your wondrous plan for our salvation since before the foundation of the world. What great love You have for us - incomparable and incomprehensible - too great to fully grasp and understand. Help us, Father, to follow obediently in Your footsteps and to love others as You have loved us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friends Together

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 

Romans 12:10 NLT

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 

1st Thessalonians 5:11

Hearts that have known and shared good times and bad, though separated by years or distance, meld together in love and friendship all over again when reunited. It is only because of the perfect love of Jesus gifted to imperfect beings. And what a blessing it is! Let's not ever take it for granted.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for the people You place in our lives to love us and to teach us to love. Thank You for melding our hearts together with bonds that are not easily broken. Thank You for those who walk beside and strengthen us in the tough times and who rejoice with us in victory. Open our spiritual eyes so that we never miss an opportunity to share You and Your love. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Three R's

Then Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters in the presence of the Lord our God.
1st Kings 8:65 NLT

I came across a verse in 1st Kings 6:7, that reads, The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site.  While thinking about the significance of that, I also read our text for today, in chapter 8, verse 65. I don’t remember ever hearing about the Festival of Shelters. But they celebrated it at the end of the dedication of the Temple... the one they built with no sound of tools at the site.

The Festival of Shelters is an ancient Hebrew festival that calls us to remember, resist and rejoice. We remember that we are all homeless wanderers in a land that is not our own. We resist the powers of pride and greed that create wealth for a few and poverty for many. And we rejoice that God has given us a harvest that provides more than enough for an abundant life. 

The Festival commemorates God’s instructions to Moses and the Hebrews: “You shall live in shelters seven days: all citizens of the land shall live in shelters…” (Leviticus 23:42). The Festival calls all of God’s people, especially those who live in good houses and celebrate plentiful harvests, to not forget the God who rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt and who fully provided for His people in the wilderness, despite their rebellion. 

As we remember where we’ve come from, let us resist the temptation to be self-seeking and self-serving, and rejoice that God – in His infinite mercy – has made a way for us where there was no way. 

Prayer:

Father,
           Just as we applied ourselves to learn The Three R’s at school, let us more so abide by these: Remembering Your goodness toward us, resisting pride and self-sufficiency, and rejoicing that You go before us and make the crooked way straight, loving us and teaching us to be true followers of You. Help us to successfully finish the race You have called us to run. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen