The Daily Grace - What Does It Take?

Today's technology allows some people to work 24/7. We can bring our work home or take it on vacation. Work is ever-present with us - except when the electricity goes off. An ice storm last winter covered several states in a thick glasslike glaze. Trees and branches fell, blocking roads and keeping people home. Power lines fell, leaving people in cold darkness, unable to accomplish anything that required electricity.

Whenever something like this interrupts my life, I realize how important my own work is to me. Without it, I feel unimportant, unproductive, and useless. But God doesn't want work to be that important to us, and we shouldn't need a power outage to get us to stop. In the Old Testament, God had a plan for getting His people to stop and pay attention to Him. It was called Sabbath. On the seventh day of the week, they were to stop their work (Ex. 23:12). 

Although New Testament believers aren't required to keep this law, rest is still important. Practicing a day of rest can keep us from the faulty belief that our work is more important than God's. What does it take to make you stop and pay attention to God? "If we do not, come apart and rest awhile, we may just plain come apart".

Today We Pray

Dear God, I am full of the sound of my own voice, that lump of pride deep within me that will not go away, no matter how I try. Give me the strength through the power of Your Holy Spirit to hear your voice and follow it, fighting the temptation to sin that bubbles up inside me whenever my mind strays from you. Thy will be done.

You have commanded us to love one another, this I know without a doubt. And yet all day I am filled with judgments, with resentments, with anger that sneaks in and grabs me when I am not paying attention to you. I pray dear God, that you will soften my heart to my fellow humans, no matter how sinfully they may act, and leave the judging to you, as you have commanded.

Fill me with acceptance in place of judgment, sympathy in place of anger, faith in place of resentment. For my judgments and anger are the creatures of pride. May I do thy will this day, in the name of Christ I pray.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Titus 3:2

"They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone."

These are the words for the Cretian Christians by Paul. It encourages them not to slander or abuse no one. Instead, they should be kind and conciliatory and gentle, showing unqualified consideration and courtesy toward everyone. They should be gentle and kind.

This message is not just for them, but for us. We should practice kindness and gentleness wherever we will go.  Do not say cruel things or argue. We should be gentle and kind to our fellowmen.

The Daily Grace - Praise from Pure Hearts

During my friend Myrna's travels to another country, she visited a church for worship. She noticed that as people entered the sanctuary they immediately knelt and prayed, facing away from the front of the church. My friend learned that people in that church confessed their sin to God before they began the worship service. This act of humility is a picture to me of what David said in Psalm 51: "My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise" (v. 17).

David was describing his own remorse and repentance for his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. Real sorrow for sin involves adopting God's view of what we've done - seeing it as clearly wrong, disliking it, and not wanting it to continue. When we are truly broken over our sin, God lovingly puts us back together. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

This forgiveness produces a fresh sense of openness with Him and is the ideal starting point for praise. After David repented, confessed, and was forgiven by God, he responded by saying, "Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise" (Ps. 51:15). Humility is the right response to God's holiness. And praise is our heart's response to His forgiveness. Praise is the song of a soul set free.

Today We Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, as I face this new day, let me be aware of the work You have done for me as I slept. I praise You that Your loving care never slumbers, but has been with me while I was least aware of it. And that, You renew me and the whole world, fresh every day, preparing Your plans for me.

I pray that I may seek Your will this day, Your plan for my life, and carry out Your plan in my every action. I lay my hopes and fears on an altar before You, that Your Holy Spirit may guide my hopes toward the light of Your holiness. And, may quiet my fears with the knowledge of Your infinite peace, in total confidence that Your grace will save me from the evils of this world.

Let me not forget you as I go forth into the world this day, blessed Lord. May my every word be a prayer, and my every act be a testimony to Your love and truth. And may I know Your presence every second of this day.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Matthew 11:28

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Even though you feel tired and weary, He will give you rest. Just come to Him. All who are tired and weary can freely come to Him, and He will give us rest. He will refresh our souls with salvation. Come to Him. Get away with Him and you’ll recover your life. If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to Him and He will give you rest.

The Daily Grace - Never Say "Never"

While a friend and I walked along the path of the former Berlin Wall, he told me, "This is one of those 'never say never' places in my life". He explained that during the years when the Wall divided the city, he had made a dozen trips through Checkpoint Charlie to encourage members of the church living under continuing surveillance and opposition in East Germany. More than once, he had been detained, questioned, and harassed by the border guards. In 1988, he took his teenage children to West Berlin and told them, "Take a good look at this wall, because someday when you bring your children here, this wall will still be standing". A year later it was gone.

When Saul of Tarsus began to attack the followers of Jesus, no one could have imagined that he would ever become a disciple of Christ. "Never. Not a chance". Yet Acts 9:1-9 records the story of Saul's blinding encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Within a few days of that life-changing event, Saul was preaching in the synagogues of Damascus that Jesus was the Son of God, to the astonishment of all who heard him (vv. 20-21). When it comes to God's work in the most difficult people we know, we should never say "never". Never say never when it comes to what God can do.

Today We Pray

Dear God, my Savior, and Master, the model of all perfection, I resolve — and will try this day with my full heart — to imitate Your example, to be like You: mild, humble, chaste, zealous, charitable, and kind. I will redouble my efforts to see Your image in all those I meet and deal with this day — not only people I like — and to be as helpful to them as I would be to You. I resolve to avoid this day all those sins which I have committed heretofore and which I now sincerely desire to give up forever.

Help me never to excuse or minimize my sin. Please meet me in my brokenness. And, let nothing hold me back from praising Your name.

As I travel through the rest of my day, may the God of hope fill me with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit I may abound in hope. “The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. ” In Christ’s name, I pray.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Psalm 51:17

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit. Also, a broken and contrite heart. A heart and spirit that is broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent. God-worship is learned when our pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice. The way to please Him is to feel sorrow deep in our hearts, This is the kind of sacrifice He won’t refuse because this is an act of humbleness. He will not reject a broken and repentant heart.

The Daily Grace - He Walked in our Shoes

To help his staff of young architects understands the needs of those for whom they design housing, David Dillard sends them on "sleepovers". They put on pajamas and spend 24 hours in a senior living center in the same conditions as people in their 80s and 90s. They wear earplugs to simulate hearing loss, tape their fingers together to limit manual dexterity, and exchange eyeglasses to replicate vision problems. Dillard says, "The biggest benefit is [that] when I send 27-year-olds out, they come back with a heart 10 times as big. They meet people and understand their plights" (Rodney Brooks, USA Today).

Jesus lived on this earth for 33 years and shared in our humanity. He was made like us, "fully human in every way" (Heb. 2:17), so He knows what it's like to live in a human body on this earth. He understands the struggles we face and comes alongside with understanding and encouragement. "Because [Jesus] himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted" (v. 18). The Lord could have avoided the cross. Instead, He obeyed His Father. Through His death, He broke the power of Satan and freed us from our fear of death (vv. 14-15). In every temptation, Jesus walks beside us to give us courage, strength, and hope along the way.

Today We Pray

Dear God, blessed are You, to You be praise and glory forever! As once You ransomed Your people from Egypt and led them to freedom in the promised land, so now You have delivered me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of Your risen Son. May I, the fruit of Your new creation, rejoice in this new day You have made and praise You for Your mighty acts. 

Help me to be more conscious of Your presence. Teach me to recognize Your presence in others. Fill my heart with gratitude for the times Your love has been shown to me through the care of others.

And finally, grant me, I pray, the lamp of charity which never fails, that it may burn in me and shed its light on those around me. And that by its brightness, I may share a vision of that holy City, where dwells the true and never-failing Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. This I pray, in Christ's Name.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - 2 Timothy 2:15

Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved and tested by trial. A workman who has no reason to be ashamed. The one who is accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Do your best to win God’s approval as a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message. Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, thank You that You are faithful to keep Your promises. Please help me to always look forward to You. Bless the work of our hands today, Lord.

We believe You weep at the pain and anguish some of Your children experience because they love You. We pray that You will strengthen them in the midst of their suffering and send them Your grace. Cover them with Your most precious blood.

May the world see our love for each other—and the deeds that come from it—as a great testimony to the bond of unity we have in You. May they want to know You, too. We all humbly ask this in Your mighty Name.

Amen.

Today's Godly Reminder - Isaiah 40:29

If we are tired, God will give us strength. It is one of His promises in the Bible. He will give us power when we are weak. Let us just humbly approach His Throne of Grace. Tell Him openly that you are weary, and He will strengthen you.

The Daily Grace - Blessed Forgetfulness

My office is downstairs, but I make frequent trips upstairs to various rooms in my house for one thing or another. Unfortunately, by the time I get upstairs, I often forget what I was planning to do when I got there. Researcher Gabriel Radvansky has come up with an explanation for this phenomenon. He proposes that a doorway serves as an "event boundary".

After conducting three different experiments, he theorized that a doorway signals the brain that the information held in memory can be filed away - but it's frustrating when I'm standing there trying to remember why I came upstairs. However, forgetfulness can be a blessing. When I shut the door to our bedroom at night and settle down to sleep, it's a blessing to forget the worries of the day.

When I think of the fact that Jesus called Himself "the door" (John 10:7,9), I gain a new appreciation for this metaphor. When sheep enter the pen, they enter a safe place protected from thieves and predators. For believers, the Great Shepherd is the door between us and our enemies. Once we enter the sheepfold, we can "forget" all dangers and threats. We can enjoy divine forgetfulness and rest in the protection of the Great Shepherd. Christ is the door that keeps us in and keeps the dangers out.

Today We Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, I enter Your presence confessing the things I try to conceal from You and the things I try to conceal from others. I confess the heartbreak, worry, and sorrow I have caused, that make it difficult for others to forgive me; the times I have made it easy for others to do wrong, and the harm I have done that makes it hard for me to forgive myself. Have mercy on me, and forgive me for all my sins against You and against others.

Thank You for the peace of mind that comes from knowing You are standing watch over the events of our lives. Help us to rest securely in Your protection. Grant me the Spirit of Fear of the Lord that I may be filled with a loving reverence for You.

I pray that I may be blessed every step of my path this day, and in the week to come, by the great God of light. May Your sun shine upon me; as the moon moves the tide, may Your Spirit move my emotions with every grace and magic; may my heart sing with the voice of Your angels and my heart be warm; and may this and every blessed day You have given me be filled with joy.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - John 10:9

God is our door. In Him, there is hope. Anyone who enters through Him will be saved and will live forever. You will find security and freedom in Him.

Remember, He is the gate. Anyone who goes through Him will be cared for. You will freely go in and out. You will find pasture.

The Daily Grace - Day of Good News

My Australian friend Graham wasn't born blind. He was blinded by a freak accident at age 9. Yet he never felt sorry for himself. Wherever he went, he shared what Jesus Christ meant to him. His last trip was to Thailand as a practicing physiotherapist. Besides using his professional skills there, he wanted to share the gospel of Christ.

The four lepers in 2 Kings 7 had some good news to share as well. They had stumbled into the Syrian camp and found it deserted. After helping themselves to the food and loot, they remembered the starving people of Samaria, shut in as a result of a Syrian siege. Their response was: "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent" (v. 9). So they went and told their fellow Israelites about the provisions.

Despite their physical and social disadvantages, both Graham and the lepers thought about others. They were thankful for what they had found and considered it too good to keep to themselves. Do you know someone who needs to know what Jesus has done? Don't make excuses for what you lack in abilities. Instead, share the good news of what the Lord has done for you, and your life will take on a new purpose. When we are thankful for what we have, we want to share it with others.

Today We Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, let me take up the shield of faith this morning and carry it before me throughout the day. For the darkness of the world attacks my soul from every direction. Great and powerful God, I take up Your shield, the only shield that can protect me: my hope and certainty that Your love and promise to protect me, for all eternity, will be with me for the asking. 

Defend me, I pray, against the constant assault of impurity that life in the world brings. Grant also that I may follow Thy Holy example, that I may submit to the authorities placed over me. Grant me the clean soul, the simplicity of heart that makes us worthy of Thy love.

I pray that I and Your whole church, the body of all faithful people, will know Your peace, and live in harmony and unity, one with another, in accordance with Your wishes. For the only truth is Yours, the only power is Yours, and our only hope lies in You, our true and mighty and loving God. This I pray to You, who lives and reigns forever.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Acts 1:8

God has promised that you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. If you just ask in His mighty name, you will receive it. Then, you will be God's witnesses. You will be the one to tell the people about Jesus.

Make Him famous among the nations. To the ends of the earth, go forth and preach the good news. Everywhere you go, be a witness. Be the salt and light. Be the living testimony.

The Daily Grace - Becoming Whole

John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath begins with a scene in drought-ravaged Oklahoma during the Great Depression. With the crops dying and the land choked by dust, the women watched the men to see if they would break under the strain. When they saw the men's will to carry on, they took heart. Steinbeck writes, "Women and children knew deep in themselves that no misfortune was too great to bear if their men were whole". The issue was not happiness, prosperity, or satisfaction, but wholeness. This is the great need of us all.

In the King James Version of the Bible, the word whole is often used to describe Jesus' work of physical healing. When the Lord encountered a man who had been an invalid for 38 years, He asked, "Wilt thou be made whole?" (John 5:5-6, KJV). After Jesus healed the man, He challenged him to also embrace spiritual wholeness: "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you" (v. 14).

If we only want something Jesus can do for us, our relationship with Him will be limited. When we want Jesus Himself, He brings completeness to our lives. Christ wants, first and foremost, to make us whole. Only Jesus can give wholeness to a broken life.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, You have brought me to the beginning of a new day. As the world is renewed fresh and clean, so I ask You to renew my heart with Your strength and purpose. Forgive me the errors of yesterday and bless me to walk closer in Your way today. 

This is the day I begin my life anew. Shine through me so that every person I meet may feel Your presence in my soul. Take my hand, precious Lord, for I cannot make it by myself. 

Thank You, Lord God, for the gift of Your Spirit. And I pray for Your help in obeying Your will. Through Christ, I pray and live.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Colossians 2:10

In Him, you have been made complete, achieving spiritual stature through Christ. And you are in Him, made full and having come to the fullness of life. In Christ, you too are filled with the Godhead-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.

So you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power. You are fully grown because you belong to Christ. Be complete in Him, you don't have to search for more in this world.

The Daily Grace - No Worries

A comfortable plane ride was about to get bumpy. The voice of the captain interrupted in-flight beverage service and asked passengers to make sure their seatbelts were fastened. Soon the plane began to roll and pitch like a ship on a wind-whipped ocean. While the rest of the passengers were doing their best to deal with the turbulence, a little girl sat through it all reading her book. After the plane landed, she was asked why she had been able to be so calm. She responded, "My daddy is the pilot and he's taking me home".

Though Jesus' disciples were seasoned fishermen, they were terrified the day a storm threatened to swamp their boat. They were following Jesus' instructions. Why was this happening? (Mark 4:35-38). He was with them but He was asleep at the stern of the craft. They learned that day that it is not true that when we do as our Lord says there will be no storms in our lives. Yet because He was with them, they also learned that storms don't stop us from getting to where our Lord wants us to go (5:1).

Whether the storm we encounter today is the result of a tragic accident, a loss of employment, or some other trial, we can be confident that all is not lost. Our Pilot can handle the storm. He will get us home. We don't need to fear the storm with Jesus as our anchor. What storms are you encountering today? Perhaps you have lost a loved one or are facing a serious illness. Perhaps you are having difficulty finding a job. Ask the Lord to strengthen your faith and take you safely through the storm to the other side.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, receive my morning sacrifice which I now offer up to thee. I yield thee humble and hearty thanks that thou has preserved me from the danger of the night past. You brought me to the light of the day, and the comforts thereof, a day which is consecrated to thine own service and for thine own honor.

Let my heart, therefore, Gracious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of it, that I may not do my own works, but wait on thee, and discharge those weighty duties thou require of me. I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy presence, as far as the east is from the west. Accept of me for the merits of thy son Jesus Christ, that when I come into thy temple and compass thine altar, my prayers may come before thee as incense.

And as thou would hear me calling upon thee in my prayers, so give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus. The blessing of the Lord rest and remain upon all his people, in every land, of every tongue; the Lord meet in mercy all that seek him; the Lord comfort all who suffer and mourn; the Lord hasten his coming, and give us, his people, the blessing of peace.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Psalm 46:1

God is a safe place to hide. He is always ready to help when we need Him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, before the rush and roar of oceans, and the tremors that shift mountains. He is our mighty fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble.

When in distress, call on Him. Through every storm of life, He will be always by our side. Hold on to His promises. He will never let go of us.

The Daily Grace - More Than We Deserve

Sometimes when people ask how I'm doing, I reply, "Better than I deserve". I remember a well-meaning person responding, "Oh no, Joe, you deserve a lot", to which I replied, "Not really". I was thinking about what I truly deserve - God's judgment. We easily forget how sinful we are at the core of our being. Thinking of ourselves more highly than we should diminish our sense of deep indebtedness to God for His grace. It discounts the price He paid to rescue us.

Time for a reality check! As the psalmist reminds us, God "has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities" (Ps. 103:10). Considering who we are in light of a holy and just God, the only thing we truly deserve is hell. And heaven is an absolute impossibility - except for the gift of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. If God never does anything more than redeem us, He has already done far more than we deserve. No wonder the psalmist says, "As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him" (v. 11).

Knowing ourselves for what we are, we can't help but say, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!" He gives us so much more than we deserve. If God never does anything more than redeem us, He has already done far more than we deserve.

Today We Pray

Dear God, You have given me another day. Bring Your Holy Spirit into my mind and my life, so that I may walk this day in Your presence. Let me feel Your presence throughout the day, remembering always that You sent Your Spirit that you might be a living force in all I see and all I do. 

Give me the grace to realize my ignorance, admit my mistakes, recognize my needs. Let me welcome good advice and sound rebuke, without defensiveness. Grant me always to praise rather than criticize, sympathize rather than discourage, build rather than destroy, and when I am angry at the ignorance of another, to recall my own ignorance and remember that we are all Your beloved children. 

When I feel temptation or begin to stray, show me Your path. Correct me, comfort me, let me live Your will; that I may be happy in this life and blessed in the life to come. This I pray in the name of Christ, my Lord.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Luke 6:41

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

This verse is a reminder not to judge quickly. It teaches that the accurate measurement of the magnitude of our own failings should precede our detection of our brother’s. Christ assumes the commonness of the opposite practice by asking ‘why’ it is so. And we have all to admit that the assumption is correct. The keenness of men’s criticism of their neighbour’s faults is in inverse proportion to their familiarity with their own.  

Our actions are our self-revelations. The words are not to be pressed, as if they taught the entire goodness of one class of men, so that all their acts were products of their good character, nor the unmingled evil of another, so that no good of any kind or in any degree is in them or comes from them. They must be read as embodying a general truth which is not as yet fully exemplified in any character or conduct.

The Daily Grace - Listening

In her book Listening to Others, Joyce Huggett writes about the importance of learning to listen and respond effectively to those in difficult situations. As she relates some of her own experiences of listening to suffering people, she mentions that they often thank her for all she's done for mentions that they often thank her for all she's done for them. "On many occasions", she writes, "I have not 'done' anything. I have 'just listened'. I quickly came to the conclusion that 'just listening' was indeed an effective way of helping others".

This was the help Job sought from his friends. While it is true that they sat with him for 7 days in silence, "for they saw that his grief was very great" (2:13), they didn't listen when Job started talking. Instead, they talked and talked but failed to comfort him (16:2). "Oh, that I had one to hear me!" Job cried (31:35).

Listening says, "What matters to you matters to me". Sometimes people do want advice. But often they just want to be listened to by someone who loves and cares about them. Listening is hard work, and it takes time. It takes time to listen long enough to hear the other person's true heart so that if we do speak, we speak with gentle wisdom.

Today We Pray

Dear God, I will kindle my fire this morning in the presence of the holy angels of heaven. Without malice, without jealousy, without envy, without fear; without terror of anyone under the sun, but the Holy Son of God to shield me. Kindle thou in my heart within a flame of love to my neighbor, to my foe, to my friend and to my kindred all.

I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.

I beseech You to direct, sanctify, and govern both my heart and body, in the ways of Your laws, and in the works of Your commandments. That, through Your most mighty protection, both here and ever, I may be preserved in body and soul. Through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Proverbs 19:20

Listen to counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction that you may be wise in the time to come. Take those good counsel that you hear because that’s the way to live wisely and well. Get all the advice you can and be wise the rest of your life. Pay attention to the advice you hear so you can live sensibly.

This proverb actually looks into the future welfare of the person reading this or hearing godly wisdom. Of course, the wisdom of the world is not what Solomon is writing about because this world’s wisdom is foolishness to God (1st Cor 3:19), so a brighter future begins with listening to advice and then to accept that advice. Only then can you gain a proper wisdom for a better future. It is simply the cause and effect. Good instruction leads to a better tomorrow; especially an Eternal One.

The Daily Grace - Anchors in the Storm

When Matt and Jessica tried to navigate their sailboat into a Florida inlet during Hurricane Sandy, the craft ran aground. As the waves crashed around them, they quickly dropped anchor. It held the sailboat in place until they could be rescued. They said that if they had not put down the anchor, "We would have lost our boat for sure". Without the anchor, the relentless waves would have smashed the vessel onto the shore.

We need anchors that hold us secure in our spiritual lives as well. When God called Joshua to lead His people after Moses' death, He gave him anchors of promise he could rely on in troubled times. The Lord said to him, "I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. . . The Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh. 1:5, 9). God also gave Joshua and His people the "Book of the Law" to study and observe (vv. 7-8). That and God's presence were anchors the Israelites could rely on as they faced many challenges.

When we're in the middle of suffering or when doubts start threatening our faith, what are our anchors? We could start with Joshua 1:5. Although our faith may feel weak, if it's anchored in God's promises and presence, He will safely hold us. When we feel the stress of the storm, we learn the strength of the anchor.

Today We Pray

Dear God, let Your Holy Spirit be powerful to direct my thinking today so that it be empty of self-pity, dishonesty, self-will, self-seeking and fear. Inspire my thinking, decisions, and intuitions. Help me to relax and take it easy. 

Free me from doubt and indecision. Guide me through this day and show me my next step. Show me what I need to do to take care of any problems. 

I ask all these things that I may be of maximum service to You and my fellow man. Let my week be a blessed and favored one. In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Joshua 1:9

It is His command to be strong and courageous. We should not be afraid. We should never be discouraged. It is because He is always beside us.

Remember the Lord your God when you are afraid or discouraged. Do not be terrified or be dismayed. He will always welcome you with His loving arms. Wherever you will go, He will be there.

The Daily Grace - A Worthy Offering

I was delighted when a mutual friend gave my neighbor a Bible. But my neighbor told me she couldn't understand why God would be so unfair as to reject Cain's offering. "After all", she said, "as a farmer, he simply brought to God what he had. Did God expect him to buy a different kind of sacrifice?" Sadly, she had missed the point.

It wasn't God that didn't like vegetables. Rather, He knew that Cain's offering was masking an unrighteous attitude. Cain wasn't fully committed to God, as expressed by the fact that he wasn't living according to His ways. It's easy to worship God on the outside while stubbornly keeping territory from Him on the inside. Jude writes about outwardly religious people who use religious activities to cover the reality of their sinful lives: "Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain" (Jude 11). 

We can faithfully serve God, sing His praises, and give sacrificially to His work. But God doesn't want any of that without our hearts. Does the Lord take priority over our plans and dreams? Is He worth more than the sin that tempts us? When we express to Him that He is more worthy than anything or anyone else in our lives, it's an offering He won't refuse. God won't refuse a heart that is surrendered to Him.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, may our worship and our praise from our hearts surrendered to Your ways. May it be worthy offerings of love for all Your blessings from above. Help us to proclaim the good news of Your love, that all who hear it may be drawn to You.

Let Your love possess my whole being - my senses, my powers, my affections, my very life. Let Your love rule my labor and my rest, my going and my staying, and move me as it pleases. Let Your love disquiet or comfort me, humble or exalt me, and burn away all my faults.

O Sovereign and almighty Lord, bless all Your people, and all Your flock. Give Your peace, Your help, and Your love unto us Your servants, the sheep of Your fold. That we may be united in the bond of peace and love, one body and one spirit, in one hope of our calling, in your divine and boundless love.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Proverbs 13:12

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick. If disappointments are always attacking your life, it will indeed put you down. Not getting what you want can make you feel sick. But later on, a wish that comes true is a life-giving tree. A sudden good break can turn life around. So, don't give up. Disappointments sometimes lead us to blessings.

The Daily Grace - Secondhand Faith

When I was growing up in Singapore, I remember that some of my school friends were kicked out of their homes by their non-Christian parents for daring to believe in Jesus Christ. They suffered for their beliefs and emerged with stronger convictions. By contrast, I was born and raised in a Christian family. Though I didn't suffer persecution, I too had to make my own convictions my own.

The Israelites who first entered the Promised Land with Joshua saw the mighty acts of God and believed (Judg. 2:7). But sadly, the very next generation "did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel" (v. 10). So it was not long before they turned aside to worship other gods (v. 12). They didn't make their parents' faith their own.

No generation can live off the faith of the previous generation. Every generation needs a firsthand faith. When faced with a trouble of any kind, the faith that is not personalized is likely to drift and falter. Those who are second, third, or even fourth generation Christians have a wonderful legacy, to be sure. However, there's no secondhand faith! Find out what God says in His Word and personalize it so that yours is a fresh, firsthand faith (Josh. 1:8). If your faith is not personalized, it's not faith.

Today We Pray

Dear Jesus, Your death on the cross has set me free. I can live joyously and freely without fear of death. Your mercy knows no bounds.

I bless You for the day You have made. I pray that I may spend this day rejoicing in Your creation. And, I pray for Your Holy Spirit to fill me with the joy of my salvation, so that Your light may shine through me into the world, that Your honor and glory may be known to all people.

Let me not forget You as I go forth into the world this day, blessed Lord. May my every word be a prayer, and my every act be testimony to Your love and truth. And, may I know Your presence every second of this day.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Luke 1:38

This was the words of Mary when she met the angel that told her that she will about to give birth to a baby. We all know her story. She's not been married to Joseph and yet, she is about to give birth. But, she followed the will of God for her life and she entrusted it to Him alone. And now, her son, Jesus, is famous in the world because He is our Savior, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Mary's born child Jesus Christ is a blessing to the nations from generation to generation.

Like Mary, if you don't know what's happening in your life, trust in the Lord. He has better plans for your life even if you don't know His ways. Remember, His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Let go and let God. Let His will be done according to His Words. Uphold His promises to your lives.

The Daily Grace - God Restores

God specializes in restoration like an artist.. In Paul's letter to the Christians at Colosse, he described a restoration process that is impossible in the world of art. It's a restoration of God's people. Paul wrote, "You have put off the old man with His deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created Him" (Col. 3:9-10).

This is no attempt at renovating the work of a certain artist. It is a spiritual renewal from the living God who created us and gave us new life in His Son, Jesus Christ. His forgiveness brightens the colors of our lives. While, His grace sharpens the lines of His purpose for us.

The canvas of our lives is in the skilled hands of our Lord, who knows who and what He designed us to be. No matter how sin-damaged and dirty we may be, there is hope for renewal and restoration. The Master Artist is alive and at work within us. Let God be the artist of your life.

Today We Pray

Dear God, who has been the refuge of my fathers through many generations, be my refuge today in every time and circumstance of need. Be my guide through all that is dark and doubtful. Be my guard against all that threatens my spirit's welfare.

Be my strength in time of testing. Gladden my heart with Your peace. Let me be the thing I meant.

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep me from falling away and will bring me with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time.

Amen

The Daily Grace - Surfacing

Human beings straddle visible and invisible realities - the natural and the supernatural. I thought about these two worlds when I went out in a boat to watch whales off the coast of New Zealand. A whale would rest on the surface for a while, then breathe deeply a few times, his exhalations creating a spectacular spout, before plunging a mile deep to feed on squid. Despite having its own lively habitat of marine plants and sea creatures, the whale must surface for oxygen from time to time or it dies. Though it knows little about the world above, it needs vital contact with it to survive.

I sometimes feel like that whale, coming up for spiritual air at regular intervals to stay alive. But there is no neat division between the natural and the supernatural. The world we live in is not an either/or world. What I do as a Christian - praying, worshiping, demonstrating God's love to the sick, needy and imprisoned - is both supernatural and natural. The same God who created the world that's visible to us actively sustains it and has made a way for us to approach Him, the invisible. Paul wrote, "You, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death" (Col. 1:21-22).

All our actions take place in the visible world, which we can touch, smell, and see. Yet the Creator and Sustainer of all things have provided a way for us to breathe the spiritual air we need and crave. God's throne is always accessible to His children. Just come.