Today's Godly Reminder - Galatians 3:26

For you who are born-again have been reborn from above. All of you are God’s children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. You are spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and are all children of God. You were set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges through faith in Christ Jesus. By faith in Christ, you are in direct relationship with God.

Be thankful for that privilege in being the children of God. It is because of your faith in Him. That is why he claimed you to be His children in His kingdom. Use that privilege for His glory alone.

The Daily Grace - Agents of Change

With 4 years of seminary under my belt, I walked into my first ministry with a long agenda. As a new pastor, I thought I was there to change that place. Instead, God used that place to change me. The board members were supportive, but they relentlessly kept my feet to the fire in administrative details. I needed to learn how to work with lay leadership, how to be careful in my work, and how to dream with others.

We often think God has assigned us to change the world around us when in reality He is interested in changing us. Why? To make each of us "a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work" (2 Tim. 2:21). God often uses the most unlikely people in the most unlikely places to teach us some of life's most difficult lessons. And just when we think we've arrived, He is instructing us further.

Not long ago I entered a new season of ministry. I may be a "seasoned veteran", but I'm still learning, still growing, and still amazed at how God continues to shape this vessel for His noble purposes. If you want to be an agent of change, don't resist the true Agent of Change. He has your best interest - and His - at heart! Only when we are changed can we be agents of change.

Today We Pray

Dear God, You, and You alone, can restore a soul lost and without hope to its former beauty. You are my creator and my redeemer. I praise You with all my heart for Your power and mercy.

Save me from doubt. Incline my heart to hear Your mysterious voice and to call upon Your power, every moment of my life. For you are present in everything, always.

The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant; Make me perfect in every good work to do your will, working in me that which is well pleasing in your sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Ephesians 3:17-19

"Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, 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."

Let the Lord dwell in Your hearts through your faith. Let Christ will live in your hearts because of your it. Be deeply rooted and securely grounded in His love. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in His love. Be fully capable of comprehending with all of God’s people the width and length and height and depth of His love. Indeed, it is fully experiencing that amazing and endless love of God's. May you have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself. Let us know all about Christ’s love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.

The Daily Grace - Spoonful of Sugar

Where is Mary Poppins when you need her? I know this sounds as if I'm longing for the good old days when cheerfully unrealistic movies featured characters like this fictional nanny, but what I'm really longing for are people with a vision for the future that is realistically optimistic. I yearn for joyful, creative people who can show us the positive side of what we consider negative, who can remind us that "just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down".

David wrote a song that expressed a similar truth. In his words, "the judgements of the Lord" are "sweeter also than. . . honey" (Ps. 199:9-10). Seldom do we hear that truth is sweet. More often we hear that it is bitter or hard to swallow. But truth is so much more than medicine to treat what's wrong. It's the diet that will prevent disease. It's  not an inoculation or an injection. It's a gourmet meal that should be presented as a culinary delight, enticing the hungry to "taste and see that the Lord is good" (34:8).

We sing "Jesus is the sweetest name I know", but some of us present Him as if He's gone sour. Pure truth, untainted by pride, is the sweetest, most refreshing taste of all to those who hunger for spiritual sustenance. And we have the privilege of serving it to a starving world. The truth of the Lord endures forever (Ps. 117:2)

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, I confess to You all the sins of my wickedness committed before You, now and in the past. Forgive me for them for the sake of Your Holy Name, and save my soul, which You have redeemed with Your precious Blood. I entrust myself to Your mercy.

I submit to Your will. Do with me according to You mercy and not according to my evil and wickedness. May your Holy Spirit, who is with me, guide me in everything I think and do, this day, during the week to come, and always.

May it please you, my good Lord, that there may come a day when I can repay a little of my great debt to you. Strengthen my soul, You who are good above all good; and since you have inclined my soul in this way, show me how I may act for you, whatever it may cost, O Lord. Here is my life, my honor and my will; I have given them all to you and they are Yours: use me to do whatever You want.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Matthew 5:16

We are the light of the world. We are a city on a hill. Let the light shine on us. Jesus is our light and source of light. We should let Him shine everywhere we go.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence. And, they may recognize, honor and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Once they will see the light in us, people will follow through it and can see Jesus in it. Let's make Jesus famous wherever we will go. He deserves all the praises and adoration.