Rejoice in Your Blessings

How good is your memory? Do you remember only the bad things that have happened? Or do you remember the good things as well? Who do you give credit to for all the good? Have you considered who is giving you the good in your life? Do you rejoice in the good?

I see far too many people complaining about all the bad they experience. I am not saying bad things do not happen. However, I am stating we focus on the bad far too much. Even within the bad that happens we can see good things come from it. Minimally, we should learn lessons to apply in the future.

By focusing so much of our time and energy on the bad, we fail to spend a proportionate amount of time on the good. The mere fact that we are living, breathing, eating, drinking, and being with others is a blessing. We should rejoice in each day. I know, it is not always easy. I understand that. I also fall prey to complaining and being down in the dumps. But when I remember it is only by the grace of God that I have that day, I give him thanks.

Recognizing that God has blessed us with every breath, every person in our lives, and every possession we have is cause for rejoicing. It is impossible to complain when we are rejoicing. When we rejoice, we cannot be depressed. When we rejoice, we cannot be fearful. It is the love of God that allows us to overcome the negatives of this world. It is Satan who tries to get us to focus on the negatives. Therefore, overcoming the negatives with love and joy is defeating Satan himself.

The more thankful and rejoicing we are, the more victorious we are. The more we recognize God’s everyday blessings, the more we can be thankful and joyful. We need to open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to see every blessing of God and overcome the negative in our lives. As we stand victorious, we are the positive example for others.

I pray we all recognize the everyday blessings of God. I pray we give God thanks for his wondrous blessings. I pray each one of us will stand victorious in our rejoicing and be a positive example for others. See God’s blessings. Thank God for his blessings. Rejoice in your blessings. Stand victorious. Be a positive example to others.

Psalm 126:3

The Lord has done great things for us, 

and we rejoiced.

Rejoice in the Lord

How is your relationship with God? What is your perspective of God? Have you decided to rejoice in the gifts he has given you? Do you realize the significance of being given salvation? Do you know you have been made righteous only because of what he has done?

We typically go about our daily lives living in the moment. We have things to do and people to see. It seems there is a never-ending task list. We are inundated with thoughts, images, and conversations. It is no wonder we rarely stop to remember what God has given us.

I know what it is like to work sixty or more hours per week. I know the feeling of being overwhelmed by a to-do list of things to get done around the house. I know what it is like to be constantly on the go, places to be. I know many of you have been in the same situations. In all that busyness our minds are racing, trying to figure out how to get everything done, and finding it very challenging to think about God.

Yet, it should be natural for us to praise him. He has given us gifts that no one else can give us. He has given us gifts that cannot be measured in dollars. They are more precious than all the gold in the world. They have only one source—the Creator of the universe. God has given us the gift of eternal life with him—salvation. He has given us the gift of righteousness through his Son, Jesus Christ. The least we can do is sing his praises and rejoice in the gifts he has given us.

I pray we all recognize the precious gifts God has given us. I pray we rejoice in the Lord. I pray each one of us will praise God for his gift of righteousness through his Son, Jesus Christ. Recognize the gifts of God. Appreciate the true value of them. Praise God. Give thanks to him. Rejoice in your gifts.

Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, 

my whole being shall exult in my God; 

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, 

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, 

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, 

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Good News

Are you in need of some good news? Do you seeking to have a broken heart mended? Are you feeling oppressed and longing to be freed? Has depression overcome you and you need someone to lift you up? Are you mourning and in need of comfort?

We all go through trying times in our lives. Our heart can be broken when a relationship ends. We may feel as though we are in a no-win situation. Depression can set in after having things go wrong. A loved one passes away, leaving us feeling empty or alone.

All these situations and feeling are normal. But that doesn’t make them easy to deal with. Knowing they will come doesn’t make it easier either. We can prepare ourselves as much as we possibly can and still be overcome by our emotions. Our reactions to them are different for each individual. Some of us want others to be around us. Others want to be left alone.

God promised long ago to send someone to be us throughout all situations—good and bad. Jesus Christ came to fulfill today’s Scripture. He promised to send his Holy Spirit to live within us forever (John 14:16-17) so that we would never be alone, so that God would always be with us. This is the promise of old made in Isaiah 7:14 and quoted in Matthew 1:22-23 that is fulfilled in the birth and life of Jesus and the giving of the Holy Spirit.

As we go through the ups and downs of life, we can find strength, endurance, peace, and comfort in God. He will never abandon us. We can lean on him at any time in any circumstance. Knowing this, truly knowing it deep in our hearts, can relieve us of our fears, anxiety, and stress.

I pray we all know that God is always with us. I pray we lean on him every day of our lives. I pray each one of us seek strength, endurance, peace, and comfort from the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Know God is always with you. Lean on God. Know that Jesus came for you. Be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. Be comforted by God.

Isaiah 61:1-2

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and release to the prisoners;

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

The Shepherd

Do you need someone who will hold you tight and protect you? Would you like to have someone who will gather you in their arms when you are in anguish? Does having someone who will guide you along the right path sound good to you?

All of us desire safety and protection. We may have times in our lives in which protection seems more urgent than at others. Those times when we think we have it all together are merely our pride speaking foolish things to us.

God has promised he will care for us as a shepherd cares for his sheep. That is an awesome promise! A shepherd leads the sheep to food and water. He steers them away from dangers. He protects them from wolves that may attack.


God also promises us that he will gather us into his bosom. In other words, God will hug us close to him. Having someone who will hug us like a mother hugging her child is comforting and reassuring. It lets us know we are loved and cared for.

God is waiting for us to reach out to him. We have the option of doing so or continuing to think we can do it on our own. He will wait as long as it takes and he will not grow weary in his waiting.

I pray we all reach out to God. I pray we know that he will shepherd us as the Good Shepherd. I pray each one of us will allow him to gather us into his bosom and provide us the comfort and reassurance we need. Know God cares for you. He protects you. He gathers you in. God comforts you. God is patient.

Isaiah 40:11

He will feed his flock like a shepherd; 

he will gather the lambs in his arms, 

and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

God’s Comfort

Are there times when you long for comfort? Is it during times of trial or sorrow or struggle? Where do you seek your comfort? Is there a specific person you go to? Is there a group of people? What if you had a person who could always comfort you?

We all experience times when we need comfort. We can be hit out of the blue by a sledgehammer situation. We can be stunned, shocked, and rattled by an unforeseen event. When we are knocked off our feet, we desire someone who can provide us comfort.

When things go awry, we often turn to a specific person or group of people to commiserate with and receive the comfort we desire. Often those people are family. They also be close friends. For those of us who are members of the church, we may reach out to a pastor or other members. Having someone to bring us the comfort we need is important.

We can always turn to God who will comfort us. Yet, we may think, he isn’t here with me. I need arms to wrap around me. I need someone I can talk to who will provide comforting words. That may all be true, but that’s where God steps in, if we reach out to him. He provides comforting words through his Word and promises. He sends people to wrap their arms around us. He will always listen to our pleas. We simply need to reach out to him.

I pray we all reach out to God during our times of struggle. I pray we seek comfort from God. I pray each one of us will ask God to remind us of his Word and promises and send people to bring us comfort. Reach out to God for comfort. Seek the promises in God’s Word. Trust God will send people to comfort you in your time of need.

Isaiah 40:1

Comfort, O comfort my people, 

says your God.

The Messenger

Have you been a messenger for someone? Was it taking a message from one person to give it to another? Have you been sent ahead of someone else to prepare for their arrival? Were you to take care of the logistics, ensuring all the amenities were taken care of?

Being a messenger can be relatively simple or it can be a daunting task. Taking a message from mom to dad can be simple. Being the lead person for someone on a campaign trail can be exhausting and overwhelming. Many of us relay messages from one to another regularly.

When you are sent ahead to, not only take a message, but to prepare for the arrival of someone else, it can be a very large task. I can remember being on the advanced party for a deployment while I was in the Marine Corps. We went ahead of the larger unit a few weeks before they were to arrive. We had to set up tents, fill sandbags, set up generators and run power lines, set up a computer and radio network, and many other tasks. We generally worked twelve hours a day to get all the work done.

John was sent ahead of Jesus. His task was to prepare people’s hearts. Can you imagine? He was to get people to start thinking about the coming Messiah. He had to prepare them for a significant change in how they thought of salvation. Their sacrificial system was no longer going to be required. They needed to accept the Holy Spirit coming to everyone who accepted Jesus as their Savior. God was going to live among them, but not in a temple.

We should listen to John’s message and take to heart what he has to say. John recognized the magnitude of Jesus and His ministry. He knew from the time he was still in the womb that Jesus was the Son of God. We would do well to see Jesus as John saw Him, someone we are not worthy of. Yet, also see Jesus as He calls us, His friend, brother/sister, and child of God.

I pray we see Jesus as someone far greater that we are. I pray we listen to John’s description of Him. I pray each one of us know that God lives among us and in us in his Holy Spirit. Listen to John’s message. See Jesus for who He is. Know that God lives in you. Know that God is all around you.

Mark 1:7-8 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

God’s Patience

Yesterday, we covered the fact that God exists outside of time. God works in each moment while also seeing all of history at once. This is a compelling reason to trust God and his promises. But what about those times when it feels as though God is not working at all?

We experience many different kinds of days. Some are a struggle. Others are a joy. In those days of struggle, we may feel as though God is not working in our lives. Or we may ask for God to do something and it seems as though he is being extremely slow about doing it.

We have likely heard the saying that God works in his time, not ours. As true as that is, when we are struggling through a situation, it does not bring us comfort. However, if we know it beforehand and truly believe it, it can help us be patient and continue to trust God is at work. Everything God does or doesn’t do is for a reason. He knows the outcome and his desired outcome.

We might wonder why God works slowly at times and fast at others. Today’s passage states the reason clearly. God wants every one of us to repent and come to him. God’s desire is to save every person in this world. That includes people we may not care for as well as people we care very deeply for. God sees every person as his child. He wants every one of his children to be saved.

So, when we think God is moving slowly, there is a reason. He is moving in his time to achieve the desired outcome, to bring people to him. Sometimes, we must struggle to learn a lesson. Other times, a quick answer is needed to show us that God cares and to lift us out of a dangerous situation. We need to understand deep in our heart and soul that God is working to save us and every other person in this world.

I pray we all understand God is at work in our lives. I pray we trust that God will answer our request in his time. I pray each one of us will repent and come into his salvation. Know God is at work. Know he has a plan. Trust him to answer. Repent of your sins. Work to bring others to faith in Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

A Thousand Years

Do you have days that seem to last forever? Do you have days that seem to fly by? Are there weeks that drag on or are gone too quick? Are there special events you look forward to that feel as though they will never occur? What if I told you, it is the same with God?

We all experience days that seem go on and on and on. It may be a day at work. Perhaps we don’t have enough to do, and we are bored. Maybe there is a long-running task that takes multiple days to finish. Those days cause us to glance at the clock every few minutes.

On the other hand, days can fly by. We are busy all day long. We may be working on several to-do’s or perhaps just one. Our focus is intense and before we know it, a couple of hours have passed. We can’t believe the day is already over. We may even feel as though we didn’t get enough done during the day.

Though God executes his plan as he desires, days can be long and almost non-existent. God can work every minute detail in a day and yet work out his plan over centuries. It can be a challenge for us to think in terms of centuries. It can be difficult to wrap our minds around the fact that God exists outside of time. For him, time is not linear but occurs all at once.

I like how C. S. Lewis describes it in his book Mere Christianity. He tells us to lay a piece of paper on a table. Draw a straight line on the paper. Then put a dot on the line. The paper is God. The line is time. The dot is our lifespan. We all live inside of God and in time. God sees all of time at once, yet he is right there beside us in our moment of need.

We don’t have to understand everything about God. What we should understand is God is always at work. God sees all of history at the same time, yet he is involved in the minute details of our lives. This is just another reason for us to trust that God has our best interest at heart. It is another reason to trust God’s promises.

I pray we all know that God sees all of history. I pray we trust in his promises. I pray each one of us understand God is at work in our lives in the same way he is at work in all of history. Know that you live in God. Trust in God’s promises. Trust God cares for you. Believe God is at work for you.

2 Peter 3:8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.

Love and Faithfulness

Are you looking for a love that will last forever? Do you know it is available? Do you want to know where you can find it? Are you longing for a peace that is joined with a goodness above all goodness? Would you believe it if you were told it would all come to be?

We all long for love. We desire to be loved to love someone else. We want the one we love to be faithful to us. We want peace. A peace that will last. Not just a lack of violence but an inner peace, a contentment. We want that peace to come with goodness, a wholesome goodness.

Many of us search for the love, faithfulness, peace, and goodness for our entire lives without ever finding it. The most unfortunate reality is, it is there for us to have and experience. We simply look in the wrong places for it. They won’t be found in dark places. They are only found in the light, the light of the world.

God has promised that love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace will all come together. He will bring them together in his kingdom. Many believe God’s kingdom will come at some point in the future. However, his kingdom can be experienced in the here and now. When we live in him and for him, we live in his kingdom. True, his future kingdom will not exist in the midst of a broken world. Yet, that does not mean we cannot experience his kingdom today.

Through God’s promises, we find love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace. Even if we do not find someone on this earth to experience these with, we can experience them in God. He is all of those all the time. We can have them, today, tomorrow, and every day for the rest of our lives.

I pray we all experience the love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace of God. I pray we seek to live in God’s kingdom today. I pray each one of us strive to live every day in God’s peace. God is love. God is faithful. God is righteous. God is peace. Live in God’s kingdom. Experience God every day.

Psalm 85:10

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; 

righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

God Speaks Peace

Are you looking for peace in your life? Do you need to hear someone speak peace into your heart? Who are you listening to? Are you willing to listen to the master of peace? When you hear peace spoken to you, will you apply it to your life?

We all need peace in our lives, even if we think we can handle the chaos. We may be able to handle the chaos for a while, but we eventually need peace. In fact, we need peace in the midst of chaos. It is by having peace in our lives that we can handle the chaos.

We may know of someone who always seems to be at peace. Maybe that person brings peace to us in the midst of our chaotic lives. We may think that person has some superpower that gives them peace. We may not be far off. Someone who is truly at peace and projects that peace likely is tapping into a higher power.

We can ask God to speak his peace to us. We can hear him speak that peace. We hear it in our hearts. When we put our faith in him and turn our hearts to him, he speaks the peace we need. When we listen and take his peace into our hearts, we tap into his power. It is having the peace of God in our hearts that allows us to live a life of peace. It is his peace in our hearts that pulls us through the chaos we face.

I pray we seek to know the peace of God. I pray we ask God to speak his peace to us. I pray each one of us will listen for God to speak his peace to us and take it into our hearts. Seek God’s peace. Ask God to speak his peace. Take God’s peace into your heart. Use his peace to get you through the chaos.

Psalm 85:8

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, 

for he will speak peace to his people, 

to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.