Scripture of the Day: Praise God for Who He Is

 

 

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And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 20:21 NKJV

 

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

Romans 11:33 NKJV

 

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

Psalm 90:1-2 NKJV

 

All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah

Psalm 66:4 NKJV

 

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Hebrews 13:15 NKJV

 

Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.

Daniel 2:20 NKJV

 

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:6 NKJV

 

God's Help In The Midst of Trouble

 

Being a Christian doesn't mean you won't face difficulty. Life can seem messy, and it's easy to get discouraged and want to quit when things don't go as you hoped. . . . [W]hen life gets messy, the Word of God teaches that you can experience the goodness of God in the midst of tough times.

Pain is not permanent. And going through a trial, challenge or difficulty doesn't mean God has abandoned you. God is with you no matter what you are facing. He will encourage you, comfort you, teach you and bring you out better than before. . . . God is with you and He can turn that situation around for your good. If you'll trust Him and keep doing what He has called you to do, you're going to see His blessing.

~Joyce Meyer, Joyce Meyer Ministries, joycemeyer.org

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed.

God's Favor

 

As believers, we get to enjoy the favor Father God has for Jesus, His Son. Anyone who desires to know God can come in the name of His Son and be welcomed with open arms. And that is truly a red-letter day!

 

~From Devotions for the Hungry Heart: Chasing Jesus Six Days from Sunday by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!

The Greatest Commandments

 

 

"A Christian society is not going to arrive until most of us really want it: and we are not going to want it until we become fully Christian. I may repeat ‘Do as you would be done by’ till I am black in the face, but I cannot really carry it out till I love my neighbour as myself: and I cannot learn to love my neighbour as myself till I learn to love God: and I cannot learn to love God except by learning to obey Him. And so, as I warned you, we are driven on to something more inward—driven on from social matters to religious matters. For the longest way round is the shortest way home."

~C.S. Lewis 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed

Unity Not Division

 

 

Division has crept into our country, our public discourse, our families, and even the Church. 

Paul understood the consequences of this and the toll it takes on our souls, which is why unity was his highest priority. For example, in Galatians 2, Paul passionately “opposed Peter to his face,” but then later reconciled with him. Paul recognized the importance of unity and unity takes work.

This is the context for Philippians 4 when Paul pleads with two Philippian women to “be of the same mind in the Lord” (v. 2). Euodia and Syntyche were two Christian women who were key players in the spread of the gospel. These women very well could have risked their lives for the mission of God, but disunity undermined their relationship. 

After urging these women toward unity, Paul gives a series of instructions in verses 4-9—action steps for maintaining their unity with one another:

1. Rejoice (v. 4) – Joy is a counterintuitive tool against division. Very often, division occurs when something other than Christ is made central. That’s the amazing thing about rejoicing in God and expressing gratitude. When we shift our focus off of the source of our division and onto the goodness of God, it shifts our perspective. It reminds us what we hold in common. 

2. Be gentle (v. 5) – When we pound people into submission with our words we might win the battle, but we will probably lose the war. Communication breaks down under the weight of slander, harsh words, unfair generalizations, and brazen self-righteousness. If we want to avoid disunity, we must wield our words with fear and trembling. 

3. Do not be anxious (v. 6) – So much division in our world comes from unfounded fears. It is for this simple reason that God repeatedly commands “Do not fear.” Fear is a liar, an instigator, an aggressor, and the source of much division today.

4. Pray (v. 6) – Go to God first. While it’s important to seek wise counsel, too often we stray into gossip and slander under the guise of seeking advice. ALWAYS go first to God in prayer. 

This passage reminds us that unity takes work—unity never happens on its own. The natural momentum of community is toward brokenness. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are constantly resisting the rupture of misunderstandings and relationship breakdowns. Joy is a part of that resistance. It’s just one more reason God invites us to choose joy. 

 

~From Defiant Joy: A Study of Philippians on YouVersion 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!

Ask God About Your Shortcomings

 

 

“Check the obvious first” can be a good principle for spiritual troubleshooting as well. Colossians 3:12-17 lists a dozen spiritual qualities that indicate a healthy soul. Prominent among them are compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, and thankfulness.

Before criticizing our church or other Christian groups, we might ask the Lord to reveal our own shortcomings. Prior to ripping out the wires of relationships, we could check to see if patience and forgiveness are connected in our own heart.

It’s good to look inside our heart—to check the obvious first—even when it feels as if all our problems are caused by others. — David McCasland

I’ll check within my own heart first,
The obvious to see,
That faults I find in others
Are really faults in me. — D. DeHaan

Christlike love is patient with the faults of others.  

From Our Daily Bread Devotional on YouVersion

 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!

God Is There For Us

 

When we start being careless and stop tapping into our power source (our relationship with God), we will become weaker over sin or other evil influences in our life. However, our God is always there for us when we seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:12–13). Let need to always stay plugged into Him, because when we do, “He gives strength to the weary and increases power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29 NIV). 

 

From the Study of Mark Devotional on YouVersion 

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!