God’s Mercy
I recently read. As a group of religious leaders herded an adulterous woman toward Jesus, they couldn’t know they were carrying her within a stone’s throw of grace. Their hope was to discredit Him. If He told them to let the woman go, they could claim He was breaking Mosaic law. But if He condemned her to death, the crowds following Him would have dismissed His words of mercy and grace.
But Jesus turned the tables on the accusers. Scripture says that rather than answering them directly, He started writing on the ground. When the leaders continued to question Him, He invited any of them who had never sinned to throw the first stone, and then He started writing on the ground again. The next time He looked up, all the accusers were gone.
Now the only person who could have thrown a stone—the only sinless one—looked at the woman and gave her mercy. “And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11).
Whether today finds you needing forgiveness for judging others or desiring assurance that no sin is beyond His grace, be encouraged by this: No one is throwing stones today; go and be changed by God’s mercy.
Father, cleanse me of my judging nature and free me from the bonds of sin. Let me taste Your mercy and then help me to live a changed life. Amen.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is John 7:53-8:11
This is the Day!
Psalms 118 reminds us that each day we have, is a day created by God. It is a day we should rejoice in, a day we should be happy. It is not a day where we should be burdened by the stress of our lives, but a day that we should be praising and thanking God.
Psalm 118 reminds us that everyday we have is a gift. A day that we should treasure, because we do not know if it will be our last. Everyday is a day we are able share God’s love, and his joy.
What I find most interesting, is that many Christians are not filled with joy. Many Christians do not smile at a new day, just because it exists. They do not realize the mystery and frailty of that day. Instead, we take the gifts we have for granted, and grumble about our work.
We complain about having too much paperwork, too much homework, an unhappy boss, our hours… We tell people how bad our day is going…
And yet, the most afflicted Christians spoke of how “joyful,” they were. Christians who were jailed, beaten, and killed because of their beliefs. In Acts 2:28, Luke says: Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Shouldn’t that be the attitude we all have? Shouldn’t we be grateful for being able to know God? To have a personal relationship with him? To have another day in his presence? Shouldn’t we be grateful that we have another day to spend with our friends and family?
Shouldn’t we wake up everyday, and think to ourselves, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it….”
Trust Him
Pass It On!
I recently read, I enjoy watching relay races. The physical strength, speed, skill, and endurance required of the athletes amaze me. But one crucial point of the race always gets my special attention and makes me anxious. It is the moment the baton is passed to the next athlete. One moment of delay, one slip, and the race could be lost.
In a sense, Christians are in a relay race, carrying the baton of faith and the knowledge of the Lord and of His Word. And the Bible tells us about our need to pass this baton from one generation to another. In Psalm 78, Asaph declares: “I will utter . . . dark sayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done” (vv. 2–4).
Moses said something similar to the Israelites: “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons” (Deut. 4:9).
For generations to come, we are called to lovingly and courageously do whatever we can to pass along “the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Hope and Encouragement
When we struggle in the circumstances of life, an encouraging word from others can lift our spirits and our eyes to the Lord. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote, “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary” (50:4). And when we look to the Lord, He offers words of hope and light in the darkness.
Heavenly Father, help me to hear Your word of hope today. And help me to speak words of hope and encouragement to others, pointing them to You. Amen
When I read this devotion I immediately thought it wasn’t super lengthy but it was direct and to the point. Some days that’s just what we need. It’s so elementary but it’s important to be reminded of the simple things. It’s so easy to get so caught up with life that we fail to stop and offer hope and encouragement to someone in our path. What a difference we can make just by being an encouragement to someone today. Let’s take time today to find someone in need and encourage them with words of hope and encouragement, someone needs you today. Will you be the vessel God uses? Are you willing to say, Here am I Lord, use me.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Isaiah 50:4-10
A Prayer To Forgive Yourself!
Our Tongue
A soothing, nurturing word plants seeds of life where the perverse, obstinate tongue crushes and destroys. We know, or at least can know with a little thought, which result our words will have. There are very few things that can be said that could go either way, especially when context is applied. It is so simple to pause momentarily and ask ourselves if what we are about to say will give life or crush it. And in those rare cases in which we aren’t sure of the answer, we probably ought to err on the side of caution and silence our tongues altogether.
As beings created in the image of God, we have an incredible and ultimate example before us in the Lord. He who spoke life itself into existence, who called the sun and moon into their places, the same One who stilled the stormy seas with a word, is the One whose example we ought to follow when we speak. You and I may not be capable of issuing forth galaxies with our tongues, but we can bring light into the life of another and reflect our Heavenly Father as we speak to His children.
Heavenly Father, may we be mindful of our words and plant seeds of life today. Help us to build up and not tear down. Even in the moments when we feel what we have to say is justified may we stop for just a moment and ask ourselves, will these next words build up or tear down, will I be bringing light into this individuals life today? May we choose to reflect You today by what we choose to say. Amen.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 15
Seasons of Trial
James wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:2–4).
It is in the season of trial that God’s purposes are often realized, for there the conditions are right for us to grow into spiritual maturity. This growth not only equips us for living, but it also enables us to more accurately reflect Jesus to a world that desperately needs Him.
In the hands of our Father, our trials can achieve His purposes for our good and for His honor. They can shape us into the likeness of His Son.
Father, teach me to trust You for the strength to endure difficulties and the faith to wait for Your good purposes to be accomplished in me. Amen.
Amen and Amen!!! It is in the seasons of trial that God’s purposes are often realized. Wow!! That right there is so powerful, if we would just grasp the truth in that, He and He alone is our strength. He has a purpose for everything we go through, we may not realize the why at the time but He is faithful and true and He doesn’t just allow us to go through trials to watch us struggle but to build purpose out of it and even if we don’t see the purpose in the moment there will come a time when we will realize the why and we will be able to touch many lives because of that season of trial. God is so faithful! Trust Him, even in the midst of your trial.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is James 1:2-12
A Safe Resting Place
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22)
Certain situations in life require us to spend our mental, physical, or emotional energy in a way that we can’t sustain. David described a time when his enemies were threatening him and he felt the emotional weight of their anger. He needed to escape the distress he was experiencing.
As he processed his feelings, he found a way to rest in his troubled thoughts. He said, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee” (Ps. 55:22). He recognized that God supports us if we dare to release our problems to Him. We don’t have to take charge of every situation and try to craft the outcome—that’s exhausting! God is in control of every aspect of our life.
Instead of trying to do everything in our own effort, we can find rest in God. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking Him to handle our problems. Then we can pause, relax, and enjoy the knowledge that He is sustaining us.
God, today I give my problems to You. I know that You are in control of everything and I believe You are willing to help me. Please help me to find peace in You. Amen.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord.
Today’s Reading is Psalm 55:4-23
I needed this today and I wanted to share it. My prayer is that this blesses you and encourages you as much as it did me.
Fragrance of Christ
I recently read, When writing to the followers of Christ in the city of Corinth, Paul at one point used an example that would have reminded them of a victorious Roman army in a conquered city burning incense (2 Cor. 2:14). The general would come through first, followed by his troops and then the defeated army. For the Romans, the aroma of the incense meant victory; for the prisoners, it meant death.
Paul said we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ’s victory over sin. God has given us the fragrance of Christ Himself so we can become a sweet-smelling sacrifice of praise. But how can we live so we spread this pleasing fragrance to others? We can show generosity and love, and we can share the gospel with others so they can find the way to salvation. We can allow the Spirit to display through us His gifts of love, joy, and kindness (Gal. 5:22–23).
Do others observe us and say, “This is Jesus’s work”? Are we allowing Him to spread His fragrance through us and then telling others about Him? He is the Ultimate Perfumer—the most exquisite fragrance there will ever be.
Do others recognize the work of God in my life? Am I spreading the fragrance of Christ? How?
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Corinthians 2:12-17