Reflections
Need a boost for the day? Here are some Spirit-inspired passages and thoughts that I hope will encourage and strengthen you.
How, not If.
Death is not a matter of "if" it will come, but "how."
Hebrews 9:27-28. The question isn't IF you're going to die. That's a gimme. The question is HOW you're going to die. As for me? I want to die having loved the One who died so I only have to die ONE time. Because you can bet your bottom dollar, it could be twice.
May Christ forever be praised.
You don’t want to miss it.
Here’s a "best of both worlds" deal, the best you will ever have for life.
Eph 2:10, John 14:2. God has good works prepared for us down here and an amazingly good home with Him after we leave here. It's a "best of both worlds" deal, the best you will ever have for life. You don't want to pass on it. Choose God.
He longs to comfort you.
Just as you wouldn't hesitate to gently reach out and comfort your child when she falls and scrapes her knee, God reaches out to soothe your contrite heart.
Is your heart broken, heavy with grief? Do you feel loaded with anxiety and sorrow for something you did? God not only sees your sadness; He moves closer to you because of it. Read Psalm 34:18-22 to picture this.
Just as you wouldn't hesitate to gently reach out and comfort your child when she falls and scrapes her knee, God reaches out to soothe your contrite heart. He may do it through a hug from a family member or close friend or through the words on a sympathy card. He may bring to your mind just the right Bible passage to cheer you or let you listen to a sermon that lifts your spirit and encourages you to press onward. These moments that ease your hurting soul aren't mere coincidences. God loves you, sees you, and longs to ease your pain.
I'm so grateful I'm not alone in my griefs! Neither are you. Jesus asks you to come to Him with all your weariness and the heaviness of your life, so you can find relief and receive the care and strength you need to face the challenges and troubles. He wants to bear your sorrows, as He has done for His children for millennia (Matthew 11:28-30; Isaiah 53:4).
Be still enough to listen and look for His comforting touch; it's there.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Some folks think there won't be a day when our Lord comes back. Second Peter 3:3-12 has news for them.
Some folks think there won't be a day when our Lord comes back. They think that because everything seems to go on the same way in the world day after day, year after year, life will just continue this way without change. Second Peter 3:3-12 has some news for them.
Christ hasn't yet returned because 1) God has determined the exact day the earth ends and is the only One who knows it; 2) God loves us all dearly and is patiently waiting on us to turn to Him; and 3) slowness in our eyes is not slowness to God, whom Time does not restrict: a thousand years are as a single day to Him. After all, He made Time in the first place.
Let's thank God for His love and deep patience, holding out the Word of Life to others to speed along Christ's coming (v. 12)!
Gimme shelter.
Do you want to experience good days of peace and joy despite your circumstances? I sure do.
Do you desire mental and emotional well-being in your daily life? Do you want to experience good days of peace and joy despite your circumstances? I know I do. Here’s the good news: We can attain this! (Learn how: Psalm 34:12-14; Isa. 26:3; 2 Thess. 3:16 AMP.)
As we make Christ the Center of our lives, learning and obeying His commands and making Him our souls' anchor and refuge, He gives us His perfect peace and keeps us within it. How wonderful the Savior of the world is to us!
Freedom from fear.
Fear. There’s no getting around facing it from time to time. But how does God want you to handle yours?
Fear. There’s no getting around facing it from time to time. But do you live in it? Are certain fears consuming your mind, joy, and peace on a regular basis? They don’t have to. Focus for a few moments on Ps. 34:4-9. What can you do to replace the fear that wants to take over your heart?
It is said that "fear not" appears 365 times in the Bible. Enoch walked with God 365 years and was then taken up. There are 365 days in each year. I find the numeric similarity no coincidence. We can receive daily deliverance from fear as we walk with God, seeking Him. May God help us.
True light for dark times.
Only God can shine light into the Voids of our lives. Real Light that lasts. And He wants to do it, too. Go ahead, ask Him for it.
Spend a moment and reflect on darkness and light: Genesis 1:1-3 and John 1:1-4.
Sometimes, our way feels dark, empty, and formless, like Earth did in the beginning. Whenever this happens, we might lean on people, money, food, sex, drugs, worry, or diversions to fill the heart pain we're experiencing. Sure, they’ll distract us for awhile, but these choices do not bring us the true light, fullness of joy, or meaningful purpose our hearts need, nor can they. Only God can shine light into the Voids of our lives. Real Light that lasts. And He wants to do it, too. Go ahead, ask Him for it.