Celebration

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“…Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise…” Psalm 100:4

What’s your view of God? Do you have images of lightening bolts or a booming voice of disapproval coming from heaven to chastise you for how you have lived your life? Do you worry about how He will respond when you call out in faith? Fear not for I can tell you the answer. Jesus will respond by saying,

WELCOME HOME

Psalm 100 says, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.“

Strength Test

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“…The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

Who can fathom the power to create the heavens and the earth. Who can comprehend the ability to breath life into us. We toil and spin trying to control the uncontrollable in life when the

Ultimate Power Belongs To God

Real strength isn’t about your physical ability, it’s your ability to call out in prayer to the One who has the power to change your circumstances. Prayer is the moment when you have God’s undivided attention.

Carried Away

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Jesus said, “…Take up your cross and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24

When Christ says to us, “Take up your cross and follow me,” He knows there are callings, and dreams, and burdens we have to carry in this life. Yet over and over again in scripture God says,

I Will Care For You

No matter what your burden is today, whether heavy or light, hand it to the Lord. You are not alone.

Overcome The Impossible

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“Without faith it is impossible to please God…” Hebrews 11:6

Without faith it is impossible to please God? This is an incredibly powerful and imposing thought. There is nothing in life that God asks more from us than our faith in Him. Faith is the singularly defining purpose of our lives. We have a choice:

Believe, Or Not To Believe

Thankfully, faith is not complicated, it’s simply a decision. Try saying out loud, “Jesus, I believe”. Then say it again, then say it again. Say it with sincerity. Open your heart and let down your guard and say, “Jesus, I believe.” He will answer.

On Trial

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“Count is all joy when you meet trials of various kinds…” James 1:2

My trials don’t feel joyous and I face them every day, some more pronounced than others. Trails with schedules, with kids or coworkers. Trials with vendors, or fellow drivers, or the cable company help desk, or the store clerk. We can go deeper with trials, loss of a job or relationship. Still deeper, loss of someone precious to us. Need I go on? Unfortunately,

We Will Face Trials Every Day

Thankfully, Jesus gave us several road maps to work with when facing trials, one of them being in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the sons (and daughters) of God.” Making peace is not just about making peace with others, it’s also about making and having peace within your own spirit and then letting that peace flow outward from you. Use trials as an opportunity to love or lift those around you, yes even those that are fraying your nerves. In brightening their day you are giving them a gift that they may desperately be needing at just that moment. The next time you face a trial, before you react the way you would normally would, take a breath and say, “I am blessed, when I am a peacemaker.”

Love Never Fails

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“Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:8

I can hardly add a single word of commentary to 1 Corinthians 13. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Love never fails because

Christ Is Love

Yesterday’s devotional post talked about “not growing weary in doing good”. Today we have a reason for that lofty goal because of what Christ did for us. Indeed, love never fails.

Power Walk

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“Do not grow weary in doing good, for our light affliction is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 – 18

My wife taught me to power walk as an alternative to running to save my aging knees. God taught me to power walk through life, putting one foot in front of another and simply

Never Give Up

Of course there are hills, sometimes steep ones that get in the way and slow the walk. Throughout scripture God never said life would be easy, but He did promise that we can have a fulfilling journey. He promised that we would find peace in Him, that He would lift us up, that He would never leave us nor forsake us. No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, do not grow weary in doing good. Put your power walking shoes on and put one foot in front of the other. There is fulfillment waiting in the journey.

The Wilderness

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“…Who led us through the wilderness…” Jeremiah 2:6

We all find ourselves wandering through the wilderness from time to time. Our minds will find a dimly lit corner and there we sit, playing and replaying an endless loop of whatever trouble or turmoil we are going through.

Through Does Not Have To Equal Stay

There are a myriad of scripture verses that talk about God’s children being led through the wilderness, the key word being THROUGH. They did not stay in the wilderness, they moved through it and experienced God’s promises and presence all along the way. No journey is easy but they were not alone. Neither are you.

Still Waters

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“He leads me beside the still waters…” Psalm 23:2

God is our God, our provider and our protector, the ultimate warm blanket of comfort. As I walk beside still waters I am reminded that God is in every detail of my life. From stormy seas to tranquil waters and everything in-between. I breathe and His name is on my lips. I slumber and I feel His protection. I work and I feel Him carrying me. What is faith?

Faith Is A Relationship, Beyond Words.

It is the soul reaching toward heaven only to find that God was right beside you all along, just waiting for you to look into His eyes and say yes.

Forgive

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“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13

The words “I forgive you” do not cross our lips as easily as they should. We have a unique ability to hurt others, and an even more unique ability to hold on to that hurt. Sometimes you just need to mix up that scrabble board in your mind and figure out a way to get the message out.

Forgive

Christ did it as he hung on a cross, and even found a personal justification in doing so by saying, “Father forgive them, for they just don’t know what they are doing.” Ignorance of the law doesn’t hold up in a United States Court, but it was enough for Christ to forgive us and lift our burden. Pay it forward today and forgive someone.