This verse was originally addressed to believers who were suffering many hardships for their faith in Jesus. Their sanity was being questioned and their beliefs were ridiculed. The threat of becoming social outcasts brought fear for their livelihoods and for the well-being of their families.
When the dark clouds of trouble gather in our lives, we may begin to lose patience with the Lord, and the confidence of our faith in God may grow weak and begin to unravel. That is exactly the time when we must hold on; we need to pray for endurance from our Maker. We are reminded to lift our eyes and look ahead. His promises to us do not become any less true because we doubt, but we can rob ourselves of the confidence we enjoy in Him and in His promises when we let go of His hand.
In good times, bad times, and uncertain times, each of us can so easily slip and neglect to reach for the One who has promised to lead us to the finish line in the power of His love. May we never forget that the Lord is our confidence, our rewarder, and our loving God.
Jeff Deal
When sin entered the world, it did not take long to invade every intention and thought of man. As God looked upon the wickedness of man, there was one man who stood apart from the rest; Noah. In this short verse, we see what set Noah apart from everyone else; he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The Hebrew word used here for ‘found’ means to actively seek. In the midst of a wicked and perverse generation Noah actively sought out God and His grace. Each and every day we need to actively seek the grace of God. It is His grace that saves us and gives us the hope to face the darkest of times. As our generation begins to look more like Noah’s, let us learn from his example and actively seek the grace of God.
For the King,
Pastor Daniel Batistelli
Have you ever read your Bible or been to a Bible study and found that it was something you’ve heard before. Maybe you just read it or had already heard it about 100 times that week? We see it happen often in scripture where God repeats Himself and when God repeats Himself, we shouldn’t ignore it or skim past it. Maybe God has been repeating a message to you this week, month, or year. LISTEN! For God to repeat it to you isn’t boring, but is because of His great love for you.
Resting in Him,
Pastor Sean Boehm
As Saul (Paul the Apostle) lay there with his face to the ground, there were two harsh and enormous realities that hit him. 1) Jesus WAS ALIVE! And that means He really IS God! And 2) He had not only been persecuting those who belonged to the Way, He now understood the spiritual unity between the Savior and the saints.
This is a comforting reality for us as Christians. In sports, you always want to get the ball to the strongest, fastest, and best player. In our walk with God, we always want to remember that Jesus is on our side. Anyone that stands against us has Jesus our Savior to deal with.
Resting in Him today,
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
It’s worthwhile to read verses like this and be reminded of some of the important attributes of God. For one, He’s good. Everything He does is for our good whether we see it or not. He’s ready to forgive, He’s just waiting to hear confessions from us. He’s abundant in mercy. Mercy is not getting what we deserve and I think all of us are overjoyed for God’s lovingkindness.
Read this verse often and praise the Lord for His goodness.
Pastor Ron Kitchell
One thing for sure, the Lord did not save you only to set you aside before His work in you was finished. I love our verse, that the Lord will perfect that which concerns me…literally. He will not leave His work in me undone. Whatever it takes, He will accomplish in me all He desires and I want to submit myself to that work of the Holy Spirit.
This morning you might wonder if God is finished with you yet? I can assure you He is not. He will never forsake you, the work of His hands! So rest in that truth today as you watch to see His work unfold in your life.
Excited to see what the future holds as God holds to perfect (mature) me in Him!
Pastor Jack Abeelen
Joshua 3 begins the story of Israel preparing to cross the Jordan River in order to enter the promised land. In chapters 3 and 4, the Lord gives various instructions pertaining to the process, and Joshua in turn passes these instructions to the people and to the priests carrying the ark of the covenant. The priests lead the way, and the moment their feet touched the water, the Jordan stopped flowing and the waters rose in a heap very far away in the city of Adam. The priests halted in the middle of the Jordan, and they stood there bearing the ark the entire time as millions of Israelites crossed over the Jordan on dry ground. Not only did the priests wait for the crossing, but they watched while twelve large stones were gathered for a monument on the other side and while Joshua gathered twelve stones and erected a monument within the Jordan. Once all this activity was completed, did the priests in their fatigue decide to set out and finish the crossing? No, they waited to hear from the Lord as depicted in our verse today.
It would have been entirely obvious to them what was to occur next: They would finish crossing the Jordan River. It had been a long day, and they would have wanted to finish up the process and get some rest. It would have been so easy just to assume what was to happen and begin to move. Yet they did not, but instead waited for the command to move from the Lord, even though it would be considered a minor detail. Do we do that in our lives? Do we seek the Lord for not only the big things, but also for the little and seemingly inconsequential things? Lord, may we seek you first in all that we say and do, glorifying You as we seek to do Your will.
Jeff Mericle
In Romans 8, Paul gives the church some massive truths to undergird our faith, especially in times of stress and trial. Some are tempted to bitterly resent the pruning of our Heavenly Father that is intended to make us more fruitful (John 15:2). In Romans 8, Paul makes it very clear that suffering is an integral part of God’s plan for each believer: we are “joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:17).
Paul gives valuable encouragement to all who might feel unloved in suffering. Who of us have not thought, “If God loves me, why would He allow this to happen?” Here the message is loud and clear: nothing at all shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus—nothing. Paul does not give an exhaustive list when he mentions tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword. To this, we might also add our own list of horrible experiences including rejection, depression, loss of a spouse, a miscarriage, a cancer diagnosis, a wayward child, or job loss. Yet… in all these things, we are not just conquerors, we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. They may overwhelm us and make us feel our weakness, but they will not conquer us if we know that, in the middle of them, we are greatly loved by the most powerful Being in the universe: the One who holds all things together by the word of His power.
Tom Day
This proverb speaks to the issue of integrity. So many people bow down to the almighty dollar and do some outright questionable things to obtain riches. Others however will just do slightly questionable things to obtain money and find a million ways to justify it. I’ve learned throughout the years that being greedy never pays off because you will reap what you sow.
I remember bumping a car in a parking lot once and my first reaction was, “It’s hardly noticeable, no need to leave my contact info, they’ll probably never even see it.” The only reason I felt that way is because I didn’t want to pay the money to fix it. Well, the Lord stepped in real quick to remind me that was a stupid idea, and I provided my contact info. The person ended up calling me and telling me not to worry about it, which was awesome and I was reminded that is exactly how I would like to be treated if it were my car that was scratched.
Being greedy, taking bribes, all these things never pay off in the end. It’s always wiser to do the right thing, forsake the dollar, and go for the greater reward of integrity which pleases and honors the Lord!
Pastor Jason Witt
The consequence of Israel’s rejection of God was described back in Hosea 4:6, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea recognized that the Lord’s true love for the wayward soul made it possible for the deserters to return to Him, if only they would repent and follow Him.
Hosea’s call to action was right on the mark for the Israelites and it is also the right call today for any believer whose wandering heart has put distance between themselves and God. Actively pursuing the knowledge of the Lord brings us closer to Him. Our relationship with Him is strengthened as we endeavor to know Him.
As sure as the sun comes up in the morning, God’s unchanging promises of mercy and grace are ours if we would simply place our trust in Him. The Lord will water our thirsty souls not only for the seeds of His word to take root, but also to nourish us in preparation for the good harvest to come. Today, let’s pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
Jeff Deal
