Jacob finally meets his brother after some 20 or so years. He continued to devise plans up to the last moment and yet, after all that, when Esau saw him, he ran right to his brother and gave him a hug.

There are a couple of points here. One, the most important thing Jacob did was when he prayed in the last chapter. God worked everything out for him, making the fear he had useless. Fear usually is.

Second, we tend to think others’ attitudes towards us are worse than they really are. Can I tell you an ugly truth? Most people aren’t thinking about you at all. They have their own lives to live and are focused on that.

How much time do we spend worrying when we could spend time worshiping? Corrie ten Boom said, “Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Give your worries to God and live today for Him!

Casting my cares upon Him,

Pastor Ron Kitchell

A military campaign must fulfill two objectives. The first is to conquer and subdue the enemy. The second is to occupy the disputed territory. The occupation is considered the more difficult task. In a foreign land surrounded by the enemy, without support you can be quickly overrun and driven out.

Our spiritual battle is similar. Jesus has conquered sin and death (Romans 5:21) but we must occupy until He comes again. In this war, we are more than conquerors. Jesus has won the victory and the Holy Spirit now occupies us. We are surrounded by the enemy but we are not alone. We will never lose our support for He will never leave nor forsake us. We live in hostile territory but be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world.

Occupying till He comes,

Pastor Rod Harris

The message and imagery here are pretty self-evident. We picture someone sitting quietly with maybe some crackers and cheese as opposed to a crowded room with a huge spread, louder chatter, and mayhem everywhere. The point that Solomon is making in this proverb is also straightforward. There is a real benefit and peace that comes with simplicity. I think we all know the more stuff we have and the more we focus on that stuff, the crazier things get. So take time today and go somewhere simple and in that place of quietness, “Be still and know that He is God.”

In the beauty of simplicity,

Pastor Gerard Deleeuw

If you needed yet another verse to convince you of God’s great love and concern for your life, add this one to your list of memory verses. Every wandering or misery we encounter in this life, every tear that we have shed, every heartbreak and sadness we have faced, God records them all. Not one of them is wasted or goes unnoticed by our heavenly Father. He keeps good records and is more than a little concerned for your day-to-day life. Remind yourself of that today when you are faced with hardships or setbacks. God is watching, not just with interest but with a compassionate heart! He will work all things together for good, be assured of that.

Always on His mind,

Pastor Jack Abeelen

I think we have all said, especially in our youth, “I swear to God.” We said this as a way to validate whatever just came out of our mouth to ensure our hearers we are telling the truth or will follow through with whatever we committed ourselves to.

When looking at the above verse, I guess this has been a practice that has lasted most of history. Apparently, even God Himself validated his promises. But as we read this Scripture, He couldn’t swear to anything outside of Himself because there was nothing greater than Himself to swear to. That is why to this day, we still say, “I swear to God” because there is no authority, no higher power, nor worthy witness than God Himself. When we say we “swear to God,” we mean what we are saying we have God to answer to!

Well, just like God’s promise to Abraham, His promises to us are backed up by this same principle. God will have to answer to Himself only for the promises or claims He makes and because we know that God is perfect in love, power, and knowledge, He cannot fail Himself. If God can’t fail Himself, that means He can never fail us.

His promises are the real deal, “I swear to God!”

Pastor Jason Witt

This Beatitude brings to mind a picture of an active intermediary between two people that are at enmity. Perhaps angry words had been spoken and there is tension in the air. Then another person who loves them both, takes the risk of causing a bigger blow up, reaching out to pursue peace and reconciliation between them. He helps them see how they have hurt each other and encourages each of them to take responsibility for their own mistakes. Furthermore, he pleads with them to ask forgiveness and give forgiveness. He is a peacemaker.

Peacemakers are courageous because they cannot stand at the sidelines and watch people they love hurt each other. They have to take action—bold loving action—to intervene and keep the situation from escalating into evil bitterness. They run the risk of being misunderstood, being seen as judgmental, and of causing more pain. But they see the greater risks at stake: broken relationships.

Peacemakers are blessed—happy and contented—because they are aware of how lost and without hope they were before God lavishly forgave them. They are grateful for the peace made possible by the infinitely valuable sacrifice of Jesus. They are willing to make sacrifices themselves to heal relationships—and they are blessed.

Tom Day

James, writing this letter to believers, is making the point that faith without works is dead and he shows it by using the demons as an example. The demons believe that there is a God but that belief in God does not help because it’s not a real faith and it is shown by their lack of works that go along with it. You can’t see one’s faith, so it is best demonstrated by their works.

I had a friend that would always tell me “I have faith, I have faith. I believe there is a God and I believe in Jesus Christ.” That’s all well and all, but it was hard to believe they had a real faith because I was not able to see their works. It’s important that our faith lines up with our works. That’s what James is trying to drive home to us today. Without our works, it’s hard for our faith to shine through. Demonstrate your faith by your works.

I’ll show you my faith by my works.

Joshua Navarro

The promises of God are words of glorious hope to the believer. For the Christian who is suffering, God’s promises are tangible truths that are held ever so tightly to the heart.

In the 31st chapter of Jeremiah, we find God’s people enduring life as captives in exile. Their physical circumstances got the better of them and they turned their ears away from God’s prophet, lost sight of hope, and began to doubt the honor of their Lord.

In loving compassion, God described the future that He had planned for them. A future filled with true satisfaction in Him. The priests, whose souls longed for the Lord and for His people to turn their hearts back to their God would be satiated; drenched in the abundance of God’s grace. The people would once again look to their Maker and would find genuine satisfaction as they basked in the goodness of the Lord.

Today, let’s firmly decide to base our future on the beautiful reality that God is good. In confusing times, don’t turn away, rather, run towards Him. Only in the Lord will true satisfaction be ours.

Jeff Deal

Why is it important to know the full counsel of God’s word you might ask? Because every word of God is flawless. We like to operate off of feeling, instinct, and the counsel of man, but all of those things don’t offer you the promise that God’s Word does. When we operate under God’s truth, we protect ourselves under the shield of God where ultimate safety is found. Sure there may be some times where it doesn’t “feel” or “look” safe to us, but God’s promises aren’t understood through feeling, they’re understood by faith applied through trust and obedience. Without knowing God’s Word, it’s hard to trust and obey what you don’t know. So spend some time today searching the flawless Word of God!

Pastor Jason Witt

Darkness and light. These descriptive words are woven throughout scripture. They are more than metaphors; they represent two separate kingdoms that are in opposition to one another. These are the kingdom of the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and that of “the rulers over this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12). Spoiler alert: The Kingdom of God has already won!

We have been set free from the kingdom of darkness. This is what our Savior Jesus Christ has accomplished for us in His life of perfect obedience, His sacrificial death, and His resurrection to life. Believer, you and I now belong to the realm of light.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that not only did we once walk in darkness, but we were also darkness. Now, with Jesus, we not only walk in the light, we are light in the Lord as He has come to live within us. How we live life today is our free choice. Let’s live each moment letting His uncovered light radiate in all that we do.

Jeff Deal