Matthew 1:20 – But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Thankful that in the face of adversity Joseph chose to
believe the Lord and faced the battle with courage and strength, knowing that
God had a divine plan for it all. We may
not understand the sorrow or turmoil we face here on earth, but God can turn
our sorrows and pain into eternal joy if we allow Him to work in and through
our lives.
Luke 5:4-10
Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep,
and let down your nets for a draught.
And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and
have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and
their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other
ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the
ships, so that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me;
for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were
with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was
also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And
Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
When it seems like you’ve toiled long and hard and are getting nowhere, Jesus is all the answer you need. Cast your cares upon Him. He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
Luke10:30-37 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
It’s sad that this man fell among
thieves. Even sadder is that a priest
and a Levite passed by on the other side without offering to give this hurting
man some aid. Regardless of their rank
or creed they lacked compassion. Their
hearts were indifferent and apathetic. They chose to do nothing!
Proverbs 11:12 indicates that
these men were void of wisdom because they despised their neighbor. God commands us in Scripture to “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew
22:39; Luke 10:27). We are to love
others without partiality.
When the Samaritan saw the
condition of this man, he immediately showed compassion by tending to his
wounds and taking care of him. He chose
to see an opportunity to share Christ rather than the obstacles in the way. He didn’t wait to see if his kindness was
going to be repaid he showed kindness anyways.
True compassion will cost
something. May we always be mindful of
Christ’s great sacrifice at Calvary. Our
love for Christ should spur us to share His love with others.
Jude 1:22 ~ And of some have compassion, making a difference.
Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:46-50 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
Thankful that Mary was flexible to the unexpected change in her life that was about to transpire. Mary’s faith allowed her to not only accept the calling on her life, but it also allowed her to be joyful in the journey. What an example of being completely surrendered to the Lord!
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Even when we are in the middle of a storm God can gives us peace. We all have struggles in our lives that cause us to worry or fear. The best way to combat that is to pray with thanksgiving unto the Lord (Philippians 4:6-7).
Go ahead – tell the Lord what burdens your heart and mind. God cares about you.
Real peace comes when we trust that God knows what’s best and has everything under control. When you start to worry, stop and pray.
Tears Are A Language God Understands (Composed by Gordon Jensen, 1971)
Often you wonder why tears come into your eyes
And burdens seem to be much more than you can bear
But God is standing near, He sees your falling tears
And tears are a language God understands.
God sees the tears of a brokenhearted soul
He sees your tears and hears them when they fall
God weeps along with man and He takes him by the hand
Tears are a language God understands.
When grief has left you low it causes tears to flow
When things have not turned out the way that you had planned
But God won’t forget you His promises are true
And tears are a language God understands.
God sees the tears of a brokenhearted soul
He sees your tears and hears them when they fall
God weeps along with man and He takes him by the hand
Tears are a language that my God He understands.
God weeps along with man and He takes him by the hand
Tears are a language God understands.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Thankful for a Saviour who patiently waits for us to lean on Him. When we feel overwhelmed causing tears to flow from our eyes, all we need to do is to call out to Him (Psalm 61:2-3). He is there all the time waiting to renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31) as we rest upon His precious promises (2 Peter 1:4).
Good morning! Wanted to share an encouragement moment with you. Dezirae & I are doing a Virtuous Woman Bible study for her Bible Class this year. Today’s lesson was about “Keeping eternity in mind when making decisions.”*
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
“Challenge: Determine for myself and my family where I need to draw the line. How much can I handle and still do my best? Realizing that this line will move as my circumstances in life changes, I will seek to do what would MOST please the Lord at this stage of my life.”*
I’ve already had to practice this this week with upcoming commitments. Though I wanted to do them and not let anyone down I chose to pray about it and ask God for wisdom. A few of the commitments I had to back out of because though they weren’t wrong they would’ve done me more harm than good at this stage in my life.
This was encouraging to me. ☺
Let’s remember when making decisions to keep eternity in mind.
*Excerpts from The Virtuous Woman Bible Study Course at www.kjvhearthelps.com
Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Taking time to thank God for His daily blessings (heavenly hugs) not only nourishes the soul, but also gives Him glory.
What blessings do we receive daily?
The ability to wake up one more time.
Hugs from ones we love.
A call or unexpected visit from a friend.
Spending time with family.
The ability to read His Word each day.
Enjoying His beautiful creation around us.
Answered prayers.
Don’t forget to take time to “smell the roses” and see what great and mighty things (Jeremiah 33:3) the Lord does for us on a daily basis. The Lord truly is good to those that trust in Him.
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Ungrateful people tend to complain and are nitpicky about
everything. They complain about
everything, never seem to enjoy life, and always want more. God’s word repeatedly implores us to “give
thanks” in all things. Colossians 3:15;
1 Thessalonians 5:18; Psalm 100:4
Developing a grateful heart is an important part in the
growth of a Christian. God’s grace
enables all believers to give thanks in all things (2 Corinthians 4:15).
Regardless of the pain or problems we face in this life,
each of us has something for which to be thankful. i.e.: roof over our head, clothes to wear,
food to eat, family, life itself. God is
good all the time whether we are willing to admit it or not.
Even in and through our darkest trial, God is working things
out for our good and His eternal glory.
By faith, we can have a grateful heart in all circumstances.
Take time to think of all the ways God has been good to
you!
