John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Personal Challenge

Jesus has made it clear to us that there is only one way to make it into the presence of the Father. It is through Jesus, by the fact of Who He is and the work that He alone has done. So, I cannot study myself into this relationship with God. I cannot do incredible acts of worship or almsgiving to make this relationship happen. I cannot buy my way there through tithes and offerings. I can only enter into a relationship with God, the Father, through coming to God, the Son, and submitting my life, my all, to Him. Any religion, or other belief system, that leaves Jesus out, also leaves God out. Lord, have mercy? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 145:8-9 (144:8-9 LXX)

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy.
The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are upon all His works.

Encouraging Words

Our God is good! He is gracious to us, His creation. He is merciful to us, His children. He is longsuffering and pours out His abundant mercy upon us as He delays His return so that more may be saved. He is good to all, both those who have given their lives to Him and those who have not. We are the works of His hands and He pours out His mercy on us. Glory be to God!

Proverbs 21:3

To do righteous things and to speak the truth
Are more pleasing before God than the blood of sacrifices.

Personal Challenge

God has made it clear throughout His scriptures that He is not interested in how meticulous we are in following the rubrics of our faith. They are important and it is good that we desire to do them well so that we can glorify Him, but if our hearts are not pure, then He sees these actions as waste. He desires us to live righteous lives, loving others, speaking the truth in love, and being humble before Him and others. Our sinful nature, our stubborn will, does make this difficult, but He has given us a Helper to grow in His image. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Personal Challenge

The commandment that Jesus gave to us to love one another is not a new commandment. Christianity is not the only religion that expects its adherents to love others and to take care of them in times of need. What is different in Christianity is how we are to love one another and who that other is. Jesus expects us to love those around us as He has loved us. Unconditionally! Completely! Even to the point of giving our life for another. He also expects us to not only love those who are like us and love us, but we are to love our enemy as well, we are to love the stranger, the ones that are down and out, the ones who look funny, smell funny, and talk funny. He expects us to love everyone the way that He loves us. This can be so difficult in today’s climate of terrorism, political division, nationalism, and anti-immigration. If we truly love Him, if we are truly His children, then we must rise above all of this because we are no longer citizens of this world or the nations within it, but citizens of heaven. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 143:10 (142:10 LXX)

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God;
Your good Spirit shall guide me in the land of uprightness.

Encouraging

What is the purpose of hardships and challenges in our lives? Why must we have to deal with difficulties and difficult people throughout our lives? The Psalmist tells us a little bit of why God continues to let this stuff happen in our lives. He uses these situations to teach us to do His will and to trust in Him. He wants us to be dependent on Him and trust that He is guiding us into His land of uprightness. I know that for me, this is never easy or fun. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Proverbs 19:21

There are many thoughts in the heart of a man,
But the counsel of the Lord abides forever.

Personal Challenge

We live in the Information Age, a time in the history of mankind where unlimited information is at the fingertip of every man, woman, and child. That makes this Proverb all the more powerful today. With information comes misinformation, or what we are calling today, “Fake News”. With our pride and arrogance applied to this information, all that we get is opinion. The heart of man will take information to whatever end that meets their desires. It is only through the counsel of our Almighty God, the source of Wisdom, that we can apply the information available to us in a way that will glorify Him and edify our fellow human. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

John 12:46

I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

Encouraging Words

If you have ever been caught in the middle of a dark place, or situation, without a source of light, it can be very unnerving. As a camper, and one that has done backpacking and camping for over 50 years, I have been in some scary situations with the lights gone out and no source of replenishment. Bring this into our spiritual life. We do live in a dark world. And sometimes this dark world can look pretty scary. However, Jesus promised us that He came into the world to be our light and to eliminate the darkness in the world from our lies. He is the flashlight that will never run out of energy, the candle that will never blow out. We can live our lives confidently knowing that He will be our light to show us the way at all times. Glory be to God!