John 12:25-26

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

Personal Challenge

Sometimes I find myself asking the question “Do I really want to follow Jesus?” Thankfully, those times are few and far between, however, it is still a question that needs to be answered. God has spent the entire span of human existence trying to show us His immense love for us, trying to woo us back from the sinful world that Adam and Eve ushered into this world. It is because of this love, a love that I have felt in my life, and seen manifested in the lives of so many that I have known, that I keep answering this question with a resounding “Yes!”. I know that the life that He asks me to hate for Him is this temporal, worldly life, He wants me to hate that life and to love the eternal life that He has given to me through His death. He wants me to serve Him and to follow Him all the time and especially in the midst of this temporal life that I have been born into. By doing this, loving Him, serving Him, following Him, then I will constantly be in His presence and be honored by the Father. Glory be to God!

Psalms 140:3

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth,
A door of enclosure about my lips.

Personal Challenge

The tongue is possibly one of the most difficult parts of our body to control and it is the one that can inflict the most damage to those around us. We need the help of our Lord to control it and the grace of our Lord to repair the damage caused by it. Only He can empower us to use it properly. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Proverbs 18:10

The name of the Lord is of great strength,
And when the righteous run to it, they are exalted.

Encouraging Words

There is so much power just in the name of our Lord. He is the one to call out to in times of trouble and need, for He will respond. He is the one to praise in times of blessing and glory, for He deserves the credit. He is the one to be exalted for He loves us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Encouraging Words

Do you believe this? This may be one of the most powerful and important questions of all time. Do we really believe Jesus when He claims that He is the resurrection and life and that all who believe in Him shall never die? Do we truly believe that our eternal life begins when we put our trust and

belief in Him? If we do, then why do we keep living our lives as if He never existed? Why do we strive so hard to be in control of our lives and abandon God? Why do we flee from loving our neighbor in ways that only a child of God could? It is because we so often say that we believe but still hold on to our doubts and our desires to be in control. I believe, but I need my God to purge any remaining doubts from my heart and mind. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 139:23-24 (138:23-24 LXX)

Test me, O God, and know my heart; Examine me, and know my paths, And see if there is a lawless way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Personal Challenge

It takes either a very humble man or one who is confident in his way of living, to tell God to test him and see if his paths are lawless and godly. My desire is to be able to live my life in such a way that I am willing to cry out to my God and ask Him to test my heart for purity and commitment to Him. I know that I have a very long way to go to get to that point, but I also know that my God is continually working in my heart to get me to this place. May this prayer of the Psalmist someday become my prayer as well. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Proverbs 17:28 (17:30 LXX)

Wisdom shall be imputed to a man without understanding who asks for wisdom,
And anyone who holds his peace will seem to have discernment.

Encouraging Words

Discernment has always been viewed as the crown of the virtues. With discernment, a person knows how and when to exercise the other virtues. All of the virtues come to is through Wisdom or Jesus Christ, and He promises to provide these virtues to grow them within us when we seek Him and ask for His virtues to become an integral part of our lives. In the process of taking on these virtues, we go through the process of taking off ourselves. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner and plant the seeds of Your virtues within me.

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Encouraging Words

Jesus came into this world for only one reason. It was to give us life and break the chains that death had us bound in. Doing this He defeated the ultimate thief, Satan. We have the opportunity to have a true life while on this temporal earth and abundant life when we enter into eternity. Thank You, Lord Jesus!

Psalms 139:4-6 (138:4-6 LXX)

For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether,
The last things and the first things;
You fashioned me, and placed Your hands on me.
Your knowledge has become too wondrous for me;
It has become too overwhelming; I am unable to grasp it.

Personal Challenge.

God knows everything about me, past, present, and future. He knows my every thought, every action, every word that proceeds out of my mouth, whether whispered or yelled. And yet He still loves me, He still forgives me, He still desires to have me walk in the gardens of eternity with Him. I know that I do not deserve any of this for I am unworthy. I will, however, cherish this un­limited love that He continually pours out on me. I will strive to submit my will to His, knowing full well that I will continue to resist Him. He made me in my mother’s womb and has been making me ever since my birth. His majesty is incomprehensible to me, yet I will trust Him as He is my Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!