Psalm 55:22-23 (54:23-24 LXX)

Cast your care upon the Lord,
And He shall support you;
He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
But You, O God, will bring them down into the pit of decay;
Men of blood and deceit
Shall not live even half their days.
But I will hope in You, O Lord.

Encouraging Words

Our Lord is always protecting and uplifting His children. Even in the midst of trials and tribulations He is there with us. And just as Jesus did not avoid His trials and tribulations but endured them, we too sometimes need to run the full course of our trials and tribulations believing that God is using them to refine and shape us into the image of His Son. Glory be to God!

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Encouraging Words

Just as Moses charged Joshua, “Be bold and courageous!”, we are given the spirit to be bold and courageous in our Christian lives. The powerful thing here is that the spirit of power here also comes with the spirit of love and sound mind so that our boldness is applied appropriately. Glory be to God!

Ephesians 5:1-2

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet- smelling aroma.

Personal Challenge

The rich young man asked Christ who his neighbor was and how to love him. Here I am reminded that if I am to walk in Christ then I am to love my neighbor as He loved us and gave Himself up for us on the cross. Therefore my neighbor and his or her needs should always come before mine. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Galatians 4:4-7

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Encouraging Words

Is it all worth it? Is what worth it? The challenges in life that we suffer by trying to live our lives for Christ. The threats and eventual deaths that our brothers and sisters in the middle east are enduring for their faith. Yes! Why is it worth it? Because through Christ we have been transformed from slaves to the law, which ends in death and judgment, to being adopted as children of God and joint heirs with our Lord. We are set free from the law, the tyranny of death and sin, and ways of the world. Glory be to God!

Isaiah 9:6

Great shall be His government, and of His peace there is no end. His peace shall be upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order and establish it with righteousness and judgment, from that time forward and unto ages of ages. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.

Encouraging Words

Wait a minute! Who says that we cannot be a citizen in two countries at the same time? Since I am still living in this fleshly tent I am still a citizen of the earthly realm. However, since Jesus became incarnate, lived the life of a man (a citizen of this same earthly realm), gave up His life for me on the cross, entered into Hell and destroyed death and sin, and rose again victorious over the powers of darkness, I am now a full-blown citizen of heaven today, not someday in the future after I die. He opened the doors of heaven so that I can live in both realms at the same time! Christ is risen!!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

As the thief on the cross, I cry out, “Remember me in your kingdom!” and You pull me into eternity!

As Adam and Eve, and all of the others who were dead and trapped in Hades, I cry out, “Save me!” and You break down the gates forever setting all of mankind, throughout all of eternity, free from death and sin!

As I call out to You to come again, You cry out, “I am with You always, even to the end of the age!” Your work is completed and I dwell in Your house forever! Glory be to God!

Mark 10:27

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus’ response to His disciples regarding their amazement of the difficulty of those who love riches entering into heaven is one that I can apply to my life today. There are issues and challenges that I deal with every day of my life. How do I deal with, and love my neighbor? How do I show my love for Him every moment of my life? How do I avoid sin? His promise here is that it is impossible for me to do any of these on my own. But I don’t have to because God can and will, do them within me. Glory be to God!

Mark 10:24-25

And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Personal Challenge

It is not the riches themselves that keep me from serving God and entering His kingdom. It is my desire for riches, my desire for what the riches might bring me in this life, that cause me to take my eyes off of Jesus and focus on the world. This is what keeps me from following Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

2 Timothy 3:12

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Personal Challenge
Who is the prince of this earth? Satan. So, if I am trying to live my life for Christ while living on this earth won’t he do whatever he can to thwart me? Yes. This means that the more I desire to live for Christ, the more I do for Him and His kingdom, the more persecution I should expect to receive. If the apostles, the saints, the martyrs, and our Lord Jesus Christ, all suffered persecution then I should cherish it for it is a sign that I am becoming like them. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!