Ephesians 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Encouraging Words

Our God is blessed and through Him we are blessed over and over again. He chooses to bless us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. His blessings even go to the point of adopting us as His sons and daughters. Glory be to God!

Proverbs 19:20

Hear, my son, the instruction of your father,
That you may become wise in your last days.

Personal Challenge

In our modern, self-centered culture, we have lost the practice of listening to our elders and learning from their wisdom. In the workforce we are seeing ageism raise its ugly head. In our families we are seeing parents and grandparents isolated because their opinions appear outdated our contrary to current opinions. If we want to become wise in our last days, it behooves us to spend time with our elders, loving them, thanking them, and listening to them so that we can learn from the past. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Galatians 6:14

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Personal Challenge

Am I able to make a claim like this one that Paul made in His letter to the church in Galatia? Can I truly claim that I have crucified the worldly part of me on the cross of Jesus? If only I could! I have so far to go in my journey of theosis. I am truly blessed that my God is so patient, merciful, and loving. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

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 power in words. Sometimes that power is positive and sometimes it is negative. In our culture today, we have mastered the use of words in a negative way. We tear down the other person. We profess lies and call them the truth. We are coercive and manipulative. As followers of Christ, we are called to be countercultural, even to the point of martyrdom. The place to start with this is to run to the name of the Lord, to do and say everything His way. Then we will see Him exalt us into His kingdom here on earth. Glory be to God!

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Personal Challenge

We are not saved by the works that we do because our salvation is a gift that only God can give us. Our works, or doing good things for God, come from our sense of gratitude for all that He has done for us. Doing these kinds of works never cause us to be weary because He gives us strength until that day when the harvest is reaped. Glory be to God!

Proverbs 17:28 (17:30)

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

Personal Challenge

I truly believe that we all desire to have wisdom. True wisdom only comes from God. Since we are created in the image of God, it makes sense that we desire to have the wisdom that comes from Him. The act of asking Him for wisdom sincerely shows that we are willing to humble ourselves before Him and seek His blessing of wisdom. Glory be to God.

Galatians 6:1-5

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

Personal Challenge

We are not alone in our journey through life, especially our spiritual journey. We live and thrive in community with one another. We are seeing more and more in our culture people being just plain mean and nasty to one another. We cannot claim to be followers of Christ and behave this way. We must treat others with a spirit of gentleness, bearing one another’s burdens, and loving our neighbor. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Proverbs 17:27 (17:29)

He who refrains from uttering a harsh word is intelligent,
And a longsuffering man has discernment.

Personal Challenge

I love how the Proverbs always cut to the chase. If we keep from uttering harsh words, either verbally or on the keyboard, we are intelligent. If we are longsuffering with all those who are in our live, especially those who drive us crazy, then we have discernment. It couldn’t get any more succinct than that. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy!