darkness & dawn

No matter how dark the day,

God promises a brighter tomorrow.

"The path of the righteous

is like the first gleam of dawn,

shining ever brighter

till the full light of day."

Proverbs 4:18 NIV

still watching

God still watches over His children--

every moment of every day.

"The Lord your God has blessed you

in all the work of your hands.

He has watched over your journey

through this vast desert.

These forty years the Lord your God

has been with you,

and you have not lacked anything."

Deuteronomy 2:7 NIV

the path

God has a unique path marked out

for each one of us;

comparisons are not beneficial.

When Peter saw (John), he asked,

"Lord, what about him?"

Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive

until I return, what is that to you? You follow me."

John 21:21-22 NIV

see?

Faith sees God.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see.

And without faith it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to Him

must believe that He exists and that He

rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Hebrews 11:1, 6 NIV

pavement

Thankfulness paves the way

to everything that matters.

"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me,

and he prepares the way

so that I may show him

the salvation of God."

Psalm 50:23 NIV

longings & Jesus

Every Christmas longing

is met in the One whose birth we celebrate--

Jesus our Savior!

"And the angel said to them,

'Fear not, for behold,

I bring you good news of great joy

that will be for all people.

For unto you is born this day

in the city of David a Savior,

who is Christ the Lord.'"

Luke 2:10-11 ESV

wisdom of thankfulness

Wise people are thankful people.

"Be careful, then, how you live--

not as unwise but as wise,

making the most of every opportunity...

always giving thanks

to God the Father for everything,

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 5:15-16, 20 NIV

on our value

We can trust the One

who ordains every detail,

and determines every step.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?

And not one of them will fall to the ground

apart from your Father.

But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value

than many sparrows."

Matthew 10:29-31 ESV

new mercy

God doesn't expect us to survive

on yesterday's blessings;

He showers us with new mercies

every single day.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

satisfaction guaranteed

It's not our responsibility

to help people find fulfillment apart from God;

the best we can do

is point them to the source of ours.

"Because Your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify You.

My soul will be satisfied

as with the richest of foods."

Psalm 63:3, 5a NIV

bye-bye blues

One day depression will vanish;

sadness will be unheard of

in the hearts of the children of God.

"But only the redeemed will walk there,

and the ransomed of the Lord will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee away."

Isaiah 35:9b-10 NIV

God leads

God is so sovereign and loving and good

that even when His children

aren't consciously following Him,

He is leading them.

"In Your unfailing love you will lead

the people You have redeemed.

In Your strength You will guide them

to Your holy dwelling."

Exodus 15:13 NIV

talk to yourself

The most effective sermons

may be the ones

we preach to ourselves.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise His holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits."

Psalm 103:1-2 NIV

on losing and earning

We will never have a bad enough day

to lose our salvation;

we will never have a good enough day

to earn it.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--

and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--

not by works, so that no one can boast."

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

not allowed

If God knew of one thing

we ought to be anxious about,

being anxious would be allowed.

"Do not fret--it leads only to evil.

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God."

Psalm 37:8, Philippians 4:8 NIV

where to go

Feelings of guilt and shame

tend to lead us away from God--

the exact opposite of where

we should be going.

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence

to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus...

let us draw near to God with a sincere heart

in full assurance of faith,

having our hearts sprinkled

to cleanse us from a guilty conscience

and having our bodies washed with pure water."

Hebrews 20:19, 22 NIV

avoidance tactic

We avoid many struggles

when we go to God first.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

Attention!

We stand before a loving God

who will not condemn His own,

but graciously leads those who want to follow.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!"

Psalm 139:23-24 ESV

God does

Prayer doesn't work. God does!

Praise Him.

"And call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you and you will honor Me."

Psalm 50:15 NIV

pleasing prayers

May God inspire the prayers

He is pleased to answer.

"This is the confidence we have

in approaching God:

that if we ask anything according to His will,

He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us--

whatever we ask--

we know that we have what we asked of Him."

1 John 5:14-15 NIV

good things

Children ask for things.

Parents give them only the good things.

Prayer is like that.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does He withhold

from those whose walk is blameless.

O Lord Almighty,

blessed is the man who trusts in You."

Psalm 84:11-12 NIV

good medicine

Your smile just might be

the dose of encouragement

someone needs today.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

Proverbs 17:22 NIV

God helps

When our words and actions

demonstrate a lack of faith,

as they so often do,

God will be there to help.

"Surely God is my help;

the Lord is the one who sustains me."

Psalm 54:4 NIV

who's following

When we follow Jesus,

we can be certain His goodness and mercy

will be following us.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life;

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

Psalm 23:6 KJV

not just neighbors

God doesn't want to be our next-door neighbor;

He'd rather we pack our things

and move right into His house.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

If you make the Most High your dwelling--

even the Lord, who is my refuge--

then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent."

Psalm 91:1, 9-10 NIV

wait for it

We wait. God works.

"Since ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who acts on behalf of those who wait for him."

Isaiah 64:4 NIV

immense

It's difficult to understand

the immensity of God's love for us

because no one has ever loved us

the way He does.

"But because of His great love for us,

God, who is rich in mercy,

made us alive with Christ

even when we were dead in transgressions--

it is by grace you have been saved."

Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV

God pays attention

If we could see all that God does

every time we pray,

we would pray a lot more.

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

and His ears are attentive to their prayer."

1 Peter 3:12a NIV

just one thing

If one thing could happen

that's not part of God's plan for our lives,

God would not be sovereign,

there would have to be a force greater than He.

"No, in all these things

we are more than conquerors

through Him who loved us."

Romans 8:37 NIV

on greatness

The greater the God,

the more confident His people can be.

"With Your help I can advance against a troop;

with my God I can scale a wall.

For who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength

and makes my way perfect."

2 Samuel 22:30, 31-32 NIV

believe

Great news for believers!

There is only one sin God will not forgive--

unbelief.

"See to it, brothers, that none of you

has a sinful, unbelieving heart

that turns away from the living God."

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."

Hebrews 3:12, Acts 16:31 NIV

Micah 6:8

Every struggle, every heartache,

everything we hope for or dream of,

every ambition and all of our efforts,

lead to the same end--

an awareness that we need more

than this world has to offer.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God."

Micah 6:8 NIV

happiest

The happiest people are those who know

they can stand before God--

forgiven.

"Blessed are they

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man whose sin

the Lord will never count against him."

Romans 4:7-8 NIV

moving day

We can trust God to keep us moving

in the right direction.

"In your unfailing love you will lead

the people you have redeemed.

In your strength you will guide them

to your holy dwelling."

Exodus 15:13 NIV

be thrilled

We are not as thrilled with God

as He is thrilling.

"Great is the Lord

and most worthy of praise;

His greatness no one can fathom.

For from Him

and through Him

and to Him

are all things.

To Him be glory forever!"

Psalm 145:3, Romans 11:36 NIV

Abba, Daddy

When we pray,

we are speaking to

our loving Father,

not a distant Being

who cares nothing about us.

"And because you are sons,

God has sent the Spirit of his Son

into our hearts,

crying, 'Abba! Father!'"

Galatians 4:6 ESV

family

Acquaintances come and go,

friends are forgotten,

but family--

is forever!

"[Jesus] replied to him, 'Who is my mother,

and who are my brothers?'

Pointing to his disciples, he said,

'Here are my mother and my brothers.

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven

is my brother and sister and mother.'"

"For those God foreknew he also predestined

to be conformed to the likeness of his Son,

that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

Matthew 12:48-49, Romans 8:29 NIV

even sin

God is so absolutely sovereign

that even sin

provides fuel for the fire

of our passion for Him.

"But where sin increased,

grace increased all the more,

so that, just as sin reigned in death,

so also grace might reign through righteousness

to bring eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 5:20-21 NIV

watching and listening

Our prayers get God's attention, every time,

because He always listens for them.

"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and His ears are attentive to their cry."

Psalm 34:15 NIV

He's mine

We can claim God as our own--

our very own God.

"The Lord is my Shepherd."

Psalm 23:1

why pray

Prayer makes us feel so much better,

but that's not why we pray;

we pray because our God listens.

"The righteous cry out,

and the Lord hears them;

He delivers them from all their troubles."

Psalm 34:17 NIV

no way out

Once we are in Christ,

there is no way out of Him.

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;

no one can snatch them out of my hand.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all;

no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

I and the Father are one."

John 10:28-30 NIV

attention

Every time we pray,

God gives us His full attention;

He showers us with peace,

every time we give Him ours.

"You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you."

Isaiah 26:3 ESV

need cheering?

God is the best cheerer-upper!

"When anxiety was great within me,

your consolation brought joy to my soul."

Psalm 94:19 NIV

the gospel

In church history, one event, one sacrifice,

one monumental miscarriage of justice

changed everything.

And now we can be forever safe,

because Jesus died for our sins.

"For He bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

will be saved."

Isaiah 53:12b, Joel 2:32 NIV

His way and mine

Worry is evidence that we do not believe

God will have His way.

"As for God, His way is perfect.

It is God who arms me with strength

and makes my way perfect."

2 Samuel 22:31, 33 NIV

answers

Sometimes it's best

to leave everyone else behind

and go to Jesus,

because only He has the answers

to all our questions.

"Simon Peter answered Him,

'Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life.'"

John 6:68 ESV

think

Bad thinking leads to bad everything else.

"May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight, O Lord,

my Rock and my Redeemer."

Psalm 19:14 NIV

go outside

Perhaps the easiest way to get to know God

is to go outside and look around.

"The whole earth is full of His glory!"

Isaiah 6:3 ESV

peace

We can be at peace

because our God is peaceful,

and He is in control.

"Peace I leave with you;

my peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled

and do not be afraid."

John 14:27 NIV