Can you think of a time when it was so hard that you wanted to give up but didn’t? Where did you get your strength from? What kept you going?
One of the most amazing things about being a follower of Christ is that our own strength is only part of the equation. God’s power grows in us. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our Defense and Strength, a sure Help in trouble.” How incredible that it doesn’t say, “Sometimes help is available.” He is a “constant help”.
In 2 Chronicles 15, we see that Asa, the king of Judah, was faced with great problems – he was trying to reorient the people of Judah to God after years of idolatry and war. He faced a huge challenge! Through the prophet Azariah, God spoke encouragement to him to encourage him:
“But be of good courage and do not give up your hands, because your work will be rewarded!”
2 Chronicles 15:7
God knew what Asa was up against. He knew every detail of the burden and everything that was put at stake. God also knew what strength He could give to those who were willing to rely on Him. He didn’t say, “Good luck there, it doesn’t look easy, but you won’t fail.” He said: “But be courageous and do not let your hands drop, because your work will be rewarded!”.
Just as Asa heard these words and took courage, so we can take courage. We are not alone. We can rely on God’s strength. The reward will not be delayed. Don’t give up.
May He test me – like gold, I will come out! — Job 23:10
In one interview, singer-songwriter M. Andrew talked about her high stress trying to balance work, marriage and motherhood. Reflecting on this difficult period in her life, she said, “It felt like God was taking me through the refining process.”
Job, too, was stunned when he lost all his cattle, all his children, and his health. To make matters worse, even though Job worshiped God every day, he felt as if the Lord was ignoring all his pleas for help. It seemed that God had completely disappeared from the horizon of his life. Job claimed that he does not see God in the north, nor in the south, nor in the west, nor in the east (Job 23:2-9).
But in the midst of this despair, Job had a spiritual epiphany. His faith flared up like a candle burning in a dark room. “He knows the way that is with me, let him test me – like gold, I will come out!” (Job 23:10). God tests Christians through various difficulties to cleanse them of self-confidence, pride and worldly wisdom. When it seems that God is silent in times of trial and does not answer our pleas for help, then perhaps He is thus giving us an opportunity to grow in faith.
Pain and problems can make our character strong if we trust God during difficult times in our lives.
Dear Lord, help me to believe that You are with me even when I do not see or understand Your work in my life. I place myself in Your hands and believe that any of my sufferings are necessary for the achievement of Your good purposes.
A period of testing our faith can strengthen our faith.
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Give thanks for everything, because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Due to constant power outages, our area is often plunged into darkness. It is very difficult to tolerate such inconvenience when it is impossible to use the most important appliances at home.
Our believing neighbor often asked us: “And we need to thank God for that too.” She meant the well-known verse: “Give thanks for everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18). And we always answered: “Yes, of course. We must thank God for everything.” But we said it without much enthusiasm, and our words contradicted our constant grumbling as the lights went out.
But one day our belief that “we should thank God for everything” acquired a new meaning. When I returned from work, I saw our neighbor, in a state of shock, crying and saying: “Thank Jesus that there was no light, otherwise our house would have burned down, and I would surely have perished with my whole family!” It happened that the garbage truck hit a pole, which caused the high-voltage cables to fall directly on her house. If there was voltage in these cables, a tragedy would surely occur.
In difficult circumstances, it is not easy to say: “Thank you, Lord.” But we should always thank God, because any problematic situation is an opportunity to learn to trust Him, even if we do not understand His goals.
Father, we honor You with our words, but very often our actions reveal our distrust of You. Help us to see Your work in any situation – no matter how difficult it is.
By God’s grace, we can be grateful to God for everything.
Author: Laurence Darmany
Paul’s letter to the Roman churches is filled with a deep understanding of the nature of God, the power of Jesus’ death on the cross, and how it affects our lives. At the beginning of the letter, Paul gives his readers a few general statements before diving into its content.
In Romans 1:16-17, Paul begins to discuss one of the main central ideas of the letter to the Romans.
He begins with the Gospel. The gospel message is that when mankind was enslaved by sin, Jesus came and lived a perfect human life and then died on the cross in our place. He took upon Himself the punishment we deserved and paid the full price for it.
Now true life and salvation is available to everyone who believes in this gospel message. Only through the message of the Gospel can we be truly saved.
Also, everyone has equal access to salvation. No one has a special privilege or status before God to be saved first. Every person on earth can receive salvation from God by believing in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Paul says that this message first came to the Jews because Jesus’ mission on earth began with God’s people. However, through Jesus and the apostles, this message spread to the Gentiles. Thus, every person has access to God’s saving power through Jesus.
If this message is new to you, spend some time in God’s Word each day learning about the message and hope of the Gospel. Thank God that He sent Jesus to make salvation available to all people, including you. And now live with the assurance that you are saved and redeemed by God.
Are you relentlessly following Jesus? Lost the way to Jesus? Do you doubt Jesus?
It is true that you are important to Jesus. Yes, you are.
There are no strings attached to God’s love and longing for you. You matter to Jesus; He calls you by name to come to Him and wants you to be with Him.
Read these words again: He wants you to be with Him. In Matthew 18:12, Jesus shares this parable:
“Do you think that if one of you has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountainside and go look for it?” (UTM)
This is not just a story; it is the encouraging reality of Jesus’ love and commitment to each of His own. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, never abandons His sheep. Never. He diligently seeks the lost.
We all have moments when we feel like lost sheep. Sometimes we feel like we’ve lost our way. But remember: you are not forgotten and you matter to Jesus. He cares for those who have gone astray, as well as the ninety-nine who stayed by (Matthew 18:13). So, draw close to Him today.
Therefore, wherever you are on your spiritual path, Jesus is looking for you, calling you by name not only to follow Him, but also to be with Him.
What will be your answer today?
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Is it misfortune, or oppression, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? — Romans 8:35
We serve a God who loves us more than our work.
Of course, God expects us to work, feed our families, care responsibly for this world that He created. He also wants us to take care of the weak, the hungry, the thirsty, the needy, and the generally unhappy people – while not forgetting the fate of those who have not yet responded to the voice of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
And yet we serve God, who loves us more than our work.
It is not necessary to forget about this, because the time may come when the ability to “do something for God” will be taken away from us – due to illness, various problems or an unforeseen catastrophe. It is at such times that God wants us to remember: He loves us not for what we do for Him, but for who we are – His children! From the moment we called on the Name of Christ for salvation, nothing – “misfortune, or oppression, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword” – will never separate us “from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord!” (Rom. 8:35, 39).
If the time comes when everything we have or can be is taken away from us, then let us remember that all God expects of us now is simply to rely on our identity in Him.
Father, help us to never lose sight of Your unconditional love for us. Give us the strength to cling to this hope when we can no longer work for You and see the fruit of our service.
The meaning of our existence is communication with God.
Author: Randy Kilgore
Imagine you are working in someone’s home. One day the master of the house leaves and assigns you to look after his property, and you do not know when he will return. What would you do?
Would you take a nap? Have a party? Would you eat all the food from the pantry? Would you ignore instructions?
No. A faithful servant would obey his master’s orders and keep the house ready for his return.
Jesus’ parable in Mark 13:32-37 illustrates that the same is true of what our Master, Jesus, has entrusted to us—possessions, gifts, talents, and more. After all, it’s not ours—He left it for us temporarily. We do not know when He will return: “in the evening, or at midnight, or as the roosters crow, or in the morning (Mark 13:35)”. But God’s Word tells us what we are to do at this time. Here are a few tasks our Master has given us while we wait:
– Be alert and attentive. (Mark 13:33)
– Pray for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18)
– Serve each other with your spiritual gifts. (1 Peter 4:10)
– Take care of the needy. (James 2:14–17)
– Practice humility. (Philippians 2:3–4)
Let’s be on guard, because “someday” can become “today”.
So, my dear brothers, be strong, steadfast, always enrich yourself in the Lord’s work, knowing that your work is not in vain in the Lord! — 1 Corinthians 15:58
A financial advisor I know described the reality of investing in one sentence: “Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.” Almost every decision in life has room for uncertainty about the outcome. However, there is one way in which, no matter what happens, we will know for sure that in the end all our efforts will not be in vain.
Apostle Paul spent a whole year with the believers of the city of Corinth. This city was known for the moral corruption of the inhabitants who lived there. Leaving the believers, he soon wrote a letter in which he encouraged them not to get upset and think that their testimony about Christ is not needed by anyone. He assured the Corinthians that the day will come when the Lord will return and even death will be swallowed up in God’s victory (1 Cor. 15:52-55).
Those who remain faithful to Jesus Christ may face difficulties, sorrows, and even danger, but such faithfulness is never pointless or in vain. If we walk with the Lord and witness His presence and power, then we live not in vain. Don’t even doubt it!
Lord, now that everyone feels uncertain, we hold fast to Your promise that our work for You will achieve its goals and have great value in Your eyes.
Living for Christ and testifying about Him are not in vain.
Author: David McCasland
Matthew 13:44 contains one of the most vivid metaphors in all of Scripture. Imagine: you are walking through a field and suddenly you find an ancient treasure that everyone has forgotten about. You will find out that this piece of land can be bought. What would you do? How quickly would you sell everything you own to buy this treasure land? Quickly? Of course! You have found something of great value that surpasses anything you had before.
Jesus uses this metaphor to show the Kingdom of Heaven. When you discover the true value of something like this, you give everything you have to get it, to be a part of it, to make it yours.
And what is the Kingdom of Heaven?
The Kingdom of Heaven is the will of God on earth. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that we can be freed from sin and walk in His mercy and grace. The Kingdom of Heaven is here and now. This invitation is for you.
Have you discovered it for yourself? The joy, energy, excitement of finding a priceless treasure in the field – this is the feeling that comes when you realize that you are invited to be a part of the Kingdom of God. Stop for a moment and realize this. You are invited. Have you said yes yet? Will you say?
Because when you answer yes, the value of anything else simply cannot compare to the value of this Kingdom. Scripture does not say that the man went to sell all that he had with sadness, uncertainty, or fear. It is said that he left with joy.
He left with joy because the treasure he found was incredible. And he became a part of it. You can too.
You are made for community. When God created humans, He created us with the intention of placing us in a loving family. Today we call this family the Church.
God’s original intention was for us to exist in the family of other believers. He did not want us to exist in isolation or apart from other people. Life was not meant to be lived alone.
Regardless of your family’s experience, God wanted His family to be loving and caring. And these are the qualities of God’s family that Paul writes about in Romans 12.
Paul says to be devoted to one another in love. This means that we have to walk together with other people in different periods of life. We should never leave people when life gets tough.
Paul also encourages us to honor others. Instead of seeking self-acceptance, we should honor and encourage one another. Instead of seeking what seems best for us, we should first seek the good of other people.
Loyalty and respect are only two aspects of good love for people, but Jesus said that the world will recognize us as His disciples by how we love. This means that we must truly love others and not just pretend to love them. And the place where we must begin to show sincere respect is our spiritual family. Instead of self-promotion dividing God’s family, our goal should be to honor those around us.
If we don’t learn to love people who follow Jesus, we won’t know how to love people who don’t.
This is why we should often stop and evaluate how we are doing in loving others. So take a moment now to think about how you loved and honored people last week. Write down two or three things you can do to continue showing love to those in your life.
