I will not leave you, nor will I retreat from you! — Hebrews 13:5
A dear friend of mine sent me the following message: “I’m so glad we can tell each other the good things, the bad things, and the terrible things!” We have been friends for many years and have learned to share both pleasant things and our mistakes. We realized that we are far from perfect, so we are not afraid to admit our spiritual defeats, but we also sincerely rejoice in our spiritual victories.
David and Jonathan were also connected by a strong friendship that began back in those glorious days when David defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 18:1-4). They shared their fears during the bad period when Saul, Jonathan’s father, was full of envy and treachery (1 Sam. 18:6-11; 20:1-2). Finally, they suffered together in those terrible days when Saul tried to kill David (1 Sam. 20:42).
True friends do not abandon us when our life circumstances change for the worse. They are always with us both in our happy days and in our bad. In the terrible days when we feel temptations, friends can show us how to hold on to the Lord.
True friendship is a gift from God. And God Himself is an example of the best, perfect Friend, Who remains faithful to us in any period of our life – good, bad or terrible. The Lord reminds us: “I will not leave you, nor will I depart from you!” (Heb. 13:5).
Dear Lord, I thank You for the good friends You send into my life. But above all I thank You for Your friendship.
A friend is the one who first comes to the rescue when the whole world turns its back on us.
Author: Kayla Ochoa
Is it possible to live a life that honors God? Is it possible to train our minds and bodies to do what we know is right instead of feeling powerless in the face of temptation?
Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia is a guide to the following questions:
“But I say to you, let the Spirit guide your behavior. Then you will not satisfy the desires of your sinful nature.”
Galatians 5:16
By not surrendering and submitting to God’s guidance, our sinful nature is fighting against what God has for us.
Given to ourselves, we desire what the world desires. And the more we indulge our unique shades of temptation, the more we crave (for example, craving sweets instead of sugar or craving pornography for a dopamine release). But with the help of the Holy Spirit who softens, shapes and reshapes our hearts, we can learn to desire what God thinks is best.
Simply put, the secret of godly living is the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is simply God – one of the three persons of the Trinity: the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus has already done the hard and beautiful work of salvation by living, dying, and rising again for His children, but now He wants to continue His mighty work in us and through us.
Does it seem impossible? Yes, it is impossible if you are fighting alone. But, as Jesus told His disciples: “It is impossible with men, but not with God, for nothing is impossible with Him” (Mark 10:27). The psalmist also expressed another valuable thought, writing: “And where is the way that leads a young man to purity? Obeying Your orders!” (Psalms 119:9).
When we hold on to His Word, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, it is not only possible, but probable, to live a life that honors Him.
Finally, brethren, what is true…honest…righteous…pure…lovely…praiseworthy, when what virtue…praise, think about it! — Philippians 4:8
More than 2 million copies of the young Japanese woman Marie Kondo’s book on tidying up and organizing have been sold. The main idea of this book is to help people get rid of unnecessary things in their homes, closets, pantries, which are an unnecessary burden. “Take this or that thing,” Marie advises, “and ask yourself if it makes you happy.” If the answer is yes, leave it. If “no” – throw it away.
The Apostle Paul encouraged the believers of the city of Philippi to strive for joy in their relationship with Christ: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). The apostle urged, instead of a life full of turmoil and restlessness, to bring everything to God in prayer and allow God’s peace to “guard” our hearts and our minds in Christ (Phil. 4:6-7).
If we think about our daily responsibilities and affairs, it is obvious that not all of them cause us joy. But let’s ask ourselves: “How can this or that matter cause joy in God’s heart and my heart?” Understanding why we do a certain thing can change our attitude towards it.
“Finally, brothers, what is true…honest…righteous…pure…lovely…worthy of praise, when what virtue, when what praise, think about it!” (Phil. 4:8).
This Pauline instruction is spiritual food for our minds and a recipe for joy.
Господи, покажи мені, які мої сьогоднішні справи можуть принести радість Тобі й мені.
The beginning of joy is to focus on the Lord.
Author: David McCasland
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”.
