One way we become free of ourselves is through praise. True worship recognizes that
God’s character, not our preferences, is the center of worship. Miller writes, “There is a
key difference between the worship of God and superficial distractions. One is an
escape; the other is a return.” Rather than neglecting ourselves, she encourages us to
redirect our focus outward—to God and to others.
Every time I go to the beach, God uses the experience to teach me something about
who He is and how He works. In fact, He has been so faithful to do this that I now look
forward to each trip not only for the beauty and rest, but also for what He will teach
me—and perhaps allow me to share with others. I anticipate He will speak, and I come
ready to learn.
The Bible tells us to be on guard for all kinds of things. Satan’s schemes. False teachers. Pride. Apathy. Greed. Worldly ambition. Sinful desires.
We live in and around these things all the time. We may think they don’t really affect us. Then, one day, we turn around to find them closer than we think.
Back in 2023, I knew a small piece of the joy. Today, I sit with the fullness of all God was doing. And I’m overwhelmed by His goodness.
I saw several God-winks during my cancer treatment. Perhaps the most unusual was the Wienermobile. It came after surgery and before radiation.
I did a U-turn when I saw the Wienermobile. I hadn’t seen it up close since my 20s. I felt an unexplainable joy at this silly truck that took me back to a carefree time in my life.
God’s peace rushed over me. He had heard my prayers and sent this nurse to confirm it.
When fear strikes, ask God for peace and joy. Then watch how He shows up. You may see Him work through a stranger you’d never expect.
Maybe you are walking through something similar.
Ask God to keep you safe and hide you in His shelter.
Then, watch for God’s goodness in the land of the living. It does not always come like we expect. But it’s always there.
Have you noticed that hard and challenging circumstances can become easier when
you have a friend by your side? You can keep going when you have a friend who walks
beside you or encourages you.
The Bible compares a pleasant aroma to a friend’s wise counsel. A friend who invests in
your spiritual well-being is someone you desire to be around or strive to be like. These
people encourage you, give you sound advice, or set you straight when you are walking
away from godly truth. To have friends invest in you is a sweet aroma.
If we are not careful, we can allow our schedules, tasks, and demands to overshadow
the joy and beauty of friendship time. Don’t wait for an invitation, start the process.
True friendships know everything about you – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and
love you anyway. You enjoy life together, share countless stories, and encourage each
other to look more like Jesus
I have never been without a friend. The Lord has always brought me friends even
through the different journeys in life: moving away, disconnection, even death.
The Lord always provided a new friend to come into my life.
My son wants me to cut his hair. This is surprising. He likes his hair long. It’s not just long, but ponytail long. He could play a convincing role as Jesus. He does have beautiful hair. It is thick and shiny and wavy.
This verse is so comforting to us. We know that our God is good, and He works all things for our good. BUT . . . we also must remember that our good may include struggles and pain. Our good may be walking through that tough thing.
When we have a fresh encounter with God and He reveals His presence to us, we are likely to be overwhelmed with awe and a sense of our unworthiness. This should cause us to be humbled, and we should desire to repent and return to obedience and fellowship with our Lord.
Imagine the life-changing decisions made by those who actually saw Christ's healing love touches? Sweet Jesus even said, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed." (John 20:29 HCSB)
The prophet Habakkuk recorded a third prayer to God. This prayer was in the form of a song written for the choir director to be song with stringed instruments. Habakkuk responded to what God foretold of the judgment of Israel by the invading Babylonians. Even though God declared that He would defend His people with His mighty arm, Habakkuk "trembled within" as he waited quietly for the Lord’s deliverance.
This is when Paul says…
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone (Romans 12:18 NLT).
Then, in verses 19-21, he proceeds to say don’t pay the person back with evil or revenge. Instead, Paul wisely says to calm the person down who is persecuting you by sharing food and drink with them. Paul explains that the best way to conquer evil is by doing good.
While I wait, I am to live a pure and blameless lifestyle based on the correct teaching of God’s wisdom in the letters Paul wrote (verse 15).
What will ignorant and unstable people do? At the end, they are going to distort or twist the teaching in God’s word to mean something very different than what God intended (verse 16).
This hope the Lord gives is encouraging! The truth is His covenant of peace will not be shaken and His love will not be removed, no matter how much turmoil is happening around me.
