In the face of unimaginable suffering, Job demonstrated unwavering faith. His story reminds us that even during our darkest hours, we can trust in God’s plan.

Job 13:15a
Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.

This declaration encapsulates the essence of faithfulness during trials.

Let’s consider Hagar the servant of Sarai, who faced mistreatment and abandonment. However, Hagar's cries were heard by God.

Gen 21:17a
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid.”

Both stories illuminate that struggles do not go unseen by God.

Let’s pray knowing trials are temporary. Unwavering faith strengthens our resolve to follow Jesus, no matter what! Let’s remember Job’s unwavering commitment to trust God, who gives peace beyond all understanding. Faithfulness during trials shapes us and reveals God’s grace and gives Him much glory.

As children of God we used to be dead in our sins but now because of Jesus we are alive with love and hope and access to an abundant life.

Rom 5:1-2
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

We also live in the fear of the Lord. We are not afraid of Him but know if we don’t obey His wonderful commands we will miss out on His good plans.

2 Cor 5:11a
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.

We want to tell others what Jesus did for us because, like Jesus, we hate sin but love sinners. We want people to experience forgiveness and the love of God. We want them to know the hope we have.

Let’s love sinners and God by obeying His commands. Like Jesus, let’s rescue the perishing.

Gal 1:4a
(Jesus) gave himself for our sins to rescue us!

As followers of Christ our desire is to become like Jesus. We want to live a life of love. We want to serve Him and others with love and forgiveness. However, sin derails us from our goal of Christlikeness.

Ps 19:13
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

We must arm ourselves to win the battle against sin by daily asking for help to overcome lies. So we begin our day with prayer and immersing ourselves in His Word.

Psalms 19:9b-11
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold…
they are sweeter than honey…
By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

By God’s grace let’s live a life of love like Jesus. Let’s follow His ways and live a full life, a life with no regrets.

Ps 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

One of my favorite verses is the wonder of the Spirit enabling us to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Rom 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

To confess is to simply agree with God by openly acknowledging and declaring belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It involves a sincere and public declaration of faith in Jesus, recognizing Him as the Son of God who died for our sins and was raised from the dead.

Rom 10:10
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Our heart is the center of our mind, emotion, and will. It represents the core of our being and is the core of belief and decision-making. Our hearts go beyond mere consent to a deep conviction of faith and trust in Jesus as Lord.

I’m looking forward to amazing worship with all the Saints singing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”

What a privilege we have to talk to the Creator of the universe anytime we want. He loves us so much and wants to be called Father.

Mt 7:7-8
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Still “some” prayers go unanswered because sin separates us from His Presence. He doesn’t answer because being in a right relationship with Him is paramount. He only has good plans for us!

Ps 66:18-19
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

Let’s live abundantly by living fully surrendered to Jesus. All sin leads to heartache and unanswered prayer. Let’s keep the communication line open with our Father!

Rom 13:14
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Even Jesus’s disciples asked Him to increase their faith.

Lk 17:5-6
The apostles said, "Increase our faith!" Jesus replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."

Faith grows as we believe God keeps His promises. He'll do what we ask according to His will:

1 Jn 5:14-15
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us — whatever we ask— we know we have what we asked.

In Mt 9:29, blind men trusted Jesus could do anything and He healed them. “According to your faith will it be done to you."

Faith isn't about having answers; it's simply trusting Jesus. Have past issues dimmed our faith? Let's dare to believe, bringing our hopes and hurts to Jesus. Our faith unlocks His power. He seeks trust, not perfection, meeting us with love right where we are.

In Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abraham, promising him descendants as numerous as the stars.

Gen 15:5
(God) said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Even though Abram and Sarah were old and childless, God kept His promise and Isaac was born. We see that God's promises are sure, even when circumstances seem impossible.

Gen 15:4
Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.”

Let’s remember that God's timing is always perfect. His promises never fail! Whatever you’re waiting on, trust that God is working behind the scenes because He who promised is faithful.

2 Cor 1:20a
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.

When we decide to make disciples, God opens doors to serve the unsaved, providing opportunities for greatness in His Kingdom.

Mt 20:25b-26:
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…

Why is serving the measure of greatness? It imitates Jesus!

Phil 2:8b-9:
(Jesus) humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name…

Serving others through prayer, study, worship, giving, fellowship, and service without seeking recognition reflects Christ's attitude, leading to true greatness in God's eyes.

Ph 2:5:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…

I’ve mentioned before that my dad sent a letter to me shortly before I left college. At the end of the letter he reminded me of the importance of living for Jesus by quoting a line from the poem, “Only One Life” by former well-known cricketer turned missionary C.T. Studd. He wrote, “Only one life, twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Do we believe what Studd wrote? Do our lives reflect that sense of urgency and determination?
Jesus was determined to die for our sins. Nothing would deter Him from His urgent mission.

Lk 9:51
As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

This “taken up to heaven” refers to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. His mission was incomplete without His death. He knew His death was necessary for us to become God’s children.

Let’s continually spend time with God and His Word so when Satan tempts us we will resolutely keep our eyes on Jesus and make disciples!

To glorify is to make something or someone look good.

1 Cor 11:15a
But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her…

Jesus was made to look good not through an outward appearance but for His hour—His death, burial, and resurrection.

Jn 12:23
Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

As His followers we, too, reveal His glory when we sacrificially and wholeheartedly follow Him.

John 12:24-25
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Let’s glorify the Lord today by dying to self to live for Christ. Let’s live the paradox of losing our life to find it.

Lk 9:24
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

As believers in Jesus, we experience the joy of having our sins forgiven. We are immersed into the Body of Christ. We are given the opportunity and the grace to live a life of love.

Eph 5:1-2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We are exhorted to imitate God! In this verse, Paul points out that Christ lived a life of love by dying on the cross; His Father—Our Father—considered Jesus’ death a fragrant offering for our sin debt.

Romans 3:25a
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

As followers of Jesus, we must live a life of love to God and our neighbors—anyone God puts in our path (cf Lk 10:36).

Let's deny ourselves and take up our cross today. Let's sacrificially live to bless others, thus obeying His command to make disciples!

As Jesus beckons us to follow Him, it’s a call to wholeheartedly commit to His ways. By the power of His Spirit we must teach His ways to those who want to be followers.

Lk 9:23-24
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Lk 14:33
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Jn 13:34-35
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

This seems hard but when we trust the One who loves us and endured the scorn and shame of the cross, we find it not only possible but rewarding.

Mt 11:30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Let’s follow Jesus and embrace His ways. Only Jesus leads to an abundant life!

Happy MLK, Jr Day and Happy Inauguration Day!

Let’s begin this day honoring MLK. He once prayed, “Have faith in God. God is Love. Love never fails. It is our prayer that we may be children of light, the kind of people for whose coming and ministry the world is waiting. Amen.”

As we ponder his message in prayer, let’s think about the many lost folks we know that do not know God’s love and presently aren’t interested. We could say they are hard soil like soil on a path.

Lk 8:12
Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

Let’s be children of Light today and love those who are presently unreceptive to the Good News. Let’s pray that God will remove all obstacles that are blinding them. Let’s pray for America to receive a new heart!

MLK, Jr
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.