Today’s Verse:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

Suffering is a part of life. We all have to deal with it, and it can be hard. It can come in several different forms and affects us all differently. One of the things I remember most when reading the teachings of Jesus is that He tells us time and time again that we will suffer. Truthfully, I never really understood why God would enable those He loved to endure suffering. It is not easy and can take over your life; so, why then? Why does God allow us to suffer? There are many answers I have come across in my experience, but the one that encourages me the most is that suffering brings spiritual growth. Suffering can increase our compassion for others. It can bring about the development of humility and repentance. It can even bring us closer to God. For it is in suffering that we realize how much we need God in our lives. So do not condemn all of life’s difficulties. God uses everything including our suffering for His greater glory. – Commentary by Matthew J. Elliot

Today’s Prayer: 
Father, we offer up all our suffering for You to use as You see fit. Please help us persevere through our suffering and to understand Your plan and greater purpose for our suffering. Amen.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. — Psalm 143:8

Thoughts on Today’s Verse….

In nearly every disciple’s life, there comes a time of loneliness and doubt. It seems as if our prayer requests just bounce off the ceiling and fall in broken pieces at our feet. God seems distant, hiding, asleep, or unsympathetic to our cries for mercy and help. Thankfully God gives us the Psalms. In the Psalms we can find words for almost all of life’s ups and downs. It is nice when we are down to know that others have been there before us and have recovered their faith and vitality. But, there are just some moments in life when we need to have God’s reminders of his love and guidance. This psalm, and these words are made for such a time. If the request is not relevant to your need, then please, pray these words for someone else. If, on the other hand, they speak to you then please, pray them for yourself!

My Prayer…

Dear Father, please make your presence undeniably known in my life and help me see your presence and mercy clearly. I want to honor you, dear God, but please make your guidance clear so that I can follow you boldly and faithfully in your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” The He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’ Matthew 8:26-27 Faith in Christ has always come down to what we believe. That may sound a bit simplistic and obvious, but it really does come down to what we believe. The men traveling with Jesus on a stormy Galilean night in Matthew 8 asked a question we all must ask: “What kind of man is this…?” It is when we ask ourselves that same question that we will start to see the big picture of who Jesus is instead of concentrating on the facets of His personality revealed by several stories in the Bible. In other words, do we believe that He can perform miracles that we read about, or more than that, do we believe He is the One who actually made the sea that the storm was in. Jesus is not simply a man who can calm a storm, He is the One who created everything in the storm…the water, the wind, the waves…everything. It is when we come to know Him as Creator that we understand He holds the whole world in His hands, not just the sea! So don’t just look at the storm you are currently experiencing, begin to see that Jesus is the One that created that environment for you to experience with Him alongside of you. When you can see Him as Creator, you will have no problem see Him as deliverer! Have a blessed weekend. Pastor Mike

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. — Isaiah 41:10-11

Thoughts on Today’s Verse….

Not only does God’s blessing rest on us, his presence goes with us. We cannot ever be in a place where he is not with us (see Psalm 139). His presence and power will uphold us and strengthen us. No matter what may happen in our physical bodies or our physical worlds, God has given us the ultimate triumph over every enemy and all wickedness in Jesus. Even Jesus’ doubters and enemies will worship our Lord and kneel at his feet and will recognize that our faith is not only appropriate, but it is victorious (cf. 1 Thess. 1).

My Prayer…

Thank you, dear Father! You are not only the God of the heavens, but you are also my God. You know me and care about me. You hear my cries for help and mercy. You share my struggles and burdens. Please deliver me from every enemy, both physical and spiritual, and give me boldness to stand firm in my faith in you. In Jesus’ name I ask this. Amen.

Today’s Verse:
Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. – Deuteronomy 31:6 

Have you ever received a blessing from God, but you just couldn’t understand the timing of it? Do you ever ask yourself, what did I fix or improve about myself to receive this? I know I ask myself that. Currently, I am noticing that because the timing of a blessing doesn’t make sense, I have put up walls. I’m not trusting that God is with me and He absolutely will not fail me. It is so hard to have a new blessing, that in the past, had caused you pain. A blessing like a job and maybe you worked too much and it caused family stress. Maybe it was a boyfriend or girlfriend that broke your heart, or maybe it was a roommate who manipulated you. In any case, God can provide a new job, a new partner, or a new roommate. The trick is, our pain will try to keep us from feeling the joy God has blessed us with. His blessings aren’t necessarily always dependent on our actions, but simply on His loving generosity and timing. -Commentary by Kristina Taylor

Today’s Prayer:
God, I pray that you touch those that have walls up towards a blessing You have given them. That they would give their hindrances to You so they can experience the joy You are blessing them with. I pray that they would only hear Your truth and promise. Amen.

Today’s Verse:
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. – 1 Samuel 16:7

Lizzie Velasquez is a famous speaker and author. She has her own youtube channel with over 350,000 subscribers. In 2015, a documentary film about her was released entitled, “A Brave Heart.” Sounds like a successful and beautiful woman right? But in 2006, she was called, “World’s ugliest woman” because her looks did not fit in with the world’s standard of beauty. She suffers from a condition called Marfan lipodystrophy. How many of us judge people based on appearance? I know I certainly have. Unlike humans, God does not look at us based on physical characteristics. He directly looks into our hearts. He created us in His image, and that means He carefully determined what we would look like. At the end of our lives what will matter is how we used our lives to love and serve God and each other. Lizzie used her struggles to grow in those ways. She became an inspiration and showed the world her loving, compassionate heart, and how looks are only skin deep. We must remember that our physical looks will change, but the things we do for Heaven will stay for eternity. Commentary by Theresa Landicho

Today’s Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help us to see that true beauty comes from within. May we be able to love each other and see the beauty not just in the physical appearance, but from the hearts of others as well. Amen.

This baby girl absolutely loses it laughing every time the baby monkey in the video kisses her. The loving and innocent interaction between them is sure to bring a smile to everyone watching, so please be sure to share this with your loved ones.

Today’s Verse:
I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him. – Ecclesiastes 3:14 

There are days when we all feel as if we are nothing or that we are failures in life. It’s just part of our development as human beings and as faithful believers. It can be difficult at times to trust in what the Lord has for us, but those are the moments in which we can find comfort in knowing God has our back. God’s plans for each of us are beautiful. It may be a struggle sometimes to accept that, but it is the truth. God has placed His plans within our grasp, and He is simply waiting for us to embrace them. Knowing this, we can find the comfort we seek and we can stand in awe before Him in all that He is. Let us faithfully trust in what God has done for us today and will do in the future. – Commentary by Matthew J. Elliott

Today’s Prayer: 
Father, thank You for being here for us as we step forth and embrace the awe of what You have and will do in our lives. Teach us to embrace You more every day. Amen.

In the Book of Ruth, Naomi tries to convince her Gentile daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to leave her and not follow as she returns to her homeland in Israel. Orpah agrees to leave, but Ruth refuses. Finally Naomi let Ruth come because she saw that Ruth was amats. Amats is the Hebrew word for steadfast, stubborn, and hardened. It’s not good to be stubborn in sin and hardened to God. Yet it’s very good to be stubborn in love and hardened for righteousness. We must not only follow God, we must be amats in following. We need to be stubborn in faith, steadfast in love, hardened in our commitment. If you’re not stubborn about what is good, then the enemy will discourage you from entering the blessings God has for you. Ruth refused to be discouraged. Ruth was stubborn. When Naomi saw she was amats, she let her come.

When the enemy sees that you are amats, he will give up. Be steadfast in faith, unwavering in hope, and stubborn in love. Don’t just be a believer, be an amats believer, and nothing on earth will keep you from all the blessings God has in store.

In what areas do you tend to get discouraged or give up?

Make it your aim today to keep going in holy, stubborn, amats!

Today’s Verse: 
I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have taken heed of my adversities. – Psalm 31:7

Jesus understands; He has taken heed of your adversities. Do you hear that? Jesus understands. Hebrews 2:18 says “Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.” (NRSV) The 40 days Jesus experienced in the wilderness is key here. He was all alone for 40 days, fasting, in the wilderness, and was tempted by Satan. Satan threw everything he had at Jesus, and I know sometimes we feel like Satan is throwing everything he has at us. Can you recall a “wilderness” time in your life, maybe more than one? How beautiful it is to be understood by your Savior. How beautiful it is that God would create something for you to relate to; something to comfort you. Your God is more powerful than the hardest hit Satan has for you. He is there, understanding, willing to comfort, arms open, always ready for you to reach out and grab His hand.

Today’s Prayer:
God, we give You thanks for the beauty of your creation and sacrifice. Thank you, for creating a way for me to relate to you. To understand you a little more, and to know you understand me. Please give us comfort in our times of wilderness and remind us that we are never alone. Remind us of the strength we have because your Spirit lives in us.

Today’s Verse:

By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. – Psalm 42:8

Have you ever left the house to go shopping, out for dinner or an extended trip and felt like something is not right? Something I forgot to do, forgot to bring, something just isn’t right.

For you that are accomplished cooks, you take the time and energy to prepare your “special dish” for your loved ones and just as you sit with family to enjoy the fruit of your labor, you realize it doesn’t taste quite as you remember. You can’t place your finger on what specifically it is, but you are certain that something is definitely not right, in other words, something is missing.

There are moments in all of our lives when we feel like something is missing. Today’s passage reminds us that God’s love is never far away. At times it may seem like God is distant, that He is not looking out for you, it seems as though He is a million miles from your predicament, but this is the furthest thing from the truth.

God’s love for you is eternal, never ceasing, never surrendering, always there. He loves you so much that it’s unfathomable. Words like reckless, scandalous, limitless, boundless, endless have been used to describe God’s indescribable love, one might even say that He is actually Crazy in love with you.

These times of discomfort and distance are often known as spiritual dryness, they serve as an opportunity to love God in return without feeling His strong presence.

This dryness can be considered as a gift for if we are able to love God during these times it is a profound example of our devotion to Him.

So remember God is always with us even when it seems like we feel we are so alone. – shared certain content from Matthew J. Elliott

Today’s Prayer:

Father, I need to embrace Your steadfast love more often in my life. Today, I pray that You will show me Your love and help me offer it to those around me. Amen.