Today’s Verse:  No one finds security by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved – Proverbs 12:3  Who doesn’t want to be secure? Knowing how much evil there is in the world, we must all face an undeniable truth – at times we are not totally safe. Security is one of the greatest problems of the postmodern world. People spend a lot of money trying to provide safety for themselves, their families, their money, their businesses. They try to predict and prevent bad things from happening. That’s why we sign all kinds of contracts, pay for security services and move to safer places. However, we still cannot hide from evil. Although it is necessary to think about security and do our best to provide it, it is above all important to know that in the long run, our security depends mostly on God. God tells us to be righteous because righteousness deeply roots us in God’s grace. God, Himself then protects us. Evildoers think their wicked deeds bring them security, but the truth is the opposite. Wickedness does not provide real protection only God can do that. – Commentary by Irina Radosavljevic  Today’s Prayer: Dear God, thank You for helping me avoid sin and grow love in my heart. Please protect my family and me from sin and those who practice wickedness. Amen.

Today’s Verse: But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-even death on a cross. – Philippians 2: 7-8  Our God didn’t come to earth as a King. He came as humbly as He could. He came as a baby, with nothing, and built His life on service, further humbling Himself. Can you imagine how Jesus humbled himself to the point of death? If God asked for sacrifice from you, would you be obedient? Some of us have trouble accepting we don’t get into our preferred college, that job we want, the house we want, etc. What are these things in light of eternity? The Bible tells us that our current sufferings are not worth comparing to the promise of eternity and the glory we will see. Jesus saw the glory in store for us; He also knew what it would mean to humble Himself to the point of death on a cross. Commentary by: Kristina Taylor  Today’s Prayer: Lord, I pray our eyes and hearts would be fixed on You and Your glory. That we would notice the things in this life that distract us and pull our eyes away from eternity. Please help us stay on the narrow path. Amen.

Wednesday, April 28 2021

Every bride seeks to appear beautiful in the eyes of her groom. The custom of the ancient Hebrews was the bride and groom would stay separate for a year. The groom would prepare a place for the bride, the bride would prepare herself for the groom; her mission was to make herself beautiful. A woman making herself beautiful knows things often get worse before they get better. It’s a necessary part of becoming more beautiful.

If you’re born again, you’re the bride and now is your time of preparation. That’s why you and Messiah are separated; its the time given you to prepare for marriage, to become beautiful in His eyes, beautiful in spirit, in love, in faith, in joy, in peace. Often, before we become more beautiful, we must appear less beautiful.

So, if you’re looking at yourself, your heart, your attitude, your spirituality, your selfishness…it can be pretty scary…Don’t be discouraged. For it’s in seeing her lack of beauty that the bride becomes beautiful in the Lord. So you’re not the picture of beauty or spirituality. It’s okay. This is the time of your preparation. You don’t have to be beautiful. You have to become beautiful.

TODAY’S MISSION – Seek today not to look good but to become good, not to appear beautiful, but to become beautiful in the eyes of God.

Today’s Verse: And even the hairs of your head are all counted – Matthew 10:30  If you are interested in getting to know someone, you might be eager to learn as much as possible about that particular person. But have you ever contemplated counting the hairs on their head? Of course not, that would be awkward and ridiculous, but God knows the number of hairs we have on our heads. That shows how detailed and intimate God’s knowledge and interest in you is. He formed you, loves you, and wants to be part of your life in the same way He wants us to be part of his family. That is why He sent Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sins. The question here is if God loves you and is very interested in you, are you interested in Him too? God knows everything about us. We also need to try to come to know Him too. We can do this by reading our Bibles daily, quieting our hearts and minds while we meditate on His Word and listen for God’s still small voice. Commentary By Jeremy B. Trio

Saturday April 24, 2021
Entire rooms are built just for people to wait in. Every doctor subscribes to magazines to keep you busy. You sit in a room full of strangers, sitting in a place you don’t want to be, with people you don’t particularly want to be with, waiting to go a place you don’t particularly want to go. Whoever came up with the doctrine of Purgatory had to have spent a lot of his life waiting in a doctor’s office.

Many believers spend their lives the same way. Heaven is the office, and earth is the waiting room. They’re just waiting for it to be over – in a place they don’t want to be, with people they don’t want to be with, waiting for a place they hope will be better. They spend their days on earth just trying to get through.

This life isn’t a waiting room. God promised us life abundantly now. We look forward to heaven, but the heavenly life starts now or not at all. Stop waiting for life and start living it, fully, victoriously, and heavenly. This life is the beginning of eternal life and not a cosmic waiting room.

TODAY’S MISSION – Stop waiting to live – And start living. Live as if your heavenly life actually begins now.

Today’s Verse: But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. – Matthew 6: 3-4  Throughout the New Testament, we see the Pharisees boasting, talking the talk, but not walking the walk. They were all about receiving public praise for the things they were doing. What do you think their true motives for their actions were? To please the Lord or to look pleasing to people? We must remember that we don’t follow the Lord to be praised by others. We follow the Lord to please Him alone. If you catch yourself thinking you deserve recognition for a task you’ve performed, are your motives truly for pleasing the Lord? God’s got you, He sees you, working, serving, building up the Kingdom. He is proud of You and He will reward you. Most definitely in the next life! As a follower, be careful not to underestimate the impact of telling someone they did a good job. No matter how simple or grand, let your brothers and sisters in Christ know you’re thankful for their servant’s heart. A word of encouragement or just letting others know they are not serving alone or unnoticed goes a long way!  Today’s Prayer: Lord, today I pray that our motives for serving are to please You alone. Please help us build Your kingdom and that we would have eyes open to Your blessings in our lives. Help us be mindful of those with a trial or sword standing and serving near us that we might encourage one another, Amen.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

We are living in a world that is uncertain and unsure. Many people are attempting to find security for whatever comes next. These things, however, are not guaranteed from one day to the next. Watching the news provides enough proof that any of them can be taken away in a moment. No wonder there is such despair and fear.

For believers, thankfully, reality is not based on what we see. Nor is our foundation found in this world. We build our hope and trust on the Lord, and we believe the truth in His Word. Even in chaotic times, our certainty is found in God’s loving relationship with us as His children. Romans 8:38-39 tells us that nothing can tear us away from our Lord Jesus Christ. Even when you look at the list Paul gave, nothing, no not one thing, “will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Therefore, in the midst of turmoil and trials, we have assurance that our lives are in the grip of the almighty God. We can rely not only on His love and presence but also on His uninterrupted attention, faithfulness, and perfect care.

And for that, all of God’s people say… “Amen!”

They were bed-ridden and deathly ill in a prison hospital. One of the prisoners would lie in bed going on about the beautiful things he saw outside the window. Some of the other prisoners just closed their eyes and took it in. Others were envious. One day the prisoner died and one envious prisoner moved into the vacant bed. He looked out the window expecting to see a beautiful scene. Instead he saw the brick wall of another wing of the hospital. All that the departed prisoner had seen existed not on the other side of the prison wall, but inside his heart.

An important lesson – the scenery that surrounds your life matters little, it’s what’s inside your heart that will determine the life you lead. We spend so much time trying to change the scenery of our life when the scenery is not what determines our life, joy, peace, or what kind of life we live.

The Bible contains a prayer that the eyes of our hearts would be open, so that we might see the love, hope, and glory that is outside – on the other side of a prison wall.

TODAY’S MISSION – Pray that the eyes of your heart will be open today to see all of the beautiful things of God that your natural eyes cannot see and look for them!

Years ago, when Israel became a nation, several world events took place: Gandhi was assassinated, Stalin reigned the Soviet Union, Truman was re-elected president of the United States, Bogart starred in Key Largo, and Nestle’s Quik and V-8 juice were marketed. The year of all these events was 1948, when the nation of Israel was resurrected into history fulfilling all the prophecies from Moses to Zechariah.

What does Bogart have to do with Biblical prophecy or vice versa? You see, life is filled with all sorts of details that seem to have nothing to do with God. It is often difficult to see the hand of God in your life, or know what He’s doing. You may think that your everyday world of Nestle’s Quik and V-8 juice is Biblical – remember 1948 –

God was working it all together for good to fulfill the ancient prophecy, and so it is for your life.

As you love and follow God, know with assurance that His hand is on your life, as it is written, “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

TODAY’S MISSION – Meditate on Romans 8:28 – and apply it today in every challenge, problem, or concern declare and believe He will work ALL things for good.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. —

1 Corinthians 15:51-53

As Monday are typically stressful and the most burdensome day of the week, ley’s think of change.

I’m going to be changed! You’re going to be changed! We’re not talking about a new wardrobe or haircut. We’re not talking about a new car or a new place to live. We are talking major, heavy duty overhaul! We’re going to be made immortal. We’re going to become indestructible. We will no longer be perishable goods! We’re bound for glory.

Prayer For Today:

Inspire my faith, dear Lord, to trust your timing and to lean upon your grace. I believe that you not only know all the mysteries, but that you hold all triumphs in your hand. Please make me victorious, O LORD Almighty, through the mighty work of your Son. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.